📝 长篇阅读 | 青少年阅读危机

💡 本文核心提示

这篇长篇阅读（Section B 匹配题）分析了数字媒体 (Digital media) 如何在近几十年中改变了青少年的闲暇生活。文章指出，由于智能手机和社交媒体的兴起，青少年的阅读量骤降 (huge decline in reading)，这不仅影响了学业表现，更削弱了逻辑思考、批判性思维以及处理复杂信息的能力。
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📖 原文精读 (A-E段)

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.

📖 原文精读 (F-J段)

[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.

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🎯 题目匹配 (Questions 36-45)

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.

🔍答案与核心替换逻辑

👉 点击查看：答案速查

36. E | 37. B | 38. G | 39. D | 40. A
41. J | 42. C | 43. F | 44. B | 45. E

📝 点击查看：核心同义替换

- 36. (E) going to the cinema much less often = not going to the cinema nearly as often as they did in the past.
- 37. (B) spend leisure time on digital devices... printed books = spending their leisure time... Paper books are being ignored, in favor of screens.
- 38. (G) increased three times (triple) = That is triple the number from two decades ago.
- 39. (D) doesn't necessarily mean a decrease = online does not necessarily take away time spent... with traditional media.
- 40. (A) ten years ago (decade) = Most of us spend much more time... than we did a decade ago.
- 41. (J) great loss = If serious reading dies, a lot will go with it.
- 42. (C) occasional to routine = moved from a periodic activity to a daily one since 2006.
- 43. (F) far less reading than four decades ago (1980 vs 2016) = In 1980, 60%... By 2016, only 16% (a huge drop).
- 44. (B) five years ago (2021年考试，指2016年) = by 2016... spent six hours a day on social media and online.
- 45. (E) don't socialize nearly as much = today's teens go out with their friends much less often.