TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

16 Discuss the following text. The book-bag

Some people read for instruction, and some for pleasure, but not a few read for habit. I belong to that company. Let us admit that reading with us is just a drug that we cannot get along without.

Books are necessary to me and I never travel far without enough reading matter. But when I am starting on a long journey the problem is really great.

I have learnt my lesson. Once I fell ill in a small town in Java and had to stay in bed for three months. I came to the end of all the books I had brought with me and knowing no Dutch had to buy the schoolbooks from which intelligent Ja­vanese, I suppose, got knowledge of French and German. So I read again after 25 years the plays of Goethe, the fables of La Fontaine and the tragedies of Racine. I have the greatest admiration for Racine, but I admit that to read his plays one after another the other requires a certain effort in a person who is ill. Since then I have made a point of travelling with a large sack full of books for every possible occasion and every mood.

There are books of all kinds. Volumes of verse, philosophical works, criti­cal studies (they say books about books are useless, but they certainly make very pleasant reading), biographies, history; there are books to read when you are ill and books to read when your brain wants something to work at; there are books that you have always wanted to read but in the hurry of life at home have ever found time to; there are books to read at sea, there are books chosen solely for bad weather, there are books chosen solely for their length, which you take along when you have to travel light, and there are no books you can read when you can read nothing else.

(after W. S. Maugham.)

17 Learn to make the synopsis of the book. Study the following material and make the synopsis of the last book you read.

Synopsis is the summary of a book usually standing at the beginning of a book (or to be found on the back cover) to tell the reader what it is about. Below are two outlines of this kind. Read them attentively.

M. Twain. “Adventures of Huckleberr^ Finn.” This is the story of a boy running away from home and sheering a raft down the Mississippi River but it is more than that. The people the boy meets cover the entire spectrum of humanity, and his voyage down the river becomes a metaphor for a journey through life.

G. Durrell. “Birds, Beasts and Relatives.” A follower - on to “My Fam­ily and Other Animals,” “Birds, Beasts and Relatives” is an equally funny ac­count of the unconventional Durrell family, living on the sun-drenched thyme - scented island of Corfu before the war.

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18 Learn to make book reviews. Make use of the following text. Atlantic crossing

Written by Eric Redwood.

Published by Heath Brothers.

(J12.95)

This book tells the story of Eric Redwood who crossed the Atlantic Ocean alone in a small wooden boat. The boat was made in Ireland, and was designed like the boats which where used by Irish fishermen one thousand years ago. Redwood thinks America was first discovered many years before Columbus was born. The designs for the boat were taken from old books which had been found in an Irish monastery. The book is beautifully illustrated with many colour photographs and maps. The photographs were taken by Redwood himself during the voyage.

19 Learn to retell the contents of the book. Make use of an example.

“JANE EYRE”

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

20 Imagine that you have been asked to criticize one of the books you have read this year. In your review you can make either favourable or unfavourable remarks, but be sure to comment on specific aspects of the book.

21 Stories are told in different ways in different cultures. Native American legends and myths are usually about nature. They tell of tricksters, transformations, and the struggle for survival. German tales (“Hansel and Gretel,” “Rapunzel”) are somber and frightening. French tales (“Cinderella,” “The Sleeping Beauty”) are full of wonder, complete with romance, wicked enchantments, happy endings, and rich reward. African folk tales are usually talking-beast tales. They often take the form of “how and why” stories in which a small, defenseless animal outwits a larger, more powerful beast. Japanese fairy tales tell of self-sacrifice, respect for the aged, and the dignity of the poor. Often, characters are transformed into animals; always, kindness to animals is rewarded. American tell tales exaggerate elements of truth into impossible and outrageous feats of accomplishment.

Choose one of the following assignments.

1. Retell the romantic fairy tale of “Cinderella” or “The Sleeping Beauty” in either a realistic, “how and why,” scary, humorous, or exaggerated fash­ion.

2. Retell the frightening tale of “Hansel and Gretel” or “Rapunzel” in either a romantic, realistic, “how and why,” humorous, or exaggerated fashion.

22 Render in English.

Митчелл Маргарет (1900—1949) — автор единственного 1000-стра- ничного романа “Унесенные ветром” (1936). В современном американ­ском литературоведении роман рассматривается как образец “долговеч­ного” бестселлера: к 1976 г. он выдержал в США 70 изданий, переведен на 27 языков.

