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From the beginning, the Stormont Parliament was dominated by Protestants. Northern Irish Catholics, who were now in a minority, found that they did not have equal opportunities with Protestants for housing and employment. A campaign of civil rights for Catholics was started but very little attention was paid to it by the ruling Protestants.

In 1969 there was rioting in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants. By 1972 the hostility between the two groups was so bad that Britain suspended the Northern Irish Parliament at Stormont and sent in the British army to keep the peace. The soldiers were welcomed at first by the Catholics as protectors from Protestant violence, but when the army began house-to-house searches of Catholic areas for men with guns, the welcome soon turned to bitterness.

There have been many deaths since 1969. In 1972, on what became known as “Bloody Sunday”, British soldiers opened fire on Catholic demonstrators in

Londonderry and thirteen people were killed. In addition, many British soldiers have been killed. Both the Protestant and the Catholic communities have illegal secret armies fighting a bloody war. On the Catholic side, are the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and INLA (Irish National Liberation Army). Both these organizations want to achieve a united Ireland by violent means, but they are condemned today by the government of the Irish Republic. On the Protestant side are the UDA (Ulster Defence Association) and the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force).

Vocabulary

content – удовлетворять quarrel – ссориться resistance – сопротивление put down – подавлять force – принудить

defeat – поражение

Presbyterians - пресвитериане suspicious – подозрительный sow the seeds – сеять семена grant – предоставить

riot – бунтовать hostility – враждебность

suspend – приостанавливать violence – насилие

search – обыск

turn to – превратиться bitterness – горечь, огорчение condemn – осуждать

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Mass Media

Ex.2 Read the words:

the Swedes, the Japanese, event, account, government, rival, character, conservative, item, crime, excitement, pioneer, separate, magazine, feature, variety, advertiser, curiosity, assurance, accuracy, minority, illustrate, supplement, over-simplified.

Ex.3 Read and translate the text:

The British are one of the biggest newspaper-reading nations in the world. They buy more newspapers than any other people except the Swedes and the Japanese.

Probably in no other country there are such great differences between the various national daily newspapers – in the type of news they report and the way they report it. They can be divided into two groups. The first group consists of the “quality” newspapers, which make some attempts to provide their readers with a full account of the important political news, national and international events, with the world of business, with the arts and sport. There are five

“quality” daily newspapers in Britain: “The Times”, “The Independent”, “The Guardian”, “The Financial Times” and “The Daily Telegraph”. The most famous of all British newspapers is “The Times”. It is not now, and has never been, an organ of the government, and has no link with any party. Since 1986

“The Times” has had a serious new rival of similar quality and character: “The Independent”. It has achieved a circulation not much smaller than that of “The Times”. “The Daily Telegraph” is solidly conservative, nearly all its readers are conservatives. “The Guardian” has an old liberal tradition, and is in general a paper of the left.

The second group of newspapers in Britain consists of the popular press.

The popular newspapers are now commonly called “tabloids”, a word first used for pharmaceutical substances compressed into pills. The tabloid papers compress the news and are printed on small sheets of paper. They use enormous

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headlines for the leading items of each day, which are one day political, one day to do with crime, one day sport, one day some odd happening. They have their papers of political report and comment, short, often over-simplified but vigorously written and nowadays generally responsible. They thrive on sensational stories and excitement. There are six mass-circulation popular

“tabloids”, the most widely read of which are “The Daily Mail”, “The Daily Express”, “The Sun” and “The Daily Mirror”. “The Daily Mirror” was a pioneer with strip cartoons.

In addition to the daily newspapers there are also national papers which are published on Sundays. The “quality” Sunday papers devote large sections to literature and the arts. Most of the “Sundays” contain more reading matter, than daily papers, and several of them also include “colour supplements” – separate colour magazines which contain photographically-illustrated feature articles. Besides, Britain has a substantial number of regional newspapers. Of these the two Scottish papers, “The Scotsman” and “The Glasgow Herald” are the most important.

Britain’s ethnic minority communities also produce their own papers. The oldest of these is the “Jewish Chronicle”, founded in 1841. Among Britain’s best selling periodicals, the favourites are the “Radio Times” and the “TV Times”, which provide detailed information concerning forthcoming programmes on BBC and independent television.

Good English writing is often to be found in the weekly political and literary journals, all based in London, all with nationwide circulations in the tens of thousands.

“The Economist”, founded in 1841, probably has no equal anywhere. It has a coloured cover and a few photographs inside, so that it looks like “Time”, “Der Spiegel”, “Newsweek”, but its reports have more depth and breadth than any of these. It covers world affairs, and even its American section is more informative about America than its American equivalents. Although by no means “popular”, it is vigorous in its comments and deserves the respect in which it is generally held.

“The New Statesman” and “Spectator” are weekly journals of opinion. They regularly contain well-written articles. Both devote nearly half their space to literature and the arts. Glossy weekly or monthly illustrated magazines cater either for women or for any of thousand special interests. Almost all are based in London, with national circulations and the women’s magazines sell millions of copies. In any big news agent’s shop the long rows of brightly covered magazines seem to go on forever, beyond the large variety of appeals to women and teenage girls come those concerned with yachting, tennis, model railways and cars. For every activity there is a magazine, supported mainly by its advertisers. All these magazines are not cheap. They live off an infinite variety of taste, curiosity and interest.

