Disadvantages of the Cell Phone

There is more than one advantage and disadvantage of cell phones. Anyone considering purchasing their first cell phone, or considering getting rid of their cell phone, should look at the device from different angles. Surely there are disadvantages of buying cell phones. 【小题1】.

Added Costs

【小题2】. First, you will have to purchase a cell phone. While you may find a free phone option with your new wireless plan, smartphone devices can cost as much as $400 or more. Then you will have to pay a monthly fee for service. Service plans vary and can include costs for minutes, text messages, data, and insurance.

【小题3】.

Every time you have your cell phone with you, it could ring and interrupt what you are doing. While it is convenient to keep your phone with you when you are away from home, it also leaves you open to calls from your mother, your boss, or anyone that knows your phone number. This may lead some people to feel like they have less privacy than before.

Less Reliable than a Landline Telephone

【小题4】. This means a cell phone,' no matter how reliable, is not going to work everywhere unlike a landline telephone, which provides service that is more reliable.

Higher Possibility of Accidents

If you are talking or texting on your cell phone while you are driving, you are far more likely to be involved in a car accident. 【小题5】. And despite several recently imposed （强制实行的） laws banning cell phone use while people are driving, many find them almost impossible to carry out.

My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.

Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, "Dad! The bear is right behind us!" An aggressive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back — the sign (迹象) of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.

I held my camera tripod (三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.

Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.

The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.

Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five or six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling (扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back towards the forest, before returning for another attack — the first time I felt panic.

Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I'm proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.

   Ask most people anywhere in the world what they want out of life and the reply will probably be“to be happy”. Ed Deiner，an American psychology professor，has spent his whole life studying what makes people happy，comparing levels of happiness between cultures and trying to find out exactly why we enjoy ourselves.

Many people would say that this question does not need an answer. But Professor Deiner has one anyway. “If you’re a cheerful，happy person，your marriage is more likely to last，and you’re more likely to make money and be successful in your job. On average，happy people have stronger immune systems（免疫系统），and there is some evidence that they live longer. ”

So who are the world’s happiest people？It depends on how the word is defined. There is individual（个人的）happiness，the sense of joy we get when we do something we like. But there is also the feeling of satisfaction we get when we know that others respect us and approve of how we behave. According to Professor Deiner，the Western world pursues individual happiness while Asia prefers mutual satisfaction.

“In the West，the individualistic culture means that your mood matters much more than it does in the East. People ask themselves if they are doing what is fun or interesting. They become unhappy when they can’t do any of these things. If you ask people from Japan or China whether they are happy，they tend to look at what has gone wrong in their lives. If not much has gone wrong，then they are satisfied. ”

“People from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries have the happiest culture，”Professor Deiner found. “The biggest cultural difference is to do with pride and shame. Hispanic cultures report much more pride and much less shame than others. ”

Income（收入）also makes a big difference to people’s happiness，but only at the lowest levels. Average income earners in the US are much happier than people in poverty. But millionaires are only a little bit happier than people on average incomes. It seems that money makes us happy when we have enough to feel safe.