Question

    Children are becoming addicted to social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned. It found many youngsters measure their status(形象) by public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their conduct in real life to improve their image online.

The research into youngsters aged from 8 to 16 was carried out by Children's Commissioner(专员) Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major psychological risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to deal with the huge pressure they faced online. Youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk, not responding to social media posts quickly and around the clock.

Children aged 8 to 10 were "starting to feel happy" when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were "concerned with how many people like their posts", indicating a “need” for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become.

Children tended to compare themselves to others online. "Then there is this push to connect—if offline, will you miss something, will you miss out, will you show you don't care about those you are following, all come together in a huge way at once." Miss Longfield said, "For children it’s very difficult to handle." The Commissioner found children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for fun.

However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they grew, they became increasingly anxious online. When they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more conscious of their image online and felt more pressure to ensure popularity of their posts, the research found.

Meanwhile, they still did not know how to dispose of mean-spirited jokes, or the possible sense of inability if compared with celebrities(名人) or more brilliant friends online. They also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day—especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.

The Commissioner advocated schools and parents do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区) . "It's vital that new age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons help equip children to deal with growing demands of social media.” Social media companies must "take more responsibility" and monitor websites better or adjust their websites to the needs of youngsters.

1.What may account for Children’s addiction to social media?

A.To get their status recognized. B.To reduce psychological risks.

C.To change their conduct in real life. D.To deal with huge emotional pressure.

2.How was the research conducted?

A.It covered children of all ages.

B.It sought assistance help from parents.

C.It was sponsored by social media companies.

D.It divided children into groups and compared them.

3.During the process of addiction, children have a tendency to ________.

A.switch off from social media platforms

B.become less conscious of their image online

C.pick up anxiety and pressure steadily while becoming older

D.develop skills to dispose of mean-spirited jokes and the sense of loss

4.How should the problem solved according to Anne Longfield ?

A.Children should be banned from visiting the web.

B.Schools must keep track of children's use of social media.

C.It demands cooperation among families, schools and companies.

D.Social media companies need to create more apps to satisfy youngsters.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。研究表明孩子们正变得依赖社交媒体来获得自我价值感。这给他们带来了与日俱增的压力和焦虑感。解决这一问题需要家庭、学校、社交媒体三方努力。

1.细节理解题。由第一段 “Children are becoming addicted to social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned. It found many youngsters measure their status(形象) by public approval they get online, often through “likes””可知，孩子们正变得依赖社交媒体来获得自我价值感。调查发现，很多小孩通过在网上获得的认可程度来衡量自己的社会地位，通常是通过“点赞”来衡量。可知，孩子们沉迷社交网络的原因是为了使自己的社会地位获得认可。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。第二段提到了“The research into youngsters aged from 8 to 16 was carried out by Children's Commissioner(专员) Anne Longfield.”可知，研究的主要是8至16岁的孩子，随后第三段提到了“Children aged 8 to 10 were “starting to feel happy” when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were “concerned with how many people like their posts”” 有人给他们的帖子点赞时，8岁到10岁的孩子会“开始感到开心”。然而，那些10到12岁年龄段的人“关心的是由多少人给他们的帖子点赞”。第五段也提到了“the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12”，该研究包含了八组8到12岁的孩子，每组32名。由此可以判断，研究采用的是分组并且比较的方法。故选D项。

3.细节理解题。由第五段“However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they grew, they became increasingly anxious online. When they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more conscious of their image online and felt more pressure to ensure popularity of their posts, the research found”可知，该研究表明随着孩子们逐渐长大，他们在网上也会变得越来越焦虑。报告发现，孩子开始上中学以后，也就是11岁的时候，他们对自己在网络上的形象有了很高的意识，为了确保自己的帖子受欢迎，他们会倍感压力。所以沉迷网络后，随着孩子年龄增大，他们的焦虑感和压力会与日俱增。故选C项。

4.细节理解题。由最后一段“The Commissioner advocated schools and parents do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区) . "It's vital that new age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons help equip children to deal with growing demands of social media.” Social media companies must "take more responsibility" and monitor websites better or adjust their websites to the needs of youngsters”可知，Anne Longfield呼吁学校和家长现在必须做更多的准备，让孩子们为他们在网上面对的情感雷区做好准备。同时，她说社交媒体公司必须“承担更多的责任”。他们应该更好地监控自己的网站，或者调整他们的网站以适应年轻用户的需求。因此她认为家庭，学校以及社交媒体公司三方通力合作才能解决问题。故选C项。