Category Life in society

Here are some words and phrases from the interview with Carol printed in bold and given in the context in which you will hear them. They are followed by definitions.

The news is based on what’s going to keep people tuned in: watching TV

People are interested in plastic surgery or celebrities: medical surgery to improve your physical appearance / famous people

Find out how this woman lost weight: became thinner It’s shallow: without serious meaning

There are these people doing voice-overs: speaking “off-cantera” about what the viewer is watching

It’s equating those types of information: giving equal value to

Like a sitcom: TV series in which the same characters appear week after week (abbreviation for "situation comedy")

It’s like instant gratification: immediate satisfaction

TV news has to be reported by news anchors who are physically attractive: the main news reporters on TV

Do you think newspapers give you better coverage?: reporting I know I’m being sucked in!: tricked into watching

^ ANSWERING MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

1 Read the questions below before you listen to the interview with Carol.

1

According to Carol, news on TV a is mostly about health issues, b is mostly international.

c is mostly entertainment.

2 In Carol’s opinion, the evening news a is boring to most people.

b tricks people into watching, c is an important source of information.

3 Carol thinks that political problems

a don’t get reported in the way they should be reported, b are not really interesting for most people, c are presented well by TV reporters.

4 Carol believes that most people

a are very interested in war and politics, b want information quickly, c don’t watch the news.

5 Carol says that if TV news anchors are not physically attractive, a people will not watch TV news.

b viewers will complain, c viewers will change channels.

6 According to Carol, newspapers

a have a wider audience than TV. b can be read quickly, c have the same problems as TV.

7 Carol feels that news on the Internet a is worse than the TV.

b is hai’d to find, c is too general.

8 Carol

a ahnost never watches the news on TV. b watches TV news even though she doesn’t think it’s good, c avoids the mass media.

2 Now listen and circle the one correct answer for each question.

3

Work with a partner and discuss your answers. Do you agree with Carol?

INTERVIEW WITH SHARI AND FRANK: Reading the newspapers

Here are some words and phrases from the interview with Shari and Frank printed in bold and given in the context in which you will hear them. They are followed by definitions.

The news is really depressing: unhappy and without hope

It’s a prestige thing to cover the international news: something done to look important The human interest stories can be really uplifting: positive, inspirational It was shocking that the judicial system had failed: legal

I read the main stories, especially the scandals: shocking stories about people who have committed crimes or immoral acts

You have to take it with a grain of salt: not believe all of it

It’s a lot of half-truths: stories that are partly true and partly false

It’s really biased: presented from only one point of view, one-sided, not objective,

Here are some words and phrases from the interview w ith Henry printed in bold and given in the context in which you will hear them. They are followed by definitions.

Adolescence is the time when the pressure begins to shift: the time between childhood and adulthood / move or change comes into full bloom at about thirteen, fourteen: becomes fully developed You can tell at a glance: with a quick look

with the hope that the fad would have passed: a new fashion that is suddenly popular

Where w’ould you draw the line: place a limit on what is permitted

They can be talking online: on the Internet

Should you be trying to monitor it: watch it carefully

My kids are into video games: have an important interest in

О LISTENING FOR MAIN IDEAS

Informal interviews and conversations are less organized than lectures or presentations. So, when you want to understand the main ideas, you have to think back over the whole interview or conversation and try to figure out what the people were trying to express.

In this interview’ Henry’ gives advice about how to deal with teenage children. Before you listen, read the following advice that is commonly given to parents on this subject.

Advice to Parents on How to Deal with Teenage Children

Be a good role model. Show them how’ to behave well by behaving well yourself.

Let them make their own decisions about fashion when they are ready. Monitor their behavior.

Give them freedom to experiment and have fun, as long as their behavior is safe and legal.

Set clear limits. Be clear about what they can and cannot do.

Listen to the w’av you talk to them. Try to avoid the annoying language that your own parents used with you.

Now listen. Place a check (✓) next to the main ideas that Henry’ discusses from the list above.

3 Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1 Do you agree with Henry ’s advice?

2 Look back at your answers to step 1 of "Sharing Your Opinion,” on page 19. Were your predictions about what Henry would let his sons do correct?

