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In 1492, a German abbot named Trithemius wrote a spirited defence of scribes who tried to impress God's word most firmly on their minds by copying out texts by hand. To circulate his own books, though, Trithemius used the revolutionary technology of the day, the printing press. Nicholas Carr, an American commentator on the digital revolution, faces a similar dichotomy. A blogger and expert in digital technology, he is worried enough about the Internet to raise the alarm about its dangers to human thought and creativity.
Worry of this kind is not new: a decade ago, the first evidence suggested that PowerPoint changed not just how executives presented information, but also how they thought. Mr Carr’s new book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, is an expanded survey of the science and history of human cognition. His contribution is to offer the most readable overview of the science to date. It is clearly not intended as a story of misfortunes. Yet halfway through, he can’t quite help but blurt out that the impact of this browsing on our brains is “even more disturbing” than he thought.
Humans like to believe they control the tools they use, even if some philosophers like Socrates are among those who have argued that often they do not. From the alphabet to clocks and printing, every major new technology has profoundly altered the way in which humans think. The digital gadgets on which we now depend, Mr Carr explains, have already begun rewiring our brains.
Neurological research has destroyed the myth of the static brain. Neural networks can be rapidly reorganised in response to new experiences such as going on the web. Mr Carr surveys current knowledge about the effects on thinking of “hypermedia”—in particular clicking, skipping, skimming—and especially on working and deep memory. He draws some chilling inferences. There is evidence, he says, that digital technology is already damaging the long-term memory consolidation that is the basis for true intelligence.
Only by combining data stored deep within our brains can we forge new ideas. No amount of random collection can compensate for this slow, synthetic creativity. Hyperlinks and overstimulation mean the brain must give most of its attention to short-term decisions. Little makes it through the fragile transfer into deeper processing. Clearly, argues Mr Carr, this is a radical overturn of the “literate mind” that has been the distinctive feature of civilisation for more than 1,000 years. From a society that valued the creation of a unique storehouse of ideas in each individual, man is moving to a socially constructed mind that values speed and group approval over originality and creativity.
1
Trithemius’s story is mentioned in the opening paragraph to _____
A.illustrate his role in popularizing the printing technology
B.stress the tremendous development of technology in history
C.introduce the topic of the internet’s impact on human brains
D.show his support for the hand-copying act of the scribes
本题答案:
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • 参考答案:C
  • 系统解析:
    篇章结构题。根据题干关键词Trithemius和the opening paragraph,我们可从第一段中寻找解题线索。第一段第一、二句提到发生于15世纪的特里特米乌斯事例:他一方面支持用手抄写经文(wrote a spirited defence of scribes who... copying out texts by hand),另一方面却又使用印刷机印刷,自己的书籍(To circulate his own books, though, Trithemius used... the printing press)。第三、四句则提到生活于现代的卡尔虽身为博客写手和数字技术专家,却为网络对人脑的危害深感忧虑(A blogger and expert in digital technology, he is worried enough about the Internet... about its dangers to human thought and creativity)。可见,Carr与Thritheming在面对新事物时都存在着一种矛盾心理,而Carr的事例则进一步说明了其运用互联网时自相矛盾的态度,而由下文可知,文章讨论的中心问题是互联网对人脑的影响。由此可见文章开篇提及Trithemius意在引出主题,即互联网这一新事物对人脑的影响,因此,选项C为答案。
2
The word “dichotomy” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to _____
A.dilemma
B.challenge
C.objection
D.dispute
本题答案:
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • 参考答案:A
  • 系统解析:
    语义理解题。“dichotomy”一词所在句为Nicholas Carr... feces a similar dichotomy,意思为“尼古拉斯.卡尔面临着相似的_____该句的后文指出身为博客写手和数字技术专家的卡尔却对互联网忧心忡忡,dichotomy所在句的前文介绍了支待手抄经文的Trithemius却使用印刷机印刷自己的书籍,很明显,二者的行为都有矛盾之处(similar dichotomy)。观察四个选项,只有dilemma能表现这种自相矛盾的尴尬处境。dilemma意为“两难境地”,如:He wants to make money, but he also disapproves of it: Den’s in a dilemma.(他想赚钱,但又瞧不起钱——这就是德恩的两难之处。)故选项A为答案。
3
To which of the following would Mr Carr most probably agree?
A.Every new technology emerges with both advantages and disadvantages.
B.Humans are unable to get the technologies they use under full control.
C.Copying by hand is the most effective way to memorize God’s word.
D.Internet invasion of privacy has become a regular occurrence nowadays.
本题答案:
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • 参考答案:B
  • 系统解析:
    观点态度题。本题考查卡尔的观点,故需要结合原文内容对四个选项进行一一判断。第—段末句提到,卡尔对互联网危害人的思维与创造力深表担忧(he is worried enough... about its dangers to human thought and creativity)。接着第三段首句又指出人们总相信自己能控制所用的工具(Humans like to believe they control the tools they use),但每一项重大技术都改变 了人类的思维方式(every major new technology has profoundly altered the way in which humans think),最后一句则再次引述了卡尔的观点:互联网已经开始重构我们的大脑了(The digital gadgets... have already begun rewiring our brains)。故由此推知,如互联网一样的新技术并没有完全在人类控制之中,相反,它还影响着人类,选项B的论述符合卡尔的观点。
4
According to the text, the impact of the Internet could be that _____
A.it speeds up human thought and creativity
B.it offers an access to a large amount of information
C.it makes our online habits a serious addiction
D.it is changing the structure of our brains
本题答案:
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • 参考答案:D
  • 系统解析:
    具体信息题。题干关键词为the impact of die Internet,由于全文都在论述互联网的影响,因此需要通览全文,才能确定答案。文章开篇通过类比,引出互联网对人脑的影响这一主题,然后在第二段对卡尔著作进行总体评述,其余几段则是卡尔著作中关于互联网对人脑影响的具体内容。第三段第三句指出,卡尔认为,我们所依赖的互联网已经开始重构我们的大脑了(The digital gadgets on which we now depend..., have already begun rewiring our brains),选项D中changing the structure of our brains正是文中rewiring our brains的同义转述,同时第四段中第一、二句也指出脑神经学的研究表明,经历了上网等新的体验,大脑的神经网络可以被快速地改变(Neural net works can be rapidly reorganised),故选项D为答案。
5
The creation of new ideas is a process characterized by _____
A.short-term decisions with most concentration
B.long-term deep integration of information
C.a large collection of data from different sources
D.inevitable accompaniment of new technology
本题答案:
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • 参考答案:B
  • 系统解析:
    具体信息题。根据题干关键词creation of new ideas可定位至文章第五段。该段首句出现了new ideas这一关键词:Only by combining data stored deep within our brains can we forge new ideas(只有将储存于大脑深处的信息进行融合,人类才能形成新的思想),这说明新思想的产生是基于对信息的深层加工。接着,第二句指出新思想的产生是—个缓慢的、综合的创造过程(stow, synthetic creativity),说明需要较长的时间对信息进行加工射造,新思想才得以产生。综上所述,选项B符合文意,为答案。
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