Take an English-language newspaper. Prepare a review of the front page. Use the following expressions:
at the top
at the bottom
in the upper half
in the lower half
in the upper left / right hand corner
next to
in the centre
under the photograph
the article occupies / takes up half the page
a full-page picture
gives much space to
the page is taken up by
the article reports on / focuses upon / highlights
placed on the next page
front page news
stretches across the columns
contains the name
depicted in the photograph
placed in a box
Part II. Food and Drink. Cultural Sketches
Text 1
British coffee lovers want instant results
By Sarah Womack
DRINKING instant coffee may be seen as sacrilegious on the Continent, but it is the most popular type of coffee for the less fussy British.
For us, the more sophisticated ground coffee – favoured throughout the rest of Europe – is just a hassle.
Research into the coffee drinking habits of Europeans concluded that the British have too hectic a lifestyle to find time to make “proper coffee”.
While more than two in five of us (44 per cent) drink instant, a mere six per cent of Germans, 11 per cent of French and 18 per cent of Spanish coffee drinkers will touch it.
Freshly ground coffee is far more popular with our European neighbours – particularly with Germans, who prefer it even to beer. Sixty-two per cent of Germans drink only ground coffee and refuse to contemplate a cup of instant.
Forty per cent of French people and 32 per cent of Spanish will only drink fresh ground coffee, compared with three per cent of Britons, according to the report by Mintel, the consumer analysts.
(from The Daily Telegraph)
Notes
Newspaper headlines often contain ‘play on words’. Consider the use of the word ‘instant’ in the given headline. On the one hand, instant means ‘immediate, happening without any delay’ such as instant result / access / success; on the other hand, it is ‘food or drink that is dried, usually in the form of a powder’ such as instant coffee / soup / potato.
Cultural note: Many people consider instant food and drinks to be of poor quality and often make excuses when offering them:
Would you like a coffee? I’m afraid I’ve only got instant.
the Continent – Europe, especially western Europe but not including the British Isles
Vocabulary
sacrilegious adj.: Muslims consider it sacrilegious to wear shoes inside a mosque. / It would be a sacrilegious act to put a neon sign on that beautiful old building.
sacrilege n.
fussy adj. (=not easily satisfied): All my children are fussy eaters. / He’s so fussy about the house – everything has to be absolutely perfect. / “Red wine or white?” – “I’m not fussy – either would be lovely.”
fussiness n.
sophisticated adj.: I don’t suppose I have any books that would suit your sophisticated tastes. / I think a more sophisticated approach is needed to solve this problem.
sophistication n.: Her sophistication is evident from the way she dresses.
hassle n.: It was such a hassle trying to get my bank account changed that I nearly gave up. / I should have taken it back to the shop but I just didn’t think it was worth all the hassle.
research n.
to carry out / do / conduct research into / on smth.: They are conducting some fascinating research into the language of dolphins.
research v.: Journalists were frantically researching the new Prime Minister’s background, family and interests.
to research into smth.: She’s researching into possible cures of AIDS.
researcher n.
hectic adj.: The area has become a haven for people tired of the hectic pace of city life.
prefer v.: Do you prefer hot or cold weather?
to prefer smth. to smth.: I prefer red wine to white.
to prefer doing smth.: He prefers watching rugby to playing it.
to prefer (not) to do smth.: I’d prefer not to discuss this issue.
preferable adj.: Anything is preferable to having her stay for the whole week!
preference n.: I don’t know your preferences, so please help yourself. (=choose the things you prefer).
preference to / for: Of the two my preference is for the smaller car.
in preference to: He always drinks ground coffee in preference to instant.
preference over / to: Teachers try not to show preference to any particular student.
refuse v.: He asked me to give him another loan, but I refused.
to refuse to do smth.: On cold mornings the car always refuses to start.
to refuse smb. smth.: The local council refused him planning permission to build an extra bedroom.
refusal n.
to meet with / receive a refusal: Our request met with a flat (=complete) refusal from the authorities.
contemplate v.:
to contemplate doing smth.: I’m contemplating going abroad for a year.
contemplation n.: She was staring out over the lake, lost in contemplation. / The nuns have an hour for silent contemplation every morning.
consumer n.: The new telephone rates will affect all consumers including businesses.
consumer rights / advice / surveys
consume v.
Exercises