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If you are sending a text message, watching TV or listening to the radio, you may stop and give this your full attention. Multi-tasking shrinks(使……萎缩) the brain, research suggests.
A study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain. University of Sussex researchers said, “Using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices simultaneously could be changing the structure of our brains.”
Worryingly, the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion. The finding follows research which has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school.
The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology. This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the internet. The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) (前扣带皮质). Scientists have proved that brain structure can be changed on exposure to fresh environments and experience.
Other studies have shown that training – such as learning to play magic tricks or taxi drivers’ learning the map of London – can increase grey-matter densities(密度) in certain parts.
Experts have also warned of the harmful impact technology can have on our memory and attention span. The University of California team conducted a survey of more than 18,000 people aged between 18 and 99, and found 20% had problems with memory. Researchers were shocked greatly by the 14% of 18 to 39-year-old people who also worried about their memories.
Multi-tasking may shorten attention span, making it harder to focus and form memories, the researchers said, adding that youngsters may be particularly affected by stress.
1.The underlined word "simultaneously" in Para.2 means _________.
A. on one’s own B. at no time
C. at the same time D. by accident
2. All of the following are possible effects of multi-tasking except _________.
A. saving time
B. a shortened attention span
C. lower grades at school
D. depression and anxiety
3.What can increase grey-matter densities?
A. Sending a text message while listening to music .
B. Students’ doing their homework.
C. Taxi drivers’ learning the map of London.
D. Speaking on the phone while watching TV.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Media multi-tasking is becoming more popular.
B. Multi-tasking shrinks the brain.
C. Multi-tasking may shorten attention span.
D. People are worried about their memories.
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If you are sending a text message, watching TV or listening to the radio, you may stop and give this your full attention. Multi-tasking shrinks(使……萎缩) the brain, research suggests.
A study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain. University of Sussex researchers said, “Using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices simultaneously could be changing the structure of our brains.”
Worryingly, the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion. The finding follows research which has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school.
The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology. This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the internet. The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC)(前扣带皮质). Scientists have proved that brain structure can be changed on exposure to fresh environments and experience.
Other studies have shown that training – such as learning to play magic tricks or taxi drivers’ learning the map of London – can increase grey-matter densities(密度) in certain parts.
Experts have also warned of the harmful impact technology can have on our memory and attention span. The University of California team conducted a survey of more than 18,000 people aged between 18 and 99, and found 20% had problems with memory. Researchers were shocked greatly by the 14% of 18 to 39-year-old people who also worried about their memories.
Multi-tasking may shorten attention span, making it harder to focus and form memories, the researchers said, adding that youngsters may be particularly affected by stress.
1.The underlined word "simultaneously" in Para.2 means _________.
A. on one’s own B. at no time
C. at the same time D. by accident
2.All of the following are possible effects of multi-tasking except _________.
A. saving time B. a shortened attention span
C. lower grades at school D. depression and anxiety
3.What can increase grey-matter densities?
A. Sending a text message while listening to music .
B. Students’ doing their homework.
C. Taxi drivers’ learning the map of London.
D. Speaking on the phone while watching TV.
4.In which section of a newspaper can the passage be found?
A. Entertainment. B. Economy.
C. Tourism. D. Science.
5.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Media multi-tasking is becoming more popular.
B. Multi-tasking shrinks the brain.
C. Multi-tasking may shorten attention span.
D. People are worried about their memories.
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Some people are so rude!
Who sends an e-mail or a text message that just says “Thank you”? Who leaves a voice mail message rather than texts you? Who asks for a fact easily found on Google? Don’t these people realize that they’re wasting your time?
Maybe I’m the rude one for not appreciating life’s little politeness. But many social agreed standards just don’t make sense to people drowning in digital communication.
In texts, you don’t have to declare who you are or even say hello; E-mail, too, is slower than a text; Voice mail is a now impolite way of trying to connect.
