Goals:

昑alk about news and the media

昉ractise expressing opinions

昄earn about the Past Participle(1): used as Attribute and Predicative

昗rite a comparison paragraph

WARMING UP

1. Which of the news media above is the most reliable? Why?

2. How are the media above different from each other?

3. How do you know whether what you hear, see or read is true?

4. Do you know how a newspaper is made? What about a magazine?

5. What words will you need to talk about news and the media?

LISTENING

1. You will listen to four people talking about something that happened. Part 1 is an interview and part 2 is a dialogue. Listen carefully to what is said and tick the information you hear in each part.

Part 1 Part 2 Both Neither

The man was fired.

The man faced difficulties.

The man was careful.

The man talked too much.

The man was funny.

The man was nosy.

The man was generous.

The man was honest.

The man was a nice person.

The man was very clever.

2. What kind of person is Jim Gray? Why is he no longer working for the company?

3. Compare your answers to questions 1 and 2 with those of your classmates. Are there any differences? Why?

4. You have heard two different descriptions of what happened to Jim Gray. Why are they different? Which one do you think is better?

SPEAKING

Work in groups. You ate the editors of a newspaper. Below is a list of ten things that happened today. You may only report five of them. Decide which events you going to put in your newspaper and give reasons for your choices. Compare your choices with those of your classmates.

?00 people died in an earthquake in Turkey.

旻rance elected a new president.

昑wo men robbed a bank in Shanghai.

旳 house in your city burnt down. Nobody was injured.

?,000 people in your city moved into new buildings today and were happy.

旳 Chinese scientist has invented a new car engine that does not pollute the air.

昑here is rumour that a large company wants to build a factory in your city.

旵hina beat Brazil 2-1 in football.

昑hree children from your city were killed.

旻ood prices are going up.

Useful expressions

What do you think of? I would rather choose?br>What抯 your opinion? I don抰 think we should choose?br>Why do you choose? Maybe it would be better to choose?br>Perhaps ?is more important. Our readers want to know about?br>

PRE-READING

The text below is about reporters and newspapers. Look at the title and the pictures. Try to guess which of the following questions the text will answer.

____How does a reporter decide what to write?

____How much does a newspaper cost?

____Why do people read newspapers?

____how do newspapers report what happens?

____Where do people read newspapers?

____How do newspapers help us understand the world?

READING

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Newspapers and other media do more than simply record what happen. Experienced editors and reporters make informed decisions about what events to report and how to report them. They also make sure that readers can relate to the stories. We asked two of China抯 many talented journalists, Chen Ying and Zhu Lin, to tell us more about news and newspapers. The two reporters agreed to switch roles for once and be the interviewees rather than the interviewers in order to let us know about their work and how the news we read is made.

Q: How do you decide what you are going to write?

ZHU LIN: Before I decide what I抦 going to write, I have to discuss the article with my editor. He listens to my ideas and gives me his suggestions. For long and important articles, for example a feature story, the editor will tell me how I should develop the story. The editor抯 job is to keep the newspaper balanced and interesting to the readers.

CHEN YING: Much of a reporter抯 work is done before he or she actually starts writing. A reporter begins by contacting the people to be interviewed and then prepares questions. Interviewing someone is difficult. A reporter must know how to ask the right questions and how to get people to talk about the topic. After the interview, the reporter must present the material in an organized way and make sure that the article reflects events and opinions truthfully.

Q: Which of the articles that you have written do you like best?

CHEN YING: My favourite article is the one I wrote about the efforts to bring stolen cultural relics back to China. To write this story, I had to contact famous museums around the world and interview both Chinese and international experts in the field. I like the article because it抯 both news and an interesting story.

ZHU LIN: Even though I have interviewed many famous people, the story I like best is about an ordinary young woman who tried to adapt to her new life after having studied abroad. I like the story because it was the first time that I had written with real passion and because it made me realise that everyone抯 life is different.

Q: If you could write any article you want, what would you write about and why?

ZHU LIN: I want to explore the mysteries in life. I would like to write about music, art, nature and the importance of spiritual fulfillment.

CHEN YING: I want to write about people you seldom read about, for example people who have AIDS or who are addicted to drugs. Their stories must be told if we want to solve difficult social problems and help those who suffer from them. For a reporter, the basic task is to report an event truthfully. We shouldn抰 ignore what happens even if it is difficult for people to accept some stories.

The media can often help solve problems and draw attention to situations where help is needed. For example, newspapers like China Daily or The People抯 Daily help us understand what life is like in other parts of China and the rest of the world. Carefully written articles can help people become interested in important questions around the world. TV programmes and printed articles also help people in other countries learn about China and the Chinese people. The result is a better understanding of the world on all sides, leading to a future world where people from all countries are respected and different views and opinions are tolerated.

POST-READING

1. Which of the Pre-reading questions are answered in the text?

2. If you were a reporter, what would you like to write about?

3. It is important to be a critical reader. How would you 搑ead?the following media messages?

I would believe all of it without checking other sources. I would believe some of it, but I would also check other sources. I would not believe it, but I might check other sources and maybe change my mind.

TV advertisements

TV programmes

News on the Internet

Newspaper articles

4. Famous people are often asked for their opinions on current affairs. Why do people want to hear their opinions? Should we listen to them? For example, if a film or sports star is asked to comment on a 揾ot topic? do their opinions matter?