While much attention is paid to the young, a less-noticed explosion in screen time is happening within a different generation. As today’s 60-somethings, already familiar with digital technology, enter retirement, time spent on smart devices is shooting up among the elderly.
This trend is driven in part by the newly retired, who are among the most enthusiastic adopters of digital gadgets precisely because most have been online since middle age. Their familiarity has led to remarkably high device ownership among this demographic. According to a seven-country survey by GWI, a research firm, over-65s are more likely than under-25s to own tablets, smart TVs, e-readers, and desktop and laptop computers. Seeing this, tech companies have identified oldies as a growing market. All this has led to a situation where screen time among the elderly is growing as device ownership becomes more common.
However, older people face some online risks that other vulnerable groups do not. A key vulnerability is that, unlike most teenagers, their phones and tablets are often directly linked to their bank accounts. This makes them susceptible to financial threats: “Microtransactions” within games—so-called loot boxes and the like—can drain wallets, while fraudsters, who are able to contact and rob their victims within the same app, pose a similar danger. In poor and middle-income countries especially, older people have embraced WhatsApp for everything from communications to shopping, says Dr Vahia—“and WhatsApp is also the platform of choice for scammers as a result.”
Beyond financial threats, alarming and misleading news may be a particular danger to the elderly, who are twice as likely as under-25s to use news apps or websites. A recent paper by Hunt Allcott of Stanford University, and colleagues, underscores this mental health risk: they found that giving up Facebook led to modest improvements in mental health for users of all ages, with the beneficial effect more than twice as large in the older half of their volunteer group as it was among the younger ones.
Yet a boom in screen time among the elderly is by no means all bad. From Zoom-powered church services to online yoga classes and remote book clubs, the connective power of the internet is especially valuable to those who struggle to get out. Professor Bowden-Jones believes that for people forced to stay at home, because they feel unable to get out or because they can no longer drive, the ability to follow pursuits online “is just so wonderful”. Beyond structured activities, messaging apps bring family closer, gaming passes the time, and platforms like Spotify and YouTube serve as nostalgia machines that bring childhood music and video rushing back.
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1.1.The word “demographic” (Para. 2) most probably refers to ______.
A digital gadgets
B a specific age group
C research methods
D a growing market
解析：选B。1.B词意指代题。第二段“demographic”所在句提到“this demographic”拥有很高的设备保有率。前文明确指出调查对象是“over-65s”（65岁以上人群），并与“under-25s”（25岁以下人群）进行对比。因此，“demographic”在此语境下指代的就是前文所述的“特定年龄群体”。选项A（数字设备）、C（研究方法）、D（增长中的市场）均与指代对象的核心特征（年龄层）不符。故选B。
2.2.The mention of “games” in the third paragraph is used to ______.
A highlight a popular leisure activity among the elderly
B illustrate one source of potential financial loss
C compare the gaming habits of different generations
D demonstrate the versatility of smart devices
解析：选B。2.B例证题。第三段的核心是论述老年人面临的在线财务风险。原文提到“‘Microtransactions’ within games... can drain wallets”，即游戏内的“微交易”可能耗尽他们的钱财。这里提及“游戏”是为了具体说明财务威胁的一种表现形式或来源。因此，选项B“阐述一种潜在的财务损失来源”是正确答案。选项A（强调流行休闲活动）、C（比较不同代际习惯）、D（展示设备多功能性）均非作者在此处引用“游戏”的目的。故选B。
3.3.The paper by Hunt Allcott cited in the fourth paragraph serves to ______.
A criticize the content quality of social media
B prove the popularity of news apps among the elderly
C support the claim about alarming news’ mental impact
D contrast different media usage between age groups
解析：选C。3.C例证题。根据“Hunt Allcott”定位至第四段。该段的结构是：首句提出观点——令人惊恐和误导性的新闻对老年人可能构成特殊危险。紧接着就引用了Hunt Allcott的论文，并指出该研究“underscores this mental health risk”（强调了这种心理健康风险）。因此，引用这篇论文的目的是为了用具体的研究发现来支持和证实段首提出的观点。选项C“支持关于令人担忧的新闻对心理影响的说法”准确体现了这一逻辑关系。选项A（批评社交媒体内容质量）过度引申，B（证明新闻App在老人中流行）是段首另一事实，非引用研究的目的，D（对比不同年龄段的媒体使用）并非该研究的重点。
4.4.What is Professor Bowden-Jones’s attitude towards the internet for homebound elderly people?
A Strongly critical.
B Cautiously optimistic.
C Deeply concerned.
D Frankly indifferent.
解析：选B。4.B观点态度题。根据“Professor Bowden-Jones”定位至最后一段。鲍登·琼斯教授认为，对于那些被迫呆在家里的人来说，能够在网上追求爱好“is just so wonderful”（真是太棒了），表达了强烈且积极的正面评价，表明其态度是“乐观的”。同时，她的观点被置于论述互联网对行动不便者价值的积极段落中，没有表现出任何“批评”或“担忧”。因此，她的态度是明确且积极的，选项B“谨慎乐观”中的“乐观”符合文意（“谨慎”一词也符合考研选项常用措辞，表示一种有保留的肯定）。选项A（强烈批评）、C（深切担忧）、D（坦率漠不关心）均与原文中她积极正面的表述相悖。故选B。
5.5.Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
A The dangers of screen time outweigh its benefits for the elderly.
B The elderly are becoming a key market for tech companies.
C The rise in elderly screen time brings both risks and rewards.
D The elderly face unique online threats that need urgent addressing.
解析：选C。5.C主旨大意题。文章结构清晰：第一、二段描述老年人屏幕时间增长的现象和原因；第三、四段转而论述其面临的财务和心理健康风险；最后一段则阐述其带来的好处。全文围绕老年人屏幕时间增长的利与弊展开。选项C “老年人屏幕时间的增加既带来风险也带来回报”全面概括了文章核心。干扰项A（弊大于利）和D（需紧急应对的独特威胁）只强调了风险，忽略了益处；B（成为关键市场）只是现象的一部分，并非全文核心论述。故选C。
