Английский язык. Тексты общественно-политической тематики «обзор английской прессы» = English language. Texts of socio-political topics «A glimpse of

Text 7

THE RISE OF POLITICAL POLARIZATION IN THE UK

Political polarization in the United Kingdom is at an all-time high, with deep divisions and rivalries permeating every aspect of the political landscape. The once cohesive and collaborative nature of British politics has given way to bitter acrimony and ideological battles. The divide between the left and right has become cavernous, leaving little room for compromise or common ground. This toxic environment has led to a breakdown in civil discourse, with each side demonizing the other and refusing to listen to alternative viewpoints. The consequences of this polarization are far-reaching, stifling progress and exacerbating societal divisions. Urgent efforts are needed to bridge this gap and restore a sense of unity and collaboration for the betterment of the nation. Political polarization in the United Kingdom is a complex issue that is influenced by several causes. One of the main factors contributing to this polarization is the increasing influence of ideology within political parties. Many politicians are driven by a particular set of beliefs and are unwilling to compromise or work together with those who hold different views. This has led to a divisive political climate where parties are more interested in pushing their own agendas rather than finding common ground.

Anothersignificantcauseofpoliticalpolarizationistheroleofthemedia.Intoday’s digital age, people have access to a wide range of news sources, many of which are biased towards a particular political viewpoint. This has created echo chambers where individuals only consume news that aligns with their own beliefs, further reinforcing their existing opinions and widening the divide between different political groups.

Socialmediahasalsoplayedasignificantroleinexacerbatingpoliticalpolarization in the United Kingdom. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook have become breeding grounds for extreme views and divisive rhetoric. The ability to share and spread information quickly and easily has allowed for the rapid dissemination of political propaganda and the creation of online communities that are hostile towards opposing viewpoints.

Economic inequality is another underlying cause of political polarization. The rise of globalization and neoliberal economic policies has resulted in a growing divide between the rich and the poor. This has created a sense of resentment among those

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Английский язык. Тексты общественно-политической тематики: «обзор английской прессы»

who feel left behind, leading to a rise in populism and the support for radical political ideologies.

Lastly, the Brexit referendum has also been a major factor in the polarization of British politics. The decision to leave the European Union has deeply divided the nation, with passionate arguments on both sides. The debate surrounding Brexit has highlighted deep-seated divisions within the country, such as regional disparities and issues of national identity.

In conclusion, political polarization in the United Kingdom is influenced by a combination of factors including ideological differences within political parties, media bias, the impact of social media, economic inequality, and the fallout from the Brexit referendum. Addressing these causes will require efforts to foster dialogue and understanding between different political groups, promote media literacy, reduce economic disparities, and find common ground on contentious issues like Brexit. Only through a concerted effort can the United Kingdom move towards a more unified and inclusive political landscape.

Task 1: Vocabulary Matching

Match the following terms with their definitions

Definitions

1.A political approach that seeks to represent the interests of ordinary people.

2.A situation where individuals are only exposed to information that reinforces their existing beliefs.

3.A political environment characterized by extreme division and lack of compromise.

4.An economic philosophy that promotes free-market capitalism and minimal government intervention.

5.Respectful and constructive conversation about political topics.

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English language. Texts of socio-political topics: “A glimpse of English press”

Task 2: Fill in the Blanks

Use the words from the text to fill in the blanks

a.The rise of __________ has led to a growing divide between different political groups.

b.Social media platforms have become __________ for extreme views and divisive rhetoric.

c.The Brexit referendum has highlighted deep-seated __________ within the country.

d.The __________ (divide/divided) between political parties has become more pronounced in recent years.

e.Social media can amplify __________ (rhetoric/rhetorics) that deepens political divides.

f.Many citizens are concerned about the implications of __________

(Brexit/Brext).

Task 3: Synonyms and Antonyms Identify synonyms

and antonyms for the following words from the text

Task 4: Word Formation

Create new words from the given root words.

•Politic (noun) → __________ (noun)

•Divide (verb) → __________ (noun)

•Respect (noun) → _________ (verb)

•Influence(noun) → _________(verb)

•Equal (adj) → __________ (noun)

Task 5: Answer the questions

1.What are the main factors contributing to political polarization in the United Kingdom?

2.How does media bias influence public opinion and political divisions?

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Английский язык. Тексты общественно-политической тематики: «обзор английской прессы»

3.In what ways has social media exacerbated political polarization?

4.What impact did the Brexit referendum have on the political landscape of the UK?

5.What strategies are suggested to address the issue of political polarization?

