2015年6月英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题4篇

2015年6月英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题(1)

10 Ways Obama Could Fight Climate Change

[A] One of the biggest surprises of President Barack Obama's inaugural

address,on Monday was how much he focused on fighting climate change, spending more time on that issue than any other. \"We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations,\" Obama said. The President pointed out that recent severe weather supplied an urgent impetus for energy innovation and staked the nation's economic future on responding to a changing climate. \"We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries--we must claim its promise,\" Obama said. '\" That's how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure--our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped (山顶积雪的) peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. \" so what could the President reasonably do to deliver on that vow? Here are ten of their suggestions:

Sunset coal with new incentives and regulations.

[B] \"Provide incentives to phase out the oldest, most polluting power plants,\" said Robert Jackson, a climate scientist at Duke University. It's already happening, to some degree, as more of the nation transitions to natural gas. Earth scientist Bill Chameides, dean of Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and a former chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, urges the administration to use its Clean, Air Act authority to promulgate (颁布 )carbon regulations for existing power plants like it has for new ones: \"Doing that will force fuel switching from coal to natural gas. \"Invest federal stimulus money in nuclear power.

[C] It's hardly a perfect fuel, as accidents like Japan's Fukushima fallout have shown, but with safety precautions new nuclear plants can meaningfully offset dirtier types of energy, supporters say.\"Nuclear is the only short-to medium-term way to really get away from fossil fuels,\" said Peter Raven. President emeritus of the

Missouri Botanical Garden. He said the damage done by relentless global warming will far exceed the damage done by faults in the nuclear system. Kill the Keystone pipeline.

[D] The controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline is up for review again by the White House this year. \"The font thing he should do to set the tone to a lower carbon economy is to reject the Keystone pipeline, “said Raymond Pierrehum Bert, a

geophysical scientist at the University of Chicago. The pipeline was never going to be

a major driver of global emissions, but Pierre humbert and some other

environmentalists say that by killing it the President would send a clear message about America's intent to ramp down fossil fuels. Protect the oceans by executive order.

[E] Land use is complicated, but large swaths of oceans can be protected by executive order. Just as President George W. Bush designated the world's largest

marine monument northwest of Hawaii in 2006. Obama could single-handedly protect other areas. National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle said the

President should focus on parts of the Arctic that are under U. S. control, putting them off limits to energy production, commercial fishing, and mineral exploration. Marine sanctuaries (禁捕区) won't stop climate change, but they can give marine species a better chance of adapting to it by reducing the other man-made threats the animals face.

Experiment with capturing carbon.

[F] Huge untapped reserves of natural gas and oil make it unlikely that the U. S. will transition away from fossil fuels in the immediate future. Instead, said Wallace Broecker, geology professor at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, we should attack the atmosphere's carbon surplus directly. \"Obama could make available funds to build and test prototype air capture units\" to capture and store CO2, said Broecker. Removing some carbon from the atmosphere could buy valuable time as policy makers and scientists explore more permanent solutions. Grow government research for new energy sources.

[G] The Department of Energy has a nimble program that's tasked with

innovative energy research—the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The ARPA-E funds research in biofuels, transmission,and battery storage, with an annual budget of $ 275 million. Last year, DOE officials requested at least $ 75 million more. Increasing funding for ARPA-E, said Rare Pomerance, former deputy assistant secretary of state for environment and development and currently an environmental consultant, \"you get new technologies that undercut coal, oil, and gas. \" Plus, he said, yon get a competitive advantage if American researchers uncover the next big idea in new energy. Tax carbon.

[H] Congress would have to agree, but many climate experts say that the most meaningful way to tackle emissions is to set a price on carbon. \"We should be asking people to pay the cost of putting carbon into the atmosphere as they buy the fuel,\" said Josh Willis, climate scientist and oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

To gain political support for the idea, Obama would probably have to show that the tax wonld help accelerate technology, grow new industries, and pay down the deficit. Dial back the federal government's energy use.

