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Архитектура Аудит Военная наука Иностранные языки Медицина Металлургия Метрология Образование Политология Производство Психология Стандартизация Технологии |
ЯЗЫК ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБЩЕНИЯ:Стр 1 из 39Следующая ⇒
ЯЗЫК ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБЩЕНИЯ: УСТНЫЙ ДИСКУРС
language for professional communication: oral discourse
Пособие для студентов V курса языковых вузов и факультетов иностранных языков, обеспечивающих получение высшего образования по специальности 1-21 06 01-01 «Современные иностранные языки (преподавание)», учебная дисциплина «Язык профессионального общения»
Минск 2011 УДК 811.111’243 (075.8) ББК 81.432.1−923.1 я 41
А в т о р ы: Л.С. Крохалева, П.М. Леонтьев, А.В. Разумова, Р.С. Трохина, О.И. Федоренчик
Р е ц е н з е н т ы: кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Р.В. Фастовец (МГЛУ), кандидат филологических наук, доцент Л.К. Козлова (Академия управления при Президенте Республики Беларусь)
Р е к о м е н д о в а н о Советом Минского государственного лингвистического университета
Цель пособия – способствовать дальнейшему совершенствованию умений студентов использовать иностранный язык в качестве инструмента профессиональной деятельности на основе взаимосвязанного обучения всем видам иноязычной речевой деятельности. Пособие состоит из четырех разделов, каждый из которых включает аутентичные тексты социально и профессионально значимой тематики, творческие задания для парной и групповой работы обучающихся в условиях учебного сотрудничества, тематический словарь, разговорные модели, необходимые для осуществления речевого взаимодействия в сфере устного профессионального общения, а также дополнительный текстовой материал, размещенный на электронных носителях для организации самостоятельной учебной деятельности студентов. Пособие основывается на положениях компетентностного подхода и предусматривает формирование у будущих преподавателей иностранных языков академических, социально-личностных и профессиональных компетенций. Данное пособие является составной частью учебно-методического комплекса по одному из разделов учебной дисциплины «Язык профессионального общения (Профессионально ориентированный устный дискурс)» и предназначено для студентов V курса языкового вуза, а также других высших учебных заведений, где английский язык изучается как основная специальность.
УДК 811.111'243(075.8) ББК 81.432.1−923.1
© Минский государственный лингвистический университет, 2011 About the Book
The textbook is for students following an advanced English Language course. Its aims are: to expose students to a variety of challenging and interesting text-types in the reading and listening activities and to stimulate them to give their own opinions and participate in discussion and roleplay; to extend students' functional vocabulary, to encourage cooperative learning by focusing on pair and group work. The textbook has four thematic Units: 1. Moral Re-Armament: the Mould of Today’s Personality 2. Family Values and the Modern World 3. Mass Media within the Context of National Culture 4. Educational Challenges Each Unit contains tasks for out-of-class work: – discussion points (Starter activity) to launch the theme of the Unit; – a number of stimulating reading texts with questions that follow them; – vocabulary extensive exercises (Language focus); – a speaking/roleplay activity (Speech activities); – a suggestion for extended writing. The 3 appendices at the back of each Unit contain: Functional Vocabulary, Speech Functions Bank and an electronic version of Supplementary Texts. The textbook is in conformity with the requirements of the course “Language for Professional Communication” which has the advanced module as one of its constituent parts.
Contents
Unit I. Moral Re-Armament: the Mould of Today’s Personality
Section 1. Moral Re-armament − a Problem of Social Concern
Starter activity
Reading one Language focus Speech activities Reading two
Britain ’s Moral Crisis
It’s time for Britain to take a long hard look at herself. The country is embroiled in a public debate on standards in public life, ethics in business, values in education, violence in media and media and breakdown in the family. Moral philosophers, social analysts and, of course, political leaders save all leapt into the fray. At first glance this appears to be an argument about whether shared values are ever possible in a pluralistic society. But the debate carries within it a more profound quest: for a sense of meaning and purpose amid the confusion of today's fragmented post-modern' culture. And beneath that lurks a deeper question still: is there some fundamental authority to which all can appeal and which all will recognize? Or is a popular – and shifting – consensus the best we can hope for? This is no mere intellectual argument. It is driven by a widely shared gut feeling, which varies from deep unease to sheer horror at the sort of society we have created: a society which can produce the torture and murder of a toddler by two children; the massacre of infant-school children in Scotland, so nearly repeated in the West Midlands a few weeks later; the fatal stabbing of a London headmaster by a teenager outside the gates of his own school. Each of these events in isolation would have produced its own short-lived outcry. Taken together and added to the sickening chronicles of battery, rape, muggings, child-abuse and drug-related deaths they form a swelling tide of anger, bewilderment and despair. Mix in stories of sleaze and scandal in government circles, adultery and divorce among junior Royals, the lies and greed that almost brought down the whole British banking system, “fat cats” in the boardroom, social security fraud, unteachable classrooms, overcrowded prisons, the alienation felt by those who have no home, no job, no prospects, no hope – and no wonder people across the country are crying enough. What is more, they want to understand what has brought us to this mess. And then they ask – what can be done? It would be easy to say it all began with the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Easy but wrong. It was the sweeping reforms of the politicians, notably Roy Jenkins and David Steel, which set the seal on the permissive or, as Jenkins would have it, civilized society. Its catchwords were do your own things. Morality was privatized. You could do what you wanted as long as you did not harm anyone else. The removal of economic restraints brought greater prosperity but also encouraged rampant acquisitiveness. By the end of the decade individualism had won the battle over collectivism worldwide. But it had also seriously damaged social cohesion. Margaret Thatcher could even famously declare: “There is no such thing as society”. The recession, which followed came like a cold shower to dampen the euphoria. With the onset of Aids and the alarming increase in violent crime, rape and child abuse, it seemed that all the chickens of the last 50 years had come home to roost. This time, people not only cried out. but took action – enlisting the endorsement of politicians, educationists and church leaders and catching the mood of public opinion. It was one thing to warn in the sixties and seventies that the ride of permissiveness would lead to family break down, increasing violence and civic disorders. Now the evidence was there for all to see. Underlying all this is the me first philosophy which justifies all actions in terms of self-interest, rather than the common good. At the heart of these concerns lies the great issue of our time, the dilemma posed for a liberal society by the tension between freedom and constraints, rights and duties. Our fragmented post-modern culture ensures that lucre is now a pick and mix' attitude to morality. The old authorities – parents, school, church, Royal family, government – have declined in influence. No one else, it is held, has the right to decide by which values I run my life. The danger with that approach, of course, is that I tend to judge myself by my ideals and others by their behaviour. The recurrent nightmare of secular society: that it has thrown away the moral baby with the religious bathwater. “Why be good if there is no God?”. We seem to be locked into a culture of blame for the parlous state of the nation. “Why don’t they do something about it?” is the most commonly heard question. The churches blame the schools; the schools blame the parents and the media, the parents blame the media and the schools; the politicians blame the churches, the schools, the media, the parents and each other; everybody blames the politicians. Most pundits seem clear what is needed. What few seem to articulate is the how. A simple proposition might be for each of us to start with ourselves. If each person began with what they could do, where they are, to put things right and to set new standards, then we might soon see a difference. Heather Hanwell.. Magazine For a Change. 2001. No. 2.
Language Focus Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions. For this you will also need to read the supplementary texts: “Who needs morals?”, “Parents are too permissive with their children nowadays.” 1. What lies at the heart of moral re-armament? 2. What is to be yourself for you? Is it the same as “do what you want as long as you don’t harm anyone else”? 3. What are the issues of a public debate in Britain? Are these concerns similar to those of your society? 4. How can you characterize the morality of the present-day British society? Support your opinion with arguments from the text. 5. What has brought the society to this mess? How much is the family responsible for the orderly situation in your society? Do you support the Victorian attitude to children? 6. What is the opinion of a “Youth of Today” member on morality and moral education, in particular? 7. Can a permissive society become a civilized society? Why not? 8. What is referred to moral values?
Listening Comprehension 1. Listen to the interview with Mrs. M. Thatcher carefully and be ready to:
· make up a list of Victorian values that Mrs. Thatcher admires. · speak about the improvements made in the standards of living during Victorian times.
