Online Communication
In an age when technology moves faster than most can keep up with, a small group of people still remain in the time of old-fashioned letters. Frankly speaking, I was once certain that traditional letters could never be replaced by other means of communication.
But a story about online communication changed my mind.
An old man, who suffered a lot from Parkinson's disease, was not able to talk clearly and could hardly write his name. Living totally alone, he managed to keep in touch with nearly all the members of his family. How did he achieve this? He clicked out words on his computer keyboard.
I, therefore, managed to get an E-mail box as soon as the opportunity came. My life changed.
E-mail, and all online communication, is something truly different. It has capabilities that few other products can match.
E-mail is convenient. It takes less time with its fast speed and 24-hour connection. The slow postal service is no match. If you wouldn't want to have a face-to-face talk with your manager, you might talk with him through E-mail even if you are in the same office.
Naming all the good things about online communication is not easy. But wait. E-mail can be inconvenient. It can waste time and energy. Just think what may happen when you take a short vacation and return to find your E-mail box filled with 200 unread messages. You could easily spend half a day clearing junk ads.
Then, online communication will keep us staying at our computer while it connects us to distant strangers. Once we throw ourselves into the machine, we may forget the human touches we once held so dear. I'm sure there is and always will be a place for the old-fashioned letter, phone call, and face-to-face meeting... even in the world of modern communication.
As I listen to the sound of the modem(调制解调器), I was excited at stepping out to the outside world but, at the same time, I sensed a loss of control over something valuable in my personal life.
(Words: 345; Minutes: 6.5)
1. What is the most probable meaning of the underlined word “junk” in paragraph 7?
A. Old and useless. B. New and useful.
C. Short but valuable. D. Long but clear.
2. What caused the writer to become interested in E-mail and online communication?
A. The sound of the modem. B. His own illness.
C. The changing of his life. D. A sick old man's experience.
3. What does the writer think of online communication?
A. It should replace old-fashioned letters completely.
B. It is perfect and always does good to you.
C. It is extremely useful and convenient, but it may be inconvenient or even harmful.
D. It does more harm than good.
4. According to the writer, traditional means of communication will never disappear because _________ .
A. they are convenient and popular though they are slow
B. they help to keep the friendly relationship between people
C. most people cannot keep up with the development of technology
D. modern means of communication does too much harm
5. How did the sick old man keep in touch with his family members?
A. With the help of his computer.
B. By writing letters with his pen.
C. By making telephone calls.
D. By visiting them regularly.
参考答案：
1. A。从上下文看，你的电子邮箱里塞满了junk广告，要花半天的时间清除掉，可见junk表示old and useless。
2. D。作者一直坚信传统的信件的地位是不可动摇的，但在了解了一位患帕金森症的老人的例子后就转变了观念。
3. C。本文讲述了网络的两个方面，E-mail is convenient及E-mail can be inconvenient。但从作者的叙述中我们可以感觉到其对网络的态度是积极的、肯定的。
4. B。 作者在文中提到网络是其它产品无法相提并论的，但它也会令人失去我们曾经视为珍贵的human touches，每当“我”上网时感到失去了生活中宝贵的人际交往，从而得出结论，写信、聚会等永远不会被代替。
5. A。从第三段可知，文中讲到的那位老人“在电脑键盘上敲打出单词”，用电脑与其家人保持联系。
