Topical Area: "Television in Modern Life" (10 th Form)

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

Discussion

Work with a partner and answer the questions below.

1. What do you prefer going to the cinema or watching TV at home?

2. Do you like to watch TV?

3. What does TV mean for you? Can you live a day or two without TV?

4. What are your favourite TV programmes? Why?

TELEVISION IN MODERN LIFE

A first-rate colour TV set has become an ordinary thing in the household today. Modern television offers the viewers several programmes on different channels. We can see plays and films, operas and ballets and watch all kinds of contests, quizzes and sporting events and, of course, regular newscasts. Cartoons are especially popular with children, although sometimes grown-ups watch them with pleasure.

Television is one of the most effective means of bringing the cultures of 100 peoples into our homes. Just spend a day before TV and the dynamic and even dramatic life of the country with its troubles and achievements passes in review. I am fond of television. Especially I like TV games. It is very amusing to guess words and melodies, to answer some very interesting questions. One of the channels is devoted to educational and scientific programmes. I am interested in getting all this information not at the school desk but just sitting in a comfortable armchair. I also enjoy watching films like all my friends. There are a lot of films demonstrated on TV nowadays. I am always impressed with detective stories and westerns. But I have horror films, they are so silly! If a film is screened after a book, which I don't remember very well I always reread the book to be able to compare it with the screen version.

I know almost all the famous script-writers, producers, actors and actresses.

My parents adore television too. A good serial can keep my mother in front of the TV set for many days. Sometimes my father spends hours and hours watching his favourite football or hockey team in an important international sporting event. They rush home to be in time for this or that programme.

But my grandmother says that we have become lazier because of television. Television has not been with us all the time but we forgot what the world was without it.

POST_READING ACTIVITIES

1. Choose the right word using the clue below.

1. T………has become an ordinary thing in the h……..today.

2. Modern television offers the v………different p…….. .

3. C………are especially popular with c……. .

4. Television is one of the most effective m……..of bringing different national c…….into our homes.

5. One of the channels is devoted to e…….and s…….programs.

6. If a film is s…….after a book, which I don't remember very well I always r…….the book to be able to c…….it with the screen v…….. .

7. A good s……..can keep my mother in front of the TV set for many days.

8. Sometimes my father spends hours and hours watching his favorite f…….or h…….team in an important i…….. s…….event.

(international, serial, sporting, television, viewers, household, educational, football, cartoons, compare, programs, means, children, screened, version, hockey, reread, cultures, scientific)

II. Choose the right answer of the question.

1. What does modern television offer the viewers?

   1. only films on different channels;

   2. several programs on different channels;

   3. only cartoons and quizzes.

2. Who likes to watch cartoons?

   1. only little children;

   2. grown-ups watch cartoons with pleasure;

   3. children and sometimes grown-ups. 3. What are the author's most favorite TV programs?

   4. educational and scientific programs;

   5. soap-operas;

   6. TV games. 4. What does the author hate to watch?

   7. westerns;

   8. horror films;

   9. cartoons. 5. What does the author's Granny think about television?

   10. It helps to educate people.

   11. People have become lazier because of television.

   12. It helps to have a good time. III. Do you agree with the following statements? If not, prove your point of view.

1. A first - rate colour TV set is a comparatively rare thing in the household today.

2. Modern television offers the viewers only two programs on two channels.

3. Cartoons are especially popular grown-ups and children hate them.

4. Television is the only mean of bringing national cultures of different peoples into our homes.

5. Television has been with us only for ten years.

6. Only some films have been screened after the books of the well-known authors.

7. There are a lot of films demonstrated on TV nowadays.

8. You become lazier sitting before the TV set.

Discussion

І. Answer the questions.

1. What are the advantages of TV?

2. What are the disadvantages of television?

3. Do you agree that soap operas are rubbish?

4. What's your opinion on horror films?

5. What programs will you suggest to watch? Why?

6. How much time do you spend watching TV?

7. Do you prefer reading books or watching TV?

8. Can you give us some examples to prove the idea that TV actually awakens people's interest to books? II. Imagine that you're a TV reporter.

Your task is to make a program about the harmful influence of television. What problems do you want to discuss in your program?

