A
O’Plerou Grebet is a 22-year-old graphic design student in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa. Everywhere he looks, he sees signs of Western influence—from the glass skyscrapers and malls lining the streets in his home city to the way his fellows speak and dress. “We are hiving like we’re Western people, ” he says. That even applies to the keyboard culture—when his friends text using the messaging apps, they especially love to use the “tears of joy” face emoji(表情符号). So he used his design skills to create digital stickers that show what he thinks is missing: symbols of history, life and culture in Côte d’Ivoire and neighboring countries.
In 2018, he released a free pack of over 360 stickers in a mobile app called “Zouzoukwa”, which means “image” in the local Bété language. Available on Android and IOS, it now has over 120, 000 downloads. It’s more impressive than other emoji apps, with the feature of connecting to the realities of Africans using it. “It would make their jokes even livelier, ” says Grebet. The stickers include traditional masks, African instruments like the djembe drum and people dressed in a variety of prints and clothing that can reflect local tradition.
Some of his favorite designs are a series of facial expressions commonly used in his area, but not available as standardized emojis. There’s a woman with lips pursed, giving some serious side-eye—a sign you can use when your friend keeps you waiting long for no reason. It’s common in Côte d’Ivoire and also translates across cultures, Grebet says.
The next step, Grebet says, is to try and get some of his designs into the official emoji set, where they’d reach more than 2 billion people worldwide, as usable ones on smartphones everywhere. Grebet also plans to keep traveling and expanding his experiences and his sticker pack. His designs so far are drawn from his experience and research into a few African countries.
【文章大意】科特迪瓦的一个平面设计专业的学生Grebet设计了一些体现当地特色和文化的表情符号, 很受人们的欢迎。
1. How does Grebet find their local culture according to Paragraph 1?
A. It’s very similar to Western culture.
B. It’s absent in many aspects of their life.
C. It’s full of inspirational ideas and symbols.
D. It’s influential in local people’s lifestyle.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第一段的“Everywhere he looks. . . That even applies to the keyboard culture. . . to create digital stickers that show what he thinks is missing: symbols of history, life and culture in Côte d’Ivoire and neighboring countries. ”可知, 西方文化影响了他们生活的方方面面, Grebet运用自己的设计技能制作了数字贴纸, 描绘出他认为缺失的东西: 科特迪瓦和邻国历史、生活和文化的象征。因此Grebet认为他们的本土文化在生活中的很多方面都缺失了。
2. What’s Zouzoukwa’s advantage over other emoji apps?
A. It provides a better source of jokes.
B. It’s designed based on daily items.
C. It’s related more closely to the locals.
D. It applies to both Android and IOS.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据第二段的“It’s more impressive than other emoji apps, with the feature of connecting to the realities of Africans using it. . . African instruments like the djembe drum and people dressed in a variety of prints and clothing that can reflect local tradition. ”可知, Zouzoukwa具有比其他同类应用程序更令人印象深刻的特点——贴近使用它的非洲人的现实生活, 体现当地生活和文化特色, 即它与当地人的联系更加紧密。
3. Which feeling does the woman emoji mentioned in Paragraph 3 convey?
A. Curiosity. B. Sorrow.
C. Annoyance. D. Disappointment.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据第三段的“There’s a woman with lips pursed, giving some serious side-eye—a sign you can use when your friend keeps you waiting long for no reason. ”可推知, 本段提到的Grebet的这个设计(撅着嘴、斜着眼的女士)传达的是恼怒的情绪。
4. What will Grebet probably do next?
A. Be on tour to advocate his designs.
B. Create an official emoji set.
C. Research into more African countries.
D. Standardize some of his emojis.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第三段的“Some of his favorite designs are a series of facial expressions commonly used in his area, but not available as standardized emojis. ”和最后一段的“The next step, Grebet says, is to try and get some of his designs into the official emoji set. . . everywhere. ”可知, Grebet喜欢的一些设计还无法作为标准表情符号使用, 他下一步会尝试把他的一些设计加入到官方表情包中, 这些设计将被全球范围内超过20亿人看到, 成为标准化的表情符号。
【知识拓展】长难句分析
分析:Everywhere he looks, he sees signs of
地点状语从句
Western influence. . .
句子主干
from the glass skyscrapers and malls lining the streets in his home city
现在分词作定语, 修饰malls
to the way his fellows speak and dress.
省略that/in which的定语从句, 修饰way
翻译:目光所及之处, 他看到了西方影响的痕迹——从他家乡城市的玻璃摩天大楼和街边鳞次栉比的商场, 到他同辈说话和穿衣的方式。
