Question

“Whatever",totally tops most annoying word in the poll (民意测验).So, you know, it is what it is, but Americans are totally annoyed by the use of‘ whatever"’ in conversations. The popular term of indifference (不感兴趣）was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.

“Whatever"easily beat out “you know",which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers. The other annoying expressions were "anyway"(at 7 percent), “it is what it is” (11percent) and “at the end of the day(2 percent).

"Whatever" is an expression with staying power It left everyone a deep impression in the song by Nirvana (“oh well, whatever, never mind”）in 1991 and was popularized by the Valley Girls in the film “Clueless”,later that decade. It is still commonly used, often by younger people.

It can be a common argument-ender or a signal of indifference. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently(始终地) disliked by Americans regardless of their race, sex, age, income or where they live.

“It doesn't surprise me because ‘whatever’，is in a special class, probably, said Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚语)~The People's Poetry" and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. "It's a word that -and it depends on how a speaker uses it -can suggest being not worthy of attention or respect.” Adams, who didn't take part in the poll and is not annoyed by "whatever," points out that its use is not always negative. “It can also be used in place of other neutral(中性的）phrases that have fallen out of favor, like ‘six of one, half dozen of the other’ ” he said. However, he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever” was judged more annoying than the ever-popular “you know”.

1.Which tops second among the annoying expression according to the passage?'

A. Whatever.              B. You know

C. Anyway.         D. It is what it is.

2.What can we know about the word "whatever"?

A. It became popular because of Nirvana.

B. It can be commonly used at the beginning of an agreement.

C. Old people like it while young people don't.

D. Almost half of the Americans surveyed disliked it.

3.In Adams' opinion, the reason why “whatever”, was judged more annoying may be that_____.

A. most of the people don't like it

B. it can be used in place of other neutral phrases

C. it carries certain negative meaning sometimes

D. the poor don't like it

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A.Adams is not only a writer but also a professor.

B.“Whatever” is a signal of concern.

C.Adams is angry at the word “whatever”

D."Whatever" will be replaced by "You know”

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析： Whatever“可在结束争论时使用，或者可用来表示漠不关心。而且它的确令人反感。调查发现，无论种族、性别、年龄、收入以及居住地点，美国人无一例外地讨厌这个词。以及《俚语：人们的诗文》一书的作者、印地安那大学英语副教授迈克尔•亚当斯对这个词的解释和看法。

1.细节理解题。结合“Whatever”，totally tops most annoying word in the poll(民意测验).和"Whatever" easily beat out “you know," which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers.可知美国人对日常交谈中“无所谓（Whatever）”这句口头禅最为反感；Whatever”轻松击败“you know（你知道）”位居榜首，四分之一的受访者最讨厌后者。“you know（你知道）排在第二位。

2.推理判断题。结合The popular term of indifference(不感兴趣)was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.可知D正确。

3.细节理解题。结合“he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever， was judged more annoying than the ever-popular "you know” 可知C正确。

4.细节理解题。结合“Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚语)~The People's Poetry" and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. 可知A正确。

考点：文化类短文阅读。