1、Unit 4 Turn Off TV: A Quiet HourI. Background Information1. TV: Past and PresentA demonstration of television was held at the New York World's Fair in 1939, and during the 1940s networks were established and television sets began to be sold. But, for a while, radio still had complete control of

2、the entertainment industry.In the early 1950s, the television started to take the place of radio in the United States. But television was only on in the evenings with few choices of stations and in less than one-third of American homes.In the early 1960s, over 750 TV stations were telecasted to abou

3、t 52 million sets with the result that the American TV audience included almost every family. But today, virtually every American home has TV and two-thirds of American families have two or more sets, two-thirds have cable. There are a thousand stations with a choice of five or six channels all over

4、 the country, not counting in the cable programs one can buy. The Big Three of the networks are: the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).Besides networks, there are also another two TV broadcasting, one is cable TV,

5、 community antenna television (CATV); the other is pay TV, also known as toll TV or subscription TV. The latter is different from the former in that it originates its own programs and charges a fee for viewing each program.But since the first modern home TV set was marketed in 1939, TV's influen

6、ce on America, for both good and bad has become a major force in determining how people relax and behave. The consequences are staggering. Studies show that the lives of Americans, from their selection of food to their choices of political leaders, are deeply affected by TV, and that influence is gr

7、owing. It is clear that television has become one of the world's most important sources of information, opinion, and entertainment. We can learn about places we shall never visit, we see important events as they take place; some programs we watch purely for entertainment. It gives us the best se

8、ats in the theater, at a rock concert, or at the Olympic Games. It also beams us pictures of war and disaster, the conquering of space, and other world events as they happen. 2. TV Program國際頻道 international channel東方時空 Oriental Horizon焦點訪談 Focus Interview新聞聯播 Network News科技博覽 Panorama of Science &am

9、p; Technology文化視點 Culture Perspective讀書時間 Off the shelf綜藝大觀 Variety Show天涯共此時 Sharing the moment with you電影頻道 Movie Channel電視你我他 CCTV & Its Audience世界報道 Report on World Affairs海峽兩岸 Across the Strait中國報道 China Report3. Generation GapThe term is used to mean differences in ideas, life styles and a

10、ttitudes between older and younger people, differences which will be result in a lack of understanding between them and frequently lead to confrontations.4. Divorce RateHigh divorce rate is a major social problem in the US. At present, it is estimated, about one quarter to one third of all American

11、marriages end in divorce. Although different in opinions, some studies indicate that there are more cases with the following reasons:A) low incomes B) inadequate education C) marriage at a very young ageThe immediate result that arises from the high divorce rate is an increasing number of single par

12、ent homes.II. New words and expressions1.worthwhile: adj.【worth+while(a period of time)】good enough for the time or effort needed; valuableExample: It did not seem worthwhile writing it all out again. worth / worthy / worthwhile be worth +n.=be worthy of +n. be worth doing=be worthy of being done /

13、be worthy to be done It is worthwhile doing sth/to do sth這件事值得考慮。Example: The matter is worth considerationThe matter is worthy of considerationThe matter is worth consideringThe matter is worthy of being considered.The matter is worthy to be considered.It is worthwhile considering the matter.It is

14、worthwhile to consider the matter.2. current:1) adj. of the present time; Example: We must counteract the present current of anti-government feeling.2) n. the movement of water in the sea or river; the movement of air in a particular direction; the fact of popular ideas, opinions, etc.Example: He sw

15、am to the shore against a strong current.他逆著急流游向岸邊。Birds use warm air current to help them flight.鳥兒利用暖流助飛。Television influenced the current of thought.電視影響思潮。3. activity: n. sth doneExample: Progress is the activity of today and the assurance of tomorrow.Activity is the only road to knowledge. A sp

16、ecial feature of education at MIT is the opportunity for students and faculty to participate together in research activity.麻省理工學院的一個教育特色就是學生和全體教師有機會一起參與研究活動。（CET-4, 2006, 6, 詞匯）4. prohibit: v.【pro-(before)+hibit(hold)】prohibite sb. (from) doing sth. = forbid sb. to do sth.Example: Family finances pr

