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В. Д. Аракина издание четвертое, переработанное и дополненное Допущено Министерством образования Российской Федерации в качестве учебник

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Содержание


TV cartoons
Mickey Mouse
Speech patterns
Essential vocabulary
Reading comprehension exercises
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part in your life. Your answers also prove just how casually you accept the media, just as you accept the house you live in, cars, electricity, telephones, your school, and your family as part of your environment. Parents and teachers agree that all young people growing up with the media learn from them sometimes more than adults wish you to. (And this is the cause for alarm.)

If the use of them referring to media in the last sentence seems strange, remember that the word media linguistically is plural. When people make a fuss about the media being a bad influence, they usually are talking about television, the most powerful medium of all. Maybe calling television the media can be justified technically because, as a medium, it embraces functions of several media such as newspapers, magazines, movies, and recordings.

The major media can be divided into two kinds, print and electronic. The print media — newspapers, magazines, books, pamphlets, catalogues, circulars, brochures, anything you read — are the oldest, dating back to the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. The electronic media — radio, television, films of all kinds, records, tapes, anything that is transmitted by the use of electricity — are less than a hundred years old.

One of the problems facing us today is being reached by the media when we really don't choose to be. Do you some­times find it difficult to locate a moment of complete silence in your environment or a time when your eyes are not presented with signs, billboard, or pictures demanding attention?

Another meaning the word mass suggests is "the people", a phrase too often associated with adjectives like dull-witted, credulous, ill-informed, uncritical, and passive. Or are the mass of people well-informed, sophisticated, thoughtful, and active? Which are you? How much of what you know about yourself has been taught you by the media? You may not realize how greatly the media influence you because in your lifetime they have always been there, hi fact, short of deliberate isolation on a mountain top or being lost in a forest and reared by wolves, no one will ever again grow up without the presence and influ­ence of the mass media.

Is this good or bad?

An experiment recently conducted in Europe by the Society for Rational Psychology showed that watching television is psy-


chologically addictive. The idea of becoming addicted to tele­vision brings up questions involving subtle conditioning and brainwashing that could be friendly or vicious, altruistic or self-serving.

In a commercial society the media's ability to stimulate motivation to buy — almost as though people were puppets on strings — builds other people's power. It can be power for good or power for bad, but it is always power for control.

All these negative aspects of growing up with the media need consideration, at the same time you are enjoying the posi­tive aspects of immediately knowing what's going on in the world, sharing great entertainment and historical events with everyone else in our "global village", and having the fun of try­ing out a new product that you wouldn't have known about without advertising.

According to a recent research report, more than a third of all children by the age of three are viewing TV with some regularity and more than half are listening to books read to them. Before they are old enough for school — a third of the children are looking through magazines, 40 percent are listen­ing to radio, and 80 percent are viewing television. At age sev­en, newspapers enter a child's life, usually through the comic strips. You are one of these children. As you grew, you absorbed uncritically, as children do.

And what did you absorb? Hundreds of items of informa­tion, most of them accurate as far as they went. Increasing so­phistication of taste and appreciation of technical skills. High standards of performance by talented musicians and actors that sometimes make your teachers despair of competing effectively for your attention.

With all this, you also absorbed ideas about behaviour, about right and wrong, good and bad, the permissible and the forbidden. These ideas were presented to you — and still are — directly and indirectly with the entertainment, advertis­ing, and information. The most powerful ideas are the ones you absorb indirectly. They are digested emotionally at psychologi­cal depths that we still know little about, although we can tell that the effect of reaching those depths is particularly strong and long lasting from behaviour patterns that emerge.

... Another indicating of media influence is in the language we use. Whole new vocabularies come into existence with new


inventions. Look back at the first two paragraphs of this chap­ter. How many expressions can you identify that came into popular usage with the development of a medium? How about TV cartoons? Or the abbreviated version of the word tele­vision? In this country, we say TV and spell it several different ways: tv, T.V., TV, teevee. In Britain, it's the telly, as everyone who watches the British "stand-up" comedian will know. That term, stand-up comic, seems to be another media invention. Actually, a comedian does sit sometimes, whenever the action of a skit demands, but there is always that string of jokes, or would-be jokes, delivered standing up, first at a stationary microphone during early radio days, now just standing or wan­dering about a stage, mike in hand. In advertising, the stand-up commercial was the first kind used, hi this, the announcer or star of the program would grasp the product firmly in hand, making sure the name faced the camera, and as persuasively as possible, recite or read the copy written about it at an adver­tising agency.

