“Mobile phone killed my man,” screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones could cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly showing how mobile phones could heat the brain.
For anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you hear a different story.
One of the oddest effects comes from the now famous“memory loss” study. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave radiation of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen. Preece says he still can’t comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive(认识的)abilities. “I’m pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory,” he says.
Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses(神经元突触) exposed to microwaves become more — rather than less — receptive to undergoing changes linked to memory formation.
An even happier outcome would be that microwaves turned out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.
“If it doesn’t certainly cause cancer in animals and cells, then it probably isn’t going to cause cancer in humans,” says William. And while there’s still no absolute evidence that mobile phone use does damage your memories or give you cancer, the conclusion is: don’t be afraid.
Mobile phone users are worried because ______.
A.they are not sure whether mobile phones can cause memory loss |
B.it’s said that mobile phones have a lot of side effects |
C.one headline reported “Mobile phone killed my man” |
D.a British newspaper showed mobile phones could heat the brain |
According to the scientists, ______.
A.there is no evidence that mobile phones cause illness in people |
B.the more people use mobile phones, the healthier they’ll be |
C.mobile phone users are less likely to develop cancer |
D.mobile phones’ radiation is the same as the general radiation |
According to this passage, we can know that _____.
A.the mobile phone is a most wonderful invention |
B.there’s no need to worry about the radiation from mobile phones |
C.something must be done to stop people using mobile phones |
D.mobile phone companies shouldn’t cheat customers |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
A.mobile phone radiation |
B.a cancer-causing chemical |
C.a happy outcome |
D.a brain tumour |
What would be the best title for this passage?
A.New Mobile Phones. |
B.Special Mobile Phones. |
C.New Special Investigation: Mobile Phones. |
D.New Investigation. |