A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone. The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr. Gallagher noticed the student's fingers moving on his lap. He was texting while being scolded for texting!

"It was a subconscious act," said Mr. Gallagher, who took the phone away. "Yong people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It's addictive. They can’t simply stop doing that."

Because so many people in their teens and early 20s are in this constant whir of socializing -- accessible to each other every minute of the day via cellphone, instant messaging and social-networking Web sites -- there are a host of new questions that need to be addressed in schools, in the workplace and at home. Chief among them: How much work can "hyper-socializing" students or employees really accomplish if they are holding multiple conversations with friends via text-messaging, or are obsessively checking Facebook? Almost a quarter of today's teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a non-profit group that monitors media's impact on families.

Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and "social-network checking" as accepted parts of the workday?

"In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are adept at texting with their phones still in their pockets," said 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, "and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones."

When the boy was scolded for texting, _________________.

       A. he was polite and regretful

       B. he was trying sending another message

       C. his fingers shouldn’t be put on his lap

       D. he listened carefully and nodded

What does the underlined word “subconscious” mean?

       A. dangerous               B. purposeless                    C. popular                    D. impolite

What can we learn about the students in their teens and early 20s?

       A. All of them are addicted to using cellphones.

       B. They will get rid of the habit once they go to work.

       C. They are greatly different from the past generations.

       D. Most of them check Facebook more than 10 times a day.

What can we infer from the passage?

       A. The employers will accept texting at workday.

       B. The students will give up their phones one day.

       C. It’s convenient for students to communicate with others with cellphones.

D. Facebook is a kind of book students need to read at school.