Middle school teachers in the United States are noticing a new generation of errors coming into their pupils’ essays, Associated Press has reported.
An increasing number of students hand in classwork containing words that may confuse adults. For example, they wrote “I WUNT TUBAROXTR” for “I want to be a rock star” and “DLERES PCNU” for “delicious pumpkin”. Middle school teachers say they most frequently encounter “b/c” for “because”, “w/o” for “without” and “4-ever” for “forever”.
Those simple abbreviations (缩略词) and phonetic spellings are known as “instant messaging-speak” (即时消息式语言) or “IM-speak”. Today these words have become so common in children’s social lives that they are finding their way into essays and other writing assignments.
However, the rise of informal communication through e-mail, Internet blogs and cell phone text messaging has not stopped school teachers from telling students the importance of spelling.
“We’ve got a strict policy so they can be penalized for that―we don’t allow it. We talk about the four levels of the language: slang (俚语), colloquial (口语), informal and formal, which apply to both spoken and written language,” said Beverly Arnold, chairwoman of the English and language arts department at Owasso High School, Oklahoma.
“I think it’s critically important―for both formal and informal communication. We teach kids that they need to learn to exist in a world outside their social networks, and that requires them to use proper grammar and spelling when they speak and write,” said Marsha Edmonds, director of curriculum in the Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Teachers use different strategies to teach spelling than they did 20 years ago, Edmonds explained. Instead of giving students random (随意的) lists of words to master, teachers now draw on vocabulary from the literature their classes are studying or subject matter being covered in science and social studies.
But some educators, like David Warlick, 54, of Raleigh, North Carolina, see the growing young band of instant messengers as a phenomenon that should be celebrated. Teachers should credit their students with inventing a new language ideal for communicating in a high-tech world, said Warlick, who has written three books on technology in the classroom.
72．Many adults feel when seeing the “IM-speak” like “b/c”, “w/o” and “4-ever”.
A、interested B、puzzled C、worried D、disappointed
73．According to Marsha Edmonds, .
A、spelling is only important for formal communication
B、students need to learn to live in their social networks
C、we have four levels of the language: slang, colloquial, informal and formal
D、students should use proper grammar and spelling when they speak and write
74．Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A、“IM-speak” is becoming increasingly popular in teenagers’ lives.
B、Students in the past spent less time in memorizing the new words.
C、Beverly Arnold is very strict with her students.
D、Teachers used to give students random lists of words to remember.
75．It can be inferred from the passage that .
A、all the teachers say “NO” to “IM-speak”
B、school teachers don’t do enough to stop students from using “IM-speak”
C、teachers still use old-fashioned methods to teach spelling nowadays
D、David Warlick is a man who enjoys trying new things
