Mass media in the usa

Ex. 15. Think and say:

What is the American press famous for?

Is it true to your mind that freedom of speech /of press is a feature of democratic countries?

What are the most important newspapers and magazines in the USA?

I

In the United States a very large number of newspapers and periodicals are published. You can buy them almost everywhere, in small shops or in huge department stores. A large bookstore is the best place to go if you are looking for a particular magazine. Because of the size of the country, in the USA there are no national papers, but only local ones. Actually, some “local” papers are very important and are read all over the country. One of the most important is the New York Times, which is published in New York but sold everywhere. Its Sunday edition* is very heavy: it has over 200 pages and includes many supplements**. Another famous American paper is the Washington Post. In addition to daily papers, hundreds of weekly or monthly magazines are published. The most famous are Newsweek, Time, Life, The New Yorker, Look, and National Geographic.

________________

*Edition – видання.

**Supplement - додаток

Ex. 16. Read part II of the text and put the questions using the prompts:

1. How many/TV stations/in the USA?

2. Which/major television networks?

3. How/can/be connected/the cable TV channel?

4. Which channel/can/be well-informed?

5. Which channel/entertainment?

II

There are over 600 TV stations in the USA, but the major television networks are ABC (American Broadcasting Company), CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) and NBC (National Broadcasting Company).

TV viewers don’t pay any tax to receive these stations as the cost of programs is paid by sponsors who advertise their goods during the programs. Recently a new system has been introduced. If you pay you can be connected to the cable TV channel you like. You can choose from a large number of very specialized channels. If you like to be always well informed about what is going on in the world, you will want to be connected to a news channel, like CNN. But if you like entertainment, your choice will be a movie channel, which broadcasts only films, or even Walt Disney Channel, where you can watch Walt Disney movies and shows.

Ex. 17. Say whether the statements below are true or false.

1. There are over sixty television stations in the US.

2. Columbia Broadcasting System is one of the major TV networks there.

3. TV viewers don’t pay any money to receive cable channels.

4. Those companies and persons who place their advertising during the broadcasting pay cost of programs themselves.

5. If you like to know the latest news, your choice is a movie channel.

Ex. 18. Read part III and answer the questions:

What is the reason for the widespread use of radio?

What is the chief kind of radio entertainment?

What kind of radio programs provide information?

III

In spite of great popularity of TV, radio is still one of the most important means of communication. A major reason for the widespread use of radio is its portability. It means that a radio can be carried around easily. People like to listen to it at homes, at beaches and picnics, while walking down the street or driving a car.

About 90% of all radio programs in the USA provide entertainment and only 10% provide some kind of information. Music is the chief kind of radio entertainment. Usually, stations specialize in one kind of music such as rock, classical, country, etc. Such stations have disc jockeys who introduce and comment on the music.

Programs that provide information include newscasts, talk shows, and description of sport events. Newscasts may include weather forecasts, traffic reports, stock market information. Tale shows present discussions on current political topics such as an election or government policy or on a social issue, such as crime, poverty, racism. Each show has a host or a hostess who leads the discussion. Listeners are invited to telephone the station to ask questions or give their opinion about the topic. Most of the games played by major league baseball, basketball, and hockey teams in the USA and Canada are broadcast on radio.

Ex. 19. Match the words in the box and phrases with similar meanings:

1. A person who leads the discussion in radio or TV program.

2. A report which helps drivers to move in the city and on the roads.

3. Information about rains, snow, winds, etc.

4. Information about a situation in the stock market.

5. Crime, poverty, racism, etc.

6. A special Sunday variant of a newspaper.

7. Ability to take a little space.

8. A block of news.

9. A film.

Portability, newscast, a movie, weather forecast, social issues, Sunday edition, a host, traffic report, stock market information.

Ex. 20. Insert words and expressions from text “Mass Media in the USA”.

1. A large ___ is the best place to go if you are looking for a particular magazine.

2. In addition to daily papers, hundreds of ___ or ___ magazines are published.

3. There are over ____ TV stations in the USA.

4. The cost of TV programs is paid by sponsors who ____ their goods during the programs

5. You can buy ­­­­­­­­_____in the USA almost everywhere, in small shops or in _____ department stores.

6. The “New York Times’ “ Sunday edition has over ______ pages and includes many _____.

7. If you like ___, you will want to be connected to a movie channel.

8. You can choose a large ___ of very specialized channels.

Ex. 21. Speak about mass media in the U.S.A.

Modern means of communications

Ex.22. a) Read the article and fill in the gaps with words and phrases from the list: but, Finally, Firstly, For example, However, In conclusion, Also, What is more, On the other hand. Listen and check your answers.

