Its in the news

UNIT 11 It’s in the news 1 Look at the headlines. Then answer the questions below.

2 Signs of recovery for insurance giant Sureco 3 City Team manager angry over negative comments in press 1 Which part of the newspaper does each headline come from? A sports news B world news C business news 2 Compare the full sentences on the right with the headlines. Which kinds of words are usually not included in headlines? nouns _ the verb to be prepositions articles (a/an and the) _ There are signs of a recovery for the insurance company. The City Team manager is angry about comments in the press. The largest ever animal has been found. 3 What do you think the stories will be about? 2 Read the stories quickly. Then match them with the correct headlines. TEXT A THE DAILY NEWS Wednesday 27 Feb 2016 There has been a furious reaction by Melchester City manager Tim Northwood to criticism of his team’s recent results in some newspapers. His team haven’t won a match since last May, and some have questioned whether he is the right man for the job. Northwood, though, insists that he has a long-term plan and that results will improve soon. ‘Quite honestly,’ he said, ‘these people who criticise me don’t know what they’re talking about. We’re building a team here with young players and you can’t expect instant results. These things are known to take time.’ TEXT B Scientists in South America have discovered bones from a huge animal that is said to be bigger than any ever found before. After five years of work, they now have 70% of the bones, all from the same giant dinosaur, enough to work out its size and weight. It is thought to be over 70 million years old, and the scientists calculate that it was over 26 metres long and weighed more than six adult elephants. And the most amazing thing is that this one wasn’t an adult. A full-size one would be even bigger.

TEXT C The Sureco insurance company, which has had a difficult time in the last two years, announced a profit of £1.5 million yesterday. Company Chairman Brian Halliday said that, although this wasn’t a huge amount, it was a definite improvement and a good sign for the future. ‘I believe it shows that our situation is getting better,’ he said, ‘and demonstrates that the changes we have made recently are working. I think we are now in a much stronger position than two years ago.’

£million; axis 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1; years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 3 Read the news stories and headlines more carefully. Then complete the tasks below. 1 Complete the table of pairs of words or phrases from the texts with similar meanings. Each pair of words and phrases is in the same news story and headline. (very) angry 1 _ negative comments 2 found 3 work out 4 giant (adjective) 5 getting better 6 think 7 position 8 shows 9 2 Replace the underlined words and phrases in these sentences with words from the texts. (The words are in the same order as in the texts.) 1 He says strongly that the mistake wasn’t his fault. 2 Why does everyone always say bad things about him? 3 We didn’t have to wait long. We got an immediate reply. 4 Computers can do mathematical sums much quicker than human brains. 5 The manager said in public that he was going to leave the company. 6 I paid quite a large sum of money for this car. 7 I think his CV makes it clear that he is the right person for this job. 3 Answer the questions. 1 Who is Tim Northwood? 2 When did Melchester City last win a match? 3 How much did the dinosaur weigh? 4 What is especially surprising about the dinosaur? 5 What kind of business is Sureco in? 6 Who is Brian Halliday? _

1 Look at the pictures. Say what is happening in each one and how they are different.

2 Look at the graph. Then discuss the questions below. 1 What period does the graph cover? 2 If the three lines continue in a similar way, what do you think the situation is like now? 3 Why do you think the Internet has become more popular as a way of reading news?

Television, Newspaper, Internet; axis 0 to 100; years 2007 to 2014 3 Read the article. Then complete the tasks on page 115. The death of the newspaper? Any first-year Media Studies student will tell you that newspapers have no future in the 21st century. Research seems to confirm that the Internet has taken over from the paper as the main source of news, especially among the young. The reasons are not hard to find. Like a lot of things on the Internet, the news is free, and there’s a lot more choice, with hundreds of sites providing the latest information on any topic you could wish for. It’s also, obviously, more interactive: you can search for stories on whatever you’re interested in and explore them as far as you want, often with the added extras of audio and video. Supporters of online news also say that they prefer the way stories get straight to the point. They find newspaper articles too long to fit in with their busy, high-speed lives. Personally, though, I’m not so sure that newspapers are dead, or even dying. Two years ago, I stopped buying a newspaper every day and started getting all my news online, thinking that, apart from the cost benefit, it would save me time. After a few months, I found I was spending at least as much time clicking through various online sites as I used to spend reading my daily newspaper. I also gradually began to realise that the whole experience was less satisfying, and that I didn’t retain as much of what I read. There was simply too much choice on all the Internet news sources. I was reading more stories, but they were often not the most important ones. Less than a year later, I came to the conclusion that what I needed was not the freedom to decide for myself what I wanted to read, but outside direction towards what I should read. In other words, I needed a good editor, and in the end I got one by going back to buying newspapers. 1 Match these words and phrases from the text with their meanings.