With almost 900 correspondents in over 80 countries, no newspaper anywhere can compete with Britain’s formidable news agency, Reuters. Its

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reports are filed in French, German, Japanese, Arabic and Spanish, as well as English. Across the world its name has become an assurance of objectivity, accuracy and reliability.

Vocabulary

“quality” – пресса высокого качества, заслуживающая доверия popular press – газета для широкой публики

“tabloid” [ ] – бульварная пресса (малоформатная газета со сжатым текстом и большим количеством иллюстраций)

supplement – приложение circulation – тираж headline – заголовок

thrive on smth. – процветать на чем-либо vigorous – сильный, решительный enormous – громадный

glossy – глянцевитый (на глянцевой бумаге) a cover – обложка

to cover – распространяться, охватывать strip cartoon – история в картинках ethnic – этнический

periodical – периодическое издание formidable – значительный, громадный

to live off – жить за счет кого-либо, чего-либо

Ex.1 Insert the correct prepositions where necessary:

1.National daily newspapers in Britain can be divided … two groups.

2.The first group consists … the “quality” newspapers.

3.“The Times”, “The Independent”, “The Guardian” and other “quality” newspapers provide their readers … a full account … the important political, economic and cultural news.

4.The popular newspapers or “tabloids” thrive … sensational stories and excitement.

5.The “quality” Sunday papers devote large sections … literature and the arts.

6.There are also a substantial number … regional newspapers in Britain.

7.Glossy weekly or monthly illustrated magazines cater … women or … any … thousand special interests.

8.All these magazines are supported mainly … their advertisers.

9.Across the world the name … Britain’s formidable news agency Reuters, has become an assurance … objectivity, accuracy and reliability.

Ex.2 Form the degrees of comparison of the following adjectives:

big, famous, good, old, small, much, many, important, informative.

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Ex.3 Choose the correct form of the verb in the following sentences:

1.There (is, are) five “quality” newspapers in Britain.

2.There (is, are) a substantial number of regional newspapers in Britain.

3.In addition to the daily newspapers, there (is, are) also national papers which are published on Sundays.

4.There (is, are) a lot of glossy illustrated magazines for women or for any of thousand special interests.

5.For every activity there (is, are) a magazine, supported mainly by its advertisers.

Ex.4 Find in the text sentences with Passive constructions. Translate them from English into Russian.

Ex.5 Make these sentences Passive:

1.The British usually divide national daily newspapers into two groups.

2.They print “tabloids” on small sheets of paper.

3.The tabloid papers use enormous headlines for the leading items of the day.

4.The “quality” Sunday papers devote large sections to literature and the arts.

5.The weekly political and literary journals regularly contain well-written articles.

6.Advertisers support a great number of glossy illustrated magazines for women or for any thousand special interests.

Ex.6 Give English equivalents to the following word combinations:

национальная ежедневная газета, международные события, небольшой (маленький) лист бумаги, чрезмерно упрощенный, еженедельный политический журнал, цветное приложение, цветная обложка, ежемесячный иллюстрированный журнал для женщин, информационное агентство, предстоящие передачи, сообщение на политическую тему.

Ex.7 Make up word combinations with the following words:

newspaper, news, supplement, journal, article, national, circulation, glossy, information.

Ex.8 Agree or disagree:

1. The “quality” newspapers are widely read by people who run the country.

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2.The “tabloids” publish serious articles about political events, major national and international events and business.

3.“The Independent”, “The Times” and “The Financial Times” are popular tabloids.

4.No papers at all are published in Britain on Sundays.

5.Interesting and useful articles can be found in the weekly political and literary journals.

6.Glossy illustrated magazines for women or for any of a thousand special interests are not popular in Britain.

7.Reuters reports are filed only in English.

Ex.9 Complete the sentences:

1.National daily newspapers in Britain … .

2.The “quality” newspapers … .

3.The “popular” newspapers … .

4.The Tabloid papers thrive on … .

5.In addition to the daily newspapers … .

6.Good English writing … .

7.Glossy weekly or monthly illustrated magazines … .

8.They live off … .

9.No newspaper can compete … .

Ex.10 Which word or phrase in the text above means:

1)printed publication, usually issued every day with news, advertisements, etc;

2)a small size newspaper with many pictures, strip cartoons, etc and with its news presented in simplified form;

3)number of copies of a newspaper or other periodical sold to the public;

4)paper-covered (usually weekly or monthly, and illustrated) periodical, with stories, articles, etc. by various writers;

5)magazine or other publications which appears at regular intervals (monthly, quarterly, etc);

6)person regularly contributing local news or special articles to a newspaper.

Ex.11 Answer the questions:

1.Do the British buy more newspapers than any other people in the world?

2.Are there any differences between various national daily newspapers in Britain?

3.What are “popular” newspapers?

4.What are “quality” newspapers?

5.What regional newspapers are printed in Britain?

6.Do Britain’s ethnic minority communities produce their own papers?