Is the Internet killing our brains?网络是否危害大脑？

雷云萍

主题语境：科技与信息 篇幅：318词 建议用时：6分钟

1 Throughout history， people have always worried about new technologies. Some evenargue that the Internet might kill our brains. The fear that the human brain cannot dealwith the large amount of information brought by technological development was first voicedin response to the printing press， back in the sixteenth century. You have the exact sameconcerns today， regularly voiced in the mainstream media， and usually focused on children.

2 But are these arguments reasonable？ There are several things to bear in mind whenconsidering how our brains deal with the Internet.

3 First， dont forget that“the Internet”is a very vague （模糊的） term， given that it containsso many things across so many formats. You could， for instance， develop a gambling（赌博） addiction via online casinos or poker sites. This is an example of someones brainbeing negatively affected via the Internet， but it would be difficult to argue that the Internetis the main guilty party， any more than a gambling addiction obtained via a real worldcasino can be blamed on“buildings”; its just the context in which the problem occurs.However， the Internet does give us far more direct， constant and wide ranging access toinformation than pretty much anything else in human history. So how could， or does， thisaffect us and our brains？

4 Its important to remember that the human brain is always dealing with a constantstream of rich information every day. But what should be noticed is that the brain doesntactually process every single thing our senses present to it; for all its power and complexity，it just doesnt have the capacity for that. So it chooses what to absorb and estimates whatsimportant based on experiences， calculation and a sort of“best guess”system. The pointis， the brain is already well adapted to prevent damaging information overload， so itsunlikely that the Internet would be able to cause such a thing.

Reading Check

1. What worries people when it comes to new technologies？

A. Constant waste of time. B. Potential addiction.

C. Pressure on the printing press. D. Information overload.

2. Why is gambling addiction mentioned in paragraph 3？

A. To support an argument. B. To define a concept.

C. To present a new opinion. D. To provide background information.

3. Which of the following best describes the human brain in processing information？

A. Fixed. B. Creative.

C. Selective. D. Sensitive.

4. What does the author intend to imply in this text？

A. The Internet isnt the main guilty party for brain damage.

B. Humans are overloaded with too much information today.

C. Damaging information is everywhere in modern society.

D. Modern technologies have brought so many negative effects.

Language Study

Useful expressions

voice 表達；吐露（感情或意见）

obtain（尤指通过艰难的过程）得到；获得

access 入口；通道；（使用或见到的）机会

given that 考虑到

complexity 复杂性；错综复杂

in response to 响应；回答

focus on 关注

mainstream media 主流媒体

bear in mind 记住；考虑

a sort of 一种

damaging information 有害的信息