[I] With more than I. 8 million employees, $ 500 billion in annual purchasing power, and 500,000 buildings to operate, the federal government has been a leader in reducing energy use since Obama signed a 2009 executive order to cut waste. \"I would urge him to keep using the power of government to promote energy

conservation,\" said Syndonia Bret-Harte, an Arctic biologist who studies climate change at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Build a scientific clearinghouse for climate information.

[J] \"I advocate for building a better information system on what is happening and why,\" said Kevin Tren berth, head of the Climate Analysis Section at the U. S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. That involves compiling observations related to climate change from around the world and using the data to refine climate modeling. Think of it as a one-stop, user-friendly website that clearly demonstrates how weather data from around the globe are influenced by broader shifts in the planet's climate.

Keep talking. Despite a consensus among top scientists, the world still needs some convincing on climate change.

[K] A CNN poll last week found that just 49 percent of Americans agree that global warming is real and is due to human activities. \"The most important thing the President can do is to build on his inaugural comments to heighten the sense of urgency about rapid climate destabilization and clarify its connection to virtually every other issue on the national agenda,\" said David Orr, environmental studies professor at Oberlin College. That means using the bully clergymen to show how a more volatile climate affects everything from agriculture to transportation to 21st-century warfare.

46. The urge to promulgate carbon regulations is aimed at pushing power plants to replace coal by natural gas.

47. Marine sanctuaries should be preserved because they help sea species adapt to climate alteration.

48. The government should take the responsibility to raise Americans' awareness about climate change.

49. Many climate experts believe that the most effective way to lower emission is to tax on carbon.

50. Nuclear supporters argue that nuclear system failures are less challenging than global warming.

51. Recent extreme weather made President Obama feel it is urgent to address climate change.

52. Keystone pipeline should be rejected because it is a signal to reduce fossil fuels.

53. Since Obama signed a 2009 executive order to cut waste, the federal government has taken the lead in saving energy.

54. Lower carbon emission will be most likely to happen if research in new energy resources succeeds.

55. Compared with turning to new energy, America prefers carbon capture and store as a temporary measure.

46. The urge to promulgate carbon regulations is aimed at pushing power plants to replace coal by natural gas.

译文 推动颁布碳法规的目的在于迫使燃料从煤炭转向天然气。

定位 由关键词promulgate carbon regulations，coal，natural gas定位到原文划线句。

2015年6月英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题(2)

Genetically Modified Foods--Feed the World?

[A] If you want to spark a heated debate at a dinner party, bring up the topic about genetically modified foods. For many people, the concept of genetically altered, high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental, health, safety and ethical questions. Particularly in countries with long agrarian traditions--and vocal green lobbies--the idea seems against nature.

[B] In fact, genetically modified foods are already very much a part of our lives. A third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the U. S. last year were the product of biotechnology, according to the Department of

Agriculture. More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the U. S. this year. The genetic is out of the bottle.

[C] Yet there are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. Like any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy countries, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a rich array of foods to choose from--and a supply that far exceeds our

needs. In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed

populations; the issue is simpler and much more urgent: Do the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks?

[D] The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing. Last year the world's population reached 6 billion. And by 2050, the UN estimates, it will be

probably near 9 billion. Almost all that growth will occur in developing countries. At the same time, the world's available cultivable land per person is declining. Arable land has declined steadily since 1960 and will decrease by half over the next 50 years, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications ( ISAAA). How can biotech help?

[E] Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice that is fortified with beta-carotene(胡萝卜素)--which the body converts into vitamin A--and

additional iron, and they are working on other kinds of nutritionally improved crops. Biotech can also improve farming productivity in places where food shortages are caused by crop damage attribution to pests, drought, poor soil and crop viruses, bacteria or fungi ( 真菌 ).

