Dear participants of LINGVISTOV weekly English club, we remind you that our next session is scheduled for April, 13, 2pm MSK. Don’t forget to look through the questions given below. You can also find some interesting facts, information, useful links as well as vocabulary that you will be able to put into practice during our discussion. See you on Saturday!
Questions:
- How often do you read the paper or watch the news on TV? How important is it for you to keep up with current events?
- In your opinion, what has been the single biggest news item from this past year? How did the media cover this event?
- Do you think that news reporting has gotten better, gotten worse, or stayed the same over your lifetime?
- Do you think a politician’s private life is newsworthy? Why or why not?
- Are there certain things journalists shouldn’t report on? Why?
- How do you feel about censorship? Are there times when the news should be censored?
- What do you think about “Big Brother”? Do you think that the media is just another tool to control people?
- Who owns the newspapers and TV stations in your country? Do you think this has an effect on the news that you hear?
- Do you think that the media covers too much bad news and not enough good news? What was the last «good news» story you heard?
- How has technology affected the way that we receive news?
- Have you (or anyone you know) ever been in the newspaper/on TV? If so, what for?
- Do you think that most newspapers print what’s really important, or what will make them sell more newspapers? What about TV news?
- Why are people so interested in the private lives of celebrities?
- Why do you think reality shows are so popular? What do you think about the film “The Truman Show”?
- Do you think that the media is objective? Why or why not?
- What’s happening in the news right now, both in your country and abroad? Where did you hear about it?
English exercises:
Media and Communication Listening exercises:
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=7091
Mass Media Vocabulary exercise:
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-19490.php
COMPREHENSION EXERCISE: “How the Media influence children”:
http://advancedenglish2.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/comprehension-exercise-how-the-media-influence-children/
Your sources of news! Newspapers online in English:
The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian
The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/
BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk/
The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/
Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
And you can watch “The Daily Show with Jon Steward” on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL084A0469320C57B1
Films on the subject of the Media:
“The Truman Show” (1998) — an insurance salesman/adjuster discovers his entire life is actually a TV show.
Watch “The Truman Show” in English online: http://divxhosted.com/video/i7p0u388q19e
“Bruce Almighty” (2003) — a guy who complains about God too often is given almighty powers to teach him how difficult it is to run the world.
Watch “Bruce Almighty” in English online: http://megashare.info/watch-bruce-almighty-online-TlRrd09RPT0
“Social Network” (2010) — Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking website that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
Watch “Social Network” in English online: http://megashare.info/watch-the-social-network-online-TWpFNU9RPT0
Vocabulary:
mass media, mass communications — средства массовой информации
to be selective — быть разборчивым
periodical — периодическое издание
daily — ежедневный
weekly — еженедельный, еженедельник
monthly — ежемесячный, ежемесячник
quarterly — ежеквартальный
readable — интересный
readership — читатели
circulation — тираж
to contain — содержать
to give coverage — освещать
local affairs — местные события
home (national, domestic, internal) affairs (events) — внутренние события, события в стране
foreign (international, world, external) affairs (events) — зарубежные события, события за рубежом
to deal with — рассматривать
a burning problem — актуальная проблема
forecast — прогноз
to touch upon — затрагивать
to present — подавать
approach — подход
to subscribe to — подписываться
to broadcast — передавать по радио
to telecast — передавать по телевидению
amusing — забавный
entertaining — развлекательный, интересный
to enjoy doing smth — нравиться что-либо делать
anchorman — ведущий (программы)
announcer — диктор, ведущий
arouse a great deal of comment — вызывать большое количество откликов
article — статья
to be concerned with — относиться к…
to dwell on smth, to be focused upon smth — подробно останавливаться на чем-либо
to report smth — сообщать что-либо
to be fully covered on the front-pages — полно освещаться на первых полосах
to be widely covered on several front-pages — широко освещаться в нескольких газетах на первых полосах
big item of home news — важная новость на тему внутренней жизни
biggest international item of news — важнейшая международная новость
biggest talking-points in the newspapers — тема, новость, событие, которое вызывает наибольшее число откликов
to blue-pencil — сокращать, редактировать, вычеркивать
bottom — нижняя часть полосы, “подвал”
to dominate news and editorial columns — являться главной темой информационных материалов и передовых
gutter journalism, gutter press, yellow press — бульварная (желтая) пресса
leading news — самая важная новость
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