Grammar topic: the present Simple Tense.

«Mass media».

The mass media play an important part in our life. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and entertainment. They also influence the way we see the world and shape our views.

Of course, not all newspapers and TV programmes report the events objectively, but serious journalists and TV reporters try to be fair and provide us with reliable information.

It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events and most news seems to be bad news. But people aren't interested in ordinary events. That is why there are so many programmes and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news doesn't usually make headlines. Bad news does.

Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on people's private lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which are untrue or half-true. They take photos of them in their most intimate moments. The question is — should this be allowed?

The main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes. And that's an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it's much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the pages of newspapers.

Still, many people prefer the radio. It's good to listen to in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.

Newspapers don't react to events as quickly as TV, but they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information. The Internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don't have to wait for news time on TV.

Vocabulary:

1. wonderful	1. замечательный
2. possibility	2. возможность
3. to shape	3. формировать
4. view	4. взгляд
5. to intrude	5. вмешиваться
6. to influence	6. влиять
7. event	7. событие
8. article	8. статья
9. disaster	9. катастрофа
10. murder	10. убийство
11. robbery	11. ограбление
12. objectively	12. беспристрастно
13. ordinary	13. обычный
14. headline	14. заголовок
15. celebrity	15. знаменитость
16. private	16. частный
17. source	17. источник
18. advantage	18. преимущество
19. To provide	19. обеспечивать
20. screen	20. экран

PRACTICE.

1. What statements are true or false. (T), (F).

1. The mass media play an important part in our life.

2. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world.

3. Mass media don`t influence the way we see the world.

4. People are interested only in ordinary events.

5. There are many natural articles about disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies.

6. Good news always make headlines.

7. Journalists follow celebrities and print sensational stories.

8. The main source of news for millions of people is books.

9. The Internet is not considered to be an important source of information.

10. News appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life.

2. Scan the text and find the English equivalents to the following words:

Средства массовой информации; газеты; телевизионные программы; серьёзные журналисты; доступная информация; статьи о катастрофах, авиакатастрофах, убийствах, ограблениях; заголовки; частная жизнь людей; знаменитости; сенсации; политики; исходная информация; источник информации.