[F] Damage caused by pests is incredible. The European corn borer, for example, destroys 40 million tons of the-world's corn crops annually, about 7% of the total. Incorporating pest-resistant genes into seeds can help restore the balance. In trials of pest-resistant cotton in Africa, yields have increased significantly. So far, fears that genetically modified, pest-resistant crops might kill good insects as well as bad appear unfounded.

[G] Viruses often cause massive failure in staple crops in developing countries. Two years ago, Africa lost more than half its cassava (树薯) crop--a key source of calories-to the mosaic virus (花叶病毒).Genetically modified, virus-resistant crops can reduce that damage, as can drought-tolerant seeds in regions where water

shortages limit the amount of land under cultivation. Biotech can also help solve the problem of soil that contains excess aluminum, which can damage roots and cause many staple-crop failures. A gene that helps neutralize aluminum toxicity (毒性) in rice has been identified. Many scientists believe biotech could raise overall crop productivity in developing countries as much as 25% and help prevent the loss of those crops after they are harvested.

[H]Yet for all that promise, biotech is far from being the whole answer. In

developing countries, lost crops are only one cause ofhunger. Poverty plays the largest role. Today more than 1 billion people around the globe live on less than 1 dollar a day. Making genetically modified crops available will not reduce hunger if farmers cannot afford to grow them or if the local population cannot afford to buy the food those farmers produce.

[I] Biotech has its own \"distribution\" problems. Private-sector biotech companies in the rich countries carry out much of the leading-edge research on genetically

modified crops. Their products are often too costly for poor farmers in the developing world, and many of those products won't even reach the regions where they are most needed. Biotech firms have a strong financial incentive to target rich markets first in order to help them rapidly recoup the high costs of product development. But some of these companies are responding to needs of poor countries.

[J] More and more biotech research is being carried out in developing countries. But to increase the impact of genetic research on the food production of those

countries, there is a need for better collaboration between government agencies--both local and in developed countries--and private biotech firms. The ISAAA, for example, is successfully partnering with the U. S. Agency for International Development, local researches and private biotech companies to find and deliver biotech solutions for farmers in developing countries.

Will \"Franken-foods\" feed the world?

[K]Biotech is not a panacea ( 治百病的药), but it does promise to transform agriculture in many developing countries. If that promise is not fulfilled, the real losers will be their people, who could suffer for years to come.

[L] The world seems increasingly to have been divided into those who favor genetically modified foods and those who fear them. Advocates assert that growing genetically altered crops can be kinder to the environment and that eating foods from those plants is perfectly safe. And, they say, genetic engineering--which can induce plants to grow in poor soils or to produce more nutritious foods—will soon become an essential tool for helping to feed the world's burgeoning( 迅速发展的) population. Skeptics contend that genetically modified crops could pose unique risks to the environment and to health--risks too troubling to accept placidly. Taking that view, many European countries are restricting the cultivation and importation of genetically modified agricultural products. Much of the debate are concerned about of safety. But what exactly does recent scientific research say about the hazards?

[M] Two years ago in Edinburgh, Scotland, eco-vandals stormed a field,

crushing canola plants. Last year in Maine, midnight raiders hacked down more than 3,000 experimental poplar trees. And in San Diego, protesters smashed sorghum and sprayed paint over greenhouse walls. This far-flung outrage took aim at genetically modified crops. But the protests backfired: all the destroyed plants were

conventionally bred. In each case, activists mistook ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.

[N] It's easy to understand why. In a way, genetically modified crops--now on some 109 million acres of farmland worldwide--are invisible. You can't see, taste or touch a gene inserted into a plant or sense its effects on the environment. You can't

tell, just by looking, whether pollen containing a foreign gene can poison butterflies or fertilize plants miles away. That invisibility is precisely what worries people. How, exactly, will genetically modified crops affect the environment--and when will we notice?