Митчелл — потомственная южанка, внучка плантатора, участвовав­шего в гражданской войне; ее отец был историком-краеведом. Воспитыва­лась в атмосфере легенд о мужестве конфедератов, отстаивающих “дело юга.” В 1923—1927 гг. — репортер городских газет.

Композиция романа, охватывающего 1861 —1873 гг., соответствует ос­новным этапам войны и Реконструкции в Джорджии. События освещаются исключительно с точки зрения сторонников рабовладения, теряющих свои привилегии. На тщательно выписанном историко-бытовом фоне развора­чивается рассказ о разорении, жизненной борьбе и возвышении дочери

241

плантатора из-под Атланты. Упорством, трудом, а также прибегая к жен­ским чарам, обману, интригам, шантажу, Скарлет О’Хара восстанавливает разоренную войной усадьбу, становится предпринимателем. Имя неразбор­чивой в средствах красавицы-героини вошло в американский обиход сино­нимом несгибаемой жизнестойкости и безграничного индивидуализма.

В истории эмоциональной жизни Скарлет особое место принадлежит утонченному мечтателю, аристократу Эшли Уилксу и демонической фи­гуре циничного и обаятельного дельца Ретта Батлера. Они персонифици­руют соответственно духовное и плотское, прагматические начала, преж­ний и новый юг. Ностальгия, идеализация патриархального прошлого со­четаются в романе с реалистическим взглядом на вещи: старый порядок унесен ураганом необходимости исторических перемен.

Повествование характеризуется элементами приключенческого, аван­тюрного романа, мелодраматизмом положений, узнаваемостью психоло­гических типов. Читательскому успеху способствовал также отход от тра­диций чопорности в любовной теме.

После 1936 г. писательница вела обширную переписку по поводу романа.

Погибла в автомобильной катастрофе.

23 Comment on the sayings.

1. The person who doesn’t read has no advantage over the person who cannot.

2. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

24 Think and say.

1. A house looks glum and joyless without books.

2. If the book is worth reading it is worth buying.

3. Books and friends should be few and good.

4. A good children’s book has no age limit.

25 Comment on the following.

“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.” (0. Wilde.)

1 Topical vocabulary

MEDIA:

print media — печатные средства мас­совой информации electronic media — электронные сред­ства массовой информации newspaper — газета magazine — журнал tabloid — малоформатная газета буль­варного толка broadsheet — серьезная газета gutter press — бульварная пресса circulation — тираж readership — читатели, читательская масса

mass circulation papers — газеты, изда­ющиеся массовым тиражом article — статья story — рассказ

editorial, leading article, leader — пере­довая статья page — страница

sports page — спортивные новости advertisement — реклама comic strip — комикс gossip column — отдел светской хроники supplement — приложение obituary — некролог review — обозрение features — сенсационный материал horoscope — гороскоп cartoon — карикатура crossword — кроссворд scandal — скандальная хроника letters’ page — письма читателей paparazzo — фотограф, старающийся запечатлеть знаменитых людей

TELEVISION:

TV, telly, box, tube — телевизор portable television (set) — переносной телевизор colour television (set) — цветной теле­визор

cable television — кабельное телевидение satellite television — спутниковое теле­видение

network — телевизионная сеть, телеве­щание viewer — телезритель prime time (8—11 pm) — лучшее время theme tunes — позывные TV addict — теленаркоман PEOPLE IN TELEVISION: announcer — диктор newsreader (newscaster) — диктор, чи­тающий последние известия anchorman, woman (presenter) — веду­щий, ведущая программу TV reporter, correspondent — телевизи­онный корреспондент commentator — комментатор interviewer — интервьюер quiz master — ведущий телевикторины cameraman, operator — оператор editor — редактор producer — режиссер-постановщик technician — инженер soundman — звукорежиссер PROGRAMMES: programme — программа show — шоу daily — ежедневный weekly — еженедельный

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monthly — ежемесячный news — новости

current affairs programme — программа

о текущих событиях special report — специальный репортаж live footage — прямой эфир talk (chat) show — интервью со знаме­нитостью discussion — дискуссия panel discussion — дискуссия с несколь­кими участниками ^ interview — интервью documentary —доукументальный (фильм) children’s programme — программа для детей

cartoon — мультипликационный фильм educational programme — образова­тельная программа weather report, forecast — прогноз погоды variety show — эстрадная программа quiz programme — викторина feature film — художественный фильм television film — телевизионный фильм thriller — триллер, остросюжетный фильм western — вестерн serial — сериал instalment — серия, часть sitcom (situational comedy) — комедия положений

