Đọc hiểu 1 (DH1)
Although video games were first developed for adults, they are no longer exclusively reserved for the grown ups in the home. In 2006, Rideout and Hamel reported that as many as 29 percent of preschool children (children between two and six years old) in the United States had played console video games, and 18 percent had played hand-held ones. Given young children’s insatiable eagerness to learn, coupled with the fact that they are clearly surrounded by these media, we predict that preschoolers will both continue and increasingly begin to adopt video games for personal enjoyment. Although the majority of gaming equipment is still designed for a much older target audience, once a game system enters the household it is potentially available for all family members, including the youngest. Portable systems have done a particularly good job of penetrating the younger market.
Research in the video game market is typically done at two stages: some time close to the end of the product cycle, in order to get feedback from consumers, so that a marketing strategy can be developed; and at the very end of the product cycle to ‘fix bugs’ in the game. While both of those types of research are important, and may be appropriate for dealing with adult consumers, neither of
them aids in designing better games, especially when it comes to designing for an audience that may have particular needs, such as preschoolers or senior citizens. Instead, exploratory and formative research has to be undertaken in order to truly understand those audiences, their abilities, their perspective, and their needs.
In the spring of 2007, our preschool-game production team at Nickelodeon had a hunch that the Nintendo DS - with its new
features, such as the microphone, small size and portability, and its relatively low price point - was a ripe gaming platform for preschoolers. There were a few games on the market at the time which had characters that appealed to the younger set, but our game producers did not think that the game mechanics or design were appropriate for preschoolers. What exactly preschoolers could do with the system, however, was a bit of a mystery. So we set about doing a study to answer the query: What could we expect preschoolers to be capable of in the context of hand-held game play, and how might the child development literature inform us as we proceeded with the creation of a new outlet for this age group?
(adapted from mini-ielts)
Question 1: What does the passage mainly discuss?
A Research about video game
B The development of video game
C How to do video game research
D Information about some research
Question 2: The word "them" in paragraph 2 refers to ____.
A Product cycle
B Games
C Adult consumers
D Those types of research
Question 3: According to Nickelodeon’s game producers, game mechanics or design _______.
A were likely to be available for all family members regardless of age
B were unsuitable for preschoolers
C had characters that attracted the younger set
D were appropriate for youngsters
Question 4: The study carried out by Nickelodeon:
A Was based on children living in various parts of the world.
B Focused on the kinds of game content which interests preschoolers.
C Investigated the specific characteristics of the target market.
D Led to products which appealed mainly to the US consumers.
Question 5: Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2?
A Video game market research is typically divided into two stages
B Both of those types of research are useful in designing better games
C Research in the video game market is done at the very end of the product cycle to get feedback from consumers
D Marketing strategy can be developed based on feedback from consumers
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?
A The type of research which manufacturers usually do is aimed at improving game design.
B Both old and young games consumers require research which is specifically targeted.
C The proportion of preschool children using video games is likely to rise.
D Portable systems have been helpful in penetrating the younger market
Question 7: The word "features" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.
A facet
B angle
C earmark
D speciality
Question 8: Which is the best title for Reading Passage 3?
A An overview of video games software for the preschool market
B Researching and designing video games for preschool children
C The effects of video games on the behaviour of young children
D Assessing the impact of video games on educational achievement
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