Focus on the newspaper science and environment

Analyzing Science Articles; Articles on Ecology and Health Care

Newspapers print articles on science topics when the information is of interest or importance to the general public. Many articles report the results of research: for example, scientists may have discovered a way to produce energy from the atom or from the sun more effectively or have made a breakthrough in research of a disease.

Explanation in Science Articles

The journalist must be careful to make the technical material meaningful to readers who are not specialists in the field. Science-related articles often include definitions, examples, comparisons, reasons and statistics to help readers understand the scientific findings.

Exercise 1. Dissecting a Science Article

Find a science article in the daily newspaper. Number the paragraphs in the article. Then read it, looking for the information requested in the chart.

Analysis of a Science Article
Main idea:
Did you find ...	Yes	No	Paragraph Number(s)
1. a definition?
2. an example?
3. a comparison?
4. a reason?
5. a result?
6. a statistic point?
7. a problem?
8. a solution?
9. a scientific discovery?
10. a recommendation?
11. contrasting points of view?

Articles on Ecology

Ecology is the branch of science that deals with the relationship between living things and their environment. In recent years, there has been a lot of public concern about the environment throughout the world. Newspapers frequently print articles about air, land and water pollution and about damage to plants and animals. These articles can be divided into two main categories: (1) those that tell about present or future harm; (2) those that tell about efforts to improve the environment.

Exercise 2. Articles on Our Environment

Find a newspaper article on the general topic of ecology. Then answer these questions about it.

1. What is the main idea of this article? State it in one sentence.

2. Who or what is affected by the problem?

3. Does the article make you feel optimistic or pessimistic about the environment on earth in the future?

4. What is the source of the information in the article?

5. Do you think this is an objective source, or would this person, group, business, industry, etc. have a bias? Would self-interest be served by making things sound better or worse than they really are?

Articles on Health Care

Newspapers often print news stories about the latest achievements in medical research and treatment. Many papers also print regular columns by physicians and health care experts. These answer questions from readers and give advice about physical and mental health.

Daily newspapers are an important source of information about advances in the field of medicine. Newspapers perform a great service by telling people how to take better care of themselves.

Exercise 3. It’s Your Health

Scan the headlines of three newspapers, and look for articles and columns about health care. Select two articles or columns to scan and analyze. Then write down this information about each article:

1. What is the most important scientific fact stated in the article?

2. Did you know this fact before reading it there?

3. Is there a stated or implied recommendation about changing behaviour to stay healthier (e. g. avoid smoking or eating fats)?

Section 7

SPORTS

Article 17