Many of us have reached in our pockets, feeling a vibration (振动), wrongly believing our mobile phones have just rung. The phenomenon even has a name: ‘phantom (幻觉的) vibration syndrome’—and found it is surprisingly common.
Now scientists believe that we are so alert (警觉) for phone calls and messages we are misinterpreting slight muscle spasms (痉挛）as proof of a call. Robert Rosenberger, an assistant professor at the Georgia Tech Institute of Technology has studied the delusional calls. He said sufferers describe a vague tingling feeling which they think is their mobile phone indicating it has received a text message or call while on ‘silent’. But when the device is retrieved, there was no one on the other end.
Dr. Rosenberger said he found so many people say, “This happens to me, but I thought I was the only one. I thought I was odd.” It seems that the syndrome particularly affects people at the beck and call of mobile phones or pagers. A 2010 study by Michael Rothberg and colleagues found that nearly 70 per cent of doctors at a hospital in Massachusetts suffered phantom vibrations. A more recent study of US college students found the figure was as high as 90 per cent.
While the odd feeling is widespread, it does not seem to be considered a grave problem. Dr. Rosenberger said: “It’s not actually a syndrome in a technical sense. That’s just the name that’s got stuck to it.” He added,” Only 2 per cent of people consider it a problem.”
While this phenomenon is widespread, the scientific community has not yet invested much effort in getting to the bottom of why we suffer phantom calls.
Dr. Rosenberger said: “People are guessing it has something to do with nervous energy. The cognitive（认知的）scientists are talking about brain chemistry, cognitive pathways changing. But it’s not like they have brain scans to go on.” He said: “We have a phone call in our pocket all the time and it becomes sort of an extension of ourselves. We have this sort of readiness to experience a call. We feel something and we think, OK, that could be a call.”
1. Why do some people mistake slight muscle spasms for a call?| A．They all have a vivid imagination. |
| B．They are sensitive to calls and messages. |
| C．There are few calls and messages in their life. |
| D．Slight muscle spasms affect them more than other people. |
| A．Doctors. | B．University professors. |
| C．College students. | D．The cognitive scientists. |
| A．isn’t a kind of disease actually |
| B．is considered a problem by most people |
| C．is a serious problem ignored by people |
| D．has something to do with brain chemistry |
| A．Most people have phantom vibration syndrome. |
| B．How to keep away from phantom vibration syndrome. |
| C．How to reduce phantom phone vibrations. |
| D．People care too much about phantom phone vibrations. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The year 2018 will mark the 100th anniversary of the deadliest influenza outbreak in history. It is estimated that the influenza pandemic (瘟疫) of 1918 killed more than 50 million people around the world. Other estimates go much higher. Because of a lack of medical record—keeping, we may never know the exact number.
The influenza was a fast killer. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others died after a few days. “their lungs filled with liquid and they choked to death.” The 1918 flu pandemic was also different from other outbreaks. It struck many young, healthy people. Viruses usually affect sick or old people.
Although modern medicine effectively controls many diseases, influenza remains difficult to protect against. The World Health Organization estimates that every year influenza kills 250,000 to 500,000 people around the world. Each year, medical scientists develop flu vaccines (疫苗) which offer immunity (免疫) from some influenza viruses. But they can only guess which form of the virus will spread.
Health officials remain concerned about another flu pandemic. New forms of the flu virus appear regularly. One example was the “swine flu” or H1N1 outbreak in 2009. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in the United States says that virus caused a true pandemic.
To stop the next pandemic, scientists are now researching how to create a universal influenza vaccine. In October 2017, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U. S. announced the Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative. The university said researchers are leading an international effort to develop a universal influenza vaccine that will protect everyone against all forms of the flu anywhere in the world. The university added that researchers will begin tests in early 2018. the Human Vaccines Project, a public—private partnership, is funding the project. However, until a universal influenza vaccine is available, today’s seasonal flu vaccine remains important.
1. What do we know about the influenza in 1918?| A．It swept across the whole Europe. |
| B．No one survived the first few days. |
| C．It killed the largest number of people. |
| D．It struck only young and healthy people. |
| A．It spreads too rapidly. |
| B．It is quite easy to catch. |
| C．No vaccine is available. |
| D．It’s hard to judge the form of virus. |
| A．New forms of flu virus keeps appearing. |
| B．It was the most serious in recent years. |
| C．It was caused by the same flu virus of 1918. |
| D．The H1N1 virus was deadly as well. |
| A．The development is quite costly. |
| B．It will be used all over the world. |
| C．It can protect against all forms of flu. |
| D．It will soon come into use in 2019. |
【推荐2】What do Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, Sir Richard Branson, Billionaire investor Charles Schwab, Walt Disney, and Henry Ford have in common? All are or were successful entrepreneurs (企业家) with dyslexia—a learning disorder that makes it very difficult to read, write, and spell. People with dyslexia have trouble connecting the letters they see to the sounds they make and as a result, often struggle in school.
