3. Answer the following questions:

1. Where does the name “television” come from?

2. What advantages does television have?

3. What disadvantages does television have?

4. What do my friend find when his TV-set broke down?

5. What do some programmes sometimes show?

6. What is television for you?

4. Match the words with their definitions:

KINDS OF PROGRAMMES
Nature films	Football, swimming, boxing etc.
Quiz shows	Life in different countries
News or current affairs	People trying to win prizes by answering questions
S 5 oap operas	Advertisements for products
Commercials	Animals, fish, flowers, plants etc.
Travel films	Information about what’s happening in the world
Comedies	Jokes and funny situations
Sport	Information for pupils and students
Educational programmes	Story of the daily life of a family

5. Which of the following statements are true and which are false? Correct the false sentences:

1. The word “Television” comes from Latin words that mean “to see far”.

2. Television has no disadvantages at all.

3. Television is one of the cheapest and the most convenient entertainment.

4. It is an active entertainment.

5. There is more time to talk to each other without television.

Ads, pop music are the disadvantages of TV.

6. Answer the questions. Are you a tv addict?

• When do you usually watch TV?

• Do you ever watch TV in the morning?

• How many hours of TV do you usually watch in a week?

• Have you got a TV in your bedroom?

• Do you ever argue at home about which programme to watch?

• Would you like to live without TV for a week?

• What do you enjoy doing instead of watching TV?

7. In pairs, check the types of TV programmes below. Then think of a programme in your country for each type.

soap operas documentaries talk shows comedy series game shows debates and discussions reality shows sports programmes quizzes

8. Complete the sentences with the types of programmes. Then compare your answers with your partner.

1. On TV in my country there are too many_______ and there aren't enough_________.

2. The most popular programmes in my country are _________, _________ and _________.

3. My favourite TV programmes are_________.

9. Read the text and match headings 1-6 with paragraphs a-d. There are two headings that you don't need. Tv or not tv? Carlton asks if tv really is such a bad thing.

Ⓐ Every year, during the last week in April, people are invited to turn off their TVs for a week and to do something more useful. Since 1995, TV Turnoff Week has been organised by anti-TV campaigners in the USA and the UK. Organisers believe that 24 million people have given up television for a week and that afterwards 80 percent of them watched less TV and about 20 percent stopped watching television completely.

Ⓑ But can't television be educational? Doesn't TV news tell us more about what is happening in the world than any other type of media? Anti-TV groups don't agree. ‘Television is hopeless at explaining the reasons behind the news,’ they argue. 'We often watch shocking TV pictures of wars, social problems or famine but we often don't understand why these problems started.' Campaigners also say that watching TV is a passive activity. The average person spends two months of the year in front of the television. This means that many people don't get enough exercise - or use their brains. There are other negative effects too - families spend less time talking to each other and TVs are often used as babysitters. Campaigners are also worried about the influence that TV has on children and young adults - for example, the average 19-year-old American has watched 350,000 commercials and 18,000 murders on television.

Ⓒ So there are certainly convincing arguments to turn off the TV. But what do the anti-TV groups recommend instead of watching your favourite soap opera? 'Read the TV Turnoff Week leaflets and you will find lots of ideas: go to the library, learn a musical instrument, play with your pets or start a diary. Or you could learn about your family history, do some charity work, or go to a museum. Read a newspaper or listen to the radio.' So, there are plenty of things to do, but are they as much fun as watching TV?

Ⓓ Annie Davidson, a lecturer in Media Studies from North London doesn't think that watching TV is a passive activity. 'On the contrary, it gives you something to talk about. For example, when we watch a soap opera, we form opinions about characters or stories. And if you don't watch it too much, TV isn't necessarily harmful for your health. Life is busier and more stressful than ever before. We need a simple way to relax in the evenings аnd television is perfect.' So will Annie Davidson take part in TV Turnoff Week? 'I'm certainly going to watch less. There's a great drama on the radio this evening'.

• 1 Turn off your TV

• 2 Better things to do

• 3 TV and education

• 4 The positive side of TV

• 5 Reasons why TV is harmful

• 6 Why TV is good for our brains