原文作者：matt richtel、 malia wollan

the day before the start of vishal singh's senior year， he faced a stark1） choice on his bedroom desk： book or computer？
 　　vishal， a bright 17-year-old at woodside high school in redwood city， california， should already have finished his summer reading assignment， kurt vonnegut's2） cat's cradle. but vishal， who typically spends most of his time on facebook3） and youtube4）， had managed to read only 43 pages in two months.
 　　that day， instead of picking up the book， he clicked over to youtube. "you can get a whole story [on it] in six minutes，" he explains. "a book takes so long. i prefer the immediate gratification5）."
 　　students have always faced distractions6）. but for kids in our digital age， the constant stream of stimuli from computers and cell phones is a new challenge to focusing and learning. the risk， researchers say， is that developing brains can get too used to constantly switching tasks—and become less able to stay focused on anything.
 　　"[kids'] brains are rewarded not for staying on task but for jumping to the next thing，" says michael rich， a professor at harvard medical school in boston， massachusetts. "the worry is that we're raising a generation of kids in front of screens whose brains are going to be wired7） differently."
 　　this concern comes at a time when mastering modern technology is more important than ever. parents and educators are intensifying efforts to use technology at home and in the classroom， seeking to give young people the skills they'll need to get ahead. [论文网]
 　　across the country， schools are being equipped with computers and mobile devices so that they can teach students on their own technological territory.
 　　that territory is vividly displayed on the sprawling8） woodside high campus. here， as in many american schools， it's not uncommon for students to send hundreds or even thousands of text messages a day， or spend hours playing video games. and just about everyone is on facebook.
 　　高中最后一年开学前一天，维沙尔·辛格面临着一个艰难的选择：卧室书桌上摆放着一本书和一台电脑，该选哪个？
　　维沙尔是美国加利福尼亚州雷德伍德市伍德赛德高中的一名学生，今年17岁，人很聪明。WWW.11665.cOm本来这个时候他应该已经完成了暑期的阅读作业，即读完库尔特·冯内古特的《猫的摇篮》，但在这两个月假期的大部分时间里，他基本都在浏览脸谱网和youtube视频网站，而这本书只勉强读了43页。
 　　那天，维沙尔并没有拿起《猫的摇篮》看，而是选择点开了youtube网站。“通过youtube了解这部小说的全部故事只需六分钟，”他解释说，“看书太费时间，我更喜欢即刻得到满足的感觉。”
 　　一直以来，学生们总是会面临各种让人分心的诱惑。但对于成长在我们这个数字时代的孩子们来说，电脑与手机源源不断的刺激是一项新的挑战，令他们难以集中精力，专心学习。研究人员表示，这样做所带来的隐患在于，尚在发育的大脑习惯了总是不断切换任务，结果就会变得无论做什么事情都难以集中精力。
 　　“[孩子们的]大脑不是被鼓励去专注当前事务，而是被鼓励将注意力转移到下一件事上，”马萨诸塞州波士顿市哈佛医学院的迈克尔·瑞奇教授说，“令人担心的是，如今我们抚养长大的这一代孩子整天都对着各种电子屏幕，他们大脑的运作方式将会变得不同。”

当掌握现代技术变得比过去更加重要时，这种担忧就会随之出现。家长和教育工作者们正在努力推进科技设备在家庭和课堂上的使用，希望能让年青一代学会所需的相关技能，以获取领先优势。
 　　全美各地的学校都在配置电脑和各类移动设备，以便能够在自己的“科技领地”里展开教学。
　　而伍德赛德高中那不断扩张的校园里正生动地展示着其所谓的“科技领地”的内涵。在这里，正如在美国许多学校一样，学生一天发几百条甚至几千条短信或玩数个小时电子游戏并不算什么新鲜事儿。此外，几乎人人都在上脸谱网。
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sp;　　27，000 texts 2.7万条短信
　　allison miller， 14， sends and receives a total of about 27，000 texts a month. the woodside student texts between classes， the moment soccer practice ends， while being driven to and from school， and often while studying. but all this multitasking comes at a price： she blames multitasking for her lower grades.
 　　"i'll be reading a book for homework， and i'll get a text message and pause my reading [and] pick up the phone to reply to the text message，" she says. "then 20 minutes later [i'll] realize， 'oh， i forgot to do my homework.'"
 　　vishal's ability to be distracted by computers is rivaled9） by his talent for using them. during his junior year， he discovered a passion for digital filmmaking and made a name for himself among friends and teachers with his short films.
 　　but he also plays video games 10 hours a week and routinely10） posts facebook status updates at 2 am， even on school nights.
 　　several teachers call vishal one of their brightest students， and they wonder why things are not adding up11） with him. last semester， vishal's grade-point average was 2.3 after he earned a d+ in english and an f in algebra ii. （he got an a in film critique.）
 　　determined to engage his students with 21st-century technology， woodside's principal， david reilly， nonetheless recognizes the problem that vishal faces.
 　　"he's a kid caught between two worlds，" reilly says， a virtual world and the real world—with its real-life demands.
 　　14岁的阿莉森·米勒每个月总计要收发大约2.7万条短信。不论在课间、足球训练一结束后、上学和放学乘车期间还是平时学习的时候，这名伍德赛德高中的学生都会发短信。不过，这样的一心多用是有代价的——米勒抱怨说，一心多用导致她成绩下滑。
 　　“我正在读一本书，想要完成我的家庭作业，这时我收到一条短信，于是我放下书，拿起手机回复短信，”她说，“等20分钟过后，我才意识到，‘哦，我忘记做作业了。’”
 　　而对于维沙尔来说，他很容易因电脑分心，但在电脑方面也同样有很高的天赋。在读11年级（编注：相当于国内高二）时，他突然迷上了数字电影制作，还因自己制作的一些微电影在朋友和老师中间小有名气。
 　　但他也玩电子游戏，每周玩十个小时，并且例行公事般地于凌晨两点在脸谱网上更新状态，甚至在上学日的晚上也不例外。
　　有好几位老师都说维沙尔是他们教过的最聪明的学生之一，只是他们不明白为何有些事情在他身上说不通。上学期，维沙尔的英语得了d+，代数2得了f，平均学分才2.3分。（他的影评倒是得了a。）
 　　伍德赛德高中的校长大卫·赖利之前一心想让他的学生们学习21世纪的科技，但他现在也认识到了维沙尔所面临的问题。
　　“他困在了两个世界之间。”赖利说，一个是虚拟世界，一个是现实世界，而后者是有实实在在的要求的。
　　needed： downtime 应对措施：停休片刻
　　neuroscientists have been studying people like vishal who are always online. their studies suggest that the brain needs periods of rest in order to absorb information and make connections between ideas. this could explain why many digital teens are having more trouble than ever focusing on schoolwork and setting priorities.

