Задание
Прочитай текст и выполни задания 12–18. В каждом задании запиши в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному варианту ответа.
Rapid digital technology advancement is significantly impacting young people, socially and economically
Barely a week goes by without the release of a new device or app you might feel obligated to try, or a new 'thing' that takes up yet more time you could spend doing more productive tasks. Having been born in the 90s, like a lot of other people, I've grown up with new tech relentlessly sprouting up. That's why I sometimes struggle to concentrate on a novel for longer than six minutes. Six minutes. Student or not, I'm undoubtedly not the only person to have this attention span problem. It was recently reported that the average attention span has fallen since the start of the century. While people could focus on a task for 12 seconds back in 2000, that figure dropped to around eight seconds in 2013.
We can lash back at new digital tech all we want, but it's difficult to imagine a future where we're less dependent on it. Plus, despite certain things that might irritate us about new digital tech and social media, there are a lot of benefits to new tech as well as it appears to improve your abilities to both multitask and concentrate in short bursts.
According to Ofcom, young people aged 16 to 24 spend more than 27 hours online every week. With laptops, tablets, and phones, new technology has made it easier than ever to be online. Over the next decade, this is likely to increase. However, it begs the question: is technology affecting our health?
The Mental Health Foundation has said it is "too early" to say whether technology is changing our core ability to relate to others, adding: "While it facilitates relationships, real and virtual, technology is no substitute for human interaction." Even if two-thirds of young people find online communication easier than face-to-face interaction, more than a third of them also find new technology to have an isolating effect on their lives. Furthermore, teenagers who engage with social media during the night could be damaging their sleep and increasing the risk of depression and anxiety.
And there's more. Fairly recently, the new data was released suggesting that young people prefer to socialise via Facebook and Snapchat, rather than face-to-face. Look further back, and there were reports from Oxford University's Internet Institute claiming social media has made young people more selfish.
It's too simplistic to say that technology is either 'good' or 'bad' for young people. It's very difficult to provide a definitive answer about whether technology is changing us for the worse. Everybody uses technology for different periods of time, and every individual uses technology differently. Therefore, the effects of technology will differ from person to person. But, if we are to believe anyone trying to shine a light on the issue, we just need to make sure we don't spend too much time online. We need to take care of ourselves. Who knows what this is doing to us in the long term. What will 50 years of social media usage do to us?
But let's circle back to the fact that young people prefer to socialise online rather than face-to-face. If it's a realistic representation of young people today, then this shows us how digital technology has changed the way we do the most basic of things: talking to each other. The idea of young people preferring to socialise over Facebook rather than down the pub is pretty embarrassing. Just imagine if the statistics were an accurate reflection of the reality of social interaction between young people today. It would be like living in a dystopia. A land where there aren't designated quiet carriages on trains anymore because every train carriage is quiet. People sit there with their phones, their tablets, their virtual reality headsets. Nobody speaks to you because they're all too busy online. Imagine.
All joking aside, though, the pace of new information and the rapid development of new technologies is surely set to increase and intensify. Whatever happens next, the effects will have a significant impact on the social and economic aspects of our lives — and the lives of our children.
12.The author can't concentrate on reading because…
1) the books are too long.
2) he doesn't like the books he has to read as a student of English literature.
3) he is distracted by notifications from social media.
4) like other people, he spends a lot of time on the Internet.
13. According to the author, modern technologies help people…
1) be concentrated for a long time.
2) be less dependent on other people.
3) do several things at the same time.
4) be less annoyed.
14.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
1) There are people who feel alone when they use modern technologies.
2) Depressed people mostly use the Internet at night.
3) Most young people prefer offline communication to online communication.
4) Real communication is easier than communication on the Internet.
15.Because of social networking sites, some studies suggest that young people have become…
1) more aggressive.
2) more self-centered.
3) more self-confident.
4) more attentive.
16. What does the phrase "shine a light" (paragraph 7) mean?
1) To identify the truth.
2) To draw attention to a problem.
3) To examine something more closely.
4) To solve the mystery.
17. What are the author's feelings about the fact that young people prefer to communicate via social media rather than face-to-face?
1) He is embarrassed.
2) He is shocked.
3) He is angry.
4) He is disappointed.
18.In the last paragraph, the author implies that modern technologies…
1) will influence mostly children.
2) will affect people's health.
3) will mainly be used by children.
4) will continue to influence people's communication.