Different types of media

Next Article

Word list

Track 29

READING

Mass media is a phrase often used to describe ways of giving information and entertainment to a very large audience. Generally, we talk about three types of mass media. The print media (which includes newspapers, magazines, brochures and books), broadcasting media (television and radio) and digital media (the Internet, mobile phones, etc.) All of them affect our lives in different ways.

Newspapers are one of the traditional media, but their audience is not as big as it was in the days before computers. However, the printed word will hopefully continue to endure because there will always be people who like reading books, magazines, and newspapers.

Radio is a kind of universal medium, since people can listen to it at home, at work and even in the car. Television is more popular than radio because it provides fun and entertainment to different age groups. It is a medium that permits the use of the printed word, spoken word and pictures in motion, colour, music and animation. Advertisers use both these media for the marketing and promotion of a company’s products and services.

The most popular and most widely-used form of media today is digital media – often referred to as the new-age media. Although the media has always affected public opinion, digital media has had a profound effect on the way we live and work. It has not only changed the way we get our news and interact with each other, but also the way we learn, do business and entertain ourselves. Besides being an amazing source of information on the latest happenings around the world, the Internet has opened up new opportunities for mass communication, which include email, forums, blogging and many other mass media which are booming today. We are no longer only consumers of passive messages, but active participants as well. We are more engaged with friends, we are more literate, more connected, more open to creating new relationships, and generally more interested in the world around us. There is a wide range of social networking sites: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Google plus and Linkedin are the best-known.

The mobile phone has made it easy for us to connect with our friends, family members, colleagues, etc. It has become so popular that the young generation actually cannot live without it. Today mobile phones are not just simple portable telephones; they are kinds of computers and people are using their cell phones for more than their original intended purpose.

99

100 Glossary

to endure – to continue to exist in the same state or condition; last profound – very great boom – to increase suddenly in size, importance, activity, etc. consumer – a person who buys things or uses services literate – able to read and write

COMPREHENSION

In pairs, discuss the following questions. 1. Which media is referred to as the new-age media and why? 2. Why will the printed word manage to endure? 3. What kind of new opportunities for mass communication has the Internet opened up? 4. How does the Internet help us in our daily activities? 5. Are mobile phones used only for telephoning? 6. Which of the media affects our lives most? 7. How do you understand the sentence: ‘We’re no longer only consumers of passive messages, but active participants as well’?

VOCABULARY

a cb

1 Read the article again and explain the words in bold. Then make up new sentences which illustrate their meaning.

2 Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the words from the box.

boom provide profound endure literate refer

1. These brochures _____________ useful information about local services. 2. We must make a plan of how to take advantage of the country’s __________economy. 3. The rules they had introduced ______________for centuries. 4. She is _____________in both English and French. 5. His novels had a _____________ influence on other writers of his generation. 6. The numbers shown in the text _____________ to the footnotes at the bottom of the page.

3 In the text, find adjectives which collocate with the following nouns.

1. __ universal _ medium 2. ____________source 3. ____________happenings 4. ____________participants 5. ____________range 6. ____________effect

FOCUS ON

 Note that the verb affect and the noun effect are used in contexts that are similar. The government’s decisions could affect [=influence] the lives of millions of people. The experience has had a bad effect on his work.

4 Use the words affect and effect and the categories below to make sentences. social media music health & beauty society education my life

GRAMMAR

NOUNS 1 Countable and uncountable nouns

• Nouns can be countable (one student/two students) or uncountable (information, news, tea, money). • Countable nouns have a singular as well as a plural form, whereas uncountable nouns have only a singular form and take a singular verb. Uncountable nouns do not have a/an before them. (We can use some and any.)

This news is very important. / I need some information. / Have fun. / We like hot weather. For more information, see the Grammar summary.

2 The plural of nouns

• The plural of most countable nouns is formed by adding -s or -es: computer – computers, brush – brushes. • The exceptions to the rule are given in the table in the Grammar summary. Study the examples and then do the exercises.

1 Underline all the uncountable nouns in the article.

2 Choose the correct alternative.

1. Our luggage is/are in the car. 2. Their progress have/has been evident. 3. He wants an information/informations/some information on the computers you make. 4. Don’t be afraid to ask for an advice/advices/some advice when ordering a meal. 5. The relationship was never going to work, but it was fun/a fun while it lasted. 6. What bad weather/a bad weather we had yesterday!

3 Write the plural form of the following nouns:

chief, half, loaf, ox, family, thief, foot, kilo, potato, match

101

102

LISTENING Track 30 Television Addiction

1 Discuss these questions in pairs. 1. Is television an important form of entertainment for you? 2. Do you watch soaps or reality shows? Why/Why not? 3. Should parents restrict the amount of TV their children watch? Justify your opinions. 4. What reasons for watching TV would you mention?

2 You are going to listen to a text about television addiction. Which of these words/ideas do you expect to hear and in what context?

boredom • leisure pastimes • relaxation • filling time • self-education • social activity • enjoyment • family activity • health • hard time • violence

3 Listen and mark these sentences as true (T) or false (F).

1. People watch television to escape from the pressures and stress of everyday life. 2. Adults watch TV more than children. 3. Too much television may affect children’s health. 4. Watching television is more than entertainment. 5. Total television time should be limited to less than an hour a day. 6. TV addiction is not a serious problem.

4 Match the words from the recording (1-6) with the words (a-f) to make collocations.

Listen again and check your answers.

1. limited 2. aggressive 3. truly 4. leisure 5. numerous 6. easy a. b. c. d. e. f. pastimes studies behaviour unbearable access time

WRITING 

Describe a soap/sitcom you are familiar with and say why you like/don’t like it. The phrases in the box may help you.

an insight into people’s lives ▪ harmless entertainment ▪ witty dialogues ▪ (un)imaginative plot ▪ (un)interesting characters ▪ good/bad acting ▪ important social issues ▪ moral issues