Phantom vibrations-the phenomenon where you think your phone is vibrating but it's not-have been around since the mobile age. Today, they’re so common that researchers have devoted studies to them．
For Valerie Kusler, who works on a cattle farm, the feeling is complicated by the cows“The cows’moo is very muffled, it kinda sounds like…errrr,”she says.“So that's very similar to what my phone sounds like when it vibrates on my desk or in my purse.”
Other people may not confuse cows for their phones, but research shows phantom vibration symptom is a near-universal experience for people with smartphones.
Nearly 90 percent of college undergraduates in a 2012 study said they felt phantom vibrations. The number was just as high for a survey of hospital workers, who reported feeling phantom vibrations on either a weekly or monthly basis．
“Something in your brain is being triggered（触发）that's different than what was triggered just a few short years ago,” says Dr Larry Rosen, a research psychologist who studies how technology affects our minds.
“If you'd asked me 10 years ago, or maybe even five years ago if I- felt an itch beneath where my pocket of my jeans was, and asked me what I would do, I'd reach down and scratch it because it was probably a little itch caused by the neurons firing（神经元刺激），”he says. Now, of course, the itch triggers him to reach for his phone. Rosen says it's an example of how our devices are changing how our brains process information．
“we’re seeing a lot of what looks like obsessive behavior. People who are constantly picking up their phone look like they have an obsession. They don't look much different from someone who's constantly washing their hands. I’m not saying that it is an obsession, but I’m saying that it could turn into one, very easily," Rosen says.
While 9 out of 10 participants in the study of college students said the vibration feeling bothered them only a little or not at all, Rosen still recommends backing away from our phones every once in a while to keep our anxiety levels down.
“One of the things I’m really adamant about in spite of being very pro-technology, is just away from the technology for short periods," Rosen says．"And by short periods. I mean; maybe just 30 minutes or an hour.”
1.According to the article, phantom vibrations_____．
A. are mainly caused by neurons firing
B. affect people mostly working on farms
C. help our brains better process information
D. started troubling people in recent years
2.The underlined word "adamant" in the last paragraph probably means_____.
A. curious B. determined C. satisfied D. cautious
3.It can be concluded from Larry Rosen's research that_____.
A. phantom vibrations could probably result in obsessive behavior
B. the use of smart phones has completely changed the way our minds work
C. most people feel uncomfortable when they experience phantom vibrations
D. hospital workers are more likely to suffer from phantom vibrations than students
4.According to Larry Rosen, the most effective measure against phantom vibrations is to_____．
A. move to a quieter neighborhood
B. stop using smartphones in poor condition
C. take a break from using smartphones occasionally
D. keep a close watch on your anxiety levels
Volunteering abroad is great. Not only do you travel to an exotic country, you also meet like-minded people, and at the end of it all you have something to put on your CV to impress employers with. But did you ever stop to think about how great it is for the people on the receiving end?
In this context, Daniela Papi has a point---foreigners rushing heroically to volunteer in a country they’ve never heard of are unlikely to make a difference. But turning volunteering camps into classrooms, as Papi seems to advocate in her article, risks throwing the baby out with the bath water by putting people off of volunteering.
Rather, learning should be a natural part of the experience, and the key to creating such an environment is positioning everyone as equals. In order for that to happen, volunteers need competent leaders who create an environment of equality:
When, a few years ago, I joined a group of international volunteers to help a small farming community in the Swiss Alps, we were all quite ignorant about the local conditions. But thanks to our group leader, it was both a helpful project for the locals and a fun and eye-opening experience for us．Before we had even traveled (at our own expense) to the mountaintop village, our group leader had spent time with the villagers preparing the project to make sure it would be of benefit to them. She arranged for us to help in different areas, ensuring that we always worked alongside locals rather than for them. It was never "us" and "them", but always "we", like a big family. As a result, conversation flowed and we learned a great deal just by casually talking to the locals as we worked．At the end, we left with a deep appreciation for the labor of love that goes into producing the food we eat every day一一an appreciation we could treasure ourselves and share with our peers．
Volunteering isn't about saving someone's life, or even about changing it. It's about touching a different world and reminding ourselves that there is much, much more to life than the daily routines we take for granted．With that knowledge, maybe, just maybe, we can go on to really change the world．
By Lukas Thibaut
1.From Paragraphs 1 and 2, we can learn that＿＿＿＿in international volunteering.
