Lesson 106 Part I

Lesson 106

PartⅠ Warming-up Exercises

Numbers: Circulation of Some of the Popular Magazines in the United States

Training Focus:

Identifying numbers with seven to eight digits

Directions: This drill is for practice in recognizing numbers. Listen carefully. Write down the numbers as rapidly as you can.

Key:

1． TV Guide is the most popular magazine in the United States. Its weekly sale reaches 18,870,730 copies.

2． Reader's Digest is second with a circulation of 18,193,255.

3． National Geographic, a popular travel and nature magazine, distributes 10,560,885 copies each month.

4． Better Homes & Gardens has a circulation of 8,057,386 copies.

5． Women's Day is a popular woman's magazine selling 7,574,478 copies each month.

6． Family Circle has a monthly sale of 7,366,482 copies.

7． McCall's is another popular woman's magazine with a sale of 6,256,183 copies each month.

8． Playboy is a man's magazine selling 5,746,536 copies each issue.

9． Ladies' Home Fournal has a circulation of 5,403,015 copies.

10． Good Housekeeping sells 5,138,948 copies each issue.

11． National Enquirer has a circulation of 5,013,475 copies.

12． Time, a weekly news magazine, sells 4,451,816 copies each issue.

13． Redbook, again, is a woman's magazine and has a circulation of 4,234,141 copies.

14． The Star sells 3,380,779 copies per issue.

15． Newsweek, another news magazine, has a circulation of 2,952,515 copies each week.

Lesson 106 Part Ⅱ Reading Newspapers

Lesson 106

PartⅡ Reading Newspapers

Ex.

Directions: Write down the seven names of the newspapers mentioned by the second speaker and make notes for the related information.

Key: 1． Mirror ---- pictures of boxing match, popular paper, nice, short sentences, easier for a foreign student to read, idiomatic, colloquial, a lot of pictures, short paragraphs

2． Daily Telegraph ---- sports reports not so good, views of the conservative party

3． Sun ---- popular paper, nice, short sentences, easier for a foreign student to read, idiomatic, colloquial, a lot of pictures, short paragraphs

4． The Times ---- well-balanced, more authoritative, neutral, not mouthpiece of the government

5． The Guardian ---- for people with liberal views, appeals to intellectuals slightly to the left

6． Morning Star ---- communist paper

7． Evening Standard ---- best guide to what's on

Tapescript:

Reading Newspapers (2′34″)

A: What paper have you got there, John?

B: Oh, well, the Mirror. I bought it to look at the pictures of the big fight.

A: Oh, the boxing match. I thought you took the Daily Telegraph.

B: Well, I do usually, but the sports reports aren't so good.

A: What do you think are the best newspapers for students of English to read?

B: It depends on their politics and their tastes, of course, but also, I think, on their knowledge of English.

A: How do you mean? I don't see how their knowledge of English comes into it.

B: Well, I think it does. The popular papers like the Mirror and the Sun have nice, short sentences which are easier for a foreign student to read.

A: I am not so sure, because they are very idiomatic and colloquial, and surely that makes them more difficult.

B: No, I really do think they are easier to read. After all these papers have a lot of pictures and short paragraphs. It must make them more attractive to the learner of English, definitely easier.

A: Well, it's true, I suppose, that people who buy these popular papers just want a quick glance at the news. They don't want to study it in depth.

B: If you want to study some aspects of the news in depth, the best paper to buy is The Times. The Times is supposedto be very well-balanced and more authoritative. But it also takes practically all day to read it properly.

A: What about politics?

B: Well, The Times is supposed to be neutral, and it's worth pointing out that it isn't the mouthpiece of the gevernment as people abroad often seem to think. The Daily Telegraph tends to express the views of the conservative party. Then there's The Guardian, which is the newspaper people read if they are liberal in views. It appeals to intellectuals who are slightly to the left.

A: The Communist Party publishes its own newspaper, doesn't it?

B: Yes, that's the Morning Star. Actually, I usually only buy an evening paper. I like reading the evening news on the tube on my way home.

A: Oh, I prefer the Evening Standard. It is the best guide to what's on. I read the Telegraph in the morning, but then I like to relax in the evening.

Lesson 106 Part Ⅲ Magazines

Lesson 106

PartⅢ   Magazines

Ex.

Directions: Supply the information concerning each of the listed periodicals in the exercise.

Key: 1． Woman's Own----lively and amusing

2． Illustrated London News----general topics

3． Nova ---- general topics

4． Punch ---- funny

5． The Listener ---- informative, excellent articles on current affairs, more serious reading

6． Time Literary Supplement ---- book reviews

7． TV Times ---- general information about TV programmes

8. Radio Times ---- general information about radio programmes

9．Films and Filming ---- good for people fond of the cinema

Tapescript:

Magazines (2′30″)

If you enter a newsagent's in Britain, you'll find dozens of periodicals ranging from glossy illustrated magazines to specialised journals on every imaginable subject. There is something for every taste and interest at prices ranging from two and a half new pence to fifty new pence. Variety and freedom from censorship are again the main characteristics of the British periodicals. The difficulty for the overseas visitor may well be in knowing how to choose appropriately. In this dialogue, Peter is trying to advise Shala on which magazines to buy.

Peter: What d'you think of English magazines? D'you read any of them?

Shala: Again, I find it difficult to know which to choose because there are so many of them. I sometimes buy Woman's Own. It's very lively and amusing. But have you got good illustrated magazines of general interest like Paris Match or the American Time magazine?

Peter: Not exactly, we've got a few illustrated magazines covering general topics like Illustrated London News and Nova, but most of our periodicals cater for special interests. There are thousands of weekly or monthly journals on topics ranging from gardening to pop music.

Shala: No wonder I get confused when I go into a newsagent's! Which magazines d'you read, Peter?

Peter: I buy Punch, which I like because it's very funnyin English sort of way. I also read The Listener because it's informative and has excellent articles on current affairs; I look at the Time Literary Supplement for its book reviews, and of course, I always buy both the TV Times and Radio Times for their general information about television and radio programmes.

Shala: Are there any special magazines for men?

Peter: Yes, there are. There are magazines for everybody: comics for children, sports journals for sportsmen, periodicals on hobbies, trades, professions, the arts and religion.

Shala: What about the colour supplements?

Peter: They come on Sundays with the Sunday Times and the Observer and on Fridays with the Daily Telegraph. They contain illustrated articles on many different subjects.

Shala: Which magazines d'you think I should get?

Peter: Woman's Own, which you say you like, and try The Listener for more serious reading. As you're fond of the cinema, try Films and Filming. It's good.

Shala: Thanks, I will.