N. Kryazheva - The United States and the United Kingdom. Past and Present (pdf), страница 5

It isnot subject to the US Administration control or ce sorship. The Press in the USA has the same freedomas the individual does ar says what it likes provided it doesn't transgress the law.Although pronounced views may be expressed in newspapers and their po| tical learnings may beobvious, they may be financially independent of any po| tical party and not obliged to follow any specificparty line. The USA ranks first i the world in the number of newspapers circulated daily. 1,646 dailynewspaper are sold every day with the total circulation of about 62 million copies.The high daily consumption of newspapers in the country is partly due to thi fact that the term "daily"covers both morning and evening newspapers and tha most people buy both.The average size of national morning newspapers varies between 14 and 3( pages and that of Sundaynewspapers between 30 and 50 ones.Newspaper ownership in the USA is concentrated mainly in the hands of < comparatively small number oflarge press groups.

Many newspapers and maga zines are financed by the money from publicity."New York Times", "Washington Post" and "Wall Street Journal" are consid ered to be the qualitynewspapers in the US.RADIO AND TELEVISIONBroadcasting of sound and TV is regulated under powers conferred by the Law, which prohibits thesounding or receiving of radio and TV communications except under license.The radio and TV companies are independent authorities in the day-to-day operations of broadcasting.The company Council has controlling and regulating powers of a wide and important character over thecontent and quality of programs.The external broadcasting services are intended to provide a link of culture, information andentertainment between the people of the USA and other parts of the world.Broadcasting TV, commercial and noncommercial, is provided by 1200 TV stations, of which about 860stations are commercial and owned by the same biggest companies.

The money for this is taken from theproduction of films, video cassettes, books and magazines, from sport clubs and also from many militaryenterprises they are partners of.Cable Television is in the hands of the two main companies "Home Box Office" (HBO) and "Showtimes",that show mainly new films and also organize programs for a specialized audience through 30 channelsin the evenings. The bulk of money to finance those companies comes from publicity.Words and Phrases:to caster for угождатьrange of interests круг интересовcensorship цензураquality newspaper качественные газетыto prohibit запрещатьto bulk of money большое колличество денегto rank first лидироватьto be obligedбыть обязаннымto conferподтверждение to transgress law нарушать законto consume потреблятьto be obviousбыть очевиднымconsumption потребление entertainmentразвлечениеTasks:1.

Ask you group-mate whether she (he) knows:a. anything about freedom for Press in the US;b. whether the USA ranks first in the world in the number of newspapers;c. whom do newspapers belong to?d. what newspapers are considered to be the quality newspapers.2. Answer the following questions:a. Are the radio and TV companies independent authorities in the day-to-dayoperations?b. How many stations are commercial ones?c. Whom does cable television belong to?d. How many cable channels work in the evenings?3.

Describe the term "daily" concerning the consumption of newspapers in the US.THE CINEMA IN THE USAWhen the American goes to the pictures, he expects to see a large program: a newsreel (which is usuallythe first item on the program), a cartoon, a documentary and a feature film (a full-length film in a cinemaprogram). Sometimes two feature films are included in the program.Foreign films are shown with subtitles or are dubbed into English.The program may have one or two intervals during which is a continuous showing of the program fromopening till closing time. In that case exact show times are not fixed and the seats are not reserved. Youmay enter or leave the hall any time during the show and take any seat you like.There is a parking ground near big cinemas.

For those who want to see a film without leaving the carthere are drive-in cinemas (so-called drive-ins).A great number of films are released in the USA every year. Hollywood films differ in genre and artisticvalue. Hollywood's early films were westerns, horror films, comedies. Then there were romance films.There are films based on novels and films which describe historical events. In such films you see familiarcharacters brought to life.Hollywood has changed greatly since the time of westerns. American filmslfT today are realistic and upto-date. They are made with great professional Camera work, setting and acting are usually excellent.But there are also second-rate films, which critics call "stupid".

Such films are nc entertaining. Well, criticsknow best, but one thing is certain there is too much se n cruelty and violence on the American screen.More than is good for the viewer.SOME FACTS ABOUT HOLLYWOODWhen people think of Hollywood, they probably think of film stars like Marily Monroe, Gary Grant andJames Dean. Indeed, there was a time when Hollywoo с was the most famous place in the USA, if not inthe world.The Hollywood story begins at the end of the last century.

The Hollywood filn с industry was born in 1912.There were several reasons why film makers went to Hollywood. Firstly, then < was a lot of space.Secondly, California's warm sunny weather was ideal for так) ing films outside. Thirdly, there was avariety of locations for filming: the ocean mountains, deserts, villages, woodland and rivers.In the 1950s and 1960s Hollywood became more international. Famous stars ' like Maurice Chevalierfrom France, Marlene Dietrich from Germany and Sofia j Loren from Italy came to Hollywood.

Even todaymany international stars like Gerard Depardier and Arnold Schwarzeneger make films in Hollywood.A big film studio, like MGM or Warner Brothers, brought to life a lot of filmstars. They could make or breaka star.The Hollywood studios produced different types of films. There were the sileni Charlie Chaplin comediesof the 20s, gangster films, Frankenstein horror films and Greta Garbo romantic melodramas of the 30s,the musicals of the 40s and 50s, the westerns (cowboy films) of the 50s, the historical epics of the 60s,the science fiction films of the 70s and the Steven Speilberg action films and violent horror films of the80s.

Who knows what the 21th century will be famous for?THE FAMILYThe American family has changed greatly in the last 20 or 30 years. Many of these changes are similar tothose taking place in other countries.Young people are waiting longer before getting married. Women are also waiting longer to have children.It's not unusual today for a woman to have the first child in her mid-thirties. And families are having fewerchildren. The typical family used to have three children. Today most families have one or two childrenonly.The United States has a high divorce rate: approximately one in every two marriages ends in divorce.One result of this high divorce rate is that many American children live in single-parent families.Although some women wait until their thirties to have their first child, other women become mothers whilethey are still teen-agers. Many of these teen-agedmothers are not married.

Many are also poor. Poverty among children in homes ded by single mothershas become a serious problem in the United States.Often people who are divorced get married again. This has led to a new kindof family - the "reconstituted family," in which there are children from previousmarriage as well as from the present one.The newest category of family, called domestic partnership, has been sanctioned by more than 25 citiesin the United States. Unmarried couples over 18years of age receive a paper similar to a marriage licence. To divorce from the partnership couplessimply have to advise the city that they no longer live together as couples.In the past, it was common for three generations - grandparents, parents andchildren - to live together.