Question

OK, I admit it: emoticons(表情符号)are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.

Some people, such as a Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, however, blast the use of emoticons as “infantile(幼稚)just like the people who use them”. He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent from the comment that goes before the emoticons,” he argues.

In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. “Men don’t use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all,” he said, “Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there’s an emoticon gene.”

It’s an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed “to seek out representations of humanity”. He believes that they are popular not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they bring in something beyond language. They satisfy our needs to be with and communicate with people.

All of these arguments may be somehow right. Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I’d rather let my words do the talking.

Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this. I don’t regard any of my friends as lazy or immature. It’s just a question of individuality.

1.What does the underlined word “blast” in the second paragraph mean?

A. clarify B. criticize C. support D. approve

2.Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with?

A. It’s enough to use language in digital communication.

B. Instant Message chatters are childish.

C. Men never use emoticons.

D. There must be an emoticon gene in everybody.

3.From the text, we can conclude that the author______________.

A. feels he has no difficulty using emoticons

B. thinks emoticons don’t suit him

C. encourages his friends to use emoticons

D. believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone

4.What is the main point of the article?

A. Advice on language used over the Internet.

B. Arguments over the use of emoticons.

C. The history of the use of emoticons.

D. Reasons for the popularity of emoticons.

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.B

【解析】

试题分析:本文是一篇论述文，主要讲述了人们对于使用表情符号的不同看法。有的人觉得表情符号非常有趣，有人觉得表情符号给文字增添了感情色彩。但是有的人却认为使用表情符号是非常幼稚的事情。

1.词义猜测题。根据该词后内容the use of emoticons as “infantile(幼稚)可知John Blumenthal是不赞同甚至是批评表情符号的使用，由此判断选B。

2.细节理解题。从文章第二段John Blumenthal所说的内容 He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent from the comment that goes before the emoticons,”可知他认为语言本身就可以完全表达清楚人们的思想，故选A。

3.推理判断题。从文章倒数第二段内容 I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in.可以推断作者认为自己不适合使用表情符号，选B。

4.主旨大意题。文章主要讲述了人们对于表情符合的不同看法，有的人赞同，有的人反对，但是作者认为这只是个人喜好的问题，由此判断选B。

考点：考查社会文化类短文阅读