Reading: smartphones and study

How it works

The text

For many students today, a smartphone is the first thing they pick up in the morning and the last thing they put down at night. Some teachers see it as the greatest enemy of concentration. They point out that a single message can interrupt half an hour of careful reading. Others argue that the same phone holds a dictionary, a calculator and thousands of free lessons. For a student in a town without a good library, this access can be extremely valuable. In my view, the problem is not the phone itself but the way it is used. A student who turns off notifications and studies for forty minutes at a time can benefit enormously. On the other hand, a student who checks social media every few minutes will find it hard to remember anything. Banning phones completely would therefore be a mistake. Instead, schools and families should teach young people how to control the phone, so that the phone does not control them.

Exercises

1. What is the main purpose of the passage?

   የምንባቡ ዋና ዓላማ ምንድን ነው?

   • ☐ a) to argue that phones should be used wisely, not banned
   • ☐ b) to prove that phones always harm students
   • ☐ c) to sell a new kind of smartphone
   • ☐ d) to describe how a library works

2. What is the writer's attitude towards smartphones?

   ጸሐፊው ስለ ስማርት ስልኮች ያለው አመለካከት ምንድን ነው?

   • ☐ a) not interested
   • ☐ b) completely positive
   • ☐ c) balanced: useful if used carefully
   • ☐ d) completely negative

3. The word "interrupt" is closest in meaning to …

   "interrupt" የሚለው ቃል በትርጉም የሚቀርበው ለ…

   • ☐ a) finish
   • ☐ b) stop for a short time
   • ☐ c) repeat
   • ☐ d) improve

4. According to the passage, why can a phone be valuable for some students?

   እንደ ምንባቡ ገለጻ፣ ስልክ ለአንዳንድ ተማሪዎች ለምን ጠቃሚ ሊሆን ይችላል?

   • ☐ a) It helps them sleep.
   • ☐ b) Their town may not have a good library.
   • ☐ c) It is cheaper than a book.
   • ☐ d) Teachers send homework by phone.

5. The word "them" in the last sentence refers to …

   በመጨረሻው ዓረፍተ ነገር ያለው "them" የሚያመለክተው…

   • ☐ a) young people
   • ☐ b) families
   • ☐ c) phones
   • ☐ d) schools

6. The word "enormously" is opposite in meaning to …

   "enormously" ከሚለው ቃል ተቃራኒ ትርጉም ያለው…

   • ☐ a) quickly
   • ☐ b) very little
   • ☐ c) often
   • ☐ d) greatly

7. Which of these does the writer recommend?

   ጸሐፊው ከእነዚህ የትኛውን ይመክራል?

   • ☐ a) using only paper dictionaries
   • ☐ b) banning phones at school and at home
   • ☐ c) checking messages every few minutes
   • ☐ d) studying with notifications turned off

8. Which word in the passage shows that a conclusion follows?

   በምንባቡ ውስጥ መደምደሚያ እንደሚከተል የሚያሳየው ቃል የትኛው ነው?

   • ☐ a) Others
   • ☐ b) therefore
   • ☐ c) today
   • ☐ d) single