Guess the meaning of highlighted words or phrases, explain them. 29. Reading the text and retelling it.Mass Media.

29. Reading the text and retelling it. Mass Media.

Newspapers are especially important nowadays and we can’t imagine our life without them. There are dozens of them on every news-stand. There are newspapers for professionals, for businessmen, for children and teenagers, for men and women, for sports fans, for those who are interested in gardening, fishing, hunting, for those who keep pets and so on. Some newspapers publish serious articles on politics, economy and finance, some aim to entertain their readers. Many newspapers express certain political opinion and people choose them according to their own political beliefs. In short, you can always find a paper which suits your interests. The advantage of all the newspapers is that they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information. But it is bad that very often newspapers are full of dramatic events about natural disasters, plane crashes, murders and robberies. Having read such articles, you feel depressed and it seems that the world is being ruined. One more disadvantage is that newspapers are full of gossip about different celebrities and their private lives. There are also a lot of photos of them in their most intimate moments. I think it shouldn’t be allowed, besides half of this information is unreliable.

The main source of news for millions of people is television. With its help we can see everything with our own eyes. It is the window on the world which gives us an opportunity to “travel” all over the world. TV gives us food for thought, introduces us to new ideas and activities. It has the power to educate and broaden our minds. It helps us to relax after a hard day’s work and to escape from reality. There is always a great variety of programmes on TV: news and sport programmes, talk shows and TV games, documentaries and feature films, concerts and theatre performances. But nowadays there is a lot of violence on TV. As George Mikes once said, TV teaches us “how to kill, to rob, to shoot and to poison.” We watch hits where people are killed before our very eyes. It dulls our sensitivity and when we learn about one more tragedy or catastrophe, we perceive it as something quite natural, just like an everyday affair. Some people become TV addicts and they won’t give up TV for anything in the world. Nowadays some children are so addicted to TV that they are not interested in anything else: they don’t read books, communicate with adults and other children, they move less, speak less and they even think less. Though there are a lot of excellent educational programmes for children and programmes designed for schools. They help children to extend their knowledge, expose them to different people and places and to develop their imagination.

Many people prefer the radio. It is good to listen to it in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.

The Internet has recently become another important source of information. It is regarded as the latest addiction to trap thousands of people which has been blamed for broken relationships, job losses, financial ruin and even suicide. Psychologists now recognize Internet Addiction Syndrome (IAS) as a new illness that could cause serious problems and ruin many lives. Many users spend up to 40 hours a week on the Internet. Some of the addicts are teenagers who are already hooked on computer games.