单选题
Excessive Demands on Young People

Being able to multitask is hailed by most people as a welcome skill, but not according to a recent study which claims that young people between the ages of eight and eighteen of the so-called Generation M are spending a considerable amount of their time in fruitless efforts as they multitask. It argues that, in fact, these young people are frittering (浪费) away as much as half of their time as they would if they performed the very same tasks one after the other.
Some young people are using an ever larger number of electronic devices as they study. At the same time they are working, young adults are also surfing on the Internet, or sending out emails to their friends, or answering the telephone and listening to music on their iPods or on another computer. As some new device comes along, it is also added to the list rather than replacing one of the existing devices.
Other research has indicated that this multitasking is even affecting the way families themselves function as young people are too wrapped up in (沉湎于) their own isolated worlds to interact with the other people around them. They can no longer greet family members when they enter the house nor can they eat at the family table.
All this electronic wizardry (魔力) is supposedly also seriously affecting young people's performance at university and in the workplace. When asked about their opinions of the impact of modern gadgets (小装置) on their performance of tasks, the great majority of young people gave a favourable response.
The response from the academic and business worlds was not quite as positive. The former feel that multitasking with electronic gadgets by children affects later development of study skills, resulting in a decline in the quality of writing, for example, because of the lack of concentration on task completion. They feel that many undergraduates now urgently need remedial (补救的) help with study skills. Similarly, employers feel that young people entering the workforce need to be taught all over again, as they have become deskilled.
While all this may be true, it must be borne in mind that more and more is expected of young people nowadays; in fact, too much Praise rather than criticism is due in respect of the way today's youth are able to cope despite what the older generation throw at them.
单选题 What is probably true about the multitasking Generation M?
  • A. They feel they are more efficient than others.
  • B. They waste more time than they should spend.
  • C. They put more energy on important tasks.
  • D. They need to improve their analytical skills.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第一段第二句话可知,事实上,这些年轻人浪费了他们一件接一件完成相同任务时间的一半,据此可知,他们浪费的比他们应该花费的时间多。
单选题 With the introduction of new gadgets, what happens to the Generation M's present e-devices?
  • A. They give way to the latest.
  • B. They are quickly put aside.
  • C. They are sold to their friends.
  • D. They become part of their collection.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第二段最后一句“As some new device comes along, it is also added to the list rather than replacing one of the existing devices”可知,随着新装置的不断到来,已加入到他们的名单中,而不是代替已存在的装置,据此可知,这些新装置成了收藏的一部分。
单选题 Multitasking makes the Generation M ______.
  • A. feel lonely add pitiful
  • B. selfish and aggressive
  • C. distant to their family
  • D. silent and sad
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第三段内容可知,多任务甚至也影响到家庭本身,因为年轻人过于沉湎于自己单独的世界,不与周围的人交流,甚至进入家门后不再与家人问好,也不与家人一起坐在桌前吃饭,据此可知,多任务使得他们远离了家庭。
单选题 The academics feel that many undergraduates badly need to ______.
  • A. adjust their social attitudes
  • B. seek psychological assistance
  • C. improve their study skills
  • D. take more business courses
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第五段第二句话“The former feel that multitasking with electronic gadgets by children affects 1ater development of study skills,”可知,学术界认为带有电子装置的多任务影响了孩子的学习技能,导致写字质量的下降,据此可知,学者认为他们急需提高学习技能。
单选题 What attitude should the older generation adopt towards the multitasking youth?
  • A. Critical.
  • B. Thankful.
  • C. Negative.
  • D. Supportive.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据最后一段内容可知,我们必须记住,如今对年轻人的期待越来越多,实际上,就方式而言,表扬应适当,而不是批评,如今的年轻人能够处理老一代扔给他们的任务,由此可知,老一代应对年轻人持支持的态度。