Leonardo DiCaprio cares about climate change and has made environmental protection his life’s work. Besides leading his own environmental organization, the film star sits on the board of several other organizations, and his efforts have been celebrated by the United Nations.
But while many Hollywood stars are environmentally aware(意识到的)off screen, a new study shows the movie industry isn’t doing nearly enough on screen to keep climate change in everyday conversation. Researchers studied 37,453 scripts (剧本), looking for 36 climate keywords like “climate change”. They found only about 2.8% had any mention of the keywords. However, the word “dog” was mentioned 13 times more than all 36 climate words.
The study was published with a guidebook, Good Energy, to help screenwriters to focus more on climate change in movies and TV shows. The book was written after discussion with over 100 screenwriters and producers, as well as climate experts. Information about climate has an important part in the book, along with suggestions on how to shape characters and offer climate solutions on screen, Katherine Oliver, who helped with the print of the book, said, “Our goal should be to bridge the gap between the world we live in and the modern world we see on TV.”
Salire(讽刺)is used in Don’t Look Up , which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in a story satirizing the worlds cold reaction to climate change. Writer-director Adam McKay was among those who joined the discussion about the book. “We’ve seen how the film has created more conversation to call on people to look up,” McKay said.
Supporters of the book call this just the start and say it’s up to Hollywood to tailor scripts so that they can mirror the terrible situation the world is facing in real life. If we’re doing a scene(场景)in a supermarket, let there be people refusing to use plastic bags. Or if we’re doing scenes where we can be modeling healthy eating, then let’s have a system that can offer clean water.
1. What does the study on the movie industry suggest?| A．Most scripts are less creative than expected. |
| B．Animal protection work has achieved huge success. |
| C．The movie industry suffers from environmental problems. |
| D．The movie industry’s environmental awareness isn’t enough. |
| A．Putting more climate-related scenes on screen. |
| B．Bridging the gap between screenwriters and viewers. |
| C．Honouring film stars’ efforts to protect the environment. |
| D．Drawing viewers’ attention to problems presented in movies. |
| A．To praise Adam McKay’s writing skills, |
| B．To share the secret of this movie’s success. |
| C．To list a movie showing environmental concerns. |
| D．To explain why satire should be used in movies. |
| A．Adapt. | B．Limit. | C．Refuse. | D．Borrow. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Four Anticipated Movies in Summer
Toy Story 4（2019）
Directed by: Josh Cooley Opening on: June 21，2019
Starring: Tom Hanks，Tim Allen，Annie Pots，Laurie Metcalf
Pixar Animation Studios present: Toy Story 4 will focus on Bo Peep，together with some new characters who set off a new adventurous journey. Tomatometer：85%
Annabelle Comes Home（2019）
Directed by: Gary Dauberman Opening on: June 28，2019
Starring: Vera Farmiga，Patrick Wilson，Madison Iseman
As the first Annabelle enjoyed great success，this new horror movie will feature the Warrens，who sees Annabelle breathing terrifying life into the haunted town. Tomatometer：98%
Spider-Man: Far From Home（2019）
Directed by: Jon Watts Opening on: July 2，2019
Starring: Tom Holland，Zendaya，Jake Gyllenhaal，Marisa Tomei，Michael Keaton
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame，Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever. It's the 23th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe（MCU）.
And the former two Spider-Man movies released are: the first was Spider-Man: Homecoming（2017），then Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse（2018）. Tomatometer：95%
The Farewell（2019）
Directed by: Lulu Wang Opening on: July 12，2019
Starring: Awkwafina，Tzi Ma，Diana Lin
The Crazy Rich Asians star plays a New Yorker who travels to China when her grandmother falls ill，only there's a catch: the family is not telling granny and instead pretending everyone is gathered for a wedding. The movie was a hit at Sundance，and has been already getting awards buzz（口碑）Tomatometer：99%
1. If you want to see a movie with Chinese elements，you might choose___________.| A．Toy Story4 | B．Annabelle Comes Home |
| C．Spider-Man: Far From Home | D．The Farewell |
| A．June 21，2019 | B．June28，2019 |
| C．July2，2019 | D．July12，2019 |
| A．The Farewell is most likely to win an award. |
| B．Toy Story 4 is a love romance animated movie. |
| C．Annabelle Comes Home has the highest Tomatometer score. |
| D．In the MCU，there has been four Spider-Man movies by 2019. |
【推荐2】The 90-minute documentary,Amazing China,is coproduced by China Central Television and China Film Corp.The film focuses on the major achievements the country has made since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.