2. Listen to the interview another time and reflect on the following statements: · Every person should be a man/woman of property (why is it so important?). · most kinds of advantages are offered only to the haves, not to the have-nots. · life would have been very much different for many of our old folk if the money they’d put aside had kept its value. 3. Answer the following questions: 1. What does Mrs. Thatcher refer to Victorian values? 2. What negative aspects of life did Victorian times encompass? 3. How does Mrs. Thatcher describe an excellent society? 4. Does Mrs. Thatcher feel sympathetic for the lot of the unemployed? 5. What does inflation cause? Starter activity READING ONE
What Makes People Volunteer Voluntary work, the things we put our heart into without asking for reward, is a priceless asset to any country. Most voluntary work is fitted into people’s spare time. But sometimes a grave need in national and global affairs calls for unusual steps and people abandon paid work to make new perspectives possible. Religious bodies through the ages have been upheld by such risk-taking people with a sense of vocation. And the current programmes of Moral Re-armament are sustained by a partnership between people in a wide variety of jobs and others who make themselves wholly available. Moral Re-armament seeks to liberate the initiative, creativity and depth of relationships that could make the world work. It takes all one’s skills, stretches one’s abilities and show up one’s mistakes, sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously. Yet it is satisfying to try to alter the fundamental motives of society. Deep changes of attitude can never be prescribed. Nor can a fee be charged. Voluntary activities range from rattling collection boxes in the streets to sitting as a Justice of the Peace, from improving wildlife habitat to manning telephone helplines for children or parents. Besides tens of thousands have found in voluntary work new perspectives on an extraordinary range of issues, from the healing of relationships between colonialized peoples and their former masters to the future of Eastern Europe or values for industrial and artistic life. So what makes people volunteer? Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) publicly quotes one crew member: “One day you’ll be battling with fog for 22 hours, looking for survivors. Just as you're frozen stiff and giving up hope, you spot them. Just the look on their faces when they realize they're not going to die. That's enough.” For Jakarea Islam, 23, from Luton, it was the desire to “put something into the place where I was living” that led him to get involved with the Bangladesh Youth League (BYL). He became a full-time volunteer seven years ago, while he was still living at home. Now he has part-time employment. He has helped run a number of youth clubs around Luton; organized seminars on racial harassment, community relations and drugs; advised adults on issues such as housing and employment; and helped young people prepare CVs and application forms and advised them on interview techniques. In 1995 he was the youth winner of the Whitebread Volunteer Action Award. Islam explains that the BYL was set up around 1979 because of the problems, faced by young people. Today, 90 per cent of League members are of Asian origin. “When I was 14 or 15 facilities were not available”, he recalls. He wants to create a good environment for teenagers in the most deprived area of the town. He enthuses about the Centre for Youth and Community Development which they are “creating on a half-acre site and their flag ship project”, a four-week summer school held every August. “The unique thing is that the young people who participate organize it the following year.” They spend the intervening 11 months raising the necessary funds. “We ask schools if we can use their premises as well as our own centre so that we can occupy young people's time,' Islam adds. Otherwise you get boredom and antisocial activities, and 'it will lead to people saying, that's a bad area”. Chris Baddock visits housebound people under the Haling Link Scheme in west London in order to give the main carer a break. Seeing that his mother's last years were not as good as they could have been opened his eyes to the need, he says. So when he happened to notice Ealing Volunteer Bureau he offered his help. He visits three couples most weeks, for two or three hours at a time. Echoing the feelings of many volunteers, Baddock says he gets a great deal out of volunteering: “It's nice to know you're bringing a little bit of happiness into someone's life and putting something back into the community.” Joan Caden worked in the City of London as chief accountant of a merchant bank. Now she chairs the executive committee of David Gresham House, a residential Abbeyfield extra care home for elderly people in Surrey. It started when someone she had met on a commuter train invited her to a cocktail party where she was asked to serve coffee at the Abbeyfield home once a week. Later she took on the management of 30 paid staff and became more and more involved. “I'd been a busy soul”, says Caden, “and there was no way I could see I’d be happy just looking after my home, playing golf and going to coffee mornings. As an accountant you don’t see any result from your work, except a balance sheet. You get pleasure out of feeling that you are making life more pleasant for people, particularly the elderly.” She feels that it pays to know what you’re good at. Her forte is administration. Felicity Dick's Catholic faith has been one of the motives behind her increasing involvement with voluntary work. She is Chairman of the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, who visit asylum-seekers held in detention while the government decides whether or not to admit them to the UK as refugees. She also does bereavement counselling. Voluntary work takes up most of her time apart from the odd half-day's tennis or bridge. “It was all terribly unplanned,” she says. Having spent ten years building up a career as a freelance business consultant, “I just took on too much.” She gradually dropped the paid work, no longer needing to earn. “Women of my age have spent years bringing up their children and suddenly you're not needed. Then you discover that there are 150 detainees the same age as your children who are lost, lonely, confused. I suppose it's a continuing of that mother role.” Felicity Dick enjoys working with like-minded people, and finds it “amazingly interesting” to learn about the detainees' countries. But the work can be harrowing too. If you've befriended someone and seen them every week for a year, it's incredibly distressing when that person is suddenly deported.” There is no doubting the commitment of many volunteers, nor the value of much of their work. Yet goodwill alone is not enough to ensure the smooth running of a group. “I find voluntary work as stressful as paid work,” says Felicity Dick. One factor is that it is ill-defined. When you do paid work you are appraised. Someone says, “You need to go on a course,” or, “Well done”. The great danger is to think, “I'm only a volunteer, I'm not paid to do this so I cannot be expected to do it well. That is not so. You’ve got to perform as well as you can.” Relying on volunteers can have its problems, she points out. Occasionally a visitor will fail to meet their commitments, saying they are too busy. You are not in a position to threaten them with dismissal. All you can do is to be careful who you select in the first place. At the grassroots there is some disquiet about the changing culture of voluntary work. Jackie Goodwin, who organizes the scheme for visiting the housebound, says that the smaller voluntary organizations are “close to the ground, .know the real needs and often come up with innovative ideas on how to meet them”. Working for local authorities along lines they prescribe, could make the voluntary organizations lose what made them special in the first place. Kenneth Noble. For a Change. 1998. Language Focus
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions. For this you must also read the text ‘Nurse Nicky Nears her Peak of Fitness’ 1. What is voluntary work in your opinion? 2. What makes people volunteer? 3. What is the range of voluntary activities of the crew members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution? 4. What are the rewards the volunteers get for their work? 5. What does Iakarea Islam do to make his desire come true? 6. What inspired Chris Baddock to visit housebound people in West London? 7. What does Chris get out of volunteering? 8. How did Joan Gaden happen to get involved into voluntary work? What had she been doing before? 9. What was one of Felicity Dick’s motives behind her involvement with charity work? What does she do? 10. Have you ever done voluntary work? Tell us about your experience.
Listening Comprehension 1. Listen to these four charity appeals and for each of the charities say: – which people it tries to help; – why people need help; – how the charity tries to help them; – the charity’s attainments and problems.
Make up dialogues. - Between two young people sharing their experience of voluntary work. - Interview a voluntary worker about the way he got involved with charity work Prepare a questionnaire beforehand. - Imagine that you have just visited a third world country with appalling problems. Share your views with like-minded people to start some charity work. READING TWO
Speech Activities
1. Answer the questions: 1. Has Nicky been raising money for an international or a local cause? How is she going to do it? 2. What will the money be spent on? Do you think it’s a worthy cause? Why? 3. Do we have similar needs in our country? Give your examples. 4. What other ways of raising money can you think of? Have you ever done it? Tell us about it. 5. Comment on the title of the text.
Reading one
Who Uses Drugs and Why? In Britain caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and barbiturates are all legal drugs. They are similar to illegal ones in that, sooner or later, they can affect you so that you find yourself depending on a regular supply of them. The extent of dependence varies according to the person and the drug, but most people find it harder to give up even cigarettes or tea, than say, apples or cheese. This is because most of us smoke, have a coffee or drink either as a way of calming ourselves down and relieving tension or as a way of bucking ourselves up, finding extra energy. These drugs become associated with their power to relieve certain feelings and a habit is formed. Stronger drugs – such as opiates and cocaine – can be habit-forming in just the same way. The drug taker comes to rely on the effect of the drug to produce a sensation of well-being and this reliance increases, until eventually dependence on a continual supply of the drug is established and an addictive habit is formed. People who are addicted to drugs can be of any age and walk of life. Their reasons for taking drugs are as varied as the environments in which they live. In some cases, addiction will be life-long; in others, it may be a temporary phase which can be broken out of. In the left hand column there are notes on 5 cases of typical drug takers. Read them and try to match them with the most likely futures from the column on the right; indicate your choices in the boxes below: Robin Haulk. Magazine For a Change, No. 2, 2001
Language Focus
1. Find words or phrases that have a similar meaning to the following: – earn enough money to survive (1); – confined to bed due to illness (2); – depressed (5); – something which brings a person back to health (A); – continue to use (C); – isolate from (F).
Speech Activities
1. Here are two more typical cases. Choose one and write what you think his future is likely to be.
2. Discuss these drug cases with the rest of the group. How many of them would be typical of your own country? For more ideas and new information read the supplementary texts Drug Abuse is Spreading Fast and Alarm over Teenagers Trying Drugs, Clubbers Grow Rich on Drug Profits.
Reading two Language focus
Explain the meaning of each of the following phrases from the context in which they are used; translate them into Russian/Belarusian: – illicit drugs; – law enforcement officials; – drug shipments; – to be interdicted; – intravenous drug users; – interdiction and prosecution; – HIV transmission rates; – needle exchange programmes; – HIV incidence; – prevention/enforcement programs; – drug routes; – drug monitoring; – a one-size-fits-all policy; – to stay on top of trends; – prodigies of chemistry; – the just say no to drugs approach.
Speech Activities
Reading three
Language Focus
Speech Activities
1. Answer the following questions: 1. What do crime watchers fear? 2. What two approaches to combating drug abuse are discussed in the text? 3. What new idea to reduce drug abuse has been generated recently as the basis for competition? 4. What does the policy of mandatory drug tests encourage students for? 6. What benefits do those students who pass the test get? 7. How can they influence their peers? 8. Do all the students take the drug tests willingly? Why not? 9. What hinders carrying out drug test experiments? 10. Do you think the measures taken against drugs in the USA would work in this country?
2. How do you understand these: 1. Drug testing in schools gives fence-sitters an excuse to fend off peer pressure to get high. 2. A possible compromise might be mandatory but anonymous tests would provide schoolwide incentives without risking false accusations against individuals. 3. When you’re losing a war, no strategy should go untried.
3. How far would you go to support or contradict the following statements: · Drug abuse should be penalized. · Mankind is losing the war against drugs. · The only right approach on how to deal with drugs is their legalization (the example of the Netherlands proves it).
READING FOUR
Starter activity You will learn some new information on a crime that shames us all. Have you ever heard about the cases of trafficking in human beings? Tell us about it. Read the text and focus your attention on the scope of human trafficking and what is being done to fight it worldwide
Language Focus
Speech Activities Answer the following questions. Make use of the supplementary text “Cheated and Betrayed” 1. What causes trafficking in person? 2. Who becomes victims of trafficking? Why? 3. What forms of forced labour are discussed in the text? 4. What approach does the challenge of trafficking demand? 5. How does the Obama administration view the fight against human trafficking, at home and abroad? 6. What is the aftermath of trafficking in humans? 7. What is the incidence of trafficking in human beings worldwide and in this country? Support your reflections with some evidence/proofs. 8. What should be done to reduce the scope of human trafficking?
Discussion Writing Functional vocabulary
Speech Functions Bank
I. Interrupting People
Starter activity For years the issue of gender equality has been the focus of attention at various levels - from the kitchen talks to international conferences. Outline the problems of gender equality (or inequality) that exist and are worth discussing.