My father learned this lesson after leaving me a dozen voice mail messages, none of which I listened to. Exasperated, he called my sister to express his dissatisfaction that I never returned his phone calls. “Why are you leaving him voice mails?” my sister asked. “Just text him.”
In the age of the smartphone, there is no reason to ask once-acceptable questions about: the weather forecast, a business’s phone number, or directions to a house, a restaurant, which can be easily found on Google Maps. But people still ask these things. And when you answer, they respond with a thank-you e-mail.
How to handle these differing standards? Easy: Consider your audience. Some people, especially older ones, appreciate a thank-you message. Others, like me, want no reply.
The anthropologist (人类学家) Margaret Mead once said that in traditional societies, the young learn from the old. But in modem societies, the old can also learn from the young. Here’s hoping that politeness never goes out of fashion but that time-wasting forms of communication do.
1.What does the underlined word “exasperated” mean in the fifth paragraph?
A. Worried. B. Annoyed.
C. Surprised. D. Tired.
2.Why didn’t the writer reply to his father?
A. He didn’t want to talk with his father.
B. He liked text messages better.
C. He didn’t receive any voice mail messages.
D. He enjoyed checking his voice mails.
3.Which of the following does the writer agree to?
A. Dealing with voice mail should vary with each individual.
B. Declaring who they are or saying hello in texts is necessary
C. People needn’t learn from one another in traditional societies.
D. People needn’t turn to Google for help when in trouble.
4.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Nowadays: what means should we use in communication
B. Nowadays: do you like leaving others a voice message
C. Nowadays: what should we do with text messages
D. Nowadays: do you need a thank-you message
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Some people are so rude. Who sends an e-mail or a text message that just says “Thank you?” Who leaves a voice mail message rather than texts you? Who asks for a fact easily found on the Internet? 1.
Maybe I’m the rude one for not appreciating life’s little courtesies(礼节). But many social norms(规范) just don’t make sense to people drowning in digital communication.
Take the thank-you note. Daniel Post Senning, a coauthor of Emily Post’s Etiquette，asked, “At what point does showing appreciation outweigh the cost?”
2. Think of how long it takes to listen to one of those messages. In texts, you don’t have to declare who you are or even say hello. E-mail, too, is slower than a text. The worst are those who leave a voice mail and then send an e-mail message to tell you they left a voice mail.
This isn’t the first time technology has changed our manners, 3. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, suggested that people say, " Ahoy! "Finally, hello won out, and the victory sped up the greeting's use in face-to-face communications.
In the age of the smart phone, there is no reason to ask once-acceptable questions about:the weather forecast, a business’s phone number, or directions to a house, a restaurant, or an office, which can be easily found on a digital map. 4. And when you answer, they respond with a thank-you e-mail.
How to handle these differing standards? Easy: Consider your audience. Some people,especially older ones, appreciate a thank-you message. 5. In traditional societies, the young learn from the old. But in modern societies, the old can also learn from the young. Here's hoping that politeness never goes out of fashion but that time-wasting forms of communication do.
A. Then there is voice mail.
B. Others, like me, want no reply.
C. But people still ask these things.
D. Don’t these people realize that they’re wasting your time?
E. Won't new technology bring about changes in our daily life?
F. Face-to-face communication makes comprehension much easier.
G. When the telephone was invented, people didn't know how to greet a caller.
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Some people are so rude. Who sends an e-mail or a text message that just says “Thank you?” Who leaves a voice mail message rather than texts you? Who asks for a fact easily found on the Internet? 1.
Maybe I’m the rude one for not appreciating life’s little courtesies(礼节). But many social norms(规范) just don’t make sense to people drowning in digital communication.
Take the thank-you note. Daniel Post Senning, a coauthor of Emily Post’s Etiquette，asked, “At what point does showing appreciation outweigh the cost?”
2. Think of how long it takes to listen to one of those messages. In texts, you don’t have to declare who you are or even say hello. E-mail, too, is slower than a text. The worst are those who leave a voice mail and then send an e-mail message to tell you they left a voice mail.
