Weekly Lessons

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Advanced 1 Key Words Fill the gaps using these words from the text: subdued encampment abduction warp overwhelmed crave thug 1. If you

4. A

breed

something, you want it very much and in such a way that it is very hard to control.

2. If a place is 3. To

fundamentalist raid

by people, there are so many people in it that it is difficult to deal with them. a negative feeling or situation is to cause it to develop. is a man who is violent, especially a criminal.

5. An

is the act of taking someone away from their home or family using force.

6. To

something, for example a person’s character, is to affect it in a negative way.

7. A

person or group believes that original religious and political laws should be followed

very strictly and not be changed. 8. A

is a sudden short attack.

9. If someone looks 10. An

, he looks slightly sad or worried. is a large group of tents or temporary shelters.

2 Pre-reading What do you know? Choose the best answer for each question. Then look in the text and check your answers. 1. Where is Uganda? a. In the Middle East.

b. In Asia

2. What is the main problem in northern Uganda? a. A civil war. b. Severe floods.

c. In Africa.

c. Severe droughts.

3. How long has this problem existed? a. For almost 5 years. b. For almost 10 years. c. For almost 20 years. 4. What is the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)? a. The group in power. b. A rebel group.

c. The country’s army.

The night-walkers of Uganda

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Mary Aciro has spent the day gathering grass to feed the cattle, weeding the vegetable patch and helping her mother cook dinner over a charcoal fire: the life of any African girl in any African village. But as daylight begins to fade, Mary slips away from the family’s tiny mud hut and strides down a sandy track into the nearest town. The adults in the town of Lacor in northern Uganda are going home for dinner on buses. Mary, along with hundreds of other children, is going the other way. The children are dressed in rags and flip-flops;

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Advanced some carry sacks or rolled-up blankets on their shoulders. They scramble over grassy banks and hurry down the sun-scorched roadside on the way to the night shelters, which are guarded by government troops. In any other country a 14-year-old girl leaving her home and an anxious mother for the night would spell rebellion. Here, it’s simply about survival. “We fear the rebels, we fear thugs and robbers who come at night to disturb us,” says Mary as she walks with a swinging stride. On a troubled continent, the war in this region stands out. It is Africa’s longest-running civil war, and perhaps the only conflict in history in which children are both the main victims and the principal aggressors. Mary and the other children walk to safety every night because they fear, with good reason, abduction by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Christian fundamentalist rebel group that uses children as soldiers, porters and sexual slaves. The LRA carries out its raids at night, storming into villages from the surrounding bush, killing adults and forcing children to beat their parents before marching them away to camps deep in the bush. Mary’s 15-year-old brother, Geoffrey, was abducted by the rebels; he was held for three months. “They made him carry heavy loads, beat him at times, he went without food,” says their mother, Agnes. Geoffrey only escaped when a government helicopter gunship attacked the rebels holding him. Mary’s neighbour, a girl named Florence, was abducted too. She spent three years with the rebels: she was forced into sexual slavery and became pregnant. Desperate to keep the child-snatchers from their doors, parents in northern Uganda began sending their children into nearby towns at night in 2002. 40,000 children across the region started walking into towns to sleep. Aid agencies set up shelters to give them somewhere safe to go, and it’s one of these that Mary is heading for. As she approaches Lacor, she walks past bars lit by a single lightbulb and tiny shops whose wooden shelves are crammed with cooking oil, salt, soap powder and mobile phone top-up cards. As the shadows spread, the shopkeepers open their thief-proof metal doors and step out. Mary lives near the town but some of the other children walk for hours to reach safety. When she reaches the shelter, it is already full of children, some of them barely toddlers, others in their late teens. The shelter is made up of stark concrete buildings, bare as a barn inside, as well as rows of giant white canvas tents. Lillian Apiyo, 14, is already inside. “I come here for protection,” she says. “I always get new friends from here. There is nowhere to stay at home.” The children filter through the gates looking subdued, but a party atmosphere soon develops. A dozen or so children begin dancing. At other shelters there is frenetic singing of motivational songs. The shelters are busy enough as it is, and if food were provided, they would be overwhelmed. Adult wardens patrol with torches, breaking up the occasional fight over a blanket and checking on children who look scared or upset. “When I am here, I feel I am somebody,” says Gabriel Oloya, who studies his schoolbooks in the dim light. “When I am at home, I’m always upset. I feel lonely and so many thoughts come into my mind. Here, I tend to forget such things.” Gabriel, 15, is responsible for the four younger brothers who walk with him to the shelter. “My parents are dead, killed by the rebels,” he says.

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Childhood is short in rural Africa, but it is rare for children to be thrown so completely on their own resources as they are in this war-damaged society. The children who come to the shelters crave affection. Many of them are orphans whose parents were murdered by the rebels and who have been taken in by their extended family. The girls comb each other’s hair while the boys spin bottle-tops or engage in play fights.

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Advanced In the shelter the wardens keep boys and girls apart, but outside its gates young couples are cuddling in the semi-darkness. This sort of thing does worry Mary’s mother. “We can’t follow our children up to the shelter,” Agnes says. “Sometimes a girl says she has gone there, but she has gone to a boyfriend, and she becomes pregnant and drops out of school.” But then there is more to worry about than teenage boys. The Acholi and Lango tribes of northern Uganda were once farmers, living in scattered villages amid their herds of cattle and fields of maize. But 19 years of war have warped everything: almost the entire population of the north, 1.5 million people, has been displaced into crowded, dusty encampments on the outskirts of towns. Despair has bred alcoholism and violence; the horror of war is part and parcel of life. As the older generation dies out, so does the hope of returning to a normal life. This is a culture with few written records, which relies on memories to place the boundaries of farmland and the distance to the nearest stream. When their parents are gone, the children’s link with their original villages will be broken for ever. “For me, the worst thing that may happen here is a situation where officially there is no war, but everybody remains in the camps,” says Father Carlos Rodriguez Soto, a Roman Catholic priest who has spent 18 years in Uganda. The sun has not quite risen when the wardens rouse the children. After a prayer and a wash, the children who have blankets roll them on to their shoulders, the older ones gather up younger brothers and sisters and they begin to slip out of the gates and stream on to the road. By 9 a.m. the sun will burn and sweat will drip from every forehead, but now it is gentle. It is a good time to walk home.

3 Comprehension check Match each fact with a reason or purpose. Facts 1. In Uganda 40,000 children leave their home every night. 2. The LRA abducts children. 3. Aid agencies have set up shelters. 4. Food isn’t provided in night shelters. 5. Wardens patrol the shelters with torches. 6. A lot of children crave affection. 7. Childhood is very short in Uganda. 8. The children’s link with their villages will be lost.

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Reasons or purposes a. To avoid having overwhelmed shelters. b. Because they fear abduction. c. To break up fights and check on the children. d. To use them as soldiers, porters and sexual slaves. e. Because they are orphans. f. To provide a safe place for children to go to. g. Because there are few written records and the older generation is dying out. h. Because children are thrown on their own resources at an early age.

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Advanced 4 Vocabulary 1 Adjective order Put the words in order to make phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text. 1. mud / hut / tiny / a 2. tents / giant / canvas / white 3. concrete / buildings / stark 4. fundamentalist / Christian / a / group / rebel

5 Vocabulary 2 Compound modifiers Write a compound word (a word made up of two or more words joined by dashes) to complete the descriptions in column B. Check your answers in the text.

A

1. the roadside scorched by the sun

B

the

roadside

2. blankets that have been rolled up

blankets

3. a girl who is 14 years old

a

4. the civil war that has run the longest

the

girl civil war

5. metal doors that are proof against thieves 6. a society that has been damaged by the war

metal doors society

a

6 Vocabulary 3 Phrasal verbs Use these words to complete phrasal verbs from the text. Check your answers in the text. in

for

out

up

1. The LRA carries 2. Geoffrey had to go

without raids at night. food.

6. Wardens patrol the shelters to break fights.

3. Aid agencies set

shelters.

7. Gabriel was taken

4. Mary is heading

a night shelter.

family.

5. The shelter is made

of buildings



8. The older generation is dying

by his extended

.

and tents.

7 Discussion

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Of all the problems in Uganda, which do you think is the most serious of all? Why? What could be done to help solve it?

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Advanced KEY 1 Key Words Fill the gaps using these words from the text: 1. crave 2. overwhelmed 3. breed 4. thug 5. abduction 6. warp 7. fundamentalist 8. raid 9. subdued 10. encampment

2 Find the information 1. c; 2. a; 3. c; 4.b

3 Comprehension check 1. b; 2. d; 3. f; 4. a; 5. c; 6. e; 7. h; 8. g

4 Vocabulary 1 - Adjective order 1. a tiny mud hut 2. giant white canvas tents 3. stark concrete buildings 4. a Christian fundamentalist rebel group

5 Vocabulary 2 – Compound modifiers 1. the sun-scorched roadside 2. rolled-up blankets 3. a 14-year-old girl 4. the longest-running civil war 5. thief-proof metal doors 6. a war-damaged society

6 Vocabulary 3 - Phrasal verbs

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1. out 2. without 3. up 4. for 5. up 6. up 7. in 8. out

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key Words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. aid agency pregnant shelter slave bush

capture rebel

hut patrol

warden

1. A

is a small simple house with only one or two rooms.

2. A

is a place where people are protected from bad weather or from danger.

3. A

is someone who opposes their government and tries to remove it using force.

4. A

is someone who is responsible for a place and checks that people follow rules.

5. If you

a person, you take him or her prisoner.

6. If you

a place, you move regularly around it in order to prevent trouble or crime.

7. The 8. An 9. A

is an area in a hot country that is not used for growing food. is an organization that gives money, food or help to people in need. is someone who is forced to do what another person tells them to do and has to work for

him or her. 10. If a woman is

, she is going to have a baby.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. Where is Mary Aciro from? 2. How old is she? 3. What is the LRA? 4. How many children spend the nights in shelters? 5. How many people live in shelters?

The night-walkers of Uganda Mary Aciro lives near the town of Lacor in northern Uganda. Every day, she collects grass to feed the cattle, works in the vegetable patch and helps her mother cook dinner over a fire. And then, just before the sun sets, Mary leaves her family’s tiny hut and walks down a sandy road into Lacor. The adults are going home for dinner on buses. Mary and hundreds of other children are going the other way. They are wearing dirty old clothes and flip-flops. Some are carrying sacks or rolled-up blankets. They are going to night shelters guarded by government troops.

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In any other country, a mother wouldn’t let her 14-year-old daughter leave home for the night. Here, the most important thing is to survive. “We fear the rebels and violent robbers who come at night to disturb us,” says Mary as she walks.

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Elementary There are many problems in Africa but the war in this region is the worst problem of all. It is Africa’s longest civil war. Mary and the other children walk to the shelters every night because they don’t want to be captured by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA is a religious rebel group that uses children as soldiers, porters and sexual slaves. The rebels attack the villagers at night. They kill adults and take the children away to camps in the bush. Mary’s 15-year-old brother, Geoffrey, was captured by the rebels and he was a prisoner for three months. “They made him carry heavy things. They hit him and didn’t give him any food,” says their mother, Agnes. Geoffrey escaped when a government helicopter attacked the rebel camp he was in. Mary’s neighbour, a girl named Florence, was captured too. She spent three years with the rebels: she was forced to have sex and became pregnant. In 2002, desperate parents in northern Uganda began sending their children—about 40,000 of them—into nearby towns at night. Aid agencies built shelters to give them a safe place to go. Mary is going to one of these places. When she reaches the shelter, it is full of children of all ages. The shelter is made up of concrete buildings and large white tents. Lillian Apiyo, 14, is already inside. “I come here for protection,” she says. The children look sad when they reach the shelter, but soon they become happier. Some children begin dancing. At other shelters, they sing songs. The children are not given anything to eat. The shelters are already very busy, and if food were given to the children, they would be even busier. Adult wardens patrol with torches. They stop fights occasionally and check on children who look frightened or unhappy. “When I am here, I feel I am somebody. When I am at home, I’m always upset,” says Gabriel Oloya, 15, who is responsible for the four younger brothers who walk with him to the shelter. “My parents are dead, killed by the rebels,” he says. Childhood is short in rural Africa, but it is even shorter in this society. The children are alone and they need love. Many of them live with their extended family because their parents were killed by the rebels. In the shelter the wardens keep boys and girls apart, but outside its gates young couples are alone in the semi-darkness. This sort of thing worries Mary’s mother. “We can’t follow our children up to the shelter,” Agnes says. “Sometimes a girl says she has gone there, but she has gone to a boyfriend, and she becomes pregnant and leaves school.” But other things worry her more. The tribes of northern Uganda were once farmers. They lived in small villages and had cattle and fields of maize. But 19 years of war have destroyed everything. Almost all the population of the north, 1.5 million people, now lives in crowded temporary shelters near the towns. As the war goes on, the situation gets worse. There is little hope of returning to a normal life. This is a culture with few written records. When their parents are gone, the children’s link with their villages will be lost. Who will tell the children the boundaries of farmland or the distance to the nearest stream? “For me, the worst thing that may happen here is a situation where there is no war, but everybody stays in the camps,” says Father Carlos Rodriguez Soto, a Roman Catholic priest who has spent 18 years in Uganda.

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The wardens wake up the children before the sun rises. The children pray and wash. Some children roll their blankets, others call their younger brothers and sisters. They leave the shelter and walk to the road. At 9 a.m. the sun will be very hot, but now it is gentle. It is a good time to walk home.

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Elementary 3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and the endings to make complete sentences. 1. In northern Uganda 40,000 children 2. The rebels attack villages at night and 3. Aid agencies have built shelters to 4. In the shelters wardens walk around to 5. There are few written records, so older people 6. After 19 years of war, it will a. provide safe places for children. b. pass information on to children. c. leave their home every night. d. keep order and help children who are scared or sad. e. capture children to use them as slaves. f. be very difficult to return to a normal life.

4 Vocabulary 1 Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make phrases from the text. 1. feed

a. dirty old clothes

2. look

b. pregnant

3. wear

c. home / school

4. carry

d. shelters

5. leave

e. the cattle

6. build

f. sacks

7. become

g. dinner

8. cook

h. sad

5 Vocabulary 2 Prepositions Complete these sentences based on the text using an appropriate preposition. Check your answers in the text. northern Uganda.

dinner on buses.

camps in the bush. 7. The shelter is full

4. The shelters are guarded

teenagers.

government troops.

8. Wardens patrol

5. The rebels attack the villagers

children and

torches.

night.

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3. Adults go home

a fire.

to the

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2. Mary’s mother cooks dinner

6. The rebels take the children

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1. Mary lives

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Elementary 6 Vocabulary 3 Verbs related to wars Use these verbs to complete these sentences based on the text. Check your answers in the text. killed

destroyed

1. Geoffrey was

attacked

by the rebels. after three months.

5. Almost 20 years of war have

by the rebels. almost everything in northern Uganda.

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4. Gabriel’s parents were

the camp.

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3. A government helicopter

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2. He

captured

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escaped

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key Words 1. hut 2. shelter 3. rebel 4. warden 5. capture 6. patrol 7. bush 8. aid agency 9. slave 10. pregnant

2 Find the information 1. (northern) Uganda 2. 14 3. the Lord’s Resistance Army / a rebel group 4. 40,000 5. 1.5 million

3 Comprehension check 1. c; 2. e; 3.a; 4. d; 5. b; 6. f

4 Vocabulary 1 Collocations 1. e; 2. h; 3. a; 4. f; 5. c; 6. d; 7. b; 8. g

5 Vocabulary 2 Prepositions 1. in 2. over 3. for 4. by 5. at 6. away 7. of 8. with

6 Vocabulary 3 Verbs related to wars

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6 3

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1. captured 2. escaped 3. attacked 4. killed 5. destroyed

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Intermediate 1 Key Words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. toddler abduction

rags beat

1. An

warden thug rebellion aid agency damage alcoholism is an organization that helps people affected by wars or natural disasters.

2. A

is a violent criminal.

3. A

is a very young child who is learning to walk.

4. A

is someone whose job is to be responsible for a place and check that rules are obeyed.

5. An

is the act of taking someone way from their home or family using force.

6. If something causes

, there is strong opposition to it.

7. To

someone is to hit a person violently several times.

8. To

something is to break it or spoil it.

9.

are clothes that are old, torn and dirty.

10.

is a medical condition that makes it difficult for people to control the amount of drinks such

as wine or beer that they drink.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What country is Mary Aciro from? 2. Where is this country? 3. What is the LRA? 4. When did children start going into towns? 5. Approximately how many children spend the nights in towns? 6. What problem has existed in Mary’s country for 19 years?

The night-walkers of Uganda Mary Aciro has spent the day gathering grass to feed the cattle, weeding the vegetables and helping her mother cook dinner over a fire: the life of any African girl in any African village. But before the sun sets, Mary leaves the family’s tiny mud hut and walks down a sandy track into the nearest town. The adults in the town of Lacor in northern Uganda are going home for dinner on buses. Mary and hundreds of other children are going the other way. They are dressed in rags and flip-flops; some carry sacks or rolled-up blankets on their shoulders. They are on the way to the night shelters, which are guarded by government troops.

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In any other country, a 14-year-old girl leaving her home and an anxious mother for the night would cause rebellion. Here, it is necessary to survive. “We fear the rebels, we fear thugs and robbers who come at night to disturb us,” says Mary as she walks.

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Intermediate On a continent with many wars, the war in this region is particularly bad. It is Africa’s longest civil war, and perhaps the only conflict in history in which children are both the main victims and the main attackers. Mary and the other children walk to safety every night because they fear, with good reason, abduction by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a religious rebel group that uses children as soldiers, porters and sexual slaves. The LRA attacks the villagers at night, killing adults and forcing children to beat their parents before taking them away to camps deep in the bush. Mary’s 15-year-old brother, Geoffrey, was abducted by the rebels. He was held for three months. “They made him carry heavy things, beat him at times, gave him no food,” says their mother, Agnes. Geoffrey only escaped when a government helicopter attacked the rebel camp he was in. Mary’s neighbour, a girl named Florence, was abducted too. She spent three years with the rebels: she was forced into sexual slavery and became pregnant. In 2002, desperate parents in northern Uganda began sending their children—about 40,000 of them—into nearby towns at night. Aid agencies built shelters to give them somewhere safe to go, and it’s one of these that Mary is going to. Mary lives near the town, but some of the other children walk for hours to reach safety. When she reaches the shelter, it is already full of children of all ages. The shelter is made up of concrete buildings and giant white canvas tents. Lillian Apiyo, 14, is already inside. “I come here for protection,” she says. “I always get new friends from here. There is nowhere to stay at home.” The children walk through the gates looking sad, but a party atmosphere soon develops. A dozen or so children begin dancing. At other shelters, they sing songs that cheer them up. The children are not given anything to eat. The shelters are busy enough as it is, and if food were provided, they would be even busier. Adult wardens patrol with torches, stopping occasional fights and checking on children who look scared or upset. “When I am here, I feel I am somebody,” says Gabriel Oloya. “When I am at home, I’m always upset. Here, I forget my worries.” Gabriel, 15, is responsible for the four younger brothers who walk with him to the shelter. “My parents are dead, killed by the rebels,” he says. Childhood is short in rural Africa, but it is even shorter in this society damaged by the war. The children who come to the shelters are in need of affection. Many of them live with their extended family because their parents were murdered by the rebels. In the shelter the wardens keep boys and girls apart, but outside its gates young couples are alone in the semi-darkness. This sort of thing worries Mary’s mother. “We can’t follow our children up to the shelter,” Agnes says. “Sometimes a girl says she has gone there, but she has gone to a boyfriend, and she becomes pregnant and leaves school.” But then there is more to worry about than teenage boys. The tribes of northern Uganda were once farmers who kept cattle and grew maize. But 19 years of war have destroyed everything: almost the entire population of the north, 1.5 million people, now live in crowded temporary shelters on the outskirts of towns. There is alcoholism and violence, and the horror of war is part of everyday life.

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The hope of returning to a normal life is slowly disappearing. This is a culture with few written records. When their parents are gone, the children’s link with their villages will be lost. Who will tell the children the boundaries of farmland or the distance to the nearest stream? “For me, the worst thing that may happen here is a situation where there is no war, but everybody stays in the camps,” says Father Carlos Rodriguez Soto, a Roman Catholic priest who has spent 18 years in Uganda.

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Intermediate The wardens wake up the children before the sun rises. After a prayer and a wash, some children roll their blankets on to their shoulders and the older ones gather up younger brothers and sisters. They walk out of the gates on to the road. By 9 am the sun will burn, but now it is gentle. It is a good time to walk home.

3 Comprehension check Choose TWO correct answers to complete each sentence: 1. In northern Uganda 40,000 children a. spend the night in shelters built by aid agencies. b. leave their homes at the age of 14. c. are afraid of being captured by the rebels. 2. The LRA is a rebel group that a. captures children to use them as slaves. b. attacks villages and murders people at night. c. takes adults away to camps in the bush. 3. The shelters a. provide children with food. b. are a safe place for children to stay. c. are guarded by government troops. 4. The war in Uganda has lasted so long that a. it has completely destroyed society. b. there is little hope of returning to a normal life. c. people will have to stay in camps forever.

4 Vocabulary 1 Descriptions

2. a sandy

b. tent

3. a concrete

c. hut

4. a canvas

d. shelter

5. an extended

e. track

6. a crowded

f. family

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a. building

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1. a mud

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Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to form descriptions from the text.

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Intermediate 5 Vocabulary 2 Word building Complete the table. Check your answers in the text. Noun (person)

Noun (thing)

1. governor

_____________

2. rebel

_____________

3. abductor

_____________

4. slave

_____________

5. child

_____________

6. farmer

_____________

6 Vocabulary 3 Find the wrong word Cross out the word or phrase that CAN’T complete the sentence. The first one is done for you. 1. The children are dressed in rags / torches / flip-flops. 2. Some children carry tracks / sacks / blankets. 3. Villagers fear wardens / thugs / rebels. 4. The rebels use children as soldiers / slaves / victims. 5. Shelters are safe / desperate / crowded. 6. Some children are full / scared / upset. 7. Children need alcoholism / affection / protection. 8. In northern Uganda, the society is damaged / destroyed / murdered by war.

7 Discussion

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Of all the problems in Uganda, which do you think is the most serious of all? Why? What could be done to help solve it?

The night-walkers of Uganda Level 1 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key Words 1. aid agency 2. thug 3. toddler 4. warden 5. abduction 6. rebellion 7. beat 8. damage 9. Rags 10. Alcoholism

2 Find the information 1. Uganda 2. in Africa 3. the Lord’s Resistance Army / a rebel group 4. in 2002 5. 40,000 6. a (civil) war

3 Comprehension check 1. a, c; 2. a, b; 3. b, c; 4. a, b

4 Vocabulary 1 Descriptions 1. c; 2. e; 3. a; 4. b; 5. f; 6. d

5 Vocabulary 2 Word building 1. government 2. rebellion 3. abduction 4. slavery 5. childhood 6. farmland

6 Vocabulary 3 Find the wrong word

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1. torches 2. tracks 3. wardens 4. victims 5. desperate 6. full 7. alcoholism 8. murdered

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 3 l Advanced 1 Pre-reading 1 Look at the headline. What do you think the article will be about?

2 Pre-reading 2 Key Words Predict the meaning of these words from the text by matching them with the definitions. a polytunnel a dozen a walking frame to witness something defiance to cheer somebody on to object to something to descend on (a place) to spring up a migrant 1.

to say that you disagree with something

2.

to see something happen

3.

an open refusal to obey; a strong protest

4.

to encourage somebody to continue what they are doing

5.

twelve, or about twelve

6.

someone who moves to another country to work or live

7.

to appear suddenly and unexpectedly, as if by magic

8.

a metal support that helps old or disabled people to move

9.

a long, transparent polythene cover to protect growing

plants, tall enough for people to work inside 10.

to arrive somewhere in large numbers

Now read the first four paragraphs and see if you were right.

Mrs Salisbury herself was surprised by what the east Europeans did next. According to some of the people who witnessed her act of defiance against S&A Davies, Europe’s largest strawberry grower, the workers started clapping, and then cheered her on. By the time the farm manager had arrived, Mrs Salisbury was a hero. A hero, not just for those people in the county of Herefordshire who object to thousands of acres of plastic-covered farmland, but also to an army of workers from all over eastern Europe who pick fruit for British supermarkets.

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When Val Salisbury walked down her lane in Herefordshire, in southern England, and into a giant plastic polytunnel where dozens of Ukrainians, Lithuanians and other east Europeans were picking strawberries, the workers were surprised. She was, after all, a 69-year-old Englishwoman using a walking frame. But when she started pulling up the plants and throwing them to the ground, they realised why she was there.

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No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 3 l Advanced “I felt so much better after my protest,” said Mrs Salisbury last weekend. “We don’t need these bloody strawberries and these polytunnels in Herefordshire”. 3

4

Welcome to the English strawberry fields, where the beginning of summer sees at least 5,000 people from eastern Europe descend on Herefordshire and Worcestershire to pick fruit. This year two villages, each of more than 1,700 people, have sprung up without planning permission, each with 400 or more caravans, football pitches, internet cafes and even saunas. The pickers are welcomed by the majority of local people, but there is concern that the migrant labour force is being exploited. Last weekend an informal survey of 50 people working in the tunnels suggested that many pickers are as angry as Mrs Salisbury. Those who spoke English said they were being paid less than they expected, that they had to wait for payment, that the accommodation was expensive, that they had paid too much to get there, and that the management were profiting excessively from their stay.

5

“In Lithuania I earn two hundred pounds a month,” said Mindaugas, a Vilnius policeman. “I thought I could earn more here. It looks like I am not going to. It cost more than I thought to get here; it costs more to live.”

6

“None of us like strawberry picking,” said Svetlana, a Ukrainian student. “Today I have earned £23. But I must pay £35 a week to live in a box with three other people. Perhaps I earn £150 in a week, but when I have paid for food, accommodation, tax, everything, maybe I have £70 for a six days. It’s not good”.

7

“The money is bad,” said Artur, a waiter from the Czech Republic. “We waited days to have work. Last year we heard there was a strike here; perhaps there will be one this year, too. It is like a prison. I have been given a yellow card already. One more and I am sent home.”

8

Documents drawn up by S&A Davies and seen by the Guardian set out the terms and conditions for workers, who live four or five to a room. They must pay £26.25 a week for accommodation, £3 a week for sewage and waste collection, £2.25 for electricity and £2.75 for leisure facilities, including a TV set, football pitch and disco. For £30, they have access to medical and translation advice.

9

The documents state that pickers can be sacked for eating a single strawberry, for stopping work, going to the toilet in a hedge, or for smoking indoors. If rooms are not “clean and tidy”, the workers can be asked to leave. If they want to invite a visitor to the camp, they must ask permission two days in advance. “I have never been anywhere like this,” said Irynya, a Ukrainian housewife. The company said they guaranteed pickers £5.05 an hour when there was work, and a bonus if they met targets. But they said that at the start of the season or in bad weather they could not guarantee hours. “When 3,500 people turn up, it’s hard to get everyone going at the same time. We reduced the accommodation charge to £10 when it was raining, two weeks ago,” said Graham Neal, a manager with S&A Davies.

10

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As a final irony, the east Europeans cannot afford to buy the fruit they pick. “Yes, we like strawberries but we cannot pay for them,” said Linas Petraitis, a Ukrainian buying cheap white bread and margarine in the local supermarket. “When you eat one, just think of us in the tunnels.”

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Mr Neal blamed agents in east European countries for sending them unsuitable workers. “The old student agriculture workers quota scheme meant we could go to an east European university and know people’s history and character. We had superb people. Now the government says that we must recruit EU people. Some countries ... have sent over their unemployed drunks,” he said.

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 3 l Advanced 3 Post-reading Point of view Do you think the writer sympathizes more with the workers or with the management of the strawberry farm? Why?

4 Detailed comprehension Are the following statements true or false? 1. Mrs Salisbury was fit and healthy. 2. She didn’t want the countryside covered with plastic. 3. None of the local people agree with her. 4. The workers were angry that she was destroying their work. 5. There is nothing for the workers to do in their free time. 6. Some local people think the management are making an unfair profit out of the workers. 7. The migrants’ working conditions are severe. 8. Doctors and interpreters are provided free. 9. There is not always enough work for everyone. 10.The S&A Davies manager is critical of all European workers.

5 Vocabulary 1 Word search Find words in paragraphs 7-10 that mean: 1.

When workers refuse to work, to protest about their conditions (7)

2.

A sign or warning (originally from football) that you have done something wrong,

and may be dismissed (7) 3.

Waste material from the toilet (7)

4.

Dismissed (8)

5.

Promised (to pay) (8)

6.

Reached the totals set (8)

7.

A number that is officially permitted (9)

8.

Find and employ ((9)

9.

A strange or funny situation where things happen in the opposite way to what you

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would expect (10)

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 3 l Advanced 6 Vocabulary 2 Phrasal Verbs 1. See if you can remember the missing particles in these phrasal verbs. 1. pulling

the plants

2. cheered her



3. descend

Hertfordshire

4. two villages have sprung 5. documents drawn 6. set

by S&A Davies

the terms and conditions

7. when 3,500 people turn 2. Now match numbers 1, 5, 6 and 7 to these definitions: a) prepared and written b) explained clearly in writing c) arrive (sometimes unexpectedly) d) removing, roots and all

3. Check your answers in the text.

7 Interpretation and discussion 1. Do you agree with the idea of richer countries importing workers from poorer countries to do manual jobs? If so, under what circumstances and conditions? 2. With a partner, take the roles of: A. a migrant worker B. the manager of the fruit farm

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Try to reach an agreement about wages and conditions.

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 3 l Advanced Key: 2. Pre-reading 2 Key Words

5. Vocabulary 1 Word Search

1. to object to sth 2. to witness sth 3. defiance 4. to cheer sb on 5. a dozen 6. a migrant 7. to spring up 8. a walking frame 9. a polytunnel 10. to descend on (a place)

1. a strike 2. a yellow card 3. sewage 4. sacked 5. guaranteed 6. met targets 7. (a) quota 8. (to) recruit 9. (an) irony 10. a strike

3. Post-reading Point of view

6. Vocabulary 2 Phrasal Verbs

The writer appears to sympathize more with the workers. He gives lots of space to various individual workers, their complaints, and the unpleasant conditions of their contracts. He gives much less space to the manager, and gives the last word to one of the workers, repeating and explaining the point made in the title.

1. 1. pulling up the plants 2. cheered her on 3. descend on Hertfordshire 4. two villages have sprung up 5. documents drawn up by S&A Davies 6. set out the terms and conditions 7. when 3,500 people turn up 2. 1-d; 5-a; 6-b; 7-c

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1. False; she used a walking frame 2. True 3. False; ‘a hero not just for those people in Herefordshire who object…’ 4. False; ‘the workers started clapping, and then cheered her on’ 5. False; ‘football pitches, internet cafes and even saunas’. 6. True 7. True 8. False; ‘for £30 they have access to medical and translation advice’ 9. True 10.False; ‘We had superb people. Now ... Some countries ... have sent over their unemployed drunks’

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4. Detailed Comprehension

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 1 l Elementary 1 Pre-reading 1 Look at the title. What do you think the article is about? a. The fact that strawberry pickers are not allowed to eat when working. b. The fact that strawberry pickers are not paid a lot of money for the work they do. Now read the first two paragraphs and see if you were right.

2 Pre-reading 2 Key Words See if you can guess the meaning of these words from the text by matching them with the definitions. to clap to cheer a yellow card a contract leisure facilities a migrant to afford 1.

is a piece of paper that two or more people sign to show that they agree to do

something (usually concerning work). 2.

is to shout loudly to show that you are happy about something or somebody.

3.

is someone who moves to another country to work or live.

4.

is to hit your hands together, many times, to show that you think something is good.

5.

is to have enough money to buy something.

6.

(used in football) is a sign or warning that you have done something wrong.

7.

are things you can use to help you enjoy your free time.

Now read the text quickly to check the words.

Mrs Salisbury was very angry about all the plastic, and she was also angry that the workers were badly paid. She wanted to show the farm company (S&A Davies, Europe’s largest strawberry grower) how she felt. So one day she walked into one of the polytunnels, and started pulling the strawberry plants out of the ground. The east Europeans understood why she was angry, and they clapped and cheered.

3

“I felt so much better after my protest,” said Mrs Salisbury last weekend. “We don’t need these strawberries and these polytunnels in Herefordshire”.

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Val Salisbury lives in a country village in England. She loves the countryside, but just near her house there is a big strawberry farm. So now the fields are covered with very big pieces of plastic, called polytunnels, where the strawberries grow. And people have to work in the polytunnels, too. These workers come to England from eastern Europe every summer, to pick the strawberries for British supermarkets.

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No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 1 l Elementary

“In Lithuania I earn 200 pounds a month,” said a policeman from Vilnius. “I thought I could earn more here. It looks like I am not going to. It cost more than I thought to get here; it costs more to live.”

6

“None of us like strawberry picking,” said a Ukrainian student. “Today I have earned 23 pounds. But I must pay 35 pounds a week to live in a box with three other people. Perhaps I earn 150 pounds in a week, but when I have paid for food, accommodation, tax, everything, maybe I have 70 pounds for a six days. It’s not good”.

7

“The money is bad,” said a waiter from the Czech Republic. “We waited days to have work … It is like a prison. I have been given a yellow card already. One more and I am sent home.”

8

The contracts S&A Davies gives the east Europeans make life hard for the workers. They have to pay £26.25 a week to live four or five in one room. They must pay £3 a week for toilets and waste collection, £2.25 for electricity, and £2.75 for leisure facilities, including a TV set, football pitch and disco. It costs them £30 to see a doctor or a translator.

9

The contracts say that the pickers can lose their jobs if they eat a single strawberry, stop work, or go to the toilet at the side of the field, or smoke indoors. If they want to have a visitor, they must ask permission two days in advance. “I have never been anywhere like this,” said a Ukrainian housewife.

10

The company said they promised to pay pickers £5.05 an hour when there was work, and extra money if they picked a lot of strawberries. But they said that they could not promise full-time work for everyone at the start of the strawberry season. “When 3,500 people arrive, it’s hard to give everyone work at the same time. And when it was raining, two weeks ago, we only charged £10 for accommodation,” said Graham Neal, a manager with S&A Davies.

11

The strange but sad thing is that the east Europeans cannot even afford to buy the fruit they pick. “Yes, we like strawberries but we cannot pay for them,” said a Ukrainian who was buying cheap white bread and margarine in the local supermarket. “The next time you eat one, just think of us in the tunnels.”

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Every year, at the beginning of summer, at least 5,000 people from eastern Europe arrive in south-west England to pick fruit. This year, two villages, with more than 1,700 people in each, have been built there. Each one has about 400 caravans, football pitches, internet cafes and even saunas. Most local people welcome the fruit-pickers, but some are afraid that the fruit company is making too much money out of them. Last weekend, a reporter interviewed 50 people working in the tunnels, and many were as angry as Mrs Salisbury. The workers who could speak English said that their conditions were terrible. They thought the company was making too much money from their stay.

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No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 1 l Elementary 3 Reading for Information Match the numbers (they are all in paragraphs 4-8): £35

£70

5,000

£150

£200

4

1. How many foreign workers come to the strawberry farms every year? 2. How much does the policeman earn at home? 3. How much does the student earn each week? 4. How much rent does she pay? 5. How many people share her room? 6. How much does it cost to visit the doctor?

4 Vocabulary 1 Collocation Match these word pairs from the article: 1 white

a cafe

2 full-time

b village

3 football

c Europe

4 country

d work

5 internet

e paid

6 strawberry

f bread

7 eastern

g Republic

8 badly

h money

9 Czech

i pitch

10 extra

j farm

Now read quickly to check.

5 Vocabulary 2 Word building Find words in the text that match the description on the left. (The first has been done for you.)

a grower

2 somebody who manages (a company) is called -



3 somebody who picks (fruit or vegetables) is called -



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4 somebody who works is called -



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1 somebody who grows (fruit or vegetables) is called -

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 1 l Elementary Now do the same with these words from the text. (The names for these people are not in the text): 5 Somebody who buys things is called -

a buyer



6 Somebody who has a farm is called -



7 Somebody who is in prison is called -



8 Somebody who smokes is called -



9 Somebody who cleans is called - 10 Somebody who drinks is called -

6 Discussion

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Do you think Mrs. Salisbury was right to pull up the strawberry plants? Why / why not?

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 1 l Elementary Key 1. Pre-reading 1

5. Vocabulary 2

The text is mainly about the fact that the workers are badly paid, though it’s also stated that they aren’t allowed to eat the strawberries (see paragraph 9).

1. (a grower) 2. a manager 3. a picker 4. a worker 5. (a buyer) 6. a farmer 7. a prisoner 8. a smoker 9. a cleaner 10.a drinker

2. Pre-reading 2 Key Words 1. a contract 2. to cheer 3. a migrant 4. to clap 5. to afford 6. a yellow card 7. leisure facilities

Word Building

3. Reading for information 1. 5,000 2. £200 3. £150 4. £35 a week 5. 4 6. £30 (£ is the symbol for British pounds – also, GBP.)

4. Vocabulary 1 Collocation

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1 white bread 2 full-time work 3 football pitch 4 country village 5 internet café 6 strawberry farm 7 eastern Europe 8 badly paid 9 Czech Republic 10 extra money

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Pre-reading 1 Discussion 1. Have you ever had a job like picking fruit? Was it hard work? Did you enjoy it? 2. Look at the headline. What do you think the article will be about?

2 Pre-reading 2 Key Words See if you can guess the meaning of these words from the text by matching them with the definitions. a polytunnel a protest

a walking frame to complain a strike a contract a migrant

to cheer

1.

is to say that you are not satisfied with something.

2.

is a metal support that helps old or disabled people to move.

3.

is a strong disagreement.

4.

is to shout loudly to show that you are happy about something or somebody.

5.

is a long, transparent polythene cover to protect growing plants,

tall enough for people to work inside. 6.

is an agreement in writing, about work or business.

7.

is someone who moves to another country to work or live.

8.

is when the workers all stop work to show the management that

they are not happy about their working conditions. Now read the text quickly to check the words, and to see if your answer to question 1 2 was right.

Mrs Salisbury herself was surprised when the east Europeans clapped and cheered her act of protest against S&A Davies, Europe’s largest strawberry grower. By the time the farm manager had arrived, Mrs Salisbury was very popular. Popular, not just with the local people who don’t want large areas of farmland covered in plastic, but also with the workers from all over eastern Europe who pick fruit for British supermarkets.

3

“I felt so much better after my protest,” said Mrs Salisbury last weekend. “We don’t need these strawberries and these polytunnels in Herefordshire”.

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Val Salisbury walked down her road in the English countryside and went into a giant plastic polytunnel. Inside, lots of people from eastern Europe were picking strawberries. The workers were surprised to see a 69-year-old Englishwoman using a walking frame come in. But when she started pulling the strawberry plants out of the ground, they began to understand that she was angry with the company they worked for.

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No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers

5

“In Lithuania I earn 200 pounds a month,” said a policeman from Vilnius. “I thought I could earn more here. It looks like I am not going to. It cost more than I thought to get here; it costs more to live.”

6

“None of us like strawberry picking,” said a Ukrainian student. “Today I have earned 23 pounds. But I must pay 35 pounds a week to live in a box with three other people. Perhaps I earn 150 pounds in a week, but when I have paid for food, accommodation, tax, everything, maybe I have 70 pounds for a six days. It’s not good”.

7

“The money is bad,” said a waiter from the Czech Republic. “We waited days to have work. Last year we heard there was a strike here; perhaps there will be one this year, too. It is like a prison. I have been given a yellow card already. One more and I am sent home.”

8

The Guardian has seen the contracts S&A Davies gives the east Europeans. The rules and conditions are hard. The workers have to pay £26.25 a week to live four or five in one room. They must pay GBP3 a week for toilets and waste collection, £2.25 for electricity, and £2.75 for leisure facilities, including a TV set, football pitch and disco. For £30, they can get medical and translation advice.

9

The contracts say that pickers can lose their jobs for eating a single strawberry, for stopping work, for going to the toilet at the side of the field, or for smoking indoors. If their rooms are not “clean and tidy”, the workers can be asked to leave. If they want to invite a visitor to the camp, they must ask permission two days in advance. “I have never been anywhere like this,” said a Ukrainian housewife. The company said they promised to pay pickers £5.05 an hour when there was work, and extra money if they picked more than a set amount of strawberries. But they said that they could not promise full-time work for everyone at the start of the strawberry season, or in bad weather. “When 3,500 people arrive, it’s hard to give everyone work at the same time. We reduced the cost of accommodation to £10 when it was raining, two weeks ago,” said Graham Neal, a manager with S&A Davies.

10

Mr Neal blamed agents in east European countries for sending the wrong kind of workers. “Under the old system, where fixed numbers of students came to do farm work, we could go to an east European university and get excellent people. Now the government says that we must take anyone from the EU. Some countries ... have sent over their unemployed drunks,” he said.

11

The strange but sad thing is that the east Europeans cannot even afford to buy the fruit they pick. “Yes, we like strawberries but we cannot pay for them,” said a Ukrainian who was buying cheap white bread and margarine in the local supermarket. “The next time you eat one, just think of us in the tunnels.”

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Every year, at the beginning of summer, at least 5,000 people from eastern Europe arrive in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to pick fruit. This year, two villages, with more than 1,700 people in each, have been built there. Each one has about 400 caravans, football pitches, internet cafes and even saunas. Most local people welcome the fruit-pickers, but some are afraid that the fruit company is treating the migrant workers unfairly to make money out of them. Last weekend, 50 people working in the tunnels were interviewed, and many seemed as angry as Mrs Salisbury. Those who could speak English complained about their conditions, and thought the company was making too much money from their stay.

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Level 2 l Intermediate

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 2 l Intermediate 3 Reading for Information Find the numbers (they are all in paragraphs 4-8). 1. How many foreign workers come to the strawberry farms every year? 2. How much does the policeman earn at home? 3. How much does the student earn each week? 4. How much rent does she pay? 5. How many people share her room? 6. How much does it cost to see the doctor?

4 Vocabulary 1 Find the word Find words in the article that match the definitions. Use the paragraph numbers (in brackets) to help you. 1.

Hit their hands together, many times, to show that they think something is good (2)

2.

A sign or warning (used in football) that you have done something wrong (7)

3.

Things you can use to help you enjoy your free time (8)

4.

Made (it) less (9)

5.

Says or thinks that somebody is responsible for something bad (10)

6. 7.

People who have no work, and drink too much alcohol (10) To have enough money to buy something (11)

5 Vocabulary 2 Collocation See if you can remember the missing propositions. Use the paragraph numbers (in brackets) to help you. 1. angry 2. work

somebody (1) somebody (1)

3. complain 4. pay

something (4) something (6, 8 and 10)

5.

advance (9)

6.

the same time (9)

7. the cost 8. blame somebody

something (9) something (10)

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Now quickly read the article to check.

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 2 l Intermediate 6 Word order Put the words in these sentences in the right order: 1. could / thought / more / I / much / earn / here / I / money 2. never / anywhere / have / this / like / been / I 3. strawberries / them / like / pay / but / cannot / we / for / we 4. time / you / the / one / eat / next 5. of / think / us / tunnels / just / the / in Now read the text quickly to check.

7 Discussion

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Do you think Mrs Salisbury was right to pull up the strawberry plants? Why / why not?

No strawberries and cream for fruit pickers Level 2 l Intermediate Key: 2. Pre-reading 2: Key words:

6. Word Order

1. to complain 2. a walking frame 3. a protest 4. to cheer. 5. A polytunnel 6. a contract 7. a migrant 8. a strike

1. I thought I could earn much more money here. 2. I have never been anywhere like this. 3. We like strawberries but we cannot pay for them. 4. The next time you eat one … 5. Just think of us in the polytunnels.

3. Reading for Information: 1. 5,000 2. £200 3. £150 4. £35 a week 5. 4 6. £30 (£ is the symbol for British pounds – GBP)

4. Vocabulary 1 – Find the Word 1. to clap 2. a yellow card 3. leisure facilities 4. to reduce 5. to blame somebody 6. unemployed drunks 7. to afford

5. Vocabulary 2 – Collocation:

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1. with 2. for 3. about 4. for 5. in 6. at 7. of 8. for

Modern pirates Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key vocabulary Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. pirate navy

armed cargo

cabin crew

1. A

safe (n) grenade target chaos

is a small bomb that someone throws or fires from a gun.

2. The people who work on a ship are called the ship’s 3. If someone is 4.

.

, they are carrying a weapon, usually a gun. is a situation where everything is confused and in a mess.

5. The things that a ship carries are called its

.

6. A

is a strong metal box with a lock used to store valuable things and money.

7. A

is someone who attacks ships while they are sailing in order to steal things from them.

8. The 9. A

is the part of a country’s armed forces that fights at sea. is a private room on a ship.

10. A

is something that someone plans to attack.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. Where do most modern-day pirate attacks happen? 2. How many pirate attacks have happened since 1992? 3. How many people have died in these attacks? 4. When was the ‘golden age’ of the pirates? 5. What percentage of world trade goes by sea? 6. How much did the pirates steal from Captain Newton’s ship?

Return of the Pirates A large container ship was sailing across the South China Sea on its way to New Zealand. It was evening and Captain Peter Newton was in his cabin. As the ship passed the Indonesian island of Bintan, nine armed men came into Captain Newton’s cabin. They held a knife against his neck and tied his hands with rope. The gang leader told him to open the ship’s safe. The pirates took the $20,000 they found in the safe and used a rope to leave the ship.

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There are many Hollywood films about pirates but now real-life pirates are very active again. During the last ten years attacks by modern pirates have increased by 168%. Since the attack on Captain Newton’s ship in 1992, there have been 3,583 attacks by pirates around the world, and 340 people have died in these attacks. Last November, a cruise liner called Seabourn Spirit was attacked off the coast of Somalia. The pirates who attacked the ship used grenades.

Modern pirates Level 1 l Elementary The 17th century was the golden age of the pirates. European countries colonised the Caribbean and pirates such as Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach and ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham attacked trading ships. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the navies of the great powers controlled the seas and attacks by pirates were rare. But now pirate attacks are on the increase again. There are two main reasons. Firstly, shipping companies are trying to save money so they do not spend much money on security. Secondly, there is no international law to control pirates. Most modern-day pirate attacks happen in the South China Sea. More than a third of last year’s 266 reported pirate attacks happened there. The seas around lawless countries are particularly dangerous. The Indian Ocean coast of Somalia has had a lot of pirate attacks. Modern pirates use inside information, satellite phones and tracking technology to plan attacks on ships with valuable cargo. They attack the ships using ropes and special hooks. It is very difficult to climb onto a moving ship and some experts believe that many pirates have had military training. Captain Newton says that pirate attacks are increasing because there is almost no danger for the pirates. ‘Our ships don’t have armed guards and nobody is going to come after you because you are in international waters,’ he says. ‘As soon as pirates are on your ship, there is nothing you can do if they are armed and you are not.’ The pirates feel safe because many shipping companies do not report pirate attacks. They think it is cheaper to lose $20,000 in cash than to pay much more money for insurance. In October 2002, there was a suicide attack on a French oil tanker in Yemen. After that the cost of insurance increased by 300% for ships entering Yemeni waters. Navy vessels sometimes keep pirates away but they do not often arrest them in international waters. The US navy recently arrested some pirates who attacked a Thai fishing vessel off the coast of Somalia, but had to free the men because neither the Thai government nor any other government wanted to put them on trial. Shipping companies are trying to save money and now there are only 20–24 crew members on modern container ships. Usually, just two crew members sail the ship at night. Sometimes only five or six people are up and working on a ship which is the size of two football pitches. This means that the risk of a pirate attack is very great. There has been an increase in pirate attacks in oceans with a lot of warships. There were no attacks in Iraqi waters in 2004, but last year there were 10 attacks on oil tankers and cargo vessels near Basra. Ships are easy targets for terrorists. Attacks in a key area like the Suez Canal could cause chaos. About 90% of world trade goes by sea. ‘Piracy isn’t fantasy,’ says Andrew Linington of the ship officers’ union in London. ‘It is happening every week. It is an advertisement to terrorists that it is easy to attack ships.’

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings of the sentences.

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1. There is almost no danger for the pirates because … 2. Shipping companies do not report pirate attacks because … 3. Some experts believe many pirates have had military training because … 4. The South China Sea is dangerous for ships because … 5. Shipping companies do not spend much money on security because … 6. Navy ships often do not arrest pirates because …

Modern pirates Level 1 l Elementary a.

it is very difficult to climb onto a moving ship.

b.

they are trying to save money.

c.

they are in international waters.

d.

ships do not have armed guards.

e.

more than one third of pirate attacks last year happened there.

f.

they do not want to pay more money for insurance.

4 Sequence of events These sentences tell the story of what happened to Captain Newton’s ship (paragraph 1). Put them in the correct order. Check your answers in the text. a. They tied his hands with rope. b. Captain Newton was in his cabin. c. They used a rope to leave the ship. d. They told him to open the safe. e. They held a knife against his neck. f. They took the money from the safe. g. Nine armed pirates came into the cabin.

5 Vocabulary – ships Find the words in the text that are used with these words: 1. navy

5. cargo

2. container

6. war

3. fishing

7. trading

4. oil

8. cruise

6. Vocabulary – prepositions Fill the gaps using prepositions.

300%

3. pirate attacks are 4. spend money

ships

6 to put someone the increase

security

trial

7. 90% of world trade goes 8.

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sea

the coast of Somalia

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2. to increase

5. attacks

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the South China Sea

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1. sail

Modern pirates Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key vocabulary

5 Vocabulary – ships

1. grenade 2. crew 3. armed 4. chaos 5. cargo 6. safe 7. pirate 8. navy 9. cabin 10. target

1. vessel 2. ship 3. vessel 4. tanker 5. vessel 6. ship 7. ship 8. liner

2 Find the information 1. the South China Sea 2. 3,583 3. 340 4. the 17th century 5. 90% 6. $20,000

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary – prepositions 1. across 2. by 3. on 4. on 5. on 6. on 7. by 8. off .

1. d 2. f 3. a 4. e 5. b 6. c

4 Sequence of events

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1. b 2. g 3. e 4. a 5. d 6. f 7. c

Modern pirates Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key vocabulary Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. machete risk free

ambush detain

1. A

secluded vulnerable

decline non lethal

jurisdiction cost-cutting

place is private and peaceful and not near other people or places.

2. If something is

, it does not involve any danger.

3. If something

it gets smaller, less effective or weaker.

4. If you

someone, you keep them under arrest.

5. If you

someone, you attack them after hiding and waiting for them.

6. If something is

it will not kill you.

7.

is the process of taking certain actions to reduce the costs of a business.

8.

is the right or power to make legal decisions.

9. A

is a large knife with a long wide blade used as a weapon or tool.

10. If something is

, it is weak or easy to attack.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. Which area is the centre of modern-day piracy? 2. How many pirate attacks have been reported since 1992? 3. How many people have died in these attacks? 4. When was the ‘golden age’ of piracy? 5. What percentage of world trade is carried by sea? 6. How much do Filipino crew members on container ships earn each month?

The Return of the Pirates A large container ship, the Australian Star, was sailing across the South China Sea on its way to New Zealand. It was evening and Captain Peter Newton had returned to his cabin. As the ship passed the Indonesian island of Bintan, nine armed men burst into Captain Newton’s cabin. They held a machete to his neck and tied his hands with rope. The gang leader told him that if he didn’t open the ship’s safe – or if he set off its alarm – they would kill him. When the pirates had taken the $20,000 they found in the safe, they used a rope to leave the ship and climb down to their boat.

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Pirates have always had a glamorous image. Hollywood loves to make films about pirates but now real-life pirates are more active than ever before. Over the last ten years attacks by modern pirates have increased by 168%. Since Captain Newton was attacked in 1992, there have been 3,583 piratical attacks reported worldwide, causing 340 deaths. Last November, a ship called Seabourn Spirit was ambushed off the coast of Somalia. The pirates who attacked the ship were armed with rocket-propelled grenades.

Modern pirates Level 2 l Intermediate The golden age of piracy was the 17th century, when European powers colonised the Caribbean. Pirates such as Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach and ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham attacked trading ships, taking advantage of the political vacuum and a secluded coastline that was perfect for ambushes. During the age of empire, the navies of the great powers enforced order on the high seas and piracy declined; but now, as the empires have vanished, piracy is on the increase again. It is helped by a number of things – from cost-cutting by the shipping industry to fact that there are no international arrangements to deal with piracy. The centre of modern-day piracy is the South China Sea, where more than a third of last year’s 266 reported pirate attacks took place. The seas around failing states are particularly dangerous. The Indian Ocean off Somalia is home to a special brand of piracy, in which ships are hijacked and crews are kidnapped and ransomed. Modern pirates use intelligence (including information from corrupt port officials), satellite phones and tracking technology to plan attacks on valuable cargo, but one tool of modern pirates remains the same: the rope and grappling hook. Climbing onto a ship in motion requires special forces-style skills and many in the shipping industry believe some modern pirates have a military background. According to Newton, the increase in piracy is also the result of the fact that there are few risks for the pirates. ‘Our ships don’t have armed guards and nobody is going to go after you because it is international waters and no one has jurisdiction,’ he says. ‘Once they are on your ship, there is nothing you can do if they are armed and you are not.’ Another reason why piracy is so risk free is that many victims fail to report the crime. Shipping companies would rather lose $20,000 stolen from a safe than report it to their insurers and face a large increase in premiums. Insurance premiums rose by 300% for vessels entering Yemeni waters after a suicide boat crashed into Limburg, a French oil tanker, in October 2002. Ships sometimes do not report piracy because they think that no country will bother to investigate crimes in international waters. Naval vessels often discourage pirates but rarely want to capture and detain them in international waters. The US navy recently caught and detained pirates who attacked a Thai fishing vessel near Somalia, but had to release the men because neither the Thai government nor any other government was willing to put them on trial. When ships have been seized and crews kidnapped off the coast of Somalia, shipping companies simply pay the ransom demands. About 90% of world trade is carried by sea. Cost-cutting has made modern cargo ships extremely vulnerable to attack, according to Andrew Linington of Numas, the ship officers’ union in London. There are only 20–24 crew members on modern container ships. Usually, just two crew members patrol the bridge at night. ‘You can have ships the size of two football pitches and at any one time you will have just five or six people up and working,’ says Linington. Few companies are willing to pay for security measures such as non-lethal electric fences or sonic weapons. As well as being small in number, modern multinational crews are poorly paid. Many boats use Filipino crew members, who earn just $400 a month. For that money, few captains expect their crew to risk their lives by defending their ship.

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Even oceans full of warships have seen an increase in pirate attacks. There were no attacks in Iraqi waters in 2004, yet last year there were 10 attacks on oil tankers and cargo vessels near Basra. Ships are soft targets for terrorists. It would only take couple of major incidents in a key area – such as the Suez canal – to cause chaos. ‘Piracy isn’t fantasy,’ says Linington. ‘It is happening every week. It is an advertisement to terrorists that it is easy to attack something that is so crucial to world trade.’

Modern pirates Level 2 l Intermediate 3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information in the text. 1. Why don’t navy ships capture and detain pirates? a. because it’s too dangerous b. because no country wants to put them on trial c. because it’s too difficult to catch them 2. What is the main reason for the increase in piracy? a. many victims do not report the crime b. cost-cutting by the shipping industry makes piracy easy c. the pirates often have inside information 3. Why don’t captains expect their crews to defend their ships? a. because it’s impossible to defend a big ship b. because the ships are the size of two football pitches c. because they are poorly paid 4. Why do some experts believe some pirates have a military background? a. because they are able to climb onto a moving ship b. because they wear special uniforms c. because they use intelligence

4. Vocabulary – two-word expressions

2. cargo vessel

b. a military ship

3. political vacuum

c. a country with no government or social order

4. golden age

d. a ship carrying goods

5. grappling hook

e. the money paid for an insurance policy

6. naval vessel

f. the money kidnappers ask for to free their victim

7. insurance premium

g. a period when something was the most successful

8. ransom demand

h. a situation when political leadership is missing

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a. a metal hook attached to a rope and used for climbing

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1. failing state

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Match these two-word expressions from the text with their meanings:

Modern pirates Level 2 l Intermediate 5 Vocabulary – prepositions Complete these expressions from the text by adding a preposition. Check your answers in the text. 1. take advantage

a situation

2.

the coast of Somalia

3.

the increase

4. deal

a problem

5. put someone

trial

6. vulnerable

attack

7. armed

grenades

8. shipping is crucial

world trade

6 Vocabulary – word-building Complete the table. Verb

Noun

1. arrange 2. hijack

(person)

3. kidnap

(person)

4. move 5. risk 6. investigate 7. advertise 8. insure

7 Discussion

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What measures should countries adopt to defend themselves against pirates?

Modern pirates Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key vocabulary

5 Vocabulary – prepositions

1. secluded 2. risk free 3. declines 4. detain 5. ambush 6. non lethal 7. cost-cutting 8. jurisdiction 9. machete 10. vulnerable

1. of 2. off 3. on 4. with 5. on 6. to 7. with 8. to

2 Find the information 1. the South China Sea 2. 3,583 3. 340 4. the 17th century 5. 90% 6. $400

6 Vocabulary – word-building 1. arrangement 2. hijacker 3. kidnapper 4. motion (movement) 5. risk 6. investigation 7. advertisement 8. insurance

3 Comprehension check 1. b 2. b 3. c 4. a

4. Vocabulary – two-word expressions

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1. c 2. d 3. h 4. g 5. a 6. b 7. e 8. f

Modern pirates Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key vocabulary Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. machete secluded

glamorous plunder tip-off jurisdiction

1. A

vulnerable premium

laden non lethal

is a warning or secret information given to someone.

2. If something is

, it is attractive and interesting in an exciting or unusual way.

3. A

is the amount of money you pay regularly for an insurance policy.

4. A

is a large knife with a long wide blade used as a weapon or tool.

5.

is the right or power to make legal decisions.

6. If something is

it will not kill you.

7. A

place is private and peaceful and not near other people or places.

8. If something is

, it is weak or easy to attack.

9. If a ship is heavily 10.

, it is full of cargo. means the valuable things taken from a place by force.

2 What do you know? Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. What percentage of world trade is carried by sea? a. 30% b. 60% c. 90% 2. Which area is the centre of modern-day piracy? a. The South China Sea b. The Red Sea

c. The Caribbean

3. The coast off which of these countries is particularly dangerous because of pirates? a. Russia b. Tanzania c. Somalia 4. How many crew members does a modern container ship have? a. Fewer than 10 b. 20–24 c. 60–70 5. How much money do Filipino sailors on international container ships earn each month? a. $400 b. $1,000 c. $4,000

Latter-day pirates plunder the high seas A large container ship, the Australian Star, was making its way across the South China Sea bound for New Zealand. It was evening and Captain Peter Newton left the bridge for his cabin. As the ship passed the Indonesian island of Bintan, nine armed men burst into Captain Newton’s cabin. They held a machete to his neck and his hands were bound with rope. The gang leader told him that if he didn’t open the ship’s safe – or if he triggered its alarm – he would be killed. Once the pirates had pocketed the $20,000 they found in the safe, they descended to their small craft using a rope.

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Pirates have seemed glamorous ever since the days of Robert Louis Stevenson. Pirate stories are adored by Hollywood but real-life pirates are profiting from plunder of the high seas as never before. Attacks by modern pirates have increased by 168% in the past decade. Since Captain Newton was attacked in 1992,

Modern pirates Level 3 l Advanced there have been 3,583 piratical attacks reported worldwide, causing 340 deaths. Last November, a ship called Seabourn Spirit was ambushed off the coast of Somalia. Pirates with rocket-propelled grenades in two boats were repelled when the crew directed a ‘sonic blaster’ at their attackers. Robbery at sea entered a golden age during the 17th century, when European powers colonised the Caribbean. Pirates such as Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach and ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham attacked heavily laden trading ships, taking advantage of the political vacuum and a secluded coastline perfect for ambushes. As the age of empire took hold and naval forces imposed order on the high seas, piracy lost its vigour; now, with imperial decline, it is regaining strength. A variety of conditions – from the cost-cutting of the shipping industry to the absence of international arrangements to tackle piracy – is aiding modern pirates. The centre of modern-day piracy is the South China Sea, scene of more than a third of last year’s 266 reported raids. Waters around failing states are particularly dangerous. The Indian Ocean off Somalia is home to a special brand of piracy, in which ships are hijacked and crews are kidnapped and ransomed. Modern pirates use intelligence (often tip-offs from corrupt port officials), satellite phones and tracking technology to plan attacks on valuable cargo, but one tool of modern pirates remains the same: the rope and grappling hook. Storming a ship in motion requires special forces-style skills and many in the shipping industry believe some of the more sophisticated modern pirates have a military background. A relative absence of risk also is behind the rise in piracy, according to Newton. ‘We don’t carry armed guards and nobody is going to pursue you because it is international waters and no one has jurisdiction,’ he says. ‘Once they get on board, there is nothing you can do if they are armed and you are not.’ Another reason why piracy is so risk free is that many victims fail to report the crime. Shipping companies would rather bear the loss of $20,000 stolen from a safe than report it to their insurers and face a large increase in premiums. Insurance premiums rose by 300% for vessels entering Yemeni waters after a suicide boat rammed into Limburg, a French oil tanker, in October 2002. Ships sometimes do not report piracy because they fear that no country will bother to investigate crimes in international waters. Naval vessels often discourage pirates but rarely want to capture and detain them in international waters. The US navy recently caught and detained pirates who attacked a Thai fishing vessel near Somalia, but had to release the men because neither the Thai government nor any other would put them on trial. Where ships have been seized and crews kidnapped off Somalia, shipping companies simply pay the ransom demands. About 90% of world trade is carried by sea. Cost-cutting has made modern cargo ships more vulnerable than ever to attack, according to Andrew Linington of Numas, the ship officers’ union in London. There are only 20–24 crew members on modern container ships. Usually, just two crew patrol the bridge at night. ‘You can have ships the size of two football pitches and at any one time you will have just five or six people up and working,’ says Linington. Few companies are willing to pay for security measures such as non-lethal electric fences or sonic weapons. As well as being small in number, modern multinational crews are poorly paid. Many boats use Filipino crew members, who take home $400 a month. For that money, few captains expect their crew to risk their lives by defending their ship. Low wages also lead to the occasional inside job: crew members can be tempted to provide pirates with information on freight and opportune times to strike. Even oceans full of warships have seen an increase. There were no attacks in Iraqi waters in 2004, yet last year there were 10 opportunistic assaults on oil tankers and cargo vessels near Basra. Piracy provides a juicy example of soft targets for terrorists. It would only take couple of major incidents in a key area – such as the Suez canal – to cause chaos.

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B FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

‘Piracy isn’t fantasy,’ says Linington. ‘It is happening on a weekly basis. It is an advertisement to terrorists that it is easy to attack something that is so crucial to world trade.’

Modern pirates Level 3 l Advanced 3 Comprehension check Are these statements true or false according to the text? 1. Only about a quarter of a container ship’s crew are up and working at any one time. 2. Container ships would be a difficult target for terrorists. 3. Crew members are expected to risk their lives by defending their ships. 4. Storming a moving ship requires the kind of skills used by special forces. 5. The 17th century was the ‘golden age’ of piracy. 6. Shipping companies usually report piracy incidents to their insurance companies. 7. It is cheaper to lose $20,000 than to pay an increased insurance premium. 8. There are international arrangements to tackle piracy.

4 Vocabulary – find the verb Find the verb that means … 1. to enter a room suddenly (para 1) 2. to put something in your pocket in order to steal it (para 1) 3. to like something very much (para 2) 4. to attack someone after hiding and waiting for them (para 2) 5. to force someone who is attacking to move back or stop attacking (para 2) 6. to chase (para 6) 7. to hit something very hard, usually when it is moving fast (para 6) 8. to arrest (para 7)

5 Vocabulary – verb + noun collocations

2. repel

b. a crime

3. take

c. an alarm

4. regain

d. a loss

5. investigate

e. strength

6. bear

f. advantage

7. pay

g. an attack

8. risk

h. a ransom

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a. one’s life

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1. trigger

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Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. Check your answers in the text.

Modern pirates Level 3 l Advanced 6 Vocabulary – word-building Complete the table. Verb

Noun (person)

Noun (thing)

1. n/a

pirate



2. seclude

n/a



3. attack





n/a

4. rob





n/a

5. vary

n/a







n/a







6. investigate 7. secure 8. hijack

Adjective

n/a

n/a

7 Discussion

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What measures should countries adopt to defend themselves against pirates?

Modern pirates Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key vocabulary

5 Vocabulary – verb + noun collocations

1. tip-off 2. glamorous 3. premium 4. machete 5. jurisdiction 6. non lethal 7. secluded 8. vulnerable 9. laden 10. plunder

1. c 2. g 3. f 4. e 5. b 6. d 7. h 8. a

2 What do you know? 1. c 2. a 3. c 4. b 5. a

6 Vocabulary – word-building 1. piracy, piratical 2. seclusion, secluded 3. attacker, attack 4. robber, robbery 5. variety, various/varied 6. investigator, investigation 7. security, secure 8. hijacker, hijacking6

3 Comprehension check 1. T 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. F 7. T 8. F

4 Vocabulary – find the verb

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1. burst in 2. pocket 3. adore 4. ambush 5. repel 6. pursue 7. ram 8. detain

EXPRESS LESSON

An end to malaria? Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Gap-fill exercise These words have been removed from the text. Use them to fill the gaps in the text: neglected

estimated

identified

excited

licensed

developed

Cheap anti-allergy drug offers hope of malaria cure A drug

to treat allergies has been

by US researchers as a

potential cure for malaria. Tests in mice show that the antihistamine astemizole also kills the malaria parasite. It is

for use in people, so it could be developed for use as a malaria drug in

about 12 months. And because it is no longer under patent, it can be made very cheaply. The breakthrough has

researchers because of the cost of developing other

anti-malarial treatments. “Time and money are major problems when it comes to developing new drugs for diseases like malaria,” said David Sullivan at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg school of public health. One study of drug development costs in the 1990s

that each drug that

reached the market cost pharmaceutical companies $802m in research and development.

2 Find the words Look at the text again and find the words or phrases that mean: 1. a medical condition in which your body reacts badly to something you eat, breathe or touch 2. a disease caused by mosquitoes 3. a document that protects a product that someone has invented or discovered so that other people cannot copy it 4. a discovery or achievement that comes after a lot of hard work 5. the work that companies do when they are developing new products, services or methods

3 Collocations Look at these eight words from the text. Use them to make four collocations (adjective + noun; preposition + noun). Check your answers in the text. potential 4

problem

public

patent

major

cure

health

under

Word game

Complete these words from the text. Check your answers in the text.

s

t

5. d

v

ti l

p

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3. t

e

tm

t

t

O

s

2. p

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s

ie

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4. d

er

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1. a

EXPRESS LESSON

An end to malaria? Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Gap-fill exercise A drug developed to treat allergies has been identified by US researchers as a potential cure for malaria. Tests in mice show that the antihistamine astemizole also kills the malaria parasite. It is licensed for use in people, so it could be developed for use as a malaria drug in about 12 months. And because it is no longer under patent, it can be made very cheaply. The breakthrough has excited researchers because of the cost of developing other anti-malarial treatments. “Time and money are major roadblocks when it comes to developing new drugs for neglected diseases like malaria,” said David Sullivan at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg school of public health. One study of drug development costs in the 1990s estimated that each drug that reached the market cost pharmaceutical companies $802m in research and development.

2. Find the words 1. allergy 2. malaria 3. patent 4. breakthrough 5. research and development

3 Collocations potential cure; major problem; under patent; public health

4 Word game

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1. allergies 2. potential 3. treatment 4. diseases 5. development

EXPRESS LESSON

An end to malaria? Level 3 l Advanced 1 Put the words back These words have been removed from the text. Put them back into the text - anywhere they will logically and grammatically fit. Note that they are in the original order. potential

also

about

major

new

neglected

Cheap anti-allergy drug offers hope of malaria cure A drug developed to treat allergies has been identified by US researchers as a cure for malaria. Tests in mice show that the antihistamine astemizole kills the malaria parasite. It is licensed for use in people, so it could be developed for use as a malaria drug in 12 months. And because it is no longer under patent, it can be made at rock-bottom prices. The breakthrough has excited researchers because of the cost of developing other anti-malarial treatments. “Time and money are roadblocks when it comes to developing drugs for diseases like malaria,” said David Sullivan at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg school of public health. One study of drug development costs in the 1990s estimated that each drug that reached the market cost pharmaceutical companies $802m in research and development.

2 Find the words Look at the text again and find the words or phrases that mean: 1. a medical condition in which your body reacts badly to something you eat, breathe or touch 2. a drug used to treat an allergy 3. a small living creature that lives inside another animal and feeds on it 4. very low costs 5. obstacles

3 Collocations Match the verbs with the nouns or noun phrases. Check your answers in the text. 1. treat 2. develop 3. cure 4. reach 4

a. a new drug b. a disease c. the market d. an allergy

Word game

Re-order the letters to make words from the text. Check your answers in the text.

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1. aarmail 2. aseapirt 3. tntape 4. mepratlacichau 5. erscheerars

EXPRESS LESSON

An end to malaria? Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Put the words back A drug developed to treat allergies has been identified by US researchers as a potential cure for malaria. Tests in mice show that the antihistamine astemizole also kills the malaria parasite. It is licensed for use in people, so it could be developed for use as a malaria drug in about 12 months. And because it is no longer under patent, it can be made at rock-bottom prices. The breakthrough has excited researchers because of the cost of developing other anti-malarial treatments. “Time and money are major roadblocks when it comes to developing new drugs for neglected diseases like malaria,” said David Sullivan at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg school of public health. One study of drug development costs in the 1990s estimated that each drug that reached the market cost pharmaceutical companies $802m in research and development.

2. Find the words 1. allergy 2. antihistamine 3. parasite 4. rock-bottom prices 5. roadblocks

3 Collocations 1. d; 2. a; 3. b; 4. c

4 Word game

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1. malaria 2. parasite 3. patent 4. pharmaceutical 5. researchers

No going back to Mugabe Level 3 l Advanced 1 Pre-Reading 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. asylum vouchers

threaten slum

appeal prohibited

1. A

funding deport

is a very poor area in or around a city.

2. If someone says that they will do something very bad to you if you don’t do what they say, they

you.

3. If something is not permitted, by law, it is

.

4. People who are in danger in their own country sometimes move to another country and ask for

, or the right to stay there in safety.

5. Money that is provided by a government or organization to help people is called 6. To

is to formally ask a court to change its decision.

7. When a government forces someone to leave the country, they 8.

.

them.

are pieces of paper, instead of money, that let people buy what they need.

2 Pre-reading 2 Guess the facts Do you think these statements are true or false? 1. The president of Zimbabwe is Robert Mugabe. 2. Political refugees have to ask for permission to stay in Britain. 3. If they don’t get it, they can stay in Britain anyway. 4. If they fail to get permission the first time, they can ask for another hearing. 5. The British attitude to refugees from Zimbabwe has never changed. Now read the article and see if you were right.

No going back to Mugabe by Alison Benjamin 1

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I first met Thomas last spring, when I asked him to write an article about living underground in Britain. He had applied for asylum, afraid for his life in Zimbabwe because Robert Mugabe’s youth militia, the Green Bombers, threatened to kill him for leaving their organisation. Now, at the beginning of the summer, he looks happy and relaxed, living with his new partner, Tanya, in a village in East Anglia. But it has been a long, hard journey surviving as a persona non grata in Britain. And it is not over yet.

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No going back to Mugabe Level 3 l Advanced 3

After his final appeal for asylum was rejected in 2004, Thomas lived rough in Manchester; on friends’ floors and in a disused factory with other failed asylum seekers. One night, five white youths attacked him and left him with bruised ribs and a swollen eye. But he wouldn’t go to the police. “I was terrified that they would send me back to Zimbabwe.”

4

Shaken by the attack, he went to Glasgow to stay with friends, but an old illness forced him to go to hospital. He was afraid to give his real name, so he didn’t attend his check-up, went back to Manchester and slept in the bus station. The following day he contacted Refugee Action - the charity that had helped him with his asylum case. But hostels in Manchester can’t take people like Thomas who can’t receive state funding, so they had to send him to a homeless hostel in Liverpool. “It was full of drug addicts,” says Thomas. “There was a massive room with lots of beds. Five o’clock, they gave me dinner, and six o’clock you had to be in bed. I was scared of the other residents. They made racist jokes. I couldn’t sleep all night. The next morning I took the first bus back to Manchester.” He spent his second night in the bus station before another friend let him stay.

5

At this time, the asylum and immigration tribunal judged that failed asylum seekers deported to Zimbabwe would be in danger. This gave Zimbabweans refugee status, and Thomas reapplied for asylum. But his claim was rejected. His case worker at Refugee Action appealed, and Thomas was invited to attend an appeal hearing in London.

6

He won the appeal, and returned to Manchester ready to move into a hostel and receive government food vouchers, instead of having to rely on handouts from friends and charity, but it was another two months before anything arrived. Three days before Christmas, he was finally given a room in a National Asylum Support Service [Nass] hostel. But it was a disgusting place to live. “My bedroom floor was covered in water, the kitchen ceiling leaked, there was mould growing everywhere.” And the first food vouchers didn’t arrive until Christmas Eve, when the only supermarkets that accepted them were closed. “I spent Christmas Day ill with hunger,” he says.

7

The new year, however, looked more promising: Thomas was transferred to a better- maintained Nass hostel, and then he heard that his sister, who he hadn’t seen for three years since escaping from Zimbabwe, was living in the Midlands. “I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “She had left the same night as myself, after the Green Bombers had beaten me up in front of my family. None of us had heard from her.”

8

He remembered Sonia as a big woman. Now 43, also a failed asylum seeker, she was tiny. “We hated each other when I was growing up,” Thomas laughs. “But now I just wanted to be with her. She is the only family I have here.”

9

He has one brother still in Zimbabwe and another who died last year. Another brother and two other sisters are in South Africa, where his mother now lives, too. Her house in Zimbabwe was destroyed by Mugabe’s so-called slum clearance programme. Thomas met Tanya through a mutual friend while he was staying with Sonia, and they clicked immediately. She invited Thomas to move in with her and her four young children. With Tanya at work all day, Thomas became a house husband. “It’s the happiest I have ever been,” he beams, clutching Tanya’s hand. They plan to marry, but say they don’t want to tie the knot until Thomas has his refugee status. “I don’t want anyone to think we are getting married so I can stay,” he insists. “She’s been there for me, more than anyone else in my life. She took me in when I had nothing.”

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No going back to Mugabe Level 3 l Advanced 11

Thomas is desperate to find work to support his new family, but asylum seekers are prohibited from working. Five months on, the Home Office has told him nothing about his case. The uncertainty is making him nervous. “It’s the not knowing what is going on that is stressful,” he says. In April the government obtained permission to send failed asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe, and later this legislation was confirmed, allowing it to forcibly remove up to 7,000 people.

12

What will he do if the Home Office does start deporting failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe? Thomas says: “It’s harder now. I have a family here, but I’ll have to go underground again. No way am I going back.” And Tanya? Without hesitation, she replies: “I’ll go wherever he is.” Names have been changed. Thomas’s article, and more on asylum seekers, can be found at SocietyGuardian.co.uk/asylumseekers

3 Comprehension check Put these events in the order in which they happened. a. Thomas went to Liverpool. b. He went to live in East Anglia. c. He was attacked by five young white men. d. He was a member of the Green Bombers in Zimbabwe.



e. He met Tanya. f. He went to live in Manchester. g. He went to his appeal in London. h. He went to Glasgow. i. He met his sister in the Midlands.

4 Vocabulary Development 1 Collocations

2. state

b. status

3. refugee

c. hearing

4. drug

d. husband

5. appeal

e. addicts

6. food

f. funding

7. slum

g. vouchers

8. house

h. seekers

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a. clearance

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Match the nouns on the left with their collocations on the right.

No going back to Mugabe Level 3 l Advanced 5 Vocabulary Development 2 Find the word Find words or expressions in the text that mean: 1. someone who is not wanted in a particular place: 2. badly hurt, leaving a blue mark on the skin: 3. when part of your body becomes much bigger than usual, it is 4. upset and frightened: 5. a place where homeless people can stay: 6. green, blue or white bacteria growing on food or wet walls: 7. got on well and felt attracted to each other: 8. gives a big smile: 9. get married:

6 Discussion How do you feel about Thomas’s situation? What is your country’s immigration policy? Do you think countries should have limits to the numbers and types of immigrants it accepts?

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What kind of immigration policies do you think are ideal?

No going back to Mugabe Level 3 l Advanced Key: 1. Pre-Reading 1 Key words.

4. Vocabulary development Collocations

1. slum

1. asylum seekers

2. threaten

2. state funding

3. prohibited

3. refugee status

4. asylum

4. drug addicts

5. funding

5. appeal hearing

6. appeal

6. food vouchers

7. deport

7. slum clearance

8. vouchers

8. house husband

2. Pre-reading 2 Guess the facts

5. Vocabulary development 2 Find the word

1. True, though the text doesn’t actually say so. 2. True. 3. False; they are not supposed to, but many try to remain secretly, ‘undergound’. 4. True, they can appeal. 5. False; see the title: ‘has been given the go-ahead’, para 5: ‘at this time the…tribunal judged that….’, and para 11: ‘in April…’

3. Comprehension check

1. persona non grata (* Latin, but commonly used in English) 2. bruised 3. swollen 4. shaken 5. a hostel 6. mould 7. clicked 8. beams 9. tie the knot

1. d 2. f 3. c 4. h 5. a 6. g 7. i 8. e

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9. b

No going back to Mugabe Level 1 l Elementary 1



Before you read 1 Key words

Fill the gaps using these words from the headline and the text. asylum seekers militia threaten vouchers slum refugee status 1. A

appeal deport

is a very poor area in or around a city.

2. If someone says that they will do something very bad to you if you don’t do what they say, they

you.

3.

are people who are in danger in their own country

and move to another country and ask for the right to stay there in safety. 4. If the government allows these people to stay in the country, they have



.

5. A

is a group of ordinary people trained to fight in an emergency.

6. If you

against a court decision, you formally ask the court to change it.

7. When a government forces someone to leave the country, they 8.

them.

are pieces of paper, instead of money, that let people buy what they need.

2 Before you read 2 Scanning Does Thomas now have permission to stay in Britain? Read the article quickly to check.

Now, he is living happily with his new partner, Tanya, in a village in East Anglia. But it has been a long, hard journey surviving as an unwanted visitor in Britain. And it is not over yet.

3

After he was refused permission to stay in 2004, Thomas slept on friends’ floors and in an empty factor in Manchester. One night, five white youths attacked and injured him badly. But he wouldn’t go to the police. “I was terrified that they would send me back to Zimbabwe.”

4

Frightened by the attack, he went to Glasgow to stay with friends, but an old illness forced him to go to hospital. He was afraid to give his real name, so he didn’t attend his check-up, went back to Manchester and slept in the bus station. The next day, he went to Refugee Action – the charity that had helped him with his asylum case. They couldn’t put him in a homeless hostel in Manchester because he didn’t have government support, so they sent him to one in Liverpool. “It was a huge room full of drug addicts,” says Thomas. “Five

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Three years ago, Thomas came to Britain from Zimbabwe. He was afraid for his life, because when he left Robert Mugabe’s youth militia, the Green Bombers, they threatened to kill him.

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No going back to Mugabe by Alison Benjamin 1

No going back to Mugabe Level 1 l Elementary o’clock, they gave me dinner, and six o’clock you had to be in bed. I was scared of the other residents. They made racist jokes. I couldn’t sleep all night. The next morning I took the first bus back to Manchester.” He spent his second night in the bus station before another friend let him stay. At this time, the law decided that Zimbabweans would be in danger if they were sent home, so Thomas asked for asylum again. His claim was rejected, but his case worker at Refugee Action appealed.

5

6

He won the appeal, and returned to Manchester expecting to move into a hostel and have government food vouchers. He didn’t want to depend on friends and charity. But nothing changed for another two months. At last, three days before Christmas, he was given a room in a National Asylum Support Service [Nass] hostel. But it was horrible. “My bedroom floor was covered in water, the kitchen ceiling leaked, there was mould growing everywhere.” And the first food vouchers didn’t arrive until Christmas Eve, when the only supermarkets that accepted them were closed. “I spent Christmas Day ill with hunger,” he says.

7

But in the new year, life improved. Thomas was moved to a better Nass hostel, and then he heard that his sister, who he hadn’t seen since he escaped from Zimbabwe, was living nearby! “I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “She left the same night as me, after the Green Bombers beat me up in front of my family. None of us had heard from her.”

8

He remembered Sonia as a big woman. Now 43, also a failed asylum seeker, she was tiny. “We hated each other when I was growing up,” Thomas laughs. “But now I just wanted to be with her. She is the only family I have here.”

9

He has one brother still in Zimbabwe; another died last year. Another brother and two other sisters are in South Africa, where his mother now lives, too. Mugabe’s soldiers destroyed her house in Zimbabwe when they were ‘clearing’ the slums.

10

Thomas met Tanya through a friend of Sonia’s. He now lives with her and looks after her four young children while she is at work. “It’s the happiest I have ever been,” he smiles, holding Tanya’s hand. They plan to marry when Thomas has his refugee status. “I don’t want anyone to think we are only getting married so I can stay,” he insists. “She’s been there for me, more than anyone else in my life. She took me in when I had nothing.”

Thomas wants to support his new family, but asylum seekers are not allowed to work. The Home Office has told him nothing about his case for five months, and this makes him nervous. In April, the government obtained permission to send failed asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe, so it could deport up to 7,000 people.

11

12

What will he do if the Home Office does deport failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe? Thomas says: “It’s harder now. I have a family here, but I’ll have to go underground again. No way am I going back.” And Tanya? Without hesitation, she replies: “I’ll go wherever he is.”

3



Reading for detail

1. Name all the places in Britain where Thomas has stayed. 2. What places in Manchester has he stayed in? 3. Why didn’t he go to the Police, or go back to hospital? 4. How many brothers and sisters did he have?

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5. Why did his mother leave Zimbabwe?

No going back to Mugabe Level 1 l Elementary 4



Vocabulary development 1

All these adjectives from the text are about fear. Put them in order, with the strongest first. afraid

frightened

terrified

nervous scared

5 Vocabulary development 2 Past tenses Look in the text for the irregular past tenses of these verbs and complete the table. VERB

PAST SIMPLE

come

came

leave be sleep won’t go can’t send give have make take spend let will win hear beat meet become

6 Discussion Do you feel sorry for Thomas?

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Do you think countries should stop refugees from living in them?

No going back to Mugabe Level 1 l Elementary Key: 1. Before you read 1 Key words

5. Vocabulary development 2 Past tenses

1. slum

VERB

PAST SIMPLE

2. threaten

come

came

3. asylum seekers

leave

left

4. refugee status

be

was, were

sleep

slept

won’t

wouldn’t

go

went

can’t

couldn’t

send

sent

give

gave

have

had

make

made

take

took

spend

spent

let

let

will

would

win

won

hear

heard

beat

beat

meet

met

become

became

5. militia 6. appeal 7. deport 8.vouchers

2. Before you read 2 Scanning No. He has permission to stay and ask for asylum, but he hasn’t got refugee status, so he can’t get a job.

3. Reading for detail 1. Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, East Anglia 2. Friends’ floors, an empty factory, the bus station, two different hostels. 3. He was afraid they would report him to the government. 4. Three brothers and three sisters. 5. Because the government destroyed her house.

4. Vocabulary development 1 terrified frightened afraid scared

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nervous

No going back to Mugabe Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Before you read 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these words from the headline and the text. the go-ahead asylum seekers threaten vouchers slum

1. A

fled militia refugee status

appeal deport

is a very poor area in or around a city.

2. If someone says that they will do something very bad to you if you don’t do what they say, they

you.

3.

are people who are in danger in their own country and move

to another country and ask for the right to stay there in safety. 4. If the government allows these people to stay in the country, they have

.

5. If someone gives you permission to do something, they give you 6. A 7.

to do it.

is a group of ordinary people trained to fight in an emergency. means ‘ran away’, or ‘escaped’

8. If you

against a court decision, you formally ask the court to change it.

9. When a government forces someone to leave the country, they 10.

them.

are pieces of paper, instead of money, that let people buy what they need.

2 Before you read 2 What do you think? Look at the headline, and guess which answer is right: 1. Mugabe is: a. a town in Zimbabwe;

b. the president of Zimbabwe;

c. the refugee’s girlfriend.

2. The refugee: a. doesn’t have to go back;

b. cannot go back;

c. doesn’t want to go back.

3. The British government: a. can now deport Zimbabwean refugees;

b. can no longer deport them.

4. The refugee: a. escaped from Zimbabwe;

b. escaped from Britain;

c. fought the militia..

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Now read the article and see if you were right.

No going back to Mugabe Level 2 l Intermediate No going back to Mugabe by Alison Benjamin 1 1

I first met Thomas last spring, when I asked him to write an article about living secretly in Britain. He had

3

After his final appeal for asylum was rejected in 2004, Thomas lived rough in Manchester; on friends’ floors and in an empty factory with other failed asylum seekers. One night, five white youths attacked and injured him badly. But he wouldn’t go to the police. “I was terrified that they would send me back to Zimbabwe.”

4

Frightened by the attack, he went to Glasgow to stay with friends, but an old illness forced him to go to hospital. He was afraid to give his real name, so he didn’t attend his check-up, went back to Manchester and slept in the bus station. The next day Refugee Action – the charity that had helped him with his asylum case – sent him to a homeless hostel in Liverpool, because hostels in Manchester can’t take people like Thomas without government support. “It was a huge room full of drug addicts,” says Thomas. “Five o’clock, they gave me dinner, and six o’clock you had to be in bed. I was scared of the other residents. They made racist jokes. I couldn’t sleep all night. The next morning I took the first bus back to Manchester.” He spent his second night in the bus station before another friend let him stay.

5

At this time, the asylum and immigration tribunal decided that Zimbabweans would be in danger if they were sent home, so Thomas reapplied for asylum. But his claim was rejected. His case worker at Refugee Action appealed, and Thomas attended an appeal hearing in London.

6

He won the appeal, and returned to Manchester expecting to move into a hostel and receive government food vouchers, instead of depending on friends and charity, but nothing arrived for another two months. Three days before Christmas, he was finally given a room in a National Asylum Support Service [Nass] hostel. But it was horrible. “My bedroom floor was covered in water, the kitchen ceiling leaked, there was mould growing everywhere.” And the first food vouchers didn’t arrive until Christmas Eve, when the only supermarkets that accepted them were closed. “I spent Christmas Day ill with hunger,” he says.

7

But in the new year, life improved: Thomas was transferred to a better Nass hostel, and then he heard that his sister, who he hadn’t seen for three years since escaping from Zimbabwe, was living in the Midlands! “I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “She had left the same night as myself, after the Green Bombers had beaten me up in front of my family. None of us had heard from her.”

8

He remembered Sonia as a big woman. Now 43, also a failed asylum seeker, she was tiny. “We hated each other when I was growing up,” Thomas laughs. “But now I just wanted to be with her. She is the only family I have here.”

9

He has one brother still in Zimbabwe and another who died last year. Another brother and two other sisters are in South Africa, where his mother now lives, too. Her house in Zimbabwe was destroyed by Mugabe’s so-called slum clearance programme.

10

Thomas met Tanya through a friend of Sonia’s, and they liked each other immediately. She invited Thomas to move in with her and her four young children. With Tanya at work all day, Thomas became a house husband. “It’s the happiest I have ever been,” he smiles, holding Tanya’s hand. They plan to marry when

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Now, months later, he looks more relaxed, living with his new partner, Tanya, in a village in East Anglia. But it has been a long, hard journey surviving as an unwanted visitor in Britain. And it is not over yet.

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applied for asylum, afraid for his life in Zimbabwe because Robert Mugabe’s youth militia, the Green Bombers, threatened to kill him for leaving their organisation.

No going back to Mugabe Level 2 l Intermediate Thomas has his refugee status. “I don’t want anyone to think we are only getting married so I can stay,” he insists. “She’s been there for me, more than anyone else in my life. She took me in when I had nothing.” 11

Thomas wants to support his new family, but asylum seekers are not allowed to work. Five months on, the Home Office has told him nothing about his case, and this makes him nervous. “It’s not knowing what is going on that is stressful,” he says. In April, the government obtained permission to send failed asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe, allowing it to deport up to 7,000 people.

12

What will he do if the Home Office does deport failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe? Thomas says: “It’s harder now. I have a family here, but I’ll have to go underground again. No way am I going back.” And Tanya? Without hesitation, she replies: “I’ll go wherever he is.”

3 Comprehension check Are the following statements true or false? 1. Alison Benjamin has written about Thomas before. 2. He was given permission to stay in 2004. 3. Manchester is his favourite place. 4. He was afraid that the police and the hospital would report him to the authorities. 5. The British government has never changed its ideas about refugees from Zimbabwe. 6. He wants to marry Tanya so that he can stay in Britain. 7. He still doesn’t have permission to stay.

4 Vocabulary Development 1 Word building Change the word in brackets to fit the sentence. All the correct forms are in the text.

is the action of removing things that you don’t want. (CLEAR).

2. People who hate other people just because of the colour of their skin are 3. ‘Please can I have

to leave the room?’ (PERMIT) is when people move to another country to live there always. (IMMIGRATE). is when you cannot be sure what is going to happen. (CERTAIN)

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5. A feeling of

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. (RACE).

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No going back to Mugabe Level 2 l Intermediate 5 Vocabulary Development 2 Word groups Put these words into three groups connected with ‘living’, ‘fear’ and ‘health’. house afraid hospital hostel illness scared surviving stressful move in with injured residents check-up slum frightened took me in room terrified stay nervous Living

Fear

Health

e.g. house

e.g. afraid

e.g. hospital

leave be sleep won’t go can’t send give have

6 Discussion How do you feel about Thomas’s situation?

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Do you think countries should restrict or refuse refugees?

No going back to Mugabe Level 2 l Intermediate Key: 1. Before you read 1 Key words 1. slum

4. Vocabulary Development 1 Word building

2. threaten

1. clearance

3. asylum seekers

2. racist

4. refugee status

3. permission

5. the go-ahead

4. immigration

6. a militia

5. uncertainty

7. fled 8. appeal 9. deport 10.vouchers

2. Before you read 2 What do you think? 1. b. 2. c. 3. a. 4. a.

5. Vocabulary Development 2 Word groups Living

Fear

Health

e.g. house

e.g. afraid

e.g. hospital

hostel

scared

illness

surviving

stressful

injured

move in with

frightened

check-up

residents

terrified

slum

nervous

took me in room homeless

3. Comprehension check

stay

1. False: she asked him to write. (1) 2. False; his appeal was rejected. (3) 3. False; he keeps going back because he has friends there. 4. True. 5. False; see the title: ‘has been given the go-ahead’, para 5: ‘at this time the…tribunal judged that….’, and para 11: ‘in April…’ 6. False; he wants to marry her anyway, and to get refugee status first, to prove that.

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7. True.

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key Words Fill in the gaps in the sentences with the words below. flicker

affection

disinclined

deter

conviction

cuddle up

disobedient

1. If you do something with

cajole

perpetuate

widower

, you do it with the feeling or appearance of being confident or

certain about it. 2. A

person deliberately does the opposite of what someone in authority has told them to do.

3. A

is a man whose wife has died.

4. A

is a small, sudden movement.

5. If you are 6.

to do something, you are unwilling to do it. is a feeling of liking and caring about someone

7. If you

a process or a situation, you make it continue.

8. If you

to someone, you sit or lie with your body against theirs because you want to feel

warm, protected or loved. 9. If you

someone into doing something, you persuade them to do it by encouraging them

gently or being nice to them. 10. When something

you from doing something, it makes you decide not to do it.

2 True or False? Decide whether you think these statements are true or false and then read the article to see if your predictions were correct. 1. Arranged marriages are commonplace in Indonesia. 2. Disasters like the tsunami are reducing the numbers of arranged marriages. 3. The tradition of arranged marriages is likely to die out soon. 4. Divorce rates are rising in Indonesia. 5. When a woman dies, their older sister often marries the widower.

“I do (not know who you are)” Indonesian parents still pick children’s marriage partners By John Aglionby in Bumi Agung

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When Tri Cayono and Yanti caught sight of each other, their reactions were hardly what one would expect from two people on their wedding day. Yanti greeted her future husband with a handshake and the merest flicker of a smile. He gave a nod and moved on. The affection level barely rose throughout the evening. Yanti and Tri did

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 3 l Advanced not kiss. They were disinclined to cuddle up, even when cajoled by the photographer. This reflects the traditions that persist in many parts of Indonesia. Not only had Yanti, 22, a restaurant cook, and Tri, 24, a farmer, just met, they barely knew anything about each other. “Er, what does he like to do in his spare time?’ Yanti asked a cousin the day before the wedding. Two months ago Tri announced he wanted to marry a girl from central Java. “I think they’re cooler and more fun,” he said. That he did not know any did not deter him. When an acquaintance, Fajar, said he had a cousin, Mursiyati, who might be appropriate, Tri accepted immediately. Pressured by her parents into accepting Tri’s offer - his possession of a 11/4-acre (0.5 hectare) farm being a tempting prospect for her labourer father - Mursiyati agreed to the match. A month later Mursiyati met someone she liked and married her new boyfriend instead. But Tri was still determined to marry a central Java woman and Fajar felt he had to provide one. So early in June the family came up with Yanti, a cousin. Again land proved the crucial factor. “As soon as I heard her voice, saw her photo and learnt she was a cook, I knew that she was the woman for me,” Tri said, without conviction. Yanti said she was “happy and excited” at the prospect of marrying Tri, but her father, Saulusmin, was not. “I mean they haven’t even met - how can they get married?’ he said. But he did not dare to stand up to his wife, Gina. “She would have got so angry with me if I’d objected it would not have been pleasant,” Saulusmin said. It is impossible to know how many Indonesians end up in such marriages. Saman, the cleric who married Yanti and Tri, said “extreme” stories such as theirs, where the couple had not met, comprised perhaps 1% of marriages. “But there are many where the children do what they’re told,” he said. Tini, a maid in Jakarta who ran away after her parents tried to force her, at the age of 15, to marry a 28-year-old, reckons about a third of all unions in her district are undertaken without full consent. World Vision, an international aid agency, describes the practice as “still common” and experts say it is unlikely to die out soon. “It’s the tradition and it’s hard to go against traditions,” said Gadis Arivia, of the women’s group Jurnal Perempuan. “Parents don’t believe in modern practices, particularly when they see divorce rates going up. On the daughter’s part if you obey your parents you are supported. The disobedient ones have a much harder life.” Indonesia’s string of recent natural disasters and communal conflicts have also perpetuated the tradition, said Samsidar, a commissioner of the National Commission for Violence Against Women. “It’s traditional in situations where women have died for their younger sisters to look after their children, and this usually means they have to marry the widower,” she said. There is also a strong economic side to it. “After something like the tsunami many people were in a very bad way financially,” Samsidar said. “So we saw a lot of people hurrying to marry off their children to make their own lives that much easier.”

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Back in Bumi Agung, Yanti was continuing to put a brave face on it. “As long as I don’t have to go to work again - it’s his job to provide for me - and can have a couple of children, then I’ll be happy,” she said. “And I’ll probably be able to come back and visit once a year.”

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 3 l Advanced 3 Comprehension Check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. When Tri and Yanti saw each other at their wedding a. they were overjoyed to see each other b. they didn’t acknowledge each other’s presence c. they greeted each other in a rather formal way 2. Tri didn’t marry his friend’s cousin because a. her father said his farm wasn’t big enough b. she decided to marry someone else c. she wasn’t from central Java 3. Yanti “put a brave face on” things. This means: a. she tried to hide the fact that she was disappointed b. she was enthusiastic c. she was optimistic about the future 4. What has the effect of natural disasters and communal conflicts been? a. they have resulted in a continuation of the tradition of arranged marriages b. they have resulted in a reduction in the number of arranged marriages c. they have resulted in a sharp increase in the number of arranged marriages

4 Vocabulary Find the word Find the word that means: 1. another word for hardly (para 1) 2. a word that means attractive and making you want to have it (para 2) 3. another word for most important (para 3) 4. a general word for priest (para 4) 5. another word for permission (para 4)

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6. another word for series (para 6)

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 3 l Advanced 5 Vocabulary Phrasal verbs Match the phrasal verbs with their meanings. 1. come up with

a. not allow yourself to be bullied by someone else

2. stand up to

b. care for

3. end up

c. produce or provide something that someone else wants

4. die out

d. oppose

5. go against

e. find oneself finally in a particular situation

6. look after

f. become less common and then disappear completely

7. marry off

g. secretly leave a place because you are not happy there

8. run away

h. find a husband or wife for someone

6 Vocabulary Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. catch sight 2.

full consent

3. believe 4. provide 5. violence 6.

conviction

7 Discussion

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Do you agree with the idea of arranged or forced marriages? Make a list of points for and against the practice.

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key Words

4 Vocabulary – Find the word

1. conviction;

1. barely;

2. disobedient;

2. tempting;

3. widower;

3. crucial;

4. flicker;

4. cleric;

5. disinclined;

5. consent;

6. affection;

6. string

7. perpetuate; 8. cuddle up; 9. cajole; 10. deters

5 Vocabulary

Phrasal verbs

1. c; 2. a; 3. e;

2 True or False?

4. f;

1. T;

5. d;

2. F;

6. b;

3. F;

7. h;

4. T;

8. g

5. F

6 Vocabulary 3 Comprehension check

1. of;

1. c;

2. without;

2. b;

3. in;

3. a;

4. for;

4. a

5. against;

Prepositions

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6. without

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key Words Fill in the gaps in the sentences with the words below. bride bridegroom wedding cousin cleric common divorce (n) conflict (n) widower arranged marriage 1. A

is a man whose wife has died.

2. A

is a ceremony in which two people get married.

3.

is a general word for priest.

4. An

is a marriage where parents choose a husband or wife for their children.

5. A child of your uncle or aunt is your

.

6. A woman who is getting married is the 7. A man who is getting married is the

. .

8. Fighting between different groups of people is called a 9.

.

is a legal way of ending a marriage.

10. If something is

it happens very often.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. How old is Yanti? 2. What is her job? 3. What does Tri do? 4. Where is Yanti from? 5. Where does Tini work? 6. How old was Tini when her parents told her to get married?

Indonesian parents still pick children’s marriage partners by John Aglionby in Bumi Agung Tri Cayono, aged 24, is a farmer. Yanti, aged 22, is a cook. They both live in Indonesia. Recently they got married. The wedding was rather strange. Tri, the bridegroom, and Yanti, the bride, met for the first time at the wedding. They had never seen each other before. Instead of being happy, they were nervous and rather quiet. When they met they shook hands and smiled nervously. They did not kiss each other or hold hands. The photographer asked them to kiss each other for the wedding photograph but they did not want to.

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This is an example of the tradition of arranged marriage that continues to exist in many parts of Indonesia. Tri and Yanti had never met before the wedding and they knew almost nothing about each other. “Er, what does he like to do in his spare time?’ Yanti asked her cousin the day before the wedding.

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 1 l Elementary Two months ago Tri told his friends and family that he wanted to marry a girl from central Java. “I think girls from central Java are cool and more fun,” he said. But Tri didn’t know any girls from central Java. However, this wasn’t a problem for him. A friend of Tri’s, Fajar, said he had a cousin called Mursiyati who would be a good wife for him. Tri accepted the offer immediately. Mursiyati’s parents forced her to accept Tri’s offer – Mursiyati’s father was pleased that Tri had some land – and she agreed to marry Tri. A month later Mursiyati met someone she liked and she married her new boyfriend instead. But Tri still wanted to marry a woman from central Java and Fajar had to find one for him. So in June the family suggested Yanti, a cousin. “When I heard her voice, saw her photo and learnt she was a cook, I knew that she was the woman for me,” said Tri. Yanti said she was “happy and excited” about marrying Tri, but her father, Saulusmin, was unhappy. “They haven’t even met - how can they get married?’ he said. But he did want to argue with his wife, Gina. “She will be angry with me if I say no to the marriage. It will not be pleasant,” Saulusmin said. It is impossible to know how many Indonesians are married in arranged marriages. Saman, the cleric who married Yanti and Tri, said situations like this, where the couple have never met, do not happen very often. “But there are many where the children have to do what their parents tell them,” he said. Tini, who now works as a maid in Jakarta, ran away from home when she was 15 after her parents told her to marry a 28-year-old man. She thinks about a third of all the marriages in her district take place without the full agreement of the bride and bridegroom. World Vision, an international aid agency, says that arranged marriages are “still common” and experts say the tradition will probably continue. “It’s the tradition and it’s hard to fight against traditions,” one expert said. “Parents don’t like modern ways, especially when they see that divorce rates are going up. Daughters who listen to their parents get support. The ones that don’t listen have a much harder life.” Natural disasters and conflicts in Indonesia also help the tradition to continue. In situations where women have died, it is traditional for their younger sisters to look after their children, and this usually means they have to marry the widower. Money is an important factor. After the tsunami many people had financial problems so a lot of people wanted to marry off their children to make their own lives easier. Back at the wedding, Yanti told everyone she was happy. “If I don’t have to go to work again - it’s his job to provide for me - and if I can have a couple of children, then I’ll be happy,” she said. “And I’ll probably be able to come back and visit central Java once a year.”

3 Comprehension check 1 Put these sentences in the correct order to retell the story. a. Unfortunately, he didn’t know any girls from central Java. b. Unfortunately, Mursiyati married another man. c. Finally, Tri and Yanti got married. d. Tri wanted to marry a girl from central Java. e. However, his friend Fajar said he had a cousin called Mursiyati who would be a good wife.

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f. Luckily Fajar found another wife for Tri.

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 1 l Elementary 4 Comprehension Check 2 Match the beginnings and endings of the sentences. 1. Tri wanted to marry a girl from central Java because 2. Tri and Yanti were nervous because 3. Yanti will be happy if 4. Yanti’s father was unhappy about the marriage because 5. When women die 6. Experts believe a.

she doesn’t have to go to work and she can have a couple of children.

b.

their younger sisters usually look after their children.

c.

they had not met each other before.

d.

the tradition of arranged marriages will probably continue.

e.

he thinks they are cool and more fun.

f.

his daughter hadn’t met her future husband.

5 Vocabulary Opposites Find the opposites of these adjectives in the text: 1. relaxed

5. unpleasant

2. noisy

6. traditional

3. rare

7. easier

4. unhappy

8. possible

6 Vocabulary

Women and men

Complete the table.

2. bridegroom

6. boyfriend

3. husband

7. cousin

4. uncle

8. brother

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5. son

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woman

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1. man

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary – Opposites

1. widower;

1. nervous;

2. wedding;

2. quiet;

3. cleric;

3. common;

4. arranged marriage;

4. happy/pleased;

5. cousin;

5. pleasant;

6. bride;

6. modern;

7. bridegroom;

7. harder;

8. conflict;

8. impossible

9. divorce; 10. common

6 Vocabulary – Women and men 2. bride;

2 Find the information

3. wife;

1. 22;

4. aunt;

2. she’s a cook;

5. daughter;

3. he’s a farmer;

6. girlfriend;

4. central Java (Indonesia);

7. cousin;

5. Jakarta; 6. 15

8. sister 9. aggressive

3 Comprehension Check 1 d; a; e; b; f; c

6 3

4 Comprehension Check 2 1. e; 2. c; 3. a; 4. f; 5. b;

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6. d

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key Words Fill in the gaps in the sentences with the words below. bridegroom divorce (n)

bride cuddle (vb) unconvincingly cleric disobedient widower tsunami object (vb)

1.

is a legal way of ending a marriage.

2. If someone is

, they do not do what people in authority tell them to do.

3. If you

to something, you are opposed to it.

4. The 5.

is a man who is getting married. is a general word for priest.

6. A

is a man whose wife has died.

7. If you

someone, you put your arms round them and hold them close to show that you

like or love them. 8. A 9. The

is a huge tidal wave. is a woman who is getting married.

10. If you do or say something

, you do it in such a way that no-one really believes you.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How old is Tri? 2. What is Yanti’s job? 3. How big is Tri’s farm? 4. Where is Yanti from? 5. Where does Tini work? 6. How old was Tini when her parents tried to force her to marry?

Indonesian parents still pick children’s marriage partners by John Aglionby in Bumi Agung

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When the bridegroom, Tri Cayono, and the bride, Yanti, saw each other on their wedding day, their reactions were rather unusual for a future husband and wife. Yanti greeted Tri with a formal handshake and a nervous smile. Tri nodded briefly at her and moved away. During the evening they did now show any affection towards one another. They did not kiss. They didn’t want to cuddle one another, even when the photographer tried to persuade them to do so.

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 2 l Intermediate This is an example of the traditions that continue to exist in many parts of Indonesia. Not only had Yanti, 22, a restaurant cook, and Tri, 24, a farmer, just met for the first time, they hardly knew anything about each other. “Er, what does he like to do in his spare time?’ Yanti asked a cousin the day before the wedding. Two months ago Tri told his friends and family that he wanted to marry a girl from central Java. “I think they’re cooler and more fun,” he said. The fact that he didn’t know any girls from central Java wasn’t a problem for him. A friend of his, Fajar, said he had a cousin, Mursiyati, who might be a good wife. Tri accepted the offer immediately. Mursiyati’s parents forced her to accept Tri’s offer – the fact that Tri has a one and a quarter acre (0.5 hectare) farm was very attractive to her labourer father – and she agreed to marry Tri. A month later Mursiyati met someone she liked and married her new boyfriend instead. But Tri was still determined to marry a woman from central Java and Fajar felt he had to find one for him. So early in June the family suggested Yanti, a cousin. Again land was the central factor. “As soon as I heard her voice, saw her photo and learnt she was a cook, I knew that she was the woman for me,” Tri said, unconvincingly. Yanti said she was “happy and excited” at the prospect of marrying Tri, but her father, Saulusmin, was not. “I mean they haven’t even met - how can they get married?’ he said. But he did want to argue with his wife, Gina. “She would have been angry with me if I had objected. It would not have been pleasant,” Saulusmin said. It is impossible to know how many Indonesians end up in arranged marriages like these. Saman, the cleric who married Yanti and Tri, said “extreme” stories such as theirs, where the couple had not met, are rare and perhaps only 1% of marriages are like this. “But there are many where the children do what they’re told,” he said. Tini, a maid in Jakarta who ran away after her parents tried to force her, at the age of 15, to marry a 28-year-old, thinks about a third of all marriages in her district take place without the full agreement of the bride and groom. World Vision, an international aid agency, says that arranged marriages are “still common” and experts say it is unlikely they will die out soon. “It’s the tradition and it’s hard to go against traditions,” said Gadis Arivia, of the women’s group Jurnal Perempuan. “Parents don’t believe in modern practices, particularly when they see divorce rates going up. Daughters who obey their parents get support. The disobedient ones have a much harder life.” The series of recent natural disasters and communal conflicts in Indonesia have also helped to maintain the tradition, said Samsidar, a commissioner of the National Commission for Violence Against Women. “In situations where women have died, it is traditional for their younger sisters to look after their children, and this usually means they have to marry the widower,” she said. There is also a strong economic aspect. “After something like the tsunami many people had financial problems,” Samsidar said. “So we saw a lot of people hurrying to marry off their children to make their own lives that much easier.”

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Back in Bumi Agung, Yanti tried to convince everyone she was happy. “If I don’t have to go to work again - it’s his job to provide for me - and if I can have a couple of children, then I’ll be happy,” she said. “And I’ll probably be able to come back and visit central Java once a year.”

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 2 l Intermediate 3 Comprehension check Are these statements True or False according to the text? 1. Arranged marriages are dying out in Indonesia. 2. Natural disasters have prolonged the tradition of arranged marriages. 3. Tri and Yanti were cool towards each other at their wedding. 4. Yanti’s father was happy and excited about his daughter’s wedding. 5. Most marriages in Indonesia are arranged marriages. 6. The bridegroom’s land is an important factor. 7. Yanti says she will be happy if she has a couple of children. 8. When women die, their older sisters look after their children.

4 Vocabulary

Collocations

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text. 1. wedding

a. agency

2. nervous

b. rate

3. spare

c. agreement

4. full

d. day

5. aid

e. conflict

6. divorce

f. time

7. natural

g. smile

8. communal

h. disaster

5 Vocabulary

Word Building

1. exist

5. accept

2. marry

6. agree

3. offer

7. obey

4. arrange

8. provide

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Verb Noun

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Verb Noun

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Complete the table.

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 2 l Intermediate 6 Vocabulary Word family Look at the example with agree and then make a similar word family with obey. agree

obey

agreement

(adjective)

disagree disagreement

(adjective)

7 Discussion

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Do you agree with the idea of arranged or forced marriages? Make a list of points for and against the practice.

Marriage Indonesian-style Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key Words

4 Vocabulary – Collocations

1. divorce;

1. d;

2. disobedient;

2. g;

3. object;

3. f;

4. bridegroom;

4. c;

5. cleric;

5. a;

6. widower;

6. b;

7. cuddle;

7. h;

8. tsunami;

8. e

9. bride; 10. unconvincingly

5 Vocabulary – Word building 1. existence;

2 Find the information

2. marriage;

1. 24;

3. offer;

2. cook;

4. arrangement;

3. 0.5 hectare;

5. acceptance;

4. central Java;

6. agreement;

5. Jakarta;

7. obedience;

6. 15

8. provision

3 Comprehension Check

6 Vocabulary – Word family

1. F;

obedience, obedient, disobey, disobedience, disobedient

2. T;



3. T; 4. F; 5. F; 6. T; 7. T;

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8. F

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key Vocabulary Verbs Match these verbs from the text with their definitions. 1. to recruit

a. to say that something is true even though it has not been proved

2. to blackmail

b. to make someone in authority lose their power

3. to prompt

c. to become weaker

4. to topple

d. to remove someone from a position of power in order to take that position

5. to unearth

e. to move someone to a job at a higher level

6. to fade

f. to cause something to happen or be done

7. to target

g. to get someone to join an organization

8. to allege

h. to focus your attention on a particular group of people

9. to promote

i. to make someone do something by threatening to tell people embarrassing

10. to oust



information about them

j. to discover something that people had kept secret

2 What do you know? Choose the best answer and then check by looking in the text. 1. Of what country was Nicolae Ceausescu leader? a. Bulgaria

b. Hungary

c. Romania

2. Where is Transylvania? a. Croatia

b. Romania

c. Bulgaria

3. n what year was Ceausescu removed from power? a. 1979

b. 1989

c. 1999

4. What was the name of the Romanian secret police?

NEWS LESSONS / Ceausescu’s child spies

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c. Securitate

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b. STB

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a. KGB

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 3 l Advanced Ceausescu’s police forced children to become spies by Daniel McLaughlin in Budapest The secret police of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu recruited thousands of children to spy on schoolfriends, parents and teachers, according to communist-era archives. They show that the Securitate blackmailed children into becoming informers in the late 1980s, as the whiff of liberalisation in the Soviet bloc prompted Ceausescu to tighten his grip on the country. The files have prompted calls for an inquiry into why many agents who allegedly recruited the child spies continued working for the security services after Ceausescu was toppled and executed in 1989. “In every county there were complex networks of these children, aged between 12 and 14,” said Cazimir Ionescu, a member of the state council created to study the Securitate archives. A Romanian historian, Marius Oprea, unearthed a cache of such files in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu, the 2007 European Capital of Culture, which was run like a fiefdom in the 1980s by Ceausescu’s son, Nicu. “In Sibiu in 1989 the Securitate recruited 830 informers; 170 were under 18,” Mr Oprea said. “On the basis of Sibiu, you could say perhaps 15% of the whole country’s informers were children.” Historians believe the Securitate had hundreds of thousands of collaborators on its books by 1989, as Soviet power faded in eastern Europe. “What kind of information could these children give, except on family, teachers, and so on?” Mr Oprea asked. “This shows that, by then, the Securitate was being used to control its own ordinary people.” The children were expected to tell Securitate handlers about their friends’ and families’ opinions on the Communist party, and whether they listened to western radio stations, had contact with foreigners or made jokes about Ceausescu. “In the 1980s the situation in Romania made it hard to recruit anyone with appeals to patriotism, so they blackmailed people, even children, with things they had done wrong at school or with information they threatened to use against them,” Mr Oprea said. The secret police targeted intelligent and sporty children, whose participation in teams and clubs gave them access to many teachers, other children and their parents. “This was incredible abuse,” Dan Voinea, the public prosecutor investigating the case, told Romanian reporters.

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Several alleged recruiters were promoted in the secret police after 1989, and some brought their young spies to work with them when they left school. “This is a tragedy which must not only be brought to light but must also have clear consequences for the perpetrators,” said Stejarel Olaru, a historian working with Mr Oprea at the state institute for studying communist crimes. Mr Oprea found evidence of the child-spy programme soon after 1989, but at that time found no appetite for such revelations among the ex-communists who seized power after the fall of Ceausescu and stayed quiet for 15 years. Only when reformers ousted the old guard in 2004 elections did the Securitate archive begin opening. Access is now increasing under pressure from the EU, which Romania hopes to join in January.

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 3 l Advanced 3 Comprehension Check Are these statements True or False according to the text? 1. Ceausescu became more authoritarian in the late 1980s as a result of liberalization in the Soviet bloc. 2. Those agents who recruited child spies were sacked after Ceausescu was executed. 3. Ceausescu’s son ruled the town of Sibiu in a very liberal way. 4. The child spies gathered information on their own families and teachers. 5. The Securitate didn’t care whether people made jokes about Ceausescu. 6. The Securitate relied on patriotism rather than blackmail to recruit spies. 7. Intelligent and sporty children were of particular interest to the Securitate. 8. The Securitate archives remained unopened for 15 years after the death of Ceausescu.

4 Find the Word Look in the text and find: 1. a noun which means a slight smell or sign of something. (para 1) 2. an expression which means to increase one’s control over. (para 1) 3. a noun which means a quantity of things that have been hidden. (para 2) 4. a noun which means an area that someone controls completely. (para 2) 5. a noun meaning the right or opportunity to have or use something that will bring you benefits (para 5) 6. a noun meaning someone who does something harmful, illegal or dishonest. (para 6) 7. an expression meaning publicise. (para 6) 8. a noun meaning the process of letting people know something that was previously a secret. (para 7)

5 Vocabulary

Word Building

Complete the table.

1. collaborate



2. recruit



3. investigate



4. blackmail



5. participate



6. prosecute



7. perpetrate



8. reform



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noun (activity)

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noun (person)

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verb

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 3 l Advanced 6 Pronunciation

Word Stress

Put these words from the text into two groups depending on their stress patterns: inquiry foreigner ordinary opinion

reporter recruiter

1. o 0 o

communist execute tragedy institute

2. 0 o o

7 Discussion

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Can you think of any situation when it is right for people to spy on their friends, family and school or workmates?

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key Vocabulary - Verbs

4 Find the Word

1. g;

1. whiff;

2. i;

2. tighten one’s grip on;

3. f;

3. cache;

4. b;

4. fiefdom;

5. j;

5. access;

6. c;

6. perpetrator;

7. h;

7. brought to light;

8. a;

8. revelation

9. e; 10. d

5. Vocabulary

Word Building

1. collaborator, collaboration;

2 What do you know?

2. recruiter, recruitment;

1. c;

3. investigator, investigation;

2. b;

4. blackmailer, blackmail;

3. b;

5. participant, participation;

4. c.

6. prosecutor, prosecution; 7. perpetrator, perpetration;

3 Comprehension Check

8. reformer, reform

1. T; 2. F;

6 Pronunciation

Word Stress

3. F;

1. inquiry, reporter, election, opinion, recruiter

4. T;

2. foreigner, execute, communist, tragedy, institute

5. F; 6. F; 7. T;

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8. T

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key Vocabulary Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. gradually complex

dictator archive

recruit (verb) spy blackmail (verb) sporty informer secret police

1. If you are

, you enjoy playing different sports.

2. An

is a large collection of old documents.

3. A

is someone who uses force to take power and control a country.

4. If something happens 5. An 6. The

, it happens slowly and in small stages or amounts. is someone who gives information secretly to the police. is a police force that works secretly to protect the government.

7. If you 8. A

someone, you ask them to join an organisation. is someone whose job is to find out secret information.

9. If you

someone, you say that you will tell people secrets about them if they do not give you

money or do what you ask them to do.

10.

is the opposite of simple.

2 Find the Information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What was the name of the Romanian dictator? 2. When did he die? 3. How did he die? 4. What was the name of his secret police? 5. What town did his son control? 6. How many child informers were there in this town?

Ceausescu’s police forced children to become spies by Daniel McLaughlin in Budapest

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In the late 1980s the countries of Eastern Europe were gradually becoming more liberal. The Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu did not support this process and did not want Romania to become more liberal. Now documents from the communist period in Romania have shown that Ceausescu’s secret police, known as the Securitate, recruited thousands of children to spy on schoolfriends, parents and teachers.

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 1 l Elementary Ceausescu was shot in December 1989 and communist rule in Romania ended soon after. Now many people in Romania are asking why some of the agents who recruited the child spies continued to work for the security services after Ceausescu died in 1989. “In every Romanian county there were complex networks of these children, aged between 12 and 14,” said Cazimir Ionescu, a member of the state council which is studying all the Securitate documents. A Romanian historian, Marius Oprea, found a collection Securitate documents in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu. Ceausescu’s son Nicu controlled Sibiu for many years. “In Sibiu in 1989 the Securitate recruited 830 informers; 170 of them were under the age of 18,” Mr Oprea said. “If this was the same all over Romania, you could say that possibly 15% of the informers in the country were children.” Historians believe the Securitate had hundreds of thousands of informers by 1989, as Soviet power began to weaken in Eastern Europe. “What kind of information could these children give, except information about their family, teachers, and so on?” Mr Oprea asked. “This shows that, by 1989, the Securitate was controlling its own people.” The children had to tell Securitate agents about their friends’ and families’ opinions on the Communist party. They also had to tell them if their friends and families listened to western radio stations, had any contacts with foreigners or told jokes about Ceausescu. “In the 1980s it was difficult for the secret police to recruit informers so they had to blackmail people, even children, with things they had done wrong at school or with things the police knew about them,” Mr Oprea said. The secret police were particularly interested in intelligent and sporty children because they were in teams and clubs and had contact with many teachers, other children and their parents. After 1989 many of those who recruited children got better jobs in the secret police, and some brought their young spies to work with them when they left school. “This is a tragedy which we must tell the public about but we must also punish the people responsible for this situation,” said Stejarel Olaru, a historian working with Mr Oprea at the state institute for studying communist crimes. Mr Oprea first heard about the child-spy programme soon after 1989, but at that time the ex-communists who were in power after the fall of Ceausescu were not interested in his story. Mr Oprea remained silent for 15 years. After the elections of 2004, the old politicians lost power and the Securitate archives were opened up. Romania hopes to join the EU next January and the EU wants Romania to open all the old Securitate archives so the public can see them.

3 Comprehension Check Match the beginnings with the endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The Securitate used children 2. Some of the agents who recruited the child spies continued 3. Historians think the Securitate had 4. The child spies had to tell the Securitate 5. In the 1980s it was difficult for the secret police

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6. The secret police were interested in intelligent and sporty children because

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 1 l Elementary 7. The EU wants Romania 8. By 1989 Soviet power was beginning

a.

if their friends and families told jokes about Ceausescu.

b.

they had contact with many teachers and other children.

c.

to spy on their families, friends and teachers.

d.

to recruit informers.

e.

hundreds of thousands of informers by 1989.

f.

to work for the security services after 1989.

g.

to weaken in Eastern Europe.

h.

to open up all the old Securitate archives.

4 Vocabulary

Collocations: Verbs + Nouns

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make collocations. Check your answers in the text. 1. do

a. power

2. tell

b. a job

3. get

c. school

4. leave

d. the radio

5. lose

e. wrong

6. listen to

f. a joke

5 Vocabulary

Prepositions

Fill the gaps using prepositions 1. work

the security services

2. listen

western radio stations

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somebody

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something

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3. opinions

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 1 l Elementary 5. tell jokes

somebody

6. interested

somebody or something

7. responsible 8. hear

something something

6 Vocabulary

Word Stress

Put these words from the text into two groups according to their stress. process secret recruit blackmail

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B. o 0

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police agent complex punish about believe

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support except

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key Vocabulary

4 Vocabulary Collocations – Verbs + Nouns

1. sporty;

1. e;

2. archive;

2. f;

3. dictator;

3. b;

4. gradually;

4. c;

5. informer;

5. a;

6. secret police;

6. d

7. recruit; 8. spy; 9. blackmail; 10. complex

5 Vocabulary Prepositions 1. for; 2. to; 3. on;

2 Find the Information

4. with;

1. Nicolae Ceausescu;

5. about;

2. December 1989;

6. in;

3. He was shot;

7. for;

4. The Securitate;

8. about

5. Sibiu; 6. 170

6 Vocabulary Word Stress A process, secret, agent, complex, blackmail, punish;

3 Comprehension Check

B support, police, except, recruit, about, believe

1. c; 2. f; 3. e; 4. a; 5. d; 6. b; 7. h;

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8. g

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key Vocabulary Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. recruit (vb) patriotic

blackmail (vb) allegedly archive collaborator Abuse (n) prosecutor promote access

1. If you

someone, you move them to a job at a higher level.

2. If someone

does something, another person says they have done it, even though this has

not been proved.

3.

means cruel, violent or unfair treatment.

4. A

is a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty.

5. If you

someone, you make them give you money or do what you want by threatening to tell

people embarrassing information about them.

6. A

is someone who secretly helps an enemy or opponent by giving them information.

7. If you have

to something, you have the right or opportunity to use it.

8. If you 9. An 10. A

someone, you get them to join an organisation. is a collection of historical documents and records. person is someone who feels a lot of love, respect and duty towards their country.

2 Find the Information Look in the text and find this information. 1. When was the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu shot? 2. What was the name of Ceausescu’s secret police? 3. Which town was ruled by Ceausescu’s son Nicu? 4. What percentage of police informers in Romania were children? 5. When were the secret police archives opened? 6. Which town is European Capital of Culture in 2007?

Ceausescu’s police forced children to become spies by Daniel McLaughlin in Budapest

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The secret police of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu recruited thousands of children to spy on schoolfriends, parents and teachers, according to documents from the communist era. The documents show that the Securitate blackmailed children into becoming informers in the late 1980s, when liberalisation in other Eastern European countries forced a worried Ceausescu to increase his control over the people of Romania.

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 2 l Intermediate The information in the files has led many people to ask for an inquiry into why many agents who allegedly recruited the child spies continued to work for the security services after Ceausescu was removed from power and shot in 1989. “In every Romanian county there were complex networks of these children, aged between 12 and 14,” said Cazimir Ionescu, a member of the state council responsible for studying the Securitate archives. A Romanian historian, Marius Oprea, found a collection of these files in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu, the 2007 European Capital of Culture, which was controlled by Ceausescu’s son Nicu. “In Sibiu in 1989 the Securitate recruited 830 informers; 170 were under 18,” Mr Oprea said. “On the basis of Sibiu, you could say that possibly 15% of the whole country’s informers were children.” Historians believe the Securitate had hundreds of thousands of collaborators by 1989, as Soviet power began to disappear in eastern Europe. “What kind of information could these children give, except on family, teachers, and so on?” Mr Oprea asked. “This shows that, by 1989, the Securitate was being used to control its own ordinary people.” The children were expected to tell Securitate agents about their friends’ and families’ opinions on the Communist party, and whether they listened to western radio stations, had contact with foreigners or made jokes about Ceausescu. “In the 1980s the situation in Romania made it difficult to recruit anyone by asking them to do it for patriotic reasons, so they had to blackmail people, even children, with things they had done wrong at school or with information they threatened to use against them,” Mr Oprea said. The secret police focused their attention on intelligent and sporty children, whose participation in teams and clubs meant they had contact with many teachers, other children and their parents. “This was incredible abuse,” Dan Voinea, the public prosecutor investigating the case, told Romanian reporters. Several alleged recruiters were promoted in the secret police after 1989, and some brought their young spies to work with them when they left school. “This is a tragedy which must not only be publicised but must also have clear consequences for the people responsible for it,” said Stejarel Olaru, a historian working with Mr Oprea at the state institute for studying communist crimes. Mr Oprea found evidence of the child-spy programme soon after 1989, but at that time the ex-communists who seized power after the fall of Ceausescu were not interested in his story so he remained silent for 15 years. It was only after reformers won the 2004 elections and removed the old guard that the Securitate archive was opened. Access to the archive is now increasing under pressure from the EU, which Romania hopes to join in January.

3 Comprehension Check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why did Ceausescu increase control over the people of Romania in the late 1980s? a. because the same thing was happening in other Eastern European countries. b. because the Securitate was blackmailing children.

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c. because other Eastern European countries were becoming more liberal.

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 2 l Intermediate 2. Why did the Securitate recruit children? a. because they couldn’t find any adult informers. b. because they wanted information about family members and teachers. c. because they wanted to blackmail them. 3. Why did the Securitate have to use blackmail in order to recruit informers? a. because few people wanted to become informers for patriotic reasons. b. because a lot of children did things wrong at school. c. because they needed to recruit intelligent and sporty children. 4. When were the Securitate archives opened? a. after the death of Ceausescu in 1989. b. after the reformers won the election in 2004. c. they haven’t been opened yet.

4 Vocabulary

Collocations

2. security

b. guard

3. ordinary

c. police

4. public

d. people

5. old

e. network

6. complex

f. prosecutor

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a. services

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Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text.

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 2 l Intermediate 5 Vocabulary

Word Building

Complete the table. Verb

Noun

1. collect 2. disappear 3. threaten 4. participate 5. investigate 6. promote 7. remove 8. blackmail

6 Vocabulary



Prepositions

Use prepositions to complete these phrases from the text. 1. control

someone

2. remove

power

3. contact

foreigners

4. make jokes

someone

5. focus attention

something

6. participation 7. spy

teams and clubs someone

8. access

something

7 Discussion

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Can you think of any situation when it is right for people to spy on their friends, family and school or workmates?

Ceausescu’s child spies Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key Vocabulary

4 Vocabulary Collocations

1. promote;

1. c;

2. allegedly;

2. a;

3. abuse;

3. d;

4. prosecutor;

4. f;

5. blackmail;

5. b;

6. collaborator;

6. e

7. access; 8. recruit; 9. archive; 10. patriotic

5. Vocabulary

Word Building

1. collection; 2. disappearance; 3. threat;

2 Find the Information

4. participation;

1. 1989;

5. investigation;

2. the Securitate;

6. promotion;

3. Sibiu;

7. removal;

4. 15%;

8. blackmail or blackmailer (person)

5. 2004; 6. Sibiu

6 Vocabulary Prepositions 1. over;

3 Comprehension Check

2. from;

1. c;

3. with;

2. b;

4. about;

3. a;

5. on;

4. b

6. in; 7. on;

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8. to

Madame la Présidente? Level 3 l Advanced 1 Pre-Reading 1 Have you heard of Ségolène Royal? What do you know about her? What would you want to know about a possible future president of France?

2 Pre-Reading 2 Key Words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. outraged

a clique

an icon

an elite

the left

erupt

taboos

hierarchical

1. A famous person who represents a particular idea is sometimes called 2. A society or organization where levels of status are very important is

. .

3. People whose political ideas are more socialist than conservative are known as 4. A problem or difficult situation that suddenly gets much worse, can 5.

. , like a volcano.

is a small group of people with a lot of power or influence.

6. She shocked and annoyed people; she

them.

7.

is a small group of people who seem very unfriendly to others.

8.

are subjects that a group or society agrees they should never talk about.

Now read the article and see if you were right.

Madame La Présidente? Could Ségolène Royal become France’s first female head of state, asks Angelique Chrisafis 1

In a sports hall in a small town outside Bordeaux, a crowd of more than 1,000 fans suddenly leapt to their feet,

arms in the air, and began stamping and clapping the furious rhythm of a second world war Italian partisan song: “Bella, ciao! Bella, ciao! Bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!” From the back of the hall, smiling benevolently, waving to the beat, stepped La Bella, Ségolène Royal. 2

In less than a year, Royal, the 53-year-old mother of four and head of the Poitou-Charentes regional government,

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has rocketed from relative obscurity to the top of the opinion polls. She is now the only serving MP in France’s top 50 list of most-loved personalities, and an icon of France’s celebrity gossip magazines. They revel in her personal story of triumph over adversity: the shy teenage daughter of an ultra-Catholic, authoritarian army colonel who brutally punished his children and believed women should stay at home like his wife, has grown up to wage war on French male chauvinism.

Madame la Présidente? Level 3 l Advanced 3

4

Royal has challenged the hierarchical system of the male-dominated French left. Rather than wait around helping the ageing men who run the socialist party - “les éléphants” - she has attracted cult status and an army of devoted supporters of her movement, Désirs d’Avenir - “Wishes for the Future”. They tirelessly campaign for her unpaid, and believe that she alone can rescue France from the depression and glaring social inequalities of 12 years under President Jacques Chirac. France certainly has problems. Youth unemployment is high, violent crime is rising and many fear that last

year’s riots in the run-down, immigrant suburbs, where teenagers say racism ruins their lives, could rapidly erupt again. The centre-right presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy, the charismatic interior minister, is making no secret of trying to appeal to far-right sympathisers with his tough position on immigration. 5

6

Royal’s huge popular support makes her seem the only Socialist capable of winning the presidential race. But the elephants will not go down without a fight. They say she is inexperienced, and her popularity cannot last. “It is going to be nasty,” admits one Royal supporter. Like the last Socialist president, François Mitterrand, to whom she was once adviser, Royal is focusing on

the provinces, touring the country’s regions and promising to shift power away from the Paris elite. In one village she so charmed more than 200 wine-makers who face losing their vines as Europe tries to drain its surplus wine-lake that the old ladies lined up to kiss her and have their photographs taken with her. 7

“It’s all about the people,” she smiled between meetings in Bordeaux. I asked her what kept her going:

“My need to rise to the challenge of the trust that the people, the country, has given me.” 8

At the exclusive Ecole National d’Administration, training ground of the French ruling class, Royal was in

the same class as the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin. There, too, she met her partner, François Hollande. Later, she held ministerial positions for education, environment, family and childhood, while he became Socialist party leader in 2002. They have four children but have never married. 9

For months, Royal was ridiculed for vaguely promoting family values and public morals instead of defining

her political ideas. Now she is clarifying her vision to modernise France, but, like Mitterrand, she somehow manages to swing both right and left. She outraged the left by suggesting a form of military service for unruly teenagers and criticising the Socialists’ treasured 35-hour working week, yet she is strongly pro-trade union, and has promised to ban genetically modified food. An admirer of Tony Blair within a party that was always suspicious of him, she is nonetheless against the war in Iraq. “My diplomatic policy would not consist of going and kneeling in front of George Bush,” she has said. 10

“I don’t think she always wanted to be president. I think she stood up because she had another message to

give,” says MEP Gilles Savary, part of Royal’s inner circle. “The Socialist party in France has been a clique of men, cut off from the population. She’s not afraid to confront the taboos that the party once left alone, like security, crime, and France’s ghettoes.” Royal’s promise is to give the people a voice in a society where those in power have stopped listening to the street. 11

Socialist rivals have criticised her for avoiding difficult issues. “What is the first measure you’ll take if you’re elected?” she was asked in Bondy, but she neatly sidestepped the question. Before she left, she promised the crowd, “Power won’t change me.” But many outside the Segosphere still wonder who Royal really is, and what won’t be changing.

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Madame la Présidente? Level 3 l Advanced 3 General comprehension These statements about the article are all false. In what way? (The paragraph numbers are written after each one, to help you.) 1. Ségolène Royal is the only female Member of Parliament in France (1) 2. She has joined the French army to fight against men. (1) 3. Her supporters are satisfied with Jaques Chirac’s government. (3) 4. Nicolas Sarkozy is a hopeful man who welcomes immigrants. (4) 5. People once thought she was stupid for supporting family values and morality. (9) 6. Tony Blair’s party was always suspicious of him. (9) 7. Ms Royal didn’t like sitting down to give people messages. (10) 8. She wants everyone in the country to have a microphone. (10) 9. Most people in France have never heard of her. (11)

4 Vocabulary Development Near synonyms The writer uses a lot of near-synonyms to avoid repetition in her writing. Put the words below into eight groups that have a similar meaning in this text. The first one is done for you: 1) fans, supporters, sympathizers 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

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the people ideas question to confront sympathizers message the street regions issue personalities provinces Royal’s inner circle challenged vision supporters The Segosphere celebrity fans (a) measure

Madame la Présidente? Level 3 l Advanced 5 Useful Phrases 1 Word Order Rearrange these words to make phrases from the text. 1. both / to / left / swing / and / right 2. surplus / drain / lake / wine / its / to 3. without / will / fight / down / a / go / not 4. listening / stopped / the / to / have / street 5. away / elite / shift / to / from / Pairs / power / the 6. no / of / appeal / trying / secret / is / to / making / to 7. ruling / training / French / of / class / the / ground 8. kneeling / front / going / Bush / in / and / of / George 9. relative / opinion / rocketed / obscurity / has / from / the / to / polls / of / top / the

6 Useful Phrases 2 Meaning Now match the phrases you have rearranged to the meanings given below: a. has quickly become very popular; people had hardly heard of her before. b. will not give up their position of power easily c. to take some control away from the capital and give it to the regions d. is openly working to attract e. to reduce the huge amounts of wine it produces f. where the leaders of France are educated g. to have opinions that are both socialist and capitalist h. following US policies without question. i. no longer take any notice of what ordinary people want

7 Discussion Does your country have a woman president? If not, do you think you are likely to have one in the future? Why / why not? What do you think of Ségolène Royal’s policies? Would you vote for her?

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Why / why not?

Madame la Présidente? Level 3 l Advanced KEY 2. Pre-Reading Key Words

5. Useful Phrases Word Order

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

an icon hierarchical the left erupt an elite outraged a clique taboos.

3. General comprehension 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

No; she’s the only one in the top 50 most popular French people (1) No; she wants to change the system so that women have equal power. (1) No; they want Royal to ‘rescue’ them from his government, which they think created inequality and depression. (3) No; he is ‘hopeful’ that he may become president, and is against immigration. (4) No; some people thought her ideas on these and other issues were not clear enough. (9) No; she admired Tony Blair, although most of ‘her’ party (not ‘his’) didn’t trust him. (9) No; she decided to try to become president because she had something new to say. (10) No; she wants to speak for, or represent, the ordinary people. (10) No; people outside her circle are not sure of her real opinions, because they seem to change quite a lot. (11)

to swing both right and left to drain its surplus wine-lake will not go down without a fight have stopped listening to the street. to shift power away from the Paris elite is making no secret of trying to appeal to training ground of the French ruling class going and kneeling in front of George Bush has rocketed from relative obscurity to the top of the opinion polls

6. Useful Phrases Meaning 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

g e b i c d f h a

4. Vocabulary Development 3 Near synonyms (in any order…) Fans, supporters, sympathisers Personalities, celebrity Ideas, vision, policy, message, measure Problems, issues Regions, provinces Challenged, to confront The people, the street Royal’s inner circle, The Segosphere

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Madame la Présidente? Level 1 l Elementary 1 Pre-Reading 1 Have you heard of Ségolène Royal? What do you know about her?

2 Pre-Reading 2 Key Words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. the left unemployed male chauvinism a clique provinces a trade union riots social inequalities 1.

is the belief that men are much better than women.

2. People whose political ideas are more socialist that conservative are known as 3.

.

are very big differences between the rich and the poor.

4. People who can’t find a job are

.

5. People who are very angry about their situation sometimes take part in violent protests or 6. Workers can join an organization called 7. Countries are sometimes divided into different areas or 8.

.

because they want better pay or working conditions. .

is a small group of people who seem very unfriendly to others.

Now read the article and see if you were right.

Madame La Présidente? Could Ségolène Royal become France’s first female head of state, asks Angelique Chrisafis 1

In a sports hall in a small town outside Bordeaux, a crowd of more than 1,000 fans suddenly jumped up,

arms waving, and began stamping and clapping to a popular Italian second world war song: “Bella, ciao! Bella, ciao! Bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!” At the back of the hall, smiling warmly, appeared ‘La Bella’, Ségolène Royal. 2

Royal, the 53-year-old mother of four and head of the regional government in Poitou-Charentes, is now very

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popular. She is the only MP among the top 50 most-loved personalities in France, with her picture in all France’s celebrity magazines. They love her personal success story: she was the shy teenage daughter of a strict Catholic army colonel who punished his children brutally and thought women should stay at home like his wife; now she is fighting against French male chauvinism.

Madame la Présidente? Level 1 l Elementary 3

Royal doesn’t agree that only men should rule the French left. She has stopped helping the older men who run the socialist party - “les éléphants”. She now has her own movement, Désirs d’Avenir - “Wishes for the Future”, and an army of loyal supporters. They believe that she alone can save France from the poverty and terrible social inequalities of 12 years under President Jacques Chirac.

4

France certainly has problems. Lots of young people are unemployed, and violent crime is increasing. Last year, teenagers rioted against racism in the poor immigrant suburbs, and many are afraid it will happen again. Nicolas Sarkozy, the centre-right interior minister who would also like to be president, is openly trying to attract the far-right with his strict immigration policies.

5

Royal’s huge popular support makes her seem the only possible Socialist president. But the elephants don’t agree. They say she is inexperienced, and her popularity cannot last. “It is going to be nasty,” admits one Royal supporter.

6

Like the last Socialist president, François Mitterrand, who she once worked for, Royal is hoping to get support from the provinces. She visits them, promising to give more power to the regions. In one village, more than 200 wine-makers who may lose their vines as Europe tries to reduce its wine-lake were very impressed. The old ladies lined up to kiss her and be photographed with her.

7

“It’s all about the people,” she smiled between meetings in Bordeaux. I asked her what kept her going: “My need to rise to the challenge of the trust that the people, the country, has given me.”

8

At the exclusive Ecole National d’Administration, where the French ruling class are trained, Royal was in the same class as the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin. There, too, she met her partner, François Hollande. Later, she worked in the ministries of education, environment, family and childhood, while he became Socialist party leader in 2002. They have four children but have never married.

9

For months, people criticized Royal for having no clear policies, and just talking vaguely about family values and public morals. Now she is explaining her plans to modernise France, but, like Mitterrand, her opinions seem both right and left. She annoyed the left by suggesting a form of military service for difficult teenagers, and criticising the Socialists’ popular 35-hour working week. However, she strongly supports trade unions, and has promised to ban genetically modified food. Unlike the rest of her party, she admires Tony Blair, but she is against the war in Iraq. “My diplomatic policy would not consist of going and kneeling in front of George Bush,” she has said.

10

“The Socialist party in France has been a clique of men, cut off from the population.” says MEP Gilles Savary, part of Royal’s inner circle. Royal is promising to speak for ordinary people in a society where those in power don’t listen to them. She has also promised, “Power won’t change me.” But many outside the Segosphere still wonder who Royal really is, and what won’t be changing.

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NEWS LESSONS / Madame la Présidente? / Elementary

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Madame la Présidente? Level 1 l Elementary 3 General comprehension Match the beginnings to the ends of these sentences about the article. 1. Ségolène Royal…

a. …but he is not her husband.

2. There are not enough…

b. …are not typically socialist.





3. Madame Royal would like people…

c. ...should go into the army.

4. Some members of the socialist party…

d. …British and American policy on Iraq.

5. She lives with François Hollande…

e. …to be more equal.



6. Some of her policies

f.

7. She thinks difficult teenagers…



g. …don’t want her to be president.

8. She doesn’t agree with…



h. …jobs for everyone in France.



…had an unhappy childhood.

4 Vocabulary development 1 Find the word Find words in the text that mean: 1.

very cruelly

2.

being very very poor

3.

areas on the edge of the town, away from the centre

4.

plants that produce grapes, for making wine.

5.

not very clearly, without any detail

6.

when a plant is developed by changing its genes, or DNA

5 Vocabulary development 2

Political Anagrams

2. TOIILSCAS



S

3. NTMSRIEI



M

4. SEIOLCPI



P

5. CLATIMDOTI

D

6. YESCITO

S



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1. NTOMVREENG

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These political words come from the article. Put the letters in order; the first letter is there to help you.

Madame la Présidente? Level 1 l Elementary 6 Prepositions practice Each of these groups of phrases needs the same preposition. Can you remember which one? 1.

a sports hall;

2. a crowd

a small town; the socialist party

fans; lots

young people; at the back

four; an army

supporters; a form

3. she is fighting

chauvinism; riots

4. Wishes

the hall; mother



military service;

racism; she is

the future; military service

people; who she once worked

France;

the war in Iraq.

difficult teenagers; to speak

ordinary

;

Scan the text quickly again to check. And now, put one of those prepositions in each of these sentences.

8. There is a group

you,

your birthday.

students over there, in the middle

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / Madame la Présidente? / Elementary

the square.

O

7. I bought these flowers

Italy.

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a little village

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6. He lives

smoking.

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5. I hate cigarettes; I am

Madame la Présidente? Level 1 l Elementary KEY 2. Pre-Reading 2 Key Words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Male chauvinism the left Social inequalities unemployed riots a trade union provinces a clique

3. General comprehension 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

f h e g a b c d

5. Vocabulary development 2 Political Anagrams 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

government socialists ministries policies diplomatic society

6. Prepositions practice 1. 2. 3. 4.

in of against for

5. 6. 7. 8.

against in for of.

4. Vocabulary development 1 Find the word brutally poverty suburbs vines vaguely genetically modified

NEWS LESSONS / Madame la Présidente? / Elementary

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Madame la Présidente? Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Pre-Reading 1 Have you heard of Ségolène Royal? What do you know about her?

2 Pre-Reading 2 Key Words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. an elite

the left

ageing

a clique

chauvinism

1. Workers can join an organization called

run-down

a trade union

because they want to improve their pay or

working conditions.

2.

is a polite word for ‘old’.

3. A building or district that is in very bad condition is

.

4. People whose political ideas are more socialist than conservative are known as 5.

is the belief that your own country, race or sex is better than any other.

6.

is a small group of people with a lot of power or influence.

7.

is a small group of people who seem very unfriendly to others.

.

Now read the article and see if you were right.

Madame La Présidente? Could Ségolène Royal become France’s first female head of state, asks Angelique Chrisafis 1

In a sports hall in a small town outside Bordeaux, a crowd of more than 1,000 fans suddenly jumped up,

arms in the air, and began stamping and clapping to the rhythm of a second world war Italian partisan song: “Bella, ciao! Bella, ciao! Bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!” From the back of the hall, smiling benevolently, waving to the beat, stepped La Bella, Ségolène Royal. 2

In less than a year, Royal, the 53-year-old mother of four and head of the regional government in

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Poitou-Charentes, has unexpectedly become very popular. She is now the only MP among the top 50 most-loved personalities in France, and appears in all France’s celebrity gossip magazines. They love her personal story of success out of difficulty: she was the shy teenage daughter of an ultra-Catholic, authoritarian army colonel who brutally punished his children and believed women should stay at home like his wife; now she is fighting against French male chauvinism.

Madame la Présidente? Level 2 l Intermediate 3

Royal doesn’t accept that the French left should be ruled by men. Instead of just helping the ageing men who run the socialist party - “les éléphants” - she now has an army of devoted followers of her own movement, Désirs d’Avenir - “Wishes for the Future”. They support her totally, unpaid, and believe that she alone can save France from the depression and terrible social inequalities of 12 years under President Jacques Chirac.

4

France certainly has problems. Youth unemployment is high, violent crime is rising and many fear that last year’s riots in the run-down, immigrant suburbs, where teenagers say racism ruins their lives, could rapidly start again. Nicolas Sarkozy, the centre-right interior minister who would also like to be president, is openly trying to attract the far-right with his strict immigration policies.

5

Royal’s huge popular support makes her seem the only possible Socialist president. But the elephants will not go down without a fight. They say she is inexperienced, and her popularity cannot last. “It is going to be nasty,” admits one Royal supporter.

6

Like the last Socialist president, François Mitterrand, who she once worked for, Royal is focusing on the provinces, touring the country’s regions and promising to move power away from the Paris elite. In one village, more than 200 wine-makers who may lose their vines as Europe tries to reduce its wine-lake were so impressed that the old ladies lined up to kiss her and be photographed with her.

7

“It’s all about the people,” she smiled between meetings in Bordeaux. I asked her what kept her going: “My need to rise to the challenge of the trust that the people, the country, has given me.”

8

At the exclusive Ecole National d’Administration, where the French ruling class are trained, Royal was in the same class as the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin. There, too, she met her partner, François Hollande. Later, she worked in the ministries of education, environment, family and childhood, while he became Socialist party leader in 2002. They have four children but have never married.

9

For months, people criticized Royal for talking vaguely about family values and public morals and having no clear policies. Now she is clarifying her plans to modernise France, but, like Mitterrand, her opinions seem both right and left. She annoyed the left by suggesting a form of military service for difficult teenagers, and criticising the Socialists’ beloved 35-hour working week. However, she strongly supports trade unions, and has promised to ban genetically modified food. Unlike the rest of her party, she admires Tony Blair, but she is against the war in Iraq. “My diplomatic policy would not consist of going and kneeling in front of George Bush,” she has said.

10

“I don’t think she always wanted to be president. I think she stood up because she had another message to give,” says MEP Gilles Savary, part of Royal’s inner circle. “The Socialist party in France has been a clique of men, cut off from the population.” Royal is promising to speak for ordinary people in a society where those in power don’t listen to them.

11

Socialist rivals have attacked her for avoiding difficult subjects. “What is the first measure you’ll take if you’re elected?” she was asked in Bondy, but she didn’t really answer. Before she left, she promised the crowd, “Power won’t change me.” But many outside the Segosphere still wonder who Royal really is, and what won’t be changing.



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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Madame la Présidente? Level 2 l Intermediate 3 General comprehension Are the following statements True or False? If they are false, say why. 1. Ségolène Royal was not always so popular. 2. She had a happy childhood. 3. She wants to save the elephants. 4. She doesn’t think Jacques Chirac’s government helped the French people. 5. All her own party members support her. 6. François Hollande is her husband. 7. Not all her policies are typically socialist. 8. She wants to help ordinary men and women.

4 Vocabulary development 1 Collocations Match an adjective on the left with a noun on the right to make common collocations from the text. 1. socialist

a. values

2. violent

b. service

3. immigration

c. leader

4. prime

d. crime

5. party

e. unions

6. family

f. minister

7. military

g. policies

8. trade

h. party

Now scan the article quickly to see if you were right.

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(Different combinations are sometimes possible in other texts!)

Madame la Présidente? Level 2 l Intermediate 5

Vocabulary development 2 Adverbs 1

These adverbs come from the article. Match each one with a definition below. strongly

openly

genetically

brutally

rapidly

1.

very cruelly

2.

warmly and kindly

3.

not very clearly

4.

very quickly

5.

all at once

6.

not trying to hide what you are doing

7.

positively, without hesitation

8.

suddenly

vaguely

benevolently

connected with the genes, or DNA

6 Vocabulary development 3 Adverbs 2 See if you can remember which adverb fits each of the phrases below. The phrases are in the order in which they appear; some have been shortened. 1. More than 1,000 fans

leapt to their feet

2. … from the back of the hall, smiling

,

3. …an… authoritarian army colonel who

punished his children

4. …last year’s riots… could 5. Nicolas Sarkozy… is

start again targeting far-right sympathizers

6. Royal was ridiculed for talking 7. She

about family values

supports trade unions

8. …she… has promised to ban

modified food.

Now re-read the article quickly to check.

7 Discussion Does your country have a woman president? If not, do you think you are likely to have one in the future? Why / why not? What do you think of Ségolène Royal’s policies? Would you vote for her?

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Why / why not?

Madame la Présidente? Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 2. Pre-Reading 2 Key Words

5. Vocabulary Development 2 Adverbs 1

1. a trade union

1. brutally

2. Ageing

2. benevolently

3. run-down

3. vaguely

4. the left

4. rapidly

5. Chauvinism

5. suddenly

6. an elite

6. openly

7. a clique

7. strongly 8. genetically

3. General comprehension 1. True. 2. False; her father was unkind to her.

6. Vocabulary Development 3 Replace the adverbs

3. False; the ‘elephants’ are the older male leaders of

1 suddenly

the socialist party, and she is critical of their attitudes.

2. benevolently

4. True.

3. brutally

5. False; the ‘elephants’ don’t agree with her.

4. rapidly

6. False; they are not married.

5. openly

7. True.

6. vaguely

8. True.

7. strongly 8. genetically

4. Vocabulary development 1: Collocations 1. h 2. d 3. g 4. f 5. c 6. a 7. b

NEWS LESSONS / Madame la Présidente? / Intermediate

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8. e

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. backlash atrocity mass murderer rainbow nation apartheid intruder 1.

scrutiny slaughter

carnage killing spree

is the political system that existed in South Africa, in which only white people had political rights and power.

2. A/An

is a country that contains people of many different races.

3. A/An

is someone who has killed several people.

4. A/An

is a short period of time in which a large number of people are killed.

5. To 6.

a group of people is to kill them in a very violent way. is a situation in which there is a lot of death and destruction.

7. A/An 8. Public 9. A/An

is a cruel and violent act. is careful examination of someone or something by people in general. is someone who enters a place where he or she is not allowed to go, especially

to commit a crime.

10. A/An

is a strong angry reaction to something that has happened.

2 What do you know? Decide whether the statements below are true or false. Then look in the text and check your answers. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Apartheid has come to an end in South Africa. Many black and coloured people were killed during this political system. A large number of black and coloured people have taken revenge for the killings. Most white people have expressed sorrow about what happened during the apartheid regime.

The Colour of Crime in South Africa Sympathy for an apartheid mass murderer highlights the refusal of whites to take responsibility for the past By Rory Carroll

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South Africa’s most prolific mass murderer takes another sip of coffee, eases back in his chair and pauses when asked if it is true he shot more than 100 black people. “I can’t argue with that,” says Louis Van Schoor. “I never kept count.” Seated at a restaurant terrace in East London, a seaside town in the Eastern Cape, the former security guard is a picture of relaxed confidence, soaking up sunshine while reminiscing about his days as an apartheid folk hero.

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 3 l Advanced Hired to protect white-owned businesses in the 1980s, he is thought to have shot 101 people, killing 39, in a three-year spree. Some were burglars; others were passersby dragged in from the street. All were black or coloured, the term for those of mixed race. Convicted of murder but released from jail after 12 years, Van Schoor is unrepentant. “I was doing my job - I was paid to protect property. I never apologised for what I did.” He is not the only one. The whites in East London who turned a blind eye to his killing spree have not apologised and whites in general, according to black clerics and politicians, have not owned up to apartheid-era atrocities. That reluctance to atone has been laid bare in a book published last month, The Colour of Murder, by Heidi Holland, which investigates the bloodsoaked trail not only of Van Schoor but also his daughter, Sabrina, who hired a hitman to murder her mother. The macabre tale is likely to reignite debate about those whites who shun the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and mock rainbow nation rhetoric. “The story is of a family but it is also the story of a divided country and of the people of that country trying to find new ways to live with each other,” says Holland. Since his release two years ago, after benefiting from a sentence reduction for all convicts issued by Nelson Mandela when he was president, Van Schoor, 55, has slimmed down, shaved off his beard and kept a low profile, working as a cattle farm foreman outside East London. During his 1992 trial white residents displayed “I Love Louis” stickers decorated with three bullet holes through a bleeding heart. Sympathy endures, says Van Schoor. “The reaction is 90% positive. Strangers say, ‘Hey, it’s good to see you.’” Magistrates and the police, grateful for the terror instilled in black people, covered his tracks until local journalists and human rights campaigners exposed the carnage as apartheid crumbled. Van Schoor was convicted of seven murders and two attempted murders. Upon his release in 2004, Van Schoor said he had found God and, when prompted, expressed sorrow to the relatives of his victims. “I apologise if any of my actions caused them hurt.” In an interview last week, he tried to clarify his position. “I never apologised for what I did. I apologised for any hurt or pain that I caused through my actions during the course of my work.” Thanks to his changed appearance and low profile he has faced no backlash. Few black people recognise him, including the bookseller who took his order for The Colour of Murder. When Van Schoor gave his name the penny dropped. “She nearly fell off her chair,” he says, smiling. Married four times and now engaged once more to a local woman, Van Schoor, speaking softly and warily, says he is “happy and content”. But he does not seem to approve of the new South Africa. “Everything has changed - people’s attitudes, the service in shops, it’s not the same.” On the contrary, lament black leaders, one crucial thing has stayed the same: the refusal of many whites to admit past sins.

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel peace laureate, recently said the privileged minority that once feared retribution had not shown enough gratitude for peaceful inclusion in a multi-racial democracy. Nkosinathi Biko, the son of the murdered anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, noted the dearth of white voices during the recent commemorations of the June 1976 Soweto uprising, when police slaughtered black schoolchildren. A liberal white commentator, Max du Preez, called the silence embarrassing. Nowhere is it more deafening

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 3 l Advanced than East London. Van Schoor’s rampage was made possible by a white establishment that made no outcry as his victims piled up, many of them impoverished children such as Liefie Peters, 13, gunned down while hiding in the toilet of a Wimpy restaurant after breaking in to steal cash. Eating a burger yards from where Van Schoor cornered his prey, Jacques Durandt, a 33-year-old white former member of the security forces, defended the killer. “I won’t say he’s a murderer. For him it was a job.” Wannitta Kindness, a 36-year-old white taxi driver parked outside the restaurant, says the security guard might have fired even if the intruder was white. “But you don’t find white people breaking into places.” Others echoed the refrain: denied jobs reserved for black people, targeted by criminals, harassed in the street, victims in South Africa these days have pale skin and they see no reason to apologise. “The blacks don’t want equality,” says Kindness. “They want to be on top.” East London does boast at least one white advocate of racial harmony: Van Schoor’s daughter, Sabrina, 25. While her father was in jail she shocked the white community by dating black men and giving birth to a mixed-race child. In 2002, in a grisly irony, she hired a black man to slit her mother’s throat, claiming she was a racist bully. Convicted of murder and sent to the same prison as her father, Sabrina Van Schoor is seen as a martyr by some black people. She seems popular among fellow inmates at Fort Glamorgan jail. “That girl, she’s not like the whites outside of here. She’s OK,” says one inmate. Speaking through iron bars, Sabrina Van Schoor, powerfully built like her father, says she is nervous about her family history coming under public scrutiny again because of the book. “I’m afraid it might open old wounds.” © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

3 Comprehension check Match each sentence beginning with a suitable ending.

Endings

1. Louis Van Schoor was sent to prison

a. because he has kept a low profile.

2. He was released from prison

b. when apartheid started crumbling.

