The earliest kind of Mass Media was newspaper. The first newspaper was Roman handwritten newssheet called «Acta Diurna» started in 59 B.C. Magazines appeared in 1700's. They developed from newspapers and booksellers' catalogs. Radio and TV appeared only in 20th century.
The most exciting and entertaining kind of Mass Media is television. It brings moving pictures and sounds directly to people's homes. So one can see events in far-away places just sitting in his or her chair.
Radio is widespread for its portability. It means that radios can easily be carried around. People like listening to the radio on the beach or picnic, while driving a car or just walking down the street. The main kind of radio entertainment is music.
Newspapers can present and comment on the news in much detail in comparison to radio and TV newscasts. Newspapers can cover much more events and news.
Magazines do not focus on daily, rapidly changing events. They provide more profound analysis of events of preceding week. Magazines are designed to be kept for a longer time so they have cover and binding and are printed on better paper.
Mass Media has become an important part of our life. We all have already become listeners, readers, viewers long time ago. We get information we need while we are reading newspapers and magazines, watching TV, listening to the news on the radio. If you want to relax, you can just switch on any FM station and enjoy music or you switch on your TV set, choose one of the music channels and have a fun. Now you can hardly imagine that just 15 years ago there were no FM radio in the state, no satellite television and internet at all.
Newspapers, with their enormous circulation report, different kinds of news can supply any kind of information. They carry articles that cover the latest international and national events, all kind of rumours, advertising, fun stories, biographies of well-known people, etc. You can buy newspapers also for the radio and TV programs, where a full coverage of commercial, financial and public affairs is given. Our television provides so much information which can vary from social and economic crises, conflicts, wars, disasters, earthquakes, to diplomatic visits, negotiations; from terrorism, corruption, to pollution problems, strikes and social movements that sometimes we are lost in this information ocean.
Radio broadcasts are valued mainly for their music programs (Europe Plus, Russian Radio, etc.).
Viewers are fond of watching different show, movies, sports, plays, games, educational and cultural programs and soon.
I. Answer these questions:
A: 1. How do lots of people find going to the cinema?
2. Who makes up the movie audience?
3. Why have cinema attendances declined sharply?
4. Is the cinema-going habit still a strong one?
5. Are you fond of going to the cinema?
6. How do we get information that we need?
7. What information can we find in newspapers?
В: 1. What films have cinema screens in this country been dominated by?
2. What genres of feature films are there?
3. In what time do we live now?
4. What do you give your preference to?
5. What does the film you saw last tell?
6. What is an essential feature of American films?
7. How many performances have many cinemas a day?
8. Why can one be lost in the information ocean of television?
9. What is the main value of radio broadcasts?
II. Note the pronunciation of the following words:
Community, earliest, focus, detail, magazines, imagine, circulation, affairs, enjoy, ocean, broadcasts, cultural, programs, coverage, portability.
III. Give the meaning of the following word combinations, suggest how they can be translated into Russian:
Mass Media; modern civilization; Roman handwritten newssheet; while driving a car; radio entertainment; much detail in comparison; rapidly changing events; cover the latest international and national events; full coverage of commercial, financial and public affairs.
IV. Suggest the English for:
Глобальное сообщество, газетные и книжные каталоги, двигающиеся картинки, портативность, легко носить с собой, переплетать, полный охват, выбор, спутник, культурная жизнь, дорожить, обширный, широкий ассортимент, в основном, проблемы загрязнения, переговоры, вряд ли, варьироваться, представить, прокомментировать, включать в себя.
V. Find synonymous to the following words:
VI. Compare the following English and Russian words:
VII. In the following groups of sentences, show the difference in meaning in bold type:
1) Grandmother always covered the table with a lace cloth. The roof was covered with wooden shingles. The tent covered the campers from the rain. Some woods which covered their retreat were great. She covered her face with her hands.
2) The ship could carry 70 passengers. This tricycle has carried me five thousand miles. He was carrying a briefcase. The bellhop carried the luggage upstairs. You have to carry a mobile so that they can call you in at any time. All the newspapers carried the story. A mission carried him in early life to Italy. They did not carry this tower to the height it now is. The defences were not carried down to the water. He carried his audience with him. He strove to carry with his own hand the victory. The army carried everything before them and gained control of all the important towns in a few weeks. Always kept his temper and carried everybody, especially the chaplain. Our party carried the state, as usual. The bill was carried. The remaining clauses were carriedunanimously. The walls carry the weight of the roof. We carry big ads. in all the papers. Schmitt hung him over his shoulder in a comfortable carry.
3) The girl was an arch, ogling person, with a great play of shoulders. Their comprehensive minds would, in that state of society, have found no play. The insignificant Gray-Snyder murder trial got a bigger «play» in the press than the sinking of the Titanic. I wished the country received a better play in the American press (Hugh McLennan) He played about them like a bee. No smile ever played upon her thin lips. Lightning plays in the sky. Alfred allows his fancy to play round the idea. The molars play vertically on each other like a pair of scissors. We kept playing the enemy with round-shot. The fountains played in his honour. The children play indoors when it rains. It's no good playing at business; you have to take it seriously. Of the 70,000 men «playing» 40,000 are non-unionists.
VIII. Learn the following word combinations, translate them into Russian. Make sentences with each:
All of a kind, two of a