Section B

Doctor's orders: Let children just play

A) imagine a dnug that could enhance a child's creativity and critical thinking. Imagine that this drug were simple to make, safe to take, and could be had for free. The nation's leading pediatricians say this miracle compound exists. In a new clinical report, they are urging doctors to prescribe it liberally to the children in their care.

B)“This may seem old-fashioned, but there are skills to be leamed when kids aren't told what to do,said Dr.Michael Yogman, a Harvard Medical School pediatrician who led the drafting of the call to arms. Whether it's rough physical play, outdoor play or pretend play, kids derive important lessons from the chance to make things up as they go, he said.

C) The advice, issued Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, may come as a shock to some parents. After spending years fretting over which toys to buy, which apps to download and which skill-building programs如o send their kids to after school, letting them simply play or better yet, playing with them- could seem like a step backward. The pediatricians insist that it's not. The academy's guidance does not include specific recommendations for the dosing of play. Instead, it asks doctors to advise parents before their babies tum two that play is essential to healthy development.

D)“Play is not silly behavior,”the academy's report declares.It fosters children's creativity,cooperation, and problem- solving slills- all of which are critical for a 2lst century workforce.When parents engage in play with their children, it builds a wall against the harmful effects of all kinds of stress , including poverty, the academy says. In the pediatricians' view, essentially every life skill that's valued in adults can be built up with play.“ Collaboration, negotiation, decision-making,creativity, leadership, and increased physical activity are just some of the skills and benefts children gain through play," they wrote. The pediatricians' appeal comes as kids are being squeezed by increasing academic demands at school and the constant invasion of digital media.

E) The trends have been a long time coming. Between 1981 and 1997, detailed time use studies showed that the time children spent at play declined by 25 percent. Since the adoption of sweeping education reforms in 2001，public schools have steadily increased the amount of time devoted to preparing for

standardized tests. The focus on academic“skill and drills" has cut deeply into recess

and other time for free play.

F) By 2009, a study of Los Angeles kindergarten classrooms found that five year-olds were so burdened with academic requirements that they were down to an average of just 19 minutes per day of“choice time," when they were permitted to play freely with blocks, toys or other children.One in four Los Angeles teachers reported there was no time at all for“ free play.”Increased academic pressures have left 30 percent of U. S. kindergarten classes without any recess. Such findings prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to issue a policy statement in 2013 on the“crucial role of recess in school.”

G) Pediatricians aren't the only ones who have noticed. In a report titled“Crisis in the Kindergarten,"a group of educators, health professionals and child advocates called the loss of play in early childhood“a tragedy, both for the children themselves and for our nation and the world.”Kids in play-based kindergartens“ end up equally good or better at reading and other intellectual skills,and they are more likely to become well- adjusted healthy people," the Alliance for Childhood said in 2009.Indeed, new research demonstrates why playing with blocks might have been time better spent, Yogman said. The trial asssed the effectiveness of an early mathematics intervention aimed a tpreschoolers.The results showed almost no gains in math achievement.

H) Another playtime thief: the growing proportion of kids' time spent in front of screens and digital devices, even among preschoolers. Last year, common Sense media reported that children up through age eight spent an average of two hours and 19 minutes in front of screens each day,including an average of 42 minutes a day for those under two. This increase of digital use comes with rising risks of obesity, sleep deprivation and cogmnitioe，language and social-emotional delays, the American Academy of Pediatrics warmed in 2016.

I)“I respect that parents have busy lives and it's easy to hand a child an iPhone," Yogman said.“But there's a cost to that. For young children, it's much too passive. And kids really leam better when they're actively engaged and have to really discover things.

J) The decline of play is a special hazard for the roughly 1 in 5 children in the United States who live in poverty. These 14 million children most urgently need to develop the resilience that is cultivated with play. Instead, Yogman said, they are disproportionately affected by some of the trends that are making play scarce:academic pressures at schools that need to improve test scores,outside play areas that are limited or unsafe, and parents who lack the time or energy to share in playtime.

K) Yogman also worries about the pressures that squeeze playtime for more affluent kids. “The notion that as parents we need to schedule every minute of their time is not doing them a great service," he said. Even well-meaning parents may be“robbing them of the opportunity to have that joy of discovery and curiosity- -the opportunity如o find things out on their own.

L) Play may not be a hard sell to kids. But UCLA pediatrician Carlos Lerner acknowledged that the pediaticians' new prescription may meet with skepticism from parents, who are anxious for advice on how to give their kids a leg up in the world. They should welcome the simplicity of the message, Lemner said.“It's liberating to be able to offer them this advice: that you spending time with your child and letting him play is one of the most valuable things you can do," he said.“It doesn't have to involve spending a lot of money or time , or joining a parenting group. It's something we can offer that's achievable. They just don't recognize it right now as particularly valuable. ”

36.Increased use of digital devices steals away children's playtime.

