Учебно-методический комплекс дисциплины
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Do you share the author's opinion? What aspects of life in the USA did you learn about in this article? Did anything surprise you? Does this kind of phenomenon/problem exist in our society? What is the attitude towards this problem in our society Feature article Alien abduction* stories brought down to earth* People who believe that they were abducted by aliens are victims of a sleep disorder, an American study suggests. The disorder may also account for* visitations by angels, demons and vampires. A personality profile of «abducted» people showed that almost all suffered from sleep paralysis, a condition in which terrifying sensations* and sinister* figures from the world of dreams intrude upon the waking brain. They suffered symptoms of post traumatic stress similar to those of Vietnam veterans. According to some polls, tens of thousands of Americans claim to have encountered aliens, a phenomenon explored in Steven Spielberg's television series «Taken». Dr Richard McNally, a psychologist at Harvard University, studied 10 adults who claimed to have been kidnapped by extra-terrestrials*. Most were firm believers in tarot cards* and astral projection* and were prone to fantasy. But, significantly, they had all suffered episodes of sleep paralysis. During REM, or rapid eye movement sleep, the body is unable to move. About 30 per cent of people suffer from sleep paralysis, from which they wake up and are partially conscious of being paralysed. Five per cent of people also experience waking hallucinations. Sufferers can see figures in the room, flashing lights, experience feelings of levitation or simply a sinister presence. Eight of the 10 people who thought they had been abducted had consulted «experts» in recovered memory to find out more about their experiences. During these sessions they began to recollect* more details. Many studies have shown that attempts to recover supposedly lost memories can plant false memories. Dr McNally said: «When you piece together the New Age* beliefs, the hallucinations, the fantasy proneness* and get a little help from the memory recovery folks, you have yourself an alien abduction.» Psychologists have argued that sleep paralysis and hallucinations can explain many paranormal phenomenon. «In Newfoundland, it's called being visited by the Old Hag*,» said Dr McNally. «In southern United States, it's being ridden by the witch. In Europe in the Middle Ages, it's the incubus and succubus*. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, it's space aliens.» The volunteers were also asked to write an account of their abduction and then listen to a 30-second tape of their memories while their heart rates and perspiration levels were monitored. «Heart rate and skin conductance* responses were at least as great in alien abductees when they heard memories of being abducted and molested* by aliens as people with genuine traumatic events.» Comments: alien - зд. инопланетянин; пришелец из космоса abduction - похищение, абдукция (abductee — абдуктант, человек, подвергшийся похищению инопланетянами) to account (for) — объяснять / cannot account for his behaviour. — Я не могу объяснить его поведения. Не could not account for his foo-lish mistake. — Он не находил бъяснения своей нелепой ошибке. sensation — ощущение a sensation of pain — ощущение боли sinister — дурной; зловещий; мрачный sinister face [glance] — мрачное лицо [-ый взгляд] extra-terrestrial — инопланетянин tarot cards — гадальные карты таро astral projection — астральная проекция, выход человека из своего тела to recollect - вспоминать, припоминать Try to recollect! - Постарайтесь припомнить! to recollect the days of one's childhood — вспоминать дни своего детства / don't recollect you. ~ Я вас не узнаю (не припоминаю). New Age — «Новый Век» — нетрадиционное религиозное течение, пытающееся объединить науку с религией proneness — склонность, предрасположенность (к чему-л.) hag — ведьма, колдунья; злая уродливая старуха; карга incubus - демон, злой дух, инкуб succubus - суккуб, дьявол (в образе женщины) conductance — электропроводность to molest — нападать Найдите в тексте устойчивые словосочетания:
What have you read or heard about his phenomenon? Do you believe in aliens? Be prepared to answer your teacher's questions or retell the text. Exercise: There is a set of factors that commonly determines what stories newspaper editors choose to put in their newspapers. Below are the most important factors which help editors decide which stories to publish. Read through the list carefully because you will use it throughout the lesson. Immediacy Events that are happening today or that happened yesterday are more interesting to readers than events of the days before. News loses its freshness very quickly. Proximity (nearness) Readers are generally more interested in something that has happened close to home rather than far away, unless there is a local connection to that faraway place — a US student receiving an award in a foreign country, for example. Impact Readers are interested in things that affect them. Conflict Readers are interested in stories dealing with conflict, such as stories about protests, elections, war, sports, family disputes, or crime. Prominence (fame) Readers are naturally interested in the activities of famous people or events involving powerful countries or organisations. Intensity In general, big events receive more coverage than small events. For example an accident which kills 50 people is more likely to be covered than one which kills only two — unless, of course, the two are famous. Strangeness Very unusual or funny stories also make news — events that are much different from the expected and everyday experiences of life. Suspense News events or situations that are not yet finished — like a murder trial or the choosing of a new prime minister — can cause great reader interest. Emotion Events that cause readers to feel sympathy, anger, sadness or happiness are often considered to be newsworthy. Progress Stories of great achievements — like a powerful new medicine, a successful mission to the planet Mars or a new method of controlling flooding — are very likely to receive coverage in newspapers. Gender Stories about the changing roles of males and females — single parents, women fighting in wars, fathers caring for children while their wives work — also receive newspaper coverage. Read the following stories. Try to decide why it appeared in the newspaper. Look through the list of criteria above and decide which one was the primary factor and (2) what other factors were also involved. Most stories meet several of the criteria above or they wouldn't be considered newsworthy. 