Internet

is a network connecting many computer networks and based on a common addressing system and communications protocol called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Proto­col). From its creation in 1983 it grew rapidly beyond its largely academic origin into an increasingly commercial and popular me­dium. By the mid-1990s the Internet connected millions of com­puters throughout the world. Many commercial computer network and data services also provided at least indirect connection to the Internet.

The Internet had its origin in a U. S. Department of Defense program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 to provide a secure and survivable communications network for organizations engaged in defense-re­lated research. Researchers and academics in other fields began to make use of the network, and at length the National Science Foun­dation (NSF), which had created a similar and parallel network called NSFNet, took over much of the TCP/IP technology from ARPANET and established a distributed network of networks ca­pable of handling far greater traffic.

Amateur radio, cable television wires, spread spectrum radio, sat­ellite, and fibre optics all have been used to deliver Internet services. Networked games, networked monetary transactions, and virtual museums are among applications being developed that both extend the network's utility and test the limits of its technology.

Electronic mail, abbreviation E-MAIL, are messages transmitted and received by digital computers through a network. An electronic-mail, or E-mail, system allows computer users on a network to send

texts, graphics, and sometimes sounds and animated images to other users.

On most networks, data can be simultaneously sent to a universe of users or to a select group or individual. Network users typically have an electronic mailbox that receives, stores, and manages their correspondence. Recipients can elect to view, print, save, edit, an­swer, or otherwise react to communications. Many E-mail systems have advanced features that alert users to incoming messages or per­mit them to employ special privacy features. Large corporations and institutions use E-mail systems as an important communication link among employees and other people allowed on their networks. E-mail is also available on major public on-line and bulletin board sys­tems, many of which maintain free or low-cost global communica­tion networks.

(From 1997 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.)

5. a) Present brief information on Russian broadcasting. Consider the fol­
lowing:

1. the main functions of television in our country (informational, educational, entertainment); 2. news coverage; 3. kinds of pro­grammes.

b) What evening's viewing would you recommend for a foreign visitor who is very interested in learning more about our country and its people?

6. "Children and television" is an issue about which teachers and parents are
naturally very concerned.

a) The two extracts by American authors given below present rather contro­versial views on the problem. Read them attentively for further discussion:

1. There have been more than 2,300 studies and reports on the effects of television on American society. Most of them show that these effects are mainly negative. Researchers have been especially concerned about children. In the past decade researchers have had children participate in numerous studies. They had children watch television intensively for three weeks. The results showed a drop in the children's creativity. The researchers concluded that television makes the children lose some of their creativity.

Teachers can't get children to pay attention for any length of time because today's children want everything to be as fast and entertain­ing as TV. Dr Benjamin Spock, an expert in child raising, once com­plained that he couldn't get his grandchildren to leave the TV set when he wanted to take them to the zoo. Some of today's children are so addicted to TV that nothing else interests them. Parents have to make them turn off the TV and go out to play or read a book. They can't get them to do these traditional childhood activities without having an argument over the TV.

Although most of these studies have shown the negative effects of television, some sociologists argue that television has become a part of our lives. They do not think that parents should make their chil­dren limit the amount of TV that they watch to one or two hours a day. They believe that parents should let their children decide for themselves what and how much they want to watch.

2. Although most studies show the negative effects of television, there are also some important positive influences. There are many excellent educational programs, especially for children. Some schools have children watch certain programs in the classroom. They often get them to watch worthwhile programs at home by encouraging them to discuss what they have seen the next day in class. "Sesame Street" is a program that is watched by millions of children around the world. It uses bright colors, fast timing, and humour in order to get children to pay attention. It makes children enjoy learning about the alpha­bet, reading, and numbers.

Television also exposes children to different people and places. A little girl who had never seen a ballet before watched a famous ballerina on TV. This program got her to decide to become a balle­rina herself. TV also increases young people's understanding of other people's views of life. Many people feel that "Roots", a pro­gram on the history of black people in the United States, is an example of this. Because viewers of this program became emotion­ally involved with the characters, "Roots" got some people to think more compassionately about the difficulties of black people in the United States.

b) Speak about the effects of television on children. Consider the following:

1. Does television have a negative or bad influence on children? If you think it does, tell how. 2. What are the effects upon the vulnera-

ble and developing human organism of spending a significant pro­portion of each day engaged in this particular experience (watching TV)? 3. How does the television experience affect a child's language development, for instance? 4. What good or positive influences does television have on children? 5. How does television stimulate chil­dren's curiosity? 6. How does the availability of television affect the ways parents bring up their children? 7. Are new child-rearing strat­egies being adopted and old ones discarded because the television set is available to parents for relief? 8. How does watching television for several hours each day affect the child's abilities to form human rela­tionships? 9. What happens to family life as a result of family mem­bers' involvement with television?

(There may never be clear-cut and final answers to these ques­tions.)

7. If possible work on this exercise in a group of 3 to 4 students and assign
one of the opinions to each member of the group.

