Часть I. Part I. Text 1. Parents Urged to Talk to Cildren

Too much television and a lack of family meals are damaging children's conversational ability, a re­port says.

The Basic Skills Agency found many parents did not "see the point" of developing verbal skills, focus­ing instead on reading and writing. Some four-year- olds threw tantrums in class because they could not communicate in any other way. The BSA wants pri­mary school teachers to work with families to im­prove children's conversation. Its report “Talk to Me” says verbal skills are declining "year on year". It says all-day television, parents' long working hours and the "decline of the family meal" are causes of poor communication. It also cites the "splintering" of families into different rooms in the house, with chil­dren as young as four watching TV alone in their bedrooms.

The increased use of forward-facing buggies means babies and toddlers have less chance to communi­cate with parents, the report adds. The "greatest impact" on children's verbal skills was among disad­vantaged families.

The report backs US research conducted in the mid-1990s, which found that by the time they started school a child of professional parents had heard about 50 million words. For those of working-class back­ground it was 30 million and for those with parents on income support it was 12 million.

BSA report author Sue Palmer found parents were "wary of schools interfering in their family life and resentful of any suggestion that they don't know what's best for their children".

The gap between homes and classrooms had in­creased since 1996, when a gunman killed chil­dren and their teacher at a school in Dunblane. With greater security in place, primary schools had "struggled to remain the inviting, welcoming places they once were", Ms Palmer found. Her report calls for head teachers to make more use of parent-help­ers and to invite parents in more often. It says: "When it comes down to it, it's hope - not objectives, tar­gets or evidence - that motivates people. Hope is what gives us the energy to make time to make con­nections, and we ignore its immeasurable importance at our peril."

(1781)

Notes:

to throw a tantrum — испытывать приступ раздражения, выходить из себя;

forward-facing buggies –коляски, в которых ребенок повернут спиной к родителям;

disad­vantaged families – малоимущие семьи;

income support – пособие малоимущим;

immeasurable - неизмеримый, безмерный.

Story from BBC NEWS

Text 2. Hooked on the net

The latest addiction to trap thousands of people is the Internet, which has been blamed for broken relationships, job losses, financial ruin and even suicide. Psychologists now recognize Internet Addiction Syndrome (IAS) as a new illness that could cause serious problems and ruin many lives.

IAS is similar to other problems like gambling, smoking and drinking: addicts have dreams about the Internet; they need to use it first thing in the morning; they lie to their parents and partners about how much time they spend online; they wish they could cut down, but are unable to do so.

Many users spend up to 40 hours a week on the Internet. Some of the addicts are teenagers who are already hooked on computer games and who find it very difficult to resist the games on the Internet.

Another problem that is caused by late TV-viewing and Internet surfing, is lack of sleep. The teenagers who are hooked on these activities, usually get from 2 up to 5 hours less sleep than they need. They face difficulties at school because they are irritable, impatient and can't concentrate and follow directions.

What exactly is it that gets us all so excited about the Internet?

As well as being a global network of networks, the Internet is a global network of people, ideas and information. The Net is as interesting and exciting as the people, organisations, companies, governments and weirdoes that are connected to it.

There is another thing that's exciting about the Internet. Like love and life, the Net is what you make it. If you don't like what's happening on one part of the network, you can build yourself a whole new cybercity, appoint yourself as mayor and run it exact­ly as you want.

The Internet enables you to do a lot of things simultaneously. You can read the lat­est copy of your favourite newspaper while planning your night's TV viewing and ordering some cheap CDs from an American discount disc store.

You can send e-mail to someone you've never met before ... Some people have "met" over the Internet and got married.

The first web browsers only supported simple texts and images, but now a multi­tude of multimedia plug-ins enables webpages to sing and dance.

The Internet has also brought new opportunities to government, business, and education. Governments use the Internet for internal communication, distribution of information, and automated tax processing. Companies use the Internet for electronic commerce, also called e-commerce, including advertising, selling, buying, distributing products, and providing customer service. Businesses and institutions use the Internet for voice and video conferencing and other forms of communication that enable people to telecommute (work away from the office using a computer). Media and entertainment companies use the Internet for online news and weather services and to broadcast audio and video, including live radio and television programs. Online chat allows people to carry on discussions using written text. Instant messaging enables people to exchange text messages in real time. Scientists and scholars use the Internet to communicate with colleagues, perform research, distribute lecture notes and course materials to students, and publish papers and articles.

From PC banking to online shopping and chats with celebrities, the Internet is already changing our lives. And the future promises even more exciting things.

(2579)

Notes:

gambling – азартные игры;

cut down – зд. бросить;

face – сталкиваться;

celebrities – знаменитости.