The Internet and the outside world.

The increasingly competitive economy is creating an environment where parents are forced to spend longer hours at work and fewer hours with their (a) ______. As a result, outside influences have greater access and influence over our children than ever before. The (b) _______ and the media are bringing the outside world into your home; your child’s (c) _______; the influences on children from movies and the music they listen to are growing in importance and influence every day.

Schools halls (d) _________ with Eminem’s lyrics and (e) _____ about a new girl in the latest (f) _____, yet teens insist pop culture doesn’t affect their behaviour. “What goes in must come out” is a common expression for impressionable (g) _____. Parents play a critical (h) _____ in determining what does, or doesn’t, influence their teens. The (i) _____ parent teaches his teen to be discerning about media choices. Setting harsh, (j) ____ rules may only drive your teen toward negative choices. Accusations of (k)_____, “ You never let me do anything!” can be avoided with open communication about entertainment choices.

On the other hand, the influence of (l) _______ has also raised some serious issues such as the image teenage (m) _____ have of themselves.

Images of female bodies are everywhere. Women and their body parts sell everything from food to cars. Popular film and television (n) ____ are becoming younger, taller and thinner. Some have even been known to faint on the set from lack of food. Women’s magazines are full of articles (o) ____ that if they can just lose those last twenty pounds, they’ll have it all: the perfect marriage, loving children, and rewarding career.

Why are (p) ____ of beauty being imposed on women, the majority of whom are naturally larger and more mature than any of the models? The roots, some analysts say, are economic. By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits. Consequently, because a teen’s mind is still developing, the number one rule of (q) ___ applies: be involved!

 

unfairness	mass media
role	unbending
adolescents	urging
peers	standards
parenting	wise
soap opera	children
actresses	girls
Internet	giggles
resonate

 

5. QUIZ

Do the quiz and if you don’t know the answers, guess!

MEDIA AND FILM QUIZ

1. Where were the world’s first newspapers produced?

a. in Ancient China

b. in Ancient Rome

c. in 17^th –century Germany

2. Which TV series is most widely watched around the world?

a. Friends

b. Baywatch

c. The X-files

3. China central TV (CCTV) is regularly watched by ….

a. 100 million viewers

b. 300 million viewers

c. 750 million viewers

4. The radio was first used for communication by...

a. an Italian

b. a Scot

c. a Frenchman

5. Who was The Simpsons created by?

a. Walt Disney

b. Steven Spielberg

c. Matt Groening

6. Since the first film, Dr. No in 1962, how many James Bond films have been made?

a. around 20

b. around 30

c. around 40

7. Which writer’s work has most often been made into films?

a. Agatha Christie

b. Jane Austen

c. William Shakespeare

8. How many TVs are manufactures in the world every year?

a. around seven million

b. around 70 million

c. around 700 million

Read and check your answers.

1. The very first newspapers were produced in Ancient Rome around 59 BC, but these were written by hand of course. Newspapers were first printed around 1615 in Germany.

2. The answer is Baywatch, which in the late 1990s was watched by over 1.1 billion people every week. The series has been translated into 142 languages.

3. CCTV is watched regularly by around 750 million viewers, around 85% of all Chinese TV viewers, making it the most watched TV network in the world. The TV network with the biggest international audience is CNN, which is watched by around 150 million households in 212 countries across the world.

4. Although earlier radios existed, the radio was first used for communication by Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian electrical engineer in 1895. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in 1909.

5. The cartoon The Simpsons was created by Matt Groening in 1986. The characters were named after members of Groening’s own family.

6. The answer is a. the twenties Bond film. Die another Day was released in 2002. The Bond films have made more money than any other series of films in history, so far over $13 billion dollars.

7. The answer is Shakespeare. Around 400 films have been based on his plays.

8. It is estimated that around 70 million TVs are manufactured in the world every year. The smallest TV in the world was made in Japan in the 1980s. It was wristwatch TV and measured just three centimetres across.

 

Lesson 76.

BASIC VOCABULARY

Use these words in the sentences below:

channel	widescreen	remote control
video	dish	portable TV
aerial	DVD recorder	cable
screen	subscription	pay-per-view

1. Although television was invented in 1924, television sets really only became widely available in the 1950’s. When you see one of those early sets, the first thing you notice is how small the … is.

2. One of the most recent developments is the … which allows you to see films in a way which conventional sets didn’t.

3. A … is usually a small one which you can move from room to room or even take with you in your caravan.

4. …… developed using various different formats including VHS and PAL. With the advent of digital television, it won’t be long before most people replace their old system with a state-of-the-art …………..

5. You can’t buy a television or video today without a …………. You never need to move from your sofa.

6. If you’ve got … television you no longer need an ……. on your roof, but if you want satellite television, then you need a ………...

7. You have to pay a monthly …. charge if you’ve got cable or satellite.

8. ….. is when you pay a one-off charge to watch a particular programme.

9. Every cable package comes with at least one shopping …...

In the UK there is still a distinction between Public Service Broadcasting – mostly the BBC – and the commercial stations such as ITV and Channel 4. The BBC is publicly funded. Everyone who owns a television set must pay an annual licence fee. Commercial TV is funded by the income from advertising.

KIND OF TV PROGRAMME

Look at these different kinds of programmes and the programmes guide below. Write the time each kind of programme is on:

	wildlife documentary	……………….
	soap opera	……………….
	cartoon	……………….
	comedy	……………….
	current affairs	……………….
	chat show	……………….
	costume drama	……………….
	game show	………………..

Which types of programme do you particularly like watching?

TALKING ABOUT PROGRAMMES

Use these words in the sentences below:

series	interview	programme	episode
serial	guests	repeats	highlights

1. What are you doing later?

- I’m staying in tonight. There’s a … on that I really want to watch.

2. Is there anything worth watching on the telly tonight?

- No, it’s all … again. Why can’t they make some new programmes for a change?

3. So, why do you want to watch this programme so much?

- They’re going to do an … with Brad Pitt about his new film.

4. I really don’t like chat shows very much.

- No, nor do I. The … only come on to sell their latest film or their new book.

5. Is the Chelsea match on live tonight?

- No, they’re just showing the … later in the evening.

6. I really miss “Friends” now that it’s not on. I used to watch it every week.

- Well, you don’t need to worry. There’s a new … starting next month.

7. Have you seen they’ve made Oliver Twist into a TV …?

- Yes, it’s on every Sunday for the next twelve weeks – the first … is this Sunday.

A series has the same characters, but a different story in each episode. A serial is one long story divided into several episodes.

Telly is an informal word for television, used in spoken English.

 

TALKING ABOUT TELEVISION

Complete the dialogues using these words:

contestants	adverts	presenter
channel	viewers	live

1. I want to record the MTV awards tonight. Could you set the video for me before we go out?

- Yes, of course. Which …. Is it on?

2. Did you see that film on TV last night? It was so violent.

- Yes, apparently thousands of … phoned in to complain.

3. Do you think the match will be on TV later?

- Yes, of course. It’s being shown … on BBC 1.

4. How many more times are they going to interrupt this film?

- You’re right. That’s the fourth lot of … already.

5. Did you see that new music show on TV last night? It was good, wasn’t it?

- Yes, it was OK but I didn’t like the … very much. They should’ve got someone younger.

6. Have you seen that new game show on Friday night? It’s really funny.

- Is that the one where they push the … into a swimming pool if they give the wrong answers?

 

5. READING