Question

Directions: After trading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word: for the other blanks, use one word that best Jits each blank.

Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach's Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad. What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel's "me" time. And 1. more Americans, she's not alone.

A new report found 46 percent of meals are eaten alone in America. More than half (53%) have breakfast alone and nearly half (46%) have lunch by themselves. Only at dinnertime 2. we eating together, 74%, according to statistics from the report.

"I prefer to go out and be out. Alone, but together, you know?” Bechtel said, 3. (look) up from her book. Bechtel, who works in downtown West Palm Beach, has lunch with coworkers sometimes, but like many of us, too often 4. (work) through lunch at her desk. A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on 5. shoulder. She returns to work feeling energized. "Today, I just wanted some time to myself,^” she said.

Just two seats over, Andrew Mazoleny, a local videographer, is finishing his lunch at the bar. He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeeper with whom he's on a first-name basis 6. he wants to have a little interaction. “I reflect on 7. my day's gone and think about the rest of the week," he said. "It's a chance for self-reflection. You return to work 8. (refresh) and with a plan.''

That freedom 9. (choose) is one reason more people like to eat alone. There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one, but those days are over. Now, we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table. "It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology," said Laurie Demeritt, 10. company provided the statistics for the report.

Answer

1.like

2.are

3.looking

4.works

5.the

6.if/when

7.how

8.refreshed

9.to choose

10.whose

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了统计数据显示近一半的美国人喜欢独自就餐并分析了原因。

1.考查介词。句意：像更多的美国人一样，她并不是个例。分析句子结构可知此处需要填介词，根据“she's not alone”可知此处表示“像……一样”，故填like。

2.考查时态和主谓一致。句意：据报告统计，只有在晚餐时间，我们才一起吃饭。此处用的是部分倒装，主语是we，谓语动词用复数，文章的基础时态为一般现在时，eating表明此处用的是现在进行时，故填are。

3.考查非谓语动词。句意：“我更喜欢一个人出去走走，你知道吗？” 贝切特从书中抬起头来说。Bechtel与look之间是逻辑上的主谓关系，表示主动，用现在分词做伴随状语，故填looking。

4.考查时态和主谓一致。句意：贝切特在西棕榈滩市中心工作，有时会和同事共进午餐，但和我们许多人一样，她经常在办公桌前工作到午餐结束。文章的基础时态为一般现在时，主语为Bechtel，谓语动词用第三人称单数，故填works。

5.考查定冠词。句意：午餐时间的休息可以让她避免被老板拍她的肩膀。tap sb on the+身体部位（如头、肩膀等），表示“拍某人某处”，故填the。

6.考查状语从句。句意：他喜欢安静地坐着看手机，或者在想要互动的时候（如果想要互动的话）直接和酒吧老板聊天。根据句意可知本句既可用when引导时间状语从句，表示“当……的时候”，也可用if引导条件状语从句，表示“如果”，故填if/when。

7.考查宾语从句。句意：我反思这一天是如何度过的，并思考这一周剩下的时间。此处为宾语从句，从句中不缺主宾表，缺少方式状语，故填how。

8.考查形容词。句意：这是一个自我反省的机会，让你带着计划精神饱满地回到工作之中。分析句子结构并结合句意可知此处用形容词做状语，强调主语的状态，修饰人用ed结尾的形容词，故填refreshed。

9.考查非谓语动词。句意：选择的自由是更多人喜欢独自吃饭的原因之一。freedom to do表示“做……的自由”，用不定式做后置定语，故填to choose.

10.考查非限定性定语从句。句意：现在，我们有了智能手机来陪伴我们。“它不像以前那样感到孤独，”劳里·德梅瑞特说，他的公司为这份报告提供了统计数据。此处为非限定性定语从句，company与先行词Laurie Demeritt之间是所属关系，所以用关系代词whose在从句中做定语，故填whose。