Reading One Status of Women Millions of women throughout the world live in conditions of abject deprivation of, and attacks against, their fundamental human rights for no other reason than that they are women. Few causes promoted by the United Nations have generated more intense and widespread support than the campaign to promote and protect the equal rights of women. The Charter of the United Nations was the first international agreement to proclaim gender equality as a fundamental human right. Over the years, the Organization has helped create a historic legacy of internationally agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide. While progress has been achieved, much work remains to be done. At the International Women’s Day celebration at the UN Headquarters, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stressed that gender equality was both a goal in itself and a prerequisite for reaching the millennium targets, adding that empowered women brought new perspective to decision-making and increased the chances of education and employment for the next generation. It was also stressed that there could be no sustainable development if half the world’s talent pool was stymied or underrepresented. Due to the efforts of the UN, other international and human rights organizations some improvements in the status of women have been achieved. But according to the Equal Opportunities Commission – an independent government-funded body in the UK that works to stamp out discrimination, “women still enjoy only a veneer of equality. We find that while there are many successes to celebrate, there is still a great deal further to go to close the inequality gaps between men and women. The challenges to going forward include overcoming the myth that gender equality is won.” In the USA, though women today are holding paid jobs of greater diversity than ever before and many more women have entered the new high-technology industries, they continue to be paid less for their labour than men. In 2001 women’s median annual full-time earnings were 28 per cent less than men’s earnings. Women in professional jobs earned 70 cents and saleswomen earned 60 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. One reason for this disparity is that a relatively small number of women hold top-level (and high paying) jobs, even in such fields as social work, library work and teaching, in which they greatly outnumber men. Even when they do the same kind of work at the same level, they are frequently paid less than men. Many policymakers now believe that the major problem for working women is not equal pay for equal work or equal access to jobs although both are important but the undervaluation of work traditionally done by women. Despite the fact that women constitute more than one-third of the world’s labour force, in general they remain concentrated in a limited number of traditional occupations, many of which do not require highly technical qualifications and most of which are low paid. According to data from the International Labour Organization, however, as countries become industrialized, more women obtain jobs in more occupations. Among Western nations, Sweden has come closest to achieving equality in employment. In the last decades, women’s average hourly earnings have risen from 66 to 87 per cent of men’s earnings. At the same time, the Swedish government undertook major reforms of textbooks and curricula, parent education, child-care and tax policies, and marriage and divorce laws, all geared to accord women equal opportunities in the labour market while also recognizing their special needs if they are mothers. Counselling and support programmes were designed for women reentering the workforce. Other European countries have studied the Swedish model and some are adapting programmes to fit their social-welfare policies. Japan, the most industrialized nation in the Far East, generally has retained its traditional attitudes toward working women. For e.g., women are expected to retire when they have children. In most countries, the higher their educational attainments, the more likely women are to work. In Japan, however, this situation is reversed: college-educated women are considered overqualified for jobs generally held by women and often leave the labour force. Much of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America remain primarily poor agricultural economies. Most women work in the fields and marketplaces, but their economic contributions are generally unrecognized. As men migrate to the cities in search of increasingly important cash income, many rural women are left to support families alone. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development has defined a “basic learning package” needed for both men and women in developing nations. This package includes functional literacy, some choice of relevant vocational skills, family planning and health, child care, nutrition, sanitation, and knowledge for civic participation. Some of these policies have already born fruit. The Kenya Women Finance Trust of Nairobi has operated for a year, easing women into the male-dominated world of banking by helping with loans, providing advice and offering technical help. If she wants to learn to read, however, it may be more difficult. In Africa as a whole, eight women out of ten are illiterate. Despite the efforts to better the lot of one half of the world’s population, remarkable success stories co-exist with blatant discrimination, huge advances are balanced by humiliating retreats. In India, for e.g., a development plan has been introduced to improve job training for women and ensure access to employment. Across the border in Pakistan, if a woman has been raped she has to have the supporting testimony of four men in order to bring charges against her assailant. If she cannot provide sufficient evidence, then she may well be flogged. Elsewhere in the world women have found cultural prejudices as hard to change as political ones. The spread of Islamic fundamentalism has meant the return of the chador and the loss of many hard-won freedoms. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is still practised in many countries and in South Africa women aren’t covered by labour legislation, maternity benefits or unemployment insurance provisions. Honor killings and dowry deaths still occur not only on the Indian subcontinent, but also in Muslim communities in Western Europe. A pan-EU criminal task force was set up in 2003 to deal with the prevalence of such murders. Abuses against women are relentless, systematic, and widely tolerated, if not explicitly condoned. Violence and discrimination against women are global social epidemics, notwithstanding the very real progress of the international women’s human rights movement in identifying, raising awareness about, and challenging impunity for women’s human rights violation. The realization of women’s rights is a global struggle based on universal human rights and the rule of law. It requires all people to unite in solidarity to end traditions, practices and laws that harm women. It is a fight for freedom to be fully and completely human and equal without apology or permission. Ultimately, the struggle for women’s human rights must be about making women’s lives matter everywhere all the time. In practice, this means taking action to stop discrimination and violence against women.
Status of women Women have not achieved equality with men in any country. Of the world’s 1.3 billion poor people, it is estimated that nearly 70 per cent are women. Between 75 and 80 per cent of the world’s 27 million refugees are women and children. Women’s life expectancy, educational attainment and income are highest in Sweden, Canada, Norway, USA and Finland. Violence Gender-based violence against women – female infanticide, sexual trafficking and exploitation, dowry killing and domestic violence – causes more death and disability among women in the 15 to 44 age group than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war combined (Center for Women Policy Studies, 2003). During the past 30 years, 30 million women and children have been trafficked for sexual exploitation (United Nations, 2003). An estimated 130 million women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation and 2 million more are mutilated every year (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2002). Worldwide, 20 to 50 per cent of women experience some degree of domestic violence during marriage. The primary victims of today’s wars are civilian women and their children, not soldiers (International Parenthood Federation, 2002). Health status More than half a million women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth every year. 99 per cent of those deaths occur in the developing world (World Health Organization, 2004). An estimated 20 million unsafe abortions are performed worldwide every year, resulting in the deaths of 70,000women (United Nations Population Fund, 2003). Access to education Of the world’s 979 million illiterate adults, two-thirds are women (UNDP Human Development Report, 2003). Two-thirds of the 130 million children worldwide who are not in school are girls (United Nations Population Fund, 2002). Political Participation The first country to grant women the right to vote was New Zealand in 1893. Some countries still do not have universal suffrage. Among them are Brunei, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (Women in Politics, 2003). In 2003, at least 54 countries had discriminatory laws against women (Amnesty International, 2003). Of the 185 highest-ranking diplomats to the United Nations, seven are women. The percentage of female cabinet ministers worldwide has risen from 3.4 in 1987 to 6.8 per cent in 1996. Of more than 180 countries only 16 are headed by women (Women in Economic status Only 1 per cent of the world’s assets are in the name of women. The majority of women earn on average about three-fourths of the pay of males for the same work, outside of the agricultural sector, in both developed and developing countries. In most countries, women work approximately twice the unpaid time men do. www.mpg.de Language focus
– to advance the status of women; – empowered women; – half of the world’s talent pool; – women enjoy a veneer of equality; – to close the inequality gaps; – to (re)enter the workforce; – educational attainments; – relevant vocational skills; – to generate support; – social-welfare policy; – unemployment insurance provisions.
Speech activities For more information read the supplementary texts “ A World that Seems to Hate Women”, “ An Extract from H. Clinton’s Speech at the UN Conference on Women”, “Enhancing Social Status of Women is Among National Priorities”.
1. In the working world women come a distant second to men. 2. Women’s work is usually undervalued. 3. Lower wages for women are common in many countries and work opportunities for them leave a lot to be desired. 4. We have to overcome the myth that gender equality is won.
Work with the video programme “A Woman’s Place”
– an elusive goal; – victimization of women; – domestic violence; – HIV positive; – drudgery; – to shun; – to be fraught with sth; – to carry the burden from cradle to grave; – in strict obedience to sb; – to champion women’s freedom/ rights; – to trigger changes; – male-dominated world; – child custody.
1. What were the aims of the UN Conference on Women in China? 2. What facts and figures mentioned in the video programme prove that gender equality is still an elusive goal? 3. What is the destiny of many girls from the Third World countries ? 4. What is the position of women in the Asian republics of the former Soviet Union? 5. Has the attitude to women and their place in society changed over the years in Japan?
Reading two
Speech activities
Starter activity Reading One
Language focus
1. Suggest synonyms and antonyms for the italicized words. Use a thesaurus if necessary. Translate the word combinations into Russian/Belarusian: – a rigid abstinence; – a disagreeable acquaintance; – a loose woman; – a hearty girl; – a sober woman; – an indelicate allusion; – a frivolous girl.
2. Paraphrase or explain the meaning of the following phrases: – a heavy arrear of things unperformed; – to act in a mature way; – to cast away the levity of the child; – to make him pleased with his bargain; – to be down in the dumps; – sobriety of conduct; – a counterbalance to troubles and misfortune.
3. Which of the following best explains the use of gloom: darkness, despondency, wretchedness, dimness, obscurity.
Speech activities
READING TWO
Language focus
Speech activities Reading three
Reflect Before you do anything, think about what you want to say, particularly if you want to criticise him. It's tempting to believe the best way to change behaviour is through coercion – grabbing the car keys, refusing to wash his socks, shouting at the top of your voice if he tries to interrupt you. Yet any approach based on force is likely to fail as he'll resent your sudden forcefulness. Your purpose isn't to show him he isn't perfect, but to educate him and get your relationship on to an equal footing. Keep this motive at the back of your mind and it'll prevent you from making hasty comments you might regret later. Report Once you have sorted out your motives it's time for reporting – that is, telling him exactly what is bothering you. Be specific and avoid generalisations like "You always..." Instead, describe actual events, such as: "You remember last night when your friend asked me a question? You answered on my behalf. . . and that made me feel small and insignificant." This is important because if you charge in with very general criticism, he is going to feel attacked, very defensive and, yes, you may well find yourself rowing. Relate Now, tell him how his behaviour affects you by saying "I feel..." and then naming whatever feelings you experience. Don't focus on your bad feelings, just concentrate on the effects of his actions. For example, saying "I think your behaviour and my reaction to it is worsening our relationship," is better than "I think you're really selfish, dogmatic and bombastic and it makes me angry". Request Ask for things you would like to be changed. Remember you have the right to ask for whatever you want from someone, and they have exactly the same right to say "yes" or "no". Don't fall into the "mind-reading" trap believing, if he really loves you, he'll know instinctively what you want without asking. If you ask directly, he may give you what you want and, if he refuses, at least you know where you stand. Avoid demanding. People often resist demands, not because the demand is unreasonable, but because no one likes to be pushed around. "I'd prefer it if you let me finish” is better than "Shut up and stop interrupting me". Result Spell out the positive consequences you foresee if he changes his behaviour, otherwise he may think you're just being bossy. Avoid saying: "Don't ever take the car again without asking me if I need it". Instead, say: "Mum was really looking forward to seeing me today, but I couldn't visit her because you had the car. Can you let me know when you're planning to use it?" To show you're not simply trying to manipulate him, always round off with something like: "I'm glad we've cleared the air. It's made me feel much happier". So next time you want to take the initiative, follow the Five R's. They'll help you communicate and stop you being bossed around. Sheila Dainow Readers’ Digest, 2004
Language Focus
Speech Activities Listening comprehension
1. Would you like to be chosen for your husband by his relatives? 2. Would you like your parents to choose a husband for you? Why/why not? 3. Do you agree with the speaker that arranged marriages are a success because the partners “do not expect too much”? 4. Is an arranged marriage necessarily a forced marriage? 5. What is your attitude to forced marriages? 6. An arranged marriage is an extreme form of parental control, isn’t it?
