新奇事件簿 英国年轻人每周花27小时上网

A new survey in Britain reveals that young people spend over 27 hours a week online. This figure has trebled in the past decade. Britain's communications watchdog Ofcom conducted the study on thousands of 16- to 24-year-olds as part of its Media Use and Attitudes 2015 report. Ofcom found that while most online content is still being accessed on computers, the proportion of access via mobile devices is rapidly catching¹ up.Two thirds of adults now regularly use a smartphone or tablet. Online content has also changed considerably² in the past ten years. Today, people are spending a lot more time on watching video clips, playing games, using instant messaging and checking social media accounts.

英国的一项新研究表明年轻人每周的上网时间超过了27小时。在过去十年间，这一数字增长了三倍。英国电信公司Ofcom在2015年网络使用习惯报告中对数千名16到24岁的成年人进行了调查。Ofcom发现绝大部分人还是通过电脑进行上网，而手机上万的比例也在急剧上升。有三分之二的成年人会经常使用智能手机或是平板电脑。在过去十年中，网络内容也有了很大程度的改变。如今，人们在看视频，玩游戏，发短信以及使用社交媒体的时间正在不断增加。

An industry expert, Toby Syfret, explained why more people are spending more time online. He said: "New technologies are opening up a myriad³ of other possibilities for young people. It's not just watching content.They're messaging friends and texting at the same time. Inevitably⁴, as the younger generation gets older and they set up their own home, TV viewing consumption will be affected⁵." Over a quarter of young people now watch TV shows and movies online instead of on televisions. Mr Syfret added: "A 40-inch television screen offers quality you can't get from a tablet or smartphone, so televisions are never going to become unimportant."

产业分析师托比·希夫莱特对年轻人上网的原因进行了解释。他说：“新技术正在为年轻人提供更多可能。他们不仅仅在上网。同时，他们还在给朋友发短信。随着年轻一代逐渐长大，他们也将不可避免地建立自己的家庭，而电视产业将会受到影响。”如今，有超过四分之一的年轻人通过网络观看电视节目和电影。希夫莱特先生还说：“40寸电视显示屏是你在平板电脑或是智能手机上无法体会到的，所以电视永远不会被淘汰。”

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

3 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

4 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。