Many parents of both boys and girls have witnessed striking differences in the way their kids use technology, with their sons generally gravitating to videogames and their daughters often spending more of their screen time scrolling through social media. Emerging research indicates that brain differences between males and females help account for the split.
Marc Potenza, a professor at Yale University, teamed up with researchers at universities in China to find out why. Using functional MRIs, which measure brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow, the team studied neural responses in young male and female gamers, particularly in the parts of the brain associated with reward processing and craving --a motivating factor in addiction. When the men and women were shown photos of people playing videogames, those parts of the men’s brains showed higher levels of activation than those parts of the women’s brains.
Brain regions that have been implicated in drug-addiction studies also were shown to be more highly activated in the men after gaming. The researchers said the results suggest men could be more biologically prone (有倾向的) than women to developing internet gaming disorder.
But girls and women aren’t free from problems when it comes to digital media. Data from Pew shows that, in general, women use social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest far more than men. Many girls and women are drawn to those photo-sharing sites because they like to form bonds and find similarities, says Rosanna
Guadagno, a social psychologist at Stanford University. Some recent studies show that girls feel the ill effects of too much social media use, such as depression and anxiety, more than boys do.
Researchers at the University of Zurich looked at how differences in brain functioning can help explain why women tend to be more prosocial—that is, helpful, generous and cooperative—than men. In the 2017 study, they hypothesized that the areas of women’s brains related to reward processing are more active when they share rewards and that those areas in men are more active when receiving, selfish rewards. Brain scans conducted on men and women, in which they chose between receiving a monetary reward only for themselves or one that involved sharing money with others, supported their theory.
Scientists say understanding those differences is critical to parents’ ability to help kids navigate the fast-changing world of tech.
Which is true about Professor Potenza’s research?A.The team conducted the research in Yale university. |
B.There were no changes in blood flow in female games. |
C.Women’s brains showed higher levels of activation than men’s. |
D.They focused on the brain’s responses to the part related to addiction. |
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【推荐1】Glover and her colleagues tested their hypothesis in the lab. In their experiment, they found that bees felt confused sometimes when the petals were very iridescent and that bees had no problem finding the flowers with more nectar when the petals were not very iridescent. The team shared its new findings in the March 21 Current Biology.
What does the underlined word “hypothesis” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Discussion. | B.Method. |
C.Assumption. | D.Invention |
【推荐2】A vast majority of people usually argue that cycling can make a significant contribution to our world. In reality, there is a gap between desired and actual numbers. In Germany, for instance, only 20% of the everyday short-distance trips are covered by bicycle. When enquiring about the causes, researchers found one point repeatedly tops the list: the perceived or potential risk on the bike routes used. Increasing the share of cycling trips thus depends crucially on well-developed bike paths.
However, designing efficient bike path networks is a complex task that involves balancing a variety of limitations while meeting overall demand. In addition, many districts are confronted with a shortage of funds available for improving the infrastructure. Researchers propose a new approach to generating efficient bike path networks. This considers demand distribution and the route option of cyclists based on preferences for secure outings. Typically, minimizing the travel distance is far from the solely goal. Aspects such as attractiveness of a route are also taken into account.
What is a challenge for good bike path networks?
A.Tight budgets. | B.Complex routes. |
C.Maximized travel distance. | D.Decreasing cycling demand. |
【推荐3】Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
Let’s state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It’s said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender(性别)are “really, really smart.” Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief: Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are “really, really smart.” Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn’t take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
Here’s the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we’re all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors(因素)like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance(毅力), and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world.”
Why are more geniuses known to the public?
A.Improved global communication. |
B.Less discrimination against women. |
C.Acceptance of victors’ concepts. |
D.Changes in people’s social positions. |
【推荐1】Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.
Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse. Americans are still texting while driving, as well as using social networks and taking photos. Road accidents, which had fallen for years, are now rising sharply.
That is partly because people are driving more, but Mark Rosekind, the chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said distracted(分心)driving was "only increasing, unfortunately."
"Big change requires big ideas." he said in a speech last month, referring broadly to the need to improve road safety. So to try to change a distinctly modern behavior, lawmakers and public health experts are reaching back to an old approach: They want to treat distracted driving like drunk driving.
An idea from lawmakers in New York is to give police officers a new device called the Textalyzer. It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of the drivers and use the Textalyzer to check in the operating system for recent activity. The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York's hands-free driving laws.
"We need something on the books that can change people's behavior,” said Félix W. Ortiz, who pushed for the state's 2001 ban on hand-held devices by drivers. If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, "people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone."
What can the Textalyzer help a police officer find out?
A.Where a driver came from. |
B.Whether a driver used their phone. |
C.How fast a driver was going. |
D.When a driver arrived at the scene. |
【推荐2】Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein’s jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts (收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers’ argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don’t dispute (质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?A.They are quite expensive. |
B.Replacing them can be difficult. |
C.They are less strong than plastic bags. |
D.Producing them requires more energy. |
What should be stressed in school education according to Schama?