Wei Tie,the director,says,"The film arouses Chinese pride from deep inside."
The documentary focuses on key Chinese projects in aerospace,high-speed rail,the Hong Kong-zhuhai-macao Bridge and the world's largest single-dish telescope FAST.
The documentary also tells viewers that seven of the world's 10 biggest sea ports are now in China.And the country now has the longest high-speed rail network in the world.
The film helps people to know our country better.The moving stories behind the Chinese wonders reflect the people's spirit of struggle.
A good documentary is usually a vivid impression of a single person's stories rather than slogans,and Amazing China is no exception.
One of the most touching moments in the film is from an interview of Nan Rendong,often called the"father of FAST".Sadly,after more than 20 years of working at the site,the chief scientist and engineer of the project passed away last year due to lung cancer.
The film is a salute to many other heroes like Nan Rendong,supporting the country's progress in science.Amazing China also focuses on common people.It shows that their work is not easy,but their spirit makes it possible to achieve their targets.And they are just representatives of the many Chinese who work hard.
China is the world's second-largest economy.The documentary is a good way for the country to build up self-confidence and to look to a brighter future.
1. According to Wei Tie,what does Amazing China do to Chinese?| A．It makes the people know more about the world's aerospace. |
| B．It stresses the major transportations of China in recent years. |
| C．It makes the people feel proud of the major achievements of China. |
| D．It shows to the people the production of Chinese scientists. |
| A．To introduce who Nan Rendong is. |
| B．To tell readers about the slogan of the film. |
| C．To make the sad news known to readers. |
| D．To give an example of a vivid image. |
| A．They take easy work. |
| B．They work in high spirits. |
| C．They can tell moving stories. |
| D．They represent self-confident people. |
| A．An amazing documentary. |
| B．Progress in science. |
| C．The bright future of high-speed rail. |
| D．The success of some engineers. |
【推荐3】You have to write a movie review for school and now what? Where to start? How to make it look more “academic” ?
Watch the movie twice and take notes of both major and minor events and characters.
Carry out a complete research.
Draft an outline that you will follow to write the review in a brief fashion. Include examples for claims you make about the movie.
| A．Watching the movie isn’t enough. |
| B．Analyze the movie after you watching it. |
| C．Here are some useful tips to kick-start the movie review writing process. |
| D．A movie review is a detailed analysis of a film or a documentary. |
| E．Here we offer a step-by-step process of how to comment a film.. |
| F．It’s a mistake to rely on the power of your memory only. |
| G．If the plot has holes, then mention an example of a scene when that was evident. |
【推荐1】Plastic particles have made their way into air, water and soil around the world. Now a new research shows a way to help solve this problem, at least in water, with microrobots. When added to water, the tiny devices gather on plastic particles and begin breaking them down.
When there is light, these star-shaped devices begin to absorb energy from and react with the surrounding water. “Powered by light, the robots move to sweep a much larger area than you can touch with other technologies,” says study co-author Pumera, “As the micro-robots are attached to plastic, some chemicals are produced, breaking down the plastic particles.”
The researchers tested the micro-robots on four types of plastic. After a week, all four began breaking down, losing between 0.5 and 3 percent of their weight. In another test, the micro-robots drove themselves through a small channel and were collected by a magnet, bringing along up to 70 percent of plastic particles pieces for the ride.
Pumera foresees that these robots will be put into the sea to collect plastic particles for reuse. But Cowger, an expert in plastic pollution says micro-robots are probably limited to closed systems, like systems which are used to treat drinking water or wastewater.
Cowger notes that the micro-robots can be attached to substances besides plastic and might not be safe if left in the water in large numbers. For now, Cowger says, “the best way to remove plastic particles is to stop them from getting there in the first place.”
“The work is really interesting, but it needs further experiments to make this approach a really practical technology to deal with the huge numbers of plastic particles,” according to Peter Edwards, a chemist in Oxford.
1. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?| A．The shape of the robots. | B．The disadvantages of the robots. |
| C．The power supply of the robots. | D．The working process of the robots. |
| A．Satisfactory. | B．Disappointing. | C．Unexpected. | D．Perfect. |
| A．Micro-robots should be banned. | B．Micro-robots need to be improved. |
| C．Plastic problem is difficult to solve. | D．Micro-robots present better solutions. |
| A．Climate. | B．Health. | C．Environment. | D．Geography. |
【推荐2】Clothing made from synthetic materials(合成材料) has many advantages. It is cheap to produce, lasts for a long time, and is comfortable to wear. However, such cloth made from petrol has one major downside. The lint(绒毛) that falls off the cloth during each washing cycle is a big contributor to plastic pollution. Now, some scientists from Canada have found a way to recycle the cloth waste into clean energy.
Dr. Samy Steven, a senior researcher at University of New Brunswick (UNB) who led the study, says, “Lint microfiber (微纤维) belongs to micro plastics. Large quantities of micro plastics are being washed away and enter our seas, threatening the environment.
The researchers began by collecting lint from dryers across UNB. The international student population enabled them to get all kinds of materials. They then used a technique to change the cloth waste into useful energy.
The team, who published their findings in the journal Science of the Total Environment on March 25, 2021, found that they were able to extract three energy products from the lint—oil, gas, and charcoal(木炭). More importantly, about 70 percent of the waste was changed into energy. Mathematical models done by the researchers show that changing 45 tons of microfibers—the amount produced by just one million people every year—could produce 13. 8 tons of oil, 21.5 tons of gas, and 9.7 tons of charcoal, and lead to a total profit of about $ 120,000.
Though the technology is encouraging, it will take time to perfect it before it can be put into use widely. Also, though it recycles the lint in the dryer, it does nothing to prevent the millions of tons of microfibers that go with the water during the washing cycle.
While we cannot stop doing the washing, there are some easy ways to reduce our environmental impact. Washing synthetic clothes less frequently, and drying them on a washing line both help reduce the number of microfibers that fall off.
1. What do we know about clothing made from synthetic materials?| A．Washing it may cause pollution. | B．It has a high production cost. |
| C．Producing it is quite simple. | D．It can’t be washed frequently. |
| A．Go through. | B．Bring in. | C．Give out. | D．Separate out. |
| A．Humans have wasted many synthetic materials. | B．Half of lint can be recycled into energy. |
| C．The technology stops lint falling off clothing. | D．The technology remains to be improved. |
| A．Call on people to buy as few synthetic clothes as possible. |
| B．Show how to wash synthetic clothes in an easier way. |
| C．Offer advice about reducing plastic pollution from washing. |
| D．Explain why we should do the laundry in a different way. |
【推荐3】Compost (堆肥) is one of the most wonderful things in the world. You take organic matter that would otherwise end up in landfills and create a nutrient-rich material that will help make gardens grow, flowers bloom and make it easier to feed the world. Thanks to Tipa, an Israeli start-up, you will soon be able to add plastics to your compost mix.
Plastic is one of the most challenging problems on the planet. As No Camels reports, it often takes 500 years for plastic to break down, and even then, microplastics remain in water or on land. Furthermore, according to Inc. Com, even though plastic can theoretically be recycled, less than 5 percent of flexible plastic packaging that is put into recycling by consumers is actually recycled.
But that doesn’t need to be the case anymore.
Now, Tipa and other companies have begun to create plastics that are able to biodegrade like any organic matter does. When asked how she got the idea of creating compostable flexible plastics, Dafna Nissenbaum, the CEO and co-founder of Tipa, said, “Nature also packs its products, like bananas, apples and oranges, but with a compostable material. Our plastics will break down exactly like any other organic material and turn into solid fertilizer (肥料).”
Unlike other compostable plastics on the market, Tipa’s plastics can be fully composted in home composts. This means that the average person with a garden compost could use their packaging and just throw it in the compost instead of the recycling bin when they are done with it.
Another thing that Tipa has been doing is to create partnerships with existing producers instead of creating their own factories. The company’s materials are purposefully designed to be compatible (兼容的) with machinery that already exists and produces non-compostable plastics. Tipa says that fits in with its goal of creating a sustainable future.
Tipa has partnered with some high-end designers. Both Stella McCartney and Mara Hoffman use Tipa’s products to package their products. Many brands are now aware that using sustainable packaging will endear them to customers, and Tipa helps them do that.