But in the real world, they make great achievements. They’re behind some of the most successful companies on Earth.
Richard Branson is one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time. He created numerous businesses under the Virgin umbrella and has a net worth of $5 billion. Branson once admitted that Virgin which now employs 90,000 people would not have been successful had he not been dyslexic. Branson had a hard time keeping up with his peers because of his dyslexia and dropped out at the age of 16. Yet he transformed his weakness into an advantage. He understood the importance of communicating well. And his dyslexia also forced him to let those, who excelled in the areas where he was weak, take charge of many tasks.
Research has found people with dyslexia are more likely to delegate authority and also twice as likely to own two or more business. A study out of Cass Business School in London found more than a third of American entrepreneurs surveyed showed signs of dyslexia. Another commissioned by the BBC found 40% of that country’s self-made millionaires showed some signs of the learning disability. That’s significantly higher than the estimated 5% to 10% of the general population with some degree of dyslexia.
The question is: Are their entrepreneurial strengths a result of nature or training? A dyslexia expert believes they are naturally better at certain things, like picking up social cues. In an article in The Sacramento Bee about California governor Gavin Newsom who has dyslexia, Dr. Marilu of UC San Francisco said, “He can understand what people need and their emotions more than others. I don’t think that’s a compensation (弥补). I think that’s the superpower of his dyslexic brain.” She and other scientists at UC San Francisco recently discovered children with the disorder had greater changes in heart rate and facial behavior when they viewed video clips of others experiencing emotions compared to children without dyslexia.
Eleanor Palser, one of the researchers who conducted the study, concluded to Newsthink, “This tells us that dyslexia might be associated with biological differences in empathy (移情).”
1. Why does the passage start with a question?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To support the topic. |
| C．To list some famous entrepreneurs. | D．To explain dyslexia. |
| A．He worked hard to improve his communication skills. |
| B．Dyslexia drove him to appoint people to suitable posts. |
| C．He quitted school despite his good academic performance. |
| D．He is the most successful entrepreneur in umbrella-related businesses. |
| A．Gavin lacks for the ability to understand others’ emotions. |
| B．People with dyslexia may be naturally better at understanding others’ emotions. |
| C．Children with dyslexia underwent more physical changes when watching videos. |
| D．Those who have dyslexia develop their ability to read others’ emotions through training. |
| A．How People With Dyslexia Succeed in Life. |
| B．How Successful Entrepreneurs Overcome Dyslexia. |
| C．Why People With Dyslexia Don’t Give up on Themselves. |
| D．Why Many Entrepreneurs with Dyslexia Succeed. |
【推荐3】When Lauren Marler began having disturbing symptoms at the age of 15, she somehow knew it was cancer. After some research, she realized she was right. But that was just the beginning of her horrific cancer journey. Marler's doctors discovered that what she had was truly unlucky-but she's still here to tell her tale.
In 2005, Marler noticed blood in her stool; she was too embarrassed to tell anyone. For two years she kept silent. “I looked up my symptoms and knew I had all the signs for colon cancer，” she says. “However, my mom thought I was overreacting.” Eventually, the doctor she visited confirmed she had a colon cancer at the age of 17.
“The doctor said that I needed to get to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre immediately，” Marler recalls. There she met with Miguel RodriguezBigas, who removed Marler's entire colon and almost all of her rectum(直肠).
But just nine months later, the cancer returned. “When my mom told me, I just felt like, ‘You've got to be kidding me. I just want to be a normal kid.’” After another surgery, three months of chemotherapy(化疗), Marler believed that her cancer battles had to be over.
Then, during a routine scan to ensure that she was still in remission(重病的缓解期) five years later, 23yearold Marler got a call. “The doctor called to tell me that the scan showed a spot in my uterus(子宫) and it was endometrial cancer, an aggressive one. We went back to MD Anderson to meet with Pedro T. Ramirez, who recommended a full hysterectomy(子宫切除).”
Puzzled by Marler's history, Dr. RodriguezBigas recommended that she get genetic testing. The testing revealed the bad news: Marler had an incredibly rare disorder called CMMRD. Dr. RodriguezBigas explained that the disorder makes a person likely to suffer from different cancers. There is no treatment for the disorder, only preventive care-primarily regular scans to catch any developing cancers early. Armed with an answer for the grief and suffering she had endured for the past decade of her life, Marler actually felt a sense of relief. “It's heartbreaking, but at least I have an answer.”
Three years later, Marler was unable to shake what she thought was sinus infection(鼻窦感染). Marler's mother knew something wasn't right when Marler refused to go back to the hospital because of the level of pain she felt.
