Advanced English Conversations (2) - Robert Allans, Matt Edie, A. Mustafaoglu 2020

Set 80 - let me frame the question differently

Paul: Right! I want to put the following question to you: do you think the channels of communication between politicians and the people are adequate? Well, let me frame the question differently. Do politicians genuinely communicate directly with the public?

Zoё: Not really. It just sounds bites on TV. They hardly ever meet ordinary people face to face. They don’t mind fielding questions from journalists, they’re used to that. There are some politicians who have websites and write blogs to establishing communication with people, though.

Jerry: Fine. I take your point. But no politician can meet everyone face to face, so communicating with as many people as possible using technology could be seen as more genuinely democratic, couldn’t it?

Imelda: Yes, but they become less accountable. If there’s a scandal, they just issue a denial. They enter into a contract with the people and if they breach that contract they should be directly accountable, and not just at election time.

Vocabulary;

put a question to someone: to ask a question.

frame: formulate (a concept, plan, or system).

genuinely: really and sincerely.

bites: short pieces of information.

field questions; to answer a series of questions.

establish communication: to make it possible to connect effectively.

take one’s point: to understand and/or come to agree with a particular point someone is trying to make.

issue a denial: to deny something publicly or officially.

enter into a contract: to make an official agreement to do something.

to break or violate the terms of a contract.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases or words;

1. The interview would have been more productive if the questions had been .......... more precisely.

2. Amid jokes about his skill with a knife, they shared .......... and endured more pictures.

3. He is .......... motivated by a desire to help people.

4. An employer is not .......... the contract for sacking some one because of his or her age.

5. Immediately the government issued a .......... of the rumours.

6. But Bob, if we don't secure the investment by Friday, we stand to lose everything the other investors had put in so far. Do you take my ..........?

7. After her speech, Jane .......... questions from reporters.

8. Some local authorities have .......... into a contract with private companies to construct the tunnel.

9. Buckley said it took a few hours to establish .......... with Dear on Saturday.

10. The lawyer would like to .......... another question to the defendant.

1. framed 2. bites 3. genuinely 4. breaching 5. denial 6. point 7. fielded 8. entered 9. communication 10. put