Are your kids awake? They're online - PAU C.Valenciana inglés 2011

>Exámenes selectividad inglés Comunidad Valenciana resueltos

The average young American now spends practically every waking minute —except for the time in school— using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study.

Those ages 8 to 18 spend more than seven and a half hours a day with such devices, compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted. And that does not count the hour and a half that youths spend texting, or the half-hour they talk on their cell phones.

And because so many of them are multitasking —say, surfing the Internet while listening to music—

they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours.

The study’s findings shocked its authors, who had concluded in 2005 that use could not possibly grow further, and confirmed the fears of many parents whose children are constantly tethered to media devices. It found, moreover, that heavy media use is associated with behavior problems and lower grades.

The third in a series, the study found that young people’s media consumption grew far more in the last five years than from 1999 to 2004, as sophisticated mobile technology like iPods and smart phones brought media access into teenagers’ pockets and beds.

On average, young people spend about two hours a day consuming media on a mobile device, the study found. They spend almost another hour on “old” content like television or music delivered through newer pathways like the Web site Hulu or iTunes. Youths now spend more time listening to or watching media on their cell phones, or playing games, than talking on them.

Tamar Lewin The New York Times 21st January, 2010

RESPUESTAS

READING COMPREHENSION

I. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text.

• a. Why were the authors surprised about the results of their study? PAR. 4
• b. According to the text, how do the authors explain the increase in media consumption among the young? PAR. 5

II. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports
your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet.
a. Young Americans spend every minute they are awake using electronic devices.

• FALSE: The average young American now spends practically every waking minute — except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study.

b. Multitasking increases the average of media consumption.

• TRUE: And because so many of them are multitasking — say, surfing the Internet while listening to music — they pack on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours.

c. Heavy media consumption is related to poor school performance.

• TRUE: It found, moreover, that heavy media use is associated with behavior problems and lower grades.

III. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options:
pack findings fears tethered behavior delivered

• a. suspicions: fears
• b. compress: pack
• c. results: findings
• d. attached: tethered

IV. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct.
1. The title of this text suggests that…

• a. young people spend most of their time awake using electronic devices.
• b. parents may think their kids are in bed, sleeping, but instead they are on the Internet.
• c. kids have behavioral problems because they surf the Internet too much.

2. Youth…

• a. spend an average of seven and a half hours on their cell phones.
• b. spend less time using electronic devices than before.
• c. spend more time texting than talking on their cell phones.

3. Young people use their cell phones…

• a. mostly to talk to their friends.
• b. less frequently than in the previous study.
• c. mostly to consume media rather than to make calls.

+EXÁMENES RESUELTOS