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A few years ago I had an "aha!" moment regarding handwriting.
I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task.
It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting, and then I realized whose it must be. I finally
became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year, maybe two, and
yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point.
It was a very important event in the computerization of life-a sign that the informal. Friendly
communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages
and emails. There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters, and we recognized one
another's handwriting the way we knew voices or faces.
As a child visiting my father's office, I was pleased to recognize, in little notes on the desks of his staff,
the same handwriting I would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge-except that those notes
were signed "dad" instead of "RFW".
All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The Rise and Fall of Handwriting, a book by
Florey. Sire shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to
teach children to write well, but many others argue that people in a digital age can't be expected to learn to
hold a pen.
I don't buy it.
I don't want to see anyone cut off from the expressive,personal associations that a pen still promotes
better than a digital keyboard does. For many a biographer, part of really getting to know their subjects is
learning to read their handwriting.
What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting
of 16th-century Italy. That may sound impossibly grand-as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying
classical paintings. However, they have worked in many school systems.
1. Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague's handwriting?
A. He had worked with his colleague long enough.
B. His colleague's handwriting was so beautiful.
C. His colleague's handwriting was so terrible.
D. He still had a 1ot of work to do.
2. People working together in an office used to _____.
A. talk more about handwriting
B. take more notes on workdays
C. know better one another's handwriting
D. communicate better with one another
3. The author's father wrote notes in pen _____.
A. to both his family and his staff
B. to his family in small letters
C. to his family on the fridge
D. to his staff on the desk
4. According to the author,handwritten notes _____.
A. are harder to teach in schools
B. attract more attention
C. are used only between friends
D. carry more message
5. We can learn from the passage that the author _____.
A. thinks it impossible to teach handwriting
B. does not want to lose handwriting
C. puts the blame on the computer
D. does not agree with Florey
