Staying off social media for six years

1If someone said you'll be paid 1,800 dollars to stay off social media for six years,would you do it?Could you do it?In America,Sivert Klefsaas did just that. “I thought it was wonderful,” Sivert said,“and I thought,‘Ah,what about six more years?’”

2In 2016,Lorna Goldstrand Klefsaas challenged her 12-year-old son Sivert to stay off social media until 18.If he completed the challenge,she'd award him the cash on his eighteenth birthday.On February 19,2022,Sivert got his prize.

3Sivert said it wasn't too difficult to live without social media.“I wouldn't say there was ever a time when I thought I was about to break,” he said. “As it went on,it was more of a proud thing.”He also had his friends keep him updated on the latest trends.“I got to avoid all the unnecessary drama that was on there,”Sivert added.

4Lorna said she never had to check for any secretly downloaded apps.“He's so competitive.It was definitely more for proving a point,”she said.It also meant he had more time to focus on his grades and sports instead,Sivert said.Now 1,800 dollars richer,Sivert said he would buy something for his dorm room at the University of Northwestern St.Paul,which he'll attend in the fall.

5After Sivert's success,Lorna said it was some of the best money she had ever spent. “We are certainly not against social media,but it's the healthy using of it,” Lorna noted.“It's about not letting yourself get weighed down by it,or addicted to it,or affected by things that people post.”

6Sivert is the youngest of four children,and his three older sisters all used social media growing up.Lorna said there were times when she felt her daughters got too addicted to their apps.When one of her daughters was 16,Lorna took away her phone because of the bad mood caused by it.Lorna said her daughter later thanked her for doing so,as it improved her mood.

7“For some reason,kids and adults feel so comfortable behind a screen,” Lorna said,referencing the kinds of comments people post.“I'm happy that Sivert didn't have to read any of that.”

Reading Check

一、閱讀自測

1.When did Lorna make her promise to Sivert about the prize?

A.When Sivert was 12 years old. B.When Sivert was 6 years old.

C.When Sivert was 18 years old. D.When Sivert was 24 years old.

2.How did Sivert feel about staying off social media?

A.Meaningless. B.Uninterested.

C.Great. D.Curious.

3.Why did Lorna challenge Sivert to stay off social media?

A.She wanted Sivert to learn from his sisters.

B.She thought social media were useless.

C.Sivert's mood was badly influenced by social media.

D.She tried to make Sivert know how to use social media wisely.

二、重讀文本

這是一篇新聞報道。新聞報道的第一段一般是導語，是一篇文章最核心的部分，所以我們要先讀懂第一段的內容，然后在第一段的引導下完成全文的閱讀。新聞報道的內容應包括新聞的五大要素：who、when、where、what和why，而本文包含六大要素：who、when、where、what、why和how。請大家完成下面的要素提煉，磨煉閱讀新聞報道的技巧。

Who:Lorna,the 1.______ _;Sivert,the son,who is 2.______ _years old now

When:On February 19,2022

Where:In America

What:When Sivert was 12 years old,Lorna made a 3. _______that if Sivert could 4._______social media for 6 years,she would give him 1,800 dollars as his 18th birthday gift.Sivert 5._______the gift when he turned 18 on February 19,2022.

Why:Lorna wasn't 6.______ _using social media.It's about not letting users get 7._______down by it,or 8._______to it,or 9.______ _by things people post.

How:How did Sivert and Lorna feel?

Both of them felt 10.______ _.

三、語言支架

1.stay off social media遠離社交媒體

2.challenge sb to do sth向某人提出挑戰做某事

3.be about to do正要做……

4.keep sb updated on the latest trends讓某人了解最新潮流

5.focus on專注于……

6.the best money ever spent花得最值得的錢

7.weigh down使焦慮；使憂心忡忡

8.be addicted to沉迷于……；沉浸在……

四、難句分析

1.It's about not letting yourself get weighed down by it,or addicted to it,or affected by things that people post.健康使用社交媒體是讓你自己不被它拖累，或者沉迷其中，或者被人們發的帖子所影響。

【點石成金】該句中or連接幾個并列的成分。

2.“For some reason,kids and adults feel so comfortable behind a screen,” Lorna said,referencing the kinds of comments people post.“因為某種原因，小孩和大人在屏幕后面感覺很舒服。”洛娜說，她指的是人們發布的各種評論。

【點石成金】該句中referencing...post為非謂語動詞作狀語。五、文章縮寫

根據文章內容填空。

In 2016,Lorna promised her 12-year-old son Sivert that if he would stay off 1.________until 18,she would award him$1,800.Sivert accepted the challenge and got the money on February 19,2022.After Sivert's 2.________(succeed),Lorna said it was the 3._______ _(good)money she ever spent.During the 6 years,Sivert thought 4._______ _wasn't too difficult to live without social media.As time went on,he was even 5. ________(pride)of it.He asked his friends to keep him 6. ________(update)on the latest trends.Meanwhile,he tried his best to avoid some 7. ________(necessary)distractions(使人分心的事).Sivert didn't cheat and he was very 8.________(compete).Having enough time and attention to focus on his grades and sports,he 9.________(admit)into the University of Northwestern St.Paul.

六、讀后寫作

英文報Youth現面向全國中學生征稿，希望大家踴躍表達對中學生使用社交媒體的看法。請你寫一篇短文投稿，要點如下：

1.社交媒體的廣泛運用；

2.利弊分析；

3.如何合理使用。

注意：

1.詞數80左右；

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。