【答案解析】原文： Research shows that a few moments of conversation with a stranger create a measurable improvement in mood. But most of us are reluctant to start these conversations because we presume the opposite. In an experiment, commuters who talked to nearby strangers found their commute more enjoyable than those who didn’t. They were asked to predict whether they’d enjoy the commute more if they conversed with other people. Intriguingly, most expected the more solitary experience to be more pleasurable. Why is this? Social anxiety appears to be the problem. People’s reluctance to start conversations with nearby strangers comes partly from underestimating others’ interest in connecting. The sad thing is that people presume that a nearby stranger doesn’t want to converse and don’t start a conversation. Only those who forced themselves to chat because it was required by the experiment found out what a pleasant experience it could be. Human beings are social animals. Those who misunderstand the impact of social interactions may not, in some contexts, be social enough for their own well-being. You should be chatting with the strangers you encounter. You may occasionally have a negative encounter that might stick in your memory. This is because the human brain is biased to dwell on negative events. But starting conversations with strangers is still well worth the risk of rejection. It may surprise you that conversing with strangers will make them happier too. The pleasure of connection seems contagious. People who were talked to had equally positive experiences as those who initiate a conversation. 12.What does research show about a conversation between strangers? 13.What prevents people from starting a conversation with strangers? 14.Why does a negative encounter with strangers stick in one’s memory? 15.What does the passage say the pleasure of connection seems to be?文章开头即提到一项研究结果：与陌生人交谈片刻能够显著改善情绪。因此选项C正确，其中的improves对应文中的名词improvement，considerably对应文中的形容词measurable(显著的)，mood为原词重现。文中提到一项实验是在通勤者中进行的，但并未提及通勤者经常与陌生人谈话，而且选项A也不是研究结果，故排除该项；选项B、D文中未提及，故均排除。
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】原文： Research shows that a few moments of conversation with a stranger create a measurable improvement in mood. But most of us are reluctant to start these conversations because we presume the opposite. In an experiment, commuters who talked to nearby strangers found their commute more enjoyable than those who didn’t. They were asked to predict whether they’d enjoy the commute more if they conversed with other people. Intriguingly, most expected the more solitary experience to be more pleasurable. Why is this? Social anxiety appears to be the problem. People’s reluctance to start conversations with nearby strangers comes partly from underestimating others’ interest in connecting. The sad thing is that people presume that a nearby stranger doesn’t want to converse and don’t start a conversation. Only those who forced themselves to chat because it was required by the experiment found out what a pleasant experience it could be. Human beings are social animals. Those who misunderstand the impact of social interactions may not, in some contexts, be social enough for their own well-being. You should be chatting with the strangers you encounter. You may occasionally have a negative encounter that might stick in your memory. This is because the human brain is biased to dwell on negative events. But starting conversations with strangers is still well worth the risk of rejection. It may surprise you that conversing with strangers will make them happier too. The pleasure of connection seems contagious. People who were talked to had equally positive experiences as those who initiate a conversation. 12.What does research show about a conversation between strangers? 13.What prevents people from starting a conversation with strangers? 14.Why does a negative encounter with strangers stick in one’s memory? 15.What does the passage say the pleasure of connection seems to be?文章前半部分提到了一项实验，并介绍了实验结果：有趣的是，大多数人预计独处的体验会更愉快。然后提出问题：为什么会这样呢?紧接着做出回答：社交焦虑似乎是问题所在。人们不愿意与附近的陌生人交谈，部分原因在于低估了其他人对交流的兴趣。也就是说，人们普遍有社交焦虑，担心附近的陌生人不想和自己聊天，所以不敢主动发起一段谈话，因此选项A正确。选项B、C文中未提及，故排除；选项D是根据实验结果设置的干扰项，大多数人预计独处的体验会更愉快，其实是因为人们怕别人不愿意聊天，怕感到尴尬，并不是喜欢独处，故排除选项D。
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】原文： Research shows that a few moments of conversation with a stranger create a measurable improvement in mood. But most of us are reluctant to start these conversations because we presume the opposite. In an experiment, commuters who talked to nearby strangers found their commute more enjoyable than those who didn’t. They were asked to predict whether they’d enjoy the commute more if they conversed with other people. Intriguingly, most expected the more solitary experience to be more pleasurable. Why is this? Social anxiety appears to be the problem. People’s reluctance to start conversations with nearby strangers comes partly from underestimating others’ interest in connecting. The sad thing is that people presume that a nearby stranger doesn’t want to converse and don’t start a conversation. Only those who forced themselves to chat because it was required by the experiment found out what a pleasant experience it could be. Human beings are social animals. Those who misunderstand the impact of social interactions may not, in some contexts, be social enough for their own well-being. You should be chatting with the strangers you encounter. You may occasionally have a negative encounter that might stick in your memory. This is because the human brain is biased to dwell on negative events. But starting conversations with strangers is still well worth the risk of rejection. It may surprise you that conversing with strangers will make them happier too. The pleasure of connection seems contagious. People who were talked to had equally positive experiences as those who initiate a conversation. 12.What does research show about a conversation between strangers? 13.What prevents people from starting a conversation with strangers? 14.Why does a negative encounter with strangers stick in one’s memory? 15.What does the passage say the pleasure of connection seems to be?文章后半部分提到：也许你偶尔会有一次负面遭遇，这可能会留在你的记忆中。这是因为人类的大脑倾向于老是想着负面事件。因此选项B正确。选项A、C文中未提及，故均排除；选项D是根据原文“But starting conversations with strangers is still well worth the risk of rejection(但与陌生人开始对话仍然值得冒被拒绝的风险)”设置的干扰项。该项属于过度推理，故排除。
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】原文： Research shows that a few moments of conversation with a stranger create a measurable improvement in mood. But most of us are reluctant to start these conversations because we presume the opposite. In an experiment, commuters who talked to nearby strangers found their commute more enjoyable than those who didn’t. They were asked to predict whether they’d enjoy the commute more if they conversed with other people. Intriguingly, most expected the more solitary experience to be more pleasurable. Why is this? Social anxiety appears to be the problem. People’s reluctance to start conversations with nearby strangers comes partly from underestimating others’ interest in connecting. The sad thing is that people presume that a nearby stranger doesn’t want to converse and don’t start a conversation. Only those who forced themselves to chat because it was required by the experiment found out what a pleasant experience it could be. Human beings are social animals. Those who misunderstand the impact of social interactions may not, in some contexts, be social enough for their own well-being. You should be chatting with the strangers you encounter. You may occasionally have a negative encounter that might stick in your memory. This is because the human brain is biased to dwell on negative events. But starting conversations with strangers is still well worth the risk of rejection. It may surprise you that conversing with strangers will make them happier too. The pleasure of connection seems contagious. People who were talked to had equally positive experiences as those who initiate a conversation. 12.What does research show about a conversation between strangers? 13.What prevents people from starting a conversation with strangers? 14.Why does a negative encounter with strangers stick in one’s memory? 15.What does the passage say the pleasure of connection seems to be?文章结尾处提到：这种交流的乐趣似乎是有感染力的(The pleasure of connection seems contagious)。因此，选项A为正确答案，contagious为原词重现。选项B、C文中未提及，故排除；选项D文章开头有提到 (create a measurable improvement in mood)，但与问题无关，故也排除。