Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one ofthe paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Why it matters that teens are reading less
A) Most of us spend much more time with digital media than we did a decade ago. But today's teens have grown up with smartphones. Compared with teens a couple of decades ago, the way they interact with traditional media like books and movies is fundamentally different.
B) Analysis of surveys of over one million teens in the United States collected since 1976 reveals a major shift in how teens are spending their leisure time. Paper books are being ignored, in favor of screens. D屯ital devices are changing other behaviors, too. More and more, young people choose spending time on their electronic devices over engaging in other activities, regardless of the type. Indeed, by 2016, the average American high school senior said they spent six hours a day writing text messages, on social media, and online during their free time. And that covers just three activities, and if other digital media activities were included, that estimate would no doubt rise.
C) Teens did not always spend that much time with digital media. Online time has doubled since 2006, and social media use has moved from a periodic activity to a daily one in the same period. By 2016, nearly nine out of ten young women in the 12th grade said they visited social media sites every day. Meanwhile, time spent playing video games rose from under an hour a day to an hour and a half on average. One out of ten American 8th grade students in 2016 spent 40 hours a week or more playing video games. Let me emphasize that this is equal to the time most adults spend per week at work.
D) If teens are spending so much time using electronic devices, does that mean they have to give up some other activities? Maybe not. Over the years, many scholars have insisted that time online does not necessarily take away time spent engaging with traditional media or on other activities. Some people, they argue, are just more interested in certain kinds of media and entertainment. Thus, using more of one type of media does not necessarily mean less of the other.
E) That may be true, but that still does not tell us much about what happens across a whole generation of people when time spent on digital media grows. Large surveys conducted over the course of many years tell us that American youth are not going to the cinema nearly as often as they did in the past. While 70 percent of 8th and 10th grade students used to go to the movies once a month or more, now only about half do this. More and more, watching a movie is something teens choose to do on their electronic devices. Why is this a problem? One reason is that going to the cinema is generally a social activity. Now, watching movies is something that most teens do alone. This fits a larger pattern. In another analysis, researchers found that today's teens go out with their 扣ends much less often than previous generations did.
F) But the trends related to movies are less disturbing compared with the change in how teens spend their time. Research has revealed an eno皿ous decline in reading. In 1980, about 60 percent of senior high school students said they read a book, newspaper or magazine every day that was not assigned for school. By 2016, only 16 percent did. This is a huge drop and it is important to note that this was not merely a decline in reading paper books, newspapers or magazines. The survey allowed for reading materials on a digital device.
G) Indeed, the number of senior high school students who said they had not read any books for pleasure in the last year was one out of three by 2016. That is triple the number from two decades ago. For today's youth, books, newspapers and magazines have less and less of a presence in their daily lives. Of course, teens are still reading But they are generally reading short texts. Most of them are not reading long articles or books that explore deep themes and require critical thinking and reflection. Perhaps not accidentally, in 2016 reading scores were the lowest they have ever been since 1972.
H) This might present problems for young people later on. When high school students go on to college, their past and cu订ent reading habits will influence their academic performance. Imagine going from reading texts as short as one or two sentences to trying to read entire books written in complex language and containing sophisticated ideas. Reading and comprehending longer books and chapters takes practice, and American teens are no longer getting that practice.
I) So how can this problem be solved? Should parents and teachers take away teens' smartphones and replace them with paper books? Probably not. Research has shown that smartphones are currently American teens' main form of social communication. This means that, without a smartphone, teens are likely to feel isolated from their peers However, that does not mean teens need to use electronic devices as often as they do now. Data connecting excessive d屯ital media time to mental health issues suggests a limit of two hours a day of free time spent with screens, a restriction that will also allow time for other activities—like going to the movies with friends or reading longer, more complicated texts.
J) The latter is especially important. I would argue that of all the changes brought about by the widespread use of digital devices, the huge decline in reading is likely to have the biggest negative impact on today's teens because reading books and longer articles is one of the best ways to learn critical thinking. It helps people to understand complex issues and to separate fact from fiction. Thus, deep reading is crucial for being a good citizen, a successful college student and a productive employee. If serious reading d比s, a lot will go with it.
