The media in the life of society

The mass media plays an important role in our everyday life. In fact it is an essential part of modern society. Press, radio and TV keep people informed on the latest and most sensational events.

Millions of copies of newspapers are printed in our country every day. All the most important questions of social, economic, scientific and cultural life, moral and ecological problems are published in the press and discussed on TV. Opinions clash, officials and political parties are subjected to criticism whatever their position may by. The mass media is constantly trying to stimulate interest in every aspect of life of the country.

Newspapers, magazines and TV programmes for youth reflect the young people's hopes and wishes, their leisure and education, their attitudes and opinions. Of course such programmes, magazines and newspapers mostly deal with leisure, especially music and the cinema. But TV programmes like «Up to 16 and beyond» and newspapers like el am young» also offer young people advice of a college or a job and help them to choose the right course in solving their problems.

Not only young people, but all categories of readers often write to their favorite programmes or publications, offering their opinions or asking for advice. In this way constant contact between the media and the public exists and develops.

Another kind of link between the public and the media which appeared recently is advertising. The mass media helps us with information about new goods and services. But some people are tired of advertisements and don't like to see their favorite films or programmes interrupted by them. I hope some way will be found to solve this problem. For example, in Great Britain, there are two organizations providing TV and radio services. The BBC is state-funded and there is absolutely no advertising in BBC programmes, and in the programmes of the Independent Television, the advertising is also restricted.

In Russia nowadays, there are many national daily and weekly newspapers. There are also local newspapers in all parts of Russia, and one can find newspapers and magazines for sports fans, music fans and so on. Our family subscribes to Izuestiya (Trud, Sevodnia etc.) and Vecherny Peterburg (Smena etc.) because they are informative, interesting and objective. My father is interested in sport, so he sometimes buys «Sport-express» at the newsstands. I'm not very interested in politics and economics, so I sometimes buy newspapers and magazines about music and the cinema.

Questions:

1. What kinds of mass media do you know?

2. What was the earliest kind of mass media?

3. Why is the television so exciting?

4. What is the reason for widespread use of radios?

5. What is the difference between a newspaper and a ma­gazine?

6. How do we get information that we need?

7. What information can we find in newspapers?

8. What kind of programs do Discovery channels broadcast?

9. Why can one be lost in the information ocean of television?

10.What is the main value of radio broadcasts?

Dialogue:

- Can either of you tell me who the most popular authors are today? Perhaps you can,

- You see so many people in the train to and from London.

- Yes, I do, and they seem to read newspapers mostly but if it's a novel it's certainly a paperback and usually a detective story or a spy thriller. I myself prefer something with more meat in it, a travel book or a biography.

- I think novels are for men. They have much more time on their hands, and they can't do without romance.

- I couldn't agree with you more. Most of the men I see on the train who are not reading newspapers are poring over the books about politics, history, or do-it-yourself manuals showing them how to make their wives a comer cupboard out of an old box or build a model railway for their sons. This sort of things gives them a purpose in life, which novel-reading certainly doesn't. If they want light entertainments they've always get TV.

Translate into English:

1. Пресса, радио и телевидение держат людей в курсе последних и самых сенсационных событий.

2. Средства массовой информации делают многое, чтобы поднять интерес ко всем аспектам жизни страны.

3. Не только молодежь, но все категории читателей пишут письма в свои любимые издания и программы, сообщая свое мнение или прося совета.

4. В Великобритании есть две организации, обеспечивающие теле- и радиовещание.

5. Би-Би-Си содержится на государственные средства, и реклама в программах Би-Би-Си полностью отсутствует.

6. Сейчас в России есть много ежедневных и еженедельных общенациональных газет.

7. Во всех частях России издаются также местные газеты, можно найти и газеты и журналы для любителей спорта, музыки и т.д.

8. Мой отец интересуется спортом, так что он иногда покупает «Спорт-Экспресс» в газетных киосках.

9. Я не очень интересуюсь политикой и экономикой, так что я иногда покупаю газеты и журналы о музыке и кино.

10. СМИ играют важную роль в нашей ежедневной жизни.