After we have studied this unit, we will be able to

• ask and answer questions
• participate in short dialogues and conversations on familiar topics
• read aloud texts with proper sounds, stress and intonation
• read and understand text materials
• write answers to questions
• write simple formal/informal letters
• write simple CVs
• write short paragraphs

Key words : bunk off mass people objective bias broadcast refer editorial informative educative

A. Look at the following pictures. Discuss with your partner what you see in them.

B. Read the text and answer the following questions.

'I eat rice every day. I play cricket. I don't bunk off school, blah...blah... blah....' These are common events. They happen every day or on some occasions. Are these events news? Should they be published in newspapers? The answer is a big 'NO'. Then what is news anyway? What do we want to know from the media? 'When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news,' says Charles Anderson Dana.

The first thing is that the news should be a piece of information. Secondly, the information should be recent or new, and hence it is 'news'. Thirdly, mass people should take interest in it. Fourthly, it should be self-explained. That is, it should answer all the questions with who, which, what, where, when, why and how Finally, it should be objective. Recently, another aspect has been added: news is either printed or broadcast or on the internet.

There are opinions that the term 'news' comes from 'new'. Others say it is news because it comes from all directions: North, East, West and South.

Questions

1. What features should news have?
2. What is the difference between news and an event?
3. "......it should be self-explained...'. What does 'it' mean here?
4. What are the opinions about the term 'news'?
5. What must be there in the information in a newspaper?

C. Pairwork. Find the following words/phrases in italics in the text in B. Discuss with your partner and try to guess their meaning from the context. Then look at the table below and match the words with their meanings in the right column. First one is done for you.

D. Work in pairs. Suppose, a man in your locality really bites a dog. Imagine you are a reporter and you interview the man. Share with your partner and write the dialogue. Then act that out in pairs. Use the 'why, when, what, etc' questions.

E. Look at the following comment.

The advertisement is the most truthful part of a newspaper. ---Thomas Jefferson Now, make similar sentences from the following substitution table.

F. Ask and answer with your partner.

1. Do you read any newspaper/magazine?
2. When do you usually read it?
3. Which newspaper/magazine do you read?
4. What makes it different from other newspapers/magazines?
5. Which news items do you like most ----- international affairs, sports, movie, culture, politics, etc?
6. Do you share your favourite news item/s with your friend/s?

G. Write a paragraph on your habit of reading newspapers. You can take your cues from the questions in section F.

A. Work in pairs. Discuss the following questions.

• Do you read newspapers?
• What newspaper/s do you read and how often?
• What pages interest you the most?
• What do you know about the history of the newspapers?

B. Read the text below silently and fast. Then tell what the text is about.

Humans have a natural curiosity to know the unknown, to see the unseen and to conquer the unconquered. Every day so many things are happening around and human beings are eager to know them all. They not only like to know happenings in their own and other countries, but also what is happening in Antarctica or Mars, or Siberia. This curiosity to know and understand situations is not a contemporary phenomenon. It is true, the world wide web (www) has made our life easier and now we know anything that takes place at the farthest corners of the world with a single click. However, it was not that easy a few hundred years ago. Through a process of evolution, the newspaper has now become a part and parcel of human life. Modern people cannot think of a day when they don't have a newspaper passed through the doors in the early morning. A fresh newspaper with a hot cup of tea or coffee has been the symbol of modern urban life. We peep at a newspaper for national, local, international or sports news. Is there a show of Nuruldiner Sarajibon, or Chitrangoda or Hamlet? Is there a suitable job offer? Are there any sales? Let us have a look at the newspaper. The newspaper is the ultimate destination for advertisements of products, classified advertisements for finding brides and bridegrooms, houses to-let, sales, and what not? It is said, in the modern world, information is power and a newspaper is an information hub.

But how were the initial days of the newspapers? The first newspaper, Acta Diurna, was published in ancient Rome in 59 BC. Acta Diurna meaning 'daily acts' posted different types of announcements and social events. However, Acta Diurna was not a paper-based newspaper. It was a message board displayed in public places. Just imagine how old the history of the newspaper in human civilization is! Acta Diurna was published just 59 years before the birth of Jesus Christ!

Much later, at the beginning of the 16th century, printed 'news books' were published in England and they were based on stories such as battles, disasters or public celebrations. The London Gazette claims to be England's oldest newspaper published in 1665. The 17th century also marks the regular publication of newspapers in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Johann Carolus published the first weekly newspaper, Account of All Distinguished and Commemorable News, from Germany in 1605. The newspapers that are delivered to your house each day started its journey from the 18th Century. The Pennsylvania Packet and The Daily Advertiser were the first daily newspapers from the US, which came out in 1784. Many independent newspapers ran before that on a weekly or monthly basis.

