Perhaps the most ironic aspect of the struggle for survival is how easily organisms can be harmed by that which they desire. The trout is caught by the fisherman's lure, the mouse by cheese, and man by the world's most popular leisure pastime, television.

在生存斗争中，最讽刺的一点就是，生物体最想要的东西往往轻而易举地损害他们。鲑鱼因鱼饵上钩，老鼠为奶酪亡命，而人类会被世界上最流行的休闲方式——看电视毁灭了。

Most people admit to having a love-hate relationship with it (the TV). They complain about the "boob tube" and "couch potatoes", then they settle into their sofas and grab the remote control.

许多人承认电视机让他们又爱又恨。他们抱怨完“电视机”和“泡在电视机前的人”，转而就一屁股陷进沙发里，抓起遥控器。(boob tube：<俚>电视机； couch potatoes：<美俚>终日懒散的人，老泡在电视机前的人。)

The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing. According to a research, on average, American adults spend four hours a day in front of the TV--fully half of their leisure time. Over a lifetime, that's more than nine years. Yet, we love to complain that we don't have time for the things we really want to do.

人们用于看电视的时间多得惊人。调查显示，美国成人平均每天看四小时的电视，而这些时间占用了他们业余生活的一半。人们一生用于看电视的时间超过了9年，但是却抱怨没有时间去实现一些梦想。

There are two reasons we end up watching more TV than we know we should. People think they need it and it's easy. We usually don't realize how many hours we're watching television. Since it's a passive activity, with feelings of lowered alertness continuing even after the set is off, watchers typically find their energy and concentration are low. Inertia sets in. Hence, there is no motivation to get up and do something else once you're planted on the couch.

我们看电视的实际时间总是比想象中的多，这里有两点原因。因为人们依赖电视，并且非常享受轻松的看电视过程，所以常常会不自觉地在上面花费过多的时间。看电视是一种消极的活动，所以通常观众都会觉察到他们的精力和注意力有所下降，甚至在关上电视之后，那种注意力下降的感觉依然继续。惰性随之而来。因此，一旦人们打开电视，就牢牢地被钉在沙发上，而懒得起身去做别的事情，

Don't make it easy to be a potato. Instead of being a passive watcher, you should have a plan in place for your time and don't watch beyond what you've planned. When your show is over, turn the TV off.

不要轻易让自己沦为电视的俘虏。我们要做一个积极的电视观看者：定出自己计划要看的电视节目及时间，然后严格遵守。节目一结束，立刻关掉电视。

There are also ways to make TV watching harder. Most people arrange their living room furniture around the TV. But you may try to put the TV away in a cabinet, a back room, or the basement. Then arrange your couches and chairs for conversation and reading. If your TV is too big to move, you can remove the batteries from your remote so that channel surfing must be done manually.

你也可以用一些其他方法为看电视设置障碍。大多数人都会把电视放在起居室的中间，那么你不妨把电视放在小房间、后屋或地下室里。那些沙发和椅子变成聊天和阅读时间的好伙伴。如果电视机太大不好搬，也可以取出遥控器的电池，这样当你来回换频道时就必须手工操作了。

Keep a list of alternate activities taped to the TV as a reminder.The TV-Turnoff website lists screen-free suggestions like starting a garden, looking at the stars, or going to a bookstore as options.

将看电视之外的一些活动列出来，贴在电视机上时时提醒自己。一个名为“关掉电视”的网站列出了一系列远离屏幕的建议，比如种种花草，观观星象，逛逛书店。

The first few days can be rough, but, after that initial period, people find freedom. They get more things done and that makes them happier.

最初几天你可能非常难受，但是一旦过了开始的阶段，你就会感觉自在多了。你会发现许多事情值得忙碌，你会变得更加快乐。

You may see TV watching as a way to decompress13 after your day. Since studies have shown that watching television doesn't lower your stress level, and in fact may increase it, you're better off trying other activities. Could you do something that is more relaxing like yoga14, reading, or listening to music?

你可能认为看电视是劳碌一天后的一种解压方式。但是研究显示：看电视并不会减轻你的紧张程度，相反，它会加剧紧张程度。所以，你最好去试试别的休闲方式。还有什么比练瑜珈，读书或者听音乐更令人身心愉悦的呢？