Based on Workbook p 4, ex 2
Listen to the text and choose the appropriate word or phrase to complete the sentences
Television In American Families
It is often said that Americans are glued to TV screens, and that a "typical American" watches television six or seven hours a day. I would like to make a few remarks on how much television a "typical American" really watches. Obviously, there is a lot to watch and a great variety of it. Live sports events are televised at full length and attract a lot of viewers. Recent movies are also popular. Some people prefer old Westerns or Japanese horror films that start after midnight and go on until three or four a.m. And then, there are many television series which seemingly never end. Statistics shows that the number of hours spent watching television are the highest for women over 55 years of age, and the lowest for young men between 18 and 24 years.
The popular press is often not very careful when reporting statistics of television-viewing times. The US statistics tell how long a television set in a typical American household is turned on each day and night. It gives no information about how long an American is actually watching television. And such differences are important. The household might include parents and children of different age groups. While parents might watch local and national news programmes each evening, their little children will hardly do it. Their older children might be interested in some popular shows; the teenagers would possibly like to switch to the famous channel with rock and modern music videos.
What is counted then? Isn't it the total time the TV set is turned on? I assure you, TV sets in American homes are mainly turned on as background music and noise. In other words, television is only watched when something really interesting is heard. If our "typical American" was actually glued to the tube an average six to seven hours a day, seven days of of a week, very few people would be going to school, getting university degrees, raising families, working, running business, or even getting much sleep. And few would have time to read the press, newspapers and magazines published in the country.
- A "typical American" usually watches television
[six-seven |less than six-seven] hours a day. - Young American men watch television
[less|more] than American women who are over 55 years of age. - Statistics
[gives|doesn't give] precise data about television viewing time. - According to the speaker, in America, TV sets are used
[to avoid silence in the house|to get varied news]. - According to the speaker, it is
[possible|impossible] to watch television 6-7 hours a day.