Section 3. Career and Family: Can Women Have it All?
Starter activity
Reading One
Careers and Marriage Language focus Speech activities
Reading TWO
They'll Never Go Home Again Why do women work? Many people seem to believe that women work because they have to. The economy is lousy, so it takes two incomes for a family to survive. Other people seem to believe women work because our values are all screwed up. Our lust for material goods has driven Mom out into the workplace at the expense of a peaceful, balanced family life. No wonder working women are filled with angst. They’re constantly told they’re supposed to feel guilty (for shortchanging their kids) or angry (at husbands who shirk their half of the housework). Every time they pick up a magazine they find yet another confessional tale by someone who’s ditched her glamorous, high-powered career to go back home and bake cookies for her neglected kids. Contrary to the prevailing mythology, the real reasons women work have very little to do with need or greed. They work because they want to, and because they can. Nearly every woman who works knows what she gets out of it: independence, self-esteem, a sense of competence. She gets the chance to choose her own life (and her own man, or no man). This is true whether she's a vice-president or a data-entry clerk, a sales manager or a telemarketer. Women have known forever that a pay cheque – a job of one's own – is the most powerful instrument of liberation there is. The other liberating force is technology. It is controversial to say so, but technological advances have all but abolished housework. Women aren't needed at home any more because the job of a housewife has ceased to exist. As proof, I submit the household of my grandmother, circa 1935. Grandma (who also had a job as a nurse) ran a typical house in a typical American town. Unlike many country people, her family had electricity, running water and indoor plumbing. They also had a modern stove, fuelled by gas rather than coal or wood. Even so, the house got dirty fast (no air filters) and was hard to clean (no vacuum cleaners.) Running a house was full-time hard labour. Housewives made all the meals from scratch (no frozen food: no freezers). Grandma baked her own bread and cakes and, during the summer, fed the family from the vegetable garden. She got her eggs from the neighbour, who kept chickens. She kept the meat and milk in the icebox, which was serviced by a man in a horsedrawn cart. The food stayed as cold as the melting lump of ice. In September, the family ate leftovers while Grandma spent a whole week preserving her peaches, tomatoes and beans. Back then, putting up food for the winter was not a lifestyle option. Monday was washday. Grandma used a wringer washer and a washboard. Other families boiled their whites in a big tub in the back yard. (No detergent, no bleach. People used soapflakes.) After she wrang out the clothes, Grandma hung them on the line to dry. Plenty of families ate baked beans on Monday because the washing took all day. Tuesday was ironing day. (Non-crease fabrics hadn’t been invented.) Some houses had a mangle for the sheets, but Grandma did them by hand. She took special care with Grandpa’s shirts. (He liked a clean, crisp, starched shirt every day.) Housewives without electricity did the job with flat irons heated on the stove. Women who did not wash on Monday and iron on Tuesday were thought to have something wrong with them. Home was a dangerous place then. Beans, if not canned properly, gave your family ptomaine poisoning. Women got their arms caught in wringers and mangles. My mom was scalded once when a jar of boiling tomatoes exploded. Grandma was an expert seamstress. She made all my mother's clothes and many of her own. She turned her husband’s shirt collars when they were frayed, and darned the family socks. My mother tasted her first Birdseye frozen peas when she was eight. About that time, my grandmother acquired a Sunbeam Mixmaster. It was the beginning of the technological revolution that would sweep away the drudgery of a housewife’s life forever. Processed food, refrigerators, microwave ovens and wash-and-wear fabrics have altered our world as profoundly as the automobile or the microchip. Today, any family can manage home-maintenance chores in an hour or two a day, and the only time it makes sense for a parent to stay home is when the kids are young. (Technology is not likely to abolish the need for parents.) There are entire industries devoted to maintaining the illusion that homemaking is still a full-time job. Martha Stewart (the only individual who still keeps chickens) has turned it into an extravagant fantasy of pseudo-creative expression. And idle housewives can take their pick of dozens of made-up arts and crafts, from wreathmaking to decoupage. But it’s all pretend. The housewife’s job as we've known it for hundreds of years is gone for good – and good riddance. That’s the real reason why women have gone out to work, and why they'll never go home again. www.globeandmail.ca
Language focus Speech activities
1. Answer the questions: 1. What do women get out of work? 2. What was a woman’s/housewife’s life like in the past? How has it changed? 3. What, according to the author, are “the instruments of women’s liberation”? Reading three
The Frustrated Housewife In most Russian families, the women take such complete responsibility for managing the household that husbands simply turn over their paychecks to their wives as a matter of course and leave the rest to them. Ordinary Russian women take it for granted that they are the binding force in the family and sometimes laugh at the helplessness of their husbands. “My husband can go out and buy the bread or milk, simple things like that,” a waitress in an airport restaurant told me with a twinkle, “But I can't trust him with anything bigger. If we wanted to buy something really big, like furniture, we'd save money and decide on it together. Otherwise, I buy everything – even his clothes. I always go with him. If I didn't, he'd come home with terrible junk” . Most Russian women by now take a job as part of the natural order of things and find it hard to imagine not working. So strongly ingrained in them is the work ethic that there is a stigma to being simply a housewife. The weight of propaganda steadily emphasises the duty to work. One movie, Let's Live Till Monday, for example, showed a teacher publicly criticising a tenth-grade girl for answering a free-essay question: “What do you want to be?” by saying her dream was to become a mother with many children. The teacher castigated this as a shameful response. For many Russian women, the traditional American women's role of home-maker, mother, raiser of children does not seem adequate: they feel unfulfilled without a job. Even some whom I heard complaining bitterly about having too much to do, said in the next breath that they reluctantly preferred the exhaustion of too many burdens to the ‘spiritual death’, as one young teacher put it, of being unemployed, bored and idle at home ... . One of the most persistent reactions to American life that I encountered among Russians was their surprise that large numbers of American families could be supported by the father alone. Even middle-class Russians, who were my counterparts, were incredulous that in a family of six, my wife did not have to work to contribute to the family budget. Finances in Russian families with children are often so touch-and-go even with both parents working that some women do not even use all the unpaid maternity leave to which they are legally entitled because their families cannot afford to live on the husband's salary Where the Americans are rebelling outwardly against having to be housewives, the Russians are rebelling inwardly against having to be breadwinners, a necessity that can transform work from a means of self-fulfilment and independence into drudgery ... I remember the wry reaction of one veteran woman editor, whose years in publishing houses and on newspapers had left her with perennially weary eyes, when I asked her reaction to American-style women's lib. “Away with your emancipation!” she retorted. “After the Revolution when they emancipated women, it meant that women could do the same heavy work as men, but many women prefer not to work but to stay at home and raise their children. I have one child but I wanted more. But who can afford more children? Unfortunately, we cannot NOT WORK because the pay our husbands earn is not enough to live on. So we have to go every day and make money.” Hedrick Smith. Extracts from The Russians. 2000.
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following phrases and use them while discussing the text: – to be ingrained in sb; – a home maker; – a raiser of children; – means of self-fulfillment; – to feel unfulfilled; – unpaid maternity leave; – to be legally entitled to sth; – to contribute to the family budget; – finances are touch-and-go.
2. Find the words in the text which have a similar meaning to the following. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian:
– extreme tiredness; – to come across, to meet; – to bring up children; – to criticize or punish sb severely; – a strong feeling in society that a type of behaviour is shameful; – to keep the house; – firmly established and difficult to change; – to believe that sth is true without making sure.
Speech activities
General Discussion
Role-play. 1. Imagine that you are a member of the organising committee of an International Women’s conference. Write down the problems to be raised and discussed at the conference. Exchange your opinions with the other members of the group. 2. Role-play this conference, electing the chairperson and the spokespeople in the problems you are going to discuss.
Writing Write a letter to the editor of the magazine that published the article “The Qualities to Look for in a Wife”. Support the author’s viewpoint or criticize him and the editor for publishing this article. Functional vocabulary
Explaining and Justifying
1. Make the following into statements explaining and justifying using the language from the box above. E x a m p l e: It/obvious/a campaign like ours will be successful. It seems to me obvious that a campaign like ours will be successful.
1. The main aim/holding Women’s Conference/to attract people's attention to women’s problems. 2. On/hand/women have access to education, but on/hand they cannot find employment. 3. All/considered/the traditional roles of women are changing.
Asking for Clarification
Giving Clarification
1. Make the following into questions and statements asking for and giving clarification.
E x a m p l e: a) I/afraid/not clear/mean/saying I should work at my marriage. b) Well, what/trying/say/I think you should try to save it.
– I am afraid, I am not clear what you mean by saying, I should work at my marriage. – Well, what I am trying to say is that I think you should try to save it.
1. I/afraid/not/clear/mean/saying that. Well/mean/that household chores should be shared.
2. I don’t understand your argument. What/you/at? Well/point/I/make/if we attempt to destroy old stereotypes about women, we’ll have more chances of success.
3. I/sorry/could/explain/mean/gender equality? Well, what/trying/say/women should be equal with men.
Expressing Agreement
Expressing Disagreement
1. Make the following into statements of agreement and disagreement using the language in the boxes above.
E x a m p l e: (Agree) I/not/more (Disagree) You/joking
It’s high time men ceased to regard women as second-rate citizens.
– I couldn’t agree more! – You must be joking.
1. In my opinion, women won equality long ago.
There/something/suppose, along/you there. I/not/go along/you there.
2. A loose woman is a disagreeable acquaintance.
I/your point. I/inclined to/with that.
3. Divorce should be banned as it destroys the family.
I/go along/you/ on that. How/earth/say/thing?
4. Women are likely to exaggerate their problems.
That/absolutely true! That/little far-fetched, isn't it?
