英语听力精选进阶版 11218

 

Text 

Professor David Crystal 

'Text' is one of these new words that have come into English as 

a result of the internet revolution and especially, this time, the cell 

phone revolution. Cell phones didn't exist well, 5, 10 years ago, 

they weren't around and as soon as they came along, people 

started using them to send messages to each other. So, first as a 

noun¹, you had the noun 'text' and now you have the verb 'to 

text', which is to send a written message using a mobile² phone or 

a cell phone if you use that expression instead.  

It isn't new actually. Although the verb 'to text' is a modern 

feature of today's English, you can actually trace³ it back to the 

16th century when 'to text', in those days, was to write 

something in very large letters, in capital letters, in 'text hand'. 

And, if you look it up in a big dictionary these days, you'll often 

be told "this verbal⁴ use is now rather rare". Well it was rare until about 4 or 5 

years ago. Since then of course, everybody's been using it, and it's produced a 

whole new family of words.  

You can now 'text' somebody of course, but you can be engaged in the noun 

'texting'. And then you've got 'text messaging' which is a fuller form of the idea of 

texting somebody. And the people who send messages to each other are called 

'texters', and the whole language of abbreviated⁵ communication that you can use - 

introducing abbreviated forms into your text message, in order to make it as 

succinct⁶ and as quick to send as possible. Well, what's the name for that?  There 

isn't an agreed name at the moment - but I call it 'text speak'. 

1 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

2 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

3 trace   

n.痕迹，踪迹，微量；vt.追踪，找出根源，描绘；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• There isn't a trace of a smile on her face.她脸上没有一丝笑容。
• We have lost all trace of him.我们找不到他的踪迹。

4 verbal   

adj.口头的，用言辞的，用文字的，动词的

参考例句：

• Verbal statements are no guarantee.口说无凭。
• I delivered a verbal protest against their brutal acts.我对他们的暴行提出口头抗议。

5 abbreviated   

adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He abbreviated so much that it was hard to understand his article. 他的文章缩写词使用太多，令人费解。
• The United States of America is commonly abbreviated to U.S.A.. 美利坚合众国常被缩略为U.S.A.。

6 succinct   

adj.简明的，简洁的

参考例句：

• The last paragraph is a succinct summary.最后这段话概括性很强。
• A succinct style lends vigour to writing.措辞简练使文笔有力。