Unit 18. The Media
SPEAKING WARM-UP
Look at the pictures. In pairs, decide to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements and explain why.• It would be exciting to be a reporter in a war zone.
• The media should be careful to present a balanced view.
• When a few powerful people control the media, we get a better service.
 |
DEVELOP YOUR SPEAKING SKILLS
Look at tasks G and H. Which of these are good things for you to say or do in these tasks? Write Do or Don't before each one.
Key.1 Don't
2 Do
3 Don't
4 Do
5 Don't
6 Do
7 Do
8 Do
9 Don't
10 Do
1 ________________ interrupt your partner to say you agree or disagree.
2 ________________ give your opinion briefly after your partner's turn in task G.
3 ________________ say things like 'You're wrong!' or 'That's rubbish!'.
4 ________________ agree and disagree in a polite, friendly way.
5 ________________ agree with everything your partner says in task H.
6 ________________ try to use phrases apart from I agree or 'I disagree'.
7 ________________ explain why you agree or disagree with your partner.
8 ________________ ask your partner whether they agree with you or not.
9 ________________ use the expression 'What do you think?' all the time.
10 ________________ ask your partner different questions about their opinion.
| Listen to the following extracts taken from different interviews withstudents. For each student, choose the phrase you hear them use toagree or disagree. Key.1B 2A 3B 4A 5A 6B |
а In a way, you have right...
b In a way, you are right...
Student 2
a I would agree with...
b I could agree with...
Student 3
a I'm not agree with you...
b I don't agree with you...
Student 4
a I partly agrее with you...
b I am partly agrее with you...
Student 5
a I agree with you to a certain extent...
b I agree with you up to a certain extent...
Student 6
a As Mary had said, ...
Ь As Mary said, ...
Apart from the phrases the students used in B, the following words orphrases can also be used to agree or disagree. Put them in the correctbox.
Key.agree: That's absolutely right, ...You're right, and ... / That's a very good point... / Yes, I hadn't thought of that. / I couldn't agree more... / That's quite true, and... / Exactly. / That's what I was thinking. / Absolutely. / I totally agree...
partly agree or disagree: There's a lot in what you say, but... / You've got a point, but... / I agree with you up to a point... / I agree in part... / To some extent, that's right...
disagree: I'm afraid I don't agree ... / I have to disagree... / But what about...
| You've got a point, but... Surely, though, ... Yes, I hadn't thought of that. I have to disagree ... That's quite true, and ... Exactly. That's what I was thinking. | Absolutely. I totally agree ... To some extent, that's right... I'm afraid I don't agree ... I couldn't agree more ... I agree with you up to a point... There's a lot in what you say, but... | But what about... I agree in part... You're right, and ... That's absolutely right,... That's a very good point... |
Phrases we can use to ...
| agree | partly agree or disagree | disagree |
| I completely agree. | I partly agree. | I completely disagree. |
In pairs, take it in turns to read the following statements to eachother and to agree or disagree. Try to use as many of the phrases from Вand С as you can. Remember to give reasons for your opinions.
-The Internet is going to become a bigger and bigger part of our lives.
-TV programmes for children should all be educational and whether kids enjoy them or not is not really very important.
-What newspapers say should be controlled by the government. We shouldmake sure that nobody writes anything bad about the people in power.
-TV news programmes are better at informing the public than newspapers are.
Your teacher will divide you into two groups, Group A and Group B. You are going to discuss the statement:
'This class believes that using the Internet in English lessons would be a good thing.'
Group A: You are 'for' the statement. Below are three points that Group Вis going to make against the statement. On the right, make notes aboutwhy you disagree with these points.
| Group B's 'against' points | Why we disagree |
| 1 It would waste a lot of time. 2 It wouldn't help with our English. 3 It would be too expensive. | 1 _____________________________ _____________________________ 2 _____________________________ _____________________________ 3 _____________________________ _____________________________ |
Group В: You are 'against' the statement. Below are three pointsthat Group A is going to make for the statement. Underneath, make notesabout why you disagree with these points.
| Group A's 'for' points | Why we disagree |
| 1 It would be fun and motivating. 2 We could contact people by e-mail. 3 It would teach us about computers. | 1 _____________________________ _____________________________ 2 _____________________________ _____________________________ 3 _____________________________ _____________________________ |
Now hold your debate. Your teacher will guide you and tell you whatto do. When you have used all the points from the boxes above, continuewith other ideas. Remember to use good phrases to agree and disagree.
