Watching TV
What types of TV programs do you like to watch? Why do people dislike watching TV? What benefits can people get from watching foreign TV programs? Can you watch TV programs in English in your country?
Vocabulary
  • Science fiction (noun) - books, films, or cartoons about an imagined future, especially about space travel or other planets.
  • Series (noun) - a set of television or radio broadcasts on the same subject or using the same characters but in different situations.
  • Remote control (noun) - a piece of equipment that you hold in your hand and use to control a television, DVD player, etc.
  • Show (noun) - a theatre performance or a television or radio programme that is entertaining rather than serious.
  • Fall out of something (phrasal verb) - to stop doing something
  • To indulge (verb) - to allow yourself or another person to have something enjoyable, especially more than is good for you.
  • The sky is the limit (idiom) - there's no limit.
  • Time sink (noun) - a task that takes a long time or wastes someone's time.
  • On the face of it - used when you are describing how a situation seems on the surface.
  • Exposure (noun) - the fact of experiencing something or being affected by it because of being in a particular situation or place.
  • Mores (plural noun) - the traditional customs and ways of behaving that are typical of a particular (part of) society.
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Questions and answers
M: What types of TV programs do you like to watch?

Well, I'm a big fan of science fiction series. I've been watching them ever since I can remember picking up a TV remote control. I used to like detective shows but I sort of fell out of watching those when I went to university. I really should go back to them, now that I think of it.

M: Do you think you watch too much television?

R: Well, maybe a little bit. However, I work a lot. So why shouldn't I indulge a bit from time to time? I think I'll know when it gets really out of control because I'll stop getting things done.

M: Why do some people watch TV shows online?

R: Well, everyone has the internet these days, don't they? And you can pretty much log on or log in anywhere and watch any number of whatever show you like. The sky is probably literally the limit when it comes to the internet. And even then I think we have it on the International Space Station.

M: Why do people dislike watching TV?

R: I suppose it looks like a bit of a time sink on the face of it. And probably is to a certain extent. I wonder what else they're doing if they never watch TV, though. Surely they have at least once.

M: What benefits can people get from watching foreign TV programs?

R: I suspect the most obvious one for everybody is exposure to another language, especially if they're practicing it. And you can also experience another culture and enjoy its mores. I think that's why... Is it Mexican or Brazilian dramas that are really popular in Russia, for example?

M: Can you watch TV programs in English in your country?
R: You can, because it's an English-speaking country. And I think everyone, anyone can in their countries too, thanks to the internet. It's pretty much open to anyone, isn't it?

M: Rory, thank you so much for your answers!

R: That's okay.
Get exclusive episodes on IELTS Speaking parts 1, 2, and 3
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