本文简介：本文是关于电子产品对青少年心理影响，雅思考题常涉及主体。如2017年十月份阅读考过的电子游戏对孩子大脑的影响，以及雅思写作话题手机对儿童的影响等。文章用词生动，很多词组的实用可供参考。

文章正文：

The final bell rings at a high school in downtown Los Angeles, and nearly every pupil spilling onto the pavement either clutches a smartphone or studies a screen, head bowed. A group of boys strolls down the street laughing at a YouTube video, while a girl waiting for her lift home catches up with the Kardashian sisters on Instagram. Since 2007, when Apple released the first iPhone, such scenes have become the norm in America. The Pew Research Centre found that three-quarters of teens have access to a smartphone. According to one Facebook executive, millennials look at their phones on average more than 150 times a day.

spill onto 涌向

spill本意(液体)溢出，洒出，这里衍生为(人流)涌出。如文中所用：

Every pupil spilling onto the pavement either clutches a smartphone or studies a screen.

每个涌向人行道的学生要么握着一个智能手机，要么盯着手机屏幕。

注：study在这里的意思是仔细查看(look at something carefully)

e.g. When Prince William and Kate Middleton get hitched on April 29, an estimated crowd of 1 million people will spill onto the streets of London in order to see the couple say "I do."

据估计，那天要有近100万的民众涌上伦敦街头，见证这对夫妇(威廉王子和凯特王妃)说“我愿意”。

stroll down 漫步，闲逛

如文：A group of boys strolls down the street laughing at a YouTube video…

在街道上闲逛的一群男孩子对着一个YouTube视频大笑着。

也可以stroll along/around/over

become the norm 成为惯例/常态

e.g. There was violence between police and civilians -- as has also become the norm in times of crisis in Guinea.

在一段时间内，几内亚国内的危机(警察和市民之间发生的暴力冲突)成为常事。

衍生词：

normality n.正常状态

abnormal adj.反常的

have access to 接近，使用

e.g. This means that across the country, all students have access to and can use computers daily in their classrooms.

这意味着在全国，所有学生都能够在他们的教室中每天接触和使用电脑。

衍生词组：

have easy access to 方便获取

have equal access to有权同等获取

have no access to 无法使用，无法获取

millennials 千禧一代们

millennial adj.千禧年的

millennium 一千年

millennia pl.数千年

Over the past decade, the number of children American children and teenagers admitted to children’s hospitals for reporting suicidal thoughts has more than doubled. Some have not received help in time; after declining for years, the suicide rate for 15- to-19-year-olds shot up between 2007 and 2015, increasing by 31% for boys and more than doubling for girls. Psychologists are striving to understand whether this increase merely coincides with the rise of social media, or whether something causative is happening.

be admitted to (被)准许进入

Over the past decade, the number of children American children and teenagers admitted to children’s hospitals for reporting suicidal thoughts has more than doubled.

过去的十年中，美国儿童及青少年由于自杀念头进医院的数量翻了一番多。

衍生词组：

be admitted to university 被大学录取

shoot up 暴涨

e.g. In 1979, the Iranian revolution saw prices shoot up to$ 80 per barrel.

到了1979年，受伊朗革命的影响，油价暴涨至每桶80美元。

strive to do sth. 努力做某事

coincide with 巧合,与…一致

衍生词：

coincidence 巧合事件

coincident adj.巧合的

causative adj.成为原因的

文中例句：

Psychologists are striving to understand whether this increase merely coincides with the rise of social media, or whether something causative is happening.

心理学家想尽力搞清楚这个增长仅仅是与社交媒体的增长巧合，还是有别的引起(该增长的)时间正在发生。

There may be plenty of analogue reasons for it. “A number of things are pretty unique to young people today. They were born around when the Columbine shooting happened, they were kids for 9/11, they were kids during one of the worst recessions in modern history,” says Nicole Green, the executive director of Counselling and Psychological Services at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has seen demand for her office’s services from college undergraduates surge.

analogue adj.类似的 n.类似物

e.g. The gill of a fish is the analogue of the lung of a cat.

鱼的鳃和猫的肺是类似物。

be unique to 独特的,独有的

e.g. Those combinations are as unique to each zebra as fingerprints are to humans.

每一匹斑马的条纹线组合都是的，就像人类的指纹一样。

recession n.衰退

e.g. The oil price increases sent Europe into deep recession.

