Mass Media

 

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Mass media: pros and cons 

 Peoplee can’t imagine our lives without mass media. It is silly to avoid it as  we can use its advantages.Though we should be careful and filter all information we get. I do my best to stay informed about the latest events and I’m fond of searching in the Internet. 

Newspaper is one of the most important mass media of communication in modern world. The press always focuses public attention on all the most important questions of social, economic, scientific and cultural life.

Most newspapers in our country come out daily, besides there are some weekly newspapers too. Many newspapers have traditional columns such as "Letters to the Editor", "Contacts and Information", "Events: Details and Analysis". The edition board of a newspaper usually deals with the topical issues of the day. The readers questions, opinions and suggestions which they send in letters help to improve the newspaper and make it more interesting.

"Republic" is the leading national daily newspaper in Belarus. It keeps people informed on topical issues of the day. Reports by political observes and commentators help us get useful information at home and foreign affairs.

This year our family has subscribed to the daily newspaper "HMH" which is very popular with all the members of our family. We are in the habit of reading it in the evenings. My brother is fond of reading interviews given by famous people. My father consider that the most interesting are publications, dealing with our states peaceful policy, economic development, education and science. I share his point of view and I would like to add that public life rich in interesting and important events, receive an objective information and full well-informed in all Holds of our society, life economic, political, cultural and scientific. This edition is worth reading and helpful to us in understanding our surroundings.

I would like to subscribe to "Minsk News" on English bi-weekly edition, which is educated since 1992. I would like to read articles in English to improve my knowledge of the language. It's my firm belief that if you are a regular reader of the press, you will be well informed in all questions. Thanks to the journalists and correspondents the press keeps it's finger on the pulse of the country and the world.

We talk to various people from different countries about their attitudes about TV

Does TV educate or stimulate? Or it is a drug or tranquilizer used to control the population. There are some views, e.g. "TV has been the greatest instrument of social democracy in Western European socialites", - said Mr. Smith from British film institute. Some people disagree, 90 % of TV programmes in some countries are foreign. And some people think and feel, that TV has disrupted local culture and social ties.

Why do developing countries introduce TV? Perhaps government do it for prestige, to show that they have introduced new technology into their societies. Another possible reason is that political leaders want their people to see them on TV.

TV is a very expensive medium and many countries don’t have the technology and the money to make their own television programmes. The result is that most countries are dependent on TV of Britain and America. It is easier and cheaper to buy foreign products mainly soap operas. So, a lot of people feel that TV is a danger to local cultures in some countries.

How do people usually answer the question: "What are you going to do tonight?" or "What are you going to do at the weekend?". In other words how do people spend their free time. Some 20 or 30 years ago the usual answers used to be "We are going to the theatre" or "We are going to the party" or "We are having some friends round". Now you are very often hear "We are going to stay at home and watch the television".

Modern TV offers viewers several programmes on different channels. In addition to regular newscasts you see plays and films, operas and ballets and watch all kinds of contests, quizzes and sporting events. You can also get a lot of useful information of the educational channels. A good serial can keep the whole family infront of the TV for days, and don’t we spend hours and hours watching our favorite football and hockey term in an important international event.

In the conclusion we may say, TV most definitely plays a very important part in people’s life, but is this a good thing or a bad one? Don’t we go out less often, then we used to? Don’t we read less?

TV has good and bad sides. First of all it keeps people informed, we can learn a lot of information watching TV. We can choose programs that appeal to us more, because TV provides programs for all interests.

Sometimes we can relax, entertain ourselves when we are tired. Advertisement on TV gives us information about different products and it makes easier to choose things to buy. When we watch TV we learn about the world, famous people and global or recent news.

TV has a lot of disadvantages. It takes a lot of time and it makes us lazy. And it’s very harmful for our health, expetially eyes. Some violent programs and films makes people violent. Violence become a vital problem.

There is too much advertisement on TV. Sometimes it can encourage us to buy things we don’t need at all.

Watching TV takes all free time from almost all people. We just watch it, not concentrate, and waste time.

In my opinion we need TV in spite of it’s disadvantages. People need something like information center.

