I. Read the text and decide if the statements are T (True) or F (False).
As people spend more time communing with their televisions and computers, the impact is not just on their health, researchers say. Less time spent outdoors means less contact with nature and, eventually, less interest in conservation and parks. Visits to national parks peaked in 1987 and dropped 23 percent by 2006.
"Declining nature participation has crucial implications for current conservation efforts," wrote the co-authors of the report. "We think it probable that any major decline in the value placed on natural areas and experiences will greatly reduce the value people place on the biodiversity conservation. The replacement of vigorous outdoor activities by sedentary, indoor activities has far-reaching consequences for physical and mental health, especially in children. Watching television and computer use have been shown to be a cause of obesity1, lack of socialization, attention disorders and poor academic performance."
By studying visits to national and state parks and the issuance of hunting and fishing licenses, the researchers documented declines of between 18 percent and 25 percent in various types of outdoor recreation. The decline, found in both the United States and Japan, appears to have begun in the 1980's and 1990's, the period of rapid growth of video games, they said.
1. Obesity is a cause of poor academic performance.
2. This report was written by 2 researchers.
3. A declining interest in outdoor recreation is connected with the growth of video gaming.
4. The article asserts that conservation and socialization are equally important.
5. Over the last 20 years, visits to national parks have stayed constant.
6. According to this article, a decline in outdoor recreation will lead to childhood obesity.
7. The article states that watching television has been linked to obesity and lack of socialization.
8. Over the past decades, the number of people visiting national parks has increased by 25 %.
9. The inability to concentrate may be a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle.
10. Interviews with overweight video gamers were used to support this article.​