Each word is used only once. You may need to change the word (lexically and/or grammatically) in order for it to fit the context. There are 2 extra words in the box. Transfer your answers into the answer sheet (21–30).
Quit Social Media. Your Career May Depend on It
By CAL NEWPORT NOV. 19, 2016, The New York Times
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DIFFER
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HAVE
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OBJECT
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HARM
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SUCCESS
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BUY
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CAPITAL
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LEAVE
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USE
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UNDERSTAND
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DESIGN
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TELL
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I’M a computer scientist who also writes books and runs a blog. I should be a heavy social media user, but that is not the case. I 21 never a social media account.
At the moment, this makes me an outsider, but I think many more people should follow my example and quit these services. There are many issues with social media but the argument I want to make here is more pragmatic: You should quit social media because it can hurt your career.
This idea, of course, runs against our current 22 of social media’s role in the professional sphere. We 23 a number of times that it’s important to develop your so-called social media brand, as this provides you access to opportunities you might otherwise miss and supports the contact network you need to get ahead. Many people in my generation fear that without a social media presence, they would be invisible to the job market. In a recent New York magazine essay, Andrew Sullivan recalled when he started to feel obligated to update his blog every half-hour or so.
I think this behavior is misguided. In a 24 economy, the market rewards things that are rare and valuable. Social media use is decidedly not rare or valuable. Any 16-year-old with a smartphone can invent a hashtag or repost an article.
Professional success is hard, but it’s not complicated. It requires that you master a 25 craft and then apply it to things that people care about. This is a philosophy perhaps best summarized by the advice Steve Martin used to give entertainers: “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” If you do that, the rest will work itself out, regardless of the size of your Instagram following.
A common response to my social media skepticism is the idea that using these services “can’t hurt.” However, my critics note, why not also expose yourself to the opportunities and connections that social media can offer? I have two 26 to this line of thinking.
First, interesting opportunities and useful connections are not as rare as social media proponents claim. My research on 27 professionals underscores that this experience is common: As you become more valuable to the marketplace, good things will find you. To be clear, I’m not saying that new opportunities and connections are unimportant. I’m instead saying that you don’t need social media’s help to attract them.
My second counter-argument concerns the idea that social media is 28 . Consider that the ability to concentrate without distraction on hard tasks is becoming increasingly valuable in an increasingly complicated economy.
Social media weakens this skill because it’s engineered to be addictive. The more you use social media in the way it 29 to be used the more your brain learns to crave and enjoy a quick hit of stimulus at the slightest hint of boredom.
So, if you’re serious about making a 30 in the world, power down your smartphone, close your browser tabs, roll up your sleeves and get to work.
