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. "
小题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.小题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小题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.小题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