5. Women’s Liberation Movement has raised the esteem for women.
Well/you/point there. I/not sure/right there.
UNIT III. Mass Media within the Context of National Culture
Section 1. Censorship: a Curse or a Blessing
Starter activity When at school, were you allowed to watch TV, read books or browse the Internet indiscriminately or were you restricted to particular programs/books/sites? If so, who placed restrictions on you and did you benefit from such selective viewing/reading/browsing?
READING ONE
Censorship Debate
UCLA – University of California at Los Angeles ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union While US media censorship has gained recent attention as a result of Janet Jackson’s exposure on live television, and the careful attention to what information is aired in terms of the Iraq war, censorship is no new issue. Censorship laws within the media have existed for decades, gaining specificity and stringency as an apparent need shows itself. However laws on censorship do not end the battle over their necessity. Opposing sides continually pose the costs versus the benefits of censorship within the media, specifically the news media. The debate seems to center around the same general theme: censorship practices are beneficial to the public interest. However, this debate branches into several different subtopics, dependent upon which side of the debate is tackling the issue. First, those who are opposed to US censorship practices typically claim the First Amendment or the right to free speech as a basis for their argument against censorship in general. As stated by the National Coalition against Censorship, “Freedom of communication is the indispensable condition of a healthy democracy. In a pluralistic society it would be impossible for all people at all times to agree on the value of all ideas.” In effect, they are stating that the First Amendment rights are a necessary element of the democracy because of the inability to create one map of correct values for a society. Furthermore, a concern is stated for any infringement on these First Amendment rights because of the “chilling effect” they seem to cause. According to Julie Hilden, a “Find Law” columnist and experienced attorney, Congress is extending the blame to and imposing censorship mandates on parties who have no fault in the incident. In effect, Congress is not only violating First Amendment rights, but punishing those who violate the rules they imposed despite the amendment, and punishing those surrounding the issue, despite their lack of involvement or fault. However, the opposing camp cites the argument that the Constitution is up for interpretation, and that the First Amendment’s statement of free speech may not be as black and white as it seems. This party claims that conflict is found when the Constitution is read too literally, and that it is being taken advantage of today by those who push for more civil freedoms. In fact, according to Eugene Volokh, a UCLA professor specializing in the First Amendment, its original form, “The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to push their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable,” was not accepted; it shows that complete freedom within the media from censorship was not the intent of Congress. Another need for censorship cited by those in support of government controls is that censorship is needed for the protection of troops abroad. The damage possible by not censoring the media can be seen through the example of Geraldo Rivera and his leak of military locations. By drawing a map of military locations, he potentially put them at risk for attack by insurgent forces. However, critics of such censorship claim that the government may use such policies to assuage the public’s view of the severity of the war, and in effect deprives them from the truth. According to David Swanson, a Philadelphia inquirer reporter and photographer for Echo Company during the war, “The poverty of images has removed death from the war; it’s war, whether you agree to it or not … death needs to be shown. A country needs to be reminded that an 18-year-old has just died, and that Memorial and Veterans’ days are not just days for picnics at the beach.” Also, those opposed to such censorship claim that government controls information into and out of Iraq, by means of controlling which journalists are cleared to report from there, and what information they release. They say that journalists not cleared by the government risk their own lives, as proven by the fact that more journalists have been killed in 14 months in Iraq than in the whole of the Vietnam War. In effect, they (the government and the media) are presenting an untrue view of the war to those they approve for reporting, and putting the lives of those who report independently in danger. Finally, the issue of censorship becomes a battleground when considering media censorship and its effect on youth. Proponents of censorship cite that the news media and their possible use of harsh language or images may be detrimental to the values instilled in children by their parents. This is specifically true in terms of Internet news and Internet search engines that display questionable material for youths. Not only do they stress that search engines often re-route visitors to sites of questionable morals, despite how specifically academic the request for information, but that news items censored on television are available online. For example, photos of flag-draped coffins that cannot be published are widely circulated on the Internet. However, the opposing side cites that such information is critical to youths in search of news and information. While the Internet may have some unreliable sources and questionable sites, the greater danger is in censoring all information as a result. For, as stated by the ACLU, “Without free and unfettered access to the Internet, this exciting new medium could become, for many Americans, little more than a G-rated television network.” In effect, children would be handed what to think by the base of sites available instead of allowed free thinking and access to information. As you may see, there is no consensus on the issue of censorship and the news media. While some laws do exist, it is moreover a question of personal and company ethics when it comes to making a decision whether to air certain material as it is, or with editing. Regardless, journalistic ethics are questionable in either decision. Are you protecting by censoring, or harming? Is there any right answer? by Katie O’Connor Censorship Debate, 2006 Language focus 1. Highlight the following word combinations used in the text and explain their meaning: – to air information; – the First Amendment; – to tackle the issue; – indispensable condition; – pluralistic society; – “chilling effect”; – bulwarks of liberty; – insurgent forces; – inquirer reporter; – flag-draped coffins; – G-rated television network.
2. Guess the words from their definitions: – acting contrary to or in defiance of smth (esp. another’s rights); – being deprived of one’s rights; – easing or lessening smth; – having authorization to exercise one’s job; – a supporter of an idea; – having harmful and damaging effect; – smth deeply ingrained, planted; – smth which is uncertain, doubtful or indecent; – smth free and unrestricted.
Speech activities READING TWO
Language focus 1. Explain the following: – to cut back on explicit things; – the most comprehensive code; – watershed; – Heritage Secretary; – out-of-bounds; – to linger on bloody consequences.
2. Guess the words from their definitions: – to place tough restraints on smth; – smth of low moral standards; – using bad language; – unnecessary in a particular situation, harmful or upsetting; – rate of occurrence or action.
3. Give antonyms to the following words and phrases: – explicit; – to linger; – to relax (censorship); – recognition; – to curb a misbehaving child; – to curb an aggressor.
Speech activities READING THREE Language focus 1. Provide your explanation to the following words and expressions, use them in context: – certification; – to prosecute films; – licensing; – acceptability; – to circumvent the ban; – dubbing.
Speech activities Answer the questions. 1. How can the ‘public acceptability’ of a film be estimated? Is it really possible? 2. Should the recognized Church and the government of a country possess the right to issue the rules about what to prohibit in films? 3. Can watching fictional violence provoke violence in real life? 4. Do you agree that such restriction markers as “PG” or “18” are in fact “attraction markers” for kids?
2. Exchange your views on the following: 1. Our TV guides and on-air trailers are neither concise nor informative, very often they are tricky. 2. The overwhelming majority of parents should be themselves guided in their viewing habits. 3. The issue of selective viewing is/is not relevant to this country.
READING FOUR
Language focus 1. Provide your explanation to the following words and word combinations: – censorship is uncalled-for; – patently offensive terms; – P.T.A.; – Quaker village; – inalienable rights; – cyber travels; – futility of war; – holocaust; – redneck tendencies; – misguided sense of justice; – information leaks.
2. Guess the words from their definitions: – a person under the legal age limit; – expressions offensive to senses/decency; – exercise of proper control over something; – programs/films offending accepted social morality; – an assignment that may intimidate or abash a person; – provided with ability or talent; – so straightforward or simple as to be incapable of misuse or mistake.
Speech activities Group work
2. Censorship has always been a topical issue. Split in 3 groups and decide which form of censorship is really viable: – extensive censorship; – limited censorship; – no censorship.
Writing
Write a free essay on the following issue: “Are we protected or harmed by censorship?” Reading one
Language focus Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions: 1. What ideas is the author of the article concerned with? 2. What are Dr. Putnam’s main principles? To what extent do you agree with them? 3. Do you share the opinion that today’s society is ignorant and lacks knowledge? If so, how can it be improved? Can television have a positive impact on society?
Imagine that some of your group-mates are staunch supporters of Dr. Putnam’s ideas. Discuss these ideas with them and try to prove your point of view. Support your arguments with the information from the articles you’ve read and from your personal experience. Use the appropriate language exponents from the Speech Functions Bank.
Listening comprehension
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 on similar topics, but not in the same order. Listen to the interview 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 it? 7. Do they feel that television has positive as well as negative influences?