Words introduced in the media frequently enlarge into meanings far beyond the scope originally intended for them. How many meanings do the words Mickey Mouse have today? Which show approval? Which disapproval?

The impact of the mass media is very strong. It changes our language, stimulates our emotions, informs our intellect influ­ences our ideas, values, and attitudes. When you were young and absorbing uncritically, you could not possibly know that the majority of the material you saw and heard was designed to produce specific responses from you. Some adults, for that matter, either do not know or refuse to admit the following basic fact of media production: the MAJORITY of material is chosen or designed to produce a predetermined response. Even that part of media output called "entertainment" is chosen to keep you quiet, unquestioning, available, and receptive to com­mercial messages inserted throughout. This is evident whether the entertainment is a TV drama with commercials every few minutes or a newspaper or magazine article with columns of type wrapped around the advertisements.

The journalism, urgent issues, news, or information-giving portion of media output is selected, edited, produced, placed in time slots or positioned in the newspaper or magazine to reflect and support the owner's policies. These policies are sometimes intricate and interwoven strands, difficult to isolate individually,


because ownership is a giant conglomerate made up of inter­twining sections of the current commercial-military-governmental complex. However, no reporter, photographer, film or copy editor, script or continuity writer in either print or electronic media has ever needed to be told specifically what the boss's policies are. You pick them up through your pores within a week or two of accepting a job, and you work accordingly.

The owner's policies, therefore, determine the response that the media wish from you even if it's only to keep quiet and ac­cept. Then the material is written, staged, photographed with or without audio, printed and/or broadcast. We — counted in the millions, the mass audience of mass media —are then pro­grammed to buy, vote, contribute, believe, and support other people's interests, interests which may be commercial, political, charitable, philosophical, or educational. Sometimes these in­terests will coincide with your own; sometimes they won't. Most of the time, the response comes in as programmed; occa­sionally it doesn't, or there is an additional, unexpected re­sponse. Some of the media's output has long lasting value and worth; some is not only cheap, tawdry, and superficial stuff, but physically, emotionally, and intellectually harmful.


SPEECH PATTERNS


1. What I really lacked was experience.

What he suffered from was inferiority complex.


2. I will say this for Sue, she was a kind soul.

I will say this for Ann, she taught me a lot.


3. Little did she guess what he had on his mind.

Little did they realize why he was being so nice to them.


Phrases and Word Combinations


to come first (second, ...) to become addicted to

up to date to come into existence (being,

to date back to usage)

ill-informed for that matter

(ill-mannered, ill-bred, etc.)


ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY


1. bring vt (with prepositions and adverbs)

to bring about to cause smth, e. g. What brought about this quarrel?

to bring back to recall

to bring to mind (things of the past), e. g. The snapshot brought back to me my childhood.

to bring down 1) to cause smth or smb to fall or come down, e. g. The hunter brought down a deer. 2) to reduce (a pricej, e. g. Shopkeepers have been asked to bring down their prices.

to bring someone down to earth (with a bang/bump) (colloq.) to make someone face reality, unpleasant truth, etc., e. g. He had no idea how food prices had risen, so a day's shopping soon brought him down to earth with a bump!

to bring forward to suggest (an idea), as to bring forward a proposal.

to bring home to to persuade smb to believe smth, e. g. You must bring the difficulty home to John.

to bring in 1) to yield (money), as profit or earnings, e. g. He does odd jobs that bring him in ten to twelve pounds a week. 2) to introduce (an idea), as to bring in a bill

to bring in a verdict (in a court of law) to give a judgement to bring on to cause (to happen), e. g. You've brought the trouble on yourself. , .

to bring out 1) to reveal (smth) to be seen or known, e. g. Dif­ficulties can bring out a person's best qualities. 2) to publish (a book, etc.), e. g. When are the publishers bringing out his new book?

to bring round to persuade smb to change his opinion, e. g. We must bring the rest of the committee round to our point of view.

to bring smb to one's or to his senses

to bring smb round to cause smb to regain consciousness or remember his surroundings, e. g. Some cold water on her face might bring her round (bring her to herself/to her senses). The sudden sound of the train whistle brought me to myself; I had not known how far I had been walking, deep in thought.

to bring up 1) to educate; raise (a child), e. g. My aunt brought up four children. 2) to mention or introduce (a subject), e. g. Your suggestion will be brought up at the next meeting.


to bring up to date to advance the knowledge of smb, to bring smth. level, esp. in time, e. g. We must try to bring Mother more up to date with modern styles, and persuade her not to wear such old-fashioned clothes.


