The word I’m going to introduce to you today is-phubbing. Let’s see the definition of this term:phubbing n. the act of snubbing(冷落)someone in a social setting by looking at your cell phone instead of paying attention As you can probably guess, phubbing is a blend of phone and snubbing. The term was coined by a 23-year-old Melbourne resident Alex Haigh. Obviously, he got fed up with how people are always checking Facebook or Twitter on their phones when they are supposed to be interacting with someone face to face. He wanted to put an end to this social phenomenon, therefore he came up with this catchy term.
And it did catch on. The word’s earliest media mention dates back to June 2012, and in a little over a year’s time, phubbing has already been picked up by almost all the mainstream media outlets one can think of.
Here is a typical example from the British newspaper The Independent. In the article titled The Rise of Phubbing, which was published on August 5, 2013, Tom Chatfield writes, there’s an uncomfortable truth at the heart of phubbing: other people are easier to handle when seen on screen. They’re less likely to demand unreasonable efforts such as undivided attention or clean shirts.
While the term phubbing has undoubtedly taken off, some people question why it is called phubbing instead of phnubbing. Alex Haigh has not personally addressed the issue, but word has it that phubbing sounds more crispy and thus easier to remember.
Phubbing is indeed a univers al problem that can no longer be ignored. So why do people keep phubbing each other if they know it’s rude? Is there anything we can do to stop it? Or maybe we should just be more kind, because sometimes there are good excuses to phub.
I think there is plenty we can do to try and stop phubbing. For starters, we can jo in Alex Haigh in his Stop Phubbing campaign. Remind our friends and family that phubbing is not appreciated. We can also make or download some anti-phubbing posters to spread the word in public places. And don’t forget that some phubbers simply do not realize the harmful effect their behavior has on others,so be b rave enough to stop them, even if you are a total stranger.
This passage is mainly talking about __________.
A.the rise of phubbing in all the mainstream media outlets |
B.a new term “phubbing”and its problem |
C.the campaign of keeping phubbing |
D.different opinions on phubbing |
The author’s attitude towards the act of phubbing can be described as ___________.
A.bearable | B.Unacceptable |
C.reasonable | D.understandable |
What can we infer from this passage?
A.People are easier to handle when seen on screen. |
B.Alex Haigh doesn’t like the term “phnubbing” |
C.More and more people have become phubbers. |
D.We can phub if we have proper excuses. |
The writer suggests we should __________.
A.stop phubbing in public places |
B.not be afraid of the harmful effect |
C.be brave to support a st ranger phubbing |
D.remind our friends of Stop Phubbing campaign |