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 Roger’s 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 children’s 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 children’s 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 children’s lives. So,
parents must schedule TV times and children’s choices for their benefit.
Find the meanings to:
inevitable (1st paragraph) ___________
excellent (1st paragraph) _____________
encourage (1st paragraph) ________________
abilities (2nd paragraph) ______________

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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. Children’s shows such as Teletubbies or The Lion King teach important cognitive skills to
children.______
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Parents mustn’t care about what their children watch in television. _______
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Children don’t 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.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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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 isn’t 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 don’t 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 think about listen to belong to
suffer from smile at insist on pay for look at

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 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 I’m 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 don’t know why he was __________. I didn’t 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. __________________________________________
d. Jennet has just written the letter. _____________________________________________
e. James Joyce wrote “Dubliners”. _____________________________________________
f. I ate a 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 a big cinema. ____________________________________________
2. I will see my girlfriend next summer. _________________________________________
3. I love this film because I love Tom Cruise. _____________________________________
4. Peter has broken the vase. __________________________________________________
5. I went to Spain in 1998. ____________________________________________________
6. This bag belongs to my cousin Christine. ______________________________________

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Complete the table with the correct form of the verbs
Infinitive Simple Past Past Participle
be
did
talked
read
written
cut
said
taken
began
speak
come
woke
swum
slept
paid
run
rung
buy