What, according to the author, can the parents’ refusal to allow their children supervised internet access lead to?

A) Children become overprotected.

B) Children use internet in schools under teacher’s control.

C) Children turn to misconduct in schools.

D) Children start cheating on their parents.

 

15. What does the phrase ‘ don’t have an “off” switch in their brains ’ (paragraph 5) mean?

A) They are unable to restrain from spontaneous actions.

B) They are making reckless decisions.

C) They are acting anonymously online.

D) They are considering the consequences of their actions.

 

16. According to the text, the best way to protect children from internet hazards is to…

A) monitor their accounts in social networks.

B) follow them online.

C) ban them from using social networks.

D) limit their access to computer.

 

17. The danger of online games is, according to the author, in …

A) the possibility of losing one’s money.

B) availability of VIP passes.

C) getting used to spending money easily.

D) their accessibility.

 

18. What idea is emphasized in the last paragraph?

A) Chatting with strangers online can be dangerous.

B) Nicknames conceal the real identity of a person online.

C) Learning internet security is essential for young people.

D) Pictures should be uploaded wisely.

 

Ответы:

12. What does the author think about educational value of prohibiting children from internet?

A) It is useless.

 

13. What way of using internet in education does the author mention (paragraph 2)?

C) Communication platform for teachers and students.

 

14. What, according to the author, can the parents’ refusal to allow their children supervised internet access lead to?

D) Children start cheating on their parents.

 

15. What does the phrase ‘ don’t have an “off” switch in their brains ’ (paragraph 5) mean?

A) They are unable to restrain from spontaneous actions.

 

16. According to the text, the best way to protect children from internet hazards is to…

B) follow them online.

 

17. The danger of online games is, according to the author, in …

C) getting used to spending money easily.

 

18. What idea is emphasized in the last paragraph?

C) Learning internet security is essential for young people.

 

Текст 3

The lure of the screen

I used to tell my parents that the first cell phone I will allow my own children to have will be a flip phone, incapable of Internet access and certainly without the ability to use “apps.” I argued that their first phones would have only the capabilities of my first phone – texting and calling – used primarily to contact their parents, and once in a while classmates to ask about homework. Isn’t it primarily what we think kids need phones for?

It took me a while to realize how impractical this was because if the first piece of a given technology that I possessed had been the same as my parents’, I would have been walking around with a cassette player in a world of iPods (incidentally, I loved my Sony Walkman CD player).

So maybe it was a little ridiculous for me to suggest this, but I think my point was (and is) valid. I look at young kids today and see that they’re as attached to mobile devices as their adult counterparts. It has come to the point where kids would rather sit inside and play games on their parents’ (or their own) iPads than go outside and play hide-and-seek, or catch, well, do anything.

And while I recall my parents telling me to drop the Legos or even the PlayStation controller and head outside, I, unlike these children, often actually did it, and when I didn’t, at least I was capable of breaking away to utter a response.

Today, however, youngsters are becoming so attached to technology at such a young age, as young as 3 or 4, that they are forgetting – if they ever learned in the first place – how to have fun without an iPad – literally.

In April, The Telegraph quoted North Ireland teacher Colin Kinney, who said his colleagues, “have concerns over the increasing numbers of young pupils who can swipe a screen but have little or no manipulative skills to play with building blocks or the like, or the pupils who cannot socialize with other pupils but whose parents talk proudly of their ability to use a tablet or smartphone.”

Kinney goes on to say that the “brilliant computer skills” these children possess is “outweighed by their deteriorating skills in pen and paper exams because they rely on instant support of the computer and are often unable to apply what they should have learned from their textbooks.”

It is true that we are moving into a world in which the ability to understand the language of computer coding is more important than the ability to read and write cursive. This, however, is not an excuse for the extent to which young children have become as addicted (or more so) to their mobile devices as their parents.

LeapFrog, the popular children’s brand is set to unveil a product called the Leap Band; the first wearable tech catered specifically toward children. And although the wristwatch-like product is designed to get kids up and moving, it raises a question for me: How young is too young?

I read that Google is considering allowing online accounts for children under the age of 13 (though giving their parents control over how the service is used).

Because of this cross-generational addiction, this week has been designated as “Screen Free Week” in schools around the country. The week is aimed at getting every member of the family away from computer and device use for just one week and head outside.

For parents, technology is now a dilemma: Give it to their kids at a young age so they are in line with their classmates in terms of computer prowess or withhold it and allow them the gift of social skills … only time will tell, but I fear the former is gaining ground.