Revision: Internet Addiction

Revision

Internet Addiction

Answer the following questions in Spanish.

Do you have a computer?

How often do you use it?

Do you check your e-mail once, twice or more times a day?

Did you read any on-line newspaper yesterday?

Have you suffered from internet addiction?

Have your parents or friends complained about the time you are on the computer?

Are you an internet-aholic?

Match the words 1 to 7 in the column on the left to the definitions on the right and the pictures below.

1.    Bookaholic	A person who can’t avoid drinking coffee.
2.    Chocoholic	A person who can’t avoid eating chocolate
3.    Coffeeholic	A person who reads a lot.
4.    Shopaholic	A person who spends all his/her time working.
5.    Workaholic	A person who is unable to stop going into shops and buying things.
6.    Sportaholic	A person who spends all his/her free time watching television.
7.    Tellyholic	A person who is unable to stop doing sports.

German kids go to camp for internet addiction

Read the following article.

Some years ago girls used to play with dolls and boys with cars. But such things have changed. Now most people don't realize that hours spent surfing online could be a symptom of Internet Addiction Disorder. Now German parents whose children show signs of such affliction can send them to a unique camp to get help. Internet addicts are seen as people who sit for hours in darkened rooms, converse only in chat rooms and have virtual relationships with the complete strangers who have no contact with each other because they live thousands of miles away. It is a huge problem that is affecting the Web generation all over the world. Germany, too, has its share of cases. Although there are no exact statistics, experts say the number of Internet addicts in the country is close to 1 million. The percentage has remained steady, but the number of Internet users has risen from 25 to 30 million. Much of the increase in Internet addiction is among children and young teenagers who spend increasing amounts of time playing computer games or surfing the Internet.

Those seeking professional help now can take advantage of a new project, a summer camp in Germany. It is the first camp of its kind in Europe and aims to wean children off computers by showing them that other aspects of life can be just as exciting. There is just one computer on the site which can be used for half an hour a day ­- but not for playing games or surfing the net. Every morning there are counselling sessions and supervised physical activities at the beach such as swimming, volleyball and aerobics where there may be interaction among or between each other. It is quite a change for the self-confessed addicts who admit to using the web and computer games for up to six hours a day to escape the boredom of everyday life.

In Germany, many school children spend only about four and a half hours a day at school, they often come home at 1.30 p.m. to an empty house if the parents are at work. Without supervision, the time between their arrival and the time their parents come home from work can often be spent surfing, mailing, chatting and playing games on the computer in a darkened room without any interaction with other children and without personal communication with each other. The course at the camp lasts for 28 days and in the final week, parents are invited to attend and participate in the counselling and activities to understand the problems and dangers facing their children. This stage points at the parents’ interaction with their children and also with their peers. Parents will also communicate with each other to seek for probable solutions. There are some factors which are important in determining whether someone suffers from IAD or not. According to the researchers’ studies, Internet activity becomes troublesome when it interferes with someone's job or social life. The researchers have compiled the problems central to the disorder under the acronym MOUSE: More than intended time spent online; Other responsibilities neglected; Unsuccessful attempts to cut down; Significant relationship discord because of use; and Excessive thoughts or anxiety when not online. The problems the children experience are mostly related to social interaction and physical condition caused by bad diet and lack of exercise. Children should exercise more and spend more time with their friends. Parents have to look after them!

The camp organizers say that first results have been encouraging. The organizers say this situation will change!

Adapted from http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,943281,00.html

True or false. Justify the false statements in Spanish.

Most adults are internet addicts in Germany.

(T) or (F)

There are a lot of computers in the summer camp.

(T) or (F)

Children play with the computers because they are alone at home.

(T) or (F)

Internet addiction interferes with the diet.

(T) or (F)

Answer the following questions in Spanish.

Mention in a few sentences the main idea of the article.

What did children use to play with some years ago?

What are addicts like?

How many internet addicts are there in Germany?

What is the main purpose of the camp?

When are German children alone at home? Why?

Can internet addicts stop using the computers when they want to do it?

What should children do in order to prevent IAD?

What activities can children do with the computer?

Are you an internet addict?

Read the text again.

Find three connectors and state their functions.

Connector	Function

Find a verb in the following tenses. Why are these tenses used?

Tense	Example	Why? (in Spanish)
Simple Present
Simple Past
Simple Future
Present Continuous
Present Perfect

What is the function of the following modal verbs?

Example with a modal verb	Function
Some years ago girls used to play with dolls and…
… surfing online could be a symptom of Internet Addiction Disorder.
…such affliction can send them to a unique camp to get help.
…help now can take advantage of a new project.
…where there may be interaction among or between each other.
Children should exercise more and spend more time…

Find an Infinitive of Purpose.

Find two cases of Passive Voice.

Who does the action in each sentence? Is the agent mentioned in the text?

When is the passive voice used?

State the function of the following words in the text. Are they verbs, nouns or adjectives?

Exciting:

Affecting:

Swimming:

Find a relative clause of any type and underline its pronoun.

What is the meaning of “cut down”?

Find an example of possessive case.

What is the suffix “er” used for? For example in this text, “researcher”.