1 media | a show that something is true 2 confirm | b subject 3 source | c not including 4 topic | d providing what you want or need 5 apart from | e advantage 6 benefit | f where something comes from 7 satisfying | g ways of communicating, e.g. TV, magazines 2 Now use the words above to complete these sentences. 1 Students usually use the Internet as a _ of information when writing essays. 2 I enjoy fast food, but I find a good meal of home-cooked food more . 3 She has worked for magazines, radio stations and other . 4 Can you write me a letter to what you said on the phone? 5 Everything is ready the food, which I haven’t cooked yet. 6 The books in the library are arranged according to . 7 The main of getting news online is that it’s free. 3 Complete the notes with words from the text. Advantages of online news cost (online news sites are ) more (information on many topics) (you can explore the website) additional and (newspapers can’t provide this) stories not as as in newspapers (less time to read) Advantages of newspapers can waste less you more of what you have read editor gives to more important news generally, a more __ experience 4 Discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups. Where do you get most of your news from? What are the advantages of this news source for you? Do you think it’s important to know what’s happening in the world? Why? / Why not?

1 Look at the examples of first and second sentences from news stories. Then complete the grammar rules. Examples

1. Tim Northwood has reacted furiously to press comments about his team.
2. He said yesterday that his critics didn’t know what they were talking about.

1. A giant dinosaur has been found.
2. Scientists discovered the first bones five years ago in Argentina.

   Complete the grammar rules 1 Sentence 1 from each article uses the _ tense to talk about the event, not when it happened. 2 The form of the verb is used to talk about an action, not who did it. 3 Sentence 2 from each article uses the __ to give more exact information, like when or where something happened. 2 In these first sentences, put the verb in brackets in the present perfect tense (active or passive). 1 A man (discover) a box of gold coins in his back garden.

_ 2 A woman in Japan (become) the country’s oldest graduate. 3 An unknown man (find) wandering in the street. 4 Frank Thompson (fail) to become world heavyweight boxing champion. 5 Three people (hurt) in a car crash. 6 A young girl (rescue) from a fast-running river. _ 3 Now add these second sentences to the correct sentence above, putting the verbs in the past simple tense. Police (say) last night that he (not know) his name or where he (live). She was walking home from school when she (fall) into the water. He (lose) his match against Emilio Sanchez in Miami last night. The accident (happen) on the M23 motorway in heavy rain. 92-year-old Mrs Naoko Fushima (pass) her final exams yesterday. He (make) the discovery last week while he was planting vegetables. 4 In pairs, ask and answer questions, following the example below. 1 A (You / hear) their latest CD? B Yes (I / download) it from the website. 2 A (You / watch) any matches this season? B Not at the stadium, but (I / see) one on TV last week. 3 A (You / see) that film that’s on at the cinema this week? B (I / want) to go last night but (I / have to) work late. 4 A (You / visit) Cairo? B Yes, (I / go) there last year to stay with my cousin. 5 A (You / read) his latest book? B (I / start) it but (I / not like) it, so (I / give up). 6 A (You / try) learning a musical instrument? B (I / have) piano lessons when (I / be) younger, but (it / be) too hard. Have you tried Mexican food? Yes, I had it when I was in New York last year.

