Why texting harms your IQ
The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana (大麻). That is the statement of researchers who have found that tapping away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to 10 points off the user’s IQ. This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the four-point drop in IQ associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have described the phenomenon of improved stupidity as “infomania”. The research conducted by Hewlett Packard, the technology company, has concluded that it is mainly a problem for adult workers, especially men.
It is concluded that too much use of modern technology can damage a person’s mind. It can cause a constant distraction of “always on” technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the task in hand. The report also added that, in a long term, the brain will be considerably shaped by what we do to it and by the experience of daily life. At a microcellular level, the complex networks of nerve cells that make up parts of the brain actually change in response to certain experiences.
Too much use of modern technology can be damaging not only to a person’s mind, but to their social relationship. 1100 adults were interviewed during the research. More than 62 per cent of them admitted that they were addicted to checking their e-mails and text messages so often that they scrutinized work-related ones even when at home or on holiday. Half said that they always responded immediately to an email and will even interrupt a meeting to do so. It is concluded that infomania is increasing stress and anxiety and affecting one’s characteristics. Nine out of ten thought that colleagues who answered e-mails or messages during a face-to-face meeting were extremely rude.
The effects on IQ were studied by Dr Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at University of London. “This is a very real and widespread phenomenon,” he said. “We have found that infomania will damage a worker’s performance by reducing their mental sharpness and changing their social life. Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working.” We can learn from the passage that “infomania” ______.
| A．has a positive influence on one’s IQ |
| B．results in the change of part of the brain |
| C．lies in the problem of lack of concentration |
| D．is caused by too much use of modern technology |
The research mentioned in the passage is most probably about ______.
| A．the important function of advanced technology |
| B．the damage to one’s brain done by unhealthy habits |
| C．the relevance between IQ and use of modern technology |
| D．the relationship between intelligence and working effectiveness |
The underlined word “scrutinized” probably means “______”.
| A．examined carefully | B．copied patiently |
| C．corrected quickly | D．admitted freely |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not eave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines, others were walking about. There was a group of school-girls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror(镜子) on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom's friends, came in and sat with Tom.
"What time is your bus?" asked John.
"Oh, there is plenty of time yet, "answered Tom.
"Oh, I'll get you some more tea then," said John.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again.
"Good heavens! It's going back-ward!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven."
"You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said John.
Tom wanted to kick(踢) himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then.The London bus left ______________.
| A．at 11:55 | B．at 5:12 | C．before 11:55 | D．after 11:55 |
Tom went into the station cafe because ____________.
| A．John asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．he wanted a drink there |
| C．he would meet a friend of his |
| D．it was early yet and he wanted to find a place to sit |
What time was it in fact when he looked at the clock in the mirror?
| A．Half past twelve. |
| B．Half past eleven. |
| C．Twenty to twelve. |
| D．Half past one. |
When Tom sat in the station café, who came in?
| A．his friend | B．his father | C．his uncle | D．his girlfriend |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Tom missed his bus. |
| B．He has liked mirror since then. |
| C．The next bus would leave soon. |
| D．Tom arrived London on time. |
Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today. People didn’t have modern machines. There was no modern medicine, either.
Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry more easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It’s bad to all living things in the world.
Cars, planes and factories all pollute our air every day. Sometimes the polluted air is so thick that it is like a quilt over a city. This kind of quilt is called smog.
Many countries are making rules to flight pollution. Factories must now clean their water before it is thrown away, and they mustn’t blow dirty smoke into the air.
We need to do many other things. We can put waste things in the dustbin and do not throw them on the ground, there will be less pollution.
Rules are not enough. Every person must help to fight pollution.Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today because ______.
| A．there were not any modern machines |
| B．there was no modern medicine |
| C．both A and B |
| D．there were not many people |
What is the biggest problem in today’s life?
| A．Water pollution |
| B．Air pollution |
| C．Noise |
| D．Pollution |
The most serious kind of pollution is ______.
| A．noise pollution |
| B．air pollution |
| C．water pollution |
| D．A, B and C |
Factories must clean their water ______.
| A．before they are thrown away |
| B．when they are thrown away |
| C．after it is thrown away |
| D．before it is thrown away |
From the passage we know that ______.
| A．a few years ago, there was no smog at all |
| B．today people don’t have to talk to each other in a loud voice |
| C．we can drink water from the polluted rivers and lakes |
| D．people are making rules in order to fight pollution |
Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is drinking. Now, you may not buy wine in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don’t make unnecessary noise, particularly, at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful, the traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossing and don’t take any chance when crossing the road.
My next point is about rubbish. It isn’t lawful to drop rubbish in the street. When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a dustbin.
