" 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
议论文。本文主要论述了现在越来越多的情侣使用E-mail成手机短信服务来传情达意。
斟词酌句
1.perfume vt. 洒香水于;使充满芳香
n. 香水，香料，香气
*Flowers perfumed the air. 空气中弥漫着花香。
2.predecessor n. 前任，前辈;(被取代的)原有事物，前身
*Our new doctor is much younger than his predecessor. 我们的新一声比他的前任年轻多了。
3.agonize vi. 感到极度痛苦
vt. 使极度痛苦，创伤
*The wounded man was in agony. 受伤的人很痛苦。
试题精析
1.选B。本题为主要细节正误题。第二段说“Make no mistake： in many cases the love e-mail messages significantly resemble their aromatic predecessors. ”，可见，在很多情况下，爱情E-mail短信息与传统信件惊人的相似。
2.选C。本题为主要细节正误题。题干要求找出不是新的情书书写文化特征的选项。A、B、D选项均可在第三段中找到，C选项“它使得情书更像诗词”，这与原文意思不符。
3.选D。本题为主要细节正误题。第三段说“甚至在19世纪的情书中，就可以发现人们经常以字母X作为接吻的符号，许多纸情书一般以3个X作为结束语”，前文又说这个符号是“惊人的复古变现”，可见，这个符号仍代表“three kisses”。
4.选D。本题为观点态度推断题。从最后一段的“Ink on paper simply affects many people more strongly than lines on a computer screen. ”可推测，专家们认为经典的纸情书更能感动许多人。
5.选C。本题为观点态度推断题。作者在本文中论述了传统的纸情书和E-mail或手机短信情书各自的优缺点，可见，作者的语气是“objective(客观地)”。
全文翻译
"你的双眼是两汪清泉，像星星一样在天空闪烁。"这些甜美的空话在过去是最美好的情话，经常会被用鹅毛笔写在精美的、芳香的羊皮纸上。然而，现在越来越多的情侣使用伊妹儿或手机短信息服务彼此传情达意。结果，一种新的情书书写文化诞生，并将改写我们表达爱意的传统惯例。
肯定无疑的是，在很多情况下，爱情伊妹儿短信息与它们芳香的祖先是惊人地相似。语言文字的意象几乎没有改变。然而，手机短信息服务的出现使更新的、更简短的情话的发展成为必然。专家相信：事实上，现在使用电脑网络空间传递甜言蜜语的人要比伊妹儿和短信息产生之前使用的人多得多。
当人们使用伊妹儿或短信息服务交流的时候，一切都轻松得多，不必很严肃，这样有助于情话的顺畅传递。德国图林根伊尔梅瑙科技大学的传媒研究员，尼古拉·道尔林强调：对于多数人来说使用伊妹儿或短信息服务交流更简单些。"伊妹儿和短信息服务使用的语言不同于传统信件的语言，而且人们更愿意像谈话一样写伊妹儿。"这意味着作者用不着锤炼每一个词，而这在传统情书的书写中是必须的。显然这一点鼓励了很多人。在一些较长的，特别是在浪漫情书中，伊妹儿作者也经常回过头来引用诗词中的语言，"你蓝蓝的大眼睛"是伊妹儿情书中此类措辞的典型例子。至少现在情侣间有一个典型的符号是惊人的复古表现。甚至在19世纪的情书中，就可发现人们经常以字母X作为接吻的符号，许多纸情书一般以3个X作为结束语。今天这个符号仍然能在情侣间的伊妹儿情书中找到。
专家说，尽管伊妹儿代表着所有的科技进步，但经典的纸情书仍然具有其特殊的意义，纸上的墨迹要比电脑屏幕上的线条更能强烈地感动许多人。它更严肃，更具约束力，好像是为了永恒而写的。有时人们想要一些能触摸得到的东西，一封信你可以实实在在地拿在手中。
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