1 Look at the examples. Then complete the grammar rule. Examples Everyone knows these things take time. These things are known to take time. People say the dinosaur is bigger than any ever found before. The dinosaur is said to be bigger than any ever found before. Scientists think it is over 70 million years old. It is thought to be over 70 million years old. Complete the grammar rule The reporting passive: We use this special passive form when we don’t know for sure that the information is correct. It is made by using the verb _, the past of certain verbs (e.g. say, think) and the (with to). 2 Rewrite the sentences, using the underlined verb in the reporting passive form and the other verb in the infinitive form. 1 People say the new lecturer comes from China. The new lecturer 2 Biologists know that bears eat fruit when they are hungry. Bears 3 Doctors consider that smoking is the main cause of early death. Smoking 4 People think large companies are responsible for most pollution. Large companies 5 Those who have seen it report that the giant fish has large teeth. 6 Experts believe that human actions cause climate change. 3 Discuss what would be the best subject for these sentences. 1 is often said to be the most serious problem facing us today. 2 is known to be the longest river in Africa. 3 is reported to be the richest man in the world. 4 is/are believed to be the main cause of climate change. 5 is thought to be the most popular TV programme in Palestine. 4 Look at the examples. Then complete the rule. Examples He insists that he has a long-term plan and results will improve soon. They say a full-size dinosaur would be even bigger than this one. Articles in newspapers are too long to fit in with their high-speed lives. Complete the rule Adjectives like this are made by joining an (e.g. long, full, high) and a (e.g. term, size, speed) using a hyphen (-). 5 Make similar adjectives by joining a word from the left with one from the right. Then use these words to complete the sentences below. 1 high | a time 2 low | b hand 3 full | c distance 4 half | d cost 5 second | e price 6 long | f pressure 1 We can’t afford a new car so we’ll have to get another one. 2 The increase in airlines has made flying a lot cheaper. 3 Being a doctor in a hospital emergency department is a stressful, job. 4 You can save a lot of money by looking for offers in shops. 5 It’s very tiring having a job as well as looking after your family. 6 The marathon, a 26-mile road run, is the most famous _ race.

1 Describe the picture. Say what you think has happened.

2 Listen to the news story. Then discuss how correct your guess was. 3 Now listen to the story again sentence by sentence and answer the pairs of questions below. 1 How did the couple feel? _ What had happened? 2 Where were they when this happened? What did they discover? 3 Who did Mr Jefferson speak to last night? What did he say? 4 What was the probable cause of the hole? When did the mine close? 5 What do experts say about holes like this? What have they never seen before? 6 Why did Mr Jefferson say they were lucky? What have they lost? _ 4 Discuss the questions below. 1 Do you believe something like this can really happen? 2 Have you heard of any similar stories? I’m sure this story is just made up. It sounds unbelievable. I think I read about something similar happening in America last year.

1 Look at three different ways of joining pieces of information together. Then complete the table to match each way with the correct example. Examples He went in through the back door. He locked it behind him. A He went in through the back door and locked it behind him. B He went in through the back door, locking it behind him. C He went in through the back door, which he locked behind him. We can join information into one sentence by | Example: … using an -ing phrase | _ … using a relative pronoun | … using a conjunction (and, but, because, etc) | 2 Join these pieces of information into one sentence using the ways above. 1 The town’s museum has been destroyed by a fire. The fire started during the night. [relative pronoun] 2 He said he was sorry to leave the company. He added that he had made some good friends there. [-ing phrase] 3 The Minister has announced that universities will receive less government money in future. He promised that students will not be harmed. [conjunction] 4 The food company Eatwell has made a £2 million loss this year. It is one of the biggest companies in the country. [relative clause] 5 People in the street were surprised by a loud noise. They ran away. They thought it was someone firing a gun. [conjunction + -ing phrase] 6 Temperatures were very high in August. They reached 38°C. This is the highest August temperature since 1958. [-ing phrase + relative clause] __

3 Choose one of these headlines. Then write a short news story to follow it.

Mouse found in packet of frozen peas

A dead mouse has _ __

Add details:

• When did this happen?
• Who found it?
• What did he/she do? / How did he/she feel?
• What did he/she say to reporters?
• What did the food company say?

World’s oldest marathon runner finally gives up

102-year-old Moeen Khan has _ __

• Where did he run his last marathon?
• Where does he come from?
• How many marathons has he run in his life?
• What reason did he give to reporters?
• What did he say he is going to do now?

In this Unit you have learnt about:

• the language of news headlines
• using words with similar meanings (synonyms)
• using the present perfect to talk about events, not when they happened (revision)
• using the passive to talk about actions, not who did them (revision)
• using the past simple to give exact information like who, when and where (revision)
• reporting passives (… is said to be …, etc)
• adjective–noun combinations
• joining information into longer sentences