Given the opportunity, they may 15 to a corner, putting distance between themselves and strangers.
答案：(A) retreat
retreat to a corner（退到角落）表示有機會時，人們會退到角落以拉開自己與陌生人的距離；explore（探索）、dispense（分配／分發）、connect（連結）均不符合此處語意。
retreat 這個字，你的印象大概只有軍事上的「撤退」，很難把它跟「人在擁擠的車廂裡往角落挪」連在一起，所以四個選項看起來好像都沾不上邊。答對率四成三，一半以上的人在這裡失手。
四個選項都是原形動詞、都接在 may 後面，文法上都放得進去，可見這一格考的是語意。定案的線索就在同一句的後半段：putting distance between themselves and strangers（拉開自己與陌生人之間的距離）。句尾這個逗號加 V-ing 是現在分詞片語，用來補充說明前面整句話所造成的結果（劍橋 English Grammar Today 的 -ing clause 表結果），還原成 and it puts distance between themselves and strangers 就看得出來：先做了空格那個動作，結果才拉開了距離。所以空格要的是一個往後退、離開人群的動作，retreat to a corner（退到角落）方向完全對得上。retreat 的「撤退」與「退到角落」其實是同一個意思：往後退、離開原來的位置。軍隊往後撤是它，一個人在車廂裡往角落挪也是它，差別只在規模。把軍事那個畫面縮小成一個人，這個字就用得出來了。
explore（探索）方向剛好相反，是往外去而不是往後退，而且 explore 是及物動詞，後面直接接受詞（explore the city），不接 to。dispense 後面接的是被分發的東西，dispense to a corner 沒有意義；它最常見的組合是 dispense with something（省去、不用）。connect（連結）與後半句的 putting distance 語意矛盾，一個要靠近、一個要拉開。
retreat to（退到……）、put distance between A and B（拉開 A 與 B 之間的距離）、dispense with something（省去、不需要）、coping strategy（因應策略）、given the opportunity（有機會的話）、deal with（處理、應付）
Have you been irritated by someone standing too close in line, talking too loud or making eye contact for too long? Or, they may have 11 you with the loud music from their earphones, or by taking up more than one seat on a crowded subway car. You feel unhappy because your personal space has been violated.
According to scientists, personal space involves certain invisible forces imposed on you through all the 12. For example, people may feel their space is being invaded when they experience an unwelcome sound, smell, or stare.
In certain situations such as in crowded subway cars or elevators, it is not always possible for people to keep their 13 distance from others. They learn coping strategies to deal with their discomfort. For instance, people often avoid eye contact with someone standing 14 them, or they pretend that these people are lifeless objects in their personal space. Given the opportunity, they may 15 to a corner, putting distance between themselves and strangers. Or, they may sit or stand equidistant from one another like birds on a wire.