1) Stars injured as giant cigarette explodes Balloons filled with hydrogen set off A number of movie stars suffered burns when a giant mock cigarette exploded during a ceremony to mark World No-Smoking Day in Bang Khen yesterday. The lm by 7m mock cigarette, stuffed with hydrogen-filled balloons, was ignited by sparks when a rod inside was struck by a sword wielded by Phayong Mukda, a national artist. The stars had been holding up the cloth-lined cigarette for Mr Mukda to cut in half and release the balloons to symbolise freedom from nicotine addiction. Instead, the balloons burst into flame. On the stage, other balloons, also full of hydrogen, exploded, causing pandemonium among the stars and screams from many in the 1,000-strong audience at the Siam Commercial Bank Park Plaza where the campaign was kicked off. Injured in the explosions were stars including Sombat Methanee, the veteran actor, Pongsi Voranut, the singer, Thatsuang Maneechan, the nude model, and Mr Phayong, who were immediately taken to Ramathibodi Hospital. mock — pretend; not real ignited — set on fire sparks — very small pieces of fire pandemonium - noisy confusion 2) First move for women Decree passed giving equal political rights Influential Kuwaiti Islamists on Sunday rejected a first step by the conservative Muslim state to grant women full political rights. Despite the opposition, the order by the ruler, Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahman al-Sabah, of Kuwait to allow women to vote and run for public office as of 2003 was passed by the government as a decree. Constitutional experts said, the measure would still have to be approved by the all-male parliament to be elected in July. 3) Grandmother sets parachuting record She might have broken her hip, but instead a daredevil 93-year-old Wellington woman set a new record when she parachuted from an aeroplane. Margereta McMahon's tandem jump from 3,000 metres set what a parachute company spokesman said was a world record for the oldest person to make a tandem jump, NZPA reported yesterday. Mrs McMahon said her 17-year-old granddaughter Rosie O' Sullivan did it, so why couldn't she? daredevil — willing to do risky and dangerous things tandem — together with someone else 4) New ways found to treat cancer From nose drops that fight a cancer common in Aids patients to tiny radioactive spheres that fight liver tumours while sparing the organ, new treatments may transform the way cancer is attacked, researchers said on Sunday. They described promising but highly experimental new ways to attack cancer that the organiser of an annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) described as some of the most exciting research being presented at the meeting. tumours — abnormal growths sparing — not damaging 5) Condition of 'miracle' seven serious A 29-year-old woman gave birth on Wednesday to four boys and three girls — the world's only known set of living septuplets - in what doctors called a «miracle». All of the babies were reported in serious condition seven hours after the births. One boy who had been judged in critical condition a few hours after being born later improved and his condition was upgraded to serious. 6) Apparent suicide stuns family The family and close friends of Michael Hutchence struggled yesterday to understand what made him take his own life as a stunned music industry mourned the superstar known as «the wild man of rock». The London-based Australian lead singer of rock band INXS was found hanged from a leather belt attached to a door a lavish suite in an exclusive harbourside hotel on Saturday only days after he returned to Australia. Empty alcohol bottles were found in the suite along with prescription pills but no note or illegal drugs were discovered, police sources said yesterday. stunned — shocked mourned — expressed sadness over a death lavish — very expensive prescription pills - pills (medicine) ordered by a doctor UNIT 2 From the History of Newspapers (text 2) Other penny papers soon appeared. The New York Herald, established by James Gordon Bennett in 1835, featured business stories, political essays, and local news. Horace Greeley started the New York Tribune in 1841. In addition to reporting the news, the Tribune published book reviews and poetry and ran editorials opposing slavery and supporting women's rights. In 1848, six New York City newspapers—including the Sun, the Herald, and the Tribune—formed the Associated Press, the first major news service in the United States. The newspapers shared the cost of receiving news from telegraph agents throughout the nation and sold the reports to other papers. In the 1850's, papers from such cities as Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St. Louis sent their own correspondents to report the news from Washington, D.C. During the Civil War (1861—1865), Northern newspapers sent more than 100 reporters to cover the battles in the South. The age of sensationalism lasted from the late 1800's to the early 1900's. During this period, American newspapers increasingly emphasized stories that dealt with crimes, disasters, and scandals. At the same time, however, the papers started reform campaigns by hunting out* and exposing corruption in business and government. Magazines also began printing articles by reform writers, including Samuel Hopkins Adams, Lincoln Stef-fens, and Ida M. Tarbell. These writers, called muck-rakers*, published articles in such magazines as Collier's, Everybody's, and McClure's. The leading newspapers of the period included the New York Journal, published by William Randolph Hearst, and the New York World, published by Joseph Pulitzer. These two papers became strong rivals in the battle for readers and led the press in sensationalism. The competition for readers sometimes resulted in inaccurate, exaggerated reporting that came to be known as yellow journalism. The term is still used for this kind of reporting. Another important publisher of the time, Edward Wyllis Scripps, established the first American newspaper chain. He founded or bought more than 30 papers from 1893 to 1926. Hearst also built a chain and owned 25 newspapers by 1937. Both Scripps and Hearst formed a wire service. Scripps organized United Press Associations in 1907, and Hearst established International News Service in 1909. In 1958, the services merged, forming United Press International.. In 1923, Henry R. Luce and an associate, Briton Had-den, established Time, the first news weekly. Time became a leader in the trend toward interpretive reporting. Luce later founded a chain of specialized periodicals that included Fortune, a business publication; Life, a pictorial magazine; and Sports Illustrated. The success of Luce's magazines attracted a number of imitators. In 1933, for example, Newsweek began publication to compete with Time.INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NEWSPAPERS...
of the recyclable newspapers. This wastes about 500,000 trees! Comments: to hunt out — отыскивать, разыскивать to hunt out smb.'s address — разыскать чей-л. адрес to hunt out a rare book — откопать редкую книгу to hunt out evidence — найти доказательства Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов и выражений:
Be prepared to answer your teacher's questions or retell the text. |
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