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Block-3
English in Daily Life (BEG-004)
Indira Gandhi National Open University
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EXPERT COMMITTEE
Prof Balaji Ranganathan Gujarat Central University Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Dr Anand Prakash (Retd) Formerly at Hans Raj College University of Delhi
Dr Rajnish Kumar Mishra Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies JNU, New Delhi
Dr Payal Nagpal Janki Devi College University of Delhi
Prof Romika Batra Indira Gandhi University Meerpur, Rewari
Dr Hema Raghavan (Retd) Formerly at Gargi College University of Delhi
Dr Richa Bajaj Hindu College University of Delhi IGNOU FACULTY Prof Anju S Gupta Prof Malati Mathur
Dr Pema Eden Samdup Ms Mridula Rashmi Kindo
COURSE PREPARATON TEAM
Course Writers Ms. Nita Mukherjee (Unit 1) Ex. St. Columbus School, New Delhi
Ms. Shefali Ray (Units 2 & 4) Lecturer, Ex. SCERT
Ms. Snehlata Gupta (Unit 3) Sr. Teacher, Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya
EDITOR
Content and Language Editing Prof. Anju Sahgal Gupta School of Humanities, IGNOU
Course Coordinator Prof. Anju Sahgal Gupta School of Humanities, IGNOU
Secretarial Assistance Ms. Premlata Lingwal, PA
July, 2019 Indira Gandhi National Open University, 2019 ISBN : 978-93-88980-37- All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing from the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Further information on Indira Gandhi National Open University courses may be obtained from the University's office at Maidan Garhi. New Delhi-110 068 or visit University’s web site ignou.ac Printed and published on behalf of the Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi by Registrar, MPDD. Laser Typeset by : Tessa Media & Computers, C-206, A.F.-II, Okhla, New Delhi Printed at : Raj Printers, A-9, Sector B-2, Tronica City, Loni (Gzb.)
PRINT PRODUCTION
Mr. K. Mohanan Assistant Registrar (P) MPDD, IGNOU, New Delhi
Mr. Babulal Rewaria Section Officer (P) MPDD, IGNOU, New Delhi
Mr. C. Pandey Section Officer (P) MPDD, IGNOU, New Delhi
Prof Nandini Sahu Prof Parmod Kumar
Dr. Malathy A
BLOCK INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Block 3 of the Course!
In the first two blocks our focus was on your immediate environment, i. greetings, introductions, family and friends and so on.
In this block our focus is on a wider scope – on topics such as media, shopping, people who service us and entertainment.
We have dealt with these topics through different text types i, descriptive pieces, a biographical account and a play.
Besides reading comprehension, we also have the other skills of listening, speaking and writing. In the writing section we give you practice in writing longer pieces such as writing a brief report, story building and describing places. The grammar section will help you think about language. We have covered the following items: passive voice, ‘used to’ and ‘would’, phrasal verbs, present perfect and present perfect continuous.
We request you to spend time on all the activities in each unit. This will enhance both your fluency as well as accuracy in the language.
While performing the listening tasks, please take notes as you listen. This will aid your comprehension as well as concentration.
Look at the answers at the end of the Unit only after you have attempted them. If you answer incorrectly, try to analyse why; if you are still unsure consult the teacher at the study centre.
Do write to us if you have any problem.
Good luck with the block.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The material (pictures and passages) we have used is purely for educational purposes. Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of material reproduced in this book. Should any infringement have occurred, the publishers and editors apologize and will be pleased to make the necessary corrections in future editions of this book. The Units have been taken from CFE Course BEG- 004, Block-2.
Media and Entertainment Is it a national/international/
local edition? What is the language of the paper? Why? How many pages does it have? What are the main news items on each page? Which is your favourite page? Why?
1 READING: A NEWS ARTICLE
Now read this interesting news article, and work on the exercises that follow.
In the news – 19 th Jan. 2006 NASA scientists hope the third time is the lucky charm for their $700-million unmanned mission to Pluto. The space agency planned to make a third attempt to launch the New Horizons probe on Thursday, a day after a storm knocked out power at the Maryland-based laboratory that will command the mission. Strong winds in Laurel, Maryland, knocked out power at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and mission managers were wary of launching the spacecraft without back-up power at the facility. “The air conditioning was off. The flight controllers were sitting there wiping sweat,” said Alan Stern, the mission’s principal investigator.
