UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI URBINO “CARLO BO”
FACOLTA’ DI LINGUE E LETTERATURE STRANIERE
1st YEAR ENGLISH CL1, CL2, LOC, LIN-OC AUGUST 2012
Comprehension and Composition
Pupils becoming more violent because of computer games
Teachers say that children are becoming more violent as they are being left unsupervised by their parents to play unsuitable computer games. Pupils as young as four are acting out "graphic scenes" from games in class and in the playground, and there are concerns that youngsters cannot separate fantasy worlds from reality.
The government's schools minister, Nick Gibb, said some children came into school exhausted after playing games late at night. Alison Sherratt, who teaches in Bradford, is to tell an annual teaching conference in Manchester that members of her nursery class have been acting out scenes from computer games they have played which are high above the limit for their age. "The start of my concerns was when I watched my class in the playground – they were pretending to throw themselves out of the play-car window in slow motion, and acting out violent scenes," she says. “I spoke about it in class and talked about what they knew about playing computer games. There are 27 children in my class, all aged four or five. Most of these children have TVs and laptops in their bedrooms, most have contact with, or own, Nintendos, playstations, Xboxes or Wiis and many said they watched older brothers, sisters and cousins playing games." She reflected on the kinds of games children have been playing in recent years and realised she had seen a marked increase in aggression in general. She adds, "We all expect to see rough and active children, but I have seen little ones acting out graphic scenes in the playground and there is a lot more hitting, hurting, thumping and other violence in the classroom, for no particular reason."
Ms Sherratt also raises concerns over children having access to games while unsupervised in their bedrooms, and wonders if their parents are checking on what they are doing. She says, "Obesity, social exclusion, loneliness, physical fitness, sedentary solitary lives - these are all descriptions of children who are hooked on games. The addictive quality of these games means that many children are already hooked into these fantasy worlds, therefore separating themselves from reality."
Ian Livingstone of games manufacturer ‘Square Enix’ said that this was a stereotypical view of computer games. He said they are now played by 70% of the population and could actually teach children about choice and consequence. He added, "Criticising computer games because of one or two violent games is the equivalent of judging the entire film industry exclusively on the basis of films with violent content. In reality, however, there are many other types of computer games, and many other types of films."
During his speech at the annual teaching conference, the schools minister Nick Gibb recognised the problems that schools face if children stay up late at night playing computer games. He commented, "If a child comes to school exhausted the next day, it's difficult for him to participate and difficult for the school to teach him properly. Children need to go to bed at a regular time and we need to make sure this message gets across."
He added that most teachers witness social problems on a daily basis. This included children growing up in more fragmented homes and children behaving aggressively at school because they are not given good rules and examples at home. He said that many people would like the education system to address society's problems through school lessons in various subjects. He commented that, "The social problems faced by these schools, and these children, are much greater today than they were in the past, but the best way to tackle this is to make sure that children leave school well-educated."
Adapted from the original article ‘Pupils made more violent by computer games’ by Hannah Richardson, BBC, 3 April 2012
You have 3 hours to complete both PART (1) (reading comprehension) and PART (2) (writing).
READ THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT REMINDERS CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU START:
Write your surname, name, student number and course at the top of every paper. Answer the following questions. Write ALL of your answers on the blank answer paper provided and NOT on this question paper. Answers which are not written on the blank answer paper will not be considered. Do not use correction fluid or pencil. Write your answers in blue or black ink only. Draw a single diagonal line through any rough notes before you hand in your work. Dictionaries (or any other books, notes, etc.) must not be used. Marks may be deducted if you do not follow these instructions.
PART (1) - READING COMPREHENSION - Pupils made more violent by computer games
A. Match the words from the text on the left with their meaning (as used in the text) on the right. The words in the text are highlighted in bold in order to help you find them. All answers must be written on the blank answer paper provided.
1) unsuitable a) inappropriate b) unusual
2) pupils a) students b) children
3) concerns a) worries b) doubts
4) high a) considerably b) tall
5) own a) keep b) possess
6) kinds a) types b) nice
7) marked a) visible b) corrected
8) checking on a) monitoring b) viewing
9) view a) sight b) opinion
10) choice a) decision b) select
11) judging a) deciding b) evaluating
12) speech a) discourse b) argument
13) properly a) alone b) correctly
14) gets across a) is frequently communicated b) is clearly communicated
15) witness a) understand b) see
16) rules a) commands b) regulations
B. Answer True, False or Doesn’t say (Doesn’t say if the necessary information is not given), based on what you have read in the text. All answers must be written on the blank answer paper provided.
1. Some three-year-old pupils are being influenced by violent computer games.
2. Often parents are not present when their children play computer games.
3. Nick Gibb and Alison Sherratt are government ministers.
4. Some children play computer games that are not suitable for their age.
5. Other family members can also influence small children.
6. In the past, children played more sports.
7. Sometimes children cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy because of the games they play.
8. 70% of the population plays violent computer games.
9. There are various types of computer games, but violent games are the most popular.
10. Ian Livingstone says that other games are better than violent games.
11. Violence and computer games are not the only problems that school teachers face.
12. Social problems in schools were less problematic in the past.
C. Based on the article you have just read, answer the following questions USING YOUR OWN WORDS.
Write complete sentences. Be brief. All answers must be written on the blank answer paper provided.
1) Explain how children’s behaviour is changing because of video games.
2) What information does Alison Sherratt give about how children use video games?
3) Does Ian Livingstone agree with Alison Sherratt? Explain your answer.
4) Which other negative effects can computer games have on young children?
5) According to Nick Gibb, in which way can schools help to resolve today’s social problems?
PART (2) - WRITING:
Based on the article, develop the following questions to write a composition of around (150-)200 words. Use your own words.
Explain very briefly what the article is about. Do children in your country often play computer games? Are violent games popular? In your own opinion, can computer games be bad for children? Which other activities do you think that children should do? Which were your favourite toys and games when you were a child? Explain your answers.