为什么青少年读书量减少事关紧要
A)(40)与十年前相比,我们大多数人在数字媒体上花的时间更多了。但是如今的青少年是伴随着智能手机长大的。与几十年前的青少年相比,他们与书籍和电影等传统媒介互动的方式是完全不同的。
B (37)对自1976年以来在美国收集的一百多万个青少年的调研进行分析后发现,他们度过休闲时间的方式发生了巨大改变。纸质书籍正在被忽视,而电子屏幕却备受喜爱。数码设备也改变了青少年一些其他的行为。越来越多的年轻人选择在电子设备上消磨时间,而不是参加其他活动,无论什么类型的活动。(44)事实上,截至2016年,美国高中高年级学生说他们在空闲时间里平均每天要花6个小时的时间用于写短信、上社交媒体以及上网。而且这仅仅包含了三种活动,如果要算上其他的数字媒体活动的话,这个估计时长无疑会增加。
C)(42)青少年并不是一直花那么多时间在数字媒体上的。自2006年以来,上网时间翻了一番,而与此同时,社交媒体的使用也已经从定期活动变成了日常活动。到2016年,九成十二年级的女孩称她们每天都会访问社交媒体网站。与此同时,人们花在玩电子游戏上的时间从平均每天不到一小时增长到一个半小时。2016年,美国八年级学生中有十分之一的人每周会拿出40个小时或更多的时间玩电子游戏。我强调一下,这相当于大多数成年人每周花在工作上的时间。
D)如果青少年花这么多时间使用电子设备,这是否意味着他们不得不放弃一些其他的活动?或许不是。(39)多年来,很多学者坚持认为,上网时间不一定会占用花在传统媒体或者其他活动上的时间。他们认为,有些人只是对某些类型的媒体和娱乐形式更感兴趣。因此,多使用某一种媒体并不一定意味着另一种媒体使用得更少。
E)那可能是真的,但那仍然不能告诉我们当人们花在数字媒体上的时间增长时,整个一代人会发生什 么。(36)多年来进行的大型调研告诉我们,美国年轻人去电影院的频率不像过去那么高了。过去,70%的八年级和十年级学生每月看一次电影,甚至更多,但现在只有约一半的人这样做。越来越多的青少年会选择在他们的电子设备上看电影。为什么这是一个问题呢?原因之一是,看电影通常是一种社交活动。现在,看电影是大多数青少年单独做的事情。这符合一个更大样本。(45)在另一项分析中,研究人员发现,如今的青少年与朋友外出的次数比前几代人少得多。
F)(43)但与青少年如何分配时间的变化相比,与电影相关的趋势没有那么令人不安。研究显示,青年人的阅读量大幅下降。1980年,大约60%的高中生表示,他们每天读一本书、一份报纸或杂志,这不是学校布置的。到2016年,只有16%的高中生这样做。这是一个巨大的下降,值得注意的是,这不仅仅是阅读纸质书籍、报纸或杂志的下降。这项调查也将数字设备上的阅读材料考虑在内。
G (38)事实上,截至2016年,表示过去的一年没有因为乐趣而读过任何书籍的高中生人数达到了三分之一。这个数字是20年前的三倍。对于今天的年轻人来说,书籍、报纸和杂志在他们的日常生活中存在感越来越低。当然,青少年仍在阅读。但他们通常读的是短文本。他们中的大多数人都不阅读那些探索深层主题、需要批判性思考和反思的长篇文章或书籍。2016年的阅读成绩是1972年以来的最低水平,这或许并非偶然。
H)这可能会在以后给年轻人带来一些问题。当高中生进人大学时,他们过去和现在的阅读习惯将会影响他们的学业表现。想象一下,从阅读短至一两句话的文本,到努力去读整本用复杂的语言编写、观点晦涩难懂的书籍。阅读和理解更长的书籍和篇章需要练习,而美国青少年不再进行这些练习了。
I) 那么该如何解决这一问题呢?父母和老师是否会拿走青少年的智能手机而用纸质书籍来代替呢?很可能不会。研究表明,智能手机目前是美国青少年的主要社交形式。这就意味着,如果没有智能手机,青少年可能会感觉与同龄人隔绝。然而,这不是说青少年需要像他们现在这样频繁地使用电子设备。将过多的数字媒体时间与心理健康问题联系起来后,得出了一些数据,这些数据建议将每天花在屏幕上的空闲时间限制在两小时之内。这一限制也会让青少年有时间从事其他活动,比如和朋友一起去看电影或者阅读更长、更复杂的文本。
J)后者尤为重要。(41—1)我认为,在数字设备的广泛使用所带来的所有变化中,阅读量的大幅下降可能 对当今青少年产生最大的负面影响,因为阅读书籍和长篇文章是学习批判性思维的最好方式之一。它能够帮助人们理解复杂的问题,区分事实和虚幻。因此,深度阅读对于成为一个好公民、一个成功的大学生和一个高效的员工是至关重要的。(41—2)如果严肃的阅读消失了,很多东西也会随之消失。
Many years' surveys reveal that young people in America are going to the cinema much less often than they used to.
Survey analysis shows American teens now spend their leisure time on digital devices rather than reading printed books.
The number of senior high schoolers not reading books for pleasure in a year increased three times over 20 years.
Many scholars claim that spending time on electronic devices doesn't necessarily mean a decrease of time for other activities.
Most people spend much more time interacting with dgiital media than they did ten years ago.
The author claims that it will be a great loss if we no longer read books and longer articles.
Over a decade or so, American teens'social media use shifted from an occasional activity to a routine one.
A more disturbing trend in America today is that teens are spending far less time reading than around four decades ago.
Some five years ago, high school seniors in America generally spent more than six hours a day on electronic devices.
It was found that American youngsters today don't socialize nearly as much as the earlier generations.
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