英语四级长篇阅读原文来源及答案.docx

英语四级长篇阅读原文来源及答案.docx

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英语四级长篇阅读原文来源及答案

2014年6月英语四级长篇阅读原文来源及答案

本文节选自2013年4月《大西洋月刊》（TheAtlantic）上的一篇同名文

章《触屏一代》（TheTouchScreenGeneration）。

Onachillydaylastspring,afewdozendevelopersofchildren'sappsforphonesandtabletsgatheredatanoldbeachresortinMonterey,California,toshowofftheirgames.Onedeveloper,aself-described“visionaryforpuzzles”wholookedlikeaskateboarder-recently-turned-dad,displayedajacked-up,

interactivegamecalledPuzzingo,intendedfortoddlersand

inspiredbyhisownson'sdesiretobuildandsmash.Two

30?

somethingwomenwereeagerlyseekingfeedbackforanappcalledKnockKnockFamily,aimedat1-to-4-year-olds.“Wewanttomake

sureit'seasyenoughforbabiestounderstand,”oneexplained.

ThegatheringwasorganizedbyWarrenBuckleitner,aIongtimereviewerofinteractivechildren'smediawholikestobringtogether

developers,researchers,andinterestgroups—andoftenplentyof

kids,somestillindiapers.ItwentbytheHarryPotter—ishname

DustorMagic,andwasheldinadraftyoldstone-and-woodhallbarelyamilefromthesea,thekindofplacewhereBathildaBagshot

mightretireafterpackingupherwand.Buckleitnerspentthebreaks

testingwhetherhisownremote-controlhelicoptercouldreachthehall'ssecondstory,whilevariouschildrenwhohadcomewiththeirparentslookedupinaweanddelight.Butmostlytheylookeddown,attheiPadsandothertabletsdisplayedaroundthehalllikesomanyopenboxesofcandy.Iwalkedaroundandtalkedwithdevelopers,andseveralparaphrasedafamoussayingofMariaMontessori's,a

quoteimportedtoennobleatouch-screenagewhenveryyoungkids,whooncecouldbecountedononlytochewonasquareofaluminum,arenowengagingwithitinincreasinglysophisticatedways:

“Thehandsaretheinstrumentsofman'sintelligence.”

What,really,wouldMariaMontessorihavemadeofthisscene?

The30orsochildrenherewerenotdownattheshorepokingtheirfingersinthesandorrunningthemalongmossystonesordiggingforhermitcrabs.Insteadtheywereallinside,aloneoringroupsoftwoorthree,theirfacesafewinchesfromascreen,theirhandsdoingthingsMontessorisurelydidnotimagine.Acoupleof3-year-oldgirlswereleaningagainstapairofFrenchdoors,readinganinteractivestorycalledTenGigglyGorillasandfightingoverwhichapetoticklenext.Aboyinanearbycornerhadturnedhisfingertipintoaredmarkertodrawanuglypictureofhisolderbrother.Onanoldoaktableatthefrontoftheroom,agiantstuffedAngryBirdbeckonedthechildrentocomeandtestouttabletsloaded

withdozensofnewapps.Someofthechairshadpillowsstrappedtothem,sincean18-month-oldmightnototherwisebeabletoreachthetable,thoughshe'dknowhowtoswipeonceshedid.

Notthatlongago,therewasonlythetelevision,whichtheoreticallycouldbekeptintheparents'bedroomorlockedbehindacabinet.NowtherearesmartphonesandiPads,whichwashupinthedomesticclutteralongsidekeysandgumandstrayhairties.“Mom,everyonehastechnologybutme!

”my4-year-oldsonsometimeswails.Andwhyshouldn'thefeelentitled?

Inthesamespanoftimeittookhimtolearnhowtosaythatsentence,thousandsofkids'

appshavebeendeveloped—themajorityaimedatpreschoolerslikehim.Tous（hisparents,Imean）,Americanchildhoodhasundergoneasomewhatalarmingtransformationinaveryshorttime.Buttohim,ithasalwaysbeenpossibletodosomanythingswiththeswipeofafinger,tohavehundredsofgamespackedintoagadgetthesamesizeasGoodnightMoon.

In2011,theAmericanAcademyofPediatricsupdateditspolicyonveryyoungchildrenandmedia.In1999,thegrouphaddiscouragedtelevisionviewingforchildrenyoungerthan2,citingresearchonbraindevelopmentthatshowedthisagegroup'scriticalneedfor

“directinteractionswithparentsandothersignificantcare

givers.”Theupdatedreportbeganbyacknowledgingthatthingshadchangedsignificantlysincethen.In2006,90percentofparentssaidthattheirchildrenyoungerthan2consumedsomeformofelectronicmedia.Nonetheless,thegrouptooklargelythesameapproachitdidin1999,uniformlydiscouragingpassivemediause,

onanytypeofscreen,forthesekids.（Forolderchildren,theacademynoted,“high-qualityprograms”couldhave“educationalbenefits.”）The2011reportmentioned“smartcellphone”and

“newscreen”technologies,butdidnotaddressinteractiveapps.Nordiditbroachthepossibilitythathaslikelyoccurredtothose90percentofAmericanparents,queasythoughtheymightbe:

thatsomegoodmightcomefromthoselittleswipingfingers.

