NEWS ITEM

Unit Three

NEWS ITEM

Social Function:

To inform readers, listeners or viewers about events of the day which are considered newsworthy or important.

Generic Structure:

Ø Newsworthy Event(s): recounts the event in summary form.

Ø Background Events: elaborate what happened, to whom, in what circumstances.

Ø Sources: comments by participants in, witnesses to and authorities expert on the event.

Significant Lexicogrammatical Features

§  Short, telegraphic information about story captured in headline.

§  Use of Material Processes to retell the event (in the text below, many of the material processes are nominalized.

§  Use of projecting Verbal Processes in Sources stage.

§  Focus on Circumstances (e.g. mostly within Qualifiers).

Read the following example of a news item text:

Town ‘Contaminated’

Newsworthy Event

Moscow – A Russian journalist has uncovered evidence of another Soviet nuclear catastrophe, which killed 10 sailors and contaminated an entire town.

Background Events

Yelena Vazrshavskya is the first journalist to speak to people who witnessed the explosion of a nuclear submarine at the naval base of shkotovo – 22 near Vladivostock.

The accident, which occurred 13 months before the Chernobyl disaster, spread radioactive fall-out over the base and nearby town, but was covered up by officials of the then Soviet Union. Residents were told the explosion in the reactor of the Victor-class submarine during a refit had been a ‘thermal’ and not a nuclear explosion. And those involved in the clean up operation to remove more than 600 tones of contaminated material were sworn to secrecy.

Sources

A board of investigators was later to describe it as the worst accident in the history of the Soviet Navy.

Text 1

SINGAPORE – A supervisor was jailed for two months for repeatedly striking his Indonesion maid on the head and back with a television remote control, news item reports said on Thursday.

            Muhammad Shafiq Woon Abdullah admitted in a Singapore court he physical abused the woman on several occasions between June and      October 2002, The straits Time said.

            The magistrate's court heard that Shafiq, 31 began striking Winarti, 22 about a month after she started working for him.

            He hit her on the head with the tv set's remote control because he was unhappy with her work. On one occasion, he punched her on the back after accusing her of daydreaming.

             S.S. Dhillon. Shafiq's lawyer said his client lost his "better senses" when he saw his daughter's face covered as she lay in bed.

1.  What does the first paragraph tell us about?

       a. news report on Thursday.

       b. why the man was jailed

       c. when the law is working

       d. maid striking

       e. Indonesion maid was striking in Singapore.

2.  What made the man hit his maid?

       a. he saw his daughter's face.

       b. The maid disturb him when he was watching television.

       c. he didn't like his maid's work.

       d. he has lost his "better sense"

       e. his maid was very lazy

3.  “… he physically hurt the woman …’ ( Paragraph 2 ).

The underlined word is  close meaning  to…

a.      cut

b.      injured

c.      offended

d.      punished

e.      damaged

4.   Why did  Shafiq  punch Winarti on her back?

a.      talking much time for herself.

b.      not working properly.

c.      working carelessly

d.      daydreaming

e.      being lazy.

Text 2

            PHILIPPINES: At least nine people were killed and dozens were injured when the Philippines security forces clashed with dozens of slum dwellers who resisted the tearing down of their homes in the northern province, a police commander said Tuesday.

            Raul Gonzales, the police chief in the northern Cordillera area, said, that the soldiers and police officers traded gunfire  with dozens of people who are illegally occupying the private land  in Kalinga province.

            “Our team was ambushed on their way to the community to be demolished,” said  Gonzales. He added that the security only defended themselves after the residents dug foxholes and opened fire with automatic rifles.

            “Nine people were killed and dozens were wounded, including 10 police officers during almost 10 hours of fighting. We even had to evacuate some of our officers who needed surgery to get bullets from their bodies.” – Reuters.

5.  What is the passage about?

        a. An illegal gunfire trade.

        b. A demolition of illegal slum dwellers.

        c. A fight between the police officers and the soldiers.

        d. A clash between security forces and the slum dwellers.

        e.  A clash between the police officers and the security  officers.   

6.  The clash happened because …

        a.illegal slum dwellers resisted the demolition of their homes.

        b.the police officers and soldiers shot the dwellers.

        c. nine people were killed by the security forces.

        d. the police officers firing the dwellers.

        e. the people dwelled on private land.

7.   Raul Gonzales said that …

        a. ten police officers had to be evacuated.

        b. ten police officers were killed in fighting.

        c. ten police officers were injured duting the fighting.

        d. some of the wounded people  needed surgery.

        e. more than ten police officers were killed and injured in the fighting.

Text 3

            Copenhagen ( Reuter ): A united nation summit to fight poverty, unemployment and social injustice marked international Women’s Day yesterday by declaring that women  were the biggest victims of all three.

