Ex. 6. Read and translate the following article, then answer the questions
Compared with Russian papers, British quality newspapers are very thick. They usually consist of separate sections such as * politics * economics * business and finance * science and technology * patterns * culture * home news * foreign (international news) * cooking * current affairs * reviews * sports news * readers’ letters * entertainment * fashion and dress * children’s page * gardening * weather forecast * radio and TV programmes. Another helpful device for finding information is headlines. It’s not uncommon for a British newsreader to use only one or two sections and throw the others away. Newspapers readers can buy their favourite papers from newsagent’s, newspaper stands and street sellers. They can subscribe to their favourite editions or go to public libraries and read them.
1. Where do you usually get your newspaper?
2. Do you subscribe to some papers?
3. What in your opinion are the functions of a newspaper?
4. Why do people read newspapers?
5. In what order would you read various sections of a newspaper?
6. What are the characteristics of a headline?
7. Why do some articles begin on the front page and continue on the next?
8. Do you like doing crossword puzzles? Why?
9. What are the characteristics of a good advertisement?
10. Why do people write letters to the editor?
Ex. 7. Television has become an everyday part of our lives. It’s omnipresent, always on. But is this a good thing or a bad one? Don’t we spend too much of our precious time in front of the “box”? Haven’t we become lazier of it? Is TV dangerous? Here is what different people say about television. Who do you agree with?
Max: Some people say that television is dangerous. I don’t think so. After all, it keeps you informed about what is happening in the world. You can also see films and plays, or you can watch documentaries and learn something new.
Sam:In spite of all defects, television can teach us a lot of things. The trick is to learn to control it and use it intelligently. The ideal is to turn on the TV only when there is a programme which is really amusing and interesting.
John:A lot of rubbish has been written about television. I think, it’s a wonderful invention. It’s a cheap form of entertainment, which gives pleasure to millions of people, especially those who live alone. It’s also a wonderful way of escaping from our dull reality.
William:TV is just part of life. It involves us in strong emotions: love, hate, passion. Even the silliest of “soaps” help me solve my own problems by showing me what might happen if I do certain things. Sometimes they show me what not to do.
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Jane:Television is a terrible waste of time. I know a lot of people who just sit down in front of the “box” and watch whatever is on. They spend hours watching silly Mexican soap operas and second-rate American films when perhaps they should do something useful.
Harry:In my opinion, television makes us lazier. We stay at home instead of going out. We read less. We think less. We even talk less. It cuts us off from reality. But isn’t real life much better than this passive enjoyment?
Diana:Television is like a drug: we get addicted to certain TV series and simply can’t switch it off. Most programmes are filled with silly commercials. What I hate most about TV is that it often uses strong language. It has a terrible influence on children and young people.
omnipresent [‘ mni’preznt]– вездесущий
precious [‘pre əs]– драгоценный
rubbish [‘r bi ]– ерунда, чепуха
to escape [is’keip] from reality[ri’æliti]– уходитьотреальности
to involve[in’v lv] – вовлекать
to get addicted [ə’diktid] to – привыкать, пристраститься
commercial [kə’mə: l] – радио, тлв.реклама
Ex. 8. Match sentences in A with sentences in B:
Note:George Mikes [‘miki ] – ДжорджМикеш, известныйписатель, авторкниги «Какбытьчужеземцем» (“How to be an alien”). Это самая забавная книга, когда-либо написанной об Англии. Родился в Венгрии, но Англия стала его второй родиной.
A
1. Not all newspapers and TV programmes
2. It is true that the world today
3. Violence on TV is another problem
4. As George Mikes once said, TV teaches us
5. It’s the window on the world which gives us
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B
a) an opportunity to travel all over the world without leaving home
b) that worries people
c) how to kill, to rob, to shoot and to poison
d) report the events objectively
e) is full of dramatic news
Ex.9. It’s natural to wonder what our future will be like. Some things are hard to guess, others are very easy to foresee. Here is an article from the newspaper where futurologists express some ideas concerning the future. Read the article and:
a) say “agree” or “disagree” to show your own attitude to the problem;
b) look through the ideas and join some of them together using and, but, besides, because.
e.g.People will live much longer because many dangerous diseases will disappear and, besides, no one will die from hunger.
We shall all live in skyscrapers. There won’t be any cars in the streets. We shall use helicopters instead of cars. We shan’t have to walk much. There will be too many people in the cities. We’ll be able to control the weather. People will learn to synthesize food. No one will die from hunger. There won’t be any ethnic conflicts. There will be no more wars, no more criminals and no more terrorists. People will learn to live in peace. They will understand each other. People will colonize the Moon and some other planets. We’ll be able to travel in space and – who knows? – one day we’ll be able to spend our holidays on Mars. We shall run out of natural fuel. There will be new sources of energy. We shall cut down all our forests. People will live much longer. Many dangerous diseases will disappear. Scientists (or probably computers?) will find solutions to our most urgent problems. People will stop dying from cancer and AIDS*. They will live to be 150 years old. We’ll have computers that we’ll wear on our wrists or even in our glasses and earrings. The next generation of computers will be able to talk. Of course, computers will be still a lot simpler than human brains, but it will be a great step forward. Such computers will help find minerals. They will control the world’s money markets. They will identify criminals and control space travel.
*AIDS(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) – СПИД (синдромприобретенногоиммуно- дефицита)
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