Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying “curiosity killed the cat”. It’s a phrase that’s often used to warn people, especially children, not to ask too many questions. Yet it’s widely agreed that curiosity actually makes learning more effective. In fact, research has shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school.

Curiosity can also lead us to make unexpected discoveriesand open up new possibilities. In science, basic curiosity-driven research can have unexpected important benefits. For example, one day in 1831, Michael Faraday was playing around with a coil (线圈) and a magnet (磁铁) when he suddenly saw how he could produce an electrical current. The discovery changed the world.

However, curiosity is currently under the biggest threat, coming from technology. On one level, this is because technology has become so advanced that many of us are unable to think too deeply about how exactly things work anymore.

In addition to this, there’s the fact that we all now connect so deeply with technology, particularly with our phones. The more we stare at our screens, the less we talk to other people directly. All too often we accept the images of people that social media provides up with. Then we feel we know enough about a person not to need to engage further with them.

The final—and perhaps most worrying—way in which technology stops us from asking more has to do with algorithms, the processes followed by computers. As we increasingly get our news via social media, algorithms find out what we like and push more of the same back to us. That means we end up inside our own little bubbles, no longer coming across new ideas. Perhaps the real key to developing curiosity in the 21^st century, then, is to rely less on the tech tools of our age.

参考范文：

Curiosity determines one’s academic performance and can lead to new discoveries. However, technology seriously endangers curiosity . It prevents people from thinking deeply and engaging with each other . Worst of all, it keeps feeding us what it thinks we like instead of exposing us to new ideas. Therefore, to develop curiosity, we need to rely less on technology. (57 words)

本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了好奇心在人们学习新知识和发现新事物方面的促进作用，并指出现代技术的日益发达对人们好奇心的消极影响。

(详解)

1. 要点摘录

①Curiosity is just as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school.

②Technology has become so advanced that many of us are unable to think too deeply about how exactly things work anymore.

③Then we feel we know enough about a person not to need to engage further with them.

④As we increasingly get our news via social media, algorithms find out what we like and push more of the same back to us.

⑤Perhaps the real key to developing curiosity in the 21^st century, then, is to rely less on the tech tools of our age.

2. 缜密构思：将第1、2两个要点进行重组，将第3、4两个要点进行整合，将第5个要点作为总结。

3. 遣词造句

①Curiosity determines one’s academic performance and can lead to new discoveries.

②Technology prevents people from thinking deeply and engaging with each other .

③Technology keeps feeding us what it thinks we like instead of exposing us to new ideas.

④We need to rely less on technology.

(点睛)

(高分句型1) “It prevents people from thinking deeply and engaging with each other.” (运用一个简单句对原文第三段和第四段进行了概括。其中prevent sb. from doing sth. 这个固定短语的运用显得很高级。thinking和engaging两个动名词作from的宾语。)

(高分句型2) “Worst of all, it keeps feeding us what it thinks we like instead of exposing us to new ideas.” (用一个复杂的主从复合句概括了第五段内容。其中what引导宾语从句、固定短语instead of和expose sb. to sth. 的使用非常巧妙。)