Means Of Communication
1. Let’s talk about means of
communication: TV, newspapers, radio, the Internet. Which of these does your
family like?
When we think about modern means of
communication we cannot understand how people who lived some fifty years ago
were able to keep in touch. Nowadays with a mouse in one hand and a mobile
phone in the other one, we cannot imagine human contacts without modern
technology devices.
Mass Media are the means of
communication that reach a large audience via mass communication. They
inform and educate, question and entertain. They also influence the way we
see the world.
Mass Media falls into four major
types. First, we have "broadcast media" that transmit
information electronically via film, radio, recorded music, or television. Then
comes "digital media". They include both Internet and mobile mass
communication. Thirdly, there are "print media" that transmit information
via books, comics, magazines, or newspapers. Lastly, we shouldn't forget about
"outdoor media" that transmit information via billboards, blimps,
skywriting and others.
I am 100% sure that all these four
types of Mass Media are worth discussing, but I would like to concentrate on my
top-4 favorites: newspapers, radio, the Internet and TV.
To begin with, it is widely known
that every day millions of newspapers and magazines are
published all over the world. There are different national and local papers,
dailies, weeklies and monthlies. They satisfy different interests and
tastes. There are two types of national newspaper. The "quality
papers", or "broadsheets", cater for the better educated
readers. And the "popular papers", or "tabloids", sell to a
much larger readership. They contain far less print than the broadsheets and
far more pictures. They use larger headlines and write in a simpler style of
English. While the broadsheets devote much space to politics and other
"serious" news, the tabloids concentrate on "human
interest" stories.
To come second, today many people
listen to the radio. A lot of radio stations are very popular,
especially music radio stations. They also provide us with the news and
interviews with celebrities. In Britain the most popular radio station is the
BBC channel.
Thirdly, the Internet has become a
major channel for communication. The Internet can be accessed almost
anywhere by numerous means. Not only virtual communication, watching
videos, films and other ways of entertainment, but also educational material at
all levels are available from websites. The Internet is an important tool of
both formal and informal education. Further, the Internet
allows universities to conduct research remotely via virtual laboratories as
well as communicate between scientists and in the publication of results.
Last but not least, we have television.
It is considered the most significant form of broadcasting. Television
entertains, informs and educates viewers. Several studies have found that educational
television has many advantages. It can be a very powerful and effective
learning tool for children if used wisely.
Talking about my family, I should
mention that TV is a favourite mass medium for us. TV helps us to relax after a
hard day. We watch different talk-shows, concerts, feature films and TV-series.
We learn about different countries, people and their customs, traditions,
achievements and problems. But it is important to add that there are some
disadvantages of TV as well. Firstly, it takes a lot of time and makes us lazy.
Secondly, it can be harmful for our health, especially for our eyes. Moreover,
some programs and films on TV are violent. And there are a lot of
advertisements which make us buy things we don′t need.
In conclusion I should say that it
is difficult to imagine our life without modern means of communication. And nowadays
you can be informed even if you live in the Sahara desert.
2. Is there any means of communication you
can’t live without? Why (not)?
I’m absolutely sure that we can’t
live without communication. Good communication skills can help you to make
friends or to find a well-paid and interesting job. But today people don′t need
a personal contact to communicate. We have the Internet. The Internet is the
most powerful and popular means of communication. Nowadays many people,
especially my classmates, can’t live without the Internet. I buy things,
download music, watch films, do my homework and write letters to my friends and
relatives on the Internet. So, I’m sure the Internet is very useful today.
3. What questions will you ask the
participants of “What? Where? When” a famous TV programme?
1) Do you enjoy taking part in this programme? Why?
2) What is the most difficult thing for you in this programme?
3) How do you deal with the host and other
participants?
4) Will you ever take part in other TV programs in
future?
5) What qualities does a person need to become a
participant?
4. My cousin spends a lot of time chatting
in “Contact” and it makes all the family angry. What can you advise him and the
family to do in this situation?
Social networking has its perks.
