Online meetings may affect creativity, study finds. Many companies have moved online because of COVID-19, with work meetings around the world taking place on the Internet instead of in the office. But a recent study has found that online meetings may affect creative thinking.
The study, published in Nature, included 602 people who were divided into random pairs.Each pair was given five minutes to think of creative uses for one certain item, and then one minute to choose the most creative idea. Some pairs were asked to work together on a video call,while others worked in person. The results showed that the in-person pairs had more ideas than the virtual pairs.
Some researches were also done to see whether focusing on a screen can affect a person's creativity. Teams working together virtually spent more time looking directly at each other and remembered less of their surroundings when asked later. The in-person pairs spent more time looking around the room, but also had more ideas.
The researchers did the same study with 1,490 engineers. The pairs were asked to think ofnew product ideas and choose one as an idea for their company. The results were similar to the first study, with the engineers who met in person thinking of more product ideas, and the virtual pairs making slightly better decisions about which idea to choose.
The results suggest that businesses should think carefully about which tasks can be done online, and which—like thinking of new ideas—should be done in person.
单选题
( ) According to the passage, under the influence of COVID-19, besides offine meetings, somecompanies also have meetings
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】细节理解题。根据第一段第二句Manycompanies have moved online because ofCOVID-19, with work meetings around theworld taking place on the Internet instead of inthe office.(由于新冠肺炎疫情，许多公司都在网上办公，世界各地的工作会议都是在互联网上进行的，而不是在办公室。)可知，由于新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情的影响，许多公司除了线下会议还有线上会议。故选B。
单选题
COVID-19, with work meetings around theworld taking place on the Internet instead of inthe office.(由于新冠肺炎疫情，许多公司都在网上办公，世界各地的工作会议都是在互联网上进行的，而不是在办公室。)可知，由于新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情的影响，许多公司除了线下会议还有线上会议。故选B。( )How many pairs were there in the study published in Nature?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】细节理解题。根据第二段第一句The study, published in Nature, included 602 people who were divided into random pairs.(这项研究发表在《自然》杂志上，共有602人被随机分成两人一组。)可知，该项研究有602人参与，两人一组，共有602/2=301(组)。故选D。
单选题
( )What does the phrase“in person” in the passage mean?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】词义猜测题。根据画线词所在句Some pairswere asked to work together on a video call,while others work in person.中的while可知，inperson的含义与前半句on a video call相对应。由此可推测in person的意思是“亲自”。故选A.
单选题
( ) According to the last paragraph, the study results suggested that _____.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】推理判断题。根据最后一段The resultssuggest that businesses should think carefullyabout which tasks can be done online, andwhich-like thinking of new ideas—should bedone in person.(研究结果表明，企业应该仔细考虑哪些任务可以在线上完成，哪些任务——例如思考新想法——可以线下进行。)可推知，需要创新性想法时，要进行线下会议。故选C。
单选题
( ) Which of the following statements is NOT true?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】细节理解题。根据第一段中最后一句But arecent study has found that online meetings mayaffect creative thinking.可知A项正确；根据第四段最后一句中的. the virtual pairs makingslightly better decision about which idea tochoose可知B项正确；根据第三段和第四段可知，一直盯着屏幕会影响一个人的创造力，C项正确；根据第四段最后一句中的. the engineerswho met in person thinking of more productideas..可知D项错误。故选D。