A young woman sits alone in a café drinking tea and reading a book. She pauses briefly to write in a nearby notepad before showing her words to a passing waiter: “Where are the toilets please?” This is a familiar scene in Tokyo’s so-called “silent cafes”, spaces which appear at first glance to be conventional café but where customers are not allowed to produce sounds, communicating instead by writing in notepads.
The concept is becoming more and more popular due to rising desires among young Japanese to be alone, a situation fuelled by economic uncertainty, a shift in traditional family support structures and growing social isolation. The phenomenon is not confined (限制) to coffee shops but covers everything from silent discos, where participants dance alone wearing wireless headphones connected to the DJ, to products such as small desk tents designed for conversation-free privacy in the office. The trend has its own media expression “botchi-zoku”, referring to individuals who consciously choose to do things completely on their own.
One recent weekday afternoon, Chihiro Higashikokubaru, a 23-year-old nurse, traveled 90 minutes from her home to a silent café in Tokyo on her day off in order to enjoy some time alone. At the entrance of the café, Miss Higashikokubaru said quietly, “I heard about this place in magazines, and I like the idea of coming here. I work as a nurse and it’s always very busy. There are very few quiet places in Tokyo. It’s a big busy city. I just wanted to come and sit somewhere quietly on my own. I’m going to drink a cup of tea and maybe do some drawings.”
While visitors may be banned from talking, electronic devices such as phones (without speaking) are generally permitted, reflecting how the concept is as much about avoiding the stresses of human interaction as switching off.
The desire to be alone is not a new concept in Japan, a nation with about 3.6 million “hikikomori”—a more extreme example of social recluses (隐居者) who withdraw completely from society.
32. According to Paragraph 1, why does the young woman write in a notepad?
A. Because she doesn’t like the waiter. B. Because the waiter cannot hear her.
C. Because she is not allowed to speak. D. Because the waiter needs her handwriting.
33. What does the underlined part “The trend” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. People like dancing together. B. People want to do things alone.
C. People like to use wireless headphones. D. People often use popular media expressions.
34. We can know from the text that many Japanese _________.
A. enjoy reading B. prefer coffee to tea C. trend to avoid others D. like electronic devices
35. The author writes the text mainly __________.
A. to advertise B. to introduce C. to persuade D. to encourage
CBCB
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025