Unit Four
Turning Off TV: A Quiet Hour
• Teaching Objectives and Contents:
• 1. Key words and phrases.
• 2. Get to know the history of TV sets and also the
advantages and disadvantages of TV in order to help
students develop a good attitude towards TV.
Warm-up questions
• 1. When do you watch TV?
• 2. What are your favorite TV programs? Why?
• 3. How do you spend your spare time besides watching
TV?
•
Background Information
• 1.U.S .television ——— yesterday and today
•
A demonstration of television was held at the New York Word's
Fair in 1939. During 1940s networks were established and TV sets
began to be sold. During 1950s television started to take the place
of radio in U.S.A.
•
Today there are a thousand stations all over the country, and in
many places there is a choice of 5-6 channels, not including the
cable programs one can buy. The Big Three of the networks ___the
National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the Columbia
Broadcasting System (CBS), and the American Broadcasting
Company (ABC)___introduce a large number of new shows, which
are relayed through out the U.S. and are often sold abroad.
•
What is generally known as "cable TV" is actually a system of
"community antenna television<CATV>".Cablevision ,
transmitted via direct cables connected to each television set, offers
viewers a large choice of programs, as well as excellent reception.
• What is generally known as "cable TV" is actually a system of
"community antenna television<CATV>".Cablevision ,
transmitted via direct cables connected to each television set, offers
viewers a large choice of programs, as well as excellent reception.
• There is also pay TV, known as toll TV or subscription TV, which
differs from cable TV in two important aspects. Pay TV entirely
originates its own programs and charge a fee for viewing each
program.
• Nearly all TV in the U.S is commercial. So programs are
interrupted every 15 minutes or so for advertisement. There is,
however, one channel where there are no commercial breaks.
Programs on this channel are run by the Public Broadcasting
Service <PBS>.
•
• 2.The Generation Gap
• The term is used to mean differences in ideas, life styles
and attitudes between older and younger people,
differences which result in a lack of understanding
between them and frequently lead to confrontations.
The reason for the gap is that the tremendous
explosion of knowledge in the twentieth century has
made life for young people today so very different from
life as it was when their parents were young.
• 3.High divorce rate in U.S A.
•
Divorce is a major problem in US. At present , it is estimated,
about 1/4 to 1/3 of all American marriages end in divorce. Studies
indicate that there are more cased of divorce among persons with
low incomes and inadequate education and amount those who
marry at a very young age. Apart from legally divorced cases there
are many separated couples.
•
The immediate result that arises form the high divorce rate is an
increasing number of single parent homes, i.e. homes where
children are being raised by only one parent. The breakup of a
family affects the children most in several fields:
• __They fear being deserted or left alone.
• __Many suffer from a feeling of guilty .
• __Some think that perhaps some of their action have caused the
divorce.
• __Some become angry at both parents for changing their lives.
• __Some may direct their anger at the parent who has left or at the
one who stays.
Key structures
• “It is (has been) +some time+since”
• It is thirty years since he joined the club.
• It has been five weeks since I became a teacher
Language points
• 1). worthwhile: a ~film / a ~ discussion
• It's worthwhile doing ...
•
__The book is worth reading .
• __It's worthwhile reading the book.
• 2).generation gap
•
By " ~" we mean that young people and their parents don't
understand each other and that different generations have different and
even conflicting values.
• 3).barely, hardly , scarcely and no sooner can be placed at the
beginning of sentences but in an inverted order. But barely, hardly,
scarcely can only be followed with when ;no sooner with than.
• __Barely had he sat down when he heard someone knock at the door.
• __No sooner had I left my house than it began to rain.
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4). literateeducated
literacy; literal; iterati; literature
__literary magazine / literary property 版权
__a more literate new generation /every literate person reads the book
__American literature / We call the collected body of writing literature.
5).electronic, ~control
electric: 电的 __ ~current, ~ train , ~ light
electricity:电，电学
6).in part: partly
__The driver was ~responsible for the accident .
__The responsibility was ~ mine.
7).come up with ... put forward
__For many years he kept coming up with new and good ideas.
__They came up with a good excuse for being late.
8).have a ball
__John had a ball at camp.
__After their parents left, the children had a ball.
• 9). To be forced to do:to force sb. to do ...
• __No one is forced to make a vote.
• __ Nobody forced Chichester to sail round the world at his 65, but
himself.
• 10).take a serious look at:take a reasonable look at...
• __Let us take a serious look at the problem of environment protection.
• __You'd better take a reasonable look at the relationship between you
two.
• 11).It's well known to sb.that ...
• __It is well known to every one that water is the mother of life.
• __It is well known that to keep the balance of the nature is very
important.
• 12).to fail to do :it’s a failure to do
• __All the people failed to persuade him from sailing alone.
• __Failure to keep a promise, he reaped what he had sown.
• 13) in the morning / at night
• 9). To be forced to do:to force sb. to do ...
• __No one is forced to make a vote.
• __ Nobody forced Chichester to sail round the world at his 65, but
himself.
• 10).take a serious look at:take a reasonable look at...
• __Let us take a serious look at the problem of environment
protection.
• __You'd better take a reasonable look at the relationship between
you two.
• 11).It's well known to sb.that ...
• __It is well known to every one that water is the mother of life.
• __It is well known that to keep the balance of the nature is very
important.
• 12).to fail to do :it’s a failure to do
• _All the people failed to persuade him from sailing alone.
• __Failure to keep a promise, he reaped what he had sown.
• 13) in the morning / at night