3. During the apartheid regime no one knew about his rampage

c. so he does not think he should apologise for killing

5. The truth about Van Schoor’s actions was revealed 6. Van Schoor killed a lot of black people 7. Van Schoor’s job was to protect property, 8. So far, Van Schoor has faced no backlash © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The colour of crime in S Africa / Advanced



intruders.

d. after being convicted of murder. e. because the police hid the evidence of his actions. f. while he worked as a security guard. g. before completing his sentence. h. because he instilled terror in black people.

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4. Magistrates and the police welcomed his killings

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Beginnings

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The colour of crime in South Africa Level 3 l Advanced 4 Vocabulary 1 – Idiomatic expressions Complete the idiomatic expressions in these sentences based on the text. 1. Van Schoor never

count of the number of people he killed.

2. When he was freed, he slimmed down and shaved off his beard to keep a low

.

3. The bookseller didn’t recognize Van Schoor but when he gave his name, the penny 4. The police covered his

.

because they were grateful for the terror he instilled.

5. Most whites in East London have turned a 6. Their indifference has been laid

eye to Van Schoor’s killing spree. in a book by Heidi Holland.

7. Van Schoor’s daughter is fearful that Holland’s book might open old

.

Now match each expression with one of the explanations below. a. b. c. d. e. f. g.

To make something known that has been secret or hidden. To try to stop people from noticing you. To pretend not to notice something because you should do something about it but you do not want to. To realize or understand something. To make someone remember something bad that happened in the past. To hide any evidence that you were somewhere or did something. To remember or record a number as it changes over a period of time.

5 Vocabulary 2 – Taking responsibility and saying you are sorry The text uses several expressions to state that most whites don’t take responsibility or say they are sorry for what happened during the apartheid regime. Use the chart to classify the expressions below. There are four expressions that you do not need to use.

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1. reminisce about something 2. apologise for something 3. own up to something 4. atone 5. shun something 6. express sorrow about something 7. boast about something 8. admit something 9. be repentant about something 10. mock something

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 3 l Advanced Take responsibility for something

Say that you are sorry for something



Now match the expressions you didn’t use with the explanations below: a. To make something seem silly b. To deliberately avoid something c. To think about experiences in your past d. To have something good

6 Vocabulary 3 – Abstract nouns Fill in the blanks with abstract nouns derived from the verbs or adjectives in parentheses. 1. Seated at a restaurant, Van Schoor is a picture of relaxed

. (confident)

2. Van Schoor is now free because he benefited from a sentence

. (reduce)

3. He has slimmed down and shaved off his beard to change his

. (appear)

4. Black leaders complain about the whites’ 5. The whites have shown no (grateful, include)

to admit past sins. (refuse) for their

6. Some people think that blacks don’t want 7. With grisly

in a multi-racial democracy. . (equal)

, Van Schoor’s daughter hired a black man to kill her mother. (ironic)

7 Discussion

NEWS LESSONS / The colour of crime in S Africa / Advanced

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How do you think Van Schoor should be dealt with? Should he and the whites in general apologise for the killings during the apartheid period? Why/Why not?

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key words 1. Apartheid 2. A rainbow nation 3. A mass murderer 4. A killing spree 5. slaughter 6. Carnage 7. An atrocity 8. scrutiny 9. An intruder 10. A backlash

2 What do you know? 1. True; 2. True; 3. False; 4. False

3 Comprehension check 1–d 2–g 3–e 4–h 5–b 6–f 7–c 8–a

5 Vocabulary 2 – Taking responsibility and saying you are sorry Take responsibility for something sorry for something

Say that you are

own up to something admit something apologise for something atone express sorrow about something be repentant about something a – 10 b–5 c–1 d–7

6 Vocabulary 3 – Abstract nouns 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

confidence reduction appearance refusal gratitude; inclusion equality irony

4 Vocabulary 1 – Idiomatic expressions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

kept profile dropped tracks blind bare wounds

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a–6 b–2 c–5 d–3 e–7 f–4 g –1

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. murderer evidence

apartheid regime folk hero revenge race sin support human rights

1.

is the political system that existed in South Africa, in which only white people had political

rights and power. 2. A/An

is a system or form of government.

3. A/An

is a group of people who are similar because they have the same skin colour or other

physical features. 4. A/An

is someone who commits the crime of killing someone.

5. A/An

someone who is admired by the people of a region.

6. The 7.

of a crime is the facts or physical signs that help to prove it. is something that you do to hurt or punish someone because they have hurt you or

someone else. 8. To 9. A/An 10.

an idea is to be in favour of it. is an action that is wrong according to religious laws. are the things that everyone in a society should be morally or legally allowed to have or do.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find out who the following people are as quickly as possible. 1. Louis Van Schoor 2. Heidi Holland 3. Sabrina Van Schoor

The Colour of Crime in South Africa By Rory Carroll South Africa’s most famous murderer drinks some coffee, sits back in his chair and pauses when he is asked if it is true that he shot more than 100 black people. “I don’t know,” says Louis Van Schoor. “I’ve never counted them.” He is sitting at a restaurant terrace in East London, a seaside town in the Eastern Cape. He enjoys the sunshine as he remembers his days as an apartheid folk hero.

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In the 1980s, Van Schoor worked as a security guard. His job was to protect businesses owned by white people. He shot 101 people and killed 39 of them in a period of three years. Some were burglars; others

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 1 l Elementary were people who were walking past. All were black or coloured – people of mixed race. Van Schoor was convicted of murder but released from jail after 12 years. But he does not regret his actions. “I was doing my job - I was paid to protect property. I never apologised for what I did.” He is not the only one. According to black clerics and politicians, whites in general have never said that they were sorry for what happened during the apartheid regime. Heidi Holland agrees. She is the author of The Colour of Murder, a book published last month which reveals the cruel actions of Van Schoor and his daughter, Sabrina, who hired a man to kill her mother. “The story is of a family but it is also the story of a divided country and of the people of that country trying to find new ways to live with each other,” says Holland. Judges and the police welcomed the fact that black people were terrified of Van Schoor. They hid any evidence against him until local journalists and human rights campaigners revealed his actions when apartheid started coming to an end. During his 1992 trial, white residents displayed “I Love Louis” stickers to show sympathy for Van Schoor. He was found guilty of seven murders and two attempted murders. He was released two years ago, thanks to a sentence reduction for all convicts issued by Nelson Mandela when he was president. Since he was freed in 2004, Van Schoor, 55, has slimmed down, shaved off his beard and started working as a cattle farm foreman outside East London. So far, no one has taken revenge on him. Few black people recognise him, including the bookseller who took his order for The Colour of Murder. When Van Schoor gave his name, she realised who he was. “She nearly fell off her chair,” he says, smiling. Van Schoor married four times and he is now engaged once more to a local woman. He says he is “happy and content”. But he does not approve of the new South Africa. “Everything has changed - people’s attitudes, the service in shops, it’s not the same.” On the contrary, say black leaders, one thing has stayed the same: most whites still won’t admit past sins. Van Schoor’s killings took place during a white government. No one protested as his victims increased. Many of them were poor children such as Liefie Peters, 13, who was shot while he was hiding in the toilet of a Wimpy restaurant after breaking in to steal cash. Jacques Durandt, a 33-year-old white former member of the security forces, defended the killer. “I won’t say he’s a murderer. For him it was a job.” But there is at least one person who supports racial equality in East London: Van Schoor’s daughter, Sabrina, 25. While her father was in jail she shocked the white community by dating black men and giving birth to a mixed-race child. In 2002, she hired a black man to kill her mother because she thought her mother was a racist. She was convicted of murder and sent to the same prison as her father. She is seen as a martyr by some black people and is popular among other prisoners at Fort Glamorgan jail. “That girl, she’s not like the whites outside of here. She’s OK,” says one prisoner.

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 1 l Elementary 3 Comprehension check Are these statements True or False? 1. Louis Van Schoor is famous for the number of black people he killed. 2. He was a member of the security forces during the apartheid regime. 3. He regrets killing people while he was doing his job. 4. During the apartheid regime, the police couldn’t find any evidence of his crimes. 5. When the apartheid regime ended, Van Schoor was tried and sent to prison. 6. He was freed before he completed his sentence. 7. He has changed his appearance to forget about his past and start a new life. 8. His daughter is in prison for hiring someone to kill her mother.

4 Vocabulary 1 Synonyms Match the words or phrases used in the text that have the same meaning. killer

convict

jail

released

freed

murderer

convicted

say you are sorry

apologise

found guilty

prisoner

prison



5 Vocabulary 2 Crime Fill in the blanks with words related to crime. The first letter of each word is given. 1. Louis Van Schoor was c

of murder.

2. He was found g

reduction issued by Nelson Mandela benefited all c

6. He benefited from the sentence reduction and he was f 7. While Van Schoor was in j 8. She was sent to the same p 9. Sabrina is popular among other p

. in 2004.

, his daughter Sabrina hired a black man to kill her mother. as her father. at Fort Glamorgan.

10.Van Schoor wasn’t tried during the apartheid regime because the police hid the e © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The colour of crime in S Africa / Elementary

of his crimes. B FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

5. A s

from prison before completing his sentence.

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4. He was r

, white people showed sympathy for him.

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3. During his t

of seven murders and two attempted murders.

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 1 l Elementary 6 Vocabulary 3 Words related to apartheid Use the words or phrases in the box to complete the sentences based on the text. races racial

racist white black human rights mixed-race whites blacks regime

1. During the apartheid

people where in power and

people had no rights.

campaigners support

4. Sabrina Van Schoor had a

equality – everyone should have the same rights. child.

5. She believes that her mother was a 6. We should all learn to respect people from other

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The colour of crime in S Africa / Elementary

. .

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3.

don’t always find it easy to live together in South Africa.

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2.

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,

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2 – Crime

1. Apartheid 2. A regime 3. A race 4. A murderer 5. A folk hero 6. evidence 7. Revenge 8. support 9. A sin 10.Human rights

1. convicted 2. guilty 3. trial 4. released 5. sentence, convicts 6. freed 7. jail 8. prison 9. prisoners 10. evidence

2 Find the information

6 Vocabulary 3 – Words related to apartheid

1. 2. 3.

Possible answers: South Africa’s most famous murderer the author of a book about Van Schoor and his family Louis Van Schoor’s daughter

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

regime, white, black Blacks, whites Human rights, racial mixed-race racist races

True False False False True True False True

4 Vocabulary 1 – Synonyms

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killer, murderer jail, prison freed, released convicted, found guilty apologise, say you are sorry prisoner, convict

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. folk hero racial harmony revenge martyr mass murderer instill low profile apartheid regime unwillingness 1.

is the political system that existed in South Africa, in which only white people had political rights and power.

2. A/An

is a system or form of government.

3. A/An

is someone who has killed several people.

4. A/An

someone who is admired for his achievements by the people of a region.

5. If you show

to do something, you show that you do not want to do it.

6. If you

terror in someone, you make that person feel very afraid.

7.

is a type of behaviour that deliberately does not attract attention.

8.

is something that you do to hurt or punish someone because they have hurt you or



someone else.

9.

is a situation in which people of different races live and work well together.

10. A/An

is someone who suffers or is killed because of their religious or political beliefs.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find out who the following people are as quickly as possible. 1. Louis Van Schoor 2. Heidi Holland 3. Sabrina Van Schoor

The Colour of Crime in South Africa Sympathy for an apartheid mass murderer highlights the refusal of whites to take responsibility for the past By Rory Carroll South Africa’s most famous mass murderer drinks some coffee, sits back in his chair and pauses when he is asked if it is true that he shot more than 100 black people. “I can’t argue with that,” says Louis Van Schoor. “I never kept count.” Seated at a restaurant terrace in East London, a seaside town in the Eastern Cape, the former security guard looks confident as he relaxes in the sunshine and thinks about his days as an apartheid folk hero.

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In the 1980s, he was hired to protect businesses owned by white people. He is thought to have shot 101 people, killing 39, in the course of three years. Some were burglars; others were passersby. All were black or coloured, the term for those of mixed race. Convicted of murder but released from jail after 12 years, Van

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 2 l Intermediate Schoor does not regret his actions. “I was doing my job - I was paid to protect property. I never apologised for what I did.” He is not the only one. According to black clerics and politicians, whites in general have never apologised for what happened during the apartheid regime. This unwillingness to admit past sins is revealed in a book published last month, The Colour of Murder, by Heidi Holland, which investigates the cruel actions of Van Schoor and also his daughter, Sabrina, who hired a hitman to murder her mother. “The story is of a family but it is also the story of a divided country and of the people of that country trying to find new ways to live with each other,” says Holland. Magistrates and the police, grateful for the terror he instilled in black people, covered his tracks until local journalists and human rights campaigners revealed his actions when apartheid started coming to an end. During his 1992 trial white residents displayed “I Love Louis” stickers decorated with three bullet holes through a bleeding heart. People still feel sympathy for him. “The reaction is 90% positive. Strangers say, ‘Hey, it’s good to see you,’“ says Van Schoor. Van Schoor was convicted of seven murders and two attempted murders. Since his release two years ago, after benefiting from a sentence reduction for all convicts issued by Nelson Mandela when he was president, Van Schoor, 55, has slimmed down, shaved off his beard and kept a low profile, working as a cattle farm foreman outside East London. When he was released in 2004, Van Schoor said he had found God and expressed sorrow to the relatives of his victims. “I apologise if any of my actions caused them hurt.” In an interview last week, he tried to clarify his position. “I never apologised for what I did. I apologised for any hurt or pain that I caused through my actions during the course of my work.” Thanks to his changed appearance and low profile, he has faced no revenge. Few black people recognise him, including the bookseller who took his order for The Colour of Murder. When Van Schoor gave his name, she realised who he was. “She nearly fell off her chair,” he says, smiling. Married four times and now engaged once more to a local woman, Van Schoor, says he is “happy and content”. But he does not seem to approve of the new South Africa. “Everything has changed - people’s attitudes, the service in shops, it’s not the same.” On the contrary, say black leaders, one crucial thing has stayed the same: the whites still won’t admit past sins. Van Schoor’s killings were made possible by a white establishment that did not react as his victims increased. Many of them were poor children such as Liefie Peters, 13, who was shot while hiding in the toilet of a Wimpy restaurant after breaking in to steal cash. Eating a burger yards from where Van Schoor killed the teenage boy, Jacques Durandt, a 33-year-old white former member of the security forces, defended the killer. “I won’t say he’s a murderer. For him it was a job.” East London does have at least one white supporter of racial harmony: Van Schoor’s daughter, Sabrina, 25. While her father was in jail she shocked the white community by dating black men and giving birth to a mixed-race child. In 2002, she hired a black man to kill her mother, claiming she was a racist. Convicted of murder and sent to the same prison as her father, Sabrina Van Schoor is seen as a martyr by some black people. She seems popular among fellow inmates at Fort Glamorgan jail. “That girl, she’s not like the whites outside of here. She’s OK,” says one inmate. Speaking through iron bars, Sabrina Van Schoor, powerfully built like her father, says she is nervous that everyone will start talking about her family again because of the book. “I’m afraid it might open old wounds.”

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 2 l Intermediate 3 Comprehension check Choose the correct answers according to the text. If both a. and b. are correct, choose c. 1. In the 1980s, Louis Van Schoor was

a. a member of the security forces

. b. an apartheid folk hero

2. He was found guilty of murdering

.

a. black people

3.

b. Sabrina’s mother

b. The whites in general

4. He was released from prison

b. after twelve years

5. When he was freed, he started working as a a. security guard

c. both

.

b. foreman

6. So far, no one has taken revenge on him because

c. both

.

a. before completing his sentence



c. both

never apologized for what happened during the apartheid regime. a. Louis Van Schoor



c. both

a. people have sympathy for him

c. both .

b. he has kept a low profile

7. Van Schoor’s daughter shocked the community because

a. she dated black men

.

b. she had a coloured child

8. Sabrina Van Schoor hired someone to kill her mother because

c. both

c. both .

a. her mother didn’t respect black people b. her mother didn’t respect her father

c. both

4 Vocabulary 1 – Nouns for people Read the references and complete the sentences with nouns that describe different kinds of people. Louis Van Schoor killed (1) people

and

(2).

who enter a building illegally to steal things

people who are walking past a place

(3)

people who are members of the clergy

(4)

people who have a job in politics

and

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The colour of crime in S Africa / Intermediate

(4),

the whites have never apologised.

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(3)

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According to black

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(2)

(1)

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 2 l Intermediate (5)

and the

(6) hid the evidence of Louis Van Schoor’s crimes.

(5)

judges in court for minor cases

(6)

people who catch criminals and check that the law is obeyed (7)

and human rights

(8) revealed

(7)

people whose job is to report the news

(8)

people who try to produce political or social change

All

(9)

Van Schoor’s crimes.

benefited from the sentence reduction issued by Nelson Mandela.

(9) people who are in prison for a crime they committed Van Schoor expressed sprrow to the relatives of his (10)

people who have been injured or killed as a result of a crime

Sabrina Van Schoor claims that her mother was a (11)

(10).

(11).

someone who does not like or respect people from other races.

5 Vocabulary 2 – Idiomatic expressions Choose a verb and a noun or noun phrase from each column to complete the idiomatic expressions used in the text. Verb cover keep keep open

Noun/noun phrase a low profile his tracks old wounds count

1. Van Schoor did not 2. The police decided to

of the number of people he killed. because they were grateful for the terror he instilled.

3. When he was freed, he slimmed down and shaved off his beard to 4. Van Schoor’s daughter is fearful that Holland’s book might

. .

Now match each expression with one of the explanations below.

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To try to stop people from noticing you. To make someone remember something bad that happened in the past. To hide any evidence that you were somewhere or did something. To remember or record a number as it changes over a period of time.

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a. b. c. d.

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 2 l Intermediate 6 Vocabulary 3 Prepositions Use the prepositions in the box to complete the sentences based on the text. Use each preposition twice. from

for

of

to

with

1. Van Schoor was convicted

seven murders and two attempted murders.

2. He was released 3. He benefited

jail after 12 years. a sentence reduction.

4. He has never apologised 5. Thanks

what he did. his low profile, he has faced no revenge.

6. The police were grateful

the terror he instilled.

7. “I love Louis” stickers were decorated 8. He does not approve 9. His daughter gave birth

three bullet holes through a bleeding heart. the new South Africa. a mixed-race child.

10.In South Africa, black and whites are trying to find new ways to live

each other.

7 Discussion

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How do you think Van Schoor should be dealt with? Should he and the whites in general apologise for the killings during the apartheid period? Why/Why not?

The colour of crime in South Africa Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2 Idiomatic expressions

1. Apartheid 2. A regime 3. A mass murderer 4. A folk hero 5. unwillingness 6. instill 7. Low profile 8. Revenge 9. Social harmony 10. A martyr

1. 2. 3. 4.

keep count cover his tracks keep a low profile open old wounds

a–3 b–4 c–2 d–1

6 Vocabulary 3 – Prepositions 2 Find the information 1. 2. 3.

Possible answers: a mass murderer, an apartheid folk hero, a former security guard the author of a book about Van Schoor and his family Louis Van Schoor’s daughter

3 Comprehension check 1–b 2–a 3–c 4–c 5–b 6–b 7–c 8–a

1. of 2. from 3. from 4. for 5. to 6. for 7. with 8. of 9. to 10. with

4 Vocabulary 1 Nouns for people

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1. burglars 2. passers-by 3. clerics 4. politicians 5. magistrates 6. police 7. journalists 8. campaigners 9. convicts 10. victims 11. racist

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key words Fill the gaps using the key words from the text. sleigh 1 A

goods

cracker

consignment

capital

wrapping paper

is a vehicle pulled by animals and travels on snow. In the UK and the USA, people say that

Santa Claus rides one. 2 A

is a decorated paper tube that makes a noise when you pull it apart. It contains a small toy,

a paper hat and a joke inside. It’s used traditionally at Christmas in the UK. 3

is special paper used for wrapping presents.

4

are objects produced for sale.

5

is money or property that you use to start a business or invest.

6 A

is an amount of goods delivered.

2 What do you know? Choose an option and then look in the text for the correct answer. 1 How do the majority of trade goods arrive in a country like Great Britain? a) by plane b) by truck c) by ship 2 Which of the following statements do you think is true? a) China exports more to Britain than Britain exports to China. b) China imports more from Britain than Britain imports from China. c) China and Britain are equal in terms of imports and exports. 3 Large quantities of Chinese imports to other countries are a) good news for Chinese workers. b) bad news for European manufacturers. c) good news for job creation

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4 One of Britain’s biggest exports to China is a) waste plastic b) Christmas presents c) batteries

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 3 l Advanced Christmas is coming - all the way from China by John Vidal Christmas is coming not in sacks or sleighs this year but on board the biggest ship afloat, on its maiden voyage from China. To the relief of children, parents and shopkeepers everywhere - but to the despair of European manufacturers - mountains of crackers, toys and games as well as decorations, wrapping paper, food and every imaginable gift are currently steaming past Spain on the way to Felixstowe, Suffolk, aboard the Emma Maersk 3. If anything should happen to this 400m-long, 61 metre-high behemoth, that is as wide as a motorway and is powered by the largest diesel engine ever built, then Christmas might have to be cancelled. The manifest for the 3,000 containers of goods that it will drop off in Britain on its way to mainland Europe reveals the largest single consignment of festive cheer ever delivered - a floating world of British desires and necessities. Crackers, poker tables, bingo sets, drum kits, electronic toys and pre-school building blocks by the score will be delivered in astonishing quantities: 1,886,000 Christmas decorations are loaded in one container, 40,000 rechargeable batteries and 22,280kg of Vietnam tea in another. In another are 12,800 MP3 players. There are potato mashers, slotted spoons and graters to cook with, leather sofas to recline on, new spectacles to watch new televisions by, and pyjamas to go to bed in. Pets will be especially pleased; 138,000 tins of catfood - variety unknown - are on their way, as are mountains of dogfood. But the ship and its cargo was the subject of an intense row over the increasing number of imports from China. Caroline Lucas, Green MEP for southeast England, said it was a “microcosm of globalisation gone mad”. “All these goods could have been made in Europe,” said Ms Lucas “Whole sectors of global trade are now being dominated by China. The real cost of the goods that the Emma Maersk is bringing in should include the environment, the markets destroyed in developing countries and the millions of jobs lost.” Britain exported more than GBP 2.8bn of goods to China last year but imported nearly GBP 16bn, a 30-fold increase on 1980. The UK is Europe’s third-biggest trading partner with China but in global terms represents less than 2% of China’s trade. While the Emma Maersk is carrying about 11,000 containers and is by far the largest container ship ever built, Yentian port, from which it set off last month, now exports nearly three times that many containers every day. Last year Ms Lucas led an EU study into trade with China and found its implications terrifying. “These are the goods that Europe used to make. We are faced with a country that has an almost absolute advantage in an increasing number of sectors. This a triumph for multinational capital, not for Chinese workers who, as well as suffering from some of the worst labour exploitation on record, are also losing jobs at a phenomenal rate,” she said. The Emma Maersk, the first of a fleet of seven equally large container ships, will soon be on its way back to China taking back the detritus of a throwaway Christmas. One of Britain’s biggest exports to China is now waste plastic - which is turned back into soft toys and decorations. GBP: Great Britain Pounds bn: billion

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 3 l Advanced 3 Comprehension check Decide whether these sentences are true or false according to the text. 1 The Emma Maersk 3 is a Chinese ship. 2 The ship contains 3,000 containers for all of Europe. 3 There are a lot of animals on board the ship. 4 China doesn’t have very much trade with the UK compared to other countries. 5 Yentian port exports a maximum of 11,000 containers every day. 6 Europe could have made many of the products on board the Emma Maersk 3. 7 The Emma Maersk 3 will return to China empty. 8 Soft toys and decorations are two products that can be made from waste plastic.

4 Vocabulary Extremes Find examples of the following ways of expressing extremes in the text. Using a superlative (e.g. the biggest ship) Using a metaphor or simile (e.g. mountains of crackers, toys…) Using extreme adjectives (e.g. astonishing quantities) Using large numbers to create effect (e.g. 1,866,000 Christmas decorations)

5 Vocabulary Definitions Find a word or expression which means the following. 1 done for the first time (paragraph 1) 2 going quickly (paragraph 1) 3 a giant animal (paragraph 2) 4 in quantities of twenty (paragraph 2) 5 argument (paragraph 3) 6 something small that represents something larger (paragraph 3) 7 begin a voyage (paragraph 4) 8 waste (paragraph 6)

6 Vocabulary Collocations Fill the gaps using adjectives. Check your answers in the text. 1

cheer

2

blocks

3

batteries

4

row

5

trade

6

countries

7

partner

8

rate

9

toys

7 Discussion

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Do you think that this is an example of “globalism gone mad”? Do you think people consume too much at Christmas? Is it wrong for Britain to import so many goods from China?

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary: Definitions

1 sleigh 2 cracker 3 wrapping paper 4 goods 5 capital 6 consignment

1 maiden 2 steaming 3 behemoth 4 by the score 5 row 6 microcosm 7 set off 8 detrius

2 What do you know? 1 c) 2 a) 3 b) 4 a)

3 Comprehension check 1 T 2 F 3 F 4 T 5 F 6 T 7 F 8 T

6 Vocabulary: Collocations 1 festive cheer 2 building blocks 3 rechargeable batteries 4 intense row 5 global trade 6 developing countries 7 trading partner 8 phenomenal rate 9 soft toys

4 Vocabulary: Extremes

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Superlatives: the largest… ever built, the largest single consignment, the worst labour exploitation, Britain’s biggest export Metaphors or similes: as wide as a motorway, a floating world, mountains of dogfood Adjectives: intense row, implications are terrifying, absolute advantage, a phenomenal rate Large numbers: 22,280kg of Vietnam tea, 12,800 MP3 players, 138,000 tins of catfood, 16bn, a 30-fold increase, 11,000 containers…

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these words from the text. cargo gift

goods container

1 A

cracker port

decorations import waste export

is a decorated paper tube that makes a noise when you pull it apart. It contains a small

toy, a paper hat and a joke inside. It’s used traditionally at Christmas in the UK. 2 In countries which celebrate Christmas, people often put up

in their house.

3 A

is something you use for keeping or storing things, for example a box.

4 A

is an area of water on the coast where ships stop.

5

are objects produced for sale.

6

is the useless material you have after you’ve used something.

7 If you

something, you send it to another country to sell it.

8 If you

something, you buy a product from another country and bring it to your country.

9 A

is something you give to someone as a present.

10

are things that are sent by ship, airplane or truck.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1 What is the Emma Maersk 3? 2 Where is it from? 3 Where is it going? 4 What is on the Emma Maersk 3? 5 Are people happy about this?

Christmas is coming - all the way from China by John Vidal Christmas is coming this year on the biggest ship in the world, on its first voyage from China. Mountains of crackers, toys and games as well as decorations, wrapping paper, food and every imaginable gift are on the way to Felixstowe, Suffolk, on the Emma Maersk 3.

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If anything happens to this 400m-long, 61 metre-high boat then Christmas might have to be cancelled. It is delivering 3,000 giant containers for Britain. These containers have the largest amount of Christmas goods ever delivered. Crackers, poker tables, bingo sets, electronic toys and pre-school building blocks will be delivered in amazing quantities: 1,886,000 Christmas decorations are loaded in one container, 40,000 rechargeable batteries and 22,280kg of Vietnam tea in another. In another are 12,800 MP3 players.

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 1 l Elementary There are things to cook with, leather sofas to sit on, and pyjamas to go to bed in. Pets will be very happy; 138,000 tins of catfood and mountains of dogfood are on their way. But the ship and its cargo was the subject of an intense argument over the increasing number of imports from China. Caroline Lucas, Green Member of European Parliament (MEP) for southeast England, said it was a “microcosm of globalisation gone mad”. “All these goods could have been made in Europe,” said Ms Lucas “China now dominates many sectors of global trade. The real cost of the goods that the Emma Maersk is bringing in should include the environment, the markets destroyed in developing countries and the millions of jobs lost.” Britain exported more than GBP 2.8bn of goods to China last year but imported nearly GBP 16bn – 30 times more than in 1980. The UK is Europe’s third-biggest trading partner with China but represents less than 2% of China’s trade with the world. The Emma Maersk is carrying about 11,000 containers and is the largest container ship in history. The ship left from Yentian port, which now exports around 30,000 containers every day. Last year Ms Lucas led an EU study into trade with China and was terrified by its implications. “Europe made these goods in the past. China is a country that now has a big advantage in more and more sectors. This is a triumph for multinational capital. It’s not a triumph for Chinese workers, who suffer from some of the worst labour exploitation in the world and are also losing many jobs.” she said. The Emma Maersk will soon return to China. It will take back the waste of Christmas. One of Britain’s biggest exports to China is now waste plastic - which is made into soft toys and decorations. GBP: Great Britain Pounds bn: billion © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

3 Comprehension check

trade sectors

2 The ship contains …

30,000 containers every day

3 There are large quantities of goods…

a Chinese ship

4 The real cost of the ship should include …

on the Emma Maersk 3.

5 Yentian port exports around...

waste plastic from Britain.

6 China has an advantage in more and more...

the environment, destroyed markets and lost jobs.

7 When the Emma Maersk 3 returns to China, it will contain...

3,000 containers for Britain.

NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

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1 The Emma Maersk 3 is...

B FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

Match the beginning and ending of the sentences.

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 1 l Elementary 4 Vocabulary Noun+noun collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with words in the right-hand column to make words from the text. 1 poker

decorations

2 Christmas

sofa

3 leather

tables

4 cat

plastic

5 dog

food

6 container

ship

7 waste

food

5 Vocabulary Phrases 1 Complete the sentences with phrases from the box. in history

as well as

1 The ship is

on the way

more and more

in the past

to Felixstowe, Suffolk, on the Emma Maersk 3.

2 It’s the largest container ship

.

3 Mountains of crackers, toys and games

decorations, wrapping paper are on the ship.

4 China is a country that now has a big advantage in 5 Europe made these goods

sectors.

.

6 Vocabulary Globalisation Puzzle 1 Rearrange the letters to make words connected to globalisation. 1 prexot

5 sgodo

2 trimpo

6 broaul

3 daret

7 kramet

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NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Elementary

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4 lapitac

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Noun+noun collocations

1 cracker 2 decorations 3 container 4 port 5 goods 6 waste 7 export 8 import 9 gift 10 cargo

poker tables Christmas decorations leather sofa catfood dogfood container ship waste plastic

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Elementary

O

1 e 2 g 3 d 4 f 5 b 6 a 7 e

1 export 2 import 3 trade 4 capital 5 goods 6 labour 7 market

N TO B FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary: Globalisation Puzzle

•P H

1 A boat 2 China 3 Britain and Europe 4 Christmas gifts, decorations and other goods 5 Not everyone – some think it’s bad for the environment and the economy.

1 on the way 2 in history 3 as well as 4 more and more 5 in the past

CA

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary: Phrases

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key words Fill the gaps using the key words from the text. cargo goods cracker decorations exploitation 1 A

capital maiden wrapping paper implications

is a decorated paper tube that makes a noise when you pull it apart. It contains a small

toy, a paper hat and a joke inside. It’s used traditionally at Christmas in the UK. 2 In countries which celebrate Christmas, people often put

up in their house.

3

is special paper used for wrapping presents.

4

are objects produced for sale.

5

is money or property that you use to start a business or invest.

6

is unfair treatment of someone in order to get benefit for yourself.

7

are possible effects or results

8

are things that are sent by ship, airplane or truck.

9 A

voyage or flight is one that is done for the first time.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1 What is the Emma Maersk 3? 2 Where is it from? 3 Where is it going? 4 What is on the Emma Maersk 3? 5 Are people happy about this?

Christmas is coming - all the way from China by John Vidal Christmas is coming this year on board the biggest ship afloat, on its maiden voyage from China. To the relief of children, parents and shopkeepers everywhere - but to the despair of European manufacturers - mountains of crackers, toys and games as well as decorations, wrapping paper, food and every imaginable gift are on the way to Felixstowe, Suffolk, aboard the Emma Maersk 3.

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NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Intermediate

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If anything should happen to this 400m-long, 61 metre-high boat, that is as wide as a motorway and is powered by the largest diesel engine ever built, then Christmas might have to be cancelled. The 3,000 containers of goods that it will drop off in Britain on its way to mainland Europe contain the largest amount of Christmas goods ever delivered - a floating world of British desires and necessities. Crackers, poker tables, bingo sets, drum kits, electronic toys and pre-school building blocks will be delivered in astonishing quantities: 1,886,000 Christmas decorations are loaded in one container, 40,000 rechargeable batteries and 22,280kg of Vietnam tea in another. In another are 12,800 MP3 players.

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 2 l Intermediate There are potato mashers and spoons to cook with, leather sofas to recline on, new spectacles to watch new televisions by, and pyjamas to go to bed in. Pets will be especially happy; 138,000 tins of catfood are on their way, as are mountains of dogfood. But the ship and its cargo was the subject of an intense row over the increasing number of imports from China. Caroline Lucas, Green Member of European Parliament (MEP) for southeast England, said it was a “microcosm of globalisation gone mad”. “All these goods could have been made in Europe,” said Ms Lucas “Whole sectors of global trade are now being dominated by China. The real cost of the goods that the Emma Maersk is bringing in should include the environment, the markets destroyed in developing countries and the millions of jobs lost.” Britain exported more than GBP 2.8bn of goods to China last year but imported nearly GBP 16bn, a 30-fold increase on 1980. The UK is Europe’s third-biggest trading partner with China but in global terms represents less than 2% of China’s trade. The Emma Maersk is carrying about 11,000 containers and is by far the largest container ship ever built. Yentian port, from which it set off last month, now exports nearly three times that many containers every day. Last year Ms Lucas led an EU study into trade with China and found its implications terrifying. “These are the goods that Europe used to make. We are faced with a country that has an almost absolute advantage in an increasing number of sectors. This a triumph for multinational capital, not for Chinese workers who, as well as suffering from some of the worst labour exploitation on record, are also losing jobs at a phenomenal rate,” she said. The Emma Maersk, the first of a fleet of seven equally large container ships, will soon be on its way back to China taking back the waste of Christmas. One of Britain’s biggest exports to China is now waste plastic - which is turned back into soft toys and decorations. GBP: Great Britain Pounds bn: billion © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

3 Comprehension check Choose the correct answer. 1

The Emma Maersk contains 3,000 containers for a) China b) Britain c) Europe

2

The UK represents a) the majority b) a small part c) the third-largest part

3

According to Christine Lucas, the Emma Maersk a) harms the environment b) creates jobs c) creates markets in developing countries

.

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NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Intermediate

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of China’s trade with the world.

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 2 l Intermediate 4

Yentian port exports a) around 11,000 b) around 33,000 c) 2.8 bn

containers every day.

5

The goods on board the Emma Maersk 3 a) used to be made in Europe b) are made in Europe c) are made in Britain

6

When the Emma Maersk 3 returns to China it will contain a) decorations b) soft toys c) waste plastic from Britain

.

.

4 Vocabulary Lexical sets Put the words and phrases in the box into one of the different categories:

on board manufacturers wrapping paper floating imports trading partners

ship capital abroad goods sectors crackers exports

trade labour globalisation cargo markets toys

maiden voyage decorations boat port fleet afloat

SEA TRAVEL vocabulary: on board, TRADE vocabulary: trade, CHRISTMAS vocabulary: toys,

5 Vocabulary Word information Complete the table.

Verb

Adjective

float recharge develop terrify

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NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Intermediate

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imagine

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 2 l Intermediate 6 Vocabulary Collocations Make collocations with the words in A and the words in B. Check your answers in the text. A

B

1 intense

trade

2 building

countries

3 trading

rate

4 phenomenal

row

5 rechargeable

batteries

6 developing

blocks

7 global

partner

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Intermediate

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N TO B FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

Do you think people consume too much at Christmas? Is it wrong to import so many goods from China?

Christmas is coming - all the way from China Level 2 l Intermediate KEY

2 Find the information 1 A boat 2 China 3 Britain and Europe 4 Christmas gifts, decorations and other goods 5 Not everyone – some think it’s bad for the environment and the economy

3 Comprehension check 1 2 3 4 5 6

b c a b a c

4 Vocabulary: Lexical sets SEA TRAVEL vocabulary: on board ship maiden voyage aboard boat floating cargo port fleet afloat

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Intermediate

CHRISTMAS vocabulary: crackers toys games decorations wrapping paper

5 Vocabulary: Word formation VERB ADJECTIVE float recharge develop terrify imagine

floating rechargeable developing terrifying imaginable

6 Vocabulary: Collocations 1 intense row 2 building blocks 3 trading partner 4 phenomenal rate 5 rechargeable batteries 6 developing countries 7 global trade

•P H

1 cracker 2 decorations 3 Wwrapping paper 4 Goods 5 Capital 6 Exploitation 7 Implications 8 cargo 9 maiden

TRADE vocabulary: manufacturers goods globalisation imports sectors markets trading partners trade exports capital labour

CA OT N B O FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

1 Key words

Another country Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text: carnage snippet antithesis agrarian predominant heinous excommunicate 1. If something is

, it is extremely evil.

2. A 3.

schism shun peeping Tom

is an occasion when one group divides into two groups because of a disagreement. is a situation in which there is a lot of death and destruction.

4. If you 5. A

someone, you no longer allow them to be a member of a particular church. is a small piece of something, especially information or news.

6. If you 7. The 8. A 9. An 10. The

someone, you avoid them intentionally. of something is its exact opposite. is someone who enjoys secretly watching other people. society is one based on farming. group in a society is the main or most important one.

2 What do you know? Read these statements about the Amish and decide if they are True or False. Then read the text to check your answers. 1. The Amish live in New York state, USA. 2. The Amish travel by horse-drawn buggy. 3. The Amish religion originated in England. 4. Amish people are opposed to everything modern. 5. Most Amish are farmers. 6. Most Amish teenagers who leave the Amish community never return.

Another country Ed Pilkington on the extraordinary survival, and even prosperity, of the Amish in the modern world

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NEWS LESSONS / Another country / Advanced

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In all the newspaper reports and hours of satellite television coverage devoted to last week’s carnage in the schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, it was the little details that stood out and made you think. The fact that the police had to use vans to take the parents to hospital to be at the bedsides of their mortally wounded children because they refused to go by police helicopter. The scene of worried mothers timidly peeking over the heads of television cameramen filming a press conference near the school: while the pictures were being beamed instantly to Shanghai, they had to be there in person as they had no televisions at home. There is something about those snippets of life in the Amish community of Lancaster county that is strangely hard to deal with. On top of the sheer horror of the killing of five girls by a milk truck driver, there is bewilderment. How can it be, in this digital age where news spreads at the speed of light, that people living

Another country Level 3 l Advanced within a few miles of the tragedy were still learning by word of mouth what Charles Roberts had done hours after he had unloaded his 9mm semi-automatic handgun? How can it be that he chose to inflict his revenge for some insult he suffered at the age of 12 on girls from a community whose very existence is the antithesis of the act he committed? The Amish are pacifist. At time of war they are conscientious objectors, prepared for civilian duties but refusing anything military. The community where Roberts exacted his revenge, 80km west of Philadelphia, has no police force and no guns. In the United States that is quite something. Anyone who can recall Witness, the 1985 Harrison Ford thriller, will have a feeling for the setting of Lancaster county. Green rolling hills with Holstein cattle, weather-beaten barns, unadorned buildings, and black horse-drawn buggies. Add to that the ‘plain’ dress, as they call it and it all looks like what it is – a community of agrarians largely unchanged since the late 19th century. Note the word largely. Among the many misrepresentations of the Amish is that they are a group that is completely opposed to modernity. In reality, they are the product of change, some of it dramatic. The emergence of today’s Amishes is a story of many schisms. Their parent faith, Mennonitism, was born of a split in Switzerland in 1525, when the Mennonites broke from the Protestant reform. Later, in Switzerland in 1693, the Amish broke from the wider Mennonite community in another dispute. The Amish emigrated to Pennsylvania around the 1730s to benefit from the Quaker William Penn’s offer of protection for persecuted religions. The Old Order of Amishes, the predominant group of people in Lancaster county, was then formed by another schism when they broke from their fellow members in a dispute over the technological changes brought by the industrial revolution. The Old Order was determined to take from technology only those elements that matched their interpretation of the Bible. “It is easy to get it wrong about the Amish,” says Peter Seibert, president of the Heritage Centre of Lancaster county and a non-Amish. “They are not about putting up walls to block out the modern world. What they are about is adapting their community to modernity in order to preserve its essential being as a simple agrarian society. They will pick and choose what they want from our world”. So they will not have television, not because it is intrinsically heinous but because they do not want their children exposed to sexual and violent images. They travel by buggy to keep the community together and avoid the disruptive social influence of the motor car. And there is some modernity in Lancaster county. They will not have phones in the house, but they will in the nearby shed where they run a woodworking business. They won’t have electrical gadgets but they will have battery-powered cash registers and even laptops. That’s a subtlety lost in the peeping-Tom relationship that the “real world” has with the Amish. “Tourists can be quite disrespectful. They walk right into Amish houses or schools assuming that they are there as an attraction. They have no sense that this is a living community that greatly prizes its privacy”, says researcher Stephen Scott. The joke is, as Scott points out, that the Amish are the ones who benefit. They may dislike being treated as zoo animals but they also make a great deal of money out of the flow of tourists. That duality was illustrated most vividly a couple of years ago when a reality TV company shot Amish in the City, a show in which a group of Amish teenagers were taken out of their communities and transported to downtown LA. Yet the Amish faith could accommodate even that. The teenagers were going through what is known as “running around years”, the period between the end of school, at the age of 14, and the entry into the church through baptism in one’s late teens or early 20s.

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NEWS LESSONS / Another country / Advanced

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In those five to eight years of freedom the children are not officially members of the church so cannot be shunned or excommunicated. The result is a community that is thriving. 80% of the teenagers who move away from the community eventually return. The main pressure on the Amish is now population growth, coupled with a lack of arable land on which they can subsist.

Another country Level 3 l Advanced None of this will be any comfort to the parents and neighbours of the five girls who died in last week’s shooting or the others who remain critically ill. Any comfort will come from their faith itself. Seibert puts it well: “For them this is God’s will, and that is all. Our world is all about the individual. Theirs is all about the community before God and the better life they will lead after death. That is hard for us to comprehend, but that is how it is.” © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer: 1. Why was Charles Roberts’ act the antithesis of the Amish way of life? a. Because he exacted revenge for an insult against him at the age of 12. b. Because the Amish are pacifists and he used violence against them. c. Because the police force in Lancaster county has no guns. 2. According to Peter Seibert, the Amish a. are largely unchanged since the 19th century. b. put up walls to block out the modern world. c. are trying to preserve their simple agrarian society. 3. Why don’t the Amish have television? a. Because they don’t want their children to see sexual and violent images. b. Because they believe television is intrinsically evil. c. Because they are opposed to everything modern, including television. 4. What is the main problem the Amish now face? a. Peeping Tom tourists. b. The influence of modernity all around them. c. A growing population and a lack of land for farming.

4 Vocabulary FInd the Word Look in the first two paragraphs of the text and find these words or expressions:

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1. a phrasal verb meaning to be easy to notice because of being different (para. 1) 2. a verb meaning to look at something quickly, especially secretly or from behind something (para. 1) 3. a noun meaning a feeling of being extremely confused (para. 1) 4. a phrase meaning someone who refuses to take part in a war because they are morally opposed to it (para. 2) 5. an adjective meaning damaged or made rough by being exposed to wind and rain (para. 2) 6. an adjective meaning not decorated or made to look more attractive (para. 2) 7. a noun phrase meaning a light vehicle pulled by a horse (para. 2) 8. a noun meaning a false or inaccurate description of someone (para. 2)

Another country Level 3 l Advanced 5 Vocabulary Collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns and noun phrases in the right-hand column 1. to exact

a. a weapon

2. to beam

b. a business

3. to unload

c. revenge

4. to run

d. a television programme

5. to shoot

e. a better life

6. to lead

f. television pictures

6 Vocabulary Nouns and Adjectives Complete the table

Noun

Adjective

1. disruption 2.



subtle

3.



timid

4. bewilderment 5. tragedy 6. conscience 7.



modern

8. disrespect

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Another country / Advanced

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Imagine that you lived in a society that was isolated from the modern world. What things would you miss? What aspects of the modern world would you be happy to avoid?

Another country Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary: Collocations

1. heinous 2. schism 3. carnage 4. excommunicate 5. snippet 6. shun 7. antithesis 8. peeping Tom 9. agrarian 10. predominant

1. c 2. f 3. a 4. b 5. d 6. e

2 What do you know? 1. F 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. F

6 Vocabulary: Nouns and Adjectives 1. disruptive 2. subtlety 3. timidity 4. bewildered 5. tragic 6. conscientious 7. modernity 8. disrepectful

3 Comprehension Check 1. b 2. c 3. a 4. c

4 Vocabulary: Find the Word

NEWS LESSONS / Another country / Advanced

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1. stand out 2. peek 3. bewilderment 4. conscientious objector 5. weather-beaten 6. unadorned 7. horse-drawn buggy 8. misrepresentation

Another country Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text insult van tragedy pacifist buggy emigrate gadget expel comfort faith 1. If you

, you leave your country to live in another country.

2. A

is someone who believes that war and violence are wrong.

3. If you have

, you believe in God.

4. If you

someone, you say something personal to them that makes them very angry.

5. A

is a very sad situation in which people suffer or die.

6.

is a feeling of being less sad or worried about something than before.

7. A

is a small vehicle with two or four wheels that is pulled by a horse.

8. A

is a vehicle used for carrying goods. It is bigger than a car but smaller than a truck.

9. If you 10. A

someone from an organisation you force them to leave. is a small piece of equipment that is very useful.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Where is Nickel Mines? How many schoolgirls died in the shooting? Where do the Amish live? How far is Lancaster county from Philadelphia? When did the Amish emigrate to Pennsylvania? What percentage of teenagers come back to the Amish community?

Another country Ed Pilkington on the extraordinary survival, and even prosperity, of the Amish in the modern world Last week a truck driver called Charles Roberts went into a school in Nickel Mines in the American state of Pennsylvania and shot five schoolgirls dead. It was a shocking crime and newspapers and television stations from around the world reported the case. According to police, Roberts was angry because someone insulted him there when he was 12 years old. He killed five people because of that insult.

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There was something else that was unusual about this case. Nickel Mines in is Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Lancaster county is home to the Amish people, a deeply religious group who mostly work as farmers. The five girls who died were Amish. If you watched the television pictures from the scene, you could see some unusual things. For example, the parents of the children went to the hospital in police vans because they did not want to travel in the police helicopter. Outside the hospital worried mothers waited for news while television pictures

Another country Level 1 l Elementary went around the world. The Amish do not have televisions in their homes so the parents had to come to the hospital in person to find out what had happened. Several hours after the tragedy some people still did not know about it. They found out when their friends and neighbours told them. The Amish are pacifist. At times of war they will not fight in the army but do civilian jobs instead. Lancaster county, 80km west of Philadelphia, has no police force and no guns. In the United States that is extremely unusual. If you can remember Witness, the 1985 Harrison Ford film, you will have an idea what Lancaster county looks like. Green hills with black and white cattle, old farm buildings, plain, simple houses, and black buggies pulled by horses. People also wear very simple clothes. Lancaster county is a community of farmers that has changed only a little since the late 19th century. In reality, the Amish are the product of some dramatic changes. They began as Mennonites, a religion that was born in Switzerland in 1525, when the Mennonites left the Protestant church. Later, in Switzerland in 1693, the Amish split from the Mennonites. Then the Amish emigrated to Pennsylvania around the 1730s. The main group of Amish in Lancaster county is The Old Order of Amishes. This group split from the other Amish because of an argument over modern technology. The Old Order only wanted to use technology they could understand through reading the Bible. “It is easy to get it wrong about the Amish,” says Peter Seibert, president of the Heritage Centre of Lancaster county and a non-Amish. “They are not trying to block out the modern world. They want to keep their community as a simple farming society. They pick and choose what they want from our world”. So they do not have television because they do not want their children to see sexual and violent images. They travel by buggy because they believe they help to keep people together and that motor cars do not keep people together. And there are some modern things in Lancaster county. They do not have telephones in their houses, but if they have a business they have a telephone there. They don’t have electrical gadgets but they have cash registers and even laptop computers. “Tourists often have no respect. They walk straight into Amish houses or schools because they think they are a tourist attraction. They do not understand that this is a living community that wants to remain private”, says researcher Stephen Scott. The funny thing is that the Amish profit from tourism. They do not like being like zoo animals but they also make a lot of money out of the tourists. A couple of years ago a reality TV company made a programme called Amish in the City. The programme clearly showed the two sides of Amish life. A group of Amish teenagers were taken out of their Amish communities and transported to downtown Los Angeles. The Amish religion was able to understand this. The teenagers were in a period known as the “running around years”, the period between the end of school, at the age of 14, and the entry into the church in your late teens or early 20s. In those five to eight years of freedom the children are not officially members of the church so the church cannot expel them. The result is a successful community. 80% of the teenagers who move away from the community come back in the end. The main problem for the Amish is that their population is growing quickly and there is not enough land for them to farm. None of this will be any comfort to the parents and neighbours of the five girls who died in last week’s shooting or the others who remain critically ill. Any comfort will come from their faith itself. Seibert puts it well: “For them this is God’s will, and that is all. Our world is all about the individual. Their world is all about the community before God and the better life they will lead after death. That is difficult for us to understand, but that is how it is.”

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Another country Level 1 l Elementary 3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Charles Roberts shot five people because 2. The parents went to the hospital by police van because 3. Many people didn’t hear about the shooting for several hours because 4. The Amish will not fight in the army because 5. The Old Order of Amish split from the other Amish because 6. The Amish do not have television because 7. They do not have cars because 8. The Amish church cannot expel Amish teenagers because a.

they are pacifist.

b.

they believe cars keep people apart.

c.

they don’t have televisions in their homes.

d.

someone insulted him when he was 12 years old.

e.

they did not agree with their views on technology.

f.

they didn’t want to travel by helicopter.

g.

they are not officially members of the church.

h.

they do not want their children to see violent images.

4 Vocabulary Noun + Noun Collocations

2. television

b. computer

3. truck

c. attraction

4. farm

d. register

5. cash

e. TV

6. laptop

f. driver

7. tourist

g. van

8. reality

h. pictures

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / Another country / Elementary

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a. buildings

CA

1.police

B FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

Match the words in the left-hand column with those from the right-hand column to make collocations.

Another country Level 1 l Elementary 5 Vocabulary Word Building Complete the table

Noun

Adjective

1. success 2. shock 3. anger 4.



religious

5. worry 6. drama 7.



violent

8.



free

6 Vocabulary Opposites Using the words in the box, make six pairs of opposites.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / Another country / Elementary

modern

living

old-fashioned simple

dead

difficult

O

unusual

easy

N TO B FR E D CO OM OW P W NL IAB EB OA L SIT D E E ED •

complicated

•P H

worse

better

CA

normal

Another country Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary:Word Building

1. emigrate 2. pacifist 3. faith 4. insult 5. tragedy 6. comfort 7. buggy 8. van 9. expel 10. gadget

1. successful 2. shocking 3. angry 4. religion 5. worried 6. dramatic 7. violence 8. freedom

2 Find the information 1. Pennsylvania, USA 2. five 3. Lancaster county 4. 80km 5. in the 1730s 6. 80%

6 Vocabulary: Opposites normal/unusual better/worse complicated/simple easy/difficult old-fashioned/modern dead/living

3 Comprehension Check 1. d 2. f 3. c 4. a 5. e 6. h 7. b 8. g

4 Vocabulary: Noun + Noun Collocations

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1. g 2. h 3. f 4. a 5. d 6. b 7. c 8. e

Another country Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. bewilderment revenge pacifist buggy gadget dispute persecute determined

emigrate preserve

1. A

is a person who believes violence is wrong and refuses to fight in wars.

2. A

is a serious disagreement between two or more groups of people.

3.

is something you do to punish someone because they have hurt you.

4. If a society

someone, they treat then very badly because of their race, religion or political

beliefs.

5. A

person is someone who is not willing to let anything stop them from doing what they had

decided to do.

6. If you 7.

a way of life, you keep it from changing or being lost. is a feeling of extreme confusion.

8. A

is a light vehicle pulled by a horse.

9. If someone 10. A

, they leave their country in order to live abroad. is a small piece of equipment that does something useful.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information. 1. In which American state do the Amish live? 2. How many children did Charles Roberts kill? 3. What was the name of the 1985 Harrison Ford film about the Amish? 4. Where did the Amish religion originate? 5. When did the Amish emigrate to the United States? 6. What percentage of Amish teenagers who move away eventually return to the community?

Another country Ed Pilkington on the extraordinary survival, and even prosperity, of the Amish in the modern world

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Last week’s horrific shootings in the schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania attracted an enormous amount of attention in the newspapers and on television. Looking at the television pictures, it was the little details that made you think. For example, the fact that the police had to use vans to take the parents to hospital to be at the bedsides of their children because they refused to go by police helicopter. The scene of worried mothers shyly peeking over the heads of television cameramen filming a press conference near the school while the pictures were being relayed instantly around the world. The parents had to be there in person as they had no televisions at home. There is something about those images of life in the Amish community of Lancaster county that is difficult for many people to understand. Apart from the horror of the

Another country Level 2 l Intermediate killing of five girls by a milk truck driver, there is bewilderment. How is it possible, in this digital age where news travels at the speed of light, that people living just a few miles from the tragedy were still learning about the murders hours after they had happened? Why did Charles Roberts decide to take revenge for an insult he suffered at the age of 12 on girls on the Amish community? The Amish are pacifist. At times of war they will undertake civilian duties but will not fight in the army. The community where Roberts committed the murders, 80km west of Philadelphia, has no police force and no guns. In the United States that is extremely unusual. Anyone who can remember Witness, the 1985 Harrison Ford film, will have a feeling for the setting of Lancaster county. Green rolling hills with black and white cattle, weather-beaten barns, plain, simple buildings, and black horse-drawn buggies. Add to that the ‘plain’ dress, as they call it and it all looks like what it is – a community of farmers that has hardly changed since the late 19th century. The word ‘hardly’ is important. Many people think the Amish are completely opposed to everything modern. In reality, the Amish are the product of change, some of it dramatic. They were originally Mennonites, a religion born in Switzerland in 1525, when the Mennonites broke away from the Protestants. Later, in Switzerland in 1693, the Amish broke away from the wider Mennonite community after a religious dispute. The Amish emigrated to Pennsylvania around the 1730s to after William Penn offered protection to persecuted religions. The Old Order of Amishes, the main group of people in Lancaster county, was then formed when they broke away from their fellow Amish in a disagreement over the technological changes brought by the industrial revolution. The Old Order was determined to take from technology only those elements that matched their interpretation of the Bible. “It is easy to get it wrong about the Amish,” says Peter Seibert, president of the Heritage Centre of Lancaster county and a non-Amish. “They are not putting up walls to block out the modern world. What they are doing is adapting their community to modernity in order to preserve it as a simple farming society. They pick and choose what they want from our world”. So they do not have television, not because they think it is a modern evil but because they do not want their children to see sexual and violent images. They travel by buggy to keep the community together because they believe motor cars drive people apart. And there is some modernity in Lancaster county. They do not have phones in their houses, but they will have one in the shed where they have a woodworking business. They don’t have electrical gadgets but they have battery-powered cash registers and even laptop computers. “Tourists can be quite disrespectful. They walk straight into Amish houses or schools thinking that they are there as a tourist attraction. They have no sense that this is a living community that greatly values its privacy”, says researcher Stephen Scott. The joke is, as Scott points out, that the Amish are the ones who benefit. They may dislike being like zoo animals but they also make a great deal of money out of the flow of tourists. These contradictory aspects of Amish life were clearly illustrated a couple of years ago when a reality TV company made a programme called Amish in the City, a show in which a group of Amish teenagers were taken out of their communities and transported to downtown LA. Yet the Amish faith was able to accept that. The teenagers were going through a period known as the “running around years”, the period between the end of school, at the age of 14, and the entry into the church in one’s late teens or early 20s.

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In those five to eight years of freedom the children are not officially members of the church so they cannot be expelled from the church. The result is a successful community. 80% of the teenagers who move away from the community eventually return. The main problem for the Amish is now population growth, together with a lack of land for them to farm.

Another country Level 2 l Intermediate None of this will be any comfort to the parents and neighbours of the five girls who died in last week’s shooting or the others who remain critically ill. Any comfort will come from their faith itself. Seibert puts it well: “For them this is God’s will, and that is all. Our world is all about the individual. Their world is all about the community before God and the better life they will lead after death. That is difficult for us to understand, but that is how it is.” © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True or False according to the text? 1. The Amish are opposed to everything modern. 2. The Amish think television is evil. 3. The Amish are a simple farming community. 4. Some Amish have laptop computers and telephones. 5. The Amish are pacifists. 6. The Amish don’t make any money out of tourists. 7. Most young Amish eventually return to the community. 8. The main problem for the Amish is that their numbers are falling.

4 Vocabulary Words and Definitions Match these words from the text with their definitions. 1. peeking

a. extremely quickly

2. shyly

b. belief in a god or gods

3. at the speed of light

c. the freedom to do things without other people watching you or knowing what you are doing

4. weather-beaten d. damaged or made rough by being out for long periods in wind and rain 5. faith e. showing no respect 6. community f. in a nervous and embarrassed manner 7. disrespectful g. looking at something quickly, especially secretly or from behind something 8. privacy

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h. a group of people who live together in a particular area

Another country Level 2 l Intermediate 5 Vocabulary Word Building Complete the table.

Adjective

Noun

1. modern 2. private 3. religious 4. worried 5. tragic 6. violent

6 Vocabulary Prepositions Which prepositions follow these words? Check your answers in the text. 1. apart 2. revenge 3. opposed 4. adapt 5. expel 6. lack

7 Discussion

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Imagine that you lived in a society that was isolated from the modern world. What things would you miss? What aspects of the modern world would you be happy to avoid?

Another country Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary: Word Building

1. pacifist 2. dispute 3. revenge 4. persecutes 5. determined 6. preserve 7. bewilderment 8. buggy 9. emigrates 10. gadget

1. modernity 2. privacy 3. religion 4. worry 5. tragedy 6. violence

2 Find the information 1. Pennsylvania 2. five 3. Witness 4. Switzerland 5. in the 1730s 6. 80%

6 Vocabulary: Prepositions 1. from 2. on 3. to 4. to 5. from 6. of

3 Comprehension Check 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. T 6. F 7. T 8. F

4 Vocabulary: Words and Definitions

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1. g 2. f 3. a 4. d 5. b 6. h 7. e 8. c

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. lucrative backlash

mercenary quest hub commodity

1. The

evict illicit

trivialize pariah

of an activity is the most important place where it takes place,

e.g. a financial

.

2. If there is a

against something, there is a strong negative reaction to it.

3. If something is

, it is not allowed by law.

4. A

business or activity is one that makes a lot of money.

5. A

is a long and difficult search for something.

6. A

state is a country that other countries dislike and avoid.

7. A

is a soldier who fights for any army that will pay him.

8. A

is something that can be bought or sold, especially basic food products or fuel.

9. If you

someone, you force them to leave their home or their land.

10. If you

something, you make it seem less important or serious than it really is.

2 What do you know? Decide whether these statements are True or False. Then check your answers in the text. 1. The world’s biggest diamond company is De Beers. 2. The film Blood Diamond stars Leonardo DiCaprio. 3. 750,000 people died in the civil war in Sierra Leone. 4. The Kalahari desert is in South Africa. 5. Half the jobs in Botswana are directly linked to the diamond trade. 6. The diamond market was worth over $2 billion in Britain last year.

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Jeevan Vasagar on a DiCaprio film that threatens to take the shine off Africa’s diamond trade The diamond industry has begun a campaign to safeguard its lucrative trade from what it fears will be a blitz of negative publicity resulting from a Hollywood film about the trade in African ‘conflict diamonds’. De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond company, plans to spend $15m on publicity, in advance of the December release of Blood Diamond, which threatens to make diamonds as unfashionable as fur.

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In the film Leonardo DiCaprio plays a South African mercenary who goes on a quest in pursuit of a rare pink diamond through rebel-held territory in Sierra Leone, a west African country whose civil war was fuelled by

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 3 l Advanced diamond smuggling, and resulted in 75,000 deaths In real life DiCaprio has become the poster boy for those who believe that the diamond industry is wrecking lives. The film has inspired a band of Kalahari Bushmen to advertise in the Hollywood magazine Variety, attacking the diamond business. The Bushmen, who claim they have been expelled from ancestral land in Botswana to make way for diamond mining, appealed for DiCaprio’s support. In an open letter to the star they said: “After diamonds were found on our land we were evicted . . . Those diamonds are a curse for us. We hope you will use your film to let people know that we too are victims of diamonds and we just want to go home.” In turn, Hollywood has been accused of trivialising the truth about African diamonds by some in the gemstone trade. Eli Izhakoff, chairman of the World Diamond Council, said: “This movie, drawing attention to this subject, is something that happened years ago, something that was remedied.” The industry has set up a website aimed at countering a backlash from the film. Diamondfacts.org tells of the benefits the industry has brought to its workers and enlists Nelson Mandela, who describes the diamond industry as “vital” to southern Africa’s economy. In Botswana 25% of jobs are directly or indirectly linked to diamonds, while in Namibia the diamond trade is the second-biggest employer after the government, the industry says. The Bushmen are not the only African voices drawn into the debate. Patrick Mazimhaka, a Rwandan diplomat who is now deputy chairman of the African Union, wrote in a US newspaper recently saying that blaming diamonds for fuelling conflict “misses the fact that plenty of good can be accomplished with earnings from natural resources. With the right ingredients . . . good governance and careful leadership . . . commodities have been a tremendous force for continental good.” The diamond trade’s campaign is meant to safeguard a market worth $2.3bn in Britain last year. Diamond retailers make a fifth of their sales at Christmas, when the film is due for its US release. It is expected to come out in Britain in the New Year. “We don’t see [the film] as damaging so long as it’s dealt with in a historical perspective,” Izhakoff said. The industry claims that conflict diamonds now make up less than 1% of those sold, compared with 4% in the late 1990s, the period in which the film is set. Conflict diamonds have been almost eliminated by the Kimberley Process, a scheme that requires governments to track rough diamonds from mines to the polished stage, the industry says. “This system that we’ve put together is not perfect, but we are making every effort to make it so,” Izhakoff said. “We don’t want one stone out there that’s a conflict stone.” But not everyone agrees that the problem has been solved. After peace deals ended several African civil wars, the main source of conflict diamonds is Ivory Coast, where rebels control some mining areas. According to the pressure group Global Witness, gems smuggled out of Ivory Coast into Mali are being sold on to international dealers. Congo-Brazzaville has been prohibited from diamond trading because of suspicions that it is a hub for smuggling, and though the civil war is over in its neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is still occasional fighting for control of diamond mines and other minerals. Susie Sanders, Global Witness campaigner, said: “We’re pushing for stronger internal controls to make sure that conflict diamonds can’t be smuggled into countries that are [in the] Kimberley Process and exported. There is lots of cross-border smuggling. The control systems just aren’t strong enough.”

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Jewellers in London’s Hatton Garden diamond district said they had been approached directly by smugglers offering west African diamonds. Malcolm Park-Carpenter, manager of Channings jewellers, said: “The only thing we can do is make sure they’re non-conflict through our sources. We don’t buy from Angola or anywhere that it can be turned into arms. “Sierra Leone is one of the countries we don’t touch. We get people coming in from there [saying]: ‘Do you buy rough diamonds?’. We say: ‘Where are they from?’ - [they say] ‘Sierra Leone’, and we say ‘Get out’. We’re doing everything we can to make sure we don’t end up funding AK-47s.”

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 3 l Advanced The shop manager’s answers revealed good intentions but inaccurate knowledge. Angola and Sierra Leone have peace deals and can legitimately trade in diamonds, but illicitly offered gems may be conflict diamonds from Ivory Coast. There is a fear that controversy surrounding the film will provoke a backlash against all African diamonds, an outcome both the industry and the campaigners want to avoid. “It would be terrible if the film led to Sierra Leone being seen as a pariah,” said Sanders. “Quite a few African countries with artisanal mining have weak control systems. It’s [the case] in West Africa and the Congo. “What we really hope doesn’t happen is that people say ‘I’m not going to buy African diamonds’. What we want to do is protect the legitimate trade from Africa.” © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer 1. ‘Conflict diamonds’ are: a. uncut or rough’ diamonds. b. diamonds produced in countries where civil wars are in progress. c. diamonds produced by large mining companies. 2. The Kalahari Bushmen are opposed to diamond mining because: a. they were evicted from their land to make way for diamond mining. b. the diamond industry is wrecking lives. c. there is a civil war in Botswana. 3. The diamond trade is worried about the film Blood Diamond because: a. the film suggests that the diamond industry is violent. b. the film might bring a lot of negative publicity to the diamond business. c. the film shows a lot of violent images.

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4. London jewellers don’t buy rough diamonds from conflict zones because: a. they are not sure where the diamonds come from. b. they are not sure if the diamonds are genuine. c. they don’t want the money to be used to buy weapons.

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 3 l Advanced 4 Vocabulary Find the word Find the words that mean the following: 1. a verb meaning to protect (para. 1) 2. a noun meaning a sudden attack (para. 1) 3. a verb meaning to make something worse, especially something unpleasant (para. 3) 4. a verb meaning to give someone the enthusiasm to do something (para. 3) 5. a verb meaning to evict or drive out (para. 3) 6. a verb meaning to correct or improve a situation (para. 3) 7. a verb meaning to achieve (para. 5) 8. a noun meaning the final result of a process (para. 10)

5 Vocabulary Adjectives + Nouns Match the adjectives with the nouns. Check your answers in the text. 1. lucrative

a. perspective

2. negative

b. lands

3. rebel-held

c. resources

4. ancestral

d. war

5. natural

e. trade

6. historical

f. territory

7. civil

g. intentions

h. good

h. publicity

6 Word Grammar Prepositions The following words are all followed by prepositions. Fill the gaps with a suitable preposition and check your answers in the text. 1. spend money 2. result

4. draw attention ;

3. accuse someone

5. linked 6. prohibited

7 Discussion

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Should moral and ethical considerations prevent trade in certain commodities even though the lives of local people may depend on these commodities (e.g. the fur trade)?

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary: Adjectives + Nouns

1. hub 2. backlash 3. illicit 4. lucrative 5. quest 6. pariah 7. mercenary 8. commodity 9. evict 10. trivialise

1. e 2. h 3. f 4. b 5. c 6. a 7. d 8. g

2 What do you know? 1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. F 6. T

6 Word Grammar: Prepositions 1. on 2. from/in 3. of 4. to 5. to 6. from

3 Comprehension check 1. b 2. a 3. b 4. c

4 Vocabulary: Find the word

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1. safeguard 2. blitz 3. fuel 4. inspire 5. expel 6. remedy 7. accomplish 8. outcome

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. civil war resources

rare rebel victim benefit conflict illegal legitimate

jeweller

1. If something is

, it is not allowed by the law.

2. If something is

, it is allowed by the law.

3. If something is

, it doesn’t happen very often or is not often seen or found.

4. A

is fighting between countries or groups.

5. A

is fighting between different groups of people inside a country.

6. A

is someone who makes or sells things made from valuable metals or stones.

7. A

is someone who tries to remove a government by using force.

8. A

is someone who has been harmed, injured or killed as a result of a crime or a bad situation.

9. Coal, trees and oil are examples of natural 10. A

.

is an advantage you get from a situation.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. Who stars in the film Blood Diamond? 2. How many people died in the civil war in Sierra Leone? 3. How much is De Beers planning to spend on publicity? 4. What percentage of jobs in Botswana are linked to diamonds? 5. What is the biggest employer in Namibia? 6. What was the diamond market in Britain worth last year?

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Jeevan Vasagar on a DiCaprio film that threatens to take the shine off Africa’s diamond trade Blood Diamond, a new film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will open in cinemas in the USA in December. In the film DiCaprio plays the part of a South African mercenary, a professional soldier who is paid to fight in different wars around the world. The film is set in Sierra Leone, during the civil war there in the early 1990s, a war in which 75,000 people died. DiCaprio’s character is trying to find a rare pink diamond. The diamond is in a dangerous part of the country where rebel soldiers are in control.

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A lot of the money used to buy arms during the civil war in Sierra Leone came from smuggling so-called ‘conflict diamonds’, diamonds that are bought and sold in countries which are involved in wars. Now the diamond industry is worried that a film about the trade in African ‘conflict diamonds’ will have a negative effect on its image. De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond company, is planning to spend $15m on publicity, before the film opens in December.

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 1 l Elementary In real life DiCaprio has become a symbol for people who believe that the diamond industry is destroying lives. A group of Kalahari Bushmen placed an advertisement in the Hollywood magazine Variety, attacking the diamond business. The Bushmen, who say they have lost their land in Botswana because of diamond mining, asked DiCaprio for his support. In an open letter to the star they said: “After they found diamonds on our land we lost our homes . . . We hope you will use your film to let people know that we too are victims of diamonds and we just want to go home.” Some people in the diamond industry say that the Hollywood film-makers are not telling the truth about African diamonds. The industry has started a website to fight negative publicity from the film. The website (diamondfacts.org) talks about the benefits the industry has brought to its workers. Nelson Mandela appears on the website and describes the diamond industry as “very important” to southern Africa’s economy. In Botswana 25% of jobs are directly or indirectly linked to diamonds, while in Namibia the diamond trade is the second-biggest employer after the government. The Bushmen are not the only African voices in the debate. Patrick Mazimhaka, a Rwandan diplomat, says “a lot of good can be done with money earned from natural resources. With good management and careful leadership . . . natural resources have been a great force for good in Africa.” The diamond industry is trying to protect a market worth $2.3bn in Britain last year. Jewellers make 20% of their sales at Christmas, when the film opens in the US. The industry says that less than 1% of all diamonds sold are conflict diamonds, compared with 4% in the late 1990s, the period in which the film is set. The Kimberley Process, a scheme that requires governments to control diamonds, has almost stopped the trade in conflict diamonds, the industry says. “This system is not perfect, but we are trying very hard to make it perfect,” a spokesman said. “We don’t want any conflict diamond on the market.” But not everyone agrees that the problem is over. Several African civil wars have ended but the main source of conflict diamonds is Ivory Coast, where rebels control some diamond mines. Smugglers are taking diamonds from Ivory Coast into Mali and selling them to international dealers. Congo-Brazzaville is also a centre of diamond smuggling, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, people are still fighting to control the diamond mines even though the civil war is over. One campaigner, Susie Sanders, said: “We need stronger internal controls to stop the smuggling of conflict diamonds into countries that are [in the] Kimberley Process and then exported. There is lots of smuggling. The control systems aren’t strong enough.” Jewellers in London said smugglers had offered them west African diamonds. One jeweller said: “We try to make sure they’re non-conflict diamonds. We don’t buy from Angola or anywhere where the money can be used to buy arms. “Sierra Leone is one of the countries we don’t touch. People from there come in and ask: ‘Do you buy rough diamonds?’. We say: ‘Where are they from?’ - [they say] ‘Sierra Leone’, and we say ‘Get out’.” In fact, both Sierra Leone and Angola have peace agreements now and can trade in diamonds again but conflict diamonds from Ivory Coast are still illegal. Some people are worried that that the film will stop people buying all African diamonds. “Quite a few African countries have weak control systems,” says Sanders. “West Africa and the Congo, for example. We don’t want people to say ‘I’m not going to buy African diamonds’. We want to protect the legitimate diamond trade from Africa.”

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 1 l Elementary 3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and the endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The diamond industry is worried because 2. The diamond industry doesn’t buy conflict diamonds because 3. There is a lot of diamond smuggling because 4. The Kalahari Bushmen are angry because 5. The diamond industry is important in Botswana because 6. The diamond industry has started a website because

a.

it wants to fight negative publicity from the film.

b.

they lost their land because of diamond mining.

c.

the film Blood Diamond might bring negative publicity.

d.

the control systems aren’t strong enough.

e.

25% of jobs are linked to the diamond industry.

f.

it doesn’t want the money to be used to buy arms.

4 Vocabulary

Collocations

Find 6 words in the text that follow the word diamond.

diamond

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Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 1 l Elementary 5 Vocabulary

Definitions

Match the people with the descriptions of what they do. a. fights anywhere in the world for money

1. a smuggler

b. represents an organisation

2. a campaigner

c. makes movies

3. a diplomat

d. takes goods illegally from one country to another

4. a mercenary

e. buys and sells things

5. an employer

f. works for political or social changes

6. a spokesman

g. pays someone to work for them

7. a dealer

h. represents their country in another country

8. a film-maker

6 Vocabulary

Word building

Complete the table.

Noun

Adjective

1. danger 2. nature 3. worry 4. care 5. peace 6. weakness 7. profession

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8. truth

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary: Definitions

1. illegal 2. legitimate 3. rare 4. conflict 5. civil war 6. jeweller 7. rebel 8. victim 9. resources 10. benefit

1. d 2. f 3. h 4. a 5. g 6. b 7. e 8. c

2 Find the information 1. Leonardo DiCaprio 2. 75,000 3. $15m 4. 25% 5. the government 6. $2.3bn

3 Comprehension Check

6 Vocabulary: Word Bbuilding 1. dangerous 2. natural 3. worried 4. careful 5. peaceful 6. weak 7. professional 8. true (truthful)

1. c 2. f 3. d 4. b 5. e 6. a

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

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industry company mining trade mines smuggling

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. profitable mercenary inspire evict trivialise vital eliminate conflict jeweller pariah 1. If something is

, it is very important, necessary or essential.

2. If you

someone, you force them to leave their home or their land.

3. If you

something, you get rid of it because it is not wanted.

4. A

is fighting between two countries or groups.

5. A

is a soldier who fights for any army that will pay him.

6. If an activity is

, it produces a lot of money.

7. If you

someone, you give them the enthusiasm to do something.

8. A

is someone who makes, sells or repairs jewellery.

9. A

state is a country that other countries dislike and avoid.

10. If you

something, you make it seem less important or serious than it really is.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. Who stars in the film Blood Diamond? 2. How many people died in the civil war in Sierra Leone? 3. How much is De Beers planning to spend on publicity? 4. What percentage of jobs in Botswana are linked to diamonds? 5. What is the biggest employer in Namibia? 6. What was the diamond market in Britain worth last year?

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Jeevan Vasagar on a DiCaprio film that threatens to take the shine off Africa’s diamond trade The diamond industry has begun an advertising campaign to protect its highly profitable business from the negative publicity that might result from a Hollywood film about the trade in African “conflict diamonds”. De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond company, plans to spend $15m on publicity, before the film Blood Diamond is released in December. The film could make diamonds as unfashionable as fur.

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In the film Leonardo DiCaprio plays a South African mercenary trying to find a rare pink diamond in rebel-held territory in Sierra Leone, a west African country where the civil war was financed by diamond smuggling, and led to 75,000 deaths. In real life DiCaprio has become a symbol for people who believe that the diamond industry is destroying lives. The film has inspired a band of Kalahari Bushmen to advertise in the Hollywood magazine Variety, attacking the diamond business. The Bushmen, who say they have been evicted from ancestral lands in Botswana to make way for diamond mining, asked DiCaprio for his support.

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 2 l Intermediate In an open letter to the star they said: “After diamonds were found on our land we were evicted . . . Those diamonds are a curse for us. We hope you will use your film to let people know that we too are victims of diamonds and we just want to go home.” Some people in the diamond industry have accused Hollywood of trivialising the truth about African diamonds. Eli Izhakoff, chairman of the World Diamond Council, said: “This movie is about something that happened years ago, something that has already been put right.” The industry has started a website to counter any negative publicity from the film. Diamondfacts.org talks about the benefits the industry has brought to its workers and also uses Nelson Mandela, who describes the diamond industry as “vital” to southern Africa’s economy. In Botswana 25% of jobs are directly or indirectly linked to diamonds, while in Namibia the diamond trade is the second-biggest employer after the government, the industry says. The Bushmen are not the only African voices in the debate. Patrick Mazimhaka, a Rwandan diplomat who is now deputy chairman of the African Union, wrote in a US newspaper recently saying that highlighting the negative role of diamonds in civil wars “misses the fact that a lot of good can be done with money earned from natural resources. With good management and careful leadership . . . natural resources have been a great force for good in Africa.” The purpose of the diamond trade’s campaign is to protect a market worth $2.3bn in Britain last year. Diamond retailers make a fifth of their sales at Christmas, when the film is due for its US release. It is expected to come out in Britain in the New Year. “We don’t see [the film] as damaging so long as the historical perspective is clear,” Izhakoff said. The industry says that conflict diamonds now make up less than 1% of all diamonds sold, compared with 4% in the late 1990s, the period in which the film is set. The Kimberley Process, a scheme that requires governments to track rough diamonds from mines to the polished stage, has almost eliminated conflict diamonds, the industry says. “This system is not perfect, but we are trying very hard to make it perfect,” Izhakoff said. “We don’t want a single conflict diamond on the market.” But not everyone agrees that the problem has been solved. After peace agreements ended several African civil wars, the main source of conflict diamonds is Ivory Coast, where rebels control some mining areas. According to the pressure group Global Witness, diamonds smuggled out of Ivory Coast into Mali are being sold on to international dealers. Congo-Brazzaville has been prohibited from diamond trading because many people believe it is a centre of diamond smuggling, and next door in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there is still occasional fighting for control of diamond mines and other minerals even though the civil war is over. Susie Sanders, Global Witness campaigner, said: “We want stronger internal controls to make sure that conflict diamonds can’t be smuggled into countries that are [in the] Kimberley Process and exported. There is lots of smuggling. The control systems just aren’t strong enough.” Jewellers in London’s Hatton Garden diamond district said they had been offered west African diamonds by smugglers. One jeweller said: “The only thing we can do is make sure they’re non-conflict through our sources. We don’t buy from Angola or anywhere that it can be turned into arms. “Sierra Leone is one of the countries we don’t touch. We get people coming in from there [saying]: ‘Do you buy rough diamonds?’. We say: ‘Where are they from?’ - [they say] ‘Sierra Leone’, and we say ‘Get out’. We’re doing everything we can to make sure we don’t end up providing money that is used to buy weapons.” In fact, both Sierra Leone and Angola have peace agreements now and can trade in diamonds again but conflict diamonds from Ivory Coast are still illegal. There is a fear that the film will stop people buying all African diamonds, something both the industry and the campaigners want to avoid. “It would be terrible if the film meant that people saw Sierra Leone as a pariah,” said Sanders. “Quite a few African countries have weak control systems. It’s [the case] in West Africa and the Congo. “What we really hope doesn’t happen is that people say ‘I’m not going to buy African diamonds’. What we want to do is protect the legitimate diamond trade from Africa.”

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© Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 2 l Intermediate 3 Comprehension Check Are these sentences True or False according to the text? 1. De Beers is the world’s biggest diamond company. 2. The diamond industry is worried that the film Blood Diamond will have a negative effect on its business. 3. Blood Diamond is set in South Africa. 4. The Kalahari Bushmen are in favour of the diamond industry. 5. Nelson Mandela believes the diamond industry is very important for the economy of southern Africa. 6. 99% of all diamonds sold come from conflict zones. 7. Congo-Brazzaville is allowed to trade in diamonds. 8. Both the diamond industry and campaigners want to protect the diamond trade.

4 Vocabulary Adjectives Match the adjectives from the text in the box with their opposites. unfashionable

rare

careful

natural

occasional

1. careless

5. artificial

2. strong

6. common

3. frequent

7. external

4. fashionable

8. legitimate

illegal

weak

internal

5 Vocabulary Adjectives + Nouns

2. natural

b. perspective

3. legitimate

c. war

4. ancestral

d. resources

5. civil

e. trade

6. historical

f. publicity

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Match the adjectives with the nouns. Check your answers in the text.

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 2 l Intermediate 6 Vocabulary

Word building

Complete the table.

Verb

Noun

1. release 2. agree 3. describe 4. publicise 5. manage 6. protect 7. smuggle 8. solve

7 Discussion

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Is it right to prohibit trade in items like fur for moral reasons? What about the lives of poor people who depend on these items to make a living?

Hollywood caught in gem warfare Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key Words 9

4 Vocabulary: Adjectives

1. vital 2. evict 3. eliminate 4. conflict 5. mercenary 6. profitable 7. inspire 8. jeweller 9. pariah 10. trivialise

1. careful 2. weak 3. occasional 4. unfashionable 5. natural 6. rare 7. internal 8. illegal

3 Comprehension check 1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T 6 F 7. F 8. T

6 Vocabulary: Word Building 1. release 2. agreement 3. description 4. publicity 5. management 6. protection 7. smuggling (smuggler – person) 8. solution

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / Hollywood caught in gem warfare / Intermediate

•P H

1. Leonardo DiCaprio 2. 75,000 3. $15m 4. 25% 5. the government 6. $2.3bn

1. f 2. d 3. e 4. a 5. c 6. b

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2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary: Adjectives + Nouns

US population passes 300 million Level 3 l Advanced 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. baby boomer guesswork census tectonic shift veer dispersed bedrock sprawl stunned contentious 1. Urban carefully planned.

is a part of a town or city that spreads into the country in a way that is ugly and not

2. A is an occasion on which government officials count the people who live in a country and record other information about them. 3. If an issue is

, it causes disagreement between people or groups.

4. A

is someone born between 1945 and 1964 when there was a rapid increase in the number

of births in the USA. 5. A is literally a large movement in the surface of the earth but can also mean a fundamental change in something. 6.

means the ideas and principles on which a belief or a system is based.

7. If you are 8.

by something, you are very shocked or upset. is the process of trying to find the answer to something by guessing.

9. If a population is 10. To

, it is spread over a wide area and does not live in the same place. means to suddenly move in a different direction.

2 What do you know? Try answering the questions before reading the text. 1. What is the current population of the USA? a. 250 million b. 300 million c. 350 million 2. In what year did the US population pass the 200 million mark? a. 1957 b. 1967 c. 1977 3. When will the US population reach 400 million? a. 2023 b. 2033 c. 2043 4. What percentage of Americans live in urban or suburban areas? a. 80% b. 60% c. 40% 5. What percentage of the world’s energy does the USA use? a. 25% b. 35% c. 45%

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Now look in the text and check your answers.

US population passes 300 million Level 3 l Advanced US population passes 300 million by Ed Pilkington in New York A baby born in America this week took the nation’s population to the 300 million mark. It’s highly possible that the baby was the child of a Latin American immigrant, perhaps in Los Angeles. In 1967 Life magazine identified the 200 millionth American as Robert Ken Woo, a fourth-generation Chinese-American from Atlanta. That was pure guesswork too. But there is a real core to this story. America is crossing a population landmark and it is generating the kind of self-reflection that major birthdays or anniversaries do. The US census bureau calculates that one American is born every seven seconds, one dies every 13 seconds, and an immigrant arrives (net) every 31 seconds. Add those together and you get a net population gain of one person every 11 seconds. Over the past 100 years the US has seen the largest population growth in its history, fuelled by the baby boomers of the postwar years. And the trend is set to continue through this century, though the rate of growth is expected to peak about 2070. If it took 39 years to put on the last 100 million, it will take 37 years to put on the next, to reach 400 million. Behind those figures lie shifting demographic plates that are seeing the composition of America, its human make-up, and even its culture and lifestyles, change dramatically. The first of these tectonic shifts is where Americans live. The demographic centre of gravity is slowly veering from the northeast to the south and west. The fastest-growing states are Nevada, Arizona and Texas. Nor is the population evenly dispersed. More than half live in 10 of the 50 states, most of them along the coasts. William Frey, a population expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the US was gravitating to a new sunbelt beyond Florida, Texas and California. “As the coastal areas become crowded, people have started to move further inland to places like Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Tennessee.” The obverse of this trend is that the Great Plains, the cultural bedrock of cowboy America, is becoming increasingly a myth. The midwestern states are emptying as the population becomes more urbanised. Or, more accurately, suburbanised. In the past 100 years the proportion of Americans living inside the urban and suburban sprawl doubled to 80%. The concept of the ‘frontier’, of existence under an open sky, still exists in movies, but fewer and fewer people live it. It is also having an impact on the environment. According to the Centre for Environment and Population, an independent research body, the effects of a growing population are concentrated in the outskirts of urban areas and are amplified by Americans’ belief that bigger equals better. “When I travel abroad and come back, I’m always stunned by the consumption here. Cars are bigger, people travel further distances, they build bigger houses. This is the ultimate disposable consumer society,” the centre’s director, Victoria Markham, said. It is often quoted that the US has 5% of the world’s population but uses 25% of its energy. Less known is that each American now occupies about 20% more land for housing, schools, shops, roads and so on than he or she did 20 years ago. Almost 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) of farmland are concreted over every day, and the rate is increasing.

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Which leads to the most contentious seismic movement: America’s ethnic composition and the role of immigration. In 1970 the newly immigrant proportion of the American people stood at 5%. Today it is 12.1% and rising. The largest single national group of immigrants is Mexican, and the largest ethnic group Hispanic. By 2050 it is projected by the census bureau that the proportion of non-Hispanic whites will have fallen from 69% in 2000 to about 50%, Hispanics will have doubled to 24%, Asians also to 8%, while the proportion of African-Americans will increase marginally to 14%. For Mr Frey, the rise of the Hispanic community, with their younger average ages and higher birthrates, is a saving grace in a rapidly ageing white population. For Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a research group focusing on immigration, the population growth is “federally forced”. He said the long-term increase could be put down entirely to immigration. “If we had

US population passes 300 million Level 3 l Advanced zero net immigration we would never have reached 300 million we’d be about 245 million today.” The result, he says, is more congestion and restrictions and the decline of individualism, freedom and space. In short, America is turning into Europe. © Guardian News & Media 2006

3 Comrehension check Are these statements True or False according to the text? 1. Without immigration the population of the United States would be approximately the same as it is today. 2. The USA uses a quarter of the world’s energy resources. 3. The largest ethnic group in the USA is the Hispanic group. 4. More than one in ten people in the USA is a new immigrant. 5. Each American occupies 20% more land than they did 20 years ago. 6. The current rate of growth in the US population will continue after 2070. 7. California is the fastest growing state in terms of population. 8. More than 1,000 hectares of farmland is concreted over every day.

4 Vocabulary Find the word Find the words which mean: 1. an adjective meaning the opposite of gross (para. 1) 2. a verb meaning tending to move towards (para. 3) 3. a noun meaning the opposite of something (para. 3) 4. an adjective meaning relating to towns and cities (para. 3) 5. a noun meaning effect or influence (para. 4) 6. an adjective meaning the best or most perfect example of something (para. 4) 7. a verb meaning to calculate how big something will become in the future by using information available now (para. 5) 8. an adverb meaning by only a very small amount (para. 5)

5 Vocabulary Chunks Rearrange these words to make phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text.

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1. a American generation Chinese fourth 2. its largest the growth population history in 3. gravity centre of the demographic 4. consumer ultimate society the disposable 5. ageing a rapidly population white 6. on group immigration a research focusing

US population passes 300 million Level 3 l Advanced 6 Grammar focus Prediction Complete the sentences by using an appropriate form of the verb in brackets. Check your answers in the text. 1. By 2050 the proportion on non-Hispanic whites 2. The number of Hispanics

to 24%. [DOUBLE]

3. The rate of growth 4. It

from 69% to about 50%. [FALL]

to peak around 2070. [EXPECT] 37 years to put on the next 100 million. [TAKE]

5. The proportion of African-Americans 6. America

marginally to 14%. [INCREASE]

into Europe. [TURN]

6 Discussion

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of immigration? Should people be allowed to live where they want to in the world?

US population passes 300 million Level 3 l Advanced KEY 1 Key Words

4 Vocabulary Find the word

1. sprawl 2. census 3. contentious 4. baby boomer 5. tectonic shift 6. bedrock 7. stunned 8. guesswork 9. dispersed 10. veer

1. net 2. gravitate 3. obverse 4. urban 5. impact 6. ultimate 7. project 8. marginally

1. F 2. T 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. F 7. F 8. T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / US population passes 300 million / Advanced

6 Grammar Focus Prediction 1. will have fallen 2. will have doubled 3. is expected 4. will take 5. will increase 6. is turning

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3 Comprehension check

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1. b 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. a

1. a fourth-generation Chinese-American 2. the largest population growth in its history 3. the demographic centre of gravity 4. the ultimate disposable consumer society 5. a rapidly ageing white population 6 a research group focusing on immigration

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2 What do you know?

5 Vocabulary Chunks

US population passes 300 million Level 1 l Elementary 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. immigrant population dramatically census urban suburb environment controversial 1. A

is an area or town near a large city but away from its centre.

2. If something is

, people disagree about it.

3. An

area is an area that is in a large city.

4. The

of a country is all the people who live in it.

5. If something increases 6. A

, it increases only a very little.

is a story that everyone believes but which is not true.

7. An 8. A

myth slightly

is a person who arrives from another country to live and work in a country. is when government officials count all the people who live in a country.

9. The

is the natural world, including land, water, air and plants.

10. If something changes

, it changes a lot and people are surprised by it.

2 Find the information 1. What is the population of the USA today? 2. What was the population of the USA in 1967? 3. When will the rate of increase of the population of the USA probably stop rising? 4. When will the American population reach 400 million? 5. How much of the world’s energy does the USA use? 6. How many Americans live in urban or suburban areas?

US population passes 300 million by Ed Pilkington in New York This week the population of the USA reached 300 million for the first time. The 300 millionth American was possibly the child of a Latin American immigrant, perhaps in Los Angeles. In 1967 Life magazine identified the 200 millionth American as Robert Ken Woo, a fourth-generation Chinese-American from Atlanta. That was just a guess but America has reached an important point in its population growth and people are thinking about this in the same way they think about important birthdays or other important dates in their lives.

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The US census office believes that one American is born every seven seconds, one dies every 13 seconds, and an immigrant arrives every 31 seconds. Add those figures together and the population increases by one person every 11 seconds. In the last 100 years the US has seen the largest increase in its population in its history. And this will probably continue through the 21st century, although the rate of increase of the population will probably stop rising around the year 2070. The population increased from 200 to 300 million in just 39 years and it will probably reach 400 million in just 37 years time.

US population passes 300 million Level 1 l Elementary Apart from the increase in population, the make-up of America and its culture and lifestyle are changing dramatically. The first major change is where Americans live. The main population centres are slowly moving from the northeast to the south and west. The fastest-growing states are Nevada, Arizona and Texas. More than half the population of America lives in 10 of the 50 states, most of them along the coasts. William Frey, a population expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said people are now moving towards a new sunbelt outside Florida, Texas and California. “As the coastal areas become crowded, people have started to move further inland to places like Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Tennessee.” At the same time the Great Plains, the cultural symbol of cowboy America, is becoming a myth. People are leaving the mid-western states and moving to the big cities. In the past 100 years the number of Americans living in urban and suburban areas has increased from 40% to 80%. The idea of the ‘frontier’ and living under an open sky still exists in movies, but fewer and fewer people live in such places. Population change is also having an effect on the environment. According to the Centre for Environment and Population, many cities are changing because Americans believe that bigger means better. “When I travel abroad and come back, I’m always shocked by what I see here. Cars are bigger, people travel further distances, they build bigger houses,” the centre’s director, Victoria Markham, said. It is often said that the US has 5% of the world’s population but uses 25% of the world’s energy. Not many people know that each American now occupies about 20% more land for housing, schools, shops, roads and so on than he or she did 20 years ago. Almost 1,214 hectares of farmland are lost every day. The most controversial change is in the ethnic composition of America and the role of immigration. In 1970 5% of Americans were new immigrants. Today the figure is 12.1% and it is rising. The largest single national group of immigrants is Mexican, and the largest ethnic group Hispanic (people from Spanish-speaking countries). By 2050 the census office believes that the number of non-Hispanic whites will fall from 69% in 2000 to about 50%, the number of Hispanics will double to 24%, the number of Asians will also double to 8%, and the number of AfricanAmericans will increase slightly to 14%. Mr Frey thinks the increase the Hispanic community, with their younger average ages and higher birthrates, will help to stop the fall in the number of white Americans. Roy Beck, president of an immigration research group believes the long-term increase is the result of immigration. “If we had no immigration, the population would not be 300 million but about 245 million today.” The result, he says, is that the country is more crowded and there is less freedom and space. In short, America is becoming like Europe. ©Guardian News & Media 2006

3 Comprehension check Decide whether these statements are True or False.

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1. Americans are moving from the south and west to the northeast. 2. The birth-rate is higher then the death-rate in the US. 3. By 2050 almost a quarter of the population of the US will be Spanish-speaking. 4. Americans use 5% of the world’s energy resources. 5. The population of the mid-western states is increasing. 6. The fastest-growing states are Florida and California. 7. More than half the population of the USA lives in just 10 states. 8. America is becoming less crowded.

US population passes 300 million Level 1 l Elementary 4 Vocabulary Numbers Rewrite these numbers and dates from the text as words 1. 1,214 2. 69% 3. 2070 4. 400m 5. 1970 6. 12.1%

5 Grammar Irregular past tenses Complete the table.

Base form

Past simple

1. rise 2. think 3. become 4. build 5. lose 6. fall 7. see 8. leave

6 Word stress Put these words from the text into one of the three boxes according to their stress pattern. dramatically suburban

l

l

l

B

l

l

l

l

C

l

l

l





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l

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A

population environment generation according director controversial

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US population passes 300 million Level 1 l Elementary KEY 1 Key Words

4 Vocabulary Numbers

1. suburb 2. controversial 3. urban 4. population 5. slightly 6. myth 7. immigrant 8. census 9. environment 10. dramatically

1. one thousand two hundred and fourteen 2. sixty-nine percent 3. two thousand and seventy 4. four hundred million 5. nineteen seventy 6. twelve point one percent

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / US population passes 300 million / Elementary

O

1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. F 7. T 8. F

A population, generation, controversial B dramatically, environment C suburban, according, director

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3 Comprehension check

6 Pronunciation Word Stress

•P H

1. 300 million 2. 200 million 3. around 2070 4. in 37 years time (2043) 5. 25% 6. 80%

1. rose 2. thought 3. became 4. built 5. lost 6. fell 7. saw 8. left

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2 Find the information

5 Grammar Irregular Past Tenses

US population passes 300 million Level 2 l Intermediate 1 Key words milestone census net urban impact decline 1. The adjective

sunbelt ageing

myth congestion

means ‘relating to towns and cities’.

2. If something has or makes an

, it has an effect or influence.

3.

is a situation where a place is crowded with people or vehicles.

4. A

is a gradual reduction in the amount or quality of something.

5. A

is a situation where government officials count the number of people in a country.

6. A

is an event that marks an important stage in a process.

7.

immigration is the number of people arriving minus the number of people leaving.

8. The

is the southern part of the USA from California to Florida.

9. An

population is one that is growing older.

10. A

is a story that people wrongly believe is true.

2 Find the information 1. What is the current population of the USA? 2. In what year did the US population reach 200 million? 3. When will the US population reach 400 million? 4. What percentage of Americans live in urban or suburban areas? 5. What percentage of the world’s energy does the USA use? 6. How much farmland is covered in concrete every day in the USA?

US population passes 300 million by Ed Pilkington in New York A baby born in America this week took the population of the USA to 300 million. It’s highly possible that the baby was the child of a Latin American immigrant, perhaps in Los Angeles. In 1967 Life magazine identified the 200 millionth American as Robert Ken Woo, a fourth-generation Chinese-American from Atlanta. That was simply a guess too. But this story has some substance. America has reached a milestone in its population growth and this is making people reflect in the same way they do on major birthdays or anniversaries.

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NEWS LESSONS / US population passes 300 million / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

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The US census bureau calculates that one American is born every seven seconds, one dies every 13 seconds, and an immigrant arrives (net) every 31 seconds. Add those together and you get a net population gain of one person every 11 seconds. Over the past 100 years the US has seen the largest population growth in its history. And this trend will probably continue through this century, though the rate of growth is expected to stop rising around the year 2070. The population increased from 200 to 300 million in just 39 years and it is expected that the population will reach 400 million in just 37 years time.

US population passes 300 million Level 2 l Intermediate Apart from the increase in population, the composition of America, its human make-up, and even its culture and lifestyles, are changing dramatically. The first major change is where Americans live. The main population centres are slowly moving from the northeast to the south and west. The fastest-growing states are Nevada, Arizona and Texas. The population is not evenly spread across America either. More than half live in 10 of the 50 states, most of them along the coasts. William Frey, a population expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the US was now moving towards a new sunbelt beyond Florida, Texas and California. “As the coastal areas become crowded, people have started to move further inland to places like Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Tennessee.” The other side of this trend is that the Great Plains, the cultural symbol of cowboy America, is becoming increasingly a myth. The mid-western states are emptying as the population moves to the big cities. In the past 100 years the proportion of Americans living in urban and suburban areas has doubled to 80%. The idea of the “frontier”, of existence under an open sky, still exists in movies, but fewer and fewer people live in such places. Population change is also having an impact on the environment. According to the Centre for Environment and Population, an independent research body, the main effects of a growing population are felt around the urban areas and are increased by Americans’ belief that bigger equals better. “When I travel abroad and come back, I’m always shocked by the consumption here. Cars are bigger, people travel further distances, they build bigger houses,” the centre’s director, Victoria Markham, said. It is often said that the US has 5% of the world’s population but uses 25% of its energy. A less known fact is that each American now occupies about 20% more land for housing, schools, shops, roads and so on than he or she did 20 years ago. Almost 1,214 hectares of farmland are covered in concrete every day, and the rate is increasing. This brings us to the most controversial change: America’s ethnic composition and the role of immigration. In 1970 the newly immigrant proportion of the American people was 5%. Today it is 12.1% and rising. The largest single national group of immigrants is Mexican, and the largest ethnic group Hispanic. By 2050 the census bureau believes that the proportion of non-Hispanic whites will have fallen from 69% in 2000 to about 50%, Hispanics will have doubled to 24%, Asians also to 8%, while the proportion of AfricanAmericans will increase slightly to 14%. For Mr Frey, the rise of the Hispanic community, with their younger average ages and higher birth-rates, will help to stop the decline in a rapidly ageing white population. For Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, a research group focusing on immigration, the long-term increase is entirely the result of immigration. “If we had zero net immigration we would never have reached 300 million; the population would be about 245 million today.” The result, he says, is more congestion, more restrictions and the decline of individualism, freedom and space. In short, America is turning into Europe. © Guardian News & Media 2006

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information in the text. 1. What happens every 11 seconds in the USA? a. an immigrant arrives b. someone dies c. the population increases by one

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2. When is the rate of growth in population expected to stop? a. around the year 2070 b. in 37 years time c. when it reaches 400 million

US population passes 300 million Level 2 l Intermediate 3. What is happening to the mid-western states? a. their population is declining b. their population is increasing rapidly c. people are moving to big cities in these states 4. What does Roy Beck think the result of immigration is? a. a large increase in population b. more congestion and less freedom and space c. a higher birth-rate

4 Vocabulary Adjectives Match the words in the left-hand column with their opposites in the right-hand column. 1. urban

a. inland

2. coastal

b. minor

3. major

c. long-term

4. net

d. gradual

5. rapid

e. rural

6. short-term

f. gross

5 Vocabulary Word building Complete the table.

Verb

Noun

1. grow 2. guess 3. arrive 4. exist 5. consume 6. compose 7. decline

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8. restrict

US population passes 300 million Level 2 l Intermediate 6 Vocabulary Prepositions Fill the gaps using an appropriate preposition. Check your answers in the text. 1. the largest population growth

its history

2. this trend will continue

this century

3. the population increased to 300 million 4. apart

just 39 years

the increase in population

5. the population is not evenly spread

America

6. most people live

the coasts

7. the US is moving

a new sunbelt

8. existence

an open sky

7 Discussion

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Would you like to move to another country? If you had to move to another country, which country would you move to and why?

US population passes 300 million Level 2 l Intermediate KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary Word building

1. urban 2. impact 3. congestion 4. decline 5. census 6. milestone 7. net 8. sunbelt 9. ageing 10. myth

1. growth 2. guess 3. arrival 4. existence 5. consumption 6. composition 7. decline 8. restriction

2 Find the information 1. 300 million 2. 1967 3. 2043 (in 37 years’ time) 4. 80% 5. 25% 6. 1214 hectares

6 Vocabulary Prepositions 1. in 2. through 3. in 4. from 5. across 6. along 7. towards 8. under

3 Comprehension Check 1. c 2. a 3. a 4. b

4 Vocabulary Adjectives

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1. e 2. a 3. b 4. f 5. d 6. c

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 3 Advanced 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text: clogged inaugurate

irritability detour

disruption odyssey

boom gridlock

potholed berate

1. If you ____________ something, you introduce or start something new or important. 2. ____________ is a situation in which there are so many cars on the roads that traffic cannot move. 3. If you ____________ someone, you criticise them in an angry way. 4. ____________ is a problem or situation that interrupts something and prevents it from continuing or from working properly. 5. An ____________ is a long journey during which many things happen. 6. A ____________ is a way of going from one place to another that is not the shortest or the usual way. 7. ____________ is a state where people easily become annoyed or impatient. 8. If a street or road is ____________, there are a lot of holes in it and it is difficult to drive along it. 9. If streets are ____________ with traffic, they are completely blocked. 10. A ____________ is a sudden major increase in trade or profits in a particular country or region.

2 What do you think? The article gives advice on what to do if you are stuck in a traffic-jam. Which three of these six pieces of advice do you think will be given? 1. read a newspaper 2. close your eyes 3. take deep breaths 4. do a crossword puzzle 5. eat a snack 6. punch someone

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Now look in the text and check your answers.

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 3 Advanced Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam by Rory Carroll in Caracas Eat a snack, read a book, do a crossword, listen to music and try not to punch or shoot anyone. That is the advice psychiatrists are giving to commuters in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in the wake of traffic jams that are among the world’s worst. An explosion in car ownership has clogged motorways and side-streets from early morning until late at night, paralysing entire districts and driving motorists to distraction. Doctors say the stress is inflicting physical and mental damage on drivers and leading to increased incidents of road rage, including shoot-outs. Those who try to beat the traffic by leaving home at 5 am have been warned that they are likely to suffer sleep deprivation, which will diminish productivity, increase irritability and harm sex lives. A sense of anxiety, anguish and tension is spreading, Robert Lespinasse, the former head of the Venezuelan Society of Psychiatry, told the daily, Ultimas Noticias. A psychologist, Hernan D’Oliveira, said that the disruption in mental processes was making people less open to criticism. Armed motorcycle gangs who ambush stationary motorists in broad daylight do not help. In the absence of an urban planning miracle, people have been advised that when traffic grinds to a halt they should have a drink or something to eat and occupy their minds with music, a book, newspaper or crossword.

baked beneath a tropical sun, can appear to be the site of a battle against geography and climate. The government, flush with oil revenues, has inaugurated bridges and metro lines in the run-up to next month’s presidential election, but many are unfinished, including a bridge connecting Caracas to the airport, which is forcing detours through hillside barrios that can turn the 16-mile trip into a five-hour odyssey. Everyone agrees that gridlock is getting worse every month. Taxi drivers say their income has been slashed because they are down from an average of five to three fares a day. ‘lt’s impossible. If someone asks to go into especially heavy traffic I say no, it’ll take up half my day,’ said Fredy Afanador, a veteran cabbie. President Hugo Chávez has berated previous infrastructure ministers but praised the incumbent for doing a good job. And he is also looking further afield for help. In return for discounted diesel for London buses, the city’s mayor, Ken Livingstone, is to share insights on congestion charging and other policies in an attempt to end the traffic nightmare.

© Guardian News & Media 2006

An oil-fuelled economic boom has boosted vehicle ownership in Venezuela, with sales in the last year alone doubling to 300,000. In the absence of new roads, the swollen traffic streams into a creaking, potholed infrastructure which has been neglected for years.

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Caracas, squeezed into a long narrow alley between skyscrapers and shantytowns and

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 3 Advanced 3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer. 1. Car ownership in Venezuela has increased rapidly as a result of… a. a government road-building programme. b. a boom fuelled by oil sales. c. next month’s presidential election.

2. Leaving home at 5 am is likely to… a. allow drivers to beat the traffic jams. b. cause various health and personal problems. c. stop people sleeping.

3. The problem is made worse by… a. stress. b. a sense of anxiety and tension. c. a neglected infrastructure.

4. Psychiatrists are advising people to… a. leave home earlier. b. try and relax. c. punch or shoot other drivers.

4 Vocabulary

Expressions

Match these expressions from the text with their meanings. 1. in the wake of 2. to drive to distraction 3. road rage 4. to grind to a halt 5. a creaking infrastructure

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6. flush with money

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 3 Advanced 7. in broad daylight 8. congestion charging

a. violent behaviour by a driver towards another driver b. a system under which drivers pay to enter a particular part of a city c. with more money than you usually have d. to annoy someone so much that they become angry e. happening after an event or as a result of it f. in the middle of the day when people can be easily seen g. a transport system that is close to collapse h. to move more and more slowly until everything stops

5 Vocabulary

Collocations

What verbs go with these nouns? Check your answers in the text. 1. ____________ a crossword 2. ____________ damage 3. ____________ productivity 4. ____________ one’s mind 5. ____________ irritability 6. ____________ entire districts 7. ____________ sleep deprivation 8. ____________ advice

6 Vocabulary

Find the word

Find the word that means: 1. fights using guns (para. 2) 2. a lack of something you need or want (para. 3) 3. a feeling of great physical or emotional pain (para. 4) 4. the period of time just before an important event (para. 8)

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5. poor districts of a city in a Spanish-speaking country (para. 8)

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 3 Advanced 6. reduced drastically (para. 9) 7. taxi-driver (para. 9) 8. the person holding a particular job or office at the present time (para. 10)

7 Discussion

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What do you think are the best ways to reduce congestion and prevent traffic-jams in major cities?

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary: Collocations

1. inaugurate 2. gridlock 3. berate 4. disruption 5. odyssey 6. detour 7. irritability 8. potholed 9. clogged 10. boom

1. do 2. inflict 3. diminish 4. occupy 5. increase 6. paralyse 7. suffer 8. give

2 What do you think? 1; 4; 5

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b b c b

6 Vocabulary: Find the word 1. shoot-outs 2. deprivation 3. anguish 4. run-up 5. barrios 6. slashed 7. cabbie 8. the incumbent

4 Vocabulary: Expressions

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e d a h g c f b

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 1 Elementary 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text: traffic jam bad-tempered

crossword advice

stressed motorway

side-street avoid

1. If you are ____________, you get angry very easily. 2. If you are ____________, you feel nervous and worried all the time. 3. A ____________ is a wide road with several lanes of traffic in each direction. 4. A ____________ is a small street that is connected to a major street. 5. A ____________ is a situation when cars cannot move because the road is blocked. 6. If you give someone ____________, you tell them the best thing to do in a particular situation. 7. If you ____________ something, you don’t go near it. 8. A ____________ is a word game on paper where you write the answers in rows of squares.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information. 1. What is the capital of Venezuela? 2. How many cars were sold two years ago? 3. How many cars were sold last year? 4. Who is the President of Venezuela? 5. How far is it from the centre to the airport?

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6. Who is Ken Livingstone?

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 1 Elementary Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam by Rory Carroll in Caracas The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, has some of the worst traffic jams in the world. The situation is so bad that psychiatrists are now giving advice to drivers about what to do when they are in a traffic jam. The advice includes the following: eat a snack, read a book, do a crossword, listen to music but don’t hit or shoot other people! More and more people own a car in Caracas. Because of this the motorways are blocked and the side-streets are full of cars from early morning until late at night. Sometimes whole districts of the city are completely blocked by cars. Doctors say the situation is making drivers very stressed and that this stress is causing both physical and mental damage. The traffic problems also cause fights between drivers and sometimes people shoot each other. Some people try to avoid the traffic jams by leaving home at 5 a.m. but this often means that they don’t get enough sleep and cannot work properly as a result. They also become badtempered because they are tired all the time and this may have a negative effect on their sex lives. Many people are feeling more and more worried and nervous, Robert Lespinasse, the former head of the Venezuelan Society of Psychiatry, told the daily newspaper Ultimas Noticias. Armed gangs also attack and rob drivers in traffic jams and this makes the situation worse because people are afraid all the time. There is no easy solution to the problem. Doctors have advised people who are sitting in traffic jams to have a drink or something to eat and occupy their minds with music, a book, newspaper or crossword.

everything travels on old streets full of holes. The government has a lot of money from the sale of oil. It has started a programme of building bridges and metro lines before the presidential election next month. But many of these bridges and metro lines are still not finished. One of them is a bridge that will connect the centre of Caracas to the airport. This means that drivers have to use an old road. It is only 16 miles from the city to the airport but the journey can take five hours. Everyone agrees that the traffic jams are getting worse every month. Taxi drivers say they are losing money because they can only make three journeys a day instead of the five journeys they used to make. “It’s impossible. If someone asks to go into especially heavy traffic I say no because I will lose half a day,” said Fredy Afanador, a local taxi driver. The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, has criticised former transport ministers but says the present minister is doing a good job. He is also looking to other countries for help. One idea is to work with the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. In London, drivers have to pay to enter the centre of the city. This means there is now less traffic. Mr Livingstone will give advice to President Chávez and, in return, Venezuela will sell fuel to London at a cheaper price. Perhaps this idea will help to solve the problem of traffic jams in Caracas. © Guardian News & Media 2006

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Venezuela has a lot of oil and many people have become rich as a result. Car sales have increased rapidly. Two years ago 150,000 cars were sold. Last year 300,000 were sold. But there are no new roads for the extra traffic so

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 1 Elementary 3 Comprehension check Tick the answers that are correct in each list. 1. If you are in a traffic jam, you should… a. read a newspaper. b. watch TV. c. hit someone. d. do a crossword. e. listen to music. f. have something to eat or drink. g. read a book. h. go to sleep.

2. Traffic jams are very bad in Caracas because… a. there are too many cars. b. the roads are very old. c. the drivers are very bad. d. the new metro lines and bridges are not finished. e. armed gangs attack and rob drivers.

3. Traffic jams make people feel… a. stressed. b. bad-tempered. c. sad. d. worried. e. hungry.

4 Vocabulary

Opposites

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Find the words in the text that are the opposites of these words:

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 1 Elementary 3. positive

____________

4. better

____________

5. difficult

____________

6. poor

____________

7. light

____________

8. more

____________

5 Vocabulary

Prepositions

Fill the gaps using prepositions. 1. Caracas has some of the worst traffic jams _______ the world. 2. Psychiatrists are giving advice _______ drivers. 3. Streets are full of cars from early morning _______ late at night. 4. There is no easy solution _______ the problem. 5. The streets are full _______ holes. 6. Taxi drivers can only make three journeys a day instead _______ the five journeys they used to make. 7. It is 16 miles _______ the city _______ the airport. 8. In London, drivers have to pay to enter the centre _______ the city.

6 Vocabulary

Collocations

2. build

b. a car

3. avoid

c. advice

4. own

d. a crossword

5. eat

e. a problem

6. listen to

f. a traffic jam

7. do

g. a snack

8. give

h. a new road

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Match the verbs with the nouns.

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary: Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

bad-tempered stressed motorway side-street traffic-jam advice avoid crossword

in to until to of of from/to of

2 Find the information

6 Vocabulary: Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Caracas 150,000 300,000 Hugo Chávez 16 miles mayor of London

3 Comprehension check

e h f b g a d c

1. a, d, e, f, g 2. a, b, d 3. a, b, d

4 Vocabulary: Opposites worst early negative worse easy rich heavy less

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 2 Intermediate 1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text: commuter disruption

road rage stationary

shoot-out potholed

irritable neglect

tense shanty town

1. If a vehicle is ____________, it isn’t moving. 2. A ____________ is a fight in which guns are used. 3.

____________ is a situation in which something cannot continue because of a problem.

4. A ____________ is an area in which poor people live in badly built houses made of wood, metal or other thin material. 5.

____________ is a situation where drivers behave violently towards other drivers.

6. If a road or street is ____________, it is full of holes. 7. If you ____________ something, you don’t look after it properly and you don’t pay any attention to it. 8. If you are ____________, you become angry or impatient very easily. 9. A ____________ is someone who travels regularly to and from work. 10. If you are ____________, you feel nervous and you cannot relax.

2 What do you think? The article gives advice on what to do if you are stuck in a traffic-jam. Which three of these six pieces of advice do you think will be given? 1. read a newspaper 2. close your eyes 3. take deep breaths 4. do a crossword puzzle 5. eat a snack 6. punch someone

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Now look in the text and check your answers.

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 2 Intermediate Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam by Rory Carroll in Caracas The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, has some of the worst traffic jams in the world. The situation is so bad that psychiatrists have now begun to give advice to commuters about what to do when they are in a traffic jam. The advice includes the following: eat a snack, read a book, do a crossword, listen to music but don’t punch or shoot anyone. The number of car owners in Caracas has increased dramatically and the result of this has been blocked motorways and side-streets that are jammed from early morning until late at night. Entire districts are paralysed and the situation is driving some motorists crazy. Doctors say the stress is causing both physical and mental damage and is leading to more cases of road rage, including shoot-outs. People who try to avoid the traffic jams by leaving home at 5 a.m. have been warned that they may suffer from lack of sleep, which will reduce productivity, make them irritable and have a negative effect on their sex lives. People are feeling more and more anxious and tense, Robert Lespinasse, the former head of the Venezuelan Society of Psychiatry, told the daily newspaper Ultimas Noticias. A psychologist, Hernan D’Oliveira, said that the disruption in mental processes was making people less open to criticism. Armed motorcycle gangs who attack and rob stationary motorists in broad daylight do not help the situation. With no obvious solution, people have been advised that when they are sitting in a traffic jam they should have a drink or something to eat and occupy their minds with music, a book, newspaper or crossword.

traffic streams into potholed streets that have been neglected for years. Caracas lies in a long narrow valley between skyscrapers and shanty towns. In the hot tropical sun it can appear to be the site of a battle against both geography and climate. The government, with plenty of money from the sale of oil, has started a programme of building bridges and metro lines before next month’s presidential election, but many of these are unfinished, including a bridge connecting Caracas to the airport, which means that drivers have to take detours through hillside barrios that can turn the 16-mile trip into a five-hour nightmare. Everyone agrees that the traffic jams are getting worse every month. Taxi drivers say their income has fallen dramatically because they are down from an average of five to three fares a day. “It’s impossible. If someone asks to go into especially heavy traffic I say no because it will take up half my day,” said Fredy Afanador, a local taxi driver. President Hugo Chávez has criticised former infrastructure ministers but has praised the present minister for doing a good job. He is also looking abroad for help. In return for cheap fuel for London buses, the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will share his ideas on congestion charging and other policies in an attempt to solve the problem of traffic jams in Caracas.

© Guardian News & Media 2006

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The rapid increase in vehicle ownership in Venezuela is the result of huge profits from the sale of Venezuelan oil. Last year car sales doubled to 300,000. There are no new roads so the extra

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 2 Intermediate 3 Comprehension check Are these statements True or False according to the text? 1. Traffic jams in Caracas are not as bad as in other parts of the world. 2. The jams are caused by a rapid increase in car ownership. 3. There is no simple solution to the problem. 4. The government has a lot of money from the sale of oil. 5. Taxi drivers are earning more money now. 6. There is a new bridge linking Caracas with the airport. 7. The president has criticised the work of the current infrastructure minister. 8. The mayor of London will try to help solve the traffic problems in Caracas.

4 Vocabulary

Opposites

Replace the underlined words with their opposites. Check your answers in the text. 1. increase productivity

____________

2. increase slightly

____________

3. gradual increase

____________

4. very small profits

____________

5. getting better

____________

6. light traffic

____________

7. too much sleep

____________

8. a long wide valley

____________

5 Vocabulary

Find the word or expression

Find these words or expressions. 1. A word meaning a street that is not a main street. (para. 2) 2. Two more words for blocked. (para. 2) 3. An expression meaning in the middle of the day. (para. 4) 4. A verb meaning to increase by 100%. (para. 6)

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5. A word meaning a very tall building containing offices or flats. (para. 7)

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 2 Intermediate 6. A word meaning a way of going from one place to another that is not the shortest or the usual way. (para. 8) 7. A word meaning a poor district in a city in a Spanish-speaking country. (para. 8) 8. A system of making drivers pay to enter city centres. (para. 10)

6 Vocabulary

Word building

Complete the table.

Verb

Noun

1. advise

____________

2. warn

____________

3. criticise

____________

4. reduce

____________

5. rob

____________

6. disrupt

____________

7. attack

____________

8. appear

____________

7 Discussion

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Do you have traffic jams in your town or city? What are the best ways to avoid such jams in the future?

Car boom leaves Caracas in one big jam Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary: Find the word or expression

1. stationary 2. shoot-out 3. disruption 4. shanty town 5. road rage 6. potholed 7. neglect 8. irritable 9. commuter 10. tense

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

side-street jammed / paralysed in broad daylight double skyscraper detour barrio congestion charging

6 Vocabulary: Word building 2 What do you think? 1; 4; 5

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F T T T F F F T

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

advice warning criticism reduction robbery disruption attack appearance

4 Vocabulary: Opposites reduce dramatically rapid huge worse heavy a lack of narrow

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Secret Santa revealed Level 3 Advanced 1 Key words Match the words to the definitions. a tunic (n) anonymity (n)

incarnate (adj) to reveal (v)

sleigh (n) portly (adj)

nickname (n) debilitated (adj)

1. fairly fat _______________ 2. a long loose shirt _______________ 3. a vehicle pulled by animals and used for travelling over snow _______________ 4. to show something that was hidden _______________ 5. a situation in which a person’s name is kept secret _______________ 6. an informal name that isn’t a real name _______________ 7. weak, without strength _______________ 8. in human form _______________

2 What do you know? 1. Choose suitable words to complete the description of Santa Claus. Santa Claus is a portly/slender, old/young man. He has white/grey hair and a white/red beard. He wears a big white/red hat and tunic and carries a big box/bag full of presents/sweets for children at Christmas. He rides a plane/sleigh, which is pulled by twelve moose/reindeer. He visits people’s houses the night of 25th/24th of December to deliver the gifts. 2. Read the text quickly and find the connection between the following words. The first one is done for you. a) Larry Stewart and Santa Claus

Larry Stewart dresses as Santa Claus every year to distribute money to poor people. _______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ b) $1.3 million and 26 years ______________________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________

Secret Santa revealed Level 3 Advanced c) $16,000 and cancer ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

d) a yellow car and the church ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

e) 1979 and a waitress ______________________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________

Secret Santa revealed Level 3 Advanced Secret Santa reveals his identity at last

book telling his story, Santa’s Secret: A Story of Hope, written by a local journalist.

Generosity born out of own experience of poverty. Illness forces benefactor to retire from giving role. by Dan Glaister in Los Angeles

Stewart’s generosity was born out of his own experience of poverty. In the early 1970s, poor and jobless, he resorted to living in his car, a yellow Datsun 510. One day he finally mustered the courage to approach a church to ask for help. He was told that the person who could help had left and he should return the following day.

For years the portly man dressed in a red tunic and sporting a large white beard has been delighting unsuspecting strangers with his extreme generosity. But now Santa has been forced to hang up his sleigh bells and stay at home – but not before revealing his true identity. Over the last 26 years, Larry Stewart, a 58-yearold businessman from Kansas City, has given $1.3m (£687,000) to strangers he met in the street. He started by handing out $5 and $10 bills to people who seemed down on their luck. With inflation and a rise in his own wealth – he has made millions running a cable television and long-distance telephone service – the gifts rose to $100 bills. But Mr Stewart always insisted on anonymity, never revealing his identity and earning him the nickname Secret Santa. This spring, however, he was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, which has since spread to his liver. The $16,000 monthly cost of the chemotherapy is not covered by his health insurance policy, and the treatment has left Mr Stewart debilitated. So he has decided to reveal his identity in the hope that he might inspire someone else to take over his Santa duties.

“As I turned around, I knew I would never do that again,” Mr Stewart told Associated Press. By the late 1970s Stewart had a job and some money, but he was still plagued by misfortune. In 1979, for the second year in succession, he was fired from his job in the week before Christmas. But when he saw a shivering, roller-skating waitress at a drive-in restaurant, he realised that were others worse off than him. “It was cold and this waitress didn’t have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, ‘I think I got it bad. She’s out there in this cold making nickels and dimes,’” he said. He gave her a $20 bill. “And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, ‘Sir, you have no idea what this means to me.’” Stewart went to the bank, withdrew $200 and drove around Kansas looking for people to give it to. The Secret Santa myth was born. © Guardian News & Media 2006

Mr Stewart still has a team of little helpers, who in recent years have given out $100,000 travelling between Chicago and Kansas City and he has also trained four deputy Santas who this year will hand out $65,000.

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Over the years Stewart has become something of a reclusive celebrity, featured in news reports and appearing - in full costume – on Oprah Winfrey’s television show, still hiding his identity. “Why, you are Santa incarnate,” she told him. There is a Secret Santa website and even a

Secret Santa revealed Level 3 Advanced 3 Comprehension check Match the sentence beginnings 1 to 6 to the endings a) to f). 1. Every year Larry Stewart has given money to… 2. Stewart went public this year… 3. Stewart works with… 4. Stewart hopes someone else… 5. Stewart decided to give people money… 6. He first gave money to…

a) a girl who was working outside a restaurant. b) a team of other helpers at Christmas. c) because he has cancer. d) because he knew what it was like to be poor. e) people he thought were unlucky. f) will take over his job.

4 Vocabulary: Use of to The word to has been taken out of these sentences. Can you put it back? The first one is done for you. 1. Santa has been forced↑hang up his sleigh bells

↑ to

2. He has decided reveal his identity. 3. I saw her lips begin tremble. 4. Stewart went the bank. 5. He handed out $5 and $10 bills people. 6. The gifts rose $100 bills. 7. He was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, which has since spread his liver. 8. He hopes he might inspire someone else take over his Santa duties. 9. He resorted living in his car, a yellow Datsun 510.

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10. One day he finally mustered the courage approach a church to ask for help.

Secret Santa revealed Level 3 Advanced 5 Vocabulary: Patterns with to Match examples from exercise 4 to patterns below. The first one is done for you. 1. verb + to + infinitive

1

2. verb + noun phrase + to + verb 3. verb + noun phrase + to + noun phrase 4. to + noun phrase 5. noun phrase + to + infinitive 6. verb + to + verb(-ing)

6 Vocabulary: Collocations Correct the errors in the underlined collocations below. Check your answers in the text. 1. The reporter showed the true identity of his source. 2. The woman in the hospital bed next to mine was caught with cancer. 3. The news stories on the election show the President has won a second time. 4. The actor who plays Spiderman appeared at the film premiere in complete costume. 5. I finally collected the courage to take my driving exam. I failed. 6. I was laughing so hard that tears dropped down my cheeks.

7 Discussion Philanthropy (donating money or aid to charity) has a long history and tradition in the United States. Is it common in

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your country? Do you think it is a good thing?

Secret Santa revealed Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Use of to

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2. He has decided to reveal his identity. 3. I saw her lips begin to tremble. 4. Stewart went to the bank. 5. He handed out $5 and $10 bills to people. 6. The gifts rose to $100 bills. 7. He was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, which has since spread to his liver. 8. He hopes he might inspire someone else to take over his Santa duties. 9. He resorted to living in his car, a yellow Datsun 510. 10. One day he finally mustered the courage to approach a church to ask for help.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e) c) b) f) d) a)

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / Secret Santa revealed / Advanced

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

verb + to + infinitive: 1,2,3 verb + noun phrase + to + verb: 8 verb + noun phrase + to + noun phrase : 5 to + noun phrase: 6, 4, 7 noun phrase + to + infinitive: 10 verb + to + verb(-ing): 9

6 Vocabulary: Collocations 1. The reporter revealed the true identity of his source. 2. The woman in the hospital bed next to mine was diagnosed with cancer. 3. The news reports on the election show the President has won a second time. 4. The actor who plays Spiderman appeared at the film premiere in full costume. 5. I finally mustered the courage to take my driving exam. I failed. 6. I was laughing so hard that tears flowed down my cheeks.

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2. b) He has given $1.3 million in the past 26 years. c) He has cancer, which costs him $16,000 month. d) When Stewart was young he lived for a while in a yellow car and went to the church to ask for money. e) In 1979, he gave twenty dollars to a waitress who was working outside in the cold. This gave him the idea to become Secret Santa.

5 Vocabulary: Patterns with to

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1. Santa Claus is a portly, old man. He has white hair and a white beard. He wears a big red hat and tunic and carries a big bag full of presents for children at Christmas. He rides a sleigh, which is pulled by twelve reindeer. He visits people’s houses the night of 24th of December to deliver the gifts.

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portly tunic sleigh reveal anonymity nickname debilitated incarnate

Secret Santa revealed Level 1 Elementary 1 Key words Complete the sentences using the words below. fired Santa Claus

reveal generosity

duties deputy

identity withdraw

1. _______ is an imaginary man with a white beard and red suit who brings gifts to children at Christmas. 2. If something was covered or hidden and you show it, you _______ it. 3. A _______ is someone who helps a leader and who takes some of their responsibilities. 4. When you _______ money from a bank, you take out money from your account. 5. _______ are things that you are obliged to do. 6. _______ is kindness in giving things. 7. Your _______ is who you really are, your name. 8. If you are _______ from your job, you have to leave.

2 What do you know? Read the article quickly and choose the best summary. a) Santa Claus is really Larry Stewart, and he likes poor people. b) A man dressed as Santa Claus and gave money to poor people because he wanted to be famous. c) A man who dressed as Santa Claus for 26 years and gave money to people is retiring.

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d) Larry Stewart met a waitress in 1979 and decided to become Santa Claus.

Secret Santa revealed Level 1 Elementary Secret Santa reveals his identity at last Generosity born out of own experience of poverty. Illness forces benefactor to retire from giving role. by Dan Glaister in Los Angeles For years the fat man with a red suit and a large white beard has been surprising strangers with his generosity. But now Santa has been forced to retire and stay at home - but he has revealed his true identity first. Over the last 26 years, Larry Stewart, a 58-yearold businessman from Kansas City, has given $1.3m to strangers he met in the street. He started by giving $5 and $10 bills to people who looked unhappy or unlucky. As he became richer – he has made millions with a cable television and long-distance telephone service – the gifts rose to $100 bills. But Mr Stewart has always kept his identity secret. People began to call him Secret Santa. This spring, however, he was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus. The $16,000 monthly cost of the chemotherapy is not covered by his health insurance policy, and Mr Stewart is now too weak to continue. So he has decided to reveal his identity. Mr Stewart hopes that he might inspire someone else to take over his Santa duties.

Stewart has experience of poverty. In the early 1970s he was poor and jobless and he had to live in his car, a yellow Datsun 510. One day he went to a church to ask for help. They told him the person who could help wasn’t there and he should return the following day. “As I turned around, I knew I would never do that again,” Mr Stewart told Associated Press. By the late 1970s Stewart had a job and some money, but he was still unlucky. In 1979 he was fired from his job in the week before Christmas. But when he saw a shivering, waitress at a drivein restaurant, he realised that were others worse off than him. “It was cold and this waitress didn’t have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, ‘I think I got it bad. She’s out there in this cold making nickels and dimes’,” he said. He gave her a $20 bill. “And then she began to cry. She said, ‘Sir, you have no idea what this means to me’.” Stewart went to the bank, withdrew $200 and drove around Kansas looking for people to give it to. The Secret Santa story was born. © Guardian News & Media 2006

Mr Stewart has a team of little helpers, who in recent years have given out $100,000 travelling between Chicago and Kansas City. He also has four deputy Santas who this year will give out $65,000.

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Over the years Stewart has been in news reports and appeared - in full costume - on Oprah Winfrey’s television show. “You really are Santa,” she told him. There is a Secret Santa website and even a book, Santa’s Secret: A Story of Hope, written by a local journalist.

Secret Santa revealed Level 1 Elementary 3 Comprehension check Decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). 1. Larry Stewart has given lots of money to people he doesn’t know. 2. Mr Stewart has cancer. 3. Mr Stewart does not have any health insurance. 4. Secret Santa is famous in America. 5. In the 1970s Larry Stewart didn’t have a car. 6. Mr Stewart asked the church for help many times. 7. When Mr Stewart saw the waitress, he didn’t have a job. 8. The waitress didn’t want the money.

4 Vocabulary: Irregular verbs Underline all the irregular past simple or past participle verbs in the text. Put them into two categories: 1) verbs which have the same past simple and past participle form (e.g. make, made, made). 2) verbs which have different past simple and past participle forms (e.g. give, gave, given).

5 Vocabulary: Adjectives and opposites Match the adjectives from the text (A) with their opposites (B).

B

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rich warm worse lucky happy employed public small

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A

Secret Santa revealed Level 1 Elementary 6 Vocabulary: Money crossword

Across 2. You can ____ money in the telephone business. 5. American currency 8. British currency 9. to distribute (4,3 – phrasal verb)

Down 1. paper money, banknotes 3. the opposite of cheap 4. flat, round pieces of metal used as money 6. the noun form of poor

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7. the amount of money you need to do something

Secret Santa revealed Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

6 Money crossword

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Across 2. make 5. dollar 8. pound 9. giveout

Santa Claus reveal deputy withdraw duties generosity identity fired

2 What do you know? c

Down 1. bills 3. expensive 4. coins 6. poverty 7. cost

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

T T F T F F T F

4 Vocabulary: Irregular verbs 1. meet; make; keep; tell; think; say; mean 2. give; become; rise; begin; be; write; have; go; know; withdraw; drive

5 Vocabulary: Adjectives and opposites

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better : worse big : small cold : warm jobless employed poor : rich secret : public unhappy : happy unlucky : lucky

Secret Santa revealed Level 2

Intermediate

1 Key words Complete the sentences with words from the box. tunic Santa Claus

unsuspecting nickname

anonymity deputy

sleigh withdraw

1. _______ is an imaginary man with a white beard and red suit who brings gifts to children at Christmas. 2. A _______ is a long loose shirt. 3. A _______ is a vehicle pulled by animals and used for travelling over snow. 4. Shorty is a _______; my real name is James. 5. If you live in _______, then nobody knows who you really are. 6. _______ means not knowing about something that is happening or about to happen. 7. A _______ is someone who helps a leader and who takes over their responsibilities in some situations. 8. When you _______ money from a bank, you take out money from your account.

2 What do you know? Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. Why is Larry Stewart called Secret Santa? 2. What is Larry’s problem now? 3. Why did Larry start giving money to people?

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4. Who was the first person he gave money to?

Secret Santa revealed Level 2

Intermediate

Secret Santa reveals his identity at last Generosity born out of own experience of poverty. Illness forces benefactor to retire from giving role. by Dan Glaister in Los Angeles For years the fat man dressed in a red tunic and wearing a large white beard has been delighting unsuspecting strangers with his extreme generosity. But now Santa has been forced to hang up his sleigh bells and stay at home – but not before revealing his true identity. Over the last 26 years, Larry Stewart, a 58-yearold businessman from Kansas City, has given $1.3m (£687,000) to strangers he met in the street. He started by handing out $5 and $10 bills to people who seemed down on their luck. With inflation and a rise in his own wealth – he has made millions running a cable television and long-distance telephone service – the gifts rose to $100 bills. But Mr Stewart always insisted on anonymity, never revealing his identity and earning him the nickname Secret Santa. This spring, however, he was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, which has since spread to his liver. The $16,000 monthly cost of the chemotherapy is not covered by his health insurance policy, and the treatment has left Mr Stewart weak. So he has decided to reveal his identity in the hope that he might inspire someone else to take over his Santa duties. Mr Stewart still has a team of little helpers, who in recent years have given out $100,000 travelling between Chicago and Kansas City and he has also trained four deputy Santas who this year will hand out $65,000.

really are Santa,” she told him. There is a Secret Santa website and even a book telling his story, Santa’s Secret: A Story of Hope, written by a local journalist. Stewart’s generosity was born out of his own experience of poverty. In the early 1970s, poor and jobless, he resorted to living in his car, a yellow Datsun 510. One day he finally decided to approach a church to ask for help. He was told that the person who could help had left and he should return the following day. “As I turned around, I knew I would never do that again,” Mr Stewart told Associated Press. By the late 1970s Stewart had a job and some money, but he was still unlucky. In 1979, for the second year in succession, he was fired from his job in the week before Christmas. But when he saw a shivering, roller-skating waitress at a drive-in restaurant, he realised that were others worse off than him. “It was cold and this waitress didn’t have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, ‘I think I got it bad. She’s out there in this cold making nickels and dimes,’ ” he said. He gave her a $20 bill. “And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, ‘Sir, you have no idea what this means to me.’” Stewart went to the bank, withdrew $200 and drove around Kansas looking for people to give it to. The Secret Santa myth was born.

© Guardian News & Media 2006

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Over the years Stewart has become something of a celebrity, featured in news reports and appearing – in full costume – on Oprah Winfrey’s television show, still hiding his identity. “Why, you

Secret Santa revealed Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Choose the correct answer to the questions. 1. Larry Stewart…

6. In 1979, Larry…

a) gives money to Santa Claus.

a) lost his job just before Christmas.

b) dresses as Santa Claus and gives money to poor

b) lost two jobs.

people.

c) quit his job for a Christmas holiday.

c) dresses as Santa Claus and takes money from poor people.

7. Larry gave the waitress $20 because… a) she parked his car.

2. In the beginning, Larry Stewart gave out…

b) she gave him good food.

a) $100 bills.

c) she didn’t look very happy.

b) $5 and $10 bills. c) $1.6 million.

3. Larry has cancer and now… a) he wants somebody else to be Secret Santa. b) he wants to give people $16,000. c) he doesn’t want to work anymore.

4. In the United States, Secret Santa… a) is unknown. b) is quite famous. c) is in every city.

5. In the 1970s, Larry Stewart asked the church… a) for help with his car, a yellow Datsun. b) for a job.

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c) for help only once.

Secret Santa revealed Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary: American idioms Put the words in order to make American English expressions from the text. 1. dimes she’s and making nickels. 2. bad I think got I it. 3. people are worse there me than off. 4. this means you idea what no have. 5. luck are down on their they.

5 Vocabulary: American idioms 2 Match the definitions below to the expressions in 4. a) I believe my situation is bad. b) She isn’t making a lot of money. c) There are people in a worse situation than mine. d) They are not in a good situation. e) You don’t understand what it means.

6 Vocabulary: Collocations Complete the gap with a suitable word. 1. ___________ a secret / a true identity / an answer 2. ___________ millions of dollars / phone calls / a mistake 3. ___________ with cancer / correctly / by the doctor 4. ___________ reports / flash / item 5. ___________ appear / flow down / fill your eyes

7 Discussion

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What do you think of people like Larry Stewart? Should more rich people give money to poor people?

Secret Santa revealed Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary: American idioms 2

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

a) b) c) d) e)

Santa Claus tunic sleigh nickname anonymity unsuspecting deputy withdraw

2 What do you know? 1. Because he dresses up as Santa every year and gives people money. He keeps his identity secret. 2. He has cancer and cannot continue as Secret Santa. 3. Because he was once poor and knew what it felt like. 4. A waitress working outside a restaurant.

2 1 3 5 4

6 Vocabulary: Collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

reveal make diagnosed news tears

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

b) b) a) b) c) a) c)

4 Vocabulary: American idioms She’s making nickels and dimes. I think I got it bad. There are people worse off than me. You have no idea what this means. They are down on their luck.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The power of the desert Level 3

Advanced

1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text: desalinated enlightened

by-product undercut

fossil fuels feasible

irrigate vulnerable

vessel grid

1. If the price of a particular product ____________ another product, it is available at a cheaper price. 2. A ____________ is a set of wires than carry the electricity supply. 3. A ____________ is a product that is made as the result of making another product. 4. If something is ____________ it is possible or likely to succeed. 5. A ____________ is a container for liquids. 6. If water is ____________ , the salt has been removed from it. 7. If you ____________ land, you bring water to it through a series of pipes. 8. If something is ____________ , it is easily damaged by something negative or harmful. 9. Coal and oil are examples of ____________. 10. ____________ means sensible and modern.

2 What do you know? Decide whether these statements about energy are True or False. Then read the text to check your predictions. 1. The sun’s rays produce the equivalent of 1.5 million barrels of oil per square kilometre. 2. Covering 5% of the world’s hot deserts with concentrated solar power (CSP) would provide the world’s entire energy needs. 3. Alternating current cables are better than direct current cables for transporting electricity over long distances. 4. Nuclear power and fossil fuels could disappear by 2050. 5. Leading politicians, like Bush and Blair, are well aware of the potential of CSP.

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6. CSP is five times cheaper than nuclear fusion.

The power of the desert Advanced

Two German scientists, Dr Gerhard Knies and Dr Franz Trieb, calculate that covering just 0.5% of the world’s hot deserts with a technology called concentrated solar power (CSP) would provide the world’s entire electricity needs, with desalinated water for desert regions as a valuable by-product, as well as air-conditioning for nearby cities. Focusing on Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, they say, Europe should build a new high-voltage direct current electricity grid to allow the easy transport of electricity from a variety of alternative sources. Britain could put in wind power, Norway hydro, and central Europe biomass and geo-thermal. Together the region could provide all its electricity needs by 2050 with barely any fossil fuels and no nuclear power. This would allow a 70% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production over the period. CSP technology is not new. There has been a plant in the Mojave desert in California for 15 years. Others are being built in Nevada, Spain and Australia. There are different forms of CSP, © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The power of the desert / Advanced

This form of solar power is also attractive because the hot liquid can be stored in large vessels, which can keep the turbines running for hours after the sun has gone down. The German reports put an approximate cost on power derived from CSP. This is now about $50 per barrel of oil equivalent for the cost of building a plant. That cost is likely to fall sharply, to about $20, as production of the mirrors reaches industrial levels. It is about half the equivalent cost of using the photovoltaic cells that people have on their roofs. So CSP is competitive with oil, currently priced at about $60 a barrel. Dr Knies says CSP is not yet competitive with natural gas for producing electricity alone. But if desalination and air conditioning are added, CSP undercuts gas, without taking into account the cost of the carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Desert land is cheap and there is roughly three times as much sunlight in hot deserts as in northern Europe. This is why the reports recommend a collaboration between countries of Europe, the Middle East and Africa to construct a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid for sharing carbon-free energy. Alternating current cables, which form the main electricity grids in Europe, are not suitable for long-distance transport of electricity because too much is lost on the way. Dr Trieb, of the German Air and Space Agency, says the advantage of DC cables is that loss in transport is only about 3% per 1,000 kilometres. “Contrary to what is commonly supposed, it is entirely feasible, and cost-effective, to transmit

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In the Sahara desert is a vast source of energy that can promise a carbon-free, nuclear-free electrical future for all Europe, if not the world. We are not talking about the vast oil and gas deposits beneath Algeria and Libya, or uranium for nuclear plants, but something far simpler the sun. Every year it pours down the equivalent of 1.5m barrels of oil of energy for every square kilometre. Most people think of solar power as a few panels on the roof of a house producing hot water or a bit of electricity. But according to two reports prepared for the German government, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa should be building vast solar farms in North Africa’s deserts using a simple technology that more resembles using a magnifying glass to burn a hole in a piece of paper than any space age technology.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

by Ashley Seager

but all share the use of mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays on a pipe or vessel containing some sort of gas or liquid that heats up to about 400˚C and is used to power conventional steam turbines. The large mirrors create shaded areas that can be used for horticulture irrigated by desalinated water generated by the plants. Cold water produced for air conditioning means there are three benefits. “It is this triple use of the energy which really boosts the overall energy efficiency of these kinds of plants up to 80% to 90%,” says Dr Knies.

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Scientists say global energy crisis can be solved by mirrors and the desert sun

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The power of the desert Level 3

Advanced

solar electricity over long distances.” He added: “CSP imports would be much less vulnerable to interruption than are current imports of gas, oil and uranium.” The two reports make it clear that an HVDC grid around Europe and North Africa could provide enough electricity by 2050 to make it possible to phase out nuclear power and hugely reduce use of fossil fuels. An umbrella group of scientists has been formed across the region called the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (Trec) but the idea has yet to excite the imagination of governments. Neil Crumpton, renewables specialist at Friends of the Earth, said: “Most politicians on the world stage, particularly Tony Blair and George Bush, appear to have little or no awareness of CSP’s potential, let alone a strategic vision for using it to help build global energy and climate security.” The Trec scientists hope the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, will use next year’s joint presidency of the EU and Group of Eight leading economies to push for an agreement on a European DC grid and the launch of a widespread CSP programme. The outlook is not promising. More than 30 countries last week agreed to spend $13.5bn on an experimental fusion reactor in France that critics say will not produce any electricity for 50 years, if at all. Dan Lewis, energy expert at the Economic Research Council, calculates that CSP costs $3m-$5m per installed megawatt, a fifth of the cost of fusion. “Fusion is basically a job-creation scheme for plasma physicists.” Mr Crumpton agreed: “Nuclear power accounts for just 3.1% of global energy supply and would be unlikely to be able to provide more. Yet CSP could supply 30% or 300% of future energy demand far more simply, safely and cost-effectively. In the wake of the Stern report, the enlightened investment is on hot deserts, not uranium mines or oil wells.”

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© Guardian News & Media 2006

The power of the desert Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. How does CSP work? a. mirrors concentrate the sun’s rays on pipes containing gas or liquid b. mirrors reflect the sun’s rays into turbines c. by creating shaded areas that can be used to grow crops 2. What are the potential by-products of CSP? a. a high-voltage direct current grid b. desalinated water for irrigation and air-conditioning c. large industrial mirrors 3. What is the main problem faced by CSP? a. it is expensive and difficult to install b. most politicians are unaware of its potential c. the deserts are too far away from Europe 4. Why does the report recommend collaboration between Europe, the Middle East and Africa? a. because all three regions need electricity b. because collaboration will mean CSP is introduced more quickly c. because areas suitable for installing CSP plants are in the Middle East and Africa

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of energy

2. hydro-electric

b. fuel derived from decayed plant matter

3. biomass

c. fuel produced by changing the structure of atoms

4. geo-thermal

d. power produced by water, especially by using dams

5. fossil

e. power derived from the sun

6. nuclear

f. power derived from natural hot water

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a. fuel derived from animals or plants

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1. solar

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Match the terms for different types of energy or fuel with the definitions:

The power of the desert Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Find the word Look in the text and find: 1. an adjective meaning enormous (para. 1) 2. an adverb meaning hardly (para. 2) 3. a noun meaning growing garden plants (para. 3) 4. an adjective meaning the opposite of exact (para. 4) 5. a noun meaning a gas that goes into the air (para. 5) 6. a verb meaning to gradually stop using something (para. 6) 7. a noun meaning an idea about what the situation will be in the future (para. 7) 8. a noun phrase meaning happening after an event or as a result of it (para. 8)

6 Vocabulary 3: Chunks Use prepositions to complete these phrases from the text. 1. take _______ account 2. collaboration _______ different countries 3. focus _______ something 4. a 70% reduction _______ CO2 emissions 5. competitive _______ oil 6. transport _______ long distances 7. nuclear power accounts _______ 3.1% of world energy supply 8. in the wake _______ the report

7 Discussion

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Do you agree that CSP is the perfect solution to the world’s energy problems? What alternative sources of longterm energy can you think of?

The power of the desert Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary 2: Find the word

1. undercuts 2. grid 3. by-product 4. feasible 5. vessel 6. desalinated 7. irrigate 8. vulnerable 9. fossil fuels 10. enlightened

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T F F F F T

vast barely horticulture approximate emission phase out outlook in the wake of

6 Vocabulary 3: Chunks into between on in with over for of

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

a b b c

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of energy

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e d a f b c

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The power of the desert Level 1

Elementary

1 Key words Fill in the gaps using these key words from the text. power station source

solar vessel

enormous turbine

energy desalinated

grid shade

1. A ____________ is a container for liquids. 2. ____________ power is power that comes from the sun. 3. If water is ____________, there is no longer any salt in it. 4. A ____________ is a network of wires for carrying electricity. 5. ____________ means very, very large. 6. A ____________ is a large building that contains machines that produce electricity. 7. ____________ is a slightly dark area where there is no direct sunlight. 8. ____________ is electricity and other forms of power. 9. A ____________ is a machine that uses the pressure of liquid or gas on a wheel to get power. 10. A ____________ is a place that provides something you need or want.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What is CSP? 2. What type of energy could Britain provide? 3. How hot is the gas or liquid in the CSP process? 4. How much does a barrel of oil cost at the moment? 5. How much will the new nuclear reactor in France cost?

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6. How much of the world’s energy does nuclear power provide?

The power of the desert Level 1

Elementary

Scientists say global energy crisis can be solved by mirrors and the desert sun by Ashley Seager Burning coal and oil to make electricity produces a lot of carbon dioxide, which is one of the main causes of global warming. A lot of people say that nuclear energy is cleaner but others disagree, saying that nuclear power stations are dangerous. Perhaps the answer is solar power? Most people think of solar power as a few solar panels on the roof of a house producing hot water or a bit of electricity. But a new study in Germany says that Europe, the Middle East and Africa should build enormous solar farms in the Sahara desert in North Africa. The scientists who produced the report say that these solar farms could produce enough electricity to supply the whole of Europe and perhaps the whole world. Every year the sun’s rays produce the same amount of energy per square kilometre as 1.5m barrels of oil. The scientists, Dr Gerhard Knies and Dr Franz Trieb, say that Europe should build a new direct current electricity grid to transport electricity easily from different sources. Britain could provide wind power, Norway could provide hydroelectric power, and central Europe biomass and geo-thermal power. Together with concentrated solar power (CSP) the region could provide all its electricity needs by 2050 with no nuclear power and almost no oil or coal. This would also reduce the amount of carbon dioxide from electricity production by 70%. CSP works by using mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays on a pipe or vessel containing gas or liquid that heats up to about 400˚C. This hot gas or liquid then drives steam turbines. The mirrors are very large and in the shade under them people could grow vegetables and water them with desalinated water produced in the CSP process. People could also use cold water produced in the CSP process for air conditioning.

large containers. This means that the turbines can also operate when there is no sunlight and at night. The cost of CSP technology is the same as oil at $50 a barrel and experts think the cost will be just $20 in the future. At the moment oil costs $60 a barrel so CSP is cheaper than oil. CSP is more expensive than natural gas for producing electricity but producing electricity with natural gas does not produce desalinated water and cold water for air conditioning. The scientists recommend building the solar farms in the Sahara desert for two main reasons. First land in the desert is cheap. Secondly, hot deserts like the Sahara have three times as much sunlight as northern Europe. This is why they recommend that the countries of Europe, the Middle East and Africa work together to build the solar farms and share the electricity. Dr Trieb, of the German Air and Space Agency, says it is possible and to transport solar electricity over long distances. A direct current grid around Europe and North Africa could produce enough electricity by 2050 to make it possible to stop using nuclear power and to reduce the use of coal and oil. Unfortunately, governments do not seem very interested in the idea. Neil Crumpton of Friends of the Earth, said: “Most major politicians, particularly Tony Blair and George Bush, do not seem to understand how useful CSP could be.” Last week more than 30 countries agreed to spend $13.5bn on a new nuclear reactor in France. Some scientists say this reactor say will not produce any electricity for 50 years and possibly it will never produce any. Mr Crumpton continued: “Nuclear power provides just 3.1% of the world’s energy supply and probably cannot provide any more. But CSP could supply 30% or 300% of the world’s future energy needs simply, safely and cheaply. We need to spend money on CSP in hot deserts, not trying to find more uranium or oil.” © Guardian News & Media 2006

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CSP technology stores the hot gas or liquid in

The power of the desert Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Building the solar farms in the Sahara desert is a good idea because _____ 2. CSP is good for the planet because _____ 3. CSP is good for people who live near solar farms because _____ 4. CSP turbines can operate at night because _____ 5. Burning coal and oil is bad for the planet because _____ 6. CSP is better than natural gas because _____

a. _____ they could grow vegetables in the shade and water them with water from the farms. b. _____ hot gas or liquid is stored in large containers. c. _____ land is cheap and there is much more sunlight there. d. _____ it produces a lot of carbon dioxide. e. _____ it produces desalinated water and cold water for air conditioning as well as electricity. f. _____ it does not produce carbon dioxide.

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of energy Fill the gaps using these words for types of energy. solar

biomass

hydro-electric

nuclear

geo-thermal

wind

1. ____________ energy uses water. 2. ____________ energy uses atomic power. 3. ____________ energy uses plant and animal waste. 4. ____________ energy uses natural hot water from below the earth’s surface. 5. ____________ power uses windmills.

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6. ____________ energy uses the heat of the sun.

The power of the desert Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + Noun collocations Match the adjectives with the nouns to make phrases from the text. 1. global

a. kilometre

2. nuclear

b. water

3. solar

c. gas

4. square

d. current

5. natural

e. power

6. long

f. warming

7. direct

g. distance

8. hot

h. energy

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table:

Noun provision

2. produce

____________

3. ____________

reduction

4. ____________

disagreement

5. ____________

recommendation

6. agree

____________

7. build

____________

8. ____________

growth

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1. ____________

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Verb

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The power of the desert Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words 1. vessel 2. solar 3. desalinated 4. grid 5. enormous 6. power station 7. shade 8. energy 9. turbine 10. source

5 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + Noun collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

f h e a c g d b

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building 2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

concentrated solar power wind power 400C $60 $13.5bn 3.1%

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

provide production reduce disagree recommend agreement building grow

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c f a b d e

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of energy hydro-electric nuclear biomass geo-thermal wind solar

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The power of the desert Level 2

Intermediate

1 Key words Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. solar horticulture

desalinated cost-effective

grid irrigate

fossil fuels phase out

vessel outlook

1. ____________ is the production of garden plants. 2. If you ____________ something _______, you gradually stop using it over a period of time. 3. ____________ water is water from which salt has been removed by an industrial process. 4. A ____________ is a container for liquid or gas. 5. An ____________ is a view of what a situation will be like in the future. 6. If something is ____________, it gives the maximum profit or advantage in relation to the amount of money that is spent. 7. A ____________ is a network of wires that carry electricity. 8. If you ____________ land, you bring water to it through a series of pipes. 9. ____________ means relating to the Sun. 10. Coal and oil are examples of ____________.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. What does CSP stand for? 2. Apart from electricity, what other two things could CSP provide? 3. How much does a barrel of oil currently cost? 4. How much energy do DC cables lose? 5. How much will the new nuclear reactor in France cost?

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6. What percentage of world energy does nuclear power provide?

The power of the desert Intermediate

Two German scientists, Dr Gerhard Knies and Dr Franz Trieb, calculate that covering just 0.5% of the world’s hot deserts with a technology called concentrated solar power (CSP) would meet the energy needs of the entire world. Apart from electricity, CSP would also provide desalinated water for desert regions and air-conditioning for nearby cities. The scientists say that Europe should build a new high-voltage direct current electricity grid to allow the easy transport of electricity from different sources. Britain could provide wind power, Norway hydroelectric power, and central Europe biomass and geo-thermal power. Together the region could provide all its electricity needs by 2050 with no nuclear power and almost no fossil fuels. This would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production by 70%. There are different forms of CSP, but they all use mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays on a pipe or vessel containing some sort of gas or liquid that heats up to about 400˚C and is used to drive steam turbines. The large mirrors also create shaded areas that can be used for horticulture © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The power of the desert / Intermediate

This form of solar power is also attractive because the hot liquid can be stored in large containers, which can keep the turbines running after the sun has gone down. The cost of obtaining energy from CSP is equivalent to about $50 per barrel of oil. That cost will probably fall to about $20. It is about half the cost of using solar energy panels that people have on their roofs. So CSP is cheaper than oil, which currently costs about $60 a barrel. Dr Knies says CSP is not yet as cheap as natural gas for producing electricity alone. But if you add desalination and air conditioning, CSP is cheaper than gas, and does not produce carbon emissions. It is cheap to buy land in the desert and there is about three times as much sunlight in hot deserts as in northern Europe. This is why the reports recommend that the countries of Europe, the Middle East and Africa work together to construct a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid to share carbon-free energy. Most electricity grids in Europe use alternating current (AC) but this is not suitable for long-distance transport of electricity because too much electricity is lost during transportation. Dr Trieb, of the German Air and Space Agency, says that DC cables only lose about 3% per 1,000 kilometres. “It is both possible and costeffective to transport solar electricity over long distances, despite what many people think.” The two reports make it clear that an HVDC grid around Europe and North Africa could provide enough electricity by 2050 to make it possible to phase out nuclear power and sharply reduce the use of fossil fuels. A group of scientists has been formed across the region called the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (Trec) but governments do not yet seem interested in the idea.

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The Sahara desert could provide a carbon-free, nuclear-free electrical future for the whole of Europe, if not the world. We are not talking about the enormous oil and gas deposits in Algeria and Libya, or uranium for nuclear plants, but something much simpler - the sun. Every year the sun’s rays provide the equivalent of 1.5m barrels of oil of energy for every square kilometre. Most people think of solar power as a few panels on the roof of a house producing hot water or a bit of electricity. But according to two reports prepared for the German government, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa should be building vast solar farms in the deserts of North Africa. The technology is simple. It is more like using a magnifying glass to burn a hole in a piece of paper than any space age technology.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

by Ashley Seager

and which are irrigated by desalinated water generated by the plants. Cold water produced for air conditioning means there are three benefits. “CSP energy has three separate uses and this maximises its overall energy efficiency” says Dr Knies.

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Scientists say global energy crisis can be solved by mirrors and the desert sun

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Level 2

The power of the desert Level 2

Intermediate

Neil Crumpton of Friends of the Earth, said: “Most major politicians, particularly Tony Blair and George Bush, seem to have little or no awareness of the potential of CSP and they don’t see how it could be used to help build global energy and climate security.” The Trec scientists hope the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, will try to get an agreement on a European DC grid and the start of a CSP programme. The outlook is not optimistic. Last week more than 30 countries agreed to spend $13.5bn on a new nuclear reactor in France that critics say will not produce any electricity for 50 years, if at all. Mr Crumpton continued: “Nuclear power provides just 3.1% of global energy supply and would be unlikely to be able to provide more. Yet CSP could supply 30% or 300% of the world’s future energy needs much more simply, safely and cost-effectively. We need to invest in CSP in hot deserts, not uranium mines or oil wells.”

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© Guardian News & Media 2006

The power of the desert Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Decide whether these statements are True or False according to the text: 1. Leading politicians are very enthusiastic about CSP. 2. CSP turbines do not work at night. 3. CSP could supply all the world’s energy needs. 4. CSP is very complex technology. 5. CSP is more expensive than oil. 6. AC cables are more effective than DC cables for transporting electricity over long distances. 7. Some countries are still investing in nuclear power. 8. CSP does not produce carbon emissions.

