I. Consult the English-English Dictionary to find out the meaning of the following:

snob bully

puritan creep

toddler street rat

ingenuity tantrum

II. Match the words on the left with their definitions in the right-hand column:

1. plonk a. kind of laughing lightly in a nervous or silly way;

2. slattern b. pretending to be shy or modest;

3. coy c. to reveal;

4. impart d. to drop heavily or in a hurried way;

5. poignant e. a dirty, untidy woman;

6. giggle f. making one sad or full of pity.

COMPREHENSION

I. Explain what the following means and recollect the situations in which these expressions are used:

• blanket condemnation;

• to flirt with fear;

• to make a child streetwise;

• to keep a child in blissful ignorance;

• to challenge snobbery on the fronts;

• to bring back from the dead.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What are cartoons traditionally blamed for?

2. Why shouldn't one make a blanket condemnation of children's videos?

3. Do children of various age groups perceive cartoons differently?

4. Would it be better to introduce a child to a concept of danger as early as possible or to keep him away from it?

5. Can a cartoon teach a child to refrain from having a tantrum by showing him the destructive power of anger and selfishness?

6. Can it introduce a child to the concept of death in a more or less positive way?

7. What other issues can children's videos pour light upon?

FOLLOW-UP

I. Make a list of the popular cartoons mentioned in the article and say what you think of the author's interpretation of then.

II. Sum up the information to fill in the following chart

Children's Videos

Advantages	Disadvantages

N.B. Sharing your personal ideas will be highly appreciated

III. Using the chart hold the debate among the group members defending or negating the role of cartoons in child's upbringing

FOLLOW-UP

1) In pairs: write out in two columns all positive and negative effects TV can have. Could you add any other pros and cons of TV?

Divide the class into two groups. Organize a debate: pros and cons of TV.

2) You are a TV producer who is in charge of education programmes. You take part in a TV show "Television is doing irreparable harm". Convince the audience, that TV is not the right ;hing to be blamed and it has an enormous educational potential.

3) You are a programme maker of Teletubbies. You are constantly receiving letters of complaints that your programme is hindering children's development. What is your response?