Question

    On a recent visit to the Museum of Modern Art with a friend and her daughter, wandering through the museum’s exhibits, I was struck by how often my friend's 13-year-old daughter asked us to take photos of her with her smart phone in front of the artwork. Then, she gazed at the photos which she would then post on Instagram, Snapchat and all the rest. She was not the only person who was doing this; it seemed everyone was busy taking photos of themselves “experiencing” the museum.

This is by no means a criticism of my friend’s daughter or anyone else. What was concerning, at least to me, was that in between being photographed and posting, my friend’s daughter had no interest in the artwork, a fact which didn’t seem to matter or have anything to do with wanting to post herself as someone enjoying the experience.

When I was her age. I had no interest in going to museums either. Having no interest in art at her age (and any age) is completely normal. But what is disturbing is how much of a young person’s energy these days goes into creating an image of the life they’re living and the character they “are” in that life. While creating a self-image has always been a big part of growing up and figuring out our identity, social media seems to have changed the rules of the game. Social media has not just increased the pressure and possibility of creating, a self-generated (自我创造的) self-image, but also distorted (歪曲) the process through which we become who we are. Young people now seem to be creating an image of who they are in place of becoming who they are, posting their life rather than living it. The effort that goes into creating an identity and getting it noticed or “followed” has replaced the effort of actually getting interested in the life that they are posting.

Social media has turned life and its experiences into an exercise in narcissism (自我陶醉). No matter what the experience is actually about, it becomes about you, the person who is living it. A concert is not about the music, a restaurant not about the food, and a sports event not about the sport; it’s all about you, the doer, and what the event says about you. Life experiences are not lived directly so much as they are used as chances of announcing what kind of person you are. Life now is a product through which you promote your image, but with little connection to whether that screen image accurately reflects the inside you.

As a result, the more we use life to create an identity, the more distant from life we feel. Instead of being part of it, we feel as if we have to keep generating new life material, which will announce and establish us. In the meanwhile, the gap between us and life grows wider and wider.

I hope the next time you post your story, pause for a moment and experience where you are, feel what it feels like to live what you ‘re living without using life for your benefit, or for anything at all. Just live, without the narrative (叙述). While you may feel this practice is a threat to your identity, causing you to miss a chance to prove your value, in fact, the benefit will far outweigh any loss it brings.

1.According to the author, the fact that her friend’s daughter was not interested in the artwork is ________.

A.worrying B.unsurprising

C.unchangeable D.unbearable

2.Which of the following is the basic reason behind people’s continuously posting their life?

A.Their desire for being well known.

B.Their increased focus on life.

C.The influence of social media

D.The pressure from their family and friends.

3.The author believes that the identity people create through narcissism may _______.

A.prevent them behaving properly

B.stand in the way of leading a true life

C.cause them to depend more on the remarks of others

D.damage their creativity in producing life material

4.The underlined “it” in the last paragraph refers to _______.

A.trying to take control of your feelings

B.facing the threat to your identity bravely

C.improving your self-image through writing

D.experiencing what you’re doing practically

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议的文章。文章主要讲了现在，人们总是通过摆拍来体验生活。作者认为，人们通过自恋创造的身份可能会阻碍他们过上真正的生活。作者建议下次你发布你的故事的时候，暂停一下，体验一下你现在的处境，感受一下你过着你现在的生活的感觉，而不是为了你的利益或者任何事情而生活。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段She was not the only person who was doing this; it seemed everyone was busy taking photos of themselves “experiencing” the museum.（她不是唯一这样做的人;似乎每个人都在忙着拍自己“体验”博物馆的照片。）由此推断出，在作者看来，她朋友的女儿对艺术品不感兴趣并不奇怪。故选B。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段While creating a self-image has always been a big part of growing up and figuring out our identity, social media seems to have changed the rules of the game. Social media has not just increased the pressure and possibility of creating, a self-generated (自我创造的) self-image, but also distorted (歪曲) the process through which we become who we are.（尽管塑造自我形象一直是成长和认清自我的重要组成部分，但社交媒体似乎已经改变了游戏规则。社交媒体不仅增加了创造自我形象的压力和可能性，还扭曲了我们成为自己的过程。）由此推断出，社交媒体的影响是人们不断发布自己生活的基本原因。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段As a result, the more we use life to create an identity, the more distant from life we feel.（因此，我们越是利用生活来创造一种身份，我们就越觉得自己离生活越来越远）和 In the meanwhile, the gap between us and life grows wider and wider.（与此同时，我们和生活之间的差距越来越大。）由此可知，作者认为，人们通过自恋创造的身份可能会阻碍他们过上真正的生活，故选B。

4.词句猜测题。上文I hope the next time you post your story, pause for a moment and experience where you are, feel what it feels like to live what you ‘re living without using life for your benefit, or for anything at all. Just live, without the narrative (叙述).说我希望下次你发布你的故事的时候，暂停一下，体验一下你现在的处境，感受一下你过着你现在的生活的感觉，而不是为了你的利益或者任何事情而生活。只是活着，没有故事。由此可知，下文While you may feel this practice is a threat to your identity, causing you to miss a chance to prove your value, in fact, the benefit will far outweigh any loss it brings.意思是虽然你可能会觉得这种做法是对你身份的一种威胁，会让你错过一个证明自己价值的机会，但实际上，它带来的好处远远超过实际体验你正在做的事情带来的损失。“it” 指的是实际体验你正在做的事情，故选D。