The first newspaper printed in India was Hickey's Bengal Gazette in 1780 under the British Raj. It was published by James Augustus Hickey. In this process, the first Bangla weekly newspaper, the Samachar Darpon, came out in 1818. The missionaries ran this newspaper. The Azad became Dhaka's first daily newspaper. It was founded in 1960s. The Azad played an important role during our language movement as the daily Ittefaq played glorious role in our struggle for independence.

In the 21st century, there is a change in the form and presentation of newspapers. They are no more confined to tabloid and broadsheet sizes. Nearly all the world's major newspapers have begun publishing online editions of their newspapers and although some newspapers charge their readers for access, many have made their web editions free. Yet, having a printed newspaper is still an obsession for many people in the world.

C. Read the text above again and fill in the flow chart with relevant information. Why are these dates important in the history of newspapers?

D. Group work.

1. Do you agree with the statement in the text that newspaper with a cup of tea has been an urban trend? Why/Why not?
2. From your reading of the text in Section B, what difference do you find in the newspapers of the present time compared to those of the early days? Justify your arguments.

E. Make a list of sentences that use 'Introductory There' in the text in Section B and then make five sentences using 'Introductory There'.

F. Read the following sentences. Write T if the statement is true and F if the statement is false and then provide correct answer.

1. It annoys people when the newspaper-man passes a newspaper through the door.
2. Newspapers more or less provide all sorts of information we need.
3. The first newspaper was published in England.
4. The history of newspaper dates back to recent time.
5. The Americans first introduced daily newspapers.
6. The Samachar Darpan came out once in seven days.
7. Online newspapers are common all over the world.

G. Here is a small story but the sequence of the sentences is jumbled. Work in groups to rearrange the sentences so that the text comes as a cohesive paragraph.

1. Rumki is very emotional and can't bear it.
2. Putting it on the dining table, she quickly makes her tea and comes back to it.
3. Then she takes some light freehand exercise, get freshened, puts some water in the kettle and waits for a soft sound.
4. Rumki gets up early in the morning every day.
5. She enjoys the page for entertainment, but she is sometimes upset with the death-news.
6. Within half an hour she hears the sound of the passing the newspaper through the door.
7. Before she takes her first sip of tea, she skims the headlines.
8. Collecting it, she takes a long sniff. She loves it.

A. Work with a partner and discuss what you see in the picture below.

B. Read the text silently and answer the questions that follow.

Have you noticed TV reporters appearing on the screen with reports of different types of news? Have you thought how these reports are prepared? Scorching sun, monsoonal showers or bitter winter can never stop them from reaching the news spot. The reports include political issues, people's protests, accidents, social events or thoughtful opinion of expert people, price hike, a celebration after a cricket match win and what not? TV reporters do not miss or delay to cover them.

It is said that old news is no news. Consequently, there is always a hurry among the reporters to be up-to-date in developing stories or even break the story first. Breaking news has become popular among the viewers, it means the first and fast appearance of a startling news on the channels. Once a journalist has been assigned by his editor to cover a story, a team is formed. Usually it consists of a journalist, a camera operator and sometimes a sound and or a light technician also join as crew. The journalist investigates the topic, plans interviewing the relevant people and puts forward a concrete idea of the topic which is going to be filmed. The news team then goes out to cover the news and collect the materi- als. The voice over is then recorded in a studio usually by the journalist or a news presenter. This is the voice that the audience hear while the video clip moves on narrating the story and the reporter is not seen on the screen at that time. It is done to make the visual material and the full story clear to the audience with information and explanation. The editor may edit the report before it is ready to go on air, but often there may be live reporting of incidents.

A TV news report usually begins with an announcement. One or two short sentences explain what it is about. Then in the main report we see the reporter is describing an event into a microphone. To emphasize the significance of the situ- ation, to show its authenticity, and to convey the feelings of the reporter and others involved, the reporter stands in front of the camera so that the audience can see what's going on in the background. The shots of the scene need to be easy to understand since it provides important visual information to the viewers. It depends on the skills of the camera operator.

In a TV report, there are usually comments or opinions from one to four persons who are related. These statements can be for or against a particular topic. TV news report can use graphics like charts, tables, graphs or archive materials like old photos or videos to make it more comprehensive and credible to the audience. In the concluding part, the reporter summarizes the possible outcomes of the story.

