1 . Last month, I began my own two-week-long digital detox. I got the inspiration from the tech writer Paul Miller, who got away from the Internet for a whole year. It was not worth mentioning as against the time Miller spent offline, but it was the longest I had gone through without almost any Internet in 13 years.
Why did I do it? For a while I felt the urge to try fully disconnecting to free myself from the endless work. I wanted to take a break from it all for a couple of weeks at least to see what would happen. After all, throughout the last decade, I’ve been online 24 – 7, overreacting to my email inbox and social feed (传送) – living in a world where the line between the digital world and the real world gets a bit unclear at times.
I haven’t of course forgotten that I’m CEO of a social media company. My work is built around the premise (前提) that being connected makes our lives richer, more rewarding and more efficient. Still, I’d forgotten one key lesson along the way: moderation. As more and more of my life was spent scanning social feed and checking out my inbox, I realized that I needed to step back and get a whole new perspective.
So on my winter vacation to Mexico, I took a break from being active on the Internet for the entire trip. For the whole 14 days, I ate a lot of delicious fish tacos, surfed and fixed up my cottage on the beach. I didn’t write or send any emails. I didn’t scan any Top 10 lists of feed. The one I did give myself was checking my email inbox occasionally—just to make sure an emergency wasn’t unfolding while I was away.
What I learned from my short experiment was actually not too unlike what Miller learned. I didn’t end up discovering that technology is evil. In fact, I found myself reflecting on how technology over the last few years had let me experience some of the most rewarding and eventful moments of my life.
1. Why did the author begin digital detox for two weeks?| A．Because Miller recommended him to do so. |
| B．Because he was tired of his empty life. |
| C．Because he wanted to live a digital life. |
| D．Because he intended to experience an Internet-free life. |
| A．to a large degree | B．in an honest way |
| C．in an appropriate way | D．to a very small degree |
| A．To deal with emergencies. | B．For the sake of his health. |
| C．To find some delicious food to eat. | D．To watch Top 10 lists closely. |
| A．The author holds an objective attitude towards technology. |
| B．The author finds technology is harmful. |
| C．The author will advise digital detox completely. |
| D．The author will no longer use the Internet. |
2 . A new study has found that more than 30 percent of babies as young as 6 months old are using smartphones. The survey asked parents twenty questions about when their children were first exposed to mobile media devices. What makes everyone so alarmed is that the study has found that children are being exposed to mobile devices earlier than ever before.
But before we all jump on the judgment train, let’s stop and think about how much more ubiquitous smartphones are now than they were even five years ago. It’s not that parents have gotten lazier, which some reporters have suggested. It’s that more parents have access to smartphones that they can use to show family pictures to entertain a baby or play music that a toddler can dance with.
What the study didn’t address was how much time these babies are spending looking at smartphones. Nor did it assess what these babies are looking at. Is it 5 minutes of music in the grocery store while Mom or Dad gets the food into the cart? Or is it 30 minutes of watching videos while a parent sacks out on the couch? There is a big difference between the two scenarios (场景).
By the numbers, the study found that among babies younger than 1 year old, 52 percent had watched television on mobile devices, 36 percent had been allowed to scroll the screen, 15 percent had used apps and 12 percent had played video games. Around 25 percent of kids had already called someone at this age.
The American Academy of Pediatrics frowns upon any screen time for children under the age of two. But I don’t think we need to necessarily panic. I did not have a smartphone when my girls were this age but I can tell you right now that if I had owned one, there would have been many occasions when I would have gladly handed over my phone to play music or a video or even a video game if it would have calmed a screaming baby. They would have turned out just fine.
1. What would be the answer to one of the questions according to the study?| A．Some babies use smartphones very early. |
| B．Smartphones bring children convenience. |
| C．Children are clever enough to use electronic devices. |
| D．Science and technology are developing rapidly. |
| A．Unique. | B．Uncommon. | C．Non-existent. | D．Universal. |
| A．babies can use smartphones as they like |
| B．watching videos is interesting for babies |
| C．it doesn’t matter what babies are looking at |
| D．using smartphones too long is improper for babies |
| A．Nearly half of them had used apps on smartphones. |
| B．Half of them had watched television on smartphones. |
| C．About a quarter of them had made a telephone call to others. |
| D．None of them had been allowed to use smartphones. |