A.Moral principles. | B.Interpersonal skills. |
C.Creative abilities. | D.Positive worldviews |
【推荐1】During this tour you will discover the foundations of the modern science of medicine in two French cities: Paris and Montpellier. Besides, you will enjoy the beauty of the architecture and gardens of these two cities.
DAY 1: Welcome to Paris. There’re no planned activities until the evening. In the evening, Linda Geddes will give you a talk about the tour ahead.
DAY 2: This morning you’ll meet our expert local guide for a walking tour on the Left Bank, starting at the Musée Curie, a museum devoted to the history of radiation therapy. After lunch you’ll visit the Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine, which houses a large collection of rare surgical instruments from the 18th century onwards.
DAY 3: This morning you’ll visit the Musée des Arts et Métiers in the Marais district. It now houses a museum devoted to science and technology. You’ll also see the Musée des Moulages in the Hôpital Saint-Louis, where you’ll see a specialist hospital built for dealing with skin disease.
DAY 4: Take a train to Montpellier. You’ll check into a hotel just off the grand Place de la Comedie and the afternoon will be free to explore the city including the wonderful Musée Fabre, one of the best museums of French art in the country.
DAY 5: This morning you’ll visit the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montpellier, one of the oldest continually-operating medical schools in the world. After that you’ll continue to the Jardin des Plantes, one of the oldest gardens in the world and originally designed to produce herbs for medicinal use.
DAY 6: Return to Paris by train.
On which day will tourists view rare surgical instruments?A.Day 2. |
B.Day 3. |
C.Day 4. |
D.Day 5. |
【推荐2】Student Film Festival
Student Film Festival celebrates learning across the curriculum through the exciting and dynamic medium of short film.
Through film, students can tell stories, investigate ideas, document learning in any area of study and express the complexity of their thinking through a range of genres and technical approaches.
With the creative use of digital media, students can integrate their personal perspectives to explore the diverse and challenging issues of our time.
It’s open to all students, regardless of school. We are accepting submissions in the following categories:
Cartoon (up to 30 mins)
Documentary(纪录片)(up to 60 mins)
Music Video(under 10 mins)
Science Fiction Short (up to 25 mins)
Situational Comedy (under 10 mins)
Web Series(up to three episodes, no more than 30 mins each)
So far, more than 20 entries have been selected across all categories. We will gradually announce the chosen entries for each category, giving you a chance to watch all the films online and vote for your favourites. Winners in all categories will be announced on Wednesday, 27 December.
Over the years, our film festivals have attracted thousands of filmmakers from around the world. Each festival features live screenings in our own school theater. Our 80-seat theater is outfitted with a 4K projector and seven speakers throughout the venue, delivering high quality in a first-class screening environment. Filmmakers whose works are accepted into our festival will receive free passes to the school theater, invitations to film masterclasses, and are considered for awards.
1. Which of the following can be a suitable submission to the festival?A.A 20-minute recording of a short play. |
B.A two-hour film recording your daily routine. |
C.A five-minute fun video about students’ dormitory life. |
D.A 22-minute educational video explaining popular science. |
A.Receive a film award. |
B.Watch films for free in the school theater. |
C.Interview film masters. |
D.Deliver a speech in the venue. |
【推荐3】Twenty-four trains, nine countries, 13, 500 miles. They are the numbers behind the heroic round trip one man took from Southampton in the UK to eastern China.
Roger Tyers, 37, used over $2, 500, which was almost twice more than the cost of a return flight, to travel to the Chinese port city Ningbo for academic research in May, 2019. The man spent a month on board 15 trains during the first leg of his round trip. It was the climate crisis, not a love of trains, that drove the sociologist to choose this complicated route over a return flight. He stopped flying when UN climate experts warned that the world had less than 11 years to avoid terrible levels of global warming. Tyers calculated that his train journey to China produced almost 90% less emissions than a return flight.
Tyers is not the only person to avoid air travel in response to climate change. Thousands of people worldwide have publicly promised to stop flying. Activist Maja Rosen launched the “Flight Free” campaign in Sweden with the goal of encouraging 100,000 people not to fly for one year. Although only around 14,000 people signed the online “#flightfree2019” pledge (保证), Rosen, who stopped flying 12 years ago, says that the campaign had made more people worry about the climate crisis and aware of harm of travel by air and motivated them to try new ways of travelling.
According to a survey released in May 2019 by Swedish Railways (SJ), 37% of respondents chose to travel by train instead of by plane where possible, compared to 20% at the start of 2018. An SJ spokesperson said: “Rail travel has been augmented due to the worries.” Domestic passenger numbers in July fell by 12% compared to the previous year, according to Swedavia, a company which operates Sweden’s 10 busiest Airports.
“The collective pledge helps fight the sense of hopelessness many people feel when it comes to tackling climate change”, Rosen said. “One of the problems is that people feel there’s no point in what you do as an individual. The campaign is about making people aware that if we do this together, we can actually bring changes.”
How many trains did Roger Tyers take in his trip from China to the UK?A.9. |
B.15. |
C.24. |
D.30. |