" Your eyes are two pools that twinkle like stars in the sky." These sweet nothings are traditionally best sent in feather-inked script1 on fine, perfumed parchment. Nowadays, though, more and more lovers are using e-mail or cell phone short message services (SMS) to say a few nice words to each other. The result： a new culture of love-letter writing has evolved and is rewriting the rules in how we express our love.
Make no mistake： in many cases the love e-mail messages significantly resemble their aromatic predecessors. The verbal imagery has hardly changed. SMS messages, however, have necessitated9 the development of a new, shorter form of love talk. Experts believe, in fact, that far more people now carry out sweet talk in cyberspace than in the time before e-mail and short messaging came along.
When people communicate over e-mail or short messages, everything is much more relaxed, less serious, and this helps the sweet words flow. Nicola Doering, a media researcher at the Technical University of Ilmenau in Thueringen, Germany, emphasizes that for many people contact over e-mail or SMS is simpler： " The language is a different one here than in traditional letters; people tend to write more like they speak." This means that a message writer might not have to agonize over every word, as is often expected with traditional love letters. This is obviously encouraging for many people. For longer, particularly romantic love letters, e-mail writers also reach back into the language of poetry, " Your calf-blue eyes" is typical for the kind of phrasings found in e-mail love letters. At least one traditional symbol between lovers has made a striking comeback. Even in the love letters of the 19th century, one often found the letter X as a symbol of a kiss. Many paper love letters would have three Xs at the bottom as a closing. And this symbol is often used today between lovers in their e-mail messages.
In spite of all the technological advancement that e- mail represents, classic love letters on paper still have a special meaning, the experts say. Ink on paper simply affects many people more strongly than lines on a computer screen. It appears more serious, more binding, as if written for all eternity. Sometimes people want to have something to touch, a letter that you can really hold in your hand.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the passage above.
1.From this passage we learn that the love e-mail messages_____.
A.haven't changed the convention in how people express love
B.are still like traditional letters in many cases
C.are often sent on fine,perfumed parchment
D.represent a traditional culture of love-letter writing
2.Which of the following is not mentioned by the author as a characteristic of the new culture of love-letter writing?
A.It is more relaxed and less serious.
B.It makes contact simpler for many people.
C.It makes love letters more like poetry.
D.It helps people to say more sweet words.
3.Three Xs used in lovers'e-mail message symbolize_____.
A.a striking comeback B.the language of poetry
C.closing of the letters D.three kisses
4.It is implied that experts think classic love letters_____.
A.exclude the technological advancement
B.resemble lines on a computer screen
C.can not be touched by modern people
D.have stronger power to move the feelings
5.The author's tone in this passage is_____
A.mocking B.complimentary
C.objective D.approving
文章精要
議論文。本文主要論述了現在越來越多的情侶使用E-mail成手機短信服務來傳情達意。
斟詞酌句
1.perfume vt. 灑香水于;使充滿芳香
n. 香水，香料，香氣
*Flowers perfumed the air. 空氣中彌漫著花香。
2.predecessor n. 前任，前輩;(被取代的)原有事物，前身
*Our new doctor is much younger than his predecessor. 我們的新一聲比他的前任年輕多了。
3.agonize vi. 感到極度痛苦
vt. 使極度痛苦，創傷
*The wounded man was in agony. 受傷的人很痛苦。
試題精析
1.選B。本題為主要細節正誤題。第二段說“Make no mistake： in many cases the love e-mail messages significantly resemble their aromatic predecessors. ”，可見，在很多情況下，愛情E-mail短信息與傳統信件驚人的相似。
2.選C。本題為主要細節正誤題。題干要求找出不是新的情書書寫文化特征的選項。A、B、D選項均可在第三段中找到，C選項“它使得情書更像詩詞”，這與原文意思不符。
3.選D。本題為主要細節正誤題。第三段說“甚至在19世紀的情書中，就可以發現人們經常以字母X作為接吻的符號，許多紙情書一般以3個X作為結束語”，前文又說這個符號是“驚人的復古變現”，可見，這個符號仍代表“three kisses”。
4.選D。本題為觀點態度推斷題。從最后一段的“Ink on paper simply affects many people more strongly than lines on a computer screen. ”可推測，專家們認為經典的紙情書更能感動許多人。
5.選C。本題為觀點態度推斷題。作者在本文中論述了傳統的紙情書和E-mail或手機短信情書各自的優缺點，可見，作者的語氣是“objective(客觀地)”。
全文翻譯
"你的雙眼是兩汪清泉，像星星一樣在天空閃爍。"這些甜美的空話在過去是最美好的情話，經常會被用鵝毛筆寫在精美的、芳香的羊皮紙上。然而，現在越來越多的情侶使用伊妹兒或手機短信息服務彼此傳情達意。結果，一種新的情書書寫文化誕生，并將改寫我們表達愛意的傳統慣例。
肯定無疑的是，在很多情況下，愛情伊妹兒短信息與它們芳香的祖先是驚人地相似。語言文字的意象幾乎沒有改變。然而，手機短信息服務的出現使更新的、更簡短的情話的發展成為必然。專家相信：事實上，現在使用電腦網絡空間傳遞甜言蜜語的人要比伊妹兒和短信息產生之前使用的人多得多。
當人們使用伊妹兒或短信息服務交流的時候，一切都輕松得多，不必很嚴肅，這樣有助于情話的順暢傳遞。德國圖林根伊爾梅瑙科技大學的傳媒研究員，尼古拉·道爾林強調：對于多數人來說使用伊妹兒或短信息服務交流更簡單些。"伊妹兒和短信息服務使用的語言不同于傳統信件的語言，而且人們更愿意像談話一樣寫伊妹兒。"這意味著作者用不著錘煉每一個詞，而這在傳統情書的書寫中是必須的。顯然這一點鼓勵了很多人。在一些較長的，特別是在浪漫情書中，伊妹兒作者也經常回過頭來引用詩詞中的語言，"你藍藍的大眼睛"是伊妹兒情書中此類措辭的典型例子。至少現在情侶間有一個典型的符號是驚人的復古表現。甚至在19世紀的情書中，就可發現人們經常以字母X作為接吻的符號，許多紙情書一般以3個X作為結束語。今天這個符號仍然能在情侶間的伊妹兒情書中找到。
專家說，盡管伊妹兒代表著所有的科技進步，但經典的紙情書仍然具有其特殊的意義，紙上的墨跡要比電腦屏幕上的線條更能強烈地感動許多人。它更嚴肅，更具約束力，好像是為了永恒而寫的。有時人們想要一些能觸摸得到的東西，一封信你可以實實在在地拿在手中。
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