The malls were filled with people seeking gifts for their loved ones. Some of the malls remained open around the clock, partly to satisfy our needs to buy gifts.
Behind the materialistic aspect of shopping for gifts lies the idea of caring, being attentive to the desires of special people in our lives. However, to use a well-worn play on words: it is our presence, not our presents, that truly counts. Many of us, unfortunately, can be so inattentive, even in the presence of our loved ones, that we might as well not be there at all.
Attention is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other. Companies around the globe spend billions every year on advertising to catch our attention for just a short moment at a time. Whole industries — media, entertainment, education — rely on the precious gift of our attention for their continued existence. A baby lacking attention for a long time is likely to be psychologically unhealthy.
In earlier times, both diet and attention could be left unregulated (没人管的) without major cause for concern. There were natural checks and balances: limited availability of food meant few got fat, for example. Similarly, in bygone times we might have spent a few hours communicating with the village storyteller; today, watching an entire TV series, while speaking to nobody, is common. In traditional societies, with smaller population, everyone would get a fair deal of attention. On many issues we might go to see Grandma or Grandpa; now we have Google and Wikipedia.
“She just wants attention.” people tend to think little of those doing things simply for attention. But the truth is that human beings need attention, and giving attention to each other is, to a large extent, what human civilization is based upon. This perhaps explains the runaway success of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. While we use such sites for “micro Hogging”, “idea voicing” and “status updates” — the reality is that we are often doing no more or less than fulfilling our basic human drive for attention exchange.
I friend you, you friend me, I retweet you, you retweet me. The charming ease with which we can now get and give attention is why many people appear overly attached to their smart phones. It is also a vicious (恶性的) circle. As ever more people are busy exchanging attention online, there is increasingly less attention to be paid in the real world, which forces more people to seek their attention exchange online, or else risk attention-starvation.
The very nature of attention exchange is being rapidly transformed, and there is a danger that some of us will develop unhealthy practices. Just as eating red meat every day is a bad idea, so it is with too much attention exchange. The biological consequences of our technological advancement in food production are highly visible; heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The consequences of our transformed attention exchanges will be psychological and social, and so may take longer to identify, but they will be equally damaging.
Face-to-face attention is becoming rarer, and therefore more valuable. In a sense it is priceless. And it is a gift that can be given all-year-round.
1.People use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to __________.
A. obtain information
B. give attention to others
C. voice their opinions
D. notice and get noticed
2.What can we infer from Paragraphs 6-7?
A. More people will risk attention-starvation in future.
B. The nature of attention exchange is rarely changed.
C. Technological advancement contributes to all diseases.
D. Transformed attention exchanges do harm to society.
3.The writer’s purpose for writing the passage is to __________.
A. advocate more focus on real life attention
B. analyze the necessity of attention giving
C. give practical tips on attention exchange
D. recommend some social networking sites
Let's say you want to hit the gym more regularly this year. How do you make that happen? Consider putting the habit loop to use.
Here's how it works:
A habit is a 3-step process. First, there's a cue, something that tells your brain to operate automatically. Then there's a routine. And finally, a reward, which helps your brain learn to desire the behavior. It's what you can use to create-or break-habits of your own.
Here's how to apply it:
Choose a cue, like leaving your running shoes by the door, then pick a reward---say, a piece of chocolate when you get home from the gym. That way, the cue and the reward become interconnected. Finally, when you see the shoes, your brain will start longing for the reward, which will make it easier to work out day after day. The best part? In a couple of weeks, you won't need the chocolate at all. Your brain will come to see the workout itself as the reward. Which is the whole point, right?
1.Which of the following best fits in the box with a “?” in THE HABIT LOOP?
A. Pick a new cue.
B. Form a new habit.
C. Choose a new reward.
D. Design a new resolution.
2.What's the purpose of putting the habit loop to use?
A. To test out different kinds of cues.
B. To do something as a habit even without rewards.
C. To work out the best New Year's resolution.
D. To motivate yourself with satisfactory rewards
3.“This year when I see the Harry Potter poster, I will read 30 pages of an English novel or an English newspaper in order to watch TV for half an hour." What is the cue in this resolution?