17、ohibited his going to college.5. distract: v.【dis-(away, off)+tract(引)】draw away in another direction;Example: If something distract you or your attention, it makes you stop concentrating on what you are doing.Grief distracted him.悲傷使他精神錯亂。1) be distracted by/ with被搞得心煩意亂，被搞得要發狂2) distract sb. from

18、doing sth.使某人做分心Example: The film managed to distract me from work. 那部電影使我不能專心工作。6. gap: n.Example: She had gaps in her teeth.The generation gap makes it hard for children to relate to their parents.He could not explain the gap of ten years in his job history. gap+between/inthe gap between imports a

19、nd exports進出口差額Example: The professor found wide gaps in his students knowledge of American literature.教授發現他的學生的美國文學知識中存在著很大的空白。7. divorce: v.end of a marriage by lawExample: He divorce his wife.1) 與訂婚(v.) be engaged to(n.) engagement to2) 與結婚(v.) marry sb/ be married to (n.) marriage to3) 與離婚(v.) d

20、ivorce sb./ be divorced from(n.) divorce from約翰同瑪麗訂婚/結婚/離婚（n.）Example: Johns engagement to Mary.Johns marriage to Mary.Johns divorce from Mary.8. rate: n. a measurement of the number of times sth. happens or exists during a particular period; a measurement of the speed; costa high/ low/ rising rate

21、of unemployment高/低/不斷增長的失業率Example: Most people walk at an average rate of 5 kilometers an hour.What is the going rate for baby-sitter?v. to have or think that sb. or sth. has a particular lever of qualityExample: The university is highly rated for its research.這所大學因其研究工作而受到高度評價。 at any rate無論如何，不管怎

22、樣（強調事情的真實性）Example: I must finish the work by tomorrow at any rate. at this rate照此速度，照這樣下去Example: At this rate, the company will suffer great losses.9. disturb: vt. make sb worried; interruptExample: Constant calls disturbed her work.I was disturbed to hear of your illness. The little stone disturb

23、ed the smooth of the lake.Every difficulty slurred over will be a ghost to disturb your repose later on.草率的處理難題事后必然睡不著。（肖邦）10. neighborhood: n. area around a point or place.Example: The mayor ordered a probe of housing conditions in the neighborhood.in the neighborhood of在附近；大約Example: His debts are

24、 in the neighborhood of 5,000 dollars. neighborhood/ neighbor neighborhood: refers to a area neighbor: refers to people, its link verb can be used as both single form and plural form. 后綴-hood表示“身份，資質，狀態”adulthood成年，childhood童年，babyhood嬰兒時期，girlhood少女時期，boyhood男孩時代11. entertainment: n. amusement or i

25、nterest; treat sbExample: A science fiction cannot be regarded as a mere entertainment, but in fact it tells the reader much more.We are delighted in entertainment of our friends. In response, the alarmists accuse critics and news reporters of being deceived by the entertainment industry.作為回應，這些危言聳聽

26、的人們譴責評論家和新聞記者，說他們被娛樂產業蒙蔽了。(CET-4, 2006, 6,閱讀)12. typical: adj. Example: That is a typical Chinese village. A restaurants typical make-up on wine is 100-150 percent, whereas on bottle water its often 300 to 500 percent.白酒在飯店的典型漲幅度一般是100%到150%，而瓶裝水的漲幅經常是300%到500%。（CET-4, 2006, 12, 閱讀）by typical of 是的特

27、點, 典型的，有代表性的Example: It is typical of him to be so gentle.13.barely: adv. hardlyExample: She had barely time to catch bus.The room was furnished barely. usage:barely是含否定意義的詞，因此1) He has barely enough money to last the month, does she?(不說doesnt she?)2) Barely does he have enough money to last the mon

