Close read the following two articles and answer the questions. Annotate the document by highlighting or underlining important information. Article 1: Texting has long been bemoaned as the downfall of the written word, “penmanship for illiterates,” as one critic called it. To which the proper response is LOL. Texting properly isn’t writing at all — it’s actually more akin to spoken language. And it’s a “spoken” language that is getting richer and more complex by the year.First, some historical perspective. Writing was only invented 5,500 years ago, whereas language probably traces back at least 80,000 years. Thus talking came first; writing is just an artifice that came along later. As such, the first writing was based on the way people talk, with short sentences — think of the Old Testament. However, while talk is largely subconscious and rapid, writing is deliberate and slow. Over time, writers took advantage of this and started crafting tapeworm sentences such as this one, from The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: “The whole engagement lasted above 12 hours, till the gradual retreat of the Persians was changed into a disorderly flight, of which the shameful example was given by the principal leaders and the Surenas himself. No one talks like that casually — or should. But it is natural to desire to do so for special occasions, and that’s what oratory is, like the grand-old kinds of speeches that William Jennings Bryan delivered. In the old days, we didn’t much write like talking because there was no mechanism to reproduce the speed of conversation. But texting and instant messaging do — and a revolution has begun. It involves the brute mechanics of writing, but in its economy, spontaneity and even vulgarity, texting is actually a new kind of talking. There is a virtual cult of concision and little interest in capitalization or punctuation. The argument that texting is “poor writing” is analogous, then, to one that the Rolling Stones is “bad music” because it doesn’t use violas. Texting is developing its own kind of grammar and conventions. Texting is developing its own kind of grammar. Take LOL. It doesn’t actually mean “laughing out loud” in a literal sense anymore. LOL has evolved into something much subtler and sophisticated and is used even when nothing is remotely amusing. Jocelyn texts “Where have you been?” and Annabelle texts back “LOL at the library studying for two hours.” LOL signals basic empathy between texters, easing tension and creating a sense of equality. Instead of having a literal meaning, it does something — conveying an attitude — just like the -ed ending conveys past tense rather than “meaning” anything. LOL, of all things, is grammar.Of course no one thinks about that consciously. But then most of communication operates below the radar. Over time, the meaning of a word or an expression drifts — meat used to mean any kind of food, silly used to mean, believe it or not, blessed. Civilization, then, is fine — people banging away on their smartphones are fluently using a code separate from the one they use in actual writing, and there is no evidence that texting is ruining composition skills. Worldwide people speak differently from the way they write, and texting — quick, casual and only intended to be read once — is actually a way of talking with your fingers. All indications are that America’s youth are doing it quite well. Texting, far from being a scourge, is a work in progress. Article 2: .Chances are, you’ve had the big talk with your teen about drinking and driving, drugs and unprotected sex. But have you covered the dangers of caffeine? A study, published today in the journal Pediatrics in Review says that the $5 billion energy drink industry markets directly to adolescents and that high caffeine consumption is associated with a variety of teen health issues — like insomnia, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, and digestive problems. Researchers also found that high school and college students who mix their alcohol with energy drinks fail to appreciate the strength of the caffeinated combo and underestimate how drunk they really are. According to the authors, consuming a can of a caffeinated alcoholic beverage may be equivalent to drinking a bottle of wine and a few cups of coffee. So while young adults may feel less impaired, the alcohol-energy drink mixture can lead to potentially dangerous consequences behind the wheel or on college campuses, where students may engage in riskier sexual behavior under the dual influence. The study instructs physicians to discuss energy drink use with their patients and to offer appropriate caffeine counseling where necessary. Dr. Ebo Kwabena Blankson, a Virginia pediatrician who specializes in teen medicine, a Major in the United States Air Force and the study’s primary author, currently runs the adolescent clinic at Naval Medical Portsmouth. He says he routinely sees teens come into his clinic with signs of over-caffeination and energy-drink withdrawal — part of what inspired him to conduct this study. “These teenagers are having classic anxiety symptoms,” Dr. Blankson explains. “Their hearts are racing, or they’re jittery, or they’re complaining of headaches, or that they can’t sleep.” And when he takes their histories, the culprit is clear: too much caffeine. And he points out that unlike other substances we talk to our teens about, energy drinks are right on the shelves, with no ID required. A teen can buy five Red Bulls and cruise right out the door — to school, a party, or home to cram for a history test. But energy drinks and chronic caffeine consumption, he says, can really disrupt a child’s home and school life. For instance, if a kid guzzles a few Monsters every afternoon to amp for football practice, he can experience physical withdrawal symptoms when he tries to stop after the season ends. Or a child can come to rely on energy drink enhancers to make it through their school load every evening— and wind up with serious sleep issues. “These products aren’t regulated,” says Dr. Blankson. “And we also just don’t know the long terms effects of all these other additives that are in energy drinks either.” He believes we’ll be seeing many more reports about the health hazards of energy drinks in the months and years to come, and it probably won’t be good news.But in a world where teenagers are increasingly over-scheduled, and face mounting academic and pre-college pressures, how can parents really persuade kids to put down their energy drinks? In fact, Jennifer Hartstein, a child and adolescent psychologist in New York City, says teens often get the message from adults that caffeine is the way to go to “get energy or feel good”— and so many of them turn to energy drinks to boost their productivity. Her advice to young adults: just say no— to over-extending yourself. “It’s okay not to do everything,” Dr. Hartstein explains. “The belief is the more that you do, the more desirable you are. Unfortunately, you are then spread way too thin.” Instead, she tells teens: pick a few things to focus on. There's no reason to be overstretched and involved in everything. And it turns out, popping energy drinks and pulling all nighters may actually hurt a student’s academic performance, says Barbara Greenberg, a parenting teen expert and author of “Teenage As a Second Language.” Dr. Greenberg explains that cramming, or “massed learning,” doesn’t usually lead to successful information retention, and that most kids are better off taking breaks while studying. She also worries that teens can experience “state dependent learning," where they can only perform on a test when they’re caffeined-up since that’s how they learned the material. Over all, though, experts agree the best way for a teen to increase his or her energy level is with a steady exercise schedule and a good old-fashioned 8- hour night’s sleep. Hard as it might be to convince them, in the long run, healthy habits really are more likely to make your teen feel like a rock star than a quick can of his or her favorite energy drink. Is Texting Killing The English Language? By John McWhorter 1. Summarize the author’s thesis statement. Provide two quotes from the text for support. 2. The author claims that “the argument that texting is ‘poor writing’ is analogous, then, to one that the Rolling Stones is “bad music’ because it doesn’t use violas.”. Defend or refute this argument. 3. Evaluate your own texting behavior. Are you a member of the “virtual cult of concision [with] little interest in capitalization or punctuation”, or do you think that texting is “penmanship for illiterates”? Why? 4. Discuss the evolution of written and spoken language using information from the text for support. New Study Says Teens And Energy Drinks Are A Bad Combo 1. Write a short informative paragraph for teens encouraging them to get energy in a positive way. Use the text for support. 2. What are some of the negative consequences of overconsumption of energy drinks? 3. What are the dangers of drinking alcohol with energy drinks? 4. According to the article, what are some of the reasons that teens are drinking energy drinks? 5. Has this reading changed your opinion on energy drink consumption by teens? Would you still drink an energy drink? Why or why not?
