2018年12月英语六级真题及答案解析和听力原文(卷一)

2018年12月英语六级真题及答案解析和听力原文（卷一）2018年12月英语六级真题（卷一）PartIWriting(30minutes)Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayonhowtobalanceacademicstudyandextracurricularactivities.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.PartIIListeningComprehension(25minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.1.A)Itcanbenefitprofessionalsandnon-professionalsalike.B)Itliststhevariouschallengesphysicistsareconfronting.C)Itdescribeshowsomemysteriesofphysicsweresolved.D)Itisoneofthemostfascinatingphysicsbookseverwritten.2.A)Physicists’contributiontohumanity.B)Storiesaboutsomefemalephysicists.3.A)Byexposingalotofmythsinphysics.B)Bydescribingherownlifeexperiences.C)Historicalevolutionofmodernphysicists.D)Women’schangingattitudestophysics.C)Byincludinglotsoffascinatingknowledge.D)Bytellinganecdotesaboutfamousprofessors.4.A)Itavoidsdetailingabstractconceptsofphysics.B)Itcontainsalotofthought-provokingquestions.C)Itdemonstrateshowtheycanbecomephysicists.D)Itprovidesexperimentstheycandothemselves.Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.5.A)Heistoobusytofinishhisassignmentintime.B)Hedoesnotknowwhatkidoftopictowriteon.C)Hedoesnotunderstandtheprofessor’sinstructions.

D)Hehasnoideahowtoproceedwithhisdissertation.6.A)Itistoobroad.7.A)Biography.B)Itisoutdated.B)Nature.C)Itischallenging.C)Photography.D)Itisinteresting.D)Beauty.8.A)Improvehiscumulativegrade.B)Develophisreadingability.SectionBC)Sticktothetopicassigned.D)Listtheparametersfirst.Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.9.A)TheunprecedentedhightemperatureinGreenland.B)ThecollapseoficeonthenortherntipofGreenland.C)TheunusualcoldspellintheArcticareainOctober.D)TherapidchangeofArctictemperaturewithinaday.10.A)Ithascreatedatotallynewclimatepattern.B)Itwillposeaseriousthreattomanyspecies.C)Ittypicallyappearsaboutonceeverytenyears.D)Ithaspuzzledtheclimatescientistsfordecades.11.A)ExtinctionofArcticwildlife.B)IcelesssummersintheArctic.C)Emigrationofindigenouspeople.D)Betterunderstandingofecosystems.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.12.A)Agoodstart.B)Adetailedplan.C)Astrongdetermination.D)Ascientificapproach.13.A)Mostpeoplegetenergizedafterasufficientrest.B)Mostpeopletendtohavefinitesourceofenergy.C)Itisvitaltotakebreaksbetweendemandingmentaltasks.D)Itismostimportanttohaveconfidenceinone’swillpower.14.A)Theycouldkeeponworkinglonger.B)Theycoulddomorechallengingtasks.C)Theyfounditeasiertofocusonworkathand.D)Theyheldmorepositiveattitudestowardlife.

15.A)Theyarepartoftheirnature.B)Theyaresubjecttochange.SectionCC)Theyarerelatedtoculture.D)Theyarebeyondcontrol.Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughcentre.Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.16.A)Abouthalfofcurrentjobsmightbeautomated.B)Thejobsofdoctorsandlawyerswouldbethreatened.C)Thejobsmarketisbecomingsomewhatunpredictable.D)Machinelearningwouldprovedisruptiveby2013.17.A)Theyarewidelyapplicableformassiveopenonlinecourses.B)Theyarenowbeingusedbynumeroushighschoolteachers.C)Theycouldreadasmanyas10000essaysinasingleminute.D)Theycouldgradehigh-schoolessaysjustlikehumanteacher.18.A)Itneedsinstructionsthroughouttheprocess.B)Itdosespoorlyonfrequency,high-volumetasks.C)Ithastorelyonhugeamountsofpreviousdata.D)Itisslowwhenitcomestotrackingnovelthings.Questions19to22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.19.A)Theengineeringproblemswithsolarpower.B)Thegenerationofsteamwiththelatesttechnology.C)Theimportanceofexploringnewenergysources.D)Thetheoreticalaspectsofsustainableenergy.20.A)Drivetrainswithsolarenergy.B)Upgradethecity’strainfacilities.C)Buildanewten-kilometrerailwayline.D)Cut-downthecity’senergyconsumption.C)Recoversuper-heatedsteam.21.A)Buildatankforkeepingcalciumoxide.B)Findanewmaterialforstoringenergy.D)Collectcarbondioxidegas.22.A)Thelackofsupervisionbyboththenationandlocalgovernment.

