We keep reading that TV is bad for you. If this is true, how come the current generation of TV-addicted kids is much smarter than we are? In my home, the only people who can work the remote control are the children.
Perhaps TV does educate you. For example, you learn a useful medical fact: A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence before he dies.
But I guess the biggest things we learn from TV can be regarded as “Life Skills”. Bad things only happen on dark and stormy nights. Emotional breakdowns cause people to wander in the heavy rain without umbrellas. And contrary to what scientists say, the crack(霹雳) of lightning and the accompanying flash happen at exactly the same time, wherever you are.
I’ve even acquired useful geographical facts from science-fiction shows: Aliens speak English no matter which planet they come from.
Making use of what we learn from TV can improve our security. Consider these truths. If you are ever attacked by 20 bad guys, don’t worry about being outnumbered. The criminals will hang back and take turns to approach you in ones and twos just so you can conveniently defeat them all. Bad guys who are completely covered in black clothes always remove their black masks to reveal that they are in fact, aha, women.
TV also teaches us important information about escaping from danger. Watch and learn. (1) If anyone is running after you down a passage, you will find that boxes have been conveniently placed near all the walls you need to jump over. (2) If you are tall and handsome, you can run from any number of armed criminals, and every shot will miss you.
Be warned, however. If your name card says “henchman” (帮凶) and you are part of a group of plain-looking people trying to catch a handsome individual, a single shot will kill you. But don’t be anxious: TV also delivers useful information for bad guys. All cars are inflammable (易燃的) and have amazing shock absorbers that enable them to fly into the air and land without damage — except police cars.
TV even teaches us about TV. Whenever anyone turns on a TV, it shows a news flash about someone they know. They then turn the box off immediately after that news item.
1. By saying “A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence before he dies” (Paragraph 2), the writer shows his________.
A. sympathy B. humor C. deep concern D. medical knowledge
2. We can infer from Paragraph 3 that in the real world_______.
A. bad things cause people to break down in the rain
B. bad things never happen on dark and stormy nights
C. the crack of lightning and the accompanying flash don’t happen at the same time
D. people with emotional problems like to walk in the rain without umbrellas
3. On TV what usually happens when a person turns it on?
A.. The person always turns off the TV when it’s time for news.
B. The news shown is always about someone the person knows
C. The program shown is always about the importance of TV.
D. TV always shows news about famous people.
4. What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. Life skills can be learned from TV.
B. TV plays an important role in society.
C. What happens in TV is very different from reality
D. Watching TV makes people more creative.