Mass Media in our life

How do you understand the term 'media'?

Can we live without the mass media?

What is the most popular kind of mass media? Why?

In our days

• Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use the Net and he won’t disturb you for weeks.

What kind of media these verbs are connected to:

• to damage eyes,
• to get lazy,
• to read on-line,
• to send a message,
• to transmit,
• to plug into,
• to be hooked on,
• to get access,
• to get a virus,
• to chat,
• to cover news,
• to read

• to listen to,
• to watch,
• to broadcast,
• to download,
• to switch from channel to channel,
• to surf,
• to search for info,
• to communicate,
• to provide readers with info,
• to show in pictures,
• to publish,
• to click a mouse,

Match different kinds of TV programmes with their descriptions.

1) documentary

2) the news

3) talk show

4) soap opera

5) nature programme

6) weather forecast

7) commercial

a) factual film about animals and plants

b) informal talk, usually with famous people

c) the latest events in the world and in your country

d) no-fiction film based on real events

e) drama, usually about family life; often weekly

f) advertisement

g) information about temperature, wind, rain, sun and so on

Mass Media

• Mass media or mass communications are the press, radio and television.
• Every day we read newspapers, and magazines, listen to radio and watch TV. Nowadays there are so many newspapers and magazines, radio stations and TV channels that we have to be very selective and give preference to some of them.
• What newspapers and magazines do I prefer to read? I like to read the following newspapers: "Komsomolskaya Pravda" ("Komsomol Truth"), "Nezavisimost" ("Independence"), "Argumenty i Fakty" ("Arguments and Facts").
• Several periodicals are available in English. As far as newspapers are concerned they may be daily, or weekly. Magazines may be weekly, monthly and quarterly.
• The newspapers and magazines I read are the most readable and have a large readership or circulation. For example, "Argumenty i Fakty" has a circulation of more than 23 000 000. It is the largest in the world. The newspapers contain and give coverage of local, home and foreign affairs. Their publications deal with very burning problems of our history, latest events and forecasts for future. They also touch upon cultural, sport news. I like the way they present different points of view, approaches to the problems. My parents and I subscribe to some periodicals, so we are subscribers. We buy some of newspapers and magazines in a kiosk.
• I often listen to radio, especially in the morning before I leave for school. I prefer to listen to "Mayak" ("Lighthouse") programm. They broadcast much news and music. I like to listen to weekend programmes, some of them are very amusing and entertaining.
• As to the TV, we have 34 channels. I prefer to watch youth programmes.
• In addition I like to see interesting films. They might be feature, adventure, scientific, horror, cartoon and other films. I enjoy seeing Walt Disney's cartoons. Now and then I like to see the programme "Love at First Sight". It is an enjoyable and entertaining one.

Questions:

1. What do we read every day?

2. Why do we have to be very selective nowadays?

3. What do the newspapers contain and give?

4.  What do radio programmes broadcast?

5. Where do you buy newspapers?

6. Which programmes do you prefer to watch?

LISTENING GAP FILL

• Where _______________ without the media? How would we get information about the world? _______________ interested in the news. We all _______________ what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It _______________ every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many _______________ bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are _______________. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We _______________ other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history _______________.

Topical Vocabulary:

• Mass media                                   -средства массовой информации
• To meet eminent people                -встречаться с выдающимися людьми
• To shape public opinion                 -формировать общественное мнение
• Means of communication               -средства связи
• To influence a very large audience-оказывать влияние на очень большую аудиторию
• Advertising                                   -реклама
• Public relations                             -связи с общественностью
• To play a crucial role in smth       -играть решающую роль в чем-либо
• Forming public opinion                 -формировать общественное мнение
• To be made up of smth                 -состоять из чего-либо
• Newsgathering                              -сбор новостей
• To provide news output                 -обеспечивать выпуск новостей
• To force attention to smth            -привлекать внимание к чему-либо
• To build up a public image           -создавать имидж
• Capacity to act autonomously     -способность к самостоятельным действиям
• Impartial                                       -объективный, беспристрастный

MASS MEDIA .

• To live in the modern world is impossible without expanding your knowledge in all spheres. There are several ways of communicating the world of individuals-mass media, books, travelling, museums, meeting eminent people. Of all the existing ways, there are two which are the easiest, those are mass media and travelling. It’s not a secret the different media are used to communicate news and entertainment. They include print media and electronic media.
• Mass media play an important role in our life. They are usually defined by encyclopedias as any of the means of communication, such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, etc. that reach and influence a very large audience, at least as large as the whole population of a nation.
• I believe mass media are so influential because they can be used for various purposes: popularization, education, entertainment etc.
• Mass media play a crucial role in forming public opinion. But how much do the media influence the modern society? Early critiques suggested that the media destroys the individual’s  capacity to act autonomously. Later studies, however, suggest a more complex interaction between the media and society. People actively interpret and evaluate the media and the information it provides.

Questions:

• What ways of communicating do you know?
• What are the easiest ways of communicating?
• How large is the audience of mass media?
• Why are mass media so influential?
• How much do the media influence the modern society?

Translate into English.

• Средства массовой информации-это средства коммуникации, такие как радио, телевидение, газеты, журналы, которые создают очень большую аудиторию.
• Средства массовой информации играют ведущую роль в формировании общественного мнения, так как они, во-первых, доносят до людей информацию о мире, во-вторых, воспроизводят созданный современным обществом его собственный имидж.
• Они создают аудиторию, которая поддерживает их в финансовом отношении.

Fill in the blanks. The first letter of each missing word has been given.

• The mass media refers to the people and organizations that provide news and i……….(1) for the public. Until recently these were mainly n………..(2), t…….(3), and r………(4). Today, computers play a very big part. The I………..(5) is a computer system that allows millions of people around the world to receive and exchange information about almost everything. Ordinary post has been taken over by e……….(6) which stands for e……..(7) mail because it is sent m…………(8) to each other quickly and cheaply. Ordinary p………..(9) is now referred to as “snail-mail” and one wonders if the p……..(10) is a job in danger of extinction!