B)Theimpactofthecurrenteconomicscrisisathomeandabroad.C)Thepoormanagementofdaycentresandhomehelpservices.D)Thepoorrelationbetweennationalheathandsocialcareservices.Questions23to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.23.A)Itwasmainlyprovidedbyvoluntaryservices.B)Itmainlycaterstotheneedofprivileged.C)Itcalledforasufficientnumberofvolunteers.D)Ithasdeterioratedoverthepastsixtyyears.24.A)Theirlongerlifespans.C)Theirpreferenceforprivateservices.B)Fewerhomehelpersavailable.D)Moreofthemsufferingseriousillness.25.A)Theyareunabletopayforhealthservices.B)Theyhavelongbeendiscriminatedagainst.C)Theyarevulnerabletoillnessanddiseases.D)Theyhavecontributedagreatdealtosociety.PartⅢReadingComprehension（40minutes）SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.SurfingtheInternetduringclassdoesn'tjuststealfocusfromtheeducator,italsohurtsstudentswho'realreadystrugglingto26thematerial.AnewstudyfromMichiganStateUniversity,though,arguesthatallstudents--includinghighachievers--seeadeclineinperformancewhentheybrowsetheInternetduringclassfornon-academicpurposes.TomeasuretheeffectsofInternet-baseddistractionsduringclassresearchers27500studentstakinganintroductorypsychologyclassatMichiganStateUniversity.ResearchersusedACTscoresasameasureofintellectual28.Becausepreviousresearchhasshownthatpeoplewithhighintellectualabilitiesarebetterat29outdistractions,researchersbelievedstudentswithhighACTscoreswouldnotshowa30decreaseinperformanceduetotheiruseofdigitaldevices.ButstudentswhosurfedthewebduringclassdidworseontheirexamsregardlessoftheirACTscores,suggestingthateventheacademicallysmarteststudentsareharmedwhenthey’redistractedinclass.Collegeprofessorsareincreasingly31alarmbellsabouttheeffectssmartphoneslaptops,andtabletshaveonacademicperformance.One2013studyofcollegestudentsfoundthat80%ofstudentsusetheirphonesorlaptopsduringclass,withtheaveragestudentcheckingtheirdigitaldevice11timesina32class.Aquarterofstudentsreportthattheiruseofdigitaldevicesduringclasscausestheirgradesto33.Professorssometimesimplementpoliciesdesignedto34students'useofdigitaldevices,andsomeinstructorsevenconfiscatetabletsandphones.Inaworldwherepeopleareincreasinglydependentontheirphones,though,suchstrategiesoftenfail.Oneinternationalstudyfoundthat84%ofpeoplesaytheycouldn'tgoadaywithouttheirsmartphones.Untilstudentsareableto35thepullofsocialnetworking,texting,andendlesslysurfingtheweb,theymaycontinuetostruggleintheirclasses.A)aptitudeB)eradicationC)evaluatedSectionBD)evaporatedE)filteringF)graspG)legacyJ)obsessK)raisingL)resistM)significantN)sufferH)minimizeI)obscureO)typicalDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.ResilienceIsAboutHowYouRecharge,NotHowYouEndure[A]Asconstanttravelersandparentsofa2-year-old,wesometimesfantasizeabouthowmuchworkwecandowhenoneofusgetsonaplane,undistractedbyphones,friends,ormovies.Weracetogetallourgroundworkdone:packing,goingthroughsecurity,doingalast-minuteworkcall,callingeachother,thenboardingtheplane.Then,whenwetrytohavethatamazingworksessioninflight,wegetnothingdone.Evenworse,afterrefreshingouremailorreadingthesamestudiesoverandover,wearetooexhaustedwhenwelandtosoldieronwith（继续处理）theemailsthathaveinevitablystillpiledup.