High winds at the launch pad also kept the spacecraft from lifting off on Tuesday. Winds in the Orlando area were expected to be 16kph to 24kph. Scientists have been working 17 years on the nine-year voyage to Pluto, and they were unfazed by the back-to-back postponements. “Two or three days doesn’t mean a hill of beans,” Stern said. The space agency has until mid-February to send the spacecraft on its way, but a launch in January would allow the spacecraft to use Jupiter’s gravity to shave five years off the five-billion-kilometre trip, allowing it to arrive as early as July 2015. The spacecraft is about the size and shape of a concert piano attached to a satellite dish. It will study Pluto as well as the frozen, sunless reaches of the solar system known as the Kuiper Belt. Scientists believe that studying the region’s icy, rocky objects can shed light on how the planets formed. The planned launch has drawn attention from opponents of nuclear power because the spacecraft is powered by 10 kg of plutonium, whose natural radioactive decay will generate electricity for the probe’s instruments. NASA and the Department of Energy estimated the probability of a launch accident that could release plutonium at one in 350. As a precaution, the agencies brought in 16 mobile field teams that can detect radiation, plus air samplers and monitors. – Sapa - AP
Check Your Progress 1
- Answer the following questions: i) What led to a power failure at the laboratory? ..............................................................................................................
ii) For how many years have scientists been working on this project? The Media ..............................................................................................................
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iii) What would be the advantage of a launch in January? ..............................................................................................................
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iv) What is the spacecraft powered by? ..............................................................................................................
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- Write true or false:
i) The spacecraft could not take off due to high winds. ..............................................................................................................
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ii) The voyage to Pluto would take 19 years. ..............................................................................................................
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iii) The spacecraft will not be able to take off after January. ..............................................................................................................
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iv) The Kuiper belt is part of the solar system. ..............................................................................................................
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- Look at this paragraph. It has 3 pieces of information.
The spacecraft is about the size and shape of a concert piano attached to a satellite dish. It will study Pluto as well as the frozen, sunless reaches of the solar system known as the Kuiper Belt. Scientists believe that studying the region’s icy, rocky objects can shed light on how the planets formed.
Frame three questions which can be answered by the information given above. .....................................................................................................................
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LinkedIn is a business and employment- The Media oriented social networking service that operates via websites and mobile apps. It is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs.
Telegram is a non-profit cloud-based instant messaging service. Users can send messages and exchange photos, videos, stickers, audio and files of any type. Users can have a secret chat, which can be deleted from the receivers phones too within a period set.
Wikipedia is a free, open content online encyclopedia created through the collaborative effort of a community of users known as Wikipedians. Anyone registered on the site can create an article for publication; registration is not required to edit articles.
Check Your Progress 2
- Match the following idioms with their meanings. There are two extra meanings.
Idioms Meanings i Catch like wildfire a Easily available ii Having green fingers b Share the same point of view iii Caught red-handed c To circulate or disseminate very quickly. iv Back to square one d To apprehend someone when they are doing something wrong v At the eleventh hour e Good at gardening f Back to where one started with no progress shown g Latest possible time
- Use these idioms in sentences of your own.
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Media and Entertainment A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or
other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories, intensional definitions (which try to give the essence of a term) and extensional definitions (which proceed by listing the objects that a term describes).
- Notice the definitions given of Blog, Twitter, Facebook and so on. Look up the Internet for the definition of the following terms
i) Instagram ii) Whatsapp iii) Hike Messenger iv) YouTube v) Skype
1 LISTENING: WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
You may have heard of the term “endangered species”. It means species which are in danger or threatened with extinction, often due to the activities of human beings. Please listen to this excerpt and answer the questions given below:
Check Your Progress 3
- After listening to the excerpt, what do you understand about the work of the WWF? ......................................................................................................................
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- Mention the interesting features about the shape of the coral reefs. ......................................................................................................................
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- Name some of the marine life that live among coral reefs. ......................................................................................................................
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- What is the main cause of coral destruction? ......................................................................................................................
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- Give two uses of coral reefs ......................................................................................................................
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Media and Entertainment
Check Your Progress 4
- Look at the channels listed above. Do you watch any of these? If so, which ones, and why?
Do not make a vague comment like “It is interesting!” or “It is nice!” You need to give a convincing reason which will encourage your audience to view it. If you do not watch any of the above, which ones do you watch and why? We have given our responses to the programmes we watch and like:
Some responses:
The History Channel is interesting because it has a variety of programmes, ranging from biography to solving crime, lifestyles to major events.
I like the Discovery Channel because of the different kinds of programmes covering facts on nature, places and people.
The National Geographic Channel has beautiful photography of the natural world.
I enjoy Fashion TV as it tells me about the current styles of dress and accessory around the world.
Channel V brings us the latest pop hits from around the world. The star of the month features one artist, and his/her songs are played regularly through the month.
BBC is a good news channel, and I like following current affairs.
A platform for Bollywood film soundtracks, the revival of the golden oldies and upcoming artists.
A music channel with English and international music, also independent Indian music bands playing English music to showcase their talent.
The first kids’ channel in India. It primarily airs animated shows in four different languages: English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil
An Indian Hindi news channel with Daily News Updates and News Headlines
- national and International along with entertainment features
Hallmark/HBO/Star movies [choose one] shows famous movies/ The Media classics/new movies.