2. alarm n 1) a call to arms or action; a warning of danger, e. g. When the people in the street noticed the clouds of smoke coming out of the window, they gave the alarm. 2) a sudden feeling of fear and excitement because of the possible approach of danger, e. g. The mother rushed out of the house in alarm when she heard her son crying loudly in the yard.

an alarm bell, e. g. The soldiers were roused from their sleep by the sound of the alarm bell.

an alarm clock a clock that will ring and wake up a person at any time he wishes, e. g. I didn't hear the alarm clock and overslept.

a false alarm a hoax, e. g. There is nothing to be panicky about, it was a false alarm.

a fire-alarm, e. g. No sooner had they seen the flame than they sounded the fire-alarm. .

to raise an alarm, e. g. Those who raise false alarms will get no help when help is needed.

alarm vt to arouse to a sense of danger, e. g. The whole world is alarmed by these events.

alarming a exciting fear or anxiety, e. g. The news was

alarming.

alarmist n a panic-monger, e. g. He's often subject to panic.

An alarmist, that's what he is.


3. fuss (often about) vi to get nervous or excited, e. g. He fussed continually. Don't fuss over the children so much! She fussed about, scarcely able to hide her impatience.

fuss n unnecessary or irritating activity, especially in small matters, e. g. Why make a fuss!

to make a fuss about (over) smtb to show too much anxiety ornervousness about smth. e. g. Why make all that fuss about trifles?

to make a fuss of smb to pay all sorts of little attentions to a person, e. g. They made a fuss of their guest, eager to please him.

fussy a paying too much attention to little, unimportant things, e. g. The old lady was so fussy, nothing seemed to satisfy her. She's a fussy housewife.


to be fussy about smth, e. g. Should we be fussy about our clothes or food?


4. lose vt/i to have no longer; to be deprived of, as to lose one's money (life, mind, balance, job, etc.), e. g. The boy lost his parents in the war. The poor man has lost a leg in the battle. The boy lost 5 pence in a bet. I've lost the key to my suitcase.

to lose sight (track) of smb (smth) not to know where smb (smth) is, e. g. I lost sight of the boy in the crowd. The policemen lost track of the thief.

to lose one's temper to get angry or impatient, e. g. Don't lose your temper, try to control yourself.

to lose one's place (in a book, etc.) to be unable to find the line, paragraph, etc. at which one stopped reading, e. g. "Go on reading!" "I beg your pardon I lost my place. I'll be ready in a moment."

to be lost in thought (wonder, admiration) to be absorbed in, e. g. The girl was gazing at the picture, lost in admiration.

to be lost upon smb to fail to impress or attract the attention of smb, e. g. My hints were lost upon my friend, he failed to notice any of them.

to lose one's head to become confused or excited, e. g. She lost her head at the sight of the fire and started screaming in­stead of acting (being useful).

to lose one's heart to smb to fall in love with smb, e. g. Do you know that Jack has lost his heart to Gwendolen ?

to lose heart to feel discouraged; to lose courage, e. g. Jim lost heart after his failing the exam for the third time.

loss n the act or fact of losing or having lost smth, e. g. The death of Jim's, friend was a great loss to him. Loss of health is worse than loss of wealth. The soldier died from loss of blood. Do it without any loss of time. The regiment suffered heavy losses.

to be at a loss to be puzzled and perplexed, not to know what to do, e. g. Nellie was seldom or never at a loss.