“soap” opera — “

2 Read and discuss the following text. What are the mass media?

A message can be communicated to a mass audience by many means: hardly an American lives through a day without feeling the impact of at least one of the mass media. The oldest media are those of the printed word and picture which carry their message through the sense of sight: the weekly and daily newspa­pers, magazines, books, pamphlets, direct mail circulars, and billboards. Radio is the mass communications medium aimed at the sense of sound, whereas tele­vision and motion pictures appeal both to the visual and auditory senses.

The reader turns to his newspaper for news and opinion, entertainment, and the advertising it publishes. In the weekly the focus is upon the reader’s own community; in the daily the focus is upon the nation and the world as

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

well. Magazines give him background information, entertainment, opinion, and the advertising; books offer longer range and more detailed examination of subjects, as well as entertainment; pamphlets, direct mail pieces, and bill­boards bring the views of commercial and civic organizations. Films may in­form and persuade as well as entertain. Television and radio offer entertain­ment, news and opinion, and advertising messages and can bring direct cov­erage of public events into the listener’s home.

There are important agencies of communication which are adjuncts of the mass media. These are (1) the press associations, which collect and distribute news and pictures to the newspapers, television and radio stations, and news magazines; (2) the syndicates, which offer background news and pictures, commentary, and entertainment features to newspapers, television and іа- dio, and magazines; (3) the advertising agencies, which serve their business clients, on the one hand, and the mass media, on the other; (4) the advertising departments of companies and institutions, which serve in merchandising roles; and the public relations departments, which serve in information roles; (5) the public relations counciling firms and publicity organizations, which offer information in behalf of their clients, and (6) research, individuals and groups, who help gauge the impact of the message and guide mass communi­cators to more effective paths.

Who are the communicators who work for and with these mass media? We think of the core as being the reporters, writers, editors, announcers, and com­mentators for newspapers, news magazines, television and radio, press asso­ciations, and syndicates. But there are many others: news photographers; book and publication editors and creative personnel in the graphic arts industry; advertising personnel of all types; public relations practitioners and informa­tion writers; business management personnel for the mass media; radio-televi- sion script and continuity writers; film producers and writers; magazine writers and editors; trade and business paper publication writers and editors; industrial publication editors; technical writers in such fields as science, agriculture and home economics; specialists in mass communications research; and teachers of journalism. Actors in television and motion pictures also are communicators in a special sense, adding emotional impact to the written script.

Edwin Emery. Introduction to Mass Communications.

3 Read the newspaper contents list. Which pages would you look as if you wanted to read about the following.

1. articles for sale

2. clothes

3. the editor’s comments on the news

4. films being shown locally

5. houses for sale

245

6. news from abroad

7. people who have died recently

8. recently published books .

9. second-hand cars

10. duties performed by the Queen yesterday

INDEX

Appointments 37-42

Alts, Reviews 20

Business 25-33

Classified Ads 48-66

Court and Social 18

Editorial 1

Entertainment 22

Fashion 16

Home News 1, 3, 7

House Hunter’s Guide 46-47

Obituaries 19

Overseas News 10-11

4 Choose one of the newspaper headlines below. Think of some questions to ask to find out more information about the story that goes with it. Make up the answers.

BANK MANAGER KIDNAPPED POSTMAN ATTACKED BY MAN WITH HAMMER PENSIONER SAVES YOUNG BOY FROM BURNING HOUSE BIGGEST FOOTBALL POOLS WITH EVER FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENT WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO THIRD SET OF TWINS.

3. Look at the following headlines. What do you think the articles can be about?

Rain Stops Play At Wembley

Poison Found On Rubbish Dump

Teachers On Strike

Baby Saved From the Thames

Drugs At Pop Concert

Millionaire Leaves Money To Cat

Princess Diana in Car Crash

Prime Minister In Tokyo

One Dead Three Hurt In After-Party Accident

Manhunt on Isle of Wight

Gorilla Escapes From London Zoo

Write your own article using one of the headlines.

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

6 This is an article from teen, a magazine for young people. Read

It. Create your own article for a magazine for teenagers.

LISA GOODE

Lisa Goode is 24. She lives in Islington, London and works for BBC tele­vision.

