Методичка по английскому языку

Some people think that the only way to be in the know of everything is to read newspapers and magazines. If you get on a bus or catch a train during the morning and evening "rush hours", when most people travel to and from work, you will see a lot of реорle with their heads in a newspaper or a magazine.

Newspapers are packed with the latest news, information, fashion and facts. They cater for a variety of political views, interests, and levels of education. Papers are generally divided into "quality: papers", or broadsheets, and "popular papers" that are half the size of a broadsheet. But the size is not the only thing that makes them different. "Quality papers" are serious, with long, informative articles, while "popular papers", known as "tabloids", have a more sensational reporting style and contain more human-interest stories than news. In Russia we also have these two types of newspapers. For example, Jzvestiya or Kommersant are broadsheets. They contain political, business and cultural information. Such tabloids as Megapolis-Express and Express Gazeta contain the latest gossip, sensations and crossword puzzles. People choose a paper according to their tastes and preferences. Though newspapers don't react to events as quickly as TV, they usually provide us with extra details, commentaries and background information.

There are also a lot of magazines and other periodicals. Whatever your interest, there is likely to be a magazine about it - from sport, cookery and farming to religion, computers, cinema and more. Young people below the age of 18 do not buy newspapers, but they do buy magazines. Girls enjoy magazines about pop music, clothes, fashion and make-up, whereas boys prefer to read about sports, cars and computers. As far as I am interested in fashion, I enjoy reading Yes. It is a monthly magazine for girls containing the latest information about our favourite pop, film and soap stars, brilliant fashion and beauty, sports and romance. It approaches interesting subjects with intelligence and good humour. Besides, there is a lot of useful advice on various areas of life.

Still, many people prefer the radio. It's good to listen to the radio in a car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house. Listeners can tune into all kinds of stations: pop or classical music, news, sport or foreign radio stations. People cart often call in and ask questions about everything from cooking or car repair to politics or health. Callers often get a chance to give their opinions on the air. Besides, radio has fresher news than newspapers. They are informed every half-hour.

The Internet has recently become another important source of information. It is a computer system that allows millions of people around the world to receive and exchange information about almost everything. The main use of the Internet is to find information — for your schoolwork or job, or just to find out more about your hobbies, sports or current events. All the latest information is available to you in your home, at any hour of the day and night. It's 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.

However, the real world of the Internet may not be as perfect as it seems. With so much information available, finding what you want can take you hours. Multimedia web pages with photographs arc attractive, but they make downloading slow and boring. Besides, there is too much advertising instead of real information.

With so many modern forms of getting information such as radio, TV and the Internet, people read fewer books, newspapers and magazines. Nowadays most people consider television their most important source of information, and a majority ranks television as the most believable news source. In my opinion, we can't say exactly which source of information is the best. It depends on what kind of information you need. However, I don't think we should forget the educational value of reading a good book.

 

 

Answer the following questions:

1. How do you get information about the world? 2. Can travelling help you to get information about the world? 3. When and where do you like to travel? 4. Why is visiting museums interesting and useful? 5. How often do you visit museums? 6. What can museums and places of interest tell you about the world? 7. Do you think TV programmes can help you to learn at school? In what way? 8. What sort of information do you get from newspapers and magazines? 9. What are the main types of newspapers in Great Britain? 10. What newspapers and magazines do you read? 11. Do you like listening to the radio? Why? 12. What can help you to learn better at school? 13. What is the best way of learning about the world?