1. What does paragraph 2 focus on?| A．The difficulty of dealing with plastic. | B．The harm caused by water pollution. |
| C．The problem of the packaging industry. | D．The barrier to recycling plastic products. |
| A．Her confidence in the fertilizer market. | B．Her strong desire to get close to nature. |
| C．Her inspiration for Tipa’s new plastics. | D．Her high praise for the beauty of nature. |
| A．It cooperates with existing producers. |
| B．It designs materials to fit new machinery. |
| C．It stops partnering with high-end designers. |
| D．It creates its own plastic factories worldwide. |
| A．The Packaging Industry Is Growing Faster |
| B．New Plastics Make Packaging Compostable |
| C．Compost Is the Real Source of Sustainability |
| D．Solutions to Plastic Waste Have Been Found |
【推荐1】Anxious thinker. Loner. Wallflower. These are some negative comments for “introvert” (内向者), showing a common mind-set in America. Actually they just interact differently; they do well when given time alone to think and prefer close conversations.
American society is ruled by the “Extrovert Ideal (外向理想型)”: successful people take risks and always voice their opinion, whether or not they know what they’re doing. The problem is that people value this ideal so much that they often ignore meaningful opinions from the quieter introverts. Isn’t there something problematic about having to get our thoughts out before we finish thinking about them?
Over-stressing the Extrovert Ideal can lead to unwise decisions. In one case, several introverts, who tend to be more careful and think more, pointed out warning signals before the economic downturn of 2008. But the decision makers — often the bold, risk-taking types —ignored their opinion. People say introverts often overthink every decision. Yes, maybe we think before we speak. But is that really so bad?
Of course, social skills are important for everyone. But the misunderstanding about how introverts work creates a cultural bias (偏见). Required class participation at school often leads to students shouting out whatever thoughts come to their mind, too pressured by their participation grade to take the time and think of a meaningful response. During the Covid-19quarantine, some of my classes started using Parlay, a website that allows for discussions through anonymous (匿名的) written comments. I saw that many of my classes were able to have deeper conversations this way, freed from the pressures of having to speak up on the spot. So encouraging a balanced variety of learning methods can reduce the existing bias.
Society seems to think only the loud and outgoing ones can make a difference. But Rosa Parks was known for being “soft spoken” and “timid.” Gandhi said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” So please, give us introverts a chance to change the world in our own quiet way!
1. What is the author’s attitude towards the “Extrovert Ideal”?| A．Objective. | B．Doubtful. | C．Favorable. | D．Unclear. |
| A．The benefit of the Extrovert Ideal. | B．The introverts’ poor social skills. |
| C．The harm of over-valuing extroverts. | D．The extroverts’ ways of decision-making. |
| A．requiring no class participation | B．providing online learning platforms |
| C．allowing different learning styles | D．conducting free classroom discussions |
| A．Brave. | B．Lazy. | C．Easygoing. | D．Shy. |
【推荐2】The problem of robocalls has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don’t know. By next year, half of the calls we receive will be scams (欺诈). We are finally waking up to the severity (严重性) of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late. By the time these “solutions” become widely available (有效的), scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future, it’s not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you’re hearing is actually real.
That’s because there are a number of powerful voice manipulation (处理) and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year’s I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing human—sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist (接待员) and book a reservation without detection.
These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches (数据侵入) of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother’s name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they’re able to carry out individually targeted campaigns (活动) to cheat people. This means. for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller’s, ricking you into “confirming” your address, mother’s name, and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.
We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications—using apps like Face Time or WhatsApp, which can be tied to your identity.
Credibility is hard to earn but easy to lose, and the problem is only going to harder from here on out.
1. How does the author feel about the solutions to problem of robocalls?| A．Terrified | B．Confused. |
| C．Embarrassed. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．aim at victims precisely | B．damage databases easily |
| C．start campaigns rapidly | D．spread information widely |
| A．Honest y is the best policy. |
| B．Technologies can be double-edited. |
| C．There are more solutions than problems. |
| D．Credibility holds the key to development. |
| A．Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted |
| B．Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Roboealls |
| C．Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous |
| D．How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology |
【推荐3】Enough “meaningless drivel”. That’s the message from a group of members of the UK government who have been examining how social media firms like LinkedIn gather and use social media data.