On this trip to the hospital, Marler was admitted and scanned. “I couldn't believe it was happening again. The medical test showed that it was lymphoma(淋巴瘤), one of the hardest types to treat. The doctors told me the treatment was going to be so painful that I would hate them by the time it was over. They were right.” Marler endured six different types of chemotherapy at the same time, one of which was delivered through her spinal cord. She was required to be admitted to the hospital every other week for six days. “I was so weak that I couldn't get off my couch. I lost all of my hair, and I had severe body aches，” she recalls.
Today, at 28, Marler is once again in remission-something she definitely doesn't take for granted. She credits her family for her ability to endure her repeated battles with a smile. She says, “I laugh a lot. That's one thing my family does really well-we can find the humour in any situation. I've always found a way to laugh. I do worry about what's next, but I can't let it consume me. I've learned to live with it.”
1. What's the function of the first paragraph?| A．It impresses on us how unfortunate Lauren Marler is. |
| B．It introduces to us a cancer patient named Lauren Marler. |
| C．It praises Lauren Marler's amazing achievements in her life. |
| D．It arouses our curiosity to read on about Lauren Marler's story. |
| A．Being likely to spread quickly. |
| B．Making oneself ready to attack. |
| C．Requiring chemotherapy to cure it. |
| D．Acting with determination to succeed. |
| A．Irregular medical scans. | B．A rare gene problem. |
| C．No proper preventive care. | D．Frequently changing doctors. |
| A．came to hate the doctors in charge of her |
| B．became a regular visitor to the hospital |
| C．was very painful physically and mentally |
| D．was free from the fear of another cancer |
| A．5. | B．4. | C．3. | D．2. |
| A．The fact that she never thinks much of cancer. |
| B．The fact that her whole family remains positive. |
| C．The fact that her life experience is full of humour. |
| D．The fact that she has learned to live with cancer. |
【推荐1】Pricing is managers’ biggest marketing headache. It’s where they feel the most pressure to perform and the least certain that they are doing a good job. All successful pricing efforts share two qualities: The policy combines well with the company’s overall marketing strategy, and the process is well-organized as a whole.
A company’s pricing policy sends a message to the market—it gives customers an important sense of a company’s philosophy. Consider Saturn Corporation (a wholly owned company of General Motors). Saturn wants to let consumers know that it is friendly and easy to do business with. Part of this concept is conveyed through initiatives such as inviting customers to the factory to see where the cars are made and sponsoring evenings at the dealership that combine a social event with training on car maintenance. But Saturn’s pricing policy sends a strong message as well. Can a friendly, trusting relationship be established with customers if a salesperson uses all the negotiating tricks in the book to try to separate them from that last $100? Of course not. Saturn has a “no hassle, no haggle” policy which removes the possibility of conflicts between dealer and potential customer. Customers have an easier time buying a car knowing that the next person in the door won’t negotiate a better deal.
Of course, there are typically many participants in the pricing process: Accounting provides cost estimates; marketing communicates the pricing strategy; sales provides specific customer input; production sets supply boundaries; and finance establishes the requirements for the entire company’s financial health. Input from diverse sources is necessary. However, problems arise when the philosophy of wide participation is carried over to the price-setting process without strong coordinating mechanisms (协调机制). For example, if the marketing department sets list prices, the salespeople negotiate discounts in the field, the legal department adjusts prices if necessary to prevent breaking the laws or contractual agreements, and the people filling orders negotiate price adjustments for delays in shipment, everybody’s best intentions usually end up bringing about less than the best results. In fact, the company may actually lose money on some orders.
1. Why is it essential for a company’s pricing policy to combine with its overall marketing strategy?| A．To maximize possible returns and profits. |
| B．To maintain consistency in business operations. |
| C．To eliminate the need for diverse sales inputs. |
| D．To attract customers to social events and trainings. |
| A．Saturn trains its dealers to treat customers sincerely. |
| B．Saturn offers discounts to some loyal customers. |
| C．Saturn cars are at least $100 cheaper than other cars. |
| D．Saturn cars are sold at fixed, non-negotiable prices. |
| A．Decision making requires gathering comprehensive information. |
| B．The coordinating mechanism won’t work without a lot of input. |
| C．Potential customers are easily upset at any stage of the process. |
| D．The company loses money unless everyone intends for the best. |
| A．The art of coordinating pricing processes |
| B．The best sales negotiation techniques |
| C．Getting one step closer toward better pricing |
| D．Maximizing profits through pricing policies |
【推荐2】In July, a big study came out in the journal JAMA. It was titled “Association of Screen Time and Depression in Adolescence.” This big headline seemed to confirm what a lot of people have been saying—that screen time is horrible for young people.