This isn’t the first time technology has changed our manners, 3. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, suggested that people say, " Ahoy! "Finally, hello won out, and the victory sped up the greeting's use in face-to-face communications.
In the age of the smart phone, there is no reason to ask once-acceptable questions about:the weather forecast, a business’s phone number, or directions to a house, a restaurant, or an office, which can be easily found on a digital map. 4. And when you answer, they respond with a thank-you e-mail.
How to handle these differing standards? Easy: Consider your audience. Some people,especially older ones, appreciate a thank-you message. 5. In traditional societies, the young learn from the old. But in modern societies, the old can also learn from the young. Here's hoping that politeness never goes out of fashion but that time-wasting forms of communication do.
A. Then there is voice mail.
B. Others, like me, want no reply.
C. But people still ask these things.
D. Don’t these people realize that they’re wasting your time?
E. Won't new technology bring about changes in our daily life?
F. Face-to-face communication makes comprehension much easier.
G. When the telephone was invented, people didn't know how to greet a caller.
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Recently I have found many of us students spend too much time sending text messages or 1.(play) games on cell phones, which has negative effects on our students and also does them to our eyes. Worse still, it is2.waste of time. We have little time to communicate 3.our parents and friends. 4.do we have time for physical exercise.
What shall we do 5.(improve) the situation? All of us should be 6.(full) aware of the harmful effects of frequent use of cell phones. To begin with, let’s limit our time 7.(spend) on cell phones and start other hobbies. And we should spend more time playing sports, which is 8.(benefit) to us. besides, talking with friends is also a good choice to help us relax and get rid of the9.(addict). I hope that my suggestions will be of help to you.
Let’s put down our cell phones and focus on 10.is happening around us!
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By sending text message or chatting online, we have been in touch for months, but I have never met my new friend ________.
A. by accident B. on purpose
C. in the flesh D. in her absence
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You can’t make a call or send a text on your mobile phone in the US town of Green Bank, West Virginia. Wireless Internet is outlawed, as is Bluetooth. As you approach the tiny town on a two-lane road that snakes through the mountains, your mobile phone signal drops out, and your radio stops working. The rusted pay phone on the north side of town is the only way for a visitor to reach the rest of the world. It’s a pre-modern place by design, lacking of the latest technologies that define life today.
The reason for the town’s empty airwaves is apparent the moment you arrive. It’s the Robert C. Byrd telescope, also known as the GBT, a shiny white, 147-metre-tall satellite dish. It’s the largest of its kind in the world and one of nine in Green Bank, all of them government owned and operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).
You don’t look through these kinds of telescopes. They’re radio telescopes, so instead of looking for distant stars, they listen for them. There’s a long line of astronomers all over the world who want to use the telescope which is so sensitive that it could hear a single snowflake hitting the ground 1,000 miles away.
Such a sensitive listening tool needs total technological silence to operate, so in 1958 the US government created a National Radio Quiet Zone, a 33,000 km2 area covering Green Bank where, to this day, electronic and radio signals are forbidden every hour of every day.
People who live within a 15km of the Green Bank telescope are allowed to use landline telephones, wired Internet and cable televisions, but microwave ovens, wireless Internet and radios are forbidden. You can have a mobile phone, but you won’t get a signal.
Because of how much its way of life varies from the rest of America, Green Bank seems to be a somewhat isolated (隔绝), even alien place. For locals, the technology ban is annoying. For others who come to Green Bank for a little rest and relaxation, the town has become a refuge.
1.What do we know about the town of Green Bank from Paragraph 1?
A. It’s located at the base of a large mountain.
B. It is geographically and technologically isolated.
C. Its telecommunications are affected by its geography.
D. Many people live in the town and its surrounding areas.
2.How does the GBT work?
A. It traps light waves in its huge dish.
B. It stops all electronic and radio signals.
C. It receives pictures from space satellites.
D. It listens for and receives noises from space.
3.What equipment are locals of the Green Bank allowed to use?
