Tell me if this sounds familiar: You’re trying to get some work done, and you find yourself continually picking up your cell phone. In frustration, you might slam the phone down beside you and swear to leave it alone—theoretically allowing you to focus on what you’re doing. Right now my phone is sitting next to me untouched. But have I really protected myself from its distractions or its ability to impact my mind?
The answer is no, according to a well-known study in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research from 2017 entitled “Brain Drain (认知流失): The Mere Presence of One’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity.”
Cognitive and social psychologist Adrian Ward and his colleagues proposed the “brain drain hypothesis” by showing that just having a phone next to you could impact cognition—specifically, working memory, or the mental system that helps us hold information about what we’re currently doing at a given moment.
The way we measure it is by having people remember words and solve math problems at the same time. And the idea there is that those are two very different cognitive skills, word memory and math problems, but they’re tapping into that same general cognitive resource. In those experiments, people either had their phones on a desk, in their pockets or bags, or in the next room. The farther away a person’s phone was, the better they did on those tasks. Even when you’re not consciously thinking about your phone, the process of not thinking about your phone requires some cognitive resources.
This was an interesting, though slightly concerning, finding that led to more studies on how the presence of our smartphones might be influencing how well we’re able to think. But in a new meta-analysis that looked at data from 27 different brain drain studies, the story of the brain drain hypothesis has gotten a little more complicated. If it’s just sitting next to you while you’re working, is that a problem or not? And I think that’s quite an important question to answer, to know more about.
1. What’s the purpose of paragraph1?A.To classify a concept of the passage. |
B.To introduce the topic of the passage. |
C.To make an overall outline for the passage. |
D.To offer a general background of the passage. |
A.Smartphones enable constant connection to latest information. |
B.Mobile device use does not affect performance on mental system. |
C.Cognitive capabilities are largely determined by working memory. |
D.The presence of smartphones accounts for the damage to cognition. |
A.They were only required to perform mathematical tasks. |
B.The outcome was better if phones were used less frequently. |
C.They consciously thought about phones when memorizing words. |
D.The distance from phones to people was related to their performance. |
A.How does Your Phone Damage Your Memory? |
B.How does Your Phone Wear Your Brain out? |
C.Is Your Phone Actually Draining Your Brain? |
D.Is Your Phone Influencing Your Working Performance? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】We like to think that the human mind is special. One sign of our superiority is self-awareness, which is generally seen as the peak of consciousness. Only a select group of species has passed the test of being able to recognise themselves in a mirror. Most, including elephants, apes and dolphins, are smart. But now a little fish, the cleaner wrasse has become the first fish ever to pass the mirror test——a classic experiment used to judge self-awareness in animals. What are we to make of this?
Admittedly^ the mirror test is a questionable way of probing (探究)the minds of other animals. But the finding does fit with a new idea that the ability to recognise oneself is more related to an animal’s lifestyle than to its brain size. Self-awareness is likely to occur in creatures whose survival is dependent on reading the minds of others. In fact, by this way of thinking, it is nothing more than an accidental by-product of evolution^ a simulation (模拟)created by the brain, or even just a hall of mirrors giving the illusion of complexity.
The cleaner wrasse lives on coral reefs and provides a service by biting parasites (寄 生虫)off the scales of bigger fish gently, a delicate relationship that may require insight into the minds of its clients. Such “theory of mind” has long been seen as another cornerstone of human mental superiority. The possibility that fish possess it is not, however, the only threat to our human exceptionalism (例外).It may not be long before computers give us a run for our money , too.
Researchers have created a set of tests to look for theory of mind in artificial intelligence— and some systems are on the point of passing. No AIs have passed the tests yet, but one got extremely close. We probably don't need to worry about robots that can recognise themselves in mirrors. But we might want to be more open to the idea that human intelligence isn't quite as special as we like to think.
