1. English in Current Affairs
Unit One: The Media
Unit Two: The Cultural Differences and Similarities
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2. Tutorial Outline Activity Two: Survey newspapers
Activity One: A guide to the course
Activity Two: Survey newspapers
Activity Three: Study news headlines
Activity Four: Analyze news reports
Activity Five: Discover cultural attitude
Activity Six: Disclose cultural imperialism
Activity Seven: Encounter cultural
misunderstanding
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3. Activity One
A Guide to the Course
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4. 1. Q & A of the course What are the topics?
What are the sources of the reading texts?
What is the language skill focus?
How many tasks are there altogether?
How many tasks in average do you need to do everyday on this eight-week course?
How should you learn the course?
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5. 2. More about the reading focus
Fast reading skills
Comprehension
A reading text
Topic-related vocabulary
Language features
Organization
Inferring skills
Critical thinking
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6. 3. Reading obstacles Vocabulary building action plan
Sentence structure analysis
Inadequate knowledge of grammar
Small vocabulary size
Identify reading purposes
Extensive reading
Lack of background information
Lack of use of proper reading strategies
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7. 4. Reading extensively – an action plan
Reports on current affairs
Media
Radio TV
Newspaper
Magazine
Name
BBC
CCTV
The Guardian
Time
Length of time
0.5 hr a day
0.5 hr a day
0.5 hr every day
4 hours every other week
Time
6: :30
22:00--22:30
Lunch time
The weekend with no tutorial
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8. 5. A sample day plan 6:00 – 6:30 News on radio 6:30 – 8:00
Morning chores
8:00 – 12:00
Work
12:00 – 14:00
Lunch and newspaper reading
14:00 – 18:00
18:00 – 20:00
Evening chores
20:00 – 23:00
Study (with half an hour TV break)
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9. Activity Two
Survey Newspapers
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10. 1. Exchange information (P25)
Work in groups. Exchange the newspaper descriptions you have done in your assignment within your group.
Make up a list of information you have included in your descriptions. Then work on a group presentation.
Present your description to class.
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11. 2. A newspaper survey (P26-30)
Survey the homepages of the four newspapers and answer the following questions:
What are the sections these newspapers have? What are the sections they have in common?
Is there anything unique about each paper? If yes, what is it?
What do you like or dislike concerning the layout, the section design and the information of the homepages?
Which section will you go to read first? Why?
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12. Activity Three
Study News Headlines
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13. 1. What is it about?
EU and China closer to deal on Beijing’s WTO entry
US attacked
China to continue fiscal program to aid economy
US airborne units on Afghan frontier
Doing business the dot-com way
Candidate in the wind
Fan kills wife
Internet splits haves and have-nots
The outbreak of Web War II
Hillary goes tabloid
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14. 2. Features (P34) Are as short as possible.
Usually omit auxiliary words (be) .
Are as short as possible.
Usually omit definite and indefinite articles.
Often use past participles.
Use “to do” to indicate the future tense.
Usually adopt words with single syllabus.
Use prepositional phrases or adjectives as predicates.
Are eye-catching.
Use figure of speech.
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15. 3. Study your headlines
Work in groups of four. Tell the other group members the headline of the news report you have enclosed in your assignment. Ask them to predict the gist of the news.
Study the headlines contributed by your group members and identify the features they adopt.
Elect the most eye-catching headline.
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16. Activity Four
Analyze News Reports
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17. 1. Comprehension – basic components
Who
Where
When
What
Why
How
Work in pairs. Read the three texts on page 13, 40 and 42 and provide answers ORALLY to the above six questions.
Find out if the presentation of the information in the three texts follow a similar pattern.
Check if the “inverted pyramid” pattern applies to the three texts.
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18. 2. Organization
Lead: Introduction containing the most important or most interesting information
More facts
Supporting information or background
Quotes or more facts of less importance
Minor detail or reporter’s comment
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19. 3. Language features
Work in groups of four. Review the language features that have been highlighted in the texts.
Use of conjecture (P16).
In favor of definite, specific, concrete language.
In favor of positive form.
In favor of participle phrases.
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20. 4. Vocabulary building in relation to “Royal” in relation to “Divorce”
Text 1(P13)
in relation to “Kill”
in relation to “Court”
Text 2(P40)
in relation to “See red”
in relation to “Blue movie”
Text 3(P42)
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21. 5. A case study What we have discussed are:
Work in pairs. Study closely at the news report you have selected. Review it by examining the four issues on the right. Share your findings with the class.
1. Basic components
2. Organization
3. Language features
4. Vocabulary building
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22. Unit One
In summary
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23. What have we done already?
Introduced newspapers.
Examined newspaper sections.
Studied news headlines and their features.
Worked on the three news reports from the texts concerning:
Basic components
Organization pattern
Language features
Topic-related vocabulary
Analyzed the news report you selected.
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24. Unit One in Summary Activity Two: Newspapers Activity One: The Media
Activity Three:
Listening to a conversation
Activity Six:
Reading more newspaper articles
The Media
Activity Four:
Finding your way around a newspaper
Activity Five: Mews in conversation
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25. Discover Cultural Attitude
Activity Five
Discover Cultural Attitude
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26. 1. Procedures
Study a poll report (P83) of the cultural attitudes of residents of five countries in Europe. Review the areas the poll surveys and the results it reveals.
Summarize the patterns for presenting data from both the summary of the survey (P77-81) and the survey report (P83).
Conduct a similar survey to your classmates.
Analyze your survey findings and present them to class.
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27. 2. Comprehension and organization
……………. 3
…………… 4 5
……………. 1
Lead 6
…………….. 7
…………….. 8
…………….
