Why it matters that teens are reading less
[A] Most of us spend much more 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 grace 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 says 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.
答案解析：
36. 由题干“Many years’ surveys reveal that young people in America are going to the cinema much less often than they used to.”定位到[E]段“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.”，[E]段提到多年来大规模调查显示美国年轻人不像过去那样常去电影院，所以选[E]。
37. 由题干“Survey analysis shows American teens now spend their leisure time on digital devices rather than reading printed books.”定位到[B]段“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.”，[B]段提到对美国青少年调查的分析显示他们休闲时间花在数字设备上而非纸质书上，所以选[B]。
38. 由题干“The number of senior high schoolers not reading books for pleasure in a year increased three times over 20 years.”定位到[G]段“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.”，[G]段提到2016年高中学生去年不读娱乐性书籍的人数是二十年前的三倍，所以选[G]。
39. 由题干“Many scholars claim that spending time on electronic devices doesn’t necessarily mean a decrease of time for other activities.”定位到[D]段“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.”，[D]段提到多年来很多学者坚持认为上网时间不一定会减少花在传统媒体或其他活动上的时间，所以选[D]。
40. 由题干“Most people spend much more time interacting with digital media than they did ten years ago.”定位到[A]段“Most of us spend much more with digital media than we did a decade ago.”，[A]段提到大多数人花在数字媒体上的时间比十年前多得多，所以选[A]。
41. 由题干“The author claims that it will be a great loss if we no longer read books and longer articles.”定位到[J]段“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.”，[J]段提到作者认为深度阅读很重要，如果严肃阅读消失会有很大损失，所以选[J]。
42. 由题干“Over a decade or so, American teens’ social media use shifted from an occasional activity to a routine one.”定位到[C]段“Online time has doubled since 2006, and social media use has moved from a periodic activity to a daily one in the same period.”，[C]段提到自2006年以来社交媒体使用从周期性活动变为日常活动，所以选[C]。
43. 由题干“A more disturbing trend in America today is that teens are spending far less time reading than around four decades ago.”定位到[F]段“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.”，[F]段提到研究显示阅读量大幅下降，现在青少年阅读时间比四十年前少很多，所以选[F]。
44. 题干中“Some five years ago”表述有误，结合原文推测应为“By 2016”。由修正后的题干“By 2016, high school seniors in America generally spent more than six hours a day on electronic devices.”定位到[B]段“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.”，[B]段提到到2016年美国高中毕业生平均每天花六小时在电子设备上，所以选[B]。
45. 由题干“It was found that American youngsters today don’t socialize nearly as much as the earlier generations.”定位到[E]段“In another analysis, researchers found that today’s teens go out with their friends much less often than previous generations did.”，[E]段提到研究发现现在的青少年不如前几代人那样经常和朋友外出社交，所以选[E]。
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