Finally, as regards smoking, it is against law to buy cigarettes or tobacco if you are under 16 years of age.
I’d like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact the police, who will be pleased to help you. You can call, write or directly go to ask any policeman. take any chance means .
| A．冒险，碰运气 | B．趁机 | C．失去机会 | D．生气 |
Who do you think is most likely to make the speech?
A. A guide B.A person who makes the law
B. A teacher D. An English officerHow many laws are there discussed in the speech?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
The main purpose of this speech is to .
| A．tell people those above 18 can smoke and drink there |
| B．declare the different laws of England |
| C．give advice to travelers to the country |
| D．warn people against going to the country |
From the speech we have learnt that .
| A．in the country, if you are 18 years of age, you may not buy wine, but your friends can buy it for you |
| B．you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age |
| C．because the traffic moves on the left side of the road, you must use pedestrian when crossing the road |
| D．you can’t make a noise except at night |
When Mrs．Joseph Groeger died recently in Vienna，Austria，people asked the obvious question,“Why did she live to be 107?” .Answers were provided by a survey conducted among 148 Viennese men and women who had reached the age of 100．Somewhat surprising was the fact that the majority had lived most of their lives in cities．In spite of the city’s image as an unhealthy place，city living often provides benefits that country living can lack．One factor seems to be important to the longevity(长寿)of those interviewed．
This factor is exercise．In the cities it is often faster to walk short distances than to wait for a bus．Even taking public transportation often requires some walking．Smaller apartment houses have no elevators(电梯)，and so people must climb stairs．City people can usually walk to local supermarkets. Since parking spaces are hard to find，there is often no alternative to walking．
On the other hand，those who live in the country and suburbs do not have to walk every day．In fact，the opposite is often true．To go to school，work，or almost anywhere else，they must ride in cars．The Vienna survey may help to explain _____
| A．the complaints of people in apartment houses |
| B．the cause of Mrs Groeger’s death |
| C．the longevity of people like Mrs．Groeger |
| D．the image of cities in general |
The purpose of the second paragraph is to list some _____
| A．benefits of walking |
| B．occasions for walking in city life |
| C．comments made by city people |
| D．problems of city living |
To reach the third floor of a building, it would probably be most healthful __
| A．to take the elevator |
| B．to walk up the stairs |
| C．to ride in a car |
| D．to find an alternative to walking |
People who live in the country probably do more driving than walking because __
| A．they don’t live near business areas |
| B．they don’t need the exercise |
| C．they never have parking problems |
| D．they can’t afford to take the bus |
A conclusion that can be drawn from this passage is that__________
| A．air pollution is not serious |
| B．anyone can live to be 107 |
| C．country people should move to the city |
| D．walking is a healthful exercise |
If we were asked exactly what we were doing a year ago，we should probably have to say that we could not remember. But if we had kept a book and had written in it an account of what we did each day，we should be able to give an answer to the question.
It is the same in history .Many things have been forgotten because we do not have any written account of them .Sometimes men did keep a record of the most important happenings in their country，but often it was destroyed by fire or in a war．Sometimes there was never any written record at all because the people of that time and place did not know how to write．For example，we know a good deal about the people who lived in China 4，000 years ago, because they could write and leave written records for those who lived after them．But we know almost nothing about the people who lived even 200 years ago in central Africa, because they had not learned to write．
Sometimes, of course，even if the people cannot write，they may know something of the past．They have heard about it from older people，and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings，and these have been sung and acted and told for many generations, for most people are proud to tell what their fathers did in the past．This we may call “remembered history”．Some of it has now been written down. It is not so exact or so valuable to us as written history is，because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing．But where there are no written records，such spoken stories are often very helpful．Which of the following ideas is not suggested in the passage?
| A．“Remembered history”，compared with written history，is less reliable |
| B．Written records of the past play the most important role in our learning of the human history． |
| C．A written account of our daily activities helps US to be able to answer many questions． |
| D．Where there are no written records．there is no history． |
We know very little about the central Africa 200 years ago because ___
| A．there was nothing worth being written down at that time |
| B．the people there ignored the importance of keeping a record |
| C．the written records were perhaps destroyed by a fire |
| D．the people there did not know how to write |
“Remembered history” refers to ___．
| A．history based on a person’s imagination |
| B．stories of important happenings passed down from mouth to mouth |
| C．songs and dances about the most important events |
| D．both B and C |
“Remembered history”is regarded as valuable only when ____.
| A．it is written down | B．no written account is available |
| C．it proves to be time | D．people are interested in it |
The passage suggests that we could have learned much more about our past than we do now if the ancient people had _____
| A．kept a written record of every past event |
| B．not burnt their written records in wars |
| C．told exact stories of the most important happenings |
| D．made more songs and dances |