A. Cable TV, wired Internet and radio.
B. Landline phones, wired Internet and cable TV.
C. Public phones, wireless Internet and mobile phones.
D. Landline phones, microwave ovens and cable internet.
4.What does the underlined word “refuge” in the last paragraph most probably mean?
A. A place of escape. B. A source of confusion.
C. An area of interest. D. A sign of danger.
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You can’t make a call or send a text on your mobile phone in the US town of Green Bank, West Virginia. Wireless Internet is outlawed, as is Bluetooth. As you approach the tiny town on a two-lane road that snakes through the mountains, your mobile phone signal drops out, and your radio stops working. The rusted pay phone on the north side of town is the only way for a visitor to reach the rest of the world. It’s a pre-modern place by design, lacking of the latest technologies that define life today.
The reason for the town’s empty airwaves is apparent the moment you arrive. It’s the Robert C. Byrd telescope, also known as the GBT, a shiny white, 147-metre-tall satellite dish. It’s the largest of its kind in the world and one of nine in Green Bank, all of them government owned and operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).
You don’t look through these kinds of telescopes. They’re radio telescopes, so instead of looking for distant stars, they listen for them. There’s a long line of astronomers all over the world who want to use the telescope which is so sensitive that it could hear a single snowflake hitting the ground 1,000 miles away.
Such a sensitive listening tool needs total technological silence to operate, so in 1958 the US government created a National Radio Quiet Zone, a 33,000 km2 area covering Green Bank where, to this day, electronic and radio signals are forbidden every hour of every day.
People who live within a 15km of the Green Bank telescope are allowed to use landline telephones, wired Internet and cable televisions, but microwave ovens, wireless Internet and radios are forbidden. You can have a mobile phone, but you won’t get a signal.
Because of how much its way of life varies from the rest of America, Green Bank seems to be a somewhat isolated (隔绝), even alien place. For locals, the technology ban is annoying. For others who come to Green Bank for a little rest and relaxation, the town has become a refuge.
1.What do we know about the town of Green Bank from Paragraph 1?
A. It’s located at the base of a large mountain.
B. It is geographically and technologically isolated.
C. Its telecommunications are affected by its geography.
D. Many people live in the town and its surrounding areas.
2.How does the GBT work?
A. It traps light waves in its huge dish.
B. It stops all electronic and radio signals.
C. It receives pictures from space satellites.
D. It listens for and receives noises from space.
3.What equipment are locals of the Green Bank allowed to use?
A. Cable TV, wired Internet and radio.
B. Landline phones, wired Internet and cable TV.
C. Public phones, wireless Internet and mobile phones.
D. Landline phones, microwave ovens and cable internet.
4.What does the underlined word “refuge” in the last paragraph most probably mean?
A. A place of escape. B. A source of confusion.
C. An area of interest. D. A sign of danger.
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A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone. The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr. Gallagher noticed the student's fingers moving on his lap. He was texting while being scolded for texting. “It was a subconscious act,” says Mr. Gallagher, who took the phone away. “Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It's compulsive.”
A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits. Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more sociable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed. (Doctors, meanwhile, are now blaming addictions to 'night texting' for disturbing the sleep patterns of teens.)
Almost a quarter of today's teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media's impact on families. Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and 'social-network checking' as accepted parts of the workday?
Think back. When today's older workers were in their 20s, they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans. In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired. It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today.
Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules. “In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are skilled at texting with their phones still in their pockets,” says 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, the vice principal, “and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones.”
1.The underlined word “a subconscious act” refers to an act __________.
A. on purpose B. without realization
C. in secret D. with care
2.Mr. Gallagher reminds us that the students in the past and those today _________.
A. like to break rules and have the same means of sending messages
B. are always the big problem for the educators and their parents
C. like sending text messages but those today do it in a more secret and skillful way
D. cannot live without a cellphone
3.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Teenagers and Cellphones
B. Teenagers’ Texting Addiction
C. Employers and Teenagers
D. Teenagers’ Education