TEEN wanted to know more.

What exactly do you do?

I introduce Goode Time at 4.30 on Tuesday afternoons. It’s a video request programme. I’ve just done the last one of the present series. Now I’ll be off the air for three months.

How did you get into TV?

I’ve wanted to be on TV ever since I was ten. But writing hundreds of letters to the BBC got me nowhere. Must have been my poor spelling. Then, when I was 18,1 emigrated to New Zealand with my parents. With­in a year I had a job as host of a pop TV programme. That was a piece of luck! But I’m sure being English helped as groups from over here are hot stuff out there.

Was it an easy job?

It was nerve-wracking at first. I mean standing in front of the cameras and trying to look confident when your knee caps are shaking. But the programme was popular and I met groups like Duran Duran and U2.

Why did you come back to England?

I found New Zealand a bit isolated. I thought the best opportunities would be in Britain or somewhere else within the ec. You know, cable or satellite tv. That kind of thing.

What happened when you got back here?

Nothing. I spent six months trying to land something in TV. But nobody wanted to know. The whole thing was really depressing. To keep my head above water I was doing jobs like washing up, cleaning or cooking. In the end the BBC got to see a video tape of me and gave me an interview.

Do you enjoy what you do?

Yes, most of the time. The programme’s fun and I try to keep it as silly as possible. But it’s hard work. The hours are irregular — I sometimes work whole weekends. And the money isn’t nearly as good as everybody imag­ines.

What about your plans for the future?

I’d like to carry on doing TV pop programmes — I don’t see myself moving up to opera or stuff like that. Not till I’m about seventy! I think doing some kind of link-up with other EC countries would be really interesting.

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7 Read and discuss the following text. A journalistic code

The Society of Professional Journalists believes the duty of journalists is to serve the truth.

We believe the agencies of mass communication are carries of public dis­cussion and information, acting on their Constitutional mandate and freedom to learn and report the fact.

We believe in public enlightenment as the forerunner of justice, and in our Constitutional role to seek the truth as part of the public’s right to know the truth.

We believe those responsibilities carry obligations that require journalists to perform with intelligence, objectivity, accuracy, and fairness.

The public right to know of events of public importance and interest is the overriding mission of the mass media. The purpose of distributing news and enlightened opinion is to serve the general welfare.

Freedom of press is to be guarded as an inalienable right of people in a free society. It carries with it the freedom and the responsibility to discuss, question, and challenge actions and utterances of the government and the public and private institutions. Journalists uphold the right to speak unpopu­lar opinion and the privilege to agree with the majority.

Journalists must be free of obligation to any interest other than the pub­lic’s right to know.

Journalists at all times will show respect for the dignity, privacy, rights, and well-being of people encountered in the course of gathering and presenting the news.

8 Learn the following.

Magazine programme - programme which is a mixture of “hard” news and feature items;

Wild life programme - programme showing animals, birds, etc. in their natural environment;

Quiz programme - programme on which members of the audience are asked questions, in case of correct answer they receive prizes;

sitcom (situational comedy) - short film providing entertainment;

“Soap” opera-play (an afternoon television regular feature) which origi­nally appeared on the radio and was sponsoured by soap advisers, continuing from day to day, presenting emotional and melodramatic situations like many operas of the 19th century (thus named “soap” operas);

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

9 Answer the questions.

1. What are your favourite programmes? Refer to specific programmes to illustrate your preferences.

2. What qualities do you look for in a television programme?

3. What are the programmes that appeal to specific age groups?

4. What is the amount of weekend TV time devoted to sports programmes? Would you rather watch a favourite sport on TV or view it in person? Give your arguments/reasoning.

5. What genres seem to dominate prime-time viewing? First check a week’s TV schedule and make a list of all prime time TV and break it into genres.

6. Should musical concerts and theatrical performances be broadcast on TV?

7. What are the challenges of video?

8. Do you think the emergence of music videoclips present some problems to musicians? What problems?

9. What advantages, if any, does the television have over radio? Will televi­sion oust radio in the future?

10 What evening’s viewing would you recommend for a foreign visitor who is very interested in learning more about our country and its people?

11 Continue the following story which begins with the following words.

“I don’t often have a chance to watch TV programmes in the daytime on weekends but last year when I was laid up with pneumonia for almost a month I...”