READING TWO
Public Concerns Despite enjoying a period of unsurpassed wealth and influence in the 1990s and 2000s, the American media is troubled by rising public dissatisfaction. Critics complain that journalists are unfair, irresponsible or just plain arrogant. They complain that journalists are always emphasizing the negative, the sensational, and the abnormal rather than the normal. President science adviser expressed the irritation of many when he accused the press of “trying to tear down America.” Some observers link the criticism to rising standards in journalism. “The press is more professional, more responsible, more careful, more ethical than it ever has been,” said David Shaw, media critic for the Los Angeles Times. “But we are also being far more critical toward other institutions, and people are asking, “Why don’t you criticize yourselves.” In fact, the rise of ombudsmen (spokesmen for groups with a grievance), “opinion-editorial” pages in newspapers, television time for statements of opinion and media review journals suggest that ways are being found for individuals and groups to present their views. During the early 1980s, a number of organized groups from both sides of the political spectrum were formed to monitor and critique the news media. Political balance in news reporting became an issue of debate and controversy. Surveys show that the American public – on both sides of the political fence holds strong opinions about the press. According to a 2004 Gallup poll (survey of public opinion), 46 per cent of Americans believe the news media's bias is liberal, while 38 per cent said it is conservative, in contrast, most journalists – 59 per cent – described their political views as middle of the road. Reporters are sometimes seen as heroes who expose wrongdoing on the part of the government or big business. In the early 1970s, for e.g., two young reporters for the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, investigated a break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic Party in a Washington building known as “the Watergate.” Their reporting, along with an investigation by a Congressional committee and a court trial, helped implicate high White House official in the break-in. Woodward and Bernstein became popular heroes, especially after a film was made about them, and helped restore some glamour to the profession of journalism. Enrollments in journalism schools soared. With most students aspiring to be investigative reporters. But there is a feeling that the press sometimes goes too far, crossing the fine line between the public’s right to know, on the one hand, and the right of individuals to privacy and the right of the government to protect the national security. In many cases, the courts decide when the press has overstepped the bounds of its rights. Sometimes the courts decide in favor of the press. For e.g., in 1971 the government tried to stop the New York Times from publishing a secret study of the Vietnam War known as the Pentagon Papers, claiming that publication would damage national security But the US Supreme Court ruled that since the government had not proved that the damage to national security would be so great, the newspapers should he free to publish the information. One growing pressure on reporters and editors is the risk of being sued. Even though the First Amendment protects the press from government interference, the press does not have complete freedom. There are laws against libel and invasion of privacy, as well as limits on what reporters may do in order to get a story. Libel is any false and malicious writing or picture that exposes a person to public ridicule or injures his reputation. If a broadcast or published story falsely implies that a private citizen committed a crime or is mentally incompetent, for e.g., the victim would probably win a libel suit. But Supreme Court decisions have made it much harder for public officials or well-known public figures to prove libel. Such persons must prove not only that the story is wrong, but that the journalist published his story with actual malice. The right of privacy is meant to protect individual Americans' peace of mind and security. Journalists cannot barge into people's homes or offices to seek out news and expose their private lives to the public. Even when the facts are true, most news organizations have their own rules and guidelines on such matters. For e.g., most newspapers do not publish the names of rape victims or of minors accused if crimes. Americans’ right to a fair trial, guaranteed by the Constitution, has provoked many a media battle. Judges have often ordered journalists – many times unsuccessfully – not to publish damaging information about a person on trial. Also, in most states journalists may be jailed for contempt of court for refusing to identify the sources for their story if demanded by a court. TV newspeople operate under an additional restriction called the Fairness Doctrine. Under this rule, when a station presents one viewpoint on a controversial issue, the public interest requires the station to give opposing viewpoints a chance to broadcast a reply. In recent years, more news organizations are settling cases out of court to avoid costly – and embarrassing – legal battles. Editors say that major libel suits, which generally ask for millions of dollars in damages, are having a chilling effect on investigative reporting. This means that for fear of being involved in a costly libel suit, the reporter or news organization may avoid pursuing a controversial story although revelation of that information might he beneficial to the public. Most affected are small news operations, which do not have large profits to finance their defense. Press critics, however, say the chill factor also works the other way – against people who feel they have been wronged by publication of false information about them, but cannot afford to sue. In short, the United States confronts a classic conflict between two deeply held beliefs: the right to know and the right to privacy and fair treatment. It is not a conflict that can he resolved with a single formula, but only on a case-by-case basis. werrik.by.ru/2004.htm
Language focus
1. Explain the following notions and translate them into Russian/Belarusian: – malice; – ombudsman; – Gallup poll; – the Watergate; – to expose wrongdoings; – the fine line; – the First Amendment; – to sue; – libel suit; – on both sides of the political fence; – allegations.
2. Replace the italicized parts with the words from the texts: 1. The rise of pages on which editors express their opinion is a way for individuals and groups to present their views. 2. Surveys show that the American public with different political views hold strong opinion about the press. 3. Woodward and Bernstein restored the impeccable reputation of the profession of journalism. 4. There is a feeling that the press sometimes goes too far and crosses the border line between the public’s right to know and the right to privacy. 5. Journalists cannot burst into people’s houses and offices to seek out news. Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions: 1. What were the results of the opinion polls held in 1984? 2. How did Woodward and Bernstein become popular heroes? 3. What does the right of privacy presuppose? 4. Are there any rules and guidelines that forbid publishing facts? 5. What is the Fairness Doctrine? 6. Why are news organizations settling their cases out of court? 7. Do you know any cases of a libel suit? 2. Express your attitude to the following: · journalists are unfair, irresponsible and arrogant; · reporters are heroes who expose wrongdoings on the part of the government or big businesses; · the press sometimes goes too far, crossing the fine line between the public’s right to know and the right to privacy; · journalists cannot barge into people’s homes or offices to seek out news.
Listening comprehension
1. Listen to an interview with a foreign correspondent based in Lisbon, Portugal and answer the following questions: 1. The journalist works for________________ news agency. 2. How many large world agencies are there? _______________________ 3. How long has he worked for this agency? ________________________ 4. He has worked in ________________ countries but has been based in: a) __________________________________________________________ b) __________________________________________________________ c) _________________________________________________________ d)_______________________________________________________ and is leaving Portugal for_______________________________________
5. Traditionally, to enter journalism the following steps were taken:
6. Did he follow this pattern? ________ 7. Nowadays:
8. Where can someone do an undergraduate degree in journalism? 9. In England which type of subjects is it perhaps best to have studied at University 10. What did he study at University?______________________________ 11. How can one do an extra course (ie. after finishing university)? a) __________________________________________________________ b) __________________________________________________________
12. Who does he say journalists represent?_________________________ 13. Annually how many graduates apply to join this news agency?______ How many are successful?_____________________________________ 14. What determines what a journalist writes about?__________________ 15. Which part of the world does the agency mainly write for?__________ Why?_______________________________________________________ 16. Who owns this agency?______________________________________ 17. Where is it based? __________________________________________ 18. How important does he consider the markets outside Europe?________ 19. What other services are mentioned? ____________________________ 20. What restrictions does a journalist have placed on him? 21. In what circumstances can he not interview someone? _____________ 22. What would he do if he realizes a given story is likely to stir up problems? ___________________________________________________ 23. Who are the ‘subscribers’? ___________________________________ 24. Why do they want the agency man always to be there? _____________
2. Listen to the tape once more. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases in the context in which they are used: – I’ve worked on and off; – I had a rather mixed career; – the particular disciplines required; – representing the fourth estate; – we have guidelines; – laws of libel; – the ruling of this sort of story; – to jeopardize the Reuter man; – get them in bad odour with the government; – to be there through thick and thin .
READING THREE Paying the Price for News
The great war photographer, Robert Capa, once said, “If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.” Capa always went close, so close he ended up in pieces all over Vietnam's Red River delta after stepping on a land mine. We know this because Capa kept snapping away, right up until the explosion. Every year, hundreds of journalists are killed covering wars, most in their own countries where they fight government and corruption to publish the truth. Last week in Turkey, thousands gathered to honour journalist Ugur Mumcu, killed while investigating suspected links between drug traffickers, right-wing terrorists and the government. He must have been on to something. Others die far from home, covering other people's wars like Myles Tiemey of the Associated Press did this month in Sierra Leone, during a firefight that also left Canadian journalist Ian Stewart with a bullet in the head. Every 10 days, somewhere in the world, a journalist is killed. Even more frequently, journalists are imprisoned, tortured or “disappeared.” It's not all dangerous work. Some foreign correspondents don fatigues and venture no farther than behind the palms in the hotel bars where they exchange war stories. But photographers can't do that. As Capa said, “If there's no picture, there's no story.” It's a special breed that risks life and limb to get the picture worth a thousand stories. The right image, perfectly captured, can stop wars or start them, save lives, change the world. Do all war correspondents start with such high-minded intentions? Or are they just adrenalin junkies, folks who must flirt with death in order to feel alive? Says CNN's Christiane Amanpour, “There are certain people who have to do a certain thing.” Dan Eldon was one of those people. Cocky, charming and so-very-talented, he died in 1993, along with fellow Reuters correspondents Hos Maina and Anthony Macharia and AP's Hansi Krauss, all stoned or beaten to death by a mob in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu. His life and death is recounted by his kid sister, Amy, in the astonishing Dying To Tell The Story, a gripping two-hour documentary. Eldon, a dual British-American citizen, was only 22, a brilliant talent who left behind not only his eloquent photos of misery and brutality, but 17 dazzling journals brimming with his observations, drawings and odes to his beloved Land Rover, Deziree. There are also miles of videotape of him, always clowning, seducing friend and foe. “A photographer in danger zones,” he observed, “needs to be a detective, a con man and a master of escape.” On the day Eldon was supposed to leave Somalia, his bags packed, an American attack helicopter blasted the house of a government official, killing and wounding hundreds. Eldon couldn't resist the action, that chance for one last shot. When a convoy of journalists set out for the house, he jumped in only to find himself in the middle of outraged citizens out for revenge. Dying To Tell The Story travels the world to track down the details of his death, pried from war correspondents such as Amanpour, Des Wright, who talks of the smell of death, Carlos Mavrolean, who admits to feeling like a vulture when he zooms in on starvation and suffering, and Dan McCullin, a seasoned vet who fell apart after a Beirut bombing and now paints unsettling Gothic landscapes in England. Written and directed by Kyra Thompson and executive produced by Dan's mother, Kathy Eldon, Dying To Tell The Story is loaded with horrific images from the hellish places that these and others have covered. When videographer Mohamed Shaffi recalls filming napalmed children in Eritrea, he cries. Yet others have hunted, haunted looks when they speak. Others still find a way to be as unfeeling as, well, a wide-angle lens. The one thing they all mention – something all war correspondents remark on when you ask them about their work – is how they can get out. Whether it's Bosnia or Beirut, when your assignment is over, you're out of there. For the people you cover, however, there's no escape. But, every once in a while, the correspondents are trapped, too. Dan Eldon was cornered, right where he wanted to be – and the world is a sadder, more dangerous place for all the work he was not able to complete. He got in close all right, and Dying To Tell The Story leaves you feeling very close to him. Antonia Zerbisias. The Sunday Times. 2001 № 4
Language focus
1. Find words or phrases in the text that have a similar meaning to the following: – to go on filming or making photos; – to make a report (about something); – to unearth something; – a man with adventure-loving nature; – expressive, significant photos; – to magnify, enlarge something; – infernal, awful places; – a worried look; – to be snared (by somebody).
2. Match the verbs with the nouns to make phrases:
Speech activities
Writing
You want to become a journalist and decide to write a letter of application to a news agency. Include in your letter reasons for wanting the job and also why you think you would make a good journalist. General Discussion · Censorship: a curse or a blessing. · TV is a drug of choice. · Mass media should be allowed to disclose all aspects of private information regardless of the person’s social status. · All the means are good if journalists want to get an image or news of a private nature.
Functional vocabulary
THE POWER OF the MEDIA Speech Functions Bank
F – Formal Inf – Informal
I. Expressing Preferences
Inf |
I tend to favour | X DOING… |
as opposed to | X DOING… | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I tend to prefer | X DOING |
to | X DOING… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I tend to be (rather) more interested in | X DOING… |
than | X DOING… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I’m (rather) more interested in | X DOING… |
than | X DOING… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I much prefer | X DOING |
to | X DOING | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| X DOING… |
appeals to me (far) more than | X DOING… | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I like | X DOING… |
better than | X DOING… | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Make the following into statements about preferences using the language in the box above.
E x a m p l e:
I tend/ favour the program I saw yesterday.
