Focus on the newspaper business

Analyzing Business Articles

The business section of a newspaper contains information that affects people’s economic lives. Individuals with money to invest can find information and advice that will help them earn money on investments in stocks, bonds or real estate. Everyone can find information about employment trends and developing career areas. Since we live in a global economy, economic events in other countries that can affect business where you live are reported.

Topics of business articles

You will find a variety of articles in the business section, including:

1. articles reporting the financial situation of companies, whether they are running at a profit or a loss;

1. articles reporting new products and technology developed or being developed by businesses, and how these might affect the businesses;

1. information on whether currencies, such as the dollar or euro, are going up and down the value;

1. articles on how political policies and elections are effecting business.

And the list could continue. All the articles help the reader analyze current business conditions.

Exercise 1. It’s your business

Analyze the business article by answering these questions:

1. What’s the headline? How does it help you predict the contents and viewpoint of the article?

2. What is the purpose of the article? (to report the conditions of a company, new product, trends in the stock market, experts’ opinion on economic conditions, etc.)

3. What is the main idea of the article?

4. Does the article make a prediction about the future? If so, what is the prediction?

5. Does the article give the reader any advice? If so, what is it?

Exercise 2. The language of business

Like all areas, business uses its own special vocabulary. To understand business articles, you need to know such terms as recession, stocks, bonds, futures, and bull market. Read two or three business articles. Write down the unknown terms (at least 20) and be ready to explain them in English. Learn them.

Exercise 3. How’s business?

Scan the business section of newspapers over the past several weeks, looking for information about general business conditions in some area. As you read, look for answers to the following questions. Be prepared to discuss your conclusions in class.

1. Is it difficult to find a job right now? Why? In what field are employment opportunities best?

2. For the person with capital to invest, what is a good place to put it now, according to the experts?

3. What economic problems does your area face at this time?

4. What is the economic outlook - optimistic or pessimistic?

Section 4

EDUCATION

Article 9

New under the tree: computers for tots

Previewing the Article

Diane Bishop won’t be getting her 2-year-old daughter a cuddly stuffed animal or a shiny red wagon this Christmas. Instead, Bishop is looking for the latest high-tech product for small children, a computer. This trend is so popular that a large New York toy store has added a new department, the Learning Centre.

Ambitious mothers like Diane Bishop shop there for the equipment that they believe will give their children an advantage in early learning. But educators are not certain that these simple computer programs teach much of anything to the child. Will the flashing colours and “peppy” music excite toddlers about learning, or not? This article describes the computer programs being used by young children, and it examines the issue surrounding their value.

Before You Read

Before you read the article, discuss these questions.

1. How are children in your native culture educated in their early years? Remember the way you were educated when you were young.

2. Do you think that computers are a good gift for small children? Why, or why not?

As You Read

As you read, look for information what a typical computer product for a preschooler is like, including its response to right and wrong answers.