In 1957, as many as 900,000,000 people went to the cinema, whereas¹（然而） the number of TV viewers was 400,000,000. Three years later, 500,000,000 cinema-goers vs 500,000,000 TV viewers the same. In 1963, the cinema fell, compared with TV. In 1974, only 70,000,000 went to the cinema, but as many as 800,000,000 people watched TV. 

 

Although the cinema has its own unreplacable merits², the television can do most of the things the cinema does, and more importantly, people can stay at home with their famfiy, watching what belongs to both TV and the cinema. In rainy days no one wfil think of the cinema except for some special reasons. 

 

People like TV better for another reason. They can choose anything they like, just by switching from one channel to another. But in the cinema, you have no choice, if you don't want to come again for something different.

 

The cinema used to be the most popular recreation in the first half of the 20th century, till 1957, when the television began to show films and plays. If people didn't have to go out to see films or plays, why didn't they stay at home? That's why the cinema declined³ rapidly as TV became more popular. In 1957, as many as 900,000,000 people went to the cinema, while there were only 400,000,000 people who watched TV. Three years later, only 500,000,000 liked the cinema, while 500,000,000 people watched TV. In 1963, about 300,000,000 cinema-goers to 650,000,000 TV viewers. In the next six years the number of cinemagoers dropped further, while the number of TV viewers continued to rise. In 1974, only 70,000,000 went to the cinema. As many as 800,000,000 people switched to TV. 

 

Nothing can hope to enjoy eternal⁴ popularity⁵. Not the cinema. Not TV. Now, in the last years of the 20th century people liked the computer. Nearly everything is available on the Internet, including all for TV. What will happen to the computer, say, in the 2050s, no one knows. Will TV lose out to（被……取代） computer, I wonder?

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