2007年VOA标准英语-Handheld Communication Gadgets Can Be Addictive

By Saba Shah Khan
Washington, DC
15 February 2007
 
watch Blackberry Addicts¹ report

 
Blackberries are used to send e-mails wirelessly²
The Blackberry, or smart phone, which combines a cell phone with Internet access, and other handheld gadgets³ have revolutionized the way business people work. But these devices can be so addictive⁴ that they are having an adverse⁵ effect on families. For producer Saba Shah Khan, VOA's Jim Bertel tells us how this technology craze is changing family dynamics⁶.

Sushil Bansal, a father of two, runs a company in Washington, DC. Thanks to technology, he can take care of much of his business while spending time with his daughters Antara and Saranga. The broadband service on his smart phone keeps him connected with his office and that is how he is able to manage most of his work with the help of his laptop. "These gadgets help me stay connected with my business even though I am outside the office," he told us.

 
Sushil Bansal says the gadgets help him in juggling⁷ his work and family time
He says these gadgets are useful. For Bansal, they help him in juggling his work and family time, but daughter Antara does not like sharing her dad with his gadgets. She tells him how it makes her feel, "Bad and left out."

Her reaction is not unusual. A study by Rutgers University in the eastern state of New Jersey⁸ finds that as technology makes work more accessible, the Blackberry and other gadgets are fueling a rise in e-mail and Internet addiction⁹ that is in some cases as difficult to kick as a drug habit.

Roger Rubin, Professor of Family Studies at the University of Maryland, says excessive use of these devices can negatively affect your family life. "The price that children pay, essentially¹⁰, is emotional neglect and sometimes even physical neglect because nobody is there to embrace you, to wipe away your tears when you are crying because they are busy on a computer, they are busy with their Blackberry, [or] they are busy and totally consumed with their career or work."

Jeff Buhl and Heather Acord both like to stay on top of technology and say their Blackberries are essential. Buhl admits that he has been caught e-mailing at inappropriate times. "I am sure you have been at a family function when it stopped being fun, so that might be the time to check your e-mail or respond to that message that you got yesterday. Yes, I'll do that."

Rubin says that using your Blackberry at the dinner table, during vacations and when spending time with children are alarming signs. Like any addiction, experts believe the user has a choice: access to the office 24 hours a day, or spending quality time with your family.

1 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

2 wirelessly   

不用电线的，用无线电波传送的

参考例句：

• I heard it on the wireless. 我是从无线电收音机里听到的。
• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio. 收音机里有许多无线电线路。

3 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

4 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

5 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

6 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

7 juggling   

n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was charged with some dishonest juggling with the accounts. 他被指控用欺骗手段窜改账目。
• The accountant went to prison for juggling his firm's accounts. 会计因涂改公司的帐目而入狱。

8 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

9 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。