Legacy B2 Culture and Intercultural Communication 10-26

The National Gallery also offers free Wi-Fi, audio guides in multiple languages, a range of free family activities for children and guided tours from 2pm to 3pm every day.

Peckish visitors can fill up at the Espresso Bar or the National Café, which also serves brunch and traditional British afternoon tea. Another option is the award-winning restaurant, The National Dining Rooms, which ​ (a)   Trafalgar Square and offers a ​ (b)   of fresh salads, sandwiches and pizzas.

Don’t forget to drop by the gallery’s gift shops – which sell everything from art ​ (c)   to specialist books – and ​ (d)   a gift or souvenir. Every purchase made supports the National Gallery in its aim of preserving and developing its collection.

• overlooks
• selection
• memorabilia
• pick up
• get off
• scrutinizes

Match the following

• popularity

• fame

• purpose

• aim

• expertise

• knowledge

• insight

• competence

1 The project is quite difficult so I suggest we put on our thinking ​ (a)   and come up with some useful ideas.

2 I’ve been racking my ​ (b)   all day but I can’t remember the name of the website.

3 Will you help me with this article? After all, two ​ (c)   are better than one.

4 The only way to finish my research paper in time is to burn the candle at both ​ (d)   .

5 I asked Alice and George about it and they both said the same thing. I guess, great ​ (e)   s think alike.

6 Chris, I need to pick your brains: which of these two sites is the most useful in your opinion?

• caps
• brains
• heads
• ends
• mind

1 Tabloids use photos of famous people that are taken by ​ (a)   .

2 American tabloids publish a lot of articles about ​ (b)   and what they are up to.

3 You can write to The Sun’s ​ (c)   if you need some advice.

4 The Daily Mail has never had a(n) ​ (d)   section that talks about pop and film stars.

5 The National Enquirer never spreads ​ (e)   or publishes fake news.

• paparazzi
• celebrities
• agony aunt
• showbiz
• rumours

The word ‘tabloid’ actually means something compact and small, but today, it is associated with a type of news that is referred to as ‘yellow press’ in the USA and is known for its sensational headlines, paparazzi photographs and not well-researched articles. Tabloid newspapers are popular in both the UK and the USA, but there are some significant differences between them and the way they are perceived in each country. British tabloids for example are often viewed as more extreme and feature a combination of serious news articles alongside celebrity gossip, whereas American tabloids are mostly focused on entertainment news and the celebrities’ lifestyles.

Tabloids in the UK

The Sun, founded in 1964, is the most popular tabloid in Britain and is printed daily. It is known as a red-top tabloid because it has a red masthead on its front page. The Sun provides a brief coverage of news and politics but mostly features showbiz and stories about celebrities. One of its most popular columns is the Dear Deidre section in which readers write letters to an agony aunt seeking advice.

Founded in 1896, the Daily Mail started out as a broadsheet newspaper. Today, it is a daily middle-market tabloid which means it covers entertainment as well as serious news events, politics and showbiz. It also includes the Femail section, which, as the name suggests, contains articles aimed at women about fashion, health and beauty. The Daily Mail is not considered very trustworthy and often publishes information that is not true.

Another daily red-top tabloid, the Daily Mirror was founded in 1903 and is known for its strong opinions on political issues. It publishes articles on news, politics, showbiz and sports and also includes a Weird News section, which is a collection of strange or funny stories. However, the Daily Mirror has also been accused of publishing false or unverified information.

Tabloids in the USA

Founded in 1926 and originally a broadsheet newspaper, the National Enquirer is one of the most well-known tabloids in the USA. A weekly publication, it offers extensive coverage of celebrity news and makes use of sensational headlines. The National Enquirer often spreads rumours and publishes fake news and hoaxes.

Star Magazine was founded in 1974 and is a weekly gossip magazine famous for its paparazzi photographs, exaggerated headlines and far-fetched stories. Typical Star Magazine articles include celebrity scandals and what the stars wore to the latest red-carpet event.

Dating back to 1801, the New York Post is a daily middle-market tabloid. It is particularly well-known for its attention-grabbing headlines and for its Page Six entertainment section. The New York Post is more similar to a British tabloid than the National Enquirer or Star Magazine in the topics that it covers, but is less extreme and sensationalist in its content. This too, however, is not regarded as a reliable news source.

 

Tabloids and social circles

In general, newspapers as a type of media are more popular with men in both the UK and the USA. However, statistics show that tabloids are more popular with people over the age of 40 and women, with over 52% of tabloid readers being female. Tabloid readers tend to come from working-class communities, which means that they usually have low-paying jobs and a lack of a strong academic background. When asked, the majority maintain that the main reason they choose this type of newspaper is that they prefer a light read. In the UK, most tabloids are viewed as a valid news source, even though readers generally acknowledge their lack of reliability. In the US, on the other hand, tabloids are considered an excellent source of entertainment due to their focus on celebrity gossip.

QUESTION: What does the author suggest about the New York Post?

A It is less likely to publish fake news than other US tabloids.

B It is the most famous American tabloid newspaper.

C It has more showbiz gossip than any other tabloid.

D It contains more serious news than other US tabloids.

• A

• B

• C

• D

If it ain't broke, ________ .

The UK has a ​ (a)   variety of accents and dialects, however, the British Isles aren't the only place where English has developed and changed. There is one type of English that is so different from Britain that some people even consider it a totally ​ (b)   language! It has its own spellings, idiomatic expressions, slang, distinct styles of pronunciation and even shared words that have totally different or opposite meanings to British English! This unique language is American English, something that can both confuse and ​ (c)   its English-speaking cousins on the other side of the Atlantic.

The American idiom “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is often used ironically by British English speakers who are ​ (d)   by the changes and differences brought ​ (e)   by Americans. However, there might be more to things than the Brits first assume. Could the same idiom be used to describe American English in a different, more surprising way?

• wide
• separate
• enthral
• perplexed
• about

Match the following

• pavement

• truck

• lorry

• line

• taxi

• sidewalk

• biscuits

• cookies

• queue

• cab

• sweep it under the 1) ​ (a)   • a drop in the 2) ​ (b)   • take it with a 3) ​ (c)   of salt• a skeleton in the 4) ​ (d)   • can’t see the 5) ​ (e)   for the trees

• rug
• bucket
• grain
• closet
• forest

Look at the following phrases a Briton might say in a conversation. Then, match the phrases to their implied meaning.

• It is very annoying.

• Well, if you say so.

• It could be much better.

• I think this is disappointing.

• It is very good.

• I hear what you’re saying.

• I’m done trying to convince you.

• This is quite good.

• I don’t agree with you.

• That’s not bad.