1. Primary and secondary education have improved out of all rec­ognition since the arrival of TV in the home and this is not only be­cause of programmes designed for schools. Through TV a child can extend his knowledge and it provides vital food for his imagination. 2. We are dealing with a culture of TV babies. They can watch, do their homework and listen to music at the same time. What kids can't do today is follow things too long. Today's TV babies get bored and distracted easily. 3. You can blame TV for the fact that children take longer to learn to read these days and barely see the point any more of acquiring the skill. Watching TV should be strictly confined to "treats". 4. Television provides outlet for creative talents. The pro­grammes done with good taste and imagination actually stimulate a child's own creativity.

8. Interviewing people basically involves asking for opinions and expressing
personal opinions. Next come some cliches you may use for this purpose:

Asking for opinions: what's your opinion of; what do you think of; how do you feel about; I was wondering what your opinion of (tenta­tive); what about (informal).

Expressing personal opinions: in my opinion; from my point of view; personally, I think that; it would seem to me that (tentative); as far as

I'm able to judge (tentative); as I see it (direct); frankly, I think (di­rect); I reckon (informal).

In the course of an interview there definitely come moments when some clarification is asked for and given.

Asking for clarification: I'm sorry I don't quite understand what you mean by; I'm sorry, could you explain what you mean by; I'm afraid, I'm not really very clear about what you mean by (tentative); I'm sorry, but could you possibly explain what you mean by (tenta­tive); did you mean that; do you really think that; did you say; but you said earlier that; I don't understand what you mean by; what (exactly) do you mean by (all rather direct).

Giving clarification:

Well, -

what I'm trying to say is (that)... The point I'm trying to make is (that), think

Well, I

. what I mean is (that)... (tentative)

suppose

What I mean is (that); What I'm saying is (that)... (both direct) All I'm trying to say is (that)... (informal)

{

to be frank... 1 > (strong, blunt) frankly... J

If you are asked awkward questions the following cliches may be useful: I'd like to think about that one; let me see; the best way I can answer.

Another "delaying tactic" is to repeat the question you have been asked.

9. a) Below you will find some information on the work of a TV journalist and interview techniques:

Most journalists have had considerable experience as interview­ers before they come to television, but there is a vast difference be­tween the casual questioning which takes place in the quiet corner of

Шь

a pub or over the telephone and the paraphernalia of lighting, camera equipment and perspiring technicians.

The newspaper journalist is able to phrase questions in a conver­sational, informal manner, interjecting now and again to clarify a point, jotting down answers with pencil and notebook. Questions and an­swers need not be grammatical or even follow a logical pattern. The same ground may be gone over again and again. The printed page on which the interview appears does not communicate these facts to the reader. In television, journalistic judgement and writing ability alone are not enough.

It is undoubtedly true that a screen interview of any type, live, filmed or videotaped, makes considerably more demands on the per­son conducting it. The essential requirements include an ability to think quickly to follow up topics outside the originally planned struc­ture of the interview, and a capacity to marshal thoughts in a way which builds up logical, step-by-step answers. Each interview, how­ever brief, is capable of taking on a recognizable shape. Questions which are sprayed in all directions as topics are chosen at random only make the live interview difficult to follow and the recorded one doubly hard to edit intelligently. In any case "the office" would much prefer to select a chunk of two or three questions and answers which follow a logical progression.

The actual phrasing of questions needs to be considered. Too many inexperienced reporters tend to make long, rambling statements bare­ly recognizable as questions at all. At the other extreme are the brusque, two- or three-word interjections which do not register on the screen long enough if faithfully repeated as cutaways.

Next come the cliches, of which these are very useful examples:

How/What do you feel (about)...? Just what/how much/ how serious...? What of the future...?

Then there is the tendency to preface virtually every question with some deferential phrase which is suitable for general conver­sation:

May I ask...? Do you mind my asking...? What would you say if I asked...? Could you tell me...? Might I put it like this...? but each of which invites curt rejection in a TV interview. Without proper care, however, questions which are too direct are quite likely to produce a simple "yes" or "no", without further elaboration.

As for the general demeanour, every interviewer should be polite yet firm in pursuit of answers to legitimate questions, refusing to be

overawed in the presence of the important or powerful, or overbear­ing when the subject of the interview is unused to television.

The reporter's real troubles begin, however, when he does not lis­ten to the answers. The pressure on a questioner conducting a film interview can be almost as great as on the interviewee and it is all too easy to concentrate on mentally ticking off a list of prepared ques­tions instead of listening, poised to follow up with an occasional sup­plementary. If the reporter lets this happen any number of obvious loose ends may remain untied.

b) Based on your interpretation of the article enlarge on the following:

1. It is easier for a newspaper journalist to interview somebody than for a journalist working in television.

2. A screen interview makes considerably more demands on the person conducting it. The actual phrasing of questions needs to be considered. Open-ended questions should prevail over close ones (re­quiring "yes" or "no" answers) in an interview.

c) Comment on the following view of one of the American journalists, "... a television interviewer is not employed as a debater, prosecutor, inquisitor, psy­chiatrist or third-degree expert, but as a journalist seeking information on behalf of the viewer."

d) Summarize in your own words what you believe to be the best technique for interviewing people (see Appendix).

10. You are doing research into the types of television programmes people watch. You stop people in the street to ask them questions and write down then-answers.