The Pros and Cons of Using the Internet.

1. Advertisements for the Internet promise you a world of information, entertainment, on-line shopping and e-mail services. (1)______, the real world of the Internet may not be as perfect as the advertisements suggest.

2. Using the Internet offers many advantages. (2) ______, all of the latest information is available to you, in your home, at any hour of the day or night. It is much faster and easier to surf the net in search of information from all over the world than to travel to libraries in dozens of countries. (3) ______, on-line shopping makes it possible to search through catalogues to find exactly what you want at the best price, saving both time and money. By joining a newsgroup or chat group, you can share your hobbies and special interests, and perhaps make friends all over the world. (4) ______, e-mail is popular because it is faster than sending a letter and cheaper than a telephone conversation.

3. (5) ______ ______ ______ ______, the Internet has several disadvantages. (6) ______, with so much information available, finding what you want can take you hours. Multimedia web pages with photographs, music and video are attractive, (7) ______ they make downloading slow and boring. (8) ______ ______ ______, there is too much advertising instead of real information. As for Internet friendships, sitting at home in front of a computer making 'chat friends' is not the same as actually meeting people.

4. (9) ______ ______, the Internet obviously has both good and bad points. Fortunately, the system is improving all the time, and any problems which still exist can be solved. Whether we like it or not, the Internet is here to stay, so we have to make the best possible use of it.

Ex. 2. Read the article again and answer the questions.

1. Which paragraph is about the advantages of using the Internet?

2. Which paragraph is about the disadvantages of using the Internet?

3. In which paragraph does the writer sum up the pros and cons? How does this paragraph start?

4. Which paragraph introduces the topic?

5. Is the article for or against using the Internet?

Ex. 23. Complete the text with the words and phrases below. Use each one once.

World Wide Web; interactive; chatlines; on the web; multimedia; Information Technology; surf; Web site.

More and more people are learning about ^a..........at school. Children learn about the ^b.......... and how they can use it to find out information. Some classes even include time spent ^c..........as the children ^d..........the Internet to get information for a project. Later on at work, they will probably find that their company has a ^e..........which their customers can use to find out up-to-date information about the company's activities. Or they may learn to use other forms of ^r.........., for example video conferencing facilities or ^g.......... where they can ask other people questions via a computer. So there is no doubt that IT is here to stay and that people will be able to use multimedia for ^h..........communication with other people on an international basis.

Ex. 24. Read the list of points about the Internet and mark them A (advantage) or D (disadvantage). Then, act out short dialogues in pairs, as in the example. Try to use these speech patterns whenever possible: In my opinion; To my mind; It seems to me; I consider/think; As far as I remember/know, It’s common knowledge.

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

1. Web pages with photographs, music and video make downloading slow and boring. 2. The latest information is available to you at any time, quickly and easily. 3. On-line shopping can save you time and money. 4. With so much information, finding what you want can take hours. 5. You can share your hobbies and special interests with newsgroups and chat groups. 6. There is too much advertising instead of real information. 7. You can make new friends in chat groups (even in faraway places). 8. Making 'chat friends' is not the same as actually meeting people. 9. You can send mail fast and cheaply. 10.You can use the Internet for learning. 11.You can meet people from all over the world. 12. You can ask other people questions via a computer.

- SA: One of the disadvantages of using the Internet is that web pages with photographs, music and video make downloading slow and boring.

- SB: I agree, but on the other hand, the latest information is available to you at any lime, quickly and easily.

Ex.2 5. Let's activate our website!

T he Personal Page of Pedra Milton Email me

About Me I am Petra and I am 16 years old and I come from Bavaria. I am a sociable person that likes to listen and have conversations. Hobbies & Interests I have a horse, and I like going horse-riding. I want to start competitive riding next year. I also love snowboarding and I live close to a ski resort so I go quite often. Friends I have known my best friend since we were 5 years old i met her in primary school so we share a lot of experiences I have a boyfriend Family I live with my father, because my

A website is a place where you can create and read information on the Internet, e.g. information about your school, hobbies, friends. Any information you like can be put on your website, and you can have any number of pages.

Ex.2 6. Work in groups. Imagine your group has set up a website. Make notes about:

• when you started the website.

• the purpose of the website.

• the content-what is on each page.

• visitors to the website - who are they and how many?

Ex. 27. Tell someone from another group about your website.

1. Give some information about what it contains.

2. Say who has visited your website.

3. Say what changes you have made recently to update or improve it.

4. Describe what you have been doing this week on your website.