1. What can we learn from the mirror test?A.Mammals have a more adaptive body system. |
B.A species of fish is capable of self-recognition. |
C.The human mind is just as special as expected. |
D.Humans have reached the peak of consciousness. |
A.is formed during evolution by chance | B.corresponds with the size of the brain |
C.isn't a hall of mirrors but a simulation | D.reflects the typical mental complexity |
A.bring us huge profits |
B.cost us a lot of money |
C.have great control over us |
D.challenge our exceptionalism |
A.Fish possess no level of intelligence. |
B.Humans are not unique in intelligence. |
C.AIs will be able to understand our thoughts. |
D.Self-awareness is a big mystery of the mind. |
【推荐2】The last decade saw the rise of the field of “plant neurobiology (神经生物学)”. That debatable field is based on the idea that plants——which do not possess brains ——handle information in ways similar to complicated animal nervous systems. This thinking implies that plants could feel happiness or sorrow or pain, make intentional decisions and even possess consciousness. But the chances of that are “effectively zero," Lincoln Taiz and colleagues write in an opinion piece in Trends in Plant Science. "There's nothing in the plant remotely comparable to the complexity of the animal brain," says Taiz, from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Some plants are capable of complicated behavior. Wounded leaves can send warning signals to other parts of the plant, and harmful chemicals can warn animals that eat them. Some plants may even have a version of short-term memory: Tiny sensing hairs can count the number of touches that come from a clumsy insect. But plants perform these with equipment that's very different from the nervous systems of animals, no brain required, Taiz argues.
He and colleagues point out methodological (方法的) faults in some of the studies that claim plants have brain-like command centers, animal-like nerve cells and changing patterns of electricity that are similar to activity found in animal brains. But beyond the debate over how these studies are conducted, Taiz's team argues that plant consciousness doesn't even make sense from an evolutionary (进化的) point of view.
Complicated animal brains advanced in part to help a living being catch a meal and avoid becoming one, Taiz says. But plants are rooted to the ground and rely on sunlight for energy, an inactive lifestyle that doesn't require quick thinking or outsmarting a predator (捕食者)——or the energetically expensive nervous systems that enable those behaviors.
“What use would consciousness be to a plant?” Taiz asks. The energy required to power awareness would be too costly, and the benefit from such awareness too small. If a plant worried and suffered when faced with a threat, it would be wasting so much energy that it wouldn't have any left to do anything about that threat, Taiz says.
Imagine a forest fire. "It's unbearable to even consider the idea that plants would be conscious beings aware of the fact that they're being burned to ashes, watching the young trees die in front of them," Taiz says. The frightening scene illustrates "what it would actually cost a plant to have consciousness."
Furthermore, plants have plenty to do without having to be conscious, too. With sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, plants create the compounds (化合物) that sustain much of the rest of life on Earth, Taiz points out. "Isn't that enough?"
1. According to Paragraph 1, a plant neurobiologist would most probably agree that ______.A.plants are capable of independent thinking |
B.plants are as biologically complex as animals |
C.plants developed nervous systems for survival |
D.plants feel emotions in the same way as animals |
A.A predator. |
B.A meal. |
C.An inactive plant. |
D.A living being. |
A.Plants possess brain-like command centers. |
B.The lifestyle of plants requires nervous systems. |
C.It is unnecessary for plants to have consciousness. |
D.Nervous systems enable plants to fight their predators. |
A.suggest new ways to study the behaviors of plants |
B.discuss the possibility of plants escaping a disaster |
C.illustrate how plants make decisions in face of dangers |
D.prove consciousness would do plants more harm than good |
【推荐3】I’ve recently found myself wondering if I could do without Google Maps. It is, I think, the only app on my phone I’d really miss were I to swap my smartphone for a “dumb” one that handles only calls and text messages.
Why am I thinking about this? It’s because every time I try to read a book, I end up picking up my phone instead. I keep interrupting my own train of thought in order to do something that I don’t consciously want to do.
This is not accidental. Developers have become even more unashamed in their attempts to keep us hooked on our smartphones. Some of them speak in the language of addiction and behavioural psychology, though most prefer the term “persuasive tech”. In itself, persuasive tech is not a new idea — an academic named BJ Fogg has been running classes from a “persuasive tech lab” at Stanford since the late 1990s. But as smartphone ownership has rocketed and social-media sites have been born, persuasive tech has vastly expanded its reach.
One company, Dopamine Labs — named for the chemical released in the reward center of the brain — offers a service to tech businesses wanting to “keep users engaged”. Founder Ramsay Brown tells me he wants people to understand that “their thoughts and feelings are on the table as things that can be controlled and designed”. He thinks there should be more conversation around the persuasive power of the technologies being used. “We believe everyone has a right to cognitive liberty, and to build the kind of mind they want to live in,” he says.