WORDPERFECT
Read these sentences and then use the words in bold to complete the sentences below.
Key.1 celebrity
2 newsreader
3 satellite TV
4 editor
5 commercial / ad / advert / advertisement
6 censorship
7 sponsor
8 presenter
9 break
10 TV listings /guide
• The editor sent his two best reporters out to get the story.
• According to the TV listings / guide, there's a film on Channel Five at ten o'clock.
• I don't believe in censorship. I think that people should be free to write whatever they want.
• Some people pay for satellite TV and they have a kind of dish on their roof to receive the signal from space.
• Have you seen the new commercial / ad / advert / advertisement for soap powder with the funny dog?
• The presenter of the show introduced her first guest, who was a famous actor.
• A celebrity is a person who is famous, such as a singer or actor.
• A sponsor is a company that pays for a TV show, a sporting event, and so on.
• The newsreader said that there had been a plane crash in Russia.
• Stay with us, and after the break we'll be bringing you more pictures of that skateboarding dog!
1 I know you say that she's supposed to be a _______________, but I've never heard of her!
2 You have to have a good voice and look serious to be a _______________; most of them are
also trained Journalists.
3 We're thinking of getting _______________ but I think the dish looks so ugly on top of the house.
4 If you feel that strongly about it, why don't you write a letter to the _______________?
5 Wasn't that actress in a _______________ for a bank a couple of years ago?
6 The government have been accused of _______________ after they tried to stop the newspapers printing the truth.
7 The channel lost its _______________ after making a programme that criticised the fast food industry.
8 She used to be a _______________ on a children's TV programme, and now she hosts a game show.
9 We're going to take a quick _______________, but stay tuned for more.
10 Could you pass me the _______________ so I can see what time it starts?
PRACTISE YOUR SPEAKING SKILLS
Speaking know-how
• Выполняя задание G, постарайтесь использовать различные формы выражения согласия или несогласия. Избегайте повторения фраз What do you think? и I agree.
• Выполняя задание H. для перечисления аргументов «за» и «против» используйте фразу On the one hand ... on the other hand ...
 |
Do you think there's too much news on TV?
Do you think having more channels would be a good thing?
Is TV entertainment or is it education?
Do you think watching TV can help to improve your English?
How could TV be improved in your country?
Do you think the Internet can help students?
How often do you use the Internet?
GRAMMAR FOCUS
Look at the following sentences using the verb 'agree' and notice which prepositions are used.
We couldn't agree on a video to watch for the evening.
Mum agreed to our suggestion about which film to watch.
We never seem to agree about television programmes.
I have to say that I don't agree with Bill.
I really don't agree with allowing children to use the Internet.
Circle the correct words to complete the rules.
Key.rules: with, about, with, on, to
We use with / on when we are talking about a person.
We use about / to when we are talking about a subject for discussion.
We use to / with when we are talking about morally approving of something.
We use on / with when we are talking about reaching a decision.
We use on / to when we are talking about giving permission or accepting a suggestion.
Complete the following sentences by writing the correct prepositions in the spaces provided.
Key.1 on 2 with 3 to 4 with 5 about
1 We have to agree ______________ two things to include in our TV programme.
2 I agree ______________ you in part, but I think you're forgetting an important point.
3 Hopefully, the headmaster will agree ______________ our suggestion that we connect the school to the Internet.
4 I don't agree ______________ having violent films on in the early evening.
5 You and I will never agree ______________ the role of TV in today's world.
 | Unit 17 Unit 18 Unit 19 |  |