单选题 Studies over the past decade at the University of Utah show that hands-free cellphones are just as harmful to drivers as hand-held ones because it is the conversation, not the phone, that is distracting(分散) their attention. "Even though your eyes are looking fight at something, when you are on the cellphone, you are not as likely to see it," says Professor David Strayer. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's not that critical(危急的), but that 1% could be the time a child runs into the street," he adds.
Dr. Strayer's studies have also found that talking on a cellphone is far more distracting than talking with a passenger. Listening to the radio, to music or to a book on tape also isn't as distracting, because it doesn't require the same level of interaction as a conversation. But even drivers may miss some details of a book on tape if their attention is focused on driving tasks. Some people can train themselves to pay extra attention to things that are important—like police officers learn to search faces in crowds.
And the Utah researchers have found a rare group of "super-taskers"—about 2.5% of the population—who seem able to attend to more than one thing with ease.
Many more people think they can effectively do several things at the same time, but they are really turning their attention rapidly between two things and not getting the full effect of either. Clearly, it is easier to put some tasks together than others. "Not all distractions are the same," says Dr. Strayer. Things like cleaning and working out can be done automatically(自动地) while the mind is focused elsewhere. But doing homework and texting at the same time isn't possible. Even talking and watching TV is difficult. "Just try talking with your wife while watching football. It's impossible," jokes Dr. Strayer.
单选题 What is the first paragraph mainly about?
  • A. The harm in using phones while driving.
  • B. The advantages of hand-held phones.
  • C. The danger of running in the street.
  • D. The causes of road accidents.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 主旨题。题干意为“第一段主要讲什么?”。从文章第一段第一句话可以看出，这是一句主题句，概述了第一段的内容：开车打电话是有危险的。故A正确。
单选题 What does the example of police officers in Paragraph 2 show?
  • A. Searching for faces require more attention than driving.
  • B. Talking to a crowd calls for a high level of attention.
  • C. One's attention can be easily distracted in crowds.
  • D. The ability to attend to two tasks can be trained.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为“第二段中警官的例子说明什么?”。从文章第二段最后一句话“Some people can train themselves to pay extra attention to things that are important—like police officers learn to search faces in crowds.”可以得知，这种能力是通过“train themselves”获得的。故D正确。
单选题 "Super-taskers" can be best described as people who can ______.
  • A. do several things effectively at the same time
  • B. turn their attention rapidly to two things
  • C. handle all difficult tasks with ease
  • D. pay full attention to one task
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为“Super-taskers最适合被描述成能干什么的人?”。从文章内容来看，在第三段“seem able to attend to more than one thing with ease”，有能力轻松地把注意力放在几件事情上的人。故A正确。
单选题 Which of the following can you do while talking on the phone?
  • A. Doing homework.
  • B. Writing a letter.
  • C. Working out.
  • D. Watching TV.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为“在你讲电话时能做哪件事?”。从文章最后一段的第四句可知，当你的注意力在其他事情上时，也能自动地做像打扫卫生和锻炼这样的事情。故C正确。