A. foreigners are not welcome in some local communities
B. blind enthusiasm fails to make the experience rewarding
C. the author agrees with Daniela Papi's opinions
D. international volunteering is actually a poor approach to education
2.The underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refers to＿＿＿，
A. a natural part of the experience
B．the learning of volunteering
C. creating such an environment
D. positioning everyone as equals
3.What contributed to the success of the author's volunteering project in the Alps?
A . The volunteers were quite familiar with Swiss farmers' lives.
B. The volunteers worked in areas separated from the locals.
C. The group leader ensured that the project would be beneficial to both sides.
D. The group leader ensured that the volunteers got to know the local conditions．
4.From the author's viewpoint, what should international volunteers avoid?
A. Placing themselves above the locals.
B. Taking food for granted.
C. Disrespecting others' labor.
D. Being proud of volunteering.
5.Which best describes the author's attitude toward international volunteering?
A. Objective. B. Doubtful.
C. Disapproving. D. Supportive.
Most teenagers in the United States spend their time trying to make time for school, family and friends. But some choose bigger goals and make a difference in the world.
At age 15, Winter Vinecki has already had more _________ than most people have in their lifetime. Doctors discovered Winter’s fathers had a rare and _______ form of prostate cancer when she was nine years old. He died 10 months later. “When he was first diagnosed I immediately knew I had to do something to help him. That’s ______ I formed Team Winter for prostate cancer research and ______.” Winter Vinecki has raised almost 500,000 dollars. She has _______ prostate cancer education worldwide from Kenya to Mongolia_________ foot races called marathons, on seven continents. In the United States she travels _______ to talk about prostate cancer and _______ others to act. Winter Vinecki spoke recently at a conference in Los Angeles. “Prostate cancer is much more common, ________ the men don’t want to talk about it. So that’s why a nine-year-old girl had to go out there and start talking it for _______.”
Jack Andraka invented an inexpensive sensor that _______ cancers of the pancreas, ovaries and lungs. Jack is now 17and seeking patents for his latest inventions. He has developed low-cost water quality _______. They help identify and remove heavy metals and poisonous chemical from_____. “I hope to see them _______ in the developing nations.”
Sixteen-year-old Mary-Pat Hector saw a problem in her own community. She says too many young people were ________in gun violence. It kind of made her feel like she had to do something about it. So she started a _________ to educate young people about gun violence. “I just want the world to be a better place,” she said.
Mary-Pat hector, Jack Andraka, and Winter Vinecki say a ________ of supportive parents, the Internet and social media has helped them succeed; but Winter and Jack also created their inner ________. “Ｉthink the biggest thing for kids and adults is to never let age and gender be a _________ and to not just dream but dream big,” said Vinecki. “ Never let anyone else tell you ______.” Said Andraka. “Always keep going for your dream, so anything is possible.”
1.A. opportunities B. troubles C. successes D. risks
2.A. passive B. sensitive C. aggressive D. negative
3.A. when B. because C. where D. How
4.A. development B. threat C. panic D. awareness
5.A. taken B. received C. searched D. tested
6.A. through B. off C. over D. beyond
7.A. officially B. continually C. peacefully D. temporarily
8.A. promise B. pay C. urge D. prefer
9.A. for B. before C. unless D. but
10.A. her B. teenagers C. them D. fathers
11.A. cures B. improves C. prevents D. identifies
12.A. experiments B. devices C. trials D. data
13.A. body B. water C. land D. food
14.A. carried B. exposed C. employed D. handled
15.A. failing B. fleeing C. declining D. dying
16.A. revolutionB. discussion C. business D. campaign
17.A. combinationB. convenience C. competence D. consideration
18.A. harmony B. satisfaction C. selves D. impressions
19.A. barrier B. favor C. benefit D. difference
20.A. all B. no C. nothing D. none
. ----My goodness, the lawn looks dead!
---- _________. There’s no rain and water is so precious.
A. It can’t be helped B. It beats me
C. It’s on me D. It’s out of the question
---What’s your comment on the match?
--- we ________, but today was not our day.
A. need have scored B. could have scored
C. should score D. would score
Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy leaving them __________ whether you really love them?
A. wonder B. to be wondering
C. wondering D. wondered