The study followed over 3,800 adolescents over four years. Part of what the investigators measured was the teens’ amount of screen time, including time spent on social media, as well as their levels of depression symptoms. One of their main findings was that higher amounts of social media use were associated with higher levels of depression. That was true both when the researches compared between people and compared each person against their own mental health over time. Case closed? Not so fast. Let’s take a closer look at this and other studies, and ask ourselves: What exactly is the relationship between social media use and depression? It turns out there are several caveats.
Caveat #1: The association between social media use and depression is, on average, tiny.
In this big JAMA study, the investigators compared social media use and depression between teens and found that those who used social media more had higher depression scores. Specifically, for every hour per day that one teen spent on social media more than her peers, she likely had a 0.64-point higher depression score. Within each teen, increasing their daily social media use by 1 hour was also associated with a 0.41-point increase to their own depression score. You may be asking, “But what does a 0.64-point increase mean? How much more depression is that?” Depression was measured on a 28-point scale, so these less-than-one-point increases are tiny.
Caveat #2: Not everybody has the same relationship with social media.
A different study published in 2018 identified five distinct types of social media users, and the take-home finding was that “problematic social media use” was one of the main themes for people whose mental health was affected by social media. What makes for “problematic” use? The researchers adapted the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to cover all forms of social media. It includes questions like, “You use Facebook in order to forget about personal problems” and “You have tried to cut down on the use of Facebook without success.” These sound similar to questions about other types of addiction like alcoholism. You can have alcohol in your life without it being a problem, or your alcohol use may become problematic. It’s the same with social media.
Caveat #3: We don’t know if it’s really social media use causing depression.
There’s one important thing to remember about survey research—just because two things happen together, it’s not necessarily true that one causes the other. Another possibility is that something else entirely is causing some people to have both high levels of depression and social media use. For example, one interesting study shows that childhood maltreatment was associated with greater current social media use. It’s not hard to imagine that people mistreated in childhood also had higher levels of depression. In this case, depression may have nothing to do with how much someone is using social media.
1. The study published by the journal JAMA ________| A．found screen time is the cause of adolescent depression. |
| B．has researched more than 3,000 young adults over the span of four years. |
| C．concluded that teens who used social media more suffered from more depression. |
| D．found that teens who spent one more hour on social media had a 0.41-point higher depression score than their peers |
| A．warnings | B．approaches | C．faults | D．suggestions |
| A．Almost all types of social media users experience problematic social media use. |
| B．The influence of social media use on depression has not been exaggerated. |
| C．People who are depressed always choose to spend more time on social media. |
| D．People mistreated during their childhood suffer from depression probably due to their childhood experience rather than social media use. |
| A．The more people use social media, the more depressed they will feel. |
| B．Social media use actually has nothing to do with people’s level of depression. |
| C．Higher depression scores will certainly stimulate people to use social media more. |
| D．People need to be more cautious when making judgments about the relationship between social media and depression. |
【推荐3】I have frequently taught Research Methods and Design to college students at several institutions. I love teaching this course. One reason, of course, is that I enjoy thinking about research methodology (方法学) and sharing it with others. The other reason, however, is the obvious impact that it has on students. Every term, one (if not more) student tells me how taking this course has affected him/her: “I used to just read articles and believe what they said, but now I find myself asking ‘Is this true? How do they know? Is this a well designed study?’ ” That is what I want the students to achieve in this course.
This brings to mind something written by Dorothy L. Sayers in 1948. One of her books, The Lost Tools of Learning speaks to Sayers’ thoughts on education. “By teaching our young men and women to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed words. By the invention of the film and the radio, we have made certain that no dislike for reading shall protect them from the constant battery of words, words, words. They do not know what the words mean: they are victims to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intelligence.”
We are well past the 1940s, but her observation is still relevant. Sayers’ point is well taken. In the world of 24-hour news and social media that often resembles the Wild West, the ability to carry out evaluations has never been more important. In order to resist the distortions with which we are constantly bombed in the media, as well as be able to present a persuasive argument, we must be able to reason well, and think and give a judgement carefully.
When my students begin the Research Methods and Design course, they are generally not content to read all those research article I give. However, by the end of the course, they are excited about their newly obtained abilities.
1. What is the author’s course goal for her students?| A．Reading more books. | B．Thinking critically. |
| C．Designing studies well. | D．Questioning themselves. |
| A．It was beneficial to learners’ development. |
| B．It was conventional by teaching learners to read. |
| C．It was satisfying with the invention of film and video. |
| D．It was worrying because learners were subject to words. |
| A．Popular news. | B．Various evaluations. |
| C．Misleading information. | D．Persuasive arguments. |
| A．To review a book. | B．To introduce a writer. |
| C．To criticize social media. | D．To suggest a practical skill. |
