The Influence of TV on Children

 

The influence of TV on children is a problem common to all developed countries, and Ukraine is not exception. According to sociologists, almost 90 percent of schoolchildren spend their time watching TV.A teenager spends between one and half and four hours watching TV. To produce programmes that are interesting and informative is not a simple task and a great deal is being done in this field. Producers and writers of children's programmes try to make sure that their viewers are not turned into passive recipients; their aim is to encourage the youngster to do something useful, to something good.

 

X. Read the composition below and write an essay reflecting the situation with TV in your country. Guiding questions will help you to cope with your work.

A lot of people think that TV in my country has improved over the last few years. On the other hand there are people who think it has got worse.

Only ten years ago the only TV channels were the state – owned stations. Nowadays in almost every part of the country you can receive a lot of channels. In addition you can buy a satellite dish or pay to receive cable TV.

But does this mean that the quality of TV programmes has improved. There are a lot of movies, game shows, sports programmes and so – called reality shows in which real people talk about dramatic things that have happened to them. So if you like a lot of choice and want to be entertained more than anything else, you would probably say that TV has improved. If you think of TV as an educational aid, you are probably very disappointed with it. Despite the large number of channels, there are few documentary programmes.

There are also fewer programmes about art and classical music.

So TV has improved in terms of the number of channels and the choice of programmes, but in my opinion, it does not provide as much information as it used to, which is its main purpose.

 

Guiding Questions.

1. Has the national and local TV in your country improved or got worse?

2. How much TV channels can you TV set receive?

3. Have you got a satellite dish? Is it expensive to install it?

4. Is cable TV available in the area where you live? Do you have to pay much to use it?

5. What can you say about the quality of channels?

6. Are you more interested in entertaining or informative function of TV?

7. Have you ever used TV as an educational aim?

8. What is the role of TV in your life?

 

XI. Imagine that you were offered to run a youth channel on TV. Decide on the following:

2. What would you call your channel?

3. Are you going to make it different from the other channels?

4. What programmes do you want to have on your channel?

5. When will the programmes begin and finish?

6. What programmes are you going to show in prime time?

7. Will there be any commercials?

8. What kind of films would you show on your channel?

 

XII. Make a presentation about the channel you are going to run.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES.

THE SEQUENCE OF TENSES

 

Зміна часів у підрядному додатковому реченні при головному реченні у минулому
Present Simple → Past Simple Present Continuous → Past Continuous	Дія підрядного речення відбувається одночасно з дією головного
Present Perfect → Past Perfect Past Perfect → Past Perfect	Дія підрядного речення передує дії головного
Future → Future in – the - Past	Дія підрядного речення відбувається пізніше, ніж дія головного

Вживаючи прості речення в ролі підрядних додаткових при головному реченні в минулому часі, змінюйте часи, як зазначено в таблиці
Sequence of Tenses
He lives in New York. I thought that he lived in New York.   Mother is sleeping. I knew that mother was sleeping.	Одночасна дія     Одночасна дія
He has returned from London. I was told that he had returned from London. He bought a new car. I heard that he had bought a new car.	Дія, що передує   Дія, що передує
He will send us a letter. I supposed that he would send us a letter.	Наступна дія

1. Mind the sequences of tenses.

Model: He said: “I am busy now.”

He said (that) he was busy then.

 

1) She said: “I don’t know him well enough to discuss the question with him.”

2) He said: “Its time for a cup of coffee.”

3) I asked them: “Do you like to read books about animals?”

4) She asked the boys: “Do you want to stay and help us with our work?”

5) The little girl said: “I like to watch TV.”

6) My friend asked me: “Are you free now?”

7) She asked me: “Do you have enough money for a meal?”

8) He said: “We shall talk about it some other time.”

9) He asked: “What will you do with the money?”

10) I said: “I shall buy myself a watch.”

11) He asked: “Will an hour be enough to look through the article once again?”

12) She said: “ We shall be glad to see you on Sunday”.

 

2. Open the brackets.

1) Mother said that uncle Ted (to come) for a visit and (to bring) his little son.

2) She knew she (to be) right, (to be) right from the very beginning.

3) He promised everything (to be) right.

4) He felt that somebody (to watch) him.