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1 WRITING: A BRIEF REPORT
Here are a couple of headlines from the newspaper:
2 injured as truck collides with van Bird Flu strikes-thousands of chicken culled
Check Your Progress 5
- Choose one of the headlines, and pretend that you are the reporter reporting first hand from the scene. Before you start, make a list of points that will interest the reader. This should include: the scene/setting, characters involved, what actually happened, why, consequences, importance. You could use an imaginary setting, etc. and write in the present or past tense. Here is a sample of how you can write a report. Headline: Protesters arrested; army called out. Report: As I walked down to the town hall, I could hear sounds of shouting, gunfire, sirens and police vehicles. There was a massive crowd protesting against the arrest of their local leader, and demanding his release. Protesters began to throw stones at the police who prevented them from proceeding towards the hall, where the mayor was giving a speech. Soon, the scene turned ugly, as the police burst tear gas shells, and finally resorted to opening fire. There were shouts of anguish and rage, and soon, injured people were being taken away. There was utter chaos with the arrival of ambulances and more police jeeps. I could hear the frustration and panic in the voices of the organizers of the meeting being held at the hall. They came out to talk to the senior police officer on the spot. Next, I heard him calling on his cell phone to the police commissioner, asking for help from the para military forces. The situation looked grim.
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What do you notice about the underlined words? They are short forms or The Media contractions of two words. The apostrophe is inserted in place of a missing letter or letters. Examples: We’re= we are Isn’t= is not They’re= they are We’ve=we have They’d=they would
Check Your Progress 7
- Can you write the full forms of the following?
i) I’m ...................... ii) It’s ...................... iii) They’ve ...................... iv) Haven’t ...................... v) Doesn’t ...................... vi) Don’t ...................... vii) Didn’t ...................... viii) They wouldn’t ...................... ix) I’d ...................... x) She’s ......................
- Write the short forms of the following:
i) They have not ...................... ii) We were not ...................... iii) We would ...................... iv) He is ...................... v) You are ......................
1 PRONUNCIATION: WORD STRESS
Say these words after the teacher, using the correct stress.
inter'national aca'demic
hori'zons 'radiation
'agency communi'cation
la'boratory 'accessing
investi'gator 'Instagram
'voyage 'Twitter
'January 'LinkedIn
Media and Entertainment
1 LET US SUM UP
Now that you have completed this unit, you can:
make use of the media to increase your knowledge and vocabulary. make informed and intelligent choices from the range of radio and TV channels. practise writing reports giving a first person account use the present perfect and present perfect continuous tense. use the correct contractions.
1 ANSWERS
Check Your Progress 1
- i) Strong winds in Maryland knocked out power at the laboratory. ii) Scientists have been working on it for 17 years. iii) A launch in January would reduce the trip by 5 years. iv) It is powered by plutonium.
- i) true ii) false iii) false iv) true
- i) What is the size and shape of the spacecraft? ii) What is the purpose of the mission? OR What will the spacecraft do? iii) How will this study help?
Check Your Progress 2
Idioms Meanings i Catch like wildfire a To circulate or disseminate very quickly. ii Having green fingers b Good at gardening iii Caught red-handed c To apprehend someone when they are doing something wrong iv Back to square one d Back to where one started with no progress shown v At the eleventh hour e Latest possible time
Do it yourself.
Definitions of the terms:
Media and Entertainment Check Your Progress 3
- WWF tries to conserve endangered species, and stop the causes of their destruction.
- They are found in fantastic shapes ranging from mushrooms to moose antlers, cabbages, tabletops, wire strands, fluted pillars.
- Beautiful fish, mollusks, and urchins are among the amazing marine life that live among coral reefs.
- Global warming and increasing sea temperatures destroy coral reefs.
- People depend on living coral reefs for food and protection from storms and erosion, as well as the additional benefits of medical research, tourism and natural beauty.
Check Your Progress 4
Do it yourself.
Check Your Progress 5
- Suggested answer: this is only an example of what you could write. We encourage you to use your imagination and describe the events in your own way, and write longer pieces.
Two injured as truck collides with van
I am standing at the junction of Park Avenue and Palm Street, which has seen yet another accident a little while ago. A truck carrying grains and vegetables collided with a pick up van, which was carrying 5 passengers. Eye witnesses say that the truck had just taken the sharp turn, when the van appeared from nowhere, apparently at high speed. It is believed that the driver lost control, and headed towards the truck. It was only the truck driver’s presence of mind that averted a greater tragedy. He swerved to the left, and hit his side of the van. The driver and the passenger in the front seat of the van sustained severe injuries, and were rushed to the hospital.
- Mission delayed again...../strong winds delay spacecraft.../Pluto must wait!
Check Your Progress 6
- has been building, 2. have finished, 3. has repaired, 4. has been watering 5. has been raining, 6. has stopped, 7. has been playing, 8. has been ringing, 9. has been shopping, 10. has been doing.
Check Your Progress 7
- i) I am
ii) It is The Media iii) They have iv) Have not v) Does not vi) Do not vii) Did not viii) They would not ix) I would x) She is
- i) They haven’t
ii) We weren’t iii) We’d iv) He’s v) You’re
Block-3
Course: English in Daily Life (BEG-004)
University: Indira Gandhi National Open University
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