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Flash on LRN B2 Reading & Use

Section 1

Read the text below about Digital devices and Child Development on people and then answer the questions that follow.
For questions 1-8, choose the best answer (A, B or C).

Digital devices and Child Development
The adverse effect of television and video on very small children is well-understood nowadays. However, society seems
to have failed to truly understand the impact of digital devices on the pre-school brain, as these devices have so quickly
entered children’s lives. Digital devices are a useful tool for parents as well as children: giving a screaming child a
smartphone or iPad, for example, is proven successful as they make toddlers instantly quiet. But we need to question
whether such actions, using digital devices as both pacifiers and educational tools, are actually beneficial.

Firstly, distracting your child with a digital device during an emotional outburst could be harmful to their social-emo-
tional development, disrupting your child’s own internal mechanisms of self-regulation. Secondly, with regard to the
use of digital devices as an educational tool, this too, is questionable, because there is already enough expert evidence
to suggest that children under 30 months cannot learn as well from television and videos as they can from human
interaction. Nevertheless, there has been insufficient investigation into whether interactive applications on mobile
devices are similarly negative. To date, the only research that is available suggests that interactive screen use may
improve reading and writing skills in young children but seems to impair problem-solving ability and mathematical
skills. However, such devices improve reading and writing only in children much closer to school age. Meanwhile, play-
ing with building blocks helps a toddler significantly more with early maths skills than interactive electronic gadgets
which replace the hands-on activities that are important for the development of sensorimotor and visual-motor skills
which, in turn, facilitate the learning and application of maths and science.

Because of such findings, researchers are encouraging parents to take part in more ‘unplugged’ family interaction in
general, as young children may benefit ___________ a daily ‘family hour’ of quality time spent with relatives rather
than being glued to a mobile device. Furthermore, if parents are considering allowing their children to use digital
devices, it is best they try out such applications first to determine their practical use. However, the bottom line is
there are more questions than answers when it comes to the use of digital devices and young children.

1. What does the word ‘adverse’ in the 1st paragraph 5. What are ‘hands-on activities’ according to the text?
mean? A.parentally-guided activities
A.negative B. traditional methods of play
B. immediate C. activities that use touch-screen devices
C. beneficial
6. How do maths skills mainly develop?
2. According to the text, which of the following A.through physical play
statements is TRUE? B. with social interaction
A.Digital devices are better for children C. by using interactive digital devices
than TV and video.
B. The effects of digital devices on young children 7. According to the text, parents should
are well-known. A.not permit young children to use digital devices.
C. Not enough is known about the effect B. avoid using digital devices in front of children.
of digital devices on young children. C. devote time daily to interacting with their children.

3. What does the word ‘they’ in the 1st paragraph refer to? 8. Which of the following words can fill the gap in the final
A.parents paragraph?
B. digital devices A. from
C. toddlers B. by
C. with
4. According to the text, which of the following statements
is FALSE?
A.Digital devices may delay emotional development.
B. Reading skills may be aided by digital devices.
C. Using digital devices improves mathematical skills.
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