Many countries have made it illegal to talk into a hand-held mobile phone while driving. But the latest research provides further confirmation that the danger lies less in what a motorist’s hands do when he takes a call than in what the conversation does to his brain. Even using a "hands-free" device can impair a driver’s attention to an alarming extent.Melina Kunar of the University of Warwick and Todd Horowitz of the Harvard Medical School ran a series of experiments in which two groups of volunteers had to pay attention and respond to a series of moving tasks on a computer screen that were reckoned equivalent in difficulty to driving. One group was left undistracted while the other had to engage in a conversation about their hobbies using a speakerphone. As Dr. Kunar and Dr. Horowitz report in Psycbonomic Bulletin & Review, those who were making the equivalent of a hands-free call had an average reaction time 212 milliseconds slower than those who were not. That, they calculate, would add 5.7 meters to the braking distance of a car traveling at 100 kph. They found that the group using the hands-free kit made 83 percent more errors in their tasks than those who were not talking.They also explored the effect of simply listening to something—such as a radio programme. For this they played a recording of the first chapter of Bram Stoker’s "Dracula." Even though the test subjects were told to pay attention because they would be asked questions about the story afterwards, it had little effect on their reaction time. The research led by Frank Drews of the University of Utah suggests the same thing is true of the idle chatter of a passenger. Dr. Kunar reckons that having to think about responses during a phone conversation competes for the brain’s resources in a way that listening to a monologue does not.Punishing people for using hand-held gadgets while driving is difficult enough, even though they can be seen from outside the car. Stopping people making hands-free calls would probably be impossible—especially because more and more vehicles are now being fitted with the necessary equipment as standard. Persuading people to switch their phones off altogether when they get behind the wheel might be the only answer. Who knows, they might even come to enjoy not having to take calls. And they’ll be more likely to arrive in one piece. The law forbidding the use of hand-held phones when driving()
A. is necessary and feasible
B. has been frequently broken
C. will arouse heated debate
D. has been widely observed
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According to psychology professor Carol Dweck of Stanford University, "Praising children for being smart can backfire." If this doesn’t get the attention of Millennium parents, I’m not sure what will.It is my observation that so many parents today believe that if their child appears to be the least bit "advanced" for his age, he’s destined to be the next Albert Einstein, Tiger Woods, or Bill Gates. It’s human nature for room and dad to show much admiration for their child and dish out praise for accomplishments achieved. The problem is, according to this study, parents may not be doing the best thing by praising their child for his intelligence.Dweck’s research involved junior high students in New York and concluded that "classroom performance improved when her study subjects believed the brain is like a muscle that can grow." Students who "focused on the learning process (effort, concentration or strategies used) asked for feedback and did better in all subjects." Feedback such as, "You did well because you worked so hard" or "You used so many descriptive words to make this story interesting" can encourage children to try new things, as they are being rewarded for their effort. When the "time and effort" strategy is being positively reinforced, the child will probably use the same strategy next time they are learning something. Over time new strategies can be introduced, so the child’s repertoire of strategies is broadened.Dweck goes on to say that "they (students who improved) performed better because their success was being measured by effort, not by test scores or grades." Parents should praise effort, not just results. Children who received praise about their innate abilities (talents or strengths) had less chance of trying new things and became anxious and under-performed as things became more difficult. That is one of the greatest dangers to continually praising children for whatever they do in order to falsely raise a child’s self-esteem.What are mom and dad to do Offer genuine praise and encouragement for efforts and successes, but balance this with setting appropriate expectations and following up with consequences when the child falls short due to laziness. Don’t make excuses. Your child will better face the challenges life has to offer in the future when you as a parent recognize the efforts he is making today. Which of the following can be a proper title for this passage()
A. Never Praise Your Child for Any of His Achievements
B. Praise Your Child, But Not for Being Smart
C. How to Reward a Child for His Effort
D. Praise—A Must for the Child’s Future
在21世纪,全球化和数字化已经把世界变成地球村。文化的发展将不再是各自封闭的,而是在相互影响中共存。一个民族对人类文化贡献的大小,越来越取决于她吸收外来文化的能力和自我更新的能力。中国将继续致力于改革开放,用和谐的方式实现经济繁荣和社会进步。
商业银行应当建立个人理财顾问服务的跟踪评估制度,不定期对客户评估报告或投资顾问建议进行重新评估。 ( )
A. 对
B. 错
As a new matchmaker, Internet dating sites promise two cutting edges: a vastly greater choice of potential partners and scientifically proven way of matching suitable people together.The greater choice is unarguable. But does it lead to better outcomes And do the "scientifically tested methods" actually work These are the questions asked by a team of psychologists led by Eli Finkel.The researchers’ first observation is how any of the much-boasted partner- matching methods actually works. Many firms preserve their intellectual property as trade secrets, and there is no reason why Internet dating sites should not be among them. But this renders claims of effectiveness impossible to test objectively. There is thus no independent scientific evidence that any of these methods does enhance the chance of their hitting it off when they meet.It is possible to test the value of a claim that they match people with compatible personality traits. However, Dr. Dyrenforth asked more than 20,000 people about their relationships and assessed their personalities. Members of couples with similar personalities were indeed happier than those without. But the difference was just 0.5%.Surely, the chances of finding that magic other are increased by the second thing Internet dating brings: a multitude of choice. But here, too, things are not as simple as they might seem.An assumption behind all consumer decisions is that what people think they want is what they actually need. And the data suggest people are not good at knowing what they want. One of Dr. Finkel’s own studies showed that when they are engaged in speed dating, people’s stated preferences at the beginning of the process do not well match the characters of the individuals they actually like. When faced with abundant choices, people pay less attention to characteristics that require thinking and conversation to evaluate and more to physical matters. Choice, in other words, dulls the critical faculties.Finkel’s conclusion is that love is as hard to find on the Internet as elsewhere. You may be just as likely to luck out in the local caf~, or by acting on the impulse to stop and talk to that stranger on the street whose glance you caught, as you are by clicking away with a mouse and hoping that, one day, Cupid’s arrow will strike. The researchers’ attitude towards these Internet dating sites is()
A. suspicion
B. confidence
C. objection
D. recommendation