Phantom vibrations-the phenomenon where you think your phone is vibrating but itˈs not-have been around since the mobile age．Today, they’re so common that researchers have devoted studies to them．

    For Valerie Kusler , who works on a cattle farm, the feeling is complicated by the cows “The cows’ moo is very muffled, it kind sounds like…errrr ,”she says.“So thatˈs very similar to what my phone sounds like when it vibrates on my desk or in my purse.”

    Other people may not confuse cows for their phones, but research shows phantom vibration symptom is a near-universal experience for people with smart phones

    Nearly 90 percent of college undergraduates in a 2012 study said they felt phantom vibrations. The number was just as high for a survey of hospital workers, who reported feeling phantom vibrations on either a weekly or monthly basis．

    “Something in your brain is being triggered（触发）thatˈs different than what was triggered just a few short years ago,” says Dr Larry Rosen, a research psychologist who studies how technology affects our minds.

    “If youˈd asked me 10 years ago, or maybe even five years. ago if I- felt an itch beneath where my pocket of my jeans was, and asked me what I would do, Iˈd reach down and scratch it because it was probably a little itch caused by the neurons firing（神经元刺激），”he says. Now, of course, the itch triggers him to reach for his phone. Rosen says itˈs an example of how our devices are changing how our brains process information．

    “we’re seeing a lot of what looks like obsessive behavior. People who are constantly picking up their phone look like they have an obsession. They donˈt look much different from someone whoˈs constantly washing their hands. I’m not saying that it is an obsession, but I’m saying that it could turn into one, very easily," Rosen says.

    While 9 out of 10 participants in the study of college students said the vibration feeling bothered them only a little or not at all, Rosen still recommends backing away from our phones

every once in a while to keep our anxiety levels down

    “One of the things I’m really adamant about in spite of being very pro-technology, is just away from the technology for short periods," Rosen says．"And by short periods．I mean; maybe just 30 minutes or an hour.”

(1) According to the article, phantom vibrations_____．

   

A. are mainly caused by neurons firing

   

B. affect people mostly working on farms

   

C. help our brains better process information

   

D. started troubling people in recent years
(2) The underlined word "adamant" in the last paragraph probably means_____·

   

A. curious B. determined C. satisfied D. cautious
(3) It can be concluded from Larry Rosenˈs research that_____·

 

A. phantom vibrations could probably result in obsessive behavior

 

B. the use of smart phones has completely changed the way our minds work

 

C. most people feel uncomfortable when they experience phantom vibrations

 

D. hospital workers are more likely to suffer from phantom vibrations than students
(4) According to Larry Rosen, the most effective measure against phantom vibrations is to_____．

   

A. move to a quieter neighborhood

   

B. stop using smart phones in poor condition

   

C. take a break from using smart phones occasionally

   

D. keep a close watch on your anxiety levels