US author Henry Rollins once wrote:“Loneliness adds beauty to life.It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.”Indeed,in the eyes of artists,loneliness never seems to go out of style.There are paintings that portray loneliness,songs that are inspired by loneliness,and many works of literature that center around this theme.
In the eyes of UK economist Rachel Reeves,however,loneliness is far from romantic (浪漫的).Instead,it’s a “giant evil” that’s become a serious problem in the country.
So just how serious is it?On Jan.17,UK Prime Minister Theresa May appointed politician Tracey Crouch as the country’s very first “Minister for Loneliness”.Her job is to tackle (处理) the loneliness that the country’s been feeling—a problem which,according to UK government research,is affecting more than 9 million people in the country,and is more harmful to one’s physical and mental health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
And the problem hasn’t just appeared recently.Back in 2014,the UK was given the title of the “loneliness capital of Europe” by The Telegraph.A survey carried out by the newspaper found that British people were less likely to get to know their neighbors or build strong relationships with people than those from other European countries.
“There is something British about wanting to deal with problems yourself,”Christian Guy,director of the Centre for Social Justice think-tank (智囊团),told The Telegraph.
But this doesn’t mean that the problem only affects Britons.In fact,we’re all suffering from loneliness now more than ever,in spite of most of the world now having access to the Internet,which has enabled us to be more connected than ever.
What we need,according to Kim Leadbetter,sister of the late UK politician Jo Cox,is to have “proper human connections”.
“Our lives nowadays are so busy.We spend the vast majority of our time on our phones,on our laptops.We need to press pause on that and actually sit down and speak to human beings,”Leadbetter said at an event last year.
But the first steps toward fighting this problem are to accept its existence and not be ashamed or intimidated (吓倒) by it.After all,without loneliness,many beautiful paintings,songs,and literary works wouldn’t even exist.And “evil” or not,being lonely is simply part of the experience of being human.
1.What can we learn about the UK’s loneliness problem?
A.The government is working to solve the problem.
B.More than half of British people suffer from loneliness.
C.The UK became the loneliest country in the world in 2014.
D.British people communicate less with their neighbors than ever.
2.According to the text,social loneliness .
A.does more harm mentally than physically B.didn’t attract the public’s attention until recently
C.is mainly caused by the wide use of the Internet D.has become a problem worldwide
3.What does Leadbetter suggest doing to cope with loneliness?
A.Making more phone calls to our friends.
B.Stopping the use of electronic products.
C.Interacting with the people around us face to face more often.
D.Accepting its existence calmly.
4.Which of the following would the author probably agree with?
A.Loneliness is a giant evil of society. B.Only artists can appreciate the beauty of loneliness.
C.Loneliness is just a normal part of our life. D.It is hard to find a solution to social loneliness.
语篇解读:本文是一篇说明文,介绍了英国流行的一种病,名叫孤独。
答案及剖析:
1.A 细节理解题。根据第三段第二、三句可知,政府派一官员去处理这一个问题。
2.D 细节理解题。根据倒数第四段可知,这个问题不仅仅影响英国人。
3.C 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段Kim Leadbetter所说的话可知,应对这个问题的关键是要多和人面对面交流。
4.C 细节理解题。根据文章最后一段最后一句可知,孤独是人生经历中的一部分。