[O] Advocates of genetically modified or transgenic crops say the plants will benefit the environment by requiring fewer toxic pesticides than conventional crops. But critics fear the potential risks and wonder how big the benefits really are. \"We have so many questions about these plants,\" remarks Guenther Stotzky, a soft

microbiologist at New York University. \"There's a lot we don't know and need to find out. \"As genetically modified crops multiply in the landscape, unprecedented numbers of researchers have started fanning into the fields to get the missing information. Some of their recent findings are reassuring; others suggest a need for vigilance. 46. According to the UN's prediction, the population growth from now to 2050 is nearly all in developing countries.

47. Those people and countries restricting and opposed to planting and importing of genetically modified $ plants worry about their safety.

48. The boosters of genetically modified crops argue that these altered plants need fewer toxic pesticides.

49. The mosaic virus led to the loss of more than half of African main food two years ago.

50. Genetically modified crops can help to improve nutrient contents and farming productivity.

51. The most important factor that leads to hunger in developing countries is poverty, not crops lost.

52. The far-flung outrage destroys fields and plants because they misidentified ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.

53. The debate on genetically modified foods is more heated in developing countries with fast-growing and half-starved populations.

54. One third of corn planted in America was genetically modified corn last year. 55. Majority of people believe genetically modified crop causes environmental problems.

46. According to the UN's prediction, the population growth from now to 2050 is nearly all in developing countries

译文 根据联合国的预测，从现在到2050年的人口增长几乎都集中在发展中家。

定位 关键词UN，2050，in developing countries定位到原文划线句。 47. Those people and countries restricting and opposed to planting and importing of genetically modified plants worry about their safety.

译文 对转基因农作物产品的种植和进口持限制与反对态度的人们和国家所担心的足其安全问题。

定位 由关键词restricting，safety定位到原文划线句。

48. The boosters of genetically modified crops argue that these altered plants need fewer toxic pesticides.

译文 转基因作物支持者辩称转基因作物需要更少的有毒杀虫剂。 定位 由关键词fewer toxic pesticides定位到原文划线句。

49. The mosaic virus led to the loss of more than half of African main food two years ago.

译文 两年前，花叶病毒导致非洲的主要食物损失了一半以上。 定位 由关键词The mosaic virus，half，African定位到原文划线句。 50. Genetically modified crops can help to improve nutrient contents and farming productivity.

译文 转基因作物有助于改善作物的营养成分和农业生产力。

定位 由关键词Genetically modified，nutrient，farming productivity定位到原文划线句。

51. The most important factor that leads to hunger in developing countries is poverty, not crops lost.

译文 在发展中国家，导致饥饿的最重要原因是贫穷，而非作物损失。 定位 由关键词poverty，developing countries定位到原文划线句。 52. The far-flung outrage destroys fields and plants because they misidentified ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.

译文 这些暴行破坏了田地与农作物，他们把一般作物误认为是转基因作物。

定位 由关键词far-flung outrage，destroys定位到原文划线句。 53. The debate on genetically modified foods is more heated in developing countries with fast-growing and half-starved populations.

译文 在人口快速增长且吃不饱饭的发展中国家，对于转基因作物的争议更加激烈。

定位 由关键词developing countries.population定位到原文划线句。 54. One third of corn planted in America was genetically modified corn last year. 译文 秘去年，美国转基因玉米的种植面积占到了三分之一。

定位 由关键词third，planted，America，last year定位到原文划线句。 55. Majority of people believe genetically modified crop causes environmental problems.

译文 大多数人认为转基因作物会引起环境问题。

定位 由关键词people，environmental定位到原：史划线句。

2015年6月英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题(3)

[A] We apply for credit for many reasons-maybe it's to buy a new car, house, computer, or get a student loan. However, that there is a special number that can determine whether you can do these things, or at least how much it will cost you. A credit score is a number that is calculated based on your credit history to give lenders a simpler \"lend/don't lend\" answer for people who are applying for credit or loans. This number helps the lender identify the level of risk they may be taking if they lend to someone. The credit score is quicker and less subjective. It's the credit score that makes it possible to get instant credit at places like electronics stores and department stores.

