Two decades to the day when the first text message was sent out in 1992， texting has become one of the most convenient ways for people to communicate with families， friends and workmates. We do it almost every day. But as it involves more in our life， some influence you don’t know is taking place.
Texting while Driving More Dangerous than Drunk Driving
开车时发短信比醉驾更危险
研究显示，一边开车一边发短信比酒后开车还要危险。据统计，美国每年有5000多人死于开车发短信和打电话，20岁以下的驾车者尤其容易在开车时分神。
Studies show that sending text messages while driving is more dangerous than drunk driving. The reaction times of people texting as they drove fell by 35 percent， while those who had consumed the legal limit of alcohol fell by 21 percent.
Drivers who texted were distracted by taking their hand off the wheel to use their phone， by trying to read small text on the phone display and by thinking about how to write their message.
The researcher Uvid Hosansky said， “Texting drivers took their eyes off the road for each text an average of 4.6 seconds， which at 55 mph means they were driving the length of a football field without looking.”
A recent study says texting and talking on cell phones while driving kills more than 5，000 people every year in the US. Teen drivers seem especially easy to be distracted.
No responsible motorist would drink and drive. And now text devotees shall understand that texting is one of the most dangerous things that one can do while in charge of a motor car.
Talking on a cell phone is also dangerous. Experts say that talking on a cell phone while driving is far more distracting than talking with an adult passenger because one needs to create a mental picture of the person on the other end of the conversation.
Texting while Walking Banned in New Jersey Town
新泽西小镇禁止走路发短信
美国新泽西州的利堡小镇警方近期宣布，凡在该地区发现边走路边发短信的行人，将一律罚款85美元。据悉，到目前为止，当地警方已经开出117个走路发短信的罚单。
Fort Lee， a small town in New Jersey in the US， announced that pedestrians will be fined as much as $85 if they are caught texting while walking.
“It’s a big distraction. Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware，”said Thomas Ripoli， chief of the Fort Lee Police Department.
Ripoli said the town， which is home to about 35，000 residents， has suffered three fatal pedestrian-involved accidents this year. He hopes the new rule will reduce such dangerous behavior and make his town safer， but not everyone is on board with the idea of issuing $85 tickets.
“When I walk I still look around. I’m not like constantly looking down the whole time，”said resident Sue Choe. Another woman complained about the tickets were “a lot of money.”
Officers handed out pamphlets during a short grace period in March before they began carrying out the rule strictly.
More than 117 tickets have been issued， according to the New Jersey Record.
Poetry， the “Original” Form of Text Messages？
诗歌为短信“前身”？
英国女诗人卡罗尔·安·达菲近日表示，青少年发短信和微博的过程其实是在“磨练”他们的诗歌创作技巧，诗歌其实是短信和微博的“前身”。
In contrast to other education experts who worry about modern language being killed off by the so-called “Facebook generation”， British poet Carol Ann Duffy said communicating via mobile phones and through social networking sites is “perfecting” their poetry skills.
Duffy is Britain’s first female Poet Laureate， who is second only to Shakespeare as the subject of choice for undergraduates studying English. She thinks poetry was the “original” form of text messaging.
“The poem is a form of texting ... it’s the original text，” said the poet.“It’s a perfecting of a feeling in language； it’s a way of saying more with less， just as texting is.
“We’ve got to realize that the Facebook generation is the future—and， oddly enough， poetry is the perfect form for them. Poems are the original text messages in that they use language in a very concise way.”
“I know children love poetry. When I go into schools to give readings or do workshops， teenagers come up to me afterwards and ask me to read their poems.
“For them， poetry is a way of talking to themselves and understanding their feelings. So the word is very important to young people，” added she.
Sleep Texting
睡眠短信
日常生活的压力引发了一种新现象——发“睡眠短信”。患上这一异症的人会在睡着的时候给朋友和家人发送不连贯的短信息，而当事人却完全意识不到自己在发短信。
I did what？Dr. David Cunnington claims “sleep texting” sufferers send text messages to friends and family members—and are completely unaware that they are doing it.
“We have had patients who have reported sending text messages to their friends and family while asleep，” he said. “It is one of those things that happens， but it is very rare， and certainly not a common trend.”
There are no studies into sleep texting—but a similar phenomenon， sleep e-mailing， was studied in 2008. The phenomenon is caused by the stress of daily life， according to Dr. Cunnington. He described sleep texting as the result of people having too much to do during waking life.
“People are doing so much during a normal day that it can mean that they feel like they’re ‘on call’ even at night，” he explained. Dr. Cunnington suggested that people struggling to get a quality night’s sleep keep their phones out of the bedroom. The key point is that people need to respect their sleep， and make an effort to switch off at night.
People Tend to Tell the Truth in Text Messages
发短信比当面交谈更可能说真话
面对面提问也许不是得到真实答案的最佳方式，用发短信的方式提问一般更能得到实情。研究表明，人们在发短信时更容易透露平常不会透露的敏感信息。
Many people thought that texting would decrease the likelihood of disclosing sensitive information. But this is not the truth.
Compared with a face-to-face interview， people tend to tell the truth more when asked questions via text message. It also includes sensitive information that the person might not normally reveal—such as exactly how much they drink， or how much（or little） they exercise.
“This is sort of surprising，” says Fred Conrad， a psychologist at the University of Michigan. “We believe people give more precise answers via texting because there’s just not the time pressure in texting that there is in phone interviews. As a result， respondents are able to take longer to arrive at more accurate answers.”
While the police are unlikely to switch to interviewing suspects via iPhone， it’s a good way to get precise， true answers from friends.
Be Aware of the “Smartphone Face”
小心变成“手机脸”
美容专家告诫科技痴迷者，手机、电脑玩太多小心变成“手机脸”。据称，经常使用智能手机和笔记本电脑会导致人的面部皮肤和肌肉失去弹性，面颊松弛下垂，变成“手机脸”。
Technology addicts may be at risk of saggy jowls， according to aesthetic experts.
It is believed that smartphone and laptop use could cause facial skin and muscle to lose its elasticity as people spend an increasing amount of time sitting with their heads bent.
The phenomenon was dubbed “smartphone face” by Dr. Mervyn Patterson of the Woodford Medical group.
“If you sit for hours with your head bent slightly forward， staring at your iPhone or laptop screen， you may shorten the neck muscles and increase the gravitational pull on the jowl area， leading to a drooping jawline，” said Dr. Mervyn Patterson.
And a number of leading doctors warn that poor posture can promote saggy jowls， double chins and “marionette lines”—the wrinkles from the corners of the mouth down the chin.
distract vt. 使注意力转移，使分神
text devotee 短信痴迷者
pedestrian n. 行人，步行者
be on board with 与……一致，同意，支持
pamphlet n. 宣传册，宣传页
grace period 宽限期
Poet Laureate 桂冠诗人
undergraduate n. 大学生
oddly adv. 奇怪地
concise adj. 简洁的
workshop n. 研讨会、讲习班
switch off 关机
sensitive adj. 敏感的
saggy adj. 下垂的，松弛的
jowl n. 面颊
elasticity n. 弹力
dub vt. 给……起绰号
the gravitational pull 重力
drooping adj. 下垂的
jawline n. 下颌的外形
marionette lines 木偶纹
