访谈录 2008-06-09&06-11 互联网一代，最愚蠢的一代

And finally, the dumbest generation. And if you are watching this webcast, that apparently¹ means you. At least that's a theory of a professor of English at Emory University who's written a book which basically argues that the Internet is making people stupid.

 

I'm Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University. The book has a provocative² title, it's the Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes³ Our Future.

 

Recent years though, I have begun to look at youth culture, youth knowledge, youth academic achievements, and what has come up, more and more, is that things don't look good. Young people today enjoy more and more digital connections, more screen time than ever before and one of the effects of that is that they are steadily⁴ disengaging from the traditional contents ,eh, the liberal arts.

 

One of the things we measured was how much people read literature, and how much they read books in general. And the first time we did the study was in 1982, and at that time, young people formed the most active reading group. When we did it again in 2002, they were the least active. Only about half of them ever read a book on their own. If it's not assigned for school, if it's not assigned in the workplace, they simply don't care. The Internet is extraordinary, it is a miraculous⁵ tool for knowledge and information, but the fact is that is not what the Internet means to the average sixteen-year-old. What the Internet does is provide a more intense form of contact with other sixteen-year-olds.

 

You know, I do often tell my students read more books. Please, read more books in your leisure time, unplug for just an hour or two per day. I urge them, and they, they generally just laugh at me. Some of them may feel that I come down on them too hard, but they know deep down that this is right.

 

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

3 jeopardizes   

危及，损害( jeopardize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• If your reckless behavior jeopardizes this mission, you're out! 如果你不注意你的言行，会危及到这次任务你也会被开除！
• Factionalism now seriously jeopardizes our overall interest. 现在闹派性已经严重地妨害我们的大局。

4 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

5 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。