For decades, families settled on the sofa to share the latest news and TV series, until additional bedroom TV, computer games and the Internet almost put an end to family rows over who held the remote control. Now, however, the traditional living room scene is making a comeback. A study by the communications watchdog Ofcom has found families are once again gathering around the main television set, but they are bringing their pads and smartphones with them.
“The 1950s living room is making a comeback as a family entertainment centre,” said Jane Rumble, head of media research at Ofcom. “We are watching on much better, bigger, and more delicate television sets, but we are coming into the living room holding our connected devices.” While the family are coming together once more, comparisons with the past end there. With a range of smaller screens on hand, not everyone sitting on the sofa shares the same viewing experience.
The coronation (加冕礼) may have drawn the undivided attention of 20 million viewers in 1953, but those watching the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations 50 years later were as likely to be commenting online about BBC’s broadcast as watching it. “Just a few years ago, we would be talking about last night’s TV at work or at school,” said a viewer, “Now, we’re having those conversations live while watching TV, using social media, text and instant messaging.”
It is a behaviour of media meshing（联网）, whose influence was underlined during this year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final. As Andy Murray pushed towards his victory, 1.1 million people worldwide sent an average of over two microblogs about the match.
People use the Internet to enhance their television experience, for example, by reading a newspaper live blog about a football match while watching the action on the main screen. For a huge number of younger viewers, the portable screen offers a chance to do something unrelated, such as online shopping, listening to music or watching another television programme.
Some 70% of 16-to-24-year-olds claim to be absorbed in what Ofcom calls “media stacking” at least once a week. For TV viewers, the Internet scanning is the most popular activity, but they are also calling friends on the phone or sending emails and texts. Surprisingly, 12% claim to have listened to the radio with the television on, and 6% say they have watched another video in the meanwhile.
小题1:According to the study by Ofcom, family members nowadays _______.
A．care more about who holds the remote control
B．share the same programmes in the living room
C．watch better and more delicate television programmes
D．enjoy TV together with various smaller screens on hand小题2: This year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final is mentioned to indicate _______.
A．so many people worldwide are watching TV
B．people like watching live matches on TV
C．the great influence of media meshing
D．the average amount of microblogs小题3:Which shows the phenomenon of “media stacking” in the last paragraph?
A．People are watching TV while shopping online.
B．People are watching a broadcast of a coronation.
C．The Internet makes people spend less time on TV.
D．The Internet enriches people’s television experience.小题4:The passage is written to _______.
A．describe the changes connected devices bring to TV watching
B．report the comeback of the traditional living room scene
C．show the influence of connected devices on people
D．present the different roles TV plays in people’s life
