雅思词汇课文（23）· Children and Technology 儿童与科技

教育与科技主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思核心词。

🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）

📖 课文 Text

Children and Technology

The average child in the United States spends over seven hours a day in front of a screen — watching videos, playing games, scrolling through social media. That figure rises to nine hours for teenagers. Parents, teachers and paediatricians are struggling to understand whether this is normal, dangerous, or somewhere in between.

The debate is polarised. One camp argues that screens are simply the modern environment. Children who grow up with tablets are digitally fluent, and treating technology as an enemy is as pointless as banning books. The other camp, led by researchers such as Jean Twenge, links heavy screen use to rising rates of anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance, particularly among adolescent girls.

The evidence, as so often, is nuanced. Not all screen time is equal. Video-chatting with a grandparent is not the same as three hours of unstructured scrolling. Educational games that require problem-solving differ from passive video consumption. The content, context and quantity all matter.

Physical development is also at stake. Outdoor play has declined sharply since the 1990s. Vision problems, particularly myopia, have risen in parallel with screen use. Lack of sleep, caused by late-night device use, affects attention, memory and mood.

Yet technology also offers benefits. Children with disabilities gain access to communication aids that were unavailable a generation ago. Online learning platforms have opened up education in remote regions. Coding, robotics and digital creation skills are increasingly essential for the modern workforce.

Most experts now recommend balance rather than prohibition. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children under 18 months should avoid screens entirely, except for video calls. Older children should have consistent screen-free zones, such as the dinner table, and screen-free times, such as the hour before bed.

The real question is not whether children should use technology, but how to teach them to use it well — as a tool, not as a babysitter.

📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions

🧠 课文理解 Comprehension

1. How much time does the average US child spend in front of a screen daily?

• A. 2 hours
• B. 5 hours
• C. over 7 hours
• D. 12 hours

2. Jean Twenge is mentioned as a researcher who...

• A. supports unlimited screen time
• B. links heavy screen use to mental health issues
• C. invented educational games
• D. studies video games

3. The passage suggests that screen time...

• A. is equally harmful regardless of content
• B. varies in effect depending on content, context and quantity
• C. has no effect on children
• D. should be completely banned

4. What does the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend for children under 18 months?

• A. unlimited screen time
• B. no screens except video calls
• C. only educational videos
• D. two hours a day

5. The writer's conclusion is that technology should be treated as...

• A. an enemy
• B. a tool used well
• C. a babysitter
• D. irrelevant to education

✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.

| adolescent / depression / nuanced / myopia / disability / essential / consistent / prohibition |

1. The ______ years are a period of rapid physical and emotional change.
2. After losing his job, he suffered from severe ______.
3. The report offers a ______ analysis of the complex issue.
4. Spending too much time reading small screens can worsen ______.
5. The grant helps students with a physical ______ access university.
6. Good time management is ______ for academic success.
7. The newspaper's coverage has been ______ in its accuracy.
8. The ______ of alcohol in public places remains controversial.

✅ 答案 Answers

Comprehension

1. C　2. B　3. B　4. B　5. B

Vocabulary

1. adolescent　2. depression　3. nuanced　4. myopia　5. disability　6. essential　7. consistent　8. prohibition