Why we've stopped answering the phone
为什么我们不喜欢接电话了
越来越多的年轻人表示 “自己从来不接电话”，特别是九十年代互联网普及后和 21 世纪出生的人。为什么接听电话可能会让我们感到焦虑？随着更多的人认为未事先约好的电话会打扰自己，甚至选择用文字消息代替电话交流，我们是否正在建立一种新的社交规则？本期 “随身英语” 探讨人们不再喜欢打电话的现象。
词汇：social communication 社交通讯
Suddenly a sound rings out, stopping you in your tracks. Panicking, you search for where it could be coming from. It's your phone, and if you're like a quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds in a recent British study, you probably won't answer it. The same study found that 70% of people in this age group prefer text messages to phone calls. Why do so many people hate phone calls?
While previous generations grew up using landlines to talk to their friends, smartphone-equipped younger people have grown up accustomed to using text messages, group chats and voice notes for social conversations. What these media have in common is that they are asynchronous – they don't need to happen in real time. When you can craft a reply free of interruption, you have greater control over your contributions to a conversation. It also means that you can reply when it's best for you. Synchronous communication, like phone calls or face-to-face conversations, can lead people to feel a loss of control and the corresponding anxiety. Coupled to this is that fact that many young people report associating phone calls, particularly those without prior warning, with bad news.
This means that new social codes are being established. Many people will now text someone to see if they're available to take a phone call. If someone doesn't feel able to sum something up in a few short messages, they might leave a long voice note. Could it be that not wanting to intrude on someone with a sudden phone call is just a question of good manners and respecting someone's boundaries?
Maybe, but this doesn't mean that anxiety around communication has been eliminated. Texting may be asynchronous, but many people report tensions from being 'left on read' – when you know someone has read your message, but they don't, or won't, reply. Many would agree with British writer Daisy Buchanan, who reminds us how picking up the phone to talk to someone can be far more effective at relieving tension than a series of awkward messages. So, are these new social codes better at respecting boundaries, or are they just creating a whole new set of potential anxieties?
词汇表
text message 文字消息
landline 固定电话
smartphone-equipped 拥有智能手机的
group chat 群聊
voice note 语音留言
social conversation 社交聊天
media 传播媒介
asynchronous 非即时的，异步的
real time 实时
interruption 打断，干扰
contribution 贡献
synchronous 即时的，同步的
face-to-face 面对面的
anxiety 焦虑
prior warning 预先警告
social code 社交规则
text 给…发短信
available 有空的
intrude on 打扰
respect boundaries 尊重他人的界限
left on read 已读不回，发出的消息显示已读但没有收到回复
pick up 接听电话
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. According to a British study, what don't 25% of 18 to 34-year-olds do?
2. How did older generations communicate socially, according to this article?
3. According to the article, what are three ways young people communicate socially?
4. How can face-to-face conversations or telephone calls cause anxiety?
5. How do people find out if someone is prepared to accept a phone call?
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. This _______ has got too many members. I can't keep up!
landline group chat
text message interruption
2. If you leave a really long _______, I'm just not going to listen to it.
text message social code medium voice note
3. In the past, no-one had mobiles, they had to use a _______.
interruption boundary
face-to-face landline
4. Surprise phone calls can cause _______.
intrude anxiety social code prior warning
5. I hate it when I get _______. Make sure you reply!
left on read text message interruption synchronous
答案
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. According to a British study, what don't 25% of 18 to 34-year-olds do?
The study says that 25% of 18 to 34-year-olds don't answer the phone.
2. How did older generations communicate socially, according to this article?
Older generations used landlines to talk to their friends.
3. According to the article, what are three ways young people communicate socially?
The article mentions young people using text messages, group chats and voice notes to communicate socially.
4. How can face-to-face conversations or telephone calls cause anxiety?
People can feel a loss of control in synchronous interactions like phone calls.
5. How do people find out if someone is prepared to accept a phone call?
People send a text message to see if people are available for a phone call.
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. This group chat has got too many members. I can't keep up!
2. If you leave a really long voice note, I'm just not going to listen to it.
3. In the past, no-one had mobiles, they had to use a landline.
4. Surprise phone calls can cause anxiety.
5. I hate it when I get left on read. Make sure you reply!
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