When Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it was a revolution in communication. For the first time, people could talk to each other over great distances almost as clearly as if they were in the same room. Nowadays, though, we increasingly use Bell’s invention for taking photographs, accessing the internet, or watching video clips, rather than talking. Over the last two decades a new means of spoken communication has appeared: the mobile phone.
The first real mobile telephone call was made in 1973 by Dr Martin Cooper, the scientist who invented the modem mobile handset（手机）. Within a decade, mobile phones became available to the public. The streets of modem cities began to feature sharp-suited characters shouting into giant plastic bricks. In Britain the mobile phone quickly became the same with the “yuppie”, the new type of young urban professionals who carried the expensive handsets as status symbols. Around this time many of us said that we would never own a mobile phone.
But in the mid-90s, something happened. Cheaper handsets and cheaper calling rates meant that, almost overnight, it seemed that everyone had a mobile phone. And the giant plastic bricks of the 80s had changed into smooth little objects that fitted nicely into pockets and bags.
Moreover, people’s timekeeping changed. Younger readers will be amazed to know that, not long ago, people made spoken arrangements to meet at a certain place at a certain time. But later Meeting time became approximate under the new order of communication: the Short Message Service （SMS） or text message. Going to be late? Send a text message! It takes much less effort than arriving on time, and it’s much less awkward than explaining your lateness face to face and the text message has changed the way we write in English. Traditional rules of grammar and spelling are much less important when you’re sitting on the bus, hurriedly typing “Will B 15mm late - C U @ the bar. Sorry! -).”
Alexander Graham Bell would be amazed if he could see how far the science of telephony has progressed in less than 150 years. If he were around today, he might say “That’s gr8! But I’m v busy rite now. Will call U 2nite.”
小题1:What does the underlined part in Para.2 refer to?
A．Houses of modern cities.
B．Sharp-suited characters.
C．New type of professionals.
D．Mobile phones.小题2:According to Paragraph 4, why did Meeting time become approximate?
A．People were more likely to be late for their meeting.
B．SMS made it easier to inform each other.
C．Young people don’t like unchanging things.
D．Traditional customs were dying out.小题3:If you want to meet your friend at the school gate this evening, which of the following message can you send him?
A．Call U@ SKUg8 2nite.
B．IM2BZ2CU 2nite.
C．CU@ the bar g8 2nite.
D．W84U@ SKUg8 2nite.小题4:What does the passage mainly tell us about?
A．Alexander Graham’s invention.
B．SMS as a new way of communication.
C．New functions of the mobile telephone.
D．The development of the mobile phone.
小题1:D
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:D
题目分析：在近二十年中，手机的出现给人们的生活带来了很大的变化。从最初the modem mobile handset手机的出现到大哥大的使用，然后到九十年代中期手机的普及，手机的各种功能给人们的生活带来了不小的改变。在本文中作者给我们介绍了手机的发展过程。
小题1:D词义猜测题。本段讲述了手机的开始使用，由前句mobile phones became available to the public.可知人们在大街上使用手机打电话成为很普遍的事情，由此推断giant plastic bricks指的是手机，故答案选D。
小题2:B细节理解题。根据第四段Meeting time became approximate under the new order of communication: the Short Message Service （SMS） or text message.，可知B选项正确。
小题3:D推理判断题。根据文章第四、五段内容可知编辑短信时通常用同音的字母、数字或者首字母代替单词，比如用U代替you，@代表at ，w8指， 4代替 for， 所以判断D选项正确。
小题4:D主旨大意题。文章第一段由贝尔发明的电话引出手机的出现，第二段讲述大块头手机“大哥大”的出现，第三段讲述手机的改进和普及，后面段落介绍手机、短信对人生活的影响，由此可知本文主要介绍的是手机的发展， 故D选项正确。