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of energy Fill the gaps using these types of energy. solar

hydro-electric

biomass

geo-thermal

wind

nuclear

1. ____________ energy is obtained from animals or plants. 2. ____________ energy is obtained from natural hot water beneath the earth’s surface. 3. ____________ power is produced on wind farms. 4. ____________ energy is produced by changing the structure of atoms. 5. ____________ power is produced by large amounts of water. 6. ____________ energy comes from the sun.

5 Vocabulary 2: Find the word Look in the text and find these words: 1. an adjective meaning enormous (para. 1) 2. a noun meaning gas going into the air (para. 2) 3. a verb meaning to make something as large as possible (para. 3) 4. the unit for measuring crude oil (para. 4)

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5. an adjective meaning without carbon (para. 5)

The power of the desert Level 2

Intermediate

6. an adverb meaning suddenly and by a large amount (para. 6) 7. a noun meaning knowledge or understanding of a subject, issue or situation (para. 7) 8. a verb meaning to use money in order to make a profit (para. 8)

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

Adjective

Noun

1. ____________

awareness

2. hot

____________

3. efficient

____________

4. ____________

attraction

5. ____________

security

6. possible

____________

7. suitable

____________

8. long

____________

7 Discussion

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The text mentions a number of different ways of producing energy. Which do you think are the best for the environment? Which are the worst for the environment?

The power of the desert Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of energy

1. horticulture 2. phase [something] out 3. desalinated 4. vessel 5. outlook 6. cost-effective 7. grid 8. irrigate 9. solar 10. fossil fuels

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F F T F F F T T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The power of the desert / Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

aware heat efficiency attractive secure possibility suitability length

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3 Comprehension check

vast emission maximise barrel carbon-free sharply awareness invest

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concentrated solar power desalinated water and air-conditioning about $60 3% per 1,000 km $13.5bn 3.1%

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Find the word

CA

2 Find the information

biomass geo-thermal wind nuclear hydro-electric solar

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1 1

Advanced

Key adjectives

Match these adjectives from the text with their definitions: 1. horrific

a. relating to large companies

2. traumatised

b. disappointed and annoyed

3. destitute

c. extremely violent

4. corporate

d. upset, afraid or shocked

5. fabricated

e. extremely disappointed

6. disgruntled

f. shocking and upsetting

7. brutal

g. without money or possessions

8. gutted

h. made up or invented and untrue

2

Order of events

These events are all described in the text but they are not in the correct order. Read the text quickly and put the sentences in the correct order. a. Children at the school told the reporters their parents had been brutally murdered. b. The donors included well-known figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Nelson Mandela. c. The programme has found that many of the “orphans” are living with their parents. d. A US investigative TV programme made a film at a school in Soweto 5 years ago e. The children’s stories prompted people to give millions of dollars to a special Trust. f. Members of the Trust’s board have resigned and its school has been closed.

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g. Now the TV programme has returned to Soweto to make another film.

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Advanced

‘Angel of Soweto’ a fraud, TV show claims

better cry more than the other days you have been crying,” said the unidentified student.

Celebrity donors backed woman who set up school for traumatised orphans by Chris McGreal in Johannesburg

Carte Blanche filmed at the school five years ago and went back to talk to some of the same children. Many recanted their original stories. Lebogang Makheta claimed in 2001 that both her parents were murdered in political violence. “My mother was crushed by a spear that cut across her stomach and my father was riddled with bullets,” she said at the time. Now Lebogang says that was a lie.

The investigative TV programme Carte Blanche showed that pupils who claimed to have seen their parents killed are living with them, and those supposedly saved from the streets never left home. One of a group of 45 children from the Ithuteng school who travelled to the US five years ago as guests of Bill and Hillary Clinton said they were made to appear before the United Nations and recite false stories of hardship. “We went to the United Nations and [Ms Maarohanye] said that today you better cry seriously ... you © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Advanced

Five years ago Lindiwe Thusi told Carte Blanche that she saw her father’s body with his head cut off. She now says: “That was a script we were given from Mama Jackie. “When different people came we had to get ready and started crying and say that whole story,” she told Carte Blanche. Lindiwe says her father is alive and serving in the army. She also denied her earlier claims to have worked as a prostitute to feed her sisters and to have been raped by a teacher. Ms Maarohanye has refused to comment from her large house in the south of Johannesburg, but she told Carte Blanche that the accusations against her were a “smear campaign” by dis-

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But now the school’s gates are bolted and America’s most influential talk show host, along with Mr Mandela and Bill Clinton, have requested copies of a South African television documentary that claims Ms Maarohanye pressured pupils into reciting fabricated tales of murdered parents, rape and destitution in order to raise money, and that donations to educate children went astray while students went hungry.

Lebogang’s mother, Phyllis Makheta, was surprised to discover that her daughter was supposedly an orphan when she attended a fundraising function at the school. “I was there in the school. I don’t fully understand English properly, but I did ask them, even Jackie, why these children are crying and saying they are orphans, but we [parents] are here. She said: ‘Don’t worry, it is a drama.’“

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Their horrific accounts of seeing parents butchered or resorting to prostitution to feed younger siblings prompted huge donations to Jackie Maarohanye and her Ithuteng Trust school to provide shelter and an education to thousands of traumatised and destitute children. The money came from famous donors such as Winfrey, who wrote a cheque for $1m during a visit to the school last year, as well as corporate sponsors including the US National Basketball Association. “I think Mama Jackie is a living angel on earth,” said Winfrey.

“I spoke to Mama Jackie and she told me that whatever they ask me, I must say it the way she wrote down because it would help us get sponsors and so forth,” she said. “I told myself I was just doing this for the benefits of sponsors and for the benefits of us getting help for scholarships.” She also told the programme in 2001 that she was involved with drugs and gangsters. “None of that was true. It was all lies, just lies,” she now says.

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To Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela and others who gave millions to help South African children orphaned by apartheid-era violence or driven to a life of crime on the streets, the woman who dedicated her life to caring for them was the “Angel of Soweto”. To the children she helped she was known simply as Mama Jackie.

CA

Level 1

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Advanced

gruntled former pupils. However, she was unable to explain how it was that she described to the media Lebogang Makheta’s parents as having been murdered or the brutal killing of Lindiwe Thusi’s father. She said no student was ever forced to repeat false stories. “I never pushed a child. I have never put a gun on a child’s neck. I have never strangled a child. I have never said, if you don’t go, this is what I am going to do. I have never done that. You can never prove that I have done that.” The children’s accounts of hardship brought donations pouring in from around the world. Some of the sponsorship was intended to pay college bursaries. But three years ago some donors, including a large bank and a hotel group, broke off dealings with the Ithuteng Trust after discovering the bursaries were not reaching the students or their colleges. Several former Ithuteng students say they were forced to drop out of higher education as a result of the donors suspending payment. A former finance officer at the University of the Western Cape said others were reduced to living on bread for lack of money. Donors started paying the fees direct to ensure that students were able to graduate. The chairman of the Ithuteng Trust board, Joseph Kganakga, has described the revelations as a nightmare that left him angry and “totally gutted”. He has resigned, along with two other board members who said they had lost confidence in Ms Maarohanye.

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© Guardian News & Media 2006

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What did Carte Blanche discover when it revisited Soweto? a. That the gates of the Ithuteng Trust school were closed. b. That some of the children were admitting to telling lies five years earlier. c. That some of the children’s parents were murdered in political violence. 2. What did Ms Maarohanye allegedly ask the children to do at the United Nations? a. To visit as guests of Bill and Hillary Clinton. b. To cry a lot as they told the stories about the murder of their parents. c. To ask for money for the Ithuteng Trust school. 3. Why did some of the former Ithuteng students have to drop out of higher education? a. Because the bursaries were not reaching them. b. Because they were orphans. c. Because some of the donors suspended payments to the Trust. 4. What is the main accusation against Ms Maarohanye? a. That she encouraged the children to claim that they were orphans. b. That she stole the money intended for the Trust. c. That she told the children to cry a lot.

4 Vocabulary: Find the word Find the words that mean: 1. to kill someone in a cruel and violent way (para. 2) 2. a general word for your brothers and sisters (para. 2) 3. locked firmly with a special device (para. 3) 4. to say a story that you have learnt (para. 3) 5. to say that something you said was not true (para. 5) 6. to press something so hard that it is damaged or destroyed (para. 5) 7. to kill someone by squeezing their throat (para. 9)

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8. an amount of money given to someone to pay for their college studies (para. 10)

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Advanced

5 Vocabulary: Prepositions Complete these phrases using an appropriate preposition. Check your answers in the text. 1. to be driven _______ a life of crime 2. to resort _______ something negative (e.g. violence) 3. to dedicate one’s life _______ something 4. to make donations _______ an organisation 5. to pressurise someone _______ doing something 6. to make accusations _______ someone 7. to be reduced _______ living on bread 8. to lose confidence _______ someone or something

6 Vocabulary: Phrases Match the phrases from the text with their meanings. 1. to go astray

a. a series of attempts to damage someone’s reputation

2. riddled with bullets

b. to arrive in large amounts

3. a smear campaign

c. to become lost

4. and so forth

d. shot a number of times

5. to drop out

e. etcetera (= etc.)

6. to pour in

f. to leave school or college before finishing your studies

6 Vocabulary: Discussion

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Does the end ever justify the means? In this case, children living in poverty may have lied to get money from wealthy individuals and organisations. Do you think what they are supposed to have done was justified?

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Advanced

KEY 1 Key adjectives

5 Vocabulary: Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

f d g a h b c e

to to to to into against to in

2 Order of events

6 Vocabulary: Phrases

d; a; e; b; g; c; f

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b b c a

c d a e f b

4 Vocabulary: Find the word

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

butcher siblings bolted recite recant crush strangle bursary

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. orphan spear

street children gangster

prostitute false

angel lie

poverty nightmare

1. ____________ is the opposite of true. 2. A ____________ is a member of a group of criminals. 3. A ____________ someone who gets money for having sex with people. 4. An ____________ is a child who has no parents. 5. A ____________ is a very frightening and unpleasant dream. 6. A ____________ is a story that is not true. 7. ____________ are children without a home who sleep on the streets. 8. A ____________ is a long weapon like a stick with one sharp end. 9. If you live in ____________ , you do not have enough money for your basic needs. 10. An ____________ is a very kind person.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. What is the name of Mama Jackie’s school? 2. How much money did Oprah Winfrey give to the school? 3. How many children travelled to the US? 4. Who invited the children to the US? 5. What was the name of the television programme?

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. When did the programme first film the children?

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Elementary

‘Angel of Soweto’ a fraud, TV show claims

she told us to cry more than the other days we were crying,” said the student.

Celebrity donors backed woman who set up school for traumatised orphans by Chris McGreal in Johannesburg

Carte Blanche first filmed at the school five years ago and went back to talk to some of the same children. Many said their stories were not true. In 2001 Lebogang Makheta said that both her parents were killed in political violence. “Someone killed my mother with a spear and shot my father,” she said. Now Lebogang says that wasn’t true.

The television film was called Carte Blanche. It showed that pupils who said their parents were dead are now living with them, and that those who said they were living on the streets never left home. 45 children from the Ithuteng school travelled to the US five years ago as guests of Bill and Hillary Clinton. One of the group said they had to go to the United Nations and tell false stories about their lives. “We went to the United Nations and [Ms Maarohanye] told us to cry ... © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Elementary

Five years ago Lindiwe Thusi told Carte Blanche that she saw her father’s body with his head cut off. She now says: “Mama Jackie gave us a piece of paper with those words written on it.” When different people came we had to start crying and tell that whole story,” she told Carte Blanche. Lindiwe says her father is alive and in the army. She also said that she told lies when she said she worked as a prostitute to earn money to feed her sisters. Ms Maarohanye did not want to answer questions but she told Carte Blanche that she had not done anything wrong. But she couldn’t explain why she told the programme Lebogang Makheta’s parents were dead or that Lindiwe Thusi’s father had been killed. She said she never forced students to repeat false stories. “I never pushed a child. I have never put a gun on a child’s neck. I have never done that. You can never prove that I have done that.”

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But now the school is closed. Winfrey, together with Mr Mandela and Bill Clinton, has asked for copies of a South African television film that says Ms Maarohanye told pupils to make up stories about murdered parents and poverty in order to get money. The film also says that the money people gave for the children’s education was missing and that they had very little to eat.

Lebogang’s mother, Phyllis Makheta, went to the school and was surprised when they told her that her daughter was an orphan. “I was there in the school. I don’t understand English very well, but I asked Jackie, why these children are crying and saying they are orphans, but we [their parents] are here. She said: Don’t worry, it is a play.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

The children talked about the terrible lives they were living. Their parents were dead. They had to work as prostitutes to get money to buy food for their younger brothers and sisters. When they heard these terrible stories, many people gave a lot of money to Mama Jackie Maarohanye and her Ithuteng Trust school. The school gave the poor orphans and street children somewhere to live and it also gave them an education. Oprah Winfrey gave the school $1m during a visit last year, and organisations like the US National Basketball Association also donated a lot of money. “I think Mama Jackie is an angel on earth,” said Winfrey.

“Mama Jackie told me what to say when they asked me questions. She said my answers would help to get money for the school”, says Lebongang. She also told the programme in 2001 that she used drugs and knew gangsters. “None of that was true. It was all lies, just lies,” she now says.

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Many famous people, including American talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Nelson Mandela, have given millions of dollars to help South African orphans and street children. They gave the money to the woman who cared for them and called her the “Angel of Soweto”. The children she helped called her Mama Jackie.

CA

Level 1

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Elementary

The children’s stories brought money from around the world. Some of the money was to pay for their studies at colleges and universities. But three years ago some organisations, including a large bank and a hotel group, stopped giving money to the Ithuteng Trust when they heard that the money was not reaching the students or their colleges. Several former Ithuteng students say they had to leave their higher education courses because there was no money to pay for their education. Some students had so little money they had to live on bread. The chairman of the Ithuteng Trust board, Joseph Kganakga, says the news is a nightmare and he is angry and disappointed. He has resigned from the board, together with two other board members who said they now had no confidence in Ms Maarohanye.

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Guardian News & Media 2006

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. People gave money to the Ithuteng Trust school ____ 2. The children said they had to work as prostitutes ____ 3. Lebongang Makheta’s mother was surprised ____ 4. The new television programme says that ____ 5. The children say that ____ 6. Mama Jackie says that ____ 7. Some of the students had to leave their courses ____ 8. Two board members resigned ____

a. ____ because they needed money to buy food for their brothers and sisters. b. ____ Mama Jackie told them to cry a lot. c. ____ the children told lies in 2001. d. ____ because they said at the school that her daughter was an orphan. e. ____ she has not done anything wrong. f. ____ because they thought the children were orphans and street children. g. ____ because they had no confidence in Ms Maarohanye. h. ____ because there was no money to pay for their education.

4 Vocabulary: Verbs

2. prove

b. to receive money for work

3. make up

c. to invent a story that is not true

4. earn

d. to show clearly that something is true

5. repeat

e. to give something to an organisation

6. donate

f. to say that you are leaving a job or a position

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Elementary

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a. to say something again

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1. resign

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match these verbs from the text with their meanings.

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary: Irregular verbs Complete the table. 1. hear

____________

2. tell

____________

3. cut

____________

4. shoot

____________

5. feed

____________

6. bring

____________

7. leave

____________

8. know

____________

6 Vocabulary: Prepositions Fill the gaps using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. millions _______ dollars 2. care _______ someone 3. living _______ their parents 4. he’s _______ the army 5. a piece _______ paper 6. money to pay _______ their education 7. to live _______ bread

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. to resign _______ the board

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Verbs

1. false 2. gangster 3. prostitute 4. orphan 5. nightmare 6. lie 7. street children 8. spear 9. poverty 10. angel

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

the Ithutheng Trust school $1 million 45 Bill and Hillary Clinton Carte Blanche 2001 (five years ago)

f d c b a e

5 Vocabulary: Irregular verbs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

heard told cut shot fed brought left knew

6 Vocabulary: Prepositions 3 Comprehension check

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Elementary

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

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f a d c b e h g

of for with in of for on from

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. orphan claim (vb)

prostitute recite

traumatised sponsor (n)

destitute disgruntled

donor bursary

1. If you ____________ something, you learn it and then say it to an audience. 2. If you ____________ something has happened, you say that it is true even though there is no proof. 3. A ____________ is someone who gives money to an organisation that helps people. 4. An ____________ is a child who has no parents. 5. A ____________ is money given to someone to pay for their college or university studies. 6. A ____________ is someone who is paid to have sex with people. 7. A ____________ is someone who agrees to support an organisation by giving it money. 8. If you are ____________ , you feel disappointed and annoyed about something. 9. If you are ____________ , you have no money and nowhere to live. 10. If you are ____________ , you are upset, afraid and shocked because of a bad experience.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible: 1. Where is the Ithutheng Trust school? 2. How much did Oprah Winfrey give the Ithutheng Trust school? 3. Which sports organisation gave money to the Ithutheng Trust school? 4. How many children from Soweto went to the US in 2001? 5. What does Lindiwe Thusi’s father do?

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How many board members have resigned from the Ithutheng Trust school?

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Intermediate

The children had horrific stories to tell. Their parents had been murdered. They had to work as prostitutes to feed their younger brothers and sisters. When they heard these terrible stories, many people gave large amounts of money to Jackie Maarohanye and her Ithuteng Trust school to provide shelter and an education to thousands of traumatised and destitute children. The money came from famous donors such as Winfrey, who wrote a cheque for $1m during a visit to the school last year, and organisations including the US National Basketball Association. “I think Mama Jackie is a living angel on earth,” said Winfrey. But now the school’s gates are locked and Winfrey, America’s most influential talk show host, along with Mr Mandela and Bill Clinton, has requested copies of a South African television documentary that claims Ms Maarohanye pressurised pupils into making up stories about murdered parents and poverty in order to raise money. The film also claims that donations to educate children went missing while students went hungry. The investigative TV programme Carte Blanche showed that pupils who said they had seen their parents killed are now living with them, and that those who said they had been saved from the streets never left home. One of a group of 45 children from the Ithuteng school who travelled to the US five years ago as guests of Bill and Hillary Clinton said they were made to appear before the United Nations and recite false stories about © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Intermediate

“I spoke to Mama Jackie and she told me that whatever they ask me, I must say it the way she wrote down because it would help us get sponsors who would give us money,” she said. “I told myself I was just doing to get sponsors and to get help with our scholarships.” She also told the programme in 2001 that she was involved with drugs and gangsters. “None of that was true. It was all lies, just lies,” she now says. Lebogang’s mother, Phyllis Makheta, went to a fundraising function at the school and was surprised to discover that her daughter was supposed to be an orphan. “I was there in the school. I don’t understand English very well, but I did ask them, even Jackie, why these children are crying and saying they are orphans, but we [their parents] are here. She said: ‘Don’t worry, it is a play.’“ Five years ago Lindiwe Thusi told Carte Blanche that she saw her father’s body with his head cut off. She now says: “Mama Jackie gave us a script with those words written on it.” When different people came we had to get ready and start crying and tell that whole story,” she told Carte Blanche. Lindiwe says her father is alive and in the army. She also said that her earlier claim that she worked as a prostitute to feed her sisters was not true. Ms Maarohanye has refused to comment but she told Carte Blanche that the accusations against her were a “smear campaign” by disgruntled

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To Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela and others who gave millions of dollars to help South African orphans and street children, the woman who cared for them was the “Angel of Soweto”. The children she helped knew her simply as Mama Jackie.

Carte Blanche filmed at the school five years ago and went back to talk to some of the same children. Many said their original stories were not true. Lebogang Makheta said in 2001 that both her parents had been murdered in political violence. “My mother was killed by a spear and my father was shot dead,” she said at the time. Now Lebogang says that was a lie.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Celebrity donors backed woman who set up school for traumatised orphans by Chris McGreal in Johannesburg

the hardship they had suffered. “We went to the United Nations and [Ms Maarohanye] said that today you better cry seriously ... you better cry more than the other days you have been crying,” said the unidentified student.

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‘Angel of Soweto’ a fraud, TV show claims

CA

Level 1

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Intermediate

former pupils. However, she was unable to explain how it was that she told the media Lebogang Makheta’s parents had been murdered or that Lindiwe Thusi’s father had been brutally killed. She said no student was ever forced to repeat false stories. “I never pushed a child. I have never put a gun on a child’s neck. I have never strangled a child. I have never said if you don’t go, this is what I am going to do. I have never done that. You can never prove that I have done that.” The children’s stories brought numerous donations from around the world. Some of the money was to pay college bursaries. But three years ago some donors, including a large bank and a hotel group, stopped dealing with the Ithuteng Trust after finding out the money was not reaching the students or their colleges. Several former Ithuteng students say they were forced to leave their higher education courses because the donors had stopped paying. A former finance officer at the University of the Western Cape said some students had so little money they had to live on bread. Donors started paying the fees direct to ensure that students were able to graduate. The chairman of the Ithuteng Trust board, Joseph Kganakga, has described the news as a nightmare that left him angry and disappointed. He has resigned from the board, along with two other board members who said they had lost confidence in Ms Maarohanye.

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Guardian News & Media 2006

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these questions True or False according to the text? 1. Lebogang Makheta’s mother was murdered. 2. The Ithutheng Trust school is no longer open. 3. The children cried at the United Nations because they were orphans. 4. Ms Maarohanye says that no-one was ever asked to repeat false stories. 5. Donors gave a lot of money as a result of the stories. 6. All the former Ithutheng Trust school students finished their studies. 7. The members of the Ithutheng Trust board still have confidence in Ms Maarohanye. 8. Oprah Winfrey described Ms Maarohanye as “the Angel of Soweto”.

4 Vocabulary: Find the word Find the words or phrases that mean: 1. so shocking that it upsets you (para. 2) 2. a place where people can be protected from danger (para. 2) 3. a long weapon like a stick with one sharp end (para. 5) 4. the activity of trying to persuade people to give money for a specific purpose (para. 7) 5. the written words of a play, film, speech etc (para. 8) 6. claims that someone has done something illegal or wrong (para. 9) 7. a series of attempts to damage someone’s reputation by telling lies about them (para. 9)

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. to kill someone by squeezing their neck (para. 9)

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary: Word stress Put these words into two groups according to their stress. recite murder

nightmare request

ensure travel

1. 0 o

resign involve

strangle explain

comment suffer

2. o 0

6 Vocabulary: Puzzle Rearrange the letters to make words from the text that match the definitions. 1. b – y – l – t – l – u – a - r

in a cruel and extremely violent way

2. m – g – t – a – i – n – h – e – r

a frightening and unpleasant dream

3. s – g – n – e – r – i

to state formally you are leaving a job or position

4. r – o – n – e – m – s – u – u

existing in large numbers



5. f – e – s – u – r – e

to say you will not do something

6. d – a – t – a – r – g – u – e

to complete college or university studies

6 Vocabulary: Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Is it right to lie to help people who are in a terrible situation?

The ‘Angel of Soweto’? Level 1

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Find the word

1. recite 2. claim 3. donor 4. orphan 5. bursary 6. prostitute 7. sponsor 8. disgruntled 9. destitute 10. traumatised

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F T F T T F F F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2006 NEWS LESSONS / The ‘Angel of Soweto’? / Intermediate

6 Vocabulary: Puzzle 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

brutally nightmare resign numerous refuse graduate

O

3 Comprehension check

1. 0 o nightmare; strangle; comment; murder; travel; suffer 2. o 0 recite; ensure; resign; request; involve; explain

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

South Africa (Soweto) $1 million The US National Basketball Association 45 He’s a soldier (in the army) Three

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Word stress

CA

2 Find the information

horrific shelter spear fundraising script accusations smear campaign strangle

The news through French eyes Level 1 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. Note that you may need to change the form of the word (to a past participle, for example). wrangling unveil

perennial dwarf (vb)

dry run unprecedented

plummet ethos

dilute glitzy

1. If something ____________, it falls very quickly and suddenly from a high position. 2. If something is described as ____________, it has never happened or been experienced before. 3. If something is described as ____________, it has always existed and never seems to change. 4. A ____________ is something you do as a practice for an important event. 5. ____________ is a series of arguments over a long period of time. 6. If you ____________ something, you make it less strong or effective. 7. A ____________ building is bright, exciting and attractive (on the surface). 8. The ____________ of an organization or a group of people is the set of attitudes and beliefs that are



typical of them. 9. When something is ____________ by something else, it is much smaller in comparison to it. 10. When a plan is ____________, it is announced for the first time.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True or False and then check your answers in the text. 1. France 24 is a new international TV station that will broadcast only in French. 2. President Chirac walked out of an EU meeting when a French employers’ group leader spoke in English. 3. The idea to launch a French 24-hour news channel came from Mr Chirac. 4. Al-Jazeera’s English service is watched by about 90 million households. 5. More than 4,000 people work for CNN.

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. France 24 will have a bigger budget than CNN.

The news through French eyes Advanced

France 24 seeks to report international news ‘through French eyes’. Not only will it offer a French perspective on world events from the Middle East to Madagascar, it also aims to reflect a certain French ‘art de vivre’, or way of life. It will explain the news with a perennial favourite of French TV: the argumentative debate show where philosophers in corduroy discuss current affairs. Dry runs have included topics from Rwanda to the plummeting fortunes of the French rugby team or the changing tastes for Beaujolais nouveau. At least 20% of the programming will focus on culture and lifestyle, embracing everything from world museums to cuisine, fashion and French chocolate. It will broadcast simultaneously on two channels, in English and French. But broadcasting in English – which when used by the French leader of the European employers’ group Unice in March this year prompted Mr Chirac to storm out of an EU meeting – will not dilute the French ethos. Station executives hope the English debate shows will be even more heated than the French. Broadcasts in Arabic and Spanish will follow at later dates. The idea of a French 24-hour news channel was first dreamed up when Mr Chirac was prime minister in the late 1980s and became one of his election pledges for the presidency in 2002. The following year, when Mr Chirac tried to slow the US drive to war in Iraq and some media © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Advanced

But although the ageing president will launch France 24 at a glittering gala in Paris’s Tuileries Gardens, the station’s chief executive, Alain de Pouzilhac, is determined not to let it become ‘Chirac TV’. “We have public money but we are an independent channel,” he told the Guardian. Nor will it be a vehicle for the centre-right presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been accused of being too close to TV stations. “I know Nicolas very well. I don’t believe we will have a problem with that. He hasn’t called me,” Mr Pouzilhac added. The channel is aiming at a similar number of viewers to al-Jazeera’s English service, about 75 million households in more than 90 countries, describing itself as a ‘third way’ between the Qatar-based station and CNN. But its birth has not been smooth. It is an unprecedented partnership between France Télévisions, the country’s public broadcaster, and TF1, one of Europe’s largest private TV channels, two groups which are normally rivals. There have been numerous union protests and management disagreements – even the channel’s name, pronounced France vingtquatre, was hotly contested. Some French politicians have expressed fears that the station couldn’t generate the funds to compete internationally. François Rochebloine, of the centrist UDF, called it an ‘uncertain bet’, warning that the taxpayer could have to pay for it twice, once in the licence fee and again in a satellite or cable subscription. France 24’s images will largely come from its parent TV stations as well as other partners such

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In a slick glass television studio in an office block on the southern outskirts of Paris, a new front in the war on ‘Anglo-Saxon’ cultural imperialism will open up tonight. President Jacques Chirac’s decade-old dream of a ‘CNN à la Française’ to rival BBC World and US 24-hours news channels is finally to launch after years of wrangling and infighting, promising a revolution in world news.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris 6 December, 2006

in the US and Britain mocked his efforts, the need for a news channel with a French voice gained currency. Mr Chirac now wants to launch it as part of the president’s legacy of projects that continue France’s struggle against the global dominance of the US. Earlier this year he unveiled plans for a Franco-German search engine to compete with Google and Yahoo, called Quaero, Latin for I search. It was quickly dubbed ‘Ask Chirac’.

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The news through French eyes: Chirac TV takes on ‘Anglo-Saxon imperialism’

CA

Level 1

The news through French eyes Level 1

Advanced

as the agency Agence France Presse and Radio France International, prompting allegations that it will just be a round-up of other channels’ content. With a team of 170 journalists of an average age of 30 and public funding of €86m (£58m) for the first year, France 24 is dwarfed by its competitors. CNN has a budget of €1.2bn and a staff of 4,000. But at its headquarters, where a banner outside proclaims: “Everything you are not supposed to know”, journalists say the station will influence world politics. Mark Owen, formerly of Granada TV, who will present the English morning news bulletins and debate show, said: “Take the conflict in Lebanon this summer. If Jacques Chirac’s call for a ceasefire – which didn’t even make BBC or CNN – had been reported earlier, it could have brought about an earlier resolution of the conflict. If Chirac’s call had been reported more widely it maybe could have saved thousands of lives. That was a story calling out for a French angle, given the historic links to Lebanon.” The France 24 website will launch tonight and the station, available on cable or satellite, goes live tomorrow. There will be a 10-minute news bulletin each half hour and in between a series of magazines with topics including ‘humanitarian affairs’, lifestyle, culture, and a monthly show on ‘economic intelligence’, explained as spying wars between ‘hypercompetitive companies’. The Week in France will tackle politics and society, and other weekly specials will come from Asia, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Outside the glitzy building, the critical reaction has been favourable. Guillaume Parmentier, director of the French Centre on the United States, said: “It’s not an anti-American operation. It’s more than that. France didn’t have an international news channel to compete with many countries that have. What is remarkable is that is has taken such a long time to come about.” © Guardian News & Media 2006

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First published in the Guardian, 6/12/06

The news through French eyes Level 1

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information in the text. 1. What is the main purpose of France 24? a. To attract more viewers than CNN. b. To report international news from a French perspective. c. To present an anti-American world view. 2. Why did the need for a news channel with a French voice increase in 2003? a. Because President Chirac wanted it to be part of his legacy. b. Because France was struggling against the global dominance of the US. c. Because Chirac’s voice of opposition to the war in Iraq was not being heard. 3. Why has France 24 been labelled an ‘uncertain bet’? a. Because French taxpayers may have to pay for it twice. b. Because there have been union protests and management disagreements. c. Because people cannot agree on the channel’s name. 4. What is the most remarkable thing about France 24? a. That it is aiming at a similar number of viewers as Al-Jazeera. b. That it has taken so long to become a reality. c. That it will broadcast in both French and English simultaneously.

4 Find the word Look in paragraphs 1 to 4 of the text and find these words or expressions. 1. An adjective meaning impressive and seeming to need very little effort. 2. A noun meaning a thick cotton material with a ridged surface. 3. A verb meaning to include and accept something. 4. An adverb meaning at the same time. 5. A verb meaning to make something look stupid by laughing at it. 6. An expression meaning to win the approval of many people. 7. A noun meaning something you have achieved that continues to exist after you have stopped working or after you die.

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A verb meaning to give someone or something a particular name.

The news through French eyes Level 1

Advanced

5 Collocations Match the verbs with the nouns or noun phrases. 1. to launch

a. fears

2. to dream up

b. a television programme

3. to unveil

c. a particular issue or subject

4. to express

d. an idea

5. to generate

e. funds or income

6. to present

f. a ceasefire

7. to call for

g. a new business, service or product

8. to focus on

h. a plan

6 Word building These words from the text all have a second, different meaning to the one used in the text. Fill the gaps in the sentences using these words. launch channel

slick dub

mock embrace

currency heated

1. A ____________ test or exam is one you do as practice for a real one. 2. The ____________ of Russia is the rouble. 3. A ____________ is a large open boat with an engine. 4. A ____________ swimming pool is a must in cold weather. 5. An oil ____________ is a pool of oil floating on the sea. 6. If you ____________ a film, you replace the soundtrack with a different language. 7. A ____________ is a narrow area of water joining two seas. 8. If you ____________ someone, you put your arms round them to show love or friendship.

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Is the English language too dominant in the world today? Can French ever be the lingua franca of the world?

The news through French eyes Level 1

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

5 Collocations

1. plummets 2. unprecedented 3. perennial 4. dry run 5. wrangling 6. dilute 7. glitzy 8. ethos 9. dwarfed 10. unveiled

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F T T F T F

g d h a e b f c

6 Homonyms mock currency launch heated slick dub channel embrace

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b c a b

4 Find the word

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

slick corduroy embrace simultaneously mock gain currency legacy dub

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The news through French eyes Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. channel launch

broadcast partnership

debate rival

heated competitor

struggle bulletin

1. A ____________ is a discussion in which people or groups give different opinions about a subject. 2. A ____________ is a situation where two companies or organizations work together on a project. 3. If a discussion is ____________, people become angry and excited. 4. A ____________ is a fight or an attempt to stop someone having power over you. 5. If you ____________ a programme you send it out on radio or television. 6. A news ____________ is a short programme presenting the latest news. 7. A ____________ is a television station and the programmes that it broadcasts. 8. If you ____________ a service, you begin operating it. 9. A ____________ is a company that provides the same goods or services as another company. 10. A ____________ is a person, team or business that competes with another.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many journalists will work for France 24? 2. What is the annual budget of CNN? 3. How long will each news bulletin be on France 24? 4. How often will a news bulletin be broadcast? 5. When did Mr Chirac first have the idea of a French 24-hour news channel?

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How many viewers does France 24 plan to have?

The news through French eyes Elementary

France 24 will report international news ‘through French eyes’. It will offer a French view of world events from the Middle East to Madagascar, and will also show the French way of life. It will explain the news with typical French TV debates where philosophers discuss the latest events. Test programmes have included topics such as Rwanda, the French rugby team and French wine. At least 20% of the programmes will be about culture and lifestyle, including everything from world museums to cuisine, fashion and French chocolate. France 24 will broadcast on two channels at the same time, in English and French. But broadcasting in English does not mean the channel will be less French. The managers of France 24 hope the English debates will be even more heated than the French. The channel also plans to broadcast in Arabic and Spanish. The idea for a French 24-hour news channel came from President Chirac. He first had the idea when he was prime minister in the late 1980s. In 2003 Mr Chirac criticised the American preparations for war in Iraq. Television and radio stations in the USA and Britain attacked him for this. It was clear there was a need for a news channel with a French voice. Now Mr Chirac hopes that France 24 will be one of the projects that continue France’s struggle against © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Elementary

France 24 hopes to have a similar number of viewers to al-Jazeera’s English service, about 75 million households in more than 90 countries. It describes itself as a ‘third way’ between alJazeera and CNN. But the birth of France 24 has not been easy. It is a partnership between France Télévisions, France’s public broadcaster, and TF1, one of Europe’s largest private TV channels, two groups which are usually rivals. There have been protests by trade unions and management disagreements – there have even been disagreements over what name to call the channel. Some French politicians believe the station will not earn enough money to be a success. Most of France 24’s television pictures will come from its parent TV stations as well as other partners such as the main French news agency and Radio France International. Some people say France 24 will simply be a summary of what other TV channels are broadcasting. 170 journalists will work for France 24 and the station will receive €86m (£58m) of public money for the first year, France 24 is much smaller than its competitors. CNN has a budget of €1.2bn and 4,000 employees. But France 24’s journalists say it will influence world politics. Mark Owen, who will present the English morning news, said: “The BBC and CNN

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There are several 24-hour television news channels which broadcast around the world. They include the American channel CNN and the British channels BBC World and Sky News. These channels broadcast the news in English. Now there is a new 24-hour news channel which will broadcast the news in French. France 24 is the world’s first French 24-hour television news channel.

The president himself will launch France 24 at a celebration in Paris but the station’s chief executive, Alain de Pouzilhac, says the station will not become ‘Chirac TV’. “We have public money but we are an independent channel,” he says. Presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy will also not be able to use the channel to broadcast his views. “I know Nicolas very well. I don’t believe we will have a problem with that. He hasn’t called me,” said Mr Pouzilhac.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris 6 December, 2006

the world power of the USA. Earlier this year he announced plans for a Franco-German search engine to compete with Google and Yahoo, called Quaero, Latin for I search.

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The news through French eyes: Chirac TV takes on ‘Anglo-Saxon imperialism’

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Level 1

The news through French eyes Level 1

Elementary

didn’t report Jacques Chirac’s call for a ceasefire in Lebanon this summer. If more TV stations had reported his call, maybe it could have saved hundreds of lives. That story needed a French angle, with France’s historic links to Lebanon.” The France 24 website will open tonight and the station goes live tomorrow. There will be a 10minute news bulletin each half hour and between the news bulletins, magazine programmes with topics including lifestyle, culture, economics and business. The Week in France will discuss politics and society, and other weekly specials will come from Asia, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Critical reaction to the new station has been positive. Guillaume Parmentier, director of the French Centre on the United States, said: “It’s not an anti-American operation. It’s more than that. France didn’t have an international news channel while many other countries have them. It is really surprising that it has taken such a long time for France to have an international news channel.” © Guardian News & Media 2006

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First published in the Guardian, 6/12/06

The news through French eyes Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True or False according to the text? 1. France 24 will only report on France. 2. Most of its programmes will be about culture and lifestyle. 3. France 24 will broadcast in both French and English. 4. France 24 is also called “Chirac TV”. 5. France 24 will be bigger than CNN. 6. People disagreed about the best name for the channel. 7. France has historical links to Lebanon. 8. There will be 10 news bulletins every day.

4 Vocabulary 1: Noun + noun collocations and compounds

2. news

b. station

3. world

c. site

4. radio

d. executive

5. chief

e. events

6. trade

f. agency

7. life

g. engine

8. web

h. union

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Elementary

H

a. style

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1. search

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column.

The news through French eyes Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions in phrases Fill the gaps using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. _______ the same time 2. _______ French eyes 3. way _______ life 4. _______ the late 1980s 5. compete _______ 6. struggle _______ 7. reaction _______ 8. partnership _______

6 Word building Complete the table.

noun ____________

2. explain

____________

3. discuss

____________

4. criticise

____________

5. announce

____________

6. manage

____________

7. believe

____________

8. succeed

____________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Elementary

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1. disagree

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verb

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



The news through French eyes Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Noun + noun collocations

1. debate 2. partnership 3. heated 4. struggle 5. broadcast 6. bulletin 7. channel 8. launch 9. competitor 10. rival

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F F T F F T T F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Elementary

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

disagreement explanation discussion criticism announcement management (manager); belief success

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

6 Word building

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3 Comprehension check

at through of in with against to between

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170 €1.2 billion 10 minutes each half hour in the late 1980s 75 million households

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions in phrases

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

g f e b d h a c

The news through French eyes Level 1 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these words from the text. rival media

launch gala

cuisine funding

simultaneously ceasefire

heated bulletin

1. A ____________ is a special performance or event to celebrate something. 2. A news ____________ is a short news broadcast. 3. ____________ is a particular style of cooking, especially the cooking of a particular country or region. 4. A ____________ is an agreement to stop fighting for a period of time. 5. If things happen ____________, they happen at exactly the same time. 6. A ____________ is a person, team or business that competes with another. 7. If a discussion or argument is ____________, people become angry and excited. 8. ____________ is the money that a government or organization provides for a particular purpose. 9. If you ____________ a new product or service, you start offering it to the public. 10. The ____________ includes newspapers, radio, television and the internet.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many journalists will work for France 24? 2. What is the annual budget of CNN? 3. How long will each news bulletin be on France 24? 4. How often will a news bulletin be broadcast? 5. When did Mr Chirac first have the idea of a French 24-hour news channel?

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How many viewers does France 24 plan to have?

The news through French eyes Intermediate

France 24 intends to report international news ‘through French eyes’. It will offer a French perspective on world events from the Middle East to Madagascar, and also aims to reflect the French way of life. It will explain the news with typical French TV debate shows where philosophers discuss current affairs. Test programmes have included topics from Rwanda to the French rugby team or the changing tastes for Beaujolais nouveau wine. At least 20% of the programming will focus on culture and lifestyle, including everything from world museums to cuisine, fashion and French chocolate. It will broadcast simultaneously on two channels, in English and French. But broadcasting in English will not affect the French character of the channel. France 24 executives hope the English debate shows will be even more heated than the French. The channel also plans to broadcast in Arabic and Spanish. Mr Chirac first had the idea of a French 24-hour news channel when he was prime minister in the late 1980s. It was then one of his election promises for the presidency in 2002. The following year, when Mr Chirac criticized the American preparations for war in Iraq, he was attacked by the media in the US and Britain. People clearly saw the need for a news channel with a French voice. Mr Chirac now wants to launch it as one of the projects that continue France’s struggle against the global dominance © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Intermediate

The channel wants to have a similar number of viewers to al-Jazeera’s English service, about 75 million households in more than 90 countries, and describes itself as a ‘third way’ between the Qatar-based al-Jazeera and CNN. But the birth of France 24 has not been easy. It is a partnership between France Télévisions, the country’s public broadcaster, and TF1, one of Europe’s largest private TV channels, two groups which are normally rivals. There have been several protests by trade unions and management disagreements – there have even been disagreements over the channel’s name. Some French politicians believe the station will not generate enough income to compete internationally. France 24’s pictures will mainly come from its parent TV stations as well as other partners such as the main French news agency and Radio France International, which has led some people to say that it will just be a summary of other channels’ content. France 24 will have a team of 170 journalists of an average age of 30 and public funding of €86m (£58m) for the first year, France 24 is much smaller than its competitors. CNN has a budget of €1.2bn and a staff of 4,000. But journalists at its headquarters say the station will influence world politics. Mark Owen, who will present the English morning news bulletins and debate show, said: “Look at the conflict in

O

For more than 10 years President Jacques Chirac of France has dreamt of a French 24-hour television news channel to act as a rival to English-speaking channels such as BBC World and CNN. Now, after many years of disagreements and internal problems, the channel will finally be launched, promising a revolution in world news reporting.

But although the president will launch France 24 at a gala in Paris, the station’s chief executive, Alain de Pouzilhac, says the station will not become ‘Chirac TV’. “We have public money but we are an independent channel,” he says. The centre-right presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy will also not be able to use the channel to broadcast his views. “I know Nicolas very well. I don’t believe we will have a problem with that. He hasn’t called me,” Mr Pouzilhac added.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

by Angelique Chrisafis in Paris 6 December, 2006

of the US. Earlier this year he announced plans for a Franco-German search engine to compete with Google and Yahoo, called Quaero, Latin for I search.

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The news through French eyes: Chirac TV takes on ‘Anglo-Saxon imperialism’

CA

Level 1

The news through French eyes Level 1

Intermediate

Lebanon this summer. If Jacques Chirac’s call for a ceasefire – which wasn’t reported by the BBC or CNN – had been reported earlier, it could have ended the conflict earlier. If Chirac’s call had been reported more widely, it maybe could have saved thousands of lives. That was a story that needed a French angle, with France’s historic links to Lebanon.” The France 24 website will launch tonight and the station goes live tomorrow. There will be a 10-minute news bulletin each half hour and between the news bulletins, magazine programmes with topics including ‘humanitarian affairs’, lifestyle, culture, and a monthly show on economics and business. The Week in France will discuss politics and society, and other weekly specials will come from Asia, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Outside the shining new building, the critical reaction has been favourable. Guillaume Parmentier, director of the French Centre on the United States, said: “It’s not an anti-American operation. It’s more than that. France didn’t have an international news channel while many other countries have them. What is remarkable is that is has taken such a long time for France to get one.” © Guardian News & Media 2006

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First published in the Guardian, 6/12/06

The news through French eyes Level 1

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True or False according to the text? 1. France 24 plans to have as many viewers as CNN and BBC News 24. 2. France 24 will broadcast in both French and English. 3. France 24 is also known as Chirac TV. 4. All the journalists at France 24 are 30 years old. 5. The critical reaction to France 24 has been positive. 6. Everyone agreed that France 24 was the best name for the channel. 7. France 24 is the world’s first 24-hour television news channel. 8. The main aim of France 24 is to report the news from a French point of view.

4 Vocabulary 1: Verb + noun collocations

2. debate

b. a rival

3. have

c. lives

4. compete with

d. a new service or product

5. generate

e. a television programme

6. present

f. an idea

7. save

g. income

8. report

h. a topic

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Intermediate

H

a. the news

•P

1. launch

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns or noun phrases in the right-hand column.

The news through French eyes Level 1

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. focus

_______

2. taste

_______

3. perspective

_______

4. preparation

_______

5. need

_______

6. struggle

_______

7. compete

_______

8. disagreement _______

6 Word building Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. disagree

____________

2. criticize

____________

3. prepare

____________

4. dominate

____________

5. announce

____________

6. compete

____________

7. summarise

____________

8. fund

____________

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you think it is a good thing or a bad thing that English is the so-called ‘international language of business’? Why?

The news through French eyes Level 1

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Verb + noun collocations

1. gala 2. bulletin 3. cuisine 4. ceasefire 5. simultaneously 6. rival 7. heated 8. funding 9. launch 10. media

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F T F F T F F T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The news through French eyes / Intermediate

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

disagreement criticism preparation dominance announcement competitor/competition summary funding

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

6 Word building

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

on for on for for against with over

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170 €1.2 billion 10 minutes every half hour in the late 1980s about 75 million households

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d h f b g e c a

Democrats hail new era for US Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Complete the sentences using key words from the text. dwindle mood

bipartisanship redeploy

sworn in legislative

inducement uproar

sweep bill

1. __________ is the act of two opposing political parties voting the same way on a piece of law or government decision. 2. Elected members of government in the United States are __________ before they take office. 3. If you __________ an election or a race, you win it easily. 4. An __________ is an angry public criticism of something. 5. __________ is an adjective that means relating to law. 6. To __________ something is to move it to another place or a different job. 7. An __________ is something that persuades someone to do something (often something wrong). 8. A __________ is a proposal for a new law. 9. A __________ is a noun referring to the way someone feels. 10. __________ is a verb meaning to become gradually less or smaller.

2

What do you know about American politics?

Answer the questions. 1. What are the two major political parties in the US? 2. What political party does George Bush belong to? 3. The US Congress is bicameral, meaning it has two parliamentary chambers. One is called the House of



Representatives. What is the other? 4. What was the number one foreign policy issue of George Bush’s government in 2006? 5. What role does the Speaker of the House hold in US politics?

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NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How often are there elections for Congress in the US?

Democrats hail new era for US Advanced

“The Democrats are back,” exulted Nancy Pelosi, who went on to make history when she was sworn in as the first woman to become speaker of the House of Representatives. “This is an historic moment - for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years,” Ms Pelosi, 66, told Congress. In another first, Keith Ellison of Minnesota became the first Muslim to serve in Congress, taking his office on a Qur’an that once belonged to former president Thomas Jefferson. Amid the celebratory mood among Democrats, the official message from Ms Pelosi as well as the new Democratic Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, was about cooperation with their Republican opponents. But the limits of bipartisanship were made starkly apparent when Ms Pelosi signalled that George Bush, who had a Republican House and Senate in his first six years in the White House, would face new and energised opposition. “Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in Iraq. The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end,” Ms Pelosi said. She put Mr Bush on notice that he could expect fierce opposition to his new strategy for Iraq. He is expected to announce next week his decision to increase America’s military commitment there with the deployment of thousands more troops. “It is the responsibility of the President to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Advanced

Pentagon officials said there could be an increase of between 20,000 and 40,000 to the forces in Iraq, achieved mainly by extending the stay of soldiers currently serving in Iraq while moving forward the deployment of Marine units. The Democrats will get another chance to question Mr Bush’s judgment on the war in confirmation hearings for John Negroponte, the new deputy secretary of state. Mr Negroponte, who was made national intelligence director less than two years ago, is expected to be replaced by retired vice-admiral Mike McConnell. Mr Bush faces trials on the domestic front too as Ms Pelosi plans to exercise the Democrats’ new majority with an ambitious legislative agenda, beginning almost immediately after the swearing-in with measures to untangle the murky relationships between lobbyists and politicians. The move, banning such inducements as free seats at basketball games and trips on private jets, was the first step in a Democratic plan to pass six new pieces of legislation through the House before Mr Bush makes his State of the Union address on January 23. In the Senate, where the Democratic majority is wafer-thin, Mr Reid said that the focus would remain on Iraq. Mr Reid has not ruled out support for a troop surge, but other senators have said they intend to use their new powers to increase scrutiny of the administration, with hearings scheduled in at least two committees on the progress of the war. In addition to ethics reform, the Democrats have pledged to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade, as well as make federal funds available for stem cell research. But the limit of their new power was underscored when the White House announced that Mr Bush, who vetoed a similar bill last summer, remains

O

A new era was proclaimed in Washington as the Democratic party recaptured control of both houses of Congress after 12 years on the sidelines of power.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

by Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington January 5, 2007

clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region and that allows us to responsibly redeploy American forces,” Ms Pelosi said.

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Democrats hail new era for US as they sweep into Congress

CA

Level 3

Democrats hail new era for US Level 3

Advanced

opposed to stem cell research. Mr Bush went on to warn of further confrontations. “If the Congress chooses to pass bills that are simply political statements, they will have chosen stalemate,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal. Mr Bush saw the further dwindling of his band of Texas loyalists with the resignation of the White House counsel, Harriet Miers. Ms Miers’ departure had been expected ever since her nomination to the Supreme Court in 2005, which was withdrawn amid an uproar over her apparently shaky grasp of constitutional law. © Guardian News & Media 2007

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NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First published in the Guardian, 5/1/07

Democrats hail new era for US Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Decide whether these statements are True (T), False (F) or DS (doesn’t say in the text). 1. The Democrats have never had power in the House of Representatives. ____ 2. In the past women were not allowed to be speaker of the House. ____ 3. There have been Muslims in the US Congress in the past. ____ 4. The speaker of the house believes that Americans want a foreign policy change in Iraq. ____ 5. The President has changed his Iraq policy in response to the Democrats. ____ 6. John Negroponte is going to be the new national intelligence director. ____ 7. The Democrats want to increase political inducements from lobbyists. ____ 8. The Senate is also concerned with the war in Iraq. ____ 9. George Bush does not want federal funds to be used in stem cell research. ____ 10. Harriet Miers resigned as Supreme Court judge because she didn’t know enough about constitutional law. ____

4 Vocabulary 1: Communication verbs

2. to say something publicly

to a______ or to p______

3. to say something with great pleasure

to e______

4. to say or show what you intend to do

to s______

5. to say no to something

to r______

6. to say something clearly, with precision

to a______

7. to say in public that you promise to do something

to p______

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Advanced

H

to h______

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1. to say publicly how good or important something is

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Find the verbs in the text that have the following meanings. The first letter is provided, and all the verbs are in the text.

Democrats hail new era for US Level 3

Advanced

5 Grammar focus Study the word order in this example from the text: Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in Iraq. Rewrite the sentences below beginning with the words provided. 1. George Bush had never faced such opposition from Congress before. Never… 2. The US Congress rarely changes political colours in both houses. Rarely… 3. The Pentagon has seldom deployed so many soldiers in the Middle East. Seldom… 4. It is not only an important time for American women, it is an important for American Muslims. Not only… 5. The President will support funding stem cell research under no circumstances. Under no circumstances…

6 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Complete the sentences with a word from the box. There are four words you don’t need. do obvious

make knowledge

stay remain

take apparent

grasp

1. The team knew this was their big moment, their chance to ______ history. 2. The new President will ______ office in January. 3. It is starkly ______ that the world climate is changing. 4. I have rather a shaky ______ on English grammar, although my vocabulary is excellent. 5. Many teachers ______ opposed to the new exam format due to take place next term.

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Advanced

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you think the political changes in the US Congress will make a difference to America’s foreign policy?

Democrats hail new era for US Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Communication verbs

1. bipartisanship 2. sworn in 3. sweep 4. uproar 5. legislative 6. redeploy 7. inducement 8. bill 9. mood 10. dwindle

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

5 Grammar focus Note that all these examples are more common in

2 What do you know about American politics?

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Advanced

6 Vocabulary 2: Collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

make take apparent grasp remain

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1. F 2. DS 3. F 4. T 5. DS 6. F 7. F 8. T 9. T 10. F



1. Never had George Bush faced such opposition from Congress before. 2. Rarely does the US Congress change political colours in both houses. 3. Seldom has the Pentagon deployed so many soldiers in the Middle East. 4. Not only is it an important time for American women, it is an important for American Muslims. 5. Under no circumstances will the President support funding stem cell research.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

English.

•P H

Republicans and Democrats Republican The US Senate War in Iraq He or she is the leader of the political party in the majority in the House of Representatives. 6. Every two years.

formal and literary styles but sometimes occur in spoken

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

hail announce; proclaim exult signal reject articulate pledge

Democrats hail new era for US Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Complete the sentences using key words from the text. a bill to proclaim

to hail to redeploy

a jet to reject

a lobbyist a stalemate

minimum wage stem cell research

take office

1. __________ is a proposal for a new law. 2. __________ is a situation in which progress is impossible because the people cannot agree. 3. __________ something is to move it to another place or a different job. 4. __________ something means you say no to it. 5. When politicians __________ , they begin their work. 6. __________ or __________ something means you say it publicly. 7. __________ is a type of expensive plane. 8. __________ is someone who tries to influence politicians or people in authority. 9. The __________ is the lowest legal amount of money you earn for working. 10. __________ is medical research using cells taken from an animal or person at an early stage of development.

2

Find the information

Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The Democrats ____ 2. Nancy Pelosi is ____ 3. Keith Ellison is ____ 4. Harry Reid is ____ 5. The American people ____ 6. The House of Representatives and the Senate ____ 7. George Bush is ____

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a. ____ against stem cell research. b. ____ control both houses of Congress. c. ____ have rejected a war without end in Iraq. d. ____ the Democrat Senate leader. e. ____ the first Muslim in Congress. f. ____ the first woman speaker of the House of Representatives. g. ____ will focus on Iraq when they pass new laws.

Democrats hail new era for US Level 1

Elementary

The Democrats hail new era for US as they sweep into Congress

inducements as free seats at basketball games and trips on private jets.

by Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington January 5, 2007

In the Senate, where the Democratic majority is very thin, Mr Reid said yesterday that the focus would remain on Iraq.

A new era was proclaimed in Washington as the Democratic party recaptured control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 12 years. “The Democrats are back,” said Nancy Pelosi, who made history when she became the first woman speaker of the House of Representatives. “This is an historic moment - for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years,” Ms Pelosi told Congress. Keith Ellison of Minnesota became the first Muslim to serve in Congress, taking his office on a Qur’an.

The Democrats have also promised to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in ten years, as well as make federal money available for stem cell research. But the White House announced that Mr Bush is still opposed to stem cell research. Mr Bush warned of further confrontations. “If the Congress chooses to pass bills that are simply political statements, they will have chosen stalemate,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal this week. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in the Guardian, 5/1/07

The official message from Ms Pelosi as well as the new Democratic Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, was about cooperation with their Republican opponents. But Ms Pelosi said that George Bush would face new and energetic opposition. The President had a Republican House and Senate in his first six years in the White House. “The American people were clear about the need for a new direction in Iraq. The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end,” Ms Pelosi said. “It is the responsibility of the President to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region and that allows us to responsibly redeploy American forces,” Ms Pelosi said.

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NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Elementary

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Ms Pelosi plans to use the Democrats’ new majority in domestic politics as well. She wants to begin almost immediately with measures to clarify relationships between lobbyists and politicians. The move would ban such

Democrats hail new era for US Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Tick the correct sentence. 1. a) The Democrats have not had control of Congress for the past 12 years. b) The Democrats have had control of Congress for the past 12 years. 2. a) Nancy Pelosi wants the President to defend the streets of Iraq. b) Nancy Pelosi wants the Iraqis to defend the streets of Iraq. 3. a) Lobbyists give free basketball tickets and jet rides to politicians. b) Politicians give free basketball tickets and jet rides to lobbyists. 4. a) The Democrats want to give more money to poor workers. b) The Democrats want to give less money to poor workers. 5. a) George Bush and the Democrats agree about stem cell research. b) George Bush and the Democrats do not agree about stem cell research.

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites

________

3. to attack

________

4. foreign politics

________

5. to permit

________

6. minimum

________

7. in favour of

________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Elementary

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2. minority

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________

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1. the last

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Find the opposite of these words in the text.

Democrats hail new era for US Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

noun

adjective

energy

1.________

2. ________

political

history

3.________

4. ________

responsible

availability

5.________

6. ________

secure

6 Vocabulary 3: American politics Find the following five words connected to American politics in the wordsearch: The major political parties in the USA. (2 words) The name for the House of Representatives and the Senate. (1 word) The title of the leader of the House. (1 word) Where the President lives and works. (1 word)

A A B T K A I O U N

F O R P E L K P C G

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Elementary

V Q W C B H B E B R

H A K U O F O L R E

C W P L R M P U J S

M E H F T O E B S S

R H C J J G R D U E

H

T A I J E V R C S O

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R S F E Z N K I N

J H T P L U E J A C

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

W

Democrats hail new era for US Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites

1. bill 2. stalemate 3. redeploy 4. reject 5. take office 6. hail or proclaim 7. jet 8. lobbyist 9. minimum wage 10. stem cell research

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

b f e d c g a

the first majority to defend domestic politics to ban maximum opposed to

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

energetic politics historic (or historical) responsibility available security

6 Vocabulary: American politics The hidden words are:

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Elementary

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a b a a b

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Democrat and Republican Congress Speaker White House

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

Democrats hail new era for US Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Complete the sentences using key words from the text. stalemate redeploy

bipartisanship legislative

inducement pledge

sweep bill

1. __________ is the act of two opposing political parties voting the same way on a piece of law or



government decision. 2. A __________ is a situation in which progress is impossible because the people cannot agree. 3. If you __________ an election or a race, you win it easily. 4. If you __________ something, you promise publicly to do it. 5. __________ is an adjective that means relating to law. 6. To __________ something is to move it to another place or a different job. 7. An __________ is something that persuades someone to do something (often something wrong). 8. A __________ is a proposal for a new law.

2

What do you know about American politics?

Choose the correct answer. 1. In the United States there are … major political parties.

a) two b) three c) five

2. George Bush and the … party have controlled government for the past six years.

a) Democrat b) Republican c) Labour

4. The US Congress comprises:

a) the House of Representatives b) the Senate c) both a) and b)

5. The leader of the House of Representatives is:

a) the President of the United States b) the Speaker of the House c) the top general in the US army

3. The US Congress has elections every … years.

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a) two b) six c) ten

CA



Democrats hail new era for US Level 2

Intermediate

Democrats hail new era for US as they sweep into Congress by Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington January 5, 2007 A new era was proclaimed in Washington as the Democratic party recaptured control of both houses of Congress after 12 years on the sidelines of power. “The Democrats are back,” exulted Nancy Pelosi, who went on to make history when she became the first woman speaker of the House of Representatives. “This is an historic moment - for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years,” Ms Pelosi, 66, told Congress. In another first Keith Ellison of Minnesota became the first Muslim to serve in Congress, taking his office on a Qur’an that once belonged to former president Thomas Jefferson. Amid the celebratory feeling among Democrats, the official message from Ms Pelosi as well as the new Democratic Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, was about cooperation with their Republican opponents. But the limits of bipartisanship were made starkly apparent when Ms Pelosi signalled that George Bush, who had a Republican House and Senate in his first six years in the White House, would face new and energised opposition. “Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in Iraq. The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end,” Ms Pelosi said. She warned Mr Bush that he could expect fierce opposition to his new strategy for Iraq. He is expected to announce his decision to increase America’s military commitment there with the deployment of thousands more soldiers.

clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region and that allows us to responsibly redeploy American forces,” Ms Pelosi said. Pentagon officials said there could be an increase of between 20,000 and 40,000 to the forces in Iraq. Mr Bush faces trials on the domestic front too as Ms Pelosi plans to exercise the Democrats’ new majority with an ambitious legislative agenda, beginning almost immediately with measures to clarify relationships between lobbyists and politicians. The move, banning such inducements as free seats at basketball games and trips on private jets, was the first step in a Democratic plan to pass six new pieces of legislation through the House before Mr Bush makes his State of the Union address on January 23. In the Senate, where the Democratic majority is very thin, Mr Reid said that the focus would remain on Iraq. Mr Reid has not said no to support for more troops, but other senators have said they intend to use their new powers to increase scrutiny of the administration, with hearings scheduled in at least two committees on the progress of the war. In addition to ethics reform, the Democrats have pledged to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade, as well as make federal funds available for stem cell research. But the limit of their new power was underscored when the White House announced that Mr Bush remains opposed to stem cell research. Mr Bush went on to warn of further confrontations. “If the Congress chooses to pass bills that are simply political statements, they will have chosen stalemate,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal this week. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in the Guardian, 5/1/07

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NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

“It is the responsibility of the President to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it

Democrats hail new era for US Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Decide if these statements are True (T) or False (F) according to the text. 1. Nancy Pelosi is the first woman in Congress. ___ 2. There have been Muslims in the US Congress in the past. ____ 3. The Republicans controlled the House and the Senate for the first six years of George Bush’s presidency. ____ 4. The speaker of the house believes that Americans want a foreign policy change in Iraq. ____ 5. The Pentagon has increased the number of soldiers in Iraq by 30,000. ____ 6. The Democrats want to examine political lobbyists. ____ 7. The Senate is not concerned with Iraq. ____ 8. George Bush does not want federal funds to be used in stem cell research. ____

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the words in the article to match the definitions. Use the paragraph numbers in brackets to help you. 1. To say something publicly. _____________ (1) 2. To feel or show great pleasure and excitement. ________ (2) 3. If something happens ________ feelings or events, it happens while people have these feelings or while the events are happening. (5) 4. To not agree to an offer or proposal. ________ (6) 5. The military of a country. ________ (8) 6. Careful examination of someone or something. ________ (11)

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7. To emphasize or show something is important. ________ (12)

Democrats hail new era for US Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Politics Reorder the words to make phrases relating to the world of politics. Check the text for the correct answers. 1. control government of recapture _________________________________________ 2. the power of sidelines on _________________________________________ 3. new opposition and face energised _________________________________________ 4. the direction for new a need _________________________________________ 5. in serve to Congress _________________________________________ 6. region the stability in promote _________________________________________ 7. bill a veto _________________________________________ 8. front trials on the domestic face _________________________________________

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Choose the correct word. 1. to make/do history 2. to take/make office 3. starkly obvious/apparent 4. a private/personal jet 5. to stay/remain opposed

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Democrats hail new era for US / Intermediate

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Do you think the political changes in the US Congress will make a difference to America’s foreign policy?

Democrats hail new era for US Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Politics

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

bipartisanship stalemate sweep pledge legislative redeploy inducement bill

2 What do you know about American politics? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

a b a c b

recapture control of government on the sidelines of power face new and energised opposition the need for a new direction serve in Congress promote stability in the region veto a bill face trials on the domestic front

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

make take apparent private remain

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F F T T F T F T

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word proclaim exult amid reject forces scrutiny underscore

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading 1

Look at the headline of the article: Six thousand women missing from boardrooms, politics and courts. What do you think it means? 1. 6,000 women have been kidnapped from these places. 2. 6,000 women have gone on strike. 3. 6,000 women are needed to work in these institutions.

2

Pre-reading 2

Which do you think has the lowest proportion of women in parliament: Afghanistan, Britain, Iraq, or Rwanda?

3

Key words boardrooms FTSE 100

glass ceiling elected chambers shortlists thrive amalgamated

headhunters sidelined

1. Houses of parliament. ____________ 2. Combined. ____________ 3. Pushed to one side and not given priority. ____________ 4. People paid to find and recruit new staff from other companies. ____________ 5. An invisible barrier that stops women reaching top positions. ____________ 6. Groups of names for final selection. ____________ 7. To survive and do very well. ____________ 8. Places where company directors discuss policy. ____________ 9. The Financial Times list of the top 100 companies in Britain. ____________

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NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the text quickly to see if you were right.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Advanced

7

8

2 Help from nannies has not enabled successful women to maintain their careers after having children, the research suggests. The EOC blames a male-dominated culture in the professions for resistance to flexible working. 3 The upward trend in the proportion of women in top jobs is “painfully slow”, the report says, and in some sectors there is even a decline. The proportion of women in parliament has slipped in the 12 months since the EOC’s last Sex and Power survey and is now at 19.5% – lower than in Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda. 4 Although a woman is chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, and four senior judges are women, the proportion of women directors of top 100 FTSE companies has dipped to 10.4%, and of female judges to 9.8%. 5 Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said: “Today’s troubling findings show just how slow the pace of change has been in powerful British institutions. They suggest it’s time not just to send out the headhunters to find some of those ‘missing women’, but to address the barriers that stand in their way. Thirty years on from the Sex Discrimination Act, women rightly expect to share power. But as our survey shows, that’s not the reality.”

9

10

11

6 “We all pay the price when Britain’s boardrooms and elected chambers are unrepresentative.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Advanced

The commission identified the 33,000 most influential jobs in the private sector, politics, the legal system and the public sector in Britain. To achieve a representative proportion, women, it said, should fill another 6,000. At the current rate of improvement, it would take 20 years to achieve equality in the civil service, 40 years in the judiciary and 60 years among FTSE 100 companies. But it would take 200 years – at least another 40 elections – to achieve an equal number of MPs in parliament. By contrast, in the Scottish assembly, nearly 40% are women and 51.7% in Wales. The EOC said there was an argument for parties to use all-women shortlists, as in Wales. But figures for women from ethnic minorities are worse. There are only two black women MPs, four non-white top 100 FTSE directors and nine top civil servants from ethnic minority backgrounds. “If we want our communities to thrive, this has to change,” concludes the report. It suggests that more successful women are experiencing the same barriers to getting the jobs they want as women in lower paid jobs. As for age, the pay gap between men and women in their 20s is 3.7%, rising to 10.7% for thirtysomethings – from the impact of childbirth on women’s earnings. The same is not true for men who become fathers. Female workers in the UK suffer one of the biggest pay gaps in Europe – 17% for full-time staff and 38% for part-time – because they are more likely to be in low-paid jobs and then slip further down the career ladder after having children, the Women and Work Commission found last year.

O

1 The glass ceiling is still holding back 6,000 women from the top 33,000 jobs in Britain, according to new research from the Equal Opportunities Commission. Thirty years after the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act, women are “woefully under-represented” in the country’s boardrooms, politics and courts.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Polly Curtis Friday January 5, 2007

Our democracy and local communities will be stronger if women from different backgrounds are able to enjoy an equal voice. In business, no one can afford to fish in half the talent pool in today’s intensely competitive world.”

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Six thousand women missing from boardrooms, politics and courts

CA

Level 3

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 3

Advanced

12 “Asking for flexible working still spells career death for too many women in today’s workplace,” said Ms Watson. “As a consequence, women with caring responsibilities all too often have to ‘trade down’ to keep working. Extending the right to ask for flexible working to everyone in the workplace would change that culture and enable more women to reach the top.” 13 This is the last annual report from the EOC. Next year, the EOC is due to be amalgamated with the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission, into a new body called the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. This will be headed by the current chair of

the CRE, and some people fear that in the new organisation, women’s rights could be sidelined. 14 Katherine Rake, another equal rights campaigner, commented: “This research proves beyond a doubt that life at the top is white and male.” 15 And Ms Watson summed up: “We haven’t solved the problem of sex discrimination yet. There is so much more to be done.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/1/07

4 General understanding Some of these sentences are not true, according to the article. Say which ones, and say why. 1. Nannies are not good enough to help women get work. 2. The position of women has got worse in all areas since the last survey. 3. Trying to recruit more women is not enough. 4. Everyone will benefit if women have equal opportunities. 5. There should be 39,000 top jobs, not 33,000. 6. Parliamentary elections happen more or less every 5 years in Britain. 7. The EOC thinks all members of parliament should be women. 8. Women in their thirties get more money than women in their twenties. 9. Women in Britain are paid more for part-time work than if they work full time.

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NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10. Giving men the right to request flexible working would actually help women.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 3

Advanced

5 Language development 1: Lexical sets The writer uses a lot of words with similar meaning, partly to avoid repetition. Put the words below into six groups linked to similar ideas in this text. the research slipped assembly non-white our survey judges dipped parliament courts the private sector politics the report the civil service elected chambers from ethnic minorities the judiciary companies black the legal system the public sector boardrooms

Findings of the study

Fallen, decreased

Government / administration

Racial descriptions

Private industry

The law

6 Language development 2: Compound adjectives Match the beginnings and endings of these compound adjectives from memory. all-

time

non-

represented

full-

white

low-

dominated

under-

women

male-

paid

Now match the compound adjectives with the nouns they described. 1. Women are _______________.

4. Four ______________ top FTSE directors.

2. A ________________ culture.

5. ____________ staff.

3. _______________ shortlists.

6. ____________ jobs.

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NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Advanced

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Now scan the text to see if you were right.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 3

Advanced

7 Vocabulary development 3: Metaphorical language Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, uses quite a lot of metaphors to make her speech more colourful. See if you can remember the missing words in these expressions from her comments.

1. …if women from different backgrounds are able to enjoy an equal ______ . 2. …no-one can afford to ______ in half the talent ______ . 3. …and then slip further down the career __________ . 4. Asking for flexible working still _____ career _______ for too many women. Now match the expressions with the meanings below.

a. …find themselves in even worse jobs b. …means that they may lose their jobs c. …have as many rights and as much power (as men) d. …look for the best staff from only part of the population

8 Discussion 1. Were you surprised by any of the information in the article? 2. How similar is the situation for women in your country? 3. About what proportion of women have top jobs? 4. Is there a big pay gap between women and men? 5. What about women from ethnic minorities?

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6. What do you think should be done to improve the situation?

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Pre-reading 1 4. 6,000 women are needed to make an equal male-female balance.

10. Yes, because if men could request flexible working, too, then women would not risk losing their jobs by doing so.

2 Pre-reading 2

5 Vocabulary development 1: Lexical sets

Britain

Findings of the study (the research, our survey, the report) Fallen, decreased (slipped, dipped) Government, administration (politics, parliament, elected chambers, assembly, the public sector, the civil service) Racial descriptions (non-white, black, from ethnic minorities Private industry (boardrooms, the private sector, companies) The law (courts, judges, the judiciary, the legal system)

3 Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

elected chambers amalgamated sidelined headhunters glass ceiling shortlists thrive boardrooms FTSE 100

6 Vocabulary development 2: Compound adjectives

4 General understanding a. b. c. d. e. f.

all-women non-white full-time low-paid under-represented male-dominated

Now match the compound adjectives with the nouns they described:

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1.e 2.f 3a 4b 5c

CA

1. No. It means that even if they have a nanny, successful women still find it hard to get promotion. 2. No. In some sectors there is a decline. 3. Yes, because they also need to deal with the barriers that prevent women from progressing. 4. Yes. 5. No. Of the 33,000, another 6,000 should be women. 6. Yes, 40 elections in 200 years. 7. No, it means that it would be a good idea if the political parties had some all-female lists of candidates for election. 8. No, the pay gap between women and men gets bigger for 30-year-olds. 9. No, again, the pay gap is even bigger for part-time staff.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 3 Advanced KEY 7 Vocabulary development 3: Metaphorical language 1. 2. 3. 4.

enjoy an equal voice. to fish in half the talent pool. slip further down the career ladder. spells career death.

Now match the expressions with the meanings below:

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1c 2d 3a 4b

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading 1

Look at the headline of the article: Six thousand women missing from boardrooms, politics and courts. What do you think it means? 1. 6,000 women have disappeared? 2. 6,000 women are refusing to go to work in boardrooms, politics and courts? 3. We need 6,000 more women to equal the numbers of men in boardrooms, politics and courts?

2

Pre-reading 2

Which do you think has the lowest number of women in parliament: Afghanistan, Britain, Iraq, or Rwanda?

3



Key words boardrooms glass ceiling representative (adj) civil service

discrimination thrive

attitudes promotion

1. Something you can’t see that stops women getting promotion to the top jobs. ____________ 2. To stay alive and do very well. ____________ 3. Places where company directors meet to discuss and make important decisions. ____________ 4. Opinions and ways of thinking. ____________ 5. Getting a better job. ____________ 6. Behaving unfairly to one person or group because of their sex, race, etc. ____________ 7. Government departments and the people who work there. ____________ 8. With the same balance of men and women as in the country as a whole. ____________

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NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the text quickly to see if you were right.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Elementary

2 Some successful women have a nanny to help with their children, but they still can’t go far in their careers because men control the top professions and they don’t want women to choose their working hours. 3 Very few women are getting top jobs, the report says, and in some areas, numbers are falling. The EOC’s last ‘Sex and Power’ survey showed more women in parliament 12 months ago. Now there are only 19.5% – lower than in Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda. 4 Although a woman is chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, and four senior judges are female, now only 10.4% of the top 100 company directors are female and only 9.8% of all judges are women. 5 Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said that these numbers showed just how slowly things were changing in powerful British institutions. It was time not just to find more women to fill top jobs, but to change the attitudes that stop them. “Thirty years on from the Sex Discrimination Act, women rightly expect to share power. But as our survey shows, that’s not the reality,” she said. 6 She said life was worse for everyone when Britain’s top jobs were all male. If women had an equal voice, our democracy and local communities would be stronger. And in business, we could not afford to look at only half the population to fill

8 At the present rate of improvement, it would take women 20 years to be equal in the civil service, 40 years in the law, and 60 years in the top 100 companies. But it would take 200 years – another 40 elections – to reach an equal number of MPs in parliament. By contrast, in the Scottish assembly, nearly 40% are women and 51.7% in Wales. The EOC recommended the Welsh system, where political parties sometimes only choose from women. 9 But figures for non-white women are worse. There are only two black women MPs, four non-white top company directors and nine non-white top civil servants. “If we want our communities to thrive, this has to change,” says the report. 10 It adds that more successful women find it as hard to get the jobs they want as women in lower paid work. As for age, in their 20s men earn 3.7% more, but they earn 10.7% more in their 30s – because after childbirth, women’s earning power goes down. Men’s doesn’t. 11 The UK pay gap is one of the biggest in Europe – 17% for full-time staff and 38% for part-time – because part-time workers are more often low paid. Then, when they have children, they lose opportunities for promotion and earn even less, the Women and Work Commission found last year. 12 If women ask to choose their working hours, they often lose their jobs, so women with children often have to find less professional jobs to keep working. “Extending the right to ask for flexible working to everyone in the workplace would change that culture and enable more women to reach the top,” said Ms Watson.

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1 The glass ceiling is still stopping 6,000 women from getting any of the top 33,000 jobs in Britain, says new research from the Equal Opportunities Commission. A new law to help women, the Sex Discrimination Act, came in 30 years ago, but there are still not nearly enough women in the country’s boardrooms, politics and courts.

7 The commission identified the 33,000 most powerful jobs in business, politics, the law and government in Britain. It said that women should fill another 6,000 to be really representative.

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Polly Curtis Friday January 5, 2007

the best jobs.

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Level 1

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 1

Elementary

13 This is the last annual report from the EOC. Next year, with the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission, it will be part of a new organisation called the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. As this will be headed by the present chair of the CRE, some people are afraid that they may forget to consider women’s rights.

15 And Ms Watson summed up: “We haven’t solved the problem of sex discrimination yet. There is so much more to be done.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in the Guardian, 5/1/07

14 Katherine Rake, an equal rights campaigner, protested: “This research proves beyond a doubt that life at the top is white and male.”

4 Scanning for information First find these numbers in the text. Then match each one with the information given below. 38%

9.8%

40%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

3.7%

a b c d e f g h i

10.4%

17%

19.5%

10.7%

51.7%

Women in parliament Women running top companies Women judges Women in Scottish assembly Women in Welsh assembly Male/female pay gap in their 20s Male/female pay gap in their 30s UK pay gap full-time UK pay gap part-time

5 General understanding Underline the correct answer in each sentence. 1. (Too many / not enough / quite a lot of) women get top jobs in Britain. 2. (Only four / about one in ten) judges are women. 3. When successful women want promotion, they have (more difficultly than / less difficulty than / as much difficulty as) low-paid women do. 4. 20 year-old men in Britain earn more than (20 year-old women / 30 year-old men) 5. Women in Britain usually earn (less / more / the same) after they have children. 6. Ms Watson thinks that (only women / only men / both men and women) should be able to ask for flexible

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working hours.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 1

Elementary

6 Pronunciation: Word stress Put these 3-syllable words from the text into the correct column according to their stress pattern. flexible professions commission politics

attitudes elections

powerful everyone

parliament

company promotion

successful directors

assembly

7 Language development: Word order Put these words in the correct order to make useful sentences. The first word in each sentence is done for you. 1. There / not / women / still / nearly / are / enough 2. But / can’t / far / go / still / they 3. They / want / to / don’t / women / choose 4. There / two / MPs / black / are / women / only 5. Life / white / is / top / the / at / male / and 6. There / so / be / more / done / to / is / much

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Now read the text quickly to see if you were right.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Pre-reading 1

5 General understanding

3. We need 6,000 more women to equal the number of men in boardrooms, politics and courts.

1. (Too many / not enough / quite a lot of) women get top jobs in Britain. 2. (Only four / about one in ten) judges are women. 3. When successful women want promotion, they have (more difficulty than / less difficulty than / as much difficulty as) low-paid women do. 4. 20 year-old men in Britain earn more than (20 year old women / 30 year-old men). 5. Women in Britain usually earn (less / more / the same) after they have children. 6. Ms Watson thinks that (only women / only men / both men and women) should be able to ask for flexible working hours.

2 Pre-reading 2 Britain

3 Key words 1. glass ceiling 2. thrive 3. boardrooms 4. attitudes 5. promotion 6. discrimination 7. civil service 8. respresentative

6 Pronunciation: word stress

parliament flexible attitudes company powerful politics everyone

4 Scanning for information Women in parliament Women running top companies Women judges

successful commission elections promotion directors

Women in Scottish assembly Women in Welsh assembly Male/female pay gap in their 20s

7 Language development: word order

Male/female pay gap in their 30s UK pay gap part-time

1. There are still not nearly enough women. 2. But they still can’t go far. 3. They don’t want women to choose. 4. There are only two black women MPs. 5. Life at the top is white and male. 6. There is so much more to be done .

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UK pay gap full-time

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a 10.4% b 9.8% c 40% d 51.7% e 3.7% f 10.7% g 17% h 38% i 19.5%

professions

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

assembly

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading 1

Look at the headline of the article: Six thousand women missing from boardrooms, politics and courts. What do you think it means? 1. Someone has kidnapped 6,000 women from these places. 2. 6,000 women are refusing to go to work in these places. 3. There are jobs for 6,000 women in these institutions.

2

Pre-reading 2

Which do you think has the lowest percentage of women in parliament: Afghanistan, Britain, Iraq, or Rwanda?

3



Key words boardrooms glass ceiling flexible working headhunters address the barriers ethnic minorities shortlist thrive

1. People paid to find excellent workers from other companies and employ them. ____________ 2. Something invisible that stops women getting promoted to the top jobs. ____________ 3. The final list of names when you choose someone (for a job, etc.). ____________ 4. To stay alive and do very well. ____________ 5. Places where company directors meet to discuss and make important decisions. ____________ 6. Look at and change the things that are stopping people. ____________ 7. Being able to choose or change the hours you work. ____________ 8. Small groups of people from a different race to most people in the country. ____________

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Now read the text quickly to see if you were right.

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Intermediate

2 Even if they have a nanny, it’s hard for successful women with children to continue their careers, the EOC research suggests, because men dominate the professions and they resist flexible working. 3 Women are moving into top jobs at a “painfully slow” rate, the report says, and in some areas, numbers are falling. The proportion of women in parliament has dropped in the 12 months since the EOC’s last ‘Sex and Power’ survey, and is now only 19.5% – lower than in Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda. 4 Although a woman is chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, and four senior judges are female, the proportion of women directors of top 100 FTSE companies has fallen to 10.4%, and only 9.8% of all judges are women. 5 Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said: “Today’s troubling findings show just how slow the pace of change has been in powerful British institutions. They suggest it’s time not just to send out the headhunters to find some of those ‘missing women’, but to address the barriers that stand in their way. Thirty years on from the Sex Discrimination Act, women rightly expect to share power. But as our survey shows, that’s not the reality.” 6 She said that everyone suffered when Britain’s top jobs were all male. Our democracy and local

7 The commission identified the 33,000 most influential jobs in the private sector, politics, the legal system and the public sector in Britain. To achieve a representative proportion, women, it said, should fill another 6,000. 8 At the current rate of improvement, it would take 20 years to achieve equality in the civil service, 40 years in the judiciary and 60 years among FTSE 100 companies. But it would take 200 years – at least another 40 elections – to achieve an equal number of MPs in parliament. By contrast, in the Scottish assembly, nearly 40% are women and 51.7% in Wales. The EOC said there was an argument for parties to use all-women shortlists, as in Wales. 9 But figures for women from ethnic minorities are worse. There are only two black women MPs, four non-white top 100 FTSE directors and nine top civil servants from ethnic minority backgrounds. “If we want our communities to thrive, this has to change,” concludes the report. 10 It says that more successful women have as much trouble getting the jobs they want as women in lower paid work. As for age, the pay gap between men and women in their 20s is 3.7%, rising to 10.7% in their 30s – because after childbirth, women’s earning power goes down. Men’s doesn’t. 11 The UK pay gap is one of the biggest in Europe – 17% for full-time staff and 38% for part-time – because part-time workers are more often low paid. Then, when they have children, women lose opportunities for promotion and earn even less, the Women and Work Commission found last year. 12 “Asking for flexible working still spells career death for too many women in today’s workplace,”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Intermediate

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1 The glass ceiling is still stopping 6,000 women from getting any of the top 33,000 jobs in Britain, according to new research from the Equal Opportunities Commission. Thirty years after the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act, women are badly “under-represented” in the country’s boardrooms, politics and courts.

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Polly Curtis Friday January 5, 2007

communities would be stronger if women from different backgrounds had an equal voice. And in business, we could not afford to look at only half the population to fill the best jobs.

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Level 2

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 2

Intermediate

said Ms Watson. So women with children often have to find less professional jobs to keep working. “Extending the right to ask for flexible working to everyone in the workplace would change that culture and enable more women to reach the top.” 13 This is the last annual report from the EOC. Next year, with the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission, it will be part of a new body called the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. This will be headed by the present chair of the CRE, and some people are afraid that women’s rights may then

be pushed aside. 14 Katherine Rake, an equal rights campaigner, protested: “This research proves beyond a doubt that life at the top is white and male.” 15 And Ms Watson summed up: “We haven’t solved the problem of sex discrimination yet. There is so much more to be done.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/1/07

4 Scanning for information Scan the text to find the percentages. 1. The percentage of women in parliament: ________ 2. The percentage of women running top companies: _________ 3. The percentage of women judges: _________ 4. The percentage of women in the Scottish assembly: _________ 5. The percentage of women in the Welsh assembly: _________ 6. The pay gap between men and women in their 20s: _________ 7. The pay gap between men and women in their 30s: _________ 8. The pay gap between men and women in full-time work: _________ 9. The pay gap between men and women in part-time work: _________

5 General understanding Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences.

The male/female balance in government The situation for ethnic minority women The difference in pay between men and women

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Intermediate

gets worse if women start to work part-time. is even worse than for whites. have not made much difference. is much better in Scotland and Wales. if women had equal opportunities in all areas.

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Life for everyone would be better

don’t like women to choose their own hours.

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A lot of top male bosses

a b c d e f

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Laws to give women better job opportunities

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1 2 3 4 5 6

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 2

Intermediate

6 Language development: Talking about numbers Now match these percentages with the expressions below. 38%

9.8%

40%

10.4%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

a b c d e f g

17%

19.5%

51.7%

just over half just over a tenth just under a tenth nearly a fifth nearly two fifths exactly two fifths just over a sixth

7 Vocabulary development: Synonyms The writer sometimes uses words with similar meaning to avoid repetition. Match the words on the left with their equivalents on the right.

1. the legal system



a. boardrooms, companies

2. the private sector



b. our survey, the report

3. the public sector



c. protested, summed up, found

4. from ethnic minorities d. the judiciary, courts 5. the research



e. shows, suggests

6. said





f. non-white, black

7. says





g. the civil service, parliament, assembly, politics

8 Discussion 1. What is the situation for women in your country? 2. Do many women have top jobs? 3. Is there a big pay gap between women and men? 4. What about women from ethnic minorities?

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5. What do you think should be done to improve the situation?

Six thousand women missing from top jobs Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Pre-reading 1

5 General understanding

4. 6,000 women are needed to equal the numbers of men in these places.

1. d (1) 2. a (2) 3. f (6) 4. e (8) 5. c (9) 6. b (11)

2 Pre-reading 2 Britain

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

headhunters glass ceiling shortlist thrive boardrooms address the barriers flexible working ethnic minorities

1. 19.5% 2. 0.4% 3. 9.8% 4. 40% 5. 51.7% 6. 3.7% 7. 10.7% 8. 17% 9. 38%

10.4% 9.8% 19.5% 38% 40% 17%

a b c d e f g

just over half just over a tenth just under a tenth nearly a fifth nearly two fifths exactly two fifths just over a sixth

7 Vocabulary development: Synonyms 1. d 2. a 3. g 4. f 5. b 6. c 7. e

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Six thousand women missing from top jobs / Intermediate

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4 Scanning for information

51.7%

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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3 Key words

6 Language development: Talking about numbers

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. swarm quarantine

alien graffiti

scramble scrawl

ecosystem fragile

strive soar

1. If a person or animal is kept in ____________, they might have a disease so they are kept apart from other people or animals so that they do not catch the disease. 2. If something is ____________, it can be broken or damaged easily. 3. ____________ is words or pictures drawn on walls in public places. 4. If something ____________, it rises very quickly to a high level. 5. If you ____________ into or out of something, you have to use your hands and feet to do so. 6. If a species is ____________ to a particular area, it comes from a different country or region. 7. An ____________ consists of all the plants and animals in a particular area, which are dependent



on one another. 8. A ____________ is a very large group of insects flying or moving together. 9. If you ____________ something, you write it carelessly or in a hurry so that it is difficult to read. 10. If you ____________ to do something, you make a lot of effort to achieve it.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these sentences are True or False in your opinion. Then check your answers in the text. 1. The Galápagos Islands belong to Mexico. 2. There are a lot of rats on the Galápagos Islands. 3. The isolation of the Galápagos Islands has helped to preserve their unique wildlife. 4. Environmental campaigners have welcomed the arrival of cruise ships in the Galápagos islands. 5. Visitors need a permit to visit the Galápagos islands.

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6. The number of visitors to the islands is decreasing.

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Advanced

The rat is alleged to have arrived on the MV Discovery, a giant British cruise liner that visited the islands in April. Today, the ship is due to return to the Galápagos, and arriving with it are 460 paying passengers, protests and a campaign to protect the islands from such mass tourism. Voyages of Discovery, the cruise company, promises visitors to the islands: “The enigmas, secrets and charms of this spectacular and rich landscape are, like a dream, an unequalled adventure just waiting to be discovered.” But to environmental campaigners, the ship’s arrival is a nightmare. Conservationists on the Galápagos have also found swarms of foreign insects on the islands since the liner’s last visit and fear its return today could introduce more alien species that might further disrupt the sensitive ecosystems. The Discovery, the first large cruise ship to have visited the islands, is scheduled to return again this April and twice each year thereafter. Permits recently granted by the Ecuadorian government – the islands are owned by the South American country – could see one cruise ship stop there a month. Leonor Stjepic, director of the Galápagos Conservation Trust, warned that such an acceleration in visitor numbers would overwhelm efforts to keep out pests and disease. “The more people that come, the greater the risk of invasive species and the less effective the quarantine © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galápagos / Advanced

“The Galápagos are not suitable for this kind of mass tourism. We’re not being elitist: the islands just don’t have the infrastructure for that number of people. We’re not anti-tourism, but it’s got to be high-value, low-volume tourism.” Before the Discovery’s stopover, almost all visitors to the islands flew direct from the mainland. “This cruise ship has travelled all the way down the coast of South America and could bring all sorts of things with it,” Ms Stjepic said. As well as the rat, and the insects, environmentalists say the Discovery’s previous visit left the islands covered in litter, dropped by wealthy tourists who “have no idea where they are or the impact their visit may have”. Graffiti was scrawled at the visitor centre and one passenger reportedly asked where the local Starbucks was. The study of the impact of the liner’s first visit was carried out by the local Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galápagos National Park Service. As well as the foreign wildlife, it found that sales for local businesses increased by 5%, a third of what was expected. Infrastructure was overwhelmed, they said, and local tour operators, who take visitors around the different islands, were forced to land large boats on fragile shorelines because elderly cruise passengers were unable to scramble in and out of rubber dinghies. However, David Yellow, managing director of Voyages of Discovery, said the campaigners were “speaking from ignorance”. He said the firm operated under strict restrictions and carried out an in-depth environmental impact study before it was granted a licence to operate in the Galápagos. “We are experienced at operating in environmentally sensitive areas and we know

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Not since Hamelin has the discovery of a rat provoked so much alarm. It was only a single creature, but it had no business being on the island of Santa Fe in the isolated Galápagos archipelago, where conservationists now strive to keep foreign wildlife at bay as effectively as hundreds of miles of open ocean did for millions of years.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

David Adam, environment correspondent January 10, 2007

system is going to be. With the best will in the world it’s virtually impossible to search a boat that size thoroughly. Just sheer numbers means it’s much easier for something to slip through. And if we can’t protect the Galápagos then what does it say about the other natural spaces in the world?

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Level 3

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 3

Advanced

what to do. All our people [passengers] are given a lecture before they go ashore and we know they adhere to it.” The Discovery anchored at the island of San Cristóbal during its stay, he said, a good 25 miles from Santa Fe where the rat was found. Mr Yellow said there was no proof that the graffiti and litter were left by Discovery tourists. “Local people create litter. They are not as sensitive to the environment as the people we take there. There are local people who smoke a cigarette and throw it into the street.” Drawn by the unique wildlife and mystique, annual visitors to the archipelago have soared from about 40,000 in the late 1980s to more than 100,000 now. © Guardian News & Media 2007

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First published in The Guardian, 10/1/07

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. How did the citizens of the Galápagos react to the appearance of the rat? a. They were surprised and confused. b. They were angry and disappointed. c. They were frightened and worried. 2. Why are the Galápagos a popular tourist destination? a. Because you can go there by cruise liner. b. Because they have unique wildlife. c. Because they have a fragile ecosystem. 3. What is the possible result of an increase in visitor numbers? a. It will be more difficult to keep out pests and diseases. b. Rats will overwhelm the local infrastructure. c. Cruise ships will be searched thoroughly. 4. What kind of tourist solution does the Galápagos Conservation Trust want? a. Large numbers paying low prices. b. Small numbers paying high prices. c. No tourists at all.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find these words or expressions. 1. A 3-word expression meaning prevent something dangerous or unpleasant from affecting you. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning something that is mysterious and difficult to understand. (para 3) 3. A verb meaning to interrupt something and cause a problem. (para 3) 4. An adverb meaning after a specific time. (para 4) 5. A verb meaning to exist in such great amounts that someone or something cannot deal with them. (para 5) 6. A two-word verb meaning to enter without being noticed or stopped. (para 5) 7. An adjective meaning believing that a small group of people should keep the most power and influence. (para 6)

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8. A two-word verb meaning to obey. (para 9)

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. Check your answers in the text. 1. drop

a. a study

2. grant

b. a lecture

3. provoke

c. a licence/a permit

4. have

d. litter

5. carry out

e. an impact

6. give

f. alarm

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress Put these words from the text into one of the three groups depending on their word stress. enigma overwhelm

campaigner quarantine

A 0 o o

introduce thoroughly

B o0o

sensitive graffiti

thereafter ignorance

C oo0

7 Discussion

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Should tourists be allowed to visit places with sensitive ecosystems?

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Find the word

1. quarantine 2. fragile 3. graffiti 4. soars 5. scramble 6. alien 7. ecosystem 8. swarm 9. scrawl 10. strive

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. d 2. c 3. f 4. e 5. a 6. b

c b a b

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1. 2. 3. 4.

A. sensitive; quarantine; thoroughly; ignorance B. enigma; campaigner; thereafter; graffiti C. introduce; overwhelm

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary: Word stress

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F F T F T F

5 Vocabulary: Verb + noun collocations

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

keep at bay enigma disrupt thereafter overwhelm slip through elitist adhere to

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Match these words from the text with their definitions. wildlife unique

species pest

rat litter

conservationist graffiti

swarm infrastructure

1. For example, pieces of paper that people have dropped on the ground in public places. 2. A large group of flying insects. 3. Animals, birds and plants that live in natural conditions. 4. An insect or small animal that damages plants or food supplies. 5. An animal with a long tail that looks like a large mouse. 6. The services, communications and transport systems of a particular place. 7. A person who works to protect the environment from damage. 8. Not the same as anything or anyone else. 9. A plant or animal group whose members have the same general features. 10. Words or pictures written on walls in public places.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. In what ocean are the Galápagos Islands? 2. Which country owns the Galápagos Islands? 3. How far are the islands from the coast of Ecuador? 4. How many passengers will arrive on the MV Discovery? 5. How many tourists visited each year in the late 1980s?

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6. How many tourists visit each year now?

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Elementary

No-one knows how the rat arrived on Santa Fe but many people believe it arrived on the MV Discovery, a giant British cruise liner that visited the islands in April. The ship is returning to the Galápagos today. There are 460 paying passengers on the ship. Many people on the islands are not happy that the ship is visiting the islands and want to stop large numbers of tourists visiting the Galápagos. The company that owns the ship, Voyages of Discovery, promises visitors to the islands that they will see a beautiful and rich landscape and that their visit will be an adventure. But the ship’s arrival is bad news for the conservationists. Now they say they have also found swarms of foreign insects on the islands since the ship’s last visit. They are worried that when the ship returns it could bring more foreign species that might damage nature on the islands even more. The Discovery was the first cruise ship to visit the islands. It is scheduled to return again in April and then twice a year after that. The islands belong to Ecuador and the Ecuadorian government has given special licences that could mean that one cruise ship will stop there every month. Leonor Stjepic, director of the Galápagos Conservation Trust, has said that a large © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galápagos / Elementary

“The Galápagos are not suitable for this kind of mass tourism. The islands simply do not have the infrastructure for that number of people. We’re not against tourism, but it’s got to be expensive tourism for small numbers of people.” Before the visit of the Discovery, almost all visitors to the islands flew direct from Ecuador. “This cruise ship has travelled all the way down the coast of South America and could have all kinds of things with it,” Ms Stjepic said. As well as the rat, and the insects, the Discovery’s last visit also left a lot of litter on the islands. The rich tourists who dropped the litter “have no idea where they are or the effect their visit could have”. Someone even wrote graffiti at the visitor centre and one passenger asked where the local Starbucks was. The Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galápagos National Park Service studied the effect of the Discovery’s first visit. As well as the foreign wildlife, they found that sales for local businesses increased by only 5%. There were too many visitors for the local infrastructure, they said, and the large boats that took the cruise passengers around the islands damaged some of the beaches. But the managing director of Voyages of Discovery, David Yellow, said the conservationists were wrong. He said his company operated under strict rules and had studied the effect on the environment before it received its licence to operate in the Galápagos. “We know what to do in environmentally sensitive areas. We give our passengers special instructions before they go ashore and they follow those instructions.” The Discovery

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About 1,000 km west of the coast of Ecuador in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is a group of islands called the Galápagos Islands. Because the Galápagos Islands are so far away from the rest of South America, the wildlife there is unique and plants and animals found in other parts of the world do not exist on the islands. There are no rats, for example. But now a rat has been found on the island of Santa Fe and the conservationists who are working to stop foreign wildlife reaching the islands are very worried.

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David Adam, environment correspondent January 10, 2007

increase in visitor numbers will make it very difficult for conservationists to keep out pests and diseases. “If more people come, the risk of foreign species coming with them will increase. It is almost impossible to search such a large ship properly. These large numbers mean it’s much easier for foreign species to get past our controls. And if we can’t protect the Galápagos, how can we protect the other natural areas of the world?

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A rat, insects and litter: delights of mass tourism reach Galápagos

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Level 1

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 1

Elementary

anchored at the island of San Cristóbal, he said. The rat was found on Santa Fe, 25 miles from San Cristóbal. Mr Yellow said there was no proof that Discovery tourists wrote the graffiti or left the litter. “Local people also make litter. There are local people who smoke a cigarette and throw it into the street.” The number of visitors to the islands each year has increased from about 40,000 in the late 1980s to more than 100,000 now. © Guardian News & Media 2007

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First published in The Guardian, 10/1/07

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Tourists visit the Galápagos Islands____ 2. Conservationists are worried____ 3. The Galápagos Islands have unique plants and animals____ 4. The director of the Galápagos Conservation Trust____ 5. The managing director of Voyages of Discovery____ 6. Some people believe____ 7. Sales for local businesses____ 8. The number of tourists____

a. ____believes the risk of foreign species will increase if more tourists come. b. ____because they are so far away from the rest of South America. c. ____has increased a lot. d. ____because of their unique wildlife. e. ____the rat arrived on the cruise ship. f. ____because they believe the ship will bring foreign species to the islands. g. ____believes the conservationists are wrong. h. ____have only increased a little.

4 Vocabulary 1: Ships and sailing Fill the gaps using these words from the text. ashore

liner

anchor

voyage

cruise

1. To stop a ship moving, you drop its ____________ into the water. 2. A ____________ is a large passenger ship for long-distance travel. 3. A ____________ is a long journey by ship. 4. A ____________ is a journey on a ship for pleasure, stopping at several places.

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5. When you leave the ship you go ____________.

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

Verb

Noun

1. arrive 2. discover 3. damage 4. instruct 5. operate 6. increase 7. protect 8. prove

6 Word game Rearrange these letters to spell words from the text.

–s–e–p–e–n–a–s–r

2. t

–v–i–r–i–s–o

3. r

–u–t–t–i–s–o

4. t

–o–i–d–r–e–c–r –e–t–n–e–i–m–v–o–r–n

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1. g

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Ships and sailing

1. litter 2. swarm 3. wildlife 4. pest 5. rat 6. infrastructure 7. conservationist 8. unique 9. species 10. graffiti

1. anchor 2. liner 3. voyage 4. cruise 5. ashore

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

d f b a g e h c

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galápagos / Elementary

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

passenger visitor tourist director environment

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3 Comprehension check

6 Word game

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Pacific Ecuador about 1,000 km 460 40,000 100,000

arrival discovery damage instruction operation increase protection proof

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary: Word building

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. alarm ecosystem

conservationist cruise

enigma pest

campaigner mainland

swarm graffiti

1. A ____________ is a journey on a ship for pleasure, usually involving visiting several places. 2. A ____________ is someone who works to prevent damage to the environment. 3. A ____________ is someone who is involved in a series of actions for a political or social cause. 4. An ____________ is all the plants and animals in a particular area that depend on one another. 5. Words or pictures drawn on walls in public places are called ____________. 6. If there is ____________ about something, there is a lot of fear or worry that something unpleasant or negative will happen. 7. A ____________ is a very large group of flying insects. 8. The ____________ is the large mass of land that forms the main part of a country and does not include



any islands. 9. An ____________ is something that is mysterious and difficult to understand. 10. A ____________ is an insect or small animal that damages plants or supplies of food.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. Which country do the Galápagos Islands belong to? 2. How many people visit the islands each year? 3. What was the increase in sales for local businesses when the cruise ship first visited the islands? 4. How far are the Galápagos from the mainland? 5. How far is San Cristóbal from Santa Fe?

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6. How many passengers will arrive on the next cruise ship?

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Intermediate

It is alleged that the rat arrived on the MV Discovery, a giant British cruise liner that visited the islands in April. Today, the ship is due to return to the Galápagos. There are 460 paying passengers on the ship. It will be met with protests and a campaign to protect the islands from such mass tourism. Voyages of Discovery, the company that owns the ship, promises visitors to the islands: “The enigmas, secrets and charms of this spectacular and rich landscape are, like a dream, an adventure just waiting to be discovered.” But the ship’s arrival is a nightmare for environmental campaigners. Conservationists on the Galápagos have also found swarms of foreign insects on the islands since the ship’s last visit and are worried that when it returns it could introduce more foreign species that might do further damage to the sensitive ecosystems. The Discovery, the first large cruise ship to have visited the islands, is scheduled to return again in April and then twice a year after that. The islands belong to Ecuador and the Ecuadorian government has granted permits that could mean that one cruise ship stops there every month. Leonor Stjepic, director of the Galápagos Conservation Trust, warned that such an increase in visitor numbers would make it very difficult for conservationists to keep out pests and disease. “The more people that come, the © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galápagos / Intermediate

“The Galápagos are not suitable for this kind of mass tourism. We’re not being elitist: the islands simply do not have the infrastructure for that number of people. We’re not anti-tourism, but it’s got to be high-value, low-volume tourism.” Before the visit of the Discovery, almost all visitors to the islands flew direct from the mainland. “This cruise ship has travelled all the way down the coast of South America and could bring all sorts of things with it,” Ms Stjepic said. As well as the rat, and the insects, environmentalists say the Discovery’s last visit left the islands covered in litter, dropped by wealthy tourists who “have no idea where they are or the impact their visit may have”. Someone even wrote graffiti at the visitor centre and one passenger reportedly asked where the local Starbucks was. The study of the impact of the liner’s first visit was carried out by the local Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galápagos National Park Service. As well as the foreign wildlife, it found that sales for local businesses increased by 5%, a third of what was expected. There were too many visitors for the local infrastructure, they said, and local tour operators, who take visitors around the different islands, had to land large boats on fragile beaches because elderly cruise passengers were unable to get in and out of rubber dinghies. However, David Yellow, managing director of Voyages of Discovery, said the campaigners were “speaking from ignorance”. He said the firm operated under strict restrictions and carried out a detailed environmental impact study before it received its licence to operate in the Galápagos. “We are experienced at operating in environmentally sensitive areas and we know what to do. All our people [passengers] are

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The Galápagos Islands lie in the Pacific Ocean almost 1,000 km west of the coast of Ecuador. As a result of their geographical isolation, the islands have unique forms of wildlife and do not have wildlife found in other parts of the world. Rats, for example. Now a rat has been found on the island of Santa Fe, causing concern and alarm among the conservationists who are trying to prevent foreign wildlife reaching the islands.

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David Adam, environment correspondent January 10, 2007

greater the risk of foreign species. It is almost impossible to search a boat that size thoroughly. These large numbers mean it’s much easier for something to slip through our controls. And if we can’t protect the Galápagos then what does it say about the other natural spaces in the world?

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A rat, insects and litter: delights of mass tourism reach Galápagos

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Level 2

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 2

Intermediate

given a lecture before they go ashore and we know they obey the instructions.” The Discovery anchored at the island of San Cristóbal during its stay, he said, at least 25 miles from Santa Fe where the rat was found. Mr Yellow said there was no proof that the graffiti and litter were left by Discovery tourists. “Local people also make litter. They are not as sensitive to the environment as the people we take there. There are local people who smoke a cigarette and throw it into the street.” Attracted by the unique wildlife and mystique, the number of visitors to the islands each year has increased from about 40,000 in the late 1980s to more than 100,000 now. © Guardian News & Media 2007

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First published in The Guardian, 10/1/07

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True or False according to the text? 1. Conservationists believe that the rat arrived on the cruise ship. 2. Cruise ship tourists have brought an economic boom to the islands. 3. Conservationists are worried that the cruise ships will bring more foreign species to the islands. 4. The Discovery will visit the islands once a month. 5. All the visitors are well informed about the islands. 6. The Galápagos are suitable for mass tourism. 7. Ships need permits to visit the islands. 8. All visitors to the islands fly direct from the mainland.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words or phrases. 1. A verb meaning to say that something is true even though it has not been proved. (para 2) 2. An adjective meaning extremely impressive. (para 3) 3. An adverb meaning very carefully so that nothing is missed. (para 5) 4. A two-word verb meaning to pass without being noticed. (para 5) 5. An adjective meaning believing that a small group of people should keep the most power and influence. (para 6) 6. An adjective meaning rich. (para 7) 7. An adjective meaning easily damaged or broken. (para 8) 8. A noun meaning an attractive quality that something has because it seems mysterious in an exciting

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way. (para 10)

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. 1. cause

a. litter

2. do

b. a lecture

3. grant

c. a study

4. drop

d. concern

5. have

e. graffiti

6. write

f. damage

7. carry out

g. a permit

8. give

h. an impact

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions Which prepositions follow these words and expressions? Check your answers in the text. 1. as a result _______ 2. due _______ 3. protect _______ 4. damage _______ 5. belong _______ 6. suitable _______ 7. covered _______ 8. sensitive _______

7 Discussion

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What problems can mass tourism cause? Should tourism be restricted to protect the environment?

Mass tourism reaches Galápagos Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Find the word

1. cruise 2. conservationist 3. campaigner 4. eco-system 5. graffiti 6. alarm 7. swarm 8. mainland 9. enigma 10. pest

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

d f g a h e c b

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary: Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

NEWS LESSONS / Mass tourism reaches Galápagos / Intermediate

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of to from to to for in to

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T F T F F F T F

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Ecuador 100,000 5% almost 1,000 km 25 miles 460

5 Vocabulary: Verb + noun collocations

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

allege spectacular thoroughly slip through elitist wealthy fragile mystique

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Match these words from the text with their definitions.



diminish achieve pervade

revolutionise screen transmit

1. to completely change the way things are done or thought about 2. to spread through the whole of something 3. to spread a disease from one person to another 4. to test someone if they have a particular illness 5. to become less, or to make something become less 6. to succeed in doing or having what you planned

2

Find the information

Skim the text to find the answers to the questions. 1. Who has identified the fifteen milestones of modern medicine? 2. Which came first, anaesthesia or chlorpromazine? 3. What caused 30% of deaths at the end of the 1800s? 4. What is the English name for the milestone in woman’s contraception?

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5. What disease did the first vaccine treat?

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Advanced

1. Anaesthesia Revolutionised surgery. By the end of the 19th century, anaesthesia had become a symbol for the wider humanitarian movement. It remains the most vivid example of medicine’s capacity to diminish human suffering. 2. Antibiotics The first ‘wonder drugs’. Alexander Fleming reported on penicillin’s potential to kill bacteria in 1929. Cheap mass production was achieved in the US during the second world war, allowing soldiers to be protected from wound infections but also sexually transmitted diseases. Antibiotics transformed healthcare. 3. Chlorpromazine Breakthrough drug for schizophrenia, which helped close the asylums. Pierre Deniker, who ran the first trial on psychotic patients, published in 1952, wrote that ‘aggressiveness and delusive conditions of schizophrenia improved’, and contact with patients was re-established. 4. Computers Computers have allowed decoding of the genome and permitted doctors to see the body and its functions in three dimensions.

6. Evidence-based medicine The term was coined in 1991 as result of the recognition that pulling together all the information on a topic leads to more valid results than a single study and that bias - deliberate or not - pervades many clinical trials. 7. Germ theory Realisation that germs carried on the hands of doctors could transmit lethal infections to women in labour by Ignaz Semmelweis in Vienna in 1847 became the accepted germ theory of disease. At the end of the 19th century, infection caused 30% of deaths. By the end of the 20th century it caused less than 4%. 8. Imaging Identifying that the passage of electricity though rarefied gases produced X-rays won Wilhelm Roentgen the first Nobel prize for physics in 1901. X-rays proved invaluable for diagnosis and soon became therapeutic tools as well, in cancer and palliative medicine. 9. Magic bullets The discovery of monoclonal antibodies which the immune system will not reject has led to dramatic new treatments for disease. Over a million people have been treated

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine / Advanced

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Fifteen of the most important milestones on the road to modern medicine are identified today by the British Medical Journal. They range from vaccines to computers to the pill - and the journal is calling for readers to vote on which was the most significant. The 15 have been shortlisted from more than 100 nominated discoveries since the BMJ was launched in 1840.

5. DNA The nature of the infectious agent causing Sars was published within weeks, thanks to DNA testing. Newborn babies are now screened for genetic diseases and all patients for surgery have their blood group analysed, after the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in the 1950s. It has also made possible genetically targeted drugs.

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Sarah Boseley, health editor January 5, 2007

Computers could help us transcend boundaries to achieve good health, whoever or wherever we are.

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Level 3

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 3

Advanced

for rheumatoid arthritis, with a spectacular reduction of symptoms. They have helped reduce organ transplant rejection and these ‘magic bullets’ target radioactive treatment for cancer precisely to the tumour. 10. Oral rehydration Children in poor countries are faced with episodes of diarrhoea about three times a year. Simple, cheap and easily prepared oral rehydration therapy, which combines salt and sugar with clean water, saves millions of lives. 11. The pill The oral contraceptive brought about a social as well as a medical revolution and had huge benefits for women. It was the first potent drug to be taken by millions of healthy people and the active ingredient is virtually unchanged. 12. Risks of smoking Two landmark studies in the 1950s led to a growing body of evidence about the harmful effects of tobacco, and a gradual decline in the numbers of people smoking and dying of tobacco-related disease.

13. Sanitation First came the industrial revolution, then urbanisation, and by the 1800s infectious diseases were rampant. Cholera outbreaks turned attention to urban water systems and modern sanitation was born. By the beginning of the 20th century death rates fell. 14. Vaccines Louis Pasteur’s unveiling of the rabies vaccine in 1885 paved the way for every other vaccine. The discovery has saved millions of lives. 15. Tissue culture The invention of laboratory-reared tissue cultures has played a role in 18 out of the last 52 Nobel prizes for medicine. Tissue culture provided a medium on which to grow viruses for experimentation, test drugs, and grow skin culture. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 05/1/07

3 Comprehension check Read again and match the words with the sentences. There are two words you do not need.



evidence-based medicine sanitation computers anaesthesia oral rehydration vaccine imaging

antibiotics magic bullets

tissue culture chlorpromazine the pill

1. It is one of the most important examples of how medicine reduces human suffering. 2. It was used by the American military to protect soldiers. 3. It meant that schizophrenic people were no longer locked away.

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4. It helped map the human genome.

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 3

Advanced

5. It proved that many clinical trials are biased and more investigation was needed. 6. It was the key behind developing x-ray machines. 7. It is used to treat cancer patients better. 8. It was invented by Louis Pasteur. 9. It allows doctors to grow viruses to study them further. 10. It was created because people in big cities were dying from unhealthy drinking water.

4 Grammar: -of phrases Of is often used to link two noun phrases. Complete the sentences with of + one of the phrases below.

many illnesses

people

the 19th century

the most important discoveries

disease

diarrhoea

deaths

smoking

1. The article is about fifteen ... in medicine. 2. Anaesthesia was invented at the end … 3. The nature … was unknown before computers. 4. Semmelweis discovered the germ theory … 5. Sanitation reduced the number … from cholera. 6. Children in poor countries are often victims of episodes … 7. Vaccines have saved millions … 8. The risks … became known in the 1950s.

5 Vocabulary: Find the word Find words with the following meanings. 1. An adjective meaning that something is shown very clearly to be true. (Milestone1) 2. A verb meaning to go beyond the limits. (Milestone 4) 3. A verb meaning to use a phrase or word for the first time. (Milestone 6)

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4. An adjective meaning very dangerous and able to kill you. (Milestone 7)

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 3

Advanced

6 Vocabulary: Collocations (medicine) Choose the best word.

1. to treat/ to serve an illness 2. sexually transmitted/transposed diseases 3. to make/to run medical trials 4. clinical trials/tests 5. to send/ to transmit infections 6. a potent/strong drug

7 Discussion

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Which of the milestones do you think are the most important? How has medicine changed in your lifetime?

Milestones that show the way to modern medicine Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

4 Grammar: -of phrases

1. revolutionise 2. pervade 3. transmit 4. screen 5. diminish 6. achieve

1. The article is about fifteen of the most important discoveries in medicine. 2. Anaesthesia was invented at the end of the 19th century. 3. The nature of many illnesses was unknown before computers. 4. Semmelweis discovered the germ theory of disease. 5. Sanitation reduced the number of deaths from cholera. 6. Children in poor countries are often victims of episodes of diarrhoea. 7. Vaccines have saved millions of people. 8. The risks of smoking became known in the 1950s.

2 Find the information 1. The British Medical Journal 2. anaesthesia 3. infections 4. the pill 5. rabies

3 Comprehension check 1. anaesthesia 2. antibiotics 3. chlorpromazine 4. computers 5. evidence-based medicine 6. imaging 7. magic bullets 8. vaccine 9. tissue culture 10. sanitation

5 Vocabulary: Find the word 1. vivid 2. transcend 3. coined 4. lethal 5. dramatic / spectacular 6. decline 7. rampant 8. unveil

6 Vocabulary: Collocations (medicine)

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. to treat an illness 2. sexually transmitted disease 3. to run medical trials 4. clinical trials 5. to transmit infections 6. potent drug

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Match these words from the text with their definitions. asylum (n) bias (n) contraceptive (n) culture (n) germ (n) milestone (n) therapy (n) valid (adj) wonder (adj)

1. an important event or process 2. extremely good 3. an old mental hospital 4. a method of preventing pregnancy 5. bacteria grown in experiment 6. bacteria that spreads disease 7. emphasis on one thing more than another 8. a form of treatment for an illness 9. legally or officially acceptable

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers as quickly as possible. 1. How many medical milestones have been chosen by the British Medical Journal? 2. When did doctors first identify the potential of antibiotics? 3. What medical milestone allows doctors to see the human body in three dimensions? 4. Who discovered the structure of DNA? 5. Who won the first Nobel prize for physics?

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6. What is another word for the process of creating clean and healthy drinking water?

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Elementary

1. Anaesthesia Revolutionised surgery. By the end of the 19th century, anaesthesia had become a symbol for the humanitarian movement. 2. Antibiotics The first ‘wonder drugs’. Alexander Fleming reported on penicillin’s potential to kill bacteria in 1929. During the second world war, cheap mass production in the US allowed soldiers to be protected from wound infections but also sexually transmitted diseases. Antibiotics changed healthcare. 3. Chlorpromazine Breakthrough drug for schizophrenia, which helped close the asylums. Pierre Deniker, who ran the first trial on psychotic patients, published in 1952, wrote that conditions improved and contact with patients was reestablished. 4. Computers Computers have allowed decoding of the genome and permitted doctors to see the body and its functions in three dimensions. Computers could help us achieve good health, whoever or wherever we are. 5. DNA Newborn babies are now tested for genetic diseases and all patients for surgery have

7. Germ theory In Vienna in 1847 Ignaz Semmelweis realised that germs on the hands of doctors could transmit lethal infections to women while they were giving birth. This led to the accepted germ theory of disease. At the end of the 19th century, infection caused 30% of deaths. By the end of the 20th century it caused less than 4%. 8. Imaging Wilhelm Roentgen won the first Nobel prize for physics in 1901 for discovering X-rays. X-rays became very important for diagnosis and soon became therapeutic tools as well. 9. Magic bullets Magic bullets are antibodies which the immune system will not reject. Their discovery has led to dramatic new treatments for disease. They have helped reduce organ transplant rejection and rheumatoid arthritis. These “magic bullets” can also treat cancer. 10. Oral rehydration Children in poor countries have episodes of diarrhoea about three times a year. Simple, cheap and easily prepared oral rehydration therapy, which combines salt and sugar with clean water, saves millions of lives. 11. The pill The oral contraceptive brought about a social as well as a medical revolution. It had huge benefits for women. It was the first

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine / Elementary

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Fifteen of the most important milestones in modern medicine have been identified today by the British Medical Journal. They range from vaccines to computers to the pill - and the journal is calling for readers to vote on which was the most significant. The 15 have been chosen from more than 100 nominated discoveries since the BMJ began in 1840.

6. Evidence-based medicine Evidence-based medicine was described in 1991. It recognises that pulling together all the information on a topic leads to more valid results than a single study and that bias exists in many clinical trials.

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Sarah Boseley, health editor January 5, 2007

their blood group analysed, after the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in the 1950s.

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Level 1

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Elementary

potent drug to be taken by millions of healthy people and the active ingredient is still the same. 12. Risks of smoking Two important studies in the 1950s led to evidence about the harmful effects of tobacco. Since then there has been a gradual decline in the numbers of people smoking and dying of tobacco-related disease. 13. Sanitation First came the industrial revolution, then urbanisation. By the 1800s infectious diseases were everywhere. Cholera outbreaks turned attention to urban water systems and modern sanitation was born.

By the beginning of the 20th century death rates fell. 14. Vaccines Louis Pasteur’s invention of the rabies vaccine in 1885 paved the way for every other vaccine. The discovery has saved millions of lives. 15. Tissue culture The invention of laboratory-reared tissue cultures has played a role in 18 out of the last 52 Nobel prizes for medicine. Using tissue culture doctors can grow viruses for experimentation and test drugs. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 05/1/07

3 Comprehension check Answer the questions true or false.

1. Anaesthesia was the first wonder drug. 2. Newborn babies are tested for DNA. 3. Clinical trials contain bias. 4. Infection caused more deaths in the 19th century than the 20th century. 5. X-rays are used for diagnosis and treatment. 6. Oral rehydration therapy is expensive for developing countries. 7. The ingredients for the pill have changed many times. 8. Deaths from tobacco have gone down since the 1950s. 9. Sanitation killed many people in the 19th century.

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10. Louis Pasteur invented every vaccine.

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary: Puzzle a) Organise the letters to make words from the text connected to medicine.

1. lochrae

_______

2. siseead

_______

3. tocrod

______

4. gruds

_____

5. tipanet

_______

6. greyrus

_______

7. cinevac

_______

b) Match the words from a) to their definitions below.

1. An illness that affects people _________ 2. Two things that can help people who are ill: _________ _________ 3. A person who visits a doctor because he/she is sick _________ 4. A person who works in a hospital and cures people _________ 5. A medical treatment in which a doctor cuts open someone’s body _________ 6. A common illness in the 19th century _________

5 Pronunciation: Word stress Complete the chart with the words below. invention sanitation

oOo

Ooo

rehydration

infection

therapy

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ooOo

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information surgery

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condition genetic medical revolution

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

3 Comprehension check 1. F 2.F 3. T 4. T 5. T 6. F 7. F 8. T 9. F 10. F

b) 1. disease 2. drugs, vaccine 3. patient 4. doctor 5. surgery 6. cholera

5 Vocabulary: Word stress ooOo

oOo

Ooo

rehydration

infection

therapy

information

condition

medical

revolution

genetic

surgery

sanitation

invention

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1. 15 2. 1929 3. computers 4. Watson and Crick 5. Wilhelm Roentgen 6. sanitation

a) 1. cholera 2. disease 3. doctor 4. drugs 5. patient 6. surgery 7. vaccine

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4 Vocabulary: Puzzle

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1. milestone (n) 2. wonder (adj) 3. asylum (n) 4. contraceptive (n) 5. culture (n) 6. germ (n) 7. bias (n) 8. therapy (n) 9. valid (adj)

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine News lesson extra 1

Revision of the text

Level: Any Time: 15 minutes

Tell students you are going to give them a quick test to see how much they remember from the news article they read in the previous class. There are two ways of doing this. 1) Read the comprehension check questions aloud and ask the students to write down the answers on a piece of paper. 2) Make some new questions relating to the text. One easy way of making new questions on the Milestones text would be to make a quick True/False exercise, one question per milestone. For example:

Anaesthesia became a symbol of the humanitarian movement – true or false? (true) Antibiotics were first used widely by the United States in the First World War – true or false? (false)

Once students have finished, ask them to check their answers in the text. This is also good for any student who ‘missed’ the first class with the reading.

2

Revision of the vocabulary

Level: Any Time: 10 minutes Take one of the vocabulary exercises from the original Milestones worksheet and repeat it as an oral exercise. Tell the students to turn over their worksheet. Start calling out the questions or cues. The

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students must call out answers. Use this time to monitor pronunciation of the new words or phrases.

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine News lesson extra 3 Discussion on medicine Level: Pre-intermediate and above Time: 20 minutes

Make a copy of the ‘Discussion questions’ for every three to four students. Cut them out. Put the students into groups of three or four and give each group a pile of questions. They should put them face down. One student picks up a question and asks it to the person on their left, who answers. Students take turns asking and answering the questions until they have all finished. Circulate and help with any difficult language or persistent mistakes.

Note: Do not include questions you think will be unsuitable for your class. You can always give the students the chance to ‘refuse’ a question (if they think it’s too personal, for example) by asking for another one. The discussion questions provided are a real mix.

4 The modern medicine gallery role play Level: Elementary and above Time: 20 minutes

Cut out The gallery of modern medicine cards and put them on the walls around the classroom. Divide the students into pairs, A and B. Explain to them the following situation:

Student A. You are an expert in medicine. You are going to explain to your partner the significance of an important aspect of modern medicine. You can refer to the text if you like, but you must not read the text. Walk around the room with your partner and when you come to one aspect of medicine you feel comfortable with, explain it.

Student B. Student A is taking you on a tour of different important aspects of modern medicine. Listen to what he/she tells you and ask a question or two to follow up.

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Students then circulate around the class, explaining the different medical milestones. After a little while, they should swap roles.

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine News lesson extra 5 Ranking activity and online activity Level: Any Time: 25 minutes (40 minutes with computer room)

Give sets of The gallery of modern medicine cards to groups of two or three students. Ask them to put them in order from most to least important. Depending on the level, you may need to give them some useful language to help them do this in English.

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When they have finished, they can check the results of the British Medical Journal survey at www.bmj.com (tell them to search the site for the key words medical milestones, or browse the headlines section of the site).

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine News lesson extra Discussion questions How has medicine changed in your lifetime? Can you think of two things to tell the group? ----- " ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Do you think that doctors will one day find a cure for cancer?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" When was the last time you were in a hospital? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" Do you know someone who works in medicine? What does he/she do? Does he/she like it? ------- " ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the health care system like in your country?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" If modern medicine could prolong people’s lifetime to 120 years, would that be a good thing? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" How many times a year do you visit the doctor? ------- " ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When was the last time you were ill? What was the matter?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" What do you think of ‘lifestyle’ drugs: drugs like Viagra? Do you think they should be available to everyone?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" Are you healthy? ------- " ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the best advice for someone with a common cold?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" What is your opinion of cosmetic surgery? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" Have you ever practised alternative medicine (shiatsu, acupuncture, reiki…)? What do you think of it? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------" What is the best way of staying healthy? ------- " -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Do you have a family doctor? What is he/she like?

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine News lesson extra The gallery of modern medicine - cards

Anaesthesia

Antibiotics

Chlorpromazine

Computers

DNA

Evidence-based medicine

Magic bullets

Imaging

Germ theory

Tissue culture

Risks of smoking

Sanitation

Vaccines

The pill

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Oral rehydration

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Match these words from the text with their definitions. asylum germ

breakthrough in labour

contraceptive milestone

culture therapy

1. an important event or process 2. a discovery after a lot of hard work 3. an old mental hospital 4. a method of preventing pregnancy 5. bacteria grown in experiment 6. bacteria that spreads disease 7. when a woman is having a baby 8. a form of treatment for an illness

2

Find the information

Skim the text and find the significance of the following numbers and names. 1. 15 2. Alexander Fleming 3. Pierre Deniker 4. Watson and Crick 5. 1847 6. Wilhelm Roentgen 7. salt, sugar and clean water

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8. Louis Pasteur

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Intermediate

1. Anaesthesia Revolutionised surgery. By the end of the 19th century, anaesthesia had become a symbol for the humanitarian movement. It is still the most vivid example of medicine’s capacity to diminish human suffering. 2. Antibiotics The first ‘wonder drugs’. Alexander Fleming reported on penicillin’s potential to kill bacteria in 1929. Cheap mass production was achieved in the US during the second world war, allowing soldiers to be protected from wound infections but also sexually transmitted diseases. Antibiotics transformed healthcare. 3. Chlorpromazine Breakthrough drug for schizophrenia, which helped close the asylums. Pierre Deniker, who ran the first trial on psychotic patients, published in 1952, wrote that ‘aggressiveness and delusive conditions of schizophrenia improved’, and contact with patients was re-established. 4. Computers Computers have allowed decoding of the genome and permitted doctors to see the body and its functions in three dimensions. Computers could help us achieve good

6. Evidence-based medicine Evidence-based medicine was first described in 1991 as a result of the recognition that pulling together all the information on a topic leads to more valid results than a single study and that bias pervades many clinical trials. 7. Germ theory In Vienna in 1847 Ignaz Semmelweis realised that germs carried on the hands of doctors could transmit lethal infections to women in labour. This led to the accepted germ theory of disease. At the end of the 19th century, infection caused 30% of deaths. By the end of the 20th century it caused less than 4%. 8. Imaging Wilhelm Roentgen won the first Nobel prize for physics in 1901 for identifying that the passage of electricity though rarefied gases produced X-rays. X-rays proved invaluable for diagnosis and soon became therapeutic tools as well, in cancer and palliative medicine. 9. Magic bullets Magic bullets are monoclonal antibodies which the immune system will not reject. Their discovery has led to dramatic new treatments for disease. Over a million people have been treated for rheumatoid arthritis, with a spectacular reduction of symptoms. They have helped reduce organ transplant

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Fifteen of the most important milestones on the road to modern medicine are identified today by the British Medical Journal. They range from vaccines to computers to the pill - and the journal is calling for readers to vote on which was the most significant. The 15 have been shortlisted from more than 100 nominated discoveries since the BMJ was launched in 1840.

5. DNA The nature of the infectious agent causing Sars was published within weeks, thanks to DNA testing. Newborn babies are now tested for genetic diseases and all patients for surgery have their blood group analysed, after the discovery of the structure of DNA by Watson and Crick in the 1950s. It has also made possible genetically targeted drugs.

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Sarah Boseley, health editor January 5, 2007

health, whoever or wherever we are.

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Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine

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Level 2

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 2

Intermediate

rejection. These “magic bullets” can also target radioactive treatment for cancer precisely to the tumour. 10. Oral rehydration Children in poor countries are faced with episodes of diarrhoea about three times a year. Simple, cheap and easily prepared oral rehydration therapy, which combines salt and sugar with clean water, saves millions of lives. 11. The pill The oral contraceptive brought about a social as well as a medical revolution and had huge benefits for women. It was the first potent drug to be taken by millions of healthy people and the active ingredient is still the same. 12. Risks of smoking Two important studies in the 1950s led to a growing body of evidence about the harmful effects of tobacco. Since then there has been a gradual decline in the numbers of people smoking and dying of tobacco-related disease.

13. Sanitation First came the industrial revolution, then urbanisation, and by the 1800s infectious diseases were rampant. Cholera outbreaks turned attention to urban water systems and modern sanitation was born. By the beginning of the 20th century death rates fell. 14. Vaccines Louis Pasteur’s unveiling of the rabies vaccine in 1885 paved the way for every other vaccine. The discovery has saved millions of lives. 15. Tissue culture The invention of laboratory-reared tissue cultures has played a role in 18 out of the last 52 Nobel prizes for medicine. Using tissue culture doctors can grow viruses for experimentation and test drugs. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 05/1/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information in the text.

1. The British Medical Journal is asking … to choose the most important medical milestone. a) doctors b) readers

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c) specialists

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 2

Intermediate

2. Antibiotics were produced on a large scale to … soldiers during the second world war. a) wound b) transmit sexual diseases to c) protect

3. Computers have allowed doctors to … a) see how the body functions. b) see the body better. c) cure the human genome.

4. DNA testing helped … a) understand SARS. b) cure babies of AIDS. c) close the asylums.

5. In the past doctors ... a) killed 4% of patients. b) transmitted germs to women having babies. c) only practised evidence-based medicine.

6. Magic bullets are used ... a) to treat cancer. b) to treat arthritis. c) both a) and b)

7. In the 19th century infectious diseases were caused largely by … a) urbanisation and dirty water. b) tobacco.

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c) vaccines.

Milestones that showed the way to modern medicine Level 2

Intermediate

8. Tissue culture has … a) many uses. b) won a Nobel prize. c) killed many people in the 1800s.

4 Vocabulary: Chunks Complete these expressions from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text.

1. the end ___ the 19th century 2. range ___ vaccines ___ the pill 3. see ___ three dimensions 4. ___ a result 5. children are faced ___ episodes of diarrhoea 6. a gradual decline ___ numbers 7. to pave the way ___ every other vaccine 8. 18 out ___ the last 52

5 Pronunciation: Word formation

2. Medicine has the … to diminish human suffering.

(capable)

3. … is a characteristic of schizophrenia.

(aggressive)

4. SARS is an … disease.

(infect)

5. X-rays are invaluable for the correct … of illnesses.

(diagnose)

6. Cholera was caused in part by … drinking water.

(health)

7. The pill caused a … revolution.

(medicine)

8. Doctors use tissue culture for …

(experiment)

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(discover)

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1. It was a significant …

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Complete the gap with the correct form of the word given. All the words are in the text.

Milestones that show the way to modern medicine Level 2 Intermediate 6 Vocabulary: Odd word out Circle the word which is not specifically connected to medicine.

1. treat

cure

diagnose

2. illness

discovery

3. doctor

nurse

4. antibiotic 5. labour

disease

soldier

drug

diarrhoea

grow sickness

paramedic

vaccine cholera

breakthrough cancer

7 Discussion

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How is medicine different now than in the past? Do you think that other diseases will be cured? Which ones?

Milestones that show the way to modern medicine Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Chunks

1. milestone 2. breakthrough 3. asylum 4. contraceptive 5. culture 6. germ 7. in labour 8. therapy

1. of 2. from/to 3. in 4. as 5. with 6. in 7. for 8. of

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary: Word formation

1. the number of medical milestones identified by the British Medical Journal 2. first to report on penicillin’s potential 3. ran the first trial of chlorpromazine on patients 4. discovered DNA 5. germ theory developed 6. won the Nobel prize for discovering X-rays 7. the ingredients for oral rehydration 8. invented the rabies vaccine

1. discovery 2. capacity 3. aggressiveness 4. infectious 5. diagnosis 6. unhealthy 7. medical 8. experimentation

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1. grow 2. discovery 3. soldier 4. breakthrough 5. labour

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1. b 2 .c 3. b 4. a 5. b 6. c 7. a 8. a

6 Vocabulary: Odd word out

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Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. falter furore

consternation elocution

allegation outraged

abuse aberration

regulator humiliation

1. If someone is ____________, they are extremely shocked and angry. 2. ____________ is cruel, violent or unfair treatment. 3. ____________ is the unhappy and ashamed feeling people have when something embarrassing happens. 4. ____________ is a shocked or worried feeling, often caused when something unexpected happens. 5. An ____________ is something that is not normal or not what you would usually expect. 6. An ____________ is a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal even though this has not been proved. 7. If something ____________, it ceases to be effective or to make progress. 8. A ____________ is an organization whose job is to check that companies, systems etc act fairly and follow rules. 9. ____________ is the skill of speaking clearly and with an accent that is considered to be correct. 10. A ____________ is a lot of anger caused by a particular event or situation.

2

Sequence of events

These six sentences about the story are not in the correct order. Reorder them and then check your answers in the text. a. Amongst other things, they called her a fake and made fun of her accent. b. The controversy has led to an increase in the number of viewers, however. c. Celebrity Big Brother is a reality TV show that is now in its fifth year. d. Some of the other contestants are alleged to have made racist remarks about her. e. One of the contestants in this year’s show is a film actress from India, Shilpa Shetty.

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f. This led to more than 20,000 viewers complaining to the official TV regulator.

Racism, ratings and reality TV Advanced

Three days ago it was merely the below par fifth season of a faltering reality TV show. But as the storm over the alleged racism of its participants intensified, Celebrity Big Brother yesterday sparked demonstrations on Indian streets, consternation in Downing Street, condemnation from the chancellor on a state visit to Bangalore and a police investigation. The Channel 4 show has always courted controversy but has never before been on the verge of sparking an international incident. Yet as the number of complaints from outraged viewers topped 22,000, the Indian government spoke out against the programme and Hertfordshire police confirmed it would investigate allegations that Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty had been subjected to racist abuse by three white fellow contestants. The number of complaints looked sure to rise last night as Channel 4 broadcast a furious row between Shetty and Jade Goody, who earned millions after finding fame on the non-celebrity version of the show. Speaking after the argument to another contestant, Cleo Rocos, Shetty said: “I’m representing my country. Is that what today’s UK is? It’s scary. It’s quite a shame actually.” Rocos said: “I don’t think there’s anything racist in it.” But Shetty replied: “It is, I’m telling you.” Later, glamour model Danielle Lloyd, when talking to Goody, said that the Bollywood star should go back home. India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi appealed to Shetty to appear before the Indian High Commission in London when she came out of the house. “If there has been some racism shown against her in the show, it is not only an attack on women

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Hertfordshire police said it would formally investigate 30 complaints. A spokesman said: “We are investigating allegations of racist behaviour in the Big Brother house, and will be conducting an inquiry, including a review of tapes.” Channel 4 executives and the show’s producers met yesterday to discuss the row, but privately may be delighted. Tuesday night’s show was watched by 4.5 million people, 1 million more than Monday’s. The furore was sparked by a series of incidents centred on a group of contestants led by Goody, and including her boyfriend Jack Tweed, Lloyd and ex-pop singer Jo O’Meara. At one point Goody, after a row with Shetty, had said: “You need elocution lessons. You need a day in the slums. Go to those people who look up to you and be real. You’re a fake.” Channel 4 released a statement insisting that there had been no overt racism, and claiming that the clashes were based on class and cultural differences. But in India, the row has managed the rare feat of uniting all political parties. Communists, Hindu nationalists and the ruling Congress party have all demanded action be taken to preserve Shetty’s dignity. “[Big Brother] is holding a mirror to British society. It is no aberration. We should thank Channel 4 for revealing the hidden biases of Britain,” Mahesh Bhatt, a Bollywood director, told the Guardian. Dozens of Shetty’s fans took to the streets in Patna, eastern India, to protest against what they said was her humiliation, burning straw effigies of the show’s producers. In Bangalore, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, faced journalists questioning him about a reality show he said he had never seen. “I understand that in the UK there have already been 10,000

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by Owen Gibson, Vikram Dodd and Randeep Ramesh in Delhi. January 18, 2007

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Complaints over Channel 4 show hit record 22,000. Police to investigate abuse of Bollywood film star.

but also on the skin and the country,” he said. Media regulator Ofcom said last night it had received 19,300 complaints, more than double its previous record, while a further 3,000 were made to Channel 4 directly. A separate online petition launched by the newspaper Eastern Eye had last night attracted 20,000 signatures.

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complaints from viewers about remarks which people see rightly as offensive,” he said. “I want Britain to be seen as a country of fairness and tolerance. Anything that detracts from that I condemn.” Later Tony Blair’s spokesman added: “What clearly is to be regretted and countered is any perception abroad that in any way we tolerate racism in this country.” In one exchange, Goody was heard saying of Shetty: “She makes me feel sick. She makes my skin crawl”, while her now evicted mother Jackiey continually referred to her as “the Indian”. Later Lloyd claimed that the Bollywood star “wants to be white” and called her a “dog”. After Shetty cooked a roast chicken dinner, Lloyd had said: “They eat with their hands in India, don’t they. Or is that China?” She added: “You don’t know where those hands have been.” © Guardian News & Media 2007

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First published in The Guardian, 18/1/07

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text: 1. What rare achievement did the controversy produce in India? a. It made people burn straw effigies of the show’s producers. b. It united all the political parties. c. It made the British chancellor apologize. 2. What was the effect of the controversy in the UK? a. The number of viewers increased by 30%. b. Shilpa Shetty appeared before the Indian High Commission in London. c. People demonstrated on the streets. 3. What action will the local police take? a. No action at all. b. They will review the tapes and conduct an inquiry. c. They will arrest Goody and Lloyd for racism. 4. What was Channel 4’s version of events? a. It was all part of the show. b. It wasn’t racism but class and cultural differences. c. The show is a mirror of British society.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the word or expression that means: 1. not up to standard (para 1) 2. to cause (para 1) 3. to be about to do something (para 2) 4. to state your opinion firmly and publicly (para 2) 5. frightening (para 3) 6. a document signed by many people asking the authorities to do something (para 4) 7. an impressive achievement (para 7)

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8. a model of someone, especially one destroyed in a protest against them (para 8)

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + Noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. 1. spark

a. one’s dignity

2. court

b. an inquiry

3. investigate

c. demonstrations

4. find

d. a petition

5. conduct

e. controversy

6. sign

f. action

7. preserve

g. fame

8. demand

h. allegations

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions Which prepositions follow these words? Check your answers in the text. 1. subjected __________ 2. row __________ 3. appeal __________ 4. appear __________ 5. attack __________ 6. based __________ 7. protest __________ 8. detract __________

7 Discussion

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What do you think of reality television programmes such as Big Brother? Do they perform a valuable service by showing how people interact or are they just complete rubbish?

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

1. outraged 2. abuse 3. humiliation 4. consternation 5. aberration 6. allegation 7. falters 8. regulator 9. elocution 10. furore

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Sequence of events

1. to 2. between 3. to 4. before 5. on 6. on 7. against 8. from

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c e d a f b

c e h g b d a f

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b a b b

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

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below par to spark to be on the verge of to speak out scary petition feat effigy

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. celebrity complain

investigate petition

viewer slum

contestant fake

racism tolerant

1. A ____________ is a very poor area of a city with houses in very bad condition. 2. A ____________ is a person who watches television programmes. 3. A ____________ is someone who pretends they have skills they do not really have. 4. A ____________ is a document which many people sign asking the authorities to do something. 5. A ____________ is a famous person, especially in entertainment or sport. 6. A ____________ is someone who takes part in a contest or a competition. 7. ____________ is a situation where people do not respect other people because they belong to a different race. 8. If you ____________ about something, you say that it is bad or wrong. 9. If you are ____________, you accept other people’s beliefs and way of life. 10. If the police ____________ something, they try to find out exactly what happened.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What is Celebrity Big Brother? 2. What TV station broadcasts Celebrity Big Brother? 3. How many people signed the online petition against the programme? 4. How many people watched the Tuesday night edition of the programme? 5. How many complaints will the police investigate formally?

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NEWS LESSONS / Racism, ratings and reality TV / Elementary

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6. How many viewers have made complaints?

Racism, ratings and reality TV Elementary

Celebrity Big Brother is a reality TV programme shown on British television. It is now in its fifth year. In the programme a group of ‘famous’ people live together in a specially constructed house for several weeks. They have no contact at all with the outside world (no telephones, television, newspapers etc.) and cameras film everything they do and say. In the last two years the number of people watching the programme has fallen. But the number of people watching this year’s programme has suddenly risen. Why? Some people believe several of the contestants behaved in a racist way towards another contestant. This has led to street demonstrations in India, shock and anger in the government and a police investigation. People have always disagreed about the programme, which is shown on Channel 4, but this is the first time it has caused an international argument. 22,000 viewers have made official complaints about the programme; the Indian government has criticised it and UK police said they would investigate reports that three white contestants had behaved in a racist way towards Indian film actress Shilpa Shetty. Last night Channel 4 broadcast an angry argument between Shetty and Jade Goody, who earned millions of pounds after appearing on the non-celebrity version of the programme several years ago. Speaking to another contestant, Cleo Rocos, after the argument, Shetty said: “I’m representing my country. Is that what today’s UK is? It’s frightening. It’s quite a shame actually.” Rocos said: “I don’t think there’s anything racist in it.” But Shetty replied: “It is racist, I’m telling you.” Later, another contestant Danielle Lloyd,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Racism, ratings and reality TV / Elementary

The local police said they were going to investigate 30 complaints. A spokesman said: “We are investigating reports of racist behaviour in the Big Brother house, and we will look at videotapes of the programme.” The managers of Channel 4 and the show’s producers met yesterday to discuss the situation, but privately they may be very pleased. 4.5 million people watched Tuesday’s programme, one million more than on Monday. The problems began after several arguments involving Goody, her boyfriend Jack Tweed, Lloyd and a former pop singer Jo O’Meara. At one point Goody, after an argument with Shetty, said: “You need to learn to speak properly. You need a day in the slums. You’re a fake.” Channel 4 said that it wasn’t racism but the result of class and cultural differences. But in India, the row has united all the major political parties. Communists, Hindu nationalists and the ruling Congress party have all demanded action. “[Big Brother] is holding a mirror to British society. This is not a one-off situation. We should thank Channel 4 for showing us the real face of Britain,” Mahesh Bhatt, a film director, told the Guardian. Fans of Shilpa Shetty protested on the streets in Patna, eastern India. In Bangalore, British politician Gordon Brown had to answer questions from journalists about a reality TV programme he said he had never seen. “I understand that in the UK thousands of viewers have complained about the programme,” he said. “I want people to see Britain as a fair and tolerant country.” A spokesman for Tony Blair later said that the UK does not tolerate racism in any way.

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by Owen Gibson, Vikram Dodd and Randeep Ramesh in Delhi. January 18, 2007

India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister said, “If there has been some racism in the programme, it is not only an attack on women but also on the colour of her skin and her country.” Apart from the 22,000 complaints made by viewers, another 20,000 people signed a petition organised by the newspaper Eastern Eye.

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Complaints over Channel 4 show hit record 22,000. Police to investigate abuse of Bollywood film star.

who is a fashion model, said that Shetty should go back home.

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Level 1

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 1

Elementary

Goody said about Shetty: “She makes me feel sick”, while another contestant continually called her “the Indian”. Later Lloyd said that Shetty “wants to be white” and called her a “dog”. After Shetty cooked a chicken dinner, Lloyd said: “They eat with their hands in India, don’t they. Or is that China?” She also said: “You don’t know where those hands have been.” © Guardian News & Media 2007

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First published in The Guardian, 18/1/07

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make complete sentences about the text. 1. 22,000 viewers have complained about Big Brother because ____ 2. The managers of Channel 4 may be pleased because ____ 3. Shilpa Shetty believes that ____ 4. Cleo Rocos believes that ____ 5. Channel 4 said that ____ 6. Tony Blair’s spokesman said that ____

a. ____ the behaviour of some of the other contestants was racist. b. ____ it was the result of class and cultural differences. c. ____ there wasn’t anything racist in it. d. ____ they believe some of the contestants have behaved in a racist way. e. ____ the UK does not tolerate racism in any way. f. ____ more people are watching the programme.

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. shown _______ television 2. contact _______ the outside world 3. disagree with someone _______ a subject 4. complain _______ 5. behave _______ a racist way 6. attack _______ the colour of her skin 7. an argument _______ someone about something

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8. the result _______ class differences

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. complain 2. demonstrate 3. criticise 4. investigate 5. behave 6. argue 7. discuss 8. disagree

6 Vocabulary 3: Word game

2. e

–i–t–n–s–g–a–v–i–e–t

3. m

–r–n -a–g–t–e–u

4. r

–u–a–e–b–v–o–h–i

5. l

–u–j–i–o–r–a–t–n–s

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Racism, ratings and reality TV / Elementary

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–i–p–n-o–m–l-a–t

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Rearrange the letters to make words from the text.

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building

1. slum 2. viewer 3. fake 4. petition 5. celebrity 6. contestant 7. racism 8. complain 9. tolerant 10. investigate

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

A reality TV programme Channel 4 20,000 4.5 million 30 22,000

complaint demonstration criticism investigation behaviour argument discussion disagreement

6 Vocabulary 3: Word game complaint investigate argument behaviour journalist

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d f a c b e

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions

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on with about about in on with of

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. controversy elocution

allegation contestant

condemn fake

regulator overt

petition prejudice

1. If someone is a ____________, they pretend to have skills they do not really have. 2. A ____________ is a document signed by many people asking the authorities to do something. 3. If you have ____________ lessons, you learn to speak clearly and with an accent that is considered correct. 4. If something is ____________, it is not hidden or secret. 5. ____________ is an unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially the feeling of not liking a group of people. 6. An ____________ is a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal even though this has not been proved. 7. A ____________ is a disagreement that a lot of people have strong feelings about. 8. If you ____________ something, you say publicly that something is bad or wrong. 9. A ____________ is an organization whose job is to check that companies, systems etc. act fairly and follow rules. 10. A ____________ is someone who takes part in a contest or competition.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What is Celebrity Big Brother? 2. What TV station broadcasts Celebrity Big Brother? 3. How many people signed the online petition against the programme? 4. How many people watched the Monday night edition of the programme? 5. How many complaints will the police investigate formally?

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6. Who is the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Racism, ratings and reality TV Intermediate

The reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother is already in its fifth year. The number of viewers has been falling but now a controversy over the alleged racism of some of the participants in this year’s show has led to demonstrations on Indian streets, shock and anger in Downing Street, condemnation from the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a state visit to India and a police investigation. The Channel 4 show has always been controversial but has never before caused an international incident. However, as the number of complaints from angry viewers grew to 22,000, the Indian government criticised the programme and local police confirmed they would investigate allegations that three white fellow contestants had behaved in a racist way towards Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. The number of complaints looked sure to rise last night as Channel 4 broadcast a furious argument between Shetty and Jade Goody, who earned millions after appearing on the non-celebrity version of the show. Speaking to another contestant, Cleo Rocos, after the argument Shetty said: “I’m representing my country. Is that what today’s UK is? It’s scary. It’s quite a shame actually.” Rocos said: “I don’t think there’s anything racist in it.” But Shetty replied: “It is, I’m telling you.” Later, glamour model Danielle Lloyd, talking to Goody, said that the Bollywood star should go back home. India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister appealed to Shetty to appear before the Indian High Commission in London when she came out of the house. “If there has been some racism shown against her in the show, it is not only an

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Racism, ratings and reality TV / Intermediate

The local police said they would formally investigate 30 complaints. A spokesman said: “We are investigating allegations of racist behaviour in the Big Brother house, and will conduct an inquiry, including a review of videotapes of the programme.” Channel 4 executives and the show’s producers met yesterday to discuss the row, but privately they may be delighted. Tuesday night’s show was watched by 4.5 million people, one million more than on Monday. The controversy started after a series of incidents involving a group of contestants led by Goody, and including her boyfriend Jack Tweed, Lloyd and former pop singer Jo O’Meara. At one point Goody, after an argument with Shetty, had said: “You need elocution lessons. You need a day in the slums. Go to those people who look up to you and be real. You’re a fake.” Channel 4 released a statement saying that there had been no overt racism, and claiming that the arguments were the result of class and cultural differences. But in India, the row has united all the major political parties. Communists, Hindu nationalists and the ruling Congress party have all demanded action be taken to preserve Shetty’s dignity. “[Big Brother] is holding a mirror to British society. This is not a one-off situation. We should thank Channel 4 for showing us the hidden prejudices of Britain,” Mahesh Bhatt, a Bollywood director, told the Guardian. Dozens of Shetty’s fans protested on the streets in Patna, eastern India. In Bangalore, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, had to answer questions from journalists about a reality show he said he had never seen. “I understand that in the UK there have already been 10,000 complaints from viewers

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by Owen Gibson, Vikram Dodd and Randeep Ramesh in Delhi. January 18, 2007

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Complaints over Channel 4 show hit record 22,000. Police to investigate abuse of Bollywood film star.

attack on women but also on the colour of her skin and her country,” he said. 19,300 complaints were made to the UK media regulator, more than double the previous record, while a further 3,000 complaints were made direct to Channel 4. Another 20,000 people signed an online petition organised by the newspaper Eastern Eye.

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Racism, ratings and reality TV: now Big Brother creates a diplomatic incident

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Level 2

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 2

Intermediate

about remarks which people rightly regard as offensive,” he said. “I want Britain to be seen as a country of fairness and tolerance. I condemn anything that goes against that view.” Tony Blair’s spokesman later added that racism is not tolerated in any way in the UK. In one exchange, Goody said about Shetty: “She makes me feel sick. She makes my skin crawl,” while another contestant continually referred to her as “the Indian”. Later Lloyd claimed that the Bollywood star “wants to be white” and called her a “dog”. After Shetty cooked a roast chicken dinner, Lloyd had said: “They eat with their hands in India, don’t they. Or is that China?” She added: “You don’t know where those hands have been.” © Guardian News & Media 2007

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First published in The Guardian, 18/1/07

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True or False according to the text? 1. This is the first time that Celebrity Big Brother has caused an international incident. 2. People in India are angry because a Bollywood actress appeared on the show. 3. A record number of people have complained to the UK media regulator. 4. The number of people watching the programme has fallen since the controversy started. 5. Channel 4 executives will probably be angry about the controversy. 6. The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer is a fan of the programme. 7. Some of the contestants made fun of Shilpa’s accent. 8. The police are not involved.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following: 1. An adjective meaning frightening. (para 3) 2. A verb meaning to try to find the facts about something in order to find the truth. (para 5) 3. A noun meaning an argument or a serious disagreement. (para 5) 4. An adjective meaning extremely pleased. (para 5) 5. A noun meaning a very poor area of a city where the buildings are in a very bad condition. (para 6) 6. A noun meaning the respect that other people have for you. (para 7) 7. An adjective meaning unpleasant or insulting. (para 8)

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8. An expression meaning to suddenly feel uncomfortable because you dislike someone very much. (para 9)

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. 1. investigate

a. an inquiry

2. cause

b. a petition

3. make

c. someone’s dignity

4. sign

d. action

5. conduct

e. an allegation

6. release

f. an international incident

7. demand

g. a statement

8. preserve

h. a complaint

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. tolerate 2. complain 3. allege 4. condemn 5. behave 6. refer 7. criticise 8. argue

7 Discussion

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Would you appear on a reality TV programme like Big Brother? Why? Why not?

Racism, ratings and reality TV Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. fake 2. petition 3. elocution 4. overt 5. prejudice 6. allegation 7. controversy 8. condemn 9. regulator 10. contestant

1. scary 2. investigate 3. row 4. delighted 5. slum 6. dignity 7. offensive 8. to make your skin crawl

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

NEWS LESSONS / Racism, ratings and reality TV / Intermediate

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tolerance complaint allegation condemnation behaviour reference criticism argument

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T F T F F F T F

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A reality TV programme Channel 4 20,000 3.5 million 30 Gordon Brown

e or h f h or e b a g d c

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

Into the aurora Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. shimmer pinpoint

fluctuate engulf

turmoil trigger

orbit tandem

glow substorm

1. If something operates in ____________ with something else, they happen at the same time. 2. A ____________ is a soft light, often red or orange in colour, coming from something that produces heat. 3. The moon ____________ the Earth, meaning that it moves around it on a regular path. 4. A ____________ is a complicated phenomenon in the magnetosphere that scientists still do not fully understand. 5. When something ____________, it reflects a gentle light that seems to shake slightly. 6. ____________ is a state of uncontrolled activity. 7. If something ____________, it changes frequently. 8. If you ____________ something, you discover exactly where something is or you explain exactly what something is. 9. If something ____________ something else, it covers it completely. 10. A ____________ is something that sets a process in motion.

2

Find the information

Try to guess whether these statements are true or false. Then look in the text and check your answers. 1. The northern lights are also known as aurora borealis. 2. The northern lights are caused by electron activity in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. 3. The main colours of the northern lights are red, yellow and blue. 4. Scientists know what causes the substorms that cause the northern lights. 5. Understanding the northern lights will lead to better weather forecasting on Earth.

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6. The Earth is the only planet with a magnetic field, also called a magnetosphere.

Into the aurora Advanced

Into the aurora: NASA craft probe mysteries of the northern lights

released by the magnetic field intensifies into a substorm.

Project will help predict damaging space storms. Satellites will line up in orbit to measure effect. Alok Jha, science correspondent February 15, 2007

“It becomes interesting when a substorm goes off - it brightens and then, within 30 seconds, it starts rushing towards the north. It engulfs the entire sky and breaks up into little pieces,” said Vassilis Angelopoulos, principal investigator on the Themis project who is based at the University of California, Berkeley. “It’s a magnificent phenomenon to watch.” The sequence of events that leads to a substorm is unknown. “The problem so far is that a single satellite was never able to pinpoint the exact trigger of this process,” said Professor Angelopoulos.

“The colours represent the composition of the air at that height,” said Mike Hapgood, a UK space researcher. “Green and red is the oxygen glowing, violet is nitrogen.” Most of the time, the northern lights make up a steady band stretching from east to west but every few hours the energy

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Into the aurora / Advanced

More than 20 ground stations across the US will track the Themis satellites, to give precise locations for the magnetic substorms that are observed. Themis will also work with the European Cluster project, launched in 2000, which uses four satellites flying in tandem to measure the Earth’s magnetic field. “Cluster has been important - we’ve been sending information to our US colleagues on how to coordinate it with Themis,” said Dr Hapgood. As well as the northern lights, the European Cluster project uses 11 instruments to focus on the part of the Earth’s magnetic field that faces the sun. “Much like meteorologists study tornadoes in order to understand the large thunderstorms,

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The northern lights - aurora borealis - are a visual representation of the turmoils of the Earth’s magnetic field. The sun continually streams energy towards our planet, some of which is stored by the Earth’s magnetic field at heights of 10,000 km above the surface. The field creates a protective shield for the Earth in space, called the magnetosphere, which protects our planet from much of the deadly radiation coming from the sun. But every so often, the field will release the energy it has stored and shower energetic electrons towards the upper atmosphere. When these hit air molecules, the energy released causes a characteristic glow.

The five Themis satellites are designed to orbit the Earth in such a way that they line up along the sun-Earth line every four days, tracking the flow of energy from one to the other. Possible triggers for the substorms have different locations in space, so placing the Themis spacecraft in various locations in the Earth’s magnetic field will help find the elusive point of origin. “The orbits are designed so that there will be a series of spacecraft down the tail of the Earth’s magnetic field at the same time,” said Dr Hapgood. “They’ll be able to bracket the different phenomena occurring. They’ll be able to say, ‘this thing happened between these two spacecraft at this time’.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Today, NASA will launch five identical spacecraft from Cape Canaveral in Florida, in an attempt to answer the question. By measuring how the magnetic field around the Earth fluctuates in real time, the Themis project will allow scientists to better predict the weather in space that lies behind the northern lights - crucial for keeping communications satellites and, eventually, humans safe in orbit.

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The shimmering waves of colour of the northern lights are an unparalleled display of nature, caused as the Earth’s atmosphere is hit by energetic particles from magnetic storms in space. For scientists, however, the lights also represent one of the longest-standing mysteries in space physics: how and where in space do the displays begin? And how can they be predicted?

CA

Level 3

Into the aurora Level 3

Advanced

so we study substorms to get better insight into large space storms,” said Prof Angelopoulos. Predicting these storms is important for scientists to describe the environment around the Earth and ensure spacecraft and astronauts can operate safely, as the particles created in the storms can damage electronic circuits. The radiation can also knock out power grids on the Earth’s surface. “Once they [NASA] have the timing right, it becomes much easier to give people a warning,” said Dr Hapgood. “If you give a control centre half an hour’s notice, they can be alert and ready to deal with things or issue a warning saying things aren’t going to be so reliable for the next few hours.” Modern warnings of space storms are unreliable. “It’s like what weather forecasting may have been a century ago. Over the last 50 years, it

has evolved rather dramatically because they understand the sequence of events much better. Essentially we are doing the same sort of thing, trying to understand that sequence and give people more accurate predictions.” The Themis satellites will spend the next few months being carefully arranged in space, and will make their first working measurements in a year’s time. They are scheduled to operate for two years. Dr Hapgood said that understanding the Earth’s magnetic field will also give scientists insights into other planets in the solar system that have magnetospheres: “These things also happen out further in the universe around pulsars. Understanding how magnetospheres work is a universal question.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/2/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text: 1. The aim of the Themis project is: a. to measure the magnetic field around the Earth. b. to pinpoint the point of origin of the northern lights. c. to find out what colour the northern lights really are. 2. How does the magnetosphere protect the Earth? a. It showers electrons towards the upper atmosphere. b. It releases energy causing a characteristic glow. c. It prevents a lot of solar radiation reaching the Earth. 3. Electronic particles created in substorms could be dangerous because: a. they can damage electronic circuits in spacecraft and power grids on the Earth’s surface. b. they cause thunderstorms. c. they interfere with weather forecasting. 4. The purpose of the European Cluster project is:

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a. to find the origin of the northern lights. b. to measure substorms. c. to measure the Earth’s magnetic field.

