《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit84:校园里的手机文化

（单词翻译）

　　Unit 84
Mobile Culture on Campus
Mobile phone are becoming commonplace in college classrooms. The hush-hush chitchat between backbenchers is gradually being replaced by whispered phone conversations and SMS chats. Hip¹ and convenient, they are used for everything from playing games to planning a sudden outing.
Most teachers and students agree that cell phones interfere² with the teaching process. Professors find it difficult to command attention and encourage participation³ if students receive calls during class. It upsets the rhythm of the class. Colleges have responded in different ways. Some have banned mobile phones on the campus. Others request the students to switch off their mobiles on entering the teaching premises⁴. Students can use their cell phone in the canteen or the common room. But if professors find them using cell phones during lectures, they can confiscate⁵ the phone and demand a fine. Most students agree that cells can be very distracting during a lecture.
Some students claim that cells are almost a necessity. This holds good for colleges that do not have a good telephone network. In such a situation, it would be difficult for parents to contact their children and a mobile is very useful, almost necessary. Anxious parents can monitor their activities and remind them not to stay out too late. Students, expectedly, aren't happy about this "constant nagging⁶". They think some parents are just panicky.
Besides calls and SMS, cell phones help relieve boredom⁷. If they are bored, they can play a few games on the mobile. Students also use their mobiles creatively to make sudden plans. They decide on codes, like one ring means "I'll meet you", two rings mean "I can't make it". The idea is to avoid the expenses of a call or an SMS.
The mobile is not just a communication tool. It is also a fashion accessory. Possessing the hottest models with fancy features, trendy ring tones and covers are considered "cool". Some professors fear this craze could breed snobbishness⁸. They fear that some students carry these mobiles just to show off that they have the latest gadgets⁹. It is like a status symbol with some students. Many students feel that a mobile is no longer a luxury, and they just keep up with the Joneses. A psychology¹⁰ student says: "Now even the vendors¹¹ on the road have mobiles."
Here is where the model of the phone matters. Many show off the latest and costliest¹² gadgets. "The model of your phone reveals how deep your Dad's pocket is," one student says. As a result, students who don't carry a phone or own an outdated¹³ piece feel left out, especially when their friends kept messaging each other.