娱乐传媒篇

娱乐传媒篇

Down with Computer Games!

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Today it is my great honor to be here and make a speech about my view on computer games.

I would like to begin with a story. It is about my elder cousin. He is 24 now. What a great and beautiful age, full of hope, dreams, and success. But all these beautiful things are so far away from him, a murderer who has been kept in prison for two years. He used to be a top student in senior high school. But since he fell in love with computer games, he spent all of his time sitting in front of the screen, crazily playing those games day and night. As a result, his school records turned out to be a mess. What’s more, one day he had a quarrel with his partner. My cousin grabbed an ashtray and hit heavily on this partner’s head. That was the tragedy, for both of them.

So my view is strong, definite, and clear. Down with computer games!

Nowadays children are spending far too much time on computer games. They don’t realize that computer games are in fact nothing but a great waste of time, money, and energy. They don’t realize how harmful the computer games are to their own physical and mental growth.

First of all, many children are so much preoccupied^[40] with computer games that they even forget food and sleep. It is extremely bad for their physical health. For example, children desert the football ground as they all sit at home around the computers playing the games, which are noisy and will damage their eyes and ears. As a result, children cannot be physically fit and strong

Secondly, computer games distract children’s attention from their studies. They finish their homework in a hurry, or even copy their classmates’ in order to squeeze time to play games.

Thirdly, some computer games are filled with violence and sex. Children are too young to tell right from wrong. They may blindly imitate the bad behavior. Computer games are really extremely harmful to their mental growth.

Therefore, down with computer games! They are just fantasy. Young people should be encouraged to do more meaningful and valuable things like reading, studying, and going to concerts and museums. They should be encouraged to set a real goal in life and pursue their great ideals.

Thank you!

[点评] 该演讲稿以故事开篇引出本文的中心——电脑游戏所带的危害，继而作者进一步具体阐述电脑游戏带来的这些危害。全文层次清楚，语言生动活泼，布局有致，结构严谨，极具说服力。

How Influential Are the Media on Teens

Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning!

It has been a hot topic discussed heatedly for the time being that how indeed the media influence our teens. Different people come up with different opinions. The following passages are two different comments given by several teenagers ranging from 15 to 20.

One, teens are the most influenced and the easiest to be influenced by the media. The media influence the way they dress, talk and conduct themselves. From the latest trends to the coolest celebrities, they imitate what they see, whether it’s Katie Holmes’ new haircut or the pink shirt that Christina Aguilera wore. So it follows that more serious actions like carrying arms or doing drugs could be copied as well.

For example, a 13-year-old boy recently landed in the hospital with terrible burns after copying a stunt from MTV’s show. In its 30 minutes of ridiculous violence, the show makes self-bodily harm humorous which becomes dangerous for teens who can’t separate fact from fiction. So stars are considered to inherit^[41] the job of role model and should choose their actions wisely.

Young people are impressionable^[42]. Therefore, some request that the media should take responsibility by changing some of the content of their shows, especially those for teens. They are huge consumers of media, so networks should show them respect by promoting positive images. They think some shows confuse the lines between entertainment and life. The producers know their audiences are young, so they should realize that teens watching “reality” shows might not be able to tell the difference between fantasy and fiction.

Opposing voices have also come from others. They think that they use the media, magazines, television and movies to connect to one another and to the world, so naturally, they’re influenced by the images the media present. For example, a boy would be lying if he said he didn’t want to be like Brad Pitf. Pitts’ flawless style, good looks and moneymaking talent seem to define what’s “cool”.

Nevertheless, those teens hold that the media only provide information, what they as viewers do with that knowledge is up to themselves.

They have to learn to make their own choices and accept responsibility for their actions. To blame entertainment figures for certain crimes committed by teens is funny.

Boys don’t set themselves on fire or body hurt each other just because those stars did it on TV. It’s not the fault of TV. Media are an expression of our culture not the cause.

It’s time we stop making the media a scapegoat for our nation’s problems. It’s not the media’s job to make sure kids understand what they’re watching; that responsibility belongs to parents.

Parents and schools should dedicate more time to establishing clear rules of discipline. The influence of parents and teachers—the teens’ true role model—carries more weight with teenagers than what they hear on the radio or see at the movies.

It seems that disputes will continue. Concerned with this situation, people are finding their way out to help teens. Each year, teens spend 1,200 hours on average in class and 1,500 hours in front of the TV, which is why the center for media education works with academic researchers and politicians to promote positive media; its efforts have helped establish the standard that requires stations to provide at least three hours of educational programming per week.

“Media are a wonderful resource,” says President Kathryn Montgomery,” But the debate has focused too much on the harm and not enough on the potential to enhance kids’ lives. One of our goals is to ensure that potential is fulfilled.”

Research from more than 1,000 studies shows that those who watch a high number of violent programs are more likely to imitate what they see and use aggression to resolve conflicts. But Montgomery sees a bright future if teens are encouraged to be a part of the creative process. “With the internet, there’s an opportunity for kids to help create quality programs to have a voice and be more involved.” And if teens play an active role shaping the media, hopefully they’ll finally have influence.

[点评] 该演讲稿主要阐述一些媒体对青少年带来不利的影响。该文条理清楚，围绕着媒体带来的问题，从迫切性、重要性等方面做出清楚地分析，作者不仅运用了大量的数据及名人名句，并且还运用了比较的论述方法。

Television Is Doing Irreparable Harm

Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning!

“Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?” How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn’t been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, and we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the ‘goggle box’. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that program. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do anything, providing it doesn’t interfere with the program. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a program, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the TV. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The TV is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence—so long as they are quiet.

There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programs are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programs, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in pre-literate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization.

Thank you!

[点评] 该演讲稿开门见山，用一个反问句强调论点——不良电视节目对青少年的危害。作者用辩证的观点进一步具体论述造成危害的原因，一下子把问题提到理论的高度。最后作者总结全文，照应题目，使文章成为一个有机的整体。文章内容充实，观点鲜明，语言生动，增强了文章的感染力，也在一定程度上深化了主题。