[B]Whyshouldflyingdepleteus?We’rejustsittingtheredoingnothing.Whycan’twebetougher,moreresilient（有复原力的）anddeterminedinourworksowecanaccomplishallofthegoalswesetforourselves?Basedonourcurrentresearch,wehavecometorealizethattheproblemisnotourhecticscheduleortheplanetravelitself;theproblemcomesfromamisconceptionofwhatitmeanstoberesilient,andtheresultingimpactofoverworking.[C]Weoftentakeamilitaristic,“tough”approachtoresilienceanddeterminationlikeaMarinepullinghimselfthroughthemud,aboxergoingonemoreround,orafootballplayerpickinghimselfupoffthegroundforonemoreplay.Webelievethatthelongerwetoughitout,thetougherweare,andthereforethemoresuccessfulwewillbe.However,thisentireconceptionisscientificallyinaccurate.[D]Theverylackofarecoveryperiodisdramaticallyholdingbackourcollectiveabilitytoberesilientandsuccessful.Researchhasfoundthatthereisadirectcorrelationbetweenlackofrecoveryandincreasedincidenceofhealthandsafetyproblems.Andlackofrecovery—whetherbydisruptingsleepwiththoughtsofworkorhavingcontinuouscognitivearousalbywatchingourphones—iscostingourcompanies$62billionayearinlostproductivity.[E]Andjustbecauseworkstops,itdoesn’tmeanwearerecovering.We“stop”worksometimesat5pm,butthenwespendthenightwrestlingwithsolutionstoworkproblems,talkingaboutourworkoverdinner,andfallingasleepthinkingabouthowmuchworkwe’lldotomorrow.Inastudyjustreleased,researchersfromNorwayfoundthat7.8%ofNorwegianshavebecomeworkaholics（工作狂）.Thescientistsciteadefinition“workaholism”as“beingoverlyconcernedaboutwork,drivenbyanuncontrollableworkmotivation,andinvestingsomuchtimeandeffortinworkthatitimpairsotherimportantlifeareas.”[F]WebelievethatthenumberofpeoplewhofitthatdefinitionincludesthemajoriyofAmericanworkers,whichpromptedustobeginastudyofworkaholismintheU.S.Ourstudywillusealargecorporatedatasetfromamajormedicalcompanytoexaminehowtechnologyextendsourworkinghoursandthusinterfereswithnecessarycognitiverecovery,resultinginhugehealthcarecostsandturnovercostsforemployers.[G]Themisconceptionofresilienceisoftenbredfromanearlyage.Parentstryingtoteachtheirchildrenresiliencemightcelebrateahighschoolstudentstayingupuntil3amtofinisha

sciencefairproject.Whatadistortionofresilience!Aresilientchildisawell-restedone.Whenanexhaustedstudentgoestoschool,heriskshurtingeveryoneontheroadwithhisimpaireddriving;hedoesn’thavethecognitiveresourcestodowellonhisEnglishtest;hehaslowerself-controlwithhisfriends;andathome,heismoodywithhisparents.Overworkandexhaustionaretheoppositeofresilienceandthebadhabitsweacquirewhenwe’reyoungonlymagnifywhenwehittheworkforce.[H]AsJimLoehrandTonySchwartzhavewritten,ifyouhavetoomuchtimeintheperformancezone,youneedmoretimeintherecoveryzone,otherwiseyouriskburnout.Gatheringyourresourcesto“tryhard”requiresburningenergyinordertoovercomeyourcurrentlylowarousallevel.Italsoworsensexhaustion.Thusthemoreimbalancedwebecomeduetooverworking,themorevaluethereisinactivitiestheallowustoreturntoastateofbalance.Thevalueofarecoveryperiodrisesinproportiontotheamountofworkrequiredofus.[I]Sohowdowerecoverandbuildresilience?Mostpeopleassumethatifyoustopdoingatasklikeansweringemailsorwrithingapaper,yourbrainwillnaturallyrecover,sothatwhenyoustartagainlaterinthedayorthenextmorning,you’llhaveyourenergyback.Butsurelyeveryonereadingthishashadtimeswhenyoulieinbedforhours,unabletofallasleepbecauseyourbrainsisthinkingaboutwork.Ifyoulieinbedforeighthours,youmayhaverested,butyoucanstillfeelexhaustedthenextday.That’sbecauserestandrecoveryarenotthesamething.Stoppingdoesnotequalrecovering.