大学英语精读第一册 Unit Four: Turning off TV：A Quidt Hour

TEXT

Many people in the United States spend most of their free time watching television. Certainly, there are many worthwhile programs on television, including news, educational programs for children, programs on current social problems, plays, movies, concerts, and so on. Nevertheless, perhaps people should not be spending so much of their time in front of the TV. Mr Mayer imagines what we might do if we were forced to find other activities.

Turning off TV: a Quiet Hour

I would like to propose¹ that for sixty to ninety minutes each evening, right after the early evening news, all television broadcasting in the United States be prohibited³ by law.
Let us take a serious, reasonable look at what the results be if such a proposal⁴ were accepted. Families might use the time for a real family hour. Without the distraction⁵ of TV, they might sit around together after dinner and actually talk to one another. It is well known that many of our problems -- everything, in fact, from the generation gap⁶ to the high divorce⁷ rate to some forms of mental illness -- are caused at least in part by failure to communicate. We do not tell each other what is disturbing us. The result is emotional⁸ difficulty of one kind or another. By using the quiet family hour to discuss our problems, we might get to know each other better, and to like each other better.
On evenings when such talk is unnecessary, families could rediscover more active pastimes¹⁰. Freed from TV, forced to find their own activities, they might take a ride together to watch the sunset. Or they might take a walk together (remember feet?) and see the neighborhood with fresh, new eyes.
With free time and no TV, children and adults might rediscover reading. There is more entertainment in a good book than in a month of typical TV programming. Educators report that the generation growing up with television can barely¹¹ write an English sentence, even at the college level. Writing is often learned¹² from reading. A more literate¹³ new generation could be a product of the quiet hour.
A different form of reading might also be done, as it was in the past: reading aloud. Few pastimes bring a family closer together than gathering¹⁴ around and listening to mother or father read a good story. The quiet hour could become the story hour. When the quiet hour ends, the TV networks might even be forced to come up with better shows in order to get us back from our newly¹⁵ discovered activities.
At first glance, the idea of an hour without TV seems radical¹⁶. What will parents do without the electronic baby-sitter? How will we spend the time? But it is not radical at all. It has been only twenty-five years since television came to control American free time. Those of us thirty-five and older can remember childhoods without television, spent partly with radio -- which at least involved the listener's imagination -- but also with reading, learning¹⁸, talking, playing games, inventing new activities. It wasn't that difficult. Honest. The truth is we had a ball.

NEW WORDS

worthwhile
a. good enough for the time or effort needed; valuable 值得花时间（或精力）的；有价值的
program (me)
n. performance on radio or television 节目
educational
a. of or for education; providing education or information 教育的；有教育意义的
current
a. of the present time 当前的
social
a. of or in society 社会的
movie
n. film that one sees at a cinema 电影
nevertheless
conj. but; however 然而，不过
propose
vt. suggest 建议
broadcasting
n. the action of sending out sound (or images) by radio (or television) 广播
prohibit²
v & n. forbid by law 禁止
proposal
vt. suggestion 提议，建议
actually
n. in actual fact, really 实际上
generation
n. all the people about the same age （一）代
gap
n. an empty space between two things or two parts of a thing; a wide difference of opinion, character, or the like 缺口，间隙；分歧，隔阂
divorce
n. end of a marriage by law 离婚
rate
n. 率
mental
a. of the mind 精神的；思想上的
communicate
vi. share or exchange opinions, ideas, etc. 交流意见，思想等
disturb
vt. make (sb.) worried 使烦恼
emotional
a. 感情的
pastime⁹
n. anything done to pass time pleasantly 消遣，娱乐
sunset
n. the going down of the sun; the time when the sun goes down　日落（时分）
neighborhood
n. the area around a point or place 邻近地区；地段
adult
n. 成年人
typical　　　　　　
a. 典型的
educator
n. a person whose profession is education 教育家
barely
ad. hardly 仅仅，勉强；几乎没有
literate
a. able to read and write 能读写的；有文化的
product
n. sth. made or grown 产品
network
n. 广播（或电视）联播公司；广播（或电视)网
glance
n. quick look 一瞥；扫视
radical
a. extreme; very different 激进的
electronic
a. 电子的
electron¹⁷
n.
baby-sitter
n. someone who looks after a child when the parents are away for a short time （代人临时）照看婴儿
childhood
n. time when one is a child 童年
partly
ad. not completely; in some degree 部分地；在一定程度上
involve
vt. have as a part or result （必须）包括
imagination
n. the ability to imagine 想像力
learning
n. the gaining of knowledge or skill through studying; knowledge or skill gained through studying 学习；学问，知识
invent
vt. produce (sth.) for the first time 发明

PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS

generation gap
failure of the younger and older generations to communicate and understand one another 代沟
in part
in some degree; partly 在一定程度上；部分地
grow up
change from a child to a man or a woman 成长，长大
bring together
cause to meet 使相聚
come up with
think of; produce 想出；提出
at first glance
when first seen or thought about　乍一看；最初考虑时
have a ball
(sl.) enjoy oneself, have a very good time 玩得开心

PROPER NAMES

Mayer　　　　　　　
　 迈耶（姓氏）
the United States
　 美国

1 propose   

v.提出，建议；提名，推荐

参考例句：

• Did he propose marriage to you?他向你求婚了吗？
• I propose resting for an hour.我建议休息一小时。

2 prohibit   

vt.禁止；阻止，使不可能

参考例句：

• Laws must be put through to prohibit this act.必须通过法律来制止这种作法。
• Swimming after drinking is strictly prohibit.严禁酒后下水。

3 prohibited   

v.禁止，阻止( prohibit的过去式和过去分词 )；不许

参考例句：

• The tourists are prohibited from getting on the island. 旅游者被禁止登上那个小岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Unlawful search of, or intrusion into, a citizen's home is prohibited. 禁止非法搜查或者非法侵入公民的住宅。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 proposal   

n.提议，建议；求婚

参考例句：

• I feel that we ought to accept his proposal.我觉得我们应该接受他的建议。
• They could not gain over anyone to support their proposal.他们无法争取到支持他们建议的人。

5 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

6 gap   

n.缺口；间隔；差距；不足，缺陷

参考例句：

• We must see that there is no gap in our defence.我们必须确保我们的防御没有漏洞。
• There is a gap of five miles between towns.镇与镇之间相隔五英里。

7 divorce   

n.离婚；分离；vi.离婚；vt.离婚；脱离

参考例句：

• Did he divorce his wife or did she divorce him?是他要和妻子离婚，还是妻子要和他离婚？
• None of us like the divorce of word and deed.我们都不喜欢言行不一。

8 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

9 pastime   

n.消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Playing chess is his favourite pastime.下棋是他最喜爱的消遣。
• Baseball is the national pastime.棒球是全民性的休闲运动。

10 pastimes   

n.消遣，娱乐( pastime的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First, pastimes (or \"amusements\") must be distinguished from true games. 首先，必须将消遣活动与真正的游戏加以区别。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
• She shared their expatriation, their convictions, their pastimes, their ennui. 她与他们有共同的流亡国外的命运，共同的信念，共同的乐趣，共同的苦闷。 来自辞典例句

11 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。

12 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

13 literate   

n.学者；adj.精通文学的，受过教育的

参考例句：

• Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
• A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

15 newly   

adv.新近，最近；重新，再度；以新的方式

参考例句：

• Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗？
• It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树，还没有扎下根来。

16 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

17 electron   

n.电子

参考例句：

• We arrange to get an electron on the stage of our microscope.我们设法将一个电子置于显微镜架上。
• If the energy is sufficient,this electron will be emitted.如果能量是充分的，这个电子将被放射出来。

18 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。