TELEVISION

I.

1. Answer the questions:

1. Do you like to watch TV?

2. How often do you watch TV?

3. What are your favourite programmes?

4. Is TV a good thing or a bad thing?

5. Are there many interesting programmes on TV today?

6. What do you prefer: to watch TV, to listen to the radio or to talk to your friends?

2. Read and translate the text

TV OR NOT TV?

1. Some people say that television is dangerous. I don’t think so. After all, it keeps you informed about what’s happening in the world. You can also see films and plays, and be entertained… Or you can watch documentaries and learn something new.

2. In spite of all its defects, television can teach us a lot of things. The trick is to learn to control it and use it intelligently. The idea is to turn on the TV only when there is a programme which is really amusing and interesting.

3. A lot of rubbish has been written about television. I think it’s a wonderful invention. It’s a cheap form of entertainment, which gives pleasure to millions of people, especially those who live alone. It’s also a wonderful way of escaping from our dull reality.

4. TV is just a part of life really. It involves us in strong emotions: love, hate, passion. Even the silliest of ‘soaps’ help me to solve my own problems by showing me what might happen if I do certain things. Sometimes they show me what not to do.

5. Television is a terrible waste of time. I know a lot of people who just sit down in front of the ‘box’ and watch whatever’s on. They spend hours watching silly Mexican soap operas and second-rate American films when perhaps they should be doing something else.

6. In my opinion, television makes us lazier. We stay at home instead of going out. We read less. We think less. We even talk less. It cut us off from reality. But isn’t real life better than this passive enjoyment?

7. There’s too much blood and violence on TV. We begin to believe that the world is an unfriendly place, filled with cruel people and risky circumstances. The violent, crime-filled world shown on TV may turn people into criminals.

8. Television is like a drug: we get addicted to certain TV series and simply can’t switch it off. Most programmes are filled with silly commercials. What I hate most about TV is that it often uses strong language. It has a terrible influence on children and young people.

How many hours do you spend in front of the TV?

Do you believe that violence on TV may turn people into criminals?

In what way does TV influence our language?

Some people say that television kills the conversation. Do you agree?

Do you know how to protect yourself from the bad influences of television?

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

television = TV set = box

film

play - пьеса, театральная постановка

documentary - to turn on/to turn off - включать/выключать

to switch on/to switch документальный фильм

to watch TV

off - включать/выключать

amusing - весёлый, развлекательный, забавный, занимательный

to entertain - развлекать

entertainment - развлечение

soap operas = series - сериал, «мыльная опера»

second-rate film - второсортный фильм

to keep informed about - информировать о …

to escape from reality - уходить от реальности

to help smb to solve problems - помогать кому-либо решать проблемы

a waste of time - трата времени

commercials = advertisements = ads - реклама

influence - влияние

to influence smb - влиять на кого-либо

to have influence on smb - оказывать влияние на кого-либо

to show - показывать

to involve - вовлекать

to involve in strong emotions - вызывать сильные эмоции

to be on TV - быть по программе

drug - наркотик

wonderful invention - чудесное изобретение

to invent - изобретать

in spite of - несмотря на

strong language - нецензурная речь