Read the article and choose the best options out of the four given
Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12–18. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
How Do Media Challenge the Brain's Abilities?
We use the media, such as the internet, films, the radio, and so on, to learn about the world and stay in touch with other people. Our tablets, mobile phones, and computers help us use these media, and they get faster every year. We like to use this digital speed to experience more things at once, and at a faster pace. In fact, we get annoyed when the screen freezes and nothing moves. Scientists have measured the amount of data that enters the brain and found that an average person living today processes as much as 74 GB of information a day (that is as much as watching 16 films). Only 500 years ago, 74 GB of information would be what a highly educated person consumed in a lifetime, through books and stories.
One smart trick the human brain has for noticing important events is to pick out a few things that we see or hear and to hold on to those things and examine them more closely to make sense of them. This prevents us from being overwhelmed by all the many things we see, hear, or feel. For example, even when typing in a quiet office, there are birds chirping outside, e-mail notifications on the computer, and many other things that we would better ignore if we wish to get our work done. Selective attention is the term that researchers use for the process of paying attention to only a few of the things that we notice with our senses.
Having smartphones and tablets available all the time challenges the brain's selective attention in completely new ways. These technologies create an environment in which we constantly switch attention on and off rapidly, between important and unimportant things. We call the things that interfere with what we want to pay attention to distractors. Distraction may be a problem, especially when we have to look at the material quickly. Sometimes, we would love to be able to focus on something important that we just saw and think about it (a target), ignore something we already know (a distractor), then pick out something interesting again (another target), and ignore what comes after (another distractor), and so on. It turns out that this rapid flipping on and off of attention is particularly difficult for the brain.
Researchers have found that the things we pay attention to tend to be either pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad. For example, nobody needs to point out that the person we are talking to is giving us a huge smile, or to tell us to pay attention to a rattlesnake that comes right at us. We have learnt over our lifetimes that good and bad things tend to be important, and we better notice them or we will miss out on something nice (or will be in trouble). Neuroscientists have found out that if something is very good or very bad, then the brain regions that help us know what is good or bad team up with the brain regions that help us pay attention. Together, these brain areas make sure we do not overlook the really important stuff.
The scientists also found that people who have learnt to relax while working on fast-paced tasks tend to be better at them, and also tend to be better at many other skills, such as spelling, reading, or memory tasks.
Theyin "andtheyget faster every year" (paragraph 1) refers to …
media.
films.
gadgets.
people.
[ ]
According to the author, modern people …
process a lot more information compared to people in the past.
face difficulties due to the high speed at which their gadgets operate.
get the most information from stories and books.
get annoyed when the digital speed increases.
[ ]
Which of the following can keep us from being overwhelmed by all the information we get?
The ability to pay attention only to the things we can see.
The ability to make your own brain work harder.
The ability to trick your brain in an attempt to concentrate.
The ability to focus solely on one or a few things at a time.
[ ]
Which of the following is NOT true about modern gadgets, according to the author?
They make us switch attention between things all the time.
They are a source of information that people choose to ignore.
They provide the brain's selective attention with whole new difficulties.
They are the reason for the appearance of distractors for our brain.
[ ]
What does our brain find particularly challenging according to the author?
Focusing on distractors.
Distracting other people.
Switching attention quickly.
Noticing something to pay attention to.
[ ]
When people encounter something good or bad, ...
they can easily determine whether they like these things or not.
the likelihood of overlooking important details increases.
they are afraid to miss some important information.
it is easier for them to focus their attention on this thing.
[ ]
Who, according to the author, copes with quick tasks better?
People who have mastered the ability to relax.
People who have learnt to work fast.
People who have trained their memory.
People who have a lot of reading practice.
[ ]
The maximum score is 7 points for 7 correct answers.
For each correct answer, 1 point is given.
The score for the task:[ ] out of 7.