As for me I watch TV about one hour a day. I watch it when I want to learn news or relax and entertain myself. People need TV, but it can’t be the main thing in their life. It’s interesting, but not the main thing in our life.

I don’t really know what we must do to make TV better. I think we can do nothing. We just should not sit hour by hour watching TV. I think we must watch only the most important and interesting things.

 

 

Everywhere, everyday, exiting things are happening. Each day is filled with news. People learn news and views. While reading newspapers and magazines, taking over the telephone or they are kept informed by watching TV or listening to the radio.

TV dominates the life of the family most of the time. The TV set isn't just a piece of further. It's someone who is "one of the family". TV is one of the best inventions the man ever made. We are really beginning to forget what the world was without TV.

Everybody knows what a great force is TV in the world today. Thanks to TV we get a great amount of information. It gives wonderful possibilities for education. It enriches our intellect. We become better informed by watching documentaries, science programs, discussions and political issues of the day. TV gives us opportunities to see the best actors, sport matches, to meet famous people. TV brings the world to our room. We see people in our country and in other lands and learn of their customs, occupations, opinions, problems. We become more cultured people by learning more of the arts.

TV helps us to relax after a hard days work. Besides there is a considerable amount of TV programs (News, current affairs viewpoint, Musical Reviews, Sports Review, Travellers Clubs, Good-nisht Kids, etc) and they gather big audience. They provide useful topics for conversation, wise heated discussions.

Current Affairs deal with political and social problems of modern society. Their aim is to give an analyze of the problems and to show different viewpoints. They are concerned with the counties national events. They show meetings with famous political analysts, discussing the most topical political problems of today.

Musical reviews presents songs, pop groups, folk songs. It's very popular with TV reviews.

But tastes are different. Some people are against TV. They say that TV is doing a lot of harm. It occupies a lot of spare time, our free time is given to TV. For instance, people used to have hobbies, to meet friends, to go to the cinemas or to the theaters and sporting events, to read books or to listen to the music.

Nowadays whole generations are growing addicted to the televisions. Children sit down watching TV hour after hour. They don't do their homework, they don't play in the fresh air, they don't read good books and they ruin their eyesight, besides, it can be very inconvenient to those who don't want to watch TV.

The radio is turned on the most of the time. It doesn't interfere with you activities. You can listen to the radio while doing some work about the house, reading books or driving a car. On the radio we can hear music, plays, news and various commentary and discussions. Such broadcasts are popular with the listeners as they can hear various opinion.

People from different walks of life have become nowadays listeners, readers, viewers. Or in other words, reading newspapers and magazines, watching TV, listening to the news on the radio are our main means of getting information in all its variety.

Newspapers with their enormous circulation report different kinds of news. They carry articles which cover the latest international and national events. Now people buy newspapers also for the radio and TV programmes which they publish. There are special newspapers which gave a full coverage of commercial, financial and publish affairs.

There are newspapers and magazines for young people. They give a wide coverage of news, events and reports on education, sports, cultural life, entertainment, fashion. There are a lot of advertising programmes now, sensation material, too. They represent the views of today’s youth.

Radio broadcasts are valued mainly for their music programmes (Europa plus).

TV, radio, press reflect the present day life. Their information may vary from social and economic crises, conflicts, wars, disasters, earthquakes, to diplomatic visits, negotiations, from terrorism, corruption, to pollution problems, strikes, social movements. Much information is published concerning official governmental decisions.

TV is the most popular kind of mass media now. Viewers are fond of watching variety show, films, sports, plays, games, educational and cultural programmes. We have many different channels, including commercial channels. There are many interesting and exciting programmes, but at the same time too often very primitive films are televised. I mean horror films, thrillers, detective films with all their cool-blooded atmosphere of violence and endless crimes and murders.

Our family is also a mass media consumer. I have a TV set in my room. The culture programmes like "Kultura" are my mother’s favourite, my farther is a hockey fan, he likes to see sport programmes. I’m not keen on special programmes. I like to see a bit here and a bit there. Also, I can say I like programmes about travelling and traditions of another countries. Those programmes are educating and relaxing at the same time.

