Views #484 | Low Intermediate 4

News Source

Ruth and Todd discuss where they get their news.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Ruth	Todd

Todd: Hey, so Ruth, how do you get your news?

Ruth: Oh, I buy a newspaper.

Todd: Oh, really, what paper do you read?

Ruth: I always read the Guardian.

Todd: The Guardian. Is that conservative or liberal?

Ruth: Oh, it's labor.

Todd: Labor. So the Labor newspaper, the Guardian, what angle do they have? Like in the States you'd say it's either conservative, like the Wall street Journal, or it's liberal, like the New York Times.

Ruth: OK, it would be more like the New York Times.

Todd: Oh, like the New York Times.

Ruth: Yeah.

Todd: Actually, I don't even read papers anymore?

Ruth: What!

Todd: I mean, I read them online, but I just prefer to get everything on the internet.

Ruth: So, you just read the newspaper on the internet?

Todd: Pretty much. Yeah, I never pay for a paper paper anymore.

Ruth: What! Don't you think that is really anti-social, looking at a screen all day?

Todd: Yeah, but how much more social is it looking at a paper?

Ruth: Well, I don't know. I guess it's not much more social, but I don't know, at least if you read a newspaper, you can read it outside in the fresh air, for example.

Todd: Well, that's true. I guess so, but it's free, and I know how you're always saving money.

Ruth: Well, that's true but, I think the Guardian is a good newspaper so I like to support them.

Todd: I have to admit I do like to go out on Sunday and get a paper and a coffee. Yeah, it's nice.

Ruth: Yeah, even like just walking to the shop to get the newspaper is quite nice.

Todd: Yeah, the thing is though, I don't like how the print media, or newspapers that you buy, have such limited space, and on the internet you can get such a wider range of information that it's just a lot better I think, cause these days I don't know if you can really trust what they put in the newspapers.

Ruth: Yeah, I'm not sure that you always can, but I think TV is the same and I think the internet is exactly the same.

Todd: Yeah, that's actually why I like radio news, cause I think radio news is a lot more in depth. You can actually hear the person talking, and unlike TV that has very short clips, radio news usually has longer segments, so I am a big fan of that.

Ruth: Yeah, I like the radio, but you can't see the pictures and I don't have a very good imagination, so I like to see the pictures.

Todd: Ah, I just love the voice. I love when they go, "And now to our correspondent in blah-blah-blah." It just sounds cool.

Ruth: No, you're right, it does sound good. And it's free as well.

Todd: Well, I have the internet in my apartment so anytime you want to read the internet news just come on over.

Ruth: Oh, thanks very much. Also, I have a newspaper in my apartment and I get a subscription so, come along and read the newspaper at my flat.

Todd: Oh, cool, I'll definitely take you up on that.

Ruth: OK

Learn vocabulary from the lesson!

conservative/liberal

Is the Guardian conservative or liberal?

Someone who is 'conservative' likes to keep things as they are and maintain traditions. A 'liberal' person is open to change and want maximum individual freedom. Notice the following:

His liberal ideas have been criticized by the conservative public.
Most conservative politicians are supporting him for the next election.

read online

I don't read the papers anymore; I read them online.

If you 'read something online' you use the computer to look it up on the internet, and you read it there without printing it off. Notice the following:

Reading online for a long time gives me a headache.
I have started reading some books online, and I love it.

anti-social

Don't you think that is really anti-social, looking at a screen all day?

Someone is 'anti-social' if they can't communicate and interact with other people in a friendly way. We also say, jokingly, that people are anti-social if they prefer to be by themselves, instead of with other people. Notice the following:

It's uncomfortable to be in a place like this if you're an anti-social person.
He is very successful scientist, but he's known for his anti-social behavior.

in depth

I like radio news because I think it's a lot more in depth.

When something is written about or talked about in-depth, it means that it is very detailed. Notice the following:

This book is very in depth, but the way the author writes keeps you entertained.
My teacher told me that my research seemed very in depth.

short clips or longer segments

Unlike TV that has very short clips, radio news usually has longer segments.

A 'short clip' of video is a few seconds of the video. A 'longer segment' is something that is a minute or longer. Notice the following:

This website only lets you put up short clips.
If you want to upload longer segments, you will have to use a a different program.

flat

I have newspaper in my apartment, so come along and read the newspaper at my flat.

'Flat' is another way to say 'apartment.' Notice the following:

We are looking at a great flat in the downtown area.
Our flat usually stays pretty warm in the winter.

Vocabulary Quiz

liberal • online • anti-social
depth • clips • flat

Reading has become more popular in recent years.
We want to find a new to live in next year.
The original videos were a bunch of short , and we put them together into a longer segment.
It's hard to take him anywhere, because he's awkward and .
The homework is to write and in paper about the use of wind energy.
His ideas make him very popular with the younger crowd.