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T

elevision is an inescapable part of modern culture and it has good and bad things to
offer to children. There are some wonderful television programs that promote
learning and growth.

Many educational programs, such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers Neighborhood, teach
important skills such as spelling and reading. These kinds of programs can help children learn
more about social interaction and behavior.
However there are other childrens shows, such as Teletubbies or
Transformers that are designed to entertain, not to educate. Parents
must help children to choose shows, videos and video games that
are appropriate for their ages and interests. Parents must pay
attention to what their children watch. Several studies suggest that
television viewing by children younger than 3 years old can damage
their reading comprehension and short-term memory. These studies
also say that children are watching television more than any other
activity except sleeping. The fact is that 70 per cent of British
children are regular TV viewers by the age of three. The fact is that television cuts the time kids
need for activities crucial to healthy mental and physical development. Most of childrens free
time, especially during the early formative years, should be spent in activities such as playing,
reading, exploring nature, learning about music or participating in sports. TV viewing is a
sedentary activity, and has been proved to be a significant factor on childhood obesity because
children spend much of their time in front of television.
There is no doubt that television has become an important part of most childrens lives. So,
parents must schedule TV times and childrens choices for their benefit.
Find the meanings to:
inevitable (1st paragraph) ___________
excellent (1st paragraph) _____________
encourage (1st paragraph) ________________
abilities (2nd paragraph) ______________
1

divert (3rd paragraph)____________


suitable (3rd paragraph) ___________
habitual (3rd paragraph) __________
involving little physical activity (3rd paragraph) _____________
extremely fatness (3rd paragraph) _____________
Say if the following sentences are True or False. Support your answers from
the text.
1. Childrens shows such as Teletubbies or The Lion King teach important cognitive skills to
children.______
____________________________________________________________________________
__
2. Parents mustnt care about what their children watch in television. _______
____________________________________________________________________________
__
3. Children dont see much television. ______
____________________________________________________________________________
__
4. Television is important to many children. ____
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Answer the following questions
1. What is this text about?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____
2. Which didactic programs are mentioned in the text? Why are they didactic?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
______

3. What could happen to the youngest children if they watch too much television?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____
4. Is television a sedentary activity? Justify your answer.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____
_________________________________________________________________________
__
Put these phrases in the negative and interrogative form:
1. Children spend much of their time in front of television.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____
2. Television has become a prevalent media influence in modern culture.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____
3. Television has good and bad aspects to offer to people.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____
4. Parents must choose their children programmers.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____
Choose the correct form (Gerund, Infinitive with or without to).

1. I hate________ (be) at home without ________ (do) anything.


2. You may ______ (use) the phone if you want _____.
3. She is _________ (prepare) the lesson for tomorrow.
4. She isnt very good at _________ (dance).
5. She is going to ________ (tell) you an amazing story.
6. She was _______ (play) violin when someone knocked at door.
7. She loves _______ (swimming) in the lake.
8. Peter can ________ (speak) French very well.
9. I dont mind ______ (wait) for them.
10. They go on _______ (read) the book.
Use these verbs and prepositions in the sentences below. Use the correct form of
the verbs.
agree with/ on

talk about

suffer from smile at

think about listen to

insist on

pay for

belong to

look at

1. Do you _______ me about this?


2. That beautiful house _________ my friend Suzy.
3. Keep enough money to ________ your ticket.
4. Nurses are very badly paid. I think that they should ________ higher rates of pay.
5. They _________ a plan of action.
6. Tonight Im going to ________ engines.
7. I said to you I was _________ going to work in Africa.
8. With only 5 years old that boy likes ________ documentary programs.
9. Peter is very tired, he is___________ exhaustion.
10. I dont know why he was __________. I didnt recognize him.
11. ________ that magnificent house. It looks like a palace.
Rewrite the sentences in Passive voice.
a. They

make

shoes

in

that

factory.

_____________________________________________

b. They

built

that

skyscraper

in

1934.

___________________________________________
c. They

make

these

tools

from

plastic.

the

letter.

__________________________________________
d. Jennet

has

just

written

_____________________________________________
e. James

Joyce

wrote

Dubliners.

_____________________________________________
f. I

ate

piece

of

chocolate

cake.

______________________________________________
g. We

saw

her

at

the

cinema.

__________________________________________________
h. They

are

repairing

the

car.

__________________________________________________
Ask a question about the underlined words:
1. I

saw

that

movie

in

big

cinema.

____________________________________________
2. I

will

see

my

girlfriend

next

summer.

_________________________________________
3. I

love

this

film

because

love

Tom

Cruise.

_____________________________________
4. Peter

has

broken

the

vase.

__________________________________________________
5. I

went

to

Spain

in

1998.

____________________________________________________
6. This

bag

belongs

to

my

cousin

Christine.

______________________________________

Complete the table with the correct form of the verbs


Infinitive
be

Simple Past

Past Participle

did
talked
read
written
cut
said
taken
began
speak
come
woke
swum
slept
paid
run
rung
buy

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