Social distancing is putting people out of work, canceling school and tanking the stock market. It has been 26 by fear, and it is creating even more fear as money problems and uncertainty grow. However, at its core is love, and a sacrifice to protect those most 27 to the coronavirus (冠状病毒)effects — the elderly, people with compromised immune systems, and those whose life-saving resources would be used up by a 28 epidemic.
Americans make life-saving decisions every day as a matter of course. We cut food into bite-sized pieces, we wear seatbelts, and we take care not to exceed the speed limit. But social distancing is 29 in that it is completely self-sacrificing. Those who will benefit may be the elderly relatives of the 30 person we didn’t pass in Starbucks, on the subway, or in the elevator.
Social distancing is millions of people making hundreds of sacrifices to keep the elderly alive. It doesn’t include the 31 to run from society or make an excuse to avoid one’s obligations — such as life-saving medical work or the parental obligation to buy groceries. What it does include is applying love through caution. And in doing so, it offers an 32 opportunity for those who care about the elderly to find new ways to love them.
If we’re not 33 as much in our normal work or school, we have extra time to call parents and grandparents. We can also ask elderly relatives how to best support them 34 and use our sacrifices as an opportunity to bring us, our community and the world 35 .
A) amazing I) sentimentally
B) closer J) spiritually
C) driven K) temptations
D) engaged L) thriftier
E) malignant M) tickled
F) oppressing N) unique
G) premises O) vulnerable
H) random
答案解析：
根据“by fear”以及语境可知，这里表示社交距离措施是被恐惧所“驱动”，所以选C。“driven”有“驱动;促使”的意思，符合此处语境，即社交距离措施因恐惧而产生，且随着资金问题和不确定性增加，它又引发了更多恐惧。
根据“the elderly, people with compromised immune systems”可知，这些人是对冠状病毒影响最“脆弱的”群体，“vulnerable”意为“脆弱的;易受伤害的”，所以选O。
根据“epidemic”以及前文对冠状病毒影响的描述，这里需要一个形容词来修饰疫情，“malignant”表示“恶性的;有害的”，用于形容疫情的严重性和危害性，所以选E。
根据“in that it is completely self - sacrificing”可知，社交距离与其他日常安全行为不同，它具有“独特的”性质，“unique”意为“独特的;独一无二的”，所以选N。
根据“we didn’t pass in Starbucks, on the subway, or in the elevator”可知，这里指的是“随机的”一个人，“random”表示“随机的;任意的”，所以选H。根据“to run from society or make an excuse to avoid one’s obligations”可知，这里说的是没有逃避社会或找借口逃避责任的“诱惑”，“temptations”意为“诱惑;引诱”，所以选K。
根据“for those who care about the elderly to find new ways to love them”可知，这为关心老人的人提供了一个“令人惊叹的”机会，“amazing”表示“令人惊叹的;了不起的”，所以选A。
根据“we have extra time to call parents and grandparents”可知，如果我们在正常工作或学校中没有那么“忙碌”，“engaged”有“忙碌的;从事的”意思，所以选D。34题：根据语境，这里是说询问老年亲属如何最好地在“精神上”支持他们，“spiritually”意为“精神上;心灵上”，所以选J。
根据“bring us, our community and the world”可知，这里表达的是让“我们”、社区和世界更“亲近”，“closer”表示“更亲近的;更紧密的”，所以选B。