Task 6: Translation into English

1.Политическая поляризация в стране вызывает серьезные проблемы в обществе.

2.Множество людей живут в эхо-камерах, где они слышат только те мнения, которые согласуются с их собственными.

3.Экономическое неравенство является одной из причин роста популизма.

4.Мы должны восстановить гражданский дискурс, чтобы улучшить политическую атмосферу.

5.Решение о выходе из Европейского Союза углубило раскол в обществе.

Task 7: Short Essay

Write a short essay (150–200 words) discussing why environmental protection is important, using at least five of the vocabulary words from the article.

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TEXT 8

TORY CHRIS PHILP ACCUSED

OF ‘BRASS NECK’ AFTER SAYING UK NEEDS

BETTER WORK ETHIC

One of Kemi Badenoch’s senior team has been accused of “real brass neck” after saying Britain needed a better work ethic. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said there were 9 million working-age people not in work and Britain needed to “lift our game and to up our game”. He made the comments on the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast when asked whether he thought Britain was missing “a belief in hard work”, telling the presenter, Nick Robinson: “I do a bit.” “There are 9 million working-age adults who are not working. And as we compete globally with countries like South Korea, China, India, we need a work ethic. We need everybody to be making a contribution , we need to lift our game and to up our game,” he said. Figures published this month showed 9.3 million people were economically inactive between September and November last year, down slightly on the year before, but still 670,000 more than before the pandemic. A quarter of those are economically inactive because they are students and another 30% have a long-term illness. Previous Conservative politicians who have suggested British people need to work harder include Norman Tebbit, a cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher, who suggested in the 1980s that unemployed people could follow the example of his father, who got on his bike to look for a job. The former prime minister Liz Truss once co-wrote a book, Britannia Unchained, with five other Tory MPs, that described British people as “among the worst idlers in the world” and claimed: “Too many people in Britain prefer a lie-in to hard work.” Responding to Philp’s comments, a Labour spokesperson said: “After the Conservatives’ economic failure left working people worse off, it takes some real brass neck for the Tory top team to tell the public that it’s really all their fault. It’s the same old Tories. They haven’t changed and they’ve learned nothing.” The Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, said Philp’s own work ethic as chief secretary to the Treasury under Truss had “crashed the economy in just 39 days”. She added: “The British public will no doubt take his advice with a bucketload of salt.”

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Английский язык. Тексты общественно-политической тематики: «обзор английской прессы»

Badenoch, asked about Philp’s claim that Britons needed a better work ethic, told broadcasters: “I think everybody should be working hard, including myself.” Philp also waded into the debate over the Conservative party’s approach to immigration while in government, saying “mistakes were made”. Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, had on Thursday declined to apologize for high levels of immigration during her time as home secretary in Boris Johnson’s government. Appearing on the Sun’s Never Mind the Ballots programme, she said it was “totally distortionary” to suggest the previous government had “thrown open our borders” to the rest of the world. But a spokesperson for Badenoch appeared to distance the Tory leader from Patel’s comments, saying the Conservative party under her leadership “will tell the truth about the mistakes we made”. They added: “While the last Conservative government may have tried to control numbers, we did not deliver.” Philp told Sky News that he and Badenoch had been “completely honest” about errors made by their predecessors, and immigration numbers were “far too high”.

Task 1: Vocabulary Matching

Match the words on the left with their correct definitions on the right

Definitions

1.A principle of hard work and diligence

2.A term describing someone who is shameless or audacious

3.Not participating in the workforce

4.A form of misinformation or misrepresentation

5.Something given to help achieve a goal

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English language. Texts of socio-political topics: “A glimpse of English press”

Task 2: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the box below (contribution, brass neck, economically inactive, work ethic, distortionary)

1.The shadow home secretary emphasized the need for a stronger

__________ among the British people.

2.Critics described the politician’s comments as showing real __________.

3.Many of the __________ individuals are students or those with long-term illnesses.

4.The government’s policies were criticized as __________, misleading the public about the immigration situation.

5.Every citizen should make a __________ to the economy for it to thrive.

Task 3: Synonyms and Antonyms

Identify the synonyms and antonyms for the following words from the text

2.Suggest

•Synonym: __________

•Antonym: __________

Task 4: Word Formation

Use the root word to create a new word that fits the sentence

1.Economy: The __________ of the country has been affected by recent policies. (adjective)

2.Active: The government needs to promote __________ among its citizens. (noun)

3.Politic: The party’s __________ decisions have led to public discontent. (adjective)

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Английский язык. Тексты общественно-политической тематики: «обзор английской прессы»

Task 5: Answer the questions

1.Who is Chris Philp, and what position does he hold?

