Lesson 9, Ex.2

TELEVISION

The most important thing we've learned, So far as children are concerned, Is never, NEVER, NEVER let Them near your television set - Or better still, just don't install The idiotic thing at all. In almost every house we've been, We've watched them gaping at the screen. They loll and slop and lounge about, And stare until their eyes pop out. (Last week in someone's place we saw A dozen eyeballs on the floor.) They sit and stare and stare and sit Until they're hypnotised by it, Until they're absolutely drunk With all that shocking ghastly junk. Oh yes, we know it keeps them still, They don't climb out the window sill, They never fight or kick or punch, They leave you free to cook the lunch And wash the dishes in the sink - But did you ever stop to think, To wonder just exactly what This does to your beloved tot? IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD! IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD! IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND! IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND! HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE! HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE! HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES! 'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say, 'But if we take the set away, What shall we do to entertain Our darling children? Please explain!' We'll answer this by asking you, 'What used the darling ones to do? 'How used they keep themselves contented Before this monster was invented?' Have you forgotten? Don't you know? We'll say it very loud and slow: THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ, AND READ and READ, and then proceed To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks! One half their lives was reading books! The nursery shelves held books galore! Books cluttered up the nursery floor! And in the bedroom, by the bed, More books were waiting to be read! Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales And treasure isles, and distant shores Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars, And pirates wearing purple pants, And sailing ships and elephants, And cannibals crouching 'round the pot, Stirring away at something hot. (It smells so good, what can it be? Good gracious, it's Penelope.) The younger ones had Beatrix Potter With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter, And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and- Just How The Camel Got His Hump, And How the Monkey Lost His Rump, And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul, There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole- Oh, books, what books they used to know, Those children living long ago! So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall. Then fill the shelves with lots of books, Ignoring all the dirty looks, The screams and yells, the bites and kicks, And children hitting you with sticks- Fear not, because we promise you That, in about a week or two Of having nothing else to do, They'll now begin to feel the need Of having something to read. And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy! You watch the slowly growing joy That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen They'll wonder what they'd ever seen In that ridiculous machine, That nauseating, foul, unclean, Repulsive television screen! And later, each and every kid Will love you more for what you did.

UNIT 10

Lesson 3, Ex.2

1. For me, Fiji is not only beauty, farming, religion and sport. If you counted every single island that belongs to the Fijian archipelago, this number would be in the thousands. However, only about 322 islands are big enough to support people. Of these 322, only 106 are inhabited.

The history of Fiji is as fabulous as the islands themselves. Can you imagine that until the middle of the 19^th century, the practice of cannibalism was a tradition in Fiji. The last act of cannibalism occurred in 1867, when a group of British missionaries – Reverend Baker and his colleagues - came to the village of Nabutautau to convert the locals to Christianity. The missionaries were cooked and eaten by the Fijians. Reverend Baker’s boot, with teeth marks on it, is on display in the Fiji Museum now and the local school and college have been named after Thomas Baker.

By the way, British colonialism shows up in the tastes of the islands. The most popular sports in Fiji are rugby, football, cricket and golf. The Fiji national rugby team is one of the best in the world.

However, you can observe local traditions too. On New Year’s Eve, many Fijian women play a game called ‘‘kick the orange’, in which the winning team presents new clothes to the losing team. Fire-walking is a popular activity in Fiji, but nowadays it’s mostly used to entertain tourists.

What else? Fiji is situated on the International Date Line, which means that it is one of the first places in the world to welcome a new day. There is a particular place on Taveuni Island where a person can stand with one foot in the current day and one foot in the day before – in the present and in the past. For me, as a historian, it’s amazing.

2. If there is a favourite country to stop by on a South Pacific cruise, it’s probably the Fiji islands. These islands have attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors over their history. Fiji’s climate is warm and tropical year-round, even in the islands’ “winter” months. The maximum temperature between the summer and winter months varies very little, with the maximum in the summer being 31°C and in the winter being 29°C. The ocean surrounding Fiji usually has a pleasant temperature ranging around 27°C, so ocean activities, such as swimming and diving can be enjoyed year round. The waters are usually clearer during the drier season, when divers enjoy good visibility around the coral reefs.

Ovalau, for example, has some of the best diving in Fiji. There are many guides and companies you can organize your diving excursion with. Ovalau is the “true paradise” of Fiji. In Ovalau, you can visit a traditional colonial town.

Levuka has a long colonial history, too. Every year, Levuka has an “Old Capital Festival” in which Fijians, immigrants and Europeans participate. After spending time at the festival, you can visit smaller islands. The first suggestion is Leluvia, where you can find the best food in the region. There, you can do some sea kayaking to the nearby smaller islands.

If you are interested in traditional Fijian life, the Lost Island is perfect. The hospitality and the traditional life there are amazing.

Between the months of May and October (“the dry season”), the weather is dry and there is little risk of tropical cyclones. Between November and April (“the wet season”) the weather is humid, and it can rain continuously for several days. It’s best to bring clothing for the tropical weather: bathing suits, shorts, T-shirts, sandals and the like. If you’re travelling during the wet season, raincoats, cottons and linens would also be useful to bring.

3. A year-round warm tropical climate is one of the main aspects of Fiji that attracts visitors from all over. However, the hot weather, humidity and its South Pacific location can also lead to dangerous natural disasters, including cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes and tsunamis.

A cyclone is a tropical type of hurricane and is the main natural disaster in the Pacific region. Fiji’s cyclone season is from November through April. Severe tropical storms bring about massive rainfall and they may cause the sea to rise as much as two meters. The terrible consequences of a cyclone could be destruction of houses and gardens, blackouts, loss of vegetation, flooding, land erosion, destruction of coral reefs and pollution of water. The death toll is usually not very high, but the damage is enormous.

Flooding in Fiji can be the result of cyclones, though it can also occur during the country’s rainy season. Water gets polluted and clean water has to be delivered, as well as other supplies, to the flooded areas. People get killed by drowning or in landslides.

The areas that are driest in Fiji are most prone to droughts. Besides affecting water supplies, droughts can be devastating for agriculture, which is an extremely important economic aspect of Fiji.

Moreover, the Fijian Islands are seismically active, which means that they are prone to earthquakes. In some cases, earthquakes can cause tsunamis as well. A tsunami is a large ocean wave that is caused by a sudden motion of the ocean floor. Besides an earthquake, the sudden motion could also be the result of an underwater landslide or a powerful volcanic eruption. Tsunamis are extremely dangerous and can quickly result in the loss of lives.

What does the future hold for Fiji? Climate change will cause extreme weather events like cyclones, floods and droughts, a rise in the sea level, destruction of coral reefs due to the rise of temperatures. Both locals and tourists will be vulnerable to floods, storms and other extreme weather events, water will be polluted and there will be a risk of epidemics. There will also be greater competition and conflict over water, land and forest.

Fiji islands still look beautiful and for the most part healthy and unspoilt. The world would be different without Fiji. Something must be done to protect them from danger.