What happens to our digital afterlife

甘肅甘谷縣第二中學 劉小軍

題材文章詞數人與社會386 難度 ★★★★體裁建議用時說明文7′

What happens to our images on social media or the Internet after we die?Evan Carroll is someone who thinks a lot about this question.

Carroll co-wrote a book called Your Digital Afterlife.He said there are companies that will collect your passwords and online information and then provide all the important details to your family so they can make sure your accounts are settled after you die.Some online businesses will put together the digital story of your life—tokeepyour memoryalivelong after you die.Some companies will even send out messages for you to your friends and family members after your death.

There are some concerns,however.Carroll said one problem is that it is normal toput offdealing with death.Many people hope and believe death is far off into the future.Another problem is that companies sometimesgo out of business.

Carroll said people are not happy getting messages on their Facebook Page about birthdays for friends who died.Now,Facebook will let a friend or relative “memorialize”a Facebook friend's page,as long as they can provide proof of the death.That can be a copy of a death notice.In 2015,Facebook set up another program.It lets a person choose a family member or friend who can supervise the individual's Facebook account after they die.“That person can write information about a memorial service,or share a special message or memory,”Facebook said.

One group working to create digital memories is the Hereafter Institute at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California.Started a year ago,the Instituteoffers peoplethe chanceto learn how they can plan their digital afterlife.For example,people can place personal information and video images into a piece of jewelry as a future memorial.Video lets people think about how friends and family members moved,or reacted to jokes or how they laughed.

Carolina Miranda is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times newspaper.She recently spent time at the Institute.She said the image works as a memorial,although it is not exactly a perfect copy.“I don't think it would ever be in danger of becoming something that you could almostgrow attached tobecause it's a replacement of that person，” Miranda said.

Reading Check

1.What are the three ways companies deal with the digital afterlife?_

2.How does Carolina Miranda like the idea offered by the Hereafter Institute?

Language Study

Difficult sentence

He said there are companies that will collect your passwords and online information and then provide all the important details to your family so they can make sure your accounts are settled after you die.

翻譯：_______________________________

【點石成金】本句為主從復合句。主句為He said...，there are companies是賓語從句，關系代詞that引導的是定語從句，修飾先行詞companies；collect和 provide為并列謂語；so在句中引導目的狀語從句；your accounts are settled after you die則為省略了引導詞that的賓語從句。

Using Language

I.Important phrases in the text

1.keep...alive使……存活

2.put off推遲

3.go out of business歇業；破產

4.offer sb the chance to do sth給某人提供機會做某事

5.be/grow attached to依戀；上癮

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences in correct forms with the phrases given above.

1.I_________ every tree and bush in my hometown.

2.The company he worked in_________last year.

3.Never_________till tomorrow what you can do today.

4.The doctors tried everything to_________him_________but to no avail.

5.If I_________go,I'd take it like a shot.