 

 

Text 3. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Television

Vocabulary

Invention - изобретение

to step out of smth – выйти из чего-либо

the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft – лунный модуль космического корабля «Апполон 11»

the surface of the moon – поверхность луны

to witness a milestone in the history of humanity – быть свидетелем крупного события в истории человечества

to create a workable television – создать жизнеспособное телевидение

mass media – средства массовой информации

entertainment - развлечение

advantage - преимущество

to communicate the world to individuals – передать людям информацию о мире

to broadcast news and educational programmes – транслировать новости и образовательные программы

to cater for all needs and tastes – отвечать всем потребностям и вкусам

to get information across to the viewer – донести информацию до зрителя

to be accessible for the illiterate and blind – быть доступным для неграмотных и слепых

feature film – художественный фильм

cartoon - мультфильм

documentary – документальный фильм

sports event – спортивные события

political commentary – политический комментарий

commercial – реклама на телевидении

to provide entertainment – являться развлечением

the latest Hollywood releases – последние фильмы Голливуда

to watch worthwhile programming – смотреть программы, достойные просмотра

to become captivated by its hypnotic power – быть захваченным его гипнотической силой

regardless of the banality of the content – несмотря на банальность содержания

to watch smth for the content – смотреть что-либо ради содержания

captivating swirl of images – захватывающая смена образов

to decrease one's attention span – уменьшить продолжительность концентрации чьего-либо внимания

to weaken one's imagination – ослабить чье-либо воображение

quick, short bursts of ready-made information – быстро сменяющие друг друга короткие отрезки информации

to observe – наблюдать

to be full of violence – быть полным насилия

to own and ran television stations and networks – владеть и управлять телевизионными станциями и сетями

low-nutrition sweets and snacks – конфеты и легкие закуски, обладающие низкой питательностью

consumerism – потребительство

to be indispensable for happiness – быть абсолютно необходимым для счастья

to create great harm by smth – приносить большой вред чем-либо

primary danger of smth – главная опасность чего-либо

to produce behaviour – приводить к определенному поведению

to distract smb's attention from smth – отвлечь чье-либо внимание от чего-либо

to communicate with people – общаться с людьми

 

Television is one of the greatest inventions of all time. For example, on July 20, 1969, we were able to watch in our living room Neil A. Armstrong step out of the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and haltingly walk on the surface of the moon. We were witnessing a milestone in the history of humanity. Such is the potential power of TV to inform, inspire, and unite.

Experiments to create a workable television began in the 19th century in Germany. Today television is probably the most widely used type of mass media — and entertainment. Most families in the civilized countries have a TV in their household.

TV has a lot of advantages. First, it is a powerful mass medium communicating the world to individuals and providing education to the viewers, as it broadcasts news about all spheres of human life and a lot of educational programmes. Second, it caters for all of the needs and tastes of all ages and social groups due to the variety of information it gets across to the viewer and is accessible even for illiterate and blind. It broadcasts news, feature films of all kinds imaginable, cartoons, documentaries, sports events, political commentaries, shows, commercials — and what not! Third, it provides entertainment — we can see major sporting events live, and the choice of feature films, cartoons and documentaries is enormous — from old classics to the latest Hollywood releases, cartoons, children's shows and films.

Yet, in its current state, TV produces a lot of problems. The first problem is no matter how noble our intentions are to watch only worthwhile programming, once we start watching, it is all too easy to become captivated by its almost hypnotic power to keep us watching regardless of the banality of the content.

So, before long, we are watching not for the content, but for the contrast, change, and captivating swirl of images. That is the danger. We may decide to catch a one-hour educational program and end up 'watching' longer than we originally planned.

TV also decreases one's attention span and weakens one's imagination because we grow used to quick, short bursts of ready-made information. All we have to do is sit back and observe someone else's imagination. We need to be more like Groucho Marx who said, 'I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book.'

One more disadvantage of the modern TV is that it is full of violence, which sets a bad example for children who are native and vulnerable and often use people they see on TV as role models.

Another major problem is the way it is used by those who own and run television stations and networks. TV is not made to entertain, educate, or enlighten us. It is made to sell products and services. Living with television means growing up in a world of about 22,000 commercials a year, 5,000 of them for food products, more than half of which are for low-nutrition sweets and snacks. TV, then, is heart of the monster called consumerism. Women are forced to go to work and children see less and less of their parents, all so we can buy more and more of the stuff TV tells us is indispensable for happiness.

