III. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. Has the problem of what people read in newspapers been thoroughly studied by anybody?

2. Do you know what is read most in your newspaper?

3. Do you have any regular reading habits?

4. Do you prefer any special kind of material and do you always look for it?

5. Do you regularly read speeches by our government leaders?

6. Do you like to read articles on the Royal family, famous people, film stars, sportsmen, etc?

7. What is your attitude to commercials: a) in our press?

b) in the Western press?

8. On what do you base your opinions?

9. What is your favorite newspaper or magazine?

10. What would you change in it if you could?

Text 7.

I. Прежде чем прочитать текст, выучите следующие слова и выражения:

to complain - жаловаться

to neglect - пренебрегать

to occur - происходить; occurrence - происшествие

to withhold - утаивать, удержать

as soon as - как только

artificially - искусственно

either ... or - либо ... либо

common - общий

newsworthy - новость, достойная внимания газеты

to take into account - учитывать, принимать во внимание

at all - отрицание + вообще

to slant news - акцентировать в новостях какой-то аспект

rubbish - чепуха

significant • важный, значительный

to raise the standard - повышать уровень

II. Прочитайте и переведите текст: The Nature of news

News is something natural like the rising of the sun. It occurs every day. If news is not communicated it means that someone wants to withhold it. News occurs all the time, everywhere. Their occurrence does not depend on the fact that someone is trying to find news. But communication of news depends on the fact that someone notices what is happening. But who is to judge* which events are to be reported** and which are not? As soon as we ask this question we can see that news is always a product of human action. We can even say that it is artificially created.

To become news an event must be either "important" or "interesting". There are four different types of combinations: 1. Important and interesting. 2. Unimportant and interesting. 3. Important and uninteresting. 4. Unimportant and uninteresting.

A mass-circulation newspaper is like a bus. Buses meet only the broad common interests of their passengers. They neglect special and personal interests. A newspaper tries to print what is common to the largest number of people. It has to ignore the special interests of one reader. Because of that usually very many people criticize newspapers. Everybody knows the story about the outraged mother who wanted to know why a school athletics competition was not included in the latest news. Her son had won the event, but the newspaper did not consider it newsworthy. The mother did.

"Importance" seems to be a quality of news that must be taken into account. If it is important for many people; then it is news. Some events would be more important in one group of countries, but not in others. If an event is interesting as well, there is no problem at all. The needs of society must also be taken into account. If we consider that our society must be religious, then we slant our news in that direction. If we think that people should be "politically active citizens", then we publish more news on foreign or home policy.

It happens very often that newspapers do not take into account readers' interests. The owners of the newspapers or the members of the editorial staff might consider some news to be important. Then this news is published for the reader.

Newspapers often receive letters where readers say that the Press is full of rubbish, that people should not be allowed to read all this rubbish, that the readers should be given more significant and important news. They say that the newspapers should raise their standards and educate people. The problem is really a very difficult one.