Section B: Information Matching
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the 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 your Answer Sheet.
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. Digital 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 friends 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 enormous 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 current 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 digital 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 dies, a lot will go with it.
36. Many years' surveys reveal that young people in America are going to the cinema much less often than they used to.
37. Survey analysis shows American teens now spend their leisure time on digital devices rather than reading printed books.
38. The number of senior high schoolers not reading books for pleasure in a year increased three times over 20 years.
39. Many scholars claim that spending time on electronic devices doesn't necessarily mean a decrease of time for other activities.
40. Most people spend much more time interacting with digital media than they did ten years ago.
41. The author claims that it will be a great loss if we no longer read books and longer articles.
42. Over a decade or so, American teens' social media use shifted from an occasional activity to a routine one.
43. A more disturbing trend in America today is that teens are spending far less time reading than around four decades ago.
44. Some five years ago, high school seniors in America generally spent more than six hours a day on electronic devices.
45. It was found that American youngsters today don't socialize nearly as much as the earlier generations.
Answers & Explanations
36. E。解析：题干中的 going to the cinema much less often (去电影院次数变少) 对应 [E] 段第一、二句：American youth are not going to the cinema nearly as often as they did in the past。
37. B。解析：题干中的 spend their leisure time on digital devices rather than reading printed books (在电子设备上花时间而不是读纸质书) 对应 [B] 段第二句：Paper books are being ignored, in favor of screens。
38. G。解析：题干中的 not reading books for pleasure... increased three times over 20 years (一年内不为乐趣读书的人数在20年里增加了三倍) 对应 [G] 段第二句：That is triple the number from two decades ago。
39. D。解析：题干中的 Many scholars claim... doesn't necessarily mean a decrease of time for other activities (许多学者声称...不一定意味着其他活动时间减少) 对应 [D] 段第二句：many scholars have insisted that time online does not necessarily take away time spent engaging with traditional media or on other activities。
40. A。解析：题干中的 Most people spend much more time... than they did ten years ago (大多数人花的时间比十年前多得多) 对应 [A] 段第一句：Most of us spend much more time with digital media than we did a decade ago。
41. J。解析：题干中的 it will be a great loss if we no longer read books and longer articles (如果不读书和长篇文章，将是巨大损失) 对应 [J] 段最后一句：If serious reading dies, a lot will go with it。
