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Long before iPhone, the cigarette was the companion of
choice for restlessness. And long before Facebook and WeChat, it was tobacco that promised to better
your social life. Now, quitting smartphones has become the
new quitting smoking.
Of course, technology does not yellow your teeth, cause disease or lead to cancer. But some individuals are so concerned
that device addiction is damaging their mental health. In order to reduce their dependence, even in Silicon Valley, people are turning off the messages
that constantly buzz for their attention, banning smartphones from the bedroom
and,
curiously,
changing the colors on their screens to a less tempting scale of gray.
The big tech companies will have to work out how to respond
to this new generation of quitters. Facebook is the first to go public
with its attempt, hoping its recent move can make the social network more
homely.
Last year the tech industry got a bad name —Big Tech—with unfortunate echoes of other industries that have faced fierce opposition, including Big Tobacco. Like them, the tech industry has to reduce concern from a new generation of activist shareholders (股东) that are questioning its role in the world. These campaigns are never as fierce as those faced by Big Tobacco. In the 1990s, socially responsible investors refused to put money in tobacco stocks.
It is far difficult for investors to challenge Big Tech and
hard to separate the good these companies do in the world-connecting old
friends and giving space for people to share their ideas-from the bad. In the meantime, stopping using technology remains
problematic.
In The World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech, Franklin Foer argues that tech should
be seen in a similar way to junk food: a convenience that some reject for
more continuing nutrition.
So we need to do more to turn the tide. In the same way that public service
announcements made smoking around your children taboo (禁忌), we
can warn parents against losing themselves in their smartphones while taking
care of kids.
We can also create no-smartphone zones at dinner. Eventually smartphones could be banned
from all public places and help us give our attention to the people around us
instead.
(1)
How did people keep close relationships with others in the past?
A . By smoking.
B . By drinking.
C . By phoning.
D . By dining out.
(2)
Why is the tech industry called Big Tech?
A . It has an unfortunate name.
B . It is as big as Big Tobacco.
C . It plays a bad role in the world.
D . It is a giant in Silicon Valley.
(3)
What can we infer from Franklin Foer's argument about the tech?
A . It promotes social development.
B . It is still favored by some people.
C . It is worse than Big Tobacco.
D . It offers continuing nutrition.
(4)
Which can be the best title for the passage?
A . Creating a No Smartphone Life
B . Smartphones Enrich Our Social Life
C . Smoking Does Greater Harm Than Smartphones Do
D . Quitting Smartphones Is the New Quitting Smoking
答案: A
C
B
D