[J]Ifyou’retryingtobuildresilienceatwork,youneedadequateinternalandexternalrecoveryperiods.AsresearchersZijlstra,CropleyandRydstedtwriteintheir2014paper:“Internalrecoveryreferstotheshorterperiodsofrelaxationthattakeplacewithintheframesoftheworkdayortheworksettingintheformofshortscheduledorunscheduledbreaks,byshiftingattentionorchangingtootherworktaskswhenthementalorphysicalresourcesrequiredfortheinitialtaskaretemporarilydepletedorexhausted.Externalrecoveryreferstoactionsthattakeplaceoutsideofwork—hefreetimebetweentheworkdays,andduringweekends,holidaysorvacations.”Ifafterworkyouliearoundonyourbedandgetirritatedbypoliticalcommentaryonyourphoneorgetstressedthinkingaboutdecisionsabouthowtorenovateyourhome,yourbrainhasnotreceivedabreakfromhighmentalarousalstates.Ourbrainsneedarestasmuchasourbodiesdo.

[K]Ifyoureallywanttobuildresilience,youcanstartbystrategicallystopping.Giveyourselftheresourcestobetoughbycreatinginternalandexternalrecoveryperiods.AmyBlanksondescribeshowtostrategicallystopduringthedaybyusingtechnologytocontroloverworking.ShesuggestsdownloadingtheInstantorMomentappstoseehowmanytimesyouturnonyourphoneeachday.YoucanalsouseappslikeOfftimeorUnpluggedtocreatetechfreezonesbystrategicallyschedulingautomaticairplanemodes.Theaveragepersonturnsontheirphone150timeseveryday.Ifeverydistractiontookonly1minute,thatwouldaccountfor2.5hoursaday.[L]Inaddition,youcantakeacognitivebreakevery90minutestochargeyourbatteries.Trytonothavelunchatyourdesk,butinsteadspendtimeoutsideorwithyourfriends—nottalkingaboutwork.Takeallofyourpaidtimeoff,whichnotonlygivesyourecoveryperiods,butraisesyourproductivityandlikelihoodofpromotion.[M]Asforus,we’vestartedusingourplanetimeasawork-freezone,andthustimetodipintotherecoveryphase.Theresultshavebeenfantastic.Weareusuallytiredalreadybythetimewegetonaplane,andthecrowdedspaceandunstableinternetconnectionmakeworkmorechallenging.Now,insteadofswimmingupstream,werelax,sleep,watchmovies,orlistentomusic.Andwhenwegetofftheplane,insteadofbeingdepleted,wefeelrecoveredandreadytoreturntotheperformancezone.36.Ithasbeenfoundthatinadequaterecoveryoftenleadstopoorhealthandaccidents.37.Mentalrelaxationismuchneeded,justasphysicalrelaxationis.38.Adequaterestnotonlyhelpsonerecover,butalsoincreasesone’sworkefficiency.39.Theauthoralwayshasahectictimebeforetakingaflight.40.Recoverymaynottakeplaceevenifoneseemstohavestoppedworking.41.Itisadvisedthattechnologybeusedtopreventpeoplefromoverworking.42.Contrarytopopularbelief,restdoesnotequalrecovery.43.Theauthorhascometoseethathisproblemresultsfromamisunderstandingofthemeaningofresilience.44.People’sdistortedviewaboutresiliencemayhavedevelopedfromtheirupbringing.45.Peopletendtothinkthemoredeterminedtheyare,thegreatertheirsuccesswillbe.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestions

orunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Childrenwithattentionproblemsinearlychildhoodwere40percentlesslikelytograduatefromhighschool,saysanewstudyfromDukeUniversitythatexamineshowearlychildhoodcharacteristicsaffectacademicperformance.“There’snotalotoutthereabouthowearlyattentionproblemsaffectacademicoutcomesoversuchalongtimeframe,”saidDavidRabiner,anassociatedeanofDuke’sTrinityCollegeofArts&SciencesandafacultyfellowoftheDukeCenterforChildandFamilyPolicy.“Thisstudyisoneofthefirsttofocusonhowattentionproblemsasearlyasfirstgraderelatetosuchanimportanteducationaloutcomeashighschoolgraduation.”Thestudy,publishedinSchoolPsychologyReview,included386kindergartenersfromschoolsintheFastTrackProject,amulti-siteclinicaltrialintheU.S.thatin1991begantrackinghowchildrendevelopedacrosstheirlives.Withthisstudy,researchersexaminedearlyacademic,attentionandsocioemotionalskillsandhoweachcontributedtoacademicsuccessintoyoungadulthood.Theyfoundearlyattentionskillswerethemostconsistentpredictorofacademicsuccess,butthatlikabilityalsohadamodesteffectonacademicperformance.Byfifthgrade,childrenwithearlyattentiondifficultieshadlowergradesandreadingachievementscoresthantheirpeers.Asfifth-graders,childrenwithearlyattentionproblemsexperiencedaveragereadingscoresatleast3percentlowerthantheircontemporaries'andgradesatleast8percentlowerthanthoseoftheirpeers.ThiswasaftercontrollingforIQ,socioeconomicstatusandacademicskillsatschoolentry.Althoughthesemaynotseemlikelargeeffects,theimpactofearlyattentionproblemscontinuedtoreverberatethroughoutthechildren'sacademiccareers.Lowerreadingachievementscoresandgradesinfifthgradecontributedtoreducedgradesinmiddleschoolandtherebycontributedtoa40percentlowerhighschoolgraduationrate."ThechildrenweidentifiedashavingattentiondifficultieswerenotdiagnosedwithADHD,

althoughsomemayhavehadthedisorder.Ourfindingssuggestthatevenmoremodestattentiondifficultiescanincreasetheriskfornegativeacademicoutcomes,"saidRabiner,whoseresearchhasfocusedonattentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder,orADHD,andinterventionstoimproveacademicperformanceinchildrenwithattentiondifficulties.Socialacceptancebypeersinearlychildhoodalsopredictedgradesinfifthgrade.Childrenwhowerenotaslikedbytheirfirst-gradepeershadslightlylowergradesinfifthgrade,whilethosewithhighersocialacceptancehadhighergrades.Researcherssaidthisisthefirststudytousechildren'sownreportsoftheirpeers'likabilitytolookatwhetherpeerrelationscanhelppredictacademicoutcomeswhenaccountingforotherfactorssuchasearlyacademicskillsandattentionproblems."Thisstudyshowstheimportanceofso-called'non-cognitive'orsoftskillsincontributingtochildren'spositivepeerrelationships,which,inturn,contributetotheiracademicsuccess,"saidKennethA.Dodge,thedirectoroftheDukeCenterforChildandFamilyPolicyandaprofessorofpublicpolicyandneuroscienceattheuniversity.Theresultshighlighttheneedtodevelopeffectiveearlyinterventionstohelpthosewithattentionproblemsstayontrackacademicallyandforeducatorstoencouragepositivepeerrelationships，theresearcherssaid.“Wearelearningthatstudentsuccessrequiresamorecomprehensiveapproach,onethatincorporatesnotonlyacademicskillsbutalsosocial,self-regulatoryandattentionskills,”Dodgesaid.“Ifweneglectanyoftheseareas,thechild’sdevelopmentlags.Ifweattendtotheseareas,achild’ssuccessmayreinforceitselfwithpositivefeedbackloops.”46.WhatisthefocusofthenewstudyfromDukeUniversity?A)Thecontributortochildren’searlyattention.B)Thepredictorsofchildren’sacademicsuccess.C)Thefactorsthataffectchildren’semotionalwell-being.D)Thedeterminantsofchildren’sdevelopmentofsocialskills.47.Howdidtheresearchersensurethattheirfindingsarevalid?A)Byattachingequalimportancetoallpossiblevariablesexamined.B)Bycollectingasmanytypicalsamplesaswerenecessary.C)Bypreventingthemfrombeingaffectedbyfactorsnotunderstudy.