5) He wondered how much she (to know).

6) She said carelessly that she (to make) her change her mind, once she (to change) it but hat at present she still (to examine) the facts.

7) I asked Ann who else (to come) to the party.

8) We thought that as she (to leave) next week she (to come) to say good-buy.

9) That is what I (to tell) already your friend.

10) I thought you (to like) him.

11) I looked at him again. He not (to listen) to me, he only (to pretend) to.

12) There were few people on the platform. All who (to travel) (to take) their seats.

13) He (to travel with his friend who (to go out) to buy a magazine and he was sure the man (to be left) behind.

 

3. Open the brackets and use the right time.

1) My friend asked me who (is playing, was playing) the piano in the sitting room.

2) He said he (will come, would come) to the station to see me off.

3) I was sure he (posted, had posted) the letter.

4) I think the weather (will be, would be) fine next week. I hope it (will not change, would not change) for the worse.

5) I knew that he (is, was) a very clever man.

6) I want to know what he (has brought, had brought0 for her birthday.

7) I asked my sister to tell me what she (has seen, had seen) at the museum.

8) He said he (is staying, was staying) at the “Ritz” Hotel.

9) They realized that they (lost, had lost) their way in the dark.

10) He asked me where I (study, studied).

11) I thought that I (shall finfish, should finish) my work at that time.

12) He says he (works, worked) at school two years ago.

13) Victor said he (is, was) very busy.

 

4. Read and translate the sentences.

1) You will come late. They will be having dinner.

2) We know she has done nothing to be ashamed of.

3) I wonder if you realize how difficult it is.

4) Nick asked himself if they had sent for him because they knew he was an American agent.

5) We knew Ann was leaving early next day, tat she was packing her things upstairs now and that we should probably never see her again.

6) I was told that a new governess was coming next week and that until then my sister would give us lessons herself.

7) We didn’t ask anyone what they had decided.

8) It was clear that that something had gone wrong we should be late.

9) It was announced in all the papers that the woman had disappeared and that the police was looking for her.

10) I saw that he was trying to explain why he had not come in time.

11) She said carelessly that nothing would make her change her mind, once she had changed it but that at present she was examining the facts.

 

Unit XIV

MASS MEDIA

THE WORLD OF PRESS

Exercises

I. Listen and read.

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bow dome soak shoulder mode modish

doe soul toast gold loan mole

so toad roast hoax load noble

toe road loaf hole loath node

roe load host jolt

 

1. I won't crow over a foe.

2. I don’t suppose you know Rose.

3. Oh, no, don’t go home alone.

4. No bones broken.

5. Don’t grow cold.

6. Follow your nose.

7. Nobody's home.

 

II. Read the quotations and opinions about the press and journalism. Do you agree with them? How do you understand these words.

- A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.

Arthur Miller.

- Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice. Journalism what will be grasped at once.

C. Connolly.

- A free press can be good or bad, but without freedom it will never be anything but bad.

Albert Camus.

 

III. Topical vocabulary.

to inform – інформувати

to report –звітувати

daily –щоденний

weekly –щотижневий

monthly – щомісячний

to subscribe to –підписуватись

to issue –видавати

 

IV. Answer the following questions.

2. What daily and weekly newspapers do you know?

3. Which of them do you read regularly?

4. What newspapers do you subscribe to? Why?

5. Do you think it is convenient to subscribe to newspapers and magazines?

6. Why do you think some people prefer to buy single issues?

7. Are you a regular reader of the press?

8. Can you get a lot of useful information from your favourite newspaper magazines?

9. How can you describe your favourite newspaper / magazine? (modern, funny, truthful, objective, realistic, dull, boring, exciting, romantic, relaxing, old – fashioned, thrilling).

 

V. Name a newspaper or a magazine which you and your family read regularly. Say:

- Whether it is daily, weekly, or monthly publication;

- How large it is and how many pages it consists of;

- What it looks like;

- What kinds of readers it may be interesting to;

- What reputation this newspaper / magazine has.

 

VI. Read the text and find out:

- the names of the first Ukrainian periodicals and the date of this birth;

- the names of the main national newspapers;

- the names of popular magazines;

- the number of editions in Ukraine.