I tend to favour the program I saw yesterday.
1. Watching sport news/me more/watching educational programs.
2. I/watching BBC channel better/watching Eurosport channel.
3. I tend/prefer tabloids/reading broadsheets.
4. I/more interested/ getting information/television than/newspapers.
2. Look at the following and use appropriate language from the box above to make statements about your preferences.
E x a m p l e:
The Times/the Guardian.
I prefer The Times to the Guardian.
The Times appeals to me more than the Guardian.
1. Watching soap operas/watching thrillers.
2. Russian tabloids/English tabloids.
3. Reading newspapers/watching the news on TV.
4. Reading magazines/reading papers.
Inf
Are you interested in
X?
DOING…?
Do you (happen to) like
X?
DOING…?
Are you into
X?
DOING…?
F
Inf
very
quite
interested in
X
DOING…
I’m
very
quite
keen on
X
DOING…
I (really) like
X
DOING…
(very much)
I’m really into
X
DOING…
F
Inf
I don’t find
X
DOING…
particularly
I’m not
over
particularly
keen on
X
DOING…
I don’t (really) like
X
DOING…
(very much)
I’m not really into
X
DOING…
1. Make the following into questions about other people’s likes and interests using the language in the boxes above.
E x a m p le:
Do/like watching TV?
Do you like watching TV?
1. Are/interested/ current affairs?
2. Do/happen/like reading tabloids?
3. Are/into watching TV a lot?
4. I wonder/you/at all interested/international politics?
5. Are/interested/the Internet?
Starter activity
Why might school days be referred to as the best days of your life? Do you agree? Were they for you? What type of school did you go to? Did you enjoy your school days? Did you ever play truant from classes? Why?
Reading one
Language focus
Speech activities
Reading two
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases from the context in which they are used:
– a slimmed-down curriculum;
– to play to their (students’) strengths;
– mortgage;
– to stretch students;
– literacy and numeracy;
– to miss targets (for tests);
– “tail of underachievement”;
– child-centred approach;
– the basics;
– a discipline based curriculum.
Speech activities
Reading THREE
High-Stakes Games
Across the country, students, teachers and education officials are playing a game of chicken with testing regimes. In an effort to raise standards, both federal legislation – as embodied in the No Child Left Behind Act – and many state testing systems threaten to penalize students who can’t pass basic tests, along with the schools charged with educating them. After years of preparation, the dates for implementing these high-stakes graduation exams are coming up. Officials have warned that students who fall short won’t receive diplomas or, in some cases, promotion to the next grade level. But if thousands of students fail or look as if they might, will authorities blink?
The answer appears to be “yes”. Last month California postponed implementation of its high-stakes exam for two years. California’s 1999 legislation required that 2004’s high school seniors pass an exam to graduate. Yet as of January about a third of 2004 seniors had not passed the mathematics portion of California’s test, and nearly 20 per cent hadn’t passed the language arts section. These are students who have supposedly been working to meet standards since they were in the eighth grade.
And California is not alone. Of the states that promised a new regime of accountability, only a handful are on track to meet targets. Many states have made their tests easier. Others have lowered the passing scores or delayed phasing them in as a graduation or promotion requirement. Some worry that this might happen in Maryland, where the State Board of Education has just set standards that more than a third of the students who took math and reading tests this year would have failed. By contrast, Virginia is gearing up to enforce results of its tests. Although some of the requirements have been changed − critics say "watered down" − since the launch of the program, the state should be commended for holding fast to the principle of statewide testing.
For Virginia is also proof that high-stakes testing might yield results. Student scores on Virginia's Standards of Learning tests have been improving on a number of fronts since the tests have been administered, and the gap between minority students and others has been narrowing. The proportion of schools meeting state standards in Virginia has risen from 2 per cent to 70 per cent since 1999, revealing a marked improvement in the curriculum.
Testing is never an end in itself but a measure of other factors – the commitment of teachers and of school districts, the willingness of students to work harder. But while a test can be a tool to inspire and an indicator of progress, it works only as long as education authorities take it seriously.
The Washington Post. Friday, August 1, 2003.
Language focus
Speech activities
Group work
Look at the list below of the possible aims of education. In column A put a number 0–5 according to the importance attached to these aims at the school you went to. In column B put a number 0–5 according to what you think the ideal school’s priorities should be.
| Aims of Education | A | B |
| Helping to develop personality and character | ||
| Helping you to do as well as possible | ||
| Showing you how to get on with other people | ||
| Teaching you about what is going on in the world today | ||
| Keeping you occupied | ||
| Teaching you how to read and write well | ||
| Helping you to get as good a job as possible | ||
| Helping you with things you will need to know when you leave school (for e.g. about running a home and managing money) | ||
| Making school a pleasant place to be in |
Reading four
Language focus
Speech activities
Writing
Starter activity
What do you know about alternatives to conventional schooling in Great Britain/the USA/Belarus? What would you criticise/praise in private education? Have you had any experience of working in non-government educational establishments? What are your impressions?
READING ONE
Language focus
1. Highlight the following words and phrases in the article and comment on their meaning:
– waiting lists;
– to get the best of both worlds;
– to be up to the eyeballs;
– a good start in life;
– to opt out (of the state system);
– mixed-ability classes;
– comprehensive system;
– to make the best provision;
– soaring coasts.
2. In the following sentences use the right particle with the verb to put:
1. If they ask us to put them … for the night, what can we say to put
them …?
2. I am sorry to put you … this again.
3. The voters turned that party out and put … its rival.
4. We had to have the old dog put … .
5. A rumour was put … to the effect that he was leaving.
6. The pipeline's cost is now put … 2.7 billion pounds.
7. These were the arguments that Carson put … .
8. They had at last succeeded in putting a meaningful reform … .
9. He was somewhat put … when the audience laughed loudly.
10. I have seen enough to put me … farm-work.
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions:
1. How much does the average family in the survey spend on education?
2. Where does the money come from?
3. What reasons are given for preferring private to state education?
4. As a prospective parent are you ready to make sacrifices to give your child a good start in life? Yes/No. Why?
Reading two
In the text that follows the arguments for an elitist approach in education are marked with an (F) and those against are marked with an (A). After reading the article be ready to sum up all the arguments for and against mixed-ability schools.
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of each of the following phrases used in the text:
– X per cent of nature, plus Y per cent of nurture;
– disadvantaged background;
– to be deeply rooted;
– to slip through the net;
– to encourage social cohesion.
2. Match the adjectives with the nouns they collocate with:
| inborn | training |
| hereditary | home |
| egalitarian | society |
| inventive | arguments |
| comprehensive | musician |
| tone-deaf | abilities |
| disadvantaged | child |
| gifted | right |
| conclusive | person |
Speech activities
Listening comprehension
You will hear an interview with Mr. Ian Beer, the Headmaster of Harrow School and a radio programme on the subject of independent schools today. Listen for information on the following questions:
1. What do you learn about the names "independent schools" and "public schools"?
2. What changes have taken place in public school life?
3. What is said about the curriculum, especially in relation to classics, sports, science and computers?
4. Do you get the impression that academic success is still important or not?
5. What is said about discipline?
6. To what extent are public schools involved with the local community and with the rest of the world at large?
Reading three
The City – as- School
An alternative in education – the City-as-School – has been started in New York, USA. Below is an article about the school. Before you read it, try and predict from the name, what kind of schooling it might provide and discuss your ideas with the rest of the class. Now read the article to find out how accurate your predictions were.
The City-as-School idea itself is not new but the New York programme is generally recognised as being the most successful of its kind.
Three hundred and fifty high school students between 15 and 18 attend the City-as-School: it's a school without walls and its 'classroom' is the city itself. Students spend their days in the theatres, museums, government offices and businesses of New York in a programme of part-time apprenticeships that are individually tailored to their interests and needs.
Pam Bruno, 16, for e.g., spends part of her time in the City Council press office, finding out about New York politics as she helps prepare press releases and assists in the running of the office. Another day is spent at New York University where she takes first year courses in sociology and main themes in contemporary world history. She also works for a Women’s Centre, travelling about the City interviewing women in business for a report that’s soon to be published. Yet another day is spent at a television casting agency, learning what show business is all about.
Students are accepted into City-as-School after an interview; the only academic requirement is two years of basic mathematics and science at a high school.
Credits are given, for satisfactory completion of each assignment, so that the students stand as good a chance of getting into an American college as their counterparts in ordinary high schools. In fact it was shown recently that
80–85 per cent of CAS graduates are going on to college without problems.
As might be expected, many of the CAS students are young people who, for one reason or another, were unhappy with conventional education. Pam Bruno dropped out of the conventional system because she was bored: “I felt stifled by an educational system that didn’t seem to care about me. I was jut a number.”
The New York City-as-School is viewed as a useful alternative way of dealing with these final and often troublesome school years. There are, however, still some lingering doubts as to whether this kind of life experience can totally replace the academic development acquired in a classroom.
Alan Mathews.Themes. 1992
Language focus
1. Explain what the following words and phrases mean from the context in which they are used:
– part-time apprenticeship;
– to be tailored to;
– credits;
– counterparts;
– to drop out;
– to be just a number.
Speech activities
1. Answer the following questions:
1. Is this the first time you have heard of such a school?
2. Why are the final years often referred to as "troublesome"? How did you feel about your final years at school?
3. Do you think you would have benefited from going to a similar school? If so, in what ways?
4. With the rest of the class consider the advantages of this kind of education as a preparation for later life as opposed to more conventional schooling.
5. Are there any features that make you doubt whether a school like this can work in this country?
Group work
Work in groups of 3 or 4. Imagine that the town in which you live (study) is planning to set up a similar City-as-School. Work out 3 projects for students to do in the town which you think will be of value to them in later life (e.g. helping in the office of the local newspaper).
Compare the 3 projects you have worked out with those of other groups.
Discuss and choose the best project from among all those worked out in the class.
3. Discuss the following questions:
1. What are alternative school systems in this country?
2. What are their advantages/disadvantages?
3. Would you work there as a teacher?
Writing
Starter activity
Reading one
Language focus
1. Explain what the following words & phrases mean from the context in which they are used:
– a major;
– internship;
– soft skills;
– liberal arts;
– to land a position;
– a well-rounded candidate/background;
– a team player;
– to stand out above the crowd;
– to complement a degree;
– to meet qualifications;
– the student’s GPA;
– to recruit for positions;
– job seekers.