249

13 Study the following TV programme and comment upon it.

ITV

1. GMTV.

9.25 DISNEY CLUB. 3786 091

45. LINK.* 6613324

11. MORNING WORSHIP.

For Easter. <S) ^! 13850

12. THIS SUNDAY. Easter magazine. * 13701

12.30pm AN INVITATION TO REMEMBER 31695

1. NEWS AND WEATHER.

93783140 Then REGIONAL NEWS AND WEATHER.

15. THE SMURFS (R) 9423343

2. SURVIVAL. Billpower. A diet of finches." 1256

   30. THE LONDON MATCH. West Ham v Leicester, live from Upton Park. (S) 515527

5. THE GARDENING ROADSHOW. With guest, actor Ken Morley. (S) 1910546

   45. CARTOON TIME. 482898

6. REGIONAL NEWS.

WEATHER. 529350

20. ITN NEWS, WEATHER.

960492

30. CLASSIC CORONATION STREET.* 27985

30. FILM: BIG BUSINESS (Jim Abrahams 1988 US). Two pairs of twins are jumbled at birth and meet many years later at a hotel in New York. Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin play the four leading parts in the resulting farce, with the help of some ingenious trick photography. (S)* 96807017

9.10 MAIGRET. Maigret and the Minister.

A politically sensitive case for the man with the pipe. (S)^:!: 767850

10. ASPEL AND COMPANY With John McCarthy and Jill Morrell. (S) 436904

    55. ITN NEWS, WEATHER.

804430

15. CELEBRATION. The first in this series of three arts programmes looks at the life and loves of Daphne du Maurier, in the light of Margaret Forster’s biography. 489053

12.15am ENCOUNTER. On the Edge. Ruth

Shelton, social responsibility officer for the diocese of Southwell, talks about the homeless. 71183

45. CUE THE MUSIC. Saxon

2633170 Then GET STUFFED.

50. TXT. 4066015

55. EUROPEAN LIFE. 9978541 Then GET STUFFED.

30. SNOOKER. Jimmy

White v Peter Ebdon. To 5.30 am. 67909

20. NUREYEV. Repeat or

Melvyn Bragg’s interview with Rudolf Nureyev, made in 1991 for the South Bank Show. The dancer talks about his life and work. (R) 3426035

50. TV STATIONS OF THE

CROSS. Christ’s passion in paintings by Caravaggio and Rembrandt. (S) * 6907053

10. NEWS, WEATHER.

2642459

15. HIGH INTEREST. Shall We Tell the Shareholder? A look at how small investors can be deceived by “creative accounting,” especially as the public in this country is so poorly informed about financial matters compared with shareholders in the United States. 1906343

1. MOVIEWATCH. Plymouth reacts to Body of Evidence, Accidental Hero and Best of the Rest II. (S) 188

30. THE WONDER YEARS. * 140

7. THE HORSE DETECTIVES.

Sue Evans, of Horsewatch, goes on the trail of four missing ponies. (S) * 2695

8. RAISING THE ROOF A final visit to the self-builders. 896140

   45. A TO Z: LETTERS FROM THE HOMELESS. The last six letters. ^:i: 925169

9. FILM: BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (Stephen Herek 1987 US). Two high school students find that time travel can help them to pass their history exams. Film premiere for a teenage comedy starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. (S) * 24016879

10.40 HOME TRUTHS. Jon Snow hosts

a studio discussion on the issues raised in C4’s admirable season, Gimme Shelter. 2896237

45. A TO Z: LETTERS FROM THE

HOMELESS. A compilation from the series. * 736546

12.50am MBIRA MUSIC. Music in Zimbabwe. (R) To 1.50 am.

2131893

* - Teletext subtitles

S - stereo, R - repeat

Boxes - recommended programmes

Numbers after programmes are for

VideoPlus + handsets. For

details, ring 071-924 2828

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

14 Make up a story describing how lucky you’ve been in a lottery, a quiz game, a TV quiz programme.

15 Before you read the text, look at the cartoon. What impression do you get of a) the children, b) the father. Read the text and say how you would change the cartoon to fit the text. (Perhaps you can draw it again!)

The shock of recognition

Recently, New York City had a blackout which caused all nine television stations in the area to go out for several hours.

The phone rang and Mrs Bufkins heard her sister in Manhattan tell her that there was a blackout. She hung up and said to her husband. “It isn’t your set. Something’s happened to the top of the Empire State Building.”

Bufkins stopped and said, “Who are you?”

