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Mass Media
A lot of
people are fond of watching TV. Others say that television is
becoming a national disease.
Every day millions of people watch TV and find it the best
way of entertainment. Why is television so popular?
Personally, I spend at least two hours a day watching TV. Thanks
to television, I can learn about the latest international and
local events, I "travel" all over the world and broaden my mind.
Television gives me food for thought, introduces me to new ideas
and activities. There is always a great variety of programs on
TV: news and sports programs, talk shows and TV games,
documentaries and feature films, concerts and theatre
performances. Besides, there are a lot of excellent educational
programs for children and teenagers. They help them improve
their knowledge, transfer them to different places and develop
their imagination and creativity.
However, there are a lot of silly programs and commercials on TV
which stuff our heads with nonsense. Some people don't choose
what they watch and they are glued to the screen the whole days.
Watching television can be addictive as well as smoking or
drinking coffee. This fact lets some people affirm that
television is becoming a national disease. The other problem is
that there is too much violence on TV. Every day we are reported
about natural disasters, murders and robberies. We watch hits
where people are killed before our very eyes. It dulls our
sensitivity and makes us aggressive.
To conclude, it's up to you to decide what to watch and how much
time to spend in front of the TV-set. All in all, television can
be very dangerous when it is misused. That is why it is very
important to choose programs that we watch very carefully and to
limit our viewing time.
Some parents
allow their children to watch TV the whole days, while other
parents are worried about the negative influence of television
on children's physical and mental development.
A lot of parents still don't know how television influences
children's health and development. Is it all right to let
children watch TV as much as they want?
In my opinion, it's not right that some parents use television
as a babysitter in order to keep their children quiet. Besides,
many of them don't care what films and programs their children
watch. As a result, boys and girls watch hits, commercials, soap
operas and programs which are not intended for them. As experts
point out, television delays children's speech development. What
is more, a lot of adults complain that they can't get their sons
and daughters to leave the TV-set when they want to play with
them or to take them to the zoo. Nowadays some children are so
addicted to television that they are not interested in anything
else: they don't read books, communicate with grown-ups and
other children. They move less, speak less and they even think
less. As a result children are becoming passive, lazy and
dull-witted.
However, television has some advantages as well. There are a lot
of good cartoons and feature films for children on TV. Besides,
there are excellent educational programs and programs designed
for schools. They help children broaden their mind, transfer
them to different places and develop their imagination and
creativity.
To some up, if a child's parents are clever enough, they will
choose carefully what their son or daughter watches. It is very
important to limit children's viewing time. Boys and girls
should understand that there are a lot of other interesting and
useful things to do besides watching TV.
Many people
watch soap operas because they find them enjoyable and
realistic. Others say that watching soap operas is just a waste
of time.
1 have always wondered why there is so much talk about soap
operas. Most people either like or strongly dislike them.
Personally, I don't watch soap operas. I find them absolutely
uninteresting and totally boring. As a rule events unfold rather
slowly and sometimes actors' performance leaves much to be
desired. Some soap operas have been running for several years.
If I have some free time, I'd rather read a book, listen to
music or go for a walk with my friends. I think soap operas are
aimed at housewives and pensioners who have much spare time. To
my mind, people who are fond of soap operas find their own lives
rather boring. If a person's life is full of interesting events,
he or she will hardly have a desire to spend hours in front of
the TV-set watching other people fall in love, quarrel, separate
and so on.
However, a lot of people say that watching soap operas gives
them an opportunity to relax, to experience the main characters1
feelings and to plunge into exciting adventures. People who like
soap operas try to see every episode. And later they discuss
what happened to their favourite characters with their friends
or colleagues. Thanks to soap operas, they can learn about the
lives of rich and glamorous people. Besides, watching soap
operas is the best entertainment for old and disabled people who
are confined to their homes and who lack communication.
To conclude, it is up to you to decide whether to watch soap
operas or not. Anyway, tastes differ and what is interesting to
you may seem totally boring to other people.
Some people
are fond of reality TV shows, while others are against them.
Nowadays there are a lot of television programmes that put
ordinary or famous people in different situations, film them
over a period of weeks or months, and let the viewers watch what
happens every day. Reality shows now dominate the TV schedules,
but different people have different attitude to these
programmes.
Personally, I think that watching reality shows is a waste of
time. Most of them are boring and stupid. I don't care about
celebrities eating bugs or police officers chasing after stolen
cars. To my mind, there are too many reality shows on TV and all
of them are exactly the same. What is more, reality shows have
become more personal and even humiliating. They are full of
awkward situations and they make people do silly things to
please the masses. So I'd rather watch a good movie.
However, millions of people love watching reality shows. They
say reality television gives ordinary people a wonderful
opportunity to become national celebrities, at least for a short
period. For some people watching reality shows is a great way to
pass the time and they consider these programmes to be rather
funny. Some viewers are addicted to reality shows and watch them
for hours. But I think it is better to worry about your own life
than the lives of other people.
In conclusion, I would like to say that television should give
us food for thought, and introduce us to new ideas and
activities. As for reality shows, they stuff our heads with
nonsense.
Some people
say that television, radio and newspapers have changed our lives
for the better. However, others believe that the mass media has
more disadvantages than advantages.
Nowadays the mass media actually rules the world. It has a
lot of power because its tool is information and its aim is to
make information available to ordinary people.
Personally, I can't imagine my life without newspapers, radio
and television. They inform us of what is going on in the world
and give us wonderful possibilities for education and
entertainment. On every news-stand there are dozens of
newspapers for businessmen, children and teenagers, sports fans
and so on. To my mind, you can always find a newspaper which
suits your interests. Television is the main source of news for
millions of people. It gives us an opportunity to "travel" all
over the world. Besides, it helps us relax and escape from
reality. As for the radio, I like listening to it in the car, in
the open air, or when I do something about the house.
On the other hand, newspapers, radio and television often inform
us of dramatic events. Many people say it makes them feel
depressed. One more disadvantage is that the media spreads
gossip about different celebrities and their private lives. What
is more, newspapers, television and radio have become major
advertising media. Advertisements and commercials make people
buy a lot of useless things. Moreover, they can be harmful. For
example, cigarette or beer advertising can increase the
consumption of these goods and cause problems with health.
To conclude, it is still an open question if it is good or bad
that the media moulds public opinion. Anyway, I'm sure that
people should not believe everything they hear, see or read
about.
Из учебного пособия
"Открывая
мир с английским языком. 150 эссе для ЕГЭ. Готовимся к ЕГЭ" Юнёва С.А. 2011г.
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