b)
It involves enjoying spending silent time with strangers rather than family or friends.
d)
- something quite radical = sth new, different, and likely to have a great effect
- show up, shut up, and read = come along, don't speak, and read
- escape the hubbub = get away from a situation in which there is a lot of noise, excitement, and activity
- break the ice = to say or do sth that makes people feel more relaxed, especially at the beginning of a meeting, party, etc.
- uninterrupted eye contact = to look, without stopping, at sb at the same time as they look at you
- the age-old connections = links that have existed for a long time
- strips away = takes away
- hadn't been able to deal with = hadn't been able to cope with
- cherish rare moments of peace and quiet = to love silence very much and want to protect those moments
- muster up the self-restraint = find the ability to stop yourself doing or saying sth that you want to because you know it is better not to