4 Another main idea that Henry talks about is the importance of peer groups. Read the two statements below and then discuss the questions that follow with a partner.

• As you get older, your friends become less important to you and your family becomes more important.

• As you get older, vour family becomes less important to you and your friends become more important.

1 Which statement expresses Henry ’s point of view?

2 Which statement do you agree with more? Why?

When you are taking notes during a lecture, you have to write down a lot oi’ information very quickly. Instead of writing out each word separately, you should develop the habit of using symbols and abbreviations.

You may want to change some of the symbols and abbreviations below to ones that are easier for you to remember and use. You will probably also want to invent some of your own, depending on the content of the lecture you are attending. When you invent symbols and abbreviations, it is important to review your notes as soon as possible after the lecture while their meanings are still fresh in your mind.

Symbols

Here are some symbols that are commonly used in English. Many of them come from the field of mathematics.

Abbreviations

In addition to using symbols, good note takers abbreviate long words or words that are frequently used. Here are a few standard abbreviations that are commonly used in English. Notice that some are based on Latin words.

(for example; "e. g.” is from the Latin exempli gratia) (with)

(and other similar things, from the Latin etcetera) (before noon, from the Latin ante meridiem)

(after noon, from the Latin post meridiem) (government)

(education)

(Professor)

(Doctor)

(usually)

Pro and Con

pro (for, a Latin prefix meaning "in favor of”) con (against, an abbreviation of the Latin contra)

When taking notes, these tw»o words are useful. Many texts and lecturers talk about arguments for or against something, or the advantages and disadvantages of something. In such cases, it is easy to simply use the heading pro for arguments in favor of something or its advantages, and the heading con for arguments against something or its disadvantages. (The terms may be used in the plural as well: pros and cons.) It is also common for people to use these terms in conversation.

1 Study the symbols and abbreviations in the column on the left. Match them with their definitions in the column on the right. You might want to use some of these symbols and abbreviations in your notes for the lecture in this chapter.

Compare your answers with a partner.

Now listen to an excerpt from the lecture. Take notes as you listen, using symbols and abbreviations. Use your notes to tell your partner what you heard. Did you gather the same information?

LECTURE, PART ONE: Disadvantages and Advantages of Single-Sex Education for Girls

GUESSING VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT

1 The following items contain important vocabulary from Part One of the lecture. Work with a partner. Using the context and your knowledge of related words, take turns trying to guess the meanings of the words in bold.

1 I’m often asked to defend single-sex education.

___ 2 as if girls’ schools were on trial

3 goes against the aims and the goals of feminists

4 Single-sex schools do not provide a smooth transition into the adult world.

5 Single-sex education values girls.

6 It values girls’ unique qualities.

___ 7 It helps girls develop self-confidence.

2 Work with your partner. Match the vocabulary terms with their definitions by writing the letter of each definition below in the blank next to the sentence or phrase containing the correct term in step 1. Check your answers in a dictionary if necessary.

a unusual, special b easy way

c the feeling that you can manage any situation d being questioned in a court of law e people who support womens rights f encourages and supports g explain why I am in favor of

NOTE TAKING: USING SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

1 Look at these notes on Part One of the lecture. Think about what kind of

information might belong in the blanks. Notice that these notes are formatted in columns. The Cons (disadvantages, reasons against) arc in the first (left) column because these are the first aspects of the topic that Dr. Frosch presents. The Pros (advantages, reasons in favor of) are in the second (right) column. Putting your notes in columns labeled Pros and Cons is often an effective way to organize notes if a lecture is an argument for or against something, which this lecture is.

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Now listen to ParL One of the lecture. Take notes on your own paper. Remember to use symbols and abbreviations.

3 I Use vour own notes to complete the notes in step 1.

4 ! Compare your completed notes for step 1 with a partner.

As a student, you will often need to paraphrase information that you have heard or read. That is, you will need to express the same ideas in your own words. When you paraphrase, you are showing that you understand and can remember what you heard or read.

1 Read the following paraphrase before you listen to the interview with Carlos. Think about what kind of information might belong in the blanks.

