One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in park use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment(蚕食)?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment to their lives. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters(培养)leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest, Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes be is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite(仪式)of passage.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for the landscapes. As parents, we should devote some of our energy to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.
According to the author, what causes kids’ getting lost in a “sea of technology”?
A.The wild places of the world |
B.The kids themselves |
C.The outdoor activities |
D.TV and computer games |
The underlined words “that place” in paragraph 2 can most probably refer to _______.
A.a hill | B.a library | C.a bar | D.a classroom |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is _______.
A.the fault on the part of their parents |
B.the natural experience in their growing up |
C.the result of their own carelessness in play |
D.the effect of stress from computer |
What’s the author’s opinion on children’s experiencing the nature world?
A.It leads to children’s escape from school. |
B.It’s helpful only in a limited way. |
C.It helps develop children from all sides. |
D.It increases the chance of getting injured. |