Do you enjoy seeing the stars twinkling at night ? Or do you love the ocean and sea, diving and racing with lovely dolphins? With heavy burdens on their shoulders, teenagers find it hard to pull out. Even if they are free, they prefer to occupy themselves with computer games or watching TV. How to get children away from screens is a great concern for parents. Now there is some good news for those concerned parents and teachers.
A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors.
The newly formed Wild Network – a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations – is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screen and into fields, woods and parks.
Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well–being.
A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will herald the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly fragile link between children and nature.
Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS sustainable development unit.
Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said: "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost."
Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers(板栗), camping or snail racing, and observing autumn colour on trees.
From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more to get children muddy and bright-eyed.
This is not the first time the message of less screen, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were entreated to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and go do something less boring instead".
小题1:What is the main purpose of the campaign in UK?
A．To save 30 minutes for watching TV programme each day.
B．To encourage children to play outdoors.
C．To see the documentary film, Project Wild Thing.
D．To teach students how to learn more efficiently in schools.小题2:According to the organizers of Wild Network, there will be many advantages from the campaign except _______.
A．improving health conditions
B．keeping touch with nature
C．learning more about wildlife
D．teaching children how to make full use of their spare time小题3:The underlined part “ to get children muddy and bright-eyed ” means “_______ ”.
A．to make children covered with mud
B．to urge politicians to do more things for children
C．to encourage children to take part in outdoors activities
D．to help children identify common species小题4:Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
A．A new campaign.
B．Less screen, more play outdoors.
C．A newly formed Wild Network.
D．Children get to know wild things.
