One hot night last July, when our new baby wouldn't or couldn't sleep, I tried everything I could think
of: a warm bottle, songs, gentle rocking. Nothing would settle him. Guessing that I had a long night ahead
of me, I brought a portable TV into his room, thinking that watching the late movie was as good a way as
any to kill off the hours until dawn. To my surprise, as soon as the TV lit up, the baby quieted right down,
his little eyes focused brightly on the tube. Not to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then tip-toed out of
the room, leaving him to watch the actors celebrate John Bellushi's forty-fifth birthday.
My wife and I heard no more of the baby that night, and the next morning when I went into his room,
I found him still watching TV himself.
I found in my baby's behaviour a metaphor（隐喻，暗喻）for the new generation. My wife and I
had given him some books to examine, but he merely spit（吐液）upon them. When we read to him,
he did not feel comfortable. And so it is in the schools. We find that our students don't read, that they
look down upon reading and scold those of us who teach it. All they want to do is watch TV. After this
experience with the baby, however, I have reached a conclusion: "Let them watch it!" If television is that
much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight it? Let them watch it all they want!
1. From the passage we know that the author is a(n) _____.
A. doctor
B. editor
C. writer
D. teacher
2. Why did the writer bring the portable TV into his baby’s room.
A. To amuse his baby
B. To entertain himself
C. To enjoy a celebration
D. To help fall asleep
3. What is the writer's purpose of writing this passage?
A. To show that babies now are hard to please.
B. To show a new function of TV
C. To advise people to let children watch TV.
D. To show the bad influence of TV on children.
4. What do you think the author wants to express through the last two sentences?
A. People have no way to prevent children from watching too much TV.
B. It is not necessary for people to force children to read.
C. People have to take action to protect children from the bad influence of TV.
D. People should try to develop children's interest in reading from an early age.