A. The Harry Potter poster.
B. Reading 30 pages of an English novel.
C. An English newspaper.
D. Watching TV for half an hour.
完形填空
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When asked by Conan O’Brien if his daughters had smartphones, comedian Louis CK explained that he had ________replied, “No, you can’t have it. It's bad for you. I don’t ________ what you want.” This hit home for me because at the time, I was in difficult negotiations with my ten-year-old daughter ________ one. And frankly, she was winning. CK added, “I’m not raising the ________ --- I’m raising the grown-ups that they’re going to be. So just ________ the other stupid kids have phones doesn’t mean that my kid has to be stupid, or ________ she’ll feel weird.” OK, I was sold.
Cell phones are “toxic, especially for kids,” he said, because they don’t help them learn empathy, one of the nicer human ________ . When we text, the ________ we get is in cold, hard text-speak. Why are kids ________? he asked. “Because they’re trying it out. They look at another kid and go. ‘You’re fat.’ Then they find the kid’s unhappy, and they think, Ooh, that doesn’t feel ________.” There, they’ve experienced empathy. Texting “you’re fat” allows you to bypass the pain you’ve caused.
CK went on to explain to us that smartphones rob us of our ability to be ________. Kids use smartphones to ________y!!! After all, one of the joys of being human is allowing our minds to ________ . With cell phones, kids are always preoccupied. They never daydream, ________ in class. And here’s something else we’re ________ out on thanks to Steve Jobs’s little device: our right to be ________ . This was a right I hadn’t realized I desired until CK pointed out that it’s yet another of the essential human emotions.
“Everybody’s murdering each other with their cars” as they text, CK screamed, because they fear being alone. Too bad —they’re missing out on a life affirming experience.
“I was in my car one time, and Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Jungleland’ came on,” he said. “And he sounds so far away. It made me really sad. And I think, OK, I’ve got to get the phone and write hi to 50 people. I was ________ for the phone, and I thought, Don’t! Just be sad.” So CK ________ over and allowed himself to sob like a little girl ________ that brand-new four-poster bed for her American Girl doll. “It was beautiful. You’re lucky to ________ sad moments,” he said. And because he didn’t fight and push it away with that little phone, because he allowed himself to be miserable, his body released endorphins(内啡肽). “And that’s why I don’t want to get phones for my kids.” CK said. And I suppose I don’t either.
1.A. hardly B. simply C. voluntarily D. specially
2.A. reject B. care C. neglect D. separate
3.A. by B. from C. over D. beyond
4.A. children B. money C. standard D. doubts
5.A. after B. unless C. though D. because
6.A. otherwise B. nevertheless C. rarely D. moreover
7.A. emotions B. hobbies C. issues D. weaknesses
8.A. error B. response C. trouble D. danger
9.A. proud B. stupid C. mean D. delighted
10.A. upset B. awkward C. good D. crazy
11.A. creative B. smart C. critical D. alone
12.A. spare B. occupy C. value D. miss
13.A. focus B. wander C. make D. occur
14.A. even B. still C. ever D. except
15.A. figuring B. finding C. missing D. taking
16.A. capable B. accessible C. changeable D. miserable
17.A. reaching B. answering C. applying D. begging
18.A. pulled B. turned C. got D. came
19.A. reminded B. denied C. rewarded D. neglected
20.A. live B. share C. ignore D. spare
Don't you know___________? Whether they're late or early, looking out of the window won't bring them here any quicker.
A. a little pot is soon hot
B. a watched pot never boils
C. cheerful company shortens the miles
D. forgive and forget
The successful candidate will be adaptable, take ownership of and develop in the role by taking initiative, being motivated and ________ high standards.
A. ensured B. to ensure
C. ensuring D. to be ensured
It is thought police had been called to the scene following a report of a collision involving her vehicle and ________ of another motorist.
A. one B. those C. some D. that
