北外考试英语口语搜集

关于midiaWhat definition have you written down? In an English-English dictionary, you will find that the word media comes from medium. It is the plural form of medium. This is a Latin word (so a Latin, rather than an English, plural ending is used). Medium means channel or method of communication. Mass means a large number. We can thus work out that mass media means information for and communication between large numbers of people, the ways in which information, especially news, etc., is spread to large numbers of people.The word media has a rather unusual plural ending (because of its Latin origin), doesn't it? When some people come across this word media, they imagine it is singular even though it is, in fact, plural. For this reason, it is quite usual to hear even native speakers of English say/write things like 'The media is very useful for spreading ideas'. Strictly speaking, this statement should be 'The media are very useful … '. Language is influenced by real-life use these days so it is now acceptable to use either a singular or plural verb after media . If you are a purist, however, you should use a plural verb form.You have probably worked out by now that the sources of information that we mentioned in the Warm up are examples of mass media: newspapers, magazines, the radio and television (but not people themselves!). Perhaps you mentioned others. Go on to the next task for further possible examples.The headline could be expressed as: Prince Andrew says good bye to Sarah Ferguson OR Buckingham Palace says good bye to Sarah Ferguson. The latter is the most probable suggestion. Andrew and Sarah will continue to have contact through, and because of, their children. The real 'good- bye' is between the Queen/Buckingham Palace/the royal family and Sarah (... cutting of ties between the royal family and the duchess; ... her severance from the monarchy ...) .Did you write something similar to our suggestions? Although short, headlines can be difficult to interpret - especially when they refer to an event which is outside one's own culture. All British people, even those who are not interested in the monarchy and details of the private lives of members of the royal family, know who Fergie is and, similarly, most people in Britain would be aware of the events leading up to the announcement of the divorce. As Chinese readers, we cannot be expected to have the necessary background knowledge so it's often necessary to read the text before we can fully interpret a headline.2. Headlines are short and large so that they catch the reader's eyes and guide him/her to the text. From looking at the headline, a reader can decide whether or not he/she wishes to read the article in detail.听力：activity3->task3TapescriptsMonica: You know what I find most strange about being here? Being out of touch with the world news! I mean, I'm naturally having a few problems with the weather, the food, the customs and so on but it's weird not having access to something as ordinary as a newspaper! I did manage to get hold of the Observer ... but it was last week's edition so it felt like reading, well, old news really. How do you manage?Tony: Well, to be honest, I haven't read a single newspaper or magazine since I arrived. But, look, here comes Xiao Li. She might be able to suggest something. Hi, Xiao Li! We're just talking about the fact that we're having trouble keeping in touch with world events. Obviously, Beijing's full of different types of mass media in Chinese but we can't understand any of it ... Is there anything available in English?Xiao Li: Well, haven't you come across the China Daily?Monica: Actually, I did see one old issue ... yes. Is it good?Xiao Li: Yes, I think it is quite good. It's certainly the most popular English language newspaper around. It covers all the usual areas: home news, international news, politics, culture, education, sports and so on.Tony: It sounds ideal ... but how can we get hold of it ?Xiao Li: You can subscribe to it at any main post office, I think. As far as I can remember, it costs ￥16.50 per month. I could go with you to the post office if you like ...Monica: We're not really going to be here long enough to make a subscription worthwhile. But are there any other possibilities?Xiao Li: Yes ... there's Beijing Review, if you'd prefer a magazine. It's published weekly ... I'm not sure what it's like but it's probably the oldest English language magazine in China.Tony: And is there anything at all on TV? Each time I've switched on, everything's been in Chinese.Xiao Li: I'm not absolutely sure ... but I think CCTV presents English programmes every evening after 10 - news, documentaries, films and so on.Monica: That's fairly impressive, isn't it? But what about newspapers and magazines that are published in English speaking countries?Xiao Li: That's not so easy. There are some in the library but they are usually out of date. You can find some papers in big hotels but they're normally very expensive. I don't think it's possible to subscribe to them here.Monica: No, I think you usually have to arrange subscriptions in the country of publication. That's the case with the Guardian Weekly anyway.Xiao Li: The Guardian Weekly? I thought that Guardian was a daily newspaper.Monica: It is, in Britain ... but there is a special overseas edition, printed on airmail paper. It's great actually - it contains a summary of the whole week's news and a selection of the best articles. If I were staying