Unit two Communication

LEAD-IN

Social Settings

A. Listen to the extracts on the tape and match the social setting

where each occurs to those given on the list.

a) doctor's surgery f) politics

b) telephone g) law court

c) pub h) church service

d) salesman at work i) weather forecast

e) classroom j) job interview

B. Look at the four extracts from letters that follow, and, with a partner, discuss the following points:

Who is writing to whom?

What is the relationship between the two people? What is the letter really about? What words best describe the tone of the letter? Are there any letters that you think were not written at the end of the twentieth century?

If so, can you say why?

a) We were impressed by the very strong field of applicants that presented themselves. However, on this particular occa­sion, we regret that we will not be including your name on the short list.

b) Sam was such a very kind man, and a very dear friend. There are just so many occasions Tom and I can recall when he went out of his way to help us. Do you remember the Christ­mas in 1982, after Tom had had his accident and when we were snowed up? Sam came round and dug a path to our front door, and when he had finished, didn't even stop to have a drink because he wanted to help the Smiths down the hill.

c) Seven years, My Lord, have now passed, since I waited in your outward rooms, or was repulsed from your door; during which time I have been pushing on my work through difficulties

of which it is useless to complain, and have brought it, at last to the verge of publication, without one act of as­sistance, one word of encouragement, or one smile of fa­vour. Such treatment I did not expect, for I never had a Pa­tron before.

Is not a Patron, my Lord, one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help? The notice which you have been pleased to take of my labours, had it been early, had been kind; but it has been delayed until I am indifferent, and cannot enjoy it; till I am solitary, and cannot impart it; till I am known, and do not want it.

d) I think it is better if I write to you about your report rather than coming to see you. It isn't entirely bad, but it isn't very good either.

You know how important I think it is that at your age you' enjoy what you are doing and that you get the most out of life. So when you go out and play football or enjoy yourself at parties I don't raise any objections. But you've just got to realise you won’t get any satisfaction from your life in the future if you don't decide now when it's more important to make an effort, and when you can just sit back and enjoy yourself. Which brings me to the report.

Match the beginnings of the letters (1-4) with their endings (a-d). Then match each pair with one of the extracts above.

1. My Lord a) Yours sincerely, John Smith, Personnel Manager

2. Dear Stephen b) Love, Dad

3. Dear Mr. Thompson c) With heartfelt wishes at this difficult time, Sarah

4. My dearest Gertrude d) Your Lordship's most humble, most

obedient servant, Samuel Johnson

С. In your opinion, which of the following has made the most valuable contribution to communications?

the fax; the postal service; satellite dishes; the car telephone; road, rail and air transport; the internet

What do you think of phone communication?

Users often become «addicts», spending days waiting for the phone to ring, and a message to come.

Why do you think cell phones are so popular nowadays? What for do you ring people? What other means of communication do you know?

D. Complete each sentence with one of the words or phrases given.

bill stickers	Correspondent	body language
assertiveness training	breakdown	soap operas
newscasters	image	Bias
commentators	censorship	Slogans
logo	stereotypes	Mismatch
sensationalism	commercials	tuned in
cartoonists	punch line	Channel
distortion

1. Whenever foreign visitors come into Mrs Jones's shop she can't help judging them according to national..................

2. A successful businessman has learnt how to project a positive

3.................. can be a useful asset to people whose self-esteem is low or who are reluctant to speak up for themselves.

4. The most popular TV programmes in Britain are the .................such as Dallas, EastEnders and Neighbours.

5. TV programmes on the ITV network are interrupted at regu­lar intervals for..................

6. If you get bored watching what's on one TV .................,

you can always switch over to another.

7. John's hopeless at telling jokes. He gets to the end and then forgets the..................

8. «Drinka Pinta Milka Day», «Go to work on an Egg»_: these are two examples of highly successful advertising................. .

9. An estimated eight and a half million viewers ................ .

to BBC coverage of the Olympic Games.

10. Companies are now so design conscious that they employ specialists to find them an eye-catching..................

11. ..................will be prosecuted, so don't put up any adver­tising here.

12.................., whose faces are seen every night as they read the news, frequently become celebrities.

13. The newspaper's................. in Bangladesh sent back har­rowing reports of the devastation caused by floods.

14. While many newspaper editors try to guard against the

........... of facts in their news reports, it is inevitable that some

........... will creep into the way events are reported.

15. However unpalatable it seems, governments throughout the world resort to........ .. when it comes to the publication of po­litically sensitive repc:

16. The ..............of the popular press, for example in the

reporting of sex scandals; is one explanation for its success.

17. The guest of honour at the luncheon said how interesting everything was but his.................gave a different message.

18. I could see that relationship was not going to last long -Robin and Sarah were an obvious.............. .

19. Gerald Scarfe is one of Britain's most respected ................. , his satirical sketches of political figures have fre­quently been more scathing than the criticisms of political

20. Many parents and their children go through the difficulties of a(n) ................. in communication when the children reach their teens.

E. Complete the text using the words and phrases given.

tabloids launched aimed

boosted profitability coverage

running stories opposition end of the market

feature polarising niche

readership dailies circulation

tapped cover price rival