油价上涨使欧洲陷入严重的经济衰退。

衍生词：

recede v.后退

recessive adj.后退的

A big new study suggests a different explanation for teenage melancholy—the many hours young people spend staring at their phone screens. That might be having serious effects, especially on young girls, according to the study’s author, Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy”.

By scrutinising national surveys, with data collected from over 500,000 American teenagers, Ms. Twenge found that adolescents who spent more time on new media—using Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram on a smartphone, for instance— were more likely to agree with remarks such as: “The future often seems hopeless,” or “I feel that I can’t do anything right.” Those who used screens less, spending time playing sport, doing homework, or socialising with friends in person, were less likely to report mental troubles.

melancholy n.忧郁 adj.忧郁的，悲伤的

e.g. A mood of melancholy descended on us.

一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。

rebellious adj.叛逆的

e.g. a rebellious teenager 叛逆少年

衍生词：

rebel v.反抗 n.反叛者

rebellion n.叛乱

rebelliousness n.叛逆

scritinise v.仔细查看

e.g. The statement was carefully scrutinised before publication.

声明在发表前经过仔细审查。

衍生词：

scrutiny n.详细审查

adolescent n.青少年

衍生词：

adolescence n.青春期

puberty 青春期

As Ms. Twenge herself concedes, the study does not prove causality. It is possible that another force is behind the increased diagnosis of depression among adolescents, and that sad teenagers are more likely than their happy peers to seek refuge in their phones. But a growing body of scientific evidence supports the idea that social media can inspire malaise. One study published in 2016 asked a randomly selected group of adults to quit Facebook for a week; a control group continued browsing the site as usual. Those who gave up Facebook reported feeling less depressed at the end of the week than those who continued using it. Another experiment published in 2013 found that the more participants used Facebook, the gloomier they felt about their lives. Additionally, it showed that feeling blue did not lead people to increase their Facebook use.

concede v.(不得不)承认

衍生词：concession n.

原文例句：

As Ms. Twenge herself concedes, the study does not prove causality.

正如Twenge女士所承认的，研究并不能证明因果性。

diagnosis n.诊断

衍生词：

diagnose v.诊断

diagnostic adj.诊断的

seek refuge 寻求庇护

e.g. All too often, they get bored, and seek refuge in drink and drugs

太多的时候，他们觉得无聊就在酒精和毒品中寻求慰藉。

衍生词：

refugee 难民

sanctuary庇护所;圣殿

shelter庇护所;躲避

malaise n.不适;难以捉摸的问题

e.g. a general malaise within society

社会中一个难以言喻的普遍问题

衍生词：

malady n.弊病，痼疾

participant n.参与者

衍生词：

participate in

participation n.

gloomy adj.忧郁的

e.g. a gloomy picture of the country’s economic future

该国经济前景的暗淡景象

Not all studies are so damning. Past research suggests that social-networking sites can promote happiness if used to engage directly with other users, rather than just to covet glossy photos of someone else’s exotic holiday or lavish wedding. This distinction is a reminder that social media is what users bring to it—their attitudes shape their experiences, both on and offline. “It’s pretty easy to romanticize someone’s life based on their Snapchat or Instagram,” reflects Sarah, a junior at high school in Los Angeles. “I try to remind myself that it’s filtered. People only post what they want you to see, so it can seem like their life is better than yours.” Nicole, another junior, agrees. But when asked if she has ever considered deleting her social-media accounts, she looks perplexed. “No. I would feel lost.”

engage with 与…接触,与…建立密切联系

衍生词：

engage in 从事

covert v.贪求,垂涎

exotic adj.异国的，异邦的

lavish adj.浪费的，昂贵的

本文例句：

Past research suggests that social-networking sites can promote happiness if used to engage directly with other users, rather than just to covet glossy photos of someone else’s exotic holiday or lavish wedding.

过去的研究表明，如果社交网络被用于直接与其他用户交流，而不仅仅是用来垂涎别人国外度假或豪华婚礼的绚丽的照片时，社交网络是能够提升幸福感的。

filter v.过滤;筛选 n.过滤器

e.g. The ozone layer filters harmful UV rays from the sun.

臭氧层过滤掉有害的太阳紫外线。

perplex v.使…困惑，使…茫然

e.g. Poverty is always a big problem which perplex the development of society.

贫困问题始终是困扰人类社会进步的一个重大问题。

原文回顾：

Mental health --Me, myself and iPhone

Teenagers are anxious and depressed. Could the culprit be in their pockets?