28、th. (用在句首用倒裝結構)3) barelywhen/ before:剛一就Example: I had barely started speaking when he interrupted me.14. radical: adj.【radic(根，根本)】徹底不同的，根本不同的激進的助記：radio(無線電)radiate(放射)與“射線”有關radic(根)Example: The workers demands were too radical to be accepted. It is well known that the most radical will become a

29、conservation on the day after the revolution. 眾所周知，激進派革命成功后就即刻變為保守派。(radical: n.激進派)15. involve: vt.【in-(入)+volve(卷)】sb takes part in an event or is affected by an event; includeExample: Dont involve me in solving your problems. Globalization is also reshaping the way research is done. One new trend

30、s involves sourcing portions of a research program to another country. 全球化也改變著科研方法，其中一個趨勢是與他國共同分擔科研項目。(CET-4, 2007, 12, 閱讀) involve/ include involve指必然包括某種結果 include指整體中包括某項內容Example: Many of the crimes involved drugs.許多罪案與毒品有關。 usage: involve做定語時前置和后置的意義不同the people involved所牽涉的人 the involved story

31、復雜的經歷16. invent: vt. produce sth for the first timeExample: He has invented a new way of making silk Young men are fitter to invent than to judge, fitter for execution than for counsel, and fitter for new projects than for settled business.青年適于創新而非評判，實干而非建議，開創新的事業而非固守已有舊業。(弗蘭西斯.培根)Gilbert discovered

32、 electricity, but Edison invented the electric light bulb.吉爾伯特發現了電，而愛迪生發明了燈泡。17. in part: in some degreeExample: The accident was in large part due to the drivers carelessness.The house is furnished in part.18. grow up: change from a child to a manExample: My father grew up in Beijing.(指人或動物長大，成熟)My

33、 father was brought up in Beijing.(由父母或他人撫養，撫育)19. come up with: think of; provide moneyExample: I hope you can come up with a better solution than this.You have no choice but to come up with 120,000 pounds.20. at first glance: when first seenExample: At first glance, the picture didnt look very goo

34、d.21. have a ball: have a good timeExample: “Do you enjoy yourself?” “I am having a ball.”. Warm-up questions1. Do you often watch TV? Why or why not?No, I dont watch TV very often because I can obtain the latest news on the internet and neednt spend time watching TV, which is full of advertisement.

35、2. What are the disadvantages of watching too much TV?Watching too much TV is actually a waste of time. It can make us lazy care nothing. Its also bad for our health. Language points1. I would like to propose that for sixty to ninety minutes each evening, right after the early evening news, all tele

36、vision broadcasting in the United States be prohibited by law. (L1-3)1) 類似propose這樣表示“建議，命令，愿望，要求”等詞之后的賓語從句用虛擬語氣，其構成為“主語+should+動詞原形”，should可以省略。常見詞有：suggest, recommend, demand, decide, request, require, insist, desire, advise, order, command，etc.I suggest that we (should) set off at once.The King c

37、ommanded that she (should) be executed 2) right after恰巧在之后；剛完He arrived right after me.2. Families might use the time for a real family hour. Without the distraction of TV, they might sit around together after dinner and actually talk to one another. It is well known that many of our problemseveryth

38、ing, in fact, from the generation gap to the high divorce rate to some forms of mental illnessare caused at least in part by failure to communicate.(L5-9)1) What does a real family hour refer to?It refers to an hour when family members might sit around together, doing sth. meaningful like talking to

39、 each other and reading novels, etc.2) Paraphrase the sentence:If there had not been for the distraction of TV, they might sit around together after dinner and really talk to one another. 介詞短語without相當于一個以if 引導的條件從句，常用虛擬語氣。但是，without有時也不用虛擬語氣。 Without his pension, he would have starved. 3）What can w

40、e infer about the writers attitude?TV has taken people away too much so that the lack of communication has caused many social problems.3. On evenings when such talk is unnecessary, families could rediscover more active pastimes. Frees from TV, forced to find their own activities, they might take a r

41、ide togother to watch the sunset. Or they might take a walk together (remember feet?) and see the neighborhoos with fresh, new eyes.(L13-16)With free time and no TV, children and adults rediscover reading.(L17)1) What can be inferred from the text?It can be inferred that the author regards watching