The British people buy more newspapers per heard than people in most other countries. Newspapers in the UK are of two main types: quality papers or broadsheets and tabloids that are half the size of broadsheets. But the size is not the only thing that makes them different. The quality papers produce serious quality journalism, while the tabloids called "popular papers" have more sensational reporting style. Quality papers are "The Independent", "Financial Times", "Guardian", "Daily Telegraph". Tabloids are "The Sun", "Daily Mail", "Today" "Daily Sport", "Daily Mirror", "Daily Express".

Quality papers contain political, industrial and cultural news, develop pages to finance matters and business, have more writing then pictures, report in detail on serious news, and are interested in foreign news.

Tabloids contains sensational news about sport, the private lives of famous people, give information about concerts, cinema and theatre performances, report the latest scandals and gossip in the private life of the famous people.

In some countries newspapers are owned by government or by political parties. In Britain they are mostly owned by individuals or by publishing companies.

In the USA daily newspapers are published in 34 different languages. The "Wall St. Journal" is a quality paper. "The New York Times", "The Washington Post", and "The Los Angeles Times" are ranked as the world's top daily.

Britain is a nation of newspaper readers.

In fact they buy 15 million newspapers every day and about 42 million people read them. On the one hand, there are the "quality" newspapers: The Times, The Independent, The guardian, the Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph. On the other hand, there are the "populars" and "tabloids", so-called because of their smaller size – the most widely read of which are The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, the Daily Mirror, The Sun and The Daily Star.

Quality newspapers are more expensive, they concentrate on serious news, although they also have features, sports news and a guide to radio and TV programmes. Popular newspapers concentrate on more emotive reporting of stories often featuring sex, violence, The Royal family film and pop stars, and sport. It’s often said that the popular press aims to entertain its readers rather than inform them. The tabloids press is much more popular than the quality press.

In some countries, newspapers are owned by government or by political parties. This is not the case in Britain. Newspapers here are mostly owned by individuals or by published companies, and the editors of the papers are usually allowed considerate freedom of expression. This is not to say that newspapers are without political bias. Papers like The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Express and The Sun, for example, usually reflect conservative opinions in their comment and reporting, while the Daily Mirror and The Guardian have a more left-wing bias.

In addition to the 12 national daily newspapers there are nine national papers which are published on Sundays. Most of the "Sundays" contain more reading matter than daily papers, and several of them also include "color supplements" – separate color magazines which contain photographically-illustrated feature articles. Reading a Sunday paper, like having a big Sunday lunch, is an important tradition in many British households. Besides, nearly every area in Britain has one or more local newspapers.

The British Media consists of the press and radio and TV broadcasting.

Now a couple of words about papers. First of all there is no subscription. You may buy any on sale. There are two main types of newspapers: thepopularpapers and thequalitypapers.

The popular papers are less in size, with many pictures, big headlines and short articles. They are easy to read. They are such papers asDaily Express, Daily mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, The Sunand others.

Thequalitypapers are for more serious readership. These papers are bigger in size, with larger articles and more detailed information. Thequalitypapers are -The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Financial Times, The Independent.

In addition to daily papers we have just mentioned above there are Sunday papers. They have a higher circulation than the dailies. Sunday papers in Great Britain are suchqualitypapers asObserver, Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraphand suchpopularpapers as:News of the World, Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror, Mail on Sunday.

As far as broadcasting and telecasting are concerned there are two radio and TV stations. The first one - well-known BBC - British Broadcasting Corporation, and the second - IBA - Independent Broadcasting Authorities.

The newspapers in Britain are proud of the fact that they are different from each other - each tries to have a definite profile.

Television is the most popular leisure pastime in Belarus

TV services provide programmes of general interest such as light entertainment, sport, current affairs, serious drama, music. There are programmes on arts, children's and family programmes, interview with outstanding personalities, news reports covering international, national and local events. Much attention is paid to foreign films, American in particular, foreign TV programmes and soap operas.

Television is one of the most popular mass media in Britain too. Some 96 per cent of population have television in their homes. It is estimated that about 10 per cent of household have two or more sets. Average viewing time per person is over 17 hours a week. Four television channels are in operation: BBC-1, BBC-2, ITV, Channel-4.

The BBC has been providing regular television broadcasts since 1936. BBC television productions come from main studios at the Television Centre in west London and other studios in various parts of London. The first regular independent television broadcast began in London in 1955. Independent television programmes are produced at 18 studio centres throughout the country.

TV in my life

TV is very important thing in our life. We can say that TV is our eyes because TV helps us to know more about the world, about the others counties, about the events that happened in the world. TV even helps you to know more about yourself.

I like to watch TV very much. I can do that all day, that’s why sometimes my mother makes me turn off TV. I have about 12 Russian TV channels, they are: NTV, MTV, ORT, RTR, and others. I also have few KOSMOS TV’s channels, for example: Cartoon network, Discovery channel, TVE, and BBC. I like some of them and hate others. So here are some words about the channels that I like. My favorite channel is MTV. MTV is a music channel. 24 hours a day of music, can you believe it? I like to listen music very much that is why I enjoy watching MTV.

I also like NTV. This channel has very interesting films, for example "ER" - my favorite film and a lot of sport programs. I like sport, especially football. NTV usually shows us two-football match a week (one Champion’s League match and one Russian national championship’s match). I also like several foreigner channels, especially Eurosport. And you know why! Cartoon network is not bad, but I think that it’s better for children - not for me. That’s all about me.

I also want to tell you about my parent’s favorite channels. My father likes different channels with action films. His favorite actor is Sylvester Stalonne. My mother likes talk shows and information programs. She also likes BBC channels, which is one of the best information’s channels in the whole world. The Bush house is a headquarters of the BBC World Service. From this building the BBC broadcasts radio programmes to the whole world.

The World Service used to be called "The Empire Service". It started in 1932, broadcast only in English. At the first the announcers used formal English and used to speak very slowly and clearly. In the 1930s the BBC started broadcasting to the Middle East. And in the 1938 it started broadcasting in Arabic. Very soon the BBC was broadcasting to all countries occupied by the Nazis. The BBC got a reputation for honesty and accuracy. After the Second World War the BBC continued its foreign languages broadcasts, and to this day broadcasts the news in thirty-nine languages.

In the Newsroom a hundred and twenty journalists work day and night, writing two hundred news bulletins every 24 hours. All news in the BBC are checked at least twice before it is broadcasting. That’s why the World Service is not always popular with governments. The BBC is the world’s largest international broadcaster. Every week, one hundred and thirty million people listen to BBC World Service radio.

In 1992 the World Service started broadcasting TV programs and today people in countries all over the world can see as well as hear the news from the BBC.

Somebody thinks that TV is bad, but I don’t think so. I believe that in the future TV will be better and everyone will like it.

Read the text and do the exercises:

Mass media

The most popular sources of entertainment and information are the press, radio and TV. The press plays an important part in the life of society. Millions of Americans in their free time read newspapers. In the USA daily newspapers are published in 34 different languages. The daily newspapers are of two kinds: quality and popular. A quality paper is a serious newspaper which publishes articles and commentaries about politics. A popular paper contains many photographs; its articles are often sensational and mostly deal with private life of famous people.

The radio does not interfere in your activity. You can listen to the radio while doing some work about the house, reading a book or driving a car. On the radio you can hear music, plays, news and different discussions. A peculiar feature of the American radio is soap opera. It is a sentimental dramatic serial that describes domestic problems. Soap opera is usually broadcast every day. There are a lot of games on the radio. Radio has also cultural and educational programs. Many programs consist of classical music.

Television is a "chewing gum for ears and eyes". There are many serials on TV in the USA. They appeared in the 1950s. TV games attract a large audience. During TV quiz programs viewers answer different questions. There are many educational programs on television. Educational TV films and programs are shown in schools and colleges as a part of the curriculum.

Words and expressions:

mass media- средства массовой информации

quality -качественный

popular -популярный

to do some work -выполнять работу

feature -черта

to appear -появляться

quiz -викторина

viewer- зритель

Do the tasks:

Task 1

Read and translate the text.

Task 2

Write down the sentences with the words and translate them:

popular sources , important, daily, contains , interfere, peculiar, soap, cultural, serials.

Task 3

Complete the sentences:

1. The most popular sources of entertainment and information are... .
2. A quality paper is a serious newspaper which publishes ....
3. You can listen to the radio while doing... .

4. On the radio you can hear ....
5. A peculiar feature of the American radio is ... .
6. Radio has also ....
7. There are many serials on ... .
8. Educational TV films and programs are shown in ... .
9. TV games... a large ... .
10. Many programs ... of... music.

Task 4

Say if the sentences are true or false:

1. The press doesn't play an important part in the life of society.
2. Millions of Americans in their free time read newspapers.
3. In the USA daily newspapers are published in 14 different languages.
4. A popular paper contains many songs.

5. The radio interferes in your activity.
6. You can listen to the radio while doing some work about the house.
7. On the radio you can hear music, plays, the news and fairy- tales.
8. A peculiar feature of the American radio is a fable.
9. There are a lot of games on the radio.
10. Many programs consist of pop music.

Task 5

Find the mistakes:

1. The books play an important part in the life of society.
2. Millions of Englishmen in their free time read books.
3. The press does not interfere in your activity
4. Soap opera is usually broadcast every week.
5. There are a lot of stories on the radio.
6. Radio has also cultural and sports programs.

Task 6

Make the sentences:

1. often, are, popular, a, many, paper, life, people, articles, contains, of, famous ,with, its, private, deal, photographs, sensational, and, mostly;
2. a, is , problems, that, it, sentimental, serial, domestic, dramatic, describes;
3. music, many, classic, programs, of, consist.

 Read the text about Radio:

RADIO

 

Radio and television provide powerful means of capturing public attention. In Great Britain, radio broadcasting is a government monopoly, as was television until 1955. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a public organization, still provides all radio programmes.

The BBC has four national radio channels for listeners in the United Kingdom. Radio channel 1 provides mainly a programme of rock and pop music. Radio 2 broadcasts light music and entertainment, comedy as well as sport. Radio 3 provides mainly classical music as well as drama, poetry and short stories, documentaries, talks on ancient and modern plays and some education programmes. Radio 4 broadcasts news, as well as drama, comedy and documentaries. It also carries parliamentary and major public events. 

The BBC has over 30 local radio stations and about 50 commercial independent stations distributed throughout Britain. 

To provide high-quality and wide-ranging programmes that inform, educate and entertain, the government encourages the growth of additional commercial radio services.

Besides these domestic programmes, the BBC broadcasts in English and in over 40 other languages to every part of the world. It is the World Service of the BBC. Its broadcasts are intended to provide a link of culture, information and entertainment between the peoples of the United Kingdom and those in other parts of the world. 

The main part of the World Service programme is formed by news bulletins, current affairs, political commentaries, as well as sports, music, drama, etc. In general, the BBC World Service reflects British opinion and the British way of life. 

 

Vocabulary

 

to capture – удерживать  attention – внимание  government – правительство   listener – слушатель  entertainment – развлечение  ancient – древний, зд. классический

parliamentary events – парламентские события  high-quality – высококачественный  wide-ranging – разнообразный  to encourage – поощрять  to intend – намереваться  current affairs – текущие события  opinion – мнение

 EXERCISES

I. Find  English equivalents:

Сильное средство, удержание внимания, правительственная монополия, общественная организация, передаёт лёгкую музыку, а так же, классические пьесы, освещает главные общественные события, по всей Британии, качественные программы, поощряет рост, вещает на 40 языках, культурные связи, отражает британский образ жизни. 

II. Make up word combinations: 

1. powerful  2. government  3. radio   4. light  5. modern  6. education  7. local  8. every part  9. link  10. current  11. political

a. commentaries b. of the world c. entertainment d. monopoly e. plays f. channels g. programmes h. of culture i. stations j. affairs k. means

III. Complete the sentences: 

1. In Great Britain radio broadcasting is a … monopoly.  2. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) provides all radio … . 3. The BBC has four national radio … for listeners in the UK.  4. The BBC has over 30 local radio … .  5. The government … the growth of commercial radio services. 6. The BBC broadcasts in over 40 other … to every part of the world.  7. The BBC World Service … British opinion and the British way of life.

channels  stations reflects encourages government languages programmes

IV. Answer the questions:

1. Is radio broadcasting in Great Britain a government monopoly or a commercial organization?

2. How many national radio channels does the BBC have? What are they? 

3. What national radio channel broadcasts news?

4. How many local radio stations does the BBC have in Britain? 

5. Does the government encourage the growth of commercial radio services?

6. How many languages does the BBC broadcast in? 

7. What is the main purpose (цель) work of the BBC World Service?  

V. Translate the sentences:

1. В Великобритании радиовещание является монополией государства.

2. Телевидение также являлось монополией государства до 1955 года. 

3. Существует четыре национальных радиостанции для слушателей Британии.

4. Четвёртый канал освещает важные парламентские и общественные события. 

5. Второй канал передаёт развлекательные программы и спортивные новости. 

6. Вы можете послушать образовательные программы на третьем канале.

7. Я обычно слушаю новости по радио.

8. Какую радиостанцию вы любите слушать?

 

Read the text and the exercises:

THE EARLY DAYS OF TELEVISION

 

The idea of a machine able to broadcast both sound and vision goes back to 1875. But it wasn't until 1926 that a Scottish engineer, John Baird by name, turned the idea into a practical reality. Now, his invention has become the most popular modern media.

John Baird produced the first television pictures just eight years after the First World War. They were in black and white and were not very clear, but he had proved that the principle worked. 

Soon his original system was improved and in 1936 Britain's first regular TV "Here's Looking at You" programme went on the air and was broadcast by the BBC twice a day. But Great Britain wasn't the only country producing programmes. Other European nations were also involved in the early days of television.

The BBC started broadcasting television news in the 1930s. All the newsreaders were men. The picture quality was so poor that the newsreader's face disappeared if he wore a white shirt. So, all the newsreaders had to wear pink shirts to read the news.

The real television began after the Second World War. In 1952, British TV covered its first international event – the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was the first time that a worldwide audience of millions of people had seen history take place in their own homes.

By the end of the decade, TV culture was rapidly becoming a fact of life all over the world.

 

 Vocabulary

 

sound – звук  vision – изображение  invention – изобретение  clear – чёткий, ясный  to prove – доказать  to improve – усовершенствовать

twice – дважды  to be involved – участвовать  newsreader – диктор  to disappear – исчезать  to cover – зд. освещать  worldwide audience – мировая аудитория

 EXERCISES

I. Find English equivalents:

Передавать как звук, так и изображение; по имени; превратил в реальность; черно-белый; вышла в эфир; дважды в день; истоки телевидения; начала передавать новости; лицо диктора; приходилось носить; международное событие.   

II. Make up word combinations: 

1.     to be able 2.     to produce  3.     in black and white 4.     to improve 5.     twice 6.     nations 7.     to be involved  8.     early days  9.     poor 10.       to cover 11.       to take place

a. to make b. to make better c. two times  d. not coloured  f. people g. to take part h. beginning   i. can j. to carry k. to happen l. bad

 III. Complete the sentences: 

1. John Baird … television in 1926.  2. The first television … were in black and white.  3. In 1936 Britain's first regular TV … went on the air.  4. In the 1930s, the BBC started broadcasting television … . 5. In the early days of television all the … were men.  6. In 1952, British TV … its first international event.

pictures programme news newsreaders  covered invented

IV. Answer the questions:

1. When did the idea of television appear for the first time? 

2. Who invented television?

3. How did the first television pictures look like? 

4. When did Britain's first regular TV programme go the air? 

5. Were other European nations involved in producing TV programmes? 

6. When did the BBC start broadcasting television news?

7. Why did all the newsreaders have to wear pink shirts to read the news?

8. What was the first international event that British TV covered? 

V. Translate the sentences:

1. Вы знаете, кто изобрёл телевидение? 

2. Эта идея была воплощена в жизнь.

3. Его изобретение стало очень популярным сейчас. 

4. Вначале телевизионное изображение было чёрно-белым и не очень чётким.

5. Первая регулярная телепрограмма выходила в эфир два раза в день. 

6. Другие европейские страны также выпускали свои телепередачи. 

7. На заре телевидения дикторам приходилось носить розовые рубашки. А ты знаешь почему?

8. Британское телевидение транслировало коронацию Елизаветы II на весь мир. Это было в 1952 году.