www frenglish.ru Lesson D Reading Distractions A Prepare If something is distracting, it takes your attention away from what you're doing. Think of three distractions - things that you find distracting — in your daily life. B Read for main ideas Read the article, Does the writer mention any of the distractions ‘you thought of in Exercise A? DISTRACTIONS: Should we be concerned? 1 Young people have always been faced with distractions, but now with computers, video games, tablets, and smart phones, there are even more things demanding their attention. A recent study found that more than half of students ~ aged 8 to 18 ~ are distracted while doing homework, and for 56 percent of the time they are also using the Internet, watching. TV, or using some other form of media. Should we be concerned about these kinds of distractions? 2 Some researchers say that one problem with these technologies is that they have a greater impact on young people. First, young people's brains become used to constantly switching tasks, which makes them less able to pay attention for long periods of time. Second, some experts say that distraction has an impact on people’s ability to think deeply. 5 One study looked at the computer use of students in grades 5 through 8. The researchers found a link between access to home computers and a drop in reading and math scores. What is clear, they ~ say is that middle graders are mostly using computers to socialize and play games rather than for educational purposes. The study used data from 2000 to 2005, before the huge rise in social networking sites, so the problem may be even more extreme today. 4 Inother studies, researchers have shown that boys who have access to video game systems at home are frequently distracted from their homework. The research showed that the boys’ | and writing scores suffered as a result. Is also possible that playing video games, which involves multitasking (doing more than one thing at a time) has more impact on the brain than distractions such as watching TY. In one study, boys aged 12 to 14 spent an hour every other night playing video games after they finished their homework. On the other evenings, they spent an hour watching a movie on TV. The researchers found that on nights when the boys watched TV, they slept better than when they played video games. The video {games also had a negative impact on the boys’ ability to remember vocabulary, even words that they were already familiar with 5 What kinds of activities, then, should we encourage children to do? Some scientists say that reading books is a good choice because children are less distracted when they read books. This, may be because children identify with the characters and are able to focus their attention for longer periods of time. Many studies have found that students who read books have significantly higher test scores than students who don't 6 On the other hand, critics of these studies claim that playing complex computer games id doing Internet searches actually improve a person's ability to concentrate and stay focused. They say that books promote one type of learning, whereas the Internet promotes a different, equally beneficial type 7 The impact of computer use on the brain is a complex issue, and not all experts agree on. its positive and negative effects. What is clear is that electronic media are here to stay. For this, reason, education experts may need to turn their attention to designing educational technology that helps students focus on learning and not be distracted by the media they are using Unit 2: The mediac D E www frenglish.ru Understanding viewpoints Check (¥) the points that the writer makes in the article. G1. Many children are being distracted by electronic media while they are doing homework. 2, Some distractions can be more harmful than others. 1 3. Watching a movie has a more positive effect on the brain than doing activities that involve multitasking 1 4. Children who read books do well in all of their school subjects. OO 5. Experts all agree that technology has negative effects. Read for detail Circle the correct information to make true sentences about the article. 1. According to the article, various technologies distract children because young learners think they're fun / the user has to constantly switch tasks, 2. The article suggests that watching TV / playing video games is a form of multitasking. (One study showed that TV / video games had a more negative impact on young boys’ sleep. 4. This study also showed that watching TV / playing video games had an effect on the boys’ ability to remember vocabulary. 5. The study in which researchers found a link between home computers and lower test scores used information from before / after the huge rise in social networking. 6. Crities / Supporters of these studies say playing video games and surfing the Internet actually improve people's ability to concentrate. 7. The writer suggests that educational researchers should be focusing on improving online ‘materials because electronic media are better than books / aren't going to disappear. Focus on vocabulary Find these words and expressions in the text. Match them with their ‘meanings. Write the letters a-f. 1. extreme (para. 3) __ a. start looking at 2, be familiar with (para. 4) . people who dont like an idea 3. identify with (para. 5) < know 4, ctities of (para. 6) —_ d. feel a connection with 5, acomplex issue (para. 7) € a difficult subject 6. tum attention to (para. 7) £. very great Do you think that technology has a positive or negative impact on your at Give reasons for your answer. lity to study? at)