42. C。解析：题干中的 social media use shifted from an occasional activity to a routine one (社交媒体使用从偶尔的活动变成了常规活动) 对应 [C] 段第一句：social media use has moved from a periodic activity to a daily one in the same period。
43. F。解析：题干中的 far less time reading than around four decades ago (阅读时间比大约四十年前少得多) 对应 [F] 段：1980年（距2016年约40年）有60%的高中生每天读书，而2016年只有16%。
44. B。解析：题干中的 high school seniors... spent more than six hours a day (高中生每天花费超过六小时) 对应 [B] 段倒数第二句：by 2016, the average American high school senior said they spent six hours a day...。
45. E。解析：题干中的 youngsters today don't socialize nearly as much (今天的年轻人不怎么进行社交) 对应 [E] 段最后一句：today's teens go out with their friends much less often than previous generations did。
全文翻译
[A] 我们大多数人花在数字媒体上的时间比十年前多得多。但今天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体的互动方式已根本不同。
[B] 对自1976年以来收集的超过一百万美国青少年调查的分析揭示了青少年如何度过闲暇时间的重大转变。纸质书被忽视，屏幕受到青睐。数字设备也在改变其他行为。越来越多的年轻人选择花时间在电子设备上而不是参与其他活动，无论类型如何。确实，到2016年，美国普通高中毕业班学生说他们在空闲时间每天花六小时发短信、上社交媒体和在线。而这仅涵盖三项活动，如果包括其他数字媒体活动，这个估计无疑会上升。
[C] 青少年并非一直花这么多时间在数字媒体上。自2006年以来，在线时间翻了一番，社交媒体使用在同一时期从偶尔的活动变成了日常活动。到2016年，近十分之九的12年级年轻女性说她们每天访问社交媒体网站。同时，玩电子游戏的时间从平均每天不到一小时上升到一小时半。2016年，十分之一的美国8年级学生每周花40小时或更多时间玩电子游戏。让我强调一下，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，那是否意味着他们必须放弃一些其他活动？也许不是。多年来，许多学者坚持认为在线时间不一定会占用传统媒体或其他活动的时间。他们认为，有些人只是对某些类型的媒体和娱乐更感兴趣。因此，使用更多一种媒体并不意味着减少另一种。
[E] 这可能是真的，但这仍然没有告诉我们很多关于当数字媒体时间增长时整整一代人发生什么的信息。多年来进行的大型调查告诉我们，美国青少年不像过去那样经常去电影院了。虽然过去70%的8年级和10年级学生每月去一次或更多次电影，现在只有约一半这样做。越来越多地，看电影成为青少年选择在电子设备上做的事情。为什么这是个问题？一个原因是去电影院通常是一项社交活动。现在，看电影是大多数青少年独自做的事情。这符合一个更大的模式。在另一项分析中，研究人员发现今天的青少年与朋友外出的次数比以前几代人少得多。
[F] 但与青少年如何度过时间的变化相比，与电影相关的趋势不那么令人不安。研究揭示了阅读的巨大下降。1980年，约60%的高中毕业班学生说他们每天阅读非学校指定的书籍、报纸或杂志。到2016年，只有16%这样做。这是一个巨大的下降，重要的是要注意这不仅仅是阅读纸质书籍、报纸或杂志的下降。该调查允许在数字设备上阅读材料。
[G] 确实，到2016年，三分之一的12年级学生说他们在过去一年中没有为乐趣读过任何书。这是二十年前数字的三倍。对今天的青少年来说，书籍、报纸和杂志在他们日常生活中越来越少出现。当然，青少年仍在阅读。但他们通常读的是短文。他们大多数人不读探讨深层主题、需要批判性思维和反思的长篇文章或书籍。也许并非偶然，2016年的阅读成绩是自1972年以来的最低水平。
[H] 这可能给年轻人以后带来问题。当高中生进入大学，他们过去和现在的阅读习惯将影响他们的学业表现。想象一下，从读一两句话的短文到试图阅读用复杂语言写的、包含深奥思想的整本书。阅读和理解较长的书籍和章节需要练习，而美国青少年不再得到那种练习。
[I] 那么这个问题如何解决呢？家长和老师是否应该拿走青少年的智能手机，用纸质书代替？可能不必。研究表明，智能手机目前是美国青少年社交沟通的主要形式。这意味着，没有智能手机，青少年可能会感到与同龄人隔离。然而，这并不意味着青少年需要像现在这样频繁地使用电子设备。将过度数字媒体时间与心理健康问题联系起来的数据表明，每天两小时的屏幕自由时间是合理的限制，这个限制也将为其他活动留出时间——比如与朋友去看电影或阅读更长的、更复杂的文本。
[J] 后者尤其重要。我认为，在数字设备广泛使用带来的所有变化中，阅读的大幅下降可能对今天的青少年产生最大的负面影响，因为阅读书籍和较长文章是学习批判性思维的最佳方式之一。它帮助人们理解复杂问题并区分事实与虚构。因此，深度阅读对成为一个好公民、一个成功的大学生和一个高效的员工至关重要。如果严肃阅读消亡，很多东西将随之而去。
核心短语与亮点句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- digital media：数字媒体
- paper books：纸质书
- in favor of：倾向于；支持
- regardless of：不管，不顾
- periodic activity：周期性/间歇性活动
- give up：放弃
- critical thinking：批判性思维
- academic performance：学业表现
- isolate from peers：与同龄人隔绝
- separate fact from fiction：分清事实与虚构
【亮点句型解析】
- Compare A with B (比较结构)：
"Compared with teens a couple of decades ago, the way they interact with traditional media... is fundamentally different."
（与几十年前的青少年相比，他们与传统媒体互动的方式从根本上是不同的。）这种结构在对比社会变迁时非常实用。 - If..., a lot will go with it. (警示句型)：
"If serious reading dies, a lot will go with it."
（如果严肃阅读消失了，很多东西也会随之消失。）简洁有力地表达了后果的严重性。