Небольшой английский текст для практики чтения и перевода.
What Computers are for the Young
Computers seem to dominate today’s life everywhere. Schools are no exception. One can see children of a very young age at school, even at a nursery school who are playing games that allow them to build stick figures representing human beings. Even such small children know how to command a computer to make certain components appear and move into a desired position. The children learn how to cooperate with the computer and make it follow their instructions.
When children come back home they continue playing different computer games getting in this way involved in the process so much that some spend hours at the monitor. Quite a few psychologists find this involvement dangerous for the child’s development as the child, though being the one who guides the machine, in fact is suppressed or at least restrained by the computer. The computer for the child is a kind of drug which keeps him tied to it.
Of course, the computer is intended not only for the games. The question is what different kinds of children make of the computer.
The latest steady rise in the examination pass rates has increased the need for teenagers to work hard for the grades needed for oversubscribed courses. Most schoolchildren use computers for writing pre-test work. Here the advantages of the computer are obvious: writing (typing) becomes excellent, they program and have access to the information they need.
For some youngsters the involvement with computers becomes consuming. It may lead to a narrowing of general focus when they find less time to participate in other activities but they feel the social pressure which suggests that the strain may be lessened if a school graduate can handle the computer properly.
Computers also allow using more impressive and sophisticated software materials which, if designed wisely, allow students to interact with the Internet widening their scope of knowledge on their own.
There is a lot of challenge in the modern world and computer skills if properly developed and directed can become a child’s lifetime career.
