2 . How many phone numbers can you remember by heart? It’s probably fewer than you would like. Actually, you’re not alone. Out of more than 1,000 Americans who were surveyed, more than half said that they couldn’t recall the phone numbers of their friends and neighbors. And 44% said that they couldn’t remember their relatives’ phone numbers. In their eyes, there is no point in filling their heads with phone numbers if they’re all stored in smart phones that are with them almost all the time.
In fact, most people are suffering from a sort of digital amnesia. More than 90% of those surveyed agreed that they used the Internet as an online extension of their brains. Rote memorization was once an important part of modern education, but we just need a click or slide now. That’s making us worse at remembering things.
Researchers found that when people expected to have access to information online, they were less likely to remember actual facts，but more likely to remember how to find them. As a result, we are already becoming one with our computer tools, growing into interconnected systems that remember less by knowing information than by knowing where the information can be found.
However, some believe it isn’t necessarily a bad thing—maybe it gives them more chances to think through things. We certainly have access to more knowledge now than ever, even if it isn’t all stored in our brains.
Even so, I still believe that there are more risks to this new world of memory beyond losing our ability to recall some information such as who the 15th President was. That kind of information may always be a click away, but the important things are personal ones, like the way your parents smiled at your wedding. It’s harder to recall or find online. If you’re relying on yourself to keep track of those memories, they will be much more meaningful.
1. Paragraph 1 is mainly used to________.
| A．serve as the background | B．introduce the topic |
| C．explain new research | D．attract readers’ attention |
2. What’s the main cause of people’s suffering from digital amnesia?
| A．Dealing with too many things. | B．Seldom thinking about questions. |
| C．Relying on the Internet too much. | D．The changes of their memories. |
3. What can be learned from the text?
| A．Over 90% people are suffering from digital amnesia. |
| B．Rote memorization no longer exists in modern life. |
| C．People can gain knowledge more easily than before. |
| D．People find it hard to remember how to find information |
4. What’s the author’s attitude towards people’s memories now?
| A．Worried. | B．Optimistic. | C．Disappointed. | D．Confident. |
