“Whatever,totally tops most annoying word in the poll (民意测验).So, you know, it is what it is, but Americans are totally annoyed by the use of‘ whatever’ in conversations. The popular term of indifference (不感兴趣）was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.
“Whatevereasily beat out “you know,which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers. The other annoying expressions were anyway(at 7 percent), “it is what it is” (11percent) and “at the end of the day(2 percent).
Whatever is an expression with staying power It left everyone a deepimpression in the song by Nirvana (“oh well, whatever, never mind”）in 1991 and was popularized by the Valley Girls in the film “Clueless”,later that decade. It is still monly used, often by younger people.
It can be a mon argument-ender or a signal of indifference. And it can really be annoying. The poll found whatever to be consistently(始终地) disliked by Americans regardless of their race, sex, age, ine or where they live.
“It doesn't surprise me because ‘whatever’，is in a special class, probably, said Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚语)~The People's Poetry and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. It's a word that -and it depends on how a speaker uses it -can suggest being not worthy of attention or respect.” Adams, who didn't take part in the poll and is not annoyed by whatever, points out that its use is not always negative. “It can also be used in place of other neutral(中性的）phrases that have fallen out of favor, like ‘six of one, half dozen of the other’ ” he said. However, he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever” was judged more annoying than the ever-popular “you know”.
【小题1】Which tops second among the annoying expression according to the passage?'A．Whatever.B．You knowC．Anyway.D．It is what it is.【小题2】What can we know about the word whatever?A．It became popular because of Nirvana.B．It can be monly used at the beginning of an agreement.C．Old people like it while young people don't.D．Almost half of the Americans surveyed disliked it.【小题3】In Adams' opinion, the reason why “whatever”, was judged more annoying may be that .A．most of the people don't like itB．it can be used in place of other neutral phrasesC．it carries certain negative meaning sometimesD．the poor don't like it【小题4】Which of the following statements is true?A．Adams is not only a writer but also a professor.B．“Whatever” is a signal of concern.C．Adams is angry at the word “whatever”D．Whatever will be replaced by You know”B
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(答案→)B
解析： Whatever“可在结束争论时使用，或者可用来表示漠不关心。而且它的确令人反感。调查发现，无论种族、性别、年龄、收入以及居住地点，美国人无一例外地讨厌这个词。以及《俚语：人们的诗文》一书的作者、印地安那大学英语副教授迈克尔?亚当斯对这个词的解释和看法。
【小题1】细节理解题。结合“Whatever”，totally tops most annoying word in the poll(民意测验).和Whatever easily beat out “you know, which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers.可知美国人对日常交谈中“无所谓（Whatever）”这句口头禅最为反感；Whatever”轻松击败“you know（你知道）”位居榜首，四分之一的受访者最讨厌后者。“you know（你知道）排在第二位。
【小题2】推理判断题。结合The popular term of indifference(不感兴趣)was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.可知D正确。
【小题3】细节理解题。结合“he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever， was judged more annoying than the ever-popular you know” 可知C正确。
【小题4】细节理解题。结合“Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚语)~The People's Poetry and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. 可知A正确。