5. addict n a person who is unable to free himself from a harmful habit, 05 a drug addict, a TV addict, a coffee addict

addicted (to) a in need or in the habit of having, e. g. She's addicted to reading detective stories.

addiction n the state of being addicted or an example of this, e. g. Does he have any other addictions besides smoking?


addictive a causing addiction, habit-forming, e. g. Drinking coffee or eating chocolate can be addictive.


6. involve vt 1) to cause smb or srnth to take part or be mixed up (in trouble, a difficult condition, etc.), e. g. Don't involve me in your fights, please. They are deeply involved in debt 2) to have as a necessary result, e. g. The new design is involving me in a lot of extra work.

involvement n the condition of being involved-, e. g. His in­volvement with that woman brought him nothing but trouble.

involved a 1) complicated in form, etc., e. g. It's a very in­volved story and I kept getting confused. 2) (of people) closely concerned in relationships and activities with others, esp. in a personal relationship, e. g. He's deeply involved with her and wants to get married.


7. sophisticated a 1) having lost natural simplicity through experience of the world, as with sophisticated taste, sophisti­cated clothes, e. g. I feel rather gauche among all these sophis­ticated people. She wears very sophisticated clothes. Some so­phisticated device was used to defuse the bomb. 2) (of mental activity) cultured, elaborate, as a sophisticated discussion/argu­ment

sophistication n the state of being sophisticated or an example of this, e. g. She entered the room with an air of great sophistication.


8. value n 1) the worth of smth. in money or as compared with other goods for Which it might be changed, e. gr.The value of the British pound is less than it was 50 years ago. Jewels are articles of value; they are articles of great value. 2) worth com­pared with the amount paid (often in the value for money), e. g. If your coat wore out in less than a year it certainly wasn't good value; it was poor value for money. 3) the (degree of) useful­ness of'smth, esp, in comparison with other things, e. gr. You'll find this instrument of great value in making certain kinds of measurement.

value vt 1) to calculate the value, price, or worth of, e. g. He valued the house and its contents at 42,000 pounds. 2) to con­sider smb or smth to be of great worth, e. g. Young people don't always value the advice given them by their parents.


valuable a of great value or use, having value , AparoaeHHufi), as a valuable book; valuable property, furniture; valuable advice, initiative, information, e. g. The book didn't cost much but it is very valuable to me.

valued a regarded as of great value (уважаемый, достойный уважения; такой, которым дорожат); as a valued posses­sion, a valued friend (servant, correspondent); valued advice, help

invaluable a exceedingly valuable, as invaluable assistance, invaluable treasure

valueless a having no value, as valueless good, e. g. You are too late with your advice, it's valueless now.

valuables n pl, e. g. Jewellery and other valuables are usually kept in a jewel-box.


9. urgent a 1) pressing, very important, requiring immediate action, or attention, as to be in urgent need of smth; urgent re­pairs; an urgent call (letter, business, telegramme etc.),

e. g. What are the urgent issues of the day? The matter is urgent. 2) ear­nest and persistent in making a demand, as an urgent creditor, e. g. The girl's urgent entreaties had their effect.

urge vt to ask earnestly, to plead with, to recommend strong­ly, e. g. We urged him to go. All his friends are urging him to join in.

urgency n the need for haste or immediate action, e. g. It is a matter of great urgency.


10. stuff n (informal) the material of which anything is made, usually solid substance, e. g. What is this stuff? What kind of stuff is it made of? Only very serious stuff interests him. The building was made of some funny white stuff. He is not of the stuff poets are made of.

stuff vt to pack tightly and untidily; to press tightly into smth, as to stuff a bag full, to stuff someone's head with nonsense, to stuff one's mouth full, e. g. Don't stuff anything else in, or the bag will burst. Don't stuff the child with food. She stuffed the chicken with breadcrumbs, herbs and onion.

stuffy a lacking ventilation; close or oppressive, e. g. Do you mind opening the window? The room is stuffy.


READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES


1. Consult a dictionary and practise the pronunciation of the following words:


dewy, meadow, cartoon, Captain Kangaroo, episode, mass media, influential, environment, catalogue, brochure, credulous, sophisticated, deliberate, addictive, subtle, vicious, altruistic, stimulate, control, advertise, permissible, digest, identify, ab­breviate, programme, persuasively, agency, intellect, design, available, intricate, isolate, giant, conglomerate, audio, contrib­ute, charitable.