Into the aurora Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Adjectives Find the adjectives that mean: 1. the best of a particular kind (para 1) 2. having existed for a very long time (para 1) 3. extremely important (para 2) 4. able or likely to kill people (para 3) 5. very impressive and beautiful (para 5) 6. difficult or impossible to find (para 6) 7. extremely exact (para 7) 8. paying attention to what is happening and ready to react quickly if necessary (para 9)

5 Sequencing Rearrange these sentences to form the sequence of events leading to the appearance of the northern lights. a. From time to time the field releases the energy it has stored. b. It is this contact which causes the characteristic glow of the northern lights. c. It sends showers of energetic electrons towards the upper atmosphere. d. The sun continually streams energy towards the Earth. e. This energy is stored by the Earth’s magnetic field.

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f. These electrons come into contact with air molecules.

Into the aurora Level 3

Advanced

6 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Which prepositions follow these words? Check your answers in the text. 1. focus _______ 2. shield _______ 3. lead _______ 4. coordinate _______ 5. deal _______ 6. insight _______ 7. warning _______ 8. sequence _______ events

7 Discussion

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Should money be spent on space exploration?

Into the aurora Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

5 Sequencing

1. tandem 2. glow 3. orbits 4. substorm 5. shimmers 6. turmoil 7. fluctuates 8. pinpoint 9. engulfs 10. trigger

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

2 What do you know? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T T F F F F

d e a c f b

6 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

on from to with with into of of

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b c a c

4 Vocabulary 1: Adjectives

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unparalleled long-standing crucial deadly magnificent elusive precise alert

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Into the aurora Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. particle meteorologist

spacecraft astronaut

satellite reliable

orbit deadly

atmosphere solar system

1. An ____________ is someone who travels and works in space. 2. The ____________ is the air around the Earth. 3. The ____________ is the sun and the group of planets that go around it (including the Earth). 4. A ____________ is a vehicle that can travel in space. 5. A ____________ is an object that travels in space and sends information back to Earth. 6. A ____________ is an extremely small part of an atom. 7. The ____________ of a satellite is the path it follows as it travels around the Earth. 8. A ____________ is someone who studies the weather. 9. If something is ____________, you can trust it. 10. If something is ____________, it can kill you.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many spacecraft are NASA sending into space? 2. How high is the magnetic field above the Earth? 3. How many ground stations will track the satellites? 4. What colour is nitrogen in the magnetic field? 5. What is the other name for the northern lights?

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6. Where can you see the northern lights?

Into the aurora Elementary

Now the North American Space Agency (NASA) is sending five spacecraft into space to try to answer these questions. This project, known as the Themis project, will measure how the magnetic field around the Earth changes in real time. This will allow scientists to make better forecasts about the weather in space. This information is important for the safety of communications satellites as they orbit the Earth and will also be very important for human space travellers. The northern lights are the result of changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. The sun continually sends energy towards our planet. The Earth’s magnetic field stores some of this energy at a height of 10,000 km above the surface of the Earth. The magnetic field protects us from much of the deadly radiation that comes from the sun. However, sometimes energy escapes from the field and showers of electrons rise into the upper atmosphere. When these electrons come into contact with air, they create the energy that produces the light of the northern lights. The different colours are the result of the different gases in the atmosphere at 10,000km above the Earth. Green and red are oxygen and violet is nitrogen. Most of the time, the northern lights are a wide band of light from east to west but every few hours the energy causes a storm. © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Into the aurora / Elementary

The five satellites will orbit the Earth in a line and record the energy passing from the sun to the Earth. They will be in different places in the Earth’s magnetic field and will record when and where an energy storm begins between two of the satellites. More than 20 ground stations across the US will track the Themis satellites, and will record exactly where the magnetic storms happen. “In the same way that meteorologists study tornadoes in order to understand the large thunderstorms, we study magnetic storms to understand large space storms,” said Professor Angelopoulos. If scientists can forecast when these large storms will happen, spacecraft and astronauts will be able to operate safely, because the storms can damage electronic systems on spacecraft. At the moment the forecasting of space storms is not reliable. “It’s like what weather forecasting was a hundred years ago. In the last 50 years, weather forecasting has improved a lot because they understand exactly what happens. We are doing the same kind of thing. We are trying to give people better forecasts of space storms,” says UK space expert Mike Hapgood. The Themis satellites will take their first measurements next year. They will operate for two years. Dr Hapgood says that understanding the Earth’s magnetic field will also give scientists information about other planets in the solar system that have magnetic fields: “These things also happen in other parts of the universe. Understanding how magnetic fields work is a universal question.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/2/07

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Above the Arctic Circle a bright pink light often appears in the night sky. This is called the northern lights (or aurora borealis). Sometimes it seems that the sun is rising in the wrong place. Colours of pink, red, green and violet fill the sky. Where does this strange light come from? Magnetic storms in space send out energy particles. These particles hit the Earth’s atmosphere and produce the coloured light. For scientists the lights are one of the oldest mysteries in space physics: how and where in space do these light shows begin? And how can scientists predict when and where they will happen?

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Project will help predict damaging space storms. Satellites will line up in orbit to measure effect. Alok Jha, science correspondent February 15, 2007

“It is interesting when a storm starts – the light gets brighter and then, within 30 seconds, it starts moving quickly towards the north. It covers the whole sky and then breaks up into little pieces,” said Vassilis Angelopoulos, a scientist working on the Themis project. “It’s wonderful to watch.” No-one knows exactly why and where the storms begin. “The problem so far is that using just one satellite we cannot be sure where the storms begin,” said Professor Angelopoulos.

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Into the aurora: NASA craft probe mysteries of the northern lights

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Level 1

Into the aurora Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Mark these statements True or False according to the text. 1. Scientists do not know what the northern lights are. 2. Scientists do not know how the northern lights begin. 3. Scientists can predict when the northern lights will happen. 4. The weather in space is important information for astronauts. 5. The magnetic field around the Earth protects us from the sun’s radiation. 6. The forecasting of space storms is very reliable. 7. The Earth is the only planet in the solar system with a magnetic field. 8. The northern lights are different colours.

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions Fill the gaps in the phrases and sentences from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. _______ the wrong place 2. sending spacecraft _______ space 3. the result _______ changes 4. the sun protects us _______ radiation 5. energy escapes _______ the magnetic field 6. come _______ contact _______ air 7. most _______ the time

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8. _______ the last 50 years

Into the aurora Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. predict 2. measure 3. forecast 4. protect 5. record 6. appear 7. improve 8. produce

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress Put these verbs from the text into two groups according to their word stress.

B

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forecast record

produce cover

protect improve

o0

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0o

appear happen

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A

measure orbit

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predict damage

Into the aurora Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions

1. astronaut 2. atmosphere 3. solar system 4. spacecraft 5. satellite 6. particle 7. orbit 8. meteorologist 9. reliable 10. deadly

1. in 2. into 3. of 4. from 5. from 6. into/with 7. of 8. in

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F T F T T F F T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Into the aurora / Elementary

A: measure; forecast; damage; orbit; happen; cover B: predict; appear; produce; protect; record; improve

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress

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3 Comprehension check

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five 10,000 km twenty violet aurora borealis above the Arctic Circle (in the night sky)

prediction measurement forecast protection record appearance improvement production

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building

Into the aurora Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. phenomenon glow

particle substorm

turbulence satellite

shield circuit

orbit power grid

1. A ____________ is an object that is sent into space in order to receive and send information. 2. A ____________ is a storm created by energy released by the Earth’s magnetic field. 3. A ____________ is an extremely small piece of matter that is part of an atom. 4. The ____________ of a satellite is the path it follows as it travels around the Earth. 5. A ____________ is the set of wires that carries the electricity supply. 6. A ____________ is the complete path that an electric current flows around. 7. A ____________ is something that can be seen to happen or exist. 8. A ____________ is something that protects against danger. 9. A ____________ is a soft, warm light produced by a source of heat. 10. ____________ is a sudden violent movement of air or water.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How high above the Earth’s surface is the magnetosphere? 2. How many Themis satellites will orbit the Earth? 3. What are the colours of oxygen glowing? 4. How many ground stations will track the Themis satellites? 5. In which direction does a substorm move?

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6. How many satellites does the European Cluster project have?

Into the aurora Intermediate

Into the aurora: NASA craft probe mysteries of the northern lights

released by the magnetic field intensifies into a substorm.

Project will help predict damaging space storms. Satellites will line up in orbit to measure effect. Alok Jha, science correspondent February 15, 2007

“It becomes interesting when a substorm goes off - it brightens and then, within 30 seconds, it starts rushing towards the north. It covers the entire sky and breaks up into little pieces,” said Vassilis Angelopoulos, principal investigator on the Themis project. “It’s a magnificent phenomenon to watch.” The sequence of events that leads to a substorm is unknown. “The problem so far is that we cannot find the source of the process using just one satellite,” said Professor Angelopoulos.

The colours represent the composition of the air at that height. Green and red are the oxygen glowing and violet is nitrogen. Most of the time, the northern lights are a steady band stretching from east to west but every few hours the energy

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Into the aurora / Intermediate

“In the same way that meteorologists study tornadoes in order to understand the large thunderstorms, we study substorms to get better insight into large space storms,” said Professor Angelopoulos. Predicting these storms is important for scientists to describe the environment around the Earth and ensure spacecraft and astronauts can operate safely, as the particles created in the storms can damage electronic circuits. The radiation can also knock out power grids on the Earth’s surface. Modern warnings of space storms are unreliable. “It’s like what weather forecasting may have been a century ago. Over the last 50 years, it has

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The northern lights are a visual representation of turbulence in the Earth’s magnetic field. The sun continually sends energy towards our planet, some of which is stored by the Earth’s magnetic field at heights of 10,000 km above the surface. The field creates a protective shield for the Earth in space, called the magnetosphere, which protects our planet from much of the deadly radiation coming from the sun. But every now and then, the field releases the energy it has stored and sends showers of energetic electrons towards the upper atmosphere. When these electrons come into contact with air, the energy released causes a characteristic glow.

More than 20 ground stations across the US will track the Themis satellites, to give precise locations for the magnetic substorms that are observed. Themis will also work with the European Cluster project which uses four satellites to measure the Earth’s magnetic field.

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Today, NASA will launch five identical spacecraft from Cape Canaveral in Florida, in an attempt to answer the question. By measuring how the magnetic field around the Earth changes in real time, the Themis project will allow scientists to better predict the weather in space that lies behind the northern lights. This information is important for keeping communications satellites safe as they orbit the Earth and will also be vital for humans as they travel in space.

The five Themis satellites will orbit the Earth in such a way that they line up along the sun-Earth line every four days and track the flow of energy from one to the other. Possible sources for the substorms have different locations in space, so placing the Themis spacecraft in various locations in the Earth’s magnetic field will help find the source. They will be able to record that a particular source of energy happened between two particular spacecraft at a particular time.

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The northern lights (also known as aurora borealis) are a unique natural phenomenon, caused as the Earth’s atmosphere is hit by energy particles from magnetic storms in space. For scientists, however, the lights also represent one of the oldest mysteries in space physics: how and where in space do the displays of light begin? And how can they be predicted?

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Level 2

Into the aurora Level 2

Intermediate

developed quite dramatically because they understand the sequence of events much better. We are doing the same sort of thing, trying to understand that sequence and give people more accurate predictions,” says UK space expert Mike Hapgood. The Themis satellites will make their first working measurements in a year’s time. They are scheduled to operate for two years. Dr Hapgood said that understanding the Earth’s magnetic field will also give scientists information about other planets in the solar system that have magnetospheres: “These things also happen further out in the universe. Understanding how magnetospheres work is a universal question.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/2/07

3 Comprehension check Decide whether these sentences are True or False according to the text: 1. Scientists don’t know what the northern lights are. 2. Scientists don’t know what causes the displays of lights to begin. 3. The glow of the northern lights is caused by electrons coming into contact with air molecules. 4. Glowing oxygen is violet in colour. 5. Studying substorms will enable scientists to understand large space storms. 6. Radiation from space storms has no effect on the Earth. 7. The Themis satellites have already started taking measurements. 8. If scientists understand how the Earth’s magnetic field works, they will be able to understand how the magnetic

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fields of other planets work.

Into the aurora Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Adjectives Find the adjectives that mean: 1. not the same as anything else (para 1) 2. exactly the same (para 2) 3. extremely important (para 3) 4. able or likely to kill people (para 3) 5. firmly held in a particular position without moving (para 4) 6. all or every part of something (para 5) 7. very impressive and beautiful (para 5) 8. very exact (para 7)

5 Sequencing Rearrange these sentences to form the sequence of events leading to the appearance of the northern lights. a. These electrons come into contact with air molecules. b. The sun continually sends energy toward the Earth. c. But sometimes the field releases the energy it has stored. d. It is this contact which causes the characteristic glow of the northern lights. e. This sends showers of energetic electrons towards the upper atmosphere.

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f. The Earth’s magnetic field stores this energy.

Into the aurora Level 2

Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

noun

adjective

1. phenomenon 2. turbulence 3. mystery 4. vision 5. energy 6. variety 7. accuracy 8. universe

7 Discussion

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Should money be spent on space exploration?

Into the aurora Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Adjectives

1. satellite 2. substorm 3. particle 4. orbit 5. power grid 6. circuit 7. phenomenon 8. shield 9. glow 10. turbulence

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F T T F T F F T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Into the aurora / Intermediate

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

phenomenal turbulent mysterious visual energetic various accurate universal

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building

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3 Comprehension check

b f c e a d

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10,000 km five green and red more than 20 to the north four

5 Sequencing

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

unique identical vital deadly steady entire magnificent precise

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading 1

Look at the main headline. What do you think the story will be about? 1. A female alien recharges her batteries and dives from outer space to bomb another woman. 2. A woman astronaut loses her job when she is accused of attempted murder. 3. An actress playing a character like ‘Wonder Woman’ is electrocuted when her rocket crashes.

2

Pre-reading 2

Now read the sub-headings. Do they help you to decide?

3

Key words

Match these key words from the text with the definitions below.



a shuttle

alleged screening

a tracking device docked a nappy stalking

1. ____________ A piece of electronic equipment that lets the police know where you are, wherever you go. 2. ____________ A piece of soft material usually worn by babies, who can’t use the toilet. 3. ____________ Checking very carefully that someone is suitable for a job. 4. ____________ Watching and following someone all the time in a frightening way because you have an excessive interest in them. 5. ____________ Said to be true, but not yet proved in court. 6. ____________ Joined to another spacecraft while still in space. 7. ____________ A space vehicle that travels to outer space and back to Earth.

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NEWS LESSONS / Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival / Advanced

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Now read the text quickly to see if you were right.

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Advanced

2 Yesterday, Mrs Nowak was charged with attempted first-degree murder in the most bizarre incident involving any of NASA’s active-duty astronauts. The charge, together with others of attempted kidnapping and battery, relate to an apparent love triangle she was involved in with a fellow male astronaut and a female air force captain whom she suspected of being a rival to his affections. 3 A Florida judge ruled last night that Mrs Nowak could be fitted with a tracking device and released from custody if she could come up with $25,000 (£13,000) bail and did not contact her alleged victim. 4 To say the group to which 43-year-old Mrs Nowak belongs is ‘select’ is an understatement: she is one of only 97 astronauts currently trained and ready to fly, 20 of them women. NASA has selected a total of just 321 astronauts since the US agency began preparing to go into space in 1959. 5 All of which makes her behaviour in the early hours of Monday so baffling. The married mother of three, separated from her husband, who had been subjected to NASA’s rigorous screening process and trained for 10 years to cope with extreme stress before her flight in the Discovery space shuttle, embarked on her own private mission.

7 Most peculiarly, she wore a nappy on the journey to reduce the need for stops – an in-house trick as astronauts wear nappies during take off and landing. 8 The police affidavit states that she had discovered that Colleen Shipman, a US air force captain, was flying in from Houston to Orlando that night. 9 Mrs Nowak wanted to be there to “scare her”, she later told police, into talking about her relationship with the man at the centre of the love triangle. 10 He is Bill Oefelein, 41, from Alaska, who underwent astronaut training with Mrs Nowak and like her went into space for the first time last year, also on Discovery, although they have never flown together. Evidence of Mrs Nowak’s feelings towards Mr Oefelein were found in a letter in her car, together with emails between him and Ms Shipman, as well as directions to Ms Shipman’s house. In her statement to police, Mrs Nowak said she had “more than a working relationship, but less than a romantic relationship” with him. 11 Ms Shipman allegedly saw Mrs Nowak, whom she had never met before, wearing a hooded trench coat, dark glasses and the wig, following her on a bus from the airport lounge to the car park. Afraid, she hurried to her car. She could hear running footsteps behind her and as she slammed the door Mrs Nowak slapped the window and tried to pull the door open.

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1 Last July, it took Lisa Nowak 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds, travelling a distance of 5.3 million miles, to win her position in one of the world’s most elite clubs: travellers in space. Last Monday, it took her about 14 hours, and a journey of 950 miles, to lose it.

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Shuttle astronaut arrested after alleged airport attack. Male colleague said to be at centre of love triangle. Ed Pilkington in New York February 7, 2007

6 By her own admission to Orlando police, Mrs Nowak set out on her 950-mile drive from Houston, Texas, to Orlando on Sunday carrying with her a carbon-dioxide powered pellet gun, a folding knife with a four-inch blade, pepper spray, a steel mallet and $600 in cash. She also had several large black bin liners, six latex gloves and rubber tubing, as well as a wig and two hooded trench coats for disguise.

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Spacewoman falls to Earth on charge of trying to kill love rival

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Level 3

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 3

Advanced

12 “Can you help me, please? My boyfriend was supposed to pick me up and he is not here,” Mrs Nowak is alleged to have pleaded. When Ms Shipman said she could not help, the astronaut started to cry. Ms Shipman wound down her window a couple of inches at which Mrs Nowak let off the pepper spray. Ms Shipman drove off, her eyes burning, and raised the alarm. She alleges the astronaut had been stalking her for around two months. 13 Sergeant Barb Jones of Orlando police said last night: “The intent was there to cause serious bodily injury or death.” Mrs Nowak’s behaviour and subsequent appearance in court has amazed people in the rarefied world of space exploration. Tariq Malik, who covers shuttle missions for the website space.com and who interviewed Mrs Nowak shortly before she went into space, said astronauts were carefully chosen and trained so that surprises did not happen.

to fly in very cramped spaces and under intense stress so they have to be able to cope.” 15 Mrs Nowak had a key technical role in the July flight, in charge of a robotic arm for repairing the international space station with which it docked. 16 Before the mission, she said she had first become interested in space at the age of five when she watched the moon landing on television, and on visits to the Air and Space Museum in Washington. 17 Her official photograph taken before the flight shows her in full astronaut’s suit, smiling broadly. Yesterday a picture with a difference was running on TV screens: Mrs Nowak as she was booked into jail, her forehead creased, eyes pinched, shoulders hunched and hair askew. NASA put her on a 30-day suspension and removed her from all shuttle mission activities.

14 “They go through deep medical and psychological screening,” he said. “They have

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 7/2/07

4 General understanding Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences:

It was clear that she planned to attack somebody The man she was in love with When Mrs Nowak approached Ms Shipman Mrs Nowak pretended she just wanted to talk She had been fascinated by space travel

because she took a lot of weapons with her. she was not easy to recognize. but as soon as she could, she hurt Ms Shipman. she was a perfectly suitable astronaut. since she was a small child. was wasted in a few hours of jealous anger. had studied with her to be an astronaut.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival / Advanced

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Her employers had made an effort to check that

her lover was seeing another woman.

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She was afraid that

a b c d e f g h

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The time Mrs Nowak spent becoming an astronaut

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1 2 3 1 4 5 6 7 8

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary development Find words in the text that mean the following. The paragraph numbers are given. 1. extremely strange (2) 2. the crime of hitting someone (2) 3. being kept in prison until you go to court (3) 4. money you leave with the court to make sure you appear for your trial (3) 5. confusing (adj) (5) 6. legal document containing someone’s statement (8) 7. shut very loudly (11) 8. hit with the palm of your hand (11) 9. extremely special and unusual (13) 10. writes reports about (13)

6 Collocations From memory, complete the collocations below with words from the box. intense admission



custody carefully shuttle court screening cramped

1. released from _____________ 2. rigorous ____________ process 3. space ____________ 4. by her own ____________ 5. appearance in ____________ 6. ____________ chosen 7. very ____________ spaces 8. under ____________ stress

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NEWS LESSONS / Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival / Advanced

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Now scan the text quickly to see if you were right.

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 3

Advanced

7 Compound words Match the beginnings and endings of these compound adjectives and nouns from memory.

firstactivefolding 4-inch pepper bin latex rubber in-

spray blade tubing house gloves degree liners duty knife

First scan the text to see if you were right. Then complete the descriptions below with one of the compound expressions. 1. You can cut things with this, and keep it safely in your pocket: _______________. 2. You can wear these to protect your hands: _______________. 3. A kind of flexible pipe that can hold liquid or gas: _______________. 4. People who work for the military as their main job are on _______________. 5. The cutting part of a knife, about 10 cm long: _______________. 6. Describing something that is done inside a company: _______________. 7. Large plastic bags that go inside rubbish containers: _______________. 8. Very painful liquid that can burn your face or blind you: _______________. 9. If you kill somebody because you intend to, the murder is called _______________.

8 Discussion What aspects of Mrs Novak’s behaviour do you sympathize with? What aspects are you critical of? What do you think would be a suitable punishment?

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Would you like to be an astronaut? Why / why not?

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Pre-reading 1 2. A woman astronaut loses her job when she is accused of attempted murder.

3 Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

a tracking device a nappy screening stalking alleged docked a shuttle

4 General understanding 1. g 2. a 3. e 4. b 5. h 6. c 7. d 8. f

6 Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

released from custody rigorous screening process space shuttle by her own admission appearance in court carefully chosen very cramped spaces under intense stress

7 Compound words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Folding knife Latex gloves Rubber tubing Active-duty 4-inch blade In-house Bin liners Pepper spray First-degree

5 Vocabulary development

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1. bizarre 2. battery 3. custody 4. bail 5. baffling 6. affidavit 7. slammed 8. slapped 9. rarefied 10. covers

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading 1

Look at the main headline. What do you think the story is about? 1. A woman from outer space dives to Earth to bomb another woman. 2. A woman astronaut loses her job when she is accused of attempted murder. 3. The star in a ‘Spacewoman’ film dies when her rocket crashes.

2

Pre-reading 2

Now read the sub-headings. Do they help you to decide?

3

Key words

Match these key words from the text with the definitions below. a rival

a shuttle alleged an astronaut a tracking device bail a colleague a disguise a nappy stalking

1. ____________ Someone who travels and works in space. 2. ____________ Wearing strange clothes, etc, so that people don’t know who you are. 3. ____________ A space vehicle that travels to outer space and back to Earth. 4. ____________ Someone in competition with you – in business, sport or love, etc. 5. ____________ Someone who works at the same place as you. 6. ____________ Someone says this is true, but it hasn’t been proved in court. 7. ____________ Money you must leave with the court to make sure you come back for your trial. 8. ____________ A piece of soft material usually worn by babies, who can’t use the toilet. 9. ____________ A piece of electronic equipment that shows the police where you are, wherever you go. 10. ____________ Annoying or frightening someone by watching and following them all the time.

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NEWS LESSONS / Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival / Elementary

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the text quickly to see if you were right.

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Elementary

Spacewoman falls to Earth on charge of trying to kill love rival

6 Before the mission, she said she had first

become interested in space at the age of five when she watched the moon landing on television, and on visits to the Air and Space Museum in Washington. But this Monday, she set off on her own private mission.

Ed Pilkington in New York February 7, 2007 1 Last July, Lisa Nowak took 12 days, 18

7 Mrs Nowak told Orlando police that she

drove 950 miles from Houston, Texas, to Orlando, on Sunday. She took with her a carbon-dioxide powered pellet gun, a folding knife with a four-inch blade, pepper spray, a steel hammer and $600 in cash. She also took several large black bin liners, six latex gloves and rubber tubing, as well as a wig and two hooded coats for disguise.

2 Yesterday Mrs Nowak was charged with

3 Last night, a Florida judge decided to let

Mrs Nowak go until her trial. But she had to pay $25,000 (£13,000) bail, wear a tracking device and must not contact her victim again.

4 The group to which 43 year-old Mrs Nowak

belongs is extremely ‘select’: there are only 97 astronauts already trained and ready to fly. Only 20 are women. NASA has only chosen a total of 321 astronauts since the US agency started its space programme in 1959.

5 This is why Mrs Nowak’s actions early on

Monday morning were so surprising. For 10 years before her flight in the Discovery space shuttle in July, NASA had very carefully selected and trained her to live with extreme stress. She had an important technical job on Discovery, in charge of a

8

She also wore a nappy in the car, so that she wouldn’t have to stop very often – just like astronauts, who wear nappies during take off and landing.

9

She explained that she had discovered that Colleen Shipman, a US air force captain, was flying in to Orlando that night. Mrs Nowak wanted to be there to “scare her” into talking about her relationship with the man at the centre of the love triangle.

10 He is Bill Oefelein, 41, from Alaska, who

did astronaut training with Mrs Nowak. Like her, he first went into space last year, also on Discovery, but they have never flown together. Police found signs of Mrs Nowak’s feelings for Mr Oefelein in a letter in her car. They also found emails between him and Ms Shipman and directions to Ms Shipman’s house. Mrs Nowak told police she had “more than a working relationship, but less than a romantic relationship” with him.

11 Ms Shipman said that Mrs Nowak, whom

she had never met before, followed her

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival / Elementary

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attempted first-degree murder, attempted kidnapping and battery. Nothing like this has ever happened to a NASA astronaut before. Apparently, the married mother of three, separated from her husband, was part of a love triangle with a fellow male astronaut and a female air force captain. She thought he was going out with her.

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hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds, travelling 5.3 million miles, to join one of the world’s most select clubs: travellers in space. Last Monday, she only took about 14 hours, and 950 miles, to lose her place in the club.

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Shuttle astronaut arrested after alleged airport attack. Male colleague said to be at centre of love triangle.

robotic arm for repairing the international space station when the shuttle joined it in space.

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Level 1

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 1

Elementary 13 Her NASA colleagues were amazed by what

on a bus from the airport lounge to the car park. She was wearing a hooded coat, dark glasses and a wig. Afraid, Ms Shipman hurried to her car. She could hear someone running behind her, and as she slammed the door, Mrs Nowak hit the window and tried to pull the door open.

she did, and how she looked in court. Her official photograph, taken before the flight, shows her in full astronaut’s suit, smiling broadly. Yesterday, TV screens showed a picture with a difference: as Mrs Nowak was booked into jail, she looked absolutely terrible.

12 “Can you help me, please? My boyfriend

was supposed to pick me up and he is not here,” Mrs Nowak asked. When Ms Shipman said she could not help, the astronaut started to cry. Ms Shipman opened her window a few centimetres, and then Mrs Nowak threw the pepper spray in her face. Ms Shipman drove away, her eyes burning, and called the police. She says the astronaut had been stalking her for about two months.

14 Sergeant Barb Jones of Orlando police said

last night that Mrs Nowak clearly intended to hurt or kill someone. NASA has suspended her for 30 days and removed her from all shuttle mission activities. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 07/02/07

4 Scanning for information First find these numbers in the text. Then match each one with the information given below. 321

1959

$600

1

a

money Mrs Nowak had to pay the court

2

b

total number of NASA astronauts

3

c

money Mrs Nowak took with her

4

d

days Mrs Nowak cannot work for NASA

5

e

Mrs Nowak’s age

6

f

when the US started going into space

7

g

miles from Houston to Orlando

8

h

Mr Oefelein’s age

9

i

miles Mrs Nowak flew in space

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30

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43

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$25,000

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950

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5,300,000

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 1

Elementary

5 General understanding Match the names of the people with the information about them.

1

Mrs Nowak works

a

three children.

2

Mrs Nowak has

b

a captain in the American air force.

3

Mrs Nowak is

c

to hurt Ms Shipman.

4

Ms Shipman is

d

for NASA as an astronaut.

5

Mr Oelfelin is

e

not married now.

6

Mrs Nowak was afraid

f

Mrs Nowak not to go near Ms Shipman.

7

Mrs Nowak wanted

g

the man Mrs Nowak is in love with.

8

The judge told

h

were very surprised at what she did.

9

NASA said

i

that Mr Oefelein was in love with Ms Shipman.

10

Mrs Nowak’s colleagues

j

that Mrs Nowak could not go back to work.

6 Vocabulary development: Compound words

air

triangle

folding

park

pepper

force

airport

knife

car

landing

moon

lounge

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spray

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love

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Can you remember? See if you can match the beginnings and endings of these word pairs.

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 1

Elementary

First scan the text to see if you were right. Then match each word pair with a sentence below.

1. You can leave your car here: ____________________. 2. You can cut things with this and keep it safely in your pocket: ____________________. 3. A place where you can sit and wait for your plane: ____________________. 4. When a rocket arrives on the moon: ____________________. 5. Part of the military that uses planes in fighting: ____________________. 6. When there are three people in a love relationship: ____________________. 7. Very painful liquid that can burn your face or make you blind: ____________________.

7 Grammar development: Past tense endings Complete the table with irregular past forms from the text. The paragraph numbers are given.

past tense

past participle

1

take

(1)

2

think

(2)

3

choose

chose

4

become

became

5

drive

(7)

driven

6

wear

(8)

worn

7

find

(10)

found

8

fly

flew

(10)

9

meet

met

(11)

10

throw

(13) thought (4) (6)

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(12)

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infinitive

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Pre-reading 1

5 General understanding

2. A woman astronaut loses her job when she is accused of attempted murder

3 Key words 1. an astronaut 2. disguise 3. shuttle 4. a rival 5. a colleague 6. alleged 7. bail 8. a nappy 9. a tracking device 10. stalking



1. d 2. a 3. e 4. b 5. g 6. i 7. c 8. f 9. j 10. h

6 Vocabulary development: Compound words

money Mrs Nowak had to pay the court

2

321

b

total number of NASA astronauts

3

$600

c

money Mrs Nowak took with her

4

30

d

days Mrs Nowak cannot work for NASA

5

43

e

Mrs Nowak’s age

6

1959

f

when the US started going into space

7

950

g

miles from Houston to Orlando

8

41

h

Mr Oefelein’s age

9

5,300,000 i

miles Mrs Nowak flew in space

7 Grammar development: Past tense endings 1. took, taken 2. thought 3. chosen 4. become 5. drove 6. wore 7. found 8. flown 9. met 10. threw

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$25,000

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4 Scanning for information

1. car park 2. a folding knife 3. an airport lounge 4. the moon landing 5. the air force 6. a love triangle 7. pepper spray

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading 1

Look at the main headline. What do you think the story will be about? 1. A woman from outer space dives to Earth to bomb another woman. 2. A woman astronaut loses her job when she is accused of attempted murder. 3. An actress playing a character like ‘Wonder Woman’ dies when her rocket crashes.

2

Pre-reading 2

Now read the sub-headings. Do they help you to decide?

3

Key words

Match these key words from the text with the definitions below. a shuttle a colleague

alleged a wig

an astronaut a disguise

a tracking device a nappy stalking

1. ____________ A piece of electronic equipment that lets the police know where you are, wherever you go. 2. ____________ A piece of soft material usually worn by babies, who can’t use the toilet. 3. ____________ Annoying or frightening someone by watching and following them all the time. 4. ____________ Said to be true, but not yet proved in court. 5. ____________ Someone who travels and works in space. 6. ____________ Wearing strange clothes, etc. so that people don’t recognize you. 7. ____________ A space vehicle that travels to outer space and back to Earth. 8. ____________ Artificial hair that you wear on your head. 9. ____________ Someone who works at the same place as you.

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Now read the text quickly to see if you were right.

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Intermediate

2 Yesterday, in the strangest incident ever involving a professional NASA astronaut, Mrs Nowak was charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted kidnapping and battery. Apparently, the married mother of three, separated from her husband, was involved in a love triangle with a fellow male astronaut and a female air force captain whom she suspected of having a relationship with him. 3 A Florida judge ruled last night that Mrs Nowak could be fitted with a tracking device and released from custody if she could come up with $25,000 (£13,000) bail and did not contact her alleged victim. 4 The group to which 43-year-old Mrs Nowak belongs is extremely ‘select’: she is one of only 97 astronauts currently trained and ready to fly, 20 of them women. NASA has only chosen a total of 321 astronauts since the US agency started its space programme in 1959. 5 All of which makes her behaviour in the early hours of Monday so surprising. NASA had very carefully selected and trained her for 10 years to cope with extreme stress before her flight in the Discovery space shuttle in July. But this Monday, she set off on her own private mission. 6 Mrs Nowak admitted to Orlando police that she started her 950-mile drive from Houston, Texas, to Orlando on Sunday, bringing a carbon-dioxide

7 She also wore a nappy on the journey, so that she wouldn’t have to stop very often – a professional trick, as astronauts wear nappies during take off and landing. 8 She explained that she had discovered that Colleen Shipman, a US air force captain, was flying in from Houston to Orlando that night. Mrs Nowak wanted to be there to “scare her” into talking about her relationship with the man at the centre of the love triangle. 9 He is Bill Oefelein, 41, from Alaska, who did astronaut training with Mrs Nowak. Like her, he first went into space last year, also on Discovery, although they have never flown together. Police found evidence of Mrs Nowak’s feelings for Mr Oefelein in a letter in her car, together with emails between him and Ms Shipman, and directions to Ms Shipman’s house. In her statement, Mrs Nowak said she had “more than a working relationship, but less than a romantic relationship” with him. 10 Ms Shipman allegedly saw Mrs Nowak, whom she had never met before, wearing a hooded trench coat, dark glasses and the wig, following her on a bus from the airport lounge to the car park. Afraid, she hurried to her car. She could hear running footsteps behind her and as she slammed the door Mrs Nowak hit the window and tried to pull the door open. 11 “Can you help me, please? My boyfriend was supposed to pick me up and he is not here,” Mrs Nowak apparently begged. When Ms Shipman said she could not help, the astronaut started to cry. Ms Shipman wound down her window a couple of inches, at which Mrs Nowak let off the pepper spray. Ms Shipman drove off, her eyes burning, and raised the alarm. She alleges the

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1 Last July, Lisa Nowak travelled 5.3 million miles, taking 12 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds, to win her position in one of the world’s most select clubs: travellers in space. Last Monday, she went about 950 miles in 14 hours to lose it.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Shuttle astronaut arrested after alleged airport attack. Male colleague said to be at centre of love triangle. Ed Pilkington in New York February 7, 2007

powered pellet gun, a folding knife with a fourinch blade, pepper spray, a steel hammer and $600 in cash. She also had several large black bin liners, six latex gloves and rubber tubing, as well as a wig and two hooded trench coats for disguise.

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Spacewoman falls to Earth on charge of trying to kill love rival

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Level 2

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 2

Intermediate

astronaut had been stalking her for about two months. 12 Sergeant Barb Jones of Orlando police said last night that Mrs Nowak clearly intended to do “serious bodily injury or death.” Her behaviour and later appearance in court has amazed people in the closed world of space exploration. Tariq Malik, a science reporter who interviewed Mrs Nowak just before she went into space, said astronauts were carefully chosen and trained so that surprises did not happen. 13 “They have to fly in very cramped spaces and under intense stress, so they have to be able to cope,” he said. 14 Mrs Nowak had an important technical job in the July flight, in charge of a robotic arm for repairing

the international space station when the shuttle joined it in space. 15 Before the mission, she said she had first become interested in space at the age of five when she watched the moon landing on television, and on visits to the Air and Space Museum in Washington. 16 Her official photograph, taken before the flight, shows her in full astronaut’s suit, smiling broadly. Yesterday, TV screens showed a picture with a difference: as Mrs Nowak was booked into jail, she looked absolutely terrible. NASA has suspended her for 30 days and removed her from all shuttle mission activities. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 7/2/07

4 General understanding Some of these sentences are not true, according to the article. Say which ones, and say why. 1. Mrs Nowak won a competition to join a Space Travellers’ Club. 2. She is in love with one of her colleagues at NASA. 3. She was afraid that he loved another woman. 4. On Monday she went on a private Space mission. 5. She drove to Orlando in a car that used carbon-dioxide instead of petrol. 6. She met Bill Oefelein when they were both students. 7. Mrs Nowak did not plan to hurt Ms Shipman. 8. Mrs Nowak’s colleagues were not surprised when they saw her in court. 9. On the space flight, she worked as a secretary.

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10. She has been interested in space travel since she was a child.

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary development 1: Legal language Find words in the text that mean the following.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

charged with first-degree murder kidnapping bail custody evidence allegedly battery

a b c d e f g h

Being kept in prison until you go to court. Facts or objects that prove you are guilty of a crime. Officially accused (of a crime) in court. When you intend to kill someone. Someone says this is true, but it isn’t yet proved. Taking someone away illegally, and keeping them prisoner. Money you leave with the court to make sure you come for your trial. The crime of hitting someone.

6 Vocabulary development 2: Phrasal verbs Replace the underlined words with one of these phrasal verbs from the text. wound down

set off on

let off

cope with

drove off

come up with

pick me up

1. It was hard to produce any new ideas on such an old subject. 2. If I phone you from the station, can you come and collect me? 3. The policeman looked at his papers, and then went away in his car. 4. When are you going to start your trip round the world? 5. She’s just left her job; she couldn’t manage all the work. 6. It was so hot in the car that he opened the window a little.

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7. Stand right back out of the way; they’re going to make the fireworks explode.

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 2

Intermediate

7 Understanding reference What do these words refer to? 1. In paragraph 1, ‘it’ means: a. last Monday. b. one of the clubs. c. her position in one of the clubs. 2. In paragraph 2, ‘whom’ means: a. her fellow astronaut. b. the female air force captain. 3. In paragraph 2, ‘him’ means: a. her fellow astronaut. b. the air force captain. 4. In paragraph 4, ‘the group’ means: a. the 97 astronauts. b. the 20 women astronauts. c. the 321 astronauts NASA has trained. 5. In paragraph 5, ‘all of which’ means: a. the fact that it is so hard to become an astronaut. b. the space programme. c. the astronauts. 6. In paragraph 11, ‘at which’ means: a. at the window. b. as soon as the window was open. c. at Ms Shipman.

8 Discussion Do you feel sorry for Mrs. Nowak at all? Why / why not? What do you think should happen to her?

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Would you like to be an astronaut? Why / why not?

Spacewoman on charge of trying to kill love rival Level 2

Intermediate

KEY

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

a tracking device a nappy stalking alleged astronaut disguise a shuttle a wig a colleague

4 General understanding 1. False. She had to work hard to get her job as an astronaut. 2. True. 3. True. 4. False. She went to Orlando with a special purpose of her own. 5. False. Carbon-dioxide was used to power her gun. 6. True. 7. False. She took a lot of weapons with her, and actually used the pepper spray. 8. False. They were very surprised when they saw her in court, because astronauts are so carefully chosen and trained. 9. False. She was responsible for repairing the space craft in space. 10. True.

6 Vocabulary development 2: Phrasal verbs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

come up with pick me up drove off set off on cope with wound down let off

7 Understanding reference 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c b a a a b

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3 Key words

1. c 2. d 3. f 4. g 5. a 6. b 7. e 8. h

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2. A woman astronaut loses her job when she is accused of attempted murder

5 Vocabulary development 1: Legal language

CA

1 Pre-reading

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. sperm prosaic

siblings donor offspring opt

conceive counsel

spike striking

1. If something is ____________, it is very ordinary and lacks imagination or excitement. 2. If something is ____________, it attracts your interest or attention because of some unusual feature. 3. If you ____________ to do something, you choose to do it. 4. A ____________ is someone who gives blood, eggs or a part of their body to be used in the medical treatment of someone else. 5. A ____________ is a sudden increase in something, especially when shown in statistics. 6. Your ____________ are your brothers and sisters. 7. Your ____________ are your children. 8. ____________ is a cell from a man that fertilizes a woman’s egg and makes her pregnant. 9. When a woman ____________, she becomes pregnant. 10. If you ____________ someone, you give them advice and help with their problems.

2

Correct the statements

The information given in these sentences is not correct, according to the text. Look in the text, find the correct information and rewrite the sentences accordingly. 1. Jeffrey Harrison donated sperm in the 1990s. 2. He was paid between $500 and $1000 per sample. 3. So far five of Mr Harrison’s offspring have managed to find him. 4. Mr Harrison confirmed his identity by emailing a photograph of himself to Wendy Kramer of the Donor Sibling Registry website. 5. There is strict regulation of sperm donations in the United States.

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6. There was a sharp increase in sperm donations in the early 1980s.

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Advanced

Now they know a lot more about each other. 2 They know that they are father and daughter, that Ryann was conceived thanks to sperm donated by Mr Harrison in the 1980s. They also know Ryann is one of six half-siblings, and that Mr Harrison may need to get a larger home. “It’s pretty obvious that he’s their father,” said Wendy Kramer, whose website put Mr Harrison and his offspring in touch. “I looked at the picture and thought, ‘Oh my God’.” Mr Harrison’s response to meeting his offspring 3 for the first time was equally prosaic. “The first thing he said was, ‘Holy moly’,” 17-year-old Danielle Pagano, another of Mr Harrison’s children, told the New York Times after meeting him this week. “He’s sort of a free spirit, and I don’t care what career he has. I got to talk to his dogs.” While three of Mr Harrison’s offspring have been very active in tracking him down, two of them, in their early teens, still do not know of his existence. Mr Harrison decided to come forward after 4 reading a newspaper article about two teenage girls who had found out that they were conceived using his sperm and were trying to find him. The article made him “choke on his coffee”. He had visited California Cryobank in the 1980s, being

5 “Degree in philosophy from Europe,” reads the description of Donor 150. “Dancer/Musician/ Fitness Instructor/Writer. Protestant. Interests: Health, guitar, swimming, dancing, writing, travel. Loves animals and children, calls himself ‘happygo-lucky’.” 6 Two of Mr Harrison’s offspring got in touch with each other through the Donor Sibling Registry, the website set up by Ms Kramer three years ago, which currently has 7,394 members, including 430 donors who are willing to be found. Soon a third joined them. 7 At the weekend, Mr Harrison emailed a copy of his birth certificate to Ms Kramer, confirming his identity as Donor 150. “We talked for hours on Saturday night,” Ms Kramer said. “It was a very big risk for him. He wanted to make the connection but was a little bit nervous and afraid.” The same day, Ms Kramer contacted the families. “[I] told them to take their time and to take it slow. I guess they ignored my advice. They were all very excited and by the next day everybody was conference calling.” 8 Ms Kramer is confident that the offspring - who sometimes refer to themselves as “half-adopted” - will get along with their biological father. “He’s a simple man and he lives a very simple life,” she said. “These girls don’t care about his status or his money. He’s a very gentle soul, he’s very kind, very sweet and open, with a great sense of humour.” 9 The extended family has now retreated from the media, opting to spend the next week getting to know each other. But while the story is notable, it is far from unique, and forms part of an untracked phenomenon in the US, where there is little

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children / Advanced

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The likeness is striking. The man and the young 1 woman share the same high forehead, their noses are similar, even their hair and build have more than a little in common. They might pass for father and daughter. But there are things they do not share. Before this week, they had never met. The man, Jeffrey Harrison, lives with his four dogs in a motor home parked on the street in Venice, California. The woman, Ryann M, is a teenager living in a settled family.

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Father comes forward after teenagers conduct search through website. Dan Glaister in Los Angeles February 16, 2007

paid between $50 and $100 a sample, which was labelled simply Donor 150. He had also provided a very desirable profile and was one of the sperm bank’s most requested donors. However, reading the description of him may have led his newly found children to conjure up an image slightly at odds with his 2007 persona.

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Level 3

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 3

Advanced

regulation of sperm donations. Nobody knows whether a donor’s sperm is used to conceive a child, or how many children are conceived from each donor. 10 On Wednesday alone this week, two donor fathers were put in touch with their offspring through the Donor Sibling Registry. In a typical month, the website puts 60-80 people in touch with each other, said Ms Kramer. One of the donors listed on the website has 50 offspring; another recently came forward to acknowledge his 22 children. The sperm bank industry estimates that 30,000 children are conceived each year from donated sperm. A spike in sperm donations in the mid-1980s means that many donor-conceived children are now coming of age and are seeking answers about their parentage.

11 “If I ran a sperm bank I would surely be talking about self-regulation, before it is forced,” said Ms Kramer. “It’s just a question of doing the right thing. Nobody’s asked the question here that has been asked in country after country, in Europe and elsewhere: in going forward, what is in the best interests of the child? They have considered the interests of the sperm bank, the parents and the industry, but not the children. Even now sperm banks and medical professionals are counselling parents to keep it secret. It can be devastating. This is all about redefining the family,” she said. “We’re strangers but we’re very much connected.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 16/2/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. When Jeffrey Harrison’s offspring read his profile they… a. would have had a very clear picture of what he was like. b. would have formed a picture of him that was totally different from what he was like. c. would have formed a picture of him that was a little different from what he was like. 2. The families of Mr Harrison’s offspring… a. listened carefully to Ms Kramer’s advice. b. didn’t want to listen to Ms Kramer’s advice. c. listened to Ms Kramer’s advice but didn’t follow it. 3. Sperm donation in the United States is… a. closely monitored. b. virtually unregulated. c. a new phenomenon.

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4. Ms Kramer believes that the sperm bank industry… a. has not considered the best interests of the child. b. should counsel parents to keep things secret. c. should be strictly regulated.

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 3

Advanced

4 Phrasal verbs Match these phrasal verbs from the text with their definitions. 1. pass for

a. to bring a feeling, image or memory to your mind

2. track down

b. to start a business, organization or institution

3. come forward

c. to be accepted, wrongly, as a particular type of person

4. conjure up

d. to be on friendly terms

5. get along with

e. to find after a long search

6. set up

f. to volunteer to offer information

5 Expressions Fill the gaps in the sentences using these phrases from the text. happy-go-lucky holy moly come of age

at odds with self-regulation

extended family

1. If something is ____________ something else, it is different from it when it should be the same. 2. ____________ is a mild expression of surprise used in American English. 3. An ____________ is a family group that includes cousins, nephews, nieces etc. 4. A ____________ person is one who doesn’t worry too much about the future. 5. ____________ is a process whereby organizations control themselves and make their own rules.

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6. When children ____________ they reach the age when they are legally adults.

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 3

Advanced

6 Noun and verb collocations Match the nouns in the left-hand column with the verbs in the right-hand column. 1. keep

a. an image

2. make

b. someone’s advice

3. conjure up

c. a child

4. confirm

d. a connection

5. ignore

e. your identity

6. conceive

f. a secret

7 Discussion Imagine that at the age of 18 your parents told you that you were conceived using sperm donated by a sperm

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donor. Would you like to meet your biological father? Why? Why not?

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Phrasal verbs

1. prosaic 2. striking 3. opt 4. donor 5. spike 6. siblings 7. offspring 8. sperm 9. conceives 10. counsel

1. c 2. e 3. f 4. a 5. d 6. b

2 Correct the statements 1. Jeffrey Harrison donated sperm in the 1980s. 2. He was paid between $50 and $100 per sample. 3. So far, three of Mr Harrison’s offspring have managed to find him. 4. Mr Harrison confirmed his identity by e-mailing a copy of his birth certificate to Wendy Kramer of the Donor Sibling Registry website. 5. There is little regulation of sperm donations in the United States. 6. There was a sharp increase in sperm donations in the mid-1980s.

3 Comprehension check

1. at odds with 2. holy moly 3. extended family 4. happy-go-lucky 5. self-regulation 6. come of age

6 Noun + verb collocations 1. f 2. d 3. a 4. e 5. b 6. c

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c c b a

CA

1. 2. 3. 4.

5 Expressions

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences below using these key words from the text. sperm siblings unique donor

offspring choke

sample client

profile happy-go-lucky

1. If something is ____________, it is not the same as anything else. 2. A ____________ is a small amount of something used for medical tests. 3. A ____________ is someone who pays for a service. 4. Your ____________ are your children. 5. Your ____________ are your brothers and sisters. 6. A ____________ is someone who gives blood, eggs or a part of their body for the medical treatment of another person. 7. A ____________ person is someone who doesn’t think about the future. 8. ____________ is a cell from a man that makes a woman pregnant. 9. A ____________ is a description of a person. 10. If you ____________ on something, you cannot breathe because there is something in your throat.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. When did Jeffrey Harrison donate his sperm? 2. How old is Mr Harrison’s daughter Danielle? 3. How much money did Mr Harrison receive for his sperm? 4. How many members does the Donor Sibling Registry have? 5. How many children are born each year in the USA from donated sperm?

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6. How many people does the Donor Sibling Registry put in touch each month?

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Elementary

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor comes face to face with his children 20 years later 5

“Degree in philosophy from Europe,” reads Donor 150’s description. “Dancer/Musician/ Fitness Instructor/Writer. Interests: Health, guitar, swimming, dancing, writing, travel. Loves animals and children. Is a ‘happy-go-lucky’ person.”

6

Three years ago Ms Kramer started a website called the Donor Sibling Registry. Two of Mr Harrison’s offspring contacted each other through the website. Now the Donor Sibling Registry has 4 members, including 430 donors who over 7,000 would like to meet their offspring.

7

At the weekend, Mr Harrison emailed a copy of his birth certificate to Ms Kramer, and confirmed that he was Donor 150. “We talked for hours on Saturday night,” Ms Kramer said. “It was a very big risk for him. He wanted to make contact with his offspring but was a little bit nervous and afraid.” The same day, Ms Kramer contacted the families. “I told them to take their time and to take things slowly. But I don’t think they listened to my advice. They were all very excited and the next day everybody was calling each other.”

8

Ms Kramer is sure that the offspring will get on with their biological father. “He’s a simple man and he lives a very simple life,” she said. “These girls don’t care about his job or his money. He’s very kind, very sweet and open, and he has a great sense of humour.”

9

This story is unusual but it is not unique. There is not much control over sperm donations in the United States. Nobody knows whether a donor’s sperm is ever used, or how many children are born from one donor’s sperm.

Dan Glaister in Los Angeles February 16, 2007

3 When Mr Harrison met his offspring for the first time he was surprised. “The first thing he said was, ‘Holy moly’,” 17-year-old Danielle Pagano, another of Mr Harrison’s children, told the New York Times after meeting him this week. “He’s a free spirit, and I don’t care what job he has.” Three of Mr Harrison’s offspring have been very active in finding him, two of them, in their early teens, still do not know about him. 4 Mr Harrison decided to contact the website after reading a newspaper article about two teenage girls who had found out that they were born from his sperm and were trying to find him. The article made him “choke on his coffee”. He had visited a sperm bank in the 1980s and received between $50 and $100 for each sperm sample. The sperm bank put the label Donor 150 on his sperm. He also gave them a personal profile and many of

10 This week the Donor Sibling Registry put two donor fathers in touch with their offspring. In a normal month, the website puts 60-80 people in touch with each other, said Ms Kramer. One of the donors listed on her website has 50 offspring; another says he has 22 children. The sperm bank industry says that around 30,000 children

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children / Elementary

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2 Now they know a lot more about each other. They know that they are father and daughter. They know that Ryann was born thanks to sperm given by Mr Harrison in the 1980s. They also know Ryann is one of six half-siblings. Mr Harrison may need to get a bigger home! “It’s quite clear that he’s their father,” said Wendy Kramer, whose website put Mr Harrison in touch with his offsping. “I looked at the photo and thought, ‘Oh my God’.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 The man and the young woman look like each other. They have the same high forehead, their noses are almost the same, even their hair and build are similar. They could be father and daughter. But there is one important difference. They met for the first time this week. The man, Jeffrey Harrison, lives with his four dogs in a motor home in Venice, California. The woman, Ryann M, is a teenager living in a normal family.

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Father comes forward after teenagers conduct search through website.

the bank’s clients requested Mr Harrison’s sperm when they read his profile. The profile is a little different from how Mr Harrison is today, however.

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Level 1

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 1

Elementary

are born each year from donated sperm. A lot of children born in the late 1980s are now looking for their biological fathers. 11 “Sperm banks should regulate themselves before the government forces regulations on them,” said Ms Kramer. “It’s just a question of doing the right thing. Nobody in the USA thinks about the children. They think about the interests of the sperm bank, the parents and the industry, but not

the children. Even now sperm banks and doctors tell parents to keep it secret. It can be a big shock for the children when they find out.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 16/2/07

3 Comprehension check

Match the beginnings and the endings to make sentences about the text.

1. When Mr Harrison met his daughter for the first time ____ 2. Wendy Kramer started her website because ____ 3. Many children born from donated sperm ____ 4. Sperm banks and doctors tell parents ____ 5. Wendy Kramer believes ____ 6. Mr Harrison donated his sperm because ____

a. ____ not to tell children they were born from donated sperm. b. ____ want to meet their biological parents. c. ____ he was surprised and said ‘Holy moly’. d. ____ he needed the money. e. ____ Mr Harrison’s offspring will get on well with him.

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f. ____ she wanted to put children born from donated sperm in touch.

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 1

Elementary

4 Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column. Then check your answers in the text.

Adjective + noun

Noun + noun 1. birth

a. home

5. free

e. life

2. newspaper

b. instructor

6. simple

f. profile

3. fitness

c. certificate

7. personal

g. person

4. motor

d. article

8. happy-go-lucky

h. spirit

5 Prepositions Complete these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. sense _______ humour 2. thanks _______ 3. _______ their early teens 4. different _______ 5. _______ the weekend 6. _______ Saturday night 7. make contact _______ 8. put _______ touch

6 Word stress Put these words from the text into two groups according to their word stress. unique website

sample nervous

receive advice

profile control

guitar humour

travel surprised

A 0 o __________________________________________________________________________________

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B o 0 __________________________________________________________________________________

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Collocations

1. unique 2. sample 3. client 4. offspring 5. siblings 6. donor 7. happy-go-lucky 8. sperm 9. profile 10. choke

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

5 Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

c f b a e d

6 Word stress A. sample; profile; travel; website; nervous; humour B. unique; receive; guitar; advice; control; surprised

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children / Elementary

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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3 Comprehension check

of to in from at on with in

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in the 1980s 17 $50 to $100 over 7,000 around 30,000 60 to 80

c d b a h e f g

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences below using the following key words from the text. sperm choke

donor adopt

offspring track down

siblings willing

conceive estimate

1. If you ____________ a person, you manage to find them after a long and difficult search. 2. If you are ____________ to do something, you do it when someone asks you. 3. A ____________ is someone who gives blood, eggs or a body part to help in the medical treatment of another person. 4. ____________ is a cell from a man that fertilizes a woman’s egg and makes her pregnant. 5. Your ____________ are your children. 6. Your ____________ are your brothers and sisters. 7. If you ____________ a child, you take them into your family and legally make them your own child. 8. If you ____________ an amount or a value, you say what you think it will be. 9. If a woman ____________ a child, she becomes pregnant. 10. If you ____________, you cannot breathe because something is blocking your throat.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. When did Jeffrey Harrison donate his sperm? 2. How much was he paid for each sperm sample? 3. What did he say when he met his offspring for the first time? 4. How many members does the Donor Sibling Registry have? 5. How many children are conceived from donated sperm in the US each year?

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6. How many people are put in touch each month by the Donor Sibling Registry?

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Intermediate

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor comes face to face with his children 20 years later

1 The man and the young woman look quite similar. They have the same high forehead, their noses are almost the same, even their hair and build have quite a lot in common. They could be father and daughter. But there is one important difference. Before this week, they had never met. The man, Jeffrey Harrison, lives with his four dogs in a motor home in Venice, California. The woman, Ryann M, is a teenager living in a settled family. 2 Now they know a lot more about each other. They know that they are father and daughter, that Ryann was conceived thanks to sperm donated by Mr Harrison in the 1980s. They also know Ryann is one of six half-siblings, and that Mr Harrison may need to get a larger home. “It’s quite obvious that he’s their father,” said Wendy Kramer, whose website put Mr Harrison and his offspring in touch. “I looked at the picture and thought, ‘Oh my God’.” 3 Mr Harrison’s reaction to meeting his offspring for the first time was similar. “The first thing he said was, ‘Holy moly’,” 17-year-old Danielle Pagano, another of Mr Harrison’s children, told the New York Times after meeting him this week. “He’s a free spirit, and I don’t care what career he has. He let me talk to his dogs.” While three of Mr Harrison’s offspring have been very active in tracking him down, two of them, in their early teens, still do not know that he exists. 4 Mr Harrison decided to come forward after reading a newspaper article about two teenage girls who had found out that they were conceived using his sperm and were trying to find him. The article made him “choke on his coffee”. He had visited California Cryobank in the 1980s and was paid between $50 and $100 per sperm sample. His sperm was labelled simply Donor 150. He

5

“Degree in philosophy from Europe,” reads Donor 150’s description. “Dancer/Musician/ Fitness Instructor/Writer. Protestant. Interests: Health, guitar, swimming, dancing, writing, travel. Loves animals and children, calls himself ‘happy-go-lucky’.”

6

Two of Mr Harrison’s offspring got in touch with each other through the Donor Sibling Registry, a website which Ms Kramer started three years ago. It currently has 7,394 members, including 430 donors who are willing to be found by their offspring. A third child got in touch soon after.

7

At the weekend, Mr Harrison emailed a copy of his birth certificate to Ms Kramer, and confirmed that he was Donor 150. “We talked for hours on Saturday night,” Ms Kramer said. “It was a very big risk for him. He wanted to make the connection but was a little bit nervous and afraid.” The same day, Ms Kramer contacted the families. “I told them to take their time and to take things slowly. I guess they didn’t listen to my advice. They were all very excited and by the next day everybody was calling each other.”

8

Ms Kramer is confident that the offspring - who sometimes refer to themselves as “half-adopted” - will get on with their biological father. “He’s a simple man and he lives a very simple life,” she said. “These girls don’t care about his status or his money. He’s very kind, very sweet and open, and has a great sense of humour.”

9

The extended family is now avoiding the media, choosing to spend the next week getting to know each other. The story might be unusual but it is not unique. There is little regulation of sperm donations in the United States. Nobody knows whether a donor’s sperm is ever used to conceive a child, or how many children are conceived from each donor.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children / Intermediate

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Dan Glaister in Los Angeles February 16, 2007

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Father comes forward after teenagers conduct search through website.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

had also provided a very attractive profile and was one of the sperm bank’s most requested donors. However, when Mr Harrison’s newly found children read his description they may have formed a picture of him that was different from the way he is today.

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Level 2

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 2

Intermediate

10 On a single day this week, two donor fathers were put in touch with their offspring through the Donor Sibling Registry. In a typical month, the website puts 60-80 people in touch with each other, said Ms Kramer. One of the donors listed on her website has 50 offspring; another recently said he had 22 children. The sperm bank industry estimates that 30,000 children are conceived each year from donated sperm. A sharp increase in sperm donations in the mid-1980s means that many donor-conceived children are now coming of age and are trying to find out who their fathers were.

been asked in country after country, in Europe and elsewhere: what is in the best interests of the child? They have considered the interests of the sperm bank, the parents and the industry, but not the children. Even now sperm banks and medical professionals are advising parents to keep it secret. It can be a huge shock to the children. This is all about providing a new definition of what the family is,” she said. “We’re strangers but we’re very much connected.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 16/2/07

11 “If I ran a sperm bank I would surely be talking about self-regulation, before it is forced,” said Ms Kramer. “It’s just a question of doing the right thing. Nobody’s asked the question here that has

3 Comprehension check Decide whether these statements are True or False according to the text.

1. Jeffrey Harrison didn’t want to meet his offspring. 2. Mr Harrison is exactly like his profile. 3. All sperm donors want to be found by their offspring. 4. Mr Harrison leads a very simple life. 5. Sperm donations are carefully regulated in the United States. 6. Ms Kramer believes that sperm banks do not think about the interests of the children. 7. Mr Harrison’s children are worried because he doesn’t have much money.

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8. The Donor Sibling Registry tries to put people in contact with their siblings and offspring.

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 2

Intermediate

4 Find the word Find these words and expressions in the text. 1. An expression meaning to have the same features as someone else. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning clear to almost anyone. (para 2) 3. An American expression indicating surprise. (para 3) 4. An expression meaning not worrying too much about the future. (para 5) 5. An expression meaning to make contact with another person. (para 6) 6. A noun meaning position in society. (para 8) 7. An adjective meaning not the same as anything else. (para 9) 8. An expression meaning to legally become an adult. (para 10)

5 Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. to have a lot _______ common 2. put people ______ touch 3. reaction ______ 4. he was paid ______ $50 and $100 5. to get on ______ someone 6. a great sense _______ humour 7. a sharp increase _______

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8. it’s a question _______ doing the right thing

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 2

Intermediate

6 Word building Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. donate 2. exist 3. conceive 4. describe 5. contact 6. advise 7. regulate 8. confirm

7 Discussion Imagine that at the age of 18 your parents told you that you were conceived using donated sperm. Would you like

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

to meet your biological father? Why? Why not?

‘Holy moly’ - sperm donor meets his children Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

5 Prepositions

1. track down 2. willing 3. donor 4. sperm 5. offspring 6. siblings 7. adopt 8. estimate 9. conceives 10. choke

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

in the 1980s $50 to $100 “Holy moly” 7,394 around 30,000 60 to 80

in in to between with of in of

6 Word building donation existence conception description contact advice regulation confirmation

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F F F T F T F T

4 Find the word

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to have a lot in common obvious holy moly happy-go-lucky to get in touch status unique to come of age

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Super-rich get richer Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences below using the following key words from the text. entrepreneur compile scour magnate

inherit founder

retail eligible

tycoon notable

1. If someone is described as ____________, they are considered to be a suitable marriage partner because they are rich or attractive in some other way. 2. If someone or something is ____________, they are interesting enough to be noticed. 3. If you ____________ a place, you search it thoroughly. 4. When you ____________ something, you make a list by bringing together information from different places. 5. An ____________ is someone who uses money to start businesses and make deals. 6. A ____________ is a rich and powerful person involved in business or industry. 7. A ____________ is a successful, powerful and important businessman, particularly in the fields of oil, shipping and the media. 8. If you ____________ wealth, you receive it from someone who has died. 9. The process of selling goods direct to the public is known as ____________. 10. A person who starts a company or an organization is known as its ____________.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True or False. Then check your answers in the text. 1. The world’s richest man is Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft. 2. Bill Gates’ personal fortune is worth more than $60 billion. 3. There are over 1,000 dollar billionaires in the world. 4. There are more dollar billionaires in China than in India. 5. Russia has more dollar billionaires than India and China combined.

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NEWS LESSONS / Super-rich get richer / Advanced

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. The richest woman in the world is the founder of L’Oreal.

Super-rich get richer Advanced

Super-rich get richer

2 For the 13th year straight, the ranking was topped by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who is rapidly becoming as well known for giving his money away as he is for accumulating it. Mr Gates’ fortune rose $6bn last year to $56bn (£29bn). His friend, the wisecracking investment expert Warren Buffett, remained in second spot. His fortune rose $10bn during the year to reach $52bn. Like Mr Gates, he has promised to give virtually all of his money to charitable causes. Third on the list is the Mexican telecoms entrepreneur Carlos Slim Helu, who added $19bn to his wealth, taking him to $49bn. 3 The combined wealth on the list grew 35% during the year to $3.5 trillion on the back of rising property prices, commodities and stock markets. Luisa Kroll who helped compile the list at Forbes described it as “kind of an extraordinary year”. In the previous list there were just 793 billionaires. 4 The highest ranking Briton on the list is the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, at number 55, who inherited much of his wealth and is one of the UK’s wealthiest landowners. He is said to be worth $11bn. Sir Philip Green, the retail entrepreneur who controls British Home Stores and Topshop owner Arcadia is the second ranked Briton at 104. Sir Philip, 55, is sitting on a $7bn fortune. Next are the property tycoons David and Simon Rueben, worth a combined $4.5bn and ranked at 177. 5 There are 29 British citizens on the list. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is ranked 230 with $3.8bn; David Sainsbury, a scion of the grocery chain empire, is 432nd with $2.2bn; Daily Mail boss Viscount Rothermere, Jonathan

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Super-rich get richer / Advanced

6

A clear trend to emerge is the growing wealth in both China and India, the two firebrand economies driving global growth. Another 14 people from India joined the list. With a total of 36 billionaires, India has now overtaken Japan, which has 24, as home to the most billionaires in Asia. There are three Indians in the top 20, led by Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian citizen but a London resident, who is ranked at number five with $32bn.

7

There were 13 Chinese newcomers including Li Wei, the founder of Synear Food Holding. Her company is one of China’s largest producers of frozen food, including dumplings, and is an official supplier to the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

8

The US still has 44% of the world’s billionaires but its share is shrinking. Russia is also rising fast and has 53 billionaires according to Forbes. The Wal-Mart family dropped from the top 20, reflecting a difficult year for the world’s largest retailer.

9

The average billionaire is 62 years old and 60% of the people on the list made their money from scratch. Around 100 eligible men are included among the world’s wealthiest. As Forbes says, singletons should stop scouring the grocery store aisles and bars and start studying the list. Heading the bachelor pack are Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin - unmarried at 33 and 34 respectively, they are worth $16.6bn apiece, taking 26th place in the overall list. Other notable bachelor boys are Russian metals magnate Mikhail Prokhorov, in 38th place with

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1 The rich just keep getting richer. There are now a record 946 dollar billionaires around the globe, according to the latest Forbes ranking; making their fortunes in everything from telecoms to steel to Chinese dumplings.

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David Teather March 9, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Harmsworth, is ranked at 618 with $1.6bn and James Dyson cleans up at the same ranking, also with $1.6bn. Harry Potter author JK Rowling scrapes in at the bottom of the list with a fortune valued at $1bn. There are two others who have made their fortunes from a decidedly different type of publishing; Richard Desmond the former soft porn publisher who now owns the Daily Express is 754th on the list with $1.3bn in the bank and Paul Raymond, who owns Escort, Mayfair and Razzle magazines, is also worth $1bn.

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Level 3

Super-rich get richer Level 3

Advanced

an estimated net worth of $13.5bn; or divorced James Packer, sitting on a more modest $5.5bn media fortune. 10 For those after a walk on the wild side, it’s worth looking down the list to 664th place for the accordion-playing, fire-breathing founder of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte. The 47-year-old Canadian founded his circus-based, animal-free acrobatic show in 1984 and still retains 95% of the business. His worth is estimated at $1.5bn.

The top-ranking woman, at number 12, is 84year-old L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, with a fortune of $20.7bn. Chat show queen Oprah Winfrey is estimated to be worth $1.5bn. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 9/3/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information in the text. 1. The main reason for the 35% increase in the combined wealth of the world’s dollar billionaires last year was... a. the fact that it was an extraordinary year. b. increased sales. c. rising property and commodity prices.

2. Where is the Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, on the rich list? a. Near the top. b. At the very bottom. c. Near the bottom.

3. Which two economies are said to be driving global economic growth? a. The US and China b. India and China c. India and Russia

4. Which of these sentences is true according to the text? a. More than half the people on the rich list started with nothing. b. Most of the people on the rich list started with nothing.

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c. A few of the people on the rich list started with nothing.

Super-rich get richer Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find these words and expressions in the text. 1. A noun meaning a position on a list that shows how good someone is compared to others. (para 2) 2. A verb meaning to get more and more of something over a period of time. (para 2) 3. A phrase meaning organizations that provide help to people who need it. (para 2) 4. A phrase meaning because of something/helped by something. (para 3) 5. A noun meaning things that can be bought or sold, especially food products and fuels. (para 3) 6. A noun meaning a young member of a rich or important family. (para 5) 7. A two-word verb meaning to make a lot of money. (para 5) 8. An adverb meaning in a way that is impossible to doubt and easy to see. (para 5)

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

2. compile

b. wealth

3. found

c. a ranking

4. make

d. food

5. top

e. a rival/a competitor

6. drive

f. a business

7. overtake

g. a fortune

8. produce

h. a list

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Super-rich get richer / Advanced

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a. global economic growth

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1. accumulate

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column.

Super-rich get richer Level 3 Advanced 6 Vocabulary 3: Word formation Fill the gaps with an appropriate form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence. 1. Bill Gates is the ____________ of Microsoft. (FOUND) 2. For some people the ____________ of wealth is the main focus of their lives. (ACCUMULATE) 3. When a rich person dies, a lot of their fortune may be lost in ____________ tax. (INHERIT) 4. The rich often invest in ____________ items such as paintings. (VALUE) 5. The ____________ of powerful economies in India and China has boosted the world economy. (EMERGE) 6. Investors expect a good return on their ____________ . (INVEST) 7. India and China are driving global economic ____________ . (GROW) 8. ____________ costs are a problems for many businesses. (RISE)

7 Discussion

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Should there be a limit on how much money an individual can have? What can you do with more than $1 billion? Shouldn’t this money be redistributed to help the poor?

Super-rich get richer Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. eligible 2. notable 3. scour 4. compile 5. entrepreneur 6. tycoon 7. magnate 8. inherit 9. retail 10. founder

1. ranking 2. accumulate 3. charitable causes 4. on the back of 5. commodities 6. scion 7. clean up 8. decidedly

2 What do you know?

1. b 2. h 3. f 4. g 5. c 6. a 7. e 8. d

NEWS LESSONS / Super-rich get richer / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

1. founder 2. accumulation 3. inheritance 4. valuable 5. emergence 6. investment(s) 7. growth 8. rising

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. c 2. b 3. b 4. a

6 Vocabulary 3: Word formation

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3 Comprehension check

CA

1. T 2. F 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. T

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

Super-rich get richer Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Some useful words

1. bachelor 2. commodities 3. founder 4. entrepreneur 5. tycoon 6. heiress 7. fortune 8. billionaire 9. retail 10. property

A 1. 1.3bn 2. $1bn 3. 33 4. 34

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

d h e b f c a g

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Super-rich get richer / Elementary

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

owner retailer producer founder supplier writer publisher developer

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

at of at/on from in of for by

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Bill Gates Liliane Bettencourt Mexican $3.5 trillion 36 about 100

5 Vocabulary 2: Word formation

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. This watch is worth £1,000 2. Richard Branson is worth $3.8bn 3. Their house is worth £250,000 4. Larry Page is worth $16.6bn.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

B

Super-rich get richer Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences below using the following key words from the text. founder tycoon

fortune bachelor

inherit compile heiress entrepreneur

commodities retail

1. If you ____________ money, you get it from someone who has died. 2. The verb to ____________ means to make something such as a list, report or book by bringing together information from many different places. 3. An ____________ is someone who uses money to start businesses and make business deals. 4. A ____________ is a rich and powerful person in business or industry. 5. A ____________ is a very large amount of money. 6. A ____________ is a man who has never been married. 7. A ____________ is someone who starts an organization or business. 8. ____________ is the process of selling goods directly to the public. 9. ____________ are things that can be bought or sold, especially basic food products or fuel. 10. An ____________ is a woman who will receive money or property when another person dies.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. Who is the world’s richest man? 2. Where does the world’s third richest man come from? 3. What is the total wealth of all the people on the rich list? 4. How much is Harry Potter author JK Rowling worth? 5. How many dollar billionaires are there in Russia?

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6. Who is the world’s richest woman?

Super-rich get richer Intermediate

Super-rich get richer

Rothermere, Jonathan Harmsworth, is number 618 with $1.6bn and James Dyson also has $1.6bn. Harry Potter author JK Rowling is right at the bottom of the list with a fortune valued at $1bn. There are two others who have made their money from a very different type of publishing; Richard Desmond the former soft porn publisher who now owns the Daily Express is 754th on the list with $1.3bn in the bank and Paul Raymond, who owns Escort, Mayfair and Razzle magazines, is also worth $1bn.

David Teather March 9, 2007 1 The rich keep getting richer. According to the latest Forbes ranking of the world’s richest people, there are now a record 946 dollar billionaires around the world. They have made their money from everything from telecoms to steel to Chinese food.

5 There are 29 British citizens on the list. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is number 230 with $3.8bn; David Sainsbury of the grocery family is 432nd with $2.2bn; newspaper owner Viscount

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There were 13 Chinese newcomers including Li Wei, the founder of Synear Food Holding. Her company is one of China’s largest producers of frozen food and is an official supplier to the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

8

The US still has 44% of the world billionaires but its share is getting smaller. Russia is also rising fast and has 53 billionaires according to Forbes. The Wal-Mart family dropped from the top 20, after a difficult year for the world’s largest retailer.

9

The average billionaire is 62 years old and 60% of the people on the list made their money from scratch. Around 100 unmarried men are included among the world’s wealthiest. At the top of the list of bachelors are Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin - unmarried at 33 and 34 respectively, they are both worth $16.6bn and are number 26 in the overall list. Other interesting bachelors are Russian metals tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov, in 38th place with an estimated fortune of $13.5bn; or divorced James Packer, who has a more modest $5.5bn media fortune.

10 One of the more interesting rich people on the list is the accordion-playing, fire-breathing founder

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4 The richest Briton on the list is the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, at number 55. Grosvenor inherited much of his wealth and is one of the UK’s wealthiest landowners. He is said to be worth $11bn. Sir Philip Green, the retail entrepreneur who controls British Home Stores and Topshop owner Arcadia is the second richest Briton at number 104 on the list. Sir Philip, 55, has $7bn. Next are the property tycoons David and Simon Rueben, who are worth $4.5bn between them and are number 177 on the list.

The list shows growing wealth in both China and India, the two dynamic economies driving global economic growth. Another 14 people from India joined the list. With a total of 36 billionaires, India has now overtaken Japan, which has 24, as home to the most billionaires in Asia. There are three Indians in the top 20, led by Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian citizen who lives in London and who is number five on the list with $32bn.

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3 The total wealth of all the people on the list grew by 35% during the year to $3.5 trillion as a result of rising property prices, commodities and stock markets. Luisa Kroll who helped to compile the list at Forbes said it was “an extraordinary year”. On the previous list there were just 793 billionaires.

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2 For the 13th year in a row, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was the richest person in the world. His personal fortune rose $6bn last year to $56bn (£29bn). His friend, the investment expert Warren Buffett, was the second richest. His fortune increased by $10bn during the year to reach $52bn. Both Mr Gates and Mr Buffett give a percentage of their fortunes to charity. Third richest is the Mexican telecoms entrepreneur Carlos Slim Helu, who added $19bn to his wealth, and now has $49bn.

CA

Level 2

Super-rich get richer Level 2

Intermediate

of Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, at number 664 on the list. The 47-year-old Canadian founded his circus-based, animal-free acrobatic show in 1984 and still keeps 95% of the business. His fortune is estimated at $1.5bn. The richest woman, at number 12, is 84-year-old L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, with a fortune of $20.7bn. Chat show queen Oprah Winfrey is believed to be worth $1.5bn. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 9/3/07

3 Comprehension check Decide whether these statements are True or False according to the text. 1. China has more dollar billionaires than Russia. 2. The percentage of US billionaires in the list is falling. 3. More than half the people on the list started with nothing. 4. Guy Laliberte has sold most of his Cirque du Soleil business. 5. Sir Philip Green is a publisher. 6. Carlos Slim Helu made his money from telecoms. 7. Rising property prices were the only reason for the 35% increase in the total wealth of the people on the list. 8. The founders of Google are married.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find these words and expressions in the text. 1. A noun meaning a position on a list that shows how good someone is compared to others. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning someone who knows a lot about a particular subject. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning a group of organizations which help people who are poor or ill. (para 2) 4. A verb meaning to become better than another person. (para 6) 5. A noun meaning someone who has recently started to be involved in something. (para 7) 6. A noun meaning a company that sells goods direct to the public. (para 8) 7. An expression meaning with nothing at all. (para 9)

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8. An adjective meaning richest. (para 9)

Super-rich get richer Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Word formation Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. invest 2. grow 3. marry 4. increase 5. inherit 6. own 7. produce 8. found

6 Vocabulary 3: Prefixes Match the prefixes with their meanings. 1. co-

a. new

2. re-

b. against

3. anti-

c. many

4. neo-

d. joint, together

5. mal-

e. below, less than

6. multi-

f. across

7. trans-

g. again

8. under-

h. badly

7 Discussion

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How much money does a normal person need? What can you do with more than $1 billion? Should the super-rich pay more tax?

Super-rich get richer Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. inherit 2. compile 3. entrepreneur 4. tycoon 5. fortune 6. bachelor 7. founder 8. retail 9. commodities 10. heiress

1. ranking 2. expert 3. charity 4. overtake 5. newcomer 6. retailer 7. from scratch 8. wealthiest

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F T T F F T F F

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6 Vocabulary 3: Prefixes 1. d 2. g 3. b 4. a 5. h 6. c 7. f 8. e

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1. Bill Gates 2. Mexico 3. $3.5 trillion 4. $1 billion 5. 53 6. Liliane Bettencourt in the 1980s

1. investment 2. growth 3. marriage 4. increase 5. inheritance 6. ownership/owner (person) 7. production/producer (person) 8. foundation/founder (person)

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2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 2: Word formation

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. henchman martyr

bounty cleric

enclave ruthless

discount long-winded

corruption remote

1. If something is ____________, it uses more words and takes more time than necessary to say something. 2. ____________ is dishonest or illegal behaviour by people in positions of power. 3. A ____________ region is far away from cities, towns or people. 4. A ____________ is money offered as a reward for catching or killing a criminal. 5. A ____________ person is willing to make other people suffer so that they can achieve their aims. 6. An ____________ is an area of a country where a particular group of people live. 7. A ____________ is a supporter of a powerful person, especially one who is willing to behave in a violent or immoral way. 8. A ____________ is someone who suffers or is killed because of their political or religious beliefs. 9. If you ____________ something, you do not consider it to be important, possible or likely. 10. A ____________ is a person who leads religious services.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these sentences are True or False. Then check your answers in the text. 1. Osama bin Laden is 60 years old. 2. He is a member of the Wahhabi sect of Islam. 3. There is a $50 million reward offered for the capture of bin Laden. 4. Bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia. 5. Bin Laden’s deputy in al-Qaida is Ayman al-Zawahiri.

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6. Most Afghans have a positive view of bin Laden.

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Bin Laden’s kidney problems have been the subject of intense speculation. Some watchers claim he is dependent on dialysis; others say this is nonsense. Last September a French newspaper reported he had died of typhoid in the tribal belt.

5

America’s spies are convinced OBL, as they call him, is hiding in Pakistan’s tribal belt. “To the best of our knowledge the senior leadership, number one and two, are there,” said Admiral Mike McConnell, the new director of national intelligence, last week. Based on this the CIA is sending fresh operatives to trap him, ABC News reported last Tuesday.

6

But if the Americans think he is in the border areas, the tribesmen who live there think the opposite. Across the border in Afghanistan the belief that bin Laden has already been caught by America - and is even hidden inside the White House - is remarkably common. “Many, many people believe such stories,” said Sarah Chayes, a writer who lives in Kandahar. If America really has such strong soldiers and powerful satellites, they conclude, bin Laden must already be in the bag.

7

Most Afghans have little time for the man who sparked an invasion of their country in 2001. Nine out of 10 people view him negatively, according to a recent poll. But elsewhere in the Muslim world he is a man to be greatly admired. “Osama is a hero,” said Kamran Ali, a 23-yearold call centre operator in Islamabad. “Americans have done many bad things against Muslims. Osama stands up to them.” Like many Pakistanis he discounted suggestions that Bin Laden was linked to the World Trade Centre attacks. “There’s no proof of that,” he said.

8

That sentiment is echoed across the Muslim world, said Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. But, he stressed, support for bin Laden does not equate to a vote for terrorism. “When people in Palestine voted for Hamas it was not for radicalism, they voted against corruption.

CIA think they know where Osama bin Laden is. So do local tribesmen - hiding in the White House. Declan Walsh in Islamabad March 10, 2007 1 Osama bin Laden marks his 50th birthday today, probably in a hideout in the tribal lands between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It’s tempting to imagine the grey-bearded jihadi hunched over a cake with burning candles inside a cave, smiling henchmen gathered behind him. In reality it’s not likely to be much of a party. Birthday parties are frowned upon by Wahhabi puritans such as the al-Qaida leader, who consider such celebrations a vulgar western import. But as he passes another milestone, he at least has reason to enjoy a quiet smile. 2 Six years after 9/11, bin Laden is maddeningly out of reach. Despite the world’s largest manhunt and a $25m bounty, he remains at large, the Scarlet Pimpernel of jihad. A powerful myth has grown around him - the tall, stern-faced Saudi-born militant has become the ghost of the Hindu Kush, variously reported dead or alive at different points inside the epic mountain range. The Pakistani army thought it had him cornered in a village in the lawless North Waziristan tribal agency in 2003. A year later the Spanish newspaper El Mundo claimed to have located him inside a Muslim enclave of western China. After the mammoth earthquake that devastated northern Pakistan, Senator Harry Reid from Nevada announced that bin Laden had died under the rubble. 3 At about the same time a discreet team of American investigators arrived in Chitral, a quiet mountain retreat to the north, where they believed they had picked up the trail. Shortly afterwards angry local clerics blew their cover and they left.

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Advanced

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Level 3

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 3

Advanced

This is the same. Because people hate American foreign policy and corrupt Arab dictatorships they sympathize with al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. It doesn’t mean they approve of al-Qaida’s actions or September 11,” he said. 9 Could bin Laden be dead? Mullah Dadullah, a Taliban commander with a reputation for ruthlessness, claims to be in touch. “We exchange messages to share plans,” he said in one of two recent interviews. “It’s very hard for anyone to see bin Laden himself now but we know he’s still alive. He’s not yet martyred.” The Emir, as bin Laden is known to followers, is becoming increasingly bold. As-Sahab, the al-Qaida video production house, released more than 20 audio and videotapes from bin Laden and his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in 2006.

10 The messages are often long-winded and convoluted. Most of the time bin Laden employs silence much more effectively, said Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s bin Laden unit. “It suggests they are ready to attack again. It is a tremendously powerful and sophisticated approach,” he said. Meanwhile, in the mountain forests and remote valleys of the tribal belt, the hunt continues. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/3/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text.

1.Where do the Americans think bin Laden is? a. China b. Afghanistan c. Pakistan

2. Where do many Afghans think bin Laden is? a. America b. China c. Afghanistan

3. Why, according to the editor of al-Quds al-Arabi, do many people have sympathy for al-Qaida? a. Because they support al-Qaida’s tactics. b. Because they hate American foreign policy and corrupt Arab governments.

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c. Because they hate Americans.

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 3

Advanced

4. What, according to Michael Scheuer, is bin Laden’s most effective tactic? a. Audiotapes. b. Silence. c. Videotapes.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the first two paragraphs of the text and find the following. 1. A noun meaning a holy warrior. 2. An adjective meaning sitting with your back and shoulders curved forwards. 3. A two-word verb meaning to disapprove of. 4. A noun meaning someone who has strict moral or religious principles. 5. An adjective meaning rude, unpleasant and offensive. 6. A noun meaning an event that marks an important stage in a process. 7. An adverb meaning annoyingly. 8. A verb meaning to force a person into a place they cannot escape from.

5 Vocabulary 2: Expressions Match these expressions from the text with their meanings. a. to not allow yourself to be treated badly b. as far as we know

3. to be out of reach

c. to find out where someone has recently been

4. to stand up to someone

d. to be far enough away to evade capture

5. to be at large

e. to tell people who someone really is

6. to the best of our knowledge

f. to be free/not arrested

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2. blow someone’s cover

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1. pick up someone’s trail

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 3

Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Verbs + prepositions Fill the gaps using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. vote _______ 2. vote _______ 3. equate _______ 4. depend _______ 5. die _______ 6. approve _______ 7. link _______ 8. sympathize _______

7 Discussion

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What is your view of al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden? Do you regard them as terrorists or freedom-fighters?

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Expressions

1. long-winded 2. corruption 3. remote 4. bounty 5. ruthless 6. enclave 7. henchman 8. martyr 9. discount 10. cleric

1. c 2. e 3. d 4. a 5. f 6. b

2 What do you know? 1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. F

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building 1. for/against 2. against/for 3. to 4. on 5. of 6. of 7. to 8. with

3 Comprehension check 1. c 2. a 3. b 4. b

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

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1. jihadi 2. hunched 3. frown upon 4. puritan 5. vulgar 6. milestone 7. maddeningly 8. to corner

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.

cave manhunt earthquake cleric

reward hero

remote corrupt

huge bold

1. An ____________ is a sudden shaking movement of the ground. 2. A ____________is money that someone receives for giving information to the police or to the authorities. 3. A ____________ is someone who people respect because he has done something brave. 4. A ____________ is a search organized to catch a criminal. 5. A ____________ is a large hole in the side of a hill or mountain. 6. A ____________ is someone who leads religious services. 7. If something is ____________, it is very, very big. 8. A ____________ place is a very long way from any towns or cities. 9. A ____________ person is confident and takes risks. 10. If someone is ____________, they are in an official position and they take money for doing illegal things.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How old is Osama bin Laden? 2. Where is the Hindu Kush? 3. How much is the reward for finding bin Laden? 4. When did NATO attack Afghanistan? 5. How many Afghans say they have a negative opinion of bin Laden?

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6. How many audio and videotapes did bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri make in 2006?

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Elementary

Dead or alive, on his 50th birthday ghost of the Hindu Kush haunts US

1 It is Osama bin Laden’s 50th birthday today. He is probably somewhere in the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan. You can almost imagine the scene: a birthday cake with 50 candles and bin Laden sitting in his cave with his smiling comrades around him. The truth is that it probably won’t be much of a party. Bin Laden is from the Wahhabi branch of Islam which believes that birthday parties are an unwelcome western import. But bin Laden is probably enjoying a quiet smile on his birthday. 2 Six years after 9/11, bin Laden is still free. The world’s largest manhunt and a possible reward of $25 million have not managed to find him. He is like the ghost of the Hindu Kush, the remote mountain range in the north of Afghanistan. Some reports say he is dead; others say he is alive. The Pakistani army thought it had found him in a village in North Waziristan in 2003. A year later, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo said he was in a Muslim area of western China. One US senator said that bin Laden had died in the huge earthquake in Pakistan last year. 3 At about the same time a team of American agents arrived in Chitral, a quiet mountain area in the north of Pakistan, where they believed bin Laden was hiding. Soon afterwards, angry clerics told local people who they were and they had to leave. Some reports also say bin Laden is ill and has kidney problems. Last September, a French newspaper reported he had died of typhoid. 4 America’s spies believe OBL, as they call him, is hiding in Pakistan’s tribal region. “As far as we know the senior leadership of al-Qaida, number one and two, are there,” the Director of National Intelligence said last week. ABC News

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US / Elementary

5

Most Afghans do not support bin Laden. They believe it was because of him that NATO attacked their country in 2001. In a recent opinion poll, nine out of 10 people said they had a negative opinion of bin Laden. But in other Muslim countries in the world, many people respect him. “Osama is a hero,” said Kamran Ali, a 23-year-old from Islamabad. “Americans have done many bad things against Muslims. Osama fights back.” Like many other Pakistanis, Ali does not believe that bin Laden was responsible for the World Trade Centre attacks. “There’s no proof of that,” he said.

6

“All over the Muslim world people feel the same way,” said Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the alQuds al-Arabi newspaper. But, he said, if people support bin Laden it does not mean that they vote for terrorism. “When people in Palestine voted for Hamas it was a vote against corruption. This is the same. People hate American foreign policy and corrupt Arab dictatorships so they sympathize with al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. It doesn’t mean they support al-Qaida’s actions or September 11,” he said.

7

Is bin Laden dead? Mullah Dadullah, a Taliban commander, says he has contacted him. “We exchange messages to share plans,” he said in one of two recent interviews. “It’s very hard for anyone to see Bin Laden now but we know he’s still alive.” Bin Laden is becoming bolder. With his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri he made more than 20 audio and videotapes in 2006.

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Declan Walsh in Islamabad March 10, 2007

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CIA think they know where Osama bin Laden is. So do local tribesmen - hiding in the White House.

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reported last Tuesday that the CIA is sending new teams to catch him. But if the Americans think he is in the border areas, the tribesmen who live there think the opposite. Over the border in Afghanistan, many people believe that the Americans have already caught Bin Laden. Some people even think he is in the White House. “Many, many people believe such stories,” said Sarah Chayes, a writer who lives in Afghanistan. If America really has such strong soldiers and powerful satellites, people believe they must have captured bin Laden.

CA

Level 1

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 1

Elementary

8 The messages on the tapes are often long and complicated. Most of the time bin Laden uses silence. “The silence makes people think they are ready to attack again. It is a very powerful and clever approach,” said Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s bin Laden unit. Meanwhile, in the mountain forests and remote valleys of the tribal region, the hunt continues. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/3/07

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings of the sentences.

1. America’s spies believe ____ 2. Many Afghans believe ____ 3. A Spanish newspaper said ____ 4. A French newspaper said ____ 5. Most Afghans ____ 6. Some reports say ____ 7. Many Muslims ____ 8. Bin Laden is probably ____

a. ____ hiding in the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan. b. ____ bin Laden had died of typhoid. c. ____ bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan’s tribal region. d. ____ have a negative opinion of bin Laden. e. ____ bin Laden was in western China. f. ____ do not believe bin Laden was responsible for 9/11. g. ____ bin Laden has kidney problems.

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h. ____ the Americans have already caught bin Laden.

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites Find the opposites of these adjectives in the text. 1. noisy 2. positive 3. welcome 4. junior 5. weak 6. easy 7. simple 8. stupid

5 Vocabulary 2: Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. 1. far we as know as 2. the about same at time 3. mountain a area quiet 4. the over world all 5. mountains the somewhere in 6. the this same is

6 Vocabulary 3: Find the nouns Look in the text and find the noun forms of these verbs. Note that some of the noun forms will be the same as the verbs.

verb

noun

1. smile 2. hunt 3. report 4. attack 5. prove 6. vote 7. act

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8. lead

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites

1. earthquake 2. reward 3. hero 4. manhunt 5. cave 6. cleric 7. huge 8. remote 9. bold 10. corrupt

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

c h e b d g f a

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6 Vocabulary 3: Find the nouns 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

smile hunt report attack proof vote action leadership

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3 Comprehension check

as far as we know at about the same time a quiet mountain area all over the world somewhere in the mountains this is the same

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50 Afghanistan $25 million 2001 nine out of 10 more than 20

5 Vocabulary 2: Chunks

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

quiet negative unwelcome senior strong hard complicated clever

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. jihadi vulgar cleric convinced

capture corrupt

manhunt bold

remote sophisticated

1. A ____________ person does dishonest or illegal things in order to gain money or power. 2. A ____________ person is confident and not afraid to take risks. 3. A ____________ is someone who believes in holy war. 4. If something is ____________, it is unpleasant, offensive and in poor taste. 5. If something is ____________, it is complicated and advanced in design. 6. If you are ____________ about something, you are certain that it is true. 7. A ____________ is a search organized to catch a criminal. 8. If a place is ____________, it is far away from the nearest town or city. 9. A ____________ is a person who leads religious services. 10. If you ____________ someone, you catch them and make them your prisoner.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How old is Osama bin Laden? 2. Where was he born? 3. How much money has been offered for information leading to his capture? 4. How many audio and videotapes did bin Laden and his deputy release in 2006? 5. What medical problem is bin Laden said to have?

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6. What percentage of Afghans have a negative opinion of bin Laden?

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US America’s spies are convinced OBL, as they call him, is hiding in Pakistan’s tribal region. “As far as we know the senior leadership, number one and two, are there,” said the new director of national intelligence, last week. ABC News reported last Tuesday that the CIA is sending new teams to trap him. But if the Americans think he is in the border areas, the tribesmen who live there think the opposite. Over the border in Afghanistan many people believe that bin Laden has already been caught by America - and is even hidden inside the White House. “Many, many people believe such stories,” said Sarah Chayes, a writer who lives in Kandahar. If America really has such strong soldiers and powerful satellites, they believe they must have captured bin Laden.

5

Most Afghans do not support the man who caused the invasion of their country in 2001. According to a recent opinion poll, nine out of 10 people have a negative opinion of him. But elsewhere in the Muslim world many people admire him. “Osama is a hero,” said Kamran Ali, a 23-year-old from Islamabad. “Americans have done many bad things against Muslims. Osama stands up to them.” Like many Pakistanis he does not believe that bin Laden was linked to the World Trade Centre attacks. “There’s no proof of that,” he said.

6

All over the Muslim world people feel the same way, said Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. But, he said, support for bin Laden does not mean that people are voting for terrorism. “When people in Palestine voted for Hamas it was not for radicalism, they voted against corruption. This is the same. Because people hate American foreign policy and corrupt Arab dictatorships they sympathize with al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. It doesn’t mean they approve of al-Qaida’s actions or September 11,” he said.

7

Is bin Laden dead? Mullah Dadullah, a Taliban commander, says he has been in touch. “We exchange messages to share plans,” he said in one of two recent interviews. “It’s very hard for

CIA think they know where Osama bin Laden is. So do local tribesmen - hiding in the White House. Declan Walsh in Islamabad March 10, 2007 1 It is Osama bin Laden’s 50th birthday today. He is probably hiding somewhere in the tribal lands between Pakistan and Afghanistan. One can almost imagine the grey-bearded jihadi sitting in his cave with a birthday cake, with his smiling comrades around him. In reality it probably won’t be much of a party. Muslims from the Wahhabi branch of Islam like bin Laden disapprove of birthday parties, believing such celebrations to be a vulgar western import. But as he reaches the age of 50, he at least has reason to enjoy a quiet smile. 2 Six years after 9/11, bin Laden has still not been captured, despite the world’s largest manhunt and a $25m reward offered for information leading to his capture. A powerful myth has grown around him - the tall Saudi-born militant is now the ghost of the Hindu Kush, sometimes reported dead and sometimes alive at different points inside the remote mountain range. The Pakistani army thought it had trapped him in a village in North Waziristan in 2003. A year later the Spanish newspaper El Mundo said it had located him in a Muslim area of western China. One US senator announced that Bin Laden had died in the huge earthquake that recently struck northern Pakistan. 3 At about the same time, an undercover team of American investigators arrived in Chitral, a quiet mountain area in the north of Pakistan, where they believed bin Laden was hiding. Soon afterwards angry clerics told local people who they were and they had to leave. Bin Laden is also said to be ill with kidney problems. Last September a French newspaper reported he had died of typhoid.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US / Intermediate

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Dead or alive, on his 50th birthday ghost of the Hindu Kush haunts US

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Intermediate

CA

Level 2

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 2

Intermediate

anyone to see bin Laden himself now but we know he’s still alive.” The Emir, as bin Laden is known to followers, is becoming increasingly bold. As-Sahab, the al-Qaida video production house, released more than 20 audio and videotapes from bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in 2006. 8 “The messages are often long and complicated. Most of the time bin Laden uses silence much more effectively,” said Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s bin Laden unit. “The silence

suggests they are ready to attack again. It is a very powerful and sophisticated approach,” he said. Meanwhile, in the mountain forests and remote valleys of the tribal region, the hunt continues. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/3/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True or False according to the text?

1. The Americans believe bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan’s tribal region. 2. Most Afghans believe bin Laden is dead. 3. Many Pakistanis do not believe bin Laden was linked to the 9/11 attack. 4. People sympathize with al-Qaida because they hate American foreign policy. 5. Michael Scheuer believes the use of long, complicated messages is a sophisticated tactic. 6. Abdel Bari Atwan believes that support for al-Qaida means that people approve of September 11. 7. The hunt for bin Laden is the world’s largest manhunt.

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8. Bin Laden will probably have a birthday party.

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words. 1. A noun meaning a story that people wrongly believe to be true. (para 2) 2. A verb meaning to catch a criminal by forcing them into a place they cannot escape from. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning someone who uses violent and extreme methods to achieve something. (para 2) 4. A verb meaning to find out the exact place where someone or something is. (para 2) 5. An adjective meaning working secretly to catch criminals. (para 3) 6. A noun meaning an occasion when an army goes into another country to take control of it by force. (para 5) 7. A verb meaning to have a feeling of great respect for someone. (para 5) 8. A three-word verb meaning to not allow yourself to be treated badly. (para 5)

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Complete the phrases using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. _______ reality 2. disapprove _______ birthday parties 3. died _______ typhoid 4. _______ the border in Afghanistan 5. nine _______ 10 people have a negative opinion of him 6. according _______ a recent opinion poll 7. no proof _______ that

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8. sympathize _______

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 2

Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. disapprove 2. capture 3. announce 4. invade 5. admire 6. prove 7. sympathize 8. enjoy

7 Discussion

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What is your view of al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden? Do you regard them as terrorists or freedom-fighters?

Dead or alive, Bin Laden haunts US Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. corrupt 2. bold 3. jihadi 4. vulgar 5. sophisticated 6. convinced 7. manhunt 8. remote 9. cleric 10. capture

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

in of of over out of to of with

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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disapproval capture announcement invasion admiration proof sympathy enjoyment

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T F T T F F T F

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50 Saudi Arabia $25 million more than 20 kidney problems 90%

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

myth trap militant locate undercover invasion admire stand up to

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading 1: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. a tug an asteroid a catastrophe to deflect an orbit propulsion

a collision an ion

to devastate a tractor

1. ____________ – The path that a small object follows round a larger object in space. 2. ____________ – A terrible disaster. 3. ____________ – Usually, a vehicle used on a farm to pull other machines; here, a space vehicle with the





power to pull another object towards it.

4. ____________ – A mass of rock like a very small planet in space. 5. ____________ – An accident when one thing crashes into another. 6. ____________ – To make something move in a different direction. 7. ____________ – An atom with an electrical force. 8. ____________ – A small, powerful boat used for pulling larger boats. 9. ____________ – The force that pushes something forward. 10. ____________ – To completely destroy something, or cause enormous damage.

2

Pre-reading 2: Prediction

Look at the main headline, the sub-heading and the key words. 1. Do you think the Earth is in immediate danger? 2. Do you think the scientists have already found a solution?

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Now read the text quickly to find out.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Advanced

(Note that some words, written in italics and marked like this*, are explained in the footnotes at the end of the article.) 1 A huge asteroid hurtles in from outer space to devastate the Earth, an unstoppable force of nature from which there is no escape. Just such a catastrophe is thought to have killed off the dinosaurs and, according to most experts, it is only a matter of time before a similar fate befalls the human race. 2 But perhaps not all hope is lost. Hundreds of scientists, from nuclear weapons engineers to planetary experts, are gathering in Washington this week to try to develop a master plan to protect the Earth from such an asteroid. 3 The Planetary Defence Conference, organized by the US Aerospace Corporation, will bring together scores of ideas on how to develop technology to track and deflect objects heading towards the Earth. The gathering will also consider the sticky problem of public relations - is it best to warn people if the worst comes to the worst? 4 “The collision of a moderately large asteroid or comet, also referred to as a near-Earth object (NEO), with Earth would have catastrophic consequences,” writes Dr Barbee, a space expert in a discussion paper to be presented at the meeting. “Such events have occurred in the past and will occur again in the future. However, for the first time in known history, humanity may have the technology required to counter this threat.” 5 Many smaller objects around the Earth’s orbit break up when they reach the atmosphere, with no impact beyond a short fireworks display. An © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Big blasts or tiny tugs / Advanced

6 A 390-metre wide asteroid named Apophis, discovered in 2004, has an outside chance* of hitting the Earth in 2036. If it struck, Apophis would release more than 100,000 times the energy released in the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. This blast would directly affect thousands of square kilometres, but the dust released into the atmosphere would affect the whole planet. There could be dark skies for a year or more, destroying crops worldwide. 7 Dr Barbee suggests that the solution to the problem of NEOs is nuclear. Detonated at the correct position, a nuclear weapon could blast away a thin shell of material from the asteroid, and cause the NEO “to miss Earth rather than collide”. 8 The advantage of this idea is that it is possible with current technology - though no one has actually tried it yet. 9 Piet Hut, another expert, has a less dangerous idea - a robotic tugboat that could attach itself to an asteroid and push it out of the Earth’s path. “Based on early warning, provided by ground tracking and orbit prediction, it would be sent out 10 years or more before potential impact”. 10 The performance of the tugboat, he says, would depend on the development of a highperformance electric propulsion system called an ion engine. Instead of burning chemicals for fuel, these engines propel a spacecraft forwards by ejecting charged particles the other way. The thrust is minuscule - like the pressure of a piece of paper on your hand - but the engine is extremely efficient and lasts far longer than conventional rocket engines. Prof Hut calculates that such an engine could be used to deflect NEOs up to 800 metres across.

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Great danger of a crash with Earth, but scientists are meeting to find a solution.

NEO wider than 1km, however, collides with Earth every few hundred thousand years and an NEO larger than 6km, which could cause mass extinction, will collide with Earth every 100 million years. Experts agree that we are overdue for a big one.

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Advanced

11 Ion engines would also be essential for another type of probe, the “gravity tractor”. Instead of landing on an asteroid, though, the gravity tractor would hover near it, using the slight gravitational attraction* between the probe and the NEO to change its path. 12 As well as new technology plans, the Washington meeting will also consider how news of a potential catastrophic collision would affect the public psychologically. Al Harrison, a leading US social psychologist, says an NEO collision would present unique problems for the authorities, as they could know about a “near extinction level” danger so long in advance. 13 The critical question psychologists will address is whether details of an impending impact should be kept secret, to avoid widespread panic. In December 2004, for example, scientists calculated that if Apophis did hit, it would land somewhere along a line that crossed central Europe, parts of the Middle East, the Ganges River valley (the most populated district on Earth), and on out across the Philippines. At the time, the information was kept secret and many NEO scientists agreed it was the right thing to do. 14 But Clark Chapman, a US planetary scientist, says secrecy goes against the advice of many experts in risk management, as studies of social psychology do not suggest that members of the public would immediately panic about an impending impact. On the other hand, if the news was given clumsily, people might misunderstand, become unduly alarmed, stop believing official statements, and ignore important warnings.

Outside chance Apophis had been tracked since its discovery in June 2004. In December that year, astronomers started to worry. When they projected its future orbit, they calculated that the chances of it hitting the Earth in 2029 were alarming. When it passes the Earth again on 13 April 2029, the asteroid should be deflected by the Earth and alter its orbit. But if that change makes Apophis pass through a particular point in space, called the keyhole, it will collide with the Earth on its next passage, in 2036. However, based on current information, the chance of Apophis passing through the keyhole, a 600-metre patch of space, is one in 5,500. Dark skies Scientists have estimated the effects of a massive asteroid collision by examining simulations of what would happen during a big nuclear war. Slight gravitational attraction Everything in the universe that has mass attracts anything else with mass via the force of gravity. If a gravity tractor is placed near an asteroid, the asteroid will move fractionally towards it. Over a distance of millions of kilometers, even a slight deflection could move the asteroid out of the Earth’s way. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 07/03/07

Footnotes

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Near-Earth objects Comets and asteroids pulled into orbits near the Earth by the gravitational attraction of planets. Most NEOs are made of ice and dust, or are bits of rock from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 3

Advanced

3 General understanding Decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F). If they are false, say why. 1. The asteroid is already directly on its way to collide with the earth. 2. Scientists at the conference are going to discuss ways of preventing a disaster. 3. The conference is also concerned with informing the public about possible dangers. 4. In some ways we are in a better position now to handle a possible crisis. 5. Minor asteroids are breaking up the earth’s atmosphere. 6. Nuclear weapons may be used to destroy Apophis completely. 7. A robotic tugboat would take 10 years to reach the asteroid. 8. Both the tugboat and the gravity tractor would depend on Ion engines. 9. The authorities don’t want to know about the risks in advance. 10. There is a very small chance that if the asteroid misses the earth in 2029, it will hit it in 2036.

4 Vocabulary development 1: Find the word Find words in the text that mean the following; the paragraph numbers are given. 1. moves rapidly and in an uncontrolled way (1) 2. happens to (1) 3. act to stop something (4) 4. made to explode (7) 5. stay in the same position in the air (11) 6. consider and try to solve (13) 7. likely to happen soon (13)

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8. unnecessarily (14)

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary development 2: Collocations Match the beginnings and endings of these collocations from memory. 1

mass

a

force

2

outside

b

relations

3

nuclear

c

plan

4

unstoppable

d

paper

5

master

e

extiction

6

sticky

f

bomb

7

public

g

management

8

discussion

h

panic

9

widespread

i

chance

10

risk

j

problem

Now scan the text quickly to see if you were right.

6 Language development: Useful expressions Reorder the words in these common expressions from memory. The first word has been given. 1. it / matter / only / a / is / time / of 2. but / all / is / hope / lost / not / perhaps 3. if / worst / worst / to / comes / the / the 4. for / known / time / in / the / history / first 5. though / has / one / yet / it / tried / no / actually 6. it / thing / do / the / was / right / to Now scan the text quickly to see if you were right.

7 Discussion After reading this article, how worried do you think we should be? Which of the solutions put forward by the scientists do you think sounds the most practical? Do you think the public have the right to know about possible dangers of this sort, or do you think they should be kept in the dark? Why / why not?

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1. 2. 3.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 3 Advanced KEY

No. The first paragraph is simply describing what could happen. They have found several possible solutions, but not decided on a particular one.

5 Vocabulary development 2: Collocations 1

mass

e

extinction

2

outside

i

chance

3

nuclear

f

bomb

4

unstoppable

a

force

3 General understanding

5

master

c

plan

6

sticky

j

problem

1. False; this is something that could happen in the future. 2. True 3. True 4. True 5. False; they themselves break up when they enter the atmosphere. 6. False; they would hit the surface of the asteroid and change its path. 7. False; it would be sent into space 10 years in advance, to get into position. 8. True 9. False; but knowing in advance would give them the problem of deciding when and how to tell the public. 10. True

7

public

b

relations

8

discussion

d

paper

9

widespread

h

panic

10

risk

g

management

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Big blasts or tiny tugs / Advanced

6 Language development: Useful expressions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.





It is only a matter of time. But perhaps not all hope is lost / But perhaps all hope is not lost. If the worst comes to the worst. For the first time in known history. Though no one has actually tried it yet. It was the right thing to do.

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hurtles befalls counter detonated hover address impending unduly

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2 Pre-reading 2: Prediction

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. an orbit 2. a catastrophe 3. a tractor 4. an asteroid 5. a collision 6. to deflect 7. an ion 8. a tug 9. propulsion 10. to devastate

4 Vocabulary development 1: Find the word

CA

1 Pre-reading 1: Key words

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading 1: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. a blast

a tug to release

an asteroid dust

a catastrophe

crops

gravity

total extinction a tractor

1. ____________ – A terrible disaster. 2. ____________ – An explosion. 3. ____________ – A mass of rock in space, like a very small planet. 4. ____________ – A small, powerful boat used for pulling larger boats. 5. ____________ – Very small pieces of dirt, like powder. 6. ____________ – The force that makes things fall down to the earth. 7. ____________ – When everything dies. 8. ____________ – Usually, a vehicle used on a farm to pull other machines; here, a space vehicle with the

power to pull another object towards it.

9. ____________ – To allow something to escape. 10. ____________ – Plants grown for food, like rice, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.

1

Pre-reading 2: Prediction

Look at the main headline, the sub-heading and the key words. 1. Do you think the Earth is in danger now? 2. Do you think the scientists already have a solution?

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Now read the text quickly to find out.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Elementary

(Some words are written in italics and marked like this*. At the end of the article there are some footnotes to explain what they mean.) 1 An enormous asteroid flies in from outer space to destroy the Earth, an unstoppable force of nature that we cannot escape. Perhaps a disaster like this killed off the dinosaurs, and most experts think the same thing could soon happen to us. 2 But perhaps there is still hope. Hundreds of scientists, from nuclear weapons engineers to planetary experts, are coming to Washington this week to try to develop a master plan to protect the Earth from such an asteroid. 3 The Planetary Defence Conference, organized by the US Aerospace Corporation, will discuss lots of ideas on how to develop technology to find and redirect objects coming towards the Earth. The conference will also discuss when and how to warn people, if the worst comes to the worst. 4 Many smaller objects flying around the Earth in space break up when they reach the atmosphere, and this is no more dangerous than a short fireworks display. But there are also large asteroids or comets, also called near-Earth objects* (NEOs). A NEO wider than 1km crashes into the Earth every few hundred thousand years. An NEO larger than 6km, which could cause total extinction, will crash into the Earth every 100 million years. Experts agree that we can expect a big one soon. 5 In 2004, scientists discovered a 390-metre wide asteroid named Apophis. This has an outside chance* of hitting the Earth in 2036. If it hit, Apophis would release more than 100,000 times

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Big blasts or tiny tugs / Elementary

6 Dr Barbee, a US space expert, thinks that if it crashed into the Earth, it would be a disaster. “Such events have occurred in the past and will occur again in the future”. But now, for the first time in known history, we may have the technology to stop it happening. 7 Dr Barbee thinks the answer is nuclear. If a nuclear weapon hit the edge of the asteroid, it could cause the NEO to change direction, and not crash into the Earth. The advantage of this idea is that it is possible with current technology - though no one has actually tried it yet. 8 Piet Hut, another expert, has a less dangerous idea - a robotic tugboat that scientists could connect to an asteroid and push it out of the Earth’s path. Modern technology would warn scientists 10 years in advance, so they could send the tugboat into position in good time. 9 The tugboat would use a special engine that works with electricity instead of fuel. Professor Hut calculates that such an engine could redirect NEOs up to 800 metres across. 10 These engines would also be necessary for another idea, the “gravity tractor”. But Instead of landing on an asteroid, the gravity tractor would hover near it, using the slight gravitational attraction* between it and the NEO to change its path. 11 Psychologists will attend the Washington meeting as well as technologists. They will discuss how the public would react psychologically to news of a possible crash. Al Harrison, an important US social psychologist, says governments would worry about how soon to tell people, as they would not want to frighten everyone.

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Great danger of a crash with Earth, but scientists are meeting to find a solution.

the energy released in the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. This blast would directly affect thousands of square kilometres, but the dust released into the atmosphere would affect the whole planet. There could be dark skies* for a year or more, destroying crops worldwide.

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Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 1

Elementary

12 Some psychologists think this kind of news should be kept secret, to prevent public panic. In December 2004, for example, scientists calculated that if Apophis did hit, it would land somewhere on a line between central Europe, the Middle East, the Ganges River valley (the most populated district on Earth), and the Philippines. At the time, the information was kept secret, and many NEO scientists agreed it was the right thing to do. 13 But Clark Chapman, a US planetary scientist, says many social science experts are against secrecy. They do not think that that the public would immediately panic about a possible danger. But the news must be given carefully, or people might misunderstand. Then they might become unnecessarily frightened, stop believing official statements and ignore important warnings.

Slight gravitational attraction Everything in the universe that has mass attracts anything else with mass because of gravity. If a “gravity tractor” is placed near an asteroid, the asteroid will move very slightly nearer to it. Over a distance of millions of kilometers, even a slight change of direction could move the asteroid out of the Earth’s way. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 07/03/07

Footnotes

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Near-Earth objects Comets and asteroids that start to circle very near the Earth. Most NEOs are made of ice and dust, or are bits of rock from the asteroid area between Jupiter and Mars. Outside chance Astronomers discovered Apophis in June 2004. In December 2004, they started to worry. When they calculated its future path, they thought it was very likely to hit the Earth in 2029. When the asteroid passes the Earth again on April 13 2029, the Earth will probably affect it, and change its orbit. But if that change makes Apophis pass through a particular area in space, called “the keyhole”, it will crash into the Earth next time it passes, in 2036. But now they think Apophis is very unlikely to pass through the keyhole, a very small area of space just 600 metres wide. The possibility is only 1 in 5,500. Dark skies Scientists have calculated the effects of an enormous asteroid crash by imagining what would happen during a big nuclear war.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 1

Elementary

3 Scanning for information First find these words and numbers in the text. Then match each one with the information given below.

Washington

NEOs

6km

Apophis

2004

390

2036

10

800

600

1. Some asteroids are as big as _________ across. 2. The name of the new asteroid is _________. 3. The conference will be in _________. 4. People first noticed Apophis in _________. 5. Apophis is _________ metres wide. 6. A short name for near-Earth objects is _________. 7. It may hit the earth in _________. 8. The keyhole in space is only _________ metres across. 9. Scientists will know about a possible crash _________ years before it happens. 10. The tugboat could pull an asteroid as big as _________ metres wide.

4 Vocabulary development 1: Find the word Find words in the text that mean: 1. impossible to stop _____________ (para 1) 2. connected with planets _____________ (para 2) 3. all over the world _____________ (para 5) 4. another word for happen _____________ (para 6) 5. like a robot _____________ (para 8) 6. to stay still in space _____________ (para 10) 7. a strong feeling of fear or worry _____________ (para 12)

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8. keeping something secret _____________ (para 13)

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary development 2: Word building See if you can complete the table with the missing words. Then check the text quickly to see if you were right.

adjective

adverb

1. direct 2. psychological 3.

secretly

4. immediate 5.

possibly

6. careful 7. unnecessary 8.

officially

6 Practice Now fill the gaps in these sentences with the right form of the word from part 5. They are in the same order as in part 5. 1. The weather has a __________ effect on the way I feel. 2. I enjoy doing __________ tests. 3. Don’t tell anyone; this is __________ . 4. I’m in a hurry, so please tell me __________ . 5. Could you __________ lend me five pounds? 6. The road is very busy, so be __________ how you cross. 7. You don’t need to wear a tie; it’s quite __________ . 8. I have heard that she’s leaving, but the news isn’t __________ yet.

7 Language development: Useful expressions Find phrases in the text that mean: 1. If this terrible thing really happens ______________________________________________ (para 3) 2. It has never been tested ______________________________________________________ (para 6) 3. In the time people can remember _______________________________________________ (para 7)

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4. This was the right decision ____________________________________________________ (para 12)

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 1 Elementary KEY

5 Vocabulary development 2: Word building adjective 1. direct 2. psychological 3. secret

No. The first paragraph is just saying what could happen. They have found several possible solutions, but they haven’t decided which one to use.

3 Scanning for information 1. 6 km 2. Apophis 3. Washington 4. 2004 5. 390 6. NEOs 7. 2036 8. 600 9. 10 10. 800

4 Vocabulary development 1: Find the word 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

unstoppable planetary worldwide occur robotic

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Big blasts or tiny tugs / Elementary

directly psychologically secretly

4. immediate

immediately

5. possible

possibly

6. careful

carefully

7. unnecessary 8. official

6

Practice

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

direct psychological secret immediately possibly careful unnecessary official

unnecessarily officially

7 Language development: Useful expressions 1. 2. 3. 4.



if the worst comes to the worst in known history though no one has actually tried it yet it was the right thing to do

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adverb

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2 Pre-reading 2: Prediction



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1. a catastrophe 2. a blast 3. an asteroid 4. a tug 5. dust 6. gravity 7. total extinction 8. a tractor 9. to release 10. crops

6. hover 7. panic 8. secrecy

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1 Pre-reading 1: Key words

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading 1: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. a blast a tug an asteroid a catastrophe inevitable an orbit to release an ion

a collision a tractor

1. ____________ – A terrible disaster. 2. ____________ – An explosion. 3. ____________ – A mass of rock like a very small planet in space. 4. ____________ – An accident when one thing crashes into another. 5. ____________ – A small, powerful boat used for pulling larger boats. 6. ____________ – Something that nobody can prevent or avoid. 7. ____________ – The path that a small object follows round a larger object in space. 8. ____________ – An atom with an electrical force. 9. ____________ – Usually, a vehicle used on a farm to pull other machines; here, a space vehicle with the

power to pull another object towards it.

10. ____________ – To allow something to escape.

1

Pre-reading 2: Prediction

Look at the main headline, the sub-heading and the key words. 1. Do you think the Earth is in danger now? 2. Do you think the scientists have already found a solution?

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Now read the text quickly to find out.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Intermediate

(Note that some words, written in italics and marked like this*, are explained in the footnotes at the end of the article.) 1 A huge asteroid flies in from outer space to destroy the Earth, an unstoppable force of nature from which there is no escape. Perhaps a disaster like this killed off the dinosaurs, and most experts think it is only a matter of time before the same thing happens to us. 2 But perhaps not all hope is lost. Hundreds of scientists, from nuclear weapons engineers to planetary experts, are coming to Washington this week to try to develop a master plan to protect the Earth from such an asteroid. 3 The Planetary Defence Conference, organised by the US Aerospace Corporation, will discuss lots of ideas on how to develop technology to locate and redirect objects heading towards the Earth. The conference will also consider the difficult problem of public relations - is it best to warn people if the worst comes to the worst? 4 Many smaller objects around the Earth’s orbit break up when they reach the atmosphere and this is no more dangerous than a short fireworks display. But there are also large asteroids or comets, also called near-Earth objects* (NEOs). A NEO wider than 1km collides with Earth every few hundred thousand years. An NEO larger than 6km, which could cause total extinction, will collide with Earth every 100 million years. Experts agree that we should expect a big one soon. 5 A 390-metre wide asteroid named Apophis was discovered in 2004. This has an outside chance* of hitting the Earth in 2036. If it hit, Apophis

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Big blasts or tiny tugs / Intermediate

6 Dr Barbee, a US space expert, thinks that if it collided with Earth, it would be a disaster. “Such events have occurred in the past and will occur again in the future”. But now, for the first time in known history, humanity may have the technology to stop it happening. 7 Dr Barbee thinks the answer is nuclear. If a nuclear weapon hit the edge of the asteroid, it could cause the NEO to change direction, and “miss Earth rather than collide.” The advantage of this idea is that it is possible with current technology - though no one has actually tried it yet. 8 Piet Hut, another expert, has a less dangerous idea - a robotic tugboat that could attach itself to an asteroid and push it out of the Earth’s path. Modern technology would warn scientists 10 years in advance, to send the tugboat into position in good time. 9 The tugboat would be driven by an ion engine. These engines don’t burn chemicals for fuel; they drive a spacecraft forwards by forcing electrically charged particles backwards. The pressure is very slight - but the engine is very efficient and lasts far longer than normal rocket engines. Prof Hut calculates that such an engine could deflect NEOs up to 800 metres across. 10 Ion engines would also be essential for another idea, the “gravity tractor”. But instead of landing on an asteroid, the gravity tractor would hover near it, using the slight gravitational attraction* between the probe and the NEO to change its path.

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Great danger of a crash with Earth, but scientists are meeting to find a solution.

would release more than 100,000 times the energy released in the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. This blast would directly affect thousands of square kilometres, but the dust released into the atmosphere would affect the whole planet. There could be dark skies* for a year or more, destroying crops worldwide.

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Big blasts or tiny tugs: how to stop an asteroid catastrophe

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Level 2

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 2

Intermediate

11 Psychologists will attend the Washington meeting as well as technologists. They will consider how the public would react psychologically to news of a possible collision. Al Harrison, a leading US social psychologist, says an NEO collision would present unique problems for the authorities, as they could know about a “near extinction level” danger so long in advance. 12 The psychologists will discuss whether this kind of news should be kept secret, to prevent public panic. In December 2004, for example, scientists calculated that if Apophis did hit, it would land somewhere on a line between central Europe, the Middle East, the Ganges River valley (the most populated district on Earth), and the Philippines. At the time, the information was kept secret, and many NEO scientists agreed it was the right thing to do. 13 But Clark Chapman, a US planetary scientist, says many social science experts are against secrecy. Their studies do not suggest that the public would immediately panic about a possible danger. But the news must be given carefully, or people might misunderstand, become unnecessarily frightened, stop believing official statements and ignore important warnings.

next time it passes, in 2036. However, current information suggests that Apophis is very unlikely to pass through the keyhole, a patch of space just 600 metres wide. The possibility is only 1 in 5,500. Dark skies Scientists have estimated the effects of a massive asteroid collision by examining simulations of what would happen during a big nuclear war. Slight gravitational attraction Everything in the universe that has mass attracts anything else with mass via the force of gravity. If a “gravity tractor” is placed near an asteroid, the asteroid will move fractionally towards it. Over a distance of millions of kilometers, even a slight deflection could move the asteroid out of the Earth’s way. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 07/03/07

Footnotes Near-Earth objects Comets and asteroids pulled into orbits near the Earth by gravity from planets. Most NEOs are made of ice and dust, or are bits of rock from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars.

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Outside chance Apophis was discovered in June 2004. In December that year, astronomers started to worry. When they calculated its future orbit, they thought it was very likely to hit the Earth in 2029. When the asteroid passes the Earth again on April 13 2029, the Earth will probably deflect it, and change its orbit. But if that change makes Apophis pass through a particular point in space, called “the keyhole”, it will collide with the Earth

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 2

Intermediate

3 General understanding Answer the following questions according to the text. 1. Where is the conference going to be? 2. What is another name for bigger asteroids? 3. What is the newest asteroid called? 4. How big can NEOs be? 5. How often could one of the biggest ones hit the earth? 6. When do scientists think Apophis could hit the earth? 7. They think this could be: a) quite dangerous; b) not very dangerous; c) very dangerous 8. Which of these are possible ways of stopping the asteroid hitting the earth? a) a nuclear weapon; b) a robotic tugboat; c) an ion engine; d) electrically charged particles; e) a gravity tractor 9. All these methods aim to: a) destroy the asteroid; b) make it change direction; c) send it back 10. Which part of the world has more people living there than anywhere else?

4 Vocabulary development 1: World building

Para

noun

0

2. impossible to stop

adjective

1

3. connected with planets

adjective

2

noun

4

5. connected with danger

adjective

8

6. connected with robots

adjective

8

7. people who study psychology

noun

11

8. people who study technology

noun

11

9. people who study science

noun

12

10. keeping something secret

noun

13

4. when things become extinct

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Big blasts or tiny tugs / Intermediate

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Word class

1. when two things collide

Word

•P

Meaning

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See if you can fill the chart below from memory. Then check the words in the text; the paragraph numbers are given.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary development 2: Pronunciation Now put those words into the correct column according to their stress.

planetary

collision unstoppable

6 Language development: Conditionals Mark these sentences about future events: D (if you think the writer thinks they are Definite) or JP (if you think he thinks they are only Just Possible). 1. The conference will also consider… (3) 2. ...the dust…would affect the whole planet (5) 3. ...it would be a disaster. (6) 4. It could cause the NEO to change direction. (7)

Definite

Just Possible

will consider

would affect

5. Modern technology would warn scientists... (8) 6. ...the gravity tractor would hover near it. (10) 7. Psychologists will attend the Washington meeting. (11) 8. The psychologists will discuss... (12) 9. It would land somewhere... (12) 10. ...people might misunderstand. (13) Now put the verbs into one of the columns, as in the example. What do you notice about the verbs in each column?

7 Discussion From reading this article, how worried do you think we should be? Which solution do you think is the most practical? Do you think the government should tell people about possible dangers like this, or do you think they should keep them secret? Why / why not?

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1. 2. 3.

Big blasts or tiny tugs Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Pre-reading 1: Key words

6. robotic 7. Psychologists 8. technologists 9. scientists 10. secrecy

1. a catastrophe 2. a blast 3. an asteroid 4. a collision 5. a tug 6. inevitable 7. an orbit 8. an ion 9. a tractor 10. to release

5 Vocabulary development 2: Pronunciation



2 Pre-reading 2: Prediction No. The first paragraph is just saying what could happen. They have found several possible solutions, but they haven’t decided which one to use.

3 General understanding

NEWS LESSONS / Big blasts or tiny tugs / Intermediate

extinction

secrecy

robotic psychologists technologists



1. JP 2. D 3. JP 4. JP 5. JP



6. JP 7. D 8. D 9. D 10. JP

Definite

Just Possible

will consider

would affect

will attend

would be

will discuss

could cause would warn would land might misunderstand would hover

When you think a future action is definite, use will. When you think something is only just possible, or unlikely, use would, could, or might.

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scientists

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collision unstoppable planetary extinction dangerous

unstoppable

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

dangerous

6. Language Development: Conditionals

1. In Washington, USA 2. NEOs 3. Apophis 4. 6 km across 5. Every 100 million years 6. In 2036 7. c) very dangerous 8. a) a nuclear weapon; b) a robotic tugboat; e) a gravity tractor 9. b) make it change direction 10. The Ganges river valley

4 Vocabulary development 1: Word building

collision

CA

1. 2.

planetary



Celebrity boot camp Level 3 Advanced 1 Pre-reading 1: Key words 1. Look at the headline of the story. What do you think this story will be about? 2. Now guess which of these sentences best sums up the article. a. There is a new ‘reality TV’ show about fashion. b. The court sends a famous model to do dirty work as a punishment. c. A shoe company is changing its image and throws old designs into the rubbish bin. 3. Now look at the sub-headings • •

Model begins community sentence for assault Sweeping and cleaning toilets among her duties

a. In the headline, who do you think the ‘model’ is? b. What do you think a ‘community sentence’ is?

2 Pre-reading 2: Key words Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. a boot camp

stilettos

a community sentence

combats

garbage

assault

a shift SUV

1.

the American word for ‘rubbish’

2.

attacking and hitting someone

3.

working to help people as a punishment for a crime

4.

a place where young criminals are treated very strictly and have to do hard physical work

5.

military-style clothes worn by ordinary people

6.

American for a ‘four-wheel-drive’ vehicle

7.

a period of work time, e.g. in a hospital or factory

8.

shoes with very pointed toes and very high heels

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Now read the article and check your answers to the questions in Pre-reading 1.

Celebrity boot camp Level 3 Advanced 6

The perfect finishing touch was a pair of calf-high black combat boots, covered with scratch marks, slung casually over her shoulder. How many hundred dollars did it cost to buy them, and how many hours of careful attention did it take to make them look so old?

7

Inside the warehouse, and out of the reach of press lenses, Ms Campbell changed into her boots and put on the standard issue gloves, dust mask and fluorescent safety vest. Then she was assigned her tasks for the day, at which point the full weight of her penance must have become evident to her.

8

Albert Durrell, a sanitation department deputy chief, explained that she would be asked to sweep and mop the warehouse floor, the locker rooms and windows. And yes, he said, “if they are dirty she will be cleaning toilets”.

9

The one thing she won’t have to endure is the prolonged attention of the media. The judge at her sentencing agreed she could stay indoors all week, partly on the basis of the chaotic media scrum that followed the pop star turned DJ Boy George around when he did community service on the street at the same station last summer.

Model begins community sentence for assault. Sweeping and cleaning toilets among her duties. Ed Pilkington March 20, 2007 1 Naomi Campbell’s day began along familiar lines yesterday. The supermodel was chauffeur-driven in a black SUV with tinted windows, surrounded by her minders and bodyguards. Reaching the venue, she strolled elegantly past a long line of press photographers shouting, “Naomi, over here!”, before entering the building and changing into her costume. 2 And then it all went skewy. Where were the assistants to help her put on her clothes? Where were the makeup artists, the lighting experts and the seamstresses? Where, for heaven’s sake, was the Vogue editor Anna Wintour? 3 The only people in sight were a few bemusedlooking garbage collectors, real ones that is, not actors dressed up as garbage collectors of the sort used to add spice to fashion shoots. Ms Campbell, 36, had just begun a week-long exercise in seeing how the other half lived, courtesy of the New York penal system. 4 She was the guest of the city’s sanitation department and will spend each day this week, from 8am to 4pm, at its warehouse in downtown Manhattan on the edge of the East River. The community service, along with a compulsory payment of $185 and a two-day anger management course, was her punishment for throwing a mobile phone at her housemaid, Ana Scolavino, who needed four stitches to the head. 5 For a celebrity who has endured a lot of bad press over the incident a year ago, Ms Campbell pulled off her entry to the warehouse at Pier 36 with considerable aplomb. She wore six-inch stiletto heels - believed to be Christian Louboutin, with their characteristic red soles - brown leggings, a black coat and hat and sunglasses.

10 “Let me make this clear,” Mr Durrell said. “This programme has been in Manhattan for over a year now. We’ve had a couple of celebrities, but the bottom line is everyone is treated with respect and dignity and they have a job to do and they perform well at it. So far so good, we haven’t had any problems.” 11 If Ms Campbell, or any of the three other offenders doing community service with her this week, failed to do what they were told, he added, they would be straight back in front of a judge. 12 The setting may at least remind Ms Campbell of her roots in Streatham, an area of south London not dissimilar to this concrete-rich neighbourhood of Manhattan. Pier 36 sits opposite a line of redbrick tower blocks. Running above the warehouse

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Celebrity boot camp: from stilettos to combats for Campbell’s garbage shift

Celebrity boot camp Level 3 Advanced is one of New York’s busiest dual carriageways, the elevated Franklin D Roosevelt Drive whose greyness is utterly out of keeping with its name. 13 At the entrance to the compound are signs warning “No trespassing, violators will be prosecuted”, which raises the pleasing thought of Ms Campbell attempting to break her way back into it once she has finished her sentence, having found the experience so rewarding.

14 What Ms Campbell learns from her stay under the bridge - whether, in particular, she takes from it a new empathy for the household staff in her employ - remains to be seen. If nothing else, she may acquire a healthy respect for New York garbage, and the men and women who up until this week have kept it from her sight.

© Guardian News and Media 2007



First published in the Guardian 20/03/07

3 General understanding Some of these sentences about the text are incorrect. Say which ones, and say why. 1. Naomi Campbell started her day at a photo shoot. 2. Her usual assistants had not come in to work. 3. Fashion photographers sometimes use people pretending to be workmen to add atmosphere to their pictures. 4. Naomi Cambell was paid to visit the sanitation department. 5. Christian Louboutin designs shoes. 6. Somebody spent a long time making her boots look worn out. 7. The clothes she had to wear were very heavy. 8. She was allowed to work inside so that the press wouldn’t be able to photograph her. 9. Albert Durrell runs a TV programme. 10. The writer hopes the experience will make her a more understanding person.

4 Vocabulary development 1

1.

given a slightly different colour (1)

2.

wrong, crazy (2)

3.

thanks to (3)

4.

short pieces of thread for joining someone’s skin together after it has been cut (4)

5.

suffered, had to live with (5)

6.

calm confidence in a difficult situation (5)

7.

thrown, hanging (6)

8.

to clean with a wet cloth, usually on the end of a long stick (8)

9.

a disorganized crowd of people, all trying to get something (9)

10.

a feeling of understanding for other people (14)

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Find words in the text that mean the following; the paragraph numbers are given.

Celebrity boot camp Level 3 Advanced 5 Vocabulary development 2: Compound adjectives Match the beginnings and endings of these collocations from memory. 1. chauffeur-

a long

2. bemused-

b high

3. week-

c brick

4. two-

d rich

5. six-

e driven

6. calf-

f day

7. concrete-

g looking

8. red-

h inch

Now scan the text quickly to check. Noticing the rule: What do you notice about the collocations using numbers?

6 Vocabulary development 3

Common expressions

Can you complete these common expressions without looking back at the text? (The first letter of the missing word is given to help you). 1. along f

lines

2. for heaven’s s 3. seeing how the other h

lived

4. the perfect f

touch

5. out of the r

of

6. the b

line

7. So far so g 8. out of k

with

9. remains to be s

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respect for

AN

10. a h

Celebrity boot camp Level 3 Advanced a. First, scan the text quickly to check your answers. b. Now, match each expression with one of these meanings. a. far away from, hidden from b. the last detail that makes something look just right c. the most basic fact or issue in a situation d. in strange contrast to e. an appropriate admiration for f. an expression of surprise and sometimes annoyance g. in the usual way h. we cannot know yet i. it’s been all right up to now j. finding out what life is like for the poor

7 Recognizing irony The writer, Ed Pilkington, sometimes uses irony to make his article more amusing. Find examples in the text which suggest that: 1. the place she was going to was quite an important one:

(1)

2. the working clothes she had to wear were part of a fashion show:

(1)

3. Naomi Campbell might be grateful for her week’s punishment:

(3)

4. her punishment was like an invitation to a party:

(4)

5. it is crazy to spend even more money on clothes that look old and worn than on new-looking ones:



(6)

6. that a very ordinary building material is luxurious:

-

(12)

8 Interpretation and discussion

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1. Is Community Service used as an alternative to prison in your country? 2. Do you agree with the idea? 3. For what kind of crimes? 4. Do you think this was a suitable punishment for what Naomi Campbell did? 5. What alternative would you suggest? 6. Some people really enjoy reading about famous people in trouble. Do you? 7. Are there special magazines and TV programmes in your country that depend on gossip about the problems of celebrities? 8. What is your opinion about these?

Celebrity boot camp Level 3 Advanced Key 1. 2. 3.

Opinions will vary. b. a. (Naomi) Campbell b. opinions will vary

2. Pre-reading 2: Key words a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.

garbage assault a community sentence a boot camp combats an SUV (a Sport & Utility Vehicle) a shift stilettos

3. General understanding 1. No; that’s what it looked like, but she was on her way to start her punishment. 2. No; the writer wants us to imagine that she may feel lost without her usual assistants. 3. Yes. 4. No; she had to pay a fine as well as doing this community sentence. 5. Yes. 6. Yes. 7. No; the writer imagines that when she put on the working clothes, she began to feel that her punishment was heavy. 8. Yes. 9. No; the programme he runs is the community sentence scheme. 10. Yes.

4. Vocabulary development 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

tinted skewy (slang) courtesy of stitches endured aplomb

7. slung 8. to mop 9. a scrum 10. empathy

5. Vocabulary development 2: Compound adjectives 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

chauffeur- bemused- week- two- six- calf- concrete- red-

e g a f h b d c



driven looking long day inch high rich brick

Noticing the rule: Note that in compound adjectives with numbers, the noun part stays singular even if the number is plural, e.g. ‘six-inch’ heels, not ‘six-inches’ heels.

6. Vocabulary development 3: Common expressions 1. along familiar lines 2. for heaven’s sake 3. seeing how the other half lived 4. perfect finishing touch 5. out of the reach of 6. the bottom line is 7. So far so good 8. out of keeping with 9. remains to be seen 10. a healthy respect for



g f j b a c i d h e

7. Recognizing irony 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

the venue her costume courtesy of the guest of concrete-rich

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1. Pre-reading 1:

Celebrity boot camp Level 1 Elementary Naomi Campbell is a famous model. Have you heard of her?

1 Pre-reading 1 Key words Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. a boot camp

stilettos

a community sentence

combats

garbage

duties

sanitation

assault

a shift a warehouse

1.

The American word for ‘rubbish’.

2.

Attacking and hitting someone.

3.

A large building where a lot of things are kept.

4.

Working to help people as a punishment for a crime.

5.

A place where young criminals have to do hard physical work and

follow strict orders. 6.

Military-style clothes worn by ordinary people.

7.

Keeping things clean and healthy.

8.

Things that you have to do.

9.

A period of work time e.g. in a hospital or factory.

10.

Shoes with very pointed toes and very high heels.

2 Pre-reading 2: Prediction Look at the headline and the sub-headings in the story. Can you guess what it is about? 1. A new reality TV show about a fashion camp. 2. A famous model has to do dirty work as a punishment. 3. A shoe company throws old shoes into the rubbish bin.

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Now read the article, and check your answers to the pre-reading questions.

Celebrity boot camp Level 1 Elementary

Model begins community sentence for assault. Sweeping and cleaning toilets among her duties. Ed Pilkington March 20, 2007 1

2

3

4

5

Naomi Campbell’s day began as normal yesterday. The supermodel was chauffeur-driven in a black four-wheel drive car with dark windows, surrounded by her bodyguards. When she arrived, she walked elegantly past a long line of press photographers shouting, “Naomi, over here!” before entering the building and changing into her costume. And then it all went wrong. Where were the assistants to help her put on her clothes? Where were the makeup artists, the lighting experts and the dressmakers? And finally, where was the Vogue editor Anna Wintour? The only people watching were a few garbage collectors – real garbage collectors, not actors dressed like that to make fashion pictures look more interesting. Ms Campbell, 36, had just begun a week-long stay on the poor side of New York. She was the guest of the city’s sanitation department and will spend each day this week, from 8am to 4pm, at its warehouse in downtown Manhattan on the edge of the East River. Last year, she threw her mobile phone at her housemaid, Ana Scolavino, who needed four stitches to the head. The community service was her punishment. She also has to pay a fine of $185 and attend a two-day anger management course. Ms Campbell had a lot of bad publicity about the incident a year ago, but she walked into the warehouse at Pier 36 very calmly. She wore sixinch stiletto heels, brown leggings, a black coat and hat, and sunglasses.

6 And she had an expensive pair of very old-looking black combat boots hanging casually over her shoulder. How many hundred dollars did it cost to buy them, and how many hours of careful attention did it take to make them look so old? 7 Inside the warehouse, far away from the photographers, Ms Campbell changed into her boots and put on the uniform gloves, dust mask and fluorescent safety vest. After that, she was told what to do, and saw how horrible her punishment was going to be. 8 Albert Durrell, a sanitation department deputy chief, explained that she would have to sweep and wash the warehouse floor, the locker rooms and windows. And yes, he said, “if they are dirty, she will clean the toilets.” 9 But the press won’t be able to watch her. The judge at her trial agreed she could stay indoors all week. This is partly because when pop star / DJ Boy George did community service on the street at the same station last summer, crowds of press photographers followed him all day. 10 “Let me make this clear,” Mr Durrell said. “This programme has been in Manhattan for over a year now. We’ve had a couple of celebrities, but the basic rule is to treat everyone with respect and dignity. They have a job to do and they do it well. So far so good, we haven’t had any problems.” 11 If Ms Campbell, or any of the three other offenders doing community service with her this week, didn’t do what they were told, he added, they would be sent back in front of a judge. 12 Perhaps downtown Manhattan will remind Ms Campbell of her early life in Streatham, in south London, where there is lots of concrete, too. Pier 36 is opposite a line of red-brick tower blocks. And one of New York’s busiest main roads runs just above the warehouse.

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Celebrity boot camp: from stilettos to combats for Campbell’s garbage shift

Celebrity boot camp Level 1 Elementary 13 What will Ms Campbell learn from her stay under the bridge? Will she become nicer to the people who work in her house? Who knows? If nothing else, she may begin to respect the men and women who, up until this week, have kept the New York garbage out of her sight.

© Guardian News and Media 2007



First published in the Guardian 20/03/07

3 General understanding Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences about the story. 1 Naomi Campbell had to go to work

a from newspaper photographers.

2 Ana Scolavino

b how to stop getting so angry.

3 Ms Campbell got angry with her maid

c when she was a child.

4 Ms Scolavino’s head was badly cut and

d for hurting her maid.

5 Ms Campbell was punished

e in a poor part of Manhattan.

6 Ms Campbell also had to go and learn

f and threw her phone at her.

7 Boy George had a lot of trouble

g worked in Naomi Campbell’s house.

8 Ms Campbell lived in a poor part of London

h the doctor had to put four stitches in it.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find words in the text that mean the following. The paragraph numbers are given. 1.

in a calm and beautiful way (1)

2.

special clothes for a special reason (1)

3.

short pieces of thread for joining someone’s skin together if it is cut (4)

4.

money that you have to pay if you do something wrong (4)

5.

very soft trousers, like thick tights without feet (5)

6.

places with cupboards where you can lock up your things (8)

7.

in a very bright colour that is very easy to see (workmen, police and people on bicycles

often wear jackets in this kind of colour) (7) people who break the law (11)

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8.

Celebrity boot camp Level 1 Elementary 5 Vocabulary 2: Compound words Sometimes we make new words from two other words. They are called compounds. Match a word from the left with one from the right to make compounds. 1 super

a up

2 body

b town

3 make

c model

4 dress

d glasses

5 down

e guards

6 house

f makers

7 sun

g doors

8 in

h maid

Now read the text quickly to check your answers.

6 Vocabulary 3: Compound words in context Now fill the gaps in these sentences with one of the compound words. 1. The light in Spain was so bright that I needed to wear

.

2. In America, they call the centre of the city

.

3. She doesn’t clean her own flat, her

does it.

4. The President has four

to keep him safe.

5. Let’s go out, it’s too nice to stay

.

6. She shows clothes for Dior, so she is really rich and famous. She’s a can often make beautiful clothes very cheaply. .

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8. Your face is lovely; you don’t need to wear any

AN

7. In Hong Kong,

.

Celebrity boot camp Level 1 Elementary Key 1. Pre-reading 1: Key words

4. Vocabulary 1: Find the word

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

garbage assault a warehouse a community sentence a boot camp combats sanitation duties a shift stilettos

2. Pre-reading 2 b 3. General understanding 1 Naomi Campbell had to go to work e in a poor part of Manhattan. 2 Ana Scolavino g worked in Naomi Campbell’s house. 3 Ms Campbell got angry with her maid f and threw her phone at her. 4 Ms Scolavino’s head was badly cut and h the doctor had to put four stitches in it. 5 Ms Campbell was punished d for hurting her maid. 6 Ms Campbell also had to go and learn b how to stop getting so angry.

elegantly costume stitches a fine leggings locker rooms fluorescent offenders

5. Vocabulary 2: Compound words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

supermodel bodyguards makeup dressmakers downtown housemaid sunglasses indoors

6. Vocabulary 3: Compound words in context 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

sunglasses downtown housemaid bodyguards indoors supermodel dressmakers

8. makeup

7 Boy George had a lot of trouble a from newspaper photographers.

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8 Ms Campbell lived in a poor part of London c when she was a child.

Celebrity boot camp Level 2 Intermediate 1 Pre-reading 1: Key words Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. a boot camp

stilettos

a community sentence

assault

combats SUV

garbage a warehouse

a shift the press

1.

The American word for ‘rubbish’.

2.

Attacking and hitting someone.

3.

A large building where a lot of things are kept.

4.

Working to help people as a punishment for a crime.

5.

A place where young criminals have to do hard physical work and

follow strict orders. 6.

Military-style clothes worn by ordinary people.

7.

Newspaper and TV journalists and reporters.

8.

American for a ‘four-wheeled-drive’ vehicle.

9.

A period of work time, e.g. in a hospital or factory.

10.

Shoes with very pointed toes and very high heels.

2 Pre-reading 2: Prediction 1. Can you guess which of these topics the story is about? a. There is a new ‘reality TV’ show about fashion. b. The court sends a famous model to do dirty work as a punishment. c. A shoe company is changing its image, and throws old designs into the rubbish bin. 2. Now look at the sub headings. Who is the ‘model’?

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Now read the article to check your answers.

Celebrity boot camp Level 2 Intermediate 6

The perfect finishing touch was a pair of calf-high black combat boots, covered with scratch marks, hanging casually over her shoulder. How many hundred dollars did it cost to buy them, and how many hours of careful attention did it take to make them look so old?

Model begins community sentence for assault. Sweeping and cleaning toilets among her duties Ed Pilkington March 20, 2007 1

Naomi Campbell’s day began along familiar lines yesterday. The supermodel was chauffeur-driven in a black SUV with dark windows, surrounded by her bodyguards. Reaching the venue, she strolled elegantly past a long line of press photographers shouting, “Naomi, over here!” before entering the building and changing into her costume.

7

Inside the warehouse, and out of the reach of press lenses, Ms Campbell changed into her boots and put on the uniform gloves, dust mask and fluorescent safety vest. Then she was given her tasks for the day, when she must have realized how horrible her punishment was going to be.

2

And then it all went wrong. Where were the assistants to help her put on her clothes? Where were the makeup artists, the lighting experts and the dressmakers? Where, for heaven’s sake, was the Vogue editor Anna Wintour?

8

Albert Durrell, a sanitation department deputy chief, explained that she would be asked to sweep and wash the warehouse floor, the locker rooms and windows. And yes, he said, “If they are dirty, she will be cleaning toilets.”

3

The only people in sight were a few confusedlooking garbage collectors, real ones that is, not actors dressed up as garbage collectors to make fashion shoots look more interesting. Ms Campbell, 36, had just begun a week-long exercise in seeing how the other half lived, thanks to the New York punishment system.

9

The one thing she won’t have to suffer is heavy attention from the press. The judge at her trial agreed she could stay indoors all week, partly because of the crowds of press photographers that followed the pop star / DJ Boy George when he did community service on the street at the same station last summer.

4

She was the guest of the city’s sanitation department and will spend each day this week, from 8am to 4pm, at its warehouse in downtown Manhattan on the edge of the East River. The community service, along with a fine of $185 and a two-day anger management course, was her punishment for throwing a mobile phone at her housemaid, Ana Scolavino, who needed four stitches to the head.

10 “Let me make this clear,” Mr Durrell said. “This programme has been in Manhattan for over a year now. We’ve had a couple of celebrities, but the basic rule is treat everyone with respect and dignity. They have a job to do and they perform well at it. So far so good, we haven’t had any problems.”

5

For a celebrity who has suffered a lot of bad press over the incident a year ago, Ms Campbell managed her entry to the warehouse at Pier 36 very calmly. She wore six-inch stiletto heels - believed to be Christian Louboutin, with their characteristic red soles - brown leggings, a black coat and hat, and sunglasses.

11 If Ms Campbell, or any of the three other offenders doing community service with her this week, failed to do what they were told, he added, they would be straight back in front of a judge. 12 The area may at least remind Ms Campbell of her early life in Streatham, an area of south London quite like this concrete-rich neighbourhood of Manhattan. Pier 36 is opposite a line of red-brick

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Celebrity boot camp: from stilettos to combats for Campbell’s garbage shift

Celebrity boot camp Level 2 Intermediate tower blocks. Running above the warehouse is one of New York’s busiest main roads, Franklin D Roosevelt Drive, whose greyness is a great contrast to its name. 13 At the entrance to the compound are signs warning “No trespassing, violators will be prosecuted”. It’s hard to imagine Ms Campbell enjoying the experience so much that she would want to break her way back inside when she has finished her sentence!

14 What Ms Campbell learns from her stay under the bridge - whether, in particular, she becomes more sympathetic to the people who work in her house - remains to be seen. If nothing else, she may begin to respect the men and women who, up until this week, have kept the New York garbage out of her sight. © Guardian News and Media 2007 First published in the Guardian 20/03/07

3 General understanding Number these events in the order in which they happened; one example is done to help you.

a

12bpt 1

Naomi Campbell put on her working gloves, dust mask and safety vest. Naomi Campbell’s chauffeur drove her to work at the sanitation warehouse

c

Naomi Campbell threw her mobile phone at her maid

d

Naomi Campbell lived in Streatham

e

Naomi Campbell put on her stilettos

f

Naomi Campbell went to court and the judge told her to do community service

g

Ms Scolavino’s head was cut, and she had to have four stitches

h

Naomi Campbell had to clean the warehouse

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1.

the place where something (like a show, or a concert) happens (1)

2.

short pieces of thread for joining someone’s skin together after it has been cut (4)

3.

unkind publicity in the newspapers and on TV (5)

4.

very soft trousers that fit closely, like thick tights without feet (5)

5.

thin cuts on the surface of something (6)

6.

another way to say ‘newspaper photographers’ (7)

7.

in a very bright colour that is very easy to see; used for safety (7)

8.

people who disobey a rule or break the law (13)

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Find words in the text that mean the following. The paragraph numbers are given.

Celebrity boot camp Level 2 Intermediate 5 Vocabulary development 2: Common expressions Find these common expressions in the text, and match them with their meanings. 1. along familiar lines

a. finding out what life is like for the poor

2. for heaven’s sake

b. the last detail that makes something look just right

3. seeing how the other half lived

c. the most basic fact or issue in a situation

4. the perfect finishing touch

d. you say this when you are surprised or annoyed

5. out of the reach of

e. we cannot know yet

6. the bottom line

f. far away from, hidden from

7. so far so good

g. in the usual way

8. remains to be seen

h. it’s been all right up to now



7 Discussion

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1. In your country, can people do Community Service instead of going to prison? 2. Do you agree with the idea? Why / why not? 3. Do you think this was a suitable punishment for Naomi Campbell? 4. Some people really enjoy reading about famous people in trouble. Do you? 5. In your country, are there special magazines and TV programmes about the problems of celebrities? 6. What do you think about these?

Celebrity boot camp Level 2 Intermediate Key 1. Pre-reading 1: Key words a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j.

garbage assault a warehouse a community sentence a boot camp combats the press an SUV a shift stilettos

2. Re-reading 2

5. Vocabulary development 2: Common expressions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8



g d a b f c h e

1. b. 2. Naomi Campbell

3. General understanding 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

d c g f e b a h

4. Vocabulary development 1

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a venue stitches bad press leggings scratches press lenses fluorescent violators

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences below using the following key words from the text. devolved defer

watershed loathing

pledge accord protracted mar discord mindful

1. If you ____________ something, you postpone it until a later date. 2. ____________ is another word for spoil. 3. An ____________ is a formal agreement between two countries or groups. 4. ____________ is a state of disagreement between people. 5. If you are ____________ of something you are conscious of it and careful about it. 6. If power is ____________ it is transferred from a central authority to a local one. 7. ____________ is a strong hatred of someone or something. 8. If a process is ____________, it continues for a longer time than is normal or necessary. 9. A ____________ is a serious and public promise to do something. 10. A ____________ is an event that causes an important change to take place.

2

What do you know?

Fill the gaps using these words and phrases from the text. Downing Street

Stormont

Sinn Féin

DUP

uprising

chancellor

1. The Irish Republican party is called ____________. 2. The Northern Irish political party that wants to remain part of the UK is called the ____________. 3. The Northern Irish parliament building is called ____________. 4. The British prime minister lives at Number 10 ____________. 5. The British finance minister is known as the ____________.

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6. The Easter ____________ in Ireland took place in 1916.

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace “In the past,” Mr Paisley declared, “the government has set arbitrary deadlines but now ... we as a party have agreed the timing, setting up and working of the institutions. We have agreed with Sinn Féin that this date will be Tuesday May 8 ... After a long and difficult time in the province I believe that enormous opportunities lie ahead ... I want to make it clear that I am committed to delivering not only for those who voted for the DUP but for all the people of Northern Ireland. We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future. In looking to that future we must never forget those who have suffered during the dark period from which we are, please God, emerging.”

6

Mr Adams welcomed the DUP’s commitment: “While it is disappointing that the institutions of the Good Friday agreement have not been restored today, I believe the agreement reached between Sinn Féin and the DUP ... marks the beginning of a new era of politics on this island ... The relationships between the people of this island have been marred by centuries of discord, conflict, hurt and tragedy ... We have all come a very long way in the process of peace making and national reconciliation. We are very conscious of the many people who have suffered. We owe it to them to build the best future possible. It is a time for generosity, a time to be mindful of the common good and of the future of all our people.”

7

Both parties will go together to the chancellor, Gordon Brown, in the coming weeks to seek a larger financial package for the province. Mr Paisley said the parties said they would engage in preparatory work ahead of May 8 to ensure “local ministers hit the ground running”. In case the significance of the moment had escaped notice, the DUP leader emerged from the meeting grinning broadly and shouted to journalists waiting below in the great hall at Stormont: “Do you have eyes in your head?”

Owen Bowcott, Ireland correspondent March 27, 2007 1 Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sat side by side yesterday to announce they had reached agreement to share power from May 8 in a devolved Northern Ireland government. The appearance together of arch-enemies - delegations from the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin - in a televised statement at the end of a meeting in Stormont constitutes a watershed in the province’s politics. The private negotiating session, lasting little more than an hour, was the first time the two parties had held direct talks. It enabled both sides to issue statements pledging political cooperation and the start of a new and peaceful era. 2 The accord between the veteran unionist firebrand and the leader of a militant republican movement that once killed opponents was welcomed in London and Dublin as the defining moment in 10 years of a protracted peace process. Emergency legislation will be introduced in the British parliament today to enable a smooth transition. The devolved government should be operating before Tony Blair leaves Downing Street. 3 The meeting had been arranged to discuss the DUP’s reluctance to enter a powersharing executive before the deadline of midnight yesterday. DUP politicians said they needed more time for Sinn Féin to validate its commitment to supporting the police. The sixweek deferment will also help DUP members adjust to change. 4 The agreement came in the first-floor members’ dining room at Stormont. The atmosphere was described as “cordial” and “constructive”. The Sinn Féin leader wore an Easter lily badge, commemorating those who died in the 1916 uprising. There was no handshake.

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Advanced

CA

Level 3

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 3

Advanced

8 In London the prime minister said: “In a sense, everything that we’ve done over the last 10 years has been a preparation for this moment. This won’t stop republicans or nationalists being any less republican or nationalist, or making unionists any less fiercely unionist. But what it does mean is that people can come together,

respecting each other’s point of view, and share power, making sure politics is only expressed by peaceful and democratic means.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 27/3/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information in the text.

1. Why was the agreement to share power such a surprise? a. Because the government had set a deadline. b. Because it will be operating before Tony Blair leaves Downing Street. c. Because the two sides had previously been arch-enemies.

2. What was Gerry Adams’ view of the agreement? a. That it was the beginning of a new era in Irish politics. b. That it reflected centuries of discord, conflict and tragedy. c. That it was good that the agreement restored the institutions of the Good Friday agreement.

3. What was Ian Paisley’s view of the agreement? a. That it was a barrier to a better and more stable future. b. That it would provide enormous opportunities in the future. c. That it was only of use for those who voted for the DUP.

4. What was Tony Blair’s view of the agreement? a. That it will stop nationalists being so nationalist. b. That it will enable people to share power and respect each other’s point of view.

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c. That it will be another 10 years before everything is ready.

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find these words and expressions in the text. 1. A noun meaning a period of time with a particular quality or character. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning using extreme and sometimes violent methods to achieve political or social change. (para 1) 3. A noun meaning someone who has strong feelings of anger and often expresses them. (para 1) 4. An adjective meaning very experienced and skilled in a particular activity. (para 1) 5. A formal adjective meaning friendly. (para 3) 6. An adjective meaning not based on any particular plan. (para 4) 7. A noun meaning a new and friendly relationship with a previous enemy. (para 5) 8. A four-word expression meaning to be fully prepared for something from the very start. (para 6)

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

2. hold

b. an institution

3. introduce

c. legislation

4. set

d. a better future

5. set up

e. agreement

6. reach

f. talks

7. build

g. power

8. respect

h. a deadline

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a. someone’s point of view

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1. share

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Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column.

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 3 Advanced 6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions These words can all be followed by prepositions. Fill the gaps and check your answers in the text. 1. mindful _______ 2. conscious _______ 3. committed _______ 4. adjust _______ 5. a barrier _______ 6. preparation _______ 7. vote _______ 8. relationship _______

7 Discussion

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What are the main reasons for conflicts around the world? What solutions are there?