　"downtime is to the brain what sleep is to the body，" observes rich of harvard medical school. "but kids are in a constant mode of stimulation."
 　　rich isn't suggesting that kids toss out12） their phones and computers. he simply advises that they take a more balanced approach to what he says are powerful tools necessary to compete and succeed in modern life.
 　　vishal's english teacher， marcia blondel， is more pessimistic about the changes technology has brought. she now

has students read aloud in class because many lack the attention span to read assignments on their own.
 　　"you can't become a good writer by watching youtube， texting， and e-mailing a bunch of abbreviations，" blondel tells her students.
 　　it's a reminder of the choices they must constantly make. computer games or homework？ immediate gratification or investing in the future？
 　　神经科学家们一直在研究像维沙尔这样总是泡在网络里的人群。他们的研究表明，大脑需要不时休息一下来消化信息，梳理各种概念之间的关联。这就可以解释为什么许多沉迷于数字世界的青少年比以往更加难以专心做作业，更加不容易分清事情的轻重缓急。
 　　“停休之于大脑，就像睡眠之于身体，”哈佛医学院的瑞奇评论说，“但现在的孩子大脑总是处于亢奋状态。”
　　瑞奇并不是建议孩子们抛开他们的手机和电脑。他认为手机和电脑是参与现代社会竞争并获得成功的必备利器，对于这些工具，他只是建议孩子们应该更加均衡合理地去利用。
　　维沙尔的英语老师马西娅·布隆德尔对科技业已带来的变化持更为悲观的态度。她现在要求学生们在课堂上大声朗读，因为很多学生独自做阅读作业时无法保持注意力。
　　“靠看youtube视频、发短信和写缩略词堆砌的邮件是写不出好文章的。”布隆德尔对她的学生说。
　　这就提醒他们必须要不断做出选择。是选择电脑游戏，还是选择家庭作业？是选择一时痛快，还是选择投资未来？
　　about that homework 再谈维沙尔的暑期作业
　　principal reilly hopes that technology can help students develop essential skills without compromising13） analytical thought. but in vishal's case， computers and school-work seem to be competing forces.
 　　blondel says that vishal， after a decent start to the school year， fell into bad habits. by late october， when he handed in a short essay weeks late， his english grade had slipped.
 　　what was vishal up to？ a string of one weekend's facebook updates about his latest video gives us a good idea：
 　　saturday， 11：55 pm： editing， editing， editing.
　　sunday， 3：55 pm： 8+ hours of shooting， 8+ hours of editing.
　　all for just a three-minute scene.
　　mind = dead.
　　sunday， 11：00 pm： fun day， finally got to spend a day relaxing ... now about that homework ...
 　　赖利校长希望科技能够帮助学生掌握一些基本技能，同时又不损害他们的分析思考能力。然而，维沙尔的情况表明，电脑和学业似乎是相互冲突的。
　　布隆德尔说，维沙尔在新学期伊始表现还算不错，但之后却染上了坏习惯，到10月下旬，等他交上来一篇已经拖了几个星期的短文作业时，他的英语成绩已经下滑了不少。
　　维沙尔到底在做什么呢？他在某个周末更新的一连串脸谱网状态可以给我们一个很好的答案，这些状态都与他最新制作的一个视频有关：
　　星期六晚上11：55：剪辑，剪辑，剪辑。
　　星期天下午3：55：八个多小时的拍摄，八个多小时的剪辑。
　　这一切为的只是一个三分钟的场景。
　　脑细胞已经死光。
　　星期天晚上11：00：开心的一天，终于能放松一天了……现在来看看家庭作业吧。