42、TV as a passive pastime.2) What do “active pastimes” mean? Compared to watching TV, active pastimes refer to those activities that require physical or mental exercises. Reading, for instance, can be active. Exercising is physically active, too.3) Can you suggest some active pastimes?Aerobics, playin

43、g games, reading, sports, taking a riding4) Why does the author use the rhetorical question “remember feet?”This rhetorical question implies that Americans are now so used to traveling by car or other vehicles that many people almost forget that they can walk to some place. This perhaps can also exp

44、lain why America is sometimes nicknamed as “a country on wheels”.5)Why does the author encourage us to “to see the neighborhood with fresh, new eyes”? We might pass the neighborhood everyday but have no time to enjoy it. When we are back from work, we prefer to stay at home, watching TV to kill time

45、 rather than going out. Seeing it with fresh, new eyes might help us to find something we havent noticed before and appreciate the neighborhood even more.6) What does the word “rediscover” mean?It means “to find again”. After TV appeared, people spend more time watching and less time reading, and to

46、 some extent, reading has almost been forgotten. Now with no TV to watch, people might pick up reading again. 4. Writing is often learned from reading. A more literate new generation could be a product of the quiet hour. (L20-22)1) Do you think reading can improve writing? In what way?It is generall

47、y accepted that reading can help us learn writing. When we read, we can actually enjoy the writing. Besides, we can develop our sense of language, and observe writing skills. Therefore, reading a lot of good books can help to improve our writing ability.5. When the quiet hour ends, the TV networks m

48、ight even be forced to come uo with better showa in order to get us back from our newly discovered activities.(L26-28)1) What does the author imply in this sentence?If children had formed the habit of reading worthwhile books instead of watching TV for at least one hour each day, they would certainl

49、y be more cultured than they are now.2) What can we infer from the writers attitude towards TV program?Its obvious that some TV programs are not worth watching. If people can obtain pleasure from their active pastimes, the TV networks will be challenged to produce better programs to draw their atten

50、tion back.6. What will parents do without the electronic baby-sitter? (L31-32)1) What does electronic baby-sitter refer to?It refers to TV. Since TV programs can attract and hold the attention of children, their parents can leave them unattended while the machine is on.7. Honest. The truth is we had

51、 a ball. (L42)Paraphrase：Im telling you the truth: we Americans used to have a very good time before TV came into our life. Global reading 1. summaryFrom the day of its birth, television has played an increasingly important role in peoples lives. In fact, it has become such an important part of peop

52、les lives that the world without TV is unimaginable. Some people even say that live without TV is not worth living. While on the other hand, some people think that TV is taking up too much of a persons time and making him lazy. Many people even blame TV for the high divorce rate and crime rate. The

53、author of the article is trying to urge viewers to turn off their TV and enjoy a quiet hour every day without the distraction of TV.2. division part of the textPart I (Para. 1) Introduce the proposal to adjust the time of television program.Part II (Paras. 2-5) Illustrate what we might do if such a

54、proposal were accepted.Part III (Para. 6) Conclude that we can still have a good life without TV.3. Scanningl Discussion: Read the text and summarize the benefits of turning off TV for an hour.People could:1) communicate with each other better2) find more active entertainments3) read books so that t

55、hey are well-educated4) read stories aloud5) watch the sunset6) see the neighborhood7) might come up with better programsl Directions: Find specific details to support the following argument. Argument: I would like to propose that all television broadcasting in the United States be prohibited for si

56、xty to ninety minutes by laws.Support ILess family communications were resulted from the distraction of TV.Support IIFamilies could discover more active pastimes rather than just sit rooted in front of TV.Support IIIWith free time and no TV, children and adults would be better-educated by means of reading.Support IVAs an alternative to silent reading, reading good stories aloud can bring family closer and also force TV networks come up with quality programs.Conclusion: An hour without the distraction of TV is not radical at all. Oral Practice1. Topic: Is TV a Plus or Minus?Outline 1 (A