In good taste со вкусом

professional [prefejnl] skill профессиональное

Мастерство

to argue ['aigju:] спорить, возражать

Waste of time бесполезная трата времени

addict f'aedikt] наркоман, зд. человек, которого

Не оторвешь от телевизора

box разг. "ящик", телевизор

whatever's on что бы ни показывали (по теле-

Визору)

second-rate [,sekend'reit] низкосортный, посредст-

Венный

Mexican ['meksiken] мексиканский

soap opera f'saup ppere] "мыльная опера"

commercial [ke'maifl] телереклама

The trick is зд. секрет в том (что)

intelligently [in'telid3entli] с умом

ideal [ai'diel] идеал

violence [vaielens] насилие

To rob грабить

to shoot [Ju:t] (shot) стрелять

to poison f'poizn] отравлять, отравить

Questions

1. How often do you watch TV?

2. What are your favourite programmes?

3. Which is your favourite channel?

4. The average Russian teenager spends about 20 hours a week in front of the TV-set. What about you?

5. Why is TV often called "the window on the world"?

6. Do you agree that television has the power to educate?

7. What do you think of commercials? Do they annoy you?

8. Do you enjoy watching "soaps"?

9. Do you think that there's too much violence on TV?

10. Do you believe that violence on TV may turn people into criminals?

11. Some people say that television kills conversation. Do you agree?

12. Do you use TV intelligently?

NEWSPAPERS

In the past people learnt about news from newspapers. Nowadays people usually learn what is happening in the country and in the world from TV or radio news programmes or from the Internet.

Still we cannot imagine our life without newspapers. There are dozens of them on every news-stand. There are newspapers for professionals, for businessmen, for children and teenagers, for men and women, for sports fans, for those who are interested in gardening and for those who keep pets.

Some newspapers publish serious articles on politics, economy and finance, some aim to entertain their readers. Many newspapers express certain political opinion and people choose them according to their own political beliefs. In short, you can always find a paper which suits your interests.

Besides, there are many free local newspapers which are put into your postbox whether you ask for it or not. Probably they are not interesting, because they consist mainly of advertisements, but you can find a lot of useful telephone numbers and addresses there.

My parents subscribe to Argumenty i Facty. I also like this weekly. I don't read all the articles, but in every issue I find something interesting. I think that most articles are very well written, they give a detailed and well-balanced analysis of current events and trends in economy. I like to read articles on social issues, interviews, reviews of new books, plays and TV shows. One of my favourite columns is The Quotation of the Day, where they quote our popular politicians and give their comments. Sometimes it's very funny.