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The earliest usage of the word selfie can be traced as far back as in 2002. It first appeared in Karl Kruszelnicki's 'Dr Karl Self-Serve Science Forum', an Australian internet forum（论坛）on 13 September, 2002.

The concept of uploading group self-taken photographs to the Internet, although with a disposable camera and not a smartphone, dates to a webpage created by Australians in September 2001, including photos taken in the late 1990s.

The term "selfie" was discussed by photographer Jim Krause in 2005, although photos in the selfie genre were earlier than the widespread use of the term. In the early 2000s, before Facebook became the dominant online social network, self-taken photographs were particularly common on MySpace. Between 2006 and 2009, the "MySpace pic" became an indication of bad taste for users of the newer Facebook social network. With improvements in design—especially the front-facing camera of the iPhone 4 (2010), mobile photo apps led to the regrowth of selfies in the early 2010s.

Initially popular with young people, selfies gained wider popularity over time. By the end of 2012, Time magazine considered selfie one of the "top 10 buzzwords" of that year; although selfies had existed long before, it was in 2012 that the term "really hit the big time". According to a 2013 survey, two-thirds of Australian women aged 18–35 take selfies—the most common purpose for which is posting on Facebook. A poll conducted by smartphone and camera maker Samsung found that selfies make up 30% of the photos taken by people aged 18–24. In November 2013, the word "selfie" was announced as being the "word of the year" by the Oxford English Dictionary, which gave the word itself an Australian origin.

Selfies have also been taken beyond Earth. Selfies taken in space include those by astronauts, an image by NASA's Curiosity rover of itself on Mars, and images created by an indirect method, where a self-portrait photograph taken on Earth is displayed on a screen on a satellite and captured by a camera.

1.Selfies in the early 2000s referred to pictures taken ______.

A by a smartphone

B by a disposable camera

C by Australians

D in earlier times

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据文章第二段... self-taken photographs to the internet, although with a disposable camera and not a smartphone...可知，当时的自拍照是一次性相机拍摄的，故选B。

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A People knew the term “selfie” well before 2005.

B Users of Facebook don’t like to post selfies.

C Social networks helped selfie gain its popularity.

D iPhone 4 started the new fashion of taking selfies.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据文章三、四段可知，自拍照主要是用来发到社交网站上的（以MySpace, Facebook为主），由此判断，社交网站为“自拍”一词的流行起到了推动作用，故选C。

3.When was the term “selfie” considered to be most popular?

A 2012.

B 2013.

C 2010.

D 2009.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据文章第四段可知，2012年《时代》杂志将“自拍”一词评为“十大年度流行词”，由此判断，2012年，“自拍”作为一种时尚发展到了它的巅峰，故选A。

4.What does the author want to say in the last paragraph?

A Astronauts like to take selfies too.

B It is not easy to take selfies in space.

C Curiosity’s selfie on Mars is a miracle.

D Selfies are popular and well enjoyed.

解析：选D。推理判断题。文章最后一段介绍了自拍在太空中的存在，作者想借此告诉人们，自拍深受人们的青睐，已经遍布每一个角落，无论是普通人，还是科学家，都对自拍爱不释手，故选D。