TV creates great harm not only by its influence, but also by what it prevents. The primary danger of the television screen lies not so much in the behaviour it produces — although there is danger there — as in the behaviour it prevents: the talks, the games, the family festivities and arguments. TV distracts our attention from reality, solving real life problems and communicating with people.

 

Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Телевидение дает нам возможность стать свидетелями важных событий в истории человечества, оно обладает способностью информировать, вдохновлять и объединять.

2. Эксперименты по созданию жизнеспособного телевидения начались в XIX веке в Германии, сейчас телевидение — наиболее-широко используемый вид средств массовой информации и развлечения.

3. Телевидение — это мощное средство массовой информации, которое передает людям информацию о мире, поскольку транслирует новости и образовательные программы.

4. Телевидение удовлетворяет все потребности и вкусы всех возрастных и социальных групп благодаря разнообразию информаци и, которую оно передает зрителю, и доступно даже для неграмотных и слепых.

5. Телевидение передает новости, художественные фильмы, мультфильмы, документальные фильмы, спорт, политические комментарии, рекламу.

6. Оно предлагает развлечение на любой вкус — художественные фильмы, от классики до последних фильмов Голливуда, мультфильмы, детские шоу и фильмы.

7. Какими бы благородными намерениями смотреть только стоящие программы мы ни руководствовались, нас захватывает его гипнотическая сила, и мы смотрим его, несмотря на банальность содержания.

8. Телевидение уменьшает время удержания внимания и ослабляет наше воображение, поскольку мы привыкаем к быстрым, коротким отрывкам готовой информации.

9. Телевидение изобилует насилием, и дети, полные наивности и подверженные чужому влиянию, часто используют людей, которых они видят по телевидению, в качестве ролевых моделей (образцов для подражания).

 

Text 4. The Internet: Pros and Cons

Vocabulary

 

common — распространенный

to allow — позволять

achievement — достижение

rival — соперник, конкурент

to deliver — распространять

software — программное обеспечение

cheap — дешевый

possibility — возможность

to seem — казаться

frightening — пугающий

to store — хранить

criminal — преступник

gun — оружие, ружье, пистолет

to steal — красть

increasingly — все более

PC (personal computer) — персональный компьютер

relationship — отношения

Web site — страница в Интернете

to belong — принадлежать

ordinary — простой, обыкновенный

government — правительство

addictive — вызывающий привыкание

partly — частично

to obtain — получать

to prevent from — не давать,  предотвращать

 

Just ten years ago very few people heard about the Internet. Now it is nearly as common and useful as the telephone. As more and more people use the Internet, as it becomes cheaper and faster and easier to use, there will be new things on the Internet that we cannot imagine today.

On the one hand, the development of the Internet will bring new opportunities to many people. Now, with the Internet, the place where you live may become less important than who you are and what you can do. In the future we'll be able to find a job in any part of the world. What is more, the Internet will allow a lot of talented people to show the world their achievements.

Today most operating systems are the work of hundreds of programmers and they cost thousands of dollars. In 1991 Linus Torvalds wrote an operating system alone, and he gave it away. Now, with the help of many programmers who work together on the Internet, his Linux system has grown into a serious rival to the products of the industry leader, Microsoft.

It costs almost nothing to deliver software over the Internet. If programmers are willing to give their work away, and if programs are as good as their commercial rivals, the days of paying for software could soon be over.

What is more, the Internet is a great opportunity for people to report on the world. Using just a cheap PC, Matt Drudge nearly ended the career of US President Bill Clinton. He wrote the story about a sexual relationship between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and put it on the Internet. Soon a million people a day were looking at his Web site. With the Internet the future belongs not to traditional journalists, but to ordinary people with a story to tell.

But on the other hand, the possibilities of the Internet may seem frightening. For example, Vladimir Levin worked for a computer firm in St. Petersburg. From there, using the Internet, he was able to break into Citibank's computers in the USA. He moved more than $10 million to other banks all over the world. Most of the world's money is stored in computers. Clever criminals are likely to use computers and the Internet, not guns to steal it.

As the Internet becomes increasingly important to governments, it also becomes a stage for people who oppose them. The information wars of the future may be fought on Web sites.

