The regular use of text messages and e-mails can 1 the IQ more than twice as 2 as smoking marijuana. That is the 3 of psychologists who have found that tapping 4 on a mobile phone or computer keypad or 5 them for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to 10 points 6 the user's IQ.
This rate of decline in intelligence compares 7 with the four-point drop in IQ 8 with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have 9 the fleeting phenomenon of enhanced stupidity as "infomania". Research on sleep 10 suggests that the IQ drop caused by electronic11 is also equivalent to a wakeful night.
Infomania is mainly a problem for adult workers, especially men, the study commissioned by Hewlett Packard, the technology company, has concluded.
The noticeable drop in IQ is 12 to the constant distraction of "always on" technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost 13 state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the task in hand.
The brain also finds it hard to 14 with juggling lots of tasks at once, reducing its overall effectiveness, the report added. And while modern technology can have huge benefits, 15 use can be damaging not only to a person's mind, but to their social life.
1. A. increase B. add C. decline D. lower
2. A. well B. much C. few D. little
3. A. decision B. conduction C. claim D. call
4. A. up B. away C. to D with
5. A. investigating B. checking C. writing D sending
6.A. in B. on C. off D. up
7. A. favourably B. unfavourably C. efficiently D effectively
8. A. associated B. concerned C. in terms D. connected
9. A. meant B. wrote C. labored D labeled
10. A. deprivation B. likeness C. inclination D tendency
11. A. carelessness B. obsession C. favor D. habit
12. A. concerned B. resulted C. attributed D contributed
13. A. promising B. permanent C. temporary D. prospective
14.A.come B. coordinate C. cope D cut
15.A.less B. exterior C. extra D. excessive
