A
Millions of people nowadays use Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to converse with their friends. They use Skype to bridge long distances and Twitter to interact with public figure. But as more of our lives move online, are Internet-based interactions sufficient for a fulfilling life?
There have been considerable warnings about the drawbacks of online interactions. Some scholars have realized that our devotion to the screens is detracting from face-to-face conversations. For instance, a study showed that children who had been spending time with television and computers for a long period of time were significantly worse at recognizing nonverbal（非语言的）psychological suggestions in a conversation than those who had just five days without screens.
But there is another side to the argument: A 2015 Pew Foundation report found that teenagers use online interactions to strengthen their friendships. Plus, 57% of teenagers reported that they’d made friends online. Amori Milkami, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, has conducted several studies on online interactions and tells that the nature of online communication is changing as young people treat social networks in an entirely different ways.
Too much research tends to mix all online interactions together, she says, instead of distinguishing between positive, meaning conversations and more superficial, negative exchanges. According to her, online communities can be especially useful for people who have an unusual concern and live in isolated areas, and so are unlikely to meet people with similar concerns in person.
“The major good aspect of online interactions compared to in-person ones is that social network allow users to interact with so many people at once. Whether or not that’s positive or negative depends on the type of friends you have. It’s possible to get the same level of achievement from online interactions as it is from in=person friends,” says Mikami. “This might be hard for older adults to believe and it might not be possible for them, because they might not feel comfortable having those kinds of deep online interactions. To them, the online world will always be more superficial. But young people really see it differently.”
As the nature of online interactions continually evolve, it’s difficult to definitely establish whether or not social media friendships alone are sufficient. But for those who don’t have strong in-person support groups, the value of online communities shouldn’t be dismissed.
1. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 probably means that the screens are ______.
A. becoming more and more appealing
B. controlling what people talk about with each other
C. making face-to-face conversations less efficient
D. changing the way people communicate with each other
2. What is the advantage of online interactions according to Milkami?
A. More positive topics will be focused on.
B. Communication efficiency will be improved.
C. People will feel more comfortable with communicating.
D. People will have more in-depth communication with others.
3. Which of the following will the author agree with?
A. Compared with the real world, the online communities are superficial.
B. It is impossible to know whether social media friendships are sufficient.
C. Teenagers can depend on online interactions to strengthen their friendships.
D. The importance of online communities should be considered for some people.
【答案】1. C 2. B 3. D
【解析】
本文是一篇议论文。文章就基于因特网的交流是否有益于我们的人生展开了讨论。尽管对于基于因特网的交流有很多反对声音，但是作者认为基于因特网的交流对于那些被孤立或缺乏人与人之间直面交流的人来说确实很重要。
【1题详解】
句意猜测题。根据第一段中的For instance, a study showed that children who had been spending time with television and computers for a long period of time were significantly worse at recognizing nonverbal（非语言的）psychological suggestions in a conversation一句可知研究表明长时间与电视和电脑打交道的孩子在交谈中识别心理暗示方面很明显表现更糟糕。这一句是举例验证划线句子，由此我们可以推知这些电子设备让面对面的交流不那么有效。故C项正确。
【2题详解】
推理判断题。根据第五段中的The major good aspect of online interactions compared to in-person ones is that social network allow users to interact with so many people at once.一句可知在线交流好的一面就是社交网络可以让使用者一次与多人交流。也就是说，社交网络可以提高交流的效率。B. Communication efficiency will be improved.交流效率得到了提高，为正确选项。故B项正确。
【3题详解】
推理判断题。根据最后一段中的But for those who don’t have strong in-person support groups, the value of online communities shouldn’t be dismissed.一句可知对于缺乏足够与人直面交流的人来说，在线交流的价值是不能被忽视的。由此可知，作者认为在线交流对有些人来说是有价值的。故D项正确。