“I’m your wife, Edith.”

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the antenna for another couple of hours. There’s nothing like a blackout for a man to really get to know his family”

[by Art Buchwald)

• Say in a few sentences what happened on the night of the blackout.* What do you think life was like in the Bufkins family before the blackout? What do you think it will be like afterwards?

• The cartoon and the text show two aspects of one problem. Which of the two aspects do you think is the bigger problem? Say why.

• Say which you like best - the cartoon or the text - and why.

16 Share opinions on the topic.

The bedrooms of many American teenagers are “wired¹⁴. Televisions, radi­os, telephones, stereos and video recorders can all be found in large numbers, according to a survey carried out in California. Of the people questioned 16% claimed they listen to the radio every day and almost half watch a movie on video at last once a week. While nearly all students watch some TV during the week almost '/₃ of teenagers watch TV for more than 7 hours on weekends.

17 Compare.

1. The average American watches 4.5 hours of television a day.

2. 26% of Americans watch TV for 12 hours a day.

3. About 65% of all Americans get most of their news from the television.

4. Commercials take up 20% of a day’s broadcasting time.

18 If you had enough some of money to spend on TV or hi-fi equipment, what would you buy? Give your reasons.

19 You are invited to broadcast for three minutes on any subject you choose. What would you say?

20 Describe the work of a TV announcer.

21 Read and learn about the most popular British TV programmes.

Blind Date is a programme shown on Independent Television (ITV) on Saturday evening. It is the British version of an American TV show. A man or woman asks questions of three people of opposite sex. They are all sitting behind a screen and the questioner cannot see them. The one who answers best has a date with the questioner. This is filmed and shown on the programme

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

the next week. The show is hosted by Cilia Black, a former pop singer from Liverpool in the days of the Beatles. She is very popular and gives the show its air of innocence and comedy. Blind Date is one of the most popular programmes on television and had viewing figures of about 15 million.

“Coronation street”

253

have any time to spare.” - “My husband doesn’t share my opinion of TV viewing. When he’s home, he usually watches TV all the time,” - “My child h

a broken leg and needs to watch TV. Maybe I’ll try it next summer.”

Others explained that they had already eliminated TV. Still others wished to take part, but had no small children in the house. Finally, diaries were sent to 25 families in which to record TV use for a few weeks before the experiment and to note any changes that happened during the no-television period.

Why did these families want to be part of the experiment? This is what some of them said: “By keeping a TV dairy we found out that each of us watch­es about 30 to 35 hours a week. Our children definitely listen more to the television than to us.” - ’’For one thing, family dinner was often arranged around TV programs.” Either someone said: “I can’t eat until eight o’clock because I’m watching Mission Impossible,” or “I’ve got five minutes to eat dinner because Mission Impossible is coming on. So dinner always turned to be something sandwiched in between two programs.” Or: “When the kids had friends over, they were likely to watch TV together instead of playing or doing their homework. I’d come in and find them all in the zombie position staring with their mouths open.”

On 1st April the experiment began: some families locked their TV sets away, some others put blankets over their “boxes,” some were brave enough to leave their televisions where they had always been. All families were asked to keep diaries about their “switch-off experiences.” Robert Lewis, a policeman, wrote: “The first day of the experiment was in no way different from any other day. My wife went about her daily routine and the children spent much of the day playing outside. It was that night when I first notices the effects of not having a TV set working. It was now too dark to sent the children out to play and my wife found it quite impossible to do her evening work with the children in her way. So she sent them to bed early. The very next day the children woke up at 6.30 in the morning. When the TV is working, the children turn it on at about 7 am. Each day the TV would be the babysitter from the time the kids woke up until the time my wife got up from bed. They continued to annoy my wife until she got up and made breakfast. My oldest son was off from school because of the Easter holiday. What caused the problem that day was the rain. As the day went on, each member of the family became fairly annoyed over small things.”

Other people wrote: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the quiet life without TV. I was thinking that maybe after the experiment we ought to find another place for the set besides the family room.” - ”We found we were all going to bed earlier.” - “My husband misses the sports and news a little, but I enjoy talk­ing to him.”

