(单词翻译:单击)
Passage 55 TV's Value
电视的价值
Many people who are alive today know what it is like to live in a world without television.
很多现在还在世的人知道没有电视时人们的生活情形。
Television is only about forty years old. Yet it has been an important part in our lives.
电视出现至今只有40多年的时间，然而它已经成为我们生活中一个重要的部分。
Some people think that the years before television were a better time.
有些人认为电视出现之前的日子更美好。
They believe that families talked more and did more things together.
他们说过去家里人花更多的时间在一起聊天，或一起做更多的事。
More books were read. People got more outdoor exercise.
他们会读更多的书，进行更多的户外锻炼。
But others disagree. They say that television is a good tool for education.
但有些人不同意。他们说电视是很好的教育工具。
It tells us what is happening in the world. It provides plenty of fun for us. It helps us understand how people live and work.
它让我们了解世界各地发生的事情，它为我们提供了很多娱乐，它帮助我们了解人们如何生活和工作。
Although some people describe television as a great teacher, others say television has caused the poor reading and writing skills of our people.
尽管有人把电视描述为了不起的教师，但也有人说人们读写技能的降低是电视导致的。
Television gets praise for helping us understand the people of the world. But it also has influence on family life.
电视因帮助我们了解世界各地而得到赞扬，但电视也对家庭生活有影响。
Television tells us the news of the day. But it can also make us lazy by giving only short news instead of telling the whole story.
电视让我们了解当今的新闻时事，也让我们变得懒惰 ——我们只能获悉简短的新闻摘要，而不是整个事件的始末。
Even people who love television are not happy with it.
甚至连喜欢看电视的人也对它不满意。
They think there are too many advertisements on television.
他们说电视里的广告太多了。
People will probably continue to discuss about television's value.
人们很可能还会继续讨论电视的价值。
But everyone agrees that it is one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century.
但有一点人们已经达成共识，那就是电视是20世纪最重大的发明之一。