            “There is no single group which illustrates the three themes of this conference better than women. The highest percentage of employed are women, the poorest of the poor are women, the socially  marginalized and excluded  are women” UN Secretary- General Boutros Ghalli said in speech.

            “Poverty cannot be eliminated, productive employment cannot be expanded and social integration cannot achieve unless women wholly and equitably participate in social  development,” he added.

            The United Nations estimates that about  1.3 billion pople live in chronic poverty and that 70 percent are female. Over the past 20 years the number of women in extreme poverty grew by 50 percent while the rate for men was 30 percent, U.N data shows.

8. What is the aim of the United Nations summit  conference based on the above

      text?

a.      To declare the three themes at the Conference.

b.      To fight  poverty, unemployment and Social injustice.

c.      To eliminate unemployment.

d.      To expand productive employment.

e.      To participate in social development.

9. “…unless women wholly and equitably participate in social  development.” (P.3).

      The underlined word is similar to…

a.      attend

b.      postpone

c.      take part

d.      prevent

e.      expand

10. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?

      a. The United Nations estimation about the number of women in poverty.

      b. 70 percent of female.

      c. Poverty in the world.

      d. The United Nation summit attended by Secretary- General.

e.The conference for women.

11. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

 a. Poverty, unemployment and Social injustice marked the conference.

       b. There are four themes in the conference.

       c. Poverty can be eliminated soon.

       d.The number of women in extreme poverty grew by 50 percent over the past

           20 years.

       e. Productive employment can be expanded in the world.

Text 4

Jakarta (JP). The number of people injured in the weekend earthquake in the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu reached 26.The earthquake, measuring 5,8 in the opened Ritchter Scale, also damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings. So far no deaths have been reported.

            "Only 3 of the 26 injured are still being treated at a government clinic. In the Sausu Trans village, the rest have returned home,'' Mohammad Haerollah, an official of the Central Sulawesi Office of the Ministry of the Ministry of Social Services, told the Jakarta Post yesterday.

            Officials at the metereology and geo-physics office in Palu said earlier that the epicentre was in the Gulf of Tomini,32 kilometres east of Palu, at a depth of 32 kilometres. The office recorded 396 tremors between 5.30 p.m. on Saturday and 12.00 a.m. on Sunday. However, locals felt 47 of the tremors.

            Antara News Agency reported on Saturday that most of the casualities were adults, injured by collapsing structures. The agency also said, that victims were mainly residents of the Sausu,Suli, Torono, and malakosa villages.

12.  Which statement is true according to the text?

       a. There were 349 tremors felt by people.

       b. Some people were killed by the earth-quake.

       c. Sausu, Suli, Torono and Malakosa were the worst places hit.                                   

      d. The earthquake happened in the South Sulawesi capital  of Palu.

      e. An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter Scale rocked Palu.

13. Why are 3 of the 26 injured still may be treated?

      a. These 3 casualties were possibly badly injured

      b. The casualties felt comfortable with the hospital service.

      c. Maybe the facilities at the clinic were complete enough.

      d. The injured satisfied with the doctor's treatment at the clinic.

      e. These 26 casualties couldn't stand staying in the clinic anymore.

Text 5

            Last week I took my five- year old son, Willy, to a musical instrument store in my hometown. I wanted to buy him a set of junior drum because his drum teacher advised me to buy him one. Willy likes listening to music very much. He also likes asking me everything he wants to know. Even his questions sometimes seem precocious for a boy of his age. He is very inquisitive.

            We went there by car. On the way, we saw a policeman standing near a traffic light regulating the passing cars and other vehicles. He blew his whistle  now and then.

             Seeing the policeman blowing his whistle, Willy asked me at once,” Dad, why is the policeman using a whistle, not a drum?”

            Hearing his unexpected question I answered reluctantly,”Because he is not Phil Collins!”

14. What does the text talk about?

      a. Willy and his new drum.

      b. Phil Collins and his drum.

      c. A policeman and his whistle.

      d. Willy’s drum private teacher.

      e. The writer’s five-years old son.

15. From the text above we know that Willy is a/an …. Boy.

a.      smart

b.      funny

c.      stupid

d.      childish

e.      annoying

16. Which sentence makes the text a funny story?

a.      He is a very inquisitive.

b.      “Because he is not Phil Collins”.

c.      He blew his whistle  now and then.

d.      He also likes asking me everything he wants to know.

e.      ”Dad, why is the policeman using a whistle, not a drum?”

