Урок английского языка 'Пресса в Британии' (8 класс)

The British Press

The British press consists of several kinds of newspapers.

The national papers are the ones sold all over the country, with a large circulation, giving general news.

There are two main types of national papers - the "popular" papers and the "quality" papers. The popular papers are smaller in size (they are tabloid size), with lots of pictures, big headlines and short articles. They are easy to read and often contain little truthful information. They give much space to opinions. They usually have "human interest" stories - stories about ordinary people and events. Examples of this type of newspapers are "The Daily Mail". "The Sun", etc.

"Quality" papers appeal to the more serious reader, who wants to read about politics and foreign affairs. These papers such as "The Daily Telegraph", "The Guardian" are bigger in size (they are called "broad-sheets"), with longer articles and a wider coverage of events. They have different pages for home news, foreign affairs, features articles, fashion, business, sport and so on.

People in Britain buy more papers on Sunday than on weekdays. The Sunday papers have a higher circulation than the dailies. As with the dailies, there are both popular and quality Sunday newspapers. The quality ones have different sections and a colour magazine (usually full of advertisements).

The British are great newspaper readers. Newspapers are often thought of as either "qualities" or "populars". The "qualities" give serious accounts of the news and reports on business matters, industry and culture. They are usually large-sized.

The "quality" papers, like The Times, The Guardian and others, are directed at readers who want full information on a wide range of public matters. "Popular" newspapers appeal to people wanting news of a more entertaining character. They are usually with lots of illustrations. Some populars, like The Sun, are note for their sensational stories and photographs. Some newspapers come out only on Sundays:

"Qualities": The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times

"Populars": Sunday Express, Sunday Mirror

Many newspapers are printed in color, as the part of Sunday or Saturday paper. They provide reading material about clothes, cooking, diet, the house and home.

There is a wide variety of magazines in Britain. Their titles show that cater for tastes and interests: British Chess Magazine, Homes and Gardens, Country Life, Do-it-yourself.