Television viewing is Britain’s most popular leisure pastime: 95 per cent of households have a colour television set. The British also call it “watching the box” or “the telly”. The average viewing time per person is over 25 hours a week. Britain is one of the world’s foremost exporters of TV productions, which continue to win large numbers of international awards, especially for documentaries, nature programmes and drama serials.

There are four TV channels in Britain: BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4. BBC1 and BBC2 do not show adverts. ITV and Channel 4 are independent. They get most of their money from advertising. Advertisements are shown every 15-30 minutes.

BBC 1 and ITV tend to broadcast popular programmes. They specialize in general interest programmes, sports programmes, recent films, current affairs, game shows, soaps, children’s programmes. Soaps are broadcast either three or four times a week and each episode lasts about half an hour. The most popular soaps are Coronation Street and East Enders. They depict ordinary lives in relatively ordinary circumstances. So the viewers can see themselves and other people they know in the characters and in the things that happen to these characters.

The two Australian soaps, Neighbours and Home and Away, are shown five days a week and children watch them when they come in from school.

BBC2 and Channel 4 show programmes that usually attract much smaller audiences: TV plays, classical concerts, foreign films, travel and educational programmes. BBC2 is used by the Open University to broadcast educational programmes. These programmes are shown early in the morning or late at night and they allow many thousands of students to study at home.

In general, British people think that the programmes shown on British TV are of a very high standard. However, many people are worried about the amount of violence on TV, and the effect this may have on young people.

Write true, false, doesn’t say.

1. Some people prefer watching adverts.

2. BBC2 and Channel 4 show programmes that usually attract much smaller audiences.

3. British people consider that the programmes shown on British TV are of a very low standard.

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