063　television

Words
Programme channel tv news documentary comedy horror film remote control tv set educational
Entertainment advertisement switch over/on/off volume cartoon satellite tv cable tv chat show drama series serial soap opera actor/actress character episode interview couch potato quiz show
Presenter current affairs repeats highlights viewers

Phrases
Watch a programme
Change channel
Watch…live on TV
Appear on a chat show
Use the remote control
Interview a celebrity
Show highlights/ a new clip

Beginner
A: do you think children watch too much tv?
B: I only allow my child to watch up to an hour a day. I don’t think that tv is bad for kids. I think that kids should be active and not become couch potaoes.
A: perhaps I should impose a limit on how much tv my kids can watch. They don’t do much else in their free time. At least they always do their homework first.
B: if you decide to put a limit on the amount of tv they can watch, remember to have something else for them to do. If you don’t, they’ll get bored and misbehave.
A: they could go out and play with their friends.
B; sure. You could talk to other parents in your neighbourhood and plan it so that all the kids are free at the same time.
A: perhaps I could ask my husband to teach them foot ball or some thing. He watches too much tv too.
B: that’s a good idea. Remember that if the parents watch too much tv, the kids will probably follow suit.

Intermediate
A: what kinds of tv programmes do you enjoy watching?
B: I like current affairs programmes and documentaries, especially wildlife ones. How about you?
A: I like those kinds of programmes too. They’re very informative. I think that many people underrate the education value of tv.
B: I agree. People often criticize tv for showing too much sex and violence.
A; yeah. And that’s so funny because most people prefer watching sex and violence to watching something more educational!
B: right. You can’t blame the tv stations for showing popular kinds of programmes. They need to make money from advertisements shown during and between programmes.
A: in my country, there’s a time limit on the advertisements that can be shown. I think it’s about six minutes per hour.
B: that’s great idea. But don’t the tv station lose a lot of money because of that?
A; no. they don’t. they simply charge higher prices at peak times. Is there no limit on the amount of advertisements that can be shown on tv in your country?
B: not as far as I know. We have so many advertisements . the interruptions are unbearable sometimes! That’s one reason that many people prefer satellite or cable tv, where you pay a fixed amount each month.
A: some people have satellite and cable tv in my country, but people don’t seem to keen to pay for their tv programmes. Besides, the terrestrial channels offer a good range of programmes.
B: well, there’s a wildlife documentary on tv in a few minutes. Shall we?