在与家人和朋友交流时，你喜欢发短信还是喜欢打电话？近些年来，随着手机的普及，通过短信交流变得越来越流行。有些人甚至因为忙着发短信，而没空接电话。本文探讨发短信和打电话的利与弊。

词汇：communication 交流

The telephone was an amazing invention. People could finally speak to each other instantly from one home to another. The mobile phone took this technology further, meaning we could make contact with people to and from almost anywhere in the world. But despite having the instant ability to talk to one another, it seems many of us prefer to communicate by text.

I don’t mean we have taken up letter writing again. Although a handwritten letter has a personal touch, sending it by snail mail is too slow to satisfy our desire to keep in touch immediately. But what our smartphones now allow us to do is enable us to communicate in any number of quick, cheap but silent ways. A study in the UK a few years ago found 49 per cent of teenagers preferred to send a text rather than speak to someone.

Certainly sending an SMS, text or message via a chat app means we can compose what we want to say, and we can be more efficient in saying it – especially if we express ourselves by using emojis. It can also be quicker than having to chat with someone, although I feel you can still end up wasting time by having a full discussion by text! Text messaging also allows privacy – other people can’t overhear your text if you’re in a public place such as on a train.

But texting instead of talking can seem antisocial; we may even forget the art of pleasantries. A text can be misinterpreted too because you miss out on a speaker’s intonation. Neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott told the BBC: “We always speak with melody and intonation to our voice… you take that channel of information out of communication, you lose another way that sense is being conveyed.”

Of course texting and talking is the worst thing to do. Who deserves your attention when two people are communicating with you? It’s then we have to decide who has the most interesting thing to say!

词汇表

instantly 立即地，马上地
mobile phone 手机
make contact with 与（人）取得联系
text 短信
personal touch 人情味，人性化色彩
snail mail 传统信件，平信
keep in touch 保持联系
smartphone 智能手机
SMS (short message service) 手机短信服务
chat app 聊天软件
compose 撰写（信息，信函等）
express ourselves 表达我们的想法或感受
emoji 表情符号
text messaging 发短信
privacy 隐私
antisocial 不爱社交的，不合群的
pleasantry 客套话
intonation 语调，腔调
convey 表达，传达

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What is the problem with communicating via ‘snail mail’?

2. According to a survey, what did teenagers in the UK prefer, text or talk?

3. Why does texting allow privacy when you are in a public place?

4. What can we use to show our feelings when writing a text message?

5. True or false? Texting does not show the intonation in your voice.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The hotel adds a _______ by putting a chocolate on your pillow before bedtime.

personal touch               privacy                            pleasantries                      emoji

2. I need to _______ an email to the company to tell them about their terrible customer service.

communicate                 express                           compose                           convey

3. He wasn’t very good at _______ himself, so I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say.

expressed                      expressing                      expression                         express

4. I need to _______ with my old university friends to try and organise a reunion.

messaging                     make contact                  intonation                           convey

5. After all the _______, we finally got down to business and discussed the contract.

pleasants                       pleasantries                    pleasanting                        pleasant

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。  

1. What is the problem with communicating via ‘snail mail’?
Sending a letter via snail mail is too slow to satisfy our desire to keep in touch immediately. 

2. According to a survey, what did teenagers in the UK prefer, text or talk?
A study in the UK a few years ago found 49 per cent of teenagers preferred to send a text rather than speak to someone – so it’s about the same for both texting and talking.

3. Why does texting allow privacy when you are in a public place?
Because other people can’t overhear you talking on the phone.

4. What can we use to show our feelings when texting?
We can use emojis to express ourselves when texting.   

5. True or false? Texting does not show the intonation in your voice.
True. A text can be misinterpreted because you miss out on a speaker’s intonation.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The hotel adds a personal touch by putting a chocolate on your pillow before bedtime.

2. I need to compose an email to the company to tell them about their terrible customer service.

3. He wasn’t very good at expressing himself, so I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say.

4. I need to make contact with my old university friends to try and organise a reunion.

5. After all the pleasantries, we finally got down to business and discussed the contract.