Remember when kids used to just go out and play, and grown-ups spent evenings sharing stories on the front porch? When the outdoors didn't compete with video games, and “stranger danger” wasn't such a grave concern for parents?

At some point, we all seemed to decide that letting children tear down the street on a dirt bike without a helmet didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. That's smart. But we also started to lock the gate and move our fun from the front yard to the backyard (or the TV room). We stopped meeting our neighbors; we became less friendly and more suspicious.

There's nothing more important than protecting your family, but isolation doesn't equal protection. Connecting with your neighbors not only lets you know the personalities that surround you, it also provides you with surprisingly positive and helpful resources in times of need.

So here's your task: make a map of your neighborhood (or better yet, print one out! GoogleMaps can provide an aerial photo of most U.S. neighborhoods and all the houses in it) and “fill it out”. Can you write down the names of the occupants of every household, including children, pets, and parents? See how many you can do, and then take a walk through the neighborhood and meet people. Find out who has children at the same school as yours or which homes have adults who stay at home all day. Learn who is the friendliest and who is lonely and in need of a neighborly hand. You may even discover who has a magic touch at gardening, or a great movie or music collection, or the best “crisis” kitchen (just in case you need a cup of sugar, a splash of olive oil, or a mug of freshly imported darkroast Costa Rican coffee).

If you live in an apartment, do exactly the same. Learn with whom you share a floor or a building. Have a casual mixer or just go door to door and introduce yourself with a smile and a handshake. Sharing the true reason for your visit—that you feel it's important to meet your neighbors and want them to know you as well—should dispel any suspicions.

Whether you live in an urban high-rise, or a suburban tract, or on a rural lane, chances are your neighbors will be thrilled by your friendliness. Perhaps a few dinners will come out of it. Perhaps you'll find a baby-sitter or a way to help a neighbor who is in need. And a year or two later, you may just find that your neighborhood has become a friendlier, more caring place.

1. According to the passage, what happened to people who stopped meeting with their neighbors?

2. According to the author, some people used to consider that _____ is an important way to protect their families.

3. To begin connecting with your neighbors, first you can _____ with the help of GoogleMaps.

4. How to dispel doubts of your neighbors while you are trying to get acquainted with them?

5. No matter where you live, there are possibilities that your neighbors are amazed by _____.

文章精要：

文章就当今社会存在的邻里之间缺乏沟通的问题展开讨论，同时也给出了解决这一问题的方法：要敞开心扉，不要时刻怀疑你的邻居，简单的交谈就能帮助人们彼此接近。

答案解析：

1. They became less friendly and more suspicious.

细节题。文章的第二段提到We stopped meeting our neighbors; we became less friendly and more suspicious，即我们开始不接触邻居，我们变得不如以前友好，而且更加多疑。

2. isolation

推断题。文章第三段开头提到没有什么比保护家庭更为重要，但isolation（孤立）不等于保护，由此可推断出一些家庭把isolation作为保护家庭的手段。

3. make a map of your neighborhood

细节题。第三段作者建议connecting with your neighbors，接着第四段开头提到So here's your task: make a map of your neighborhood，即作者的建议是绘制一幅邻里地图。

4. Sharing the true reason for your visit.

细节题。第五段提到Sharing the true reason for your visit...should dispel any suspicions，即告诉邻居你拜访的真正原因是你认为邻里之间相互了解很重要，这样便可以消除他们的猜疑。

5. your friendliness

细节题。文章最后一段讲到，无论你住在城区的高楼、郊区的开阔地还是乡间的小巷里，你的邻居都可能被你的友善感动，说不定还会邀请你去吃晚饭。题干中的possibilities相当于原文的chances，amazed相当于thrilled。