The final bell rings at a high school in downtown Los Angeles, and nearly every pupil spilling onto the pavement either clutches a smartphone or studies a screen, head bowed. A group of boys strolls down the street laughing at a YouTube video, while a girl waiting for her lift home catches up with the Kardashian sisters on Instagram. Since 2007, when Apple released the first iPhone, such scenes have become the norm in America. The Pew Research Centre found that three-quarters of teens have access to a smartphone. According to one Facebook executive, millennials look at their phones on average more than 150 times a day.

Over the past decade, the number of children American children and teenagers admitted to children’s hospitals for reporting suicidal thoughts has more than doubled. Some have not received help in time; after declining for years, the suicide rate for 15- to-19-year-olds shot up between 2007 and 2015, increasing by 31% for boys and more than doubling for girls. Psychologists are striving to understand whether this increase merely coincides with the rise of social media, or whether something causative is happening.

There may be plenty of analogue reasons for it. “A number of things are pretty unique to young people today. They were born around when the Columbine shooting happened, they were kids for 9/11, they were kids during one of the worst recessions in modern history,” says Nicole Green, the executive director of Counselling and Psychological Services at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has seen demand for her office’s services from college undergraduates surge.

A big new study suggests a different explanation for teenage melancholy—the many hours young people spend staring at their phone screens. That might be having serious effects, especially on young girls, according to the study’s author, Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy”.

By scrutinising national surveys, with data collected from over 500,000 American teenagers, Ms. Twenge found that adolescents who spent more time on new media—using Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram on a smartphone, for instance— were more likely to agree with remarks such as: “The future often seems hopeless,” or “I feel that I can’t do anything right.” Those who used screens less, spending time playing sport, doing homework, or socialising with friends in person, were less likely to report mental troubles.

As Ms. Twenge herself concedes, the study does not prove causality. It is possible that another force is behind the increased diagnosis of depression among adolescents, and that sad teenagers are more likely than their happy peers to seek refuge in their phones. But a growing body of scientific evidence supports the idea that social media can inspire malaise. One study published in 2016 asked a randomly selected group of adults to quit Facebook for a week; a control group continued browsing the site as usual. Those who gave up Facebook reported feeling less depressed at the end of the week than those who continued using it. Another experiment published in 2013 found that the more participants used Facebook, the gloomier they felt about their lives. Additionally, it showed that feeling blue did not lead people to increase their Facebook use.

Not all studies are so damning. Past research suggests that social-networking sites can promote happiness if used to engage directly with other users, rather than just to covet glossy photos of someone else’s exotic holiday or lavish wedding. This distinction is a reminder that social media is what users bring to it—their attitudes shape their experiences, both on and offline. “It’s pretty easy to romanticize someone’s life based on their Snapchat or Instagram,” reflects Sarah, a junior at high school in Los Angeles. “I try to remind myself that it’s filtered. People only post what they want you to see, so it can seem like their life is better than yours.” Nicole, another junior, agrees. But when asked if she has ever considered deleting her social-media accounts, she looks perplexed. “No. I would feel lost.”

句子精选：

Over the past decade, the number of children American children and teenagers admitted to children’s hospitals for reporting suicidal thoughts has more than doubled.

过去的十年中，美国儿童及青少年由于自杀念头进医院的数量翻了一番多。

A big new study suggests a different explanation for teenage melancholy—the many hours young people spend staring at their phone screens.

研究提出了青少年忧郁的一个不同解释---年轻人花太多时间盯着他们的手机屏幕。

Those who used screens less, spending time playing sport, doing homework, or socialising with friends in person, were less likely to report mental troubles.

那些用屏幕较少，花时间做运动，做家庭作业或者与朋友社交的人有心理问题的可能性小一些。

But a growing body of scientific evidence supports the idea that social media can inspire malaise.

但是越来越多的科学证据支持社交媒体会引发不适的看法。

People only post what they want you to see, so it can seem like their life is better than yours.

人们只会发布那些他们想要你看到的东西，这样可以显示他们自己比你生活地要好。

本文作者简介：

王少娟

上海新航道雅思主讲，上海外国语大学教育技术学硕士。对综合英语的阅读教学有深入的研究，教授了数百名学生均取得了优异的英语成绩。讲解细致、逻辑清晰、课堂活跃，丰富的教学经验能帮助学生在学习中和练习中能够更有效的提高英语能力。