Channel To The Future

Sandra Sherwood 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
A Surprise for the Connelly Boys
Sixteen-year-old Jordan Connelly lived in London. One Monday afternoon, he rode his bicycle home from school and opened the front door with his key. There was nobody else in the house.
Normally, Jordan watched TV after he came home from school, but today he looked into the living room and saw anempty place with no TV. It wasn’t there because it was broken, so Jordan couldn’t watch any programmes. He went upstairs to his room, turned on the radio and took a comic from a shelf.
Jordan was listening to music and reading comics on his bed when he heard his mother come home with his little brother, Danny. Jordan looked at the clock on his bedroom wall. It was time for dinner, but his dad wasn’thome yet. Dad usually came home from work before Mum, and he and Jordan prepared the meal together. Sometimes Jordan’s dad worked late, and then Jordan and his mum made dinner.
‘Hello, is anybody home?’ Jordan’s mother shouted. Jordan got off his bed and went to the top of the stairs.
‘Yes, I’m here, Mum,’ he said. ‘But Dad’s not home. Is he working late tonight?’
‘No. He went to the shops,’answered Mum. ‘But he’ll be home soon, with a surprise. Come and talk to me while I make dinner.’
While Jordan talked to his mother in the kitchen, Danny sat near the kitchen table. ‘What’s the surprise, Mum?’ he shouted, jumping up and down in his chair. ‘What did Dad buy for us?’
‘I can’t tell you that, Danny,’ said Mum.
Jordan was thinking about the surprise, too. He knew his mum and dad alsoliked watching TV. ‘I know, Mum,’ he said. ‘It’s a new TV set, isn’t it?’
Jordan’s mum smiled. ‘You’ll see when your father comes home, Jordan,’ she said.
Suddenly, the front door opened. Mr Connelly was home.
‘Jordan,’ he called, ‘come to the car and help me, please. I have to bring something into the house.’
Jordan ran to the front door. His father was taking a big, flat box out of the backof the car. ‘What’s that, Dad?’ he asked curiously. Is it a new TV?’
‘Yes, it is,’ answered Mr Connelly.
‘Is it really a TV?’ asked Jordan. ‘It’s too flat.’
Mr Connelly laughed. ‘That’s because it’s an LCD screen,’ he said. ‘You can put it on the wall, like a picture.’
Jordan and his father took the box into the middle of the living room. Danny ran out of the kitchen to see it. ‘Open it,Dad!’ he said, excitedly.
‘Let’s open it after dinner. I’m hungry,’ his dad said.
‘Please, Dad,’ said Jordan and Danny together. ‘We can’t wait until after dinner. Let’s open it now.’
‘All right, boys,’ said Mr Connelly, ‘but just to look.’
Mrs Connelly and the boys watched him take a knife and open the box. It contained a beautiful, big, flat-screen TV, a plastic bag with some metal pieces, aninstruction manual and a remote control. Everybody was very excited.
‘Now let’s eat!’ said Mr Connelly.
After dinner, the family went into the living room. Mr Connelly picked up the plastic bag.
‘Jordan,’ said Mr Connelly, ‘have you studied for your test?’
‘I’ll do it later,’ said Jordan. ‘I want to watch TV now.’
‘You can’t watch TV now, Jordan,’ said Mr Connelly. ‘Can you see all these metalpieces? I have to attach the TV to the wall with them. That’ll take some time. I’ve got an idea. Go and do your homework first. I’ll call you when the TV is connected and you can come and watch it with us.’
Jordan was disappointed, but he went to his room to do his homework. An hour later, Jordan’s father called him. Jordan entered the living room and saw his parents on the sofa with Danny, watchinga big screen on the wall. Jordan was excited.
The new TV looked just like a screen in a cinema. ‘Wow!’ said Jordan. ‘That’s so cool!’
Mr and Mrs Connelly looked at Jordan and smiled. ‘It is very nice, isn’t it?’  said his mother.
Jordan sat down on the sofa, next to his mother. ‘Jordan,’ said his father, ‘let me show you the important functions on the remote control.’
‘OK,’ said Jordan,...