Text 6

When the earthquake happened, Tom was on his car.He was driving home from work. Suddenly, his car lurched to one side, to the left. He thought he got a flat tyre. He did not know that it was an earthquake. he knew that it was earthquake when he saw some telegraph poles falling to the ground, like matchsticks.  Then, he saw lot of rocks tumbling across the road. He was trapped by the rocks.He could not move  his car at all. There were rock everywhere. There were nothing he could do but left his car and walked a long awayto his house, in the town. And when he got there, he was very surprised that there was almost nothing left. The eatrhquake made a lot of damage to his town.

17.   When did he know that it was earth-quake ?

a.      When he saw some telegraph poles falling to the ground.

    b. When he saw lot of rock tumbling across the road.                

c. a and b are true

d. He could not move his car at all.

e. There were nothing.

18.  The earthquake made a lot of damage to his town.

The underlined word means ….

       a. batu                

       b. puing – puing

       c. rumah                   

      d. kerusakan       

      e. kota

19. The text above is in the form of ……

      a..Narrative                     

      b. News item

 c. Recount                 

 d. Procedure

 e.  Report

Text 7

Fire rage across four Australian states

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (UPI) – Fire authorities in four Australian states are to control bushfires fanned by strong winds and searing temperatures.

The Australian reported Sunday that blazes continued to burn in South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria, where up to six homes have been destroyed. In South Australia, much of Adelaide is engulfed in thick smoke. The firefighters who are confronted by blast-furnace winds try to bring the flames under control.

At Robertstown in state’s mid-north, more than 2,500 acres have already burned. Another bushfire, started by lighting, charred the earth near Mouth Flat on the southern side of Kangaroo Island, while Ngarkat Conservation Park, in the state’s upper-southeast, is also a blaze.

A 7,500-acres fire at Mount Agnew in Zeehan, in the state’s west, broke containment lines Saturday afternoon, jumping a road and coming close to homes.

The most serious fire were in Victoria, where up to six homes were destroyed by a fire near the town of Anakie, 36 miles west of Melbourne.

In Tasmania, falling temperatures and patchy rain brought some relief to firefighters, who continued to monitor 22 blazes across the state.

20. The writer wrote the text to … readers about newsworthy events in four Australian states.

      a.   entertain                                                  d.   inform

      b.   persuade                                                 e.   amuse

      c.   explain

21. What is the text about?

      a.   Fires in some areas of Australia           d.   The danger of fire

      b.   Weather effects in fire                            e.   The cause of fire

      c.   The effects of fire

22. The fire increasingly happened in some parts of Australia because of ….

      a.   strong winds and searing temperatures    d.         heavy rain

      b.   falling temperatures                               e.   lightning

      c.   thick smoke

23. “…, while Ngarkat Conservation Park, in the state’s upper-southeast, is also a blaze. (Paragraph 3)

      What do the underlined words mean?

      a.   dangerous                                               d.   on fire

      b.   covered                                                   e.   at risk

      c.   isolated

Text 8

Moscow-A Russian journalist has uncovered evidence of another Soviet nuclear catastrophe, which killed 10 sailors and contaminated an entire town. Yelena Varshavskya is the first journalist to speak to people who witnessed the explosion of a nuclear submarine at the naval base of Shkotovo-22 near Vladivostok.

The accident, which occurred 13 months before the Chernobyl disaster, spread radioactive fall-out over the base and nearby town, but was covered up by officials of the Soviet union. Residents were told the explosion in the reactor of the Victor-class submarine during a refit had been a ‘thermal’ and not a nuclear explosion. And those involved in the clean up operation to remove more than 600 tones of contaminated material were sworn to secrecy.

A board of investigation was later to describe it as the worst accident in the history of the Soviet Navy.

24. What does the text tell us about?

      a.   Soviet nuclear                                         d.   A Russian journalist

      b.   The Chernobyl disaster                         e.   Contaminated town

      c.   The Soviet Union

25. Which one of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

      a.   10 sailors were killed by a Russian journalist.

      b.   Yelena Varshavskya witnessed the explosion of a nuclear submarine.

      c.   No one witnessed the explosion of a nuclear submarine.

      d.   The town was contaminated by the Soviet nuclear catastrophe.

      e.   Yelena Varshavskya exploded a nuclear submarine.

26. “The accident, which occurred 13 months before…” (Paragraph 2)

      The underlined word means ….

      a.   exploded                                                 d.   happened

      b.   appeared                                                 e.   took part

      c.   uncovered

27. When did the explosion of a nuclear submarine happen?

      a.   Thirteen months before the Chernobyl disaster.

      b.   13 months after the Chernobyl disaster.

      c.   When the Chernobyl happened.

      d.   Long before a Russian journalist has uncovered evidence.

      e.   When a Russian journalist has uncovered evidence.