History of TV

The television is one of the most prominent inventions of the 20th Century. It has become one of the most common ways people view the larger world beyond them, as well as being one of the best ways for people to escape from the world. In the 1880s a German inventor created simplistic moving images using a filtered light viewed through a spinning disk, laying the foundations for the modern television. During the 1920s a number of scientist

began experimenting with sending still images using radio waves. However, it was in 1928 that General Electric first combined the idea of a device that could show moving images with the technology to wirelessly broadcast them. During the 30s and 40s the technology was gradually improved upon. In America the first regular broadcasts began in 1939 though it was not until after the Second World War that the television as a standard home appliance began to really take off. After 1945 television sales in America skyrocketed. The first colour broadcast was made in Throughout the rest of the world, television came years later, and it wasnt until the late 1960s that a television was commonplace in houses throughout the West. By the 1970s, television had become the dominant media force it is today, with 24 hour programming, mass advertising and syndicated shows. In the 1980s satellite television shrunk the world, making live feeds from other countries and time zones possible. The new millennium brought the advent of digital television, which is the future of television.

TV programmes Adults programmers Childrens programmes Mens programmes Womens programmes films news quizzes Musical programmes ? ? ? ? ? cartoons Educational programmes

drama Horror film newsreel westernadventures Docume- ntary thriller Historical film Educatio- nal film Science Fiction film Animated film comedy Mute film

Fill in the table. Use the following words m and expressions and add your own AdvantagesDisadvantages TV is a good friend for disabled and lonely people Children spent too much time watching TV

A couch potato A couch potato is someone who is lazy or not very physically active, especially someone who spends a lot of time watching television and eating junk food.

Are you a couch potato? Maxim,11: I watch TV or video in the comfort of my home? When the weather is bad and people are inside anyway. Im a couch potato, and I like watching nature programmes, cartoons, thrillers and sport programmes all day along. Its fun, if you have nothing else to do. Why does Maxim like to watch TV? What TV programmes does he prefer? Are you interested in such programmes? Are you a couch potato?

Put the sentences in the correct order and make up two dialogues

Reply to As questions using the phrase nothing worth plus a gerund Example Student A Why dont you listen to the radio? Student B Theres nothing worth listening to. 1. A……………..watch TV? B…………………………………………. 2. A……………..read a paper? B…………………………………………. 3. A……………..look at a magazine? B…………………………………………. 4. A……………..see a film? B…………………………………………. 5. A…………………buy something? B………………………………………..