View source for Lesson:What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains/ExerciseL1

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==Listening Exercise==

<html5media>http://thegrove.com.br/metodo/images/8/84/What_the_Internet_is_Doing_to_Our_Brains_-Epipheo.TV-.mp3</html5media>

<quiz display=simple>
{Watch the video and complete the text according to what you can understand.
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Narrator: So you're reading an article { online_6 } when you get an instant message with a link to a funny { photo_5 }, which of course you have to { share_5 }. And now you're reading your { facebook_8 } news wall, which sends you to a video of a panda bear attacking a kid, and now you're reading { wikipedia_9 } to learn everything you can about the violent { behavior_8 } of panda bears. And this is what three minutes on the internet can be like. We live like this all the time, and it has to have some kind of effect on us.
Nicholas: "The net is making us more { superficial_11 } as thinkers". 
Narrator: That is Nicholas Carr. He is the author of The Shallows - What the Internet Is Doing to Our { Brains_6 }. To understand this whole thing better we need to go way back in time, to say, like, the prehistoric age. 
Nicholas: You wanted to know { everything_10 } going on around you, because the more you knew about your surroundings, the less likely you were to get attacked by a { predator_8 }. And there's even { evidence_8 } that our brains release some dopamine, a pleasure-producing neurotransmitter chemical, to reward us for seeking out and finding new { information_11 }.
Narrator: So getting distracted felt good and { helped_6 } us stay alive. But the problem is that { nowadays_8 } predators aren't much of an issue, but we still have the same brains. And also, there's the internet, which is...
Nicholas: It's an incredibly information rich { environment_11 }, uh, that the net creates for us, and that's why we use it so much, I mean, sounds, pictures, words, texts, and what this tends to do is promote a sort of { compulsive_10 } behavior in which we are constantly checking our smartphone, constantly glancing at our { email_5 } inbox. We're kind of living in this perpetual state of distraction and { interruption_12 }.
Narrator: Which is dangerous because... that mode of thinking { crowds_6 } out the more contemplative, calmer modes of thinking, and that focused, calm thinking is actually how we learn. It's a process called { memory_6 } consolidation. 


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Nicholas: And that means the transfer of information from our short term { working_7 } memory, to our long term memory. And it's through moving information from your working memory to your long term memory that you create connections between that information and everything else you { know_4 }. 
Narrator: So you've got this awesome, life-changing piece of { information_11 } in your short term memory, but then you hear that email ding and poof, there it goes. That email takes its place, and you never get a chance to learn anything, all { because_7 } of one distraction.
Nicholas: So, { attention_9 } is the key, and if we lose control of our attention, or are constantly dividing our attention, then we don't really enjoy that consolidation { process_7 }. 
Narrator: But I can hear it now, someone out there is saying: "uh, what does learning matter if all the information in the world is just a { google_6 } search away?". Well... 
Nicholas: That is { kind_4 } of short-changing our intellects. If that's the way you're using your mind, just kind of searching very quickly and finding information and then forgetting it very quickly, you're never { building_8 } knowledge, you're simply, you're, you're kind of thinking like a { computer_8 }.
Narrator: Which means that our very { humanity_8 } is at stake. And it would be a shame if we all got assimilated, because, well, humanity is pretty neat. 
Nicholas: I really believe that if you look at the great { monuments_9 } of culture, they come from people who are able to pay attention, who control their mind. That's what allows us to think in the highest terms and think conceptually, think critically, think in some very { creative_8 } ways. 
Narrator: And it's this kind of thinking that's at risk, being eroded one { cute_4 } cat video at a time. Don't get us wrong. The internet is good for lots of things, and it should be { celebrated_10 }. But the best thing we can do for our { minds_5 } is to find some time every day to unplug, calm down, and focus on one thing at a time. Your email, and those { cats_4 }, will be here when you get back.

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