1 . A recent report found 46% of parents agreed that their child knew more about the Internet than they did. And now new research shows parents are turning to their children for lessons in technology.
The new study of around 1,000 parents showed that 67% of parents have asked their teenager children for technology-related advice. 44% have asked their teenager for help using the Internet, and 41% have received teen advice about how to use the TV or home entertainment system.
Ahad Surooprajally, a father of five children, says his children help him with technology in the home. “They’ve grown up surrounded by technology,” he explains. “We have four computers and four iPads in our house. If I want to know something technical they’re the ones I go to.”
He says his nine-year-old son Habeeb is the only person in the house who really understand the TV. So he tells Habeeb which film he wants to watch and Habeeb connects his mobile phone to the TV. “You teach your kids everyday life lessons, but the tables are turned when it comes to technology,” says Ahad.
As well as learning how to use technology properly, there is another advantage of parents asking their children to help them understand the digital world. They may be able to get a better understanding of what their kids are doing online.
Will Gardner of the charity Childnet International says, “We have to continuously encourage parents to find out more about what their children are doing online. If the kids are using a social networking site, get them to show you around it if you are not using it already.”
1. What do we know about the new study?| A．Few parents trust their children to give them advice. |
| B．About half of the parents have no idea how to use a computer. |
| C．Most teenagers know more about the Internet than their parents. |
| D．Over two-thirds of parents turned to their teenagers on tech matters. |
| A．try to learn how to make friends online. |
| B．keep an eye on children’s online safety. |
| C．encourage children to use social networking sites. |
| D．ask children to teach them how to use computers. |
| A．Internet: Open to our kids too early |
| B．Children: Parents' technology advisors |
| C．Parents: Confused by new technology |
| D．Technology: Challenge for everyone |
2 . Have you ever thought of quitting your job when you feel exhausted? Maybe most of you would say “yes”. After a particularly busy period at work, I decided to get away from it all by going on a hike in the mountains in southern France.
Before I left, I read an interesting story in a magazine. It read, “Once, while I was riding on a crowded bus, the man sitting next to me threw his cell phone out of the window when his phone rang. I was surprised. He looked at me, shrugged (耸耸肩) and looked away. I had no idea whether it was his or stolen or whether he even knew what a cell phone was or not, but he clearly wanted to be free of it, because it clearly troubled him.”
Billions of people across the world use cell phones. Though cell phones are a wonderful way for communication, they often do the exact opposite. Using cell phones can increase stress within families and friends.
So when I recently returned home, I got rid of my cell phone. Now I go outside without taking my phone with me. I’ve noticed things in my neighborhood I never noticed before, such as gardens. I’ve met new people, started conversations with neighbors I didn’t speak to before and talked with some of my friends face to face instead of chatting over the phone.
Instead of keeping me off from the world, stopping using my cell phone has helped me get even closer to my family and friends.
1. According to the story, the man on the bus threw away his cell phone because .| A．it didn’t work properly | B．it was stolen from someone else |
| C．he didn’t like the phone’s style | D．he didn’t want to be bothered by it |
| A．are too expensive for many people |
| B．are of no use to the author |
| C．can also get people into trouble |
| D．can make life more interesting |
| A．He wants to own a garden now. |
| B．He always chatted with his neighbors. |
| C．He used to take his cell phone when going outside. |
| D．He once threw away his cell phone. |
| A．tell us not to let cell phones control our lives |
| B．encourage others to hike with him in France |
| C．share his experiences in France with us |
| D．teach us how to get along with neighbors |
