“Whatever",totally tops most annoying word in the poll (民意测验).So, you know, it is what it is, but Americans are totally annoyed by the use of‘ whatever"’ in conversations. The popular term of indifference (不感兴趣）was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.
“Whatever"easily beat out “you know",which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers. The other annoying expressions were "anyway"(at 7 percent), “it is what it is” (11percent) and “at the end of the day(2 percent).
"Whatever" is an expression with staying power It left everyone a deep impression in the song by Nirvana (“oh well, whatever, never mind”）in 1991 and was popularized by the Valley Girls in the film “Clueless”,later that decade. It is still commonly used, often by younger people.
It can be a common argument-ender or a signal of indifference. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently(始终地) disliked by Americans regardless of their race, sex, age, income or where they live.
“It doesn't surprise me because ‘whatever’，is in a special class, probably, said Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚语)~The People's Poetry" and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. "It's a word that -and it depends on how a speaker uses it -can suggest being not worthy of attention or respect.” Adams, who didn't take part in the poll and is not annoyed by "whatever," points out that its use is not always negative. “It can also be used in place of other neutral(中性的）phrases that have fallen out of favor, like ‘six of one, half dozen of the other’ ” he said. However, he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever” was judged more annoying than the ever-popular “you know”.
1.Which tops second among the annoying expression according to the passage?'
A. Whatever. B. You know
C. Anyway. D. It is what it is.
2.What can we know about the word "whatever"?
A. It became popular because of Nirvana.
B. It can be commonly used at the beginning of an agreement.
C. Old people like it while young people don't.
D. Almost half of the Americans surveyed disliked it.
3.In Adams' opinion, the reason why “whatever”, was judged more annoying may be that_____.
A. most of the people don't like it
B. it can be used in place of other neutral phrases
C. it carries certain negative meaning sometimes
D. the poor don't like it
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A.Adams is not only a writer but also a professor.
B.“Whatever” is a signal of concern.
C.Adams is angry at the word “whatever”
D."Whatever" will be replaced by "You know”
It’s a sad and familiar sentence from a beggar that we often hear. Usually, when asked “Can you spare some 36 ?” I’ve been struck with a feeling of 37 if I passed by without giving a coin or two.
My conscience was hurt again when I was making a 38 in Venice in 2006. I was sitting in a quiet café. Outside the café on the street was an old woman on her knees, 39 . Steady streams of 40 were walking past her. A young backpacker stood away from the crowd drinking something, but I noticed he was also 41 the woman.
She knelt motionlessly, her head almost touching the ground, a worn blanket providing little protection 42 the cold. The sight was especially 43 when compared with the signs of the 44 city around her.
A tourist group hurried along the street, 45 at the woman and walked on. Another group of tourists arrived, 46 again, walked past her. The backpacker watched. Then, as I prepared to leave, I stopped at the sight of the backpacker 47 and placing some money in the woman’s cup. He did this rather 48 , just before the arrival of another tourist group. I watched 49 the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. With the young man 50 the way, other tourists followed.
The young backpacker 51 this process in front of the next tour party going past. Once again, the subtle peer(同伴) pressure 52 on the tourists, who all added coins to the cup. His work 53 , the young man walked over to the old beggar woman and said, “I hope that helps a bit.”
I placed some money in the woman’s cup and 54 my tour, light-hearted after witnessing such a 55 act of caring.
1.A. time B. effort C. change D. reward
2.A. satisfaction B. guilt C. anger D. pleasure
3.A. lecture B. report C. study D. tour
4.A. crying B. begging C. singing D. dancing
5.A. passengers B. customers C. tourists D. foreigners
6.A. ignoring B. serving C. observing D. following
7.A. against B. for C. with D. in
8.A. frightening B. touching C. fascinating D. interesting
9.A. peaceful B. noisy C. wealthy D. primitive
10.A. glanced B. laughed C. shouted D. stared
11.A. unless B. so C. but D. or
12.A. looking around B. stepping forward C. getting about D. breaking in
13.A. secretly B. carelessly C. deliberately D. eagerly
14.A. since B. before C. after D. as
15.A. showing B. showed C. pointing D. pointed
16.A. stopped B. valued C. made D. repeated
17.A. moved B. replied C. worked D. carried
18.A. done B. was done C. has been done D. had been done
19.A. cancelled B. continued C. started D. delayed
20.A. funny B. smart C. simple D. modest
Don’t blame the worker. He just carried out the order______.
A. as told B. as are told C. as telling D. as they told
----- Where will I put the MP4?
----- Put it ______ we can all see it.
A. when B. since C. where D. unless
_______ impressed me was the boy’s ability to deal with this kind of difficult physics problem.
A. Which B. What C. It D. That
I like _____ when I am with people like Mr. Smith, who has a good sense of humor.
A. this B. it C. one D. that