D)Byfocusingonthefamilybackgroundofchildrenbeingstudied.48.WhatdowelearnfromthefindingsoftheDukestudy?A)Modeststudentsaregenerallymoreattentivethantheircontemporaries.B)Therearemorechildrenwithattentiondifficultiesthanpreviouslythought.C)Attentiondeficithyperactivitydisorderaccountsformostacademicfailures.D)Children’sacademicperformancemaysufferfromevenslightinattention.49.WhatdoestheDukestudyfindaboutchildrenbetteracceptedbypeers?A)Theydobetteracademically.B)Theyareeasytogetonwith.C)Theyareteachers’favorites.D)Theycarelessaboutgrades.50.WhatcanweconcludefromtheDukestudy?A)Children’ssuccessisrelatedtotheirlearningenvironment.B)Schoolcurriculumshouldcoveragreatervarietyofsubjects.C)Socialskillsareplayingakeyroleinchildren’sdevelopment.D)Anall-roundapproachshouldbeadoptedinschooleducation.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.OnJan.9,2007,SteveJobsformallyannouncedApple’s“revolutionarymobilephone”—adevicethatcombinedthefunctionalityofaniPod,phoneandInternetcommunicationintoasingleunit,navigatedbytouch.Itwasahugemilestoneinthedevelopmentofsmartphones,whicharenowownedbyamajorityofAmericanadultsandareincreasinglycommonacrosstheglobe.Assmartphoneshavemultiplied,sohavequestionsabouttheirimpactonhowweliveandhowwework.Oftentheadvantagesofconvenient,mobiletechnologyarebothobviousandtakenforgranted,leavingmoresubtletopicsforconcerneddiscussion:Aresmartphonesdisturbingchildren’sleep?Isaninabilitytogetawayfromworkhavinganegativeimpactonhealth?Andwhataretheimplicationsforprivacy?Buttoday,onthe10thanniversaryoftheiPhone,let’stakeamomenttoconsideralessobviousadvantage:thepotentialforsmartphonetechnologytorevolutionizebehavioralscience.

That’sbecause,forthefirsttimeinhumanhistory,alargeproportionofthespeciesisincontinuouscontactwithtechnologythatcanrecordkeyfeaturesofanindividual’sbehaviorandenvironment.Researchershavealreadybeguntousesmartphonesinsocialscientificresearch,eithertoquerypeopleregularlyastheyengageintheirnormalliveortorecordactivityusingthedevice’sbuilt-insensors.Thesestudiesareconfirming,challengingandextendingwhat’sbeenfoundusingmoretraditionalapproaches,inwhichpeoplereporthowtheybehavedinreallifeorparticipateinrelativelyshortandartificiallaboratory-basedtasks.Suchstudiesarejustfirststeps.Asmoredataarecollectedandmethodsforanalysisimprove,researcherswillbeinabetterpositiontoidentifyhowdifferentexperiences,behaviorsandenvironmentsrelatetoeachotherandevolveovertime,withthepotentialtoimprovepeople’sproductivityandwellbeinginavarietyofdomains.Beyondrevealingpopulation-widepatterns,therightcombinationofdataandanalysiscanalsohelpindividualsidentifyuniquecharacteristicsoftheirownbehavior,includingconditionsthatcouldindicatetheneedforsomeformofintervention—suchasanunusualincreaseinbehaviorsthatsignalaperiodofdepression.Smartphone-baseddatacollectioncomesatanappropriatetimeintheevolutionofpsychologicalscience.Today,thefieldisintransition,movingawayfromafocusonlaboratorystudieswithundergraduateparticipantstowardsmorecomplex,real-worldsituationsstudiedwithmorediversegroupsofpeople.Smartphonesoffernewtoolsforachievingtheseambitions,providingrichdataabouteverydaybehaviorsinavarietyofcontexts.Sohere’sanotherwayinwhichsmartphonesmighttransformthewayweliveandwo