III. Reading Comprehension 20%
A.
There is a new cell-phone ring tone that can't be heard by most people over the age of
twenty, according to an NPR report. The tone is derived from something called the Mosquito,
a device invented by a Welsh security firm for the noble purpose of driving hooligans, yobs,
scamps, ne'er-do-wells, scapegraces, ruffians, tosspots, and bravos away from places where
grownups are attempting to ply an honest trade. The device emits a seventeen-kilohertz buzz,
a pitch that is too high for older ears to register but, as we learn from additional reporting by
the Times, is "ear-splitting" for younger people. A person or persons unknown have produced
a copy of the Mosquito buzz for use as a cell-phone ring tone, evidently with the idea that it
will enable students to receive notification of new text messages while sitting in class,
without the knowledge of the teacher.
The Times, in a welcome but highly uncharacteristic embrace of anarchy, celebrated
this development as an ingenious guerrilla tactic in youth's eternal war against adult authority
"a bit of techno-jujitsu," as the paper put it. But it's not entirely clear which side is the winner
here. When you hear the tone, it apparently sets your teeth on edge, which means that, if the
entire class suddenly grimaces, it's a good bet that one of the students just got a text message.
(Which probably says "sup." Youth, as George Bernard Shaw correctly observed, is wasted
on the young.) Anyway, what was wrong with “vibrate only?” 【題組】23. What is the author trying to convey by describing young people as "hooligans,
yobs, scamps, ne'er-do-wells, scapegraces, ruffians, tosspots, and bravos"?
(A) The opinion that, whatever name you call them by, young people will continue to
disturb business transactions.
(B) A sense of criticism on the part of older adults who feel patronizing toward young
people.
(C) An insulting tone implying the ignorance of youth.
(D) Support for embracing jargon when communicating between people of different
generations.
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