2.What did Chris Philp say about the work ethic in Britain during the BBC podcast?

3.How many working-age people in the UK are reported to be economically inactive?

4.What historical perspective did Norman Tebbit provide regarding work ethic in Britain?

5.How did Labour and Liberal Democrat representatives respond to Philp’s comments?

6.What did Kemi Badenoch say about working hard in response to Philp’s statement?

7.What did Philp acknowledge regarding the Conservative party’s approach to immigration?

Task 6: Translate the following sentences into English

1.Крис Филп, теневой министр внутренних дел, заявил, что в Британии необходимо повысить трудовую этику.

2.По его словам, в стране имеется 9 миллионов трудоспособных людей, которые не работают.

3.Политик отметил, что Британия должна «поднять планку» и «улучшить свои показатели» в глобальной конкуренции.

4.Представитель Лейбористской партии прокомментировал слова Филпа, заявив, что консерваторы пытаются переложить вину на общество.

5.Дейзи Купер, заместитель лидера Либерально-демократической партии, отметила, что трудовая этика Филпа во время его работы в правительстве привела к экономическому краху.

Task 7: Short Essay

Write a short essay (150–200 words) discussing the importance of if UK needs better work ethic. Use at least three vocabulary words from the articles.

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Text 9

OBJECTIVITY, INDEPENDENT MEDIA

AND NEWS AVOIDANCE:

THE TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW

TO UNDERSTAND NEWS TODAY

The way we get our news is changing fast. The latest research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University shows that, around the world, news consumers are turning to Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok rather than television, radio or newspapers. Nearly a quarter of adults under 24 get their news from TikTok. You may have come across terms describing (or deriding) sources as “new media”, “independent media” or “biased”. These words can be opaque and sometimes used to discredit valuable sources. Here are a few key concepts to understand today’s news environment.

“New” vs “traditional” media

The first news websites appeared 30 years ago. But the term “new media” still refers to news providers that primarily deliver content digitally, whether through websites or apps. Publishers have long struggled to make these digital forms of news pay through advertising. However, in the past few years, more digital publishers have instead tried to raise revenues through subscriptions. “Traditional media”, “legacy media”, or, sometimes, the increasingly outdated term “mainstream media” all refer to news organizations that predated the internet and have tried to adapt to the digital distribution of news. These organizations — like the BBC and New York Times — have done so while continuing to offer their older services, like TV or radio broadcasts and newspapers, to declining audiences.

Independent media

Historically,“independentmedia”hasreferredtomediaorganizationsindependent of government control, that can exercise their rights to freedom of expression.

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Английский язык. Тексты общественно-политической тематики: «обзор английской прессы»

This is in contrast to “state-controlled media”, which is usually found in totalitarian states and under the editorial control of the government. Although some public service broadcasters, such as the BBC, receive money from governments or raised from license fee payers, they are editorially independent. The BBC’s independence is guaranteed by its Royal Charter, which outlines its purposes and legal rights. “Independent” has recently taken on a second meaning, which tends to be used interchangeably with “alternative media”. This refers to news publishers that are not only free of state control but also not part of the commercial news industry. These organizations usually publish on themes that others may ignore, such as LGBTQ+ issues or marginalized political views.

News influencers

There has been a recent surge in news influencers: people with large social media followings who comment or explain the news to their audiences. They might be podcasters, such as Joe Rogan, or content creators on platforms like YouTube or TikTok, such as Dylan Page (News Daddy). News influencers don’t work like traditionalreporters,whoareexpectedtocreateoriginalstories,perhapsinaccordance with a regulatory or legal set of rules, or with an eye to journalistic values such as fact checking or double-sourcing claims.

News influencers tend to prioritize the authenticity of their brand and personality, and the relationship with their audiences. They comment on stories already trending on social media, rather than unearthing their own news stories. This has allowed them to build large, loyal followings, but has prompted concerns about the veracity of the content they publish.

Public interest journalism

The “public interest” is a much abused and misunderstood term. Highquality journalism that reveals information that the powerful would prefer to keep concealed is said to be in the public interest. That means revealing facts that benefit the welfare and wellbeing of the public at large, and add to public debate. It does not mean information that members of the public might be interested in, such as the sexual proclivities of the rich and famous. Editors have long justified the publication of news stories that might be defamatory by citing the public interest. For example, the BBC and the Guardian’s reporting on how leading politicians used offshore tax havens.

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