[B] Although there are several scoring methods, the method most commonly

used by lenders is known as a FICO because of its origins with Fair Isaac Corporation. Fair Isaac is an independent company that came up with the scoring method and software used by banks and lenders, insurers and other businesses. Each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) worked with Fair Isaac in the early 1980's to come up with the scoring method.

[C] The three national credit bureaus each have their own version of the FICO score with their own names. Equifax has the Beacon system, TransUnion has the Empirica system, and Experian has the Experian/Falr Isaac system. Each is based on the original Fair Isaac FICO scoring method and produces equivalent numerical

results for any given credit report. Some lenders also have their own scoring methods. Other scoring methods may include information such as your income or how long you've been at the same job.

[D] Think of your credit score, like your grade in school. A teacher calculates grades by taking scores from tests, homework, attendance and anything else they want to use, weighting each one according to importance in order to come up with a final single number (or letter)score. Your credit score is calculated in a very similar manner. Instead of using the scores from pop quizzes and reports you wrote, it uses the information in your credit report.

[E] 35 percent of the score is based on your payment history. This makes sense since one of the primary reasons a lender wants to see the score is to find out if (and how timely)you pay your bills. The score is affected by how many bills have been paid late, how many were sent out for collection, any bankruptcies, etc. When these things happened also comes into play. The more recent, the worse it will be for your overall score.

[F] 30 percent of the score is based on outstanding debt. How much do you owe on car or home loans? How many credit cards do you have that are at their credit limits? The more cards you have at their limits, the lower your score will be. The rule of thumb is to keep your card balances at 25% or less of their limits.

[G] 15 percent of the score is based on the length of time you've had credit. The longer you've had established credit, the better it is for your overall credit score. Why? Because more information about your past payment history gives a more accurate prediction of your future actions.

[H] 10 percent of the score is based on the number of inquiries on your report. If you've applied for a lot of credit cards or loans, you will have a lot of inquiries on your credit report. These are bad for your score because they indicate that you may be in some kind of financial trouble or may be taking on a lot of debt (even if you haven't used the cards or gotten the loans). The more recent these inquiries are, the worse for your credit score. FICO scores only count inquiries from the past years.

[I] 10 percent of the score is based on the types of credit you currently have. The number of loans and available credit from credit cards you have makes a difference. There is no magic number or combination of types of accounts that you shouldn't have. These actually come more into play if there isn't as much other information on your credit report on which to base the score. This information is compared to the credit performance of other consumers with similar histories and profiles.

[J] Your credit score doesn't just affect whether or not you get a loan; it also affects how much that loan is going to cost you. As your credit score increases, your credit risk decreases. This means your interest rate decreases. There are other factors

that influence the interest rate you get for a loan besides your credit score. Things like the type of property you are using the loan to buy, how much of your own money is going into it, the costs the lender has to make the loan, etc.

[K] In. addition to banks and lenders, there are landlords, merchants, employers and insurance companies jumping on the credit score bandwagon (风靡的活动). Of all of these, the fact that insurance rates are being determined by credit scores is

causing consumers the most alarm. To most, it seems that your credit history and your driving record have little in common. Insurers, on the other hand, have found that using credit scores to predict how likely someone is to pay premiums has helped them cut their losses. They don't use the same score that banks and lenders use, however. They use a slightly different formula for their calculations and actually call it an

\"insurance score\".[ LJ Credit scores aren't static numbers. Because they are calculated based on your current credit report, they change every time your credit report changes. While this change may be very slight, it can also be much more dramatic. Here are some things some financial advisers say to do to try to improve your score. [M] Review your credit report and correct any errors you find. Getting rid of inaccurate information can sometimes improve your score dramatically.