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee’s report, released last week, has blamed firms for making people sign up too long incomprehensible legal contracts and calls for an international standard or kitemark (认证标记) to identify sites that have clear terms and conditions. “The term and conditions statement that we all carelessly agree to is meaningless drivel to anyone,” says Andrew Miller, the chair of the committee. Instead, he says, firms should provide a plain-English version of their terms. The simplified version would be checked by a third party and awarded a kitemark if it is an accurate reflection of the original.
It is not yet clear who would administer the scheme, but the UK government is looking at introducing it on a voluntary basis. “We need to think through how we make that work in practice,” says Miller.
Would we pay any more attention to a kitemark? “I think if you went and did the survey, people would like to think they would,” says Nigel Shadbolt at the University of Southampton, UK, who studies open data. “We do know people worry a lot about the inappropriate use of their information.” But what would happen in practice is another matter, he says.
Other organizations such as banks ask customers to sign long contracts they may not read or understand, but Miller believes social media requires special attention because it is so new. “We still don’t know how significant the long-term impact is going to be of unwise things that kids put on social media that come back and bite them in 20 years’ time,” he says.
Shadbolt, who gave evidence to the committee, says the problem is that we don’t know how companies will use our data because their business models and uses of data are still evolving. Large colle ctions of personal information have become valuable only recently, he says.
The shock and anger when a social media firm does something with data that people don’t expect, even if users have apparently permission, show that the current situation isn’t working. If properly administered, a kitemark on terms and conditions could help people know what exactly they are signing up to. Although they would still have to actually read them.
1. What does the phrase “meaningless drivel” in paragraphs 1 and 3 refer to?| A．Legal contracts that social media firms make people sign up to. |
| B．Warnings from the UK government against unsafe websites. |
| C．Guidelines on how to use social media websites properly. |
| D．Insignificant data collected by social media firms. |
| A．social media firms would conduct a survey on the kitemark scheme |
| B．people would pay as much attention to a kitemark as they think |
| C．a kitemark scheme would be workable on a nationwide scale |
| D．the kitemark would help companies develop their business models |
| A．their users consist largely of kids under 20 years old |
| B．the language in their contracts is usually harder to understand |
| C．the information they collected could become more valuable in future |
| D．it remains unknown how users’ data will be taken advantage of |
| A．Say no to social media? |
| B．New security rules in operation? |
| C．Accept without reading? |
| D．Administration matters! |
【推荐1】Earthquake safety tips
On April 14, 2010, a big earthquake hit Yushu, Qinghai. Over, 2,000 people died. Many people were hurt. Why are there earthquakes?
The surface of the Earth has many pieces. These pieces are always moving. When two pieces move past each other, there is an earthquake.
Scientist are working hard to find out more about earthquakes. They try to predict (预测) them, but it's very hard.
Do you know how to get ready for an earthquake? Do you know what to do during an earthquake? Here are some things you should know.
What to do before an earthquake:
Make sure you have two bottles of water, a packet of biscuits, a clean towel, a few band-aids (创口贴), a radio and a flashlight (电筒) at home.
What to do during an earthquake If you are inside:
★Stay where you are. Quickly move under a strong desk, or along a wall. This will protect you from falling things.
★Don't stand near windows.
★Turn off the lights.
★Don't get into a lift during an earthquake. If your are in a lift, get out as quickly as possible.
If you are outside:
★Don't stand near buildings. Things may fall on you.
★Lie on the ground until the shaking stops.
1. You need ______ at home before an earthquake.| A．some water and biscuits | B．a clean towel and a few band-aids |
| C．a radio and a flashlight | D．all of the things above |
| A．getting into a lift | B．turning on the lights |
| C．keeping you from falling things | D．standing near the window |
| A．the surface of the earth is thin |
| B．two pieces of the surface move past each other |
| C．the pieces of the surface are moving slowly |
| D．there are too many people on the earth |
| A．You can play under a big tree. |
| B．You can't stand near the buildings. |
| C．You can lie on the ground until the shaking stops. |
| D．Both B and C. |
【推荐2】Thanks to technology, ride-hailing(打车) is as easy as opening an app on your phone. According to Didi, China’s top ride-hailing app, 81.3 percent of passengers preferred using an online service last year. But just like many other modern high-tech developments, convenience comes with concerns.
