We know that smartphone addiction is real, and that it can affect lives in negative ways. While some people have tried going cold turkey (快速戒掉坏习惯)or even punishing themselves for using their mobile phones, an app is made available in the UK that rewards people for staying away from their devices.
The app, called Hold, was created by Norwegians Maths Mathisen, Florian Winder, and Vinoth Vinaya while they are studying at Copenhagen's Business school to help break fellow students' attachments to their devices.
The three college students found that positive reinforcement (强化)was the best way of beating smartphone addiction. Hold allows students to collect points for staying off their devices between the hours of 7 am and 11 pm; they get 10 points for every 20 minutes.
Through partnerships with universities and businesses, points can be used for discounts on everything from cinema tickets to Amazon goods to cafe food and drink. A half price cinema ticket, for example, costs 60 points, or 2 hours away from a phone. And a £ 5 ( $6. 88 ) Amazon voucher (代金券)needs 1 ,000 points, or 33 hours off your smartphone.
Students can also use their points to buy school books and stationery (文具),which are then donated to schools partnered with children's charity Unicef.
Over 120,000 people use the app in Scandinavia, including 40 percent of higher education students in Norway, where Hold first came onto market in February 2016. It's now available to students from over 170 universities in the UK.
A 2017 University of Texas study claimed that merely placing a smartphone in someone's line of sight slowed down their productivity, response time, and reduced their grades. An earlier study from the London School of Economics found students who didn't use smartphones on school grounds saw their test scores increase 6. 4 percent.
32. The app Hold was created mainly to
.
A.promote online sales of goods. | B.earn discounts on goods or services . |
C.find new uses of mobile phone. | D.help students put down their smartphones. |
33. How long should a student stay off the mobile phone to get 300 points?
A.6 hours. | B.10 hours. | C.15 hours. | D.30 hours. |
34. What is the main purpose of the text ?
A.To tell the story of Hold creation | B.To present people's opinions of Hold |
C.To give a brief introduction of Hold | D.To attract potential customers to Hold |
35. Where is the text most likely to appear ?
A.A newspaper advertisement | B.A computer textbook |
C.A science magazine | D.An official document |