Some people argue that the Internet is dangerous because it a addictive. A lot of people, and especially teenagers, spend hours chatting or playing games on-line. What is more, teenagers and even children look at sex pictures on the Internet. It is true that like photography, cinema and video before it, the Internet is growing partly because it is a way for people to find sexual material that they cannot easily obtain in any other way. Anyway, there axe many ways for parents to prevent their children from seeing anything си the Internet that the parents do not like.

To sum up, it's impossible to say now what the Internet will be like in the future or how it will change our lives. But we must admit that the World Wide Web offers people great opportunities, and we must try to make the best use of it.

 

 

Answer the following questions:

1. When did the Internet appear in Russia? 2. Do many people use the Internet nowadays? What for? 3. What does the Interne allow us to do? 4. Does the Internet save our time? 5. What are the disadvantages of the Internet? 6. How do you think the Internet will change our future? 7. Do you use the Internet? How? 8. What is your personal attitude towards the Internet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIALOGUES

2.

 

— What TV programmes do you like to watch most of all, Kate?

— There are quite a lot of brilliant programmes on Russian TV: talk and game shows, comedies and cartoons, police series and soap operas. I can't say exactly which programme I like best of all. Well, perhaps it's "Anshlag".

— "Anshlag"? What is it about?

— Oh, it's a very funny programme which consists of humorous stories and songs presented by Russian humorists. This programme is now hosted by Regina Dubovitskaya.

— I like humour programmes too. Does Russian TV show British humour programmes?

— Of course, it does. We always watch with pleasure such British programmes as "Mister Bin" and "Benny Hill's show". And what is your favourite programme, Gloria?

— I am fond of soap operas. British TV broadcasts a lot of different soaps, but my favourite one is "Neighbours".

— Why do you like it?

— Well, it is about the life of Australian teenagers. I like to watch it after school. It is very exciting and helps me to relax. Besides I like to discuss with my friends what will happen to characters.

— We have a lot of soaps on Russian TV too. My Mum really enjoys watching soaps. As for me, I prefer detective series. In my opinion, they are more fascinating.

• Tastes differ.

 

4.

 

— Television is much spoken about these days. Are you for or against watching TV?

— I can't say that I am a telly addict, but I watch TV two or three hours a day. In my opinion, there are a lot of brilliant programmes on TV.

— I don't watch TV as much as you do. My parents say that watching TV hurts eyes and is harmful to our health. Besides, I don't usually have much free time on weekdays. But on Sundays I like to watch TV.

• What programmes do you especially like watching?

— Most of all I enjoy detective series like "X-files" or Kamenskaya". It's exciting to follow the story line and to conduct

investigations together with the characters. I particularly enjoy watching films about mysterious and supernatural events. And what about you?

— It would be rather difficult for me to choose my favourite programme because there are lots of good things on TV. You just have to look for them. Well, I like old films, cartoons, comedies and thrillers, pop concerts and humour programmes. I even enjoy soaps!

— Soaps? They are long and boring! I can never understand people who rush home to watch their favourite soap. I never watch soaps.

— Well, 1 agree that soaps show life unrealistically, but they are not harmful really. The acting is pretty good there. They help me to escape from boring everyday life. I just use them to relax.

— But there are a lot of other interesting programmes on TV that broaden our minds and expand our outlook: documentaries and wildlife programmes, talk shows and quizzes. They are clever and informative, aren't they?

— Of course, they are. I can't but agree that many of the programmes are made in good taste and with great professional skill. The only thing that really irritates me is the amount of advertising on TV. When I sit down to watch the show and I am really enjoying the story, suddenly the film stops. I find it really annoying. What is more, advertisements are misleading because they don't talk about the products' defects.

— As for me, I don't take advertising seriously. Some advertisements are really funny. Besides, we shouldn't forget that commercial channels get most of their money from advertising. I think everything has its pros and cons.

— The same can be said about TV. Of course, TV has some disadvantages, but it is the main source of information and the best form of entertainment for millions of people.