The poster child of the resistance movement against addictive apps is former Google “design ethicist” Tristan Harris. He thinks the power to change the system lies not with app developers but with the hardware providers. In 2014, Harris founded “Time Well Spent”, a group that campaigns for more moral design practices among developers.
Any tech business that relies on advertising profits is motivated to hold its users online for as long as possible, Harris says. This means apps are specifically designed to keep us in them. Apple, on the other hand, wants to sell phones but doesn’t have a profit stream so tightly connected to the amount of time its customers spend online. Harris hopes that companies like Apple could use their influence to encourage more morally designed apps.
While I wait for Apple to sort this out, I find myself longing for something called a “Light Phone”, a credit-card-sized handset that does absolutely nothing but make and receive calls. Price tag? $150. Seems expensive. But the company’s website is very persuasive.
1. According to the author, what makes us so glued to our smartphones?A.People's inborn behaviours. | B.App developers’ intention |
C.User-friendly apps | D.Hardware providers |
A.Tech businesses have gone too far in controlling users’ minds |
B.Persuasive technologies are dangerous to users’ cognitive liberty. |
C.The persuasive power of the technologies deserves more attention |
D.Everyone can live the life they desire by using persuasive technologies. |
A.The advertiser | B.The advocate |
C.The opponent | D.The founder |
A.Do we have a right to cognitive liberty? |
B.What have persuasive tech done to us? |
C.Why a dumb phone is a smart move? |
D.How smartphones shape our minds? |
【推荐1】In 2008, someone, or perhaps a group of people, using the name Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper to an online group that discussed cryptography(密码使用法). That paper described a process that would use cryptography to create a secure electronic cash system, now known as a cryptocurrency( 加密货币). Person to person payment could be made online using a shared network of computers instead of a bank or other financial institution. Each deal could happen very quickly. The shared network of computers would also serve as the means to prove those deals safely. Getting rid of the need for a centralized banking system would open up the possibility for anyone to become part of the digital economy.
Today, there are well over a thousand different cryptocurrencies. Most are still trying to be feasible global payment system like Bitcoin. They are held back by problems affecting the entire cryptocurrency industry.
One issue is weak security on cryptocurrency websites where users either store their electronic cash in virtual “wallets” or exchange one kind of electronic cash for another. In recent years, clever thieves have broken into many of these websites and stolen electronic cash. The websites are struggling to protect their users from such thefts.
Another problem is the large number of fake cryptocurrencies that are advertised on the internet. The advertisements invite internet users to visit websites offering new cryptocurrencies. Many visitors are persuaded by the websites to buy their cryptocurrencies using actual money. Later, the webistes disappear along with the victims’ money. In response to this problem, companies like Facebook and Google are limiting cryptocurrency advertising on their websites.
1. What does the article explain about Satoshi Nakamoto?A.Satoshi’s background in international baking and investment. |
B.Satoshi’s grave doubts about the true value of cryptocurrencies. |
C.Satoshi’s close partnership with suspicious financial institutions. |
D.Satoshi’s contribution to the development of the digital economy. |
A.They and their users have been robbed. |
B.They’ve revealed the identities of their users. |
C.They reward their users with coll prizes. |
D.They arrange recreational events for users. |
A.It’s had to lay off lots of workers. |
B.It’s celebrating a profitable year. |
C.It’s facing some serious challenges. |
D.It’s set a very high moral standard. |
A.Few cryptocurrencies need to be marketed. |
B.They’ve created their own cryptocurrency. |
C.They didn’t listen to cryptocurrency fans. |
D.Too many cryptocurrecies aren’t real. |
【推荐2】
We often work to save the most charismatic (有超凡魅力的) species in the world. Is it time to think beyond pandas and tigers?
Take a good look at the American burying beetle. Today it is assessed as critically endangered. Like the tiger, the beetle is orange and black; like the tiger, the beetle is decreasing in number. The tiger is an instantly recognizable symbol of species conservation, but most people aren’t familiar with the beetle.
