Unreality Of TV
Dr. Heinrich Applebaum recently completed a studyon the effects of television on children. In his case,though, he wasn't concerned1 with violence , buthow television gives children a false sense of reality.
Dr. Applebaum told me,"The greatest danger oftelevision is that it presents a world to children thatdoesn't exist, and raises expectations that can neverbe fulfilled. " " I don't understand, Doctor, "I said. "Well, let me cite one example. Have youever seen a television show where a person in an automobile doesn't immediately find aparking2 place on the very first try?" "Come to think of it, "I said,"I haven't."
"Not only is there always a parking spot available3 but the driver doesn't even have to backinto it. There are two parking spaces available whenever someone in a TV show needs one .Children are being led to believe that when they grow up they will always be able to find aparking place when and where they want it. Can you imagine the trauma when they discoverthat in real life you can drive around a block for three hours and still not find a place to putyour car?"
" I never thought of it but it's true . What else do they show on television which gives adistorted4 picture of the real world?" "Have you noticed that whenever a character walks out ofa restaurant or office building or apartment and says to the doorman,‘Get me a taxi, 'the taxiimmediately arrives? Millions of children are under the impression5 that all a doorman has to dois blow his whistle and a taxi will be there. I have never seen a show where the doorman hassaid, ‘ I'm sorry. I can't get you a taxi. You better take the bus. '" "Of course , "I said."I neverknew before what bothered me about those TV action programs, but now I do. There is alwaysa yellow taxi waiting off screen. " "Now, "said Applebaum," have you ever said to a taxi driver,‘Follow that car and don't lose him'?"
"Not really. " "Well, if you had, the driver would have told you to blow it out your ear. No taxidriver is in a mood to follow another car because that means he 's going to get involved.
But on TV every cabdriver looks as if he 'd like nothing better to do than to drive 90 miles anhour through a rain-swept street trying to keep up with a carful of hoods. And the worst thingis that the kids believe it. "
閱讀自測(cè)
Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks with the following phrases : ( be concerned with, as far as . . . concerned,parking lot, on the first try, under the impression)
1. Driving around for almost an hour, I finally found a_________ .
2. The study _________the effect of financial crisis on international trade .
3._________ , jazz is a kind of classic music.
4. I find the place_________ .
5. Many of us are _________that a man with an ugly face is a bad guy.
Ⅱ. Question : List two examples to illustrate the unreality of TV.
Ⅰ. 1. parking lot
2. is concerned with
3 . As far as Iam concerned
4. on the first try
5. under theimpression
Ⅱ. 1. Whenever and wherever you want a parkingplace , you can find it.
2. Whenever you walk out of arestaurant, the doorman could find you a taxi.
參考譯文
電視誤區(qū)
海因里?！ぐ⑵諣桋U姆博士最近完成了一項(xiàng)有關(guān)電視對(duì)兒童造成的影響的研究。在他的研究中，他對(duì)暴力問題并不感興趣，他所關(guān)心的是電視怎樣給孩子造成一種現(xiàn)實(shí)錯(cuò)覺。
阿普爾鮑姆博士告訴我："電視帶來的危害是它向孩子們展現(xiàn)了一個(gè)并不存在的世界，并且挑起他們難以實(shí)現(xiàn)的期望。"
"我不明白，博士，"我說。"那么，舉個(gè)例子來說吧。你有沒有在電視上看到過一個(gè)人開著車，找不到停車的地方?""仔細(xì)想想，"我說，"我沒見過那種情況。""不僅總有空著的車位，而且司機(jī)都用不著把車倒進(jìn)去。無論什么時(shí)候，當(dāng)電視中的人需要一個(gè)停車位的時(shí)候，總會(huì)有兩個(gè)可用。電視正引導(dǎo)著孩子們?nèi)ハ嘈胚@樣的事情——— 他們長(zhǎng)大后，無論什么時(shí)候，也無論在哪里，只要需要，他們總能找到停車的地方。而現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中，孩子們?yōu)檎覀€(gè)停車位駕車?yán)@著街區(qū)轉(zhuǎn)悠了三個(gè)小時(shí)，最后仍沒有找著一個(gè)可以停車的地方，你能想象此刻他們所受到的傷害嗎?""我從沒有想過，但確有其事。電視上還展現(xiàn)了什么歪曲現(xiàn)實(shí)的畫面?"
"你有沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)，無論什么時(shí)候，一個(gè)人走出飯店、辦公樓或公寓，對(duì)門衛(wèi)說‘給我叫輛車'，立刻就有輛出租車過來?成千上萬的孩子就有了這樣一種印象：門衛(wèi)只要吹聲口哨，馬上就會(huì)有輛出租車開過來。我從沒聽過電視上的門衛(wèi)說，‘對(duì)不起，沒有出租車，您請(qǐng)坐公交車吧。'"
"當(dāng)然，"我說，"我以前從沒發(fā)現(xiàn)那些電視動(dòng)作片有什么令人緊張的，現(xiàn)在我明白了。那是因?yàn)榭傆休v黃色出租車等在熒屏之外。"
"那么，"阿普爾鮑姆博士說，"你有沒有對(duì)出租車司機(jī)說過‘跟著剛才那輛車，別跟丟了'? ""沒有。"
"如果你那樣說，司機(jī)可能會(huì)讓你打消那個(gè)念頭。沒有誰愿意跟蹤另一輛車，因?yàn)槟且馕吨麑⒕砣肽撤N麻煩。但是在電視上似乎每個(gè)司機(jī)都樂于以90 英里的時(shí)速，行駛在雨水沖刷過的街道上，跟蹤滿滿一車的打手。最糟糕的是孩子們卻相信這樣的事。"