But there were also problems. Parents wanted to get advice about how to fill the new extra time with activities. Some children were afraid of losing

/

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

their friends. One boy said: “I asked my friend Clark to come over and he said, “What are we going to do at your house, sit around and listen to the radio?” Actually, most of the families were quite happy when they could switch on their TV sets again four weeks later. None of them considered living without TV for a longer period. John Howe, a car mechanic, put it that way: “I simply had to go back to TV. It reminds me of the time I was sick, a while back, and had to give up smoking. But as soon as the doctor said I was all right again, I went right back to cigarettes. Well, I think TV’s a habit, too. Like cigarettes.”

23 Suppose you’ve been asked to prepare a short interesting tv

programme on some subject you’re familiar with. Give some idea of the programme you would prepare.

24 Express your opinion on the following points of view.

1. Some people say that television kills conversation. Does it?

2. Television makes people argue and discuss things, think and talk more.

3. Television is terribly bad for people’s eyes.

4. Television is like a drug: people get addicted to certain television series and they simply can’t switch it off.

5. Too much television is bad for children - it’s unhealthy.

6. Children’s and students’ educational programmes are very useful.

7. The problem about television and its effect on us is very important.

8. Too many TV channels make it difficult to choose what to watch.

9. TV programmes must be various.

10. We can’t do without television nowadays.

11. Television has both advantages and disadvantages.

12. Television is a terrible waste of time.

13. Television is going to kill the theatre.

14. TV is one of the mighty means of forming people’s character, ideology and outlook.

15. Television may be the cause of many disputes and conflicts in the family. Why?

16. Television is a wonderful invention. Do you agree?

25 Imagine that you are a television reporter. You are interviewing:

1. a popular sportsman. Ask him about his sports career, his coaches, the competitions he took part in; about his likes and dislikes and the way he spends a typical day;

2. a writer. Ask him about his parentage, his family; his literary career, his successes and failures; his future plans; his opinion on old and modern literature (prose and poetry) and art in general;

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3. a film star. Ask her about her theatrical education, her work, the film directors in whose films she was shot, the latest film she took part in, about her hobbies.

26 Say what you think about the following.

1. Children and TV is a great problem.

2. Television must offer children instructive but not didactic, entertaining but not thoughtless programmes.

3. On the one hand television distracts children from spending their pastime in the fresh air; on the other hand it helps them to learn a lot about our world and develop their imagination. What outweighs?

4. Children should watch only interesting and useful programmes, and not all the programmes for several hours running.

5. Television is not harmful, but if you let child watch TV programmes without choice, he simply becomes a passive viewer.

6. Parents should give their children an opportunity to discuss with them what they have seen.

27 Write a television news report. In it describe the place where you are reporting. Name the person you are going to speak about and make up the quotes she/he would use while speaking to you.

28 Compare British television and television in your country. Pay attention to the following aspects:

1. the quality of the commercials

2. the frequency of commercial breaks

3. the realism of the “soap” operas

4. the degree of violence

5. the number of channels

6. the number of imported American programmes

7. the number of sports programmes

8. any other aspect of television

29 A friend who is interested in advertising has asked you to interpret what this text says.

DO ADVERTISEMENTS SOMETIMES DISTORT THE TRUTH?

The short answer is yes, some do. Every week many hundreds of thou­sands advertisements appear for the first time.

Nearly all of them play fair with the people they are addressed to. A handful do not. They don’t quite tell the truth about the products they are

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION. CONVERSATIONAL TOPICS

advertising. As the Advertising Standartd Authority (ASA) it is our job to make sure these ads are identified and stopped.

WHAT MAKES AN ADVERTISEMENT MISLEADING? If a training course had turned a 7-stone weakling into Mr Universe the fact could be ad- vertised because it can be proved. But a promise to build you into a 15-stone he — man would make us step in because the promise could not always be kept. If a brochure advertised a hotel as being a 5-minute walk from the beach, it should not require an Olympic athlete to do it in the time.

HOW DO WE JUDGE THE ADS WE LOOK AT? The 500 rules of the British Code of Advertising Practice give advertisers practical help on what they can and cannot say. The rules also help media owners to judge if an advertisement offered to them is acceptable. The Code applies to ma- gazines, newspapers, cinema commercials, brochures, leaflets, posters and commercials on video tapes. The ASA is not responsible for TV and radio advertising.

30

When watching a film or a TV com- mercial have you ever stopped to think how little you are shown and how much you just think you have seen? Here is a short description of four scenes from the script of an advertising film. The scenes are not in the right order — they often aren’t in the script and during film- ing. It is usually not until all the parts of a film have been photographed that they are put in their final order to make one complete film. This film is about some tablets that are supposed to help you when you have stomach trouble.