Carlos grew up in a

household. His parents moved from Puerto Rico to the United

Slates when he was ___ , but his mother left

his father shortly afterwards. His mother was a garment worker,

and garment work is ____________________ Sometimes she

needed to work a lot and left the children alone. When Carlos was

older, he used to____________________ with ___

after school until his mother got

home from work.

Carlos’ mother taught him two important lessons about life: to

take________________________________________ and to get

an education. As a child, he learned to_____________________ ,

____________________ ,____________________ , and run

errands. He also studied _ at home with

his mother.

Carlos thinks that it is important for children to have someone

in the family who is a kind of____________________ in their

lives. He thinks children are also influenced by people outside the family. For example, he met a lot of good

when he was growing up who taught him many positive lessons.

2

Now listen to the interview with Carlos. Try to listen for the information that you need to complete the paraphrase in step 1 and write it in the blanks. You may use more than one word in some blanks.

3 Compare your paraphrase with a partner. They do not have to be exactly Lhe. same.

AFTER THE INTERVIEWS

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE TOPIC

You will not always agree with what you read or hear. Make it a habit to evaluate what other people say and compare it with your own knowledge and experiences.

Are the ways in which Robert and Carlos were raised similar to the ways you were raised, or are they different? Check (✓) the appropriate column. Then compare your answers with a partner.

Read the list in the left column. It shows changes that have taken place in the American family during the past century.

Work with a partner. Fill in the chart with as many positive and negative consequences of the changes in the family as you can think of. In your opinion, are these changes in the family harmful to society, or not?

In this section you will hear and lake notes on a two-part lecture given by Ms. Sarah Coleman, a journalist. The title of the lecture is From Event to Story – Malting It to the News. Ms. Coleman will explain the steps journalists take and the difficulties they face as they write the stories we read in the newspaper.

BEFORE THE LECTURE

PERSONALIZING THE TOPIC

People often discuss the role of newspapers in society, and they frequently disagree about what newspapers should and should not do. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1 What is a newspaper’s role? Should newspapers give us only information, or opinions too?

2 Should journalists write a story even if they do not have all the facts or if they are not sure that all the facts are correct?

3 What do you think is the most difficult thing about a journalist’s job?

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE TOPIC

1 Read the guidelines for responsible journalism below. Then with a partner, choose an event that happened recently in your community or country. Find two or three articles about the event in different newspapers. Analyze each article using the guidelines.

Do not tell lies – only tell the truth.

Do nol include unnecessary details – only include details that directly affect

the story.

Do not use sensationalism to make the story more interesting.

Be fair and present all sides of the story.

Do not confuse news and entertainment.

One of the issues that the public faces is how to know if the information that appears in newspapers is accurate. Discuss the following questions with your partner in relation to the articles you read for step I. Support your answers.

1 How do you know the journalists wrote the truth?

2 How do you know if they were fair and presented all sides of the story?

When you are reading a text, you can see how it is organized because it is divided into paragraphs. It may also have section headings. You can also read a text slowly, underline parts you do not understand, and come back to them later.

In a lecture, it is more difficult to follow the organization of the speakers ideas. However, signal words can help you. These words act as markers or signposts that indicate what kind of information the speaker will give next. In Chapter 1, you learned signal words for introducing examples and definitions. Signal words can be used for other purposes, too. Here are some examples of commonly used signal words:

today, nowadays, sometimes, usually, at that point in fact, actually

first of all, then, after that, finally and, also, in addition, furthermore but, however, on the other hand

1 The signal words in the left column are used by the lecturer. Read them and match each one with a synonym from the column on the right. Fill in each blank with the correct answer.

Now listen to some parts of the lecture that include the signal words in step l. As you listen, fill in the blank with the correct word(s). Then compare your answers with a partner.

1 _________________ , more than ever before, we are surrounded by news.

2 _________________ ., so many new stories appear every day that it’s impossible

to keep up with them!

3 _________________ , there are different kinds of journalists.

4 _________________ , journalists are called reporters because they "report”

the news.

5 , unplanned events are more exciting!

6 , it’s important not to report too much personal

information or anything that is scandalous.