Media and global

communication
Name _______________________________________________ No. _______ Class _________ Date _________________

I
READING
A. Read the text.

Netflix has revolutionized television

Some people think that Netflix is one of the greatest inventions ever! It’s true, there are definitely
plenty of movies and television series to choose from. Seriously, if you can’t find something to watch
on Netflix, you just don’t like television. You can stream hours and hours of entertainment right in your
own living room, bedroom, and pretty much anywhere else you want to catch a show. If you have a
5 smartphone or tablet on you, you can watch Netflix absolutely anywhere. Netflix has changed the way
we look at entertainment and the time we spend on it.

Netflix is actually the largest Internet traffic contributor, streaming about two billion hours of
material each month! There’s always something to watch! Netflix definitely gets plenty of viewers
watching their more than eight thousand titles. They reported that they had almost seventy-five
10 million worldwide subscribers across one hundred and ninety countries where service is available and
their goal is to have service available in two hundred countries.

While we’re on the subject of how many subscribers are watching Netflix, let’s ask this important
question: do you know what binge-watching is and does it harm you? Although the term has actually
been around since the 1990s, it has only just recently became popular, associated with watching back-
15 to-back programs in a sort of a marathon fashion. According to statistics, about sixty percent of Netflix
users binge-watch shows once every few weeks.

A study has shown that binge-watching can actually make you more prone to depression. The study,
which was made up of a little over three hundred people, revealed that binge-watching tends to make
people feel as though they lack self-control. In addition, it can make you feel more lonely. The study
20 showed that those who are already depressed tend to watch a lot more programs and that those who
begin watching more may develop depression as well. The moral? Keep track of how much you’re
watching and don’t overdo it. Go outside sometimes instead!
https://moneyinc.com (accessed in February 2019)

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 B. Find an equivalent for the following words/expressions in the text.
1. amusement (paragraph 1) _________________________
2. accessible (paragraph 2) ___________________________
3. hurt (paragraph 3) _______________________________
4. without interruption (paragraph 3) ____________________
5. do in excess (paragraph 4) __________________________

C. Find out in the text:

1. the number of monthly hours of Netflix streaming material _____________________

2. how many titles you can find on Netflix __________________________________

3. how many subscribers Netflix has ______________________________________

4. in how many countries Netflix wants to be available __________________________

5. the percentage of Netflix users that binge-watch regularly _____________________

D. Answer the questions about the text.

1. Explain what binge-watching is.

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2. How can binge-watching harm you and why?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
3. What should you do to avoid the harmful effects of binge-watching?

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

II
WRITING

Write an argumentative text (around 150 words) giving your opinion about the advantages and
the disadvantages of streaming services like Netflix when compared to traditional TV services.

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 III
LANGUAGE USE

A. Complete the text with the words in the box.

released catalogue price seasons content streaming

week agreement tablets original

Netflix: A popular service

Netflix is an extremely popular 1._____________ service that lets you watch a vast library of movies
and TV shows for a single monthly 2._____________ on practically any device that has a screen,
including smartphones, 3._____________. Netflix has everything from newer recent movies and
4._____________ of popular shows to a wide selection of old favourites. For instance, the company
has an 5._____________ with Disney to be one of the first outlets on which you can find the latest
Marvel and Disney movies after they’ve been 6._____________ on home video. Apart from this
kind of content, Netflix has its own 7._____________ movies and shows. These include House of
Cards, Orange is the New Black, Master of None and many more.
Netflix is also constantly updating its library, adding and removing 8._____________ at least each
9._____________. On the first day of each month in particular there’s an influx of new titles to the
Netflix 10._____________, as well as a number of departures.

https://www.imore.com (adapted; accessed in February 2019)

B. Complete the sentences with the connectors of purpose so that and in order to.
1. I turned the TV on _____________ I could watch my favourite sitcom.

2. I want to subscribe to Netflix _____________ have more options in movies and series.

3. The media portrait a glamorous reality _____________ make consumers buy their products.

4. I want to watch 13 reasons why _____________ I can discuss my impressions with

everyone else.

5. I’m taking my tablet on holidays _____________ I won’t miss anything on The Big Bang
Theory.

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 C. Report the following sentences beginning them as suggested.
1. “I think that Netflix is a very expensive service,” said Mary.
Mary said _____________________________________________________.
2. “How many TV channels have you subscribed to?” my mother asked.
My mother asked ________________________________________________.
3. “Don’t spend all your free time watching TV!” my father ordered.
My father ordered me _____________________________________________.
4. “Binge-watching has been affecting teenagers seriously,” the psychologist explained.
The psychologist explained __________________________________________.
5. “What did you do to subscribe to so many TV channels?” my friend wanted to know.
My friend wanted to know __________________________________________.

D. Join the sentences using who, which or whose. Use commas where necessary.
1. Netflix Inc. is an American media-services provider. Its headquarters is in California.
__________________________________________________________
2. Most Netflix subscribers are addicted to series. They spend hours binge-watching.
__________________________________________________________
3. Stranger things is my favourite TV series. Stranger things is on Channel 1.
__________________________________________________________
4. The teenager saw all the seasons of Stranger things. The teenager is my neighbour.
__________________________________________________________
5. Netflix is a media provider. It has movies and series for everyone.
__________________________________________________________

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 Answer key

I – READING III – LANGUAGE USE

B. A.
1. entertainment (line 3) 1. streaming
2. available (line 10) 2. price
3. harm (line 13) 3. tablets
4. back-to-back (line 15) 4. seasons
5. overdo (line 22) 5. agreement
6. released
C. 7. original
1. two billion 8. content
2. more than eight thousand 9. week
3. almost seventy-five million 10. catalogue
4. two hundred
5. about sixty per cent B.
1. so that
D. 2. in order to
1. It’s when you watch TV programmes for hours and hours non- 3. in order to
stop. 4. so that
2. It can cause depression because you feel you can’t control it 5. so that
and it makes you feel more lonely.
3. To avoid the effects of binge-watching, you should monitor C.
the time you spend watching TV and go out more often. 1. (…) (that) she thought that Netflix was a very expensive
service.
2. (…) how many TV channels I had subscribed to.
II – WRITING 3. (…) not to spend all my free time watching TV.
Open answer 4. (…) (that) binge-watching had been affecting teenagers
seriously.
5. (…) what I had done to subscribe to so many TV channels.

D.
1. Netflix Inc. is an American media-services provider whose
headquarters is in California.
2. Most Netflix subscribers, who spend hours binge-watching,
are addicted to series.
3. Stranger things, which is my favourite TV series, is on
Channel 1.
4. The teenager who saw all the seasons of Stranger
things is my neighbour.
5. Netflix is a media provider which has movies and series
for everyone.

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