Ihadcometothedevelopers'conferencepartlybecauseIhopedthatthisparticularsetofparents,enthusiasticastheywereaboutinteractivemedia,mighthelpmeoutofthisconundrum,thattheymightoffersomeguidingprincipleforAmericanparentswhoareclearlynevergoingtomeettheacademy'sideals,andatsomeleveldonotwantto.Perhapsthisgroupwouldbeabletoarticulatesomebenefitsofthenewtechnologythatthemorecautiouspediatriciansweren'treadytoaddress.Inurturedthishopeuntilaboutlunchtime,whenthedevelopersgatheringinthedininghallceasedbeingvisionariesandrevertedtobeingordinaryparents,trying

tosettletheirtoddlersinhighchairsandgetthemtoeatsomethingbesidesbread.

Ifellintoconversationwithawomanwhohadhelpeddevelop

MontessoriLetterSounds,anappthatteachespreschoolersthe

Montessorimethodsofspelling.

ShewasaformerMontessoriteacherandamotheroffour.Imyselfhavethreechildrenwhoareallfansofthetouchscreen.

Whatgamesdidherkidsliketoplay?

Iasked,hopingforsuggestionsIcouldtakehome.

“Theydon'tplayallthatmuch.”

Really?

Whynot?

“BecauseIdon'tallowit.Wehavearuleofnoscreentimeduringtheweek,”unlessit'sclearlyeducational.

Noscreentime?

Noneatall?

Thatseemsattheouteredgeofrestrictive,evenbythestandardsofmyovercontrollingparenting

set.

“Ontheweekends,theycanplay.Igivethemalimitofhalf

anhourandthenstop.Enough.Itcanbetooaddictive,too

HeranswersosurprisedmethatIdecidedtoasksomeoftheotherdeveloperswhowerealsoparentswhattheirdomesticgroundrulesforscreentimewere.Onesaidonlyonairplanesandlongcarrides.AnothersaidWednesdaysandweekends,forhalfanhour.Themostpermissivesaidhalfanhouraday,whichwasaboutmyruleathome.AtonepointIsatwithoneofthebiggestdevelopersofe-bookappsforkids,andhisfamily.Thetoddlerwasstartingtofussinherhighchair,sothemomdidwhatmanyofushavedoneatthatmoment—stuckaniPadinfrontofherandplayedashortmoviesoeveryoneelsecouldenjoytheirlunch.Whenshesawmewatching,shegavemetheuniversaltenselookofmotherswhofeeltheyarebeingjudged.“Athome,”sheassuredme,“Ionlylet

herwatchmoviesinSpanish.”

Bytheirpinchedreactions,theseparentsilluminatedformetheneurosisofourage:

astechnologybecomesubiquitousinourlives,Americanparentsarebecomingmore,notless,waryofwhatitmightbedoingtotheirchildren.Technologicalcompetenceandsophisticationhavenot,forparents,translatedintocomfortandease.Theyhavemerelycreatedyetanotherspherethatparentsfeeltheyhavetonavigateinexactlytherightway.Ontheonehand,parentswanttheirchildrentoswimexpertlyinthedigitalstreamthattheywillhavetonavigatealltheirlives;ontheotherhand,theyfearthattoomuchdigitalmedia,tooearly,willsinkthem.

Parentsenduptreatingtabletslikeprecisionsurgicalinstruments,gadgetsthatmightperformmiraclesfortheirchild'sIQandhelp

himwinsomeniftyroboticscompetition—butonlyiftheyareused

justso.Otherwise,theirchildcouldenduponeofthosesad,palecreatureswhocan'tmakeeyecontactandhasanavatarforagirlfriend.

NormanRockwellneverpaintedBoySwipingFingeronScreen,andourownvisionofaperfectchildhoodhasneveradjustedtoaccommodatethatnow-commontableau.Addtothatourmodernfearthateveryparentingdecisionmayhavelastingconsequences—that

everyminuteofenrichmentlostormindlessentertainmentindulgedwilladduptosomepermanenthandicapinthefuture—andyouhave

deepguiltandconfusion.Todate,nobodyofresearchhasdefinitivelyprovedthattheiPadwillmakeyourpreschoolersmarterorteachhertospeakChinese,oralternativelythatitwillrustherneuralcircuitry—thedevicehasbeenoutforonlythreeyears,notmuchmorethanthetimeittakessomeacademicstofindfundingandgatherresearchsubjects.Sowhat'saparenttodo?

In2001,theeducationandtechnologywriterMarcPrenskypopularizedthetermdigitalnativestodescribethefirstgenerationsofchildrengrowingupfluentinthelanguageofcomputers,videogames,andothertechnologies.（Therestofusaredigitalimmigrants,strugglingtounderstand.）ThistermtookonawholenewsignificanceinApril2010,whentheiPadwasreleased.iPhoneshadalreadybeentemptingyoungchildren,butthescreenswerealittlesmallforpudgytoddlerhandstonavigatewitheaseandaccuracy.Plus,parentstendedtobemorepossessiveoftheirphones,hidingtheminpocketsorpurses.TheiPadwasbigandbright,andacasecouldbemadethatitbelongedtothefamily.Researcherswhostudychildren'smediaimmediatelyrecognizeditasagamechanger.

Previously,youngchildrenhadtobeshownbytheirparentshowtouseamouseoraremote,andtheconnectionbetweenwhattheyweredoingwiththeirhandandwhatwashappeningonthescreentooksometimetograsp.Butwit