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. defer 2. mar 3. accord 4. discord 5. mindful 6. devolved 7. loathing 8. protracted 9. pledge 10. watershed

1. era 2. militant 3. firebrand 4. veteran 5. cordial 6. arbitrary 7. reconciliation 8. hit the ground running

2 What do you know?

1. g 2. f 3. c 4. h 5. b 6. e 7. d 8. a

1. of 2. of 3. to 4. to 5. to 6. for 7. for 8. between

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1. c 2. a 3. b 4. b

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions

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1. Sinn Féin 2. DUP 3. Stormont 4. Downing St 5. Chancellor 6. uprising

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. era journalist



deadline share

commitment restart century suffer conflict agreement

1. A ____________ is someone who writes for a newspaper. 2. A ____________ is a period of one hundred years. 3. An ____________ is a decision about what to do, made by two or more people, groups or organizations. 4. A ____________ is a date or time when you must finish something. 5. An ____________ is a long period of time. 6. A ____________ is a promise to do something. 7. A ____________ is an angry disagreement between people or groups. 8. If you ____________ something, you use or have it at the same time as another person. 9. If you ____________, you feel pain in your body or your mind. 10. If you ____________ something, you start it again.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. When will the new Northern Ireland government begin to operate? 2. Who is the leader of Sinn Féin? 3. How long has the peace process been going on? 4. What does DUP stand for? 5. Who is the leader of the DUP?

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6. How long did the meeting between the DUP and Sinn Féin last?

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Elementary

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace

when the institutions will start work and how they will work. We have agreed with Sinn Féin that this date will be Tuesday May 8 ... After a long and difficult time in Northern Ireland I believe that the future is optimistic ... We are doing this for all the people of Northern Ireland. The horrors and tragedies of the past must not stop us from creating a better future. But when we look to that future we must never forget those people who have suffered during the dark period which I hope we are now, at last, leaving.” 6

Mr Adams welcomed the DUP’s commitment. “It is disappointing that we have not restarted all the parliamentary institutions today but I believe the agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP ... is the beginning of a new era of politics on this island ... Centuries of conflict, hurt and tragedy have damaged the relationships between the people of this island... We have all come a very long way in the process of peace making. We know that many people have suffered. Now we must build the best future possible. It is now time to think of the future of all our people.”

7

The two parties will go together to the British government to ask for more money for Northern Ireland. Mr Paisley said both parties would work hard before May 8 to make sure everything was ready. The DUP leader left the meeting smiling and shouted to waiting journalists: “Do you have eyes in your head?”

8

In London Tony Blair said: “Everything that we’ve done in the last 10 years has been a preparation for this moment. Republicans and nationalists will still be republicans and nationalists, and unionists will still be unionists. But people can now come together, show respect for each other’s opinions, share power and express their politics peacefully and democratically.”

3 The private meeting lasted just over an hour. It was the first time the two parties had ever talked directly to each other. Both parties issued statements promising political cooperation and the start of a new and peaceful era. The governments of the UK and the Irish Republic welcomed the agreement as an important stage in a peace process that has lasted more than 10 years. 4 The British government wanted the two parties to agree to work together in the new government before a deadline of midnight yesterday. The DUP did not want to do this. They said they needed more time to be sure that Sinn Féin would support the Northern Ireland police force. The new date of May 8 will give DUP members more time to get used to the new situation. 5 The two parties said the atmosphere at their meeting was “friendly” and “constructive” but they did not shake hands. “In the past,” Mr Paisley said, “the British government has set the deadlines but now ... we as a party have agreed

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 27/3/07

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2 The leader of the DUP, Ian Paisley, and the leader of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams, sat side by side at a meeting for the first time yesterday. At the end of the meeting they announced an agreement to work together from May 8 in a new Northern Ireland government. The two men have been enemies for so long that many people will see this agreement as a very important event in the history of the politics of Northern Ireland.

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1 The two main political parties in Northern Ireland are the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin. The DUP believes strongly that Northern Ireland must remain part of the United Kingdom, while Sinn Féin believes that Northern Ireland should become part of the Republic of Ireland. For many years these two parties have been enemies but this week something extraordinary happened.

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Owen Bowcott, Ireland correspondent March 27, 2007

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Level 1

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True or False according to the text? 1. The new Northern Ireland government will start work on Thursday May 8. 2. The atmosphere at the meeting was friendly. 3. Ian Paisley was unhappy when he left the meeting. 4. Both sides want to create a better future. 5. The DUP believes Northern Ireland should become part of the Republic of Ireland. 6. The DUP did not agree with the British government’s deadline. 7. Mr Paisley and Mr Adams shook hands. 8. Both parties want more money for Northern Ireland from the British government.

4 Vocabulary 1: Verbs and nouns

b. power

3. set

c. more time

4. show

d. a statement

5. share

e. hands

6. need

f. respect

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1. shake

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Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column.

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

verb

noun

1. agree 2. govern 3. meet 4. state 5. begin 6. prepare 7. announce 8. commit

6 Vocabulary 3: Spelling game Rearrange the letters to make words from the text. 1. greenteam 2. snettmeat 3. tophamseer 4. tiscotimpi 5. mengonevrt

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6. toccflin

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Verbs and nouns

1. journalist 2. century 3. agreement 4. deadline 5. era 6. commitment 7. conflict 8. share 9. suffer 10. restart

1. e 2. d 3. a 4. f 5. b 6. c

1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. F 8. T

1. agreement 2. statement 3. atmosphere 4. optimistic 5. government 6. conflict

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3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Spelling game

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1. May 8 2. Gerry Adams 3. More than 10 years 4. Democratic Unionist Party 5. Ian Paisley 6. Just over an hour

1. agreement 2. government 3. meeting 4. statement 5. beginning 6. preparation 7. announcement 8. commitment

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2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences below using the following key words from the text. watershed reluctance

firebrand deadline

militant cordial

reconciliation arbitrary

transition emerge

1. A ____________ atmosphere is one which is formal but friendly. 2. If you show ____________ to do something, you do not want to do it. 3. A ____________ is someone who has strong feelings of anger and often expresses them. 4. To ____________ means to come out of something. 5. A ____________ person uses extreme and sometimes violent methods to achieve political or social change. 6. A ____________ is an event that causes an important change to take place. 7. If something is done in an ____________ way, it is not based on any particular plan or done for a particular reason. 8. A ____________ is the process of changing from one situation, form or state to another. 9. ____________ is the process of establishing a new and friendly relationship between former enemies. 10. A ____________ is a specific date or time by which something has to be done.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. When will the new Northern Ireland government begin to operate? 2. Who is the leader of Sinn Féin? 3. How long has the peace process been going on? 4. What does DUP stand for? 5. What is the name of the Northern Ireland parliament building?

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6. Who is the leader of the DUP?

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Intermediate

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace

6

Mr Adams welcomed the DUP’s commitment: “While it is disappointing that we have not restored all the parliamentary institutions today, I believe the agreement reached between Sinn Féin and the DUP ... marks the beginning of a new era of politics on this island ... The relationships between the people of this island have been damaged by centuries of discord, conflict, hurt and tragedy ... We have all come a very long way in the process of peace making and national reconciliation. We are very conscious of the many people who have suffered. We owe it to them to build the best future possible. It is a time for generosity, a time to think of the common good and of the future of all our people.”

7

Both parties will go together to the British government in the coming weeks to ask for more money for Northern Ireland. Mr Paisley said both parties would do some preparatory work before May 8 to ensure everything was ready. To underline the importance of the occasion, the DUP leader left the meeting with a broad smile and shouted to waiting journalists: “Do you have eyes in your head?”

8

In London Tony Blair said: “In a sense, everything that we’ve done over the last 10 years has

1 The leader of the Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party, Ian Paisley, and the leader of the republican Sinn Féin party, Gerry Adams, sat side by side at a meeting for the first time yesterday. At the end of the meeting they announced they had reached an agreement to share power from May 8 in a new Northern Ireland government. The two men have been arch-enemies for many years and the televised statement at the end of their meeting in Stormont, the Northern Ireland parliament building, will be seen by many people as a watershed in the politics of the province. 2 The private meeting, which lasted just over an hour, was the first time the two parties had held direct talks. It enabled both sides to issue statements promising political cooperation and the start of a new and peaceful era. The agreement between the unionist firebrand and the leader of a militant republican movement that once killed opponents was welcomed in London and Dublin as an important stage in a peace process that has lasted more than 10 years. Emergency laws will be introduced in the British parliament today to enable a smooth transition. The new Northern Ireland government should be operating before Tony Blair quits as UK prime minister. 3 The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the DUP’s reluctance to join a power-sharing government before the deadline of midnight yesterday. DUP politicians said they needed more time to make sure that Sinn Féin would implement its promise to support the Northern Ireland police force. The postponement to May 8 will also help DUP members to adjust to the new situation. 4 The atmosphere was described as “cordial” and “constructive”. The Sinn Féin leader wore an Easter lily badge, to commemorate those

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace / Intermediate

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“In the past,” Mr Paisley said, “the British government has set arbitrary deadlines but now ... we as a party have agreed the timing, setting up and working of the institutions. We have agreed with Sinn Féin that this date will be Tuesday May 8 ... After a long and difficult time in the province I believe that the future holds enormous opportunities ... We are doing this for all the people of Northern Ireland. We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to stop us from creating a better and more stable future. But when we look to that future we must never forget those people who have suffered during the dark period from which we are, please God, emerging.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5

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Owen Bowcott, Ireland correspondent March 27, 2007

who died in the 1916 uprising. There was no handshake.

CA

Level 2

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 2

Intermediate

been a preparation for this moment. This won’t stop republicans or nationalists being any less republican or nationalist, or make unionists any less unionist. But what it does mean is that people can come together, respect each other’s point of view, and share power, making sure politics is only expressed by peaceful and democratic means.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 27/3/07

3 Comprehension check Decide whether these statements are True or False according to the text. 1. Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley have held meetings many times before. 2. The peace process in Northern Ireland has been rather slow. 3. The atmosphere at the meeting was friendly. 4. The British government set the date of May 8. 5. Mr Paisley was angry when he left the meeting. 6. The meeting lasted just under an hour. 7. Mr Adams wore a badge in memory of those who have died since 1916. 8. The British parliament will introduce laws to ensure a smooth transition.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find these words and expressions in the text. 1. A noun meaning your main enemy. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning a period of time that has a particular quality or character. (para 2) 3. An adjective that is the opposite of rough. (para 2) 4. A verb meaning to carry out. (para 3) 5. A verbal noun meaning a strong feeling of dislike. (para 5) 6. An adjective meaning not changing frequently. (para 5) 7. A noun meaning a promise to do something. (para 6)

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8. A noun meaning disagreement between people. (para 6)

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. 1. reach

a. new laws

2. share

b. talks

3. issue

c. power

4. introduce

d. an institution

5. set

e. a statement

6. hold

f. more time

7. need

g. a deadline

8. set up

h. an agreement

6 Vocabulary 3: Prefixes Match the prefixes with their meanings. 1. arch-

a. self

2. neo-

b. former

3. auto-

c. many

4. counter-

d. chief; main

5. ex-

e. between

6. inter-

f. after

7. multi-

g. new

8. post-

h. against

7 Discussion

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What are the main reasons for conflicts around the world? What solutions are there?

Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. cordial 2. reluctance 3. firebrand 4. emerge 5. militant 6. watershed 7. arbitrary 8. transition 9. reconciliation 10. deadline

1. arch-enemy 2. era 3. smooth 4. implement 5. loathing 6. stable 7. commitment 8. discord

1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. F 7. F 8. T

6 Vocabulary 3: Prefixes 1. d 2. g 3. a 4. h 5. b 6. e 7. c 8. f

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Northern Ireland’s arch-enemies declare peace / Intermediate

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3 Comprehension check

•P

1. May 8 2. Gerry Adams 3. more than 10 years 4. Democratic Unionist Party 5. Stormont 6. Ian Paisley

1. h 2. c 3. e 4. a 5. g 6. b 7. f 8. d

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Match these key words from the text with their definitions. backfires to bury a crackdown a gang to mourn a summit turf unprecedented to vow 1. A group of young people who spend time together and often cause trouble. __________ 2. To put someone’s dead body in the ground (often in the passive). __________ 3. To feel sad because someone has died. __________ 4. An area that a group considers to be their own (informal, uncountable). __________ 5. A strong action taken by the authority to stop a particular activity. __________ 6. A meeting or series of meetings between leaders. __________ 7. Never having happened or existed before. __________ 8. To promise to do something. __________ 9. If a plan __________ then it has the opposite effect you intended.

2

Read quickly

Skim the text to find the answers to these questions. 1. How many gang members are there in LA? 2. What does the expression ‘a gang war between brown and black’ mean? 3. What two things did Cheryl Green’s death provoke? 4. What is the ‘hit list’?

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5. What does Father Boyle do to help people leave gangs?

Gang mayhem grips LA Advanced 5

Last year there were 269 gang-related killings in LA. Gang-related crime leaped 15.7 per cent last year, as most other types of crime fell. Hate crimes against black people have surged. With a rapidly growing Hispanic population, LA’s gang culture is shifting. It means that being black in the wrong neighbourhood can get you killed.

6

Green’s death brought the gang war between ‘brown and black’ to public awareness. Next week a summit will be held called the Black and Brown Strategy Meeting which aims to head off a race war. “All of the signs are there that a racial war is going to explode in this city,” says Khalid Shah, director of Stop the Violence, one of the groups organizing the meeting. “You are looking at an event which could not only paralyze an entire city but an entire state,” he warns.

7

Green’s death sparked Villaraigosa’s crackdown. The police took the unprecedented step of publishing a list of the 11 worst gangs, including 204th Street. They vowed to go after them with police, FBI agents and injunctions to prevent members meeting. But Angelenos have seen it all before. The city’s history is full of anti-gang initiatives.

8

Publishing the ‘hit list’ could backfire. In the gang sub-culture, being on the list is a badge of pride. “Putting out a list was a bad idea. Groups that don’t make the list will want to be on it. They don’t exactly think rationally,” said Alex Alonso, a gang historian.

9

Yet there is hope. Alfonso ‘Chino’ Visuet, 23, was sucked into the gang life as a teenager. There was the lure of excitement and riches, the push of a difficult home life. “People who join a gang are always running away from something. They flee to the gang,” Visuet says.

Paul Harris March 18, 2007

2 But Hurtado made a mistake: he went back to his old neighbourhood. While sitting in a park, Hurtado was approached by a man on a bike who said to him: “Hey, homie, what’s up?” He then shot Hurtado four times.

4 Boyle’s Los Angeles is where an estimated 120,000 gang members across five counties battle over turf, pride and drugs. It is a city of violence as a race war escalates between new Hispanic gangs and older black groups. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has referred to his city as “the gang capital of America”, has launched a crackdown on the new threat. 5 The latest front is the tiny strip of turf known as Harbor Gateway, a nest of streets between malls and office blocks. It was here, just before Christmas, that Cheryl Green, a 14-year-old black girl, died. As she stood on a corner talking with friends, two Hispanic members of the neighbourhood’s notorious 204th Street gang walked up and opened fire, killing Green and wounding three others. Traditionally, the outside view of LA gangs has been of black youths but Hispanic gangs are now in the ascendant, spreading across America.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gang mayhem grips LA / Advanced

10 Visuet now works for Father Boyle’s Homeboy Industries, a project that helps people leave gang life. It provides jobs, an education, pays to have gang tattoos removed and gives counselling. It aims to remove the circumstances that lead to

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3 Boyle’s Los Angeles is a world away from the glamorous Hollywood hills, Malibu beaches and Sunset Strip – the celebrity-drenched city that David Beckham and Posh Spice will soon make their home.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Father Greg Boyle keeps a grim count of the young gang members he has buried. Number 151 was Jonathan Hurtado, 18 – fresh out of jail. Now the kindly, bearded Jesuit mourns him. “The day he got out I found him a job. He never missed a day. He was doing really well,” Boyle says.

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Gang mayhem grips LA

CA

Level 3

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 3

Advanced

crime: poverty, abuse and unemployment. It is staffed almost entirely by former gang members and has spun off a bakery, a silk-screen printers and a restaurant. 11 It worked for Visuet. He starts college this autumn and wants to be a probation officer. “I was on the edge of doing something that would ruin my life, either by doing violence or having it done to me. That’s over now,” he says. 12 Visuet despairs at the conflict. “A brown gang member now just sees a black gang member. What they don’t see is how that person comes from the same place they do. They might have a mother who is an alcoholic as well or a father

who beats on them. They have the same story,” he says. 13 LA is a city of two worlds – Hollywood and gangs. On a two-lane highway that roars through the middle of Harbor Gateway, a few hundred yards from where Cheryl Green was gunned down, there is a billboard for a new TV show called Sons of Hollywood. It shows three rich young men against a backdrop of palm trees. It claims to be a ‘reality’ show, but for most of the impoverished, racially torn citizens it is nothing more than a fantasy. © Guardian News and Media 2007 First published in the Observer 18/03/07

3 Comprehension check Read again and find the significance of the following names and numbers in the article.

1. Jonathan Hurtado

_______________________________________________________________________

2. Father Greg Boyle

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

5. Cheryl Green

_______________________________________________________________________

6. 204th Street

_______________________________________________________________________

7. 15.7%

_______________________________________________________________________

8. Khalid Shah

_______________________________________________________________________

9. 11

_______________________________________________________________________

10. Alex Alonso

_______________________________________________________________________

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4. Harbor Gateway

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3. Antonio Villaraigosa _______________________________________________________________________

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Ways of saying increase Complete the second sentence so it means the same as the first. All the answers are in the text. 1. The city is more and more violent as a race war increases and becomes worse. The city is more and more violent as a race war e___________. 2. The number of Hispanic gangs is increasing. The number of Hispanic gangs is o___________ the a___________. 3. Gang-related crime increased a lot last year. Gang-related crime l___________ last year. 4. Hate crimes against blacks increased rapidly. Hate crimes against blacks s___________. 5. LA has an increasingly big Hispanic population. LA has an r___________ g___________ Hispanic population.

5 Vocabulary 2: Hyphenated words A Complete the sentences with a word from the box. drenched

lane

profile

related

gang

culture

1. Much of the crime is gang-___________. 2. Beverly Hills is a celebrity-___________ part of the city. 3. The police are taking anti-___________ measures to reduce the crime. 4. Many gangs have their own sub-___________. 5. The mayor is organizing a high-___________ summit to address the problem.

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6. A fast two-___________ highway crosses the centre of town.

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 3

Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Hyphenated words B Using the words from the exercise above, create new phrases for these definitions. The first one is done for you. 1. A place with a lot of sun.______________ sun-drenched 2. A highway with five lanes. ______________ 3. Connected to drugs. ______________ 4. Below zero temperatures. ______________ 5. Good quality and expensive, of a better class. ______________

7 Discussion

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What could be the causes of gang-related crime in a city like LA? Are there gang problems in your city?

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 3

Advanced

KEY

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

120,000 A gang war between blacks and Hispanics. It brought the gang war to public awareness and sparked a police crackdown on gang violence. The list of the city’s worst gangs. He helps them find a job, get counselling, remove their tattoos and get education.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

escalates on the ascendant leaped or leapt surged rapidly growing

5 Vocabulary 2: Hyphenated words A 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

gang-related celebrity-drenched anti-gang sub-culture high-profile two-lane highway

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Hyphenated words B

1. Jonathan Hurtado is the 151st gang member that Father Boyle has buried. 2. Father Greg Boyle helps gang members get out of a life of crime. 3. Antonio Villaraigosa is the mayor of LA. 4. Harbor Gateway is the latest area of turf war. 5. Cheryl Green was a black girl murdered by gang members. 6. 204th Street is the name of a Hispanic gang in LA. 7. Gang related crime went up by 15.7% last year. 8. Khalid Shah is the director of Stop the Violence and is organizing a summit to try and stop the race war in LA. 9. 11 is the number of gangs on the police ‘hit list’. 10. Alex Alonso is a gang historian who disagrees with the idea of a hit list.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gang mayhem grips LA / Advanced

sun-drenched five-lane highway drugs-related sub-zero high-class

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2 Read quickly

4 Vocabulary 1: Ways of saying increase

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a gang to bury to mourn turf a crackdown a summit unprecedented to vow backfires

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

11. Homeboy Industries is Father Boyle’s organization to help gang members get out of a life of violence. 12. Alfonso Visuet is an ex-gang member who has worked with Homeboy Industries.

CA

1 Key words

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Match these key words from the text with the definitions below. mayhem a summit

to bury to despair

to ruin to grip

a crackdown an injunction

a gang a probation officer

1. A group of young people who spend time together and often cause trouble. 2. To put a dead body in the ground. 3. To hold tightly. 4. A very confused situation. 5. Strong action taken by the authority to stop a particular activity. 6. A meeting or series of meetings between leaders. 7. To feel a situation is so bad that nothing can change it. 8. An official order from the police that stops someone from doing something. 9. To destroy or seriously damage something. 10. Someone who helps and gives advice to criminals who are not in prison, and checks that they are behaving well.

2

General understanding

A From the title: Read the title and choose the best explanation (use the answers from exercise 1 to help you understand the words). 1. Gangs in LA are confused about their situation. 2. Gangs are causing problems in LA. 3. LA has eliminated its gang problem. B Skimming the text: Read quickly and find the paragraphs with the following information. 1. A new reality TV show is going to start in LA soon. 2. The gang problem in LA is the worst in the United States. 3. Gang members shot a young black girl. 4. There is a project to help people leave gangs. 5. The police have a list of the worse gangs.

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6. Father Boyle buried another gang member.

Gang mayhem grips LA Elementary

Gang mayhem grips LA

a racial war is going to explode in this city,” says Khalid Shah, director of Stop the Violence, one of the groups organizing the meeting.

Paul Harris March 18, 2007

4 In Boyle’s Los Angeles an estimated 120,000 gang members fight over land, pride and drugs. It is a city of violence as a new race war grows between new Hispanic gangs and older black groups. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has referred to his city as “the gang capital of America”, has launched a crackdown on the problem. 5 Just before Christmas a 14-year-old black girl, named Cheryl Green, died. As she stood on a corner talking with friends, two Hispanic members of the neighbourhood’s 204th Street gang walked up and started shooting, killing Green and wounding three others. 6 Last year there were 269 gang-related killings in LA. Gang-related crime went up 15.7 per cent last year, as most other types of crime went down. Hate crimes against black people have also gone up. 7 Green’s death made the public aware of the gang war between ‘brown and black’. Next week there will be a summit called the Black and Brown Strategy Meeting . “All of the signs are there that

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gang mayhem grips LA / Elementary

9

Publishing the ‘hit list’ could be a mistake. “Putting out a list was a bad idea. Groups that don’t make the list will want to be on it. They don’t think rationally,” said Alex Alonso, a gang historian.

10 But there is hope. Alfonso ‘Chino’ Visuet, 23, started gang life as a teenager. He was attracted by the excitement and riches and had a difficult home life. “People who join a gang are always running away from something. They run to the gang,” Visuet says. 11 Visuet now works for Father Boyle’s Homeboy Industries. It’s a project that helps people leave gang life. It provides jobs, an education, pays to have gang tattoos removed and gives counselling. It wants to remove the circumstances that lead to crime: poverty, abuse and unemployment. All of its workers are former gang members and it has created a bakery, a printers and a restaurant. 12 It worked for Visuet. He starts college this autumn and wants to be a probation officer. “I was on the edge of doing something that would ruin my life, either by doing violence or having it done to me. That’s over now,” he says. 13 Visuet despairs at the conflict. “A brown gang member now just sees a black gang member. They don’t see how that person comes from the same place they do. They might have a mother who is an alcoholic as well or a father who hits them. They have the same story,” he says.

O

3 Boyle’s Los Angeles is a world away from the glamorous Hollywood hills, Malibu beaches and Sunset Strip – the city that David Beckham and Posh Spice will soon make their home.

Green’s death also caused Villaraigosa’s crackdown. The police published a list of the 11 worst gangs, including 204th Street. They promised to go after them with police, FBI agents and court injunctions. But the people of Los Angeles have seen it all before. The city’s history is full of anti-gang projects.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Hurtado made a mistake: he went back to his old neighbourhood. While sitting in a park, a man on a bike came up to him and said: “Hey, homie, what’s up?” He then shot Hurtado four times.

8

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1 Father Greg Boyle counts the young gang members he has buried. Number 151 was Jonathan Hurtado, 18 – fresh out of jail. Now the Jesuit is sad for him. “The day he got out I found him a job. He never missed a day. He was doing really well,” Boyle says.

CA

Level 1

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 1

Elementary

14 LA is a city of two worlds – Hollywood and gangs. On a two-lane highway that goes through LA, there is a sign for a new TV show called Sons of Hollywood. It shows three rich young men and some palm trees. It says it is a ‘reality’ show, but for most of the poor people of Los Angeles it is only a fantasy. © Guardian News and Media 2007 First published in the Observer 18/03/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the correct answer. 1. Father Boyle...

a) ... helps young people leave gangs. b) ... works for the police. c) ... only buries gang members.

2. There are 120,000... a) ... gangs in Los Angeles. b) ... gang members in Los Angeles. c) ... dead gang members in Los Angeles. 3. Cheryl Green was killed... a) ... by the 204th street gang. b) ... on 204th street. c) ... by accident. 4. The police ‘hit list’ is... a) ... an idea of the Black and Brown Strategy meeting. b) ... not the first anti-gang initiative in LA. c) ... a very long list. 5. All workers in Father Boyle’s Homeboy Industries... a) ... are probation officers. b) ... used to be gang members. c) ... are violent men.

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6. The show Sons of Hollywood is... a) ... about gang life in Los Angeles. b) ... is on a two-lane highway in Los Angeles. c) ... very different from the real lives of people in Los Angeles.

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Phrases in context Find phrases with the following meanings. 1. to be succeeding ___________ ___________ ___________ (para 1) 2. far away ___________ ___________ ___________ (para 3) 3. talked about ___________ ___________ (para 4) 4. it’s clear this is going to happen __________ __________ __________ __________ _________ (para 5) 5. secretly leaving a place ___________ ___________ (para 10) 6. it’s finished now ___________ ___________ ___________ (para 12) 7. it’s not real ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ (para 14)

5 Vocabulary 2: Law and order Order the letters to make words connecting to law and order from the text. 1. licpoe 2. ilja 3. meric 4. ckcrawdno 5. crout 6. IFB sentag 7. jintoinunc

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

adjectiveadjective

nounnoun

1.

glamour

2. violent 3.

race

4. exciting 5.

difficulty

6. poor reality

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7.

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Phrases in context

1. gang 2. to bury 3. to grip 4. mayhem 5. a crackdown 6. a summit 7. to despair 8. an injunction 9. to ruin 10. a probation officer

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

para 14 para 4 para 5 para 11 para 8 para 1

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

a b a b b c

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gang mayhem grips LA / Elementary

police jail crime crackdown court FBI agents injunction

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building adjective

noun

1. glamorous

glamour

2. violent

violence

3. racial

race

4. exciting

excitement

5. difficult

difficulty

6. poor

poverty

7. real

reality

H

B 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

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A 2

5 Vocabulary 2: Law and order

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 General understanding

doing really well a world away referred to all the signs are there running away that’s over now it’s only a fantasy

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using key words from the text. backfires summit

bury turf

to ruin unprecedented

a crackdown impoverished

a gang to mourn

1. ____________ is a group of young people who spend time together and often cause trouble. 2. When you ____________ a person, you put his or her dead body in the ground. 3. ____________ is to feel sad because someone has died. 4. ____________ is an area that a group considers to be their own. 5. ____________ is a strong action taken by the authority to stop a particular activity. 6. When leaders hold a ____________, they have a meeting or series of meetings. 7. If something is ____________, then it has never happened or existed before. 8. If a plan ____________ then it has the opposite effect you intended. 9. If you are ____________ then you have little or no money. 10. ____________ something is to destroy or seriously damage it.

2

Read quickly

Skim the text and choose the correct answer. 1. a) Father Boyle buried Jonathan Hurtado. b) Father Boyle killed Jonathan Hurtado. 2. a) In LA there is a new race war between Hispanic gangs and white gangs. b) In LA there is a new race war between Hispanic gangs and black gangs. 3. a) Cheryl Green was killed by police. b) Cheryl Green was killed by gang members. 4. a) There were less gang-related crimes last year than the year before. b) There were more gang-related crimes last year than the year before. 5. a) The gangs have published a list of the worst gangs. b) The police has published a list of the worst gangs. 6. a) Homeboy Industries helps young people leave gangs.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gang mayhem grips LA / Intermediate

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b) Homeboy Industries helps young people join gangs.

Gang mayhem grips LA Intermediate 7

Green’s death made the public aware of the gang war between ‘brown and black’. Next week a summit will be held called the Black and Brown Strategy Meeting which aims to head off a race war. “All of the signs are there that a racial war is going to explode in this city,” says Khalid Shah, director of Stop the Violence, one of the groups organizing the meeting. “You are looking at an event which could not only paralyze an entire city but an entire state,” he warns.

8

Green’s death sparked Villaraigosa’s crackdown. The police took the unprecedented step of publishing a list of the 11 worst gangs, including 204th Street. They promised to go after them with police, FBI agents and injunctions to prevent members meeting. But Angelenos have seen it all before. The city’s history is full of anti-gang initiatives.

9

Publishing the ‘hit list’ could backfire. “Putting out a list was a bad idea. Groups that don’t make the list will want to be on it. They don’t exactly think rationally,” said Alex Alonso, a gang historian.

Paul Harris March 18, 2007 1 Father Greg Boyle keeps a count of the young gang members he has buried. Number 151 was Jonathan Hurtado, 18 – fresh out of jail. Now the Jesuit mourns him. “The day he got out I found him a job. He never missed a day. He was doing really well,” Boyle says.

4 Boyle’s Los Angeles is where an estimated 120,000 gang members across five counties battle over turf, pride and drugs. It is a city of violence as a new race war escalates between new Hispanic gangs and older black groups. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has referred to his city as “the gang capital of America”, has launched a crackdown on the new threat. 5 The latest front is Harbor Gateway, a nest of streets between malls and office blocks. It was here, just before Christmas, that Cheryl Green, a 14-year-old black girl, died. As she stood on a corner talking with friends, two Hispanic members of the neighbourhood’s notorious 204th Street gang walked up and opened fire, killing Green and wounding three others. Traditionally, the outside view of LA gangs has been of black youths but Hispanic gangs are rising and spreading across America. 6 Last year there were 269 gang-related killings in LA. Gang-related crime leaped 15.7 per cent last year, as most other types of crime fell. Hate crimes against black people have gone up.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gang mayhem grips LA / Intermediate

10 Yet there is hope. Alfonso ‘Chino’ Visuet, 23, was sucked into the gang life as a teenager. There was the lure of excitement and riches, the push of a difficult home life. “People who join a gang are always running away from something. They flee to the gang,” Visuet says. 11 Visuet now works for Father Boyle’s Homeboy Industries, a project that helps people leave gang life. It provides jobs, an education, pays to have gang tattoos removed and gives counselling. It aims to remove the circumstances that lead to crime: poverty, abuse and unemployment. It is staffed almost entirely by former gang members and has created a bakery, a silk-screen printers and a restaurant. 12 It worked for Visuet. He starts college this autumn and wants to be a probation officer. “I was on the edge of doing something that would ruin my life, either by doing violence or having it done to me. That’s over now,” he says.

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3 Boyle’s Los Angeles is a world away from the glamorous Hollywood hills, Malibu beaches and Sunset Strip – the city that David Beckham and Posh Spice will soon make their home.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 But Hurtado made a mistake: he went back to his old neighbourhood. While sitting in a park, Hurtado was approached by a man on a bike who said to him: “Hey, homie, what’s up?” He then shot Hurtado four times.

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Gang mayhem grips LA

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Level 2

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: War vocabulary Find words relating to war and conflict in the paragraphs. The first letter has been given. 1. s__________ (Paragraph 2)

7. k__________ (Paragraph 5)

2. b__________ (Paragraph 4)

8. w__________

3. w__________ (Paragraph 4)

9. v__________ (Paragraph 11)

4. t__________ (Paragraph 4)

10. c__________

(Paragraph 13)

5. f__________

11. b__________

(Paragraph 13)

(Paragraph 5)

(Paragraph 5)

6. o__________ f __________ (Paragraph 5)

6 Vocabulary 3: Phrasal verbs into nouns Look at the following example from the text. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has referred to his city as “the gang capital of America”, has launched a crackdown on the new threat.

The noun crackdown comes from the phrasal verb to crack down. Complete the sentences with nouns made from the following phrasal verbs. black out

blow up

stop over

hand out

clean up

lay off

1. On our flight to London we had a two-hour ___________ in Frankfurt. 2. The family had several candles in the house in case of a ___________. 3. The company was losing money and there were many ___________. 4. He’s forty and he still lives on ___________ from his parents. 5. On the wall is a big ___________ of a photo of a football player. 6. After the oil spill, the government launched a large ___________ operation.

7 Discussion

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What could be the causes of gang-related crime in a city like LA? Are there gang problems in your city?

Gang mayhem grips LA Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Expressions

1. a gang 2. bury 3. to mourn 4. turf 5. a crackdown 6. summit 7. unprecedented 8. backfires 9. impoverished 10. to ruin

1. to keep a count of something 2. to make your home somewhere 3. all the signs are there 4. have seen it all before 5. on the edge of doing something 6. nothing more than a fantasy

3 Comprehension check 1. Returning to his old neighbourhood. 2. Boyle’s LA is full of violence and gangs, Beckham’s is glamorous and full of celebrities. 3. There are now more Hispanic gangs, not only young black gangs. 4. The public is aware of the race war and police have launched a crackdown. 5. Because other gangs will want to be on the list. 6. Because they are running away from something. 7. It provides education, counselling, tattoo-removal and jobs. 8. A reality TV show.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gang mayhem grips LA / Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 3: Phrasal verbs into nouns 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

stopover blackout layoffs handouts blowup cleanup

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a b b b b a

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. shot 2. battle 3. war 4. threat 5. front 6. opening fire 7. killing 8. wounding 9. violence 10. conflict 11. beat

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Read quickly

5 Vocabulary 2: War vocabulary

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3 1

Advanced

What are they called now?

Match the old African state and province names with their current names.

Abyssinia







Somalia



Benadir







Mali



French Sudan





Mozambique



German Southwest Africa



Ethiopia



Rhodesia







Burkina Faso



Upper Volta





Namibia



Portuguese East Africa



Zimbabwe

2

Key words

Put the following key words into the sentences.

bureaucracy confiscate

plummet regime

delusion conspiracy hyperinflation collapse

whim independence

1. When something is in a state of _______________, it is breaking down and has almost stopped functioning. 2. A _______________ is a secret plan to do something bad or illegal, especially in politics. 3. A _______________ is a sudden feeling that you need to do something (usually unimportant). 4. When you get your _______________ you are no longer controlled by another person or country. 5. An idea or belief that is not true can be called a _______________. It is often the belief that you are better than you really are. 6. When there is an incredibly high increase in prices this is called _______________. 7. _______________ is a complicated or annoying system of rules and processes. 8. A system or form of government (often military) that controls the country in a strict or unfair way is called a _______________. 9. When something falls very quickly, we can say that it _______________.

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10. When you _______________ something, you take it away for legal reasons or as a punishment.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Advanced 6

Yesterday, the last plane left behind another government sinking deeper into the delusion that everything is under its control. As the economy shrinks amid hyperinflation and collapsing production, Mr Mugabe has created a vast new bureaucracy to oversee price controls on nonexistent goods in the shops.

1 The last flight out taxied from the sparkling new Harare airport, lifted over the city and dipped its wings in farewell. With that, British Airways said goodbye to Zimbabwe.

7

His finance minister maintains an official exchange rate so out of proportion with the hidden market that the central bank governor has to send his staff out to buy dollars on the street.

2 Cephas Msipa, a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, said he thought it was probably part of a British government conspiracy to unseat the Zimbabwean ruler, Robert Mugabe, but that he was going to miss British Airways anyway. “In these difficult times, Air Zimbabwe has developed a reputation for being unreliable,” he said.

8

The regime has said they have the best agricultural season even though there is no bread in the shops because the wheat harvest has fallen short by two-thirds and production of tobacco, once Zimbabwe’s biggest money earner, has dropped to one-fifth of what it once was. Cigarettes are in such short supply that a marijuana joint is cheaper.

3 What he means is that Zimbabwe’s national airline is in much the same state as the country, with flights running days late due to lack of fuel or maintenance, or diverted at Mr Mugabe’s whim to a shopping trip in Kuala Lumpur or to attend the Pope’s funeral.

9

The government has even announced plans to sell electricity to Namibia next year even though it doesn’t generate enough power to keep lights on at home.

Last BA flight from a grounded economy Chris McGreal on BA152, Harare–London October 29, 2007

12 But the airline says it has been defeated by escalating costs, particularly the price of having to bring fuel in by road from South Africa, and the unreal maths of the Zimbabwean economy. The Zimbabwe dollar has plummeted from $5,100 to the pound at the beginning of 2006 to nearly $2m to the pound today.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

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5 It’s not the first time BA has been forced out of Zimbabwe. Services were discontinued in 1965 when Ian Smith declared independence for Rhodesia and promised that not in a thousand years would a black man rule. BA was back 15 years later when Mr Smith was defeated by the reality of economics as much as war; Rhodesia ceased to exist and the only black man to ever rule Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, took power.

11 Other European airlines abandoned Zimbabwe as its economy collapsed but BA stayed because historic ties with Britain meant there were still a steady number of passengers.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4 Annie, a white Zimbabwean, is going to miss BA for another reason. “There’s toilet paper on this plane. I haven’t been able get toilet paper in the shops for weeks,” she said. “I don’t know why it matters that this is the last flight, but it does. It’s as if we’re finally being cut off from the rest of the world. I think for us [whites] it felt like the escape route if we ever needed it”.

10 The reality is that a man living in a Harare township lucky enough to have a job earns, on average, Z$5m dollars a month, or £2.50 at the hidden-market rate. His transport to work in Harare costs more than that but he has to overspend if he wants to keep his job.

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British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe

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Level 3

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3

Advanced

13 Mr Msipa and the Zimbabwean government are suspicious of the economic claims. He doesn’t understand how BA isn’t making money. Mr Msipa admits there is a crisis though, and that his dad might be part of the problem. 14 His father is the Zanu-PF governor of Midlands province where he has overseen the confiscation of white-owned farms and the collapse of agriculture. Mr Msipa concedes this may have been a mistake. “Being an old nationalist, my father believes that everything is about the land. Whereas our generation says we should get into computers and call centres”.

15 The younger Mr Msipa is a property developer who travels regularly to London. His job has kept the worst effects of the economic collapse away from him and his five children. “We have a relative advantage. I can get things done ... I have contacts,” he said. “But how I’m going to get to London now is a problem. No one wants to go through Johannesburg. They steal your luggage there. I suppose it will just have to be Air Zimbabwe.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 29/10/07

3 Comprehension check Complete the sentences with the correct endings. 1. British Airways have stopped flights from Zimbabwe for...

5. The average worker from a township in Zimbabwe earns...





a. ... the first time in its history. b. ... the rest of the year. c. ... the second time in 75 years.

2. White Zimbabweans see British Airways as their... a. ... link to the rest of the world. b. ... link to South Africa. c. ... only escape route out of Zimbabwe.

3. The first black man to rule Zimbabwe was... a. ... Ian Smith. b. ... Robert Mugabe. c. ... Cephas Msipa.

4. Mugabe has been in power for...

a. ... four-fifths of last year’s production. b. ... two-thirds of last year’s production. c. ... one-fifth of last year’s production.

7. Zimbabwe’s main industry is....

a. ... agriculture. b. ... computers. c. ... call centres.

a. ... more than 10years. b. ... more than 15 years. c. ... more than 25 years.

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6. Tobacco production has fallen to...

CA



a. ... approximately the cost of a plane ticket to London. b. ... less than the money he needs to spend on transport to get to work. c. ... £225 per year.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Stress patterns Write the words underneath the correct stress patterns.

agriculture plummeted government governor

proportion independence conspiracy reality bureaucracy reputation confiscation delusion Johannesburg discontinued Zimbabwean nationalist

oOo Zimbabwe

Ooo maintenance

oOoo economy

ooOo economic

5 Discussion In Zimbabwe, a loaf of bread costs more than fifty times the price it was at the beginning of the year. Compare this to inflation in your country. In your country: How much do dairy products (milk, butter, cheese) cost now? How much did they cost one year ago / five years ago? Make the same comparisons for other items such as bread, alcohol, cigarettes, petrol, houses etc.

6 Webquest What is the current rate of exchange between the British pound and the Zimbabwean dollar? Go to www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html to read the latest updated facts and figures about Zimbabwe.

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Go to www.swradioafrica.com and click on the ‘listen live’ button to listen to the latest independent news from Zimbabwe. The website also contains short news articles and podcasts.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 What are they called now?

3 Comprehension check



1 2 3 4 5 6 7

oOo

Ooo

oOoo

ooOo

Zimbabwe

maintenance

economy

economic

delusion proportion

governor plummeted government nationalist

conspiracy Zimbabwean reality bureaucracy Johannesburg

reputation discontinued independence confiscation agriculture

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

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1. collapse 2. conspiracy 3. whim 4. independence 5. delusion 6. hyperinflation 7. bureaucracy 8. regime 9. plummet 10. confiscate

4 Vocabulary: Stress patterns

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2 Key words

c a b c b c a

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Abyssinia Ethiopia Benadir Somalia French Sudan Mali German Southwest Africa Namibia Rhodesia Zimbabwe Upper Volta Burkina Faso Portuguese East Africa Mozambique

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1 1

Elementary

What are they called now?

Match the old African state and province names on the left with their names now (on the right).

Abyssinia Benadir French Sudan German Southwest Africa Rhodesia Upper Volta Portuguese East Africa

2

Somalia Mali Mozambique Ethiopia Burkina Faso Namibia Zimbabwe

Key words

Write in the missing vowels (a/e/i/o/u). Skim-read the article to find the answers. The paragraph numbers will help you. 1. When something is not true or you can’t trust it, it is _nr_

_ _bl_ . (para 2)

2. If a plane is sent on a different route to the one it is supposed to go on we say it has been d_v_ (para 3) 3. When you are separated from something, or if your connection has been broken you are c_t

rt_ d.

_ff. (para 4)

4. When you have this you are no longer controlled by another person or country: _nd_p_nd_nc_. (para 5) 5. When somebody else wins instead of you, you have been d_f_

_ t_d. (para 5)

6. When something does this, it breaks down and (almost) stops functioning: c_ll_ps_. (para 6) 7. This is an incredibly high increase in prices: hyp_r_nfl_t_

_ n. (para 6)

8. This is a complicated or annoying system with too many rules: b_r_

_ _ cr_cy. (para 6)

9. The value of the money of one country against the money of another country:

_xch_ng_ r_t_. (para 6)

10. The amount of crop (wheat, corn, rice, etc.) that is collected: h_rv_st. (para 7) 11. When someone believes you have done something wrong or are not telling the truth, they are s_sp_c_ _ _ s. (para 10)

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

dm_t. (para 10)

CA

12. To agree that something is not really true or that you have done something wrong: _

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Last BA flight from a grounded economy Chris McGreal on BA152, Harare–London October 29, 2007 1 The last flight left the new Harare airport, flew over the city and dipped its wings in farewell. With that, British Airways said goodbye to Zimbabwe. 2 Cephas Msipa, a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, said he thought it was probably part of a British government plan against the Zimbabwean ruler, Robert Mugabe, but he said that he was going to miss British Airways anyway. “In these difficult times, people think Air Zimbabwe is unreliable,” he said. 3 Air Zimbabwe flights run days late because there is no fuel or maintenance, or they are diverted when Mr Mugabe feels like going on a shopping trip in Kuala Lumpur or attending the Pope’s funeral. 4 Annie, a white Zimbabwean, is going to miss BA for another reason. “There’s toilet paper on this plane, but there’s no toilet paper in the shops. It feels like we’re being cut off from the rest of the world”. 5 BA stopped flights to Zimbabwe once before in 1965 when Ian Smith declared independence for Rhodesia. BA returned 15 years later when Mr Smith was defeated by economics and war. At that time, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe took power. 6 Now Zimbabwe’s government is losing control. Zimbabwe has a shrinking economy, hyperinflation and production is collapsing. At the same time, Mr Mugabe is creating more and more new bureaucracy. The official exchange rate is so different to the exchange rate of the hidden market that the central bank governor has to send his staff out to buy dollars on the street.

7 The government says Zimbabwe is having a great agricultural season. But there is no bread in the shops because the wheat harvest is down by two-thirds and production of tobacco has dropped to one-fifth of what it once was. The government has said that it plans to sell electricity to Namibia next year, even though there isn’t enough power to keep lights on in Zimbabwe. 8 A man living in a Harare township earns, on average, Z$5m dollars a month, or £2.50 at the hidden-market rate. His journey to work in Harare costs more than that but he has to travel to work if he wants to keep his job. 9 British Airways stayed when other European airlines left Zimbabwe as its economy collapsed – at the moment there are about $2m Zimbabwean dollars to the British pound. But now BA says that costs are too high, particularly the cost of bringing fuel in by road from South Africa. 10 Mr Msipa and the Zimbabwean government are suspicious but Mr Msipa admits there is a crisis, and that his dad might be part of the problem. His father is the Zanu-PF governor of Midlands province. There, he has taken farms away from white farmers and has overseen the collapse of agriculture. Mr Msipa says this was possibly a mistake. “My father is an old nationalist who believes that everything is about the land, but our generation says we should get into computers and call centres”. 11 The younger Mr Msipa is a property developer who travels regularly to London. His job has kept the worst effects of the economic collapse away from him and his five children. “We have an advantage. I can do things ... I have contacts,” he said. “But how I’m going to get to London now is a problem. No one wants to go through Johannesburg. They steal your luggage there. I suppose it will just have to be Air Zimbabwe.” © Guardian News & Media 2007

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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First published in The Guardian, 29/10/2007

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves. 1. British Airways no longer...

a. ... rule Zimbabwe.

2. White Zimbabweans saw British Airways...

b. ... to travel to work in Harare.

3. Robert Mugabe is the first black man to...

c. ... flies to Zimbabwe.

4. Mugabe has been in power for...

d. ... and the hidden-market rate.

5. The average worker from a township in Zimbabwe doesn’t earn enough money...

e. ... as their link to the rest of the world.

6. Tobacco and wheat production in Zimbabwe...

f. ... is agriculture.

7. Zimbabwe’s main industry...

g. ... over 25 years.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. There are two different exchange rates in Zimbabwe, h. ... have fallen dramatically. the government’s rate...

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary: Collocations / Word pairs Match the words on the left with the words on the right to make collocations. What is their connection with the text? Example:

lifelong

member

Cephas Msipa is a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF.

difficult toilet wheat tobacco shopping lose shrinking hidden call property

paper economy trip times centres production market harvest developer control

5 Discussion Now, in Zimbabwe, a loaf of bread costs more than fifty times the price it was a year ago. Compare this to inflation in your country. Now, a litre of milk costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. Now, a loaf of bread costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. Now, a packet of cigarettes costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. Now, an apartment costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. ... continue...

6 Webquest What is the current rate of exchange between the British pound and the Zimbabwean dollar? Go to www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html to read the latest updated facts and figures about Zimbabwe. Go to www.swradioafrica.com and click on the ‘listen live’ button to listen to the latest independent news from

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Zimbabwe. The website also contains short news articles and podcasts.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

KEY

1. unreliable 2. diverted 3. cut off 4. independence 5. defeated 6. collapse 7. hyperinflation 8. bureaucracy 9. exchange rate 10. harvest 11. suspicious 12. admit

1. c 2. e 3. a 4. g 5. b 6. h 7. f 8. d

4 Vocabulary: Collocations / Word pairs difficult times toilet paper wheat harvest tobacco production shopping trip lose control shrinking economy hidden market call centres property developer

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

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2 Key words

Ethiopia Somalia Mali Namibia Zimbabwe Burkina Faso Mozambique

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Abyssinia Benadir French Sudan German Southwest Africa Rhodesia Upper Volta Portuguese East Africa

3 Comprehension check

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 What are they called now?

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2 1

Intermediate

What are they called now?

Match the old African state and province names with their current names. Abyssinia







Somalia

Benadir







Mali

French Sudan





Mozambique

German Southwest Africa



Ethiopia

Rhodesia







Burkina Faso

Upper Volta







Namibia

Portuguese East Africa



Zimbabwe

2

Key words

Match the keywords with their definitions.

bureaucracy regime

plummet hyperinflation

conspiracy collapse

confiscate independence

1. When something does this it breaks down and (almost) stops functioning. ___________________ 2. This is a secret plan to do something bad or illegal, especially in politics. ___________________ 3. When you have this you are no longer controlled by another person or country. ___________________ 4. This is an incredibly high increase in prices. ___________________ 5. This is what we call a complicated or annoying system of rules and processes. ___________________ 6. A system or form of government (often military) that controls the country in a strict or unfair way. ___________________ 7. When something falls very quickly, we can say that it does this. ___________________

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. When you do this, you take something away from someone for legal reasons or as a punishment. ___________________

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Intermediate 7

Last BA flight from a grounded economy Chris McGreal on BA152, Harare–London October 29, 2007 1 The last flight left the sparkling new Harare airport, lifted over the city and dipped its wings in farewell. With that, British Airways said goodbye 8 to Zimbabwe.

2 Cephas Msipa, a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s

the same state as the country; flights are running days late due to lack of fuel or maintenance, or are diverted when Mr Mugabe feels like going on a shopping trip in Kuala Lumpur or attending the Pope’s funeral.

4 Annie, a white Zimbabwean, is going to miss BA for

another reason. “There’s toilet paper on this plane. I haven’t been able get toilet paper in the shops for weeks,” she said. “I don’t know why it matters that this is the last flight, but it does. It’s as if we’re finally being cut off from the rest of the world”.

5 It’s not the first time BA has been forced out of

Zimbabwe. Flights were stopped in 1965 when Ian Smith declared independence for Rhodesia. BA was back 15 years later when Mr Smith was defeated by economics as much as war; Rhodesia ceased to exist and the only black man to ever rule Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, took power.

6 Zimbabwe’s government is losing control. Mr

Mugabe is creating a vast new bureaucracy while the economy shrinks amid hyperinflation and collapsing production. The official exchange rate is so different to that of the hidden market that the central bank governor has to send his staff out to buy dollars on the street.

Other European airlines left Zimbabwe as its economy collapsed but BA stayed because historic ties with Britain meant there were still a steady number of passengers.

10 But the airline says it has been defeated by

escalating costs, particularly the price of having to bring fuel in by road from South Africa, and the unreal maths of the Zimbabwean economy. The Zimbabwe dollar has plummeted from $5,100 to the pound at the beginning of 2006 to nearly $2m to the pound today.

11 Mr Msipa and the Zimbabwean government

are suspicious; they don’t understand how BA isn’t making money. Mr Msipa admits there is a crisis though, and that his dad might be part of the problem.

12 His father is the Zanu-PF governor of Midlands province where he has confiscated whiteowned farms and has overseen the collapse of agriculture. Mr Msipa says this may have been a mistake. “My father an old nationalist who believes that everything is about the land. Whereas our generation says we should get into computers and call centres”.

13 The younger Mr Msipa is a property developer

who travels regularly to London. His job has kept the worst effects of the economic collapse away from him and his five children. “We have a relative advantage. I can get things done ... I have contacts,” he said. “But how I’m going to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

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3 What he means is that Air Zimbabwe is in much

9

The reality is that a man living in a Harare township lucky enough to have a job earns, on average, Z$5m dollars a month, or £2.50 at the hiddenmarket rate. His transport to work in Harare costs more than that but he has to travel to work if he wants to keep his job.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Zanu-PF, said he thought it was probably part of a British government conspiracy against the Zimbabwean ruler, Robert Mugabe, but he said that he was going to miss British Airways anyway. “In these difficult times, Air Zimbabwe has a reputation for being unreliable,” he said.

The regime says Zimbabwe is having a great agricultural season, even though there is no bread in the shops because the wheat harvest is down by two-thirds and production of tobacco has dropped to one-fifth of what it once was. The government has even announced plans to sell electricity to Namibia next year even though it doesn’t generate enough power to keep lights on at home.

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British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe

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Level 2

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2

Intermediate

get to London now is a problem. No one wants to go through Johannesburg. They steal your luggage there. I suppose it will just have to be Air Zimbabwe.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 29/10/2007

3 Comprehension check According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. British Airways now only fly to Zimbabwe once a week. 2. White Zimbabweans saw British Airways as their link to the rest of the world. 3. Robert Mugabe is the first black man to rule Zimbabwe. 4. Mugabe has been in power for over 40 years. 5. The average worker from a township in Zimbabwe earns about the same as the cost of a plane ticket to London. 6. Tobacco and wheat production has fallen dramatically. 7. Zimbabwe’s main industry is computers.

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8. There are two different exchange rates in Zimbabwe, the government’s rate and the hidden market rate.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions Write in the missing prepositions then check your answers by reading back over the article. 1. British Airways said goodbye ______ Zimbabwe 2. part ______ a British government conspiracy 3. a reputation ______ being unreliable 4. going ______ a shopping trip 5. Mr Smith was defeated ______ economics 6. Rhodesia ceased ______ exist 7. a man living ______ a Harare township 8. historic ties ______ Britain 9. defeated ______ escalating costs 10. part ______ the problem 11. we should get ______ computers 12. No one wants to go ______ Johannesburg

5 Discussion In Zimbabwe, a loaf of bread costs more than fifty times the price it was at the beginning of the year. Compare this to inflation in your country. In your country: How much do dairy products (milk, butter, cheese) cost now? How much did they cost one year ago / five years ago? Make the same comparisons for other items such as bread, alcohol, cigarettes, petrol, houses etc.

6 Webquest What is the current rate of exchange between the British pound and the Zimbabwean dollar? Go to www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html to read the latest updated facts and figures about Zimbabwe.

H

NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

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Go to www.swradioafrica.com and click on the ‘listen live’ button to listen to the latest independent news from Zimbabwe. The website also contains short news articles and podcasts.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 What are they called now?

3 Comprehension



1. F (they have stopped flying to Zimbabwe) 2. T 3. T 4. F (he has been in power for over 25 years) 5. F (they earn much, much less) 6. T 7. F (the main industry is still agriculture) 8. T

collapse conspiracy independence hyperinflation bureaucracy regime plummet confiscate

1. British Airways said goodbye to Zimbabwe 2. part of a British government conspiracy 3. a reputation for being unreliable 4. going on a shopping trip 5. Mr Smith was defeated by economics 6. Rhodesia ceased to exist 7. a man living in a Harare township 8. historic ties with Britain 9. defeated by escalating costs 10. part of the problem 11. we should get into computers 12. No one wants to go through Johannesburg

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

H

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions

•P

2 Key words

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Abyssinia Ethiopia Benadir Somalia French Sudan Mali German Southwest Africa Namibia Rhodesia Zimbabwe Upper Volta Burkina Faso Portuguese East Africa Mozambique

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading 1: Introduction

You are going to read an article about Genetic Modification. In Britain, recently, there has been a lot of discussion about GM crops. These are plants grown for food, which scientists have changed so that they are more productive, or can resist diseases or insects that destroy them. Before you read the article, think about these questions. 1. In your country, is there a debate about GM crops?

A

2. What are the arguments in favour? 3. What are the arguments against?

4. Have you also heard of genetically modified animals or insects?

B

5. What reasons could scientists have for genetically modifying them? 6. What could be the dangers of interfering with natural processes in this way? 7. In what other ways can humans interfere with the balance of nature?

Now read the article quickly, to see if it mentions any of your ideas.

2 Pre-reading 2: Key words Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. wary

parasite thrives

gene side-effects immune defence fauna

predators prey mutation

1. A system in the body that helps you to resist disease. _____________ 2. The unpleasant additional results of taking a particular medicine. _____________ 3. The animal life of a particular region. _____________ 4. A plant or animal that lives on or in another, usually larger one, and feeds on it. _____________ 5. Grows very well. _____________ 6. A smaller animal that is used as food by a larger one. _____________ 7. A change in the basic structure of a plant or animal. _____________ 8. Very careful about possible dangers. _____________ 9. Larger animals that attack and kill other animals for food. _____________ 10. The basic unit of life that transmits characteristics from parent to child. _____________

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Now scan the text quickly to see if your matches make sense.

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Advanced

2 Although the release of genetically modified insects is not a new idea, it was given fresh importance this week by new work from a team at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. The scientists there cannot yet prove what would actually happen if GM mosquitoes were released into the wild. However, their lab studies suggest that insects carrying a gene that resists malaria would not simply die out as soon as they encountered normal mosquitoes – and might even start to take over.

7 The cooking pots of Portuguese sailors are often blamed for the extinction of the dodo. But it was probably the animals they brought with them to Mauritius that really finished them off.

4 However, the long list of ecological disasters that have followed both deliberate and accidental releases of non-native species into new environments will make scientists – and nonscientists – extremely wary.

8 There are many examples of disasters. In Australia, rabbits were introduced and quickly ran out of control, destroying native species. Despite huge efforts to get rid of them, they are still a major pest. The coypu, a large rodent, was introduced from South America into parts of North America and now cause damage to the environment in wetlands there. The aggressive African honeybee was introduced to Brazil in the 1950s and spread, displacing and interbreeding with European honeybees that came to South America with the first Europeans. It is much more aggressive than native species, attacking people and animals. Meanwhile, water hyacinth was introduced to Africa and elsewhere from South America in the 19th century. It now clogs up waterways, making them impassable.

5 “If new species get out of their ecosystem and are not kept under control by other processes, they start to cause trouble,” says Deborah Long at Plantlife Scotland. New species may have no natural predators, or may encounter prey that

9 Even in this country, foreign invaders are a huge problem for conservationists. The worst one is Japanese knotweed, which thrives in gardens. “Japanese knotweed causes massive problems for home owners,” says Dr Long. The weed can

3 Many human lives might be saved. But what consequences would result from releasing millions of GM-insects into the wild? Would the gene they carry have unintended side-effects when the mosquito is in its natural habitat? Could the gene jump into other species? Because large scale releases of GM animals have never been carried out, these questions are hard to answer.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes / Advanced

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1 It is a daring scientific project that could offer hope to 300 million malaria sufferers worldwide. The plan is to genetically alter the mosquitoes in countries with malaria, so that the insects can no longer carry the malaria parasite – and so can’t transfer it to people. Without its taxi service, the disease would rapidly die out.

6 “This is a particular problem for islands and the southern hemisphere,” says Andre Farrar, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. In the past, small oceanic islands in the southern hemisphere tended not to have any land-based predators because mammals simply couldn’t get there. This meant that many bird species nested on the ground. So when European explorers introduced rats, dogs, pigs and cats to the islands, the birds’ eggs were easy pickings. When the brown tree snake (native to Australia) was accidentally introduced to Guam in the western Pacific in the 1950s, for example, it devastated local bird populations.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Scientists hope to release GM mosquitoes into the wild in an attempt to wipe out malaria. They should be extremely wary, says James Randerson – introducing new species has often proved disastrous. March 21, 2007

cannot defend themselves against their hunting strategies. New species can also affect local plants and animals by bringing in diseases they have not met before.

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Level 3

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 3

Advanced

grow through walls and concrete, as well as taking over gardens. “It causes massive social and economic problems as well as conservation problems.” 10 Another problem plant is rhododendron ponticum, which is taking over the so-called ‘Celtic rainforest’ woodlands of the west coast of Scotland and Wales. These fairytale woodlands are internationally important because of the special plants there, says Long. But to thrive, the plants require precise amounts of light and water, which are provided by the humid atmosphere of the forest. The invading rhododendrons, which were introduced by Victorian gardeners, shade out the native plants. 11 The destructive cane toad of Australia is also the result of a failed attempt at biological control. The toad was brought in to control sugar-cane pests in 1935. But it soon began preying on – and out-competing – native species. It now occupies much of the north east of Australia. Getting rid of the invasive species, as Australia’s rabbits and cane toads have shown, often proves much more difficult than introducing it. Despite continuing efforts to control the cane toads, their seemingly unstoppable march continues. 12 Perhaps the worst example of a disastrous introduction is that of the snails of French Polynesia. In 1975, the wolf snail was deliberately introduced to stop the spread of the previously introduced giant African land snail. But the predatory wolf mostly ignored its intended prey and instead developed a taste for the

smaller native partula snails. Since then, 72% of the partula species have become extinct and only five remain. 13 But there have been successes in eradication, especially on the islands where introduced species can cause most damage. “It is expensive, it is time-consuming but is potentially very effective,” says Farrar. The ground-nesting kakapo parrot from New Zealand, for example, has been given new life by transferring it to islands without rats and ferrets. 14 So what are the lessons here for introducing GM-mosquitoes? It can be argued that putting a new mosquito with an extra gene into a place where there are lots of mosquitoes already is not as bad as introducing an entirely new species with hunting strategies, immune defences and diseases that are entirely new to the local fauna. That change may not be very different from something that has happened countless times in evolution – a random mutation to a gene that gives the mosquito resistance to a parasite. Finally, though, it will probably be what people think is a risk rather than the actual risks that matters. GM-crops had no chance in Europe because of ‘what-if?’ fears: in the end, scientists’ opinions had no influence. If public opinion in African countries is strongly against the GMmosquito, or if people feel that a technology rejected by Europe is being forced onto them, it will never happen. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/3/07

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Did the article mention any of your ideas?

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 3

Advanced

3 General understanding Now read the text again, more carefully. Match the beginnings of these sentences about the text with their endings.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

a Scientists do not know if the new mosquitoes b Perhaps the altered gene could even c When other species have moved to new places d The balance of nature depends on each species e Plants and animals that are brought in to help, f Some native species in danger from new species g Some people think that artificial new species are h The structure of the mosquitoes will be changed

cross over into other animals it has often led to trouble in the past having its own predators to keep numbers low have been removed to new places of safety so that they can’t infect humans with malaria no more dangerous than natural changes will multiply so much that other species die out often cause more problems than they solve

4 Language development 1: Word formation Complete the table below. All the missing forms are in the text.

adverb

-

-

-

disastrously

adapt

adaptive

adaptively

protect

protective

protectively

-

accidental

-

extinct

-

introduce

-

-

invade

invasively

effect

effectively

resist

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes / Advanced

resistant

-

H

release

adjective

•P

noun

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

verb

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 3

Advanced

5 Language development 2: Phrasal verbs The following sentences all contain a phrasal verb taken from the text. See if you can remember what they are, and understand the meaning from the context. 1. Scientists are hoping to w____ ____ diseases like cancer. 2. There is a danger that some species may d____ ____, and become extinct. 3. If one species gets too strong, they may t_____ _____ from another one. 4. Most experiments have to be c_______ ____ very carefully. 5. If a species g_____ ____ ____ its own environment, and enters another, it may destroy other species, or be destroyed. 6. The tomatoes were not growing very well, and the terrible storm finally f________ them ____. 7. If a certain plant starts to grow in one part of a river, it soon c______ it ___ completely, and the water can’t flow at all. 8. When the trees grow too close together, they s______ ____ the plants growing under them, as no sun can reach the ground. 9. The government introduced a new tax system, but as soon as it was b_______ ___ , people began to protest. 10. A lot of animals get their food by p__________ ___ smaller animals.

6 Language development 3: Logical connectors This text contains several connectors showing contrast. See if you can remember which of the following were used in each of the sentences below.

despite



though



however



although

1. __________ the release of genetically modified insects is not a new idea, it was given fresh importance this week… 2. __________, the long list of ecological disasters … will make scientists … extremely wary. 3. __________ huge efforts to get rid of them, they are still a major pest.

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4. Finally, _________, it will probably be what people think is a risk … that matters.

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 3

Advanced

Now scan the text quickly to check. Looking back at the examples, see if you can complete the rules below. 5. __________ is used to join two sentences; it is a conjunction. 6. __________ is used before a noun, pronoun or -ing form; it is a preposition. 7. __________ does not connect two sentences. It can come at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a sentence. It is an adverb. 8. __________ usually comes in the middle or at the end of a sentence. It is separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. It is an adverb, and is less formal than ___________. And now see if you can use the appropriate word in each of these sentences. 9. It was raining. ___________, we played tennis. 10. __________ the rain, we played tennis. 11. __________ it was raining, we played tennis. 12. It was raining. My brother, ________, still played tennis.

7 Discussion 1. Do you think it is a good idea to introduce these genetically modified mosquitoes? Why / why not? 2. Do you think people from more developed countries should pass on their technology to people in less



developed countries? 3. Do you see this as a right or an obligation? 4. Are any species of animal or plant in danger of becoming extinct in your country? 5. How far do you think people should be concerned about individual species dying out, when there is so much

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hunger and poverty in the world?

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 3

Advanced

KEY 2 Pre-reading 2: Key words

5 Language development 2: Phrasal verbs

1. immune defence 2. side-effects 3. fauna 4. parasite 5. thrives 6. prey 7. mutation 8. wary 9. predators 10. gene

1. wipe out 2. die out 3. take over 4. carried out 5. gets out of 6. finished them off 7. clogs up 8. shade out 9. brought in 10. preying on

3 General understanding

6 Language development 3: Logical connectors

1. e 2. g 3. a 4. b 5. c 6. h 7. d 8. f

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

although however despite though although however



7. despite 8. though, however 9. however 10. despite 11. although 12. though

adverb

release

release

-

-

-

disaster

disastrous

disastrously

adapt

adaptation

adaptive

adaptively

protect

protection

protective

protectively

-

accident

accidental

accidentally

-

extinction

extinct

-

introduce

introduction

-

-

invade

invasion

invasive

invasively

effect

effect

effective

effectively

resist

resistance

resistant

-

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adjective

•P H

noun

CA

verb

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4 Language development 1: Word formation

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading 1: Introduction

You are going to read an article about ‘genetically modified’ (or GM) mosquitoes. When a living thing is genetically modified, it means that scientists have changed its ‘genes’. These are the basic units of life that decide what things are like. They can be passed down from parent to child. Scientist change some species (or types) of plants to make them more productive, or to resist (or fight) diseases or insects that destroy them. In this case, they are changing a species of insect – mosquitoes.

2

Pre-reading 2: Key words

To help you to understand the article, here are some of the important words. Match these keywords from the text with the meanings below.

release predators



malaria prey

parasite hemisphere

habitat mammals

1. Larger animals that attack and kill other animals for food. ____________ 2. To allow something to be free, to let something go. ____________ 3. A smaller animal that is used as food by a larger one. ____________ 4. The place where a plant or animal usually lives. ____________ 5. Animals that have babies; they don’t lay eggs like birds. ____________ 6. Half of the earth; the north or the south. ____________ 7. A plant or animal that lives on or in another, usually larger one, and feeds on it. ____________ 8. A disease with a fever that keeps coming back. It is common in hot countries, and you can catch it if an infected mosquito bites you. ____________

3 Comprehension check Before you read the article, think about these questions. 1. How do you think the scientists have changed the mosquitoes? 2. Why do you think they have changed them? 3. Why could this be dangerous?

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

The words you have looked at should give you some ideas. Now read the article quickly, to see if it you were right. (Don’t worry about the names of special plants and animals – you can still understand the general idea).

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Elementary

Shock of the new

expert on birds. In the past, small islands in the southern hemisphere didn’t usually have any land-based predators because mammals simply couldn’t get there, and many bird species nested on the ground. So when European explorers took rats, dogs, pigs and cats to the islands, the birds’ eggs were easy prey. When the brown tree snake (native to Australia) was accidentally taken to Guam in the western Pacific in the 1950s, for example, it nearly destroyed local bird populations.

Scientists hope to release GM mosquitoes into the wild to try and destroy malaria. They should be very careful, says James Randerson - introducing new species can be dangerous. March 21, 2007

4 But in the past, when non-native species have been moved into new environments, on purpose or by accident, there have been big problems, so scientists need to be very careful. 5 “If new species get out of their habitat and are not kept under control by other processes, they start to cause trouble,” says Deborah Long at Plantlife Scotland. New species may have no natural predators, or may meet prey that cannot defend themselves against their hunting methods. New species can also affect local plants and animals by bringing in diseases they have not met before. 6 “This is a particular problem for islands in the southern hemisphere,” says Andre Farrar, an

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes / Elementary

8

There are many examples of disasters. When rabbits were taken to Australia, they quickly multiplied and destroyed native species. They are still a big problem. The African honeybee was taken to Brazil in the 1950s and multiplied, replacing the European honeybees that came to South America with the first Europeans. It is much more aggressive than native species, attacking people and animals. In Africa, the water hyacinth plant was introduced from South America in the 19th century. Now boats cannot move down the rivers.

9

Even in this country, some foreign plants are a big problem. The worst one is Japanese knotweed, which grows well in gardens. Dr Long says it is bad for home owners, because it can grow through walls and concrete, as well as taking over gardens.

10 Another problem plant is rhododendron ponticum, which is taking over the so-called ‘Celtic rainforest’ woodlands of the west coast of Scotland and Wales. It damages the special plants there, which need exact amounts of light and water. The rhododendrons, which were introduced by Victorian gardeners, take light away from native plants. 11 The destructive cane toad of Australia was brought in to control sugar-cane pests in 1935. But it soon began eating – and destroying – native species. It now occupies much of the

O

3 Many human lives might be saved. But what would happen if millions of GM-insects were released into the wild? When the mosquitoes are in their natural habitat, would the gene they carry jump into other species? GM animals have never been released in large numbers, so these questions are hard to answer.

When Portuguese sailors brought animals to Mauritius, they probably caused the extinction of the dodo.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Using genetically modified insects is not a new idea but this week, scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland gave it new importance. The scientists there cannot be sure what the results would be but their lab studies suggest that the GM mosquitoes might soon be stronger than normal ones.

7

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1 It is an exciting scientific project that could offer hope to 300 million people with malaria worldwide. The plan is to genetically modify the mosquitoes in countries with malaria, so that the insects can no longer carry the malaria parasite – and so can’t pass it to people. Without the right mosquitoes, the disease would soon die out.

CA

Level 1

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 1

Elementary

north east of Australia. People have tried very hard to control the cane toads, but they continue to multiply. 12 Perhaps the worst example is the snails of French Polynesia. First, the giant African land snail was taken there and they increased too much. Then, in 1975, the wolf snail was taken there to keep their numbers down. But the wolf snail usually ignored the African snails and ate the smaller native partula snails. Since then, 72% of the partula species have gone and only five remain. 13 But there have been successes, especially on the islands where new species can cause most damage. “It is expensive, it takes time, but it can be very effective,” says Farrar. For example, the kakapo parrot from New Zealand, which nests on the ground. Scientists have moved it to islands without rats, where it can live safely.

14

So what are the lessons here for introducing GM-mosquitoes? Perhaps, putting a new mosquito with an extra gene into a place where there are lots of mosquitoes already is not as bad as introducing an entirely new species. And a change made by scientists may not be very different from something that has happened many times in evolution – by chance.

15

Finally, though, what people think is a danger, will probably be more important than the real dangers. GM-crops had no chance in Europe because of ‘what-if?’ fears: in the end, scientists’ opinions had no effect. If public opinion in African countries is strongly against the GM-mosquito, or if people feel that they are being forced to use a technology that Europe doesn’t want, GM mosquitoes will not be used. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/3/07

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How close were your answers?

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 1

Elementary

4 Reading for information First, read the text quickly and underline the words below. James Randerson Andre Farrar

300 million

Guam

Johns Hopkins

the dodo

Deborah Long

the 19th century

1935

72%

Now, read the text again, and use the information to complete the sentences below. 1. ____________ is the university where the scientists are working on GM mosquitoes. 2. ____________ is an animal that doesn’t exist any more. 3. There are ____________ people who are ill with malaria. 4. ____________ is the man who wrote this article. 5. ____________ is a scientist who knows a lot about birds. 6. ____________ is an island where brown tree snakes have eaten most of the birds. 7. People tried to protect sugar cane plants from pests by bringing in cane toads in ____________. 8. A water plant was taken to Africa from South America in ____________. Now it has blocked all the rivers. 9. ____________ is a scientist who knows a lot about plants. 10. Wolf snails have eaten ____________ of the native snails in Polynesia.

5 Vocabulary development 1: Word building See if you can complete the table with the missing words. Then check the text quickly to see if you were right.

2

science

3

nature

4

care

5

south

6

aggression

7

destruction

8

effect

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes / Elementary

H

danger

•P

1

adjective

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

noun

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 1

Elementary

6 Vocabulary development 2: Pronunciation Here are some words from the text. Where is the stress? Put them in the correct columns. scientists explorers expensive

importance extinction effective

dangerous

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes / Elementary

habitat multiplied example

accident aggressive opinion

mosquitoes

H

parasite hemisphere occupies

•P

malaria predators destructive

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Pre-reading 2: Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

release malaria parasite habitat predators prey hemisphere mammals

6 Vocabulary development 2: Pronunciation dangerous

4 Reading for information 1. Johns Hopkins 2. The dodo 3. 300 million 4. James Randerson 5. Andre Farrar 6. Guam 7. 1935 8. the 19th century 9. Deborah Long 10. 72%

mosquitoes

parasite

malaria

scientists

importance

habitat

explorers

accident

extinction

predators

aggressive

hemisphere

destructive

multiplied

expensive

occupies

effective example opinion

adjective

1

danger

dangerous

2

science

scientific

3

nature

natural

4

care

careful

5

south

southern

6

aggression

aggressive

7

destruction

destructive

8

effect

effective

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes / Elementary

•P H

noun

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5 Vocabulary development 1: Word building

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading 1: Introduction

You are going to read an article about ‘genetically modified’ (or GM) mosquitoes. When a living thing is genetically modified, it means that scientists have changed its ‘genes’. These are the basic units of life that decide our characteristics. They can be passed down from parent to child. Scientists do this to some species (or types) of plants to make them more productive, or to resist (or fight) diseases or insects that destroy them. In this case, they are doing it to an insect species – mosquitoes.

2

Pre-reading 2: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. release



malaria prey



parasite devastated



ecological predators immune defence

1. Larger animals that attack and kill other animals for food. _____________ 2. To allow something to be free, to let something go. _____________ 3. A smaller animal that is used as food by a larger one. _____________ 4. Very badly damaged or destroyed. _____________ 5. A disease with a fever that keeps coming back. It is common in hot countries, and you can catch it if you are bitten by infected mosquitoes. _____________ 6. A system in the body that helps you to resist (or fight) disease. _____________ 7. Relating to the connection between living things and their environment. _____________ 8. A plant or animal that lives on or in another, usually larger one, and feeds on it. _____________

3

Pre-reading 3: Predictions

Before you read the article, think about these questions. 1. How and why do you think the scientists have changed the mosquitoes? 2. What could be the dangers of changing natural processes in this way?

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The vocabulary you have looked at should give you some ideas. Now read the article quickly to see if it your predictions were right. (Don’t worry about the names of special plants and animals – you can still understand the general idea).

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Intermediate

2 The release of genetically modified insects is not a new idea but this week, work from a team at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland gave it fresh importance. The scientists there cannot yet prove what would actually happen if GM mosquitoes were released into the wild. However, their lab studies suggest that insects carrying a gene that resists malaria would not simply die out as soon as they met normal mosquitoes – and might even start to take over. 3 Many human lives might be saved. But what would happen if millions of GM-insects were released into the wild? When the mosquitoes are in their natural habitat, would the gene they carry jump into other species? Large scale releases of GM animals have never been carried out, so these questions are hard to answer. 4 However, the long list of ecological disasters that have followed both deliberate and accidental releases of non-native species into new environments will make scientists – and nonscientists – extremely careful. 5 “If new species get out of their ecosystem and are not kept under control by other processes, they start to cause trouble,” says Deborah Long at Plantlife Scotland. New species may have no natural predators, or may encounter prey that cannot defend themselves against their hunting

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7 When Portuguese sailors brought animals to Mauritius, they probably caused the extinction of the dodo. 8 There are many examples of disasters. In Australia, rabbits were introduced and quickly multiplied, destroying native species. They are still a major problem. The African honeybee was introduced to Brazil in the 1950s and spread, replacing the European honeybees that came to South America with the first Europeans. It is much more aggressive than native species, attacking people and animals. In Africa, the water hyacinth plant was introduced from South America in the 19th century. It now blocks rivers, making them impassable. 9 Even in this country, foreign invaders are a huge problem for conservationists. The worst one is Japanese knotweed, which grows well in gardens. Dr Long says it causes enormous problems for home owners, because it can grow through walls and concrete, as well as taking over gardens. 10 Another problem plant is rhododendron ponticum, which is taking over the so-called ‘Celtic rainforest’ woodlands of the west coast

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1 It is a daring scientific project that could offer hope to 300 million malaria sufferers worldwide. The plan is to genetically modify the mosquitoes in countries with malaria, so that the insects can no longer carry the malaria parasite – and so can’t pass it to people. Without its taxi service, the disease would soon die out.

6 “This is a particular problem for islands in the southern hemisphere,” says Andre Farrar, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. In the past, small oceanic islands in the southern hemisphere didn’t usually have any land-based predators because mammals simply couldn’t get there, and many bird species nested on the ground. So when European explorers introduced rats, dogs, pigs and cats to the islands, the birds’ eggs were easy prey. When the brown tree snake (native to Australia) was accidentally introduced to Guam in the western Pacific in the 1950s, for example, it devastated local bird populations.

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Scientists hope to release GM mosquitoes into the wild in an attempt to destroy malaria. They should be extremely careful, says James Randerson – introducing new species has often been disastrous. March 21, 2007

methods. New species can also affect local plants and animals by bringing in diseases they have not met before.

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of Scotland and Wales. It damages the special plants there, which need precise amounts of light and water. The invading rhododendrons, which were introduced by Victorian gardeners, shade out the native plants. 11 The destructive cane toad of Australia is also the result of a failed attempt at biological control. The toad was brought in to control sugar-cane pests in 1935. But it soon began preying on – and destroying – native species. It now occupies much of the north east of Australia. Getting rid of the invasive species is often much more difficult than introducing it. Despite continuing efforts to control the cane toads, their apparently unstoppable march continues. 12 Perhaps the worst example of a disastrous introduction is that of the snails of French Polynesia. In 1975, the wolf snail was deliberately introduced to stop the spread of the previously introduced giant African land snail. But the predatory wolf mostly ignored its intended prey and instead developed a taste for the smaller native partula snails. Since then, 72% of the partula species have become extinct and only five remain. 13 But there have been successes, especially on the islands where introduced species can cause most damage. “It is expensive, it is timeconsuming but is potentially very effective,” says

Farrar. The ground-nesting kakapo parrot from New Zealand, for example, has been given new life by moving it to islands without rats. 14 So what are the lessons here for introducing GMmosquitoes? Perhaps, putting a new mosquito with an extra gene into a place where there are lots of mosquitoes already is not as bad as introducing an entirely new species with hunting methods, immune defences and diseases that are entirely new to the local animals. That change may not be very different from something that has happened countless times in evolution – a change to a gene that has happened by chance. 15 Finally, though, it will probably be what people think is a risk, rather than the actual risks, that matters. GM-crops had no chance in Europe because of ‘what-if?’ fears: in the end, scientists’ opinions had no effect. If public opinion in African countries is strongly against the GM-mosquito, or if people feel that a technology rejected by Europe is being forced onto them, it will never happen. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/3/07

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How close were your predictions?

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4 General understanding Now read the text again, more carefully, and look at the sentences below. Underline the correct answer in each sentence. 1. The malaria mosquito…

4. Bees from Africa…



a) … is often found in taxis.



a) … replaced native Brazilian bees.



b) … passes the disease to humans.



b) … replaced bees imported earlier from Europe.

2. Scientists from Maryland think that GM mosquitoes…

a) … would be killed by ordinary mosquitoes.



b) … could soon be more common than ordinary ones.

3. Some birds in southern islands didn’t make their nests in trees because…

a) … there were no ground animals to attack them.



b) … they couldn’t fly into the trees.

5. In Australia, the cane toad arrived…

a) … by chance.



b) … as part of a plan.

6. The wolf snail in Polynesia…

a) … ate most of the local snails.



b) … successfully reduced the African snail population.

5 Language development: Recognizing conditional sentences Here are parts of some sentences from the article. They all contain a verb in the Simple Past tense. Which ones are about things that have actually happened (A), and which are about possibilities in the future (P)? Scan the text to find them first. 1. … what would actually happen if GM mosquitoes were released… 2. … insects carrying a gene that resists malaria would not simply die out as soon as they met normal mosquitoes… 3. … what would happen if millions of GM-insects were released into the wild? 4. … rabbits were introduced and quickly multiplied… 5. The invading rhododendrons, which were introduced by Victorian gardeners… 6. The toad was brought in to control sugar-cane pests…

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How do you know which is which? Now, check your answers in the key.

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Intermediate

6 Understanding reference Good writers don’t keep repeating the same words in a text unless they have to. They use pronouns. For example, in the two sentences above, the word they is used twice, instead of repeating the words good writers. Sometimes it is not easy to know what a pronoun refers to (or means). For example, in the first sentence, some readers might think that the word they means the same words. The next few questions will give you some practice in identifying the words referred to by certain pronouns. 1. In paragraph 2, does it refer to

5. In paragraph 8, does they refer to

a. the release of genetically modified insects?

a. the rabbits that were introduced?

b. this week?

b. the native species?

c. Maryland University?

6. In paragraph 7, does it refer to

2. In paragraph 5, does they refer to

a. the water hyacinth plant?

a. new species?

b. the 19th century?

b. other processes?

7. In paragraph 10, does it refer to

3. In paragraph 6, does it refer to

a. The plant rhododendron ponticum?

a. the brown tree snake?

b. the west coast of Scotland and Wales?

b. the western Pacific?

8. In paragraph 15, does it refer to

4. In paragraph 7, does they refer to

a. the introduction of the GM-mosquito?

a. the sailors?

b. Europe?

b. the animals?

7 Discussion 1. Do you think it is a good idea to introduce these GM mosquitoes? Why / why not? 2. Do you think richer countries should pass on their technology to poorer countries? 3. Are any species of animal or plant in danger of becoming extinct in your country?

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4. Do you think people should worry about individual species of plants and animals, when so many people are very poor and hungry?

Shock of the new - GM Mosquitoes Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 2 Pre-reading 2: Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

predators release prey devastated malaria immune defence ecological parasite

The A sentences are usually clearly set in past time, for example by a date.

4 General understanding 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The P sentences usually go with: • a verb in the conditional, usually would, might, or could. • the word if, or a similar idea, like without its taxi service, which means if they didn’t have a taxi service. • other ideas in the text, telling you that this has not happened yet, e.g. the project, the plan, studies suggest that…

The malaria mosquito (b) passes the disease to humans. Scientists from Maryland think that GM mosquitoes (b) could soon be more common than ordinary ones. Some birds in southern islands didn’t make their nests in trees because (a) there were no ground animals to attack them. Bees from Africa (b) replaced bees imported earlier from Europe. In Australia, the cane toad arrived (b) as part of a plan. The wolf snail in Polynesia (a) ate most of the local snails.

6 Understanding reference 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

a a a Here, it could be both! a a a a

You will notice that the pronoun often refers back to the first subject in the sentence. Later ideas are often just adding information about the main subject.

5 Language development: Recognizing conditional sentences

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5. A 6. A

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Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. grieve coup

momentous rapport

mourner foe

lavish condolence

compassionate magnanimous

1. ____________ is a relationship in which people like, understand and respect each other. 2. ____________ is another word for enemy; it is often used by journalists. 3. A ____________ is an occasion when a group of people take control of a country by military force. 4. If you are ____________, you are willing to forgive people or willing to be kind and fair. 5. If something is ____________, it is given in a very large amount. 6. A ____________ occasion is one that is very important because of its effect on future events. 7. If you are ____________, you are understanding and caring about someone who is in a bad situation. 8. If you express ____________, you show sympathy when someone has died. 9. A ____________ is someone who attends a funeral to pay their respects to the dead person. 10. When you ____________, you feel extremely sad because someone has died.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Boris Yeltsin was president of Russia before Vladimir Putin. 2. Yeltsin was president when the Soviet Union collapsed. 3. Yeltsin was popular with all Russians. 4. Yeltsin was president for 10 years. 5. Yeltsin was buried in St Petersburg.

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6. George W. Bush attended the funeral.

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Advanced

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell

have proceeded across Red Square. Yesterday’s low-key ceremony took place in the cathedral of Christ the Saviour – a vast gold-domed church not far from the Kremlin. It was blown up by Stalin in 1931 but rebuilt during Yeltsin’s presidency as a symbol of national revival.

Putin, Clinton and Major among mourners at Orthodox ceremony. Luke Harding in Moscow April 26, 2007

5

Hundreds of mourners had queued round the block to pay their respects to Yeltsin, who had lain in state for two days. His open coffin was draped in a Russian tricolour. Mourners went past in solemn file, laying carnations and red roses. “He was a muzhik – a strong man,” Dmitry Samarin, who spent 16 years as Yeltsin’s bodyguard, told the Guardian outside the church. Was he a good leader, though? “History is a very difficult thing,” he replied carefully. “He managed to defeat the communist leadership. I doubt anybody else could have done it.”

6

Arytom Leonidovich, a 26-year-old architect, said it was a complicated question. “I think in time history will record that he did more positive than negative things. The fall of the communist regime was largely down to him. “He also had many human qualities. He was compassionate, unlike the leadership we’ve got now.”

7

State television yesterday paid lavish tribute. Flags were flown at half-mast. But many ordinary Russians clearly still regard Yeltsin’s seven and a half years as president as a disaster. There were few mourners along the funeral route. The country has been split over its assessment of his legacy. Some praise him for bringing freedom and helping defeat a coup attempt by former Soviet hardliners; others blame him for handing over state assets to oligarchs and damaging the country’s name with his drunken behaviour.

8

Yesterday’s TV coverage made little mention of his disastrous decision to go to war against Chechen rebels in 1994. Instead it concentrated on the good bits – Yeltsin’s friendly rapport with ordinary Russians and his obvious devotion towards his children and grandchildren. Communist MPs, however, refused to stand for a moment of silence in Yeltsin’s memory in

1 Surrounded by white-robed Orthodox bishops, his grieving family, Vladimir Putin and his successor, Boris Nikolayevich, Yeltsin was buried yesterday in the tranquil surroundings of Moscow’s Novodevichy cemetery. It was perhaps appropriate that the man who once promised Russians an economic miracle – but spectacularly failed to deliver it – was laid to rest next door to Igor Kio, Russia’s most celebrated illusionist. His neighbour on the other side is Yevgeny Urbansky, an actor. 2 Before Yeltsin’s coffin was covered and lowered into the ground, his widow, Naina, came forward to say farewell. She smoothed back his grey hair and kissed him fondly several times on the lips and cheeks. Russia’s national anthem sounded and Yeltsin sank into his final resting place. Looking on were several ex-world leaders, including Bill Clinton and George Bush Snr. Also there were Sir John Major, the Duke of York and the Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. 3 During his lifetime Yeltsin, who died on Monday of heart failure at the age of 76, presided over a series of momentous changes – the end of the cold war, the collapse of the Soviet empire and a period of chaos and liberty. Yesterday’s state funeral marked another departure: a conscious return to Russia’s old pre-revolutionary traditions. It was the first time since 1894 and the death of Tsar Alexander III that Russia’s Orthodox church had sanctioned a ceremony for a Russian head of state.

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4 Since Soviet times, and Lenin’s memorably freezing funeral in January 1924, all Russian leaders with the exception of Khrushchev have been buried near the Kremlin Wall and mourners

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parliament yesterday. “We will never give honour to the destroyer of the fatherland,” communist MP Viktor Ilyukhin said. 9 Other old foes were more magnanimous. In a moment of reconciliation, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev – a longstanding rival left without a job when Yeltsin dismantled the Soviet Union – kissed his widow and whispered words of condolence. Sir John Major and Mr Clinton gave her a hug. Mr Putin and his wife, Ludmilla, stood solemnly nearby. Every member of Russia’s cabinet was there, including Sergei Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev, the two men likely to contest next year’s presidential election. Also there was Roman Abramovich, an oligarch whose billion-dollar fortune was accumulated during Yeltsin’s rule.

10 At the service, bearded priests swung incense and sang passages from the gospels. They prayed for Yeltsin’s sins. Metropolitan Yuvenaly, the second most senior cleric in the Orthodox church, told mourners Yeltsin had given people the freedom they sought. Russia’s first president should be remembered for this, he said. “Russia today lives a full life and is returning to its historic traditions. Witness to that is the fact that for the first time in 100 years we are bidding farewell to a Russian head of state in a church with prayers.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 26/4/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. How do many ordinary Russians feel about Yeltsin’s presidency? a. They regard it as extremely successful. b. They regard it as a disaster. c. They have no opinion about it. 2. Why was Yeltsin’s funeral historically significant? a. Because it was the first time in 100 years that a Russian head of state had been buried in a church. b. Because all Russian leaders were buried near the Kremlin Wall. c. Because the church was rebuilt during Yeltsin’s presidency. 3. Why do some Russians praise Yeltsin? a. Because he brought freedom and helped to defeat the hardliners’ coup attempt. b. Because he was devoted to his children and grandchildren. c. Because he had a friendly rapport with ordinary Russians.

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4. Why did Communist MPs refuse to stand in his memory? a. Because Yeltsin wasn’t a communist. b. Because his decision to go to war in Chechnya was a disaster. c. Because they believe he destroyed Russia.

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Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions. 1. An adjective meaning peaceful. (Para 1) 2. An adjective meaning famous. (Para 1) 3. A verb meaning to give permission. (Para 3) 4. A four-word expression meaning except. (Para 4) 5. A three-word expression meaning mainly due to. (Para 6) 6. A noun meaning something that someone has achieved that continues to exist after they die. (Para 7) 7. A noun meaning an extremely rich and powerful person. (Para 7) 8. A verb meaning to end a political or economic system. (Para 9)

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the correct words in the right-hand column. a. respects

2. pay

b. to war

3. take

c. farewell

4. lie

d. an election

5. go

e. a fortune

6. contest

f. in state

7. bid

g. to rest

8. accumulate

h. place

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1. lay

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 3

Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Adjective + noun collocations Fill the gaps using these adjectives. tranquil human

economic complicated

national historic

heart low-key

1. ____________ failure 2. ____________ ceremony 3. ____________ question 4. ____________ surroundings 5. ____________ anthem 6. ____________ miracle 7. ____________ traditions 8. ____________ qualities

7 Discussion

NEWS LESSONS / Russia turns to tradition for Yeltzin farewell / Advanced

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What problems do countries like Russia experience when they move suddenly from a state-controlled economy to a free-market economy? Do you think Yeltsin will be remembered as someone who was good for Russia or someone who was bad for Russia?

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

1. rapport 2. foe 3. coup 4. magnanimous 5. lavish 6. momentous 7. compassionate 8. condolence 9. mourner 10. grieve

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T T F F F F

g a h f b d c e

6 Vocabulary 3: Adjective + noun collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.



heart low-key complicated tranquil national economic historic human

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b a a c

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word tranquil celebrated sanction with the exception of largely down to legacy oligarch dismantle

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these words from the text.



funeral cemetery widow farewell bury chaos mourner generous

coffin sympathy

1. A ____________ is a woman whose husband is dead. 2. ____________ is a situation in which everything is confused and in a mess. 3. When you ____________ a dead person, you put their body in the ground. 4. A ____________ is a ceremony that takes place after someone dies. 5. A ____________ is a long box in which a dead person is buried. 6. A ____________ is an area of ground where dead people are buried. 7. If you say ____________ to someone, you say goodbye because you will not see them again for a long time and perhaps you will never see them again. 8. ____________ is a feeling of kindness and understanding you have for a person who is having an unpleasant experience. 9. A ____________ is someone who goes to a funeral. 10. If you are ____________, you are kind, friendly and helpful.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How old was Boris Yeltsin when he died? 2. When was the last time a Russian head of state was buried in a church? 3. For how long was Boris Yeltsin president of Russia? 4. When did the war in Chechnya start? 5. Where were Russian leaders buried in the time of the Soviet Union?

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6. How many former American presidents attended Yeltsin’s funeral?

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Elementary

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell

6

Russian state television broadcast hours of programmes about Yeltsin. Flags around Moscow were at half-mast. But many ordinary Russians clearly still think Yeltsin’s seven and a half years as president were a disaster for Russia. Only a few people were on the streets watching as the funeral cars drove past. There were few mourners along the funeral route. Russians do not really know what to think about Yeltsin. Some say he was good because he brought freedom; others say he gave state companies to rich private owners and was bad for the country’s image when he was drunk in public.

7

Yeltsin’s biggest mistake was to order Russian forces to attack Chechen rebels in 1994 but the TV programmes did not discuss this. They concentrated on the good things – Yeltsin’s friendly relationship with ordinary Russians and his love for his children and grandchildren. There was a minute’s silence for Yeltsin in the Russian parliament yesterday but communist MPs did not stand up. “We will never give honour to this man because he destroyed our country,” communist MP Viktor Ilyukhin said.

8

Other former enemies were more generous. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev – who lost his job when Yeltsin ended the Soviet Union – kissed his widow and offered his sympathy. John Major and Bill Clinton offered their sympathy. Mr Putin and his wife, Ludmilla, stood silently nearby. Every member of the Russian government was there, including Sergei Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev, the two men who will probably be in next year’s presidential election. Roman Abramovich, a billionaire who made his money thanks to Yeltsin, was also at the funeral.

9

During the funeral, bearded priests sang and said prayers for Yeltsin. Metropolitan Yuvenaly, the second most senior cleric in the Orthodox church, told mourners Yeltsin had given people

1 The funeral of the former Russian president Boris Yeltsin took place yesterday in the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. Yeltsin’s widow, Naina, kissed him several times as a last farewell. Then the coffin was closed and, as Russia’s national anthem played,Yeltsin was buried. Several exworld leaders, including Bill Clinton and George Bush Snr., were at the funeral. Former UK prime minister John Major and the former Polish president Lech Walesa were also there. 2 Yeltsin was 76 years old when he died from heart problems. When he was president of Russia there were a lot of historical changes – the end of the cold war, the end of the Soviet Union and a period of chaos and liberty. Yeltsin’s funeral was another sign of changing times. It was the first time since 1894 and the death of Tsar Alexander III that the funeral of a Russian head of state had taken place in a Russian Orthodox church. 3 In the Soviet Union, Russian leaders were buried near the Kremlin Wall. Yeltsin’s funeral took place in the cathedral of Christ the Saviour – an enormous church not far from the Kremlin. 4 Hundreds of mourners stood in line to say farewell to Yeltsin. The red, white and blue Russian flag lay over his open coffin. Mourners walked past one by one, laying flowers. “He was a strong man,” Dmitry Samarin, his former bodyguard, said outside the church. Was he a good leader? “History is a very difficult thing,” he replied carefully. “He defeated the communist leadership. He was the only person who could do that.” 5 Arytom Leonidovich, a 26-year-old architect, said it was a complicated question. “I think history will say that he did more positive than negative

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Luke Harding in Moscow April 26, 2007

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Putin, Clinton and Major among mourners at Orthodox ceremony.

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things. The fall of the Soviet Union was mostly because of Yeltsin. “He also had many human qualities. He was a kind man, very different from the leaders we’ve got now.”

CA

Level 1

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 1

Elementary

the freedom they wanted. People should remember Russia’s first president for this, he said. “Russia today lives a full life and is returning to its historic traditions. This is the first time in 100 years we are saying goodbye to a Russian head of state in a church.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 26/4/07

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text.

1. Communist MPs in Russia believe…

a. …was a disaster for Russia.

2. Some Russians think Yeltsin was good because…

b. …he gave state companies to rich private owners.

3. Some Russians think Yeltsin was bad because…

c. …gave the people the freedom they wanted.

4. Yeltsin’s former bodyguard thinks…

d. …Yeltsin destroyed their country.

5. The senior Orthodox cleric believes Yeltsin…

e. …he was the only person who could defeat the

6. Many ordinary Russians think Yeltsin…

communist leadership. f. …he brought freedom to Russia.

4 Vocabulary 1: Words and definitions

b. having a beard

3. at half-mast

c. a very large church

4. liberty

d. the official song of a country

5. bodyguard

e. an amount of time during which something happens

6. cleric

f. (a flag) flying in the middle of the pole, not a the top

7. bearded

g. a person whose job is to protect an important person

8. cathedral

h. a priest

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Russia turns to tradition for Yeltzin farewell / Elementary

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2. period

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a. another word for freedom

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1. national anthem

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Match these words from the text with their meanings.

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. 1. a lot of people were _______ the funeral. 2. he died _______ heart problems 3. a sign _______ changing times 4. not far _______ the Kremlin 5. stand _______ line 6. one _______ one 7. drunk _______ public 8. concentrate _______ the good things

6 Vocabulary 3: Opposites Complete the table using adjectives from the text.

1.

poor

2.

positive

3.

very small

4.

simple sober

7.

unkind

8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Russia turns to tradition for Yeltzin farewell / Elementary

junior

H

weak

•P

6.

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5.

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

1. widow 2. chaos 3. bury 4. funeral 5. coffin 6. cemetery 7. farewell 8. sympathy 9. mourner 10. generous

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

76 1894 Seven and a half years 1994 Near the Kremlin Wall Two

at from of from in by in on

6 Vocabulary 3: Opposites rich negative enormous complicated drunk strong kind senior

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d f b e c a

4 Vocabulary 1: Words and definitions d e f a g h b c

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 2 Intermediate 1

Key words

Fill the gaps using these words from the text.

cemetery mourner

coffin regime

funeral coup

collapse assets

revival condolences

1. A ____________ is a ceremony that takes place after someone dies, after which the body of the dead person is buried or cremated. 2. A ____________ is a situation in which a group of people takes control of a country by force. 3. ____________ are money, property or resources that a person, company or country owns. 4. If you offer ____________ to someone, you express sympathy because a friend or relative has died. 5. A ____________ is a person who attends a funeral to pay respect to the dead person. 6. A ____________ is an area of ground where dead people are buried. 7. A ____________ is a situation in which something fails or stops existing. 8. ____________ is the process of becoming active and successful again. 9. A ____________ is a long box in which a dead person is buried. 10. A ____________ is a government that controls a country, especially in a strict or unfair way.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How old was Boris Yeltsin when he died? 2. When was the last time a Russian head of state was buried in a church? 3. When did Lenin die? 4. For how long was Boris Yeltsin president of Russia? 5. When did the war in Chechnya start?

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6. Which Russian leader blew up the cathedral of Christ the Saviour?

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 2 Intermediate Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell

2 Yeltsin died of heart failure at the age of 76. As Russian president, he presided over a series of historical changes – the end of the cold war, the collapse of the Soviet empire and a period of chaos and liberty. His state funeral was another change: a conscious return to Russia’s old pre-revolutionary traditions. It was the first time since 1894 and the death of Tsar Alexander III that a Russian head of state had been buried in a Russian Orthodox church. 3 Since Soviet times, and Lenin’s freezing funeral in January 1924, all Russian leaders except Khrushchev have been buried near the Kremlin Wall. Yeltsin’s funeral took place in the cathedral of Christ the Saviour – an enormous church with a gold dome not far from the Kremlin. It was blown up by Stalin in 1931 but rebuilt during Yeltsin’s presidency as a symbol of national revival. 4 Hundreds of mourners had queued round the block to pay their respects to Yeltsin, whose body had lain in state for two days. His open coffin was covered by a Russian flag. Mourners went past one by one, laying flowers. “He was a strong

Arytom Leonidovich, a 26-year-old architect, said it was a complicated question. “I think in time history will record that he did more positive than negative things. The fall of the communist regime was largely because of him. “He also had many human qualities. He was kind, unlike the leadership we’ve got now.”

6

Russian state television yesterday broadcast hours of programmes about Yeltsin. Flags flew at half-mast. But many ordinary Russians clearly still think Yeltsin’s seven and a half years as president were a disaster. There were few mourners along the funeral route. The country has been split over what it thinks about Yeltsin. Some praise him for bringing freedom and helping defeat a coup attempt by former Soviet hardliners; others blame him for handing over state assets to oligarchs and damaging the country’s name with his drunken behaviour.

7

TV coverage made little mention of his disastrous decision to go to war against Chechen rebels in 1994. Instead it concentrated on the good things – Yeltsin’s friendly relationship with ordinary Russians and his obvious love for his children and grandchildren. Communist MPs, however, refused to stand for a moment of silence in Yeltsin’s memory in parliament yesterday. “We will never give honour to the destroyer of the fatherland,” communist MP Viktor Ilyukhin said.

8

Other former enemies were more generous. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev – who lost his job when Yeltsin dismantled the Soviet Union – kissed his widow and offered his condolences. John Major and Bill Clinton gave her a hug. Mr Putin and his wife, Ludmilla, stood silently nearby. Every member of Russia’s cabinet was there, including Sergei Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev, the two men who will probably

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Russia turns to tradition for Yeltzin farewell / Intermediate

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1 Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin was buried yesterday in the peaceful surroundings of Moscow’s Novodevichy cemetery. Before his coffin was covered and lowered into the ground, his widow, Naina, came forward to say farewell. She kissed him several times. Then as Russia’s national anthem sounded,Yeltsin sank into his final resting place. The funeral was attended by several ex-world leaders, including Bill Clinton and George Bush Snr. Also there were former UK prime minister John Major and the Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa.

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Luke Harding in Moscow April 26, 2007

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Putin, Clinton and Major among mourners at Orthodox ceremony.

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man,” Dmitry Samarin, his former bodyguard, said outside the church. Was he a good leader, though? “History is a very difficult thing,” he replied carefully. “He managed to defeat the communist leadership. I don’t think anybody else could have done it.”

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 2 Intermediate contest next year’s presidential election. Also there was Roman Abramovich, an oligarch who accumulated his billion-dollar fortune during Yeltsin’s rule. 9 At the service, bearded priests sang passages from the gospels and prayed for Yeltsin’s sins. Metropolitan Yuvenaly, the second most senior cleric in the Orthodox church, told mourners Yeltsin had given people the freedom they sought. Russia’s first president should be remembered for this, he said. “Russia today lives a full life and is returning to its historic traditions. This is the first time in 100 years we are saying goodbye to a Russian head of state in a church with prayers.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 26/4/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1. George W. Bush attended Boris Yeltsin’s funeral. 2. The Cold War ended while Yeltsin was president of Russia. 3. Yeltsin was buried near the Kremlin Wall. 4. There were thousands of mourners along the funeral route. 5. Many ordinary Russians do not think Yeltsin’s presidency was a success. 6. Some people think Yeltsin damaged the name of Russia. 7. President Putin did not attend Yeltsin’s funeral.

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8. Communist MPs stood during the moment of silence for Boris Yeltsin.

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 2 Intermediate 4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A two-word noun that means the official song of a country. (Para 1) 2. A noun that means a roof shaped like the top half of a ball. (Para 3) 3. A noun meaning a person whose job is to protect an important person. (Para 4) 4. A three-word expression meaning a flag that has been lowered to the middle of a pole. (Para 6) 5. A noun meaning someone who is strict or extreme in their beliefs. (Para 6) 6. A noun meaning a very rich and powerful person. (Para 6) 7. An adjective meaning causing a lot of damage or harm. (Para 7) 8. A verb meaning to get more and more of something over a period of time. (Para 8)

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb collocations

2. pay

b. flowers

3. lie

c. condolences

4. lay

d. an election

5. fly

e. a TV or radio programme

6. contest

f. place

7. offer

g. in state

8. broadcast

h. respects

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a. a flag

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1. take

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the correct words in the right-hand column.

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 2 Intermediate 6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions What prepositions follow these words and phrases? Check your answers in the text. 1. concentrate _______ 2. relationship _______ 3. love _______ 4. return _______ 5. say goodbye _______ 6. preside _______ 7. a symbol _______ 8. pay respects _______

7 Discussion

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What problems do countries like Russia experience when they move suddenly from a state-controlled economy to a free-market economy?

Russia turns to tradition for Yeltsin farewell Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. funeral 2. coup 3. assets 4. condolences 5. mourner 6. cemetery 7. collapse 8. revival 9. coffin 10. regime

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

f h g b a d c e

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

on with for to to over of to

NEWS LESSONS / Russia turns to tradition for Yeltzin farewell / Intermediate

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F T F F T T F F

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76 1894 1924 seven and a half years 1994 Stalin

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb collocations

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

national anthem dome bodyguard at half-mast hardliner oligarch disastrous accumulate

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. idyllic meltdown

catch well-heeled

posh

exodus

shanty

lax

vagrant surge

1. If someone is ____________, they are rich. 2. A ____________ area is one that is expensive and attractive. 3. An ____________ place is one that is extremely beautiful and peaceful. 4. A ____________ town is an area where very poor people live in badly built houses made of wood, metal and other thin material. 5. An ____________ is a situation in which a lot of people leave a place at the same time. 6. ____________ is the opposite of strict. 7. A ____________ is someone with no home who begs for money. 8. If there is a ____________ in something, there is a hidden problem or difficulty in something that seems extremely good. 9. A ____________ is a rapid and large-scale increase. 10. Economic ____________ is the sudden and complete failure of an economy.

2

What do you know?

Do you think these statements are True (T) or False (F)? Check your answers in the text. 1. Just over 5 years ago Argentina experienced economic meltdown. 2. Hugo Chavez is president of Argentina. 3. It is more expensive to live in an exclusive suburb than to live in the centre of Buenos Aires. 4. Europeans and North Americans are not interested in buying property in central Buenos Aires. 5. The economy of Argentina has made a strong recovery.

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6. Argentina owes a lot of money to the International Monetary Fund.

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Advanced

Fearful rich keep poor at bay

1 The scenes are idyllic. Children cycle care-free through landscaped neighbourhoods. Parents clink glasses of malbec and polo players saddle up for practice sessions. During the week, workers resume building plush houses with gardens and swimming pools. Touring these estates, which are outside Buenos Aires, it is difficult to imagine that just five years ago Argentina was on its knees, a country with an economic crisis that made millions jobless, shattered the middle class and turned one of South America’s safest capitals into a hunting ground for muggers and kidnappers. Yet today if you visit any number of neighbourhoods you find new cars parked in driveways and architects designing home extensions. Argentina’s recovery has been remarkable. 2 But there is a catch. These scenes take place in “barrios cerrados”, gated communities surrounded by walls, razor wire and uniformed guards carrying handguns, assault rifles and walkie-talkies. The country has bounced back but it is different. More than 400 new neighbourhoods have mushroomed on what were swamps and cornfields outside Buenos Aires, hosting some 300,000 people and covering more land than the city they left behind. The posher areas are called “countries”, an apt term since outsiders need ID and authorisation to cross perimeters that look and feel like borders. 3 “You can’t see the poor here, that’s part of the appeal,” says Ramiro Figueroa, 30, a polo player and estate agent who lives in Tortugas, a one square mile oasis an hour’s drive from the capital. “I love it here. Everything is secure. I leave my windows open at night. The worst that can happen is maybe a bicycle’s stolen.” The

4

Despite the recovery, a shanty town of corrugated tin and wood around Buenos Aires is a reminder that 40% of people are still in poverty. Vagrants sleep in doorways next to tourist areas and ragged children beg at traffic lights. These sights are hidden to many of those in the gated communities, says Celina Murga, 34, a film director. “The children growing up in these places are very different from others, they don’t know how to behave in the real world.” She is making a film, A Week Alone, about youths in a gated community who are left unsupervised. “I want to show that this is a social crisis,” says Ms Murga. Those outside the fences joke that the children inside think golf carts are mankind’s main mode of transport and have no idea what traffic lights are for.

5

Initially, the economic meltdown in December 2001 united the middle class and the poor in rage against the government and financial institutions, which were blamed for the collapse of businesses and wiping out savings. That changed when armed gangs focused on people in well-heeled districts, such as Belgrano and Palermo, creating a perception that crime was out of control. The kidnap and murder of a young man, Axel Blumberg, prompted hundreds of thousands to protest. As the economy began to recover from 2003, the stream of people moving to gated communities turned into a torrent. The high walls of developments now line the 10-lane motorways out of Buenos Aires.

6

“If it is a bit off the highway and they have to drive through a poor neighbourhood to reach home, people do not buy them. They are afraid

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Advanced

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Rory Carroll in Buenos Aires April 25, 2007

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flight into gated communities has also been a feature of post-apartheid South Africa, with the middle classes seeking refuge from crime in what critics dub the “architecture of fear”. The fact that this is now happening in Argentina is causing anguished debate about whether the country’s society, once considered South America’s most “European” and egalitarian, is also becoming polarized along the lines of South Africa and Brazil.

CA

Level 3

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 3

Advanced

of kidnapping,” says Peter Haller, a property consultant. An incentive to move to gated areas is the prestige, since they are seen as a symbol of success, he said. “It takes you to another social level.” The original “countries” were founded 70 years ago as weekend retreats for the polo set and the sense of exclusiveness endures. 7 Ironically, foreigners are now snapping up apartments in central Buenos Aires, believing the city to be a good investment and good place to live, says Mr Haller. About a third of city centre properties are bought by Europeans and North Americans. The middle-class exodus shows no sign of slowing and lax planning laws mean it is easy to develop new sites. Newspapers publish weekly supplements for gated community residents and businesses are following their workers and customers.

a complex 16 miles north of the city, and her social life has never been better. Her parents and siblings live nearby, as do half her friends, and every weekend there’s a barbecue or party. “For £40,000 my choice was 40 square metres in the city – or 160 here. With a garden, a swimming pool and a hammock. You don’t think twice. It’s like a dream ... I won’t go away from here unless I’m dead.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 25/4/07

8 The surge in spending reflects a dramatic turnaround from the dark days of 2002 when Argentina plunged into an economic abyss. A devaluation of the peso and renegotiation of the country’s international debt payments caused widespread hardship but did help stop the freefall. A surge in commodity prices, especially of soya, prompted an export-led recovery. 9 Argentina’s president, Néstor Kirchner, with financial help from Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chávez, has paid off the International Monetary Fund, boosting the government’s popularity and the sense that the nation has recovered its independence. Yet the mood of confidence has not stopped banks, supermarkets and restaurants leaving the city in the same way that South African firms quit central Johannesburg for Sandton in the northern suburbs 10 years ago.

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10 Many residents deny that they are cut off. Fear of crime and traffic in central Buenos Aires had obliged parents to accompany children whenever they left their apartments, so they were the ones inhabiting bubbles, not those in the gated areas, says Connie Burgwardt, a 40-year-old lawyer. She moved two years ago to Santa Barbara,

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why, in the author’s view, is Argentina becoming like South Africa or Brazil?

a. Because 40% of the people live in poverty.



b. Because Argentine society is becoming polarized.



c. Because restaurants are moving to the suburbs.

2. What has been the effect of the government paying off the country’s debts?

a. People are happier because they feel the country has recovered its independence.



b. The government has become less popular.



c. More people have moved to the countryside.

3. What is the catch referred to in the text?

a. The posh areas are called “countries”.



b. The posh areas have to be protected by walls, razor wire and guards.



c. Bicycles are often stolen.

4. What is the main problem for children growing up in the gated communities?

a. They have no idea what traffic lights are for.



b. They think golf carts are mankind’s main method of transport.



c. They don’t know how to behave in the real world.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words. 1. An adjective meaning expensive, comfortable and attractive. (Para 1) 2. A verb meaning to break suddenly into small pieces. (Para 1) 3. A two-word verb meaning to rise again after falling. (Para 2) 4. A verb meaning to increase or develop very quickly. (Para 2) 5. An adjective meaning very suitable. (Para 2) 6. A noun meaning a fast and powerful flow. (Para 5) 7. A two-word verb meaning to buy something as soon as you see it. (Para 7)

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8. A noun meaning a large deep hole that appears to have no bottom. (Para 8)

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Words and expressions Match these words and expressions from the text with the definitions. 1. on its knees

a. in a similar way to

2. anguished debate

b. a formal gesture before drinking

3. along the lines of

c. to destroy completely

4. freefall

d. a sudden change of fortune

5. clink glasses

e. extremely weak after a difficult period

6. a dramatic turnaround

f. somewhere you go to take a short break

7. wipe out

g. an uncontrolled loss of value

8. weekend retreat

h. a very emotional discussion

6 Vocabulary 3: Noun suffixes Add suffixes to these words to form new words (nouns). Check your answers in the text. 1. neighbour_______ 2. kidnap_______ 3. architect_______ 4. recover_______ 5. develop_______ 6. exclusive_______ 7. hard_______ 8. popular_______

7 Discussion

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in closed, guarded communities like those described in the article? Would you like to live in such a place? Why? Why not?

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Words and expressions

1. well-heeled 2. posh 3. idyllic 4. shanty 5. exodus 6. lax 7. vagrant 8. catch 9. surge 10. meltdown

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T F F F T F

e h a g b d c f

6 Vocabulary 3: Noun suffixes neighbourhood kidnapper architecture recovery development exclusiveness hardship popularity

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b a b c

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

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plush shatter bounce back mushroom apt torrent snap up abyss

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these words from the text.



suburb polarized

estate shanty town

savings beggar

recovers kidnap

secure investment

1. If a society is ____________, people are divided into two opposite groups. 2. A ____________ is someone who is very poor and lives by asking people for money or food. 3. A ____________ is a place where poor people live in very small houses made of metal and wood. 4. A ____________ is an area near a big city but away from its centre. 5. Money you have saved in a bank is called your ____________. 6. An ____________ is money used in a way that may earn more money. 7. An ____________ is an area where there are many houses, built at the same time by the same company. 8. ____________ means safe from attack, harm or damage. 9. If a country ____________ after a difficult period, it becomes stronger again. 10. If you ____________ someone, you make them a prisoner and ask their family for money.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many new estates have been built around Buenos Aires? 2. What percentage of the people of Argentina are still poor? 3. When did the economic crisis in Argentina begin? 4. When did the economy begin to recover? 5. How many square metres could £40,000 buy in the centre of Buenos Aires?

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6. How many square metres could £40,000 buy in the suburbs?

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Elementary

Fearful rich keep poor at bay

5

2 But there is a problem in these rich estates. They are closed communities protected by high walls and uniformed guards with guns and twoway radios. Argentina has recovered but it is different. More than 400 new estates have been built around Buenos Aires. 300,000 people live in these estates and if you don’t live there you have to show ID to a security guard if you want to enter.

Argentina’s economic crisis began in December 2001. At first both the middle class and the poor were angry with the government and the financial institutions. The middle class lost their businesses and the poor lost any savings they had. Everything changed when gangs of criminals started attacking people in rich districts of Buenos Aires. People thought that crime was out of control. Hundreds of thousands of people protested after the kidnap and murder of a young man, Axel Blumberg. When the economy began to recover in 2003, more and more people moved to closed estates. You can see the high walls of these estates when you drive along the 10-lane motorways out of Buenos Aires.

6

3 “There are no poor people here. That’s one reason why people like it,” says Ramiro Figueroa, 30, an estate agent who lives in Tortugas about an hour by car from the centre of Buenos Aires. “I love it here. Everything is secure. I leave my windows open at night.” You can also find closed estates like these in the new South Africa, as the middle classes try to escape from crime in the city centres. People are now worried that Argentina might become a polarized society like South Africa or Brazil.

Foreigners are now buying apartments in central Buenos Aires. They believe that it is a good investment and a good place to live. Europeans and North Americans own about 30% of the properties in the city centre. The economic recovery is a dramatic change from the dark days of 2002. Now the government is more popular and many people feel more confident. But banks, supermarkets and restaurants are still leaving the city centre and moving to the suburbs.

7

People living in the closed estates say that they are happier there than in the city centre. Connie Burgwardt, a 40-year-old lawyer, moved two years ago to Santa Barbara, an estate 16 miles north of the city. She says he has a wonderful social life there. Her parents and her friends live nearby, and every weekend there’s a barbecue or party. “For £40,000 I could buy 40 square metres in the city – or 160 here. Here I have a garden and a swimming pool. You don’t think twice. It’s like a dream ... I won’t go away from here unless I’m dead.”

4 The economy is stronger now but 40% of the people of Argentina are still poor. You can see this in the shanty towns around Buenos Aires. In the tourist areas you can see beggars sleeping in shop doorways and children beg for money from

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Elementary

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1 In the suburbs around the Argentine capital Buenos Aires you find estates full of expensive houses with gardens and swimming pools. When you look at these rich estates, it is difficult to imagine that just five years ago Argentina was in the middle of an economic crisis. Millions of people lost their jobs and their savings. There was a dramatic increase in violent crime. But today if you visit the suburbs of Buenos Aires you find new cars parked outside expensive houses. To the surprise of many people, the economy of Argentina is growing stronger again.

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Uneven economic recovery is polarizing society, and Buenos Aires’ well-off are seeking peace outside the city. Rory Carroll in Buenos Aires April 25, 2007

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cars stopping at traffic lights. Many of the people living in the closed estates do not see these things, says Celina Murga, 34, a film director. “The children who live in these places are very different from others; they don’t know what the real world is like.” She is making a film about children in the closed estates. “I want to show that this is a social crisis,” says Ms Murga.

CA

Level 1

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Rich people move to the suburbs because… 2. People feel secure in the closed estates because… 3. Argentina might become a polarized society because… 4. Foreigners are buying apartments in Buenos Aires because… 5. In 2001 people were angry with the government because… 6. One reason that people like the closed estates is because…

a. …they don’t see any poor people there. b. …they believe it is a good investment. c. …they have high walls and armed guards. d. …they lost their jobs and their savings. e. …40% of the people are still poor. f. …they are worried about crime in the city centre.

4 Vocabulary 1: Noun and noun collocations

b. guard

3. security

c. pool

4. traffic

d. town

5. swimming

e. light

6. tourist

f. agent

7. two-way

g. area

8. shanty

h. centre

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Elementary

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2. city

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a. radio

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1. estate

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make expressions from the text.

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Complete these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text.

1. ...in the middle _____ an economic crisis. 2. …an increase _____ violent crime. 3. …an hour _____ car from the centre… 4. I leave my windows open _____ night. 5. …escape _____ ... 6. …stopping _____ traffic lights. 7. …angry _____ the government… 8. …crime was _____ control.

6 Vocabulary 3: Adjective + noun collocations

2. dramatic

b. institution

3. middle

c. crime

4. financial

d. class

5. social

e. crisis

6. violent

f. society

7. uniformed

g. life

8. polarized

h. increase

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Elementary

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a. guard

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1. economic

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the adjectives in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column.

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Noun + noun collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

More than 400 40% December 2001 2003 40 160

3 Comprehension check 1. f 2. c 3. e 4. b 5. d 6. a

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

of in by at from at with out of

6 Vocabulary 3: Adjective + noun collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

e h d b g c a f

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Elementary

H

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

•P

2 Find the information

f h b e c g a d

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

polarized beggar shanty town suburb savings investment estate recovers kidnap

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words: Adjectives

Fill the gaps using these adjectives from the text.

plush ragged

jobless lax

remarkable anguished

secure polarized

egalitarian isolated

1. If something is ____________ , it is unusual in a way that surprises or impresses you. 2. ____________ is the opposite of strict. 3. If a place is ____________ , it is a long way from other places and may be difficult to get to. 4. A ____________ place is one that is safe from harm, attack or damage. 5. An ____________ debate is one that causes emotional pain. 6. If you are ____________, you don’t have work. 7. If a society is ____________, its people are split into opposing groups. 8. ____________ clothes are torn and dirty. 9. In an ____________ society, people have equal status and the same money and opportunities. 10. ____________ means expensive, comfortable and attractive.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many new neighbourhoods have been built around Buenos Aires? 2. What percentage of the people of Argentina still live in poverty? 3. When was the economic crisis in Argentina? 4. When did the economy begin to recover? 5. How many square metres could £40,000 buy in the centre of Buenos Aires?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How many square metres could £40,000 buy in the suburbs?

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Intermediate

Fearful rich keep poor at bay with gated homes and razor wire

Despite the recovery, 40% of the people of Argentina still live in poverty. You can see this from the shanty towns around Buenos Aires. Vagrants sleep in doorways next to tourist areas and children in ragged clothes beg at traffic lights. Many of the people living in the gated communities do not see such sights, says Celina Murga, 34, a film director. “The children growing up in these places are very different from others; they don’t know how to behave in the real world.” She is making a film, A Week Alone, about youths in a gated community who are left unsupervised. “I want to show that this is a social crisis,” says Ms Murga. “People living outside the fences joke that the children inside think everyone travels in golf carts and they have no idea what traffic lights are.”

5

At first, the economic crisis of December 2001 united the middle class and the poor in their anger against the government and financial institutions, which people blamed for the collapse of businesses and the loss of all the money they had saved. That changed when armed gangs started attacking people in rich districts of Buenos Aires, creating the impression that crime was out of control. Hundreds of thousands of people protested after the kidnap and murder of a young man, Axel Blumberg. As the economy began to recover from 2003, more and more people moved to gated communities. The high walls of the gated communities now line the 10lane motorways out of Buenos Aires.

6

“If it is a bit off the highway and they have to drive through a poor neighbourhood to reach home people do not buy them. They are afraid of kidnapping,” says Peter Haller, a property consultant. Some people move to gated areas because they are seen as a symbol of success, he said. “It takes you to another social level.” The

1 The landscaped neighbourhoods outside the Argentine capital Buenos Aires have plush houses with gardens and swimming pools. When you look at these estates, it is difficult to imagine that just five years ago Argentina was in the middle of an economic crisis that made millions jobless, destroyed the middle class and turned one of South America’s safest capitals into a hunting ground for muggers and kidnappers. But today, if you visit these neighbourhoods, you find new cars parked in driveways and architects designing home extensions. The economic recovery of Argentina has been remarkable. 2 But there is a catch. These neighbourhoods are gated communities surrounded by walls, razor wire and uniformed guards carrying guns and two-way radios. The country has recovered but it is different. More than 400 mostly new neighbourhoods have been built on what were swamps and cornfields outside Buenos Aires, providing homes for about 300,000 people and covering more land than the city they left behind. Outsiders need ID to enter these communities. 3 “You can’t see the poor here, that’s one reason why people like it,” says Ramiro Figueroa, 30, a polo player and estate agent who lives in Tortugas about an hour’s drive from the capital. “I love it here. Everything is secure. I leave my windows open at night. The worst thing that can happen is a stolen bicycle.” Gated communities have also been a feature of post-apartheid South Africa, as the middle classes try to escape from crime in the city centres. The fact that this is now happening in Argentina is causing an anguished debate about whether the country’s society,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Intermediate

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4

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Rory Carroll in Buenos Aires April 25, 2007

•P H

Uneven economic recovery is polarizing society, and Buenos Aires’ well-off are seeking peace outside the city.

which was once considered South America’s most “European” and egalitarian, is also becoming polarized in the same way as South Africa and Brazil.

CA

Level 2

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 2

Intermediate

original communities were founded 70 years ago as weekend retreats for the super rich, and the feeling that they are exclusive is still there. 7 Foreigners are now buying apartments in central Buenos Aires, believing that it is a good investment and a good place to live, says Mr Haller. About a third of city centre properties are bought by Europeans and North Americans. The middle-class exodus shows no sign of slowing down and lax planning regulations mean it is easy to develop new sites. 8 The economic recovery is a dramatic change from the dark days of 2002. Now the government is more popular and many people feel the country has recovered its independence. But this mood of confidence has not stopped banks, supermarkets and restaurants leaving the city in the same way that South African companies left central Johannesburg for the northern suburbs 10 years ago.

9 People living in the communities say that they are not isolated. High levels of crime and the heavy traffic of central Buenos Aires meant that parents had to accompany children when they went out, so they were the ones living in bubbles, not those in the gated areas, says Connie Burgwardt, a 40-year-old lawyer. She moved two years ago to Santa Barbara, a complex 16 miles north of the city, and her social life has never been better. Her parents and siblings live nearby, as do half her friends, and every weekend there’s a barbecue or party. “For £40,000 my choice was 40 square metres in the city - or 160 here. With a garden and a swimming pool. You don’t think twice. It’s like a dream ... I won’t go away from here unless I’m dead.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 25/4/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1. Argentina has changed since the economic crisis. 2. Rich people prefer to live in the city centre rather than in the gated communities. 3. The attraction of the gated communities is that they are secure. 4. The government has become more popular since the economic crisis. 5. Most of the population still lives in poverty. 6. The new neighbourhoods cover more land than the city of Buenos Aires itself. 7. Housing is more expensive in the suburbs than in the city centre.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. Foreigners own most of the properties in the city centre

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words. 1. A noun meaning a hidden problem in something that seems good. (para 2) 2. A noun meaning an area of land covered by water where trees and plants grow. (para 2) 3. A two-word noun meaning someone whose job is to help people to buy and sell property. (para 3) 4. A two-word noun meaning a poor area where houses are built of tin, wood and other thin material. (para 4) 5. A noun meaning a homeless person who begs for money. (para 4) 6. A noun meaning a peaceful and private place where you can go to rest. (para 6) 7. A noun meaning a situation where a lot of people leave a place at the same time. (para 7) 8. A noun meaning brother or sister. (para 9)

5 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + noun collocations

2. economic

b. world

3. real

c. institution

4. gated

d. traffic

5. financial

e. community

6. poor

f. class

7. dramatic

g. crisis

8. heavy

h. change

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Intermediate

H

a. neighbourhood

•P

1. middle

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the adjectives in the left-hand column with nouns from the right-hand column to make collocations from the text.

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 2 Intermediate 6 Vocabulary 6: Word-building Complete the tables.

Crime

Criminal

Adjective

1. kidnapping

5. poor

2. murder

6. secure

3. beg

7. angry

4.

mugger

Noun

8. high



7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Intermediate

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in closed, guarded communities like those described in the article? Would you like to live in such a place?

Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. remarkable 2. lax 3. isolated 4. secure 5. anguished 6. jobless 7. polarized 8. ragged 9. egalitarian 10. plush

1. catch 2. swamp 3. estate agent 4. shanty town 5. vagrant 6. retreat 7. exodus 8. sibling

1. kidnapper 2. murderer 3. beggar 4. mugging 5. poverty 6. security 7. anger 8. height

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Fearful rich keep poor at bay in Buenos Aires / Intermediate

O

1. T 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. F 8. F

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

1. f 2. g 3. b 4. e 5. c 6. a 7. h 8. d

•P H

1. more than 400 2. 40% 3. December 2001 4. 2003 5. 40 6. 160

CA

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + noun collocations

Online fraudster Level 3

Advanced

director of 192.com, which sponsors Prove-ID, a private industrial forum on dealing with fraud. “It’s a hard process to go through.” 13 Instead, companies are opting for tougher security procedures and programmes to educate the public about safe Internet use. 14 But experienced fraudsters like Tee say that it is still too easy. Even chip and pin, which has drastically cut physical fraud levels, can prove beneficial to the seasoned criminal. “I thought chip and pin was brilliant - now cashiers think they’ve got no right to look at your card. If I wanted to, I could pretend to be anyone, because nobody will ever check. It’s a new opportunity for them.”

15 How to avoid scams • Never give personal details over the phone. Banks should never ask for pin numbers or codes. • Only shop on secure websites that display a padlock or key symbol in your browser. The address should start https instead of http. • Only open email attachments if you are entirely sure it is necessary. • Be wary of suspicious-looking email. Some viruses use the name of somebody you trust as a disguise. © Guardian News & Media 2007

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First published in The Guardian, 3/5/07

Online fraudster Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why did Tee become a criminal? 2. Was Tee ever caught? 3. What three methods did Tee use to get people’s personal information, according to the article? 4. According to criminologists, why do people commit online crime? 5. How are companies fighting online fraud? 6. Why does Tee think chip and pin is good for criminals?

4 Vocabulary 1: Words in context

b) not serious.

2. (para 5) If you net something you

a) catch it.

b) lose it.

3. (para 5) Scant details means

a) many details.

b) few details.

4. (para 8) Callous means

a) kind.

b) cruel

5. (para 13) To opt for something means to

a) choose it.

b) reject it

6. (para 15) If you are wary of something you

a) trust it.

b) don’t trust it

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Advanced

H

a) serious.

•P

1. (para 4) If someone is flippant they are being

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Read the article again and choose the best definition for each of these words.

Online fraudster Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Word formation Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in CAPITALS. 1. SIZE

Tee built up a ____________ debt while at University.

2. CONSPIRE Tee went to prison for ____________ to defraud. 3. SECURITY

Tee could find people’s details on ____________ websites.

4. INTERVIEW Martin Gill studied online crime and Tee was one of his ____________ . 5. BELIEVE

Criminals hold the ____________ that they will not be caught.

6. BENEFIT

Tee says that chip and pin methods are ____________ to criminals.

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Make collocations with the words from A and the words from B.

A

B

to rack up

crimes

a fast-growing

criminals

a spending

debts

to commit

details

seasoned

field

to serve a

prison sentence

security

procedures

bank

spree

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Advanced

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you feel secure when shopping or giving out your personal details online? What security precautions do you take when using the Internet?

Online fraudster Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Words in context

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

b a b b a b

2 What do you think?

5 Vocabulary 2: Word formation

2. Despite tougher security, identity and credit card theft are at an all-time high.

1. sizeable 2. conspiracy 3. insecure 4. interviewee 5. belief 6. beneficial

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Advanced

to rack up debts a fast-growing field a spending spree to commit crimes seasoned criminals to serve a prison sentence security procedures bank details

O

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. Because living away from home was expensive and he was in debt. He saw it as an easy way of making money. 2. Yes. He served “a long prison sentence”. 3. Insecure websites, other criminals, phoning people and asking. 4. Because they see it as easy, and many cases go unreported. It is hard to prosecute online criminals. 5. Through tougher security procedures and programmes to educate the public. 6. Because cashiers now don’t look at people’s cards. Criminals could be pretend to be anyone.

•P H

3 Comprehension check

CA

b e c d f a

Online fraudster Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Complete the sentences with these key words from the article.



conviction prosecute

mortgage victim

bouquet scam

fraudster spending spree

1. A ________ is a kind of criminal who gets money from people by tricking them. 2. If you go on a ________, you spend a lot of money in a short time. 3. A ________ is a loan the bank gives you to buy a house. 4. A ________ is a collection of flowers. 5. To ________ someone is to officially accuse them of a crime. 6. A ________ is a decision by a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime. 7. A ________ is someone who is hurt or killed as a result of a crime. 8. A ________ is a dishonest way to make money.

2

What do you think?

Read the article quickly and decide which is the best summary of the main idea. 1. A bank tries to protect itself and its clients against online crime. 2. An interview shows that many people think it’s easy to steal money online. 3. Criminologists interview criminals and discover secrets about online crime.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4. A report on how to avoid common online scams.

Online fraudster Elementary

It’s easy money, says online fraudster who stole £250,000

24 hours, you call the bank up and convince them that you’re the genuine person and that you haven’t made those transactions - and they refund it. Then you just go to the cash machine and take it all out again.” He even sent flowers to one victim, using their stolen bank details to pay for the bouquet.

In his short career as a fraudster, Tee - who is trying to rebuild his life after serving a long prison sentence - estimates that he stole as much as £250,000 through stolen credit card details, identity theft and bank account takeover. Police officials last week said the volume of online crime was so high that they could not investigate every case, and that big criminals were moving into the fast-growing field.

3

For Tee, who went to prison for almost four years, the chance to use people’s ignorance against them was just too easy. “Maybe it took an hour a night if I really felt like it. But to me it felt like a bit of fun and a pastime which developed into an easy way of making money.” he said.

4

In spare moments around his university schedule - he was studying law - the young Yorkshireman would get card details taken from insecure websites or passed on from other criminals, and go on spending sprees that got him cars, clothes and cash. Sometimes all he needed was a name and phone number. “I used to go through different methods depending on how confident I felt,” he said. “I used to call people up and pretend to be from a fraud department and just ask them for their details. But sometimes it’s as easy as getting information from a local video shop.” Now, 26, Tee admits that by the time he was caught he was thinking of getting bank loans and even mortgages using stolen identities.

5

“It was just a game to see how far you could go,” he said. “My favourite trick was to get a card in someone’s name and use it. Then, within

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Elementary

6

Statistics from Cifas, the UK’s fraud prevention service, show that identity theft was up almost 20% last year, while Internet and card fraud rose to an all-time high of £414m in 2006.

7

Martin Gill is a criminologist at the University of Leicester. He has studied the actions and motivations of fraudsters and Tee was one of the people he interviewed. Gill believes that fraudsters think that online crime is easy. “One of the things that comes through is the belief that they’re not going to get caught,” he said.

8

“The common reaction among companies selling goods is a real frustration at how hard it is to prosecute and get convictions for people who commit fraud,” said Keith Marsden, managing director of 192.com, which sponsors ProveID, a private industrial forum on dealing with fraud. Instead, companies are choosing tougher security procedures and programmes to educate the public about safe Internet use.

9

How to avoid scams • Never give personal details over the phone. Banks should never ask for pin numbers or codes. • Only shop on secure websites that display a padlock or key symbol in your browser. The address should start https instead of http. • Only open email attachments if you are entirely sure it is necessary. • Be careful of suspicious-looking emails. Some viruses use the name of somebody you trust as a disguise. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 3/5/07

O

2

On the outside, Tee was a typical student. Living away from home was expensive and he owed money. Like most students, he had a computer and a phone in his room - but instead of using them to study, he turned them into the tools of a 21st century criminal.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1

•P H

Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent May 3, 2007

CA

Level 1

Online fraudster Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Read the article again and decide if the sentences below are True (T) or False (F). 1. Tee was never caught for stealing money. 2. It is difficult for police to catch many online criminals. 3. It was easy for Tee to steal people’s identities and money. 4. Tee bought flowers for someone using their own money. 5. There is less online crime now than before. 6. Companies are not doing anything to protect customers against online crime. 7. It is possible to recognize safe places to shop online. 8. People should never open their email attachments to be safe.

4 Vocabulary 1: Money words Complete these money-related words from the text, then match them to their definitions below.

1. _ x p _ n s _ v _

4. l _ _ n

2. b _ n k

5. r _ f _ n d

3. c _ s h

6. _ c c _ _ n t

a) A place where you can take out money. b) The opposite of cheap. c) To give money back to someone because they have paid too much. d) Money in the form of notes and coins. e) An amount of money that a person borrows from a bank.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

f) An arrangement for the bank to look after your money.

Online fraudster Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Compound nouns Make compound nouns from the text using the words in A and the words in B.

A key

B card

prison

loan

credit

machine

university

schedule

video

sentence

bank

shop

cash

symbol

6 Vocabulary 3: Technology word puzzle Find the six words relating to technology in the word puzzle.

Online Virus Website

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Elementary

K N R S O P S I H R

E X I U M R A M C F

W T P O S M B S O B

E U C J E S G U L H

F O Y S O O Z M F Q

M T S P A O B Z C B

H

Email

J I I W B K U Z L A

•P

Computer

V S S L V E X T G T

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Browser

R F I E R Z H L Z N O I E W W G F E R K

Online fraudster Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Money words

1. fraudster 2. spending spree 3. mortgage 4. bouquet 5. prosecute 6. conviction 7. victim 8. scam

1. expensive b) 2. bank a) 3. cash d) 4. loan e) 5. refund c) 6. account f)

5 Vocabulary 2: Compound nouns 2 What do you think? 2. An interview shows that many people think it’s easy to steal money online.

3 Comprehension check

key symbol prison sentence credit card university schedule video shop bank loan cash machine

H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Elementary

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. F 2. T 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. F 7. T 8. F

Online fraudster Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Read the definitions of these key words and answer the questions. 1. Fraud is a crime of obtaining money from someone or tricking them. What is a fraudster? 2. If you go on a drinking spree you drink a lot in a short amount of time. What is a spending spree? 3. Many payment systems use microchips and personal identification numbers (PINs). What is a chip and pin security system? 4. The majority of British people have a mortgage on their house, which can take them over twenty years to pay back to the bank. What is a mortgage? 5. An employee is a person who is employed. A divorcee is a person who is divorced. What is an interviewee? 6. Credit card companies and online shops are trying to protect customers against scams. Is a scam an honest or dishonest way of making money? What do you think the article will be about?

2

What do you think?

Read the headline. Tick the words you think will appear in the article. computer

criminal

prison sentence

climate change

athletics

phone

internet

conviction

fun

bottle

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article and check your answers.

Online fraudster Now 26, Tee admits that by the time he was caught he was looking into the possibility of getting bank loans and even mortgages using stolen identities. “It was just a game to see how far you could go,” he said. “My favourite trick was that you get a card in someone’s name and use it. Then, within 24 hours, you call the bank up and convince them that you’re the genuine person and that you haven’t made those transactions - and they refund it. Then you just go to the cash machine and take it all out again.” He even sent flowers to one victim, using their stolen bank details to pay for the bouquet as a cruel gesture of thanks.

6

People like Tee represent the smallest end of what is now a multibillion pound criminal industry. Statistics from Cifas, the UK’s fraud prevention service, show that identity theft was up almost 20% last year, while Internet and card fraud rose to an all-time high of £414m in 2006.

7

Martin Gill, a criminologist at the University of Leicester, who has studied the actions and motivations of fraudsters - Tee was one of his interviewees - said the perceived ease of fraud, particularly when using the Internet, was encouraging to those who commit crime. “One of the things that comes through is the belief that they’re not going to get caught,” he said. Industry insiders say a large number of cases still go unreported because conviction has proved so difficult.

8

“The common reaction among companies selling goods is a real frustration at how hard it is to prosecute and get convictions for people who commit fraud,” said Keith Marsden, managing director of 192.com, which sponsors Prove-ID, a private industrial forum on dealing with fraud. “It’s a hard process to go through.” Instead, companies are choosing tougher security procedures and programmes to educate the public about safe Internet use.

9

But experienced fraudsters like Tee say that it is still too easy: even chip and pin, which has drastically cut physical fraud levels, can prove beneficial to the seasoned criminal. “I thought

Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent Thursday May 3, 2007 1 On the outside, Tee was a typical student. Living away from home was expensive, and he had racked up a sizable debt in a short time. Like most students, he had a computer and a phone in his room - but instead of using them to study, he turned them into the tools of a 21st century criminal. 2 In his short career as a fraudster, Tee - who is trying to rebuild his life after serving a long prison sentence, and agreed to speak anonymously - estimates that he stole as much as £250,000 through stolen credit card details, identity theft and bank account takeover. Police officials last week said the volume of online crime was so high that they could not investigate every case, and that big criminals were moving into the fastgrowing field. 3 For Tee, who served almost four years for conspiracy to defraud, the chance to use people’s ignorance against them was just too easy. “Although it sounds really flippant, it wasn’t even like a part-time job - because at least in a job you have to work a few hours,” he said. “Maybe it took an hour a night if I really felt like it. But to me it felt like a bit of fun and a pastime which developed into an easy way of making money.” 4 In spare moments around his university schedule - he was studying law - the young Yorkshireman would take card details lifted from insecure websites or passed on from other criminals, and embark on spending sprees that got him cars, clothes and cash. Sometimes scant details such as a name and phone number could open the door. “I used to go through different methods depending on how confident I felt,” he said. “I used to call people up and pretend to be from a fraud department and just ask them for their details. But sometimes it’s as easy as getting information from a local video shop.” © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Intermediate

O

5

•P H

It’s easy money, says online fraudster who stole £250,000

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Intermediate

CA

Level 2

Online fraudster Level 2

Intermediate

chip and pin was brilliant - now cashiers think they’ve got no right to look at your card. If I wanted to, I could pretend to be anyone, because nobody will ever check. It’s a new opportunity for them.” 10 How to avoid scams • Never give personal details over the phone. Banks should never ask for pin numbers or codes. • Only shop on secure websites that display a padlock or key symbol in your browser. The address should start https instead of http.

• Only open email attachments if you are entirely sure it is necessary. • Be wary of suspicious-looking emails. Some viruses use the name of somebody you trust as a disguise. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 3/5/07

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves. 1. Tee started online fraud when... 2. He stole as much as £250,000... 3. Tee viewed stealing as... 4. Statistics show that online crime... 5. Criminologists say that people commit online crime because... 6. Tougher security and public awareness are... 7. People should not give their personal... 8. People should be careful of suspicious...

a. details over the phone. b. emails and attachments. c. fun and easy. d. has risen in the past year. e. he was a student at university. f. they think they won’t get caught. g. through stolen credit card details, identities and bank accounts.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

h. two methods to stop crime.

Online fraudster Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the word for the following definitions. 1. A phrasal verb meaning to accumulate. (para 1) 2. An adverb meaning unknown, that nobody knows your name. (para 2) 3. An adjective meaning not serious. (para 3) 4. An adjective meaning few, little. (para 4) 5. A verb meaning to return money. (para 5) 6. An adjective meaning having a good effect or influence. (para 9) 7. An adjective meaning safe. (para 10) 8. A noun meaning something that hides a person’s real identity. (para 10)

5 Vocabulary 2: Odd word out Circle the odd word out in each group and explain why. 1

2

3

4

5

fraudster

steal

mortgage

industry

browser

director

rob

padlock

money

attachment

criminal

react

loan

credit card

cashier

criminologist

defraud

debt

cash

website

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions Complete the sentence with an appropriate preposition. 1. She’s been living ____ from home for the past three years. 2. It’s possible to use a laptop computer ____ many ways. 3. Climate change has developed ____ a major problem around the world. 4. It all depends ____ how you feel. 5. The government wants to educate young people ____ the dangers of smoking. 6. He gave his credit card details ____ the phone. 7. Be wary ____ suspicious-looking emails.

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Intermediate

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you feel secure when shopping or giving out your personal details online? What security precautions do you take when using the Internet?

Online fraudster Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

A person who commits fraud. 1. rack up A short period of time in which you spend a lot 2. anonymously of money. 3. flippant A system for paying for something using a credit/ 4. scant debit card that has information stored on it using a 5. refund microchip. 6. beneficial A loan from the bank to buy a house. 7. insecure A person who is interviewed. 8. disguise A dishonest way of making money.

2 What do you think?

5 Vocabulary 2: Odd word out



1. director (the others are all related to crime) 2. react (the others are all verbs relating to stealing) 3. padlock (the others are all money and bank related words) 4. industry (the others are all ways of paying for something) 5. cashier (the others are all Internet related words)

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

NEWS LESSONS / Online fraudster / Intermediate

H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

away in into on about over of

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e. Tee started online fraud when he was a student at university. g. He stole as much as £250,000 through stolen credit card details, identities and bank accounts. c. Tee viewed stealing as fun and easy. d. Statistics show that online crime has risen in the past year. f. Criminologists say that people commit online crime because they think they won’t get caught. h. Tougher security and public awareness are two methods to stop crime. a. People should not give their personal details over the phone. b. People should be careful of suspicious email and attachments.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

The words in the article are: computer prison sentence internet fun criminal conviction phone

Breathing lessons Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Match these key words from the text with the definitions below. aggravate exacerbate

exhaust fumes pollutant

apparent buggy



smug kerb

1. A substance that is harmful to the environment. 2. Easy to see or understand. 3. The edge of the pavement. 4. The gas or steam produced by an engine. 5. To make something bad become worse (2 words). 6. Someone who is too satisfied with their own abilities or achievements. 7. A light chair with wheels for pushing children in.

2

What do you know?

What is good advice to avoid breathing pollution in a big city? Put a tick next to the sentences below if you think the advice is good. 1. Walk on side streets and avoid main roads. 2. Stand close to the kerb when waiting for traffic lights to change. 3. Cross the road as quickly as possible. 4. Don’t go outside in the middle of the day in summer. 5. Wear a mask and clean it regularly. 6. Don’t push a child in a buggy close to traffic. 7. Don’t go jogging early in the morning. 8. Sit on the driver’s side of a bus. 9. Don’t allow lots of air into your home. 10. Don’t drive a car.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article and check your answers.

Breathing lessons Advanced

Breathing lessons

streets and thoroughfares, instead choosing side streets and parks. Carefully choosing your route has a “dramatic” effect, he says, because pollution levels can fall by a factor of 10 just by moving a few metres away from the main source of the pollution - exhaust fumes. “Just being one block away makes a massive difference as the high pollution levels are generally restricted to fairly small areas within a city,” he says. Also, try to avoid walking down “street canyons” (where tall buildings hug tightly to the sides of streets, creating valleys in which pollutants build up) _______(2)______.

Leo Hickman April 4, 2007

4 Watch where you walk One of the best ways to reduce your exposure to air pollution, says Dr Roy Colvile, a senior lecturer in air-quality management at Imperial College London, is to avoid walking along busy

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Advanced

When you’re crossing a road, stand well back from the kerb while you wait for the lights to change or for a gap in the traffic. ____(3)____. As the traffic moves off from a standstill, the fumes can dissipate in just a few seconds, particularly if the wind is up, which means holding your breath during this momentary period can make a difference, silly as that might sound. Also, cross the road as quickly as possible. And once you’re over, continue along the pavement as far away from the kerb as possible. 6

Avoid pollution spikes Predictably, there are large spikes in pollution during times of high traffic congestion – i.e., the morning and late-afternoon rush hours. Pollution levels generally fall during the night-time. ____ (4)_____. Pollution levels tend to be at their lowest during the spring and autumn when winds are at their “freshest”; the trapping effect of extreme cold and hot spells tend to exacerbate the build-up of pollutants.

7

Venturing outside when there is less pollution obviously makes sense, but of course that’s not always realistic. In fact, the hottest part of a summer’s day - the time when most office workers go outside during their lunchbreak - is a particularly bad time to head out, according to Noel Nelson, one of the authors of the Royal Commission report. Walking in the rain,

O

3 Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation reports that transport-related air pollution - which now causes the vast majority of urban air pollution - causes a wide range of health problems including “cancer, adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, and lowering of male fertility”. But other than moving to the countryside, what practical steps can city dwellers take to reduce their exposure to urban air pollution? ________(1)_________.

Pavement sense

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 The idea that city air is bad for you is hardly new, but it is an area scientists are only just beginning to get a real grip on. Last month the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, an independent body set up in 1970 to advise the government, confirmed what many of us instinctively knew: that urban living should carry a large health warning. In a major report entitled The Urban Environment, it detailed what impact urban air pollution is having on our health. The headline conclusion was that air pollution reduces “life expectancy in the UK by an average of eight months”.

5

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1 Take a deep breath. If you live in an urban environment - which four out of five of us now do - then you are exposing yourself to a cocktail of airborne pollutants that could be seriously damaging your health. According to a study published this week, if you live in a “major city” then the air pollution you suck into your lungs each day could be shortening your life expectancy even more than the radiation exposure suffered by survivors of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

CA

Level 3

Breathing lessons Advanced

9 Pushchairs According to the Royal Commission report, several recent studies indicate that “children living close to busy roads have an approximate 50% increased risk of experiencing respiratory illness, including asthma”. Children are smaller than adults and therefore much closer to the source of pollution when walking beside roads. They also have a faster metabolic rate and breathe more rapidly, and tend to inhale more pollution, proportionate to their size, than adults. One small step that can be taken is not to push them along in a buggy too close to traffic. 10 Beware of exercising in traffic Cycling or jogging disproportionately expose you to air pollution - you inhale three times as much as if you were walking, according to Colvile - for the simple reason that your lungs are gasping for more air than the people you’re speeding past on the pavement. The best times of day to exercise, thus avoiding the worst excesses of air pollution, are early morning or in the evening. Alternatively, exercise indoors or in a park. ____ (6) ____. 11 Where to sit on the bus Intriguingly, Colvile says that his own research shows that sitting on the driver’s side of a bus can increase your exposure by 10% compared

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Advanced

12 Protect yourself indoors too We spend about 90% of our time indoors, on average, and two-thirds of that time is spent at home. And indoor pollution can actually be more of an issue than that found outdoors, it seems. Studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that pollution levels can be two to five times higher indoors than out - and this can rapidly rise depending on what activity you are doing at home. Centrally-heated, carpeted, airtight homes only act to aggravate the situation. 13 Ventilating your home is therefore an important step to take in reducing risk - hopefully with air that’s not full of air pollutants from the outside - as is using a good doormat to help prevent outdoor pollutants from the pavement being walked into your home. 14 Feeling smug about the fact that you live high up in a flat away from outside air pollution? ____ (7) ____ A study by Hong Kong’s City University used laser measurements to show that pollution levels in the city remain constant up to heights of 700m. Living in the suburbs, away from major roads, seems the best way to avoid the worse excesses of urban air pollution. But that then means you are statistically far more likely to be a car owner and are therefore only exacerbating the situation. 15 Don’t drive The best thing you can do, both for yourself and for your fellow citizens, is to get out of the car. ____ (8) ____: diesel may produce less carbon dioxide compared with petrol, which

O

Masks can be a good thing, but they only make a difference if they fit tightly and are cleaned regularly. ____ (5) ____ Worse, if you fail to clean or change the mask regularly, there is a danger of allowing oily organic compounds to build up on the filter. Build-up can make the air you breathe dirtier rather than cleaner.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8 Wear a mask

with sitting on the side nearest to the pavement. He says it’s difficult to say whether travelling on an undergound train, if you have that option, is better or worse than taking the bus, but he does say that the air pollution on underground trains tends to be less toxic by weight than that found at street level.

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conversely, is a good way of avoiding the worse excesses of air pollution, he adds, as the rain “cleans” the air both by washing out the pollutants and bringing with it fresher air.

CA

Level 3

Breathing lessons Level 3

Advanced

is good news in terms of climate change, but it produces more ground-level pollutants. A particle of pollution today tends to be 100 times smaller than a particle of coal soot and therefore it can pass into the blood stream via the lungs as opposed to being caught in the bronchial passage. The full health implications of this shift in pollution type have yet to become fully apparent.

16 Get out of town As long as you go by public transport so as not to create yet more pollution, lifting yourself up and out of the urban jungle offers at least a temporary escape. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 4/4/07

3 Comprehension check Read the article again. There are some sentences missing. Put the sentences below back in the correct places in the text. Write the number of where they should appear. ___ and don’t walk behind smokers. ___ Cyclists should stick to side-roads where possible. ___ Even the slightest gap to allow you to breathe more easily will cancel out any benefits. ___ Every metre really does count when you are in close proximity to traffic, according to Colvile. ___ Fuel choice is also important. ___ Quite a lot, it turns out. ___ The time of year can also make a big difference. ___ Well, unless you live in a penthouse at the top of a very tall skyscraper, then height doesn’t seem to offer significant sanctuary.

4 Vocabulary 1: Word formation - adverbs Insert the adverb form of the word into the correct place in the sentence. 1. Pollution in cities now could be damaging your health. SERIOUS 2. The evidence about urban pollution is new. HARD 3. Many people know that standing in traffic is bad for your health. INSTINCTIVE 4. Very high pollution levels are found in small areas within a city. FAIR 5. Pollution levels fall during the night-time. GENERAL 6. Lunchtime is a bad time to go out into the streets. PARTICULAR 7. Masks are best if they fit and are cleaned. TIGHT / REGULAR

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. Children have a faster metabolic rate and breathe more than adults do. MORE RAPID

Breathing lessons Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Adverbs - adverbs that modify a sentence Look at this example from the text: Predictably, there are large spikes in pollution during times of high traffic congestion. The word in bold modifies the whole sentence and means “it is predictable”. Rewrite the following sentences, beginning with an adverb that replaces the expression in bold.

1. It’s intriguing that research shows that sitting on the driver’s side of a bus exposes you to more pollution. 2. Some fires are good for the forest, which is odd. 3. In my personal opinion, I think that these forms are a waste of time. 4. The email was sent by a person she went to school with more than twenty years ago, which was curious.



5. The director and actors hope the movie will be a huge success, it’s obvious. 6. Some of the worst traffic accidents, we hope, will be avoided with the introduction of the new system.

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Complete the sentences with a suitable word. All the collocations are in the text. 1. Sit down and _______ a deep breath. The ambulance will be here soon. 2. Women have a longer life _______ than men in many countries. 3. To alert the population of the dangers of smoking, the government issued a new health _______ on packets of cigarettes.



4. The doctor informed the patient of a high level of vitamin C in her blood _______. 5. The vast _______ of people in this part of the country live in cities. 6. Cyclists can get very sick from breathing the exhaust _______ from traffic.

7 Discussion

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N

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CA

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Advanced

T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you live in a polluted urban environment? What do you do to avoid becoming ill?

Breathing lessons Level 3

Advanced

KEY

3 Comprehension check 1. Quite a lot, it turns out. 2. and don’t walk behind smokers. 3. Every metre really does count when you are in close proximity to traffic, according to Colvile. 4. The time of year can also make a big difference. 5. Even the slightest gap to allow you to breathe more easily will cancel out any benefits. 6. Cyclists should stick to side-roads where possible. 7. Well, unless you live in a penthouse at the top of a very tall skyscraper, then height doesn’t seem to offer significant sanctuary. 8. Fuel choice is also important.

4 Vocabulary 1: Word formation - adverbs 1. Pollution in cities now could be seriously damaging your health. 2. The evidence about urban pollution is hardly new. 3. Many people instinctively know that standing in traffic is bad for your health.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Advanced

1. Intriguingly, research shows that sitting on the driver’s side of a bus exposes you to more pollution. 2. Oddly, some fires are good for the forest. 3. Personally, I think that these forms are a waste of time. 4. Curiously, the email was sent by a person she went to school with more than twenty years ago. 5. Obviously, the director and actors hope the movie will be a huge success. 6. Hopefully, some of the worst traffic accidents will be avoided with the introduction of the new system.

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations 1. take 2. expectancy 3. warning 4. stream 5. majority 6. fumes

O

Sentences 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 are good advice according to the article.

5 Vocabulary 2: Adverbs - adverbs that modify a sentence

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 What do you know?

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1. pollutant 2. apparent 3. kerb 4. exhaust fumes 5. exacerbate; aggravate 6. smug

4. Very high pollution levels are found in fairly small areas within a city. 5. Pollution levels generally fall during the night-time. 6. Lunchtime is a particularly bad time to go out into the streets. 7. Masks are best if they fit tightly and are cleaned regularly. 8. Children have a faster metabolic rate and breathe more rapidly than adults do.

CA

1 Key words

Breathing lessons Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Answer the questions about the key words in the text. 1. Pollution is the chemicals or substances that have a negative effect on the environment. What is a pollutant? 2. If you warn someone, you tell them there is danger near. What is a warning? 3. To expose something is to put it in danger. What is exposure? 4. I’m afraid of spiders, so I avoid them. Does avoid mean to go close to something or stay away from it? 5. On a chart, a spike shows the high point of something. What is a pollution spike? 6. If you exhale something, you breathe it out. What does inhale mean? 7. If you park your car next to the pavement, the wheels will be close to the kerb. What part of the pavement is the kerb? 8. Ventilation is the movement of fresh air around a room. What does to ventilate mean?

2

What do you know?

