Although television, the most popular part of the mass media, plays a big role in every civilized society, there have been numerous debates concerning its advantages and disadvantages. one of the advantages of watching television is the possibility to be well informed. tv programmes are various and people have a chance to select what they want to see from documentaries, current events and sports programmes to films, science fiction cartoons, dramas and entertainment programmes. tv brought ballet, opera, and theatre to big masses of people. television provides great opportunities for education. with the help of tv it is possible to learn foreign languages, to know a lot of wonderful things concerning the world flora and fauna. at the same time there are a lot of arguments against tv. the grip it has on many people is great and they do not know how to spend their free time without television. they can watch television programmes from about six in the morning to the early hours of the next day watching everything. among the biggest tv-viewers are not only adults but children as well. it is damaging for their health and abilities. tv cuts people from the real world. people become lazy, instead of doing sports they watch tv. television takes free time of the people. instead of reading books people watch various tv programmes. the best thing is to watch only selective tv programmes and not to be governed by them. only few people today can live without television. despite of increasing influence of the internet, video films and other high-technology sources of information television continues to play an important part in the human life. if people do not like tv they do not buy it or switch it of. переведите : з