It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound
asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches
for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"
Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He
also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制台 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no
surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute
using one or more of these devices
Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study
by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than
ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half
hours a day on average, the study found.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile
devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly
seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of
ten.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at
a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take
a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert
Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids.
But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing
outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance,"
says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some
kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework.
"It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one
thing deeply, " says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every
year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids
should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in
sometimes. "
1.Why do children spend more time in using electronic
devices?
A.Because more
electronic devices are available to them.
B.Because
electronic devices are more exciting than before.
C.Because they
have less other activities.
D.Because they
have less homework to do.
2.It is known from the passage that ____.
A.Brandon
Blanco feels very annoyed about his late-night text
B.the teenagers
using mobile devices have increased by 30% in the past five years
C.Cheryl Olson
is not surprised about kids' increasing use of mobile devices
D.most experts
think teenagers should not use electronic devices for their studies
3.Which of the following is an example of multitasking
according to the passage?
A.Watching TV
while using the computer.
B.Talking on
the phone while staying with others.
C.Playing video
games on the Internet.
D.Listening to
music while relaxing.
4.According to the passage, Victoria Rideout would
probably agree that ____.
A.kids should
do homework while surfing the Internet
B.kids should
do homework in a place without disturbance
C.kids should
spend more time on homework
D.kids should
have more homework than before