[N] Advice used to be given to close old and unused credit card accounts in order to reduce your \"potential\" available credit, which could change your debt ratio after you've been approved for a loan. Now, however, the ratio of your debt to your credit limit is more critical, so closing old accounts only raises that ratio-which you don't want to do. Some people have moved debt from several credit cards to one card and then closed the old accounts. Since creditors look at the debt-to- credit limit ratio, this can have a bad affect on your credit score because you have the same amount of debt but less available credit. So don't close old credit card accounts just because you're not using them.

[O] Creditors also now look at the average age of your accounts so, again, keep those old accounts. Reduce your balances on credit cards to 75% or less of your

available credit (25% is preferable). Pay your bills on time. (This is probably the most important of all!)Don't let anyone make an inquiry on your credit report unless you absolutely have to. The more inquiries, the lower your score. Don't open new credit card accounts just to increase your available credit in the hopes of raising your score. Also, remember that some improvements-such as better efforts at making payments on time-may take time to impact your score. So, time is also a factor. 46. The credit score based on one's payment history accounts for 35 percent. 47. FICO is the most frequently used credit scoring method. 48. The credit score is calculated based on one's credit reports.

49. Too many times of application for loans suggest that one may have some financial trouble.

50. Credit score not only determines whether one can get a loan, but also affects how much one pays interest rate.

51. To improve credit score, one should lay great effort not to delay the payment of bills.

52. The basic role of a credit score is to determine whether applicants can get credit or loans.

53. Credit score is a dynamic number that. varies with the change of one's current credit report.

54. If you have more outstanding debt, you will get lower credit score. 55. Closing old credit card accounts raises the debt-to-credit limit ratio, because the amount of available credit is reducing.

46.The credit score based on one’s payment history accounts for 35 percent. 译文：依据个人支付记录确定的信用分数占到35%。

定位：由关键词payment history，35 percent定位到原文划线句。 47.FICO is the most frequently used credit scoring method. 译文：FIC0是最常用的信用分数计算方法。

定位：由关键词FIC0， scoring method定位到原文划线句。 48.The credit score is cumulated based on one’s credit reports. 译文：信用分数是依据个人信用报告来计算的。

定位：由关键词calculated， credit reports定位到原文划线句。 49.Too many times of application for loans suggest that one may have some financial trouble.

译文：多次申请贷款表明一个人可能遇到了财务问题。

定位：由关键词application f0r loans.financial trouble定位到原文划线句。

50.Credit SCOre not only determines whether one can get a loan，but also affects how much one pays interest rate.

译文：信用分数不仅能决定你能否 获得贷款，而且能决定你支付多少贷款 利息。

定位：由关键词get a loan，interest rate定位到原文划线句。

are using the loan to buy, how much of your own money is going into it, the costs the lender has to make the loan, etc.

51.To improve credit score，one should lay great effort not to delay the payment of bills.

译文：为了提高信用分数，人们应该尽最大努力及时支付账单。 定位：由关键词not to delay定位到原文划线句。

52.The basic role of a credit score is to determine whether applicants can get credit or loans.

译文：信用分数的基本作用是决定申请人能否获得信贷。 定位：由关键词credit score定位到原文划线句。

53.Credit score is a dynamic number that varies with the change of one’s current credit report.

译文：信用分数是一个动态数字，随着信用报告的变化而变化。 定位：由关键词dynamic number，varies定位到原文划线句。 54.If you have more outstanding debt.you will get lower credit score. 译文：拥有的未清偿债务越多，你的信用分数就越低。 定位：由关键词outstanding debt定位到原文划线句。 55.N

2015年6月英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题(4)

Does the Internet Make You Dumber?

[A] The Roman philosopher Seneca may have put it best 2,000 years ago: \"To be everywhere is to be nowhere.\" Today, the Internet grants us easy access to

unprecedented amounts of information. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the Net, with its constant distractions and interruptions, is also turning us into disrupted and superficial thinkers.

