unit-2-always-on

1、Always On By Seth Stevenson 1.I first realized I might have a problem while hiking in the Himalayas. There I was 11,000 feet above sea level, strolling narrow dirt lanes among wild cows and beatific Buddhist monks in saffron robes when I spotted a sign on a small storefront: “Internet access inside.

2、”2.Soon, I was reading stupid jokes forwarded via email by buddies back home. Then I felt a pang: Whats wrong with me? Im in maybe the most beautiful place on earth, yet Im huddled in a musty room, staring at a computer monitor. Did I really trek all this way to do what I already spend too much time

3、 doing back home? Most nights, my girlfriend and I sit on the sofa, watching television on one of hundreds of digital cable channels. We each have a notebook computer linked to the Internet through a wireless network in our laps. To top it off, our cell phones sit within easy reach. At any given mom

4、ent, we can watch TV, check our email, surf various websites and chat with a friend. (When we get off the sofa, theres a good chance were plugged into our iPod).Buddhist monks in saffron robes佛教僧侶穿著橘黃色的僧袍 3.Call me one of the constantly connected a 21st-century man immersed in a lifestyle that lets

5、me access the Web anywhere, anytime. Living this way is a blessing and a curse. It offers a level of convenience unimaginable a decade ago. But it also encourages some of us to indulge our weaker impulses. The impulse, for example, to seek distraction over peace and quiet.An Addictive Device4.A rece

6、nt America Online survey found that 60 percent of email users check theirs on vacation. Forty percent have clicked on their in-boxes in the middle of the night; 23 percent have actually checked email in bed, in their pjs. And four percent have checked email in the bathroom! When logging on begins to

7、 compete with basic bodily functions, Id say were losing perspective.pjsthe abbreviated form of “pyjamas”睡衣褲,睡衣,褲裝睡衣5.Some face greater temptations than others. Take my girlfriend. Shes an attorney, and her firm has given her a device called a BlackBerry. This so-called personal digital assistant al

8、lows her, using the tiny keyboard, to send and receive email, and do research on the Web, all from the palm of her hand. Because the BlackBerry is wireless and works wherever it picks up a signal, the office is pretty much anywhere: a train, an airport, even the beach. One of my girlfriends co-worke

9、rs brought her BlackBerry on “vacation” to Costa Rica. And those sending the emails usually want answers now because they know you have a BlackBerry. At a friends wedding? Cut short the toast. Enjoying a ball game? Put down that hot dog.BlackBerry黑莓,黑莓手機(jī),黑莓6.Would it shock you to learn that the Blac

10、kBerry is so addictive its earned the nickname “CrackBerry”? Mark Guilbert, vice president of corporate marketing for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, says it is especially suited to “a Type A person who wants to be in the loop as fast as possible. Its very satisfying to be able to answer your e

11、mails while waiting for an elevator or standing in line for a taxi.” But staying in the loop can take a physical toll: Doctors are seeing some increase in tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome among users. The condition even has a name: BlackBerry Thumb.7.Sprained digits aside, heres my worry: Once

12、we all have such devices (if you think it wont happen, just recall how scarce cell phones were in 1994), will we be able to kick the habit?tendinitis肌腱炎,腱炎,腱炎 carpal tunnel syndrome腕骨綜合征 Capturing Eyeballs8.On top of eating up our time and attention, all this connectivity is changing the language we

13、 use. Take the popular “instant messaging” feature first popularized by AOL that lets you type a note to a friend and have it appear instantly on the friends computer screen. The fast-paced nature of IMing (Instant Messaging) helped spread an online shorthand, which AOL has compiled in a 77-term “di

14、ctionary”: LOL (“l(fā)aughing out loud”); IMO (“in my opinion”); YT? (“You there?”). Dont forget AFAIK (“as far as I know”), and DQMOT (“Dont quote me on this”). Chamath Palihapitiya, AOLs vice president for instant messaging, says he often has five distinct IM conversations going at once while at work.

15、 Im sure this greatly enhances his productivity, but come on: Five simultaneous dialogues, each one made up mostly of acronyms? Is this really “conversation”？9.With cell phones already featuring Web browsers, email and streaming video, being connected at all times is already appealing in a diabolica

16、l way. So whats next? Wireless networks will grow stronger and reach farther. And new devices will make it even more fun to connect from remote locations. A company called Microvision is developing portable displays that will change how we view information when were away from our desks (if we have d

17、esks). Company CEO Rick Rutkowski describes a future in which a pair of Microvision glasses projects high-definition images directly onto your retinas. (Painful as it sounds, Microvision says there are no adverse health effects.) Instead of surfing the Web on a two-inch cell-phone screen, put on Mic

18、rovision specs and download movies onto your eyeballs on the equivalent of a 100-inch big screen.10.Is that really what we want each of us lost in an artificially created and personally tailored world and totally oblivious to the real world beyond those high-tech lenses?11.When that happens, I wonde

19、r if we may want to do more than just ratchet things back, and instead cut the cords of constant connectivity entirely. I also wonder if it wont be too late by then. I wonder, but I dont have the answer. And, anyway, Im busy I really need to go check my email.1. When the author hiked in the Himalaya

20、s 11,000 feet above sea level, what did he find?A. A pavilion. B. A hotel.C. A sign for Internet access. D. A computer.Answer the following multiple-choice questions: C 2. Life in the 21st century, where the Web can be accessed almost anytime and anywhere, could be described by the following terms E

21、XCEPT _?A. peaceless B. convenient C. distracted D. quiet D 3. The BlackBerry allows the authors girlfriend to do all the following EXCEPT _.A. sending and receiving emailsB. doing research on the WebC. making her office everywhere, in a train, at an airport, even on the beachD. enjoying the vacatio

22、n D 4. Which of the following Instant Messaging examples is NOT mentioned in the text?A. Laughing out loud. B. Dont quote me on this.C. As soon as possible. D. As far as I know. C 5. According to Rick Rutkowski, the Microvision CEO, in the future, a pair of Microvision glasses could project high-def

23、inition images directly onto _.A. ones retinas B. the glasses themselvesC. a screen D. a wall A 1. Why did the author feel a pang in the Himalayas? Questions for Discussion As a tourist the author was supposed to enjoy the exotic scenes in the Himalayas, but unfortunately, he found himself checking

24、his emails in an Internet bar. The author had a sudden strong feeling of sadness when he realized that he could not escape the intrusion of technology even in the Himalayas. (Paragraph 2)2. How does the author view the lifestyle practiced by a 21st-century man? The author thinks that the typical lif

25、estyle practiced by a 21st-century man is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it offers us a convenience which was unimaginable a decade ago; on the other hand, it also encourages some of us to indulge our weaker impulses. (Paragraph 3)3. Why is BlackBerry an addictive device? According to the author, BlackBerry is so convenient a device that you may find it impossible to resist the temptation to bring it with you wherever you go. Fo