Are cellphones ruining family time?频繁使用手机会破坏家庭关系吗？

钱红娟

手机可以让家人之间的关系更紧密，但它也会分散家人的注意力。手机如果占用了孩子大部分的闲暇时间，它很有可能会成为亲子关系的“破坏者”。

题材：文化 体裁：叙议文 文章词数：366 建议用时：6分钟

The way you use your mobile device around your family can affect your relationships. Cellphones can make you feel more connected， but they can also distract you and your fam-ily from connecting with each other in person. While some people need to check their phones for work or emergency pur-poses， it-s important to make meaningful connections through face?to?face communication.

Some people have trouble putting away their cellphones. They might feel a lack of con-trol over how often they pick up their phones or how long they use phones. They might feel the need to constantly check phones without a real reason or feel upset if they don-t have access to their phones. Using cellphones for work purposes during family time can increase worries and unhappiness among family members. While using their cellphones， parents talk to their kids less， respond more slowly， and overreact to being interrupted. And ignor-ing your partner while on the phone is linked to lower relationship satisfaction among couples.

Once you-ve given some thought to your own cellphone use， think about the rules you want your family to follow when you-re together. To get your family on the same page， call a family meeting. Review each person-s current cellphone use and areas where you think some changes might help. It-s not just about simply cutting cellphone use down. Instead， consider what you-re using your phone for and what activities you want to promote.

For example， are you or your children using phones to stay connected， learn some-thing new， do school work， or do something else？ If you have kids， ask their opinions on your own phone use. You might be surprised by what they have to share. Use good commu-nication skills by practicing active listening and showing curiosity about what each family member has to say.

Less phone use also usually means less screen time， which enables kids to spend more time outdoors and be more physically active. When teens spend more time actively with their parents， they tend to set higher educational goals.

ReadingCheck

1. What-s paragraph 1 mainly about？

A. Family members- connections.

B. Staying away from cellphones.

C. Cellphones- new challenges at home.

D. Cellphones- advantages and disadvantages.

2. How may some people feel when they couldn-t have a phone at hand according to Para. 2？

A. Sad. B. Eager. C. Curious. D. Homesick.

3. Why should you call a family meeting according to paragraph 3？

A. To stay connected. B. To share the latest news.

C. To reach an agreement. D. To set an example to others.

LanguageStudy

Difficult sentence

Once you-ve given some thought to your own cellphone use， think about the rules you want your family to follow when you-re together. 一旦你想使用手機，请想一想你希望家人在一起时遵循的规则。

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，Once用作连词，引导时间状语从句，意为“一旦……”。D674D29B-1D49-445D-9885-C108B8D268A3