[B] The picture emerging from the research is deeply troubling, at least to

anyone who values the depth, rather than just the velocity (速度), of human thought. People who read text studded with links, the studies show, comprehend less than those who read traditional linear text. People who watch busy multimedia

presentations remember less than those who take in information in a more sedate (镇定的) and focused manner. People who are continually distracted by e-mails, alerts and other messages understand less than those who are able to concentrate. And people who juggle (尽力同时应付)many tasks are less creative and less productive than those who do one thing at a time.

[C] The common thread in these disabilities is dispersing our attention. The richness of our thoughts, our memories and even our personalities hinges on our

ability to focus the mind and sustain concentration. Only when we pay deep attention to a new piece of information are we able to associate it \"meaningfully and

systematically with knowledge already well established in memory,\" writes the Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist (神经科学家) Eric Kandel. Such associations are essential to mastering complex concepts.

[D] When we're constantly distracted and interrupted, as we tend to be online, our brains are unable to generalize the strong and expansive neural connections that give depth and distinctiveness to our contemplating. We become mere

signal-processing units, quickly shepherding disjointed bits of information into and then out of short-term memory.

[E] In an article published in Science last year, Patricia Greenfield, a leading developmental psychologist, reviewed dozens of studies on how different media technologies influence our cognitive abilities. Some of the studies indicated that

certain computer tasks, like playing video games, can enhance\" visual literacy skills\increasing the speed at which people can shift their focus among icons and other

images on screens. Other studies, however, found that such rapid shifts in focus, even if performed adeptly, result in less rigorous and \"more automatic\" thinking.

[F] In one experiment conducted at Cornell University, for example, half a class of students was allowed to use Internet-connected laptops during a lecture, while the other had to keep their computers shut. Those who browsed the Web performed much worse on a subsequent test of how well they retained the lecture's content. While it's hardly surprising that Web surfing would distract students, it should be a note of caution to schools that are wiring their classrooms in hopes of improving learning. [G] Ms. Greenfield concluded that \"every medium develops some cognitive

skills at the expense of others. \" Our growing use of screen-based media, she said, has

strengthened visual-spatial intelligence, which can improve the ability to do jobs that involve keeping track of lots of simultaneous signals, like air traffic control. But that has been accompanied by \"new weaknesses in higher-order cognitive processes,\" including \"abstract vocabulary, mindfulness, reflection, inductive problem solving, critical thinking, and imagination.\" We're becoming, in a word, shallower.

[H] In another experiment, recently conducted at Stanford University's

Communication between Humans and Interactive Media Lab, a team of researchers gave various cognitive tests to 49 people who do a lot of media multitasking and 52 people who multitask much less frequently. The heavy multitaskers performed poorly on all the tests. They were more easily distracted, had less control over their attention, and were much less able to distinguish important information from trivial. [I] The researchers were surprised by the results. They had expected that the intensive multitaskers would have gained some unique mental advantages from all their on-screen juggling. But that wasn't the case. In fact, the heavy multitaskers weren't even good at multitasking. They were considerably less adept at switching between tasks than the more infrequent multitaskers. \"Everything distracts them,\" observed Clifford Nass, the professor who heads the Stanford lab.

[J] It would be one thing if the ill effects went away as soon as we turned off our computers and cell phones. But they don't. The cellular structure of the human brain, scientists have discovered, adapts readily to the tools we use, including those for finding, storing and sharing information. By changing our habits of mind, each new technology strengthens certain neural pathways and weakens others. The cellular alterations continue to shape the way we think even when we're not using the technology.

[K] The pioneering neuroscientist Michael Merzenich believes our brains are being \"massively remodeled\" by our ever-intensifying use of the Web and related media. In the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Merzenich, now a professor emeritus at the

University of California in San Francisco, conducted a famous series of experiments on primate brains that revealed how extensively and quickly neural circuits change in response to experience. When, for example, Mr. Merzenich rearranged the nerves in a monkey's hand, the nerve cells in the animal's sensory cortex quickly reorganized themselves to create a new\" mental map\" of the hand. In a conversation late last year, he said that he was profoundly worried about the cognitive consequences of the constant distractions and interruptions the Internet bombards us with. The long-term effect on the quality of our intellectual lives, he said, could be \"deadly\".