These words will help you:

One-eyed monster, to occupy our free time, to entertain friends, to read books, to listen to music, to be regulated by something, to demand and obtain absolute silence, to dare to open the mouth, to be addicted to telly, standard practice, to keep the children quite, to be not good for children, to give passive enjoyment, to be easy to do something, to get lazy, to spend a day in semi-darkness, to prevent from communicating with each other, the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.

Topical Area: "Travelling" (10^th Form).

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

Discussion

Answer the questions.

1. Do you like to travel? Why?

2. How do you like to travel?

3. When do you prefer to travel?

4. What are the advantages of travelling?

5. Do you prefer travelling alone or with your family, friends?

HOBBY OR SLAVERY?

It is very difficult to speak about travelling because there are as many ways of travelling as many people there are on the planet. Each person prefers his own style. I asked myself many times: "Why do people travel?" As I read in one of the books "some people travel because they need a change / of air; some to improve their minds; some because they were tired of making money; and some because they were tired of not making money. And some go just simply for a vocation because they wanted for a few weeks to be really happy".

Some people like to travel so much that they devote all their free time to it. Some of them climb the mountains; others sail small boats across seas and oceans, many people try to cross the country they live in from North to South or from East to West, sometimes they try to cross the whole continents. In this case they go by cars, bicycles and even travel on foot. Many young people prefer hitch-hiking which is very cheap. A boy or a girl stops different cars and lorries, takes short free rides and then walks till the next car. Usually they do it in summer time. Comfort is not a matter of great importance for them. All they need is a tent to cover themselves from rain and cool night, fire and a kettle, and of course a pair of good sports shoes.

I admire people who make travelling the part of their lives: they set goals and achieve them. These people conquer the highest world mountaintops (such as Everest), travel to the North Pole, try to cross deserts. These people usually have a strong will, they have a good reaction, they are not afraid of hardships, they are very bold. Experiments of this kind are usually carefully prepared beforehand. Though at present such people and events are not left alone and they are looked after by special bodies and organizations I would not dare to do it because I am an ordinary person.

POST-READING ACTIVITIES

I. Read the text carefully. After you've done this, read some sentences about the text. Some of them have wrong information. Decide if the sentences are correct or incorrect. Share your answers with another student. Think about the wrong sentences. Try to correct them.

1. It is very easy to speak about traveling because there is only one way to travel.

2. People travel because they want to make money.

3. Many young people prefer hitch-hiking which is very cheap,

4. You can do hitchhiking only in winter.

5. People who travel to the North Pole or cross deserts have no will at all, and they are afraid of hardships.

II. Answer the questions.

1. Why do people travel?

2. What are the ways of traveling?

3. Why do young people prefer hitchhiking?

4. Can you explain what the word hitchhiking means?

5. How can you characterize those people who travel to the North Pole or try to cross deserts? III. Vocabulary

Choose four words from this text that you've seen before, but are not sure of. Complete the following stages for each word:

1. Copy the sentence from the article which contains the word you chose.

2. Translate the word into Ukrainian.

3. Look in the dictionary and find the whole information about the word. - Check the part of the speech. - Read the example sentence if there is one. - Find synonyms and antonyms of this word - Study how to use the word grammatically.

4. Write your own sentence using the new word. DISCUSSION IV. Imagine that your cousin is going to travel along the coast of the Azov Sea in December. Can you give him a piece of advice?

V. ROLE PLAY

Work with a group of three. Choose one role each to talk about for at least three minutes.

Role A: You are from Ukrainian Authority. Suggest different routes of travelling. Show their advantages.

Role B: You are a man who doesn't like travelling at all. But your wife insists on travelling during your vacations. You are going to find any reason not to travel.

Role C: You are man's wife. You are keen on travelling. You want to travel abroad to see the world.

VI. They say, travel enriches a person. What's your opinion? Are you keen on travelling? Prove your ideas with the help of the facts from our real life.

VII. Plan your trip.

Plan your trip you would like to make. Choose the route you want to travel. Prepare a short talk. Say why you would like to visit this place, what you are going to do there, who you are going to travel with and how.

VIII. Write a short composition on one of the suggested topics.

Travelling is one way of lengthening life.

He who travels far knows much.