CAE Reading and Use of English Part 5
You are going to read an article about a writer called Matthew Crawford, who has just written a book about coping with modern life. For questions 31-36 choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Living in the modern world
When Matthew Crawford is not thinking and writing about how we ought to live, he works as a motorcycle mechanic. His first book was about the benefits of the manual trades. His most recent one is a kind of philosophical treatise on how to cope with modernity. He was inspired to write it when he noticed that advertisements popped up on the credit card machine during a short delay while he entered his pin number.
Crawford says he realised that these demands on our attention from the advertising industry were becoming increasingly difficult to avoid. What we want to be at the forefront of our mind at any particular moment is a very personal matter, and we are being prevented from deciding this for ourselves by something which we are, in the main, unaware of. It is becoming more and more difficult to think, or spend time remembering conversations we’ve had. And because everyone is trying to protect themselves from the irritation of constantly being interrupted, we close ourselves off and no longer want to do simple things like chat to strangers. ‘We increasingly encounter the world through these representations that are addressed to us: video games, apps on your phone,’ says Crawford. They reflect our desires and end up taking over.
Everyone knows that office worker who complains about emails all day and then spends their free time emailing. Studies have shown that our attention wanders if a phone is merely visible on the table. There’s no scientific evidence yet on whether our attention spans have been affected – there have been fears of this kind since the telegraph was invented in 1837. But it’s indisputable that we are more conscious of other things we might be doing. It’s tempting to see the advent of this crisis as technological, but for Crawford it’s more that the technology has created the perfect vehicles for our self-obsession. A world of constant choice means that our powers of self-control are heavily taxed, and this has a social impact.
We’d rather send a text message to a friend, free from the risk of having a conversation. By only engaging with representations of people rather than people themselves, Crawford argues, we risk losing something fundamental in our society. And screens are only part of the problem. He gives his gym as an example. There used to be a single music player in the middle of the room. People didn’t all like the same music and that could lead to tension. Now people tend to listen to their own music. ‘The gym used to be a social place and it has lost that character. Genuine connection to other people tends to happen in the context of conflict’ he says.
Crawford’s proposed solution has two parts. First, we need regulation of noise and distraction in public space. More importantly, though, Crawford advocates skilled practices as a way of engaging with the world in a more satisfying way. He gives the examples of an ice-hockey player and a motorbike racer as people whose roles force them to deal with material reality. No representation can replicate the feel of the hockey puck on ice, or gravel under your tyres at high speed. Each relies on their good judgment of a complicated subject and the ability to manage the presence of others in the same space.
‘When you engage with the world this way, manufactured experiences are revealed as pale substitutes for the kind of involvement you have with real things,’ he says. ‘They lose some of their grip.’ It is important to find a way to use your judgment. Constantly resisting distractions can be exhausting and makes you less able to focus on what matters. The practice of paying attention to one thing, by contrast, makes it easier to pay attention to others.
31 What does Crawford suggest about the advertising industry in the second paragraph?
A It attempts to invade every aspect of people’s lives.
B It damages people’s communication skills.
C It endeavours to distort people’s memories.
D It forces people to be mindful of their surroundings.
32 What concern is expressed in the third paragraph?
A Too little research has been conducted into people’s ability to concentrate.
B People’s tendency to focus too much on themselves is being facilitated.
C It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between work and leisure.
D There is a lack of awareness of the impact of technology on social life.
33 In the fourth paragraph, Crawford regrets that
A people increasingly have disagreements.
B people are reluctant to make decisions.
C people’s instincts have changed over time.
D people no longer need to negotiate.
34 What does ‘each’ refer to in paragraph 5 (underlined)?
A each element of the solution Crawford proposes
B each professional Crawford mentions
C each real-life issue to be dealt with
D each sensation described
35 In the final paragraph, Crawford is
A expanding on the merits of his approach.
B dismissing potential criticism of his ideas.
C contradicting a point made previously.
D emphasising his role in a key debate.
36 In the article as a whole, what is Crawford’s attitude towards other people?
A He avoids engaging in conversations with people he does not know.
B He wishes more people shared his vision of a better society.
C He admires people’s determination to resist the attractions of modern technology.
D He appreciates how hard it is for people to ignore the temptations that surround them.
For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary