MASS MEDIA
Topical Vocabulary
I.
The mass media is a collective name for newspapers and magazines, radio, television and the Internet. Newspapers and magazines are the oldest of the mass media. These are various kinds of editions:
daily
II.
In an issue of a paper or a magazine one can find various information presented in:
articles
III.
Usually papers are divided into sections. With the help of this division we can easier find the information we need. Another helpful device for finding information is headlines. Some of the popular sections are:
politics
Newspapers and magazines are published in a great number of copies. A good edition is:
accurate
impartial
comprehensive
A good edition:
should help us to keep an eye on the news
should give a wide coverage of current events
should be current
should be informative
should provide information on various subjects
should cater for all opinions/ satisfy any taste
should inform, instruct and entertain the reader
IV.
People who make newspapers are:
freelance (journalists )
V.
Newspapers readers:
buy them from newsagent’s, newspaper stands and street-sellers
subscribe to their favourite editions
go to public libraries and read them
VI.
Probably the most popular of the mass media nowadays is television. Modern television:
broadcasts its programmes all over the country
has various channels to satisfy any taste
shows programmes live and in recording
allows us to watch cable and satellite television with a wider choice of programmes, the news and films in foreign languages
educates and entertains us
VII.
People tend to spend more and more time in front of the box glued to the screen watching their favourite programmes or just switching over from channel to channel (surfing the channels) leisurely with the help of remote control. The choice of programmes modern television provides is really wide:
VIII.
TV viewers see on the screen the familiar faces of:
TV journalists
IX.
Recently the public has grown quite concerned about:
people’s addiction to television
too much influence of TV on young viewers
too much violence and crime on TV
too passive a role of TV viewers in getting information
too many commercials
Give it a name:
a collective name for newspapers and magazines, television and the Internet;
a title printed in large type at the top of a newspaper or magazine story;
a specific printing of a periodical or a book;
a particular copy of a magazine or a newspaper;
an article about the good and bad points of an artistic work;
a longer article about specific subjects;
a piece of writing about character and achievements of someone who has just died;
an article in a newspaper which comments on an item of news and which explains the opinion of the editor or publisher;
a newspaper that is published every day of the week except Sunday;
a small-sized newspaper in which the news stories and articles are short, usually with a lot of photographs;
a newspaper that is printed on one large sheet of paper;
a specific wavelength which is used to receive the television or radio programmes that are broadcast by a particular company;
a system of controlling a television from a distance;
a popular television drama serial about the daily lives and problems of the same group of people;
a person who reads the news on a television or radio broadcast.
Give English equivalents to these:
A. 1) различные издания 2) текущие события 3) зарубежные новости 4) события в стране 5) реклама в газете 6) объявления 7) комиксы 8) карикатуры 9) комментарии к событиям 10) политика и экономика 11) рецензия 12) письма читателей 13) рецепты приготовления пищи 14) точное, информативное, беспристрастное издание 15) широко освещать текущие события 16) удовлетворять вкусам ( мнениям ) всех ( быть на любой вкус) 17) внештатный журналист 18) подписываться на любимые издания 19) предлагать информацию на различные темы 20) следить за событиями 21) обстоятельная статья (очерк) на определенную тему
В. 1) средства массовой информации 2) транслировать передачи по телевидению 3) показывать передачи в прямом эфире 4) показывать передачи в записи 5) кабельное и спутниковое телевидение 6) переключать телевизор с канала на канал 7) широкий выбор передач (программ) 8) музыкальная передача по заявкам зрителей 9) художественный фильм 10) викторина, игра 11) телезритель 12) телекомментатор 13) ведущий новостей 14) быть озабоченным чем-то 15) пристраститься к телевизору 16) насилие и преступления 17) реклама на телевидении
Answer the questions, using the Topical Vocabulary.
A. 1. Where do you usually get your newspapers? 2. Do you subscribe to any papers? 3. What kind of issues are they? 4. What in your opinion are the functions of a newspaper? 5. Why do you read newspapers? 6. Which of them are you specially interested in? 7. In what order do you read various sections of a newspaper? 8. What are the characteristics of a headline? 9. Why do some articles begin on the front page and continue on the next? 10. Do you like doing crossword puzzles? Why? 11. What are the characteristics of a good advertisement? What types of advertisements commonly appear in newspapers? 12. Why do people write letters to the editor?
B. 1. Why do people say that radio and television belong to the mass media? 2. What is the name of the Russian broadcasting corporation? What about the British one? 3. How many TV channels are there in Russia? 4. On what channels do you usually watch TV programmes? 5. Which of the programmes do you think are programmes of general interest and which of them cater for minority interests? 6. What is a typical Saturday evening (Sunday morning) TV programme like? 7. What programme on TV would you try not to miss? Why? 8. What programme would you never watch? Why? 9. What are the main advantages of having television? 10. Are there any disadvantages? Can you name some? 11. Why do some families have two or more TV sets in the house? 12. Can you give examples of good (bad) commercials? What makes them good or bad?
Explain the difference between:
I. 1) a national newspaper – a local newspaper
2) a morning newspaper – an evening newspaper
3) a serious newspaper – a popular newspaper
4) a newspaper – a magazine
5) an announcement – an advertisement
6) a report – a comment
7) a serial – a strip cartoon
II. 1) an advertisement – a commercial
2) a TV journalist – an art critic
3) a TV commentator – a newscaster
4) a quiz show – a talk show
5) a music programme – a music request programme
6) a serial – a soap opera
7) a TV fan – a person addicted to television