[L] What we seem to be sacrificing in all our surfing and searching is our capacity to engage in the quieter, attentive modes of thought that underpin

contemplation, reflection and introspection. The Web never encourages us to slow down. It keeps us in a state of perpetual mental locomotion. It is revealing, and distressing, to compare the cognitive effects of the Internet with those of an earlier

information technology, the printed book. Whereas the Internet scatters our attention, the book focuses it. Unlike the screen, the page promotes contemplativeness. [M] Reading a long sequence of pages helps us develop a rare kind of mental discipline. The innate bias of the human brain, after all, is to be distracted. Our

predisposition is to be aware of as much of what's going on around us as possible. Our fast-paced, reflexive shifts in focus were once crucial to our survival. They reduced the odds that a predator would take us by surprise or that we'd overlook a nearby source of food.

[N] To read a book is to practice an unnatural process of thought. It requires us to place ourselves at what T. S. Eliot, in his poem \"Four Quartets\point of the turning world\". We have to forge or strengthen the neural links needed to counter our instinctive distractedness, there by gaining greater control over our attention and our mind.

[O] It is this control, this mental discipline, which we are at risk of losing as we spend ever more time scanning and skimming online. If the slow progression of words across printed pages damped our craving to be inundated by mental stimulation, the Internet indulges it. It returns us to our native state of distractedness, while presenting us with far more distractions than our ancestors ever had to contend with. -Nicholas Carr is the author, most recently, of \"The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains\".

46. Rapid shifts in focus on screens during computer tasks can cause more automatic but less intensive thoughts.

47. People get less understanding from the texts filled with Internet links than normal reading.

48. According to Ms. Greenfield, growing use of screen-based media has improved our visual-spatial intelligence.

49. The richness of our memories relies on our ability to focus on something. 50. Unprecedented amounts of information can make our thoughts scattered. 51. When we turn off our computers and cellphones, the ill effects will not disappear.

52. When we are online, our brains cannot form distinctive and profound thinking.

53. Whereas the Internet distracts our attention, the book concentrates on it.

54. The experiment conducted at Cornell University indicates web surfing to school would distract students' thoughts.

55. According to the experiment at Stanford University, the multitaskers' attention was easily scattered.

46. 译文：电脑屏幕上注意力焦点的迅速转移使人们的思维变得更加机械，而不那么严谨了。

定位：由关键词Rapid shifts， automatic定位到原文划线句。 47.译文：人们阅读网络链接的文本所获得的信息量不如传统文本多。 定位：由 关 键 词 understandin9。Internet links 定位到原文划线句。 48. 译文：格林菲尔德女士认为，我们使用屏幕媒体越来越多，这增强了我们的视觉空间智能。

定位：由关键词Ms.Greenfield， screen-based media，visual intelligence定位到原文划线句。

49. 译文：我们记忆的丰富性取决于专注的能力。 定位：由关键词richness， memories定位到原文划线句。 50.译文：所未有的大量信息让我们 的思想变得支离破碎。

定位：由关键词Unprecedented amountl of information定位到原文划 线句。 51.译文：当我们关掉电脑和手机时，这些负面影响不会随之消失。 定位：由关键词m effects，disappear定位到原文划线句。

52.译文：上网时，我们的大脑就不可能 形成独特而富有深度的思考。 定位：由关键词distinctive and profound thinking”定位到原文划线句。 53. 译文：互联网分散了我们的注意力，书籍却可以使我们集中精力。 定位：由关键词attention， book，concentrates定位到原文划线句。 54.T译文：在康奈尔大学进行的一项 实验表明网络课堂会让学生分心。 定位：由关键词 Come University定位到原文划线句。

55. 译文：在斯坦福大学的测试中，经常同时使用多个媒体的人更容易分心。

定位:由关键词Stanford University定位到原文划线句。