Question

People in South Korea who feel they can no longer bear the stress of everyday life now can choose to stay in a prison to relax and think deeply.

In a society where pressure to do well in school and find highly-paid jobs is intense, a former lawyer came up with an extreme relaxation idea. Kwon Yong-seok created the “Prison Inside Me”—a stress-reduction center with a punishment theme. People come here to cut themselves off from the outside world and pay to be kept in 60-square-foot (5.6-square-meter) cells (囚室).

Located on the outskirts of Hongcheon, about 58 miles (93 km) northeast of Seoul, “Prison Inside Me” came to life after Mr. Kwon voluntarily asked to spend time behind bars for “healing reasons,” but his request was turned down. “I didn’t know how to stop working back then,” he said. “I felt like I was being swept away against my will, and it seemed I couldn’t control my own life.” So, Kwon and his wife Roh Ji-hyang decided to take matters into their own hands, and designed and built a prison-like spiritual center. The construction was completed in June last year and cost about 2 billion won ($19 million).

The facility includes 28 cells, furnished with only a toilet, a sink and a small table, where guests can spend time alone, thinking about life and enjoying private thinking periods. Moreover, guests can also join group thinking periods in the hall, where they are given instructions on how to free themselves from what Mr. Kwon calls the “inner prison” to find inner peace.

According to the Wall Street Journal, hundreds of stressed South Koreans are checking in at the stress-reduction facility to think about their lives and regain control of it. A two-night stay at “Prison Inside Me” costs 150,000 won ($146).

Mr. Kwon and his wife explained that at the beginning they had a different plan for the “relaxation center,” and imagined a longer stay for their guests, but, given that people weren’t able to take more time off, they had to reduce the length of stays to just two days.

Park Woo-sub, a guest at “Prison Inside Me,” said the experience helped him a lot. “This is my third time in prison. Being kept in a prison makes me hard to breathe, but it also offers time to focus only on me and spend some quiet time with myself.”

Others said the experience would have been more helpful if the conditions had been poorer, like in a real prison.

1.Paragraph 3 mainly tells us _______________.

A. where “Prison Inside Me” is located

B. what people can do in “Prison Inside Me”

C. how “Prison Inside Me” came into being

D. when “Prison Inside Me” was completed

2.Which of the statements is true?

A. people in South Korea prefer living under great pressure

B. Mr. Kwon had intended to let guests stay at “Prison Inside Me” for over two days

C. most people in South Korea can not afford to stay at “Prison Inside Me”

D. the 28 cells are well furnished, but with no toilets in them

3.We can know from the passage that _______________.

A. many people have been kept in such a prison at least three times

B. it is not a good idea for people to focus only on themselves

C. people find it not difficult to breathe though the prison is small

D. some still felt a bit unsatisfied as the conditions weren’t poor enough

4.Who should go to the “Prison Inside Me”?

A. A successful businessman

B. A criminal at large

C. A primary student

D. A stressed man

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Many South Koreans voluntarily go to “prison” to reduce stress.

B. Many South Koreans can hardly bear the stress of daily life.

C. South Koreans should spend more time alone thinking about life.

D. South Koreans have found the best way to deal with everyday pressure.

Answer 1

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.D

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：在韩国社会，学业和工作竞争都异常激烈，许多韩国人都“亚历山大”。据外媒报道，现在韩国人流行到“监狱”里坐牢释放压力，有一间以监狱为主题的纾压中心就在首尔附近，每天都吸引不少顾客上门。

1. 推理判断题，从文中第三段“Prison Inside Me” came to life after Mr. Kwon voluntarily asked to spend time behind bars for “healing reasons,” but his request was turned down. “I didn’t know how to stop working back then,”可以知道让自己去监狱怎么形成的。故选C。

2. 细节理解题，从文中People in South Korea who feel they can no longer bear the stress of everyday life人们不愿意再忍受压力和pay to be kept in 60-square-foot (5.6-square-meter) cells (囚室). 可以支付60平米的囚室及The facility includes 28 cells, furnished with only a toilet,有一个厕所可以知道A、C、D都与文章不符。故选B。

3. 推理判断题，从文中第六段Mr. Kwon and his wife explained that at the beginning they had a different plan for the “relaxation center,” and imagined a longer stay for their guests, but, given that people weren’t able to take more time off, they had to reduce the length of stays to just two days.可知因为资金问题，他们不得不缩短在监狱的时间，说明还是有不满的。故选D。

4. 细节理解题，从文中第一段People in South Korea who feel they can no longer bear the stress of everyday life now can choose to stay in a prison to relax and think deeply.可知是有压力的人去监狱释放压力的。故选D。

5. 主旨归纳题，从文章中倒数第二段Park Woo-sub, a guest at “Prison Inside Me,” said the experience helped him a lot. “This is my third time in prison. Being kept in a prison makes me hard to breathe, but it also offers time to focus only on me and spend some quiet time with myself.”可知他们很多都是自愿来的，而且已经很多次了。故选A。

考点:考查论述类文章。