This phenomenon is called the domination of flagship species where organizations use charismatic organisms (生物) such as tigers to increase support and funding for conservation. That’s largely because humans are attracted to large-bodied animals with forward-facing eyes, humanlike traits that make such species more relatable. As a result, many less well-known organisms fail to get the support and funding to ensure their survival even though they play an important role in the ecosystem.
Which species could be saved? They may not charm us with fuzzy paws and puppy dog eyes, but many ignored species deserve some love. The world needs to better recognize the contributions of these underdogs rather than “only spending money on cool species,” says conservation scientist Bob Smith.
I suspect that most of us who care about animals could agree on this: Charisma is in the eye of the beholder. In that case, can’t we broaden the list of animals considered popular and even beautiful? University of Kent conservationist Bob Smith says we can — and there’s a name for them: Cinderella species. These are mostly threatened animals that are still very popular with the public yet are typically overlooked as flagships. Smith is convinced that “less well-known and less popular species can still be good flagships with more marketing effort.”
In a recent study, Smith settled another myth about poster animals: that they don’t help publicize the world’s most species-rich and threatened places. A prioritization (优先次序) model Smith created showed that the most important conservation hot spots worldwide also are home to more than 500 flagship and Cinderella species, and that drawing more attention to Cinderella species could boost funding and public campaigns for habitat protection.
Let’s be clear, though: It’s still OK to root for pandas and tigers. “The reason I got into conservation is that I liked these species,” Smith says. “That is fair enough. But it’s our job as conservationists to try to inspire people to love other species too.”
1. According to the passage, people are unfamiliar with the American burying beetle mainly because ________.A.it is critically endangered | B.it is decreasing in number |
C.it is not a flagship species | D.it is not instantly recognizable |
A.Cinderella species have made threatened species well known |
B.Cinderella species are popular but ignored endangered animals |
C.flagship species have raised enough funds for endangered organisms |
D.flagship species and Cinderella species usually live in the same areas |
A.take control of | B.get close to |
C.show support for | D.check up on |
A.It’s Time to Study Cinderella Species |
B.Who Should Decide Which Species to Save? |
C.Do Flagship Species Help or Hurt Conservation? |
D.Conservation Can’t Just Be a Popularity Contest |
【推荐3】Around the world COVID-19 has messed up children’s education. They began to be shut out of classrooms. Even in countries where schools have stayed open, lessons and tests have been interrupted. Some countries pressed ahead with national exams this year. A few others, including Britain, France and Ireland, cancelled them all. They came up with new ways of awarding grades instead. The fact that big exams have proved so vulnerable to interruption has led to new questions about their usefulness. Are there better ways of measuring what children have learned?
Exams have plenty of problems. They are often unreliable; a study in Israel found that test-takers’ performance can be affected by smog. Many children find them stressful. Plenty of places run them badly. Poorly written test papers in developing countries lead to wild swings in pass rates. Countries, including Algeria and Ethiopia, have shut down the Internet at exam time to prevent cheating.
Yet most of the world’s best-performing school systems keep some kind of important tests, and for good reason. Other kinds of assessments are rarely better and many are worse. For example, if teachers are responsible for assessing their pupils, they may strengthen their own biases. Studies have caught them giving lower grades to students from ethnic minority or those who are fat. Giving up exams does not always ease pupils’ anxiety. Some would rather be tested at the end of their course than have their work constantly assessed. Coursework can waste students’ efforts by encouraging them to make slight changes to a few projects endlessly. That leaves less time for other kinds of learning.
Governments may need to adjust next year’s tests. That could mean cutting the amount of material to be tested. Exam boards may also have to increase the grades of pupils who have spent the most time out of the classroom. Many pupils have studied harder throughout this difficult year. They should have the chance to sit exams to earn the grades they deserve.
1. What effect has COVID-19 had on exams?A.People are questioning the existence of the exams. |
B.Different approaches have been taken to the exams. |
C.All kinds of exams have to be cancelled in European countries. |
D.Children themselves have to decide whether to take exams or not. |
A.They encourage cheating with the Internet. |
B.They are always affected by weather conditions. |
C.They may not show children’s real academic performance. |
D.They can’t be passed because the written test papers are poorly made. |
A.Self-assessment. | B.Group assessment. |
C.Parents’ assessment. | D.Coursework assessment. |
A.Positive. | B.Negative. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Cautious. |