Put the four scenes in the order which best expresses the advertising message.

1. Tell the story of the film. Start like this: “One morning ...”

2. What are the things the film does not show? Why are they left out? Would you have put in any extra scenes?

3. What point does the film make?

4. What details such as music, sound effects etc., would you add to the four scenes to make the message of the film as clear as possible?

257

31 Give examples of different advertisements. Make use of the following.

In a TV commercial the advertiser is trying to persuade you to go out and buy something. He wants to make you feel that you really must have it. There are a number of different ways of doing this:

1. The snob effect. You are told that the product is most exclusive and of course rather expensive. Only the very best people use it.

2. The "scientific" effect. A serious-looking man with glasses and a white coat, possibly a doctor or a professor, tells you about the advantages of the product.

3. The words-and-music effect. The name of the product is repeated over and over again, put into a rhyme arid sung several times, in the hope that you won’t forget it. The sung rhyme is called a “jingle.”

4. The ha-ha effect. The advertiser tries to make you laugh by showing people or cartoon figures in funny situations.

5. The VIP (Very Important Person) effect. Well-known people, like ac­tors or football-players, are shown using the product.

6. The supermodern effect. The advertiser tries to persuade you that his product is a sensation or something really new.

7. The go-go effect. This is suitable for the teenage market. It shows young people having a party, singing, laughing, having a wonderful time, and, of course, using the product.

32 Here are some new products. The manufactures want to ” advertise them in commercials:

a new toothpaste called Dentafix a cheap new drink called Tipicola a new kind of tea called Royal Highness a medicine for colds called Coldex a lipstick called Princess Rose new sweets called Kreemanints

Choose one of these products and make a commercial for it.

33 Work in groups. Work in pairs. Make a list of all the places where you come across advertisements.

9. В. М. Павлоцкий

34Imagine that a new nondairy drink has just been introduced on the market. The makers claim that it will replace milk. Of course, the dairy farmers are unhappy about the situation and believe the claim is unfounded. Take the farmers’ side and help them create an advert for their product.

35 Advertising is very important in trade. Describe an advertisement that tries to persuade people to buy something.

36 There are advertisements practically everywhere you look in the city. Advertisements are used to sell products or services. If you wanted to sell something, would the city be a good place to advertise it? Why or why not?

37 Study the following advertisement. Create your own one.

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bright, sunny conditions, and indoor with flash.

259

NEW Kodak GOLD 200 Film. The ideal all-purpose film,

which delivers sharp pictures with rich colours even on dull or cloudy days.

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poor lighting. And ideal with flash giving brighter, bolder colours.

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A Kodak Fun Camera is the ideal holiday partner. If you want sand between your toes and not in your camera, the new range of Kodak Fun Cameras are just what you need. They’re great for snapping quality pictures where you wouldn’t normally take your camera.

Loaded with New Kodak GOLD Film, they’re simple and fun to use. The stars in the range are the Kodak Fun Flash camera ideal for those impromptu moments either indoors or out, or the Kodak Fun Waterproof for underwater picture-taking down to a depth of 2 meters. It’s also great for everyday shots on the beach or ski slopes. There’s even the Kodak Fun Wide Angle ideal for group shots or breathtaking panoramic scenery. Simply send your name and address on a postcard to: Kodak Fun Camera Offer (Egon Ronay), Kodak Lim­ited Consumer Imaging Products, A8a Kodak House, PO Box 66, Hemel Hemp­stead, Herts, HP1, 1JU.

38 Write an advertisement for a new product. Tell why you think it is necessary for every home to have it.

39 Create advertisements for the following.

1. You are looking for a pen-friend. Write an advertisement for the “Per­sonal” column of an international magazine describing yourself/your in­terests.

2. You have lost something valuable. Write an advert for the “Lost and found” column of an English-speaking newspaper.

3. You want to sell your car. Write an advert for the newspaper describing the car (condition, mileage, reasons for selling it, etc.).

40 Write your own advertisement for a Seedwick. This is an imaginary word. It has no real meaning. Before you begin writing your advertisement, decide what a Seedwick is and what it is used for. Decide who would be the best customer for the Seedwick. You may draw a picture of your Seedwick.

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41 Comment on the following quotations.

1. “What the mass media offer is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish.” W. Auden.