Whether it’s being updated with what’s going on with the population, sharing
your thoughts or keeping in contact with friends and family over the globe, it
has evolved and become a very popular form of communication. But is it worth
it? Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are time consuming and nearly addictive.
People find themselves staying up late making changes to their profiles, posting
new pictures or tweeting.
This is sometimes done at the cost
of sleep. Sleep is one of the most important things to teenagers and their
health. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc… will still be there in the morning.
What someone ate for lunch or what they plan to do for the weekend is not as
important as getting a sufficient amount of rest. Lack of sleep can cause many
problems including bad concentration, muscle aches and memory lapses, not to
mention long-term effects such as obesity, diabetes and being more prone to
illnesses.
Most phones can now host
applications, which allow teenagers to have access to social networks 24/7,
especially while in school. Many students update statuses and tweet while in
the middle of a lesson, in the hallways or at lunch. Although it may not seem
like a big deal then, it distracts you from what you’re learning and you may
miss out later on when struggling to understand what was taught. It is also
against school rules and disrespectful to teachers.
Constantly checking their sites,
whether you know there haven’t been any changes or not, out of habit, can
really pull time away quicker than you would imagine. Sometimes people start
caring more about staying updated with what is going on than about grades.
Though I am not a big fan of Facebook or other social networks any longer, I
have stayed up later chatting with my friends online rather than doing homework
or sleeping. Then in the mornings I wake up annoyed at my lack of sleep and
wanting to blame whoever set 7:45 as an appropriate time to attend school.
To cut a long story short, first
you need to do is to tell your cousin that using the Internet a lot causes
social isolation and ruins eyesight. Having so many friends in social networks
doesn’t mean that they are your real friends. Chatting with these people takes
a lot of free time. Instead of surfing the Internet you should spend time with
relatives and friends. It will be more useful for you to walk in the street, to
go to a café or to the cinema together.
5. Can the Internet replace all the other
means of mass media? What is your point of view?
Internet is a product of high-tech
development, conglomeration and globalization. It seems that it combines
functions of all telecommunication systems. It has video, audio, conference and
certainly text opportunities. It also can communicate with satellites and
people can access it in multiple places, being at home or to another country.
It economizes time when find necessary information. Besides that, Internet is
multilingual. It has opened wide possibilities for mass media to get more
audience presenting them through the Web.
It is true that information
technology has grown rapidly in the past few years, and many people predict
that it will develop faster in future. Some people believe that in the near
future print out books and articles will be replaced by computer devices. To a
certain extent, I agree that the number of printed books will decrease
significantly, but I do believe that hardcopy books will continue to exist.
On the one hand, it is a fact that
with the existence of the computer and Internet technology, people can obtain a
lot of information. People can just open their devices, connect them through a
network and they could search all articles that they need. There are tens of
thousands of websites which provide valuable information such as www.national
geographic.com or www.discovery.com. Besides that, many news corporations have
also provided electronic newspapers these days, which can be read in the
notebook, tab or smart-phone like CNN or BBC. As a result, many people prefer
to read the information from the electronic devices rather than to purchase the
print out one.
On the other hand, it is predicted
that print out books, newspapers or magazines will continue to exist in future,
though the number will decrease drastically. Firstly, not everyone likes to
read an article through the gadget directly, since they think it is
uncomfortable. They believe that the radiation of computer screen may cause eye
irritation, and give negative effect on their eyes' health. Secondly, it is
undeniable that the development of Internet technology is not equally spread
all over the world. The online services are only available in advanced
countries and in some major cities of developing but not in poor countries. As
a consequence, people who live in rural or remote areas will still need the
print out version.
In conclusion, although it is true
that the number of electronic books or news have increased considerably in the
past recent years, but the existence of the hardcopy version will be
irreplaceable. As some people do not feel comfortable in reading an article
directly from the computer screen, and others who live in the countryside might
not have the access to the technology.
Reference:
•
Your English Exam Support: Подготовка к экзамену по английскому
языку: пособие для учащихся учреждений общего среднего образования / [сост.
Н.А. Сергиенко]. – Мозырь: Белый Ветер, 2015. – 97,
[3] с.
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