You are going to read an article called Breathing lessons, about tips on how to avoid breathing in pollution in big cities. Which of the following things do you think will be mentioned? 1. Where to walk. 2. How to cross the road. 3. Which are the most polluted cities in the world. 4. Wearing a mask. 5. Taking children out into the city. 6. Doing exercise in the city. 7. Where to sit on a bus. 8. What to eat and drink. 9. Going to a swimming pool. 10. Driving a car.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Read the article and check your answers.

Breathing lessons Elementary

Breathing lessons

during times of high traffic congestion – i.e., the morning and late-afternoon rush hours. Pollution levels generally fall during the night-time. The time of year can also make a big difference. Pollution levels tend to be at their lowest during the spring and autumn.

Leo Hickman April 4, 2007

4 Watch where you walk One of the best ways to reduce your exposure to air pollution, says Dr Roy Colvile, an expert in airquality management at Imperial College London, is to avoid walking along busy streets, instead choosing side streets and parks. 5 Pavement sense When you’re crossing a road, stand well back from the kerb while you wait for the lights to change. Every metre really does count when you are in close proximity to traffic, according to Colvile. Also, cross the road as quickly as possible. 6 Avoid pollution spikes Predictably, there are large spikes in pollution

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Elementary

8

Wear a mask Masks can be a good thing, but they only make a difference if they fit tightly and are cleaned regularly. If you don’t clean or change the mask regularly there is a danger of allowing oily organic compounds to build up on the filter. This can make the air you breathe dirtier rather than cleaner.

9

Pushchairs According to the Royal Commission report, several recent studies indicate that “children living close to busy roads have an approximate 50% increased risk of experiencing respiratory illness, including asthma”. Children are smaller than adults and therefore much closer to the source of pollution when walking beside roads. They also breathe more rapidly, and tend to inhale more pollution, than adults. One small step you can take is not to push them along in a buggy too close to traffic.

10 Beware of exercising in traffic Cycling or jogging can expose you more to air pollution - you inhale three times as much as if you were walking. The best times of day to exercise are early morning or in the evening. Alternatively, exercise indoors or in a park. Cyclists should stay on side-roads where possible.

O

3 Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation reports that transport-related air pollution - which now causes the majority of urban air pollution - causes many health problems. But other than moving to the countryside, what practical steps can people take to reduce their exposure to urban air pollution? Quite a lot, it turns out.

Going outside when there is less pollution is a good idea, but of course that’s not always realistic. In fact, the hottest part of a summer’s day - the time when most office workers go outside during their lunchbreak - is a particularly bad time to go out. Walking in the rain, on the other hand, is a good way of avoiding the worst air pollution, as the rain “cleans” the air both by washing out the pollutants and bringing with it fresher air.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 The idea that city air is bad for you is not new, but it is an area scientists are only just beginning to really understand. Last month the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, an independent body set up in 1970 to advise the government, confirmed what many of us knew: that urban living should carry a large health warning. In a major report entitled The Urban Environment, it explained what impact urban air pollution is having on our health. The headline conclusion was that air pollution reduces “life expectancy in the UK by an average of eight months”.

7

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1 Take a deep breath. If you live in an urban environment - which four out of five of us now do - then you are exposing yourself to pollutants that could be seriously damaging your health.

CA

Level 1

Breathing lessons Level 1

Elementary

11 Where to sit on the bus Interestingly, Colvile says that his own research shows that sitting on the driver’s side of a bus can increase your exposure by 10% compared with sitting on the side nearest to the pavement. 12 Protect yourself indoors too On average, we spend about 90% of our time indoors and two-thirds of that time is spent at home. And indoor pollution can actually be more serious than outdoor pollution, it seems. Studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that pollution levels can be two to five times higher indoors than out - and this can rapidly rise depending on what activity you are doing at home. Centrally-heated, carpeted, airtight homes only act to make the situation worse. 13 If you want to reduce the risk, ventilating your home is therefore an important step - hopefully with air that’s not full of air pollutants from the outside. Also, use a good doormat to help

prevent outdoor pollutants from the pavement entering your home. 15 Living in the suburbs, away from major roads, seems the best way to avoid the worse urban air pollution. But that then means you are probably a car owner and are therefore only making the situation worse. 16 Don’t drive The best thing you can do, both for yourself and for other people, is to get out of the car. Fuel choice is also important: diesel may produce less carbon dioxide compared with petrol, which is good news in terms of climate change, but it produces more ground-level pollutants. 17 Get out of town As long as you go by public transport so as not to create yet more pollution, leaving of the city offers at least a temporary escape. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 4/4/07

3 Comprehension check Read the article again and choose the best answer. 1. A new report says that air pollution in cities is… a) very dangerous to your health. b) nothing new. c) safer than in 1970. 2. The best place to walk in a city is… a) on busy streets. b) on the kerb. c) on side streets and parks.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3. Pollution levels in cities are usually… a) lower in the morning. b) lower at night. c) higher at night.

Breathing lessons Level 1

Elementary

4. Masks work only if… a) you clean them regularly. b) they fit tightly. c) a) and b) 5. Children breathe… a) more quickly than adults. b) more slowly than adults. c) 50% more than adults. 6. You are exposed to … on the driver’s side of the bus. a) less pollution b) more pollution c) no pollution 7. According to the article we spend more time… a) at home than outside. b) outdoors than indoors. c) at work than at home. 8. According to the article, if you live in the suburbs, you probably... a) work in the city. b) have a car. c) have children.

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites Match the opposites from the text.

H

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

dirty far rural increase low more outdoors

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

less clean urban indoors reduce near high

Breathing lessons Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: City words Read the definitions and rearrange the letters in bold to complete the city words. 1. iitcnez – a person who lives in a particular city. 2. nabur – an adjective relating to cities or towns. 3. prescrasky – a very tall building in a city. 4. buburs – an area near a city, but not in the centre. 5. ettser – a road in a city with buildings on it. 6. farcfit – vehicles that are in a city at a certain time.

6 Grammar: Comparatives and superlatives Complete the sentences with the comparative or superlative form of the word in CAPITALS. 1. In the spring pollution levels are at their _______. LOW 2. Most office workers go outside during the _______ part of a summer’s day. HOT 3. The rain brings _______ air with it. FRESH 4. Walking in the rain is _______ than walking in the hot sun. GOOD 5. If you don’t clean a face mask, it can make the air you breathe _______ rather than _______. DIRTY / CLEAN 6. Children are _______ than adults and are _______ to the pavement. SMALL / CLOSE 7. Cycling or jogging is three times _______ than walking in terms of air pollution. DANGEROUS 8. Indoor pollution can actually be _______than outdoor pollution. SERIOUS 9. Living in an airtight home makes the situation _______. BAD

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NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10. Living in the suburbs, away from major roads, seems the _______ way to avoid urban air pollution. GOOD

Shock of the new Breathing lessons Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: City words

1. A substance that has a negative effect of the environment. 2. An action or statement telling people there is danger. 3. The act of putting someone or something in danger. 4. To stay away from something. 5. A high point of pollution. 6. To breathe in. 7. The edge of the pavement. 8. To move fresh air around a room.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

2 What do you know?

1. In the spring pollution levels are at their lowest. 2. Most office workers go outside during the hottest part of a summer’s day. 3. The rain brings fresher air with it. 4. Walking in the rain is better than walking in the hot sun. 5. If you don’t clean a face mask, it can make the air you breathe dirtier rather than cleaner. 6. Children are smaller than adults and are closer to the pavement. 7. Cycling or jogging is three times more dangerous than walking in terms of air pollution. 8. Indoor pollution can actually be more serious than outdoor pollution. 9. Living in an airtight home makes the situation worse. 10. Living in the suburbs, away from major roads, seems the best way to avoid urban air pollution.

3, 8, and 9 are not mentioned in the article.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

a c b c a b a b

citizen urban skyscraper suburb street traffic

6 Grammar: Comparatives and superlatives

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites less / more urban / rural clean / dirty indoors / outdoors reduce / increase near / far high / low

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



Breathing lessons Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Complete the sentences below with these key words from the text.

aggravate exacerbate

exhaust fumes pollutant

apparent buggy

smug kerb

significant

1. A _______ is a substance that is harmful to the environment. 2. If something is _______, then it’s easy to see or understand. 3. If you are standing on the _______, then you are on the edge of the pavement. 4. Motor vehicles (like cars) release lots of _______ into the air. 5. If you _______ or _______ something, you make it go from bad to worse 6. Someone who is _______ is too satisfied with their own abilities or achievements. 7. A _______ is a light chair with wheels for pushing children in. 8. If something is _______, then it is meaningful or important.

2

What do you know?

You are going to read an article called Breathing lessons about tips on how to avoid breathing in pollution in big cities. Which of the following things do you think will be mentioned? 1. Where to walk. 2. How to cross the road. 3. Which are the most polluted cities in the world. 4. Wearing a mask. 5. Taking children out into the city. 6. Doing exercise in the city. 7. Where to sit on a bus. 8. What to eat and drink. 9. Going to a swimming pool. 10. Driving a car.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article and check.

Breathing lessons Pavement sense When you’re crossing a road, stand well back from the kerb while you wait for the lights to change or for a gap in the traffic. Every metre really does count when you are in close proximity to traffic, according to Colvile. As the traffic moves off from a standstill, the fumes can dissipate in just a few seconds, particularly if the wind is up, which means holding your breath during this momentary period can make a difference, silly as that might sound. Also, cross the road as quickly as possible.

6

Avoid pollution spikes Predictably, there are large spikes in pollution during times of high traffic congestion – i.e., the morning and late-afternoon rush hours. Pollution levels generally fall during the night-time. The time of year can also make a big difference. Pollution levels tend to be at their lowest during the spring and autumn.

7

Going outside when there is less pollution obviously makes sense, but of course that’s not always realistic. In fact, the hottest part of a summer’s day - the time when most office workers go outside during their lunchbreak - is a particularly bad time to go out, according to Noel Nelson, one of the authors of the Royal Commission report. Walking in the rain, conversely, is a good way of avoiding the worse excesses of air pollution, he adds, as the rain “cleans” the air both by washing out the pollutants and bringing with it fresher air.

8

Wear a mask Masks can be a good thing, but they only make a difference if they fit tightly and are cleaned regularly. Even the slightest gap to allow you to breathe more easily will cancel out any benefits. Worse, if you fail to clean or change the mask regularly, there is a danger of allowing oily organic compounds to build up on the filter. Build-up can make the air you breathe dirtier rather than cleaner.

9

Pushchairs According to the Royal Commission report,

Leo Hickman April 4, 2007 1 Take a deep breath. If you live in an urban environment - which four out of five of us now do - then you are exposing yourself to a cocktail of airborne pollutants that could be seriously damaging your health. 2 The idea that city air is bad for you is hardly new, but it is an area scientists are only just beginning to get a real grip on. Last month the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, an independent body set up in 1970 to advise the government, confirmed what many of us instinctively knew: that urban living should carry a large health warning. In a major report entitled The Urban Environment, it detailed what impact urban air pollution is having on our health. The headline conclusion was that air pollution reduces “life expectancy in the UK by an average of eight months”. 3 Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation reports that transport-related air pollution - which now causes the vast majority of urban air pollution - causes a wide range of health problems including “cancer, adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, and lowering of male fertility”. But other than moving to the countryside, what practical steps can city dwellers take to reduce their exposure to urban air pollution? Quite a lot, it turns out. 4 Watch where you walk One of the best ways to reduce your exposure to air pollution, says Dr Roy Colvile, a senior lecturer in air-quality management at Imperial College London, is to avoid walking along busy streets and thoroughfares, instead choosing side streets and parks. Carefully choosing your route has a “dramatic” effect, he says, because pollution levels can fall by a factor of 10 just by moving a few metres away from the main source of the pollution - exhaust fumes.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Intermediate

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5

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Breathing lessons

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Intermediate

CA

Level 2

Breathing lessons Intermediate

13 Protect yourself indoors too On average, we spend about 90% of our time indoors and two-thirds of that time is spent at home. And indoor pollution can actually be more of an issue than that found outdoors, it seems. Studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that pollution levels can be two to five times higher indoors than out - and this can rapidly rise depending on what activity you are doing at home. Centrally-heated,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Intermediate

15 Feeling smug about the fact that you live high up in a flat away from outside air pollution? Well, unless you live in a penthouse at the top of a very tall skyscraper, then height doesn’t seem to offer significant sanctuary. A study by Hong Kong’s City University showed that pollution levels in the city remain constant up to heights of 700m. Living in the suburbs, away from major roads, seems the best way to avoid the worse excesses of urban air pollution. But that then means you are probably a car owner and are therefore only exacerbating the situation. 16 Don’t drive The best thing you can do, both for yourself and for your fellow citizens, is to get out of the car. Fuel choice is also important: diesel may produce less carbon dioxide compared with petrol, which is good news in terms of climate change, but it produces more ground-level pollutants. 17 Get out of town As long as you go by public transport so as not to create yet more pollution, leaving of the urban jungle offers at least a temporary escape. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 4/4/07

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12 Where to sit on the bus Intriguingly, Colvile says that his own research shows that sitting on the driver’s side of a bus can increase your exposure by 10% compared with sitting on the side nearest to the pavement. He says it’s difficult to say whether travelling on an undergound train, if you have that option, is better or worse than taking the buses, but he does say that the air pollution on underground trains tends to be less toxic by weight than that found at street level.

14 Ventilating your home is therefore an important step to take in reducing risk - hopefully with air that’s not full of air pollutants from the outside - as is using a good doormat to help prevent outdoor pollutants from the pavement being walked into your home.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

11 Beware of exercising in traffic Cycling or jogging disproportionately expose you to air pollution - you inhale three times as much as if you were walking, according to Colvile - for the simple reason that your lungs are gasping for more air than the people you’re speeding past on the pavement. The best times of day to exercise are early morning or in the evening. Alternatively, exercise indoors or in a park. Cyclists should stay on side-roads where possible.

carpeted, airtight homes only act to aggravate the situation.

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10 several recent studies indicate that “children living close to busy roads have an approximate 50% increased risk of experiencing respiratory illness, including asthma”. Children are smaller than adults and therefore that much closer to the source of pollution when walking beside roads. They also breathe more rapidly, and tend to inhale more pollution, than adults. One small step you can take is not to push them along in a buggy too close to traffic.

CA

Level 2

Breathing lessons Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Read the article and choose DO or DON’T for the advice below. 1. Walk on busy streets.

DO / DON’T

2. Stand away from the kerb.

DO / DON’T

3. Go out in the middle of the day in summer.

DO / DON’T

4. If you wear a mask, clean it regularly.

DO / DON’T

5. Push a buggy far away from traffic.

DO / DON’T

6. Go cycling in the afternoon.

DO / DON’T

7. Sit on the driver’s side of the bus.

DO / DON’T

8. Use a doormat.

DO / DON’T

9. Drive to work.

DO / DON’T

10. Leave the city.

DO / DON’T

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations Correct the wrong choice of collocation in the sentences below. All the (correct) collocations are in the text. 1. Get a deep breath, I have some news for you. 2. People’s life expectation is growing. 3. This product comes with a health advertisement. 4. The police found high levels of alcohol in his blood flow. 5. The big majority of the population were against the war. 6. Do not breathe the exhaust smoke of the cars. 7. The flats were in near proximity to the nuclear power station.

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NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Intermediate

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8. The public travel in my town is very cheap.

Breathing lessons Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: City Put the words below into the different categories. bus penthouse traffic

pedestrian citizen road side street underground train Streets

People

cyclist skyscraper

Transportation

flat thoroughfare

Buildings

6 Vocabulary: Body Decide if the following body words are internal (inside the body) or external (outside the body). back

________

liver

________

blood

________

lungs

________

bone

________

muscle ________

brain

________

nose

________

elbow ________

palm

________

hair

________

thigh

________

heart

________

toes

________

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you live in a polluted urban environment? What do you do to avoid becoming ill?

Shock of the new Breathing lessons Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3, 8, and 9 are not mentioned in the article.

3 Comprehension check 1. Don’t 2. Do 3. Don’t 4. Do 5. Do 6. Don’t 7. Don’t 8. Do 9. Don’t 10. Do

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Breathing lessons / Intermediate



5 Vocabulary 2: City Streets

People

Transportation Buildings

road side street throughfare

citizen underground cyclist train pedestrian bus traffic

skyscraper penthouse flat

6 Vocabulary 3: Body Internal: blood; lungs; heart; muscle; liver; brain; bone External: elbow; nose; toes; thigh; palm; back; hair

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2 What do you know?

Take a deep breath, I have some news for you. People’s life expectancy is growing. This product comes with a health warning. The police found high levels of alcohol in his blood stream. The vast majority of the population were against the war. Do not breathe the exhaust fumes of the cars. The flats were in close proximity to the nuclear power station. The public transport in my town is very cheap.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

pollutant apparent kerb exhaust fumes aggravate or exacerbate smug buggy significant

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text tribute thump

failings steadfast

legacy motion

unrelenting putsch

zeal saga

1. A ____________ person is one who doesn’t change their opinions or actions because they have a strong belief in something. 2. ____________ pressure or criticism continues without stopping and is difficult to deal with. 3. If a person has ____________, they have weak points that make them less effective. 4. A ____________ is a formal proposal that people discuss and then vote on in a meeting or debate. 5. If you pay ____________ to someone, you praise them publicly. 6. A ____________ is an attempt made by a group of people to get rid of a government or a leader. 7. ____________ is great energy, effort and enthusiasm. 8. If you ____________ something you hit it very hard with your fist. 9. A ____________ is a long series of events, or a description of them. 10. A person’s ____________ is something that they have achieved that will continue to exist after they stop working or die.

2

What do you know?

Do you think these statements are True (T) or False (F)? Check your answers in the text. 1. Tony Blair has been prime minister of the UK for 10 years. 2. Blair became UK prime minister in 1996. 3. Blair’s likely successor is Gordon Brown. 4. Blair is 64 years old. 5. Blair was the first Labour leader to win three successive elections.

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NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Blair will hand over to the next prime minister in 2 years’ time.

Blair to stand down on June 27 Advanced 6

table in appreciation, according to Mr Blair’s official spokesman. While Mr Blair flew to the north-east, the likely next prime minister was in the Commons, answering questions about the economy. “There are, of course, 600,000 job vacancies in the economy – there’s one more today actually as a result of announcements that have just been made,” Gordon Brown joked to laughter from all sides.

7

Tributes have already started flowing in to the departing 54-year old prime minister, whose future plans are not yet clear. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell said Mr Blair had “an enormous impact on world politics, and he certainly has had an enormous impact on the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain. He has been a friend, he has been steadfast in the face of negative public opinion, and in the face of crises he’s stood steady. And we could always count on him.”

8

Lindsey German, convenor of the Stop the War coalition, said: “We cannot let this day pass without marking the deadly legacy of Tony Blair with the war in Iraq, but this is about the future as well.”

9

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats demanded an immediate general election to legitimize Mr Blair’s successor. The party leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, has tabled a Commons motion calling on the Queen to dissolve parliament immediately, since Mr Blair promised to serve a “full third term” in 2005. Mr Brown, facing a financially straitened Labour party and poor opinion polls, is highly unlikely to grant that request.

Matthew Tempest May 10, 2007

3 Mr Blair admitted that in May 1997, when Labour took over after 18 years of Tory rule, “expectations were too high.” But he added: “I would not want it any other way. I was, and remain, an optimist.” Pointing to Africa, climate change and globalization, he declared Britain had changed under his 10-year leadership, saying: “Britain is not a follower, Britain is a leader.” He made no reference as to whether he would stay on as an MP. 4 Mr Blair acknowledged he had been accused of “messianic zeal”, but said as prime minister, over issues such as Sierra Leone, Kosovo and then Afghanistan and Iraq, you were “alone with your instinct”. 5 Earlier, the PM had confirmed to the cabinet he would announce his plans to step down, joking it was “not quite a normal day”. The meeting ended with the entire cabinet “thumping” the © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

10 Mr Blair was unique among Labour leaders in winning three successive elections. Although announcing before the 2005 contest he would serve a “full third term”, a mini-putsch by Labour MPs last autumn forced him to confirm he would stand down within a year. The final act of that saga was enacted today.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/5/07

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2 He dealt directly with Iraq, many people’s perception as his ultimate legacy, saying: “The criticism since ... has been fierce, unrelenting and costly.” But he insisted: “The terrorists will never give up if we give up.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Tony Blair today announced he was stepping down after 10 years as prime minister and 13 as Labour leader. The prime minister told a crowd of supporters he would stand down as PM on June 27. He will tender his resignation to the Queen on that day. In an emotional speech, he said the judgment on his 10-year administration was “for you, the people, to make”. Mr Blair paid special tribute to his wife and children “who never let me forget my failings”. But he concluded: “Hand on heart, I did what I thought was right. I may have been wrong - that’s your call. But I did what I thought was right for our country. This country is a blessed country. The British are special. The world knows it, we know it, this is the greatest country on earth.”

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Blair to stand down on June 27

CA

Level 3

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. How did Blair describe his actions while he was prime minister?

a. He did what his heart told him to do.



b. He did what his head told him to do.



c. He did what he thought was best for the country.

2. How did former US secretary of state Colin Powell describe Blair?

a. As a defender of the special relationship between the US and Britain.



b. As a loyal friend of the US.



c. As a negative factor in public opinion.

3. Why have the Liberal Democrats demanded an immediate general election?

a. Because they think they can win an election at this time.



b. Because Blair promised to serve a full third term.



c. Because they want the Queen to dissolve Parliament.

4. People have accused Blair of “messianic zeal”. What does this mean?

a. He was over-enthusiastic in his attempts to change society.



b. He made a lot of serious errors.



c. He worked so hard that he rarely had enough sleep and sometimes lacked energy.

4 Vocabulary 1: Phrasal verbs

b. to leave a job or position, especially an important one

3. take over

c. to take action to do something

4. stay on

d. to rely on

5. deal with

e. to remain in a job longer than you intended to

6. count on

f. to stop doing something you are trying hard to do

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

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2. give up

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a. to begin to do something someone else was doing

CA

1. step/stand down

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match these phrasal verbs with their definitions.

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Find the word Look in the text and find these words. 1. An adjective meaning protected by God. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning involving a lot of force or energy. (para 2) 3. An adjective meaning final. (para 2) 4. A noun meaning a group of advisers chosen by the leader of a government. (para 5) 5. A noun meaning effect or influence. (para 7) 6. A noun meaning someone who organizes the meetings of a committee. (para 8) 7. A verb meaning to make something legal. (para 9) 8. A two-word expression meaning having financial problems. (para 9)

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with the words they go with in the right-hand column. 1. grant 2. tender

a. one’s resignation

b. parliament

3. table

c. criticism

4. high

d. change

5. fierce

e. opinion

6. climate

f. a request

7. public

g. expectations

8. dissolve

h. a motion

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What do you think of politicians? Can they really change society for the better or are they in politics for selfish reasons?

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Find the word

1. steadfast 2. unrelenting 3. failings 4. motion 5. tribute 6. putsch 7. zeal 8. thump 9. saga 10. legacy

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2, 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T F T F T F

blessed fierce ultimate cabinet impact convenor legitimize financially straitened

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations f a h g c d e b

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

c b b a

4 Vocabulary 1: Phrasal verbs b f a e c d

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NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these words from the text.



announce MP

criticism unique

give up vacancy

remind praise

globalization enormous

1. If someone is ____________ , they are not the same as anyone else. 2. ____________ is short for member of parliament. 3. If something is ____________, it is very, very big. 4. If you ____________ someone about something, you tell them again so they don’t forget. 5. If you have a ____________ you need someone to do a job for you. 6. If you ____________ someone, you say very positive things about them. 7. ____________ is the process of the world becoming a single economy. 8. If you ____________ something, you make a public or official statement about it. 9. If you ____________ , you accept that you cannot win. 10. ____________ means negative comments.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How long has Tony Blair been British prime minister? 2. How long has he been leader of the British Labour Party? 3. When did he become prime minister? 4. How old is he? 5. How many general elections has he won?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Who will be the next UK prime minister?

Blair to stand down on June 27 Elementary 4

Earlier in the day, the PM told senior members of his government that he was going to tell the people that he was going to leave his job, joking it was “not quite a normal day”. Then he flew to the north-east of England. Meanwhile in the House of Commons, Gordon Brown, the man who will be the next prime minister, was answering questions about the economy. “There are 600,000 job vacancies in the economy – and there’s one more today,” he joked.

5

Mr Blair is 54 years old and his plans for the future are not yet clear. People have already begun to praise him for what he did while he was prime minister. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell said Mr Blair had “an enormous influence on world politics, and he certainly has had an enormous influence on the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain. He has been a friend and he has been strong in the face of negative public opinion and during crises.”

6

Mr Blair was unique among Labour leaders in winning three general elections, one after the other. Although he announced before the 2005 election that he would serve a “full third term”, pressure from Labour MPs last autumn forced him to say he would leave the job within a year. Now he has finally made that decision.

2 He spoke directly about Iraq, which many people believe was a terrible mistake. “The criticism since the decision to go to war ... has been very strong and it has never stopped,” he said. But he added: “If we give up now, the terrorists will never give up.” Lindsey German, of the Stop the War coalition, said: “We cannot let this day pass without reminding people what Tony Blair did in going to war in Iraq, but this is about the future as well. 3 Mr Blair’s Labour Party defeated the Conservative Party in a general election in May 1997. When Labour won after 18 years of Conservative rule, perhaps “people expected too much.” But he added: “I would not want it any other way. I was, and I still am, an optimist.” He then mentioned Africa, climate change and globalization and said that Britain had changed during his 10 years as prime minister: “Britain is not a follower, Britain is a leader,” he said. Mr Blair said that as prime minister, you had to make decisions over problems like Sierra Leone, Kosovo and then Afghanistan and Iraq. He did not say if he would stay in parliament as an MP or not.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Elementary

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/5/07

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1 British prime minister Tony Blair has announced he is leaving his job after 10 years as prime minister and 13 as Labour leader. The prime minister told a crowd of supporters he would stop being prime minister on June 27. He said the people would decide if his time as prime minister had been a success or not. Mr Blair praised his wife and children “who never let me forget my mistakes”. But he said: “Hand on heart, I did what I thought was right. Maybe I made mistakes – that’s for you to decide. But I did what I thought was right for our country. “This country is a special country. The British are special. The world knows it, we know it. This is the greatest country in the world.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Matthew Tempest May 10, 2007

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Blair to stand down on June 27

CA

Level 1

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make statements from the text. 1. Many people did not agree with… 2. Mr Blair says he… 3. Mr Blair says his wife and children… 4. Mr Blair is… 5. Mr Blair believes… 6. Colin Powell thinks…

a. …Britain changed during his 10 years as prime minister. b. …Mr Blair had an enormous influence on world politics. c. …Mr Blair’s decision to go to war with Iraq. d. …the only Labour leader to win three general elections one after the other. e. …never let him forget his mistakes. f. …did what he thought was right for the country.

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites

6. junior ____________

3. failure ____________

7. positive ____________

4. remember ____________

8. very small ____________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Elementary

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2. weak ____________

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5. wrong ____________

CA

1. pessimist ____________

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Find the opposites of these words in the text.

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column. Check your answers in the text.

1. prime

a. opinion

2. general

b. change

3. climate

c. relationship

4. job

d. minister

5. special

e. vacancy

6. public

f. election

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress Put these words from the text into two groups depending on their stress.

normal

future crisis

A 0o

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Elementary

defeat

climate

unique

believe

Bo0

H

senior

Iraq

•P

leader

mistake

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

success

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Opposites

1. unique 2. MP 3. enormous 4. remind 5. vacancy 6. praise 7. globalization 8. announce 9. give up 10. criticism

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

optimist strong success forget right senior negative enormous

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations 2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

10 years 13 years May 1997 54 three Gordon Brown

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d f b e c a

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Elementary

B success; mistake; Iraq; defeat; unique; believe

H

c f e d a b

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

A future; climate; leader; senior; normal; crisis

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words: Adjectives

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

step down appreciation

tribute vacancy

failing impact

fierce motion

MP opinion poll

1. A ____________ is a job that is available for someone to do. 2. If you show ____________, you express your gratitude to someone for something they have done. 3. A ____________ is a fault or a weak point that makes someone less effective than they could be. 4. If you ____________ , you leave an official position or job. 5. A ____________ is a formal proposal that people discuss and then vote on in a meeting or debate. 6. If criticism is ____________, it involves very strong feelings such as anger or hate. 7. A ____________ is something you do or say to show that you respect and admire someone. 8. An ____________ is an attempt to find out what people in general think about a subject by asking some people questions about it. 9. ____________ is short for Member of Parliament. 10. ____________ means effect or influence.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How long has Tony Blair been British prime minister? 2. How long has he been leader of the British Labour Party? 3. When did he become prime minister? 4. How old is he? 5. How many general elections has he won?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How many other Labour leaders have won three successive general elections?

Blair to stand down on June 27 Intermediate

Blair to stand down on June 27

according to Mr Blair’s official spokesman. While Mr Blair flew to the north-east of England, the man who is likely to be the next prime minister was in the House of Commons, answering questions about the economy. “There are, of course, 600,000 job vacancies in the economy – there’s one more today actually as a result of announcements that have just been made,” Gordon Brown joked to laughter from all sides.

3 Mr Blair admitted that in May 1997, when Labour took over after 18 years of Conservative government, “people expected too much.” But he added: “I would not want it any other way. I was, and remain, an optimist.” Pointing to Africa, climate change and globalization, he declared Britain had changed under his 10-year leadership, saying: “Britain is not a follower, Britain is a leader.” He did not say whether he would remain in parliament as an MP. 4 Mr Blair admitted that some people had accused him of being over-zealous but said that as prime minister, you were “alone with your instinct” over issues such as Sierra Leone, Kosovo and then Afghanistan and Iraq. 5 Earlier, the PM had confirmed to senior members of his government that he would announce his plans to step down, joking it was “not quite a normal day”. The meeting ended with his colleagues banging the table in appreciation, © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Intermediate

People have already started paying tribute to the departing 54-year old prime minister, whose future plans are not yet clear. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell said Mr Blair had “an enormous impact on world politics, and he certainly has had an enormous impact on the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain. He has been a friend, he has been strong in the face of negative public opinion and in the face of crises. And we could always rely on his support.”

7

Lindsey German, of the Stop the War coalition, said: “We cannot let this day pass without reminding people what Tony Blair did in going to war in Iraq, but this is about the future as well.”

8

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats demanded an immediate general election to legitimize Mr Blair’s successor. The party leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, has tabled a motion in the House of Commons, calling on the Queen to dissolve parliament immediately, since Mr Blair promised to serve a “full third term” in 2005. Mr Brown, leading a Labour Party that is short of money and that is doing very badly in the opinion polls, is highly unlikely to grant that request.

9

Mr Blair was unique among Labour leaders in winning three successive elections. Although announcing before the 2005 election that he would serve a “full third term”, pressure from Labour MPs last autumn forced him to confirm he would stand down within a year. Now he has finally made that decision. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/5/07

O

2 He spoke directly about Iraq, which many people believe he will be most remembered for, saying: “The criticism since ... has been fierce, continuous and damaging.” But he added: “The terrorists will never give up if we give up.”

6

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced he is stepping down after 10 years as prime minister and 13 as Labour leader. The prime minister told a crowd of supporters he would stand down as PM on June 27. In an emotional speech, he said the judgment on his 10-year administration was “for you, the people, to make”. Mr Blair paid special tribute to his wife and children “who never let me forget my failings”. But he concluded: “Hand on heart, I did what I thought was right. I may have been wrong - that’s for you to decide. But I did what I thought was right for our country. This country is a blessed country. The British are special. The world knows it, we know it, this is the greatest country on earth.”

•P H

Matthew Tempest May 10, 2007

CA

Level 2

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1. Blair believes the terrorists will not give up until we give up. 2. Blair is a pessimistic person. 3. Blair intends to remain as an MP after he steps down as prime minister. 4. Gordon Brown is likely to be the next British prime minister. 5. Colin Powell praised Blair as a friend of the United States. 6. The Labour Party is very popular at the moment. 7. Many people have criticised Blair for his decision to invade Iraq. 8. The Conservatives were in power for 10 years before Blair became prime minister.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words. 1. A two-word phrasal verb that means the same as step down. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning loved by God. (para 1) 3. A noun meaning the process of developing a single world economy. (para 3) 4. A two-word adjective meaning excessively eager and enthusiastic. (para 4) 5. An adjective meaning very large. (para 6) 6. A verb meaning to give a legal basis to something. (para 8) 7. A verb meaning to formally end a parliament. (para 8)

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. An adjective meaning happening one after the other in a series. (para 9)

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with the words they go with in the right-hand column. 1. public

a. change

2. fierce

b. spokesman

3. general

c. minister

4. climate

d. vacancy

5. prime

e. opinion

6. official

f. election

7. job

g. poll

8. opinion

h. criticism

6 Vocabulary 6: Word-building Complete the table. Verb

Noun

1. announce 2. support 3. speak 4. conclude 5. admit 6. appreciate 7. laugh 8. decide

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Intermediate

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Are politicians popular in your country? Make a list of some of the good things about politicians and some of the bad things.

Blair to stand down on June 27 Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. vacancy 2. appreciation 3. failing 4. step down 5. motion 6. fierce 7. tribute 8. opinion poll 9. MP 10. impact

1. stand down 2. blessed 3. globalization 4. over-zealous 5. enormous 6. legitimize 7. dissolve 8. successive

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Blair to stand down on June 27 / Intermediate

announcement supporter speech conclusion admission appreciation laughter decision

H

F F F T T F T F

•P

10 years 13 years May 1997 54 three none

e h f a c b d g

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

Seize the day Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.

foil

flannel rinse

kettle stuck on cuppa mistaken detergent

mug biodegradable

1. If you are ____________ something, you are attracted by it. 2. A ____________ is a cup with straight sides and no saucer. 3. ____________ is a liquid or powder used for washing clothes or dishes. 4. A ____________ is a container used for boiling water. 5. If something is ____________, it can be broken into very small parts by bacteria and will not



damage the environment. 6. If you are ____________, you are wrong about something. 7. A ____________ is a small piece of cloth used for washing yourself. 8. A ____________ is an informal way of talking about a cup of tea or coffee. 9. If you ____________ something, you remove soap or dirt from it with water. 10. ____________ is a very thin and light sheet of metal used for wrapping things, especially food.

2

Find the information

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Using a dishwasher uses more water than washing dishes by hand. 2. If you go out for the evening you use more electricity than if you stay at home. 3. Cleaning your teeth in running water uses up to five litres of water per minute. 4. Half the street lighting in the UK could be powered by the electricity saved if people did not overfill kettles. 5. Power showers use 50 litres of water per minute.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Switching computer equipment off at night saves energy.

Seize the day Advanced

Seize the day

6

If you really have to drive, why not offer a colleague a lift? Your workplace may run a car sharing scheme which will put you in touch with someone who lives nearby, or you could use a site like Liftshare to find someone who is making the same journey as you each day.

7

When you get to work, instead of using a paper cup, use a mug you have brought in for your start-the-day cuppa. Do the same if you regularly drink water out of the office water cooler. Reusing a beaker or glass you have taken in will save 20 plastic cups in the course of four weeks and, assuming you get five weeks holiday and take all of the bank holidays off work, 227 cups in the course of a year.

8

At lunchtime look for sandwiches with biodegradable packaging – things like cardboard are better than pure plastic. Some shops, like M&S, have started using cornstarch to make the windows on the packaging of some of their sandwich range – this breaks down much more quickly than the plastic alternative. If you’re buying fruit, avoid grapes in plastic boxes and other items that have been unnecessarily packaged – this might mean shopping at a greengrocer’s rather than a supermarket or highstreet sandwich shop. Make sure you take along your own bag to put your lunch in – that way you can say no to a plastic bag. Better still, take in your own packed lunch – and don’t wrap it in brand-new kitchen foil. Wash and reuse foil from the day before, or buy some recycled foil.

June 5, 2007 1 World Environment Day seems like a good opportunity to look at your lifestyle and work out what you can do to reduce the impact your lifestyle has on the planet. There are lots of small things you can try that will help you save energy and water and reduce how much waste and pollution you are responsible for. Here is a dawnto-dusk guide to spending the day more greenly. 2 Begin the day with a shower – but if you have a power shower make it snappy. While opting for five minutes under a regular shower uses only around a third as much water as having a bath, switching on the power shower is a completely different matter. Some pump out up to 24 litres of water a minute. In the long-term you could look into buying a more efficient shower head which will reduce the flow, but in the short-term the most water-efficient option will be your flannel. 3 At breakfast time only put as much water as you need in the kettle for your morning coffee or tea – making sure you cover the element if you’re using an electric kettle. According to figures from the government, if everyone boiled only the water they needed to make a cup of tea instead of filling the kettle every time, we could save enough electricity in a year to run nearly half of all the street lighting in the UK. With energy savings come CO2 savings, so the net result is greener tea. If you are in the market for a new kettle, and you are not stuck on having a chrome finish, you could make it an Eco Kettle. You can fill it up in one go, but just boil the amount you want each time. 4 After breakfast you will need to brush your teeth, but don’t leave the tap running while you do it. The Environment Agency says up to five

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Advanced

O

Instead of jumping in the car at this point why not get on your bike – or the bus, or the train. You can plan your journey using public transport online – you just need to type in your starting point and destination. Londoners can find out how long it will take them to walk to work on the Walk It website, while cyclists anywhere in the UK can find out about local routes on the National Cycle Network map on the Sustrans website.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5

•P H

Many people want to live a greener lifestyle, but don’t know where to start. To mark World Environment Day, Hilary Osborne suggests some small changes you can make to your daily routine.

litres of water a minute will be going down the plughole if you do. Either turn the tap on and off as you need it, or fill a small beaker to use.

CA

Level 3

Seize the day Level 3

Advanced

9 At the end of the day, rather than just logging off, switch off your computer and the monitor – unless your employer tells you not to. And have a look round to see what other equipment can be turned off. According to the Carbon Trust, switching off non-essential equipment in an office overnight will save enough energy to run a small car for 100 miles. 10 While you might think that running the dishwasher to clean the pots from your evening meal uses more water than getting the rubber gloves on, according to Waterwise you would be mistaken. It says that handwashing and rinsing dishes can use as much as 150 litres of water a day, while a dishwasher cycle can use as little as 10 litres. A dishwasher will, of course, use more electricity though, so don’t put it on until there is a full load.

11 However you clean your dishes, consider using an environmentally friendly detergent for the job. A number of companies now produce washing up liquids from natural ingredients that break down in water, rather than hanging around and getting into rivers and the sea. And most come in refillable bottles so there’s less waste. 12 Once the dishwasher is loaded or the washing up is done, go out. Pubs, theatres and cinemas will all have their lights and air conditioning on whether you’re there or not, while your house will only be lit if you’re at home. What better excuse to stay out until bedtime?

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/6/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Which of these uses the least water? a. Having a bath. b. Having a regular shower. c. Having a power shower. 2. What is the problem with boiling water in a kettle? a. People put more water in the kettle than they need. b. Kettles use a large amount of electrical power. c. They have a chrome finish. 3. What advice is given regarding travelling to work? a. Don’t take your car. b. Take your car once a week. c. If you drive, take a passenger.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4. Why take a mug to work? a. Because it is easier than washing plastic cups. b. Because you can use it instead of plastic cups. c. Because you don’t have to wash it after each use.

Seize the day Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions.

1. A 3-word expression meaning Do it quickly! (Para 2) 2. A noun meaning a hole at the bottom of a sink or bath where water flows out. (Para 4) 3. A noun meaning a plastic cup with straight sides. (Para 4) 4. A noun meaning a plan for achieving something. (Para 6) 5. A conjunction meaning if. (Para 7) 6. A 4-word expression meaning during. (Para 7) 7. A noun meaning a group of products of the same type. (Para 8) 8. A 2-word expression meaning designed not to harm the natural environment. (Para 11)

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs

2. break down

b. calculate

3. hang around

c. search in different places

4. work out

d. investigate

5. take along

e. spend a lot of time doing nothing

6. look round

f. separate into parts

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Advanced

H

a. take with you

•P

1. look into

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match these phrasal verbs from the text with their definitions.

Seize the day Level 3 Advanced 6 Vocabulary 3: –able Complete these sentences with adjectives ending in –able 1. A bottle that can be filled again is a ____________ bottle. 2. Material than can be recycled is ____________ material. 3. A ____________ envelope can be used again and again. 4. A bottle that cannot be returned is a ____________ bottle. 5. ____________ information can be retrieved from a computer. 6. If something is ____________, it can be washed again.

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Advanced

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

How green are you? Which of the pieces of advice given in the article would you follow? Can you think of any other simple energy-saving activities?

Seize the day Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. stuck on 2. mug 3. detergent 4. kettle 5. biodegradable 6. mistaken 7. flannel 8. cuppa 9. rinse 10. foil

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

b a c b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Advanced

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

refillable recyclable reusable non-returnable retrievable rewashable

O

1. 2. 3. 4.

6 Vocabulary 3: –able

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

d f e b a c

•P H

F F T T F T

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

make it snappy plughole beaker scheme assuming in the course of range environmentally friendly

Seize the day Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. environment pollution waste colleague mug packaging

flannel foil

tap detergent

1. A ____________ is a small piece of cloth you use to wash yourself. 2. A ____________ is a large cup with straight sides and no saucer. 3. ____________ is a very light, thin sheet of metal you wrap food in to keep it fresh. 4. Your bath has a cold and a hot ____________. 5. The ____________ is the natural world, including the land, water, air, plants and animals. 6. ____________ is activity which makes the air, water or land dirty. 7. A ____________ is a powder or liquid you use to wash clothes or dishes. 8. A ____________ is someone you work with. 9. ____________ is what is left after you use something. 10. ____________ is the boxes, bottles and plastic that products are sold in.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. When was World Environment Day? 2. How much water can a power shower use? 3. How much water do you use if you clean your teeth with the tap running? 4. How many plastic cups could you save if you take your own glass to work? 5. How much water does a dishwasher use?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How much water does washing the dishes by hand use?

Seize the day Elementary

Seize the day

you have brought from home. Do the same if you regularly drink water out of the office water cooler. If you use a glass you have brought from home, you will save 20 plastic cups every four weeks. You could save over 200 plastic cups a year!

Many people want to live a greener lifestyle, but don’t know where to start. To mark World Environment Day, Hilary Osborne suggests some small changes you can make to your daily routine. 7

At lunchtime don’t buy sandwiches with plastic packaging. If you’re buying fruit, don’t buy grapes in plastic boxes or any other items that have unnecessary packaging. Shop at a greengrocer’s rather than a supermarket or highstreet sandwich shop. Take your own bag with you to put your lunch in – that way you can say no to a plastic bag. Even better, make your lunch at home and take it with you – and don’t wrap it in new kitchen foil. Wash the foil from the day before and use it again!

8

At the end of the working day, don’t just log off. Switch your computer off completely. Look round your office to see what other equipment you can switch off. If you switch off the equipment in an office overnight you will save enough energy to run a small car for 100 miles.

9

After your evening meal you will need to wash the dishes. You probably think that a dishwasher uses more water than washing the dishes by hand. This is not true. Washing dishes by hand can use as much as 150 litres of water a day, while a dishwasher can use as little as 10 litres. A dishwasher will, of course, use more electricity though, so only use it if it is full.

1 June 5th was World Environment Day but what can you do to help the environment? There are lots of small things you can do that will save energy and water. They will also help you to produce less waste and pollution. Here is your green working day.

4 After breakfast you will need to brush your teeth, but don’t use running water while you do it. You can waste up to five litres of water a minute if you clean your teeth with the tap running. Either turn the tap on and off as you need it, or fill a small glass to use. 5 Going to work. Leave your car at home. Why not go by bike? Or take a bus or train? If you really have to drive, why not offer a colleague a lift? Some companies organize car sharing, or you could use a website like Liftshare to find someone who is making the same journey as you each day. 6 When you get to work don’t use a plastic or paper cup for your tea or coffee. Use a mug

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Elementary

10 If you wash your dishes by hand or use a dishwasher, try to use an environmentally friendly detergent. A number of companies now produce natural washing up liquids. These products don’t pollute rivers and the sea. You can also use the detergent bottles again so there’s less waste. 11 When you finish the washing up, go out. Pubs, theatres and cinemas will all have their lights and air conditioning on whether you visit them or not. Your house will only have its lights on if you’re at home. This is a good reason to stay out until bedtime! © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/6/07

O

3 At breakfast time don’t put too much water in the kettle. If you want to make a cup of coffee or tea, only put enough water for one cup in the kettle. The UK government says that if everyone boiled only the water they needed to make a cup of tea and did not fill the kettle every time, the UK could save enough electricity in one year to run nearly half of all the street lighting in the UK. Saving energy also produces less CO2.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Begin the day with a shower – but if you have a power shower, have a very quick one. Five minutes under a regular shower uses only around a third as much water as a bath, but using a power shower can use up to 24 litres of water a minute. To save a lot of water, use a flannel.

•P H

June 5, 2007

CA

Level 1

Seize the day Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Which of these pieces of advice does the text give? Choose a) or b) in each case. 1. a. Have a bath.

5. a. Log off.

b. Have a shower.



2. a. Fill your kettle.

6. a. Use a dishwasher.

b. Don’t fill your kettle.



3. a. Turn the tap on and off as you need it when you

b. Switch off.

clean your teeth.

b. Wash dishes by hand.

7. a. Buy fruit at a greengrocer’s.

b. Buy fruit at a supermarket.

b. Leave the tap running when you clean your teeth. 8. a. Stay at home in the evening. 4. a. Take the train to work.



b. Go out.

b. Drive to work.

4 Vocabulary 1: Verb + noun collocations

b. someone a lift

3. fill

c. energy

4. offer

d. your teeth

5. waste

e. a computer

6. switch off

f. a shower

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Elementary

O

2. have

•P H

a. a kettle

CA

1. brush

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the verbs with the nouns.

Seize the day Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps in the sentences using prepositions. 1. I brush my teeth _______ breakfast. 2. I get _______ work at 8.30. 3. I log off _______ the end of the working day. 4. I wash the dishes _______ my evening meal. 5. I haven’t got a dishwasher so I wash the dishes _______ hand. 6. I take a cup _______ me to work. 7. I usually eat a sandwich _______ lunchtime. 8. I always leave my car _______ home.

6 Vocabulary 3: Opposites Complete the table. switch off turn on on log on

H

NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Elementary

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

stay

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

go out

Seize the day Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Verb + noun collocations

1. flannel 2. mug 3. foil 4. tap 5. environment 6. pollution 7. detergent 8. colleague 9. waste 10. packaging

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

June 5th. Up to 24 litres a minute. Up to 5 litres a minute. Over 200. As little as 10 litres. As much as 150 litres a day.

d f a b c e

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

after to at after by with at at

6 Vocabulary 3: Opposites

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Elementary

turn off

turn on

on

off

log off

log on

go out

stay

H

b b a a b a a b

switch on

•P

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

switch off

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

Seize the day Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words: Adjectives

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. flannel dishwasher

tap mistaken

destination detergent

mug loaded

foil biodegradable

1. When you are travelling, your ____________ is the place you are travelling to. 2. A ____________ is a machine for washing dirty dishes and pans. 3. ____________ is a powder or liquid used for washing clothes or dishes. 4. If a machine like a washing-machine is ____________, it is full. 5. A ____________ material is one that can be destroyed by bacteria and will not damage the environment. 6. Baths and basins usually have a hot and a cold ____________. 7. A ____________ is a small cloth you use for washing yourself. 8. A ____________ is a large cup with straight sides and no saucer. 9. ____________ is a very thin and very light sheet of metal used to wrap foods. 10. If you are ____________, you are wrong about something.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How much water can a power shower use each minute? 2. How much water is wasted each minute when people clean their teeth with running water? 3. How far could a small car travel with the energy saved from switching off the equipment in an office at night? 4. How much water do people use each day if they wash dishes by hand? 5. How much water does a dishwasher cycle use?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What is Liftshare?

Seize the day Instead of using your car to get to work, why not get on your bike – or the bus, or the train? You can plan your journey using public transport online – you just need to type in your starting point and destination. Londoners can find out how long it will take them to walk to work on the Walk It website, while cyclists anywhere in the UK can find out about local routes on the National Cycle Network map on the Sustrans website.

6

If you really have to drive, why not offer a colleague a lift? Your workplace may run a car sharing scheme which will put you in touch with someone who lives nearby, or you could use a site like Liftshare to find someone who is making the same journey as you each day.

7

When you get to work, instead of using a paper cup for your tea or coffee, use a mug you have brought from home. Do the same if you regularly drink water out of the office water cooler. If you reuse a glass you have brought from home, you will save 20 plastic cups every four weeks. If you get five weeks holiday and don’t work on UK public holidays, you will save 227 cups a year.

8

At lunchtime look for sandwiches with biodegradable packaging – things like cardboard are better than pure plastic. If you’re buying fruit, don’t buy grapes in plastic boxes or any other items that have unnecessary packaging – this might mean shopping at a greengrocer’s rather than a supermarket or high-street sandwich shop. Make sure you take your own bag with you to put your lunch in – that way you can say no to a plastic bag. Even better, take in your own packed lunch – and don’t wrap it in brand-new kitchen foil. Wash and reuse foil from the day before, or buy some recycled foil.

9

At the end of the day, don’t just log off, switch your computer and monitor off completely. And have a look round to see what other equipment can be turned off. According to the Carbon Trust, switching off non-essential equipment in an office overnight will save enough energy to run a small car for 100 miles.

Many people want to live a greener lifestyle, but don’t know where to start. To mark World Environment Day, Hilary Osborne suggests some small changes you can make to your daily routine. June 5, 2007 1 World Environment Day is a good opportunity to look at your lifestyle and decide what you can do personally to help the environment. There are lots of small things you can try that will help you save energy and water and reduce the waste and pollution you produce. Here is your guide to a greener working day. 2 Begin the day with a shower – but if you have a power shower, have a very quick one. While five minutes under a regular shower uses only around a third as much water as having a bath, switching on the power shower is a completely different matter. Some power showers use up to 24 litres of water a minute. In the long-term you could buy a more efficient shower head which will use less water, but in the short-term the best option is to use a flannel. 3 At breakfast time only put as much water as you need in the kettle for your morning coffee or tea. According to figures from the government, if everyone boiled only the water they needed to make a cup of tea instead of filling the kettle every time, we could save enough electricity in a year to run nearly half of all the street lighting in the UK. Saving energy also produces less CO2, so the result is greener tea. If you are going buy a new kettle, why not buy an Eco Kettle? You can fill it up in one go, but just boil the amount you need each time. 4 After breakfast you will need to brush your teeth, but don’t leave the tap running while you do it. The UK Environment Agency says you can waste up to five litres of water a minute if you clean your teeth with the tap running. Either turn the tap on and off as you need it, or fill a small glass to use.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Intermediate

O

5

•P H

Seize the day

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Intermediate

CA

Level 2

Seize the day Level 2

Intermediate

10 You probably think that using a dishwasher to clean the plates from your evening meal uses more water than washing them by hand. According to Waterwise, you are mistaken. It says that washing and rinsing dishes by hand can use as much as 150 litres of water a day, while a dishwasher cycle can use as little as 10 litres. A dishwasher will, of course, use more electricity though, so only use it if it is full.

12 Once the dishwasher is loaded or the washing up is done, go out. Pubs, theatres and cinemas will all have their lights and air conditioning on whether you’re there or not, while your house will only be lit if you’re at home. This is a good reason to stay out until bedtime! © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/6/07

11 However you clean your dishes, try to use an environmentally friendly detergent for the job. A number of companies now produce washing up liquids from natural ingredients that break down in water and don’t pollute rivers and the sea. Most of these come in bottles that can be reused so there’s less waste.

3 Comprehension check Are these pieces of advice True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1. Take a regular shower rather than a bath. 2. Always fill your kettle before boiling it. 3. You should always brush your teeth in running water. 4. Don’t drive to work. 5. Wash dishes by hand rather than using a dishwasher.

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NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Intermediate

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6. Always throw foil away after use.

Seize the day Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions. 1. A noun meaning the way you live your life. (Para 1) 2. A 2-word noun meaning the part of the shower where the water comes out. (Para 2) 3. A noun meaning a container for boiling water. (Para 3) 4. A noun meaning someone you work with. (Para 6) 5. A noun meaning a shop that sells fruit and vegetables. (Para 8) 6. A noun meaning the part of a computer that contains the screen. (Para 9) 7. A two-word adjective meaning not really necessary. (Para 9) 8. A verb meaning washing soap or dirt off something with water. (Para 10)

5 Vocabulary 2: Giving advice Complete these sentences about saving energy using either Don’t or Try. 1. _______ waste water. 2. _______ using a mug you have brought from home. 3. _______ just log off – switch your computer off. 4. _______ buy fruit in plastic packaging. 5. _______ riding your bike to work. 6. _______ fill the kettle if you only want one cup of coffee. 7. _______ buying a dishwasher – you will use less water.

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NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Intermediate

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8. _______ buying an Eco Kettle – it will save water.

Seize the day Level 2 Intermediate 6 Vocabulary 3: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column 1. have

a. a dishwasher

2. fill

b. a journey

3. brush

c. someone a lift

4. plan

d. a shower or bath

5. offer

e. the environment

6. pollute

f. your teeth

7. save

g. a kettle

8. load

h. energy

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Seize the day / Intermediate

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How green are you? Do you agree with the advice given in the article? Can you think of any other ways to save energy?

Seize the day Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key Words

5 Vocabulary 2: Giving advice

1. destination 2. dishwasher 3. detergent 4. loaded 5. biodegradable 6. tap 7. flannel 8. mug 9. foil 10. mistaken

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the Information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Up to 24 litres. Up to 5 litres. 100 miles. As much as 150 litres. As little as 10 litres. A website for a car sharing scheme.

Don’t Try Don’t Don’t Try Don’t Try Try

6 Vocabulary 3: Verb + noun collocations d g f b c e h a

3 Comprehension Check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T F F T F F

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

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lifestyle shower head kettle colleague greengrocer’s monitor non-essential rinsing

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

New citizens, good citizens Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Write the words below next to the definitions. citizenship asylum

immigration indigenous

integration migrant

immigrant diversity

1. _______________ The process in which people enter a country in order to live there permanently. 2. _______________ Someone who comes to live in a country from another country. 3. _______________ Someone who travels to another place or country in order to find work. 4. _______________ People who lived in a place for a very long time before others came to live there. 5. _______________ The legal right to be a citizen of a particular country. 6. _______________ The right to stay in a country, given by a government to protect someone who has escaped from war or political trouble in their own country. 7. _______________ The process of becoming a full member of a group or society, and becoming involved



completely in its activities. 8. _______________ The fact that very different people or things exist within a group or place.

2

What do you think?

Which of these subjects would you expect to read about in a text on integration, citizenship and national pride? Tick ( ) the subjects you think will appear in the text. Add a further suggestion of your own.

a

Anti-social behaviour

Pets

Your suggestion:

Personal savings

Voting

_____________________

Civic duty

Bank holidays

Extremism

Asylum claims

Council housing

Prisoners

English language skills

Bi-lingual schooling

A contract

Extended family

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the text and check your answers.

New citizens, good citizens Advanced

Rules to make migrants integrate

investment into the UK, passing English tests, demonstrating knowledge of the UK, undertaking civic work and living in a law-abiding way. A points system for citizenship would allow credits to be deducted for anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping or more serious criminal behaviour.

Ministers say citizenship should depend on good behaviour, passing English tests and knowledge of the UK.

7

“This form of points system would be the basis of a clearer relationship between the citizen and the state. An easy to understand contract such as this would incentivize integration and demonstrate a clearer sense in which citizenship and the rights that come with living in Britain are earned.”

8

Local government should also provide a citizenship deal for newcomers, setting out their responsibilities to be good neighbours, as well as their access to English language training and employment, say the ministers.

9

A ‘life in Britain – good neighbour contract’ would be provided to all migrants from inside and outside the EU, including those that stay temporarily. The contract would be introduced alongside identity cards. The ministers also suggest councils might spend less on translation services, and more on English language teaching. “Support cannot become dependency,” they say.

1 Government ministers want to introduce a national British day to complete a ‘citizenship revolution’ that would also toughen rules for migrants and try to instil community pride in all 18-year-olds.

4 Some of the ideas floated by the two ministers are likely to feature in the forthcoming report from the Commission on Integration and Cohesion. The themes have already been enthusiastically embraced by the prime minister-in-waiting, Gordon Brown. 5 Another idea is to improve links between veterans and young people. The pack for 18-year-olds would set out information on democracy, volunteering and civic duties such as jury service. Student loan repayments could be reduced in return for volunteering. 6 Mr Byrne and Ms Kelly argue that the current settlement policy for new migrants is “difficult to understand and unclear”. In future, full citizens would need to accrue credits linked to time spent in the country, bringing substantial new

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

10 The ministers warn there is “a critical risk that after 40 years in which diversity has grown, Britain’s communities are no longer looking outwards and celebrating what they have in common. Instead, they are beginning to look inwards, stressing their differences and divisions”. 11 The threat to a united sense of feeling British comes both from Islamist extremism and also groups like the British Nationalist Party. Ministers argue that government has to acknowledge and respond to the growing mood of English nationalism. 12 “We risk seeing a more divided society, more suspicious of each other and a society less capable of coming together around shared goals. We need a stronger sense of why we live in a

O

3 The national day, which could be a bank holiday, would be loosely modelled on Australia Day. The proposals come from the communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, and the immigration minister, Liam Byrne, who are also calling for more inclusive and visible citizenship ceremonies for anyone wanting to settle in the UK.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Under the new plans, every teenager in the UK would be given a citizenship pack when they became eligible to vote, and migrants would only be able to become British citizens if they could demonstrate good behaviour and a willingness to integrate.

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Patrick Wintour, political editor and Alan Travis June 5, 2007

CA

Level 3

New citizens, good citizens Level 3

Advanced

common place and have a shared future.” Mr Byrne admitted that recent eastern European migration had proved a “shock to the system”. 13 He said new migrants needed to do more to “help them understand British values and its way of life.” He added: “We need to make it clearer that citizenship isn’t simply handed out, but is something which is earned.” 14 The ministers say a host of trends are pushing Britons apart in the workplace, the family, the media and new technology. They insist migration has brought benefits, but say sometimes the pace of change is rapid and destabilizing, pointing out that by 2011, only 20% of Britain’s workforce will be white, able-bodied men under 45.

level of eastern European migration and the foreign prisoners crisis has badly damaged confidence in Britain’s asylum and immigration system. He added, “We have to be open and candid about the choices we have. In the 21st century we can’t make big decisions in secret.” 16 Mr Byrne’s intervention follows the row ignited last month by Margaret Hodge’s claim that new migrants were getting priority for council housing over ‘indigenous’ residents. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/6/07

15 In a speech to business leaders, Mr Byrne said the new measures were needed because the “spike” in asylum claims in 2000, the unpredicted

3 Comprehension check According to the text, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)?

1. Britain has a national day, like Australia. 2. Migrants need to demonstrate good behaviour in order to vote in the UK. 3. The ministers want to encourage cooperation and understanding between the young and the old. 4. Law-abiding immigrants could gain points while anti-social and criminal immigrants could lose them. 5. There should be more English language lessons available for migrants, say the ministers. 6. Ministers think immigrants should learn to be more autonomous so that they don’t have to depend



on translators and interpreters. 7. Immigrant groups are integrating into society better than they used to. 8. A feeling of British nationalism is increasing amongst ‘indigenous’ people. 9. The recent number of immigrants arriving from eastern European countries has been higher than



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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

anyone expected.

New citizens, good citizens Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right to make collocations from the text. instil

links

improve

risk

accrue

pride

critical

credits

growing

future

divided

knowledge

demonstrate

mood

shared

society

Write example sentences for any of the collocations that are new to you. Use a dictionary or the Internet to help you.

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrases 1. Match the halves of the phrases. a shock

a row

eligible

of life

float

to the system

ignite

ideas

a way

to vote

2. Now complete the sentences using the phrases. a. Are we trying to protect ________________ that no longer exists? b. The committee are meeting again tomorrow to ________________. c. His comments are going to ________________. d. In the UK, people are ________________ from the age of eighteen.

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

e. Arriving there in mid-winter will be a bit of ________________.

New citizens, good citizens Level 3 Advanced 6 Discussion Does your country require new immigrants to take a citizenship test? What subjects would you include when writing questions for a citizenship test? Is nationalism generally a good or a bad thing? Try to think of different instances where national pride is acceptable or not acceptable.

7 Webquest

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Choose a country you would like to move to. Check out the immigration requirements for that country on the Internet. Would you be able to move to the country of your choice without too many problems? In your opinion, which would be the most difficult requirement to fulfil?

New citizens, good citizens Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

instil pride improve links accrue credits critical risk growing mood divided society demonstrate knowledge shared future

2 What do you think?

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrases

anti-social behaviour, civic duty, extremism, council housing, English language skills, a contract, voting, bank holidays, asylum claims, prisoners

1. a shock to the system eligible to vote float ideas ignite a row a way of life

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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F F T T T T F T T

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

2. a. a way of life b. float ideas c. ignite a row d. eligible to vote e. a shock to the system

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3 Comprehension check

CA

immigration immigrant migrant indigenous citizenship asylum integration diversity

New citizens, good citizens Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Skim the text to find words with these definitions. 1. Someone who travels to another country in order to find work. ________________ (Para 1) 2. Someone who has the right to live permanently in a particular country and has the right to the



legal and social benefits of that country. ________________ (Para 2) 3. A plan or suggestion, especially a formal one, that a group has to consider. ________________ (Para 3) 4. To be an important part of something. ________________ (Verb, para 4) 5. To do some work without getting paid. ________________ (Verb, para 5) 6. Happening or existing now. ________________ (Para 6) 7. Someone who has recently started to live or work somewhere, or who has just arrived in a place.



________________ (Para 8) 8. The fact that very different people or things exist within a group or place. ________________ (Para 10) 9. Feeling that someone or something cannot be trusted. ________________ (Para 11) 10. A gradual change or development that produces a particular result. ________________ (Para 13)

2

What do you think?

Which of these words would you expect to be in a text about citizenship and immigration?

a

Tick (

) your choices.

national

violence

vote

pay

report

judge

plane

community

points

democracy

neighbour

extremism

differences

passport

workplace

integration

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the text to see how well you did.

New citizens, good citizens Elementary

Rules to make migrants integrate

for demonstrating their knowledge of the UK, for doing civic work and for living in a law-abiding way. Points would be deducted for anti-social behaviour and for criminal behaviour.

Ministers say citizenship should depend on good behaviour, passing English tests and knowledge of the UK. 7

1 Government ministers want to introduce a national British day as part of a ‘citizenship revolution’. They also want to toughen rules for migrants and to instil community pride in all 18-year-olds.

The ministers continued, “This form of points system would be the basis of a clearer relationship between the citizen and the state. An easy to understand contract such as this would encourage integration and demonstrate a clearer sense in which British citizenship is earned.”

8

2 They intend to give every teenager in the UK a citizenship pack when they are old enough to vote, and say that migrants should only be able to become British citizens if they can demonstrate good behaviour and a willingness to integrate.

Local government should also provide a citizenship deal for newcomers, setting out their responsibilities to be good neighbours, as well as their access to English language training and employment, say the ministers.

9

A ‘life in Britain – good neighbour contract’ would be provided to all migrants from inside and outside the EU, including those that stay temporarily. The contract would be introduced alongside identity cards. The ministers also agree that councils should spend less on translation services and more on English language teaching.

5 Another idea is to improve links between veterans and young people. The citizenship pack for 18-year-olds would provide information on democracy, volunteering and civic duties such as jury service. Young people could reduce their student loan repayments if they volunteer for community work. 6 Mr Byrne and Ms Kelly say that the current settlement policy for new migrants is “difficult to understand and unclear”. In future, new citizens would gain points for the length of time they have spent in the country, for bringing new investment into the UK, for passing English tests,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Elementary

11 The threat to integration comes both from Islamist extremism and also groups like the British National Party. Mr Byrne said that, “We risk seeing a more divided society, more suspicious of each other and no longer coming together around shared goals. We need a stronger sense of why we live in a common place and have a shared future.” Mr Byrne admitted that the large number of eastern European migrants had proved a “shock to the system”. 12 He said new migrants needed to do more to “help them understand British values and its way of life.” He added: “We need to make it clearer that citizenship isn’t simply handed out, but is something which is earned.”

O

4 Some of the ministers’ ideas are likely to feature in a new report. The prime minister-in-waiting, Gordon Brown, is very much in favour of some of the ideas.

10 The ministers warn that after 40 years of diversity, Britain’s communities are no longer looking outwards and celebrating what they have in common. Instead, they are beginning to look inwards, stressing their differences and divisions.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 The national day would be a public holiday, similar to Australia Day in Australia. The proposals come from the communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, and the immigration minister, Liam Byrne. They would also like to introduce citizenship ceremonies for anyone who wants to come to live in the UK.

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Patrick Wintour, political editor and Alan Travis June 5, 2007

CA

Level 1

New citizens, good citizens Level 1

Elementary

13 The ministers say new trends are dividing Britons in the workplace, the family, the media and new technology. They insist migration has brought benefits, but say that the changes are happening too quickly. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/6/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1. Britain already has a national day. 2. British people can vote from the age of sixteen. 3. Government ministers want to introduce citizenship ceremonies. 4. The ministers would like more people to do volunteer work. 5. The current settlement policy for new immigrants is easy to understand. 6. Minority groups in Britain are becoming more integrated into society. 7. British society is becoming divided. 8. Ministers say citizenship shouldn’t be easy to obtain.

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

9. A lot of migrants from eastern European countries have recently arrived in Britain.

New citizens, good citizens Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Odd word out Which word doesn’t fit into each word-group? Put a cross (r) next to it.

Government words

Legal/official words

Words to describe people and their status

council

policy

teenager

newcomer

workplace

student

Prime Minister

contract

media

party

goal

veteran

Minister

report

18-year-old

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

system

jury

policy

settlement

duty

points

service

student

behaviour

provide

tests

pass

information

criminal

loan

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Elementary

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b.

civic

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a.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the words on the left with those on the right to make collocations from the text.

New citizens, good citizens Level 1 Elementary Now complete the sentences using the collocations. 1. The government are hoping to introduce a new _____________________ for immigrants. 2. Many people no longer have a sense of _____________________. 3. You have to go to court to do _____________________. 4. Is it a good idea to use a _____________________ to decide who can stay in a country? 5. Many websites _____________________ on different countries and their immigration policies. 6. I don’t have any money and I still haven’t managed to pay off my _____________________. 7. Is there a connection between _____________________ and drugs?

6 Discussion Does your country have a national day? If yes, How would you explain it to a visitor? If no, choose a date for a new national holiday. Give reasons why you would choose this date.

7 Webquest When do different countries around the world celebrate their national holidays? Use the Internet to find some examples and fill in the table.

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

Date of national holiday 26 January

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Australia

Country

New citizens, good citizens Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

1. migrant 2. citizen 3. proposal 4. feature 5. volunteer 6. current 7. newcomer 8. diversity 9. suspicious 10. trend

a. civic duty jury service settlement policy points system

2 What do you think?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

b. student loan provide information pass tests criminal behaviour

settlement policy civic duty jury service points system provide information student loan criminal behaviour pass tests

national, vote, report, community, points, democracy, neighbour, extremism, differences, workplace, integration

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

F F T T F F T T T

4 Vocabulary 1: Odd word out

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

newcomer, workplace, media

New citizens, good citizens Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Choose the correct word to complete the sentences. 1. A ______________ has the legal right to live in a country. (citizen / citizenship) 2. Someone who comes to live in a country from another country is called an ______________. (migrant / immigrant) 3. A ______________ is a legal (written) agreement between two or more parties. (policy / contract) 4. In Britain a ______________ can vote at the age of 18. (teenager / veteran) 5. A ______________ is an official group of people who make decisions about a local area. (council / government) Use your dictionary to look up the definitions of the words you didn’t use. Compare and contrast the meanings of each of the words.

2

Subtitles

Write down keywords you would expect to read in the part of the text that follows each of these subtitles. Divisions in British society ___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

___________

A new points system ___________

___________

Reasons why the changes are needed ___________

___________

Plans for a ‘Britain Day’ ___________

___________

Ministers set out plans in a new report ___________

___________

Citizenship contract ___________

___________

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Then skim-read the text and decide where each subtitle should go. Write them into the spaces (a-f) provided.

New citizens, good citizens Intermediate

Rules to make migrants integrate

understand and unclear”. In future, new citizens would gain points for the length of time spent in the country, bringing substantial new investment into the UK, passing English tests, demonstrating knowledge of the UK, undertaking civic work and living in a law-abiding way. A points system for citizenship would allow credits to be deducted for anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping or more serious criminal behaviour.

Ministers say citizenship should depend on good behaviour, passing English tests and knowledge of the UK. Patrick Wintour, political editor and Alan Travis June 5, 2007

7

1 Government ministers want to introduce a national British day as part of a ‘citizenship revolution’ that would also toughen rules for migrants and try to instil community pride in all 18-year-olds.

b. _____________________________________ 4 Some of the ideas floated by the two ministers are likely to feature in a forthcoming report. The themes have already been enthusiastically embraced by the prime minister-in-waiting, Gordon Brown. 5 Another idea is to improve links between veterans and young people. The pack for 18-year-olds would provide information on democracy, volunteering and civic duties such as jury service. Student loan repayments could be reduced in return for volunteering. c. _____________________________________ 6 Mr Byrne and Ms Kelly argue that the current settlement policy for new migrants is “difficult to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Intermediate

8

Local government should also provide a citizenship deal for newcomers, setting out their responsibilities to be good neighbours, as well as their access to English language training and employment, say the ministers.

9

A ‘life in Britain – good neighbour contract’ would be provided to all migrants from inside and outside the EU, including those that stay temporarily. The contract would be introduced alongside identity cards. The ministers also say councils should spend less on translation services and more on English language teaching. e. _____________________________________

10 The ministers warn there is “a critical risk that after 40 years in which diversity has grown, Britain’s communities are no longer looking outwards and celebrating what they have in common. Instead, they are beginning to look inwards, stressing their differences and divisions”. 11 The threat to a united sense of feeling British comes both from Islamist extremism and also groups like the British National Party. Ministers point out that the government has to acknowledge and respond to the growing mood of English nationalism.

O

3 The national day could be a bank holiday, similar to Australia Day. The proposals come from the communities secretary, Ruth Kelly, and the immigration minister, Liam Byrne, who would also like to introduce citizenship ceremonies for anyone who wants to settle in the UK.

d. _____________________________________

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Under the new plans, every teenager in the UK would be given a citizenship pack when they became eligible to vote, and migrants would only be able to become British citizens if they could demonstrate good behaviour and a willingness to integrate.

“This form of points system would be the basis of a clearer relationship between the citizen and the state. An easy to understand contract such as this would encourage integration and demonstrate a clearer sense in which citizenship and the rights that come with living in Britain are earned.”

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a. _____________________________________

CA

Level 2

New citizens, good citizens Level 2

Intermediate

12 “We risk seeing a more divided society, more suspicious of each other and no longer coming together around shared goals. We need a stronger sense of why we live in a common place and have a shared future.” Mr Byrne admitted that recent eastern European migration had proved a “shock to the system”. 13 He said new migrants needed to do more to “help them understand British values and its way of life.” He added: “We need to make it clearer that citizenship isn’t simply handed out, but is something which is earned.” 14 The ministers say new trends are pushing Britons apart in the workplace, the family, the media and new technology. They insist migration has brought benefits, but say sometimes the pace of change is rapid and destabilizing, pointing out

that by 2011, only 20% of Britain’s workforce will be white, able-bodied men under 45. f. _____________________________________ 15 In a speech to business leaders, Mr Byrne said the new measures were needed because the “spike” in asylum claims in 2000, the unpredicted level of eastern European migration and the foreign prisoners crisis has badly damaged confidence in Britain’s asylum and immigration system. He added, “We have to be open about the choices available to us. In the 21st century we can’t make big decisions in secret.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 5/6/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. Government ministers want to introduce a new bank holiday to... a. improve the relationship with Australia. b. hand out good citizen awards. c. toughen immigration rules. d. promote community relationships.

3.



The Prime Minister-in-waiting, Gordon Brown, thinks the plans are... a. a bad idea. b. ok, but not for Britain. c. a great idea. d. not modern enough.

5.



Mr Byrne says citizenship needs to be... a. bought. b. fought for. c. earned. d. handed out.



Ministers say the current settlement policy is... a. too easy. b. too complicated. c. too long. d. too expensive.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Intermediate

O





Under a new policy, points would be awarded for... a. criminal behaviour. b. volunteering. c. fly-tipping. d. old age.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2.

4.

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CA

1.

New citizens, good citizens Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations Which words come before or after the words in the centre of the word wheels below? Find verbs or nouns in the text to complete the word wheels. 2.

British 1.

3.

citizenship

points

Can you think of any more words to add to the word wheels?

5 Vocabulary 2: Compound words Skim-read and subtitle are both compound words, i.e. two or three words that are combined to make a new word. Put these single words together to make compounds words from the text.

waiting

year

minister anti

_____________ - _____________

abiding social able tipping

18

fly

law

in

old

bodied

_____________ - _____________ _____________ - _____________ _____________ - _____________ _____________ - _____________ - _____________ _____________ - _____________ - _____________

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Try to work out what they mean by reading the text again.

New citizens, good citizens Level 2 Intermediate 6 Discussion Does your country require new immigrants to take a citizenship test? What subjects would you include when writing questions for a citizenship test? Is nationalism a good or a bad thing? Try to think of different instances where national pride is acceptable or not acceptable.

7 Webquest Choose a country you would like to move to. Search for the immigration requirements for that country on the Internet. You can do this by writing key words such as citizenship requirements into a search engine.

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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Is it easy or difficult to move to that country?

New citizens, good citizens Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

1. citizen 2. immigrant 3. contract 4. teenager 5. council

1. deduct / gain / earn points system 2. feeling British nationality / day / values 3. citizenship ceremony / pack / deal

2 Subtitles

law-abiding fly-tipping anti-social able-bodied 18-year-old minister-in-waiting

a. Plans for a ‘Britain Day’ b. Ministers set out plans in a new report c. A new points system d. Citizenship contract e. Divisions in British society f. Reasons why the changes are needed

5 Vocabulary 2: Compound words

3 Comprehension check

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. d 2. c 3. b 4. b 5. c

The new passage to India, business class Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. reject cope

chaotic travail

retail pale

expat scramble

challenge crucial

1. An ____________ is someone who lives and works in a foreign country. 2. If something ____________, it becomes less important when compared with something else. 3. A ____________ is something that needs a lot of skill, energy and determination to deal with. 4. If you ____________, you deal successfully with a difficult situation. 5. ____________ is the process of selling goods direct to the public for their own use. 6. A ____________ is a situation where people are in a hurry to compete for the same thing. 7. If a situation is ____________, it is confused and disorganized. 8. If you ____________ an offer or a proposal, you say ‘no’ to it. 9. If something is ____________, it is extremely important. 10. A ____________ is a very difficult situation.

2

Find the information

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Half the airline pilots in India are foreign. 2. More than half the managers in Indian companies now come from abroad. 3. Delhi has an excellent public transport system. 4. 3 million university students graduate in India each year. 5. Salaries are increasing faster in China than in India.

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NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. India is becoming an attractive destination for senior managers.

The new passage to India, business class Advanced

The new passage to India, business class

6

Andrea Stone, head of marketing at Bharti’s software arm Telesoft, joined on local terms in 2005. She said her salary was “good enough to live well [in Delhi]”. “I brought skills they did not have. One was that I had worked in Britain, Hong Kong, Japan and Germany and could deal with overseas clients. The other was motivating teams of young dynamic people.”

7

The real challenges, says Ms Stone, come when you leave the office. “You can’t walk outside easily. It’s too hot and there are not that many parks. Also Delhi does not have a public transport system, which is hard. You can’t pop out for Marks and Spencer food. But you cope.”

8

The travails of living in the developing world appear to pale beside the money to be made there. Foreign companies are also importing their brightest and best to India. Cisco Systems, the US technology giant, transferred seven top managers to its Bangalore office this year. The head of Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever in the country is a South African. The boss of Goldman Sachs is an American.

9

Of the 3 million Indian students who graduate each year, Indian industry admits, only 15% could be employed in multinationals. Recruiting and retaining skilled Indian workers is becoming harder and more expensive than ever. Pay packets are getting fatter faster in India than anywhere else in Asia. According to a study by human resources company Hewitt Associates, average salary increases in India are running at more than 14% a year, compared with about 8% in China and slightly less in South Korea and the Philippines.

Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi June 13, 2007 1 Three years after rejecting the chance to work in India because the country was too poor and chaotic, Andrew Levermore, a retail executive who had worked in South Africa and Britain, was persuaded by a powerful Mumbai business family to set up India’s first western-style hypermarket. 2 “I came round when I saw their vision. They were dead serious and yes I had to make some lifestyle adjustments but it was too good an opportunity to miss. Of course the salary compared favourably with home.” Now on the brink of rolling out another 28 stores, Mr Levermore, 44, is convincing two more expats to leave jobs in the west and work in India. “I have just hired my head of operations from Sainsbury’s and there’s another [foreign hire] for buying and merchandising.” 3 Mr Levermore is part of a new passage to India. As the economy booms, there is not enough talent to fill the expanding number of middle management positions and more western expatriates are taking senior positions. Recruitment consultants say Indian workers are asking for so much foreigners are being “priced back in”. 4 “It’s happening very quickly now,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, chief executive of Headhunters India. “We are seeing more than 15% of management and skilled positions being filled by expats. In hotel management there’s a step change required and we can only get that from abroad. In the airline industry, 50% of pilots are foreign. A few years ago they made up just 5% [of the workforce].” Salaries for chief executives have doubled in the past few years and now range from £125,000 to £600,000. Senior managers can expect £100,000 a year. The head

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Advanced

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Bharti Airtel, the country’s biggest mobile operator, says foreign managers were once rare but are now as good value as Indian staff. Sunil Bharti Mittal, the company’s founder, told reporters last month his company had begun to hire “expats who cost less than Indian managers”.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5

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• Foreign executives pour in as salaries soar • Shortage of local talent for booming economy

of public relations at an Indian corporation earns £40,000.

CA

Level 3

The new passage to India, business class Level 3

Advanced

10 But many companies say that in the scramble to scale up, they need foreign help. Reliance Industries, India’s biggest private company, is spending £2.5bn to create a chain of superstores across India. Its retail division now employs 100 expatriates in senior management who bring “invaluable global experience”. These skills, said chairman Mukesh Ambani,

were crucial in creating Reliance’s signature convenience stores. “We were ahead of the world in creating [these]. When Tesco went to California it chose to use the same model. That shows how we benefit [from foreign talent].” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/6/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why do Indian companies need foreign managers? a. Because there are not enough local managers to do these jobs. b. Because they are more talented than local managers. c. Because they do not ask for high salaries. 2. What is the biggest challenge for some expats? a. The size of the job. b. Walking outside the office. c. Finding Marks and Spencer food. 3. Why do some expats go to India despite the problems of living there? a. Because they don’t think they are important. b. Because they enjoy the lifestyle. c. Because they can make a lot of money there. 4. Why did Andrew Levermore reject a chance to work in India three years ago? a. Because he didn’t like the lifestyle. b. Because he thought the country was poor and disorganized. c. Because the salary was too low.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the following words and expressions.

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NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. A two-word expression meaning small changes to the way you live. (Para 2) 2. A two-word expressions meaning to look good in comparison with something else. (Para 2) 3. A four-word expression meaning about to happen. (Para 2) 4. A two-word expression meaning a noticeable improvement. (Para 4) 5. An adjective meaning foreign. (Para 6) 6. A two-word expression meaning wages. (Para 9) 7. An adjective meaning extremely useful. (Para 10) 8. A noun meaning a distinctive characteristic or product that enables people to recognize someone or something. (Para 10)

The new passage to India, business class Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs Match these phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings. 1. set up

a. combine together to form a whole

2. come round

b. go out quickly for a short time

3. roll out

c. start a business

4. scale up

d. introduce a new product or service

5. make up

e. change your opinion or decision

6. pop out

f. make something larger in size

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Match the verbs and the nouns. 1. make

a. experience

2. fill

b. workers

3. recruit

c. clients

4. bring

d. an opportunity

5. miss

e. adjustments

6. deal with

f. a position

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living and working in another country? Would you like to work overseas? Why? Why not?

The new passage to India, business class Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. expat 2. pales 3. challenge 4. cope 5. retail 6. scramble 7. chaotic 8. reject 9. crucial 10. travail

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

a b c b

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Advanced

e f b a d c

H

3 Comprehension check

c e d f a b

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T F F T F T

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

lifestyle adjustments compare favourably on the brink of step chance overseas pay packet invaluable signature

The new passage to India, business class Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.

rare

retail

skill

lifestyle

expat average

booming chain

salary experience

1. If you have a ____________, you can do something really well. 2. If you have ____________, you have a lot of knowledge about a job or activity because you have done it for a long time. 3. Your ____________ is the way you live your life. 4. Your ____________ is the money you earn for your work. 5. ____________ is the process of selling goods direct to the public. 6. An ____________ is someone who lives and works in another country. 7. If a country is ____________, its economy is very successful. 8. A ____________ of businesses is a group of businesses which belong to the same person or company. 9. If something is ____________, it doesn’t happen very often. 10. If one person earns $10,000, another $20,000 and a third $30,000, their ____________ salary is $20,000.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many stores will Mr Levermore’s company open? 2. What percentage of managers in India are expats? 3. What percentage of pilots in India are foreign? 4. How much can senior managers expect to earn in India? 5. How many students graduate from university each year in India?

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NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What is the average salary increase in India each year?

The new passage to India, business class Bharti Airtel, the country’s biggest mobile operator, says foreign managers used to be rare in India but they are now as good value as Indian staff. Sunil Bharti Mittal, the company’s founder, told reporters last month his company had begun to give jobs to “expats who cost less than Indian managers”.

6

Andrea Stone, head of marketing at Bharti’s software company Telesoft, joined on a local contract in 2005. She said her salary was “good enough to live well in Delhi”. “I brought skills they did not have. One was that I had worked in Britain, Hong Kong, Japan and Germany and knew how to work with clients from other countries. The other was motivating teams of young dynamic people.”

7

Ms Stone says that she only has problems when she leaves the office. “You can’t walk outside easily. It’s too hot and there are not that many parks. Also Delhi does not have a public transport system, which is a problem. You can’t just go round the corner to Marks and Spencer to buy food. But you can live.”

8

Living in a country like India might be difficult for some expats but they can earn good money there. Foreign companies are also bringing their best managers to India. Cisco Systems, the US technology giant, moved seven top managers to its Bangalore office this year. The head of AngloDutch multinational Unilever in the country is a South African. The boss of Goldman Sachs is an American.

9

3 million Indian students graduate from university each year but Indian industry says that only 15% are good enough to find work in multinational companies. Finding and keeping skilled Indian workers is becoming more difficult and more expensive than ever. Salaries are increasing faster in India than anywhere else in Asia. According to a study by human resources company Hewitt Associates, the average salary increase each year in India is more than 14% a year, compared with about 8% in China and a little less in South Korea and the Philippines.

• Foreign executives pour in as salaries soar • Shortage of local talent for booming economy Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi June 13, 2007 1 Andrew Levermore is a business manager who specializes in retail. Mr Levermore has worked in both South Africa and Britain. Three years ago someone offered him a job in India. He said no. He thought the country was too poor and disorganized. Now a powerful Mumbai business family has asked him to manage India’s first western-style hypermarket. This time he said yes. 2 “I changed my mind when I saw their plans. They are very serious people. Yes, I had to change my lifestyle a bit but this was a really good opportunity for me. Of course the pay is good compared with the UK.” His company will soon be opening another 28 stores and Mr Levermore, 44, is inviting two more expats to leave their jobs in the west and work with him in India. 3 Mr Levermore is part of a new movement of business people to India. The Indian economy is booming but there are not enough qualified and experienced middle managers so more and more western expatriates are taking senior positions. Some Indian experts say Indian workers are asking for so much money that it is often cheaper to give jobs to foreigners. 4 “It’s happening very quickly now,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, chief executive of Headhunters India. “Expats are filling more than 15% of management and skilled positions. Hotel management requires a rapid improvement in quality and we can only get that from abroad. In the airline industry, 50% of pilots are foreign. A few years ago only 5% of pilots were foreigners”. Salaries for chief executives have doubled in the past few years and now chief executives can earn from £125,000 to £600,000. Senior managers can expect £100,000 a year. The head of public relations at an Indian corporation earns £40,000.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Elementary

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5

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The new passage to India, business class

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Elementary

CA

Level 1

The new passage to India, business class Level 1

Elementary

10 But many companies say that they need foreign help because they want their businesses to grow. Reliance Industries, India’s biggest private company, is spending £2.5bn to create a chain of superstores across India. 100 expatriates work in the senior management of Reliance. These people have “global experience”. These skills, said chairman Mukesh Ambani, were

very important when Reliance opened its convenience stores. “We were first in the world to create stores like these. When Tesco went to California it decided to use the same model. That shows how much we can get from foreign talent.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/6/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Salaries for managers are much lower in India than in the UK. 2. Average salary increases are higher in China than in India. 3. Most pilots in India are foreign. 4. Delhi does not have a public transport system. 5. Indian managers sometimes cost more than foreign managers. 6. Andrea Stone buys her lunch at Marks and Spencer.

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of shop

b. a large shop that sells clothes and household goods

3. convenience store

c. a very large supermarket that sells lots of different things

4. department store

d. a local shop that sells food and is open for long hours

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Elementary

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2. supermarket

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a. a large shop that mainly sells food

CA

1. hypermarket

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the shops with the definitions.

The new passage to India, business class Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Opposites Find 6 pairs of opposites in the box.

senior rapid

best

cheap

private

unskilled

slow

skilled

public

difficult

easy junior

expensive worst

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the tables.

1. skill

5. improve

2. experience

6. manage

3. qualification

7. increase

4. power

8. invite

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Elementary

Noun

H

Verb

•P

Adjective

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Noun

The new passage to India, business class Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Types of shop

1. skill 2. experience 3. lifestyle 4. salary 5. retail 6. expat 7. booming 8. chain 9. rare 10. average

1. 2. 3. 4.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

b b a a b a a b

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building 1. skilled 2. experienced 3. qualified 4. powerful 5. improvement 6. management/manager 7. increase 8. invitation

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Elementary

H

28 155 50% £100,000 3 million 14%

senior/junior best/worst cheap/expensive slow/rapid skilled/unskilled easy/difficult private/public

•P

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Opposites

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

c a d b

The new passage to India, business class Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. reject expand

vision cope

retail benefit

expat invaluable

boom crucial

1. If something ____________, it becomes larger in size. 2. ____________ is the process of selling goods direct to the public for their own use. 3. If something is ____________, it is extremely important. 4. If a country or an industry ____________, it is extremely successful economically. 5. If something is ____________, it is extremely useful. 6. If you ____________, you deal successfully with a difficult situation. 7. If you ____________ an offer or a proposal, you say ‘no’ to it. 8. ____________ is the ability to think about and plan for the future. 9. An ____________ is someone who lives and works in a foreign country. 10. If you ____________ from something, you get help or advantage from it.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What percentage of management and skilled positions in India are filled by expats? 2. What percentage of pilots in India are foreign? 3. What is the highest salary a chief executive can earn? 4. What can the head of public relations at an Indian corporation earn? 5. How many students graduate from Indian universities each year?

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NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What is the annual rate of increase in salaries in India?

The new passage to India, business class Intermediate

The new passage to India, business class

6

Andrea Stone, head of marketing at Bharti’s software company Telesoft, joined on local terms in 2005. She said her salary was “good enough to live well in Delhi”. “I brought skills they did not have. One was that I had worked in Britain, Hong Kong, Japan and Germany and knew how to deal with overseas clients. The other was motivating teams of young dynamic people.”

7

Ms Stone says that the real difficulties come when you leave the office. “You can’t walk outside easily. It’s too hot and there are not that many parks. Also Delhi does not have a public transport system, which is hard. You can’t just go round the corner to Marks and Spencer to buy food. But you cope.”

8

The difficulties of living in the developing world are minor in comparison with the money people can make there. Foreign companies are also importing their brightest and best managers to India. Cisco Systems, the US technology giant, transferred seven top managers to its Bangalore office this year. The head of AngloDutch multinational Unilever in the country is a South African. The boss of Goldman Sachs is an American.

9

3 million Indian students graduate from university each year but Indian industry admits that only 15% are good enough to find work in multinationals. Finding and keeping skilled Indian workers is becoming more difficult and more expensive than ever. Salaries are increasing faster in India than anywhere else in Asia. According to a study by human resources company Hewitt Associates, average salary

Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi June 13, 2007 1 Three years ago Andrew Levermore, a retail executive who had worked in South Africa and Britain, rejected an offer to work in India because the country was too poor and chaotic. Now a powerful Mumbai business family has persuaded him to help to set up India’s first western-style hypermarket. 2 “I changed my mind when I saw their vision. They were very serious and yes I had to change my lifestyle a bit but I didn’t want to miss such a good opportunity. Of course the salary was good compared with home.” His company will soon be opening another 28 stores and Mr Levermore, 44, is trying to persuade two more expats to leave their jobs in the west and work in India. “I have just hired my head of operations from Sainsbury’s and I’m in the process of hiring another expat for buying and merchandising.” 3 Mr Levermore is part of a new movement of business people to India. As the economy booms, there is not enough talent to fill the expanding number of middle management positions and more western expatriates are taking senior positions. Recruitment consultants say Indian workers are asking for so much money that it is becoming cheaper to hire foreigners. 4 “It’s happening very quickly now,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, chief executive of Headhunters India. “Expats are filling more than 15% of management and skilled positions. Hotel management requires a rapid improvement in quality and we can only get that from abroad. In the airline industry, 50% of pilots are foreign. A few years ago only 5% of pilots were foreigners”. Salaries for chief executives have doubled in the past few years and now range from £125,000 to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Intermediate

O

Bharti Airtel, the country’s biggest mobile operator, says foreign managers used to be rare but are now as good value as Indian staff. Sunil Bharti Mittal, the company’s founder, told reporters last month his company had begun to hire “expats who cost less than Indian managers”.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5

•P H

• Foreign executives pour in as salaries soar • Shortage of local talent for booming economy

£600,000. Senior managers can expect £100,000 a year. The head of public relations at an Indian corporation earns £40,000.

CA

Level 2

The new passage to India, business class Level 2

Intermediate

increases in India are running at more than 14% a year, compared with about 8% in China and slightly less in South Korea and the Philippines.

These skills, said chairman Mukesh Ambani, were crucial in creating Reliance’s trademark convenience stores. “We were ahead of the world in creating these stores. When Tesco went to California it decided to use the same model. That shows how we benefit from foreign talent.”

10 But many companies say that they need foreign help as they try to expand their businesses. Reliance Industries, India’s biggest private company, is spending £2.5bn to create a chain of superstores across India. Its retail division now employs 100 expatriates in senior management who bring “invaluable global experience”.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/6/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1. More and more western expats are taking management jobs in India. 2. Local managers earn much less money. 3. Delhi has a good public transport system. 4. Big multinational companies operate in India. 5. Most Indian graduates find work in multinational companies. 6. Senior managers from abroad bring global experience to Indian companies.

4 Grammar: Verbs Fill the gaps using the correct form of these verbs from the text. double

range

transfer

hire

require

persuade

1. Cisco Systems ____________ several senior managers from the USA to India. 2. More and more Indian companies ____________ foreign staff. 3. Salaries for chief executives ____________ in the past few years. 4. Salaries for chief executives ____________ from £125,000 to £600,000. 5. A Mumbai business family ____________ Andrew Levermore to move to India.

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NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Hotel management ____________ a rapid improvement in quality.

The new passage to India, business class Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 1: Collocations Match the verbs with the nouns. 1. miss

a. people

2. reject

b. a new store

3. fill

c. an opportunity

4. motivate

d. a business

5. expand

e. an offer

6. open

f. a position

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table. verb

noun

1. improve 2. develop 3. persuade 4. require 5. compare 6. recruit 7. divide 8. benefit

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Would you move to another country to find work? What factors would attract you to another country? Where would you like to go?

The new passage to India, business class Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Grammar: Verbs

1. expands 2. retail 3. crucial 4. booms 5. invaluable 6. cope 7. reject 8. vision 9. expat 10. benefit

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T F F T F T

c e f a d b

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The new passage to India, business class / Intermediate

improvement development persuasion requirement comparison recruitment division benefit

H

15% 50% £600,000 £40,000 3 million 14%

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

•P

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

transferred are hiring have doubled range persuaded requires

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 3 1

Advanced

Networking

Who do people normally network with? Where do people network? Is networking important? What is a social networking website? Pool your ideas in class and write them on the board.

2

Top 20 websites

Which do you think are the most popular websites in the UK? List at least 5 that you would expect to see in the top 20 list of most visited websites. At which position would you expect to find facebook.com? Do a class survey. Which are the most popular websites in your class?

3

Top 20 websites

What types of companies are these? Who are these people? 1. Google and Yahoo!

________________________________________

2. News Corp

________________________________________

3. Facebook and MySpace

________________________________________

4. Rupert Murdoch

________________________________________

5. Mark Zuckerberg

________________________________________

6. Jerry Yang

________________________________________

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Write down your ideas and then skim-read the article for the answers.

Facebook challenges MySpace Advanced

Facebook challenges MySpace as place for the cool set to hang out

initial $1bn offer was rejected by Mr Zuckerberg, Yahoo! said it could raise that to $1.6bn – but he made it plain that he didn’t intend to sell just yet. At the time, many Internet watchers laughed at the youthful ‘frat nerd’ for not cashing in his chips, but today analysts reckon the business could be worth several times what Yahoo! initially offered.

Helping people stay in touch with friends online has become the latest battleground for moguls. Richard Wray, communications editor June 21, 2007

8

3 Facebook, like most Internet successes, appeals to our sense of curiosity, sociability and sharing. If MySpace is as messy and chaotic as a teenager’s bedroom, Facebook is the frenzied networking of a cocktail party.

5 The rise of Facebook, created by Harvard drop-out Mark Zuckerberg three years ago, is challenging the dominance of MySpace in the social networking market. This may explain why MySpace’s owner, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, has considered exchanging it for a 25% stake in online portal and search giant Yahoo! 6 Yahoo! saw the potential for Facebook when it tried to buy the business last year. After an

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Advanced

9

Network effect The rapid growth in Facebook is due to Mr Zuckerberg’s decision to open the network to all-comers. Zuckerberg created Facebook while at Harvard to help students deal with the sometimes unfriendly atmosphere in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Up to last autumn the site was effectively invitation only, with users needing to have an academic email address. Then in September the company threw open its doors to everyone. “The growth started slowly in late September, early October last year and has really taken off since then,” says Heather Hopkins, vice president of research at Hitwise UK. “There is a network effect as more people join and get more of their friends to join.”

10 It is adding more than 100,000 users a day and already has 27 million active users, with more than half of those returning daily. MySpace is still considerably larger, with 60 million users in the US alone, but Facebook is catching up. The growth has gathered pace due to the fact that new users are given the option of allowing Facebook to access their email account to look for friends who are already using the service,

O

The rise to success 4 “I’ve added you as a friend on Facebook...” This introduction to the web’s fastest growing social phenomenon has been appearing with growing frequency in email inboxes across the world. What started as a way for American college friends to stay in touch has become one of the Internet’s hottest properties.

In the UK alone, Facebook has gone from the 469th most popular website, in May last year, to the 18th. Half the visits to the site, according to Internet statistics company Hitwise, come from people in the 18-24 year old age group, but the real growth over the past six months appears to have come from 24-35 year olds. The site seems to have reached what sociologists term a ‘tipping point’, with the name entering into many people’s vocabulary.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Financiers have been betting on which social networking site would make the leap to the adult world. Its viral power, elegance of its design and the flexibility and openness of its features have made Facebook the hot favourite to do so.

7

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Face to face 1 Take everyone you’ve ever known – work colleagues, former school friends, close family members, your boss, your ex-partner – and put them in a single room. Then give them intimate access to every corner of your life, from your trivial thoughts to your most recent holiday snaps and your plans for the weekend. Then sit back and watch the social experiment unfold.

CA

Level 3

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 3

Advanced

then email contacts who are not part of the network to invite them inside. 11 The success of Facebook has not gone unnoticed at News Corp. Asked earlier this month by the Wall Street Journal why he had not made an offer for another North American newspaper group, Tribune, Mr Murdoch said it was because readership of its newspapers was declining. “That’s because everyone’s going to MySpace,” quipped the reporter. “I wish they were. They’re all going to Facebook,” the media mogul retorted. 12 That was taken by some media watchers as evidence of a growing dissatisfaction with MySpace. When Mr Murdoch bought the company in 2005 for $580m (£290m), the deal raised eyebrows among investors. But in August the following year, Mr Murdoch tied up a $900m deal with Google to provide adverts for MySpace. That deal has been a double-edged sword. The MySpace site has become cluttered with advertising. Online ad boom 13 Mr Murdoch’s tie-up between MySpace and Google gave him a way into the world of online search advertising, by far the largest part of the booming online ad market. But it was only a foot in the door. There is a feeling among analysts, especially in the US, that News Corp needs to get further into the search market. Which is where a potential deal with Yahoo! becomes attractive.

14 Talks between Mr Murdoch, who wants to swap MySpace for a 25% stake in Yahoo!, and Yahoo!, have hit a snag. Earlier this week, Yahoo! chief executive Terry Semel stepped down after intense pressure from investors. His replacement, co-founder Jerry Yang, will want time to get to grips with the problems in the business before re-opening negotiations with anyone. 15 But, for Mr Murdoch, the allure of the Internet advertising market is not going to go away. A recent report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers showed that last year, online advertising worldwide grew 37.9% to $31.6bn, accounting for more than 7% of the total advertising market of $407bn. Globally the Internet will remain the fastest growing advertising medium, with compound annual growth of 18.3% up to 2011. By that time the online advertising market will be worth $73bn, accounting for 14% of the global advertising market of $531bn. That’s still a lot to play for. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/6/07

4 Summary Which of the sentences below best summarizes the article? 1. News Corp, MySpace and Facebook are bidding against each other to buy stakes in Yahoo! 2. Providing social networking sites is a boom business as is advertising on the Internet. 3. People are buying fewer newspapers and using the Internet more.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Write one sentence to summarise each paragraph of the article. Compare your sentences with a partner.

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 3

Advanced

5 Pronunciation 1. Say these words out loud. Which syllable is stressed? Write the words into the columns according to their pronunciation pattern. financiers sociability introduction phenomenon Massachusetts experiment sociologists

oOoo

ooOo

ooOoo

2. Write one sentence that contains at least 3 of these words. Who can come up with the most interesting sentence? Note: It must make sense.

6 Similies Use your own ideas to complete these similes. 1. As messy as ___________________________. 2. As chaotic as ___________________________. 3. As successful as ___________________________. 4. As complicated as ___________________________.

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Advanced

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5. As wealthy as ___________________________.

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 3 Advanced 7 Idioms Answer these questions according to the article. 1. Who didn’t cash in his chips? _____________________________________________

Where would you commonly cash in your chips? _____________________________________________

2. Who threw open their doors to whom? _____________________________________________

Is this a welcoming or unwelcoming gesture? _____________________________________________

3. What made investors raise their eyebrows? _____________________________________________ Think of something that would make you raise your eyebrows. _______________________________________ 4. What is described as being a double-edged sword? _______________________________________

Give another example of something that is a double-edged sword. ___________________________________

8 Discussion Would you consider joining a social networking community such as Facebook, MySpace or Friends Reunited? Why? Why not? Make a list of pros and cons before starting your discussion.

8 Web quest Go to www.facebook.com and click on the virtual tour (you do not need to register). Then answer these questions. Who can sign up to Facebook? Whose profiles can you see when you sign up? What does Facebook recommend you add when writing your profile? Can you upload photos? What will Facebook notify you of?

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What can you do if you don’t want someone to access your profile?

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 3

Advanced

KEY 2 Top 20 websites

4 Summary

Hitwise UK - Top 20 Websites - May, 2007

2. Providing social networking sites is a boom business as is advertising on the Internet.

This list features the most popular websites based on UK Internet usage for May, 2007, ranked by market share of visits across all Hitwise industries.

Rank 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Website www.google.co.uk www.ebay.co.uk www.hotmail.com www.google.com uk.msn.com www.bebo.com www.orange.co.uk www.myspace.com uk.mail.yahoo.com uk.yahoo.com news.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk www.youtube.com uk.search.yahoo.com www.amazon.co.uk www.msn.com images.google.co.uk www.facebook.com www.microsoft.com mail.myspace.com

Market Share 8.2% 2.7% 2.64% 2.44% 1.54% 1.52% 1.47% 1.36% 1.24% 0.91% 0.82% 0.81% 0.75% 0.69% 0.64% 0.61% 0.60% 0.57% 0.54% 0.53%

5 Pronunciation oOoo

ooOo

ooOoo

financiers experiment phenomenon

Massachusetts introduction

sociability sociologists

7 Idioms 1. Mark Zuckerberg didn’t cash in his chips. 2. Facebook threw open its doors to everyone/all users. 3. The sum Murdoch paid for MySpace made investors raise their eyebrows. 4. MySpace’s advertising deal with Google is described as being a double-edged sword.

3 Companies and people

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. Google and Yahoo! are online portal and search engines. 2. News Corp is media conglomerate that owns many newspapers and TV networks. 3. Facebook and MySpace are online social networking websites. 4. Rupert Murdoch is the creator and CEO of News Corp. 5. Mark Zuckerberg is the creator and CEO of Facebook. 6. Jerry Yang is the co-founder and CEO of Yahoo!

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 1 1

Elementary

Popular websites and online services

1. Match the terms on the left with the explanations on the right. A social networking website

The person who promises to pay the highest amount of money can win/buy an item.

An auction house

Helps you find whatever you need on the Internet.

A search engine

You can buy goods electronically and have them delivered to your home or office.

The news

You can watch and listen to short films.

An online shop

Information about something that has recently happened.

Video clips website

A virtual place where you can meet friends, chat, exchange information, see photos and read diaries.







search engine

eBay

news

Amazon

video clips

YouTube

social networking

Facebook and MySpace

auction house

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Elementary

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BBC & CNN

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online shop

CA

Yahoo! and Google

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2. Match the websites to the type of service they provide.

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 1 2

Elementary

Keyword crossword

You can find the answers in the article. The paragraph number after each clue will help you. 1 2 3 4

5

6

7

8

9

Across 6. A

is someone who has a degree in sociology. (para 6)

7. A

is someone who starts up a business with someone else. (para 12)

8. A is someone who leaves something such as a school, activity or competition before he has finished what he intended to do. (para 4) 9. An



is someone who knows a lot about a particular subject. (para 2)

Down

2. An

is a person or organization that invests money. (para 10)

3. An is someone whose job is to carefully examine a situation and provide others with information about it. (para 11) 4. A

is a senior manager or leader – the second in charge. (para 7)

5. A

is an important and powerful person in a particular activity or industry. (subtitle)

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Elementary



•P H•P OH NT TO O OFR BEC C O O DO M OWP P W NI IA EB L- O B ASI AD L BTLE E E E• D •

is someone who writes articles for a newspaper. (para 9)

CA

1. A

Facebook challenges MySpace Elementary

Facebook challenges MySpace as place for the cool set to hang out

site are between 18-24 years old, but the real growth over the past six months has come from 24-35 year olds. The site has reached what sociologists call a ‘tipping point’, with the name entering into many people’s vocabulary.

Helping people stay in touch with friends online has become the latest battleground for moguls. Richard Wray, communications editor June 21, 2007

4 Facebook, which was created by Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg three years ago, is currently challenging MySpace, the world’s most popular social networking site. This may explain why MySpace’s owner, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, is thinking about exchanging MySpace for a 25% stake in the search engine, Yahoo! 5 Last year, Yahoo! tried to buy Facebook. Mr Zuckerberg rejected Yahoo!’s first offer of $1bn and so Yahoo! raised it to $1.6bn – but Zuckerberg still didn’t want to sell. At the time, many Internet watchers laughed at Zuckerberg for not accepting Yahoo!’s offer, but today analysts think that Facebook could be worth several times what Yahoo! initially offered. 6 In the UK, in May last year, Facebook was the 469th most popular website – a year later, it is the 18th. According to an Internet statistics company, Hitwise, half the people who visit the

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Elementary

8

“The growth started slowly in late September, early October last year and has really taken off since then,” says Heather Hopkins, vice president of research at Hitwise UK. It is adding more than 100,000 users a day and already has 27 million active users. More than half of the users visit the site every day. MySpace is still much larger, it has 60 million users in the US alone, but Facebook is catching up.

9

News Corp is watching Facebook’s success. A reporter recently asked Mr Murdoch why he had not made an offer for another North American newspaper group, Tribune, Mr Murdoch said it was because people no longer want to read newspapers. “That’s because everyone’s going to MySpace,” joked the reporter. “I wish they were. They’re all going to Facebook,” the media mogul replied.

10 Investors were surprised when Mr Murdoch bought MySpace in 2005 for $580m (£290m). But in August 2006, Mr Murdoch made a $900m deal with Google to provide adverts for MySpace. That deal has had positive and negative effects. The MySpace site is now cluttered with advertising. 11 Online ad boom Mr Murdoch’s deal with MySpace and Google gave him a way into the world of online search advertising, which is by far the largest part of the booming online ad market. But it was only a foot

O

3 The rise to success “I’ve added you as a friend on Facebook...” This introduction to the web’s fastest growing social phenomenon is appearing in email inboxes across the world. Facebook started as a way for American college friends to stay in touch and has now become one of the Internet’s hottest websites.

Network effect The rapid growth in Facebook is due to Mr Zuckerberg’s decision to open the network to everybody. Zuckerberg created Facebook while he was at Harvard, and up until last autumn, people could only join the site if they had an academic email address. Then in September the company decided to let anyone join.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Experts are betting on which social networking site will become popular with adults as well as teenagers. Facebook is currently the hot favourite.

7

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1 Give everyone you know – your work colleagues, former school friends, close family members, your boss, your ex-partner – access to every part of your life, from your diary to your holiday photos and your plans for the weekend. Then sit back and watch what happens.

CA

Level 1

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 1

Elementary

in the door. Analysts in the US think that News Corp needs to do more, and so this is why Mr Murdoch’s offer to Yahoo! becomes attractive. 12 Talks between Mr Murdoch, who wants to swap MySpace for a 25% stake in Yahoo!, and Yahoo!, have hit a snag. Earlier this week, Yahoo! chief executive Terry Semel stepped down. His replacement, co-founder Jerry Yang, will want time to deal with the problems in the business before re-opening negotiations with anyone. 13 But, for Mr Murdoch, the allure of the Internet advertising market is not going to go away. A recent report published by

PricewaterhouseCoopers showed that last year, income from online advertising worldwide grew 37.9% to $31.6bn, and now accounts for more than 7% of the total advertising market of $407bn. Globally, the Internet will remain the fastest growing advertising medium. By 2011 the online advertising market will be worth $73bn, or 14% of the global advertising market. That’s still a lot to play for. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/6/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. You can meet old friends through social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace. 2. You have to be a university student to be a member of Facebook. 3. Facebook is more successful than MySpace. 4. Mark Zuckerberg is a co-founder of Yahoo! 5. Rupert Murdoch is a media mogul. 6. MySpace made an offer to buy Facebook. 7. Murdoch wants to swap MySpace for Yahoo! 8. People say there is too much advertising on MySpace. 9. Yahoo! has a new CEO.

E•

H• •P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Elementary

CA POH N TO T O FR BOE -C D O O C O M O W P W PN IA EB IL- O B A SIT AD L BLE ED E •

10. Online advertising is a booming business.

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 1

Elementary

4 Number and figures 1. Write out these numbers in figures. One billion Twenty-seven million One hundred thousand

2. Complete these sentences with numbers from the article. a. Murdoch made a b. Murdoch paid c. Facebook has d. Facebook has e. MySpace has f. Yahoo! first offered

deal with Google to provide adverts for MySpace. for MySpace. daily users. active users. users. for Facebook in 2006.

g. Online advertising could be worth

in 2011.

5 The Internet and me Answer the questions below for yourself, and then ask your partner the same questions. 1. How often do you use the Internet? (e.g. every day / once a week / only at the weekends / never)

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace/ Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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2. Where do you use the Internet? (e.g. at home / at work / in an Internet café)

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 1

Elementary

3. What do you mostly use the internet for? (e.g. listening to music / reading newspapers / shopping / playing games)



4. What kind of websites do you mostly visit? (e.g. news / company websites / shopping / banking)

5. What are your three favourite websites?



6

Source of definitions: www.onlinemacmillandictionary.com

Discussion

Make a list of the positive and negative aspects of a social networking website? Would you like to join a social networking community such as Facebook, MySpace or Friends Reunited? Why/why not?

7

Web quest

Go to www.facebook.com and click on the virtual tour (you do not need to register). Then answer the questions below. Who can register with Facebook? What information do you need to give Facebook when you register? What can you see and do when you register? Can you upload photos? Can you find old friends? Can you add a blog? What can you write in your profile?

H

NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace/ Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What can you do if you don’t want someone to access your profile?

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 1

Elementary

KEY

1. A social networking website – a virtual place where you can meet friends, chat, exchange information, see photos and read diaries.

Down 1. reporter 2. investor 3. analyst 4. vice president 5. mogul

An auction house – the person who promises to pay the highest amount of money can win an item

3 Comprehension check

The news – information about something that has recently happened. An online shop – you can buy goods electronically and have them delivered to your home or office. Video clips website – you can watch and listen to short films.

2. Yahoo! and Google - search engine BBC & CNN - news eBay - auction house Amazon - online shop YouTube - video clips Facebook and MySpace - social networking

2 Keyword crossword Across 6. sociologist 7. co-founder 8. drop-out 9. expert

1. True 2. False – anyone can join Facebok 3. False – MySpace is still the top social networking website 4. False - Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook 5. True 6. False – Yahoo! made an offer to buy Facebook. 7. False - Murdoch wants to swap MySpace for a 25% stake in Yahoo! 8. True 9. True 10 True

4 Numbers and figures 1. One billion - 1,000,000,000 Twenty-seven million - 27,000,000 One hundred thousand - 100,000 2. a) $900 million b) $580 million c) 100,000 d) 27 million e) 60 million f) $1 billion g) $73 billion

H •P

CA

NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace/ Elementary

O T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

A search engine – helps you find whatever you need on the Internet

N

1 Popular websites and online services

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 1

Elementary

KEY Further information Hitwise UK - Top 20 Websites - May, 2007 This list features the most popular websites based on UK Internet usage for May, 2007, ranked by market share of visits across all Hitwise industries.

Rank

Website

Market Share

1.

www.google.co.uk

8.2%

2.

www.ebay.co.uk

2.7%

3.

www.hotmail.com

2.64%

4.

www.google.com

2.44%

5.

uk.msn.com

1.54%

6.

www.bebo.com

1.52%

7.

www.orange.co.uk

1.47%

8.

www.myspace.com

1.36%

9.

uk.mail.yahoo.com

1.24%

10.

uk.yahoo.com

0.91%

11.

news.bbc.co.uk

0.82%

12.

www.bbc.co.uk

0.81%

13

www.youtube.com

0.75%

14.

uk.search.yahoo.com

0.69%

15.

www.amazon.co.uk

0.64%

16.

www.msn.com

0.61%

17.

images.google.co.uk

0.60%

18.

www.facebook.com

0.57%

19.

www.microsoft.com

0.54%

20.

mail.myspace.com

0.53%

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Facebook challenges MySpace Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Put these words, which are all used to describe people and jobs, into the sentences below. Mogul investor

CEO financier drop-out sociologist vice president

analyst co-founder

1. An ___________ is someone whose job is to carefully examine a situation and provide others with information about it. 2. A ___________ is the most senior manager in a company. 3. An ___________ is a person or organisation that invests money. 4. A ___________ is a person or organisation that manages or lends large amounts of money. 5. A ___________ is someone who starts up something with someone else. 6. A ___________ is someone who has a degree in sociology. 7. A ___________ is an important and powerful person in a particular activity or industry. 8. A ___________ is a senior manager or leader – second in charge. 9. A ___________ is someone who leaves something such as a school, activity or competition before he



has finished what he intended to do.

2

Subtitles

1. Which of these websites do you think are most popular in the UK? Put these websites in order of popularity (a-j). Yahoo! Amazon

Google

Barclay’s Bank

youtube

Facebook

BBC MySpace

a. _______________

e. _______________

i. _______________

b. _______________

f. _______________

j. _______________

c. _______________

g. _______________

d. _______________

h. _______________

eBay bebo

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2. What do you use the Internet for? Which websites do you use regularly? Do a class survey. Which are the most popular websites in your class?

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 2

Intermediate

3 Companies and people What kind of companies are a-c? Match the company names with the descriptions.

a. Google and Yahoo!

social networking website

b. News Corp

search engine

c. Facebook and MySpace

media conglomerate

Match each of these CEOs to one of the companies above (a-c).

1. Rupert Murdoch

________________________

2. Mark Zuckerberg

________________________

3. Jerry Yang

________________________

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now skim-read the article to check your answers.

Facebook challenges MySpace Intermediate

Facebook challenges MySpace as place for the cool set to hang out 6

Richard Wray, communications editor June 21, 2007

8

“The growth started slowly in late September, early October last year and has really taken off since then,” says Heather Hopkins, vice president of research at Hitwise UK. It is adding more than 100,000 users a day and already has 27 million active users. More than half of the users visit the site every day. MySpace is still considerably larger, with 60 million users in the US alone, but Facebook is catching up.

9

The success of Facebook has not gone unnoticed at News Corp. Asked earlier this month by the Wall Street Journal why he had not made an offer for another North American newspaper group, Tribune, Mr Murdoch said it was because readership of its newspapers was declining. “That’s because everyone’s going to MySpace,” joked the reporter. “I wish they were. They’re all going to Facebook,” the media mogul replied.

The rise to success 3 “I’ve added you as a friend on Facebook...” This introduction to the web’s fastest growing social phenomenon has been appearing with growing frequency in email inboxes across the world. What started as a way for American college friends to stay in touch has become one of the Internet’s hottest properties. 4 The rise of Facebook, created by Harvard drop-out Mark Zuckerberg three years ago, is challenging MySpace, which is currently the world’s most popular social networking site. This may explain why MySpace’s owner, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, has considered exchanging it for a 25% stake in online portal and search engine, Yahoo! 5 Yahoo! saw the potential for Facebook when it tried to buy the business last year. After an initial $1bn offer was rejected by Mr Zuckerberg, Yahoo! said it could raise that to $1.6bn – but he made it plain that he didn’t intend to sell just yet. At the time, many Internet watchers laughed at Zuckerberg for not cashing in his chips, but today © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

Network effect The rapid growth in Facebook is due to Mr Zuckerberg’s decision to open the network to everybody. Zuckerberg created Facebook while at Harvard and up to last autumn people could only join the site if they had an academic email address. Then in September the company threw open its doors to everyone.

10 When Mr Murdoch bought MySpace in 2005 for $580m (£290m), the deal raised eyebrows among investors. But in August the following year, Mr Murdoch tied up a $900m deal with Google to provide adverts for MySpace. That deal has been a double-edged sword. The

O

2 Financiers have been betting on which social networking site would make the leap to the adult world. Its power, the elegance of its design and the flexibility and openness of its features have made Facebook the hot favourite to do so.

7

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Face to face 1 Take everyone you’ve ever known – work colleagues, former school friends, close family members, your boss, your ex-partner – and put them in a single room. Then give them intimate access to every corner of your life, from your trivial thoughts to your most recent holiday photos and your plans for the weekend. Then sit back and watch the social experiment unfold.

In the UK, Facebook has gone from the 469th most popular website, in May last year, to the 18th. According to Internet statistics company Hitwise, half the people who visit the site are between 18-24 years old, but the real growth over the past six months appears to have come from 24-35 year olds. The site seems to have reached what sociologists call a ‘tipping point’, with the name entering into many people’s vocabulary.

•P H

Helping people stay in touch with friends online has become the latest battleground for moguls.

analysts reckon the business could be worth several times what Yahoo! initially offered.

CA

Level 2

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 2

Intermediate

MySpace site has become cluttered with advertising. Online ad boom 11 Mr Murdoch’s tie-up between MySpace and Google gave him a way into the world of online search advertising, which is by far the largest part of the booming online ad market. But it was only a foot in the door. There is a feeling among analysts, especially in the US, that News Corp needs to do more, which is where a potential deal with Yahoo! becomes attractive. 12 Talks between Mr Murdoch who wants to swap MySpace for a 25% stake in Yahoo!, and Yahoo!, have hit a snag. Earlier this week, Yahoo! chief executive Terry Semel stepped down after intense pressure from investors. His replacement, co-founder Jerry Yang, will want

time to deal with the problems in the business before re-opening negotiations with anyone. 13 But, for Mr Murdoch, the allure of the Internet advertising market is not going to go away. A recent report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers showed that last year, online advertising worldwide grew 37.9% to $31.6bn, and now accounts for more than 7% of the total advertising market of $407bn. Globally, the internet will remain the fastest growing advertising medium. By 2011 the online advertising market will be worth $73bn, accounting for 14% of the global advertising market. That’s still a lot to play for. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/6/07

4 Summary and missing prepositions 1. Put the missing prepositions into the sentences. Now Facebook is estimated ______ analysts to be worth much more than that. ______ first, the site was only available ______ students, but now anyone can access it. Facebook, a social networking site, is one ______ the fastest growing websites ______ the internet. Online advertising is one of the fastest growing markets. By 2011 it will be worth more than $73bn, or 14% of the global advertising market. Last year Yahoo! offered over $1bn ______ Facebook – Zuckerberg refused to sell. ______ 2005, Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace ______ $580m. MySpace’s tie-in ______ Google has cluttered MySpace ______ advertising. Murdoch now wants to swap it ______ a 25% stake in Yahoo! It was created ______ 2004 ______ Mark Zuckerberg ______ students.

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2. Now number the boxes to put the sentences in the correct order (according to the article).

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 2 Intermediate 5 Numbers and figures 1. Write out these numbers in figures. One billion

________________

Twenty-seven million

________________

One hundred thousand

________________

2. Find the numbers in the article that correspond to these statements. a. How much an advertising deal was worth between a social networking site and a search engine. ____________ b. The price Murdoch paid for MySpace. ____________ c. Facebook has this many daily users. ____________ d. Facebook has this many active users. ____________ e. MySpace has this many users. ____________ f. Yahoo!’s first offer for Facebook. ____________ g. The amount online advertising could be worth in 4 year’s time. ____________

6 Idioms

You do this when someone or something shocks or surprises you.

b. To raise your eyebrows at something or somebody.

To experience a difficulty.

c. To cash in your chips.

To make something available.

d. To throw open your doors to something or somebody.

To start working in or with a company or organisation at a low level in the hope that you will be able to progress from there.

e. To hit a snag.

Selling something to get what profit you can because you think its value is going to fall.

NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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a. To get your foot in the door.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. Match the idioms with their meanings.

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 2

Intermediate

7 Discussion Would you join a social networking community such as Facebook, MySpace or Friends Reunited? Why? Why not? Make a list of pros and cons before starting your discussion.

8 Webquest Go to www.facebook.com and click on the virtual tour (you do not need to register). Then answer these questions: Who can sign up to Facebook? Whose profiles can you see when you sign up? What does Facebook recommend you add when writing your profile? Can you upload photos? What will Facebook notify you of?

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What can you do if you don’t want someone to access your profile?

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

3 Companies and people

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

a. b. c.

analyst CEO investor financier co-founder sociologist mogul vice president drop-out

Google and Yahoo! are search engines. News Corp is a media conglomerate that owns many newspapers and TV networks. Facebook and MySpace are online social networking websites.



1. Rupert Murdoch is the CEO of News Corp. 2. Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO of Facebook. 3. Jerry Yang is the co-founder and CEO of Yahoo!

2 Most popular websites

4 Summary and missing prepositions

Hitwise UK - Top 20 Websites - May, 2007

Facebook, a social networking site, is one of the fastest growing websites on the internet.

This list features the most popular websites based on UK Internet usage for May, 2007, ranked by market share of visits across all Hitwise industries.

www.youtube.com uk.search.yahoo.com www.amazon.co.uk www.msn.com images.google.co.uk www.facebook.com www.microsoft.com mail.myspace.com

0.75% 0.69% 0.64% 0.61% 0.60% 0.57% 0.54% 0.53%

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

At first, the site was only available to students, but now anyone can access it. Last year Yahoo! offered over $1bn for Facebook – Zuckerberg refused to sell. Now Facebook is estimated by analysts to be worth much more than that. In 2005, Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace for $580m. MySpace’s tie-in with Google has cluttered MySpace with advertising. Murdoch now wants to swap it for a 25% stake in Yahoo! Online advertising is one of the fastest growing markets. By 2011 it will be worth more than $73bn, or 14% of the global advertising market.

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13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

It was created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg for students.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Market Share 8.2% 2.7% 2.64% 2.44% 1.54% 1.52% 1.47% 1.36% 1.24% 0.91% 0.82% 0.81%

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Website www.google.co.uk www.ebay.co.uk www.hotmail.com www.google.com uk.msn.com www.bebo.com www.orange.co.uk www.myspace.com uk.mail.yahoo.com uk.yahoo.com news.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

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Rank 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Facebook challenges MySpace Level 2

Intermediate

5 Numbers and figures 1. One billion = 1,000,000,000 Twenty-seven million = 27,000,000 One hundred thousand = 100,000 2. a. $900 million b. $580 million c. 100,000 d. 27 million e. 60 million f. $1 billion g. $73 billion

6 Idioms

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NEWS LESSONS / Facebook challenges MySpace / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a. To start working in or with a company or organisation at a low level in the hope that you will be able to progress from there. b. You do this when someone or something shocks or surprises you. c. Selling something to get what profit you can because you think its value is going to fall. d. To make something available. e. To experience a difficulty.

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. probation superficial

pundit compassion

mainstay scenario

cynic downfall

sincere misconception

1. A ____________ is a person who believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere



or honest. 2. A ____________ is a situation that could possibly happen. 3. A ____________ is someone who is an expert in a subject and often talks to the public about it. 4. A ____________ is a wrong belief or opinion as a result of not understanding something. 5. ____________ is a feeling of sympathy and caring for someone who is in a bad situation. 6. ____________ is a punishment where an offender is not sent to prison but has to agree not to break the law for a specific period of time. 7. The ____________ of someone’s life is the element in it that they really depend on. 8. If something is ____________, it is not important and does not have a serious effect. 9. A ____________ person talks and acts in a way that shows they really mean what they say. 10. A ____________ is the sudden loss of power, status or success.

2

What do you know?

Are these statements True (T) or False (F)? Check your answers in the text. 1. Paris Hilton was sent to prison for speeding. 2. She spent 30 days in prison. 3. She was released from prison after three days. 4. A judge ordered her to be sent back to jail. 5. She served her sentence in a jail in New York.

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NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. One of Hilton’s friends is Britney Spears.

Hilton puts her fame to good use Advanced

Hilton to use her fame to promote ‘great causes’ 6

Hilton said she suffered from claustrophobia and attention deficit disorder, for which she took medication. She said the sheriff’s officials had released her to home confinement after just three days because of claustrophobia, anxiety and panic attacks. After a judge ordered her back to the California jail, Hilton said she coped by meditating and reading letters from fans. But she still had nightmares of “someone trying to break into my cell and hurt me”.

7

“Just the whole idea of being in jail is really scary,” she said. “I hate to be alone so that was really just hard for me in the beginning.” Her life was now at a crossroads, she said, insisting the scenario was “neither a downfall nor a failure, but a new beginning”.

8

She said: “I’m glad it happened in a way because it’s changed my life for ever. I feel stronger than ever and I feel like this is a lesson in disguise.” Asked by King about the crowd she hangs out with, which includes the singer Britney Spears and the actress Lindsay Lohan, Hilton replied: “Everybody makes mistakes.”

9

She said a big misconception about her is that she lives off her family’s money. “I work very hard. I run a business. I’ve had a book on the New York Times best-sellers list. I’m on the fifth season of my TV show. I did an album. I do movies,” she said.

1 In her first interview after serving 23 days in prison

2 “There’s a lot more important things in life [than

3 Cynics might wonder at how dramatic this change

is going to be, given that talking to King, veteran of the celebrity confessional, was one of her first acts after being freed. But Hilton - who apparently did the interview without payment - insisted she was sincere and wanted to be a better role model. Alone in her cell for 23 hours a day, Hilton devoted herself to reading, writing a prison diary and thinking, she said.

4 Reading from her prison diary on the CNN show,

she said: “I feel like being in the spotlight. I have a platform where I can raise awareness for so many great causes and just do so much with this instead of superficial things like going out. I want to help raise money for kids and for breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.”

5 She spoke about her “compassion for those I

left behind at the prison” and said she wanted to “help set up a place where these women can get themselves back on their feet.” She read: “I know

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Advanced

10 Last week, Hilton, who was educated at Catholic

schools, told TV journalist Barbara Walters, in a telephone interview from her prison cell, that she had become more religious and wanted to work with children. She told King she had always been religious and “always had a sense of spirituality but even more so after being in jail”. She bought a Bible from the jail commissary and read it daily, she said. Asked to name her favourite passage, she smiled and looked away. “I don’t have a favourite,” she said. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/6/07

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partying],” said Hilton, who was released on Tuesday, during an hour-long, pre-recorded interview, after which pundits described her as looking demure and contrite. “I’m frankly sick of it. I’ve been going out for a long time now. Yeah, it’s fun, but it’s not going to be the mainstay of my life any more,” she said. She said she would never drink and drive again and insisted she did not have an alcohol problem. The world will see a new Paris Hilton, she told King.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

for violating a traffic offence probation, Paris Hilton has said she will be partying less and using her fame for the forces of good. The hotel heiress told CNN’s Larry King last night that she wants to work for various social causes, including raising funds for children and cancer sufferers and setting up a centre to help released female prisoners to get their lives back on track.

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Mark Oliver and agencies June 28, 2007

I can make a difference and hopefully stop this vicious circle of these people going in and out of jail.”

CA

Level 3

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1.

What does Paris Hilton want to do now she has left prison? a. She now wants to spend more time partying. b. She now wants to do charity work. c. She now wants to be in the spotlight again.

2.

How does she feel about her fellow prisoners? a. She feels angry that they are in prison. b. She feels sure they will be released soon. c. She understands how they feel.

3.

Which of these things helped Hilton to survive her spell in prison? a. being alone b. meditating and reading fan mail c. writing a diary

4.

Which of these best describes her attitude to religion? a. She has always been religious but is now more religious than before. b. She became religious during her spell in prison. c. She wants to teach religion to children.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions. 1. An adjective referring to a woman and meaning quiet and shy. (Para 2) 2. An adjective meaning sorry and ashamed for something you have done. (Para 2) 3. A three-word expression meaning to spend a lot of time doing something. (Para 3) 4. A two-word expression meaning a process in which the existence of a problem causes other problems and this makes the original problem worse. (Para 5) 5. A word meaning fear of enclosed spaces. (Para 6) 6. A noun meaning a bad dream. (Para 6) 7. An adjective meaning frightening. (Para 7)

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NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A two-word verb meaning to spend time with particular people. (Para 8)

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Match the verbs with the nouns. 1. raise

a. medication

2. make

b. claustrophobia

3. suffer from

c. awareness

4. take

d. a business

5. run

e. probation

6. violate

f. a difference

6 Vocabulary 3: Phobias Match the phobias with the definitions. 1. arachnophobia

a. fear of open spaces/public places

2. technophobia

b. fear of enclosed spaces

3. agoraphobia

c. fear of spiders

4. claustrophobia

d. fear of foreigners

5. xenophobia

e. fear of heights

6. acrophobia

f. fear of gadgets

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

An American TV newsreader refused to read a headline about Paris Hilton, saying it wasn’t news and shouldn’t be a news headline. Do you agree? Do you think that people like Hilton survive on the oxygen of publicity?

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. cynic 2. scenario 3. pundit 4. misconception 5. compassion 6. probation 7. mainstay 8. superficial 9. sincere 10. downfall

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

b c b a

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Phobias 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c f a b d e

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3 Comprehension check

c f b a d e

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F F T T F T

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

demure contrite devote oneself to vicious circle claustrophobia nightmare scary hang out

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.

heiress role model

celebrity diary

meditate spotlight

cause nightmare

raise claustrophobia

1. A _____________ is a book in which you write what happens to you each day. 2. If you are in the _____________, you are the centre of attention and everybody is talking about you. 3. A _____________ is a famous person, especially in the world of entertainment. 4. A _____________ is a person who is a good example for other people to copy. 5. If you have _____________, you are afraid of being in small, closed spaces. 6. An _____________ is a woman who will receive a lot of money when someone dies. 7. If you _____________ money, you collect it for a particular purpose. 8. A good _____________ is an organization, plan or activity that provides help to people who need it. 9. When you _____________, you relax by making your mind empty of things. 10. A _____________ is a very frightening and unpleasant dream.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.

1. How long did Paris Hilton spend in prison? 2. In which American state did she go to prison? 3. How long was she alone in her cell each day? 4. How long was her interview on the Larry King Show? 5. How much was she paid for the interview?

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NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What did she buy in jail?

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 1

Elementary

Hilton to use her fame to promote ‘great causes’

6

Hilton said she suffered from claustrophobia while she was in prison. She also said she had nightmares of “someone trying to break into my cell and hurt me”. She said that meditating and reading letters from fans helped her to survive. “The whole idea of being in jail is really frightening,” she said. “I hate to be alone so that was really just hard for me in the beginning.” She was now at a crossroads in her life, she said, but said that her time in prison was “not a failure, but a new beginning”.

7

She said: “In a way I’m pleased it happened because it’s changed my life for ever. I feel stronger than before and I feel like this is a kind of lesson for me.” When King asked her about the people she spends time with, which includes the singer Britney Spears and the actress Lindsay Lohan, Hilton replied: “Everybody makes mistakes.”

8

She said that it was wrong to think that she lives off her family’s money. “I work very hard. I have my own business. I’ve written a book. I’ve been doing a TV show for five years. I made a CD. I do movies,” she said.

9

Last week, Hilton, who went to Catholic schools as a child, told TV journalist Barbara Walters that she had become more religious and wanted to work with children. She told King she had always been religious and was now more religious after being in jail. She bought a Bible in jail and read it every day, she said. When King asked her to name her favourite part of the Bible, she just smiled. “I don’t have a favourite,” she said.

Mark Oliver and agencies June 28, 2007

“There are more important things in life than going to parties,” said Hilton during an hour-long interview. “I’m sick of it. I’ve been going out for a long time now. Yeah, it’s fun, but it’s not going to be the most important thing in my life any more,” she said. She said she would never drink and drive again and also said she did not have an alcohol problem. She told King that the world would now see a new Paris Hilton.

3

Hilton did not receive any money for the interview. She said she now wanted to be a better role model. When she was alone in her cell for 23 hours a day, she spent all her time reading, writing a prison diary and thinking, she said.

4

Hilton read from her prison diary on the CNN show. “I feel as if I am in the spotlight,” she said. “I think I can make people think about a lot of important causes. I don’t want to do stupid things like going to parties. I want to help raise money for children and for people suffering from breast cancer and other serious diseases.”

First published in The Guardian, 28/06/07

She spoke about her feelings for the women prisoners she met in jail and said she wanted to help them to start their lives again when they leave prison. “I know I can make a difference. Maybe I can help to stop these people going in and out of jail.”

NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5

© Guardian News & Media 2007

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2

The heiress and celebrity Paris Hilton has just spent 23 days in a prison in California. After leaving prison she appeared on an American TV programme called the Larry King Show on CNN. In an interview with Larry King she said that she will now spend less time at parties and will work to raise money for various social causes. The hotel heiress told Larry King that she wants to raise money for children and people suffering from cancer. She also wants to start a centre to help women after they leave prison.

CA

1

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. In prison Paris Hilton spent most of her time… 2. She says she is pleased she went to prison because… 3. She says she wants… 4. Hilton suffered from… 5. She says she doesn’t want… 6. She says she doesn’t like… a. … to go to parties all the time. b. … being alone. c. … to raise money for good causes. d. … reading, writing and meditating. e. … claustrophobia while she was in prison. f. … it has changed her life for ever.

4 Vocabulary 1: Comparative adjectives

long

longer

1

religious

2

important

3

good

4

serious

5

hard

6

strong

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Elementary

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e.g.

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comparative

CA

adjective

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Complete the table.

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Match the verbs and the nouns.

1. raise

a. other people

2. make

b. a medical condition

3. have

c. money

4. spend

d. a difference

5. help

e. nightmares

6. suffer from

f. time

6 Word stress Put these words from the text into two groups according to their word stress.

alone

before



A

disease

model

include

mistake

0 o

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Elementary

B



survive

nightmare

failure

business

o 0

H



programme

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prison

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Comparative adjectives

1. diary 2. spotlight 3. celebrity 4. role model 5. claustrophobia 6. heiress 7. raise 8. cause 9. meditate 10. nightmare

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c d e f a b

6 Word stress A 0 o

B o 0

3 Comprehension check

prison

disease

programme

survive

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

model

alone

nightmare

before

failure

include

business

mistake

d f c e a b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Elementary

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23 days California 23 hours one hour nothing a Bible

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

more religious more important better more serious harder stronger

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. heiress

released celebrity

insist

cynic

nightmare

sincere

anxiety

superficial

meditate

1. A ____________ person talks and acts in a way that shows they really mean what they say. 2. If something is ____________, it is not important and does not have a serious effect. 3. A ____________ is a very frightening and unpleasant dream. 4. If you suffer from ____________, you feel very worried because you think something bad might happen. 5. A ____________ is a famous person, particularly in the world of entertainment. 6. A ____________ is a person who believes that people care only about themselves and are not



sincere or honest. 7. If you ____________ , you make your mind empty of thoughts in order to relax. 8. If you are ____________ from prison, you are allowed to leave and go home. 9. An ____________ is a woman who will receive a large amount of money or property when someone dies. 10. If you ____________ that something is true, you keep saying it very firmly.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How long did Paris Hilton spend in prison? 2. In which American state did she go to prison? 3. How long was she alone in her cell each day? 4. How long was her interview on the Larry King Show? 5. How much was she paid for the interview?

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NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What did she buy in jail?

Hilton puts her fame to good use Intermediate 5

She spoke about her feelings “for those I left behind at the prison” and said she wanted to “help set up a place where these women can get themselves back on their feet.” She read: “I know I can make a difference and hopefully stop this vicious circle of these people going in and out of jail.”

6

Hilton said she suffered from claustrophobia and attention deficit disorder, for which she took medication. She said the sheriff’s officials had allowed her to serve the rest of her sentence at home after just three days because of claustrophobia, anxiety and panic attacks. After a judge ordered her back to the California jail, Hilton said that meditating and reading letters from fans helped her to survive. But she still had nightmares of “someone trying to break into my cell and hurt me”.

7

“Just the whole idea of being in jail is really frightening,” she said. “I hate to be alone so that was really just hard for me in the beginning.” Her life was now at a crossroads, she said, insisting that her time in prison was “not a failure, but a new beginning”.

8

She said: “I’m glad it happened in a way because it’s changed my life for ever. I feel stronger than ever and I feel like this is a kind of lesson.” When King asked her about the people she spends time with, which include the singer Britney Spears and the actress Lindsay Lohan, Hilton replied: “Everybody makes mistakes.”

9

She said that people were wrong to think that she lives off her family’s money. “I work very hard. I run a business. I’ve had a book on the New York Times best-sellers list. I’m on the fifth season of my TV show. I did an album. I do movies,” she said.

Mark Oliver and agencies June 28, 2007

3 Cynics might wonder at how dramatic this change is going to be, since one of the first things she did after her release from prison was to talk to King, whose programme is well-known for giving celebrities the opportunity to get publicity. But Hilton - who apparently was not paid for the interview - said she was sincere and wanted to be a better role model. While she was alone in her cell for 23 hours a day, Hilton spent all her time reading, writing a prison diary and thinking, she said. 4 Reading from her prison diary on the CNN show, she said: “I feel as if I am in the spotlight. I have a platform where I can raise awareness for so many great causes and just do so much with this instead of doing superficial things like going to parties. I want to help raise money for kids and for breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Intermediate

10 Last week, Hilton, who was educated at Catholic schools, told TV journalist Barbara Walters, in a telephone interview from her prison cell, that she had become more religious and wanted to work with children. She told King she had always been religious and “always had a sense of spirituality

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2 “There’s a lot more important things in life than going to parties,” said Hilton, who was released on Tuesday, during an hour-long, pre-recorded interview, after which television experts described her as looking demure and contrite. “I’m frankly sick of it. I’ve been going out for a long time now. Yeah, it’s fun, but it’s not going to be the most important thing in my life any more,” she said. She said she would never drink and drive again and insisted she did not have an alcohol problem. She told King that the world would now see a new Paris Hilton.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 After spending 23 days in prison, Paris Hilton has said she will now be spending less time at parties and will use the fact that she is a famous personality to work for various social causes. The hotel heiress told CNN’s Larry King that she wants to raise money for children and cancer sufferers and set up a centre to help released female prisoners to rebuild their lives.

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Hilton to use her fame to promote ‘great causes’

CA

Level 2

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 2

Intermediate

but even more so after being in jail”. She bought a Bible in jail and read it every day, she said. When King asked her to name her favourite passage in the Bible, she smiled and looked away. “I don’t have a favourite,” she said. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/6/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. After her release from prison, Paris Hilton says she wants to spend more time going to parties. 2. While she was in prison she spent most of her time reading letters from fans. 3. She now wants to work for good causes and charities. 4. She would also like to help women prisoners. 5. She was released after three days because she suffered from attention deficit disorder. 6. She feels that she is a stronger person after spending time in prison.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find these words in the text. 1. An adjective referring to a woman and meaning quiet and shy. (Para 2) 2. An adjective meaning sorry and ashamed for something you have done. (Para 2) 3. An adverb meaning based on what you have heard, not on what you are certain is true. (Para 3) 4. A two-word expression meaning someone whose behaviour is considered to be a good example for other people to copy. (Para 3)



5. A two-word expression meaning a process in which the existence of a problem causes other problems and this makes the original problem worse. (Para 5) 6. A noun meaning fear of being in enclosed spaces. (Para 6) 7. A three-word expression meaning a psychological condition which means you cannot concentrate on anything for very long. (Para 6)

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NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A two-word expression meaning a sudden very strong feeling of being afraid that makes you unable to breathe. (Para 6)

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Match the verbs with the nouns. 1. raise

a. medication

2. serve

b. time

3. spend

c. a business

4. make

d. a prison sentence

5. take

e. mistakes / a difference

6. run

f. money / awareness

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions Fill the gaps in the phrases using prepositions. 1. to suffer _______ a medical condition 2. to release someone _______ prison 3. to take medication _______ a medical condition 4. to spend time _______ people 5. to live _______ someone’s money 6. to be sick _______ something 7. to be _______ the spotlight 8. to be _______ a crossroads

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Intermediate

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Should celebrities be sent to prison? Do you feel sorry for Paris Hilton?

Hilton puts her fame to good use Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. sincere 2. superficial 3. nightmare 4. anxiety 5. celebrity 6. cynic 7. meditate 8. released 9. heiress 10. insist

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F F T T F T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Hilton puts her fame to good use / Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

from from for with off of in at

H

3 Comprehension check

f d b e a c

•P

23 days California 23 hours one hour nothing a Bible

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

demure contrite apparently role model vicious circle claustrophobia attention deficit disorder panic attack

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 3 1

Advanced

Brainstorming

In your class, brainstorm as many positive and negative aspects as you can about living in a city. Which of your suggestions would you expect to come up in an article about a UN report into urbanization and growing cities?

2

Keywords – synonyms

Skim-read the article and find synonyms for the following words or expressions. The paragraph numbers have been given to help you. 1. A disaster (title) ____________ 2. An inhabitant (subtitle) ____________ 3. A change, a passage, or a transformation (para 1) ____________ 4. Inescapable, unavoidable (para 2) ____________ 5. Never having happened or existed before (para 2) ____________ 6. Move (para 3) ____________ 7. Multiple periods of 1,000 years (para 3) ____________ 8. Growing untidily, expanding in all directions (para 4) ____________ 9. Shanty town, poor housing area (para 4) ____________ 10. Hygiene, cleanliness (para 4) ____________ 11. Hands-on, take the initiative (para 7) ____________ 12. Produce, production, harvest (para 8) ____________

3 Pronunciation Write the words below into the chart according to their pronunciation pattern.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Advanced

oOooo

Caribbean (BE) sanitation

Caribbean (AE) comparison

ooOoo

O

ooOo

inevitable millennia

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

oOoo

catastrophe agricultural

•P H

unprecedented executive

CA

population generation

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 3

Advanced

Growing cities face catastrophe, says UN • Urban dwellers to outgrow rural population



next year • Big rise in poverty, slums and pollution is feared

John Vidal, environment editor Thursday June 28, 2007 1 Humanity will make the historic transition from a rural to an urban species sometime in the next year, according to the latest UN population figures. The move will be led by Africa and Asia, which are expected to add 1.6 billion people to their cities over the next 25 years.

is expected to add 440 million to its cities in the same period, and Latin America and the Caribbean nearly 200 million. Rural populations are expected to decrease worldwide by 28 million people.



6

But urbanization can be positive. “No country in the industrial age has ever achieved significant economic growth without urbanization, said Ms Obaid. “Cities concentrate poverty, but they also present poor people’s best hope of escaping it. The potential benefits of urbanization, which include easier access to health centres and education, far outweigh the disadvantages.”

7

However, the report warns that if we do nothing, the growth of urbanization will mean more slums and poverty, as well as a rise in attempted migration away from poor regions. “Today one billion people live in slums, 90% of whom are in developing countries. The fight against poverty will take place in the slums. To win it, politicians need to be proactive and start working with the urban poor. The only way to defeat urban poverty is head on,” said Ms Obaid.

8

The climate is expected to increasingly shape and be shaped by cities. In a vicious circle, climate change will increase energy demand for air conditioning in cities, which will add to greenhouse gas emissions. It could also raise temperatures in urban areas by 2-6oC. “Heat, pollution, smog and ground-level ozone [from cities] affect surrounding areas, reducing agricultural yields, increasing health risks and producing tornadoes and thunderstorms. The impacts of climate change on urban water supplies are expected to be dramatic,” the report says. Cities like New Delhi, in the drier areas, will be hit particularly hard.

9

Developing countries are at a great disadvantage when they start to urbanize. They will require houses, power, water, sanitation and roads, and will have to build faster than any rich country has ever done.

2 The speed and scale of inevitable global urbanization is so great most countries will not be prepared for the affect it will have, Thoraya Obaid, executive director of the UN Population Fund, says. “In human history we have never seen urban growth like this. It is unprecedented.” 3 Ms Obaid added: “In 2008, half of the world’s population will live in urban areas. The shift from rural to urban areas changes a balance that has lasted for millennia. Within one generation, five billion people, or 60% of humanity, will live in cities. The urban population of Africa and Asia is set to double in this time.” She said that each week the numbers living in cities grows by nearly a million. 4 “Most cities [in developing countries] already have pressing concerns, including crime, lack of clean water and sanitation, and sprawling slums. But these problems are not as serious as those that could be raised by future growth. If we do not plan ahead it will be a catastrophe. The changes are too fast to allow planners to react. If governments wait, it will be too late.”

10 The report also talks about the end for growth of existing mega-cities. “Only Dhaka in Bangladesh,

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

•

5 According to the State of the World Population Report, which Ms Obaid launched in London, large-scale population growth will take place in the cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America. It suggests the largest transition to cities will occur in Asia, where the number of urbanites will almost double to 2.6 billion in 2030. Africa

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 3

Advanced

and Lagos in Nigeria, of the world’s 20 megacities, are expected to grow more than 3% a year in the next decade ... most growth will be in smaller cities, of under 500,000 people. The good news is these cities are more flexible [in expansion]; the bad news is they don’t have enough housing, water, and waste disposal.”

11 Ms Obaid said: “It concerns everyone, not just developing countries. If we plan ahead we will create conditions for a stable world. If we do not, and do not find education, jobs, and houses for people in cities, then these populations will become destructive, to themselves and others.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/06/07

4 Comprehension Are the sentences True (T) or False (F)? If they are false, say why. 1. Governments around the world are prepared for the problems that come with growing cities. 2. The biggest growth regions are Asia, Africa and South America. 3. According to the report, some of the biggest problems faced are in sanitation, transport, health issues, schooling and animal welfare. 4. The UN suggests installing air-conditioning units to combat the rising temperatures. 5. Most of the growth will take place in the world’s existing mega-cities.

5 Collocations 1. Match the words to make collocations from the article. climate

countries

developing

emissions

pressing

change

greenhouse gas

concerns

2. Write words on the lines to make collocations from the article.

O

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Advanced

•P H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

Urban

CA

Growth

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 3

Advanced

3. Write at least 4 sentences using some of the collocations in 1 and 2. ……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………..…….. ……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………..…….. ……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………..…….. ……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………..……..

6 A vicious circle Draw a diagram of the vicious circle described in paragraph 8 relating to climate changes and cities. Include at least 4 steps. change Step 1 Climate ........................

Step 4 …………….

Step 2 …………………

Step 3 …………………

7 Discussion – Are you a town or a country person? Get into groups with other ‘townies’ or ‘country-folk’, and discuss what you like best about living in the countryside or in urban areas. Note down the strongest arguments for your side and then, in a whole class discussion, try to convince the other group to move to your side.

8

Webquest – Mega-cities

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Advanced

•P H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Check the Internet to find out which are the largest cities in the world, by population and by area (city limits and metropolitan). Do different websites give different answers? What factors affect the answers?

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 3

Advanced

KEY 2 Keywords – synonyms

4 Comprehension

1. a catastrophe 2. a dweller 3. a transition 4. inevitable 5. unprecedented 6. shift 7. millennia 8. sprawling 9. slums 10. sanitation 11. proactive 12. yield

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

oOooo unprecedented inevitable ooOoo agricultural

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Advanced

climate change developing countries pressing concerns greenhouse gas emissions

2. urban, significant, economic + growth urban + population, areas, species

6 A vicious circle Step 1 Climate change Step 2 Increased energy demands (e.g. for air-conditioning) Step 3 Increased greenhouse gas emissions Step 4 Raise the temperature 2 – 6 °C Step 5 or 1 Climate change



(Other possible factors include: heat, pollution, smog, ozone, reducing agricultural yields, health risks, tornadoes, thunderstorms.)

H

ooOo population sanitation Caribbean (BE) generation

1.

•P

oOoo executive comparison catastrophe millennia Caribbean (AE)

5 Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Pronunciation

False – Governments around the world are not prepared for the problems that come with growing cities. True False – According to the report, some of the biggest problems faced are in sanitation, transport, jobs, health issues, schooling, and housing animal welfare. False – The report suggests that governments will have to quickly build and work on houses, power, water, sanitation and roads. False – Most of the growth will take place in cities with a current population of 500,000 or less.

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 1 1

Elementary

What do you think?

What are the advantages of a) living in a city and b) living in the country? Complete the word wheels and then compare your answers with a partner’s. Are your answers similar?

Advantages of living in the...

city

country

Now complete two more word wheels for the disadvantages of c) living in a city and d) living in the country.

Disadvantages of living in the...

O

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Elementary

•P H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

country

CA

city

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 1 2

Elementary

Keyword wordsearch

Read the definitions to find words from the article. Write them next to the definitions. The paragraph number is given to help you. 1. An adjective relating to towns or cities. _____________ (subtitle) 2. An adjective relating to the countryside. _____________ (subtitle) 3. A poor area of town where the houses are in a very bad condition. _____________ (subtitle) 4. The process of damaging the air, water or land with chemicals or other substances. _____________ (subtitle) 5. _____________ is a situation in which someone does not have enough money for their basic needs. (subtitle) 6. When something is _____________ it is very important, large or noticeable. (para 6) 7. To win against someone or something. _____________ (para 7) 8. Another verb for the need for something. _____________ (para 8) 9. A supply of power. _____________ (para 8) 10. Polluted air. A mixture of smoke and fog. _____________ (para 8) 11. Causing severe damage or harm. _____________ (para 9) Now find the words in the word search.

N P O L L U T I O N E R

T S Q V N C R X P G X N

O

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Elementary

A Y G R E N E S C V B V

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

I G N I F I C Z M B Q N B B S T A E F E D N T N S P C E A A R O L K R B M V U Y U H R E E F C Y M R Z A D X T M R U R A L S I R J V L J M L X Z W Y P O L J V I Q T G K

•P H

S E N N T E R Z T R C J

CA

D M D X K R E U D Y J O

Growing cities face catastrophe Elementary 6

But urbanization can be positive. “No country has ever achieved significant economic growth without urbanization, said Ms Obaid. “Although there will be more concentrated poverty in the urban areas, moving to a city can also offer poor people the best chance of escaping poverty. The potential benefits of urbanization, for example, easier access to health centres and education, are far greater than the disadvantages.”

7

However, the report warns that if we do nothing, the growth of urbanization will mean more slums and poverty, as well as a rise in migration away from poor regions. “Today one billion people live in slums, 90% of whom are in developing countries. The fight against poverty will take place in the slums. To win it, politicians need to be proactive and start working with the urban poor. This is the only way to defeat urban poverty,” said Ms Obaid.

8

The climate will play an important part in the shape of cities. In a vicious circle, climate change will increase the demand for energy as more people need air conditioning. This energy demand will add to greenhouse gas emissions which could raise temperatures in urban areas by 2-6°C. “Heat, pollution, smog and ground-level ozone [from cities] will affect surrounding areas. This will reduce agricultural production, increase health risks, and will produce tornadoes and thunderstorms. The effects of climate change on urban water supplies are expected to be dramatic,” the report says. Cities like New Delhi, in the drier areas, will be hit particularly hard.

9

Developing countries are at a great disadvantage when they start to urbanize. They will require houses, power, water, sanitation and roads, and will have to build faster than any rich country has ever done. As Ms Obaid said: “This problem concerns everyone, not just developing countries. If we plan ahead we will create conditions for a stable world. If we do not, and do not find adequate education, jobs, and houses for people in cities, then these populations” will become destructive, to themselves and others.

1 Humanity will make the historic move from a rural to an urban species sometime in the next year, according to the latest UN population figures. Africa and Asia alone are expected to add 1.6 billion people to their cities over the next 25 years.

2 The speed and scale of global urbanization is so

great that most countries are not prepared for the effect it will have, Thoraya Obaid, executive director of the UN Population Fund, says: “In human history we have never seen urban growth like this.”

3 For thousands of years more people have lived in

rural areas than in urban areas, but as Ms Obaid said: “In 2008, half of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Within one generation, five billion people, or 60% of humanity, will live in cities. The urban population of Africa and Asia will double in this time.” She added that each week the number of people living in cities grows by nearly a million.

4 “Most cities [in developing countries] already have

many problems; these include crime, not enough clean water and sanitation, and slums. But the problems could get worse. “If we do not plan ahead it will be a catastrophe”, said Ms Obaid. “The changes are too fast to allow cities to react. If governments wait, it will be too late.”

5 According to the State of the World Population

Report, large-scale population growth will take place in the cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The report says that the largest move to cities will be in Asia, where the number of people living in cities will almost double to 2.6 billion in 2030. The population of cities in Africa is expected to grow by 440 million in the same period, and in Latin America and the Caribbean by nearly 200 million. Rural populations are expected to decrease worldwide by 28 million people.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Elementary

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/6/07

O

John Vidal, environment editor June 28, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Urban dwellers to outgrow rural population next year • Big rise in poverty, slums and pollution is feared

•P H

Growing cities face catastrophe, says UN

CA

Level 1

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 1

Elementary

3 Vocabulary: Words for describing trends Put the trend words in the correct columns. grow fewer

fall halve

decrease increase

upward trend h

more rise

double

less

sink

raise

growth reduce

downward trend i

4 Comprehension Choose the correct word from 3 to complete the sentences. Try to do it without looking at the article. Then go back and check your answers in the article.

1. The urban population of Africa and Asia will _____________ in one generation. 2. Each week the number of people living in cities _____________ by nearly a million. 3. Large-scale population _____________ will take place in the cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America. 4. In Asia the number of people living in cities will almost _____________ to 2.6 billion in 2030. 5. Rural populations are expected to _____________ worldwide. 6. There could be a _____________ in migration away from poor regions. 7. Extra greenhouse gas emissions could _____________ temperatures in urban areas by 2-6°C. 8. The climate changes will _____________ agricultural production and _____________ health risks.

H

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Elementary

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



Growing cities face catastrophe Level 1

Elementary

5 Discussion – Are you a city or a country person? Make two groups: a city group and a country group. Talk and make notes about what you like best about living in the city or the country. Now get together with someone from the other group and discuss your answers.

5 Webquest – Cities and their populations

H

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Elementary

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

How many people live in your (nearest) city? Compare this figure with the population of New Delhi, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and New York. Which city has the largest population?

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 1

Elementary

KEY 2 Keyword word search

4 Comprehension

1. urban 2. rural 3. slums 4. pollution 5. poverty 6. significant 7. defeat 8. demand 9. energy 10. smog 11. destructive

1. The urban population of Africa and Asia will double in one generation. 2. Each week the number of people living in cities grows by nearly a million. 3. Large-scale population growth will take place in the cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America. 4. In Asia the number of people living in cities will almost double to 2.6 billion in 2030.

D

S

I

G

N

I

F

I

C

A

N

T

M

E

Z

M

B

Q

N

B

B

Y

P

S

D

N

S

T

A

E

F

E

D

G

O

Q

X

N

N

T

N

S

P

C

E

R

L

V

K

T

A

A

R

O

L

K

R

E

L

N

R

E

B

M

V

U

Y

U

H

N

U

C

E

R

R

E

E

F

C

Y

M

E

T

R

U

Z

R

Z

A

D

X

T

M

S

I

X

D

T

R

U

R

A

L

S

I

C

O

P

Y

R

R

J

V

L

J

M

L

V

N

G

J

C

X

Z

W

Y

P

O

L

B

E

X

O

J

J

V

I

Q

T

G

K

V

R

N

5. Rural populations are expected to decrease worldwide. 6. There could be a rise in migration away from poor regions.



7. Extra greenhouse gas emissions could raise temperatures in urban areas by 2-6°C. 8. The climate changes will reduce agricultural production and increase health risks.

3 Vocabulary: Words for describing trends upward trend h

fall decrease less fewer halve sink reduce

H

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Elementary

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

grow more double growth increase rise raise

downward trend i

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 2 1

Intermediate

Brainstorming – What do you think?

