Since the early 1990s, the Internet has greatly changed the way people communicate. But some teachers think the changes are not all for the better.
Eleanor Johnson, an English professor at Columbia University in New York, says, “Ｉthink text messaging has made students believe that it is far more acceptable than it actually is to just make spelling and grammatical mistakes.” She says her students over the past several years have increasingly used less formal English in their writing. She says words and phrases like “you know” now appearing research papers. And she now has to talk about another problem in class---incorrect word use.
Professor Johnson doubts a strong connection between the rise of communication online and an increase in writing mistakes. But she admits there may not be much scientific proof, at least not yet.
David Crystal, a British language expert, says the actively changing nature of the Internet makes it difficult to stay unchanged in studying its effects. But he
believes its effect on language is small. He says, “The main effect of the Internet on language has been to increase the expressive richness of language, providing the language with a new set of communicative content that didn’t exist in the past.” Erin Jansen, founder of an online dictionary of Internet and text messaging terms, says his new technology has not changed existing language but has greatly added to the vocabulary. “Basically it is a freedom of expression,” she says, “If it is helping them write more or communicate more, that is great. That is what teachers and educators want---to get students communicating.”
But Erin Jansen and David Crystal agree with Eleanor Jonson
on at least one thing. Teachers need to make sure students understand the uses and rules of language.
小题1: According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．David Crystal thinks the Internet makes the language expression richer.
B．David Crystal believes the Internet’s effects on language use are clear
C．Eleanor Johnson thinks writing mistakes has much to do with the Internet
D．Eleanor Johnson thinks all the Internet effects on language use are good小题2:. Eleanor Johnson is mentioned to _______.
A．share her idea of the great effects of using the Internet
B．tell people a way to correct students’ writing mistakes
C．serve as an example of teachers’ blaming the Internet
D．warn people against the dangers of using the Internet小题3: What do the three experts have in common as to the Internet effect?
A．The possibilities of avoiding the use of less formal words
B．The causes of the Internet’s great effects on language
C．The necessity of helping students reduce writing mistakes
D．The importance of students’ knowing how to use language小题4:. What could be the best title for the text?
A．Students’ Learning and the Internet: Good or Bad?
B．Students’ Writing and the Internet: Good or Bad?
C．Students’ Papers and the Internet: Good or Bad?
D．Students’ Mistakes and the Internet: Good or Bad?
