Question

What is the hottest English word now? It’s “selfie”. Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself. People usually take selfies with a smartphone(智能手机)and send them to a social media website.

The word was first used in 2004. In the past 12 months, its frequency(出现频率)in the English language has increased by 17, 000 percent. Now, almost everybody knows it.

“Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone(QQ空间), ”said Huang Xu, 13, from Hunan. These photos record her happy and sad moments.

Pop stars also take a lot of selfies. Li Chunping, 14, from Harbin, is a big fan of Yang Mi. “She has used many selfies to tell us what’s going on in her personal life, ”said Li.

What makes people love selfies? Some people say it’s narcissism(自恋). “The rise of the selfie is a perfect symbol for our narcissistic culture. We’re crying out: Look at me! ”said US psychiatrist(精神科医生)Carole Lieberman.

But some people don’t see it that way. Young people are using selfies to make friends online, Jonathan Freedland wrote in The Guardian《卫报》. “The usual purpose of taking a selfie is to share online. They express a human need to connect with others, ”wrote Freedland.

Huang Xu agrees with that. “During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Hair or clothes were not our interests. Through these photos, we got to know each other’s holidays and feelings, ”said Huang Xu.

1.According to the story, a “selfie” is .

A. a person with a smartphone

B. a smartphone which can take photos

C. a photo taken by oneself

D. an English dictionary

2.When was the word “selfie” first used?

A. More than ten years ago. B. In 2014.

C. When smartphones appeared. D. Nobody knows.

3.We can tell from the story that .

A. only famous people enjoy taking selfies

B. all people love selfies because of narcissism

C. people love to share selfies online

D. US psychiatrist Carole Lieberman hates selfies

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Selfies and narcissism

B. Selfies and sharing

C. Selfies and smartphones

D. Selfies, the hottest word in 2004

Answer 1