Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases used in the text.

– negligence;

– notional watershed;

– to throw the onus;

– an “X” certificate;

– tricky titles;

– on-air trailers;

– smutty shows;

– to be carried away by prejudices.

Insert the right particle or preposition where necessary. Translate the sentences into Russian/Belarusian.

 

1. The onus was … me to earn enough to support the family.

2. The broadcasting minister was dismissed … negligence.

3. The BBC announced a tough new curb … TV sleaze.

4. We would much appreciate guidance … an expert in this field.

5. The programme-makers were ordered to cut … explicit scene of sex, violence and bad language.

6. Mary claims she has been discriminated … in pay.

7. The president went … the air to make a public statement.

8. In Britain television goes … the air about midnight.

 

Speech activities

 

Answer the following questions.

1. Which of the survey’s findings did you find interesting or surprising? Why?

2. What main conclusions does the author draw from the figures in the survey? What suggestion does he make?

3. How far do you think the author’s recommendations would really assist parents in guiding the young in their viewing?

4. Is the issue of selective viewing/reading relevant for this country? Why?

5. How far do you share the author’s worries about the undesirable consequences of censoring TV shows and films?

 

Exchange your views on the following points.

 

1. The parents should agree upon which programmes their children are allowed to watch and the TV should only be turned on at those times.

2. Our TV guides and on-air trailers are neither concise nor informative, very often they are tricky.

3. The overwhelming majority of parents should themselves be guided in their viewing/reading habits

4. Explain what past experience makes you either agree or disagree with these generalizations. Use the appropriate language exponents from the Speech Functions Bank.

 

 

Listening comprehension

 

Before listening to the tape study the following vocabulary.

 

appalling adj	ужасный, потрясающий, отвратительный
constrained adj	вынужденный, принужденный скованный, несвободный
disgusting adj	отвратительный, противный, мерзкий
grandeur n	великолепие, нравственное величие
gratuitous adj	беспричинный, необоснованный
low-challenging adj	низкосортный, низкопробный
lowest common denominator	зд.: простой обыватель
pageantry n	великолепие, блеск, шик
pap n	телевизионный “мусор”, низкосортные программы
savage adj	свирепый, жестокий, беспощадный
savage n	дикарь
side effect	побочный эффект
stirring adj	волнующий, трогательный

 

 

You will hear interviews with Joanna Bogle, a member of the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association, a group which aims to monitor the output of television and radio in Britain and with Kate Adie, a news reporter for the BBC and a documentary film maker.

They talk about similar topics, but not in the same order. Listen to the interview s and answer the questions.

1. What sort of programmes do they find offensive? Why? What examples do they give?

2. Do they feel people can tell the difference between fantasy and reality?

3. Do they think it matters whether they can?

4. What examples do they quote to support their views?

5. What sort of programmes do you think these are?

6. Do they think television reflects society or influences society?

7. Do they feel that television has positive as well as negative influences?

Section 2. The Language of Advertising

Starter activity

What do you think the aims of advertisements are ? What does their effectiveness depend on?

Reading one

 

Consumer Discrimination

The importance of consumer discrimination in domestic life is clear. Indeed the evaluation and selection of manufactured items – from soap powders to cars – is an inescapable part of life in today’s society. But most people have little knowledge of the actual production of what they buy and are therefore unable to make first-hand judgements of quality. So where do ideas of value for money originate? On what basis do we discriminate between two comparable products? Ideally, judgement is based on the type and quality of materials, construction, performance, appearance and price. Often, however, first-hand knowledge of these factors is not available and we rely on advertisements.

The essence of advertising is persuasion. To use reasoned argument in order to persuade people to buy a particular product seems a valid form of propaganda and, indeed, could be expected to assist the process of discrimination. But the advertiser’s concern cannot be solely to assist discrimination. His appeal is therefore rarely directed towards reasons alone but also towards the more emotional responses that may be triggered by associating a product with the private hopes, fears, prejudices, and anxieties that beset the average human being. And if these appeals can be disguised within a reasoned argument, so much the better.

 

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