Those who don’t live in cities often complain about or feel surprised at the fact that strangers don’t talk to each other in urban public places. They feel sorry about the way we seem to increasingly get lost in mobile devices, seemingly oblivious to what’s going on around us. But sociologists recognize that the space we give each other in the urban places serves an important social function.

Well-known sociologist Erving Goffman developed the concept of   “civil inattention” in his book Behavior in Public Places. Far from ignoring those around us, Goffman proved through years of studying people in public that what we’re actually doing is pretending to be unaware of what others are doing around us, therefore providing them a sense of privacy, as they do the same for us. Goffman proved in his research that civil inattention typically involves at first a mirror form of social interaction, like very brief eye contact, the exchange of head nods, or weak smiles. Following that, both parties then typically shin their eyes from the other party.

Goffman theorized that what we achieve, socially speaking, with this kind of interaction, is mutual (相互的) recognition that the other present causes no threat to our security, and we both agree, tacitly (默契地), to let the other alone to do as they please. When we provide civil inattention to others, we effectively approve their behavior. Sometimes, we use civil inattention to save face when we’ve done something we feel embarrassed by, or to help manage the embarrassment that another might feel if we witness them trip, or drop something.

Civil inattention is thus not a problem, but an important part of maintaining social order in public. For this reason, problems arise when this norm (规范) is broken. Because we expect it from others and see it as normal behavior, we may feel threatened by someone who doesn’t give it to us. This is why women feel threatened by those who catcall (发嘘声)to them, and why for some men, simply being stared at by another is enough to cause a physical fight.

【小题1】How does the author begin this text?

A．By giving people a warning.

B．By giving some people’s feelings.

C．By explaining a way of socializing.

D．By giving a problem with technology.

【小题2】What does the underlined phrase “oblivious to” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A．curious about

B．unsure about

C．tired of

D．unaware of

【小题3】What do we actually mean when we look away from a stranger, according to Goffman?

A．We are ignoring him on a rude basis.

B．We are showing our respect for others’ privacy.

C．We are protecting ourselves from physical attacks.

D．We are worrying that we could lose belongings.

【小题4】What can be learned from the text about civil inattention?

A．Civil inattention has positive effects on social interaction.

B．Civil inattention helps save face when we’ve done something wrong.

C．Civil inattention is unlinked to social interaction according to Goffman.

D．Civil inattention is a type of normal behavior which we may feel threatened.