ENGLISH INTERPRETATION ACTIVITY

The future is now: you are going to read about HDTV, tomorrow’s television. Stay tuned!!

            The difference between today’s analog TV and digital HDTV (high-definition TV) will be as dramatic as the difference between a CD and a scratchy vinyl record.

            Today when you tune in to a soccer game of the 8 o’clock news, TV stations send the picture and sound signals to your home as a stream of constantly changing radio waves. The nearly square picture is made up of 480 horizontal lines. The result: Tv images with a slightly blurry quality. That’s analog TV.

            But when you switch to high-definition TV, the station will use electronic 0s and 1s to send signals to your TV set, just like the information a computer can read. The rectangular picture will be divided into as many as 1,080 lines, creating supershap screen images. You’ll be able to see incredible detail: the veins of Schwarzenegger’s muscles of the wrinkles on Lima Duarte’s forehead.

            Computer companies want a role in the future of television. Adding TV to internet services will create a world where people can channel-surf for their favorite shows and surf the Web on one giant computer screen.

            You’re going to Love digital TV. Stay tuned!

(Adapted from “Do you want your HDTV?”, in Time for Kids, April 18, 1997)

What’s it all about? (Answers on the verse)

1. Qual é a principal diferença entre a televisão atual e a de alta definição?

2. A diferença entre TV atual e a TV de alta definição é comparada a que outros dois produtos da tecnologia?

3. O que pretendem os fabricantes de computadores nessa história?

Words in context

Complete as frases com as palavras adequadas.

1. Old people generally have _______ on their faces.

a. wrinkles                    b. channels                  c. TV sets                    d. screens

2. It’s 11:55 p.m. now. It’s ______ midnight.

a. constantly                b. slightly                     c. nearly                       d. after.

3. The part of your face above your eyes and below your hair is your__________.

a. forehead                  b. vein                         c. muscle                     d. stream

4. Brazil is a ________ country, the largest in Latin America.

a. changing                  b. able                         c. square                      d. giant

5. It is the teacher’s ________ to help the students build up their knowledge.

a. quality                      b. web                         c. role                          d. detail.

Noun Phrases

Combine os substantivos do quadro abaixo, para formar locuções nominais que podem ser encontradas no texto. Observe a formação substantivo + substantivo (sem preposição entre eles).

1. Estações de TV______________                   2. Ondas de rádio_______________

3. Jogo de futebol______________                  4. jornal das 8 ________________ 

5. Tela de computador _______________          6. Sinais de som ____________

7. Disco de vinil________________                   8. Serviços de Internet _______________________

Game – waves – Internet – sound – stations – 8 o’clok – soccer – services –

screen – news – computer – Record – signals – radio – TV – vinyl

Respostas:

What’s it all about?

1. A diferença básica entre a TV analógica e a digital são as linhas horizontais que dividem a tela; enquanto, com a TV analógica, são 480 linhas, com a TV digital são 1.080 linhas. As informações estão nas seguintes passagens: “The nearly square picture is made up of 480 horizontal lines. The result: TV images with a slightly blurry quality. That’s analog TV” (…) “The rectangular picture will be divided into as many as 1,080 lines, creating supershap screen images.”

2. A comparação feita é entre “um CD e um disco de vinil arranhado. As informações estão nas seguintes passagens: “…will be as dramatic as the difference between a CD and a scratchy vinyl record.”

3. No ultimo parágrafo, está a resposta. Na verdade, as grandes companhias de computadores querem um papel no universo da televisão, fazendo com as pessoas assistam a seus programas favoritos e, ao mesmo tempo, tenham a Web à sua disposição numa tela gigante de computador: “Computer companies want a role in the future of television. Adding TV to internet services will create a world where people can channel-surf for their favorite shows and surf the Web on one giant computer screen.”

Words in context

1-a (wrinkles); 2-c (nearly); 3-a (forehead); 4-d (giant); 5-a (quality);

Noun phrases

(Invertem-se substantivos e adjetivos. Não há necessidade de colocar aqui)