here longer, I'd definitely arrange to have it sent to me.Xiao Li: I've never seen it here ... I saw the Guardian once but not the Guardian Weekly ... Is that a British newspaper there, Monica?Monica: Yes ... last Sunday's Observer. I got it from a British woman I met yesterday. You can have a look if you like ...Xiao Li: Maybe later. I really do need to familiarise myself with British and American mass media. I was looking in the library the other day ... and, to be honest, I found it all rather confusing. Some of the newspapers seem so thick and have lots of different sections...and, of course, I have no idea whether they're reliable or not! Any tips?Monica: Well, as far as British newspapers are concerned, the major daily ones are: the Times, the Guardian, the Independent and the Daily Telegraph. There are lots of others too, like the Sun and the Mirror - but the Times and so on are the best ones.Xiao Li: The Times? I thought that was American ...Monica: No, it's British ... very British, in fact. You may be thinking of Time, the famous American magazine ... or the New York Times, which is a newspaper!Xiao Li: It is confusing.Monica: A tip you might find useful is this: Newspaper titles are normally preceded by the definite article: the Times, the Independent and so on. Magazine titles usually have no article: Time, Beijing Review, Cosmopolitan and so on.Xiao Li: That's a useful piece of information ... thanks. What is Cosmopolitan?Monica: It's a women's magazine - there's an American version and a British one. But, to go back to distinguishing newspapers and magazines - I should warn you, it isn't always true that magazines have no article. There are, as usual in English, many exceptions to the rule - like the Economist.Xiao Li: Never mind. It's a useful guideline. What about American newspapers, Tony? Which one would you suggest I try to have a look at?Tony: Wow! That's a big question ... there are so many! Major newspapers are the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. And I suppose the best magazines are Time and Newsweek, but there are also lots and lots of others: magazines for men or for women, about cooking and or about sport and so on. It's a huge industry, it really is ...Xiao Li: But what do you do when you buy one of those really thick newspapers with lots of sections and supplements? I mean, how do you find the parts you're interested in?Tony: That's easy enough. There's usually some kind of contents list on the front page ... and that tells you where to look for home news, international news, sport or whatever. And you get to know which parts you're definitely not interested in. So, in my case, I always put the business news straight in the trash can!Monica: Yeah! I do that too. And I usually throw away the sports section as well. It's such a waste of paper. I actually think it was much better when newspapers were simply a few pages ...Xiao Li: You should like the China Daily then ... it's really quite a thin newspaper - even though it does have a business section and a life and culture section ... as well as a 'what's on' section for entertainment.Tony: Great, but we still didn't solve the problem of how to get hold of it. Do you think they have it in the library?Xiao Li: Yes, I know they do ... so, if you want, you can go and read it there. We could go there now and I can show you where to find it.Tony: Yes, I'd appreciate that. Monica? Does that suit you?Monica: Yes, sure. Let's go!Listen and answer the questions.1. What are Monica and Tony having problems with at the moment?(out of touch with world news)2. Xiao Li recommends three sources of news to Tony and Monica. What arethey?(The China Daily, Beijing Review and CCTV )3. If Monica and Tony want to read newspapers published in English-speaking countries, how can they get hold of them?(Buy them in hotels, read them in libraries (or, through subscription) )4.What is Monica's tip for distinguishing newspaper titles from magazine titles? What example of an exception to the rule does she give?(Newspaper titles are normally preceded by the definite article 'THE' )5. Many newspapers have several different sections and a supplement. Tony suggests it's easy for readers to find what they are looking for. What can readers (and Xiao Li) use to help them 'find their way around' a newspaper?(The contents list)Right, according to Xiao Li, the China Daily covers internationalnews, home news, politics, culture, education and sports. It has a business section, a life and culture section and a ' What's on' column. It costs ￥16.50 per month. Subscriptions can be arranged at the post office.Did you get the information from the conversation? I hope so.Can you lay your hands on this national English language newspaper? If so, that is really good, because it will help you not only to bewell-informed about what is happening both at home and abroad, but also to improve your English language.Xiao Li mentions that the China Daily has a 'What's on' column for entertainment. Think about the meaning of the word column. A column of a building is usually a tall, thin support. A newspaper column is a long, narrow section. Think about how the information in newspapers is presented. It's generally written in narrow columns so that the reader can focus on only a small part of the page. Journalists who write regular features or articles in a newspaper are often described as having/writing a column in the ... (e.g. She writes a column in the Independent.)。