Speech activities
READING TWO
Language focus
1. Explain what the following words and word combinations mean from the context in which they are used:
– an associate professor/dean;
– metropolitan areas;
– a definitive sample;
– legal implications;
– distance education;
– credentials;
– an unfair stigma;
– to gain credibility.
2. Suggest synonyms from your functional vocabulary of the following words and word combinations:
– a job candidate;
– new information, results;
– unwilling;
– prejudiced;
– to include;
– to advance, encourage;
– to add.
Speech activities
READING THREE
Language focus
1. Explain what the following words and phrases mean from the context in which they are used:
– a trainee teacher;
– to qualify
– to be up to the job;
– teacher turnover;
– an entrant;
– core subjects;
– a think-tank report;
– a target-setting culture;
– a mediocre teacher.
Speech activities
Writing
Imagine that you have been contacted by a principal of a specialised school and asked to work there after graduating from the university. Write a reply either accepting or rejecting the proposal and giving reasons for your decision.
General Discussion
Hold a round-table conference on the following subjects:
· The priorities of the ideal school.
· School-leavers and their concerns.
· Educational opportunities in this country Are they equal?
· Non-maintained educational establishments: pros and cons.
· Employment prospects for school-leavers and university graduates.
· Conventional schooling in Belarus: problems and ways of their resolution.
· Typical national characteristics of Belarusian conventional schooling.
Functional vocabulary
| abolish v | to ~ fagging, subjects, corporal punishment | |||
| academic adj | ~ achievement, development, success, performance | |||
| account for v | ||||
| apply v | to ~ for a job | |||
| application n | ~ form | |||
| applicant n | ||||
| apprentice n | ||||
| apprenticeship n | part-time ~ | |||
| approve of v | ||||
| assess v | ||||
| assessment n | continuous ~ tests | |||
| attach v | to ~ importance | |||
| bully v, n | ||||
| complement v | to ~ a degree | |||
| conclusive adj | ~ evidence, argument, proof | |||
| conventional adj | ~ schooling | |||
| credit n | ||||
| credentials | ||||
| decline n, v | standards have ~ed, on the - | |||
| default n | ||||
| default on v | ~ on a debt, loan | |||
| defaulter n | a student ~ | |||
| disadvantaged adj | ~ background, child, home | |||
| disdain v | ||||
| disdainful adj | ~ of industry | |||
| docile adj | ~ pupil | |||
| docility n | ||||
| dole n | to be on the ~ | |||
| downtrodden adj | ||||
| draw up v | to ~ a plan | |||
| drop out v, n | to ~ of school/college | |||
| egalitarian adj, n | ~approach | |||
| elite n | ||||
| elitist adj | ||||
| entrance n | ~ requirements, to sit for ~ examinations | |||
| entry n | ~ fee, form | |||
| fake v | to ~ an exam | |||
| fit into v | to ~ a group, society | |||
| gear n | in ~, out of ~ | |||
| gear up to v | to be ~ed to (for) sth | |||
| heredity n |
| |||
| hereditary adj |
| |||
| imprint n, v | ~ of the society | |||
| inarticulate adj |
| |||
| inborn adj | ~ talents, gifts, abilities | |||
| incentive n |
| |||
| innate adj | ~ gifts, qualities | |||
| innately adj | ~ good, gifted | |||
| innovative adj |
| |||
| linger v | to ~ on, over sth | |||
| major in v | to ~ a particular subject | |||
| mediocre adj | ~ teacher | |||
| obsess v | to be ~ed with an idea | |||
| opt out v | to ~ of state system | |||
| option n | ||||
| optional adj | ~ classes | |||
| outperform v | to ~ sb | |||
| overrate v | to ~ oneself, one’s abilities | |||
| overtax v | ||||
| promote v | to ~ to the next grade | |||
| prospective adj | ~ student, college | |||
| qualify v | to ~ as a teacher, to ~ for sth | |||
| regardless of adv | ||||
| renounce v | to ~ discipline, uniform | |||
| renunciation n | ||||
| retain v | to ~ in a grade | |||
| retention n | ||||
| stifle v | to ~ creative imagination to feel ~ed; ~ing atmosphere | |||
| survey n, v | to conduct/carry out a ~, the findings of the ~ | |||
| suspend v | to ~ from school | |||
| swot v, n | ||||
| target v, n | to miss ~s, to ~ specific weaknesses | |||
| tailor n, v | to ~ to one’s interests, needs | |||
| truant n, adj | to play ~ from classes | |||
| truancy n | ||||
| undervalue v | ||||
| workforce n | to come into ~ | |||
Speech Functions Bank
F – Formal
Inf – Informal
Inf
Inf
Making generalisations
| |
Inf
Крохалева Людмила Сергеевна
Леонтьев Павел Михайлович
Разумова Анна Викторовна
Устный дискурс
Учебно-методическое пособие для студентов V курса факультета английского языка
Корректор С.О. Иванова Ответственный за выпуск Л.С. Крохалева
Компьютерный набор и верстка И.И. Демиш
Подписано в печать .04.05. Формат 60х841/16. Бумага офестная. Гарнитура «Таймс». Ризография. Усл. печ. л. 13,54. Уч.- изд. л. 17,67. Тираж экз. Заказ
Издатель и полиграфическое исполнение: Учреждение образования «Минский государственный лингвистический университет». ЛИ № 02330/0548503 от 16.06.2009.
ЛП № 02330/0133138 от 08.06.04.
Адрес: ул. Захарова, 21, 220034, г. Минск
ЯЗЫК ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБЩЕНИЯ:
УСТНЫЙ ДИСКУРС
language for professional communication:
oral discourse
Пособие для студентов V курса языковых вузов и факультетов
иностранных языков, обеспечивающих получение высшего образования
по специальности 1-21 06 01-01 «Современные иностранные языки (преподавание)», учебная дисциплина «Язык профессионального общения»
Минск 2011
УДК 811.111’243 (075.8)
ББК 81.432.1−923.1
я 41
А в т о р ы: Л.С. Крохалева, П.М. Леонтьев, А.В. Разумова, Р.С. Трохина, О.И. Федоренчик
Р е ц е н з е н т ы: кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Р.В. Фастовец (МГЛУ), кандидат филологических наук, доцент Л.К. Козлова (Академия управления при Президенте Республики Беларусь)
Р е к о м е н д о в а н о Советом Минского государственного лингвистического университета
| Я 41 | Язык профессионального общения: устный дискурс = Language for professional communication: oral discourse: Пособие для студентов V курса языковых вузов и факультетов иностранных языков, обеспечивающих получение высшего образования по специальности 1-21 06 01-01 «Современные иностранные языки (преподавание)», учебная дисциплина «Язык профессионального общения» / Л.С. Крохалева, П.М. Леонтьев, А.В. Разумова, Р.С. Трохина, О.И. Федоренчик. – Мн.: Минск. гос. лингв. ун-т, 2011. – 147 с. |
Цель пособия – способствовать дальнейшему совершенствованию умений студентов использовать иностранный язык в качестве инструмента профессиональной деятельности на основе взаимосвязанного обучения всем видам иноязычной речевой деятельности.
Пособие состоит из четырех разделов, каждый из которых включает аутентичные тексты социально и профессионально значимой тематики, творческие задания для парной и групповой работы обучающихся в условиях учебного сотрудничества, тематический словарь, разговорные модели, необходимые для осуществления речевого взаимодействия в сфере устного профессионального общения, а также дополнительный текстовой материал, размещенный на электронных носителях для организации самостоятельной учебной деятельности студентов.
Пособие основывается на положениях компетентностного подхода и предусматривает формирование у будущих преподавателей иностранных языков академических, социально-личностных и профессиональных компетенций.
Данное пособие является составной частью учебно-методического комплекса по одному из разделов учебной дисциплины «Язык профессионального общения (Профессионально ориентированный устный дискурс)» и предназначено для студентов V курса языкового вуза, а также других высших учебных заведений, где английский язык изучается как основная специальность.
УДК 811.111'243(075.8)
ББК 81.432.1−923.1
© Минский государственный лингвистический университет, 2011
About the Book
The textbook is for students following an advanced English Language course. Its aims are: to expose students to a variety of challenging and interesting text-types in the reading and listening activities and to stimulate them to give their own opinions and participate in discussion and roleplay; to extend students' functional vocabulary, to encourage cooperative learning by focusing on pair and group work.
The textbook has four thematic Units:
1. Moral Re-Armament: the Mould of Today’s Personality
2. Family Values and the Modern World
3. Mass Media within the Context of National Culture
4. Educational Challenges
Each Unit contains tasks for out-of-class work:
– discussion points (Starter activity) to launch the theme of the Unit;
– a number of stimulating reading texts with questions that follow them;
– vocabulary extensive exercises (Language focus);
– a speaking/roleplay activity (Speech activities);
– a suggestion for extended writing.
The 3 appendices at the back of each Unit contain: Functional Vocabulary, Speech Functions Bank and an electronic version of Supplementary Texts.
The textbook is in conformity with the requirements of the course “Language for Professional Communication” which has the advanced module as one of its constituent parts.
Contents
| About the Book ………………………………………………………… | 3 |
| Unit I. Moral Re-Armament: the Mould of Today’s Personality ……… | 5 |
| Section 1. Moral Re-armament - a Problem of Social Concern…….... | 5 |
| Section 2. The Role of Charity in Moral Re-armament……………… | 13 |
| Section 3. Drug Abuse: the Plague of the Century ………………… | 20 |
| Unit II. Family Values and the Modern World ………………………… | 37 |
| Section 1. Gender Equality: Reality or an Elusive Goal? …………… | 37 |
| Section 2. The Problems of Modern Family…………………………… | 47 |
| Section 3. Career and Family: Can Women Have it All? …………… | 56 |
| Unit III. Mass Media within the Context of National Culture …………. | 82 |
| Section 1. Censorship: a Curse or a Blessing? ……………………….. | 82 |
| Section 2. Media and Communications ………………………………. | 94 |
| Unit IV. Educational Challenges………………………………………… | 111 |
| Section 1. Are Schools Doing their Job? ……………………………… | 111 |
| Section 2. Schools with a Difference ………………………………… | 123 |
| Section 3. Graduate Opportunities …………………………………… | 130 |
Unit I. Moral Re-Armament: the Mould of Today’s Personality
Section 1. Moral Re-armament − a Problem of Social Concern
Starter activity
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F
Inf
F
Inf
F