时文选读| 我们为什么不喜欢接电话了

Why we’ve stopped answering the phone?

四级偏难 | 362词

刘立军供稿

Part I. Passage

Suddenly a sound rings out, stopping you in your tracks. Panicking, you search for where it could be coming from. It’s your phone, and if you’re like a quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds in a recent British study, you probably won’t answer it. The same study found that 70% of people in this age group prefer text messages to phone calls. Why do so many people hate phone calls?

While previous generations grew up using landlines to talk to their friends, smartphone-equipped younger people have grown up accustomed to using text messages, group chats and voice notes for social conversations. What these media have in common is that they are asynchronous — they don’t need to happen in real time. When you can craft a reply free of interruption, you have greater control over your contributions to a conversation. It also means that you can reply when it’s best for you. Synchronous communication, like phone calls or face-to-face conversations, can lead people to feel a loss of control and the corresponding anxiety. Coupled to this is that fact that many young people report associating phone calls, particularly those without prior warning, with bad news.

This means that new social codes are being established. Many people will now text someone to see if they’re available to take a phone call. If someone doesn’t feel able to sum something up in a few short messages, they might leave a long voice note. Could it be that not wanting to intrude on someone with a sudden phone call is just a question of good manners and respecting someone’s boundaries?

Maybe, but this doesn’t mean that anxiety around communication has been eliminated. Texting may be asynchronous, but many people report tensions from being ‘left on read’ — when you know someone has read your message, but they don’t, or won’t, reply. Many would agree with British writer Daisy Buchanan, who reminds us how picking up the phone to talk to someone can be far more effective at relieving tension than a series of awkward messages. So, are these new social codes better at respecting boundaries, or are they just creating a whole new set of potential anxieties?

【Vocabulary】

1. asynchronous adj. 不同时发生的，非共时的

2. craft v. 精心制作

3. synchronous adj. 同步的，同时发生的

Part II. Questions

Q1. Why do younger generations prefer texting over phone calls, according to the text?

A. Texting allows them to avoid bad news completely.

B. Texting provides greater control over the timing and content of replies.

C. Texting eliminates the need for voice notes in conversations.

D. Texting is considered more polite and respectful than phone calls.

Q2. What can be inferred about phone calls from the passage?

A. They are mostly used by older generations now.

B. They may cause discomfort due to their unexpected nature.

C. They are still the preferred method for urgent messages.

D. They help reduce social anxiety in communication.

Q3. What social change is reflected in today’s phone etiquette?

A. People avoid making any phone calls to others.
B. Long voice notes are mainly used to express stress.
C. It is polite to text first before calling someone.

D. Calling without warning is now considered normal.

Q4. What does Daisy Buchanan suggest about phone calls compared to texting?

A. Phone calls are more effective at resolving communication anxiety.

B. Phone calls are considered outdated by most young people.

C. Texting is better at respecting boundaries in sensitive situations.

D. Texting creates fewer misunderstandings than phone calls.

Part III. KEY

Q1.【答案】B

【解析】细节题。题目出处：When you can craft a reply free of interruption, you have greater control over your contributions to a conversation. It also means that you can reply when it’s best for you. 意为：“当你能够不受干扰地构思回复内容时，你就能更好地掌控自己在对话中的表达。这也意味着你可以在对自身最有利的时候做出回应。”正确答案为B。

Q2.【答案】B

【解析】推断题。题目出处：… many young people report associating phone calls, particularly those without prior warning, with bad news. 暗示突如其来的电话让人紧张或不安。A 项虽可能正确但未在文中提及；C 项和D 项与原文意思相反。

Q3.【答案】C

【解析】细节题。文中指出，人们现在更倾向于先发短信确认对方是否方便接电话，以避免突然打扰，这种做法反映了一种新的社交礼仪。因此，正确答案是C。A项“避免所有通话”说法太绝对；B项“表达压力”并非语音信息的主要用途；D项则与文意相反，因为段末提出突然来电可能被认为不礼貌、不尊重他人边界。

Q4.【答案】A

【解析】推理题。题目出处：Many would agree with British writer Daisy Buchanan, who reminds us how picking up the phone to talk to someone can be far more effective at relieving tension than a series of awkward messages. 意为：“许多人会同意英国作家黛西·布坎南的观点，她提醒我们，与其发送一系列尴尬的信息，不如拿起电话与某人交谈，这可以更有效地缓解紧张情绪。”可以推断，她认为电话比短信更能有效缓解沟通焦虑。因此正确答案为A。

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