CPE Reading

The Case for Digital Minimalism

The philosophy of digital minimalism has emerged as a potent counter-culture to our 0 _______ digital connectivity. It is not just about using technology less, but about conducting a deliberate cost-benefit 1 _______ of each digital tool in our lives. Proponents argue that the default setting of modern life – constant notification, endless scrolling, and the 2 _______ pressure to be perpetually available – comes with a hidden cognitive tax. This tax 3 _______ itself as fractured attention, reduced capacity for deep work, and a lingering sense of being busy yet unproductive.

The core practice of digital minimalism is a periodic 'digital declutter'. This involves 4 _______ all optional technologies for a set period, then reintroducing only those that 5 _______ a clearly defined and significant value to one's goals and relationships. The intention is to break the cycle of compulsive use and reclaim 6 _______ over one's time and mental space. It is a conscious move from being a passive consumer of digital content to being an intentional curator of one's informational diet.

Critics 7 _______ that such practices are a privileged retreat, unavailable to those whose livelihoods depend on digital engagement. However, minimalists contend that the principle is about mindfulness, not outright rejection. Even within digitally-intensive roles, one can 8 _______ boundaries – designating email-free hours or curating notification settings – to mitigate the fragmenting effects and protect stretches of focused thought. Ultimately, digital minimalism is less about technology itself and more about asserting human priorities in a designed environment that often profitably overlooks them.


BẢNG ĐÁP ÁN LỰA CHỌN:

  • 0. A. ubiquitous | B. sweeping | C. prevailing | D. overarching

  • 1. A. audit | B. review | C. assessment | D. appraisal

  • 2. A. implicit | B. underlying | C. subdued | D. inherent

  • 3. A. manifests | B. exhibits | C. unveils | D. divulges

  • 4. A. dispensing | B. discarding | C. abolishing | D. deleting

  • 5. A. deliver | B. extend | C. render | D. confer

  • 6. A. autonomy | B. discretion | C. liberty | D. sovereignty

  • 7. A. challenge | B. dispute | C. counter | D. object

  • 8. A. institute | B. launch | C. erect | D. stabilise


  1. cost-benefit assessment/analysis (collocation): phân tích chi phí - lợi ích

  2. Inherent pressure (n) áp lực vốn có, là bản chất đi kèm không thể tách rời của đời sống hiện đại (luôn phải online, thông báo liên tục).

  3. manifest itself as : biểu hiện ra thành, thể hiện dưới dạng...

  4. deliver value (collocation) mang lại giá trị

  5. Institute boundaries : thiết lập, đưa vào áp dụng các ranh giới/quy tắc (như quy định giờ không dùng email).
    - launch: Phóng, khởi động (chiến dịch, sản phẩm).
    - erect: Dựng lên các công trình vật lý (nhà cửa, hàng rào).

  6. have/reclaim discretion over sth (collocation) có quyền tự định đoạt/tùy nghi quyết định về việc gì

  7. object that …. (counter không đi với “that”)