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Questions 31-41 are based on the following passage and supplementary material.
This passage is adapted from Ben Branstetter, “Every Time You Send Someone an Emoji, a Little Part of Language Dies.” ©2015 by Daily Dot Media. Emoji are small images that are generally used in text messaging.
Language—what you’re reading right now—is entirely made up of symbols. The words you’re reading are translated by your literate mind and given the meaning you’ve been taught they have. Even the letters themselves, though seemingly abstract now, once relied on literal translations. The letter “H,” for example，,comes from the Egyptian
hieroglyph for “fence.” In fact, a row of Hs—HHHHHH—certainly drags this millennia-old meaning out.
The English language is the product of thousands and thousands of years of such symbolic layering—literal images forming single symbols forming words like “heart,” “hearth,” and “hearthstone.” The more separated it has become from the objects and actions of the physical world, the more it has enabled us to communicate the full complexity of life as we know it.
And while language is always evolving—change can often look a lot like deterioration—there has been a recent return to the literal symbolism of the hieroglyphs of old. Emoji are certainly symbols, and they have the meaning we give them and nothing else—just like letters and logos. But their reliance on physical imagery—on smiley faces, devil horns—means they limit us from leaving the physical world. The abstraction of language is a necessary tactic to further develop our understanding of things we cannot see. Emoji make this mission all the more difficult.
A recent study done by Match.com would seem to contradict me. The dating site analyzed the texting behavior of 5,600 single Americans and found emoji use is not replacing language as much as it isreplacing inflection. Led by Rutgers anthropologist Helen Fisher, the study found texting ‘‘jeopardizes your ability to express your emotion “and emojihave filled this hole as” another way to express emotion.” Fifty percent of the study’s subjects found emoji to show “personality” and 35 percent felt it made “expressing feelings” easier. Easier than language? Easier than the infinite combinations and words in front of you? Easier than the way you actually process thoughts in your mind, to the point some scientists believe we don t actually have thoughts until we develop language? While sarcasm might be a bit difficult over text, I’ve never struggled with getting my meaning through text to the point of needing pre-ordained cartoons to makemy feelings
understood.
Of course, the emoji pool is always growing. Currently, the Unicode Consortium recognizes 722 distinct emoji, an astonishing amount. However, even this impressive number of symbols is limited by its very method of production. Whereas a language is built and altered by all who speak it, emoji is controlled by the elites of the technology world.
This has shown itself nowhere as strongly as it has in reaction to the homogeneity of emoji faces. The demand for ethnic diversity among the characters urged the Consortium to release a veritable color palette of smiling, frowning,
winking, and smirking faces. Whereas the Oxford English Dictionary responds to the growth of the English language, emoji must wait itself for the decisions of an unelected committee.
And the reliance of emoji upon already-filled language standards means it could actually serve as a stop sign for the development of language. Because it can only use images of physical items or actions—or pre-existing symbols like the dollar sign—emoji can never grow organically to help represent abstract concepts. All it can ever be is a direct translation of the languages we speak now.
Figure 1
Emoji Use over Time on a Popular Social Networking Sersvice
Adapted from "Emojineering Part 1: Machine Learning for Trends." ©2012 by Instagram, lnc.
Figure 2
Emoji Categories as a Percentage of Emoji Use on a Popular Software Application
Adapted from “swiftkey Emoji Report.” © by TouchType
31 The passage most directly suggests that in order to achieve the fullest possible knowledge of the world people must be
A)skilled at translating abstract meanings intoappropriate symbols.
B)aware of the rich history of their respectivelanguages.
C)unwilling to use emoji or other symboliccharacters with literal meanings.
D)able to communicate about intangible as wellas observable reality.
32 Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A)Lines 11-14(“The English...hearthstone”)
B)Lines 19-24(“And...logos”)
C)Lines 24-29(“But...see”)
D)Lines 55-57(”Whereas...world”)
33 As used in line 29,"mission"most nearly means
A)task.
B)group.
C)voyage.
D)procedure.
34 The author relates the study’s findings to his argument by stating that they appear to
A)inadvertently reinforce it.
B)partially invalidate it
C)openly address it.
D)directly oppose it.
35 As used in line 46, “develop” most nearly means
A)set forth.
B)elaborate on.
C)expand.
D)learn to use.
36 In the passage, the author challenges the claim that emotion can be difficult to express through text by
A)citing current research that presents acontrasting view.
B)stating an opinion based on his personalexperience with language.
C)distinguishing between emotional expression inwriting and in speech.
D)asserting the inadequacy of images forrepresenting concepts.
37 Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A)Lines 35-38(“Led...emotion”)
B)Lines 39-41(“Fifty...easier”)
C)Lines 46-50(“While understood")
D)Lines 69-73(“Because...concepts”)
38 The author’s perspective on the Unicode Consortium is best characterized as
A) dismissive because he believes that theconsortium upholds outdated languagestandards.
B) Critical because he believes that the consortiumwields inappropriately restrictive authority.
C) apprehensive, because he believes that theconsortium is rapidly expanding its influenceon how people communicate.
D) unfavorable, because he believes that theconsortium is deliberately limiting theproduction of new emoji.
39 Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
A)Lines 53-55(“however…production”)
B)Lines 59-63(“The demand …faces”)
C)Lines 63-66(“Whereas…committee”)
D)Lines 67-69(And…language”)
40 As indicated by figure 1, the most substantial increase in emoji use on the social networking service occurred between which dates?
A) October 2010 and July 2011
B) July 2011 and January 2012
C) January 2012 and July 2012
D) January 2013 and July 2013
41 The author would most likely regard the overall trend represented in figure 1 with
A) disapproval, because it suggests a decline in thecomplexity with which people communicateabout their lives.
B) regret, because it indicates a loss of respect forthe ancient history of contemporary English.
C) curiosity, because it hints at futuredevelopments in the ongoing evolution oflanguage.
D) acceptance, because it points to continued growth in emoji use that is unlikely to reverse..
答案：31-41 DCADD BCBCB A
2017年11月SAT北美真题原文及答案