Is your city or town getting bigger or smaller? Is it changing in any other ways? Is this a positive or negative thing? Read the title of the article. Brainstorm reasons why you think growing cities might face major problems.

2

Keywords

1. Find words from the article and write them next to the definitions. The paragraph number is given to help you.



a. A poor area of town where the houses are in a very bad condition. ____________ (subtitle) b. The process of damaging the air, water or land with chemicals or other substances. ____________ (subtitle) c. All the people who are living on the world. ____________ (para 1) d. A plant or animal group whose members all have similar general features and are able to produce young. ____________ (para 1) e. A change in something. ____________ (para 3) f. An adjective to describe countries which are poor and which don’t have many industries. ____________ (para 4)



g. Conditions relating to people’s health and especially the systems that supply water and deal with human waste. ____________ (para 4) h. The process of going to another place in order to find work. ____________ (para 7) i. A process in which a problem causes other problems, making the first problem worse. ____________ (para 8) j.

Causing severe damage or harm. ____________ (para 10)

2. Find words that are based on urban and poor and write them next to the definitions. urban

(noun) ____________ is the process by which towns and cities grow bigger. (verb) To ____________ means to make more like a city.

(noun) An ____________ is someone who lives in a city.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

poor (noun) ____________ is a situation in which someone does not have enough money for their basic needs.

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 2

Intermediate

Growing cities face catastrophe, says UN • Urban dwellers to outgrow rural population

next year • Big rise in poverty, slums and pollution is feared

John Vidal, environment editor Thursday June 28, 2007



population of cities in Africa is expected to grow by 440 million in the same period, and in Latin America and the Caribbean by nearly 200 million. Rural populations are expected to decrease worldwide by 28 million people. 6

But urbanization can be positive. “No country in the industrial age has ever achieved significant economic growth without urbanization, said Ms Obaid. “Although there will be more poverty in the urban areas, moving to a city can also present poor people with the best chance of escaping it. The potential benefits of urbanization, which include easier access to health centres and education, are far greater than the disadvantages.”

7

However, the report warns that if we do nothing, the growth of urbanization will mean more slums and poverty, as well as a rise in migration away from poor regions. “Today one billion people live in slums, 90% of whom are in developing countries. The fight against poverty will take place in the slums. To win it, politicians need to be proactive and start working with the urban poor. This is the only way to defeat urban poverty,” said Ms Obaid.

8

The climate is expected to increasingly shape and be shaped by cities. In a vicious circle, climate change will increase the energy demand as more people need air-conditioning in cities. This demand will add to greenhouse gas emissions which could raise temperatures in urban areas by 2-6oC. “Heat, pollution, smog and ground-level ozone [from cities] affect surrounding areas, reducing the amount of agricultural production, increasing health risks and producing tornadoes and thunderstorms. The impact of climate change on urban water supplies are expected to be dramatic,” the report says. Cities like New Delhi, in the drier areas, will be particularly hard hit.

9

Developing countries are at a great disadvantage when they start to urbanize. They will require houses, power, water, sanitation and roads, and will have to build faster than any rich country has ever done.

1 Humanity will make the historic move from a rural to an urban species sometime in the next year, according to the latest UN population figures. The move will be led by Africa and Asia, which are expected to add 1.6 billion people to their cities over the next 25 years. 2 The speed and scale of global urbanization is so great most countries will not be prepared for the effect it will have, Thoraya Obaid, executive director of the UN Population Fund, says. “In human history we have never seen urban growth like this.” 3 Ms Obaid added: “In 2008, half of the world’s population will live in urban areas. The shift from rural to urban areas changes a balance that has lasted for millennia. Within one generation, five billion people, or 60% of humanity, will live in cities. The urban population of Africa and Asia will double in this time.” She said that each week the number of people living in cities grows by nearly a million. 4 “Most cities [in developing countries] already have worrying problems, including crime, lack of clean water and sanitation, and slums. But these problems are not as serious as those that could be raised by future growth. If we do not plan ahead, it will be a catastrophe. The changes are too fast to allow planners to react, and so if governments wait, it will be too late.”

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

•

5 According to the State of the World Population Report, which Ms Obaid launched in London, large-scale population growth will take place in the cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The report suggests that the largest move to cities will occur in Asia, where the number of urbanites will almost double to 2.6 billion in 2030. The

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 2

Intermediate

10 Ms Obaid said: “This problem concerns everyone, not just developing countries. If we plan ahead, we will create conditions for a stable world. If we do not, and do not find education, jobs, and houses for people in cities, then these populations will become destructive, to themselves and others.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/06/07

3 Comprehension check Complete the table using information from the article.

O

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Intermediate

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

Possible solutions

•P H

Expected problems

CA

The situation now and the situation in the very near future

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 2

Intermediate

4 Collocations – prepositions following verbs 1. Look at how these verbs are used in the article and write in the preposition that follows them. by

to

by

of

of

for

lasted _____

prepared _____

decrease _____

according _____

shaped _____

raised _____

of

for

by

2. Now write the verbs + prepositions into the sentences. a.

____________ the report, the urban population is growing.

b. Governments need to be ____________ the problems this will bring. c. The shift will change the balance that has ____________ thousands of years. d. A lot of problems could be ____________ this growth. e. The amount of people living in rural areas is expected to ____________ about 28 million. f. The changes in climate will be ____________ this urbanization.

5 Summary Using the information from exercises 3 and 4, summarize the article to your partner. Be as clear and precise as possible.

6

Discussion – Are you a town or a country person?

Get into groups with other ‘townies’ or ‘country-folk’, and discuss what you like best about living in the countryside or in urban areas. Note down the strongest arguments for your side and then, in a whole class discussion, try to convince the other group to move to your side.

7

Webquest – Mega-cities

Check the internet to find out which are the largest cities in the world, by population and by area.

NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Intermediate

•P H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do different websites give different answers? Why do you think this is?

Growing cities face catastrophe Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 4 Collocations – prepositions following verbs

2 Keywords 1. a. slum (subtitle) b. pollution (subtitle) c. humanity (para 1) d. species (para 1) e. shift (para 3) f. developing countries (para 4) g. sanitation (para 4) h. migration (para 7) i. vicious circle (para 8) j. destructive (para 10)

a. b. c. d. e. f.



according to prepared for lasted for raised by decrease by shaped by

3 Comprehension The situation now and the situation in the very near future

Expected problems

Possible solutions

At the moment the majority of people live in urban areas. Within the next year, humanity will become an urban species. More people will live in urban than rural areas.

Lack of housing – leading to slums. Lack of power, water, sanitation and roads. There will be a climate change. The average temperature will increase by 2 – 6°C. This will lead to new energy demands such as more air-conditioning. This will then add to the greenhouse gas emissions. Increases in heat, pollution, smog and ground-level ozone will affect the surrounding areas. Farmers will produce fewer crops. There will be less to eat. Weather changes could mean more tornadoes and hurricanes. All of the above will lead to greater health risks.

We need to plan ahead now. Governments should be proactive. They should create conditions for a stable world. We need to make sure there are enough jobs and houses, especially in cities, and that there is an adequate school system so that every child can get a proper education.

2. urban – urbanization – a noun urbanize – a verb urbanite – a noun poor – poverty – a noun

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NEWS LESSONS / Growing cities face catastrophe / Intermediate

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Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. fluctuation impoverished



mortality distiller

plausible demise

prone abuse

binge rogue

1. If someone is ____________ to something, they are likely to suffer from it or be affected by it. 2. A ____________ is a person who produces strong alcohol. 3. ____________ are frequent changes in something, particularly in numbers. 4. ____________ is the use of something in a bad, dishonest or harmful way. 5. If something is ____________, it is likely to be true. 6. A ____________ trader or group member is one who does not behave in the same way as others and is considered dangerous. 7. ____________ means very poor. 8. ____________ is the number of deaths in a particular area or group of people. 9. ____________ is the time when someone or something stops existing. 10. A ____________ is an occasion when someone does too much of something they enjoy doing, e.g.



drinking alcohol.

2

What do you know?

Read these statements and decide whether they are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. The population of Russia is rising. 2. Russians drink more alcohol than any other nation in the world. 3. The Russian economy has grown spectacularly since 2000. 4. More than half the men of working age who die in Russia are killed by alcohol. 5. Illegally produced alcohol is rare in Russia.

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6. The World Health Organisation regards Russia as one of the most alcoholic countries in the world.

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Advanced

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks

6

The authors say that men impoverished after losing a job through drinking may be forced to resort to drinking household products containing pure alcohol. Among those who were still alive, 47% who drank such products were jobless compared with 13% who stuck to vodka and beer.

7

Overall, 43% of deaths of men aged 25 to 54 were caused by alcohol, a figure that could be applied to all of Russia because of the typical nature of Izhevsk. An estimate in 2002 put the death toll at 27%. The authors say their higher figures could be due to taking into account drinking of household products with very high levels of alcohol, as well as binges.

8

“Almost half of all deaths in working-age men in a typical Russian city may be accounted for by hazardous drinking,” they write. “Our analyses provide indirect support for the contention that the sharp fluctuations seen in Russian mortality in the early 1990s could be related to hazardous drinking as indicated by consumption of nonbeverage alcohol.”

9

A separate commentary points out that people who get their alcohol from household products often live in poor housing and have bad diets, which could contribute to their chances of an

1 Almost half of working-age men in Russia who die are killed by alcohol abuse, according to a new medical study which says the country’s males die in excessive numbers not just because they drink lots of vodka but because they also consume products containing alcohol, such as eau de cologne, antiseptics and medicines. Some products contain 95% alcohol by volume. 2 An international group of scientists looked at a single city in the Urals to establish the effects of the drinking in Russia. Izhevsk was chosen for being a typical industrial city where life is much the same as elsewhere and where death rates match the Russian average. Underlying the work was the question of why life expectancy in Russia is so low: in 2004 it was 59 years for men and 72 for women. Due to the low life expectancy and birth rate, the population in Russia is falling by 700,000 a year. 3 Alcohol has always been an important factor in death and disease in Russia, borne out by fluctuations in the death rates linked to changes in lifestyle and politics, says a report on the study, in the Lancet medical journal. “President Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign in the mid1980s was associated with an immediate rise in life expectancy, whereas increased alcohol consumption has been linked to rising mortality in the early 1990s during the transition from communism. Deaths related to alcohol, such as acute alcohol poisoning and liver cirrhosis, showed the greatest fluctuations, with similar trends for other causes plausibly linked to alcohol consumption.” 4 A study published last year found that Russians, and inhabitants of other former parts of the Soviet Union, drank more than anybody else in the world - an estimated 15.2 litres of pure

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Advanced

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David Leon, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues examined records and interviewed the families of 1,750 men who had died in Izhevsk from 2003-05. The men were compared with 1,750 who were still alive. They found that problem drinkers and those who drank alcohol not intended for consumption were six times more likely to have died young than those who did not have a drinking problem. The chances of an early death were particularly high for those who got their alcohol from eau de cologne and other unorthodox sources - they were nine times more likely to die.

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alcohol per capita each year for over-15s. They also drank more dangerously and were prone to binges, meaning two or more days of continuous drunkenness.

CA

Level 3

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 3

Advanced

early demise. It adds that illegally produced alcoholic beverages are also widely consumed. 10 The Kremlin is acutely aware of the epic scale of alcoholism. Ministers call it a “national tragedy”. Although President Vladimir Putin has presided over a period of spectacular economic growth since 2000, he has so far not persuaded Russians to drink less. The government has recently cracked down on rogue distillers. Yesterday the federal tax service suspended the licence of several factories producing “alcohol and ethyl alcohol products”, saying they had not complied with a law requiring data on how much alcohol each bottle holds.

11 Russian alcoholics - drinking perfume, aftershave and cheap local alcohol - face great dangers. In winter, newspapers are invariably full of stories of drunks who have died after falling through icy ponds or collapsing in the snow. According to 2005 figures, Russia has about 2,348,567 registered alcoholics, and alcohol is being linked to 72% of murders and 42% of suicides. The World Health Organisation rates the country as one of the most alcoholic in the world. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/6/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. The city of Izhevsk was chosen for the medical study because… a. There are more alcoholics there than anywhere else in Russia. b. Life there is much the same as in other industrial cities in Russia. c. People there consume products such as eau-de-cologne and antiseptics containing alcohol. 2.

Life expectancy in Russia decreased during the 1990s because… a. Alcohol became cheaper after the communist regime fell. b. President Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign was abandoned during the transition from communism. c. People became richer so they could afford to buy more alcohol.

3. What class of people did the study classify as ‘problem drinkers’? a. People who were prone to binge drinking. b. People who lost their jobs through drinking. c. People who drank alcohol not intended for consumption.

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4. What is the connection between alcohol poisoning and social conditions? a. People who drink alcohol not intended for consumption often live in poor housing and have bad diets. b. Household products are widely available in impoverished cities. c. People die after falling through icy ponds or collapsing in the snow.

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the following words and phrases in the text. 1. A two-word noun phrase meaning the number of years people normally live. (para 2) 2. The past participle of a phrasal verb meaning to prove or show that something is true. (para 3) 3. A serious disease affecting one of the body’s most important organs. (para 3) 4. A phrasal verb meaning to do something extreme or unpleasant in order to solve a problem. (para 6) 5. An adjective meaning dangerous or risky. (para 8) 6. A noun meaning an opinion or statement that something is true. (para 8) 7. A formal word meaning drinks. (para 9) 8. A two-word expression meaning enormous extent. (para 10)

5 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + noun collocations

2. low

b. alcohol

3. acute

c. growth

4. pure

d. factor

5. high

e. poisoning

6. sharp

f. life expectancy

7. bad

g. level

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Advanced

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a. diet

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1. important

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the adjectives with the nouns to make collocations. Check your answers in the text.

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 3

Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Verbs followed by prepositions Which prepositions follow these verbs? 1. compare _______ 2. link _______ 3. associate _______ 4. resort _______ 5. stick _______ 6. account _______ 7. relate _______ 8. contribute _______

7 Discussion

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Should alcohol be classified as a dangerous drug? Should its consumption be limited?

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. prone 2. distiller 3. fluctuations 4. abuse 5. plausible 6. rogue 7. impoverished 8. mortality 9. demise 10. binge

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4.

b b c a

d f e b g h a c

6 Vocabulary 3: Verbs followed by prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.



with to with to to for to to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Advanced

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3 Comprehension check

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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F T T F F T



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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + noun collocations

CA

2 What do you know?

life expectancy borne out liver cirrhosis resort to hazardous contention beverages epic scale

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.



life expectancy household products

birth rate diet

death rate suicide

lifestyle aftershave

compare tragedy

1. ____________ are things you use at home, such as perfumes, cleaning liquids and shampoos. 2. A person’s ____________ is the food that he or she normally eats. 3. A ____________ is a very sad situation. 4. The ____________ is the official number of births each year in a particular country. 5. Your ____________ is the way you live your life. 6. A person’s ____________ is the number of years they will probably live. 7. The ____________ is the official number of deaths each year in a particular country. 8. ____________ is a liquid with a nice smell that a man puts on his face after shaving. 9. If you ____________ two things, you think about the ways in which they are the same or different. 10. ____________ means killing yourself.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.

1. What percentage of murders in Russia are linked to alcohol? 2. What percentage of suicides in Russia are linked to alcohol? 3. How much pure alcohol does the average Russian drink each year? 4. How much alcohol do some household products contain? 5. What is the life expectancy for men in Russia?

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NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Elementary

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6. What is the life expectancy for women in Russia?

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Elementary

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks

The scientists examined the medical records and interviewed the families of 1,750 men who had died in Izhevsk from 2003-05. They compared these men with 1,750 who were still alive. They found that problem drinkers and people who drank alcohol from products like perfume and aftershave often died younger than those who did not have a drinking problem.

3 Alcohol has always been an important factor in death and disease in Russia. Changes in the death rate which are linked to changes in lifestyle and politics support this fact. Life expectancy increased during the mid-1980s when President Gorbachev tried to stop people in Russia drinking so much alcohol. After the end of communism the death rate in Russia increased in the early 1990s. This was probably because of alcohol. 4 One study found that Russians, and people in other countries of the former Soviet Union, drank more than anybody else in the world - about 15.2 litres of pure alcohol per person each year for people over 15 years of age. They also drank more dangerously and often drank for two days or more without stopping.

The scientists say that men who lost their jobs because of drinking had very little money and often drank household products containing pure alcohol. In the group of men who were still alive, 47% who drank household products containing alcohol were out of work compared with 13% who drank only vodka and beer. In total, 43% of deaths of men aged 25 to 54 in Izhevsk were because of alcohol. This is probably because they drank household products with very high levels of alcohol.

6

Another report says that people who get their alcohol from household products often live in poor housing and have bad diets, and this could also lead to an early death. The report also says that many people also drink illegally produced alcoholic drinks.

7

The Russian government agrees that alcoholism is a huge problem and calls it a “national tragedy”. With Vladimir Putin as president, the Russian economy has grown very quickly since 2000 but people are still drinking a lot of alcohol. Russian alcoholics - drinking perfume, aftershave and cheap local alcohol - face great dangers. In winter they fall through ice or freeze to death in the snow.

8

According to 2005 figures, Russia has 2,348,567 registered alcoholics, and alcohol is linked to 72% of murders and 42% of suicides. The World Health Organisation says Russia is one of the most alcoholic countries in the world. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/06/07

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Elementary

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2 An international group of scientists looked at one city in the Ural mountains. They wanted to discover the effects of drinking in Russia. They chose the city of Izhevsk because it is a typical industrial city where life is the same as in other large cities in Russia and where the death rate is the same as the Russian average. The scientists wanted to find out why life expectancy in Russia is so low: in 2004 it was 59 years for men and 72 for women. As a result of the low life expectancy and a low birth rate, the population of Russia is falling by 700,000 a year.

5

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1 A new medical study about alcoholism reports that almost half the men of working age who die in Russia die as a result of alcohol. The report says that large numbers of Russian men die young not just because they drink a lot of vodka but because they also drink household products containing alcohol, such as perfume, aftershave and medicines. Some products contain 95% alcohol.

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Sarah Boseley, health editor, and Luke Harding in Moscow June 15, 2007

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Level 1

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Many men in Russia die young because… 2. Many people drink household products containing alcohol because… 3. Household products containing alcohol are dangerous because… 4. The population of Russia is falling because… 5. Winter is a dangerous time for alcoholics in Russia because… 6. Life expectancy increased during the mid-1980s because… a. … President Gorbachev tried to stop people drinking alcohol. b. … life expectancy is very low and the birth rate is low. c. … they drink household products containing alcohol. d. … they contain a very high percentage of alcohol. e. … they may fall through ice or freeze to death in the snow. f. … they are poor.

4 Vocabulary 1: Chunks Rearrange these words to make short phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text.

1. age working of men 2. a alcohol result as of 3. anybody more in than the else world 4. of work out 5. national a tragedy 6. the death in freeze snow to

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NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Elementary

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7. of a number men large

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Word stress Put these words from the text into the correct group according to their stress pattern. contain disease

perfume

product

increase (v)

lifestyle

effect record (n)

A

B

0 o

o 0

birth-rate

factor

compare

produce

6 Vocabulary 3: Past tenses Complete the table. past simple 1. grow 2. find 3. choose 4. fall 5. lose 6. drink 7. try

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8. lead

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words 1. household products 2. diet 3. tragedy 4. birth rate 5. lifestyle 6. life expectancy 7. death rate 8. aftershave 9. compare 10. suicide

2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

72% 42% 15.2 litres 95% 59 72

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c f d b e a

5 Vocabulary 2: Word stress A

B

0 o

o 0

perfume

contain

product

effect

birth-rate

disease

factor

increase

lifestyle

compare

record

produce

6 Vocabulary 3 past simple 1. grow

grew

2. find

found

3. choose

chose

4. fall

fell

5. lose

lost

6. drink

drank

7. try

tried

8. lead

led

4 Vocabulary 1: Chunks men of working age as a result of alcohol more than anybody else in the world out of work a national tragedy freeze to death in the snow a large number of men an important factor

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NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Elementary

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. fluctuation antiseptic



campaign abuse



consumption unorthodox



acute crack down

binge trend

1. If the authorities ____________ on a particular activity, they take strong action to stop it happening. 2. If something is ____________, it does not follow the usual rules. 3. A ____________ is an occasion when someone does too much of something they enjoy doing,



e.g. drinking alcohol. 4. A ____________ is a series of actions intended to achieve social or political change. 5. A ____________ is a gradual change or development that produces a particular result. 6. ____________ are frequent changes in something, particularly in numbers. 7. An ____________ is a substance used to clean injured skin and prevent infections. 8. ____________ is the use of food, fuel or drink. 9. If a medical condition is ____________, it is extremely serious or severe. 10. ____________ is the use of something in a bad, dishonest or harmful way.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What percentage of murders in Russia are linked to alcohol? 2. When did President Gorbachev launch his anti-alcohol campaign? 3. How much pure alcohol does the average Russian drink each year? 4. What percentage of suicides in Russia are linked to alcohol? 5. According to the figures from 2004, how long does the average Russian man live?

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6. How many men did the scientists study in the city of Izhevsk?

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Intermediate

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks

Experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine examined records and interviewed the families of 1,750 men who had died in Izhevsk from 2003-05. They compared these men with 1,750 who were still alive. They found that problem drinkers and those who drank alcohol not intended for consumption were six times more likely to have died young than those who did not have a drinking problem. The chances of an early death were particularly high for those who got their alcohol from perfume and other unorthodox sources - they were nine times more likely to die.

6

The authors say that men living in poverty after losing a job through drinking may be forced to drink household products containing pure alcohol. Among those who were still alive, 47% who drank products like these were out of work compared with 13% who drank only vodka and beer. Overall, 43% of deaths of men aged 25 to 54 were caused by alcohol in Izhevsk. The authors say these high levels could be caused by drinking household products with very high levels of alcohol, as well as binges.

7

“Almost half of all deaths in working-age men in a typical Russian city may be caused by hazardous drinking,” they write. “Our analyses provide indirect support for the argument that the sharp fluctuations seen in the death rate in Russia in the early 1990s could be related to dangerous drinking or people drinking alcohol from household products.”

8

A separate commentary points out that people who get their alcohol from household products often live in poor housing and have bad diets, and this could contribute to their chances of an early death. The commentary adds that many people also drink illegally produced alcoholic drinks.

1 Almost half of the men of working age in Russia who die are killed by alcohol abuse, according to a new medical study which says that large numbers of the country’s males die not just because they drink lots of vodka but because they also drink products containing alcohol, such as perfume, antiseptics and medicines. Some products contain 95% alcohol. 2 An international group of scientists looked at a single city in the Urals to establish the effects of drinking in Russia. They chose the city of Izhevsk because it is a typical industrial city where life is the same as elsewhere in Russia and where the death rate is the same as the Russian average. The scientists wanted to find out why life expectancy in Russia is so low: in 2004 it was 59 years for men and 72 for women. As a result of the low life expectancy and a low birth rate, the population of Russia is falling by 700,000 a year. 3 Alcohol has always been an important factor in death and disease in Russia. This fact is supported by fluctuations in the death rate which are linked to changes in lifestyle and politics, according to a report in the Lancet medical journal. “President Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign in the mid-1980s led to an immediate rise in life expectancy, but the increase in the death rate in the early 1990s during the transition from communism was probably the result of increased alcohol consumption. Deaths related to alcohol, such as acute alcohol poisoning and liver disease, showed the greatest fluctuations, and there were similar trends for other causes that were probably linked to alcohol consumption.” 4 A study published last year found that Russians, and inhabitants of other former parts of the Soviet Union, drank more than anybody else

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Intermediate

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

in the world - an estimated 15.2 litres of pure alcohol per capita each year for over-15s. They also drank more dangerously and often went on binges, meaning two or more days of continuous drunkenness.

CA

Level 2

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 2 9

Intermediate

The Russian government admits that alcoholism is a huge problem. Ministers call it a “national tragedy”. Although President Vladimir Putin’s government has seen a period of spectacular economic growth since 2000, he has not been able to persuade Russians to drink less. The government has recently cracked down on people producing alcohol illegally.

10 Russian alcoholics - drinking perfume, aftershave and cheap local alcohol - face great

dangers. In winter, newspapers are always full of stories of drunks who have died after falling through ice or collapsing in the snow. According to 2005 figures, Russia has about 2,348,567 registered alcoholics, and alcohol is linked to 72% of murders and 42% of suicides. The World Health Organisation says Russia is one of the most alcoholic countries in the world. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/6/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Russians drink more alcohol than anyone else in the world. 2. People drinking alcohol from household products are more likely to die young than other users of alcohol. 3. Poor housing and bad diets force people to drink household products like perfume and aftershave. 4. The city of Izhevsk was chosen for the study because it has a very high rate of alcoholism. 5. The Russian government does not regard alcoholism as a problem. 6. Newspapers rarely report stories about drunks dying in cold weather.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A noun meaning man. (para 1) 2. A two-word expression meaning the length of time that someone is likely to live. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning the process of changing from one form or state to another. (para 3) 4. A two-word expression meaning based on calculations that show the average amount for each person affected. (para 3) 5. An adjective meaning relating to homes or used in homes. (para 6) 6. An adjective meaning dangerous or risky. (para 7) 7. An adjective meaning extremely impressive. (para 9)

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8. A verb meaning to fall down suddenly and become ill or unconscious. (para 10)

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to form collocations. 1. birth

a. disease

2. life

b. level

3. liver

c. factor

4. high

d. alcohol

5. bad

e. rate

6. important

f. diet

7. pure

g. danger

8. great

h. expectancy

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table. verb

noun

1. grow 2. fluctuate 3. consume 4. argue 5. contribute 6. comment 7. persuade 8. abuse

7 Discussion

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Excessive alcohol consumption is a problem in many parts of the world. What are the possible solutions?

Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. crack down 2. unorthodox 3. binge 4. campaign 5. trend 6. fluctuations 7. antiseptic 8. consumption 9. acute 10. abuse

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5, 6. 7. 8.

T T F F F F T F

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

growth fluctuation consumption argument contribution commentary persuasion abuse

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Cologne and antiseptic: Russia’s killer drinks / Intermediate

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3 Comprehension check



e h a b f c d g

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72% in the mid-1980s 15.2 litres 42% 59 years 3,500 (1,750 who died and 1,750 who were still alive)

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

males life expectancy transition per capita household hazardous spectacular collapse

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the article.

carbon footprint climate change

global warming greenhouse gases

renewable energy carbon dioxide

1. The chemical equation for _______________________ is CO2. 2. A _______________________ is a measure of the amount of CO2 emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels.



3. Some _______________________ occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities, for example, by burning fossil fuels such as coal. 4. _______________________ refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans. 5. _______________________ is one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet.



6. Solar, wind and water power are all forms of _______________________.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the article. 1. Bob Geldof recently organized the Live Earth concert in London. 2. Al Gore spearheaded the organization worldwide. 3. The concert was broadcast on TV, radio and the Internet to two billion people. 4. Paul McCartney made a guest appearance at Wembley Stadium in London. 5. Some well-known bands found the event hypocritical. 6. The Internet coverage was sponsored by an automotive company. 7. The concert took place in all seven continents of the world. 8. The event sparked criticism about the amount of greenhouse gases it produced. 9. Environmentalists all agree that offsetting is the best way to deal with carbon footprints.

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NEWS LESSONS / Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? / Advanced

CA

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10. Al Gore is the Democrats’ candidate for the next US presidential election.

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Advanced 5

These warnings will count for little if the event achieves its twin goals: pressuring politicians to sign an international treaty pledging massively reduced emissions within two years and persuading individuals to make lifestyle changes, such as installing four energy-efficient light bulbs, or taking public transport to work once a week.

6

“The important thing was not to have no carbon footprint and no acts, but to have really great acts,” insisted Steve Howard, a climate-change consultant who runs We’re In This Together, a UK campaign linked to Live Earth. It was launched earlier this year and has already saved 36,000 tonnes of CO2, Mr Howard said. “Does that save the planet? No, not in itself. But it’s equivalent to 13,000 family cars being taken off the road.”

7

At the heart of the challenge facing Mr Gore and his organization, Save Our Selves, is the nebulous concept of ‘awareness’. The worst-case scenario is that raising awareness about climate change may not lead to action – and might even instil a sense of fatalism. It doesn’t help that touring stars are among the worst individual greenhouse gas offenders. Last year, Madonna’s Confessions tour produced 440 tonnes of carbon dioxide in four months, said John Buckley, of the website www.carbonfootprint.com, who also provided the estimates for Live Earth concertgoers.

8

The rock group Arctic Monkeys said this week they had declined to take part in Live Earth, because it would be “a bit hypocritical”. “Especially when we’re using enough power for 10 houses just for [stage] lighting,” said drummer Matt Helders.

9

Risking charges of inconsistency, Bob Geldof, instigator of Live Aid and Live8, said in May that raising awareness was pointless. “Everybody’s known about that for years,” he said. “We’re all conscious of global warming.”

24-hour, seven continent show raises awareness but at what cost to climate? Oliver Burkeman and Jonathan Watts in Beijing July 7, 2007

3 All this is hardly without its moral complexities. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were flown in by private jet from Paris, the band’s management confirmed, then left again by private jet for a gig in Denmark. The Beastie Boys had to be in Montreux the next day and Genesis played in Manchester the same evening. 4 And an estimate calculated for the Guardian suggests that spectators travelling to the London and New Jersey concerts alone generated approximately 5,600 tonnes of greenhouse gases between them – the equivalent of 7,270 people crossing the Atlantic by plane. You can, it seems, be part of the solution and part of the problem, at the same time. Even those who watched online found that Live Earth’s website is sponsored by the Chevrolet company, which manufactures SUVs.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? / Advanced

10 Acutely aware of the need to minimize the event’s own footprint, Live Earth organizers

O

2 The 24-hour, seven-continent sequence of concerts, began in Sydney on July 7. The organizers, spearheaded by Al Gore, expected it to reach two billion people via 120 television networks, Internet and radio, making it the biggest media event in history. At Wembley, 80,000 people watched Madonna, Genesis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, the Beastie Boys, Duran Duran and James Blunt, although the rumours of an appearance by Paul McCartney remained just rumours.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 The climate scientists have spoken. Now it’s James Blunt’s turn. But if scepticism, even cynicism, is a natural response whenever pop stars promise to change the world, there’s no denying the scale and intensity of Live Earth, their latest attempt.

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150 acts, two billion viewers – and a lot of greenhouse gas

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Level 3

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 3

Advanced

promised to power all shows with renewable energy, and to offset flights taken by the 150 acts performing in London, New Jersey, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Hamburg, Sydney, and – after a last-minute threat of cancellation – Rio de Janeiro. (Scientists at a base in Antarctica also performed by satellite, so the event covered all continents.) And Gayle Fine, a New York-based spokeswoman for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, said the band offsets all tour travel, while ground crews use biodiesel fuel where possible. 11 Offsetting is controversial among some environmentalists, who argue it simply eliminates guilt. But Madonna, organizers noted, lives in London, and generally, bands had been assigned to perform in cities where they lived, or in the continents where they were touring.

12

There is another possible interpretation of July 7’s global events – aside from the hope that they will make all the difference in the world. This is the possibility that it is all a prelude to the announcement of a presidential bid by Mr Gore, an idea he has been denying with less force recently.

13

You might see that interpretation as the worst kind of cynicism. Then again, Live Earth’s message is that we each should do whatever we can for the climate. And polls increasingly suggest that something Mr Gore could do, besides changing his light bulbs, is to win the Democratic nomination – and, quite possibly, the White House. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 7/7/07

3 Comprehension check 1. What does the event hope to achieve? Give two examples. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Name three reasons why the event is being criticized. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What reasons does a spokesperson give to suggest that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are a ‘green’ band? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Why was Bob Geldof cynical about the event? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Why didn’t the Arctic Monkeys play at the concert? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What hidden agenda do some critics suggest accompanies the Live Earth concerts?

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___________________________________________________________________________________________

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Match the words on the left with those on the right to make collocations. Then find them again in the article to see in which context they are used. nebulous worst-case moral energy-efficient greenhouse-gas biodiesel eliminate presidential

complexities light bulbs fuel offenders guilt bid concept scenario

5 Discussion Would you attend a benefit concert such as Live Earth? Why/Why not? What other ways can you think of to raise awareness of environmental issues? In groups, list the major steps involved in planning an awareness raising event. Compare your lists with the others. Could you imagine organizing an awareness raising event?

6 Webquest 1. Go to www.carbonfootprint.com and find ways to reduce your carbon footprint. List at least 3 things you can do that will make an immediate difference as well as 3 things you can do that will make a difference within 1-4 years, and do them!

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2. How can you offset your carbon footprint? Do you think this actually makes a difference?

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

carbon dioxide carbon footprint greenhouse gases global warming climate change renewable energy.

4. He said that raising awareness was pointless because everybody’s known about global warming for years. 5. They said it would be “a bit hypocritical”. Especially when they’re using enough power for 10 houses just for [stage] lighting. 6. They think that it is all a prelude to an announcement of a presidential bid by Al Gore.

2 What do you know? 1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. T 6. T 7. T 8. T 9. F 10. F (currently)

4 Collocations nebulous concept worst-case scenario moral complexities energy-efficient light bulbs greenhouse-gas offenders biodiesel fuel eliminate guilt presidential bid

3 Comprehension check 1.

The event hopes to pressure politicians to sign an international treaty pledging massively reduced emissions within two years and persuade individuals to make lifestyle changes, such as installing four energy-efficient light bulbs, or taking public transport to work once a week.

2. Bands are using private jets to fly to and from the concerts. Spectators travelling to the London and New Jersey concerts generated approximately 5,600 tonnes of greenhouse gases between them – the equivalent of 7,270 people crossing the Atlantic by plane. Live Earth’s website is sponsored by the Chevrolet company, which manufactures SUVs.

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NEWS LESSONS / Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? / Advanced

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3. The band offsets all tour travel, and their ground crews use biodiesel fuel where possible.

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 1 1

Elementary

Musicians, pop artists and bands

Unscramble the letters to find the names of musicians, pop starts and bands mentioned in the article. Put a tick ( ) next to them if they played at the Live Earth concerts and a cross ( X ) if they didn’t play.

a

naMdoan

______________________________

Rde oHt hlCii sppeerP ______________________________ uaPl cnCMatrye



______________________________

crctiA oneMksy

______________________________

teBsiae yoBs

______________________________

unDar uDarn

______________________________

aJesm tBnul

______________________________

oBb felGod

______________________________

nowS ratlPo

______________________________

seneiGs

______________________________

2

Numbers and facts

Match the numbers with the facts you think they correspond with. Check your answers in the article. spectators at Wembley Stadium in London

b. eighty thousand

tonnes of greenhouse gasses generated by the spectators in London



and New Jersey

c. seven

months - the amount of time it took one artist to produce 440 tonnes



of CO2

d. one hundred and twenty

tonnes of carbon dioxide

e. twenty-four

television networks

f. five thousand six hundred

viewers worldwide

g. 440

hour concert

h. four

acts

i. one hundred and fifty

continents

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a. two billion

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Elementary

150 acts, two billion viewers – and a lot of greenhouse gas 6

The greatest challenge facing Mr Gore and his organization, Save Our Selves, is the concept of ‘awareness’. The worst-case scenario is that raising awareness about climate-change may not lead to action but to fatalism. It doesn’t help that pop stars are among the worst individual greenhouse-gas offenders. Last year, Madonna’s Confessions tour produced 440 tonnes of carbon dioxide in four months, said John Buckley, of the website www.carbonfootprint.com, who also provided the estimates for Live Earth concertgoers.

7

The rock group Arctic Monkeys said this week they didn’t take part in Live Earth, because it would be “a bit hypocritical”. “Especially when we’re using enough power for 10 houses just for [stage] lighting,” said drummer Matt Helders.

8

Bob Geldof, instigator of Live Aid and Live8, said in May that raising awareness was pointless. “Everybody’s known about that for years,” he said. “We’re all conscious of global warming.”

9

To minimize the event’s own footprint, Live Earth organizers promised to power all shows with renewable energy, and to offset flights taken by the 150 acts performing in London, New Jersey, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Hamburg, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro. (Scientists at a base in Antarctica also performed by satellite, so the event covered all continents.) And Gayle Fine, a New York-based spokeswoman for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, said the band offsets all tour travel, and ground crews use biodiesel fuel where possible.

1 The climate scientists have spoken. Now it’s James Blunt’s turn. But even though scepticism is a natural response whenever pop stars promise to change the world, no one can deny the size and intensity of the Live Earth concerts.

3 All this has its moral difficulties. The Red Hot Chili Peppers flew in by private jet from Paris, the band’s management confirmed, then left again by private jet for a gig in Denmark. The Beastie Boys were in Montreux the next day and Genesis played in Manchester the same evening. 4 The Guardian newspaper said that spectators travelling to the London and New Jersey concerts generated approximately 5,600 tonnes of greenhouse gases between them – the same as 7,270 people crossing the Atlantic by plane. You can, it seems, be part of the solution and part of the problem, at the same time. Even those who watched online found that Live Earth’s website is sponsored by the Chevrolet company, which manufactures SUVs. 5 These warnings will not matter if the event achieves its goals: pressuring politicians to sign an international treaty pledging to massively reduce emissions within two years and

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? / Elementary

10 Offsetting is controversial among some environmentalists; they say it simply eliminates guilt. But Madonna lives in London, organizers said and, generally, bands performed in cities where they lived or in the continents where they were touring. 11 There is another possible interpretation of July 7’s global events – as well as the hope that they

O

2 The 24-hour, seven-continent sequence of concerts, began in Sydney on July 7. The organizers, led by Al Gore, expected it to reach 2 billion people via 120 television networks, Internet and radio. This made it the biggest media event in history. At Wembley, 80,000 people watched Madonna, Genesis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, the Beastie Boys, Duran Duran and James Blunt, although the rumours that Paul McCartney would play were just rumours.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Oliver Burkeman and Jonathan Watts in Beijing July 7, 2007

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24-hour, seven continent show raises awareness but at what cost to climate?

persuading people to make lifestyle changes, such as using energy-efficient light bulbs, or going to work by public transport once a week.

CA

Level 1

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 1

Elementary

will make a lot of difference in the world. Some people think that Mr Gore will soon announce his presidential bid. 12 You might see that interpretation as the worst kind of cynicism. Then again, Live Earth’s message is that we each should do whatever we can for the climate. And polls suggest that

something positive Mr Gore could do, besides changing his light bulbs, is to become president of the United States. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 7/7/07

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves to read a summary of the article. The aim of the recent Live Earth concerts...

... media event in history.

The concerts were held over a 24-hour period...

... Al Gore. ... some of the biggest producers of greenhouse

worldwide,...

gasses.

It was the biggest...

... in all seven continents of the world.

The campaign was led by...

... was to raise awareness about global warming.

Cynicism came from...

... offsetting your carbon footprint only stops you feeling guilty.

Many famous international artists...

... either at the concerts, on the Internet, or on TV.

Others refused to perform as they...

... performed for free.

Touring pop stars are...

... Bob Geldof who said we already know about global warming.

Some environmentalists say that...

... Al Gore should be their next president.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? / Elementary

... thought it would be hypocritical.

O



N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

An increasing amount of US voters think...

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CA

It was watched by over two billion viewers

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary: Synonyms Find words in the article that mean the same as: a. performers b. audience c. size / strength d. series / row e. concert f. makes / produces g. promising h. convincing i. initiator / founder j. gets rid of k. reason / way to understand

________________________ (title) ________________________ (title) and __________________ (para 4) ________________________ (para 1) ________________________ (para 2) ________________________ (para 3) ________________________ (para 4) ________________________ (para 5) ________________________ (para 5) ________________________ (para 8) ________________________ (para 10) ________________________ (para 11)

5 Discussion In small groups, think of 5 reasons for and 5 reasons against attending a concert such as Live Earth. If you were the organizers, how much would you charge for a ticket? Give reasons why you would charge this amount. Compare your suggestion to that of other groups. Would you like to attend an awareness raising concert such as Live Earth? Why/Why not?

6 Webquest 1. Go to www.carbonfootprint.com and use the flight calculator to calculate a trip from London to your nearest major airport. What is the flight distance? How many tonnes of CO2 would this flight contribute?

2. Find ways to reduce your carbon footprint. List at least 3 things you can do that will make an immediate

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difference as well as 3 things you can do that will make a difference within 1-4 years, and do them!

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Musicians, pop artists and bands

a

Madonna Red Hot Chili Peppers Beastie Boys Duran Duran James Blunt Snow Patrol Genesis

X

Paul McCartney Arctic Monkeys Bob Geldof

2 Numbers and facts a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.

two billion viewers worldwide eighty thousand spectators at Wembley Stadium in London seven continents one hundred and twenty television networks twenty-four hour concert five thousand six hundred tonnes of greenhouse gasses generated by the spectators in London and New Jersey 440 tonnes of carbon dioxide four months – the amount of time it took one artist to produce 440 tonnes of CO2 one hundred and fifty acts

Others refused to perform as they thought it would be hypocritical. Touring pop stars are some of the biggest producers of greenhouse gasses. Some environmentalists say that offsetting your carbon footprint only stops you feeling guilty. An increasing amount of US voters think Al Gore should be their next president.

4 Vocabulary: Synonyms a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k.

performers = acts audience = viewers and spectators size / strength = intensity series / row = sequence concert = gig makes / produces = manufactures promising = pledging convincing = persuading initiator / founder = instigator gets rid of = eliminate reason / way to understand = interpretation

3 Comprehension check

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The aim of the recent Live Earth concerts was to raise awareness about global warming. The concerts were held over a 24-hour period in all seven continents of the world. It was watched by over two billion viewers worldwide, either at the concerts, on the Internet, or on TV. It was the biggest media event in history. The campaign was led by Al Gore. Cynicism came from Bob Geldof who said we already know about global warming. Many famous international artists performed for free.

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 2 1

Intermediate

What do you think?

Which of these topics would you expect to read about in an article about the recent Live Earth concerts?

stage lighting





ticket prices





rubbish



famous artists





private jet planes



scientists



programmes and t-shirts



car manufacturers



advertising



food





websites



public transport





radio



Now add three further ideas of your own. ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________

2

Key words

Skim the article to find words to complete the sentences. The paragraph number is given to help you. 1. Other words that are similar to _______________ are strength or power. (para 1) 2. When we talk about the _______________ of something, we mean its size. (para 1) 3. This word is used to talk about the doubts someone has about something: His _______________ was



unfounded. (para 1) 4. Unofficial information that may or may not be true is often called a _______________. (para 2) 5. The _______________ of something is a feature that makes it difficult to understand or confusing. (para 3) 6. When you make or produce things such as energy or pollution, you _______________ it. (para 4) 7. This is the same as a promise and is often made in public: a _______________ (para 5) 8. You can use this word to describe someone who commits a crime or causes a problem: an _______________. (para 6) 9. When you publically say one thing, but secretly do the opposite, people might say you are being



_______________. (para 7) 10. An _______________ is a person who starts something up. (para 8) 11. A _______________ subject, opinion or decision is one that people disagree with or don’t approve of. (para 10)

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12. ______________ is the belief that people only care about themselves and are insincere or dishonest. (para 12)

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Intermediate

150 acts, two billion viewers – and a lot of greenhouse gas

sign an international treaty pledging massively reduced emissions within two years and persuading individuals to make lifestyle changes, such as installing four energy-efficient light bulbs, or taking public transport to work once a week.

24-hour, seven continent show raises awareness but at what cost to climate? 6

At the heart of the challenge facing Mr Gore and his organization, Save Our Selves, is the concept of ‘awareness’. The worst-case scenario is that raising awareness about climate change may not lead to action – and might even instil a sense of fatalism. It doesn’t help that touring stars are among the worst individual greenhouse-gas offenders. Last year, Madonna’s Confessions tour produced 440 tonnes of carbon dioxide in four months, said John Buckley, of the website www.carbonfootprint.com, who also provided the estimates for Live Earth concertgoers.

7

The rock group Arctic Monkeys said this week they had declined to take part in Live Earth, because it would be “a bit hypocritical”. “Especially when we’re using enough power for 10 houses just for [stage] lighting,” said drummer Matt Helders.

8

Bob Geldof, instigator of Live Aid and Live8, said in May that raising awareness was pointless. “Everybody’s known about that for years,” he said. “We’re all conscious of global warming.”

9

Aware of the need to minimize the event’s own footprint, Live Earth organizers promised to power all shows with renewable energy, and to offset flights taken by the 150 acts performing in London, New Jersey, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Hamburg, Sydney, and – after a last-minute threat of cancellation – Rio de Janeiro. (Scientists at a base in Antarctica also performed by satellite, so the event covered all continents.) And Gayle Fine, a New York-based spokeswoman for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, said the band offsets all tour travel, while ground crews use biodiesel fuel where possible.

1 The climate scientists have spoken. Now it’s James Blunt’s turn. But if scepticism is a natural response whenever pop stars promise to change the world, there’s no denying the scale and intensity of the Live Earth concerts.

4 And an estimate calculated for the Guardian suggests that spectators travelling to the London and New Jersey concerts generated approximately 5,600 tonnes of greenhouse gases between them – the equivalent of 7,270 people crossing the Atlantic by plane. You can, it seems, be part of the solution and part of the problem, at the same time. Even those who watched online found Live Earth’s website is sponsored by the Chevrolet company, which manufactures SUVs. 5 These warnings will count for little if the event achieves its twin goals: pressuring politicians to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? / Intermediate

10 Offsetting is controversial among some environmentalists, who argue it simply eliminates guilt. But Madonna, organizers noted, lives

O

3 All this has its moral complexities. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were flown in by private jet from Paris, the band’s management confirmed, then left again by private jet for a gig in Denmark. The Beastie Boys had to be in Montreux the next day and Genesis played in Manchester the same evening.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 The 24-hour, seven-continent sequence of concerts, began in Sydney on July 7. The organizers, led by Al Gore, expected it to reach two billion people via 120 television networks, Internet and radio, making it the biggest media event in history. At Wembley, 80,000 people watched Madonna, Genesis, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, the Beastie Boys, Duran Duran and James Blunt, although the rumours of an appearance by Paul McCartney remained just rumours.

•P H

Oliver Burkeman and Jonathan Watts in Beijing July 7, 2007

CA

Level 2

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 2

Intermediate

in London, and generally, bands had been assigned to perform in cities where they lived, or in the continents where they were touring. 11 There is another possible interpretation of July 7’s global events – aside from the hope that they will make all the difference in the world. Some people think that Mr Gore will soon announce his presidential bid, an idea he has been denying with less force recently.

12 You might see that interpretation as the worst kind of cynicism. Then again, Live Earth’s message is that we each should do whatever we can for the climate. And polls increasingly suggest that something Mr Gore could do, besides changing his light bulbs, is to become president of the United States. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 7/7/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the correct answer (a-d) 1. Live Earth concerts took place: a. on the Internet. b. on every continent. c. last weekend. d. at Wembley in London and were broadcast around the world.

5. In 2006, Madonna’s what produced 440 tonnes of carbon dioxide in four months? a. Her houses. b. Her world tour. c. Her CD sales. d. Her employees.

2. Bob Geldof: a. was sceptical of the usefulness of the concerts. b. was the instigator of the concerts. c. kept quiet. d. opened the concerts in Sydney.

6. An increasing number of US citizens would like to see Al Gore: a. in the greenhouse. b. in the doghouse. c. playing Dr House. d. in the White House.

3. The Arctic Monkeys didn’t play because: a. they were on tour. b. they wouldn’t get paid. c. they needed their own stage lighting. d. they thought it would be hypocritical.

6a. Bonus question – Give further information about your answer to 6: why is this?

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4. A spokesperson said the Red Hot Chili Peppers are green because: a. they are all vegetarians. b. they played in New York, not London. c. they offset their carbon footprint when on tour. d. their crew ride bicycles.

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Match the words on the left with those on the right to make collocations. Then find them again in the article to see in which context they are used. lifestyle

transport

media



awareness

raise





warming

public



footprint

global

efficient

energy

changes

carbon

event



Now write your own sentence for each collocation.

5 Discussion In groups, think of 5 reasons for and 5 reasons against attending a concert such as Live Earth. Do you think that by playing at such events pop stars are helping the environment or easing their guilty consciences? Does this matter? / Is it important? Would you like to attend an awareness raising concert such as Live Earth? Why/Why not?

6 Webquest 1. Go to www.carbonfootprint.com and find ways to reduce your carbon footprint. List at least 3 things you can do that will make an immediate difference as well as 3 things you can do that will make a difference within 1-4 years, and do them!

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NEWS LESSONS / Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? / Intermediate

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2. How can you offset your carbon footprint? Find examples of how to do this.

Live Earth – an inconvenient truth? Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 What do you think?

stage lighting famous artists private jet planes car manufacturers public transport websites radio scientists



4 Vocabulary: Collocations

lifestyle changes media event raise awareness public transport global warming energy efficient carbon footprint

2 Key words 1. intensity 2. scale 3. scepticism 4. rumour 5. complexity 6. generate 7. pledge 8. offender 9. hypocritical 10. instigator 11. controversial 12. cynicism

3 Comprehension check

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1. b 2. a 3. c 4. c 5. b 6. d

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Match these verbs from the text with their meanings.

expel summon

unveil pursue

escalate condemn

overcome extradite

refrain flee

1. ____________ – to become or make much worse or more serious. 2. ____________ – to say publicly that you think something is bad or wrong. 3. ____________ – to send a criminal back for a trial in a country where a crime was committed. 4. ____________ – to escape from a dangerous situation or place very quickly. 5. ____________ – to announce officially something that was previously a secret. 6. ____________ – to follow a course of activity. 7. ____________ – to succeed in dealing with or controlling a problem. 8. ____________ – to officially order someone to come to a particular place. 9. ____________ – to stop yourself from doing something. 10. ____________ – to officially force someone to leave a place.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Condoleeza Rice is the vice-president of the United States. 2. Alexander Litvinenko was killed by radiation poisoning. 3. Vladimir Putin is the Russian prime minister. 4. MI6 is a Russian intelligence agency. 5. The Foreign Office is name of the UK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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6. British businessmen do not need visas to enter Russia.

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Advanced

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats

2 Foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin also announced that the Kremlin was suspending its co-operation with the UK in fighting terrorism and would stop issuing visas to British officials. Russian officials would also no longer seek visas for Britain, he said, effectively ending any prospect of face-to-face government contact for the foreseeable future. Russia’s action was “targeted, balanced and the minimum necessary,” he said. “To our regret co-operation between Russia and Britain on issues of fighting terrorism becomes impossible.” 3 The Kremlin’s response – four days after the British foreign secretary, David Miliband, announced that he was expelling four Russian diplomats because of Moscow’s failure to co-operate in the investigation into Mr Litvinenko’s death – was milder than many expected. After three days of closed debate inside the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin had decided not to escalate his conflict with Britain, analysts said. Instead, the response was a careful mirror image of the measures unveiled by Mr Miliband. But the foreign secretary emphasized Britain’s concern. He said: “We obviously believe that the decision to expel four embassy staff is completely unjustified and we will be doing everything to ensure that they and their families are properly looked after.”

5

The Russian response notably did not include accusations of British spying – despite claims from Andrei Lugovoi, the former KGB agent charged with Mr Litvinenko’s murder – of MI6 involvement. Sergei Markov, a Kremlin adviser and leading analyst, told the Guardian he felt Mr Putin had refrained from too strong a reaction because “he doesn’t want to play the role of the Soviet Union. He doesn’t want to have a big conflict with the west.” Mr Markov said the ban on British officials travelling to Russia was less draconian than it seemed and would not apply to Mr Miliband or to MPs wanting to visit Russia.

6

Yesterday afternoon Russia’s foreign minister summoned Britain’s ambassador in Moscow, Sir Anthony Brenton. He and the Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko discussed the Litvinenko case. Emerging afterwards, the ambassador said: “He gave me certain messages to pass on to the Foreign Office. I have underlined to him my continuing disappointment at Russia’s reaction to our request for Mr Lugovoi and our hope that Russia will co-operate.”

7

It is not known which British diplomats have been ordered out. But Kremlin sources said they occupied the same ranks as the Russian diplomats expelled from London on Monday. They are believed to include Russia’s naval attaché and three members of Russia’s trade mission. Yesterday’s move puts the ball back into the court of the British government, which must now decide whether to pursue further action. The foreign secretary yesterday condemned the expulsion of British diplomats as “completely unjustified”. He said: “We are disappointed that the Russian government should have signalled no new co-operation in the extradition

4 Last night Mr Vladimir Putin made an apparent attempt to reduce the tension. “I think relations

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1 Russia yesterday expelled four British diplomats and banned its officials from travelling to the UK in a move denounced as “completely unjustifiable” by Britain. In a tit-for-tat response over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, Russia’s foreign ministry announced that four UK diplomats had been declared persona non grata. They had ten days to leave, it said.

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Luke Harding in Moscow July 20, 2007

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between Russia and Britain will develop normally because both countries are interested in this,” he said. “It is necessary to measure one’s actions against common sense, respect the legitimate interests of partners and everything will be alright. I think we will overcome this mini crisis,” he said.

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Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 3

Advanced

of Mr Andrei Lugovoi for the alleged murder of Alexander Litvinenko.” 8 He continued: “We are, however, much heartened that over the last 36 hours across the international community, European countries, the EU as a whole and the United States should have put out such positive statements about the need to defend the integrity of the British judicial system, and that is something that we shall be taking forward with the international community over the next few days and weeks.” 9 Yesterday’s tit-for-tat expulsions are likely to be welcomed by British businesses, which had feared more stringent measures affecting visas. “There is some hope that both sides will stop

competing in their mutual spitting competition,” Sergei Karaganov, an analyst with the European Studies Institute in Moscow, told the Guardian. He added: “Russia has done tit-for-tat. They couldn’t have done less. But they could have done much more.” 10 Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent who fled to Britain, died in a London hospital last November from a fatal dose of the extremely rare radioactive isotope polonium-210. The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, yesterday insisted that Russia should not be isolated. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 20/7/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What led directly to the expulsion of the four Russian diplomats from Britain? a. The murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London last November. b. The alleged failure of the Russians to co-operate with the investigation into Mr Litvinenko’s death. c. The expulsion of four British diplomats from Russia. 2. How does the text describe the Russian response to the British action? a. As an over-reaction b. As a kind of copy of what the British did c. As an unexpectedly mild response 3. What is President Putin’s assessment of relations between Britain and Russia? a. He thinks they are very bad. b. He thinks they are very good. c. He thinks they will improve in the future.

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4. What has been the reaction of British business people to the Russian action? a. They are afraid that a stricter visa regime will be imposed. b. They are probably relieved because the measures taken could have been much worse. c. They are pessimistic about future relations between the two countries.

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A three-word expression meaning something you do to harm someone who has harmed you. (para 1) 2. A formal three-word expression meaning someone who is not welcome. (para 1) 3. A four-word expression meaning for as far in the future as can be determined, based on what is known now. (para 2) 4. A two-word expression meaning an exact copy. (para 3) 5. An adjective meaning extremely strict and severe. (para 5) 6. An idiom meaning to tell someone it is their responsibility to take action or make the next decision. (para 7) 7. An adjective meaning encouraged, happier and more hopeful. (para 8) 8. An adjective meaning very strict. (para 9)

5 Vocabulary 2: Synonyms Look at the following words from the text. Match the synonyms to make five pairs of words. charge

draconian

denounce

stringent

condemn

order out

accuse

emphasize

expel

underline

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions Which prepositions follow these words from the text? Check your answers in the text. 1. refrain _______

5. reaction _______

2. investigation _______

6. expel _______

3. charge _______

7. ban _______

4. apply _______

8. conflict _______

7 Discussion

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Should a citizen of your country who has committed a crime in another country be extradited to that country to face trial? What are the arguments for and against extradition?

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. escalate 2. condemn 3. extradite 4. flee 5. unveil 6. pursue 7. overcome 8. summon 9. refrain 10. expel

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

charge / accuse draconian / stringent denounce / condemn order out / expel emphasize / underline

1. 2. 3. 4.

b c c b

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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from into with to to from on with

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3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions

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F T F F T F

5 Vocabulary 2: Synonyms

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

tit-for-tat persona non grata for the foreseeable future mirror image draconian to put the ball (back) in(to) someone’s court heartened stringent

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

trial ban

expel spokesman

unjustified co-operate

reduce agent

analyst poison

1. If you ____________ someone from doing something, you say officially that they must not do it. 2. If you ____________ with someone, you work together with them to get a result that is good for everyone. 3. If you ____________ someone, you kill them or make them very ill by giving them a dangerous substance. 4. If you ____________ someone from a place, you tell them officially that they must leave. 5. When you ____________ something, you make it smaller in size or importance. 6. A ____________ is someone whose job is to represent an organization officially, especially when speaking



to journalists. 7. An ____________ is someone who works for a country’s secret service. 8. An ____________ is someone whose job is to examine a situation carefully and give information about it to other people. 9. A ____________ is the process of examining a criminal case in a court of law. 10. If something is ____________, it is not fair and is not based on any good reason.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many Russian diplomats did Britain expel? 2. How many British diplomats did Russia expel? 3. What is the name of the former Russian security agent murdered in London? 4. What is the name of the former KGB agent charged with the murder? 5. Who is David Miliband?

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6. Who is Alexander Grushko?

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Elementary

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats

3 Mikhail Kamynin, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry, also said that Russia would not co-operate with the UK in fighting terrorism, and would not give visas to British officials. Russian officials would not ask for visas to visit Britain, he said. This means there will be no contact between the two governments in the near future. Mr Kamynin said that Russia’s action was “the minimum necessary”. 4 The Russian response was not as strong as some people expected. It came just four days after the British foreign secretary, David Miliband, announced that he was expelling four Russian diplomats. Analysts said that Mr Putin clearly did not want to make the problems with Britain any worse. The Russian response was a careful mirror image of the British actions. But the British foreign secretary said: “We believe that the

6

The Russians did not say the British diplomats were spies, although Andrei Lugovoi said that MI6 was involved in Mr Litvinenko’s murder. Sergei Markov, an adviser to the Russian government, said Mr Putin didn’t want “to play the role of the Soviet Union. He doesn’t want to have a big conflict with the west.” Mr Markov said some British officials could still travel to Russia – MPs, for example, and Mr Miliband himself.

7

Yesterday afternoon the British ambassador in Moscow had talks at the Russian foreign ministry. He and the Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko discussed the Litvinenko case. After the meeting the ambassador said: “He gave me certain messages for the Foreign Office in London. I told him we are disappointed at Russia’s reaction to our request for Mr Lugovoi and that we hope that Russia will co-operate.”

8

Mr Miliband said that Britain had received support from the international community, European countries, the EU as a whole and the United States. “We will continue to discuss this matter with the international community over the next few days and weeks.”

9

British businesses will probably be pleased that the Russians only expelled four diplomats. They were worried that the Russians might make it more difficult for British business people to get visas to visit Russia. Some people believe that yesterday’s action by the Russians might be the end of the matter. “There is some hope that both sides will stop now,” Sergei Karaganov, an

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats / Elementary

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2 Just four days after Britain expelled the four Russian diplomats, Russia has expelled four British diplomats. It has also banned Russian officials from travelling to the UK. The Russian foreign ministry announced that the four UK diplomats would have to leave Russia within the next ten days.

Last night Mr Vladimir Putin attempted to reduce the tension. “I think relations between Russia and Britain will develop normally because both countries are interested in this,” he said. “It is necessary to use common sense and respect the interests of partners and everything will be alright. I think this mini crisis will pass,” he said.

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1 Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent who left Russia and was living in Britain, died in a London hospital last November. Someone poisoned him using a radioactive substance called polonium-210. The British authorities believe that the person who poisoned Mr Litvinenko is a man called Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB agent. Mr Lugovoi is still in Moscow and the British authorities want the Russians to send him to London so he can be put on trial for murder. The Russians have not done this so the British government expelled four Russian diplomats from the UK.

5

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Luke Harding in Moscow July 20, 2007

decision to expel four British embassy staff is completely unjustified and we will do everything to make sure that the diplomats and their families are well looked after.”

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Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 1

Elementary

analyst with the European Studies Institute in Moscow, told the Guardian. He added: “Russia did the same as the British did. They couldn’t do any less. But it was possible for them to do much more.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 20/07/07

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The British authorities expelled four Russian diplomats because… 2. The Russian authorities expelled four British diplomats because… 3. British businesses will probably be pleased because… 4. There will be no contact between the two governments in the near future because… 5. President Putin believes… 6. Sergei Karaganov believes… a. …the British expelled four Russian diplomats. b. …the mini crisis will soon be over. c. …British officials will not travel to Moscow and Russian officials will not travel to London. d. …the Russians did not want to send Mr Lugovoi to London. e. …there is some hope that both sides will stop now.

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f. …they were worried that the Russians would make it more difficult to get visas.

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Words and expressions Match these terms from the text with their definitions. 1. KGB stands for…

a. an official who represents their country abroad

2. MI6 stands for…

b. the smallest possible amount

3. A mirror image means…

c. Military Intelligence Department 6

4. Look after means…

d. the most senior person in an embassy

5. An ambassador is…

e. the ability to make sensible decisions

6. A diplomat is…

f. an exact copy of something

7. Common sense is…

g. Committee for State Security

8. The minimum is…

h. take care of

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Use prepositions to fill the gaps in these phrases from the text. 1. put ______ trial

4. ______ the near future

2. co-operate ______ someone

5. interested ______ this

3. no contact ______ the two governments

6. involved ______ something

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table. The answers are all in the text.

verb 1.

noun co-operation

2.

reduction

3.

involvement govern

5. respond

7.

announcement decide

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8.

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6.

discussion

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4.

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Words and expressions

1. bam 2. co-operate 3. poison 4. expel 5. reduce 6. spokesman 7. agent 8. analyst 9. trial 10. unjustified

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d a f c b e

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

on with between in in in

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building verb

noun

1.

co-operate

co-operation

2.

reduce

reduction

3.

involve

involvement

4.

govern

government

5.

discuss

discussion

6.

respond

response

7.

announce

announcement

8.

decide

decision

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Four Four Alexander Litvinenko Andrei Lugovoi The British foreign secretary The Russian deputy foreign minister

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

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2 Find the information

g c f h d a e b

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 2 Intermediate 1

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

expel mild extradition targeted

unjustified tit-for-tat

overcome fatal

summon ban

1. A ____________ action is when you do the same thing to someone else that they have done to you. 2. If something is ____________, it is not fair or based on any good reason. 3. A ____________ is an official statement ordering people not to do something. 4. If an action is ____________, it is aimed at a specific group of people. 5. If something is ____________, it is not strong, severe or extreme. 6. If you ____________ a person from a place, you officially order that person to leave. 7. If you take a ____________ dose of something, it will kill you. 8. If you ____________ a problem or crisis, you succeed in dealing with it. 9. ____________ is the process of sending a criminal back for a trial to the country where the crime



was committed. 10. If you ____________ a person to a place, you officially order them to go there.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many Russian diplomats did Britain expel? 2. How many British diplomats did Russia expel? 3. What is the name of the former Russian security agent murdered in London? 4. What is the name of the former KGB agent charged with the murder? 5. Who is David Miliband?

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6. Who is the US secretary of state?

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 2 Intermediate Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats

3 The Russian tit-for-tat response was milder than many people expected. It came just four days after the British foreign secretary, David Miliband, announced that he was expelling four Russian diplomats because of Moscow’s failure to co-operate in the investigation into Mr Litvinenko’s death. Analysts said that Mr Putin had clearly decided not to make the conflict with Britain any worse. The Russian response was a careful mirror image of the British actions. But the foreign secretary emphasized Britain’s concern. He said: “We obviously believe that the decision to expel four embassy staff is completely unjustified and we will be doing everything to ensure that the diplomats and their families are properly looked after.” 4 Last night Mr Vladimir Putin made an apparent attempt to reduce the tension. “I think relations between Russia and Britain will develop normally because both countries are interested in this,” he

The Russian response did not accuse the British of spying. This was despite claims from Andrei Lugovoi, the former KGB agent charged with Mr Litvinenko’s murder, that MI6 was involved. Sergei Markov, a Kremlin adviser and leading analyst said he thought Mr Putin had avoided too strong a reaction because “he doesn’t want to play the role of the Soviet Union. He doesn’t want to have a big conflict with the west.” Mr Markov said the ban on British officials travelling to Russia was not as strict as it seemed and would not apply to Mr Miliband or to British MPs who wanted to visit Russia.

6

Yesterday afternoon Russia’s foreign minister summoned Britain’s ambassador in Moscow, Sir Anthony Brenton. He and the Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko discussed the Litvinenko case. After the meeting the ambassador said: “He gave me certain messages to pass on to the Foreign Office. I have underlined to him my continuing disappointment at Russia’s reaction to our request for Mr Lugovoi and our hope that Russia will co-operate.”

7

The Russian decision to expel the British diplomats means that the British government has to decide its next move. The foreign secretary said the expulsion of the British diplomats was “completely unjustified”. He added: “We are disappointed that the Russian government has not indicated any new co-operation in the extradition of Mr Andrei Lugovoi for the alleged murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

8

“We are, however, encouraged that over the last 36 hours across the international community, European countries, the EU as a whole and the United States have made such positive statements about the need to defend the integrity of the British judicial system. This is something

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2 Foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin also announced that the Kremlin would not co-operate with the UK in fighting terrorism for the time being, and would stop issuing visas to British officials. Russian officials would also no longer ask for visas to visit Britain, he said. This means there will be no prospect of face-to-face government contact for the foreseeable future. Mr Kamynin said that Russia’s action was “targeted, balanced and the minimum necessary”.

5

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1 Just four days after Britain expelled four Russian diplomats over the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, Russia has expelled four British diplomats and banned Russian officials from travelling to the UK. Russia’s foreign ministry announced that four UK diplomats had been asked to leave the country within the next ten days.

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Luke Harding in Moscow July 20, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

said. “It is necessary to measure one’s actions against common sense, respect the legitimate interests of partners and everything will be alright. I think we will overcome this mini crisis,” he said.

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 2 Intermediate that we shall be continuing to discuss with the international community over the next few days and weeks.” 9 Yesterday’s expulsions will probably be welcomed by British businesses, which had feared that strict restrictions would be placed on visas. “There is some hope that both sides will stop these tit-for-tat expulsions,” Sergei Karaganov, an analyst with the European Studies Institute in Moscow, told the Guardian. He added: “Russia has done tit-for-tat. They

couldn’t have done less. But they could have done much more.” 10 Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian security agent who fled to Britain, died in a London hospital last November from a fatal dose of the radioactive isotope polonium-210. The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, yesterday insisted that Russia should not be isolated. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 20/7/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The British expelled four Russian diplomats because Russia expelled four British diplomats. 2. People expected the Russian response to be much stronger. 3. The British believe that the Russians are not co-operating with the investigation into the murder of Mr Litvinenko. 4. The man accused of Mr Litvinenko’s murder says the KGB were involved. 5. Condoleezza Rice wants Russia to be isolated over this affair. 6. British MPs will not be allowed to travel to Russia.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A three-word expression meaning in a situation where you are meeting and talking to another person directly. (para 2) 2. A four-word expression meaning for as far in the future as can be determined, based on what is known now. (para 2) 3. A two-word expression meaning an exact copy. (para 3) 4. A verb meaning to say that someone has done something wrong or has committed a crime. (para 5) 5. A verb meaning to say officially that someone has committed a crime. (para 5) 6. A noun meaning the most senior official at an embassy. (para 6) 7. A verb meaning to emphasize something or say that it is important. (para 6)

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8. An adjective meaning claimed to be true, even though this has not been proved. (para 7)

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 2 Intermediate 5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to form collocations. 1. issue

a. a message

2. reduce

b. a statement

3. pass on

c. restrictions

4. make

d. a crisis

5. place

e. a visa

6. overcome

f. tension

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb 1.

expel

2. 3.

extradition announce

4.

investigation

5.

reduce

6.

disappoint

7.

restrict

8.

noun

emphasis

7 Discussion

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Should a citizen of your country who has committed a crime in another country be extradited to that country to face trial? What are the arguments for and against extradition?

Putin hits back at UK by expelling diplomats Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. tit-for-tat 2. unjustified 3. ban 4. targeted 5. mild 6. expel 7. fatal 8. overcome 9. extradition 10. summon

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e f a b c d

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F T T F F F

verb

noun

1.

expel

expulsion

2.

extradite

extradition

3.

announce

announcement

4.

investigate

investigation

5.

reduce

reduction

6.

disappoint

disappointment

7.

restrict

restriction

8.

emphasize

emphasis

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3 Comprehension check

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Four Four Alexander Litvineko Andrei Lugovoi The British foreign secretary Condoleezza Rice

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

face-to-face for the foreseeable future mirror image accuse charge ambassador underline alleged

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

grill spoof

clip tilt

hail free-for-all

quirky unsettles

disseminate breakthrough

1. A ____________ is an attempt to achieve something. 2. A ____________ is an uncontrolled situation in which people compete with each other and where there are



no rules. 3. A ____________ is a discovery or achievement that comes after a lot of hard work. 4. A ____________ is a very short part of a film, TV programme or news story. 5. If you ____________ someone, you ask them a lot of difficult questions. 6. If you ____________ information, you make it available to a lot of people. 7. If people ____________ something, they say publicly how good or important it is. 8. If something ____________ you, it makes you feel nervous, confused or anxious. 9. A ____________ is a piece of entertainment that copies something in a funny way and makes it seem silly



or pretentious. 10. If something is ____________, it is slightly strange or unusual.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether you think these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. YouTube did not exist during the last US presidential campaign in 2004. 2. The next presidential elections in the US will take place in 2008. 3. Hillary Clinton is one of the Republican candidates for the 2008 US presidential election. 4. More than 25 million people have watched a YouTube video about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.



5. YouTube is teaming up with CNN to broadcast a debate between the Democratic candidates.

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6. John F Kennedy appeared in a televised debate in 1980.

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Advanced

Debate brings YouTube to centre of 2008 presidential campaign 6

Some of the videos do not ask questions at all: in one, a man plays guitar and sings a song about potential vice-presidents; another includes a talking duck; one man, making a point about the impact of petrol on the environment, is shown driving a 1987 Chevy convertible.

7

Phil Noble, founder of PoliticsOnline, told Reuters YouTube’s increasing coverage of politics was significant. “In the past, the campaigns sort of stuck their toe into technology and innovation – it was a small detail of what was going on. The difference in this election is that technology has become fundamental. Every campaign has figured out ways to use YouTube all the time.”

8

The Internet played a small but short-lived role in the 2004 presidential election, with online donations funding the sudden rise of the Democrat Howard Dean. Online Democratic bloggers played a bigger part in last year’s Congressional elections. But the Internet is shifting into a central position in this campaign in terms of disseminating ideas, fundraising and mobilizing support, particularly among the young.

9

YouTube, which did not exist during the last presidential campaign, has already had an impact on this one. More than 2.5 million people have viewed the video I’ve Got A Crush ... On Obama since it was posted last month and a follow-up about women fighting over Mr Obama and Rudy Giuliani, the Republican frontrunner, has been watched more than 500,000 times since it appeared last week. A Hillary Clinton campaign spoof on the final episode of the Sopranos was also popular.

1 Old media enter into an uneasy alliance with new

2 Hours before last night’s deadline, more than 2,300

3 The event is being hailed by the organizers as a breakthrough for the new media, comparable to the impact of television on politics when Richard Nixon debated with John Kennedy in 1960. But some bloggers, who see the Internet as a democratic free-for-all, have expressed unhappiness about the involvement of CNN. The candidates will meet in a military college in Charleston, South Carolina and watch the questions being displayed on a 7.6 metre by 5.5 metre screen. Allowing CNN to select the 25-30 questions has upset many bloggers.

4 Questions submitted so far cover climate change, immigration, gay rights, welfare and foreign policy. The ratio of questions about Iraq is low in comparison with the extensive daily coverage it gets in US papers and on television. Although CNN is filtering the questions, there is the potential for quirky or emotional questions that might unsettle a candidate.

5 Steve Grove, head of YouTube’s news and politics

section, told the Washington Post: “These YouTube questions – a lot of them, anyway – are intimate, emotional, personal. That person is in his/her own

10 YouTube effectively knocked the former Republican senator George Allen out of the race. A video of him last summer referring to a dark-skinned Virginian as “macaca” cost him re-election to the senate and a tilt at the presidency. CNN and YouTube are to join forces again on September 17 for a Republican debate. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 23/7/07

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Advanced

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videos recorded on webcameras and mobile phones had been submitted. Among them is a 30-second clip from a cancer survivor who removes her wig and says her chances of survival are not as good as they would have been if she had had health insurance. “What would you, as president, do to make low-cost or free preventative medicine available for everyone in this country?” she asks.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

media tonight to grill the Democratic candidates in the United States’ 2008 presidential race. CNN and YouTube, the video-sharing website, are holding a joint debate in which the public have sent in video-recorded questions for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the other candidates.

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Ewen MacAskill in Charleston July 23, 2007

surroundings, and that person is bringing you into their world, their reality. That makes it a very powerful experience.”

CA

Level 3

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. How does the Internet’s role in the current presidential campaign differ from its role in the last campaign? a. It is collecting online donations for the candidates. b. It is playing a much more central role this time. c. It is being used to spread information. 2. How did YouTube knock George Allen out of the presidential race? a. It refused to show his promotional video. b. It showed a video of his opponents criticizing him. c. It showed a video of him making a racist comment. 3.

How do the organizers describe the joint CNN/YouTube debate? a. They say it is an important milestone in the history of the Internet. b. They say it is the most important event since the debate between Nixon and Kennedy. c. They say it will be the most successful debate ever broadcast.

4. Why are some bloggers unhappy? a. Because the questions will be edited. b. Because the Internet is a democratic free-for-all. c. Because they don’t like the fact that CNN is involved.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. An adjective meaning not settled or calm. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning similar to another thing so that it is reasonable to compare them. (para 3) 3. A noun meaning the amount of attention that the media give to something. (para 4) 4. A verb meaning to check something and remove things you don’t want. (para 4) 5. A four-word expression meaning to try doing something in order to test whether it will be successful. (para 7) 6. A two-word verb meaning to be able to understand something or solve a problem. (para 7) 7. A two-word adjective meaning lasting for a short period of time. (para 8)

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8. A verb meaning to encourage people to support an idea or plan. (para 8)

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right. 1. enter into

a. funds

2. hold

b. a role

3. submit

c. ideas

4. play

d. a debate

5. disseminate

e. an impact

6. raise

f. support

7. mobilize

g. an alliance

8. have

h. a question

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb 1.

survive

2.

migrate

3.

preside

4.

elect

noun

noun (person)

5. campaign 6.

donate

7.

insure

8. organize

7 Discussion

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If you had the opportunity, what questions would you ask your political leaders? What would you like them to change in your country?

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. tilt 2. free-for-all 3. breakthrough 4. clip 5. grill 6. disseminate 7. hail 8. unsettles 9. spoof 10. quirky

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4.

b c a c

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building verb

noun

noun (person)

1.

survive

survival

survivor

2.

migrate

migration immigration

migrant immigrant

3.

preside

presidency

president

4.

elect

election

elector

5. campaign

campaign

campaigner

6.

donate

donation

donor

7.

insure

insurance

insurer

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Advanced

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3 Comprehension check

g d h b c a f e

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T T F F T F

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

uneasy comparable coverage filter stick one’s toe into figure out short-lived mobilize

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

debate emotional

campaign powerful

election welfare

candidate survive

frontrunner environment

1. An ____________ is a time when people vote for someone to represent them, especially in a government. 2. The ____________ is the natural world, including the land, water, air, plants and animals. 3. In the United States, ____________ is money given to people who don’t have a job. 4. If you ____________ an illness or an accident, you continue to live after it. 5. A ____________ is a formal discussion where people answer questions. 6. A ____________ is one of the people who is trying to win an election. 7. A ____________ is a lot of different things that politicians do to try to win an election. 8. The ____________ is the person who is the favourite to win an election. 9. ____________ things are related to people’s feelings. 10. If an experience is ____________, it has a strong effect on people.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.

1. How many video questions have people sent in? 2. When did Richard Nixon and John Kennedy first debate on television? 3. How many questions has CNN chosen for the debate? 4. When is the next US presidential election? 5. How many people have watched the video about Barack Obama?

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How many people have watched the video about Mr Obama and Mr Giuliani?

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Elementary 5

Steve Grove, head of YouTube’s news and politics section, said: “A lot of these YouTube questions are emotional and personal. The person asking each question is in his/her own surroundings, and that person brings you into their world and into their reality. That makes it a very powerful experience.”

6

Some of the videos do not ask questions at all: in one, a man plays guitar and sings a song about possible vice-presidents; another includes a talking duck; one man, talking about what petrol can do to the environment, drives a 1987 Chevy in his video.

7

Phil Noble, founder of PoliticsOnline, said that it was very interesting that YouTube was now showing more and more videos connected with politics. “In the past, there wasn’t much technology in presidential campaigns. The difference in this election is that technology has become a key part of the campaigns. Each candidate’s campaign is now using YouTube all the time.”

8

The Internet played a small part in the 2004 presidential election, when people gave money online to the campaign of the Democrat Howard Dean. Online Democratic bloggers played a bigger part in last year’s Congressional elections. But the Internet is now moving into a central position in this campaign by broadcasting ideas, raising money and trying to win support, particularly from young people.

9

YouTube did not exist during the last presidential campaign in 2004 but this time it has already had an influence. More than 2.5 million people have watched a video about Barack Obama since it was posted on YouTube last month . More than 500,000 people have watched a second video showing women fighting over Mr Obama and Rudy Giuliani, the Republican frontrunner, since it appeared on the Internet last week. CNN and YouTube will work together again on September 17 when they broadcast a Republican debate.

in the form of the video-sharing website YouTube, are joining together to show a debate between the Democratic candidates in the United States’ 2008 presidential campaign. Members of the public have sent in video-recorded questions for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the other candidates.

2 People have sent in more than 2,300 videos which

they have recorded on webcameras and mobile phones. One of them is a short 30-second video from someone with cancer who takes off her wig and says she would have a better chance of surviving the disease if she had health insurance. “If you were president, what would you do to provide cheap or free medical treatment for everyone in this country?” she asks.

3 The organizers say the event is an important step

for the Internet, in the same way that the televised debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 was an important day in the history of television. But some bloggers, who want the Internet to be democratic and free for everyone to use, have said that they are not happy that CNN is part of this event. The fact that CNN has chosen the 25-30 questions has also made a lot of bloggers angry.

4 The candidates will meet in a military college in

Charleston, South Carolina and watch the questions on a large screen, 7.6 metres wide and 5.5 metres high. So far people have sent in questions about climate change, immigration, gay rights, welfare and foreign policy. US newspapers and television cover Iraq all the time but people have only sent in a few questions on this topic. CNN is checking the questions carefully but there might still be some difficult and uncomfortable questions for the candidates.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 23/07/07

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Elementary

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1 Television, in the form of CNN, and the Internet,

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Ewen MacAskill in Charleston July 23, 2007

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Debate brings YouTube to centre of 2008 presidential campaign

CA

Level 1

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The Democratic debate is important because… 2. Some bloggers are unhappy because… 3. A lot of bloggers are also angry because… 4. Steve Grove thinks it is a powerful experience because… 5. This presidential election is different because… 6. More than 2.5 million people… a. … technology is a key part of the campaign. b. … CNN has chosen the questions for the debate. c. … have watched a YouTube video about Barack Obama. d. … it is the first time that television and the Internet have worked together to show a political debate. e. … many of the questions are emotional and personal. f. … CNN is part of the event.

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

b. insurance

3. mobile

c. treatment

4. medical

d. phone

5. foreign

e. camera

6. health

f. election

7. vice

g. policy

8. web

h. change

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Elementary

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2. climate

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a. president

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1. presidential

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make expressions from the text.

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

verb



noun

1.

treat

2.

insure

3.

connect

4.

elect

5.

organize

(person)

6.

surround

(plural)

7.

broadcast

8.

fight

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress Put these words from the text into two groups depending on their word stress.

A

question welfare

0 o

mobile guitar

B

disease support

event second

o 0

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Elementary

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campaign college

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debate angry

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words 1. election 2. environment 3. welfare 4. survive 5. debate 6. candidate 7. campaign 8. frontrunner 9. emotional 10. powerful

2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

2,300 1960 25–30 2008 More than 2.5 million More than 500,000

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building verb

noun

1.

treat

treatment

2.

insure

insurance

3.

connect

connection

4.

elect

election

5.

organize

(person) organizer

6.

surround

(plural) surroundings

7.

broadcast

broadcast

8.

fight

fight

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress A

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d f b e a c

0 o

B

o 0

question

debate

mobile

campaign

angry

disease

college

event

welfare

guitar

second

support

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations f h d c g b a e

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

clip debate

quirky submit

free-for-all preventative

unsettles impact

breakthrough coverage

1. If something ____________ you, it makes you feel nervous, confused or anxious. 2. ____________ is the amount of attention that the media gives to a particular subject. 3. ____________ medicine is treatment intended to stop an illness or a disease before it starts. 4. A ____________ is a formal discussion in which people give their opinions about a subject. 5. If something is ____________, it is slightly strange or unusual. 6. A ____________ is a discovery or achievement that comes after a lot of hard work. 7. A ____________ is a very short part of a film, TV programme or news story. 8. If you ____________ a question or a proposal, you formally give it to someone so that they can make a decision about it. 9. An ____________ is the effect or influence that something or someone has. 10. A ____________ is an uncontrolled situation in which people compete with each other and

where there are no rules.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many video questions have been submitted to the debate? 2. When did Richard Nixon and John Kennedy first debate on television? 3. How many questions has CNN selected for the debate? 4. When is the next US presidential election? 5. How many people have watched the video about Barack Obama?

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NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. When will the Republican debate take place on CNN/YouTube?

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Intermediate

Debate brings YouTube to centre of 2008 presidential campaign

– are intimate, emotional and personal. The person asking each question is in his/her own surroundings, and that person is bringing you into their world, their reality. That makes it a very powerful experience.”

3 The organizers say the event is a breakthrough for the new media, similar to the impact of television on politics when Richard Nixon debated with John Kennedy in 1960. But some bloggers, who see the Internet as a democratic free-for-all, have said that they are not happy that CNN is involved. The candidates will meet in a military college in Charleston, South Carolina and watch the questions on a 7.6 metre by 5.5 metre screen. The fact that CNN has selected the 2530 questions has made a lot of bloggers angry. 4 Questions submitted so far cover climate change, immigration, gay rights, welfare and foreign policy. The number of questions about Iraq is very small in comparison with the extensive daily coverage it gets in US papers and on television. Although CNN is checking the questions, quirky or emotional questions that might unsettle the candidates might still get through. 5 Steve Grove, head of YouTube’s news and politics section, told the Washington Post: “These YouTube questions – a lot of them, anyway

Some of the videos do not ask questions at all: in one, a man plays guitar and sings a song about potential vice-presidents; another includes a talking duck; one man, making a point about the impact of petrol on the environment, is shown driving a 1987 Chevy convertible.

7

Phil Noble, founder of PoliticsOnline, told Reuters that YouTube’s increasing coverage of politics was significant. “In the past, presidential campaigns only experimented a little with technology and innovation – it was a small detail of what was going on. The difference in this election is that technology has become fundamental. Each candidate’s campaign has worked out ways to use YouTube all the time.”

8

The Internet played a small but short-lived role in the 2004 presidential election, when people donated money online to the campaign of the Democrat Howard Dean. Online Democratic bloggers played a bigger part in last year’s Congressional elections. But the Internet is now moving into a central position in this campaign by spreading ideas, raising money and mobilizing support, particularly among the young.

9

YouTube, which did not exist during the last presidential campaign, has already had an impact on this campaign. More than 2.5 million people have watched the video I’ve Got A Crush ... On Obama since it was posted last month. A follow-up video showing women fighting over Mr Obama and Rudy Giuliani, the Republican frontrunner, has been watched more than 500,000 times since it appeared last week. CNN and YouTube will join forces again on September 17 for a Republican debate. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 23/7/07

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Intermediate

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2 More than 2,300 videos recorded on webcameras and mobile phones have been submitted. Among them is a 30-second clip from a cancer survivor who removes her wig and says her chances of survival are not as good as they would be if she had health insurance. “What would you, as president, do to make low-cost or free preventative medicine available for everyone in this country?” she asks.

6

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Old media, in the form of CNN, and new media, in the form of the video-sharing website YouTube, are joining together to broadcast a debate between the Democratic candidates in the United States’ 2008 presidential contest. Members of the public have sent in video-recorded questions for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the other candidates.

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Ewen MacAskill in Charleston July 23, 2007

CA

Level 2

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. This is the first time that television and the Internet have joined forces to broadcast a presidential campaign debate of this kind. 2. All of the videos submitted to the debate ask questions. 3. The Internet is taking a central position in this presidential campaign. 4. Some bloggers are unhappy that CNN is involved. 5. The Internet was not used at all during the last presidential campaign in 2004. 6. YouTube was founded in 2003.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions. 1. A noun meaning the process in which people enter a country to live there. (para 4) 2. A noun meaning (in American English) money given to unemployed people and other people in need. (para 4) 3. An adjective meaning very large in amount or degree. (para 4) 4. An adjective meaning relating to very personal and private things. (para 5) 5. An adjective meaning possible or likely in the future. (para 6) 6. An adjective meaning absolutely essential. (para 7) 7. A two-word adjective meaning lasting for a short period of time. (para 8)

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A noun meaning a feeling of love and admiration for someone. (para 9)

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to form collocations. 1. issue

a. a message

2. reduce

b. a statement

3. pass on

c. restrictions

4. make

d. a crisis

5. place

e. a visa

6. overcome

f. tension

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

noun 1.

person

2.

power

3.

emotion

4.

democrat

5.

environment

6.

president

7.

centre

8.

republic

adjective



7 Discussion

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What would you like your politicians to change in your country? If you could send in questions to a political debate, what questions would you submit and why?

YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. unsettles 2. coverage 3. preventative 4. debate 5. quirky 6. breakthrough 7. clip 8. submit 9. impact 10. free-for-all

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T F T T F F

e f a b c d

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building noun

adjective

1.

person

personal

2.

power

powerful

3.

emotion

emotional

4.

democrat

democratic

5.

environment

environmental

6.

president

presidential

7.

centre

central

8.

republic

republican

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / YouTube at centre of 2008 presidential campaign / Intermediate

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2,300 1960 25–30 2008 More than 2.5 million September 17

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

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2 Find the information

immigration welfare extensive intimate potential fundamental short-lived crush

Going under Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading A: Predicting the content

Read the headline and the sub-heading. What do you think the article is going to be about?

Going under Britain is world-renowned for its depressingly damp climate. We are used to suffering week upon week of rain. So why have a few heavy showers caused such devastation around the country this summer? Aida Edemariam reports July 24, 2007

2

Pre-reading B: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below.

trapped ploughs

run-off absorb

drainage crop

sewers paving

flush freak

1. ____________ removing liquids from something 2. ____________ covering the ground with tiles, stones, concrete, etc. 3. ____________ digs up the land in lines, using machines 4. ____________ excess water that cannot sink onto the ground 5. ____________ kept in one place and stopped from moving away 6. ____________ a system of pipes underground to carry waste water away 7. ____________ take in liquid a little at a time 8. ____________ very unusual 9. ____________ plants grown for food 10. ____________ to wash away

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article, check the words in context, and see if your prediction was correct.

Going under In fact, the answer lies partly in how quickly it all happened. Brize Norton in Oxfordshire received 121.2mm of rain between midnight Thursday and 5pm Friday – a sixth of what it would expect for the whole year. South Yorkshire got a month’s worth of rain on June 25. And it has been raining for weeks now, “and the ground is very wet, so immediately you get rainfall, you get runoff”, explains professor Adrian Saul, of Sheffield University.

5

It isn’t just a case of the ground not being able to absorb so much so fast – drainage systems can’t either, and have simply been overwhelmed. “When you design a system you have to take a level of risk, and generally the level of risk is sufficient to protect our communities,” says Saul. “But once that level has been passed, the defences are overwhelmed. It’s very fortunate that the Victorians built the systems as big as they did. In London in particular, [they] had the foresight to see that there would be change, and it’s protected London ever since.” Which is, of course, impressive, and true, but it is also true that they were built when London’s population was a quarter of what it is now – and last Friday, they simply didn’t hold up.

6

“Our sewers are not designed to deal with that capacity of water flowing through them,” says Nicola Savage, a spokeswoman for Thames Water. They are also not designed for the way we currently treat them. We each, personally, use far more water than ever before. There is also “a tendency for the public to use the sewers as a litter bin,” Savage adds. “People flush nappies down toilets, sanitary products, and tights. In particular, we need to encourage people not to be pouring stuff down the sink – for example, fat, oil and grease. The sewers were never designed to cope with this sort of material.”

7

Thames Water says that it is spending £323 million improving its sewers, but until recently, Ofwat [the economic regulator for the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales] has been reluctant to allow very much investment by water companies, because they wanted to keep water bills down.

8

Saul is also involved in a £5.6 million project called the Flood Risk Management Research Consortium,

Britain is world-renowned for its depressingly damp climate. We are used to suffering week upon week of rain. So why have a few heavy showers caused such devastation around the country this summer? Aida Edemariam reports July 24, 2007 1 Anyone attempting to take a train to or from the

southwest of England this weekend could be forgiven for wondering if they had accidentally strayed on to the set of a disaster movie. Trains appeared on boards and then simply vanished. Announcers on the London Underground announced lists of lines progressively going out of service. As for those who had to watch their homes and businesses surrender to the rising tide, among them there was a general sense of disbelief. Disbelief that a downpour so short should wreak such havoc, disbelief that such scenes should be occurring at all.

2 The disbelief is justified. This, after all, is a country

famed for its wetness. Rain is our national weather. Snow – well, we all know what happens when Britain is dusted with a few millimetres of snow. Excessive heat, like last summer’s, causes difficulties, too – but rain? Given our extensive experience, surely we should lead the world in rain management.

3 Alas, it seems not. Thousands had to be evacuated

over the weekend, thousands more are trapped in their homes. That’s thousands to add to those still unable to go home after floods in the north of England last month, which killed eight people – and countless millions to add to a national insurance bill eventually expected to top £2.5 billion. Evesham, in Worcestershire, the worst-hit town this weekend, experienced floods of up to five metres. And it isn’t over yet: at the time of going to press there were warnings that flood waters weren’t expected to peak until tonight, and Oxford and Bedford and Gloucestershire were preparing themselves to be the next major areas hit. All are entitled to ask how such relatively short bursts of rain – just one hour in London, somewhat longer in places such as Oxfordshire – could have such devastating results.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Advanced

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Going under

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Advanced

CA

Level 3

Going under Level 3

Advanced

which is investigating how farmers can control the flow of water off land. Farmers can decrease runoff if they plough across hills, rather than down them, and strategically placed trees can help retain water. And the more animals there are on a piece of land, the more they pack the ground down, and the less it can absorb water. This leads to crop damage, which will soon be evident in our shops. And if intensively farmed animals get no drinking water for 48 hours, thousands will die, which will also affect the price of food.

essence, anything that runs off the house should be stored locally,” says Saul. Instead of going straight into the sewerage system, rainwater can be collected – in storage tanks under driveways, for example – and used to flush toilets or run washing machines. Small trenches called soakaways can be dug in gardens and filled with stones, to trap the water and release it into the ground a bit more slowly. Every little helps.

10

9 The consortium is also investigating how individuals

can help reduce a problem that, in fact, they have helped create: by extending their houses, paving driveways, building car parks – all decreasing the amount of soft ground to absorb water, and increasing the amount of runoff into drains and rivers. “In

For although what Britain has experienced over the past month is, as experts explain, a series of freak weather events, our changing climate means that there may soon be more of them, more frequently. Today Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are having to get out the sandbags and evacuate the citizens. Tomorrow, next month, next year – who knows? © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 24/07/07

3 Comprehension check Re-read the text more carefully, and decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F). 1. The flooding in Britain this summer is no worse than usual. 2. Insurance costs will be very high. 3. One reason for the floods was that a huge amount of rain fell in a very short time. 4. Victorian engineers fully anticipated the extent of population growth. 5. The public have been putting the wrong kind of material down the toilet. 6. Farmers could help prevent flooding if they ploughed their land up and down hill. 7. The price of food is likely to rise.

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8. The more we build, the more likely we are to see floods in the future.

Going under Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary development 1 Find words in the text that mean the following. Paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. famous everywhere (sub-heading) 2. enormous destruction (sub-heading) 3. wandered by accident (para 1) 4. sudden period of heavy rainfall (para 1) 5. cause so much damage (para 1) 6. covered with very small quantities (para 2) 7. when this article was printed (para 3) 8. completely defeated (para 5) 9. ability to think ahead and anticipate future problems (para 5) 10. carefully and thoughtfully (para 8)

5 Vocabulary development 2: Expressions of quantity The expressions of quantity on the left have all been taken from the text. See if you can match them with the nouns they modified on the right. 1. week upon week of





a. lines

2. lists of







b. rain

3. up to







c. what it is now

4. a sixth of







d. soft ground

5. a month’s worth of





e. freak weather events

6. a quarter of





f. water

7. that capacity of

g. five meters

8. the amount of





h. what it would expect

9. a bit more







i. rain

10. a series of







j. slowly

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NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now scan the text to see how many you got right.

Going under Level 3

Advanced

6 Skills development: Referring expressions What do each of these words refer to? Paragraph numbers are given to help you.

no.

para

word

context

1.

1

those

As for those who had to watch...

2.

1

them

... among them there was...

3.

3

thousands

Thousands had to be evacuated...

4.

3

millions

... countless millions to add...

5.

3

all

All are entitled to ask...

6.

5

they

... as big as they did...

7.

5

they

... they were built...

8.

8

thousands

... thousands will die...

refers to...

7 Recognizing irony The writer of this article, Aida Edemariam, sometimes uses irony for dramatic effect. 1. Find 5 examples of irony in the subheading and the first 2 paragraphs. 2. Why do you think the use of irony is concentrated only at the beginning of the article?

8 Discussion Has your country experienced unusual amounts of flooding recently? Has it experienced other changes in the weather? Do you think such changes are probably due to global warming? What measures is your government taking to help prevent global warming? What measures do you think it should take? What measures do you think individuals in your country should take? In what ways have you changed your own behaviour to help reduce the risks?

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Going under Level 3

Advanced

KEY 2 Pre-reading B: Key words 1. drainage 2. paving 3. ploughs 4. runoff 5. trapped 6. sewers 7. absorb 8. freak 9. crop 10. flush

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

False. It is much worse than usual. True True False. They anticipated a lot of growth, but not enough. True False. They could help if they ploughed their land across the hill. True True

4 Vocabulary development 1 1. world-renowned 2. devastation 3. strayed 4. downpour 5. wreak such havoc 6. dusted 7. at the time of going to press 8. overwhelmed 9. foresight 10. strategically

5 Vocabulary development 2: Expressions of quantity 1. b 2. a 3. g 4. h 5. i 6. c 7. f 8. d 9. j 10. e

6 Skills development: Referring expressions no.

word



refers to...

1.

those

people (whose houses had been flooded)

2.

them

as above

3.

thousands

4.

millions

millions of pounds

5.

all

everyone in the UK

6.

they

the Victorians (who built the sewers)

7.

they

the sewers

8.

thousands

thousands of people

thousands of animals

7 Recognizing irony 1. Britain is world-renowned for its depressingly damp climate. This, after all, is a country famed for its wetness. Rain is our national weather. Snow – well, we all know what happens when Britain is dusted with a few millimetres of snow. Given our extensive experience, surely we should lead the world in rain management.

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2. Because after that, the content is too serious for irony.

Going under Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading A: Predicting the content

Read the headline and the sub-heading below. What do you think the article is going to be about? •

Umbrellas breaking in the rain?

•

Rainwater filling houses and streets?

•

Tourists staying away because of the rain?

Going under Everyone knows that it often rains in Britain. We often have week upon week of rain. So why have a few heavy showers caused so much damage here this summer? Aida Edemariam reports July 24, 2007

2

Pre-reading B: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the meanings below. disaster floods results run-off drainage sewers ploughs absorb 1. ____________ removing liquids from something 2. ____________ water from rivers filling the land 3. ____________ a very bad accident or serious damage 4. ____________ a system of pipes underground to carry waste water away 5. ____________ things that happen because something else happened 6. ____________ take in liquid a little at a time 7. ____________ too much water that cannot go down into the ground 8. ____________ digs up the land in lines, using machines

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NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article, check the words in context, and see if your answer to Question 1 was correct.

Going under Elementary

Going under

lucky that the Victorians built the systems as big as they did. Especially in London, they thought the city would get bigger, and that has protected London until now.” But London’s population is now four times as big – and last Friday, the sewers couldn’t handle so much water.

6

“Our sewers are not designed to have so much water flowing through them,” says Nicola Savage, a spokeswoman for Thames Water. And they are not designed for the way we use them nowadays. “We each, personally, use much more water than ever before. Also, the public often use the sewers as a rubbish bin,” Savage adds. “People put things like babies’ nappies down the toilet. And also, we need to encourage people not to pour fat and oil down the sink. The sewers were never designed to handle this kind of thing.”

7

Saul is also investigating how farmers can control the flow of water off land. If Farmers plough across hills, not down them, there will be less runoff. And carefully placed trees can help stop flooding. Also, the more animals walk over a piece of land, the harder the ground becomes, and the less water it can absorb. Then, plants can’t grow well, and there won’t be enough food. And if farm animals get no drinking water for 48 hours, thousands will die, and meat will cost more.

8

Scientists are also investigating how each of us can help reduce a problem that, in fact, we have helped create: by extending our houses, paving driveways, and building car parks. All this takes away soft ground that could absorb water, and adds to the runoff into drains and rivers. And we should collect any water that runs off the house instead of letting it go into the sewerage system. We can use rainwater to flush toilets or run washing machines. Every little helps.

9

For although this month’s weather in Britain has been very unusual, that may happen more, and more often, as our climate changes. Today people in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are having to leave their houses. Tomorrow, next month, next year – who knows?

southwest of England this weekend could think they had accidentally walked into a disaster movie. Some trains never arrived, and the people who had to watch their homes and businesses go under water couldn’t believe that such a short rainstorm could cause so much damage.

2 I can understand their surprise, because this

country is famous for its wetness. Rain is our national weather. Snow can cause us problems, yes, and very hot weather, like last summer, causes difficulties, too – but rain? With our wide experience, surely we should lead the world in rain management.

3 Unfortunately not. Thousands of people had

to leave their homes over the weekend, and thousands more are still trapped inside their houses. Some towns in the south had floods of up to five metres. In the north of England, some people still can’t go home after last month’s floods, which killed 8 people. Everyone is asking how such short rainstorms – just one hour in London, slightly longer in other places – could have such terrible results.

4 In fact, the answer is partly because it all happened

so quickly. Brize Norton in Oxfordshire had 121.2mm of rain between midnight Thursday and 5pm Friday – a sixth of what it would expect for the whole year. South Yorkshire got a month’s worth of rain on June 25. It has been raining for weeks now, “and the ground is very wet, so immediately you get rainfall, you get runoff”, explains professor Adrian Saul, of Sheffield University.

5 It isn’t just that the ground cannot absorb so much

so fast – drainage systems get too full, too. “When you design a system you have to plan for possible dangers, and generally the plans are good enough to protect our communities,” says Saul. “It’s very

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Elementary

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 24/07/07

O

1 People trying to take a train to or from the

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Aida Edemariam reports July 24, 2007

•P H

Everyone knows that it often rains in Britain. We often have week upon week of rain. So why have a few heavy showers caused so much damage here this summer?

CA

Level 1

Going under Level 1

Elementary

3 Scanning for information First, read the text quickly to find the words and numbers in the box below. Underline them in the text.

five metres Adrian Saul

eight people

121.2mm

5pm Friday

the Victorians

four times

Nicola Savage

June 25 48 hours

Now, read the text again, and use the information from the box to complete the sentences below. 1. _____________ built the sewers in London. 2. The rain stopped in Oxfordshire at _____________. 3. _____________ were killed in floods last month in the north of England. 4. _____________ is a professor at Sheffield University. 5. Farm animals may die if they can’t drink water for _____________. 6. _____________ of rain fell in five hours in Brize Norton. 7. _____________ gave some information from Thames Water. 8. In South Yorkshire, on _____________, it rained as much in one day as it usually rains in a month. 9. Flood water was _____________ deep in some towns in the south. 10. There are _____________ as many people living in London now as when the London sewers were built.

4 Vocabulary development Find words in the text that mean the following. Paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. ____________ – kept somewhere, like a prisoner (para 3) 2. ____________ – to think and plan how to build something (para 5) 3. ____________ – succeed in working with (para 5) 4. ____________ – special pieces of soft material for babies to wear because they can’t use the toilet (para 6) 5. ____________ – covering (the ground) with hard material like concrete or bricks (para 8)

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NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Elementary

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. ____________ – to wash away with a lot of water (para 8)

Going under Level 1

Elementary

5 Language development: Prepositions Choose prepositions from the box to go with the words below.

on

like

for

over

in

1. ______ the weekend 2. ______ the south 3. ______ June 25 4. raining ______ weeks 5. plan ______ possible dangers 6. Especially ______ London 7. designed ______ 8. things ______ babies’ nappies Now scan the text quickly to see if you were right.

6 Pronunciation: Syllable stress The 3-syllable words in the box all come from the article.

disaster

businesses

professor

possible

carefully

scientists

management

protected extending

nowadays rainwater

terrible encourage unusual

businesses

disaster

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NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Elementary

o 0 o

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0 o o

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Which syllable is stressed? Put them in the right column. The first 2 are done for you.

Going under Level 1

Elementary

KEY 2 Pre-reading B: Key words

5 Language development: Prepostions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

drainage floods disaster sewers results absorb run-off ploughs

3 Scanning for information 1. the Victorians 2. 5pm Friday 3. eight people 4. Adrian Saul 5. 48 hours 6. 121.2mm 7. Nicola Savage 8. June 25 9. five metres 10. four times

over the weekend in the south on June 25 raining for weeks plan for possible dangers Especially in London designed for things like babies’ nappies

6. Pronunciation: Syllable stress 0 o o

o 0 o

businesses

disaster

management terrible possible nowadays carefully scientists rainwater

professor protected encourage extending unusual

4 Vocabulary development trapped design handle nappies paving flush

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NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Going under Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading A: Predicting the content

Read the headline and the sub-heading below. What do you think the article is going to be about?

Going under Britain is well-known for its very wet climate. We are used to suffering week upon week of rain. So why have a few heavy showers caused such devastation around the country this summer? Aida Edemariam reports July 24, 2007

2

Pre-reading B: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below. devastation sewers

a downpour ploughs

evacuated absorb

run-off crops

drainage sandbags

1. ____________ a very heavy shower of rain 2. ____________ removing liquids from something 3. ____________ digs up the land in lines, using machines 4. ____________ very serious damage 5. ____________ excess water that cannot sink into the ground 6. ____________ made to move away (from a dangerous place) 7. ____________ strong bags filled with sand, used to keep water out 8. ____________ a system of pipes underground to carry waste water away 9. ____________ take in liquid a little at a time 10. ____________ plants grown for food

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NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Intermediate

CA

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article, check the words in context, and see if your prediction was correct.

Going under Intermediate

Going under

5

It isn’t just that the ground cannot absorb so much so fast – drainage systems can’t either. “When you design a system you have to plan for possible dangers, and generally the plans are enough to protect our communities,” says Saul. “It’s very lucky that the Victorians built the systems as big as they did. Especially in London, they imagined that there would be change, and that has protected London ever since.” But they were built when London’s population was a quarter of what it is now – and last Friday, they simply didn’t hold up.

6

“Our sewers are not designed to deal with so much water flowing through them,” says Nicola Savage, a spokeswoman for Thames Water. And they are not designed for the way we treat them nowadays. We each, personally, use far more water than ever before. The public also tend to “use the sewers as a rubbish bin,” Savage adds. “People put nappies down toilets, sanitary products, tights. In particular, we need to encourage people not to be pouring stuff down the sink – for example, fat, oil and grease. The sewers were never designed to cope with this sort of material.”

7

Saul is also involved in £5.6 million project which is investigating how farmers can control the flow of water off land. Farmers can decrease run-off if they plough across hills, rather than down them, and carefully placed trees can help stop flooding. And the more animals walk over a piece of land, the harder the ground becomes, and the less water it can absorb. That will damage crops, and there will be a shortage of food. And if intensively farmed animals get no drinking water for 48 hours, thousands will die, and the price of meat will rise.

8

Scientists are also investigating how individuals can help reduce a problem that, in fact, they have helped create: by extending their houses,

1 Anyone trying to take a train to or from the

southwest of England this weekend might think they had accidentally walked into a disaster movie. Trains were announced, but never arrived, as more and more lines went out of service. And the people who had to watch their homes and businesses flooded, couldn’t believe that a downpour so short should cause such damage, or that such scenes should be occurring at all.

2 Their disbelief is justified. This, after all, is a country famed for its wetness. Rain is our national weather. Snow – well, we all know what happens when Britain gets a few millimetres of snow. Excessive heat, like last summer’s, causes difficulties, too – but rain? Given our wide experience, surely we should lead the world in rain management.

3 Alas, it seems not. Thousands of people had to

be evacuated over the weekend, thousands more are trapped in their homes. That’s thousands to add to those still unable to go home after floods in the north of England last month, which killed eight people – and millions of pounds to add to a national insurance bill eventually expected to top £2.5 billion. Evesham, in Worcestershire, the worst-hit town this weekend, had floods of up to five metres. And it isn’t over yet: as this was printed there were warnings that flood waters weren’t expected to peak until tonight, and Oxford and Bedford and Gloucestershire were preparing themselves to be the next major areas hit. Everyone is asking how such short bursts of rain – just one hour in London, slightly longer in places such as Oxfordshire – could have such devastating results.

4 In fact, the answer lies partly in how quickly it

all happened. Brize Norton in Oxfordshire had 121.2mm of rain between midnight Thursday and

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Intermediate

O

Aida Edemariam reports July 24, 2007

•P H

Britain is well-known for its very wet climate. We are used to suffering week upon week of rain. So why have a few heavy showers caused such devastation around the country this summer?

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5pm Friday – a sixth of what it would expect for the whole year. South Yorkshire got a month’s worth of rain on June 25. And it has been raining for weeks now, “and the ground is very wet, so immediately you get rainfall, you get run-off”, explains professor Adrian Saul, of Sheffield University.

CA

Level 2

Going under Level 2

Intermediate

paving driveways, and building car parks. All this decreases the amount of soft ground to absorb water, and increases the amount of run-off into drains and rivers. “In essence, anything that runs off the house should be stored locally,” says Saul. Instead of going straight into the sewerage system, rainwater can be collected – in storage tanks under driveways, for example – and used to flush toilets or run washing machines. Small trenches called soakaways can be dug in gardens and filled with stones, to trap the water and release it into the ground a bit more slowly. Every little helps.

9

For although what Britain has experienced over the past month is, as experts explain, some very unusual weather events, our changing climate means that there may soon be more of them, more frequently. Today Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are having to get out the sandbags and evacuate the citizens. Tomorrow, next month, next year – who knows? © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 24/07/07

3 Comprehension check Re-read the text more carefully, and decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F). 1. People in Britain were not surprised by the floods. 2. Insurance costs will be very high. 3. One reason for the floods was that a huge amount of rain fell in a very short time. 4. The sewers in London were built by Victorian engineers. 5. The public have been putting the wrong kinds of things down the toilet. 6. Farmers could help prevent flooding if they ploughed their land up and down hill. 7. Food will probably cost less after the floods. 8. If people keep covering more land with buildings and concrete, we may see more floods in the future.

4 Vocabulary development 1 Find words in the text that mean the following. Paragraph numbers are given to help you.

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NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

too much, very great (para 2) kept somewhere, like a prisoner (para 3) to reach its highest level (para 3) often do this, as a habit (para 6) succeed in working with (para 6) covering (the ground) with hard material like concrete or bricks (para 8)

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Going under Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary development 2: Word formation All these words appear in the text, some as nouns, some as verbs (or adjectives), and some as both. 1. Give the NOUN form of each of the VERBS given. Some you can find in the text; others you can try to remember, or predict.

verb 1. devastating



noun devastation

2. evacuated 3. announced 4. manage 5. drained 6. flooded 7. stored 8. prepare 9. expect 10. warn

2. How many different NOUN endings are there here? What are they?

6 Language development: So and such 1. See if you can remember (or guess) which word goes in each gap: SO or SUCH. Then scan the text

again quickly to check.

1. ______ short



5. ______ as Oxfordshire

2. ______ damage



6. ______ devastating results

3. ______ scenes



7. ______ much water

4. ______ short bursts



8. ______ fast

2. What can you discover about the way to use so and such?

7 Discussion Have there been floods in your country recently? Have there been other changes in the weather? Do you think these changes are probably because of global warming? What is your government doing to help prevent global warming? What do you think it should do? What do you think individuals in your country should do to help? How have you changed your own behaviour to help reduce the danger?

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Going under Level 2

Intermediate

KEY

verb

noun

1. devastating

devastation

2. evacuated

evacuation

3. announced

announcement

4. manage

management

5. drained

drainage

6. flooded

flooding

7. stored

storage

3 Comprehension check

8. prepare

preparation

9. expect

expectation

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

10. warn

warning

4 Vocabulary development 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

excessive trapped to peak tend to cope with paving

2. Four: -ation; -ment; -age; -ing

6 Language development: So and such 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

so such such such such such so so

Use SO: • before an adjective alone Use SUCH: • • •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Intermediate

before a noun before adjective + noun or with the word as to mean ‘like’ or ‘for example’, + noun

H

False. Although rain is common in Britain, they were very surprised. True True True True False. They could help if they ploughed their land across the hills. False. It will probably cost more after the floods.



•P

1. a downpour 2. drainage 3. ploughs 4. devastation 5. run-off 6. evacuated 7. sandbags 8. sewers 9. absorb 10. crops

5 Vocabulary development 2: Word formation

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Pre-Reading B: Key words

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

perpetrator conviction

accomplice testimony

clemency conspiracy

parole glitch

anomaly ruling

1. ____________ is a formal statement about something that you saw, know or experienced, usually given in a court of law. 2. A ____________ is a decision by a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime. 3. ____________ is permission for a prisoner to leave prison before the end of their sentence. 4. An ____________ is something unusual, unexpected or different from what normally happens. 5. An ____________ is someone who helps another person do something illegal or wrong. 6. A ____________ is a secret plan by a group of people to do something bad or illegal. 7. A ____________ is an official decision made by a court. 8. A ____________ is someone who does something harmful, illegal or dishonest. 9. ____________ is a decision made by someone in a position of authority not to punish someone severely. 10. A ____________ is a small and unexpected problem.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. More people are executed in Texas than in any other American state. 2. The governor of Texas often commutes death sentences to life in prison. 3. Nearly 4,000 people have been executed in Texas since the death penalty was reinstated in 1974. 4. In Texas people are executed by hanging.

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NEWS LESSONS / Texas defies federal court with execution plan / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5. In Texas there is no distinction between the perpetrator of a crime and his or her accomplices.

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Advanced

Texas defies federal court with plan to execute man who did not kill

The four were arrested in connection with Mr LaHood’s murder. Dillard was never tried for the crime, and Steen had a deal with the prosecutors. The prosecutors sought the death sentence only for Brown and Foster, and at the district attorney’s request the pair were tried together. While Brown’s conviction was straightforward, Foster’s depended on Steen’s testimony – who had said he had had “a pretty good idea” of what was going to happen when Brown left the car. In the trial Steen’s testimony was key: it showed there had been a conspiracy to commit the armed robbery. If Steen knew about it, the logic went, then so did Foster.

6

The decision to try Brown and Foster together harmed Foster, said his attorney. Foster, the bigger man, appeared the dominant figure. And when Steen testified, his gang friends arrived to watch. The jury allegedly assumed the gang was linked to Foster; they requested and got armed guards for the remainder of the trial. Brown and Foster received death sentences in May 1997. Brown was executed by lethal injection last year.

7

Since Foster’s conviction evidence has emerged suggesting there was no agreement to rob Mr LaHood. But the basis for Foster’s appeal has been the unconstitutionality of his punishment, a point made by his lawyer in a letter this month to the head of the Texas parole and pardons board. However, the fifth circuit court of appeals concurred with previous rulings that Foster should have known someone might be killed that night in 1996. “Foster could not have helped but anticipate the possibility that a human life would be taken [during] one or more of his coconspirators’ armed robberies,” the court wrote. It said he clearly displayed “reckless disregard for human life”.

8

Foster’s lawyer is dismayed. “We’re caught by this procedural glitch. Every court that has

1 The state of Texas is about to execute a man for a crime he did not commit. While the perpetrator of the murder in San Antonio was executed last year, Kenneth Foster, who was sitting in a car 25 metres away at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to death under the ‘law of parties’. 2 The controversial Texas law removes the distinction between the principal actor and accomplice in a crime, and makes a person guilty if they “should have anticipated” the crime. While a federal appeals court declared that Foster’s death sentence contained a “fundamental constitutional defect”, a legal anomaly means the state appeals court cannot overturn his conviction, there being no new evidence. 3 After the failure this month of Foster’s most recent appeal, the 30-year-old AfricanAmerican’s final hope of avoiding execution on August 30 rests with an appeal for clemency to the Texas parole board and the Texan governor, Rick Perry. “He’s on death row because they screwed up,” said his attorney, Keith Hampson. “There has been a series of mistakes that has had a cascading effect. Now I’m asking the court to step in and correct their own mistake. Otherwise this guy gets executed.” 4 On August 14 1996 Foster and three friends were driving around San Antonio smoking marijuana and robbing people at gunpoint. Foster, who was driving, stayed in the car while two others, Mauriceo Brown and Julius Steen, robbed. As they went to the home of Dwayne Dillard, the fourth person in the car, they found themselves in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. A woman asked why they were following her, and as she left Brown got out of the car and followed her to the home of her boyfriend, Michael LaHood. Brown

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Texas defies federal court with execution plan / Advanced

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Dan Glaister in Los Angeles August 20, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

and Mr LaHood argued, and the three in the car, 25 metres away, heard a “pop”. Brown returned to the car and Foster drove off.



CA

Level 3

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 3

Advanced

looked at this [concludes] his execution would be unconstitutional. It’s maddening,” Mr Hampson said. The matter now rests with the Texas parole board, which can recommend the governor commutes the sentence if at least five of the seven board members agree. But Mr Perry has never commuted a death sentence, even on such advice.

9

In Texas 398 people have been put to death since capital punishment was reinstated in 1974, more than in any other state. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 20/7/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why is the forthcoming execution of Kenneth Foster for murder controversial? a. Because the decision to try him together with Mauriceo Brown harmed his case. b. Because he didn’t fire the gun that killed the victim. c. Because there has been a procedural glitch.

2. Why can’t the state appeals court overturn his conviction? a. Because only the state governor can do this. b. Because a legal anomaly means there is no new evidence. c. Because at least five members of the parole board have to agree.

3. Why was Foster found guilty? a. Because he was in a car 25 metres from the scene of the crime. b. Because he was a gang member. c. Because, under Texas law, he should have known someone would be killed that night.

4. Why did the court decide there had been a conspiracy to murder LaHood? a. Because if one member of the gang knew about it, logically the others did. b. Because Brown gave evidence in court saying Foster knew about it.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

c. Because the three men in the car heard a “pop”.

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A phrasal verb meaning to make a serious mistake. (para 3) 2. A phrasal verb meaning to intervene. (para 3) 3. A present participle meaning coming quickly one after the other. (para 3) 4. A two-word expression meaning threatening someone with a gun. (para 4) 5. A verb meaning to agree. (para 7) 6. An adjective meaning not thinking about the possible bad effects of your actions. (para 7) 7. An adjective meaning very disappointed. (para 8) 8. An adjective meaning extremely annoying. (para 8)

5 Vocabulary 1: Adjective + noun collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to form collocations from the text. 1. armed 2. legal 3. reckless 4. procedural 5. capital 6. dominant 7. lethal 8. previous

a. injection b. disregard c. punishment d. figure e. anomaly f. ruling g. robbery h. glitch

6 Vocabulary 2: Phrases with prepositions Complete the phrases from the text by filling in the gaps using prepositions. 1. distinction _______ 2. in connection _______ 3. _______ gunpoint 4. have a deal _______ someone

5. the remainder _______ 6. concur _______ 7. disregard _______ 8. put _______ death

7 Discussion

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Do you agree with the death penalty for murder or for other serious crimes? What are the arguments for and against using the death penalty?

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. testimony 2. conviction 3. parole 4. anomaly 5. accomplice 6. conspiracy 7. ruling 8. perpetrator 9. clemency 10. glitch

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b b c a

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

g e b h c d a f

6 Vocabulary 2: Phrases with prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

between with at with of with for to

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T F F F T



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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

5 Vocabulary 1: Adjective + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 What do you know?

screw up step in cascading at gunpoint concur reckless dismayed maddening

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

appeal imprisonment

attorney court

mercy guilty

execute constitution

evidence parole board

1. A __________________ is a place where trials and other legal cases take place. 2. If you are __________________ of a crime, a court decides that you have done it. 3. A __________________ is the basic laws of a country that describe the rights and duties of its citizens. 4. If you show __________________, you forgive someone or you do not treat them severely for something they have done. 5. __________________ is punishing someone by putting them in prison. 6. __________________ is all the facts and statements that show that someone is guilty of a crime. 7. A __________________ is a group of people who decide if a prisoner can leave prison early. 8. An __________________ is a formal request for a court of law to change its decision. 9. __________________ is the American word for lawyer. 10. If you __________________ someone, you kill them as a punishment for a crime.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. When did Brown kill Michael LaHood? 2. In which city did the murder happen? 3. How old is Kenneth Foster? 4. When was Brown executed? 5. When did Texas reintroduce capital punishment?

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6. How many people has the state of Texas put to death since 1974?

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Elementary

Texas defies federal court with plan to execute man who did not kill

3 In Texas the law does not make any difference between the person who actually commits a crime and the people who are with him at the time. If they knew about the crime before it happened, then they are guilty too. So Kenneth Foster may die for a murder he did not commit. At the time of the murder he was sitting in a car 25 metres away but he was still found guilty of

5

Since the court found Foster guilty of murder, new evidence suggests that the men did not plan to rob Mr LaHood. But the main argument in Foster’s appeal is that his punishment is against the constitution of the United States. But the Texas court of appeals agreed with earlier court decisions that Foster knew someone might be killed that night in 1996. “For sure Foster knew it was possible that someone might die during one or more of these armed robberies,” the court wrote. It said he clearly showed he didn’t care about the lives of other people.

6

Foster’s lawyer is very disappointed. “It’s a technical problem. Every court that has looked at this has said that his execution would be against the constitution. It makes me very angry,” Mr Hampson said. The Texas parole board will make the final decision. It, can recommend that the governor reduces the sentence to life imprisonment. In the past Mr Perry has never reduced a death sentence when the parole board has recommended it.

7

The state of Texas reintroduced capital punishment in 1974. Since then it has put 398 people to death, more than any other state in the USA.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 20/08/07

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2 The police arrested all four men in connection with Mr LaHood’s murder. Dillard was never tried for the crime, and Steen had an agreement with the prosecutors. In court the prosecutors asked for the death sentence only for Brown and Foster. The district attorney asked for Brown and Foster to appear in court together. Brown was found guilty of murder. In Foster’s case everything depended on what Steen told the court. Steen said he had had “a pretty good idea” of what was going to happen when Brown left the car. In the trial Steen’s words were very important. They showed that all the men knew about the plans to use guns to rob people. If Steen knew about it, then so did Foster.

Foster has appealed against the death sentence several times. Each time his appeals have failed. Now the 30-year-old African-American’s final hope is to ask the governor of Texas, Rick Perry for mercy. If Mr Perry says no, Foster will die on August 30th. “He’s on death row because of mistakes made by other people,” said his attorney, Keith Hampson. “There have been several mistakes, one after the other. Now I’m asking the court to correct their own mistake. If they don’t correct their mistake, this man will die.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 On August 14 1996 Kenneth Foster and three friends were driving around San Antonio, Texas, smoking marijuana and using their guns to rob people. Foster, who was driving, stayed in the car while two others, Mauriceo Brown and Julius Steen, robbed people. While they were driving to the home of Dwayne Dillard, the fourth person in the car, they found themselves in a part of the city they did not know. A woman thought the men in the car were following her and asked them what they were doing. When she walked away, Brown got out of the car and followed her to the home of her boyfriend, Michael LaHood. There was an argument between Brown and Mr LaHood. Then the three men in the car, 25 metres away, heard a bang. Brown returned to the car and Foster drove off.

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Dan Glaister in Los Angeles August 20, 2007

murder by the court. Both Brown and Foster received death sentences in May 1997. Brown was executed last year.

CA

Level 1

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check These sentences describe how the murder happened. Put them in the correct order. a. They found themselves in a part of town they didn’t know. b. Brown got out of the car and followed the woman to her boyfriend’s house. c. The four men were driving round San Antonio. d. When Brown returned to the car, Foster drove off. e. There was an argument between Brown and Mr LaHood. f. A woman asked them what they were doing. g. The three men in the car heard a bang. h. They were using their guns to rob people.

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

b. imprisonment

3. final

c. attorney

4. capital

d. problem

5. life

e. sentence

6. parole

f. punishment

7. technical

g. board

8. district

h. robbery

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a. decision

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1. death

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text.

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Verbs in phrases Use these verbs to complete the following phrases from the text.

find make

appear appeal

care try

get commit

1. ____________ out of a car 2. ____________ someone for a crime 3. ____________ someone guilty 4. ____________ about other people 5. ____________ a crime 6. ____________ in court 7. ____________ a decision 8. ____________ against a sentence

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

execute

2.

argue

3.

failure

4.

agreement

5.

recommendation

6.

imprison

7.

punish

8.

rob

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1.

noun

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verb

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Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

1. court 2. guilty 3. constitution 4. mercy 5. imprisonment 6. evidence 7. parole board 8. appeal 9. attorney 10. execute

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

c h a f b e g d

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building verb

noun

1.

execute

execution

2.

argue

argument

3.

fail

failure

4.

agree

agreement

5.

recommend

recommendation

6.

imprison

imprisonment

7.

punish

punishment

8.

rob

robbery

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3 Comprehension check

get try find care commit appear make appeal

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August 14 1996 San Antonio 30 Last year 1974 398

5 Vocabulary 2: Verbs in phrases

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e h a f b g d c

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

accomplice distinction

parole appeal

conviction defect

conspiracy disregard

ruling procedure

1. If you show ____________ for something, you do not consider it important and you do not pay any attention to it. 2. A ____________ is an official decision made by a court. 3. An ____________ is a formal request for a court of law to change its decision. 4. An ____________ is someone who helps another person do something illegal or wrong. 5. A ____________ is a fault in something. 6. ____________ is permission for a prisoner to leave prison before the end of their sentence. 7. A ____________ is a decision by a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime. 8. A ____________ is a secret plan by a group of people to do something bad or illegal. 9. A ____________ is the correct or usual way of doing something. 10. A ____________ is the difference between two things.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. When was capital punishment reintroduced in Texas? 2. How many people have been executed in Texas since capital punishment was reintroduced? 3. When did Brown kill Michael LaHood? 4. How old is Kenneth Foster? 5. When was Brown executed?

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. In which city did the murder take place?

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Intermediate

2 The controversial Texas law does not make any distinction between the principal actor and accomplice in a crime, and makes a person guilty if they should have known about the crime. While a US federal appeals court said that Foster’s death sentence contained a basic “constitutional defect”, under Texan law the state appeals court cannot overturn his conviction because there is no new evidence. 3 Foster’s most recent appeal failed earlier this month and now the 30-year-old AfricanAmerican’s final hope of avoiding execution on August 30 is to appeal to the Texas parole board and the Texan governor, Rick Perry for mercy. “He’s on death row because they screwed up,” said his attorney, Keith Hampson. “There has been a series of mistakes one after the other. Now I’m asking the court to correct their own mistake. If they don’t do so, this guy will be executed.” 4 On August 14 1996 Foster and three friends were driving around San Antonio smoking marijuana and robbing people at gunpoint. Foster, who was driving, stayed in the car while two others, Mauriceo Brown and Julius Steen, robbed. As they went to the home of Dwayne Dillard, the fourth person in the car, they found themselves in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. A woman asked why they were following her, and as she left Brown got out of the car and followed her to the home of her boyfriend, Michael LaHood. Brown

6 Foster’s attorney said the decision to try Brown and Foster together harmed Foster. Foster was the bigger man and appeared to be more dominant than Brown. And when Steen gave evidence, his gang friends arrived to watch. The jury apparently believed that the gang was linked to Foster and they requested and got armed guards for the rest of the trial. In May 1997 Brown and Foster received death sentences. Brown was executed by lethal injection last year. 7 Since Foster’s conviction for murder, evidence has emerged which suggests there was no agreement to rob Mr LaHood. But the basis for Foster’s appeal has been that his punishment is unconstitutional. His lawyer makes this point in a letter this month to the head of the Texas parole and pardons board. But the court of appeals agreed with previous rulings that Foster should have known someone might be killed that night in 1996. “Foster must have known it was possible that a human life would be taken [during] one or more of these armed robberies,” the court wrote. It said he clearly showed “complete disregard for human life”. 8 Foster’s lawyer is extremely disappointed. “We’re caught by a problem with procedure. Every court that has looked at this has said that his

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1 The state of Texas is about to execute a man for a crime he did not commit. While the person who actually committed the murder in San Antonio was executed last year, Kenneth Foster, who was sitting in a car 25 metres away at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to death under the ‘law of parties’.

5 The four were arrested in connection with Mr LaHood’s murder. Dillard was never tried for the crime, and Steen had a deal with the prosecutors. The prosecutors sought the death sentence only for Brown and Foster, and at the district attorney’s request Brown and Foster were tried together. Brown’s conviction for the murder was straightforward but Foster’s depended on what Steen told the court. Steen said he had had “a pretty good idea” of what was going to happen when Brown left the car. In the trial Steen’s words were crucial: they showed there had been a conspiracy to commit the armed robbery. If Steen knew about it, then logically so did Foster.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Dan Glaister in Los Angeles August 20, 2007

and Mr LaHood argued, and the three in the car, 25 metres away, heard a “pop”. Brown returned to the car and Foster drove off.

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Texas defies federal court with plan to execute man who did not kill

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Level 2

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 2

Intermediate

execution would be unconstitutional. It makes me very angry,” Mr Hampson said. The matter now rests with the Texas parole board, which can recommend that the governor reduces the sentence to life imprisonment if at least five of the seven board members agree. But Mr Perry has never commuted a death sentence, even on such advice.

9

In Texas 398 people have been put to death since capital punishment was reintroduced in 1974, more than in any other state. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 20/8/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The governor of Texas will probably reduce Foster’s sentence to life imprisonment. 2. Foster was with Brown when he shot Mr LaHood. 3. The Texas state appeals court agreed with the federal appeals court. 4. Brown shot Mr LaHood after an argument with his wife. 5. Steen didn’t know what was going to happen when Brown left the car. 6. The jury thought the gang members were linked to Foster.

4 What happened? These sentences describe how the murder happened. Put them in the correct order. a. They found themselves in a part of town they didn’t know. b. Brown followed the woman to her boyfriend’s house. c. The four men were driving round San Antonio. d. When Brown returned to the car, Foster drove off. e. He had an argument with her boyfriend. f. A woman asked them why they were following her. g. The three men in the car heard the sound of a shot.

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h. They were robbing people at gunpoint.

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 1: Legal terms Match the words with the definitions. 1. attorney

a. a group of 12 people who judge a court case

2. prosecutor

b. to change a punishment to one that is less severe

3. evidence

c. a group who decide if a prisoner can leave prison early

4. commute

d. a lawyer whose job is to prove someone is guilty

5. sentence

e. a place where trials take place

6. jury

f. to state officially what someone’s punishment will be

7. court

g. the American word for lawyer

8. parole board

h. the facts that help to prove someone has committed a crime

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table.

verb 1.

execute

2.

convict

3.

conspire

4.

agree

5.

recommend

6.

reduce

7.

punish

8.

reintroduce

noun

7 Discussion

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What are the arguments for and against using the death penalty? Do you agree that Kenneth Foster is also guilty of this murder?

Texas defies federal court with execution plan Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 What happened?

1. disregard 2. ruling 3. appeal 4. accomplice 5. defect 6. parole 7. conviction 8. conspiracy 9. procedure 10. distinction

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

g d h b f a e c

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

execution conviction conspiracy agreement recommendation reduction punishment reintroduction

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F F F F F T

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1974 398 August 14 1996 30 Last year San Antonio

5 Vocabulary 1: Legal terms

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c h a f b e g d

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Choose the correct answer. 1. A preposterous notion is an idea that is... a. difficult to believe. b. easy to believe. 2. If the government erects a statue it... a. puts it up. b. takes it down. 3. If you have a row with someone you... a. quietly disagree. b. have a noisy argument. 4. If you are barely on speaking terms with someone... a. you aren’t speaking much. b. you are speaking a lot. 5. Someone who is behind bars... a. works in a restaurant. b. lives in a prison. 6. If you boycott products from England you... a. buy only products from England. b. don’t buy products from England.

2

How much do you know?

1. Who was the first black president of South Africa? 2. What is the ANC? 3. Who is the current prime minister of Britain? 4. Where are the Commons, the Lords and Westminster Abbey? 5. What was apartheid?

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What do all of the above have in common? Read the article quickly and find out.

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Advanced

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square

qualities. The project began seven years ago and was dogged by rows between the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who wanted the statue sited in Trafalgar Square, and Westminster council, which deemed it inappropriate for that space, and between Ian Walters, the sculptor, who has since died, and others in the art establishment who said the statue was not good enough for display.

Hugh Muir August 30, 2007

When the project began, Mr Livingstone and Prime Minister Gordon Brown were barely on speaking terms. But yesterday, as Mr Mandela looked serenely at the dignitaries in front of him and the noisy, adoring crowd in the middle distance, there was a harmony previously unthinkable.

8

Mr Livingstone said the project was the brainchild of Donald Woods, the journalist and antiapartheid activist. On the death of Mr Woods, responsibility passed to his widow, Wendy, and his friend Lord Attenborough. Though Trafalgar Square was the mayor’s preference, he told Mr Mandela that there could be “no more fitting place than this square which you will share with the American president who freed the slaves and the British prime minister who led a nation standing alone against the evil of Nazi ideology”.

9

Mr Brown sat to Mr Mandela’s right on the podium and when he spoke it was with an intensity rarely witnessed in the Commons. On behalf of Britain, he hailed “the man who will be remembered forever as the leader who ended apartheid”. The superlatives flowed quickly. “The man whom no prison cell, no intimidation, no show trial, no threat of execution could ever silence,” he said. “The man whose belief in the future was so powerful that not even 27 years behind bars and barbed wire could destroy his dream and his demand that by fighting apartheid from his prison cell millions today could be, and are, free.”

3 Mr Mandela, now 89, accepted that the figure, 2.7 metres (9ft) tall and clad in a flowered shirt, with arms outstretched, was a likeness of him.

5 He said the statue and its siting would have pleased his friend, who became president of the ANC. “Oliver would have been proud to have been here.” 6 The mere presence of Madiba – Mr Mandela’s Xhosa clan title – appears to bring healing

10 Mr Brown was cheerleader and helper to Mr Mandela, whose face is relatively youthful but whose legs are now weak. The prime minister

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4 But the former South African president and Nobel prize winner said it spoke of something greater. “Although this statue is of one man, it should in actual fact symbolize all those who have resisted oppression, especially in my country,” he said. “The history of the struggle in South Africa is rich with the stories of heroes and heroines, some of them leaders, some of them followers. All of them deserve to be remembered. We thank the British people once again for their relentless efforts in supporting us during the dark years.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Oliver Tambo never lived to see their hope come to fruition, but as the morning sun beamed down yesterday, Mr Mandela returned to Parliament Square to see 7,000 people and the unveiling of a statue of a black man sharing space with Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln, not to mention the Commons, the Lords and Westminster Abbey.

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1 Few would have paid much attention to the two young black men surveying the landscape around Parliament Square in 1962, but it was then that Oliver Tambo and his friend Nelson Mandela joked about what must have seemed a preposterous notion. “We hoped that one day a statue of a black person would be erected here alongside that of the former South African leader General Jan Smuts,” Mr Mandela recalled yesterday.

CA

Level 3

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 3

Advanced

helped the guest of honour, who used a cane, to and from the podium. Earlier, when the cloth was pulled from the statue, exposing it to the elements and the crowd’s gaze for the first time, Mr Mandela applauded but remained in his seat. Everyone else stood. 11 His wave to the crowd seemed designed to save energy, a slow-motion windscreen wiper action, but his voice was comparatively strong. He revealed that a Live Aid-style concert for his antiAids charity 46664 – named after his prisoner number on Robben Island – would be staged at

Hyde Park next June. “I hope very much to be back in London to attend and I hope to see you there,” he said. 12 Former Labour minister Tony Benn recalled how in 1960 he tabled the first motion calling for a boycott of apartheid South Africa. “If Diana was the people’s princess,” he said, “Nelson Mandela is president of the human race.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 30/8/07

3 Comprehension check Decide if the sentences are True (T), False (F) or if the text doesn’t say (DS). 1. Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo never believed that a statue of a black person would stand in Parliament Square. 2. The statue in Parliament square is an exact replica of Nelson Mandela. 3. Mandela believes that the statue represents more than just himself. 4. Westminster Council didn’t approve of the statue at all. 5. Donald Woods, the man who had the idea for the statue, is black. 6. Gordon Brown praised Nelson Mandela. 7. Nelson Mandela is showing signs that he is getting older. 8. Gordon Brown is organizing an anti-AIDS concert in London.

4 Vocabulary 1: Words in context Find words in the text that mean the following.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a. look over, examine (verb, para 1) b. wearing (adjective, para 3) c. never stopping (adjective, para 4) d. not suitable (adjective, para 6) e. clever plan or idea (noun, para 8) f. look (noun, para 10) g. remember (verb, para 12)

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Word formation Complete the table.

noun

adjective

youth

1.

flower

2.

3.

great

4.

heroic noise

5.

power

6.

7.

intense

8.

strong energy

9.

6 Vocabulary 3: Compound noun puzzle Complete the gap so that it forms a compound noun with the first element and with the last. Half of the compound nouns are in the text. Example:

art establishment. (fine art; art establishment) fine ___

1. clan

_______

race

2. middle

_______

runner

3. television

_______

trial

4. prison

_______

block

5. rear

_______

wiper

6. human

_______

horse

7 Discussion

NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Are there any controversial statues or monuments in your city? What famous person from history do you think is worthy of a statue?

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Words in context

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. survey 2. clad 3. relentless 4. inappropriate 5. brainchild 6. gaze 7. recall

Nelson Mandela The African National Congress, a South African political party and black nationalist organization Gordon Brown In Parliament Square, London A government policy of segregation of whites and blacks in South Africa from 1948 to 1994

noun youth

1. youthful

flower

2. flowered

3. greatness

great

4. hero/heroine

heroic

3 Comprehension check 1. T 2. F 3. T 4. DS 5. DS 6. T 7. T 8. F

adjective

noise

5. noisy

power

6. powerful

7. intensity 8. strength energy

intense strong 9. energetic

6 Vocabulary 3: Compound noun puzzle 1. title 2. distance 3. show 4. cell 5. windscreen 6. race

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Advanced

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

5 Vocabulary 2: Word formation

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2 How much do you know?

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a a b a b b

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Complete the sentences using these key words from the text. boycott (v) cane (n) hail (v) harmony (n) late (adj) struggle (n) symbolize (v) a. For many people, cars _______________ personal freedom. b. The _______________ for democracy lasted several years in the country. c. _______________ is a situation in which people are happy. d. If we talk about someone who is _______________, it means that they have died recently. e. To _______________ someone is to publicly say nice things about them. f. Old people sometimes use a _______________ to help them walk or stand. g. If you don’t buy products from a country or company as a protest, you _______________ them.

2

What do you know? British and South African politics

Match the terms to the definitions. 1. Apartheid

a. A government policy of segregation of blacks and whites in South Africa, from 1948 to 1994.

2. Nelson Mandela

b. One of the major political parties in Britain.

3. ANC

c. The African National Congress, a black political party in South Africa.

4. Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square

d. The current British prime minister.

5. Ken Livingstone

e. The first black president of South Africa, and winner of the

g. Two places in London.

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7. Gordon Brown

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f. The mayor of London.

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6. Labour

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Nobel peace prize.

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Elementary

2 Oliver Tambo never lived to see their hope come true, but yesterday Mr Mandela returned to Parliament Square to see 7,000 people and the statue of a black man sharing space with Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln, as well as the Commons, the Lords and Westminster Abbey. 3 Mr Mandela, now 89, accepted that the figure, 2.7 metres (9ft) tall and wearing a flowered shirt, with arms outstretched, looked like him. 4 But the former South African president and Nobel prize winner said it was something greater. “Although this statue is of one man, it should in actual fact symbolize all those who have resisted oppression, especially in my country,” he said. “The history of the struggle in South Africa is rich with the stories of heroes and heroines, some of them leaders, some of them followers. All of them deserve to be remembered. We thank the British people once again for supporting us during the dark years.” 5 He said the statue and its place would have made his friend happy. “Oliver would have been proud to have been here.” 6 The project began seven years ago. There were arguments between the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who wanted the statue in Trafalgar Square, and Westminster council, who thought it inappropriate for that space. There were

8 Mr Livingstone said the project was the idea of the late Donald Woods, the journalist and anti-apartheid activist. Though Trafalgar Square was the mayor’s preference, he told Mr Mandela that there could be no better place “than this square which you will share with the American president who freed the slaves and the British prime minister who led a nation standing alone against the evil of Nazi ideology”. 9 Mr Brown sat to Mr Mandela’s right. On behalf of Britain, he hailed “the man who will be remembered forever as the leader who ended apartheid”. Mr Brown continued to praise Mr Mandela. “The man whom no prison cell, no intimidation, no show trial, no threat of execution could ever silence,” he said. “The man whose belief in the future was so powerful that not even 27 years behind bars and barbed wire could destroy his dream and his demand that by fighting apartheid from his prison cell millions today could be, and are, free.” 10 Mr Brown helped Mr Mandela, who used a cane, to and from the podium. Earlier, when the cloth was pulled from the statue, Mr Mandela applauded but remained in his seat. Everyone else stood. 11 Former Labour minister Tony Benn remembered how in 1960 he called the British government to boycott apartheid South Africa. “If Diana was the people’s princess,” he said, “Nelson Mandela is president of the human race.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 30/8/07

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Elementary

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1 Not many people would have noticed the two young black men standing on Parliament Square in 1962, but it was then that Oliver Tambo and his friend Nelson Mandela joked about what many people thought was a crazy idea. “We hoped that one day a statue of a black person would stand here next to the statue of the former South African leader General Jan Smuts,” Mr Mandela remembered yesterday.

7 When the project began, Mr Livingstone and prime minister Gordon Brown were not even speaking to each other. But yesterday, as Mr Mandela looked at the people in front of him and the noisy crowd in the distance, there was harmony.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Hugh Muir August 30, 2007

arguments between Ian Walters, the sculptor, who has since died, and others in the art establishment who said the statue was not good enough.

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Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square

CA

Level 1

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Read the text and choose the correct answer. 1. There is now a statue of Nelson Mandela in… a. Westminster Abbey. b. Parliament Square. c. Trafalgar Square. 2. Mandela believes the statue symbolizes… a. the history of other people in South Africa. b. his struggle. c. the British people. 3. There were arguments about… a. the name of the statue. b. the place for the statue. c. the size of the statue. 4. The Prime Minister of Britain praised… a. Mr Livingstone. b. Mr Donald Woods. c. Mr Mandela. 5. Nelson Mandela did not _______ when they pulled the cloth from the statue. a. stand up b. applaud c. sit down 6. A British ex-minister said that _______ is the president of the human race. a. Diana b. Tony Benn c. Nelson Mandela

4 Vocabulary 1: Word formation – nouns and verbs Complete the table.

b.

oppress

c.

argue

d.

prefer

e.

believe

f.

resist

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Elementary

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free

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a.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

verb

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noun

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Politics jumble Unjumble the letters to make words connected to people in politics. a. yamro – the most important elected official in a city b. vitsitac – an active member of an organization that aims to achieve social or political change c. mipre

niimtres – the political leader in countries with a parliament (e.g. the UK)

d. sdinetper – the political leader of a country with no king or queen (e.g. the USA) e. stinimer – an official in charge of a government department in the UK

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions Connect the word and the preposition. Then complete the sentences with the correct phrase. joked

to

next

of

looked



about

looked

at

on behalf

like

1. Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo _____________ a statue of a black man in London. 2. He sat _____________ the Prime Minister during the ceremony. 3. The President said thank you _____________ the people. 4. Mandela said the statue _____________ him.

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NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5. The crowd _____________ the statue and applauded.

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 1

Elementary

KEY

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

a e c g f b d

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

b a b c a c

verb

a.

freedom

free

b.

oppression

oppress

c.

argument

argue

d.

preference

prefer

e.

belief

believe

f.

resistance

resist

5 Vocabulary 2: Politics jumble a. b. c. d. e.

mayor activist prime minister president minister

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

joked about next to on behalf of looked like looked at

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Elementary

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2 What do you know?

noun

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a. symbolize b. struggle c. harmony d. late e. hail f. cane g. boycott

4 Vocabulary 1: Word formation – nouns and verbs

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Key words

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Match the words to the definitions. 1. a cane

a. to put something (e.g. a statue) up in a public place

2. a dignitary

b. to remember

3. to erect

c. not stopping

4. to hail

d. a noisy argument

5. to recall

e. a person with an important social position

6. relentless

f. to say publicly how good or important someone is

7. a row

g. a stick people use to help them walk

2

What do you know?

Read the text quickly. Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? a. There is now a statue of Nelson Mandela in London’s Parliament Square. b. Mandela’s friend Oliver Tambo was at the ceremony. c. The Mandela statue project had problems. d. The prime minister of Britain didn’t speak about Mandela. e. Mandela showed signs of tiredness at the ceremony.

3

Comprehension check

Look at the underlined words in the text. Who or what do they refer to? a. We (para1)

________

b. him (para 3) ________ c. it (para 4)

________

d. them (para 4) ________

________

h. he (para 9)

________

i. it (para 10)

________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Intermediate

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g. he (para 8)

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________

CA

f. it (para 6)

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

e. their (para 4) ________

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Intermediate

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square

There were rows between the mayor of London Ken Livingstone, who wanted the statue sited in Trafalgar Square, and Westminster council, which thought it inappropriate for that space. There were rows between Ian Walters, the sculptor, who has since died, and others in the art establishment who said the statue was not good enough for display.

Hugh Muir August 30, 2007

4 But the former South African president and Nobel prize winner said it was something greater. “Although this statue is of one man, it should in actual fact symbolize all those who have resisted oppression, especially in my country,” he said. “The history of the struggle in South Africa is rich with the stories of heroes and heroines, some of them leaders, some of them followers. All of them deserve to be remembered. We thank the British people once again for their relentless efforts in supporting us during the dark years.” 5 He said the statue and its place would have pleased his friend, who became president of the ANC. “Oliver would have been proud to have been here.” 6 The mere presence of Madiba – Mr Mandela’s Xhosa clan title – appears to bring healing qualities. The project began seven years ago.

8

Mr Livingstone said the project was the brainchild of the late Donald Woods, the journalist and anti-apartheid activist. Though Trafalgar Square was the mayor’s preference, he told Mr Mandela that there could be “no more fitting place than this square which you will share with the American president who freed the slaves and the British prime minister who led a nation standing alone against the evil of Nazi ideology”.

9

Mr Brown sat to Mr Mandela’s right and when he spoke it was with intensity. On behalf of Britain, he hailed “the man who will be remembered forever as the leader who ended apartheid”. The praise continued. “The man whom no prison cell, no intimidation, no show trial, no threat of execution could ever silence,” he said. “The man whose belief in the future was so powerful that not even 27 years behind bars and barbed wire could destroy his dream and his demand that by fighting apartheid from his prison cell millions today could be, and are, free.”

10 Mr Brown was cheerleader and helper to Mr Mandela, whose face is relatively youthful but whose legs are now weak. The prime minister helped the guest of honour, who used a cane, to and from the podium. Earlier, when the cloth was pulled from the statue, exposing it to the elements and the crowd’s gaze for the first time, Mr Mandela applauded but remained in his seat. Everyone else stood.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Intermediate

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3 Mr Mandela, now 89, accepted that the figure, 2.7 metres (9ft) tall and wearing a flowered shirt, with arms outstretched, was a likeness of him.

When the project began, Mr Livingstone and prime minister Gordon Brown were barely on speaking terms. But yesterday, as Mr Mandela looked at the dignitaries in front of him and the noisy, adoring crowd in the middle distance, there was a harmony previously unthinkable.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Oliver Tambo never lived to see their hope come true, but as the morning sun beamed down yesterday, Mr Mandela returned to Parliament Square to see 7,000 people and the unveiling of a statue of a black man sharing space with Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln, not to mention the Commons, the Lords and Westminster Abbey.

7

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1 Few would have paid much attention to the two young black men standing on Parliament Square in 1962, but it was then that Oliver Tambo and his friend Nelson Mandela joked about what must have seemed a crazy idea. “We hoped that one day a statue of a black person would be erected here next to the statue of the former South African leader General Jan Smuts,” Mr Mandela recalled yesterday.

CA

Level 2

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 2

Intermediate

11 Former Labour minister Tony Benn recalled how in 1960 he called the British government to boycott apartheid South Africa. “If Diana was the people’s princess,” he said, “Nelson Mandela is president of the human race.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 30/8/07

4 Vocabulary 1: Lexical themes Group the words in the box by theme.

applaud

barbed wire

behind bars

boycott

prime minister

cheerleader

crowd

dignitaries

government

guest of honour

ideology

imprisoned

leader

mayor

podium

cell

praise

president

trial



O

NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Intermediate

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

politics

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public speeches

CA

prisoners

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Connect the sentence halves. The collocations are all in the text. 1. I’d like you to pay

a. the statue of the woman in the square.

2. The sun beamed

b. attention to me when I’m speaking.

3. The policeman stood with arms

c. bars while waiting for his trial.

4. The artists unveiled

d. down on the festival crowds.

5. The prisoner spent the night behind

e. oppression everywhere in the world.

6. There are heroic people who resist

f. outstretched to hold back the people.

6 Vocabulary 3: Chunks A chunk is a longer collocation, made up of three or more words that ‘go together’. Find a chunk in the text that: a) adds extra information for emphasis (3 words, para 2) b) means looked like (4 words, para 3) c) means not really talking to each other (4 words, para 7) d) means no better (3 words, para 8)

H

NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

e) means letting the air, wind and rain hit it (5 words, para 10)

Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1. I’d like you to pay attention to me when I’m speaking. 2. The sun beamed down on the festival crowds. 3. The policeman stood with arms outstretched to hold back the people. 4. The artists unveiled the statue of the woman in the square. 5. The prisoner spent the night behind bars while waiting for his trial. 6. There are heroic people who resist oppression everywhere in the world.

g e a f b c d

2 What do you know? a. b. c. d. e.

T F T F T

6 Vocabulary 3: Chunks a. b. c. d. e.

3 Comprehension check a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.

Nelson and Oliver Nelson Mandela the statue the heroes and heroines the British people the statue Ken Livingstone the mayor of London Gordon Brown the statue

not to mention was a likeness of barely on speaking terms no more fitting exposing it to the elements

politics

cell barbed wire imprisoned trial behind bars

crowd praise cheerleader guest of honour podium applaud

leader president dignitaries mayor prime minister ideology government boycott

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Mandela takes his place in Parliament Square / Intermediate

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public speeches

•P

prisoners

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4 Vocabulary 1: Lexical themes

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 3 1

Advanced

Music quiz

Match these artists with the music genre that they are most famous for and their nationality.

artist

genre

nationality

Luciano Pavarotti

jazz

American

Elvis Presley

pop

English

Bob Marley

rock and roll

American

Edith Piaf

swing

American

John Lennon

son

American

Johnny Cash

opera

Italian

Ibrahim Ferrer

chanson

American

Billie Holiday

country

Cuban

Frank Sinatra

grunge

Jamaican

Kurt Cobain

reggae

French

died in (year)

aged

Now, in teams, try to guess the year of their death and their age when they died. One point for each closest answer!

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then skim read the article to check your answers.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. Pavarotti made his professional debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. 2. He once hit nine high Cs in one performance. 3. The Three Tenors were Pavarotti, Domingo and Caruso. 4. Pavarotti sang the theme tune to the 1994 World Cup. 5. Pavarotti had a number 1 album in the UK. 6. He was a personal friend of Princess Diana’s. 7. He always demanded a fully-fitted kitchen in his dressing room. 8. He raised millions of pounds for charities.

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Advanced

Pavarotti dies aged 71

demanded a fully-fitted kitchen to be built into his hotel suite. He also frequently cancelled concerts at short notice. But he also raised millions of pounds for good causes around the world in a number of charity performances.

Matthew Weaver and agencies September 6, 2007

4 But Pavarotti reached a new global audience during the 1990 football World Cup when his interpretation of the Puccini aria Nessun Dorma was chosen as the tournament’s theme tune. It became an international hit. Later the Essential Pavarotti became the first classical album to reach number 1 in the UK charts. 5 The 1990 World Cup also saw the first of the hugely popular Three Tenor concerts that Pavarotti performed with Placido Domingo and José Carreras. His most high-profile performance in Britain was the Pavarotti in the Park concert in a rain-sodden Hyde Park in 1991. His friend, Diana, Princess of Wales, was in the front row. 6 Like many opera stars, Pavarotti also had a reputation for exacting standards. At a Royal Variety performance in Edinburgh he reportedly

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Advanced

8

The British tenor Russell Watson told GMTV that Pavarotti was “without question” the man who brought opera to the people. “The World Cup was the Three Tenors with Pavarotti at the helm, with a very entertaining version of Nessun Dorma, in fact, it’s now called ‘Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma’,” Watson said. “His voice was so distinctive you only needed to listen to a couple of bars and you knew it was him, he had incredible power and control.”

9

Fellow tenor Ian Bostridge concurred. “He was an old-fashioned star”, he said. “Vocally he was the best – he had one of those voices that comes along only every 20 years or so. “It was intelligent too: people talk about a difference between singing the words and singing the music, but for him they were the same.”

10 In a statement, the Royal Opera House said: “He was one of those rare artists who affected the lives of people across the globe in all walks of life. He introduced the extraordinary power of opera to people who perhaps would never have encountered opera and classical singing [and] in doing so he enriched their lives. That will be his legacy.” 11 Pavarotti gave farewell performances at the Royal Opera House in January 2002 when he sang in Tosca, despite the death of his mother in the final stages of rehearsals.

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3 Pavarotti was considered by some critics to have been the greatest tenor since Enrico Caruso. He made his professional debut in 1961, as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme at the opera house in Reggio Emilia. His most celebrated performance came at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House where he hit nine high Cs in Donizetti’s La fille du regiment.

Domingo led the tributes to his fellow tenor. “I always admired the God-given glory of his voice – that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range,” he said. “I also loved his wonderful sense of humour and on several occasions of our concerts with José Carreras we had trouble remembering that we were giving a concert before a paying audience, because we had so much fun between ourselves.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 His manager, Terri Robson, said Pavarotti died at 5am on September 6. “The maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness,” Mr Robson said in a statement.

7

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1 The Italian opera star Luciano Pavarotti died at his home in Modena aged 71. The tenor, who helped take opera to a new mass audience, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment in August 2007.

CA

Level 3

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 3

Advanced

“The applause on those evenings was probably the most moving and heartfelt in the history of the Royal Opera,” the statement said. “He had a unique ability to touch people with the emotional and brilliant quality of his voice. He was a man with the common touch and the most extraordinary gift. He will be truly missed by millions.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 6/9/07

3 Key words Fill the gaps in the sentences with an appropriate word from the text. 1. Doctors ________________ you when they find out what is wrong with you. 2. When you lose your ability or will to fight something, you ________________ to it. 3. Your ________________ is the (good or bad) opinion people have of you. 4. A ________________ is a non-profit making organization that usually helps others. 5. When somebody is at the ________________, it means they are in charge, or the leader. 6. When we meet or see someone or something for the first time, we ________________ them or it. 7. Something that someone has achieved that continues to exist after they stop working or die is called a ________________.

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Match the adjectives on the left with the nouns on the right to make collocations from the article. Then use the collocations to re-tell the article to your partner.

O

NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

audience ability park performance voice battle applause gift kitchen tenor

CA

long, tough greatest celebrated global rain-sodden fully-fitted distinctive heartfelt unique extraordinary

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 3

Advanced

5 Grammar: Third conditional 1. Tick the correct answer(s). We use the 3rd conditional to:

Speculate about past events.



To negotiate.



To express reproach and regret.



Talk about things that may happen in the future.

2. Which deceased artist would you have liked to have seen performing live? Write your answer using the third conditional. Compare your answer with others in your group and say why.

6 Discussion: Desert Island Discs Desert Island Discs is a popular radio programme in the UK where guest speakers are asked to nominate the music they would take with them if they were stranded on a desert island. Imagine you are going to be a guest on the programme. Write down your top five music choices: 1. ___________________________________ 2. ___________________________________ 3. ___________________________________ 4. ___________________________________ 5. ___________________________________ Now walk around your class and try to find at least one person who has a similar taste in music to you. Sit with that person / those people and have a chat about music.

7 Webquest

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NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Advanced

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Go to www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2007/sep/06/pavarotti?picture=330690212 to see photos of Pavarotti’s life. You can also watch videos and listen to him singing by going to www.youtube.com and typing Pavarotti in the search box.

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Music quiz

Italian American Jamaican French English American Cuban American American American

died in aged (year) 2007 1977 1981 1963 1980 2003 2005 1959 1998 1994

71 42 36 47 40 71 78 44 82 27

2 What do you know?

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

long, tough battle greatest tenor celebrated performance global audience rain-sodden park fully-fitted kitchen distinctive voice heartfelt applause unique ability extraordinary gift

False (it was in the opera house in Reggio Emilia) True False (Carreras not Caruso) False (it was in 1990) True True False (it was in a hotel suite in Edinburgh) True

3 Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

diagnose succumb reputation charity helm encounter legacy

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Advanced

5 Grammar: Third conditional We use the third conditional to: Speculate about past events. To express reproach and regret.