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28. 3. Comprehension and organization2
Survey questions 3
Results on forms of cultural expressions 4 5
Results on the most attractive country 1
Lead 6
Results on types of education 7
Results on channels of knowledge 8
comment
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29. 4. The survey: areas and results (P83)
What are the survey questions?
What are the results?
1. The areas which you deem the most important forms of cultural expressions.
Literature, mathematics, economics, politics, history
2. The type of education you consider most appropriate for the modern world.
Literature, science, technology, art
Books, radio, television, travel, conversation, discussion
3. The best channels of knowledge.
Literature, mathematics, economics, politics, history
4. The arts you value most.
5. The country you find most attractive from a cultural point of view.
France, Italy
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30. 5. Pattern summary
Summarize the patterns for presenting survey results from both the summary of the survey (P77-81) and the survey report (P83). The patterns should fall into the following categories.
Patterns for presenting figures.
Patterns for presenting the ratings.
Patterns for presenting similar findings.
Patterns for presenting controversial findings.
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31. 5. Pattern summary Presenting the percentage: Presenting the rating:
… by 40% of the interviewees
…, with figures of 40%
…, with the highest/lowest figure being 40%
40% of the respondents ….
Presenting the rating:
… occupy second place
… emerge as the least popular
… come at the top of the list
… is given (low) priority
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32. 5. Pattern summary (continued)
Presenting the rating (continued):
To rate … as
To name … as
To place … as
To identify … as
To regard … as
To favor …
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33. 5. Pattern summary (continued)
c) Presenting similar findings:
… have a common definition that …
… share the view that …
There is general agreement that ….
… is equally …
… share identical preference
There are broad similarities
Presenting controversial findings:
There are clear differences in the views …
The definition varies …
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34. 6. Conduct your survey
Work in pairs. Choose one survey question from the five and interview everyone of your classmates to find out their attitude. With each pair, one should ask the question. The other should make a record of the answers.
When you finish, work out the percentage of the answers.
Report your finds to class.
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35. 7. Present the survey results
1. The areas which you deem the most important forms of cultural expressions.
Literature, mathematics, economics, politics, history
2. The type of education you consider most appropriate for the modern world.
Literature, science, technology, art
Books, radio, television, travel, conversation, discussion
3. The best channels of knowledge.
Literature, mathematics, economics, politics, history
4. The arts you value most.
5. The country you find most attractive from a cultural point of view.
France, Italy
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36. Disclose Cultural Imperialism
Activity Six
Disclose Cultural Imperialism
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37. 1. Reading focuses Fast reading skills Comprehension
Cultural Imperialism
Topic-related vocabulary
Language features
Organization
Inferring skills
Critical thinking
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38. 2. Understanding the argument
…………….
Asia:
Facts of success 3
…………… 4
…………… 5
……………. 1
Lead
West:
Negative aspects 6
…………….. 7
…………….. 8
…………….
A call for a reflection 9
…………..
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39. 2. Understanding the argument
Facts of success
Asia:
Facts of success 3
The Asian model 4
Definition 5
A transitional para. 1
Lead
West:
Negative aspects 6
Facts: crime 7
Fact: imprisonment 8
Of Western leaders
A call for a reflection 9
Of the Europeans
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40. 3. Facts of success Facts under examination: Described as:
Economic growth
impressive
Standard of healthcare and education
superior to
harmony and stability
Communities and society
Employment and crime
enviable, high /low level
Market institutions and communities
dynamic and flourishing
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41. 4. Facts of negative aspects
Facts under examination:
Described as:
Crime against property in Britain
astonishingly common, worse
Violence crime and homicide record in the US
disturbing facts
The murder rate in Moscow
only
Imprisonment in the US
unable, no real deterrent to
Crime in general
far from desirable, not entirely satisfactory
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42. 5. Topic-related vocabulary
 Cultural acceptance:
 Cultural ignorance:
tolerance of differences
harmonious co-existence
indigenous cultural tradition
a sympathetic interest
inability to appreciate
elude
No such interest is apparent
overlook
 Cultural imperialism:
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43. 5. Topic-related vocabulary (continued)
 Cultural imperialism:
Western ideals and practices have universal authority.
Success is dependent on the adoption of Western values and institutions.
Modernization implies westernization.
Belief in the superiority of western models is unshaken.
See one model as obligatory.
Inflict one’s model on others.
Hegemony is hastening a cultural decline.
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44. Encounter Cultural misunderstanding
Activity Seven
Encounter Cultural misunderstanding
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45. Lead: five “WH”s in two sentences Quotes and supporting facts
1. Chris’ story
Read the report on p97 and identify its organization.
Lead: five “WH”s in two sentences
More facts
Quotes and supporting facts
background
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46. 2. Your story
Recall one of your experiences of cultural misunderstanding or cultural shocks and organize a report on that. Your report should contain:
Lead: five “WH”s
More facts
Background (explanations of cultural conventions that cause the misunderstanding or shocks)
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47. Unit Two
In summary
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48. What have we done already?
Studied a survey report.
Conducted a survey on similar issues and presented the findings.
Analyzed a commentary on cultural imperialism.
Read a newspaper article on cultural misunderstandings.
Shared your experience of cultural misunderstandings.
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49. Cultural differences and similarities
Unit Two in Summary
Activity Two:
Attitude to arts
Cultural differences and similarities
Activity One:
Aspects of culture
Activity Three:
Report reading
Activity Four:
Cultural problems
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50. A checklist of objectives
Have we accomplished the following objectives?
to offer guidance to the study of “English in current affairs”.
to identify the organization and the language features of newspaper writing.
to generalize the topic-related vocabulary.
to practice inferring and critical reading skills.
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51. Thank you!
Questions are welcome!
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