Television in great britain
Television is the most popular entertainment in British home life today. In London people have four TV channels: BBC I, BBC II, ITV= Independent Television (Channel III) and Channel IV.
The BBC is known for its objectivity in news reporting. The BBC is financed by payments which are made by all people who have TV sets. People have to pay the license fee.
In 1932 the BBC World Service was set up with a license to broadcast first to Empire and then to other parts of the world. There is no advertising on any BBC programme.
ITV started in 1954. Commercial television gets its money from advertising. The programmes on this channel are financed by different companies, which do not have anything to do with the content of these programmes.
ITV news programmes are not made by individual television companies. Independent Television News is owned jointly by all of them. So it has been protected from commercial influence.
There are different types of TV programmes in Great Britain. BBC and ITV start early in the morning. One can watch news programmes, all kinds of chat shows, quiz shows, soap operas, different children’s programmes, dramas, comedies and different programmes of entertainment on these channels.
News is broadcast at regular intervals and there are panel discussions of current events. Broadcasts for schools are produced on five days of the weeks during school hours. In the afternoon and early evening TV stations show special programmes for children.
Operas, music concerts and shows are presented at various time. A large part of TV time is occupied by serials.
Britain has two channels (BBC II and Channel IV) for presenting programmes on serious topics, which are watched with great interest by a lot of people. These channels start working on early weekday mornings. But they translate mostly all kinds of education programmes.
Weekend afternoons are devoted to sport. Sport events are usually broadcast in the evening.
Ex.10.Ответьте на вопросы.
1. What is the difference between BBC and ITV?
2. What programmes are very popular in Great Britain?
3. When was the BBC World Service set up?
4. Which channels don’t have advertising?
Ex.11.Заполните пропуски подходящими по смыслу словами.
1. Television is the most popular … in Great Britain.
2. In London there are … channels.
3. People have to pay … .
4. BBC is famous for its … .
5. Commercial television gets its money from … .
6. ITV started in … .
7. Weekend afternoons are devoted to … .
Ex.12.Согласитесь или опровергните следующие утверждения.
1. BBC is a commercial television.
2. All TV channels have advertising.
3. Channel IV is famous for its objectivity.
4. Independent Television News is owned by a private company.
5. TV stations show different programmes for children.
6. English people are not fond of soap operas.
UNIT FIFTEEN HOLIDAYS
VOCABULARY
to take place Easter
to celebrate Lent
to mark a poppy
to decorate a bonfire, a firework
a light to set off
to hang to remind
shiny Boxing Day
a wreath Good Friday
both … and… Remembrance Sunday
Eve
a sock, a stocking
a mantel
a present
to give
to receive
Ex.1.Прочитайте и переведите текст.
BRITISH HOLIDAYS
There are fewer public holidays in Great Britain than in other European countries. They are: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, Spring Bank Holiday and Summer Bank Holiday. Public holidays in GB are called bank holidays, because banks, offices and shops are closed.
The most popular holiday is Christmas. It is celebrated on the 25th of December. Every year the people of Norway give the city of London a present. It’s a big Christmas tree and it stands in Trafalgar Square. Central streets are beautifully decorated. The British send Christmas cards to greet each other. Most houses are decorated with holly and there is usually a Christmas tree in the corner of one of the rooms. Children hang their stockings on their beds hoping that Father Christmas will come with toys and sweets. Christmas is a family holiday. The family usually meets for a traditional dinner of turkey and Christmas pudding. Everyone gives and receives presents.
December the 26th is Boxing Day, which takes its name from the old custom of giving workers an annual present in Christmas boxes. Today this is the time to visit friends and relatives, or to sit in front of the TV.
New Year’s is less popular in Britain than Christmas. But in Scotland, Hogmanay is the biggest festival of the year. After midnight people go ‘first-footing’. They call at friends’ houses, trying to be the first person through the door after midnight. The appearance of the first-footer is associated with luck that will be in the next year. The luckiest type of the first-footer is a tall, dark man.
Easter is also a religious holiday and is celebrated in spring. Most people go to church services on that day and give each other chocolate Easter eggs. On Easter Monday people make a one-day trip to the seaside or go to a football match or horse racing.
Besides public holidays there are festivals, such as Pancake Day, April Fool’s Day, Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, St. Valentine’s Day and others.
Guy Fawkes Night, or more commonly, Bonfire Night, is a very popular festival. It goes back to the days of King James I when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But he was discovered and arrested. Since that time, on the 5th of November, people burn the dummy of Guy Fawkes, made of straw, on a bonfire. On the 14th of February people celebrate St. Valentine’s Day by sending a card to the one they love. Usually you don’t sign your name. The person who receives the card has to guess who sent it.
These holidays are not days off. But they help to keep many traditions, which the British have always been famous for.
Ex.2.Сопоставьте праздники с их датами и атрибутами.
| Holiday | Date | Attributes |
Ex.3.Сопоставьте следующие выражения по смыслу.
1. to send a) stockings
2. to burn b) a present
3. to give c) for a dinner
4. to keep d) Christmas cards
5. to hang e) at friends’ houses
6. to meet f) traditions
7. to call g) the dummy
Ex.4.Заполните пропуски подходящими по смыслу словами.
1. The most popular holiday is … 2. Central streets are … 3. After midnight people … 4. The luckiest type of … is a tall, … man. 5. Easter is … 6. Bonfire Night goes back to … 7. On the 14th of February …
Ex.5.Вставьте предлоги из списка, приведенного ниже.
Christmas
Many people decorate their homes … Christmas. Most people buy Christmas trees. They put small lights and decorations … them. In the UK, people hang shiny, brightly coloured decorations made … paper from the ceiling or along the walls inside their homes. In the US some people put small lights along the edges … their windows, the roof, and the main door … their houses. Some people … both the UK and the US decorate their front doors … a wreath, a circle made … green leaves.
The day … Christmas Day is known as Christmas Eve. Some people go … church to a special service. Other people have a drink … their friends. Children get very excited … Christmas Eve because they believe that Santa Claus will come down the chimney … their house in the night and put presents … the Christmas stockings … the end … their beds or … the mantel.
________________________