Didi Chuxing announced a trial re-launch of its carpool(拼车) service, Didi Hitch(滴滴顺风车), in seven cities including Harbin, Taiyuan and Beijing from Nov 20. More than a year ago, Didi suspended the service following the murders of two separate female passengers in May and August, respectively.
The re-launch comes with a range of new safety features. One of the new measures proved controversial. It carried out an 8 pm curfew(宵禁) on women, but allowed men to enjoy the service till 11 pm.
Many users complained on social media that the policy was sexist. According to CNN, the topic “#Women Can’tTakeDidiAfter8PM#” was trending on weibo, with one post calling it “negative marketing and gender- biased(性别歧视的)”. It had gained more than70,000 likes as of Nov 11.
After the strong public reaction, Didi Chuxing changed its decision. Both men and women will be able to use Didi Hitch between 5 am and 8 pm.
According to CNN, Didi Hitch had logged more than a billion total rides before its suspension, but it remains to be seen if the company can win back users’ trust.
Didi is not the only ride-sharing app to arouse public safety concerns, nor is it the only one to attempt special protections for women. The globally popular car-hailing services Uber and Lyft now require strict background checks and emergency SMS services that will automatically send a car’s description, license number, and current location to police, CBS news reported.
According to CNBC, one Boston-based ride-hailing service only hires women to drive and will only accept women or children under 13 as passengers. Despite all the safety features, riders should check their drivers’ number plates, ensure they are being taken on the correct route, and inform friends of travel plans.
1. What are the first six paragraphs mainly about?| A．Safety tips for using Didi Hitch. | B．Public safety concerns over Didi Hitch. |
| C．The advantages of Didi Hitch’s new services. | D．The recent developments of Didi Hitch. |
| A．improved on something | B．worried about something |
| C．stopped something for a time | D．took the responsibility for something |
| A．Because of its recent online risk analysis. |
| B．Because of the public’s negative reaction. |
| C．For the convenience of different users. |
| D．For the sake of safety problems of women. |
| A．an advertisement | B．a textbook |
| C．a newspaper | D．a public speech |
【推荐3】Research has found that storing crucial pieces of information on an electronic device does not rot your memory skills and can actually increase your ability to remember things you would otherwise forget. Storing important information or smartphones may free up our own memory to store a larger amount of less crucial information, allowing us to keep more in total across our internal and electronic memory banks.
Researchers took 158 participants aged between 18 and 71 and showed them up to 12 numbered circles on a screen. Some of the circles would briefly appear pink or blue before all fading to a yellow colour, indicating that they had to be dragged to either the pink side or the blue side of the screen at a later point.
Some of the circles were classed as “high value”, some as “low value” and some as zero value. Users had to remember which side of the screen to drag the circles to in order to earn points. In some of the experiments they had to rely on their own memories. In others, they could set an electronic reminder on a device.
Researchers found subjects tended to use digital devices to store information about which were the highest-value circles. This led to an 1896 increase in accuracy when placing these circles. They also found, to their surprise, using electronic reminders for high-value circles led to a 27% increase in accuracy when differentiating from memory between the low and zero-value circles, even when no electronic reminders had been set for these.
The study said that when people store important information on an external device, their brains tend to delete it from their “internal memory”, reallocating (再分配) that space for “low-value content”.
“The results show that external memory tools work. Far from causing digital dementia, using an external memory device can even improve our memory for information that we never saved. But we need to be careful that we back up the most important information. Otherwise, if a memory tool fails, we could be left with nothing but lower-importance information in our own memory.”
1. What do the underlined words “electronic memory banks” probably refer to?| A．People’s brains. | B．To-do lists. |
| C．Self-service banks. | D．Cellphones. |
| A．By changing the color of the circles. |
| B．By moving the circles to the right side. |
| C．By remembering the number of the circles. |
| D．By classing the circles according to their values. |
| A．It will be regarded as low-value content. |
| B．It will be removed from people’s brains. |
| C．It will be grouped automatically based on importance. |
| D．It will be well-preserved despite the failure of digital devices. |
| A．Information Age: Phones Are Everywhere |
| B．Promising Future: Phones Shape the World |
| C．Note to Self: Phones Don’t Rot Memory |
| D．Controversial Issue: Phones Act as a Double-edged Sword |
