Question

Do you suffer from cybersickness？

The rise of mobile phones has been blamed for a number of social ills, but your smart phone may also be making you physically sick as well. Scientists have identified a condition called “cybersickness”, which they say is the digital version of motion sickness. The phenomenon, which affects up to 80 percent of the population who own smart phones or tablets, leads to feelings of sickness and unsteadiness. It is caused by seeing fast motion on a screen, which covers anything from a car chase in a film to scrolling through web pages on your phone.

The more realistic the visual content appears to you, the higher your chances of getting cybersickness are . The condition was identified in a piece in the New York Times in which British and US experts said that it needed solving. Motion sickness leaves sufferers feeling ill because they feel movement in your muscles and your inner ear but do not see it. The mismatch in digital sickness is the opposite—you see movement on the screen but do not feel it. The effect is the same and the symptoms include a headache, wanting to throw up, confusion and the need to sit down. Often cybersickness shows itself in a subtle way and sufferers put it down to stress or eyestrain.

Steven Rauch, a professor of otolaryngology（耳鼻喉科学） at Harvard Medical School, said: “Your sense of balance is different from other senses in that it has lots of inputs. When those inputs don’t agree, that’s when you feel dizziness and sickness. ”

Some studies that have been carried out into cybersickness found that women are more susceptible than men, the New York Times reported. Those who have Type A’ personalities—meaning they are confident and determined—are more likely to suffer from cybersickness as well. Among those who have reported experiencing the condition have been video gamers who spend hours playing fast paced games. Engineers at Oculus VR, the virtual headset manufacturer, have admitted that digital motion sickness is one of their biggest problems.

1.From the text, we know that cybersickness ______.

A. is completely equal to motion sickness

B. affects up to 80% of the population.

C. leads to people’s feelings of sickness and unsteadiness

D. is caused by seeing fast moving objects around

2.What’s the difference between motion sickness and digital sickness?

A. Digital sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it.

B. Digital sickness means sufferers feel movement but do not see it.

C. Motion sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it.

D. Motion sickness means sufferers don’t see or feel movement

3.What does the underlined word “susceptible” in the last paragraph mean?

A. likely to accept B. likely to be affected

C. likely to suspect D. likely to be cured

4.This passage is most probably ____________.

A. a science fiction B. a newspaper ad

C. a book review D. a science news report

Answer 1