We increasingly rely on social media to talk to friends, GPS to navigate and the web for information. But is that wise?
Google is making you stupid, your iPhone’s making you anxious and your social networks are making you anti-social. Modem technology is driving each of us into a cognitive (认知的) disorder, and if we aren’t careful we’ll be beaten into a stupor (麻木).
Of course, the real story isn’t as clear as all that But stories continue because the sense that something is eroding our mental abilities feels right We struggle to remember our own phone number, while only a few years ago we could recall dozens. Online, readers prefer short, simple stories to long, subtle pieces, and we all know someone who breaks out in a sweat when separated from their smartphone.
So what’s really happening? The first thing to consider is that this kind of ‘neuro-anxiety’ about the tools we use is nothing new. In 370 BC, Plato warned that the Greeks’ “trust in writing77 would “discourage the use of their own memory”. Sound familiar?
The reality is that our brains do change when we use a smartphone or computer — but they also change when we use a pen, a screwdriver, or any other tool for that matter. They change when we mow the lawn, play golf or cook dinner. Our experiences continually shape the way the brain works So the question isn’t really ‘is tech changing our brains?’ but ‘how are our brains adapting to living in today’s screen-first, always-online, networked world?’
Scientifically speaking, we’re a long way from definitive answers, but we looked at the latest research and talked to leading experts in their fields to discover how they think our brains are being affected….
12. In Paragraph Two, the author tries to tell us
of modern technology.
A.the bad effects | B.the benefits |
C.the overuse | D.the diversity |
13. The author takes Plato for example in Paragraph Four to
.
A.warn people not to use writing tools |
B.present the development of technology |
C.show people’s anxiety about technology always exists |
D.explain writing tools have an influence on people’s memory |
14. From the last two paragraphs, we can infer that
.
A.modern technology has the greatest effect on our brains |
B.our brains are always changing no matter what we do |
C.it’s easy to find out how our brains adapt to the modern world |
D.the latest research about modern technology is quite helpful |
15. What’s the author’s attitude toward modern technology?
A.indifferent | B.opposed |
C.doubtful | D.objective |