Task 32. Fill in the gaps in the two interviews below and compare them in terms of style. Make your point.

A. “…1-3… ,” says the Education Secretary:

“Thousands of children, including some of our very brightest leave school …1… to …2-5…, …6-10…, incapable of writing a clear and …11-12… . Well, let me be clear – under this government we …13… insist that our exams once more …14-18… the need to spell, punctuate, and write a grammatical sentence.”

B. Katie Ivens, “Campaign for …1-2…”

“You talk about …1-2… . But in fact the most advanced education systems in the world …3-6… their children have …7… of their own language. …8-10… , it’s a very advanced thing …11-13… .”

Task 33. Read the article below. What genre is it?

University tuition costs to hit £36,000

Students face paying up to £36,000 for a three-year degree course under plans for the most radical reform of universities in 50 years

Robert Winnett and Graeme Paton

Virtually all taxpayer funding will be removed from the majority of degrees and students will have to borrow tens of thousands of pounds to cover the doubled cost of courses. Universities will have to charge at least £7,000 a year to cover the loss of central government funding and some elite degrees are expected to cost up to £12,000 a year.

These are understood to be the key findings from a long-awaited review of university funding conducted byLord Browne, the former head of BP. The recommendations have been welcomed by senior ministers after the peer delivered them his report at the weekend.

The Government is now drawing up plans to offer large “mortgage-style” loans to students to cover the increased costs of their studies. Many graduates will spend almost an entire working lifetime repaying the money. The new system is set to be introduced in 2012.

The current practice of effectively interest-free loans will be scrapped for all but the lowest earners with a new “tiered” system of repayments…

Sources said that anyone earning more than £21,000 a year will face interest of about two per cent more than inflation on their debts. They will be able to borrow money to cover their tuition fees plus about £4,000 annually for living costs. Some graduates on the most popular courses at the best universities could leave university with debts approaching £50,000. It is expected that graduates will have to repay their loans at a rate of about nine per cent of earnings each year. The debts will only be written off after 30 years.

Senior government sources insisted last night that the new system was designed to protect lower earners and not deter those from poorer backgrounds from going to university. Only about 40 per cent of university graduates will repay their entire loans – including interest – with the rest of the debts being written off by the Government.

About one in five low earners will actually pay less than under the current arrangements.

It is thought that students from many middle-income households, earning up to about £60,000 annually, will be given government grants to help with the increased costs.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said some families could be left “thinking the unthinkable and choosing which child to send.”

The Daily Telegraph, October 11, 2010

Task 34. What are the most frequently used grammatical constructions in the newspaper above?

What does the sentence The Daily Telegraph understands that the plans… suggest?

Task 35. Explain the underlined expressions in English.

What are the two groups of terms you came across while reading the material?

Task 38.Study the word list below. Group the words into categories.

to deter students to enter higher education

to think twice to plug the gap

to rebrand (the system) to be hard done by

(poor) background bleak prospects

to fund one’s way through university to unveil

the Universities UK (U UK)

the National Union of Students

the Spending Review

Task 36. Watch the first halfof Video 14.7 (until live reporting starts).How does this part correlate with the article in Task 33? How many separate genres does the piece comprise?

Task 37. Watch Video 14.7 again. How does the journalist highlight the news of tuition fees hike?

Task 38. Watch Video 14.7and correct the transcripts below.

A. Kate Appleby:

“I’ve had few problems with my money, that’s why I got job in my 2nd year trying to find steady income. But in general I’m quite lucky to have the support from my parents. But I know that’s not the case for everybody. And if it wasn’t that I have got the support from my parents I would be a lot harder done by. And I can see how people do get into proper debt problems.”

B. Professor Steve Smith, President of “The Universities UK”:

“We think Lord Brown is good news for university, provided Lord Browne can be implemented and go through the parliament. Because in a week we get the Spending Review which reduces university spending. For ‘U UK’ the number one concern is that we maintain quality and the standing of the UK higher education.”

Task 39. Close the gaps in the transcripts below (Video 14.7).

Student No 1:

“I am not very financially secure. So …1-2… the university with that much …3… . We’ll have to …4… whether I’ll like to go to university.”

Student No 2:

“I’ll definitely …1-2… about whether to study in London or to travel out or just travel home sometimes.”

Task 40. What are the stylistic and syntactical features of the following sentences (Video 14.7).

1. As in any market, the rich will …1… richer and the poor will …2… poorer.

2. The National Union of Students talk of the …1… of the system which could double student’ debt and increase interest payments for those who borrow most to …2-5… university.

3. At the time of cuts, high fees and …1-3… for graduates young people may be forgiven for …4-8…

Task 41. Recapitulate Video 14.7 in two sentences. Put them down.

Task 42. Watch the remaining part halfofVideo 14.7, starting with the news presenter’s words We’re live to Westminster now…

What are the three points on tuition fees (or key recommendations) the reporter mentions. Put them down:

1) … 2) … 3) …

What do expressions key recommendations and an interest free loan mean?

Task 43. Watch Files 9-16 in subfolder What_Accent and determine the British regional accent you hear in each video file.

Task 44. Watch Video 14.8. What genre is it?

Transcribe the first sentence of the piece, and say what is meant by protests? What social class is in question?

Task 45. Write down all the numbers in the piece. Be ready to restore the context in which they are used by the news presenter.

Task 46.Watch the report closely again.

In the piece identify: a) culturally marked words; b) colloquial and slang words.

Task 47. Video 14.8 reflects some political event held in Westminster. What is it?

Why is the debate so heated? Quote some words used by the MPs.

How is the exchange described by the news presenter?

Task 48. Close the gaps in the transcript below. Analyse grammatical and syntactical features of the restored sentences.

A. “We all know what it’s like – you’re at …1… week. You …2-3… with a …4-5… and do things that you regret. Isn’t it true he’s been …6-7… by the Tories …”

B. “Let’s …1… the Labour Party’s record: against …2-3… in 1997, introduced them a few months later. Against …4-6… in a manifesto in 2001, introduced top-up fees. …9… set up the Browne Review which …10… are now …11…. Now have a policy to actually tax graduates which half …12-14… doesn’t even believe in …”

Task 49. Watch Video 14.9,determine itsgenre. What paper does the journalist represent?

Task 50. Watch the piece again and identify:

- a saying;

- realia associated with M. Thatcher’s years;

- a slang word;

- a colloquialism (a shortened word);

- a term denoting a group of developing and developed nations.

Task 51. Watch the piece again. What are the three major events held in London in the long and recent past that the journalist is referring to?

Task 52. Revise all the words and word combinations listed below. Explain their meaning in English, make up a sentence to illustrate their use.

1) to shed jobs; 2) to ring fence; 3) a bloke; 4) a fresher; 5) to be led astray; 6) tuition fees; 7) tuition fees; 8) a cap; 9) top-up fees; 10) a demo; 11) to pull out; 12) to be at the heart of something; 13) to think twice about something; 14) to study part-time; 15) tax-payer funding; 16) to double costs; 17) key findings; 18) interest-free loans; 19) living costs; 20) to set out plans for an overhaul; 21) to raise academic standards; 22) head teacher; 23) head master; 24) dog’s dinner; 25) messy; 26) a pilot scheme.

Unit 15

BROADCAST NEWS MEDIA DISCOURSE: REVISION

Task 1. Read the article below, study the words in italics. Translate the terms into Russian.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 507