OK，Iadmitit：emoticons（表情符号）arepopular．Somepeopleeventhinktheyarefun．Manyseemunabletogetthroughane-mailorInstantMessagechatsentencewithoutusingone．Somefeelthattheyaddfeelingandcharactertootherwise

Question

OK，I admit it：emoticons（表情符号）are popular．Some people even think they are fun．Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one．Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications．
Some people，such as a Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal，however，blastthe use of emoticons as"infantile（幼稚）just like the people who use them"．He believes that words themselves should be enough．"If you're funny，happy or sad，that should be apparent from the comment that goes before the emoticons，"he argues．
In the eyes of Blumenthal，the use of emoticons is a gender issue．"Men don't use emoticons very much．Maybe not at all，"he said，"Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot．Maybe there's an emoticon gene．"
It's an interesting opinion，but it is not shared by all．
In an interview with The New York Times，Dacher Keltner，professor of psychology at the University of California，said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed"to seek out representations of humanity"．He believes that they are popular not because they are shortcuts for the lazy，but because they bring in something beyond language．They satisfy our needs to be with and communicate with people．
All of these arguments may be somehow right．Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way．I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in．I'd rather let my words do the talking．
Friends，however，send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons．I have no problem with this．I don't regard any of my friends as lazy or immature．It's just a question of individuality．
59．What does the underlined word"blast"in the second paragraph mean？___
A．clarify      B．criticize      C．support        D．approve 
60．Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with？___
A．It's enough to use language in digital communication．
B．Instant Message chatters are childish．
C．Men never use emoticons．
D．There must be an emoticon gene in everybody．
61．From the text，we can conclude that the author___．
A．feels he has no difficulty using emoticons
B．thinks emoticons don't suit him
C．encourages his friends to use emoticons
D．believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone
62．What is the main point of the article？___
A．Advice on language used over the Internet．
B．Arguments over the use of emoticons．
C．The history of the use of emoticons．
D．Reasons for the popularity of emoticons．

Answer 1

59．答案：B  考查事实细节．根据第一段"infantile just like the people who use them"表示"像使用它们的人一样幼稚"是批评的语气，所以选B．
60．答案：A  考查事实细节．根据第一段"He believes that words themselves should be enough．"可知答案是A．
61．答案：B  考查事实细节．根据第六段"I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in．I'd rather let my words do the talking．"可知作者并不适应用表情符号，所以答案是B．
62．答案：B  考查文章主旨．根据全文可以了解虽然作者举例辩论了"人们是否会使用表情符号是他们自己的个性问题"，所以选B．