37.Since the beginning of this century, an increasing amount of time has been shifted in public schools from recess to academic activities.

38.It has been acknowledged that while kids may welcome pediatricians' recommendation， their parents may doubt its feasibility.

39.According to some professionals, deprivation of young children's playtime will do harm not only to children themselves but to the country and the world.

40.By playing with children, parents can prevent them from being harmed by stress.

41.Playing with digital devices discourages kds from active discovery, according to pediatrician Dr. Michael Yogman.

42.The suggestion of letting children simply play may sound like going backwards to parents who want to help build their children's skills.

43. Dr. Michael Yogman believes the idea that parents should carefully schedule children's time may not be helpful to their growth.

44. One quarter of teachers in an American city said that children in kindergartens had no time for playing freely.

45. According to a pediatrician, no matter what kind of play children engage in, they are leaming how to create things.

答案解析：

由题干中的“Increased use of digital devices steals away children's playtime”定位到H段。H段提到“Another playtime thief: the growing proportion of kids' time spent in front of screens and digital devices, even among preschoolers.”，指出数字设备的使用偷走了孩子的玩耍时间，所以选H。

由题干中的“Since the beginning of this century, an increasing amount of time has been shifted in public schools from recess to academic activities”定位到E段。E段提到“Since the adoption of sweeping education reforms in 2001，public schools have steadily increased the amount of time devoted to preparing for standardized tests. The focus on academic ‘skill and drills' has cut deeply into recess and other time for free play.”，说明自本世纪初以来，公立学校把越来越多时间从课间休息转向学术活动，所以选E。

由题干中的“It has been acknowledged that while kids may welcome pediatricians' recommendation， their parents may doubt its feasibility”定位到L段。L段提到“Play may not be a hard sell to kids. But UCLA pediatrician Carlos Lerner acknowledged that the pediatricians' new prescription may meet with skepticism from parents, who are anxious for advice on how to give their kids a leg up in the world.”，表明孩子可能欢迎儿科医生建议，但家长可能怀疑其可行性，所以选L。

由题干中的“According to some professionals, deprivation of young children's playtime will do harm not only to children themselves but to the country and the world”定位到G段。G段提到“In a report titled ‘Crisis in the Kindergarten,' a group of educators, health professionals and child advocates called the loss of play in early childhood ‘a tragedy, both for the children themselves and for our nation and the world.'”，说明剥夺孩子玩耍时间对孩子、国家和世界都有害，所以选G。

由题干中的“By playing with children, parents can prevent them from being harmed by stress”定位到D段。D段提到“When parents engage in play with their children, it builds a wall against the harmful effects of all kinds of stress, including poverty, the academy says.”，表明父母和孩子玩耍能防止孩子受压力伤害，所以选D。

由题干中的“Playing with digital devices discourages kids from active discovery, according to pediatrician Dr. Michael Yogman”定位到I段。I段提到“‘I respect that parents have busy lives and it's easy to hand a child an iPhone,' Yogman said. ‘But there's a cost to that. For young children, it's much too passive. And kids really learn better when they're actively engaged and have to really discover things.'”，说明玩数字设备阻碍孩子主动探索，所以选I。

由题干中的“The suggestion of letting children simply play may sound like going backwards to parents who want to help build their children's skills”定位到C段。C段提到“The advice, issued Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, may come as a shock to some parents. After spending years fretting over which toys to buy, which apps to download and which skill - building programs to send their kids to after school, letting them simply play or better yet, playing with them - could seem like a step backward.”，表明让孩子简单玩耍的建议对想培养孩子技能的家长来说像倒退，所以选C。

由题干中的“Dr. Michael Yogman believes the idea that parents should carefully schedule children's time may not be helpful to their growth”定位到K段。K段提到“Yogman also worries about the pressures that squeeze playtime for more affluent kids. ‘The notion that as parents we need to schedule every minute of their time is not doing them a great service,' he said.”，说明Yogman认为父母仔细安排孩子时间对孩子成长不利，所以选K。

由题干中的“One quarter of teachers in an American city said that children in kindergartens had no time for playing freely”定位到F段。F段提到“By 2009, a study of Los Angeles kindergarten classrooms found that...One in four Los Angeles teachers reported there was no time at all for ‘free play.'”，表明美国洛杉矶四分之一的老师说幼儿园孩子没时间自由玩耍，所以选F。

由题干中的“According to a pediatrician, no matter what kind of play children engage in, they are learning how to create things”定位到B段。B段提到“‘This may seem old - fashioned, but there are skills to be learned when kids aren't told what to do,' said Dr. Michael Yogman...kids derive important lessons from the chance to make things up as they go, he said.”，说明不管孩子玩什么，都在学习创造东西，所以选B。

更多题库，请微信搜索英语巴士小程序！