Read the text and match headings 1-6 with paragraphs A-D. There are two headings that you don't need.

Ⓐ 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 reasonsbehind 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'.

c 1 Turn off your TV

c 2 Better things to do

c 3 TV and education

c 4 The positive side of TV

c 5 Reasons why TV is harmful

c 6 Why TV is good for our brains

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
In pairs, check the types of TV programmes below. Then think of a programme in your country for each type.	\|	Read the text again. Tick the true statements and correct the false ones.

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