Idioms & Expressions:
jam (noun; an informal term for a song)
Bruno Mars makes some of my favorite jams.
genre (noun; this is a French word for a type of music)
Hip hop is favorite music genre.
taste (noun; this is another word for “preference”)
My friends and I get along because we have similar tastes in music.
air (verb; this means “to broadcast”)
network (noun; a company that creates TV shows)
The show airs at 9:30 p.m.
The TV network decides what shows they will air and what shows they won’t.
in the news / in the papers (expression that means to be talked about by the media)
Due to his scandal, the senator has been in the news lately.
make the news / make headlines
Christiano Ronaldo made headlines when he won his 5th Champions League tournament.
keep up on / stay up on the news (verbs; mean to follow the news and current events consistently)
I keep up on the news by reading the paper every morning.
impartial (adjective; a synonym for unbiased/objective)
The writer is praised for his impartial views on current events.
Part I: Group Discussion
- Do you like music? What types of music do you listen often?
I generally like what’s current. Nowadays, it’s all about hip hop, pop, and rap. It’s crazy how rap has risen to the forefront of culture over the past 15 years or so. Pop and rock used to be far more mainstream, but now hip hop is king.
- Why do you think teenagers like rock music?
Currently, I don’t think they do. Rock music was big with teenagers about a decade ago, but it’s not really big anymore.
- Which one do you prefer: classical or pop music? Why?
I don’t really like classical music – except when I’m studying. When I’m doing anything else, though, I like to listen to pop music (or hip hop).
- Who is your favorite musician?
Right now, I’m into a rap duo called Run the Jewels. They rap about social issues, and they have really catchy beats and great lyrics. So far, I haven’t gotten tired of their music.
- Do you listen to foreign music or music of your language?
Well, I think most people prefer the music from the area or culture where they were
raised. For this reason, I prefer Western music. I’m sure if I were exposed more often to other types of music, I could get to like it, though.
Part II: Individual Presentations
Describe your favorite news source. You should say:
What it is
How often you use it
What types of news you are interested in
& explain why this is your favorite news source
I like to read The Atlantic. It’s a monthly newsmagazine, but you can read all of its content online. It’s a more liberal publication, so it’s critical of the Trump administration, which is a point of view I agree with. I go to their site about once a day and see what’s new. They have a variety of content – they cover history, science, and current events, so I feel smarter after I read their articles. I like the reporting because it’s thoughtful and in-depth, and requires you to read it carefully in order to understand it.
Part III: Class Discussion
- Compare the people’s attitude to media between now and the past 20 years.
People are more skeptical of the media now. Now, nearly anyone can publish anything online. Also, many news outlets lack journalistic integrity, and try to sensationalize content in order to get attention. This hurts the validity and credibility of news reporting, I think.
- Should we trust journalists?
If they work for a reputable news outlet, then I think we should.
- In your opinion what qualities a good journalist should have?
A journalist should try to be unbiased, should be a hard worker and do a diligent job at reporting the story, and should be interested in educating their audience.
- Should the government control what we watch in the news?
I don’t really think there is a need for this. It’s funny, because TV is regulated by the government to prevent objectionable content from being show to kids – but the same kids watch harmful content in movies. I think it’s mostly a waste of time to try to monitor and censor TV, because I don’t think bad language and images really change a person that much.
- Do you think the Internet can change the way we get our news? Why?
It already has. Most people get all of their news from the Internet now, instead of watching it on TV like they used to. I think TV will one day become irrelevant and people won’t get their news from networks anymore.
