阅读理解
The recent dramatic increase in the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC), notably the use of voice mail (v-mail) and electronic mail (e-mail), marks this trend in human communication as one of the most significant changes in our society since computers were introduced. Is there a direct relationship between preference to either of them and how computer literate an individual is? Is a preference for v-mail or e-mail related to gender or work position? Is there an age difference? That is, will older individuals who began their work careers with secretaries, rather than laptops(便携式电脑), prefer v-mail over e-mail?
V-mail is defined as the storing and forwarding of digitized audio messages, and e-mail is defined as the computer-to-computer exchange of text messages. Using the computer for inter personal communication was a "reinvention" process; it was a process of developing new uses for already existing technology. Individual computer users quickly saw the computer, originally a data processing device, in a new light. They saw the computer as a means of freeing them from communication time and space constraints. The saturation of the use of CMC has reached such proportions that in 1996, the number of pieces of e-mail circulated through the Internet (94 billion) exceeded the number of pieces of mail processed by the US Postal Service. Historically, the development of v-mail in industry followed the development of e-mail; both means of CMC now are an integral part of most of our every day routines. Many of us would be extremely inconvenienced if either v-mail or e-mail suddenly were unavailable.
Some individuals lean toward oral/aural-based modes and might be more comfortable with a telephone technology. Others prefer the concrete nature of text messages and might be more comfortable with reading messages rather than listening to them. Not having typing skills or strong listening skills can greatly influence preference.
In the technology acceptance model (TAM), scientists concluded that usefulness and ease of use are two variables that determine the adoption and use of information technology. Where as media richness in technologies (MRT) can be used to compare information technologies with respect to resolving equivocality(含糊)or reducing uncertainty, the TAM can provide a comparison of technologies with respect to their acceptance and use. Some scientists claim that e-mail messages promote accuracy because senders of these messages can take their time in composing and editing, whereas v-mail users cannot. Thus, e-mail is argued to foster more accurate information because it is based on a written medium.
Like e-mail, v-mail allows communication without the sender and receiver being physically present at the same time. Because v-mail is aural, it possesses its own set of distinctive characteristics. Intonation (声调), inflection, and emotion add to the meaning of the message. On the other hand, v-mail lacks the precision of e-mail. Not having a visual mode to keep one remember an item points to a common problem. With voice messages, as anyone who has tried to note a phone number rattled off quickly on a v-mail message can attest.
单选题
By saying that using the computer for interpersonal communication was a "reinvention" (in the second paragraph), the author means that ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】推理判断题。文章第二段说Using the computer for interpersonal communication was a "reinvention" process，接着说it was a process of developing new uses for already existing technology，因此 reinvention是指对已经存在的技术研发新的用途，接着在本段倒数第二句中提到the development of v-mail in industry followed the development of e-mail，因此符合文意的为[A]项。
单选题
If a person is not good at typing, he will probably prefer ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】推理判断题。文章第三段说有人喜欢v-mail，有人喜欢e-mail，但是Not having typing skills or strong listening skills can greatly influence preference，可见打字技能和听力能力会在很大程度上影响喜好，因此不擅长打字的人很可能会喜欢口头上或听觉上的消息，因此答案选[C]。
单选题
One advantage of v-mail over e-mail is that the receiver of the message ______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】事实细节题。原文最后一段说“(v-mail)possesses its own set of distinctive characteristics． Intonation(声调)，inflection，and emotion add to the meaning of the message，因此v-mail相比于e-mail的优点是可以从声调、情感等理解消息的含义，因此[D]项符合原文。[A]项与原文内容相反，原文是说e-mail比v- mail要准确；[B]项也与原文内容不符；[C]项是两者共同的特点。
单选题
All the following are advantages of e-mail message over v-mail message except ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】事实细节题。原文第四段倒数第二句说Some scientists claim that e-mail messages promote accuracy because senders of these messages can take their time in composing and editing，whereas v-mail users cannot，由此可判断[A]、[C]、[D]三项都符合原文。原文没有提到e-mail比v-mail快，故[B]项符合题意要求。