Goldfish have pretty boring lives, so maybe it’s a good thing they can only concentrate for nine seconds! But according to new research, humans are becoming like goldfish. Our attention span (时长) is getting shorter ...and it’s all because of technology.
“We move quickly from one site to another on the web,”says Doctor Ted Selker, a computer scientist from Massachusetts,“and we are losing the ability to concentrate.”With millions of websites to choose from, the attention span of the average internet user is just seconds. There are other digital distractions（分心）too: email, instant messaging and quickie movies on websites. Some people are worried about the effect on young people. “You need time to understand and think about what you read,”says Julia Wood, from London.“Young people search the net all the time and their brains become full of useless information but there is no time to make sense of it. I am trying to persuade my pupils to read more books, so that they concentrate on one subject for longer.”
Other teachers are trying more unusual methods to improve students’ concentration.Anne Savan, from Wales, was so worried about her students that she started playing Mozart during her science lessons. She says that it had an amazing effect:“The music made them calmer, and their concentration was much better.”
But not everyone believes that there is a problem. Ray Cole, an educational psychologist says: “On the web, young people learn to make quick decisions about what is and isn’t worth reading.
They might look at five unhelpful websites very quickly, before stopping and reading a sixth useful website more carefully. In a world with so much information available, this is an important skill.”
24. Why does the writer mention“goldfish”?
A. To analyze data. B. To introduce a topic.
C. To settle problems. D. To suggest a way out.
25. What may cause a shorter attention span according to Dr. Ted Selker?
A. Skipping around the internet. B. Time to digest information.
C. Traditional methods of reading. D. Making decisions.
26. What will help students overcome a short attention span?
A. Receiving emails. B. Texting messages.
C. Reading more books. D. Watching quickie movies.
27. What is Ray Cole’s attitude towards looking through websites quickly?
A. Cautious. B. Unfavorable. C. Skeptical. D. Supportive.