A live coverage of a news is different. Everything has to be finished on the spot and news video is aired instantly and in most cases without much pre-plan. No chance of editing and very less chance for retaking the shot there. Quick intelligent decisions and prompt management of required technical assistance in a situation determines the quality of live reports.

chance of editing and very less chance for retaking the shot there. Quick intelligent decisions and prompt management of required technical assistance in a situation determines the quality of live reports.

Reporters need to be careful to keep camera shots short and to the point. They also need to use simple language, and speak clearly and concisely as there will be time constraints for each piece of report. In order to keep video shots steady, the camera operator often uses tripod.

Questions

1. Does unfavorable weather condition stop a TV news reporter from covering a news?
2. What is a breaking news?
3. Why is voice over added to a TV news report?
4. How is a live news coverage different in making from recorded news story?
5. What are some points about which the TV reporters need to be careful?

C. Read the following statements and say whether true or false. If false, give the true information.

1. A TV news reporter do not use voice over in a live coverage.
2. Graphics and archive materials are not at all necessary for TV news report.
3. The reporter comes in front of the camera just to show himself.
4. A camera person determines the quality of the shots in the scene.
5. In the concluding part of the TV news report, the reporter gives his own opinion.

Ꭰ. Match the words or phrases from column A with similar meanings in column B and make sentences with them. One is done for you.

E. Here is a poem on news. Read it individually and then work in pairs to discuss what interesting news you get here.

F. News- shoes, rains - drains are some rhyming words in the poem. What other rhyming words do you find in the poem? Work with your partner to find out their meanings.

G. Suppose you are a news reporter of a TV channel. You have an assignment to cover the news on the incredible shoes mentioned in the poem. Do a role play of a TV news reporter along with two or three partners as interviewees who will share their imaginary experience of the shoes.

Key words : career opportunity maximum negotiable curriculum vitae electronic media public opinion public relations positive negative

A. Listen to the teacher/CD carefully and fill in the blanks with right word/s.

1. Newspaper, radio, TV, etc together are called -------- --------.
2. Newspaper belongs to -------- ---------.
3. The media can build up -------- --------- rapidly.
4. Social workers should use the media for -------- --------.
5. ---------- is seen as a positive use of the media.

B. Discuss in groups and give arguments in favour of or against the use of ads on TV.

C. Look at the following advertisement in a newspaper and answer the following questions.

.

Questions

1. Who is the employer?
2. Can you type your CV to apply for the job?
3. Who should you apply to ?
4. Can a candidate without any experience apply?
5. Can you imagine the size of the photograph you should send with your application?
6. When can the candidate know about his/her salary?

D. Suppose you are going to apply for the job advertised in section C. Use the following model of a CV with your own information. Add at least two more pieces of information.

E. If a computer is available at your school, compose the CV and display it in your classroom for everyone.

Key words : voracious, recognition, legacy, hamper

A. Work in pairs to discuss what you see in the picture and answer the following questions.

1. Who is the senior man among the children?
2. Why are the children gathering around him?
3. Do you read story books? How do you collect them?

B. Read the following news article.

C. The grid below has two columns. Column A has some words taken from the text on Polan Sarkar and Column B has their meaning. Match the words with their meaning. Use a dictionary if needed.

Ꭰ. Read the text again and answer the following questions:

1. How did Polan Sarkar develop an interest in books?
2. How did he come to be known nationwide?
3. What was Polan Sarkar's contribution to society?
4. When did he decide to walk to the doorsteps of the people for distributing books?
5. How did the adults also become interested in taking books from Polan Sarkar?

E. Fill in the blanks using the words given in the box.

As the people of the village _ in the morning, the first thing they _ is Polan Sarkar. He there, smiling, with a bag of books on his shoulder. He may be all of 94 years, but is sprightly as a young man. He _ on foot for miles, going from village to village with his books. He _ the books with his own money and _ them to the people. After a few weeks, he _ by again. The villagers _ the books and _ from the fresh lot he brings along. He's been doing this for the past 30 years. He about 20 villages in Rajshahi, a district of Bangladesh, starting an innovative reading revolution in the region. 

(Adapted from: Impact Journalism Day)

F. Work with your partner and make a dialogue on the "Importance of Reading Books".

G. Do you know anyone who is involved in social work like Polan Sarkar? Write a report on him/her using the following cues.

1. What is his/her name?
2. Where is she/he from and how old is she/he?
3. What does she/he do?
4. Why is she/he famous?
5. What aspect of her/his personality do you appreciate the most?
6. What can you do for her/him?