A
I was always pretty independent, but living alone made me even more at peace. Living alone helped me grow as a human being. Caitlin Moscatello had a similar experience:
“I was the queen of my own 400-square-foot-castle for three years, and looking back, I can see that that short stretch of time was crucially important to establish my independence. It started with small things: I negotiated my rent on my own, created a household budget (预算) on my own, hashed out a savings plan on my own. I signed up for half-marathons, and actually ran them. I tried hot yoga, and hated it, but whatever, I tried it. And then, the results had a bigger payoff: I put in late hours at work, because I didn’t have anyone asking me ‘Will you be home for dinner?’ and got promoted. I met a guy on one of many fun, little dates, and he turned out to be the love of my life. I also got gutsier(有勇气的): I traveled abroad alone, several times, without thinking twice about it.”
I also think my time alone makes me a better partner now that I share my life (and my space) with another person. The real secret of living alone? You’re not living alone, you’re living with yourself. And the better you know yourself — what truly makes you happy, melancholy, frustrated or bored — the better you can deal with it without depending on others. Which means you won’t be putting pressure on other people in your life to do that work for you.
Living alone doesn’t mean you become a hermit(隐者, 逸士). In fact, you’ll likely find yourself more excited to see people and go out when your home space is all your own. And studies have shown that single people get out more — to social gatherings, community events, volunteering — than those who are coupled up. Or as Aletheia Luna writes, “It’s human nature to take our friends, family and loved ones for granted. Living alone, devoid of the presence of others, helps us to appreciate these people more when they are around.”
1. According to the 2nd paragraph, living alone is not good for ________.
A. making decisions B. keeping up one’s health
C. getting off work on time D. having one’s independence
2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Caitlin Moscatello was a queen. B. The writer got married.
C. Living alone can avoid feeling sad D. Aletheia Luna is a hermit.
3. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase in the last paragraph “devoid of”?
A. full of B. free of
C. short of D. because of
【答案】1. C 2. B 3. B
【解析】
本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者主要讲述了独居的好处，和读者分享了他的一些个人看法。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段的And then, the results had a bigger payoff: I put in late hours at work, 结果是一个更大的代价：我在工作中投入了更多的时间，由此可以推知，一个人住不利于准时下班，故选C。
【2题详解】
推理判断题。根据第三段的I also think my time alone makes me a better partner now that I share my life (and my space) with another person. 我也认为独处的时间让我成为一个更好的伴侣，因为我和另一个人分享我的生活(和我的空间)。由此可以看出，作者已经结婚了，故B项正确。
【3题详解】
词义猜测题。根据最后一段的Living alone, devoid of the presence of others, helps us to appreciate these people more when they are around.独自生活，没有其他人的存在，帮助我们更欣赏身边的这些人。分析句子结构可知devoid of the presence of others作为插入语用来解释说明Living alone，再结合句意可知，devoid of在此处意为“没有”，语意和“free of”相当，故选B。
