HSK 4 · Article · 378 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/why-do-so-many-chinese-children-wear-glasses

一半的孩子戴眼镜

Why do so many Chinese children wear glasses?

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走进zǒujìn一yì间jiān中国zhōngguó的de中学zhōngxué教室jiàoshì，你nǐ会huì发现fāxiàn，很hěn多duō学生xuéshēng都dōu戴dài着zhe眼镜yǎnjìng。这zhè不bù只是zhǐshì你nǐ的de感觉gǎnjué。根据gēnjù国家卫生健康委员会guójiāwèishēngjiànkāngwěiyuánhuì的de数据shùjù，二零二零年èrlíng’èrlíngnián，中国zhōngguó儿童értóng和hé青少年qīngshàonián的de近视jìnshì率lǜ超过chāoguò了le百分之五十二bǎifēnzhīwǔshí’èr，也就是说yějiùshìshuō，一半yíbàn以上yǐshàng的de孩子háizi看kàn远处yuǎnchù都dōu不bù清楚qīngchu。年级niánjí越yuè高gāo，近视jìnshì的de人rén越yuè多duō，高中生gāozhōngshēng里li大部分dàbùfen都dōu近视jìnshì。

为什么wèishénme会huì这样zhèyàng？很hěn多duō人rén首先shǒuxiān想到xiǎngdào的de是shì学习xuéxí：作业zuòyè多duō，看书kànshū的de时间shíjiān长cháng，书shū离lí眼睛yǎnjing又yòu太tài近jìn。后来hòulái，手机shǒujī和hé平板电脑píngbǎn-diànnǎo也yě加入jiārù了le进来jìnlai。

不过búguò，科学家kēxuéjiā发现fāxiàn，还有háiyǒu一个yígè重要zhòngyào的de原因yuányīn常常chángcháng被bèi忽视hūshì：孩子háizi们men在zài户外hùwài的de时间shíjiān太tài少shǎo了le。在zài广州guǎngzhōu，有yǒu研究人员yánjiū-rényuán做zuò过guò一yí个gè实验shíyàn：让ràng一些yìxiē学校xuéxiào的de学生xuéshēng每天měitiān在zài户外hùwài多duō活动huódòng四十sìshí分钟fēnzhōng。三sān年nián以后yǐhòu，比起bíqǐ别的biéde学校xuéxiào，这些zhèxiē学生xuéshēng中zhōng新xīn出现chūxiàn的de近视jìnshì明显míngxiǎn更gèng少shǎo。

原因yuányīn可能kěnéng和hé阳光yángguāng有关yǒuguān。户外hùwài的de光guāng远远yuányuǎn比bǐ教室jiàoshì里的de光guāng强qiáng，对duì眼睛yǎnjing的de发育fāyù有yǒu好处hǎochu，而且érqiě在zài外面wàimiàn，眼睛yǎnjing会huì更gèng多duō地de看kàn远处yuǎnchù。

所以suóyǐ，现在xiànzài很hěn多duō学校xuéxiào开始kāishǐ让ràng学生xuéshēng课间kèjiān去qù操场cāochǎng上shàng活动huódòng，国家guójiā也yě要求yāoqiú减少jiánshǎo作业zuòyè，保证bǎozhèng学生xuéshēng每天měitiān有yǒu两liǎng个gè小时xiǎoshí的de运动yùndòng时间shíjiān。医生yīshēng最zuì常cháng给gěi家长jiāzhǎng的de建议jiànyì，听tīng起来qǐlai很hěn简单jiǎndān：多duō让ràng孩子háizi出去chūqù玩wán。

你nǐ小时候xiǎoshíhou，每天měitiān在zài外面wàimiàn玩wán多duō长cháng时间shíjiān？

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
根据	gēnjù	according to; based on; basis; foundation
以上	yǐshàng	the above; the foregoing
年级	niánjí	grade; year (in school)
作业	zuòyè	work; operation
又	yòu	again (it already happened again); and also
后来	hòulái	afterwards; later
重要	zhòngyào	important
常常	chángcháng	often; frequently
以后	yǐhòu	later; afterwards; in the future
别的	biéde	other; else
中	zhōng	China; Chinese (short form)
戴	dài	to wear (a hat, glasses, jewelry, etc.)

English (for the teacher)

Walk into a Chinese secondary school classroom and you’ll find that lots of the students wear glasses. It isn’t just your impression. According to the National Health Commission, in 2020 the myopia rate among Chinese children and teenagers was over 52 per cent: more than half of them can’t see far-away things clearly. The higher the year, the more short-sighted students there are, and most senior high school students are short-sighted.

Why is this? The first thing many people think of is study: lots of homework, long hours of reading, and books held too close to the eyes. Later, phones and tablets joined in too.

But scientists have found another important cause that is often overlooked: children spend too little time outdoors. In Guangzhou, researchers ran an experiment, giving students at some schools forty extra minutes of outdoor activity every day. Three years later, compared with other schools, those students had clearly fewer new cases of short sight.

The reason may be sunlight. Outdoor light is much stronger than classroom light, which is good for how eyes develop, and outside, the eyes look into the distance more.

So now many schools have students go out and move about on the playground between lessons, and the state has asked for less homework and two hours of exercise a day for every student. The advice doctors give parents most often sounds very simple: let your children go out and play more.

When you were little, how long did you play outside every day?