No Mobile Means You’re Not in Touch

My household now has four mobile phones: one for me; one each for my eldest children, the twin boys; and one for my 15-year-old daughter. Only my 12-year-old son does not (yet) have his own mobile. In other words, we’re now in line with national figures, which show that Australia has 19 million mobile phones for a population of just over 20 million people. Among 15-to 17-year-olds, nearly nine out of 10.

The reality is that a mobile phone is the coolest thing of all for a teenager to own. It’s even more important than a television, a DVD player or access to the internet. If you don’t have a mobile you are, quite literally, out of touch.

Of course, there are good and bad sides to mobiles. In my global media world, I’ve lived with a mobile switched on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the past ten years. At the same time, here in Perth, I started a movement on talkback radio called CAMPIR (Campaign Against Mobile Phones in Restaurants). Nothing annoys me more than people who feel that an incoming mobile call is more important than the company they are with at a restaurant or even at their dining table at home, but I believe that in the long term, we will have a revolt against the intrusion of mobiles into our personal lives.

There was a study in New Zealand last year among young teenagers that showed a quarter have used text messaging to end a relationship. Here in Australia, I’ve read of people being fired by text. That’s cold. On the other hand, lots of parents---myself included---feel their children are safer if they have their mobile with them when they are away from home.

I’ve even read that the use of mobiles among kids may mean that they smoke less. Phones are a stronger status symbol than cigarettes among children and also give them something to do with their hands.

Psychologists, though, argue that mobiles are actually a way for kids to bypass their parents. They can communicate constantly with their friends without their parents knowing anything of the conversations. No matter what the future brings, I don’t expect ever to have fewer mobiles in the house. On the contrary, the next challenge is to see if I can get through the rest of this year without having to buy a mobile phone for my youngest child.

1.According to the passage, a mobile phone is the coolest thing for a teenager to possess because _________.

A.In their opinion, the mobile phone is the most fashionable possession

B.A mobile phone is the most useful tool in the life.

C.The teenager keeps in contact with others exactly by using a mobile phone.

D.The Internet is less important than the mobile phone.

2.,Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A.In New Zealand most young teenagers have used text messaging to end a relationship.

B.The writer doesn’t think his children can avoid danger if they have their mobile with them .

C.The use of mobiles among kids may contribute to their less smoking.

D.Cigarettes are the strongest status symbol among children.

3.The underlined word “bypass” in the fifth paragraph probably means __________.

A. contact       B. avoid        C. inform        D. oppose

4.  It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

   A. The children in the family each have a mobile phone.

   B. About 60% of the children aged 15-17 have phones in Australia.

   C. The writer is likely to buy a mobile phone for his youngest child this year.

   D. The writer doesn’t agree that children should own a mobile phone.

Dear Daughter,

As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write a letter to you to tell you all that is on my mind.

First, I want to tell you how proud we are.Getting into Columbia is a real testament of what a great well-rounded student you are.It is in college that you will truly discover what learning is about.I encourage you to be curious, but I also want to tell you “Education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten”.That is really what learning in college is about–this will be the period where you go from teacher-taught to master-inspired, after which you must become self-learner.So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn isn’t critical for your life, the skills of learning will be something you cherish forever.

There is no single simple answer to any question.Remember during your high school debate class, I always asked you to take on the side that you don’t believe in? I did that for a reason– things rarely “black and white”, and there are always many ways to look at a problem.You will become a better problem solver if you recognize that.This is called “critical thinking”, and it is the most important thinking skill you need for your life.This also means you need to become tolerant and supportive of others.I will always remember when I went to my Ph.D.advisor and proposed a new thesis topic.He said “I don’t agree with you, but I’ll support you.”

Do your best in classes, but don’t let pressure get to you.Your mother and I have no expectations for your grades.If you graduate and learn something in your four years, we would feel happy.Please don’t be worried.The only thing that matters is that you learned.The only metric you should use is that you tried.Grades are just silly letters that give the vain people something to brag, and the lazy people something to fear.You are too good to be either.

College is the four years where you have:·the greatest amount of free time.·the first chance to be independent.·the most flexibility to change.·the lowest risk for making mistakes.

So please treasure your college years.

Love,

Dad (& Mom)

(A letter from Kaifu Lee)

1.According to Kaifu Lee, the underlined sentence in the second paragraph means_________.

A.you should learn by yourself instead of learning from your teachers.

B.the knowledge isn’t as important as the ability to learn.

C.the knowledge from college is of less worth than that acquired after college.

D.education is nothing but what you have remembered.

2.Kaifu Lee expects his daughter to _________.

A.agree with those who hold the opposite opinions.

B.find out the difference between ‘right and wrong’.

C.think of more ways to solve a problem critically.

D.step into others’ shoes and think from others’ positions.

3.Based on the letter, it can be inferred that ________.

A.high grades are not important for people.

B.Kaifu Lee and his wife don’t care about their daughter’s grades or college life.

C.Kaifu Lee doesn’t expect her daughter to make any mistakes in her life.

D.Kaifu Lee’s daughter is a freshman in Columbia University.

4.We can conclude that Kaifu Lee’s daughter is _________.

A.dependent and curious                         B.tolerant and supportive

C.well-rounded and worried                         D.excellent and hard-working 

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