H

Luciano Pavarotti opera Elvis Presley rock and roll Bob Marley reggae Edith Piaf chanson John Lennon pop Johnny Cash country Ibrahim Ferrer son Billie Holiday jazz Frank Sinatra swing Kurt Cobain grunge

nationality

•P

genre

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

artist

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 1 1

Elementary

Music quiz

Match these artists with the music genre that they are most famous for and their nationality.

artist

genre

nationality

Luciano Pavarotti

jazz

American

Elvis Presley

pop

English

Bob Marley

rock and roll

American

Edith Piaf

swing

American

John Lennon

son

American

Johnny Cash

opera

Italian

Ibrahim Ferrer

chanson

American

Billie Holiday

country

Cuban

Frank Sinatra

grunge

Jamaican

Kurt Cobain

reggae

French

died in (year)

aged

Now, in teams, try to guess the year of their death and their age when they died. One point for the closest answer.

2

Key words

Unjumble the letters to fill the gaps. Skim the text to check your answers. 1. The group of people who watch a performance are the ____________. (uedinaec) 2. Another word for a fight is a ____________. (tbtlae) 3. The first time a performer plays in public is his ____________. (betud) 4. A ____________ is what you give when you entertain people by singing, acting or dancing. (ereoprfanmc) 5. The place where an event takes place is called the ____________. (enevu) 6. You can have a good or bad ____________. It depends on what people say about you. (putnretiao) 7. When you pay ____________ to somebody, you say how and why you admire and respect them. (brittue)

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. When you have a natural ability to do something, this is called a ____________. (tifg)

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 1

Elementary

Pavarotti dies aged 71

6

Matthew Weaver and agencies September 6, 2007

5

The 1990 World Cup was also the venue of the first of the hugely popular Three Tenor concerts that Pavarotti performed with Placido Domingo and José Carreras. His most high-profile performance in Britain was the Pavarotti in the Park concert in a rainy Hyde Park in 1991. His friend, Diana, Princess of Wales, was in the front row.

9

10

Another tenor Ian Bostridge agreed. “He was an old-fashioned star,” he said. “Vocally he was the best. In a statement, the Royal Opera House said: “He introduced the extraordinary power of opera to people who perhaps would never have encountered opera and classical singing [and] in doing so he enriched their lives.” Pavarotti gave farewell performances at the Royal Opera House in January 2002. “The applause on those evenings was probably the most moving and heartfelt in the history of the Royal Opera,” the statement said. “He had a unique ability to touch people with the emotional and brilliant quality of his voice. He was a man with a most extraordinary gift. He will be missed by millions of people.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 6/9/07

Like many opera stars, Pavarotti also had a reputation for being difficult. At a Royal Variety performance in Edinburgh he demanded a fullyfitted kitchen to be built into his hotel suite. He also frequently cancelled concerts at short notice. But he also raised millions of pounds in a number of charity performances.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Elementary

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4

But Pavarotti reached a new global audience during the 1990 football World Cup when his interpretation of the Puccini aria Nessun Dorma was chosen as the tournament’s theme tune. It became an international hit. Later the Essential Pavarotti became the first classical album to reach number 1 in the UK charts.

8

The British tenor Russell Watson said that Pavarotti was the man who brought opera to the people. “The World Cup was the Three Tenors led by Pavarotti, with a very entertaining version of Nessun Dorma, in fact, it’s now called ‘Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma’,” Watson said. “His voice was so distinctive you only needed to listen to a couple of bars and you knew it was him, he had incredible power and control.”

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3

Pavarotti made his professional debut in 1961, as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme at the opera house in Reggio Emilia. His most celebrated performance came at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House where he hit nine high Cs in Donizetti’s La fille du regiment.

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The Italian opera star Luciano Pavarotti died at his home in Modena aged 71. The tenor, who helped take opera to a new audience, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. His manager, Terri Robson, said Pavarotti died at 5am on September 6. “The maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. He remained positive until the end,” Mr Robson said.

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Domingo led the tributes to his fellow tenor. “I always admired the God-given glory of his voice,” he said. “I also loved his wonderful sense of humour. We had so much fun during our concerts with José Carreras.”

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Pavarotti helped make opera popular. 2. He once hit nine high Cs in one performance. 3. The Three Tenors were Pavarotti, Domingo and Caruso. 4. The Three Tenors sang the theme tune to the 1994 (football) World Cup. 5. Pavarotti had a number 1 album in the UK. 6. He was a personal friend of Princess Diana’s. 7. He always demanded a fully-fitted kitchen in his dressing room. 8. He raised millions of pounds for charities. 9. Pavarotti didn’t have a sense of humour. 10. Pavarotti had a unique voice.

4 Vocabulary What do these adjectives describe in the article? 1. emotional / distinctive / brilliant

_____________________________

2. positive / difficult / tenor

_____________________________

3. heartfelt / moving

_____________________________

4. long / tough

_____________________________

Underline all the other adjectives in the article. Compare your answers with your partner.

5 Discussion Complete the sentences by filling the gaps. The last music concert or performance I went to was (who or what) _____________________________, at/in (place) _____________________________, in ___________ (month, year). I thought it was (adjective) _____________ because (reason) _____________________________________. Now read your sentences to your partner. Try to ask and answer further questions to keep the conversation going.

6 Webquest

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Go to www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2007/sep/06/pavarotti?picture=330690212 to see photos of Pavarotti’s life. You can also watch videos and listen to him singing by going to www.youtube.com and writing Pavarotti in the search box.

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Music quiz artist

genre

Luciano Pavarotti opera Elvis Presley rock and roll Bob Marley reggae Edith Piaf chanson John Lennon pop Johnny Cash country Ibrahim Ferrer son Billie Holiday jazz Frank Sinatra swing Kurt Cobain grunge

nationality Italian American Jamaican French English American Cuban American American American

died in aged (year) 2007 1977 1981 1963 1980 2003 2005 1959 1998 1994

71 42 36 47 40 71 78 44 82 27

2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Synonyms

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. Pavarotti’s voice 2. Pavarotti 3. The applause at the Royal Opera House 4. Pavarotti’s battle against cancer

audience battle debut performance venue reputation tribute gift

3 Comprehension check

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1. True 2. True 3. False (Carreras) 4. False (1990) 5. True 6. True 7. False (in a hotel suite in Edinburgh) 8. True 9. False 10. True

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 2 1

Intermediate

Music quiz

Match these artists with the music genre that they are most famous for and their nationality.

artist

genre

nationality

Luciano Pavarotti

jazz

American

Elvis Presley

pop

English

Bob Marley

rock and roll

American

Edith Piaf

swing

American

John Lennon

son

American

Johnny Cash

opera

Italian

Ibrahim Ferrer

chanson

American

Billie Holiday

country

Cuban

Frank Sinatra

grunge

Jamaican

Kurt Cobain

reggae

French

died in (year)

aged

Now, in teams, try to guess the year of their death and their age when they died. One point for each closest answer!

2

Key words

Fill the gaps using these words from the text.

debut bar

critic interpretation succumb theme tune good cause tribute

1. When you lose your ability or will to fight something, you ____________ to it. 2. A ____________ is someone whose job it is to write about films, books, music or plays. 3. The first time a performer performs in public is his/her ____________. 4. A piece of music that is played at the beginning and end (and sometimes) throughout a film, tournament, etc. is called a ____________. 5. A section in a line of music, containing several notes, is called a ____________. 6. An ____________ is a performer’s unique way of performing a certain piece of music. 7. When you pay ____________ to someone you say how you admire them and why.

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8. A ____________ is usually an organization, plan or activity that helps people or animals in need.

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Intermediate

Pavarotti dies aged 71 7

Domingo led the tributes to his fellow tenor. “I always admired the God-given glory of his voice,” he said. “I also loved his wonderful sense of humour and on several occasions during our concerts with José Carreras we had trouble remembering that we were giving a concert before a paying audience, because we had so much fun between ourselves.”

8

The British tenor Russell Watson told GMTV that Pavarotti was “without question” the man who brought opera to the people. “The World Cup was the Three Tenors led by Pavarotti, with a very entertaining version of Nessun Dorma, in fact, it’s now called ‘Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma’,” Watson said. “His voice was so distinctive you only needed to listen to a couple of bars and you knew it was him, he had incredible power and control.”

9

Another tenor, Ian Bostridge, agreed. “He was an old-fashioned star”, he said. “Vocally he was the best.

1 The Italian opera star Luciano Pavarotti died at his home in Modena aged 71. The tenor, who helped take opera to a new mass audience, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and had further treatment in August 2007.

4 But Pavarotti reached a new global audience during the 1990 football World Cup when his interpretation of the Puccini aria Nessun Dorma was chosen as the tournament’s theme tune. It became an international hit. Later the Essential Pavarotti became the first classical album to reach number 1 in the UK charts. 5 The 1990 World Cup was also the venue of the first of the hugely popular Three Tenor concerts that Pavarotti performed with Placido Domingo and José Carreras. His most high-profile performance in Britain was the Pavarotti in the Park concert in a rain-sodden Hyde Park in 1991. His friend, Diana, Princess of Wales, was in the front row. 6 Like many opera stars, Pavarotti also had a reputation for being demanding. At a Royal Variety performance in Edinburgh he reportedly demanded a fully fitted kitchen to be built into his hotel suite. He also frequently cancelled concerts at short notice. But he also raised millions of

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Intermediate

10 In a statement, the Royal Opera House said: “He was one of those rare artists who affected the lives of people across the globe in all walks of life. He introduced the extraordinary power of opera to people who perhaps would never have encountered opera and classical singing [and] in doing so he enriched their lives. That will be his legacy.” 11 Pavarotti gave farewell performances at the Royal Opera House in January 2002 when he sang in Tosca, despite the death of his mother in the final stages of rehearsals. “The applause on those evenings was probably the most moving and heartfelt in the history of the Royal Opera,” the statement said. “He had a unique ability to touch people with the emotional and brilliant quality of his voice. He was a man with the common touch and the most extraordinary gift. He will be truly missed by millions.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 6/9/07

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3 Pavarotti was considered by some critics to have been the greatest tenor since Enrico Caruso. He made his professional debut in 1961, as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme at the opera house in Reggio Emilia. His most celebrated performance came at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House where he hit nine high Cs in Donizetti’s La fille du regiment.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 His manager, Terri Robson, said Pavarotti died at 5am on September 6. “The maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. Characteristically, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness,” Mr Robson said in a statement.

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Matthew Weaver and agencies September 6, 2007

pounds for good causes around the world in a number of charity performances.

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Level 2

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 2

Intermediate

3 What do you know? Skim-read the article to find out the answers to the following questions. 1. What was the cause of Pavarotti’s death? 2. Where did Pavarotti first perform professionally? 3. Who were The Three Tenors? 4. What is the Essential Pavarotti? 5. What was the weather like at his Hyde Park concert in 1991? 6. Which famous person sat in the front row in Hyde Park? 7. How did he raise money for good causes? 8. Which piece of operatic music do people usually associate with Pavarotti?

4 Vocabulary: Adjectives 1. Find at least three adjectives in the article that describe Pavarotti’s voice. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Find at least four adjectives in the article that describe Pavarotti. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What do the adjectives moving and heartfelt describe in the article? ______________________________________________________________________________________

5 Grammar: Second conditional 1. Tick the correct answer(s). We use the second conditional to:

Talk about a condition that cannot be fulfilled because it is unreal.



Refer to the past.



Refer to the present and the future.



Imagine the consequences if an unreal condition was fulfilled.



Talk about something that always happens.

Answer: If I could go back in time, …

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Intermediate

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Ask: If you could go back in time, who would you like to see perform?

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2. Talk in pairs or small groups.

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 2

Intermediate

6 Discussion: Desert Island Discs Desert Island Discs is a popular radio programme in the UK where guests are asked to say which music they would take with them to a desert island. Imagine you are going to be a guest on the programme. Write down your top five music choices:

1. ___________________________________ 2. ___________________________________ 3. ___________________________________ 4. ___________________________________ 5. ___________________________________

Now walk around your class and try to find at least one person who has a similar taste in music to you.

7 Webquest

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Go to www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2007/sep/06/pavarotti?picture=330690212 to see photos of Pavarotti’s life. You can also watch videos and listen to him singing by going to www.youtube.com and typing Pavarotti in the search box.

Pavarotti dies aged 71 Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Music quiz died in aged (year)

Italian American Jamaican French English American Cuban American American American

2007 1977 1981 1963 1980 2003 2005 1959 1998 1994

71 42 36 47 40 71 78 44 82 27

2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Adjectives

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. emotional, distinctive, brilliant, God-given 2. opera star, tenor, positive, demanding 3. the applause at the Royal Opera House in 2002

succumb critic debut /deIbju:/ theme tune bar interpretation tribute good cause

5 Grammar: Second conditional We use the second conditional to:

3 What do you know? 1. Pancreatic cancer 2. The opera house in Reggio Emilia 3. Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras 4. A classical album that reached number 1 in the UK charts. 5. Rain-sodden 6. Princess Diana 7. By giving charity performances 8. Nessun Dorma

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Pavarotti dies aged 71 / Intermediate



Talk about a condition that cannot be fulfilled because it is unreal. Refer to the present and the future. To imagine the consequences if an unreal condition was fulfilled.

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Luciano Pavarotti opera Elvis Presley rock and roll Bob Marley reggae Edith Piaf chanson John Lennon pop Johnny Cash country Ibrahim Ferrer son Billie Holiday jazz Frank Sinatra swing Kurt Cobain grunge

nationality

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genre

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artist

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

stunning quandary

vault legendary

furious supposedly

mere accurate

forthcoming gem

1. If you are in a ________________, you are uncertain about what decision to take. 2. A ________________ is a strongly protected room in a bank where money, gold and other valuables are kept. 3. ________________ can mean very angry but in the context of this story it means done with a lot of energy



and enthusiasm. 4. If news is ________________, it is extremely surprising, perhaps even shocking. 5. A ________________ is a beautiful, expensive stone that is used to make jewellery. 6. If something is ________________, it is correct or true in every detail. 7. ________________ means as some people believe or say, although you may not agree with this. 8. The word ________________ is used to emphasize that something is small or unimportant. 9. If something is ________________, it is extremely famous or well-known. 10. If something is ________________, it is provided or available when needed or asked for.

2

What do you know?

Are these statements True (T) or False (F)? Check your answers in the text. 1. The world’s largest ever diamond has recently been discovered in South America. 2. The Cullinan diamond was discovered near Pretoria in South Africa. 3. The world’s previous largest gem-quality rough diamond was the Koh-i-Noor. 4. The Koh-i-Noor diamond is part of the British crown jewels. 5. The Koh-i-Noor originated in India.

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6. The value of diamonds is measured in carats.

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond The Cartier diamond, famous as a gift from Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor, weighed a mere 240.80 carats rough and 69.42 carats cut. Mr Cuellar said the most important information about the latest find was yet to be forthcoming, including whether it is colourless. “The reported size of the stone is accurate, but there are all these other factors we still don’t know and what matters now is how wide, how clear and how well cut it will be.

6

Mr Cuellar continued: “Will this diamond rank above the best quality diamonds in the world? I can tell you right now, no. But in as far as the list of the largest diamonds ever found in the world goes, would it make that list? Yes it would.” He said the first seven people who looked at the stone thought it was industrial grade, but that view has changed and it now appears to be a stone that will be cut into a piece of jewellery.

7

The quandary facing the owner of the diamond now is how best to cut the stone he said. “The thinking usually is with these types of things, we know how big we could get it but we don’t know how much it will hurt us on the quality side.” The Cullinan, also known as the Star of Africa, was thought by some to be part of a larger stone which still lies somewhere undiscovered.

8

There will be interest in who made the find and how they will be rewarded. The miner who discovered the Excelsior, said to be the second largest uncut diamond ever found, received a horse and saddle, and a sum of money.

9

The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905 and at 3,106 carats was the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa – at 530 carats formerly the largest cut diamond – was one of the 105 gems cut from it. The Koh-i-noor is part of the British crown jewels. It originated in India but was seized by Britain as a spoil of war in 1849. The diamond supposedly brings good luck to female owners and misfortune or death to any male who wears or owns it. The Hope Diamond is a large (45.52

David Beresford in Johannesburg and Lee Glendinning August 28, 2007 1 The world’s biggest diamond, believed to be twice the size of the Cullinan, has been discovered in the North-West Province of South Africa. The find has electrified the diamond community, but the circumstances of the discovery are shrouded in mystery. The diamond is expected to attract furious bidding from buyers worldwide and could fetch up to £15 million. 2 A spokesman for the mining house which made yesterday’s find, Brett Joli, said the diamond was being rushed to a bank vault in Johannesburg and would be kept there for a couple of days “until we calm down and decide what we are going to do”. A security company was being hired to protect the precious stone. The mining company which made the find has not been identified. The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation said the stone was said to be twice the size of the Cullinan diamond. 3 Fred Cuellar, the founder of Diamond Cutters International and author of How to Buy a Diamond, said he first heard about the find a few days ago. “I get a phone call when any rare stone around the world is found and when I heard about this one it was stunning news. It caught everybody in the diamond industry offside. There will be a lot of mad bidding from a lot of private individuals wanting to buy this stone.” 4 The Cullinan, which was found near Pretoria more than a century ago, was until recently acknowledged to be the largest cut diamond in the world, weighing 530.20 carats. In 1985 it lost the record to the Golden Jubilee, which was found in the same mine as the Cullinan and weighed 545.67 carats. In its rough state the Cullinan weighed 3,106.75 carats. It now forms part of King Edward’s sceptre and is in the Tower of London.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Advanced

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5

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Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Advanced

CA

Level 3

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 3

Advanced

carat), deep blue diamond. It is legendary for the curse it supposedly puts on whoever possesses it. Previous owners include Kings Louis XV and XVI and Marie Antoinette. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/8/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Which of these best describes the reaction of 3. The newly discovered diamond is… people in the diamond industry to the news of a. … the best quality diamond ever found. the discovery? b. … the largest diamond ever found. a. They were absolutely flabbergasted. c. … the most valuable diamond ever found. b. They were furious.

c. They were in a quandary.

2. The Cartier diamond…

4. The newly discovered diamond is being kept in a bank vault until…



a. … was bigger than the Cullinan diamond.

a. … the mining house which owns it decides what to do.



b. … was the largest diamond ever found.



b. … its value is determined.



c. … experts decide how best to cut it.

c. … was less than half the weight of the Golden Jubilee diamond.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the words or expressions that mean the following. 1. A verb meaning to make people extremely excited. (para 1) 2. A three-word expression meaning surrounded by unknown factors. (para 1) 3. A three-word expression meaning to take everybody by surprise. (para 3) 4. A gerund meaning the process of trying to buy something at an auction. (para 3) 5. A verb meaning to accept or admit that something is true or exists. (para 4) 6. A noun meaning a decorated stick that a king or queen carries at ceremonies. (para 4) 7. A three-word expression meaning the benefits gained after winning a battle. (para 9)

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8. A noun meaning a bad situation or event caused by someone’s deliberate use of their magical powers. (para 9)

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Reformulation Complete these sentences about the text using the correct form of the word in brackets. 1. It is widely believed that the Cullinan was part of a larger stone that remains ____________. [DISCOVER] 2. The circumstances of the ____________ have still not been fully explained. [DISCOVER] 3. The Koh-i-Noor diamond _____________ brings bad luck to any male who wears or owns it. [SUPPOSE] 4. The diamond is expected to attract a large number of ____________. [BID] 5. The ____________ of the reported size of the stone is not in doubt. [ACCURATE] 6. The person who discovered the stone remains ____________. [IDENTIFY]

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text. 1. bank

a. diamond

2. security

b. news

3. diamond

c. grade

4. private

d. industry

5. stunning

e. state

6. rough

f. vault

7. industrial

g. individual

8. uncut

h. company

7 Discussion

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Is the price of diamonds and other precious stones artificially high? Should the price of natural products be controlled or should the market decide how much they are worth?

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. quandary 2. vault 3. furious 4. stunning 5. gem 6. accurate 7. supposedly 8. mere 9. legendary 10. forthcoming

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

a c b a

6. Vocabulary 3: Collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Advanced

f h d g b e c a

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3 Comprehension check

undiscovered discovery supposedly bidders accuracy unidentified

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F T F T T F (the weight is measured in carats)

5 Vocabulary 2: Reformulation

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

electrify shrouded in mystery catch everybody offside bidding acknowledge sceptre spoils of war curse

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

mine rough

vault carat

gem colourless

rare saddle

amazing gift

1. A ____________ is a beautiful, expensive stone that people use to make jewellery. 2. A ____________ is a leather seat you put on a horse when you ride it. 3. A ____________ is a large hole or tunnel in the ground from which people take gold, coal, diamonds etc. 4. A ____________ is something you give to someone as a present. 5. A ____________ is a strongly protected room in a bank for money, gold and other valuables. 6. If something is ____________, it has no colour at all. 7. If something is ____________, you do not often see or find it. 8. A ____________ is a unit of weight for measuring gold and precious stones. 9. If something is ____________, it is very, very surprising. 10. If a diamond is in a ____________ state, no-one has cut or finished it.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.

1. How much will the new diamond cost? 2. When was the Golden Jubilee diamond found? 3. How much did the cut Cartier diamond weigh? 4. Where was the Cullinan diamond found? 5. How many gems were cut from the Cullinan diamond?

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6. When did the British take the Koh-i-noor diamond to London?

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Elementary

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond

carats. In its rough or uncut state the Cullinan weighed 3,106.75 carats. It now forms part of the British crown jewels and is in the Tower of London.

3 Fred Cuellar, the founder of Diamond Cutters International and author of How to Buy a Diamond, said he first heard about the find a few days ago. “When people find any rare stone around the world they phone me, and when I heard about this one it was amazing news. Everybody in the diamond industry was very surprised. There are a lot of people who will want to buy this stone.” 4 The Cullinan diamond, which was found near Pretoria more than one hundred years ago, was once the largest cut diamond in the world, weighing 530.20 carats. In 1985 it lost the record to the Golden Jubilee, which was found in the same mine as the Cullinan and weighed 545.67

7

8

9

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Elementary

“Will this diamond be better than the best quality diamonds in the world? I can tell you right now, no. But it will be on the list of the largest diamonds ever found in the world.” He said the first seven people who looked at the stone thought it was an industrial diamond, but now experts believe it is a stone that they can cut to make a piece of jewellery. Mr Cuellar says that the problem now is how best to cut the stone. “Usually with these types of things, we know how big we could get it but we don’t know what its quality will be like.” Some people thought the Cullinan, also known as the Star of Africa, was part of a larger stone which has still not been found. There will be interest in who found the diamond and what they will receive for their find. The miner who discovered the Excelsior, the second largest uncut diamond ever found, received a horse and saddle, and a sum of money. The Cullinan Diamond was found in 1905 and, at 3,106 carats, was the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa – at 530 carats formerly the largest cut diamond – was one of the 105 gems cut from it. The Koh-i-noor is part of the British

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2 A spokesman for the mining company which found the diamond said they were taking it to a bank vault in Johannesburg and would keep it there for a couple of days “until we decide what we are going to do”. They have hired a security company to protect the precious stone. The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation reported that the stone was twice as big as the Cullinan diamond.

6

The Cartier diamond, which Richard Burton once gave to Elizabeth Taylor as a gift, weighed just 240.80 carats rough and 69.42 carats cut. Mr Cuellar said they did not have much information about the new diamond and didn’t know whether it was colourless or not. “The reported size of the stone is correct, but there are several other things we still don’t know. What is important now is how wide, how clear and how well cut the diamond will be.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Diamond miners have found the world’s biggest diamond in a mine in the North-West Province of South Africa. The diamond is twice as big as the famous Cullinan diamond, which was the largest cut diamond in the world until 1985, when the Golden Jubilee diamond was found. People in the diamond industry are very excited by the news, but no-one knows exactly who found the diamond and where they found it. Diamond buyers around the world will be extremely interested in the diamond and it could sell for as much as £15 million.

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David Beresford in Johannesburg and Lee Glendinning August 28, 2007

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Level 1

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Elementary

crown jewels. It was found in India but the British took it to London in 1849. They say the diamond brings good luck to female owners and bad luck or death to any male who wears or owns it. The Hope Diamond is a large (45.52 carat), deep blue diamond. It is famous because it brings bad luck to anyone who owns it. Past owners include Kings Louis XV and XVI and Marie Antoinette. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/08/07

3 Comprehension check Put these sentences in the order in which they happened. a. The Golden Jubilee diamond was found in the same mine as the Cullinan. b. A security company is protecting the precious stone. c. Diamond miners have found the world’s biggest diamond. d. The Koh-i-noor diamond was found in India. e. They took the diamond to a bank vault in Johannesburg. f. The Cullinan diamond was found near Pretoria.

4 Grammar focus: Superlatives Look at this example from the text: …the largest cut diamond in the world… Complete the table by adding the superlative forms of the adjectives. Note that some are irregular.

3.

expensive

4.

important

5.

wide

6.

bad

7.

rare

8.

precious

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Elementary

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good

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2.

the biggest

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big

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1.

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text.

in the diamond 1. extremely interested _______ 2. it could sell _______ £15 million 3. he heard _______ the find a few days ago 4. it was found _______ Pretoria 5. the largest diamond _______ the world 6. the first seven people who looked _______ the stone 7. the British took it _______ London 8. it brings bad luck _______ its owners

6 Vocabulary 2: Irregular past participles

1.

find

found

2.

cut

3.

see

4.

know

5.

think

6.

keep

7.

hear

8.

buy

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past participle

•P

infinitive

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Complete the table.

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 1

Elementary

KEY 4 Grammar focus: Superlatives

1. gem 2. saddle 3. mine 4. gift 5. vault 6. colourless 7. rare 8. carat 9. amazing 10. rough

1.

big

the biggest

2.

good

the best

3.

expensive

the most expensive

4.

important

the most important

5.

wide

the widest

6.

bad

the worst

7.

rare

the rarest

8.

precious

the most precious

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions

1. As much as £15 million 2. 1985 3. 69.42 carats 4. Near Pretoria 5. 105 6. 1849

1. in 2. for 3. about 4. near 5. in 6. at 7. to 8. to



d f a c e b

6 Vocabulary 2: Irregular past participles 1. found 2. cut 3. seen 4. known 5. thought 6. kept 7. heard 8. bought

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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3 Comprehension check

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Key words

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

vault rough

accurate carat

gem sceptre

rare colourless

astonishing misfortune

1. If something is ____________, it is not often seen or found. 2. If a diamond is in a ____________ state, it has not been cut or finished. 3. A ____________ is a stick decorated with jewels and carried by a king or queen at official ceremonies. 4. If something is ____________, it is correct or true in every detail. 5. A ____________ is a unit of weight used to measure gold and precious stones. 6. If something is ____________, it has no colour at all. 7. ____________ is another word for bad luck. 8. A ____________ is a strongly protected room in a bank where money, gold and other valuables are kept. 9. If something is ____________, it is very, very surprising. 10. A ____________ is a beautiful, expensive stone that is used to make jewellery.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How much could the new diamond be worth? 2. When was the Golden Jubilee diamond found? 3. How much did the Cartier diamond weigh when it was cut? 4. When was the Cullinan diamond discovered? 5. How many gems were cut from the Cullinan diamond?

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6. When was the Koh-i-noor diamond taken to Britain?

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Intermediate

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond

3 Fred Cuellar, the founder of Diamond Cutters International and author of How to Buy a Diamond, said he first heard about the find a few days ago. “I get a phone call when any rare stone around the world is found and when I heard about this one it was astonishing news. It took everybody in the diamond industry by surprise. There will be a lot of private individuals who will want to buy this stone.” 4 The Cullinan diamond, which was found near Pretoria more than a century ago, was until recently generally regarded to be the largest cut diamond in the world, weighing 530.20 carats. In 1985 it lost the record to the Golden Jubilee, which was found in the same mine as the Cullinan and weighed 545.67 carats. In its rough or uncut state the Cullinan weighed 3,106.75

6

Mr Cuellar continued: “Will this diamond be better than the best quality diamonds in the world? I can tell you right now, no. But as far as the list of the largest diamonds ever found in the world goes, would it be on that list? Yes it would.” He said the first seven people who looked at the stone thought it was industrial grade, but now that view has changed and it now appears to be a stone that can be cut into a piece of jewellery.

7

The problem the owner of the diamond now faces is how best to cut the stone, according to Mr Cuellar. “Usually with these types of things, we know how big we could get it but we don’t know what it will be like in terms of quality.” Some people thought the Cullinan, also known as the Star of Africa, was part of a larger stone which still lies somewhere undiscovered.

8

There will be interest in who made the find and how they will be rewarded. The miner who discovered the Excelsior, said to be the second largest uncut diamond ever found, received a horse and saddle, and a sum of money.

9

The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905 and at 3,106 carats was the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa – at 530 carats formerly the largest cut diamond – was one of the 105 gems cut from it. The Koh-i-noor is part of the British crown jewels. It originated in India but was taken to Britain in 1849. The diamond is supposed to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Intermediate

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2 A spokesman for the mining house which found the diamond, Brett Joli, said it was being rushed to a bank vault in Johannesburg and would be kept there for a couple of days “until we calm down and decide what we are going to do”. A security company has been hired to protect the precious stone. The mining company which made the find has not been identified. The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation said the stone was believed to be twice as big as the Cullinan diamond.

The Cartier diamond, which became famous as a gift from Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor, weighed just 240.80 carats rough and 69.42 carats cut. Mr Cuellar said the most important information about the latest find was not yet available, including whether the stone was colourless or not. “The reported size of the stone is accurate, but there are several other factors we still don’t know and what matters now is how wide, how clear and how well cut it will be.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 The world’s biggest diamond, believed to be twice the size of the Cullinan diamond, has been discovered in the North-West Province of South Africa. People in the diamond industry are extremely excited by the discovery, but how and exactly where the diamond was found is a mystery. Buyers around the world will be extremely interested in the diamond and it could sell for as much as £15 million.

5

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David Beresford in Johannesburg and Lee Glendinning August 28, 2007

carats. It now forms part of King Edward’s sceptre and is in the Tower of London.

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Level 2

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 2

Intermediate

bring good luck to female owners and misfortune or death to any male who wears or owns it. The Hope Diamond is a large (45.52 carat), deep blue diamond. It is famous for the curse it is supposed to place on anyone who possesses it. Previous owners include Kings Louis XV and XVI and Marie Antoinette. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 28/8/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The diamond was discovered by Diamond Cutters International. 2. The diamond is the most valuable diamond ever discovered. 3. The Hope Diamond is famous for bringing good luck to its owners. 4. The Koh-i-noor diamond was discovered in India. 5. At first people thought the new diamond was just an industrial diamond. 6. A lot of people will be interested in buying the diamond.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the words or expressions that mean the following. 1. A noun meaning something you are unable to understand, explain or get information about. (para 1) 2. A two-word verb meaning to feel more relaxed and less emotional. (para 2) 3. An adjective meaning very valuable. (para 2) 4. An adjective meaning not found yet. (para 7) 5. A noun meaning a leather seat you put on a horse’s back. (para 8)

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NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Intermediate

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6. A noun meaning a bad situation or event caused by someone’s deliberate use of their magical powers. (para 9)

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. according _______ 2. twice the size _______ 3. take someone _______ surprise 4. a gift _______ Richard Burton _______ Elizabeth Taylor 5. _______ terms of quality 6. extremely interested _______ the diamond

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb 1.

discover

2.

excite

3.

protect

4.

weigh

5.

accurate

6.

surprise

7.

believe

8.

decide

noun

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Intermediate

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Should the price of natural products be controlled or should the market decide how much they are worth? Is it right that a stone should be worth £15 million?

Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. rare 2. rough 3. sceptre 4. accurate 5. carat 6. colourless 7. misfortune 8. vault 9. astonishing 10. gem

1. mystery 2. calm down 3. precious 4. undiscovered 5. saddle 6. curse

1. F 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. T

verb

noun

1.

discover

discovery

2.

excite

excitement

3.

protect

protection

4.

weigh

weight

5.

accurate

accuracy

6.

surprise

surprise

7.

believe

belief

8.

decide

decision

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Miners unearth world’s biggest diamond / Intermediate

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3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

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1. As much as £15 million 2. 1985 3. 69.42 carats 4. 1905 5. 105 6. 1849

1. to 2. of 3. by 4. from, to 5. in 6. in

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Match these key words from the article with their meanings. What do you think the article might be about? 1. civic responsibility

a. an argument

2. treats





b. superficial, only on the surface, not deep

3. ordinance





c. the duties of a citizen

4. squabble





d. refers to the constituents of food and how they affect your health

5. tackle (an obesity epidemic)

e. something special that you do or buy for yourself or others

6. nutritional (content)



f. people who put their name on a document

7. (a) frank (admission)



g. to completely accept something

8. to embrace (healthier options) h. to make an attempt to deal with something 9. cosmetic





i. an adjective meaning obvious

10. revenue





j. an adjective meaning honest

11. signatories





k. an official order, like a rule or a law

12. pledge





l. income from business activities

13. blatantly (incorrect)

2

m. a promise

Organizations and official bodies

Skim-read the text and find the names of four organizations or official bodies. Write them below. 1. _____________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________ 4. _____________________________________________

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Advanced

CA

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Briefly discuss what they might do or who might be a member of them.

What’s in the Big Apple? Advanced

What’s in the Big Apple?

2 Judge Richard Holwell ruled that New York’s Board of Health was overstepping its authoity in requiring larger restaurant chains to write calorie figures alongside prices for treats such as a McDonald’s Big Mac meal (1,430 calories) or Burger King’s triple Whopper with cheese (1,230 calories). 3 The judge said the city ordinance was unfair because it only affects restaurants which already have calorie information available somewhere – be it on their websites, on food wrappers or on the underside of tray linings. Of New York’s 23,000 restaurants, only 2,375 were to be included in the law. 4 The squabble arose over the city’s latest effort to tackle an obesity epidemic which is worse in New York than in the rest of America. More than half of the Big Apple’s residents are overweight and a third are clinically obese. Among children, US obesity levels have tripled since the 1970s. 5 Mary Bassett, New York’s deputy commissioner for health promotion and disease prevention, says Americans consume nearly 50% of their food outside the home. Huge helpings, high salt content and fatty ingredients mean that the average calorie intake in restaurants is far higher than in home-cooked food. 6 “When people shop in supermarkets, they can see a nutritional fact panel on the packaging which tells them what they’re getting. When you © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Advanced

Most people realize that a large portion of fries is unhealthy – but the issue is far more subtle, argues Dr Bassett: “I don’t think many people would guess that somebody who walks into McDonald’s and eats a deluxe breakfast has eaten nearly all their recommended calorie intake for the day.”

8

However, the big fast food chains complained that it is costly and unfair – and that they already provide plenty of information on their websites. Chuck Hunt, a spokesman for the New York State Restaurant Association, says: “The proper way to address this is through education, not through regulation.”

9

The industry argues that calories are merely one of many measures of how healthy food is. Putting them on a menu, says the association, will only “confuse” people.

10 This is an unusually frank admission from the industry which has been trying hard to present a caring, sharing image. Salads, shakes, milk and fruity nibbles have appeared on menus traditionally devoted to meat and potato. Just last week, Burger King announced it was launching ‘apple fries’ – slices of apple cut to look like chips – in an effort to persuade young customers to embrace healthier options. 11 Many of these changes, however, are cosmetic. For every salad they sell, McDonald’s sells eight double cheeseburgers. Less than a tenth of revenue comes from healthier options. 12 A few chains are taking responsibility. Subway, which predominantly sells fresh sandwiches, has decided to display calories on its menus. Its spokesman, Les Winograd, says it was to the firm’s advantage: “We look at it as an extension of something we were already providing. We have a reputation for offering healthier alternatives to traditional, fatty fast food.”

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1 Even by the standards of America’s junk food industry, a recent court case marked a low point in civic responsibility. A coalition of deep-fat-frying restaurants in New York persuaded a judge that they shouldn’t have to disclose the number of calories in their meals on in-store menu boards.

7

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Andrew Clark in New York September 13, 2007

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For every salad, McDonald’s sells eight double cheeseburgers.

buy food in a restaurant, you have no idea what the nutritional content is,” says Dr Bassett.

CA

Level 3

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 3

Advanced

13 Responding to pressure, the industry has moved back from marketing the worst of its food to children. The Council of Better Business Bureaus has asked companies to stop targeting under-12s with promotions for high-fat foods or for anything failing to meet strict nutritional standards. Burger King, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s and Kraft are among the signatories. The pledge should change an environment in which children see an average of 21 ads a day for sweets, snacks, cereals and fast food. 14 Experts say the industry’s court action this week cancels out such positive action. Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, says: “Obesity is all

about calories – how many you take in and how many you burn. For them to say that’s not key information is blatantly incorrect.” 15

He urges the big chains to be pro-active in changing Americans’ diets and in helping consumers to make better choices: “The restaurant industry makes a number of false, weak arguments. They say [calorie advertising] won’t solve the obesity problem and that’s true. But nothing, by itself, will solve the entirety of the obesity problem.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/9/07

3 Comprehension check 1. Which sentence best describes the court case in the article? a. Restaurants went to court to stop them having to publicize the number of calories in their food. b. New York’s Board of Health went to court to stop restaurants selling food with high calorie content. c. The judge brought both parties to court to stop them squabbling. 2. The judge said that: a. Fast food restaurants should display the calorie content of their food on websites. b. Fast food restaurants needn’t display the calorie content of their food on websites. c. 2,375 of the 23,000 restaurants in New York cause obesity. 3. People often don’t realize how many calories are in food because… a. … the information on nutritional fact panels is often incorrect. b. … they eat outside the home and so don’t know what ingredients the meal contains. c. … the food is not regulated.

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Advanced

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4. Subway has decided to display the calories on its menus because… a. … they say it will solve New York’s obesity problem. b. … it confirms that they sell healthier alternatives to burgers. c. … the judge ruled that they should do so.

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Lexical fields Find words or phrases in the article that belong to the following lexical fields and write them in the spidergrams.

weight and health issues

legal terms

5 Discussion In small groups, think of six local or national food and drink specialities from your country. What ingredients do they contain and how are they prepared? Decide in your group which ones have the most and which have the least calories. Rank them from one to six and give feedback to the class.

6 Webquest

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Advanced

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Which contains the most calories: a banana, an avocado or a mango? Use an online calorie counter such as the one at www.fitandtrim.co.uk/caloriecounter.html to find out. Here you can also learn about recommended daily calorie intakes.

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

3 Comprehension check

1. c 2. e 3. k 4. a 5. h 6. d 7. j 8. g 9. b 10. l 11. f 12. m 13. i

1. 2. 3. 4.

2 Organizations and official bodies

legal terms – court case / court action / rule / civic responsibility / judge / ordinance / law / regulation / signatories / pledge

weight and health issues – deep fat frying / calorie / obesity / overweight / health promotion / huge helpings / salt content / disease prevention / nutritional content / healthier options / high-fat foods / burn ( calories) / diet

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Advanced

Possible answers:

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

4 Vocabulary: Lexical fields

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

New York’s Board of Health New York State Restaurant Association The Council of Better Business Bureaus Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity (at Yale University)

a b b b

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 1 1 Tick

Elementary

Pre-reading task

ü

the words or phrases would you expect to read in an article about junk food.

burger



super-size

fries

apple

adverts

snacks

cereal

drive-in

breakfast

tray

judge

calories

New York



health

Glasgow

cosmetic

hot dogs

TV

home-cooked Add some more ideas of your own. ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

2

Key words

Match words from the articles with their meanings.

11. confuse 12. consume 13. persuade 14. demand 15. urge

k. to eat or drink something l. to make someone agree to do something by giving them reasons why they should m. to strongly advise someone what action they should take n. to make someone feel they do not understand o. to say clearly and firmly that you want something

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Elementary

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f. very overweight g. a portion h. someone who lives in a particular place i. the second most important person in a company or organization j. the items you need for a recipe or meal

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6. helping 7. ingredients 8. obese 9. resident 10. deputy

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a. the science of food and its effect on health b. three times c. two times d. inside a shop or restaurant e. at the moment

CA

1. double 2. triple 3. currently 4. nutrition 5. in-store

What’s in the Big Apple? Elementary

1 In a recent court case concerning America’s junk food industry, a group of fast food restaurants in New York persuaded a judge that they shouldn’t have to write the number of calories in their meals on in-store menu boards. 2 Judge Richard Holwell said that New York’s Board of Health was not allowed to demand that larger restaurant chains write calorie figures next to prices for food such as a McDonald’s Big Mac meal (1,430 calories) or Burger King’s triple Whopper with cheese (1,230 calories). 3 The court case was the city’s latest effort to do something about obesity which is worse in New York than in the rest of America. More than half of the Big Apple’s residents are overweight and a third are clinically obese. Among children, US obesity levels have tripled since the 1970s. 4 Mary Bassett, New York’s deputy commissioner for health promotion and disease prevention, says Americans consume nearly 50% of their food outside the home. Huge helpings, high salt content and fatty ingredients mean that the average calorie intake in restaurants is far higher than in home-cooked food. 5 “When people shop in supermarkets, they can see a nutritional fact chart on the box which tells them what they’re getting. When you buy food in a restaurant, you have no idea what the nutritional content is,” says Dr Bassett. 6 “Most people know that a large portion of fries is unhealthy”, argues Dr Bassett, “But, I don’t think many people would guess that a McDonald’s deluxe breakfast contains nearly all their recommended calorie intake for the day.”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Elementary

8 Chuck Hunt, a spokesman for the New York State Restaurant Association, says: “The correct way to deal with this is through education, not through rules.” 9 The industry argues that calories are only one of many ways to measure how healthy food is. Putting them on a menu, says the association, will only “confuse” people. 10 The fast food industry has been trying hard to present a caring, sharing image and restaurants now sell salads, shakes, milk and fruity nibbles. Last week, Burger King announced it was launching ‘apple fries’ – slices of apple cut to look like chips – to persuade young customers to eat healthier food. But, for every salad they sell, McDonald’s still sells eight double cheeseburgers. 11 A few chains are taking responsibility. Subway, which sells fresh sandwiches, has decided to display calories on its menus. Its spokesman, Les Winograd, says it was to the firm’s advantage: “We have a reputation for offering healthier alternatives to traditional fatty fast food.” 12 In response to pressure, the industry has stopped marketing the worst of its food to children. The Council of Better Business Bureaus has asked companies to stop targeting under12s. Burger King, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s and Kraft have already agreed to this request. Currently, children in America see an average of 21 adverts a day for sweets, snacks, cereals and fast food. 13 Experts say the fast food industry’s New York court case cancels out such positive action. Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, says:

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Andrew Clark in New York September 13, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

For every salad, McDonald’s sells eight double cheeseburgers.

7 However, the big fast food chains complained that it is expensive and unfair – and that they already provide plenty of information on their websites.

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What’s in the Big Apple?

CA

Level 1

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 1

Elementary

“Obesity is all about calories – how many you take in and how many you burn. For the industry to say that’s not key information is incorrect.” 14 He urges the big chains to be pro-active in changing Americans’ diets and in helping consumers to make better choices: “The fast foodindustry’s arguments are weak. They say

[calorie advertising] won’t solve the obesity problem. But nothing, by itself, will solve the entirety of the obesity problem.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/09/2007

3 Comprehension check Match the halves of the sentences. 1. New York is...

... targeting young children.

2. A judge said that fast food restaurants don’t have to

... written on the packaging.

have to...



3. Half of the people who live in New York are...

... often called the Big Apple.

4. Americans eat out almost...

... write calories on their menus.

5. A McDonald’s deluxe breakfast contains...

... overweight.

6. The amount of calories in food bought in

... sell healthy options.

supermarkets is...

7. Some large restaurant chains have said

... a huge amount of calories.

they will stop...

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

... 50% of the time.

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8. Some fast food chains now...

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 1

Elementary

4 Comparisons Fill the gaps in the sentences about the article with: more than / fewer than / less than Remember: fewer is used with countable nouns, and less is used with uncountable nouns! 1. A Big Mac meal has ________ calories ________ a Burger King triple Whopper with cheese. 2.Home-cooked food usually contains ________ calories ________ restaurant-bought food. 3. ________ half of the Big Apple’s residents are overweight. 4. Food in fast food restaurants costs ________ food in better restaurants. 5. McDonalds sells ________ salads ________ burgers.

5 Group work Think of six food and drink specialities from your country. What ingredients do they contain? In small groups complete these sentences using the names of the specialities you thought of. Compare your answers with another groups’. Do you agree?

________________ has more calories than ________________ and ________________. ________________ has less calories than ________________ and ________________. ________________ has the least calories. ________________ has the most calories.

6 Webquest Which contains the most calories: a banana, an avocado or a mango? Use an online calorie counter such

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

as the one at www.fitandtrim.co.uk/caloriecounter.html to find out.

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Pre-reading task

3 Comprehension check

These are the words that appear in the text:

1. New York is often called the Big Apple. 2. A judge said that fast food restaurants don’t have to write calories on their menus. 3. Half of the people who live in New York are overweight. 4. Americans eat out almost 50% of the time. 5. A McDonald’s deluxe breakfast contains a huge amount of calories. 6. The amount of calories in food bought in supermarkets is written on the packaging. 7. Some large restaurant chains have said they will stop targeting young children. 8. Some fast food chains now sell healthy options.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Elementary

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1. c 2. b 3. e 4. a 5. d 6. g 7. j 8. f 9. h 10. i 11. n 12. k 13. l 14. o 15. m

1. A Big Mac meal has more calories than a Burger King triple Whopper with cheese. 2. Home-cooked food usually contains fewer calories than restaurant-bought food. 3. More than half of the Big Apple’s residents are overweight. 4. Food in fast food restaurants costs less than food in better restaurants. 5. McDonalds sells fewer salads than burgers.

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2 Key words

4 Comparisons

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

burger fries apple adverts snacks cereal breakfast tray judge calories New York health home-cooked

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 2

Intermediate

1 Pre-reading task Which of these words or phrases would you expect to read in an article about junk food?

burger







super-size





fries



apple







adverts





snacks



cereal







drive-in





breakfast



tray







judge







calories



health







cosmetic





standards



TV







home cooked

Add some more ideas of your own. ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

2

Key words crossword

Skim-read the article to find words to complete the crossword. 1

2 3 5

6

7

4

8

9

11

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Intermediate

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

Down 2. Extra part added, a continuation. (noun) 3. Paper or plastic that is around something you buy. (noun) 5. To start selling a new product. (verb) 6. A portion of food. (noun) 8. Boxes, bottles, plastic, etc. around a product. (noun) 9. Someone who buys and uses goods and services. (noun)

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1. To make someone feel they do not understand something. (verb) 4. A group of businesses that all belong to the same company. (noun) 7. A legal matter usually brought before a judge. (2 words, noun + noun) 10. Something special that you do or buy for yourself or someone else. (noun) 11. Medically overweight. (2 words, adj + noun)

10

CA

Across

What’s in the Big Apple? Intermediate 7

“Most people know that a large portion of fries is unhealthy”, argues Dr Bassett, “But, I don’t think many people would guess that a McDonald’s deluxe breakfast contains nearly all their recommended calorie intake for the day.”

8

However, the big fast food chains complained that it is expensive and unfair – and that they already provide plenty of information on their websites.

9

Chuck Hunt, a spokesman for the New York State Restaurant Association, says: “The proper way to deal with this is through education, not through rules.”

For every salad, McDonald’s sells eight double cheeseburgers. Andrew Clark in New York September 13, 2007

3 The judge said the order was unfair because it only affects restaurants which already have calorie information available somewhere – for example, on their websites, on food wrappers or on the underside of tray linings. Of New York’s 23,000 restaurants, only 2,375 were to be included in the law. 4 The argument arose over the city’s latest effort to deal with an obesity epidemic which is worse in New York than in the rest of America. More than half of the Big Apple’s residents are overweight and a third are clinically obese. Among children, US obesity levels have tripled since the 1970s.

10 The industry argues that calories are only one of many ways to measure how healthy food is. Putting them on a menu, says the association, will only “confuse” people. 11 The fast food industry has been trying hard to present a caring, sharing image. Salads, shakes, milk and fruity nibbles have appeared on menus traditionally devoted to meat and potato. Just last week, Burger King announced it was launching ‘apple fries’ – slices of apple cut to look like chips – in an effort to persuade young customers to embrace healthier options. 12 Many of these changes, however, are cosmetic. For every salad they sell, McDonald’s sells eight double cheeseburgers.

5 Mary Bassett, New York’s deputy commissioner for health promotion and disease prevention, says Americans consume nearly 50% of their food outside the home. Huge helpings, high salt content and fatty ingredients mean that the average calorie intake in restaurants is far higher than in home-cooked food.

13 A few chains are taking responsibility. Subway, which mainly sells fresh sandwiches, has decided to display calories on its menus. Its spokesman, Les Winograd, says it was to the firm’s advantage: “We look at it as an extension of something we were already providing. We have a reputation for offering healthier alternatives to traditional fatty fast food.”

6 “When people shop in supermarkets, they can see a nutritional fact chart on the packaging which tells them what they’re getting. When you buy food in a restaurant, you have no idea what the nutritional content is,” says Dr Bassett.

14 Responding to pressure, the industry has stopped marketing the worst of its food to children. The Council of Better Business Bureaus has asked companies to stop targeting under-12s

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Intermediate

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2 Judge Richard Holwell ruled that New York’s Board of Health was not allowed to demand that larger restaurant chains write calorie figures alongside prices for treats such as a McDonald’s Big Mac meal (1,430 calories) or Burger King’s triple Whopper with cheese (1,230 calories).

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 In a recent court case concerning America’s junk food industry, a group of deep-fat-frying restaurants in New York persuaded a judge that they shouldn’t have to write the number of calories in their meals on in-store menu boards.

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What’s in the Big Apple?

CA

Level 2

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 2

Intermediate

with promotions for high-fat foods or for anything failing to meet strict nutritional standards. Burger King, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s and Kraft are among the companies that have agreed to this request. Currently, children in America see an average of 21 adverts a day for sweets, snacks, cereals and fast food. 15 Experts say the fast food industry’s recent court action cancels out such positive action. Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, says: “Obesity is all about calories – how many you take in and how many you burn. For the industry to say that’s not key information is incorrect.”

16 He urges the big chains to be pro-active in changing Americans’ diets and in helping consumers to make better choices: “The fast food industry makes a number of weak arguments. They say [calorie advertising] won’t solve the obesity problem and that’s true. But nothing, by itself, will solve the entirety of the obesity problem.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/09/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. A New York judge ruled that all restaurants have to write the calories in their food on menus. 2. There are 2,375 restaurants in New York. 3. Subway writes the amount of calories in its food on its menus. 4. There are more cases of obesity in New York than in other parts of the US. 5. The average American child sees over twenty advertisements a day for junk food. 6. Some larger fast food chains have already agreed to stop targeting young children.

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

7. The New York State Restaurant Association says that writing calories on menus will solve the obesity problem. 8. According to a source in the article, the fast-food industry’s recent court action cancels out the pledge made by some other fast-food chains.

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 2

Intermediate

4 Comparisons Fill the gaps in the sentences according to information from the article with: more than / fewer than / less than Remember: fewer is used with countable nouns, and less is used with uncountable nouns!

1. A Big Mac meal has ____________ calories ____________ a Burger King triple Whopper with cheese. 2.Home-cooked food usually contains ____________ calories ____________ restaurant-bought food. 3. ____________ half of the Big Apple’s residents are overweight. 4. Food in fast food restaurants costs ____________ food in better restaurants. 5. McDonalds sells ____________ salads ____________ burgers.

5 Discussion In small groups think of six food and drink specialities from your country. What ingredients do they contain and how are they prepared? Decide in your group which ones probably have the most calories and which have the least calories. Rank them from one to six and give feedback to the class. Was it easy or difficult to come to an agreement about the ranking? Give reasons.

6 Webquest

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Which contains the most calories: a banana, an avocado or a mango? Use an online calorie counter such as the one at www.fitandtrim.co.uk/caloriecounter.html to find out. Here you can also learn about recommended daily calorie intakes.

What’s in the Big Apple? Level 2 Intermedi

ate

KEY 1 Pre-reading task

3 Comprehension check

These are the words that appear in the text:

1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. T 6. T 7. F 8. T

burger fries apple adverts snacks cereal breakfast tray judge calories health cosmetic standards home-cooked

2 Key words crossword Across 1. confuse 4. chain 7. court case 10. treat 11. clinically obese

4 Comparisons 1. A Big Mac meal has more calories than a Burger King triple Whopper with cheese. 2. Home-cooked food usually contains fewer calories than restaurant-bought food. 3. More than half of the Big Apple’s residents are overweight. 4. Food in fast food restaurants costs less than food in better restaurants. 5. McDonalds sells fewer salads than burgers.

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NEWS LESSONS / What’s in the Big Apple? / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Down 2. extension 3. wrapper 5. launch 6. helping 8. packaging 9. consumer

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading 1: What do you already know about the story?

Have you heard anything about a little girl called Madeleine McCann? If so, decide which of these statements about her story are True (T) or False (F). 1. Madeleine disappeared while her family were on holiday in Spain. 2. Madeleine’s parents have no other children. 3. The police in Portugal think Mrs McCann may have killed her daughter. 4. They think a bloodstain in the McCann’s own car is significant. 5. They do not think her husband was involved. 6. Mr and Mrs McCann believe their daughter is still alive.

2

Pre-reading 2: Key words

Match these key words from the text with the definitions below.

toddlers allege

presumed bail conditions

strain accomplice



tributes shattered

1. ____________ – someone who helps someone else commit a crime 2. ____________ – believed to be true, but not yet proved 3. ____________ – restrictions on the temporary freedom given to somebody who is

suspected of committing a crime

4. ____________ – tension, stress 5. ____________ – extremely tired (and sometimes very upset) 6. ____________ – to say that someone is guilty before it has been proved 7. ____________ – things people say or give to show their sympathy and admiration 8. ____________ – very small children who are just learning to walk

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the story quickly to check your answers to the questions in 1 and 2.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Advanced

Kate McCann, but shortly after 1pm yesterday, 135 days after they had left their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, the couple lifted their twin toddlers out of a police people-carrier and shut their front door.

2 Having left home on April 27 as mother of an “ordinary family of five”, Kate McCann has said repeatedly that she could not contemplate coming back as four, without their daughter Madeleine. In fact, their homecoming was even more painful: they returned as suspects in their own daughter’s presumed death.

3 The strain was apparent in their faces as the couple

emerged from the vehicle. Mrs McCann carried her two-year-old daughter, Amelie, still clasping the pink cuddly cat belonging to Madeleine that she has hardly put down since her daughter disappeared. Mr McCann held their other twin, Sean, in his arms.

4 They were accompanied into their smart, new,

redbrick house, where they have lived for a year, by a police officer, watched by a crowd of reporters and TV crews, while helicopters from news organizations clattered overhead.

5 Neighbours in the quiet road stayed resolutely behind doors, but a small group of onlookers had gathered at the end of the street on the outskirts of the pretty village just north of Leicester.

6 Rothley had seen enthusiastic support for the couple in the weeks following Madeleine’s disappearance, with hundreds of bunches of flowers and yellow ribbons being attached to its small war memorial. Those tributes were removed some time ago, though some ribbons remain in the local pub.

7 Mr and Mrs McCann have been planning for some

time to return yesterday, and had already sent some possessions home. Their change in status meant that much of the previous day was spent in calls to the Portuguese authorities and consular officials to clear their trip. Downing Street had also been informed.

9 With the twins already inside, they climbed into

their rented silver Renault Scenic – the vehicle in which police allege a trace of Madeleine’s blood was discovered, although it was not hired by the couple until 25 days after her disappearance.

10 Forty minutes later, pursued by a dozen cars and

motorbikes carrying journalists, one of them standing to film through the car sunroof while being driven at 80mph, they arrived at Faro airport. Mr McCann drove into a reserved area normally used by politicians and VIPs, and they were ushered through check-in to the departure lounge.

11 A number of reporters accompanied them on their

easyJet flight to East Midlands airport, on which the first two rows of seats were reserved for the family. At about 12.30pm they landed, to be met by yet more film crews.

12 Emerging from the airport, a clearly emotional Mr

McCann read a brief statement, his son still asleep, slumped over his shoulder. Mr McCann thanked those who had supported the couple during the four months since Madeleine’s disappearance, and said he and his wife were returning only after “careful thought” and with the agreement of the Portuguese police. No bail conditions are attached to their arguido (suspect) status, and they retain their passports.

13 “Whilst it is heartbreaking to return to the UK without

Madeleine, it does not mean we are giving up our search for her,” Mr McCann said. “As parents, we cannot give up on our daughter until we know what has happened.” He also made a plea for the family’s privacy to be respected, saying: “We want the twins as much as is reasonably possible to live an ordinary life in their home country and want to consider the events of the last few days which have been so deeply disturbing.”

14 In an interview with a Sunday newspaper, Mr McCann

had said that he and his wife, who police appear to allege was primarily involved in Madeleine’s presumed death with her husband as an accomplice, were “fighting for [their] lives” to clear their names.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Advanced

O

1 It has been a long journey home for Gerry and

shortly after 7am, and Mr and Mrs McCann emerged hand-in-hand from the borrowed villa in Praia da Luz where they have been living since July.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Esther Addley Monday September 10, 2007

8 Their journey home began as a grey dawn broke

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Exhausted and under suspicion, Madeleine’s family come home

CA

Level 3

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 3

Advanced

15 “We thought we were in our worst nightmare but now

19 “Kate and Gerry are just happy to be back at home.

16 Ten minutes after the couple’s arrival back home,

20 Asked if the couple had plans to return to work – Mr

it just keeps getting worse and worse. We did not kill our daughter. We will clear our name and we will not give up on Madeleine,” he told the News of the World. Mrs McCann’s uncle Brian Kennedy, who is chair of the campaign to raise awareness about Madeleine’s disappearance, emerged and spoke briefly to reporters. He thanked the media, whose members were gathered two-deep behind the neat hedge, for being “sympathetic and [behaving] so appropriately”, adding that Mr and Mrs McCann would not be emerging from the house for the rest of the day.

17 “Gerry made his statement at the airport and that is all he is going to say today,” Mr Kennedy said. “You can imagine how they feel – Kate has not been back to this house since the whole terrible affair started.”

18 “They need to stay in and settle down and try to start a

They have been through three or four of the most difficult days in their lives. They are tired, very tired. If it was me, I would be absolutely shattered.” McCann as a cardiac surgeon, his wife as a GP – Mr Kennedy said: “I don’t know. I don’t think they’ll be thinking about that for a while yet.”

21 Behind him, on one of the downstairs windowsills,

was a pile of cuddly toys. The curtains to the upstairs bedrooms, including Madeleine’s, painted shocking pink at her request, were drawn.

22 A family friend said the room had been left as it was, “ready for her to come home”.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/9/07

normal life, or one with some appearance of normality in it.

3 Comprehension check

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Why is the McCann’s return even worse than solely coming back without their daughter? Are the people who live near the McCanns supporting them? How did the press respect the McCanns’ privacy when they returned home? In what ways are they being intrusive? Are the McCanns professional people?

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary development Find words in the text that mean the following. 1. ____________ – a large vehicle that can hold more people than a usual car (para 1) 2. ____________ – came out (of) (para 3) 3. ____________ – soft and nice to hold (para 3) 4. ____________ – made a lot of noise (para 4) 5. ____________ – deliberately; they decided to, and didn’t change their minds (para 5) 6. ____________ – collected, came together (para 5) 7. ____________ – very small quantity of (para 9) 8. ____________ – followed, chased (para 10) 9. ____________ – led ( in a formal way) (para 10) 10. ____________ – lying in a very relaxed way (para 12) 11. ____________ – very serious request (para 13) 12. ____________ – leader, head (of an organization, meeting, etc) (para 16)

5 Discussion 1. How has the press in your country responded to the story about Madeleine?

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2. Why do you think the case has received so much media attention?

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Pre-reading 1

4 Vocabulary development

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. people-carrier 2. emerged 3. cuddly 4. clattered 5. resolutely 6. gathered 7. trace 8. pursued 9. ushered 10. slumped 11. plea 12. chair

F (They were in Portugal) F (They have two-year-old twins) T F (Not their own car; a car they hired a month later) F (They think he was an accomplice) T

2 Pre-reading 2: Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

accomplice presumed bail conditions strain shattered allege tributes toddlers





3 Comprehension check Because now they are now suspected of her murder. They kept out of the way when they came home; they left lots of flowers for them, and there is a campaign to find Madeleine. By staying behind the hedge. In Portugal: by chasing after their car; by going on the same flight home; and in England, by hovering overhead in a helicopter. Yes; they are both doctors.

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading 1: What do you already know about the story?

Have you heard of a little girl called Madeleine McCann? She disappeared (nobody could find her) when her family were on holiday. Do you think these sentences about her story are True (T) or False (F)? 1. Madeleine’s family were on holiday in Spain. 2. Madeleine’s parents have no other children 3. The police in Portugal think Mrs McCann killed her daughter. 4. They think some blood in the McCann’s own car is important. 5. They do not think her husband was part of the crime 6. Mr and Mrs McCann believe their daughter is still alive.

2

Pre-reading 2: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below:

toddlers

suspects

exhausted

allege

an accomplice

under suspicion

1. ____________ – people the police think committed a crime 2. ____________ – very, very tired. 3. ____________ – someone who helps someone else commit a crime 4. If you are put ____________ , the police think you are guilty. 5. ____________ – to say someone is guilty of doing something wrong before it is proved 6. ____________ – very small children, just learning to walk

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the story quickly to check your answers to the questions in 1 and 2.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Elementary

Exhausted and under suspicion, Madeleine’s family come home

Their journey home began just after 7am, and Mr and Mrs McCann walked hand-in-hand from the rented villa in Praia da Luz where they have been living since July.

9

The couple drove to the airport with the twins in their rented silver Renault Scenic. Police allege that there was a trace of Madeleine’s blood inside, but the McCanns did not hire the car until 25 days after she disappeared.

2 Kate McCann left home on April 27 as the mother of an “ordinary family of five”. Later, she often said that she could not think about coming back as a family of four, without their daughter Madeleine. In fact, their homecoming was even more painful: the police now think perhaps they killed their own daughter.

10 Lots of cars and motorbikes full of journalists chased after them. One cameraman stood up to film through the car sunroof while it drove at 80mph. At Faro airport, Mr McCann drove into a reserved area normally used by politicians and VIPs, and they were taken through check-in to the departure lounge.

3 The couple looked very unhappy as they got out of the vehicle. Mrs McCann carried her two-yearold daughter, Amelie and Madeleine’s pink cuddly cat. She always carries it, now her daughter has disappeared. Mr McCann held their other twin, Sean, in his arms.

11 The first two rows of seats on their easyJet flight to East Midlands airport were reserved for the family, but a number of reporters were also on their flight. At about 12.30pm they landed, and were met by even more film crews.

5 Neighbours in the quiet road politely stayed inside, but a small group of people were watching at the end of the street on the edge of the pretty village just north of Leicester. 6 People in Rothley had shown their support for the couple in the weeks after Madeleine’s disappearance, with hundreds of bunches of flowers and yellow ribbons tied to its small war memorial. The flowers were removed some time ago, though some ribbons remain in the local pub. 7 Mr and Mrs McCann decided to return yesterday. But because they were suspects, they spent

12 When Mr McCann came out of the airport, very upset, he read a brief statement, his son still asleep on his shoulder. Mr McCann thanked people who had supported the couple during the four months since Madeleine’s disappearance, and said he and his wife had thought very carefully before they decided to come home. Although they are suspects, the Portuguese police had let them keep their passports and come back to Britain. 13 In an interview with a Sunday newspaper, Mr McCann said that he and his wife, who police seem to think is the main suspect in Madeleine’s presumed death, with her husband as an accomplice, were “fighting for [their] lives” to prove their innocence. 14 “We will clear our name and we will not give up on Madeleine,” he told the News of the World. 15 Ten minutes after the couple’s arrival back home, Mrs McCann’s uncle, Brian Kennedy, who is

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Elementary

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4 A police officer followed them into their smart, new, redbrick house, where they have lived for a year. A crowd of reporters and TV crews watched, and there were noisy press helicopters overhead.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 It has been a long journey home for Gerry and Kate McCann, but soon after 1pm yesterday, 135 days after they had left their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, the couple lifted their twin toddlers out of a police people-carrier and shut their front door.

8

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Esther Addley September 10, 2007

most of the day before, phoning the Portuguese authorities to get permission to come home.

CA

Level 1

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 1

Elementary 18 Behind him, on one of the downstairs windowsills, was a pile of cuddly toys. The curtains to the upstairs bedrooms, including Madeleine’s, painted her favourite pink, were closed.

leading the campaign to publicize Madeleine’s disappearance, came out and spoke briefly to reporters. 16 “Kate and Gerry are just happy to be back at home. They have been through three or four of the most difficult days in their lives. They are tired, very tired. If it was me, I would be absolutely shattered.”

19 A family friend said the room had been left as it was, “ready for her to come home”. © Guardian News & Media 2007

17 Asked if the couple had plans to return to work – Mr McCann as a cardiac surgeon, his wife as a GP – Mr Kennedy said: “I don’t know. I don’t think they’ll be thinking about that for a while yet.”

First published in The Guardian, 10/09/07

3 Scanning for information First, read quickly and underline these words and numbers in the text.

135 Praia da Luz

Rothley Renault

April 27 25

Amelie 80mph

Sean 12.30pm

Now, read the text again, and use the information from the box to complete the sentences below. 1. The McCanns live in ______________. 2. Their twin son’s name is ______________. 3. The reporters in Portugal drove at ______________ to follow them to the airport. 4. The McCanns rented a ______________ car. 5. They were on holiday in the town of ______________. 6. They left England on ______________. 7. Their twin daughter’s name is ______________. 8. They stayed in Portugal for ______________ days. 9. Madeleine disappeared ______________ days before hey hired their car.

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10. Their plane arrived in England at ______________.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary development: Find the words Find words in the text that mean the following. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

____________ a big family car with three rows of seats (para 1) ____________ soft and nice to hold (para 3) ____________ very small quantity of (para 9) ____________ followed very quickly, trying to catch them (para 10) __________ __________ __________ prove that we are innocent (3 words, para 14) __________ __________ __________ stop hoping to find (three words, para 14) ____________ for a very short time (para 15) ____________ very tired, (and sometimes very upset) (para 16)

5 Language development: Prepositions Choose prepositions from the box to go with the words below.

at

in

of

on

to

1. ______ April 27

6. drove ______ the airport

2. ______ his arms

7. drove ______ 80mph

3. ______ the end ______ the street

8. _____ about 12.30pm

4. hundreds ______ bunches ______ flowers

9. back _____ home

5. hand ______ hand

10. the most difficult days _____ their lives

6 Understanding reference Good writers don’t repeat the same words all the time. They use other words to talk about the same people or things. We call this: reference.

a

The police people-carrier

2

The vehicle (para 3)

b

Rothley

3

The pretty village (para 5)

c

The McCanns

4

The car (para 9)

d

A Sunday newspaper

5

The family (para 11)

e

Gerry and Kate McCann

6

The News of the World (para 14)

f

The Renault Scenic

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Elementary

H

The couple (para 3)

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1

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First find the words on the left in the text, then match them with the words they are referring to on the right. Be careful – sometimes the people or things they refer to are in a paragraph before.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Pre-reading 1

4 Vocabulary development

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

suspects exhausted an accomplice on suspicion allege toddlers

3 Reading for information 1. Rothley 2. Sean 3. 80mph 4. Renault 5. Praia da Luz 6. April 27 7. Amelie 8. 135 9. 25 10. 12.30pm

1. on 2. in 3. at, of 4. of, of 5. in 6. to 7. at 8. at 9. at 10. in

6 Understanding reference 1. e 2. a 3. b 4. f 5. c 6. d

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Elementary

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Language development: Prepositions

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2 Pre-reading 2: Key words

people-carrier cuddly trace pursued clear our name give up on briefly shattered

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

False, they were in Portugal. False, they have two-year-old twins. True. False. Not their own car; a car they rented 25 days later. False, they think he was an accomplice. True.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading 1: What do you already know about the story?

What do you know about a little girl called Madeleine McCann? Do you think these sentences about her story are True (T) or False (F)? 1. Madeleine disappeared while her family were on holiday in Spain. 2. Madeleine’s parents have no other children. 3. The police in Portugal think Mrs McCann killed her daughter. 4. They think some blood in the McCann’s own car is important. 5. They do not think her husband was part of the crime. 6. Mr and Mrs McCann believe their daughter is still alive.

2

Pre-reading 2: Key words

Match these keywords from the text with the definitions below.

toddlers

suspects

presumed

allege

an accomplice

1. ____________ – people the police think committed a crime 2. ____________ – someone who helps someone else commit a crime 3. ____________ – believed to be true, but not yet proved 4. ____________ – to say that someone is guilty before it has been proved 5. ____________ – very small children, just learning to walk

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the story quickly to check your answers to the questions in 1 and 2.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Intermediate

Exhausted and under suspicion, Madeleine’s family come home

3 The couple looked very stressed as they got out of the vehicle. Mrs McCann carried her two-yearold daughter, Amelie, still holding Madeleine’s pink cuddly cat that she has hardly put down since her daughter disappeared. Mr McCann held their other twin, Sean, in his arms. 4 A police officer accompanied them into their smart, new redbrick house, where they have lived for a year. A crowd of reporters and TV crews watched, and there were noisy press helicopters overhead. 5 Neighbours in the quiet road politely stayed inside, but a small group of onlookers had collected at the end of the street on the edge of the pretty village just north of Leicester. 6 People in Rothley had shown enthusiastic support for the couple in the weeks following Madeleine’s disappearance, with hundreds of bunches of flowers and yellow ribbons tied to its small war memorial. The flowers were removed some time ago, though some ribbons remain in the local pub. 7 Mr and Mrs McCann had been planning for some time to return yesterday, and had already sent some possessions home. Because they were suspects, they spent most of the day before

9

With the twins already inside, they climbed into their rented silver Renault Scenic – the vehicle in which police allege a trace of Madeleine’s blood was discovered, although the couple did not hire it until 25 days after her disappearance.

10 Forty minutes later, chased by lots of cars and motorbikes carrying journalists, one of them standing to film through the car sunroof while it drove at 80mph, they arrived at Faro airport. Mr McCann drove into a reserved area normally used by politicians and VIPs, and they were taken through check-in to the departure lounge. 11 A number of reporters accompanied them on their easyJet flight to East Midlands airport, on which the first two rows of seats were reserved for the family. At about 12.30pm they landed, and were met by even more film crews. 12 When Mr McCann came out of the airport, clearly emotional, he read a brief statement, his son still asleep on his shoulder. Mr McCann thanked people who had supported the couple during the four months since Madeleine’s disappearance, and said he and his wife had thought very carefully before deciding to come home. Although they are suspects, the Portuguese police had let them keep their passports and come back to Britain. 13 “Whilst it is heartbreaking to return to the UK without Madeleine, it does not mean we are giving up our search for her,” Mr McCann said. “As parents we cannot give up on our daughter until we know what has happened.” He also asked people to respect the family’s privacy; they wanted the twins to live an ordinary life in their home country, and they needed time to think about the very worrying events of the last few days.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Intermediate

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2 Having left home on April 27 as mother of an “ordinary family of five”, Kate McCann has often said that she could not think about coming back as four, without their daughter Madeleine. In fact, their homecoming was even more painful: they returned as suspects in their own daughter’s presumed death.

Their journey home began just after 7am, and Mr and Mrs McCann walked hand-in-hand from the borrowed villa in Praia da Luz where they have been living since July.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 It has been a long journey home for Gerry and Kate McCann, but soon after 1pm yesterday, 135 days after they left their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, the couple lifted their twin toddlers out of a police people-carrier and shut their front door.

8

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Esther Addley September 10, 2007

phoning the Portuguese authorities and consular officials to get permission for their trip. Downing Street had also been informed.

CA

Level 2

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 2

Intermediate

14 In an interview with a Sunday newspaper, Mr McCann had said that he and his wife, who police seem to think is the main suspect in Madeleine’s presumed death, with her husband as an accomplice, were “fighting for [their] lives” to prove their innocence. 15 “We will clear our name and we will not give up on Madeleine,” he told the News of the World. 16 Ten minutes after the couple’s arrival back home, Mrs McCann’s uncle, Brian Kennedy, who is chair of the campaign to raise awareness about Madeleine’s disappearance, came out and spoke briefly to reporters. 17 “Kate and Gerry are just happy to be back at home. They have been through three or four of the most difficult days in their lives. They

are tired, very tired. If it was me, I would be absolutely shattered.” 18 Asked if the couple had plans to return to work – Mr McCann as a cardiac surgeon, his wife as a GP – Mr Kennedy said: “I don’t know. I don’t think they’ll be thinking about that for a while yet.” 19 Behind him, on one of the downstairs windowsills, was a pile of cuddly toys. The curtains to the upstairs bedrooms, including Madeleine’s, painted her favourite pink, were closed. 20 A family friend said the room had been left as it was, “ready for her to come home”. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/09/07

3 General understanding: Order the events Put these events in the order they happened. a. The McCanns left their home in England. b. The McCanns came back home to Rothley. c. Madeleine disappeared. d. The McCanns planned to come home. e. They phoned Portuguese officials to get permission to leave Portugal. f. The McCanns hired a silver Renault car. g. Journalists followed them to the airport.

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

h. Mrs. McCann’s uncle talked to reporters.

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary development: Find the words Find words in the text that mean the following. 1. ____________ a large vehicle that can hold more people than a usual car (para 1) 2. ____________ soft and nice to hold (para 3) 3. ____________ went with (para 4) 4. ____________ very small quantity of (para 9) 5. ____________ followed, chased (para 10) 6. __________ __________ __________ stop hoping to find (3 words, para 13) 7. __________ __________ __________ prove that we are innocent (3 words, para 15) 8. ____________ leader, head of an organization or meeting (para 16) 9. ____________ for a very short time (para 16) 10. ____________ very tired, (and sometimes very upset) (para 17)

5 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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1. What have the newspapers and TV in your country said about Madeleine? 2. Why do you think this case has had so much media coverage?

The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Pre-reading 1

4 Vocabulary development

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. people-carrier 2. cuddly 3. accompanied 4. trace 5. pursued 6. give up on 7. clear our name 8. chair 9. briefly 10. shattered

False, they were in Portugal. False, they have two-year-old twins. True. False. Not their own car; a car they hired 25 days later. False, they think he was an accomplice. True.

2 Pre-reading 2: Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

suspects an accomplice presumed allege toddlers

3 General understanding

H

NEWS LESSONS / The McCanns: Exhausted and under suspicion / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. a 2. c 3. f 4. d 5. e 6. g 7. b 8. h

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

priceless eagerly

struggling fanbase

piracy hoax

prominence self-indulgence

uproar bypass

1. _______________ is the practice of allowing yourself to do something special that you like very much. 2. If you gain _______________ in a particular field, you become important or well-known within that field. 3. A _______________ is a trick in which someone deliberately tells people that something will happen or that something is true when it is not. 4. The _______________ of a pop group or a sports team is the total number of fans they have around the world. 5. If a company is _______________, it is experiencing financial problems. 6. If something causes _______________, it provokes angry public criticism. 7. If you _______________ someone or something, you avoid dealing with them. 8. _______________ is the practice of making and selling illegal copies of CDs, DVDs and so on. 9. A _______________ commodity is extremely valuable and impossible to replace. 10. If you do something _______________, you do it with a great deal of enthusiasm or excitement.

2

What do you know?

Do you think these statements are True (T) or False (F)? Check your answers in the text. 1. The British rock group Radiohead are planning to give away their new album for free. 2. Prince recently gave his latest album away free with a British newspaper. 3. The music download service iTunes sells albums not individual tracks. 4. Sales of CDs are falling while sales of music merchandise are increasing. 5. Paul McCartney signed a deal with Starbucks.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Digital piracy is only having a small impact on the music industry.

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Advanced

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry: pay what you like to download albums

2 The release was announced with a short message from guitarist Jonny Greenwood on the band’s website, revealing that the new album, In Rainbows, would be available to download from October 10. Orders started rolling in yesterday, with customers able to decide how much to pay – from nothing (plus a 45p administration charge) upwards. Radiohead’s ‘honesty box’ experiment will be closely watched by other artists, their record labels and management companies. 3 In Rainbows is the most high-profile attempt yet to restructure the economics of a music industry struggling with the effects of digital piracy. Despite a booming live scene, CD sales are less profitable than ever thanks to increased competition and piracy. With the role of the Internet in helping new acts rise to prominence already well documented, more established artists are attempting to revolutionize the way music is sold.

5

But Nicola Slade, editor of the music industry newsletter Record of the Day, sounded a note of caution, speculating that not all bands could go it alone in similar fashion or afford to give their music away. “I’m all in favour of sticking it to the man, but you have to remember that Prince and Radiohead have had the benefit of years of record company investment and they wouldn’t be where they are without it,” she said.

6

A spokesman for Radiohead said one motivation behind the new model was to get the album out to fans more quickly than the usual three to six month lead time required by record labels. Diehard fans are also being offered the opportunity to spend £40 on a physical ‘discbox’ version of the album. After downloading In Rainbows next week, in December these fans will be sent a deluxe box containing the album on CD and two vinyl records, as well as a second CD containing more new songs, digital photographs, artwork and a hardback book.

7

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the obsessive nature of the fanbase, on the first day on sale it appeared more people had shelled out for the box set than had ordered the variably priced download. Since parting company with their record label EMI and insisting that in future they would only sign one-off deals, a string of rumours has surrounded the release of the latest Radiohead album. One website counting down to the new album was dismissed as a

4 Prince caused uproar among music retailers by giving his latest album away with a British Sunday newspaper and yesterday the Charlatans

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Advanced

O

1 Their music has long been praised for blurring boundaries and breaking moulds. Now Radiohead are hoping to establish a new model for the struggling record industry by inviting music buyers to decide how much they want to pay for their new album. To their biggest fans, eagerly awaiting their first studio album for four years, it is near priceless. Those who believe Radiohead long ago descended into selfindulgence may only risk pennies. But thanks to this ground-breaking experiment, the band will bypass record labels altogether and will be able to put a fiscal value on the public’s appreciation of their art.

•P H

Owen Gibson, media correspondent Tuesday October 2, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

said they would give their new single and album away for nothing through a radio station. “Why would you volunteer to join the army for 10 years unless you had no choice? Record companies are a kind of army – very regulated,” said Creation Records founder Alan McGee, who manages the Charlatans. He continued: “Whilst live music and merchandise sales are booming, physical sales are steadily decreasing with more and more fans simply burning tracks from friends or free download sites. The band will get paid more by more people coming to the gigs, buying merchandise, publishing and synch fees. I believe it’s the future business model.”

CA

Level 3

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 3

Advanced

hoax, while the band’s management were also forced to deny rumours that they were due to follow Paul McCartney’s lead and sign a deal with Starbucks. 8 It was only recently that Radiohead’s back catalogue, including The Bends and the highlypraised OK Computer, were made available digitally thanks to a deal between EMI and the download service 7Digital. The band had

resolutely refused to make their music available to the market leader, iTunes, because the Apple service insists on selling individual tracks and Radiohead wanted to sell their albums as complete works. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 02/10/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why are CDs less profitable than ever? a. Because artists like Prince are giving them away free. b. Because of increased competition and piracy. c. Because people are buying merchandise instead. 2. Why do the Charlatans want to give their new single and album away for nothing? a. Because they don’t like the three to six month lead time record companies require. b. Because they want their music to be played by radio stations. c. Because they want to avoid using record companies which they believe are very regulated. 3. In the article, Radiohead are described as ‘blurring boundaries’, ‘breaking moulds’ and taking part in a ‘ground-breaking experiment’. Which of these best describes Radiohead? a. They want to make as much money as possible from their new album. b. They enjoy ‘sticking it to the man’. c. They enjoy being different and innovative.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4. What has the response of diehard Radiohead fans been to the possibility of buying the new album for as little as 45p? a. Millions of them have downloaded it. b. More of them have ordered the £40 box set than the digital download. c. They have dismissed the new album as a hoax.

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions: 1. A verb + noun collocation meaning to make the distinction between two things unclear. (para 1) 2. A verb + noun collocation meaning to change a situation by doing something very different from what is usually done. (para 1) 3. An adjective meaning relating to money and financial matters. (para 1) 4. A noun meaning a person or company selling directly to the public. (para 4) 5. A five-word expression meaning give a warning. (para 5) 6. A two-word expression meaning the time between planning something and starting to do it. (para 6) 7. An adjective meaning extremely loyal and refusing to change. (para 6) 8. An adjective meaning not thinking about anything else. (para 7)

5 Vocabulary 2: Colloquial language Match the words and expressions on the left with the definitions on the right. 1. gig 2. shell out 3. roll in 4. sticking it to the man 5. a one-off deal 6. go it alone 7. burning 8. synch fees

a. copying CDs from the Internet b. do something independently c. royalty payments agreed by contract d. a live performance by a musician or musical group e. spend a lot of money f. arrive in large amounts g. rebelling against authority h. an arrangement that only happens once

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Match the verbs on the left and nouns on the right to make collocations from the text. 1. part 2. cause 3. join 4. have 5. buy 6. offer 7. sign 8. deny

a. merchandise b. the opportunity (to do something) c. a deal d. the army e. no choice f. company g. a rumour h. uproar

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

What do you think the future of the music industry is? Will the Internet revolutionize music sales as we know them? Are CDs a thing of the past, like vinyl records and cassettes? Do you prefer downloading music to an electronic machine or having a physical CD in your hand?

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. self-indulgence 2. prominence 3. hoax 4. fanbase 5. struggling 6. uproar 7. bypass 8. piracy 9. priceless 10. eagerly

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know? 1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. F

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Advanced

f h d e a b c g

H

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

d e f g h b a c

•P

b c c b

5 Vocabulary 2: Colloquial language

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4.

blur the boundaries break the mould/moulds fiscal retailer sound a note of caution lead time diehard obsessive

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

piracy gig

booming newsletter

album vinyl

release deal

merchandise track

1. A _______________ is a live musical performance. 2. When record companies _______________ a new CD, they make it possible for people to buy it. 3. A _______________ is written information sent regularly to members of an organization. 4. _______________ is goods that people buy and sell. 5. An _______________ is a CD or record with several songs on it. 6. A _______________ is one of the songs on an album. 7. _______________ is the practice of making and selling illegal copies of CDs, DVDs and so on. 8. A _______________ is a formal business agreement. 9. _______________ is a hard, light plastic used to make LP records. 10. If a business is _______________, it is extremely successful and profitable.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.

1. What is the title of the new Radiohead album? 2. What is the smallest amount of money customers can pay for the new Radiohead album? 3. How much will the expensive ‘discbox’ version of the album cost? 4. How will the Charlatans give their new album away free? 5. When will it be possible to download the new Radiohead album?

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. When will customers receive the box set version of the album?

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Elementary

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry: pay what you like to download albums

2 The group’s guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, announced the release of the new album on the band’s website. Customers can download the album, In Rainbows, from October 10. People began to place orders immediately. They can decide how much to pay – from nothing (plus a 45p administration charge) upwards. Other music artists and their record labels and management companies will watch Radiohead’s experiment very carefully. 3 With In Rainbows Radiohead are trying to restructure the economics of the music industry, which is having problems because of digital piracy. Live music is booming but CD sales are falling as a result of increased competition and piracy. Many new groups have become well known through the Internet and now more famous artists are also using the Internet in order to revolutionize the way music is sold. 4 Companies selling CDs were shocked when Prince gave his latest album away free with a British Sunday newspaper. Pop group the Charlatans have said they will give their new

5

But Nicola Slade, editor of the music industry newsletter Record of the Day, did not agree, saying that not everyone could do what Radiohead are doing and give their music away free. “I like people doing things differently, but you have to remember that Prince and Radiohead have had a lot of money from their record companies and this has helped them to be where they are today”, she said.

6

It usually takes three to six months for a record label to release a new album. A spokesman for Radiohead said one reason for the experiment was to get the album to fans more quickly than this. Big Radiohead fans can also spend £40 on a ‘discbox’ version of the album. After downloading In Rainbows next week, in December these fans will receive a deluxe box containing the album on CD and two vinyl records, as well as a second CD containing more new songs, digital photographs, artwork and a hardback book.

7

It is probably no surprise that on the first day of sale more people ordered the expensive box set than the download costing as little as 45p. Since Radiohead left their record label EMI there have been a lot of stories about what the band would do next and what would happen to their new album. Some people said that Radiohead would follow the example of Paul McCartney and sign a deal with Starbucks. This did not happen.

8

It is now possible to buy digital versions of Radiohead’s other albums, including The Bends and OK Computer, thanks to a deal between

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Elementary

O

1 For many years the British group Radiohead have been known for their original music. Now they are hoping to do something else that is new to the world of rock music. They are planning to invite music buyers to decide how much they want to pay for their new album. Fans of Radiohead, who can hardly wait to hear their first studio album for four years, will probably be willing to pay a lot of money for the album. People who do not like their music so much will probably only offer to pay a few pennies. But thanks to this experiment, Radiohead will not be using a record company and will be able to find out what people really think of their music.

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Owen Gibson, media correspondent October 2, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

single and album away free through a radio station. Alan McGee, the manager of the Charlatans, said, “While live music and sales of merchandise (t-shirts, posters and so on) are booming, sales of CDs are falling. This is because more and more fans simply copy tracks from friends or get them from free Internet sites. The band will get more money from more people coming to their gigs and buying merchandise. I believe it’s the future business model.”

CA

Level 1

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 1

Elementary

EMI and the download service 7Digital. Before that Radiohead did not allow the market leader, iTunes, to sell their music digitally because iTunes sells individual tracks and Radiohead wanted to sell their albums as complete works, not as single tracks. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 02/10/07

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Digital piracy… 2. Customers will decide… 3. Music groups can earn more money from selling merchandise… 4. CD sales are falling… 5. When Prince gave his new album away free… 6. More people have ordered the expensive box set…

a. … companies selling CDs were shocked. b. … than from selling CDs. c. … because fans can get tracks free from Internet sites. d. … is a big problem for the music industry. e. … than the cheap digital download.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

f. … how much they want to pay for Radiohead’s new album.

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Adverbs Fill the gaps in these sentences using these adverbs from the text.

quickly

differently

probably

carefully

hardly

simply

1. Some people will _______________ pay a lot of money for the new album. 2. Big Radiohead fans can _______________ wait for the album’s release. 3. Radiohead and Prince are doing things _______________. 4. The experiment will get the album to the fans more _______________. 5. Record labels will watch the experiment _______________. 6. Many fans _______________copy tracks from free Internet sites.

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps using the correct prepositions. 1. as a result _______ increased competition 2. thanks _______ a deal 3. known _______ their original music 4. what people think _______ their music 5. three _______ six months 6. spend money _______ something 7. sign a deal _______ someone 8. pay a lot of money _______ something

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

2.

compete

3.

release

4.

announcement

5.

agreement

6.

decision

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Elementary

H

manage

•P

1.

noun

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

verb

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Adverbs

1. gig 2. release 3. newsletter 4. merchandise 5. album 6. track 7. piracy 8. deal 9. vinyl 10. booming

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

In Rainbows 45p £40 through a radio station October 10th in December

probably hardly differently quickly carefully simply

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

of to for of to on with for

6 Word buliding: Verbs and nouns verb

noun

1.

manage

management

2.

compete

competition

3.

release

release

4.

announce

announcement

5.

agree

agreement

6.

decide

decision

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Elementary

H

d f b c a e

•P

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. priceless self-indulgent

struggling bypass

piracy loyal

uproar rumour

booming retailer

1. If something causes _______________, it provokes angry public criticism. 2. _______________ is the practice of making and selling illegal copies of CDs, DVDs and so on. 3. If you are_______________ , you allow yourself to do something special that you like very much. 4. A _______________ is a business that sells direct to the public. 5. If a company is _______________, it is experiencing financial problems. 6. If something is _______________, it is extremely valuable and impossible to replace. 7. A _______________ is unofficial information that may or may not be true. 8. If a business is _______________, it is extremely successful and profitable. 9. If you are _______________, you are willing to support someone, even in difficult times. 10. If you _______________ someone or something, you avoid dealing with them.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What is the minimum amount of money customers will pay for the new Radiohead album? 2. How much will the expensive box set version of the album cost? 3. What is the title of the new Radiohead album? 4. How will the Charlatans give their new album away free? 5. When will the new Radiohead album be available to download?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. When will the box set version of the album be sent to customers?

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Intermediate

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry: pay what you like to download album

said they would give their new single and album away for nothing through a radio station. “Record companies are like the army – very regulated,” said Creation Records founder Alan McGee, who manages the Charlatans. “Whilst live music and sales of merchandise are booming, physical sales of CDs are steadily decreasing as more and more fans simply copy tracks from friends or get them from free download sites. The band will get paid more by more people coming to their gigs, buying merchandise, publishing and royalty fees. I believe it’s the future business model.”

Owen Gibson, media correspondent October 2, 2007

4 Prince caused uproar among music retailers by giving his latest album away free with a British Sunday newspaper and yesterday the Charlatans

7 As many Radiohead fans are fanatically loyal, it is probably no surprise that on the first day of sale more people had bought the expensive box set than the variably priced download. In Rainbows has been the subject of many rumours ever since the band left their record label EMI, insisting that in future they would only sign oneoff deals. One rumour suggested that Radiohead would follow Paul McCartney’s lead and sign a deal with Starbucks. The rumour has since been denied.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Intermediate

O

3 In Rainbows is an attempt to restructure the economics of a music industry struggling with the effects of digital piracy. Live music is booming but CD sales are becoming less and less profitable thanks to increased competition and piracy. Many new groups have become well known through the Internet and now more established artists are using it in an attempt to revolutionize the way music is sold.

6 A spokesman for Radiohead said one reason for the experiment was to get the album out to fans more quickly than the usual three to six month period required by the record labels. Loyal fans are also being offered the opportunity to spend £40 on a ‘discbox’ version of the album. After downloading In Rainbows next week, in December these fans will be sent a deluxe box containing the album on CD and two vinyl records, as well as a second CD containing more new songs, digital photographs, artwork and a hardback book.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 The album’s release was announced with a short message from guitarist Jonny Greenwood on the band’s website, revealing that the new album, In Rainbows, would be available to download from October 10. Orders started coming in immediately, with customers able to decide how much to pay – from nothing (plus a 45p administration charge) upwards. Radiohead’s experiment will be closely watched by other artists, their record labels and management companies.

5 But Nicola Slade, editor of the music industry newsletter Record of the Day, was more cautious, saying that not all could do what Radiohead are doing or afford to give their music away. “I’m all in favour of doing things differently, but you have to remember that Prince and Radiohead have had the benefit of years of investment from their record companies and they wouldn’t be where they are without it,” she said.

•P H

1 For many years the music of the British group Radiohead has been praised for its scope and originality. Now Radiohead are hoping to introduce another innovation to the world of rock music by inviting music buyers to decide how much they want to pay for their new album. For fans of Radiohead, who can hardly wait to hear their first studio album for four years, the album will be almost priceless. Those who believe Radiohead’s music has long been self-indulgent will probably only pay pennies. But thanks to this innovative experiment, the band will bypass record labels altogether and will be able to find out what the public really thinks of their music – in financial terms at least.

CA

Level 2

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 2

Intermediate

8 Digital versions of Radiohead’s back catalogue, including The Bends and the highly-praised OK Computer, became available recently thanks to a deal between EMI and the download service 7Digital. Before that the band had always refused to make their music available to the market leader, iTunes, because it insists on selling individual tracks and Radiohead wanted to sell their albums as complete works. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 02/10/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Sales of CDs are increasing. 2. iTunes sells whole albums, not individual tracks. 3. Live music is booming. 4. On the first day of sale more people ordered the expensive box set than the download. 5. The number of people copying CDs and downloading them from the Internet is increasing. 6. Radiohead are planning to sign a deal with Starbucks. 7. Radiohead’s previous albums are not available in digital form. 8. Piracy is a major problem for the music industry.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions. 1. An adjective meaning new, original and advanced. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning the act of making something available. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning goods that people buy and sell. (para 4) 4. A noun meaning an informal word for a live musical performance. (para 4) 5. A two-word noun meaning payments musicians receive each time their work is performed. (para 4) 6. An adjective meaning careful. (para 5) 7. A two-word adjective meaning happening only once. (para 7)

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A two-word noun meaning all the records an artist has produced in the past. (para 7)

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations Match the verbs on the left and nouns on the right to make collocations from the text. 1. release

a. merchandise

2. pay

b. someone the opportunity (to do something)



3. cause

c. a deal

4. follow

d. an administrative charge

5. buy

e. someone’s lead

6. offer

f. a rumour

7. sign

g. an album

8. deny

h. uproar

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

noun 1.





adjective original

2.

innovation

3.

availability

4.

profit

5.

competitive

6.

caution

7.

loyalty

8.

finance

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Intermediate

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What are the arguments for and against making music available for free on the Internet?

Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. uproar 2. piracy 3. self-indulgent 4. retailer 5. struggling 6. priceless 7. rumour 8. booming 9. loyal 10. bypass

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F F T T T F F T

g d h e a b c f

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead’s bid to revive music industry / Intermediate

originality innovative available profitable competition cautious loyal financial

H

45p £40 In Rainbows through a radio station October 10th in December

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

innovative release merchandise gig royalty fees cautious one-off back catalogue

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading 1

Tick

üthe boxes that are correct for you and compare your answers with a partner.

I often use emoticons in my electronic communication. Emoticons are useful for conveying how the writer feels. Emoticons are useful in chat rooms, when writing personal emails and when sending text messages. People who use emoticons aren’t serious. I dislike emoticons. What are emoticons?

2

Pre-reading 2

Match these emoticons, and the expressions from the article, with their meanings.

}:-(

I’m wearing glasses



;-)

I’m undecided



8-)

I’m married



0:-)

Your toupee is blowing in the wind



:-)(-:

I’m only joking!



:-\

The writer just made a sweet or innocent remark







2. risk unintentional pain and embarrassment

b. need for something to make it all better and easier



3. no pause for revision



c. good enough / reaches the expectations



4. to crave the soothing balm of…



d. there is a danger of hurting someone or making yourself look like a fool



5. get straight down to business



e. no checking or correcting





a. waste no time on unnecessary matters

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Advanced

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1. up to scratch

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Emoticons, emails and letter writing Advanced

Emoticons, emails and letter writing

words and sentences with no pause for revision, let alone perfection. As soon as they are on screen they acquire validity. Over them hovers the dreaded send button, itching to be pressed – ‘send’ is always pressed too soon.

Simon Jenkins September 21, 2007 Have emails made us into unemotional machines?

4 I confess to seeing the problem. I have seldom sent a personal email or text message which I have not afterwards, to some degree, regretted. The old-fashioned pen slowed the transition from spoken word (and intended meaning) to script. It gave time for consideration, as did the manual typewriter. Writing involved effort. A word was pondered before being put to paper, packaged and sent through the post. 5 In comparison, the computer keyboard is an invisible piano on which we play instantly and extempore. First thoughts race into fully-formed

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Advanced

7

How on earth did we manage before? Somehow we communicated love, hurt, remorse, anger and joy under the bountiful guidance of the Oxford English Dictionary. We used quill, pen, pencil, ballpoint, even typewriter, and if anything went wrong we had the telephone as backup. But why is email so lacking in feeling that it requires its own additional alphabet? How much sincerity really is conveyed by J ?

8

The authors of a book on ‘netiquette’ come straight to the point: “On email people aren’t quite themselves ... they are angrier, less sympathetic, less aware, more easily wounded, even more gossipy and duplicitous.” Some have even wrecked their marriages, lost their jobs and ended up in jail.

9

Many of us do not know how to handle email. Do we start Dear Sir or Hi gorgeous, or get straight down to business? Do we cover the screen with capitals, exclamation marks and emoticons in a desperate effort to convey attitude? Do we sign off with Yours sincerely, Kind regards or Byeee!? Even such simple words as please, thank you and sorry have a hundred subtle meanings when voiced but are toneless when lying flat on the screen.

10 The truth is that, for other than routine messages and acknowledgements, email has become an inadequate substitute for both the telephone and

O

3 There are 16 pages of emoticons in Andrew John’s Txtr’s A–Z – my favourite being }:-( for ‘your toupee is blowing in the wind’. An indication of the keyboard’s evolution is that many computers automatically convert the frownie into . In other words, and have become L J L formal symbols in the Internet lexicon.

There is no wait for the post to go, no time to correct what is written. Nor is there any certainty that an email has arrived, just the plaintive call: “Did you get my email ... why didn’t you reply?” All is then regret. I should have read it through one more time. Hardly surprising then that we crave the soothing balm of the emoticon.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Early telegraphy had its own short forms and icons. Users realized that abbreviated language risked unintentional pain and embarrassment. Hence an apparently sarcastic or abrupt remark 2 might be softened by a simple symbol. The result was not just smileys but frownies and various signs of perplexity, love, anger and surprise.

6

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1 The emoticon is 25 years old. In 1982, a Pittsburgh professor, Scott Fahlman, noted that the electronic mail of his students lacked the necessary body language and voice tones to express greetings and humour. The smiley was born, and with it a large lexicon of symbols intended to insert normal human emotion into the frigid alphabet. A–Z might have sufficed for Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and Shelley, but for today’s global nerd it is not up to scratch.

CA

Level 3

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 3

Advanced

the letter. Compared to the telephone, email is a distancing device. It not only eliminates tone of voice, it prevents interruption or response. It is a one-way conversation, a monologue, with all the rudeness that can imply. Compared to a letter, email has more immediacy but carries none of the humanity, not to mention courtesy, of handwriting.

sincerity to another human being should telephone and, if necessary, leave a voice message. 12 Better still, clear your desk, take out a crisp sheet of note paper, pick up a pen and do something you may not have done for ages. Write a proper letter, rewriting it if necessary. The recipient will be amazed and delighted that you have taken the time. You will have written what you meant to say, and I bet you won’t have used emoticons.

11 Emails ought to carry a health warning at the top: ‘This note may unintentionally mislead or upset you; if in doubt reply by phone or consult a counsellor.’ Emails are bad at conveying humour or criticism, bad news or sympathy. The form is too cold. Those who wish to communicate

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/9/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. The emoticon was invented by…

5. There are…





a. … the poet, Milton. b. … a university professor. c. … an American student.

2. What are emoticons supposed to put into emails?

a. Pain and embarrassment. b. Greetings and humour. c. Human emotion.

6. The author thinks that emails are…

3. The author believes it is better to…

a. … strict guidelines on how to begin and end an email. b. … strict rules about using punctuation and capital letters in emails. c. … a myriad of ways to begin and end an email.

a. … write slowly. b. … think before you send your email. c. … use a manual typewriter.

a. … not as effective as letters. b. … an improvement on letter writing. c. … a better way to get hold of someone than by telephone.

4. According to the article, many of us...

NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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a. … take on too much work these days. b. … take on different personalities when we write emails. c. … always make follow up phone calls after sending emails.

CA



Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Collocations 1. Match the words on the left with those on the right to make collocations from the text.









abrupt Internet fully-formed plaintive bountiful desperate subtle inadequate one-way unintentionally





guidance conversation meaning substitute effort sentence lexicon remark mislead call

2. With a partner, try to put these collocations into sentences. Look back at the article to check your answers and to see the context in which they are used.

5 Discussion Discuss the following questions in small groups. Do you prefer to write letters or send emails? When did you last send an email? When did you last write a letter? How many emails do you send/receive per week? How many letters do you send/receive per week? Do you use emoticons when you write emails? What do you think when you receive an email containing emoticons?

6 Webquest Have a look at these websites for more information on emoticons. Which emoticons do you like best? Unusual and funny emoticons: www.angelfire.com/hi/hahakiam/emoticon.html A-Z of emoticons: www.sharpened.net/glossary/emoticons.php

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NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Advanced

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Emoticons that you’ve probably never seen before: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_emoticons

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 3 Advanced KEY 2 Pre-reading 2

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

}:-( Your toupee is blowing in the wind ;-) I’m only joking! 8-) I’m wearing glasses 0:-) The writer just made a sweet or innocent remark :-)(-: I’m married :-\ I’m undecided

abrupt remark Internet lexicon fully-formed sentence plaintive call bountiful guidance desperate effort subtle meaning inadequate substitute one-way conversation unintentionally mislead

1. c 2. d 3. e 4. b 5. a

3 Comprehension check

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1. b 2. c 3. b 4. b 5. c 6. a

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading task

Match these emoticons with their meanings.

}:-(



I’m wearing glasses



;-)



I’m undecided



8-)



I’m married



0:-)



My hair is blowing in the wind



:-)(-:



I’m only joking!



:-\



The writer just made a sweet or innocent remark



2 Keywords: Antonyms

_________________

3. smile (para 2)



_________________

4. hate (para 2)



_________________

5. manually (para 3)



_________________

6. modern (para 4)



_________________

7. perfect (para 5)



_________________

8. receive (para 5)



_________________

9. calmer (para 7)



_________________

10. extraordinary (para 9)

_________________

11. add (para 9)



_________________

12. rudeness (para 9)



_________________

13. sender (para 11)



_________________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Elementary

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2. polite / courteous (para 2)

•P H

_________________

CA

1. strengthen / harden (para 2)

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Skim the text to find the words that mean the opposite of the words below.

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Elementary

Emoticons, emails and letter writing

we have to call and ask: “Did you get my email ... why didn’t you reply?” And then we regret sending it off so quickly. We should have read it through one more time.

Simon Jenkins September 21, 2007

3 There are 16 pages of emoticons in Andrew John’s Txtr’s A–Z – my favourite is }:-( which means ‘my hair is blowing in the wind’. These days many computers automatically change the frownie into . L In other words, and have L J become formal symbols in Internet vocabulary. 4 I agree that there is a problem with emails. I have often regretted sending a personal email or text message. The old-fashioned pen gave you time to think, as did the manual typewriter. Writing involved effort. Words and sentences were thought about before being written on paper and sent through the post. 5 These days, thoughts quickly change into finished but imperfect sentences. As soon as they are on screen they become real. And ‘send’ is always clicked too soon. There is no wait for the post to go, no time to correct what you wrote. We can’t be certain that an email has arrived, so

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Elementary

7

The authors of a book on ‘netiquette’ say that, “On email people aren’t quite themselves ... they are angrier, less sympathetic, less aware, more easily wounded, even more gossipy.” Some have even wrecked their marriages, lost their jobs and ended up in jail.

8

Many of us do not know how to handle email. Do we start Dear Sir or Hi gorgeous, or do we immediately talk about business? Do we cover the screen with capital letters, exclamation marks and emoticons to try to explain what we mean? Do we end with Yours sincerely, Kind regards or Bye!? When you speak such simple words as please, thank you and sorry, they can have a hundred different meanings, but they become toneless when they lie flat on the computer screen.

9

The truth is that, unless you’re writing routine messages and acknowledgements, email is not as good as the telephone and the letter. Compared to the telephone, email distances us. It not only removes the tone of your voice, it stops people from interrupting or replying. It is a one-way conversation, a monologue. Compared to a letter, email is faster but has none of the humanity or politeness of handwriting.

10 Emails are bad at conveying humour or criticism, bad news or sympathy. The form is too cold. Those who wish to communicate these things to another human being should use the telephone.

O

2 Early telegraphy had its own short forms and people soon realized that abbreviated language could sometimes cause unintentional pain and embarrassment. Therefore, symbols were used to soften remarks that might seem sarcastic or abrupt. The result was not just smileys, but frownies and symbols for confusion, love, anger and surprise.

How on earth did we manage in the past? Somehow we wrote about love, hurt, remorse, anger and joy without adding emoticons. We used quill, pen, pencil, ballpoint, even a typewriter, and if anything went wrong we had the telephone as backup. So why is email so lacking in feeling that it needs its own additional symbols?

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 The emoticon is 25 years old. In 1982, a Pittsburgh professor, Scott Fahlman, saw that his students’ emails could not express greetings and humour. So, the smiley was born, and with it a large amount of symbols that try to put normal human emotion into the cold alphabet. A–Z might have been fine for Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and Shelley, but for today’s global nerd it is not good enough.

6

•P H

Have emails made us into unemotional machines?

CA

Level 1

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 1

Elementary

11 Better still, make space on your desk, take out a sheet of paper, pick up a pen and do something you may not have done for a long time. Write a proper letter. The recipient will be amazed and delighted that you have taken the time. You will write what you meant to say, and I bet you won’t use any emoticons. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/9/07

3 Comprehension check Match the halves of the sentences.



1. Short forms were also used...



2. If people misunderstand written abbreviations,...

... before correcting them.



3. We are not so careful...







... in the early days of telecommunication.



4. We often send emails off...







... when we write emails.



5. People use emoticons...







... they might feel hurt, embarrassed or insulted.



6. Emails are faster than letters...





... can be misunderstood in an email.



7. Even simple words like please and thank you...



8. The telephone is more personal and therefore better... ... but contain less humanity.



9. Emails are useful...







... to receive letters.



10. The majority of people like...





... when you need to give bad news.

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NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Elementary

... for sending routine messages and acknowledgements.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

... to put feeling and emotion into an email.

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CA



Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 1

Elementary

4 Email writing 1. Skim the article to find ways to begin and end an email and write them into the table.

openings

closings



2. Can you think of any other ways to begin or end an email? Write them into the table. Compare your answers in small groups.

5 Discussion Complete these sentences to make them correct for you. Discuss them in your group. Don’t forget to ask the others in your group for more information about their answers. I send about _____________ emails a week. I write roughly _____________ letters a month. I receive about _____________ emails and _____________ letters a week. I feel _____________ when I receive a letter. I think emoticons are _____________. I prefer to communicate by _____________.

6 Webquest Have a look at these websites for more information on emoticons. Which emoticons do you like best? Unusual and funny emoticons: www.angelfire.com/hi/hahakiam/emoticon.html A-Z of emoticons: www.sharpened.net/glossary/emoticons.php

H

NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Emoticons that you’ve probably never seen before: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_emoticons

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Pre-reading task }:-( My hair is blowing in the wind ;-) I’m only joking! 8-) I’m wearing glasses 0:-) The writer just made a sweet or innocent remark :-)(-: I’m married :-\ I’m undecided

2 Antonyms 1. soften 2. abrupt 3. frown 4. love 5. automatically 6. old-fashioned 7. imperfect 8. send 9. angrier 10. routine 11. remove 12. politeness 13. recipient

3 Comprehension check 1. Short forms were also used in the early days of telecommunication. 2. If people misunderstand written abbreviations, they might feel hurt, embarrassed or insulted. 3. We are not so careful when we write emails. 4. We often send emails off before correcting them. 5. People use emoticons to put feeling and emotion into an email. 6. Emails are faster than letters but contain less humanity. 7. Even simple words like please and thank you can be misunderstood in an email. 8. The telephone is more personal and therefore better when you need to give bad news. 9. Emails are useful for sending routine messages and acknowledgements. 10. The majority of people like to receive letters.

4 Email writing openings

closings

Dear Sir

Yours sincerely

Hi gorgeous

Kind regards

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NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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Bye

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading task

Match these emoticons with their meanings.

}:-(

I’m wearing glasses



;-)

I’m undecided



8-)

I’m married



0:-)

Your toupee is blowing in the wind



:-)(-:

I’m only joking!



:-\

The writer just made a sweet or innocent remark

2



Key words

Skim-read the article to find words that mean the following. 1. to show or tell – _______________ (para 1) 2. to put in – _______________ (para 1) 3. a feeling you experience – _______________ (para 1) 4. someone who is extremely interested in computers – _______________ (para 1) 5. not deliberate or planned – _______________ (para 2) 6. behaving or speaking in a way that seems rude – _______________ (para 2) 7. to feel sorry or sad about something you have done – _______________ (para 4) 8. the process of changing from one state to another – _______________ (para 4) 9. a strong sad or guilty feeling about something you have done – _______________ (para 6) 10. to destroy – _______________ (para 7) 11. without emotion – _______________ (para 8) 12. to let someone know you have received something they sent you – _______________ (para 9)

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NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

13. to communicate ideas or feelings indirectly – _______________ (para 10)

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Intermediate

Emoticons, emails and letter writing

didn’t you reply?” And then we regret sending it off so quickly. We should have read it through one more time.

Simon Jenkins September 21, 2007 6

How on earth did we manage in the past? Somehow we communicated love, hurt, remorse, anger and joy with the help of the Oxford English Dictionary. We used quill, pen, pencil, ballpoint, even typewriter, and if anything went wrong we had the telephone as backup. But why is email so lacking in feeling that it needs its own additional emoticon alphabet? How believable is J?

7

The authors of a book on ‘netiquette’ say that, “On email people aren’t quite themselves ... they are angrier, less sympathetic, less aware, more easily wounded, even more gossipy.” Some have even wrecked their marriages, lost their jobs and ended up in jail.

8

Many of us do not know how to handle email. Do we start Dear Sir or Hi gorgeous, or get straight down to business? Do we cover the screen with capital letters, exclamation marks and emoticons in a desperate effort to explain what we mean? Do we end with Yours sincerely, Kind regards or Byeee!? Even such simple words as please, thank you and sorry have a hundred different meanings when spoken but are toneless when lying flat on the screen.

9

The truth is that, for other than routine messages and acknowledgements, email is not as good as the telephone and the letter. Compared to the telephone, email distances us. It not only removes the tone of your voice, it prevents people from interrupting or replying. It is a one-way conversation, a monologue, with all the rudeness that can imply. Compared to a letter, email is faster but has none of the humanity, not to mention politeness, of handwriting.

1 The emoticon is 25 years old. In 1982, a Pittsburgh

2 Early telegraphy had its own short forms and

3 There are 16 pages of emoticons in Andrew John’s Txtr’s A–Z – my favourite being }:-( which means ‘your toupee is blowing in the wind’. These days many computers automatically change the frownie into L. In other words, J and L have become formal symbols in Internet vocabulary.

4 I agree that there is a problem. I have often sent

a personal email or text message which I have regretted afterwards. The old-fashioned pen slowed the transition from spoken word (and intended meaning) to script. It gave you time to think, as did the manual typewriter. Writing involved effort. A word was thought about before being written on paper and sent through the post.

5 These days, thoughts quickly change into finished, but imperfect sentences. As soon as they are on screen they become real. And ‘send’ is always clicked too soon. There is no wait for the post to go, no time to correct what you wrote. Nor is there any certainty that an email has arrived, so we have to call and ask: “Did you get my email ... why

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Intermediate

10 Emails are bad at conveying humour or criticism,

bad news or sympathy. The form is too cold. Those who wish to communicate sincerity to another human being should telephone.

11 Better still, clear your desk, take out a crisp sheet of note paper, pick up a pen and do something

O

users soon realized that abbreviated language could sometimes cause unintentional pain and embarrassment. Therefore, symbols were used to soften remarks that might seem sarcastic or abrupt. The result was not just smileys but frownies and various signs of confusion, love, anger and surprise.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

professor, Scott Fahlman, noted that his students’ emails lacked body language and voice tones and could not express greetings and humour. So, the smiley was born, and with it a large amount of symbols intended to insert normal human emotion into the cold alphabet. A–Z might have been fine for Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and Shelley, but for today’s global nerd it is not good enough.

•P H

Have emails made us into unemotional machines?

CA

Level 2

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 2

Intermediate

you may not have done for ages. Write a proper letter. The recipient will be amazed and delighted that you have taken the time. You will have written what you meant to say, and I bet you won’t have used emoticons. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 21/9/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The emoticon was invented because the alphabet doesn’t contain human emotion. 2. A student invented the smiley in an email to his professor. 3. Manual typewriters are better than computers for conveying emotion. 4. People often regret sending emails. 5. The author says that people often hold monologues on the phone. 6. Emails can be bad for your health and your love life. 7. Many people change their personality when they write emails. 8. The author suggests that we write more letters.

4 Vocabulary 1: Pronunciation 1. Put these words into the correct columns according to their pronunciation pattern. imperfect emoticons sympathetic communicate exclamation sincerely interrupt humanity recipient conversation additional abbreviate unintentional embarrassment believable

oOo

oOoo

ooOo

ooO

ooOoo



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NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2. Write in other words from the article that fit the pronunciation patterns.

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Word groups Find words in the text that relate to emotions and writing equipment. Write them in the tables below.

emotions positive

writing equipment negative

traditional

electronic

6 Discussion Discuss the following questions in small groups. Do you prefer to write letters or send emails? When did you last send an email? When did you last write a letter? How many emails do you send/receive per week? How many letters do you send/receive per week? Do you use emoticons when you write emails? What do you think when you receive an email containing emoticons?

7 Webquest Have a look at these websites for more information on emoticons. Which emoticons do you like best? Unusual and funny emoticons: www.angelfire.com/hi/hahakiam/emoticon.html A–Z of emoticons: www.sharpened.net/glossary/emoticons.php

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NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Emoticons that you’ve probably never seen before: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_emoticons

Emoticons, emails and letter writing Level 2 Intermediate KEY

ooOo

ooO

imperfect emotions

sympathetic

interrupt unintentional

sincerely

communicate

exclamation

humanity

conversation

recipient

exclamation

2 Key words 1. express 2. insert 3. emotion 4. nerd 5. unintentional 6. abrupt 7. regret 8. transition 9. remorse 10. wreck 11. toneless 12. acknowledgement 13. convey

3 Comprehension check 1. T 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. T 8. T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Emoticons, emails and letter writing / Intermediate

oOoo

abbreviate embarrassment

ooOoo

believable additional

5 Vocabulary 2: Word groups emotions positive love joy amazed delighted sympathy

negative hurt remorse anger regret pain embarrassment

writing equipment traditional

electronic

quill pen ballpoint pen pencil typewriter

computer email text message

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oOo

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}:-( Your toupee is blowing in the wind ;-) I’m only joking! 8-) I’m wearing glasses 0:-) The writer just made a sweet or innocent remark :-)(-: I’m married :-\ I’m undecided

4 Vocabulary 1: Pronunciation

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Pre-reading task

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer: Gold

How many products or uses of gold can you name in two minutes? Write your answers in the box below.

Gold

2

Key words

Write these pairs of words into the appropriate sentences below. You may need to change the order of the words or their tense. imprison / detain seize / drag prospector / miner nugget / fragment rights / abuse scavenge / pan indiscriminate / inequality 1. A ______________ is someone who searches an area of land for gold. A ______________ digs gold out of the ground.



2. A ______________ of gold is usually bigger than a ______________ of gold. 3. Although the man was ______________ for questioning, the judge decided not to ______________ him. 4. If you do something ______________, you do it without caring about what harm or damage you may inflict. We use the word, ______________ to talk about situations where some people have more than others. 5. The police ______________ the man and ______________ him out of the car. 6. ______________ is a way to find gold by washing the stones. When you ______________, you search through things other people have thrown away.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

7. Everyone has ______________, and we shouldn’t ______________ them.

Gold rush in Mongolia Advanced 5

Until recently, thousands of Mongolians scavenged illegally through mounds of earth for small fragments of gold missed by the mining companies’ giant machines. To pan the dirt, they used green plastic bowls, which they carry on their backs like a shell. This appearance gives them their nickname – ‘ninja’ – after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

6

Many were former nomads, but as the gold rush gathered pace, students, vets and taxi drivers from Ulan Bator joined the ninjas, not just in Ogoomor but in other gold towns across the country. Today, estimates of their numbers range from 30,000 to 100,000. This created a huge black market for gold – most of it thought to be smuggled across Mongolia’s 3,000 mile border with China.

7

For years, the ninjas were tolerated. With three-quarters of the 2.9m population living on less than $2 a day, scavenging and small-scale mining were seen as a way to ease poverty and unemployment.

8

But a Russian mining company asked for new security measures last year after thousands of ninjas invaded one of its mines, beat the guards, destroyed equipment and stole gold. A huge ditch was dug around the edge of the town, troops and police were moved in to increase the security and checkpoints were set up on the roads into the community.

9

Arrests are now common, local people say. “We live in constant fear of being taken away,” says Amarjargal. “We can’t even take a green bowl onto the street, and if we have dirty clothes, or muddy shoes, it is used as an excuse to arrest us.”

Central Asia’s gold fever is not only bringing rapid economic growth but also pollution and violence similar to the Wild West Jonathan Watts in Ogoomor October 10, 2007

3 Ogoomor is Mongolia’s Wild West, a dusty, thrown-together town of miners and nomads, tents and wooden shacks, karaoke discos, Internet cafes and police cells. From Ulan Bator, it is a seven-hour drive across vast plains inhabited only by a few nomads and their herds of sheep and goats. According to locals, the town did not exist 20 years ago and it was only recently given a name. But reports of giant nuggets in the nearby hills have sparked a gold rush that attracted several thousand prospectors – legal and illegal. 4 The area around Ogoomor has been called a Mongolian El Dorado. The town is located in the Zaamar valley, where geologists estimate, there are gold reserves of at least 100 tonnes. Russian and local firms have bought up concessions to mine the land.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Advanced

10 Since the crackdown began last year, the locals guess 500 of the 3,000 residents have been detained. “It is hard to find any family that hasn’t had someone arrested,” said an elderly woman called Sunjee (most Mongolians only use one name). “The police have taken people younger than 16 and older than 60. There is a woman in detention now who is 66 years old.”

O

2 Ogoomor, where Enkhmaa lives, is probably the only town in the world where you can be arrested and beaten by police for possession of a bowl. It is a bizarre side effect of a Mongolian gold rush that is pitting nomadic miners against foreign companies, and raising serious concerns about human rights.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Carefully touching the bruises on her forehead, Enkhmaa – a middle-aged mother and illegal gold miner – explains why she is afraid to go out on the street with a green plastic bowl. Three days earlier, she says, the Mongolian police seized, beat and imprisoned her for wandering too close to a foreign-owned mine. “They chased after me in a car. When they caught me, they dragged me inside, they hit me on the face, pulled my hair and beat my leg with a truncheon,” she recalls.

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Prospectors and ‘ninja’ miners rush to the east’s El Dorado

CA

Level 3

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 3

Advanced

11 When the ninjas scavenge for gold or pan the river among the mounds of earth behind the dredges they are trespassing or stealing. These areas are the property of the Russian concession holders so the arrests are legitimate. 12 But the police crackdown has become indiscriminate. Residents say they are pulled from their beds at night, chased as they walk down the street or arrested at checkpoints on scant evidence that they have been scavenging among the waste dumps.

14

But this is no black-and-white story of human rights abuses and wealth inequality. Most ninjas make $10 to $20 dollars a day – a higher income than policemen or soldiers. Some strike it extremely rich. There are many stories in the town of people who found giant nuggets worth tens of thousands of dollars.

15

The Russian mining company, Altan Dornod Mongol, says the ninjas are organized and controlled by criminal bosses. “The ninjas are a Mongolian social problem. There are whole towns of them with bars and prostitutes. They even use their children to get gold. It’s awful,” said a spokeswoman. “We don’t want to abuse human rights, but we must protect our mine and our workers.”

13 Visitors to Ogoomor have been shocked at the changes in Mongolia, which is known as Asia’s most democratic nation. “Ogoomor has become a concentration camp in the original sense of the word. The authorities enclose and control the local population as the British did in the Boer war,” says Robin Grayson, a geologist from Lancashire, who has visited the town more than 20 times.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/10/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the right answer. 1. A ninja turtle is a... a. ... Russian security firm. b. ... cartoon character. c. ... Mongolian miner. 2. The Mongolian gold rush is causing problems between... a. ... ninja turtles and security companies. b. ... Russian gold miners and the Mongolian police. c. ... nomadic miners and non-Mongolian companies. 3. Ogoomor is... a. ... an ancient Mongolian city. b. ... a town separated from the capital, Ulan Bator, by a long drive. c. ... the Mongolian word for gold.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4. The majority of the residents of Ogoomor are... a. ... rich b. ... scared that they will be arrested. c. ... in prison.

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Multi-word collocations Match the words in the three columns to make collocations from the article. They are in the order they appear in the article. 1. illegal

serious

bowls

2. raise

black

rush

3. sparked a

plastic

concerns

4. bought

poverty and

unemployment

5. green

gold

miner

6. huge

up

concessions

7. ease

gold

market

8. new

democratic

fear

9. live in

constant

nation

10. Russian

extremely

holders

11. most

rights

measures

12. human

criminal

rich

13. strike it

security

bosses

14. controlled by

concession

abuses

Use these collocations to retell the story to your partner. Retell one half of the article each.

5 Discussion: A debate One half of the class take the side of the ninjas, the other half take the side of the mining companies. In your groups note down reasons why you should be allowed to mine / pan the land and present your case to the other side. Can you come to a mutually acceptable agreement to work together? Appoint two neutral observers to take notes and report back.

6 Webquest What is the current price of gold? Is it rising or falling? Do you think gold is a good investment? Use the following websites to help you answer the questions.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

http://goldprice.org/ www.thebulliondesk.com http://goldprices.com/ www.kitco.com

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Warmer: Gold

4 Vocabulary: Multi-word collocations

Possible answers: jewellery clocks and watches glasses paint gold-leaf art teeth (fillings) medicines coins buttons pen nibs

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

2 Key words

illegal gold miner raise serious concerns sparked a gold rush bought up concessions green plastic bowls huge black market ease poverty and unemployment

8. new security measures 9. live in constant fear 10. Russian concession holders 11. most democratic nation 12. human rights abuses 13. strike it extremely rich 14. controlled by criminal bosses

1. prospector / miner 2. nugget / fragment 3. detained / imprisoned 4. indiscriminately / inequality 5. seized / dragged 6. panning / scavenge 7. rights / abuse

3 Comprehension check b c b b

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4.

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 1 1

Elementary

Warmer - gold

How many words connected to gold can you think of in two minutes? Write them in the box below. What can we make from gold? e.g. watches What else is gold used for? e.g. dental fillings

Gold

2

Key words

Tick the words you would expect to read in an article about gold. Mongolia mine

policemen goat bowl smuggle

soldier

mother South Africa wealth

machine human rights

newspapers thief

jewellery murder

museum

arrest poverty nugget turtle nomad shell art

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Add some more ideas of your own and then skim-read the article to find the answers.

Gold rush in Mongolia Elementary

Prospectors and ‘ninja’ miners rush to the east’s El Dorado

2

3

Enkhmaa – a middle-aged mother and illegal gold miner – explains why she is afraid to go out on the street with a green plastic bowl. Three days ago, she says, the Mongolian police beat and imprisoned her for walking too close to a foreign-owned mine. “They chased after me in a car. When they caught me, they dragged me inside, they hit me on the face, pulled my hair and beat my leg with a truncheon,” she says. Ogoomor, where Enkhmaa lives, is probably the only town in the world where the police might arrest and beat you for carrying a bowl. It is a bizarre side effect of a Mongolian gold rush that is causing problems between nomadic miners and foreign companies. Ogoomor is Mongolia’s Wild West, a dusty town of miners and nomads, tents and wooden shacks, karaoke discos, internet cafes and police cells. From Ulan Bator, it is a seven-hour drive across vast plains inhabited only by a few nomads and their herds of sheep and goats. The town did not exist 20 years ago, but reports of giant nuggets in the nearby hills started a gold rush that attracted several thousand prospectors – legal and illegal.

4

The area around Ogoomor has been called the Mongolian El Dorado. The town is located in the Zaamar valley, where geologists estimate, there is at least 100 tonnes of gold. Russian and local firms have bought up concessions to mine the land.

5

Until recently, thousands of Mongolians searched illegally through the earth for small pieces of gold missed by the mining companies’ giant machines. To do this, they used green plastic bowls, which they carry on their backs

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Elementary

Many were former nomads, but now the gold rush has brought students, vets and taxi drivers from Ulan Bator. They have joined the ninjas, not just in Ogoomor but in other gold towns across the country. Today, it is estimated that there are between 30,000 to 100,000 people searching for gold in these areas. This has created a huge black market for gold – most of it is probably smuggled across Mongolia’s 3,000 mile border with China.

7

For years, the ninjas were tolerated. In Mongolia, three-quarters of the 2.9m population live on less than $2 a day, and so searching for gold was a way to ease poverty and unemployment.

8

But a Russian mining company asked for new security measures last year after thousands of ninjas invaded one of its mines, beat the guards, destroyed equipment and stole gold. Arrests are now common, local people say. “We live in constant fear,” says Amarjargal. “We can’t even take a green bowl onto the street, and if we have dirty clothes, or muddy shoes, the police arrest us.”

9

“It is hard to find any family that hasn’t had someone arrested,” said an elderly woman called Sunjee (most Mongolians only use one name). “The police have taken people younger than 16 and older than 60.”

10 When the ninjas search for gold they are stealing. The areas are the property of the Russian concession holders so the arrests are legal. But the police crackdown is frightening the residents who say they are pulled from their beds at night, chased as they walk down the street or arrested at checkpoints without any real evidence against them. 11 Visitors to Ogoomor have been shocked at the changes in Mongolia, which is known as Asia’s most democratic nation. But this is not a black-

O

1

6

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Jonathan Watts in Ogoomor Wednesday October 10, 2007

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Central Asia’s gold fever brings rapid economic growth as well as pollution and violence

like a shell. This appearance gives them their nickname – ‘ninja’ – after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

CA

Level 1

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 1

Elementary

and-white story of human rights abuses and wealth inequality. Most ninjas make $10 to $20 dollars a day – more than policemen or soldiers earn. Some become extremely rich. There are many stories in the town of people who found giant nuggets worth tens of thousands of dollars. 12 The Russian mining company, Altan Dornod Mongol, says the ninjas are organized and controlled by criminal bosses. “The ninjas are

a Mongolian social problem. There are whole towns of them with bars and prostitutes. They even use their children to get gold. It’s awful,” said a spokeswoman. “We don’t want to abuse human rights, but we must protect our mine and our workers.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/10/07

3 Comprehension check 1 Join the sentence parts. 1. Mongolian police arrest people for carrying...

a. ... turtles.

2. Ninja turtles are...

b. ... Mongolia’s Wild West.

3. When people carry a green plastic bowl on their backs, they look like...

c. ... they are stealing.

4. The Mongolian gold rush is causing problems between...

d. ... herds of sheep and goats.

5. Some Mongolian nomads (who live on the vast plains) own...

e. ... nomadic miners and foreign companies.

6. There are between 30,000 to 100,000 people searching for gold in...

f. ... cartoon characters.

7. Mongolia is known as...

g. ... very poor.

8. When the ninjas search for gold,...

h. ... Asia’s most democratic nation.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Elementary

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

j. ... mines and their workers.

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10. The mining companies say they want to protect their...

i. ... plastic bowls.

CA

9. Many people in Mongolia are...

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 1 • Elementary 4 Vocabulary: Lexical fields Decide which categories these words belong to and write them into the spidergrams.



black market prospector stealing police cells

plain café shack prostitute



gold-miner smuggle student evidence

hills town land disco

geologist taxi driver arrest tent

criminal illegal legal vet



jobs and professions

legal words and terminology

places

5 Comprehension check 2: Summary Which of these short sentences gives the best summary of the article? 1. Mongolian nomads are selling green plastic bowls to Russian miners. 2. Mongolian police are arresting people for illegal gold smuggling. 3. Thousands of people are moving to Ogoomor in the hope of finding gold.

6 Webquest What is the current price of gold? Is it rising or falling? Do you think gold is a good investment? Use these websites to help you answer the questions.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

http://goldprice.org/ www.thebulliondesk.com/ http://goldprices.com/ www.kitco.com/

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Warmer: Gold

3 Comprehension check 1

Possible answers: jewellery clocks and watches glasses paint gold-leaf art teeth (fillings) medicines coins buttons pen nibs

1. i 2. f 3. a 4. e 5. d 6. b 7. h 8. c 9. g 10. j

2 Key words

Suggested answers: jobs and professions: gold-miner, taxi driver, geologist, prostitute, vet, student, prospector

5 Comprehension check 2: Summary 3. Thousands of people are moving to Ogoomor in the hope of finding gold.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Elementary

places: land, town, plain, hills, café, police cells, shack, disco, tent

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

legal words and terminology: black market, smuggle, police cells, arrest, evidence, legal, illegal, stealing, criminal

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Mongolia mine machine human rights soldier policemen bowl smuggle poverty nomad nugget shell wealth arrest turtle

4 Vocabulary: Lexical fields

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer: Gold

How many products or uses of gold can you name in two minutes? Write your answers in the box below.

Gold

2

Key words

Complete the sentences using the following words from the text.

tolerate beat

concession nugget

black market gold rush

prospector imprison

legitimate arrest



1. When you keep someone locked up, for example in a police cell, you ________________ them. 2. When you hit someone again and again, you ________________ them. 3. A lump of gold is called a ________________. 4. When the police ________________ someone, they take them to the police station because they believe he or she has committed a crime. 5. If you sell something illegally and secretly, you sell it on the ________________. 6. A ________________ is the right given to someone to sell something or do a particular activity. 7. When you ________________ someone, you accept them even though you don’t like or approve of them. 8. A ________________ is someone who searches an area of land or water for gold, oil, etc. 9. When something is ________________, it is legal.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10. A ________________ happens when lots of people move to a place (over a short period of time) in the hope of becoming rich.

Gold rush in Mongolia Intermediate

Prospectors and ‘ninja’ miners rush to the east’s El Dorado

of gold missed by the mining companies’ giant machines. To do this, they used green plastic bowls, which they carry on their backs like a shell. This appearance gives them their nickname – ‘ninja’ – after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

Central Asia’s gold fever brings rapid economic growth as well as pollution and violence Jonathan Watts in Ogoomor October 10, 2007

4 The area around Ogoomor has been called a Mongolian El Dorado. The town is located in the Zaamar valley where, geologists estimate, there is at least 100 tonnes of gold. Russian and local firms have bought up concessions to mine the land. 5 Until recently, thousands of Mongolians searched illegally through the earth for small fragments

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Intermediate

For years, the ninjas were tolerated. With threequarters of the 2.9m population living on less than $2 a day, searching for gold was a way to ease poverty and unemployment.

8

But a Russian mining company asked for new security measures last year after thousands of ninjas invaded one of its mines, beat the guards, destroyed equipment and stole gold. Arrests are now common, local people say. “We live in constant fear of being taken away,” says Amarjargal. “We can’t even take a green bowl onto the street, and if we have dirty clothes, or muddy shoes, it is used as an excuse to arrest us.”

9

“It is hard to find any family that hasn’t had someone arrested,” said an elderly woman called Sunjee (most Mongolians only use one name). “The police have taken people younger than 16 and older than 60.”

10 When the ninjas search for gold they are trespassing or stealing. These areas are the property of the Russian concession holders so the arrests are legitimate. But the police crackdown has become indiscriminate. Residents say they are pulled from their beds at night, chased as they walk down the street or arrested at checkpoints without any real evidence against them.

O

3 Ogoomor is Mongolia’s Wild West, a dusty town of miners and nomads, tents and wooden shacks, karaoke discos, Internet cafes and police cells. From Ulan Bator, it is a seven-hour drive across vast plains inhabited only by a few nomads and their herds of sheep and goats. The town did not exist 20 years ago and it only recently got a name. But reports of giant nuggets in the nearby hills started a gold rush that attracted several thousand prospectors – legal and illegal.

7

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Ogoomor, where Enkhmaa lives, is probably the only town in the world where you can be arrested and beaten by police for carrying a bowl. It is a bizarre side effect of a Mongolian gold rush that is causing problems between nomadic miners and foreign companies, and raising serious concerns about human rights.

Many were former nomads, but as the gold rush gathered pace, students, vets and taxi drivers from Ulan Bator joined the ninjas, not just in Ogoomor but in other gold towns across the country. Today, estimates of their numbers range from 30,000 to 100,000. This created a huge black market for gold – most of it thought to be smuggled across Mongolia’s 3,000 mile border with China.

•P H

1 Carefully touching the bruises on her forehead, Enkhmaa – a middle-aged mother and illegal gold miner – explains why she is afraid to go out on the street with a green plastic bowl. Three days earlier, she says, the Mongolian police beat and imprisoned her for wandering too close to a foreign-owned mine. “They chased after me in a car. When they caught me, they dragged me inside, they hit me on the face, pulled my hair and beat my leg with a truncheon,” she recalls.

6

CA

Level 2

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 2

Intermediate

11 Visitors to Ogoomor have been shocked at the changes in Mongolia which is known as Asia’s most democratic nation. But this is no blackand-white story of human rights abuses and wealth inequality. Most ninjas make $10 to $20 dollars a day – a higher income than policemen or soldiers. Some strike it extremely rich. There are many stories in the town of people who found giant nuggets worth tens of thousands of dollars.

12

The Russian mining company, Altan Dornod Mongol, says the ninjas are organized and controlled by criminal bosses. “The ninjas are a Mongolian social problem. There are whole towns of them with bars and prostitutes. They even use their children to get gold. It’s awful,” said a spokeswoman. “We don’t want to abuse human rights, but we must protect our mine and our workers.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 10/10/07

3 Comprehension check According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. It is dangerous to walk around with a plastic bowl in Ogoomor. 2. Ogoomor is an ancient city in the west of Mongolia. 3. The gold rush in Ogoomor started 20 years ago. 4. Gold has been discovered in the plains near Ulan Bator. 5. Russian mining companies want to stop the ninjas searching for gold. 6. The number of people moving to Mongolia’s ‘Wild West’ is growing rapidly. 7. There is a lot of poverty and unemployment in Mongolia. 8. Ninja is a Mongolian word for nomad. 9. Much of Mongolia’s gold is smuggled to the West. 10. Residents in Ogoomor are frightened of the police. 11. Some ninjas have found enough gold to make them very rich. 12. The mining companies are happy to share the gold with the ninjas.

4 Vocabulary: Lexical fields How many jobs and professions can you find mentioned in the article? Write them into the spidergram. Do the same for legal terms and related words.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

legal words and terminology

CA

jobs and professions

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 2

Intermediate

5 Discussion: Presenting a case One half of the class are the ninjas, the other half are the mining companies. In your groups prepare to present your case to the judges. Can you reach an agreement to work together? Appoint two or three neutral observers to be the judges. Make notes under the following categories to help you prepare for the discussion.

Name of group: ____________________________________________________________ What we want: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Why we think we should get what we want: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ What we are willing to compromise on / agree to: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ How we might be able to work together with the other group: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

6 Webquest What is the current price of gold? Is it rising or falling? Do you think gold is a good investment? Use the following websites to help you answer the questions.

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

http://goldprice.org/ www.thebulliondesk.com http://goldprices.com/ www.kitco.com

Gold rush in Mongolia Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Warmer: Gold

3 Comprehension check

Possible answers: jewellery clocks and watches glasses paint gold-leaf art teeth (fillings) medicines coins buttons pen nibs

1. T 2. F 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. T 7. T 8. F 9. F 10. T 11. T 12. F

2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Lexical fields

1. imprison 2. beat 3. nugget 4. arrest 5. black market 6. concession 7. tolerate 8. prospector 9. legitimate 10. gold rush

Suggested answers: Jobs and professions: gold-miner, police, soldier, taxi driver, geologist, prostitute, vet, student, prospector, nomad Legal words and terminology: black market, smuggle, police cells, arrest (verb and noun), evidence, legal, illegal, legitimate, truncheon, trespassing, stealing, checkpoint, criminal, imprison, human rights, abuses

5 Discussion: Presenting a case

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NEWS LESSONS / Gold rush in Mongolia / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Note: If the class is small, the teacher can play the part of the judge.

Extreme education Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words and phrases from the text.

zero tolerance vehemently

scrutinize mentor

accountability disadvantaged

discrepancy sponsor

peer needy

1. A ____________ is an experienced person who helps someone with less experience. 2. A ____________ is someone who belongs to the same social or professional group as another person or who is the same age as another person. 3. A ____________ is a person or business who pays money to support an event or programme. 4. ____________ is a situation in which people are questioned or criticized for their actions. 5. ____________ is a situation in which all offences, even the most minor, are strictly punished in accordance with the law or a set of rules. 6. A ____________ is a difference between two things that should be the same. 7. If you are ____________, you do not have enough money for basic things such as food and clothing. 8. If you are ____________, you do not have the same advantages as other people. 9. If you protest ____________, you protest very strongly and with passionate feelings. 10. If you ____________ something, you examine it very carefully.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether you think these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. In the US, statistics show that 95% of parents want a better education for their children. 2. At small 200-pupil academies in the US, children attend class for 12 hours a day. 3. Academies like these have better test scores than private schools. 4. In one academy in a tough area of the South Bronx (the Kipp academy), all the children can read music. 5. More boys apply to join the academies than girls.

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6. Some British educationalists believe the UK could learn a lot from the US small academies programme.

Extreme education Advanced

1 Some people call it extreme education: 10-hour days, parental contracts and zero tolerance behaviour policies in small, 200-pupil academies. The result, seen in an evolving breed of US school, is 100% college acceptance, test scores to rival private schools, and south Bronx teenagers who play the viola like their Manhattan neighbours. 2 James Verrilli, principal of the North Star Academy in Newark, America’s second poorest city, said: “These kids know drugs. These kids know crime and violence. Their fathers are in jail. We have established a school culture which is very distinct from the attitude they walk in the door with. It’s a college-bound culture.” 3 At the North Star Academy children like Charism and Queen-Ama smile politely as they shake your hand and welcome you in. Some 85% of pupils are African-American and 90% get free school meals. Last year 80% were graded ‘proficient or advanced’ in maths, compared with 28% in the local neighbourhood school, and exceeding state averages. Pupils work in silence with a professionalism learned during a three-day process. From the beginning, pupils are taught to speak clearly, answer questions in full sentences and look the teacher in the eye. 4 Parents have to sign a three-way contract with their child and the principal, promising to pull their weight. When a child’s homework isn’t handed in by 8am there is a phone call home. When the parent doesn’t turn up for a meeting, their child is not allowed back into school until they turn up. Signs telling them ‘No excuses’ line the walls. “I was working until 11 last night. I’m tired, but I know I’ve got to work,” says one 11-year-old, as she finishes up a ‘brain food’ worksheet over breakfast. “Even my mother’s gone back to school since I’ve been here.” Pupils are tested every six weeks and their results scrutinized. © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Advanced

6 North Star and other small schools like it, have evolved out of the 3,500-strong charter school movement in the US. Charter schools are independent schools, funded by the state, and allowed more freedom to set policies, including their admissions procedures. It runs a lottery for admissions and has 1,800 children on the waiting list. Parents have to put their child’s name into the lottery and there are discrepancies in who does so; three times more girls apply than boys. 7 Mr Verrilli vehemently denies any suggestion that his students might not be the most needy. “It’s a prejudice to say that parents from disadvantaged backgrounds don’t care about their kids’ education. 95% of parents just want a better education for their children. “We’re not creaming. I’m defensive about that. It’s something we’re accused of a lot. How hard is it to put your child’s name down on a piece of paper?” he said. 8 Every child who attends the Kipp (Knowledge is Power Programme) academy in south Bronx, New York, plays in its orchestra, the best school ensemble in the city. Every child can read music. Shirley Lee, a director of the Kipp academy in the Bronx, says it works because there is a consistent approach across every part of the school. “The truth and reality is that kids like structure,” she said. “It’s about telling them what’s appropriate and them learning when to use it. I wouldn’t talk to you like I am now if I was out in some of these areas. But if we teach them to look in my eyes when I’m speaking to them, they will use that if they get stopped by the police and that will protect them.” 9 In the UK, the political debate about the achievement gap between rich and poor in schools is gathering pace. The official body for inspecting schools, Ofsted, last week highlighted the ‘stark divide’ in achievement linked to social class and the government has set itself tough new targets on reducing the gap. Three London academies are experimenting with small

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Polly Curtis, education editor October 22, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Small US academies with tough rules and excellent results are model for British

5 “As a principal of a small school I know what every child is up to in terms of their academic achievement and their behaviour,” says Mr Verrilli. It’s an accountability that is extended to teachers: Mr Verrilli will sit in on classes with a Blackberry, emailing the instructor his notes as they teach.

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Coming to an inner city near you, extreme education

CA

Level 3

Extreme education Level 3

Advanced

school principles and last week a group of British teachers in training to run inner city schools visited the US looking for methods to tackle the dire state of ‘complex urban education’. 10 Ark, a UK academy sponsor, is taking key components of the small school model into London academies. Lucy Heller, managing director of Ark, says: “There’s something in the air: it’s small schools, tough behaviour management and an adamant belief that inner city children can do just as well.” The UK schools minister says small schools can teach disadvantaged children the skills that their middle class peers take for granted: “High ambition, zero tolerance of failure, an expectation that children will go to university and that schools will give them the education to do so.”

11

Ark is also helping to fund the 30 ‘Future Leaders’ group on the school leadership training scheme visiting the US. The trainees are expected to take some of the ideas they experience home to the UK. Many of them see limits in how translatable the model is to the UK, however. They talk about the fact that most of the US schools are middle schools, for 10–14 year-olds. The model has been tested less in the secondary school age group (11–18). They also ask how smaller schools can be afforded, though others point out the fact that in the US facilities are basic. “They don’t even have interactive whiteboards,” says one of the group’s mentors. “They just teach. Small schools might not be practical in the UK, but what I really want these new school leaders to take back is the sense of culture in these schools.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 22/10/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What is the purpose of the three-way contract? a. To enforce a zero tolerance policy. b. To ensure that parents, children and the principal all work for each child’s success. c. To make sure that all homework is handed in by 8 am. 2. What are the three basic components that UK schools will take from the US model? a. Zero tolerance, homework handed in by 8am, and children excluded if their parents do not turn up for meetings. b. Small schools, strict management of behaviour and a strong belief that children from disadvantaged backgrounds can do well. c. High ambition, zero tolerance of failure and an expectation that children will go to university. 3. How is accountability at the North Star Academy extended to teachers? a. They have to work a 10-hour day, just like the pupils. b. They have to scrutinize test results. c. The principal observes their lessons and sends them notes about their lessons.

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4. Which statement best reflects the plans of UK educationalists? a. They intend to use some of the US ideas. b. They intend to copy the US model exactly and introduce small school academies to the UK. c. They intend to copy the US model but have better facilities like interactive whiteboards.

Extreme education Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words or expressions. 1. A participle meaning gradually changing and developing. (para 1) 2. A three-word expression meaning to do your share of the work. (para 4) 3. A verb used informally here meaning to take the very best of something. (para 7) 4. A noun meaning a musical group. (para 8) 5. A two-word expression meaning becoming stronger and more successful. (para 9) 6. A two-word expression meaning obvious difference. (para 9) 7. An adjective meaning extremely bad. (para 9) 8. An adjective meaning very determined. (para 10)

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs Match these phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings. 1. hand in 2. turn up 3. go back 4. sit in (on) 5. put down 6. point out

a. highlight b. go to a class you are not directly involved in c. write something on a piece of paper d. arrive e. give to a person in authority f. return

6 Vocabulary 3: Verb and noun collocations Use these verbs from the text to fill the gaps.

attend establish

take sign

set gather

look pull

1. ____________ a target 2. ____________ a culture 3. ____________ someone in the eye 4. ____________ a school, college or academy 5. ____________ pace 6. ____________ your weight 7. ____________ something for granted 8. ____________ a contract

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Advanced

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you think there should be more or less discipline in schools? List the points for and against schools like the North Star Academy.

Extreme education Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. mentor 2. peer 3. sponsor 4. accountability 5. zero tolerance 6. discrepancy 7. needy 8. disadvantaged 9. vehemently 10. scrutinize

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

b b c a

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Verb and noun collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.



set establish look attend gather pull take sign

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3 Comprehension check

e d f b c a

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T F F T F T

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

evolving pull one’s weight creaming ensemble gather pace stark divide dire adamant

Extreme education Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words and phrases from the text.

admission experiment

contract principal

behaviour lottery

proficient recent

excuse funds

1. A ____________ is a written legal agreement between two people or businesses. 2. If you ____________ with a new idea, you try it to see what will happen. 3. ____________ is another word for the headmaster or headmistress of a school. 4. If something is ____________, it happened a short time ago. 5. A ____________ is a game of chance where everyone buys a ticket with a number but only some numbers win. 6. A person’s ____________ is the way in which he or she follows basic social rules. 7. ____________ is permission to join an institution like a school or a college. 8. If a government ____________ something, it gives it all the money it needs to operate. 9. An ____________ is a reason you give to explain why you have not done something. 10. If you are ____________ at something you have learned, you are good at it.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible.

1. How many hours a day do pupils study in the North Star Academy? 2. How many pupils are there in the North Star Academy? 3. What percentage of children at North Star get free meals? 4. How many charter schools are there in the US? 5. How many children are on the waiting list for the North Star Academy?

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6. How old are children at US ‘small schools’?

Extreme education Elementary

Coming to an inner city near you, extreme education

1 North Star Academy is a small school with around 200 pupils in Newark, America’s second poorest city. At North Star, pupils from poor families study ten hours a day and they know they have to behave well. They accept the school rules and their test results are as good as the test results in private schools.

5

North Star and other small schools like it have developed from the charter school movement in the US. The 3,500 charter schools are independent schools, which get money from the state. They can decide their own school policies, including their admissions procedures. North Star runs a lottery for admissions and has 1,800 children on the waiting list. Parents have to put their child’s name into the lottery; three times more girls apply than boys.

6

Mr Verrilli does not agree that his pupils are not from the poorest families. “It’s quite wrong to say that parents in poor families don’t care about their kids’ education. 95% of parents just want a better education for their children. “We’re not taking the best kids. I’m quite sure about that. How difficult is it to write your child’s name on a piece of paper?” he said.

7

Every child who attends the Kipp (Knowledge is Power Programme) academy in south Bronx, New York, plays in its orchestra, the best school orchestra in New York. Every child can read music. Shirley Lee, a director of the Kipp academy in the Bronx, says the school works because the students know what the rules are. “The truth is that kids like structure,” she said. “You have to tell them what they can and can’t do and when they can do it. If I teach them to look in my eyes when I’m speaking to them, they will use that if the police stop them and that will help them.”

8

In the UK, people are discussing the differences between the exam results of rich and poor pupils in schools in big cities. A recent report says that these differences are getting bigger and the government is trying to deal with this problem. Three London academies are experimenting with the US small

2 James Verrilli, principal of the North Star Academy said: “These kids know drugs. These kids know crime and violence. Their fathers are in jail. We have a culture here in our school which is very different from the behaviour they have when they first walk through the door. It’s a culture that tells them they can go to college when they leave this school.”

3 At the North Star Academy children like Charism

and Queen-Ama smile politely as they shake your hand and welcome you to their school. About 85% of pupils are African-American and 90% get free school meals because they come from poor families. Last year 80% got ‘proficient or advanced’ grades in maths, compared with just 28% in the local neighbourhood school. Pupils work in silence and in a professional way. From the beginning, teachers teach the pupils to speak clearly, answer questions in full sentences and always look the teacher in the eye.

4 Parents of pupils at North Star have to sign a three-

way contract with their child and the principal. When a child doesn’t give their homework to the teacher by 8am, the school phones their home. When the parent doesn’t come to a meeting, their child cannot go back to school until the parent comes to that meeting. There are signs saying ‘No excuses’ on the walls. “I was working until 11 last night. I’m tired,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Elementary

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Polly Curtis, education editor October 22, 2007

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Small US academies with tough rules and excellent results are model for British

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

but I know I’ve got to work,” says one 11-year-old, as she finishes up her homework over breakfast. “Even my mother’s gone back to school since I’ve been here.” Pupils take a test every six weeks and the teachers check the results of those tests very carefully.” As a principal of a small school I know how every child is progressing and how they are behaving,” says Mr Verrilli.

CA

Level 1

Extreme education Level 1

Elementary

school model and last week a group of British teachers in training visited the US. The trainee teachers wanted to look for methods they could use to deal with the problems of ‘complex education in cities’.

9 Ark, a UK educational charity, is taking key

parts of the small school model into London academies. Lucy Heller, managing director of Ark, says: “This means having small schools, strict rules on behaviour and the belief that inner city children can be as successful as other children.” The UK schools minister says small schools can teach children from poorer families that they can succeed and that they can get the education to go to university.

back home to the UK. But many of them think it will be difficult to transfer the model to the UK. They say that most of the US ‘small schools’ are middle schools, for 10–14-year-olds. Not many people have tried the small school model with the secondary school age group (11–18). They also ask where the money to fund smaller schools in the UK will come from. Other members of the group say that the US schools do not have much equipment. “They don’t even have interactive whiteboards,” says one of the group’s leaders. “They just teach. Small schools might not be practical in the UK, but what I really want these new teachers to take back to the UK is an idea of the culture in these schools.” © Guardian News & Media 2007

10 The group of trainee teachers visiting the US will

First published in The Guardian, 22/10/07

take some of the ideas they experience in the US

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Pupils at the North Star Academy do well at school because… 2. Teachers teach the children to… 3. Most of the children at North Star… 4. Pupils at North Star have… 5. If a parent misses a meeting… 6. Pupils at US small schools are…

a. … to hand their homework in by 8am. b. … come from very poor families. c. … their child cannot go back to school. d. … they behave well and they work hard. e. … usually aged between 10 and 14.

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f. … speak clearly and always look the teacher in the eye.

Extreme education Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Verbs and nouns Fill the gaps using these verbs from the text.

answer look

come run

attend take

shake sign

1. ____________ a lottery 2. ____________ someone’s hand 3. ____________ questions in full 4. ____________ someone in the eye 5. ____________ a contract 6. ____________ to a meeting 7. ____________ a test 8. ____________ a school

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. different _______ the behaviour they had before 2. the difference _______ rich and poor 3. _______ the waiting list 4. 95% _______ parents 5. look someone _______ the eye 6. care _______ their kids’ education 7. give their homework to a teacher _______ 8am 8. to deal _______ a problem

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table using nouns from the text.

2.

behave

3.

admit

4.

educate

5.

govern

6.

believe

7.

equip

8.

begin

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Elementary

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move

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1.

noun

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

verb

Extreme education Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Verbs and nouns

1. contract 2. experiment 3. principal 4. recent 5. lottery 6. behaviour 7. admission 8. funds 9. excuse 10. proficient

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

run shake answer look sign come take attend

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

3 Comprehension check 1. d 2. f 3. b 4. a 5. c 6. e

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Elementary

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building verb

noun

1.

move

movement

2.

behave

behaviour

3.

admit

admission

4.

educate

education

5.

govern

government

6.

believe

belief

7.

equip

equipment

8.

begin

beginning

H

10 about 200 90% 3,500 1,800 10 to 14

from / to between on of in about by with

•P

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

Extreme education Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words and phrases from the text.

attitude achievement

admission appropriate zero tolerance mentor disadvantaged behaviour proficient strict





1. If you are ____________, you do not have the same advantages as other people. 2. If you are ____________ at something you have learned, you are skilled at it. 3. A person’s ____________ is the way in which he or she follows basic social rules. 4. A person’s ____________ is the way they show their feelings or opinions about something,



especially as shown by their behaviour. 5. If a rule is ____________, people must obey it completely. 6. A ____________ is an experienced person who helps someone with less experience. 7. Academic ____________ at school consists of the things children succeed in doing well. 8. ____________ is permission to join an institution like a school or a college. 9. If something is ____________, it is suitable or right for a particular situation. 10. ____________ is a situation in which all offences, even the most minor, are strictly punished in accordance with the law or a set of rules.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. How many hours a day do pupils study in US ‘small’ or ‘charter’ schools? 2. What percentage of children at the North Star Academy get free meals? 3. How many charter schools are there in the US? 4. How many children are on the waiting list for the North Star Academy? 5. How many pupils normally attend charter schools?

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6. How many children at the Kipp Academy can read music?

Extreme education Intermediate

1 For some people it is extreme education: 10-hour days, contracts with parents and very strict rules on behaviour in small, 200-pupil academies. The result in a new type of school in the US is 100% acceptance of college, test results as good as those in private schools, and teenagers from New York’s South Bronx district who play the viola like their neighbours in Manhattan.

2 James Verrilli, principal of the North Star Academy in Newark, America’s second poorest city, said: “These kids know drugs. These kids know crime and violence. Their fathers are in jail. We have a school culture here which is very different from the attitude they have when they first walk through the door. It’s a culture that tells them they can go to college.”

3 At the North Star Academy children like Charism and Queen-Ama smile politely as they shake your hand and welcome you in. About 85% of pupils are African-American and 90% get free school meals. Last year 80% got ‘proficient or advanced’ grades in maths, compared with just 28% in the local neighbourhood school. This was above the state average. Pupils work in silence with a professionalism they have learned during a threeday process. From the beginning pupils are taught to speak clearly, answer questions in full sentences and look the teacher in the eye.

4 Parents have to sign a three-way contract with

their child and the principal, and must promise to participate themselves. When a child’s homework isn’t handed in by 8am, there is a phone call home. When the parent doesn’t turn up for a meeting, their child is not allowed back into school until they turn up. There are signs saying ‘No excuses’ on the walls. “I was working until 11 last night. I’m tired, but I know I’ve got to work,” says one 11-year-old,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Intermediate

5 “As a principal of a small school I know how every child is progressing and how they are behaving,” says Mr Verrilli. He also sits in on classes himself, observing the students and writing notes for the teachers.

6 North Star and other small schools like it have

developed from the charter school movement in the US. The 3,500 charter schools are independent schools, funded by the state, and allowed more freedom to set policies, including their admissions procedures. North Star runs a lottery for admissions and has 1,800 children on the waiting list. Parents have to put their child’s name into the lottery; three times more girls apply than boys.

7 Mr Verrilli strongly rejects the idea that his students might not be the ones most in need. “It’s quite wrong to say that parents from disadvantaged backgrounds don’t care about their kids’ education. 95% of parents just want a better education for their children. “We’re not taking the best kids. I’m defensive about that. It’s something a lot of people say. How hard is it to put your child’s name down on a piece of paper?” he said.

8 Every child who attends the Kipp (Knowledge

is Power Programme) academy in south Bronx, New York, plays in its orchestra, the best school orchestra in New York. Every child can read music. Shirley Lee, a director of the Kipp academy in the Bronx, says the school works because there is a consistent structure throughout the school. “The truth and reality is that kids like structure,” she said. “It’s about telling them what’s appropriate and them learning when to use it. I wouldn’t talk to you like I am now if I was out in some of these areas. But if we teach them to look in my eyes when I’m speaking to them, they will use that if they get stopped by the police and that will protect them.”

9 In the UK, there is a growing political debate about

the differences in academic achievement between rich and poor in schools in big cities. A recent report

O

Polly Curtis, education editor October 22, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Small US academies with tough rules and excellent results are model for British

as she finishes up her homework over breakfast. “Even my mother’s gone back to school since I’ve been here.” Pupils are tested every six weeks and their results are examined carefully.

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Coming to an inner city near you, extreme education

CA

Level 2

Extreme education Level 2

Intermediate

highlighted the growing gap in achievement and the government is trying to deal with this problem. Three London academies are experimenting with small school principles and last week a group of British teachers in training visited the US looking for methods they could use to deal with the problems of ‘complex urban education’.

10 Ark, a UK educational charity, is taking key

components of the small school model into London academies. Lucy Heller, managing director of Ark, says: “It’s small schools, strict rules on behaviour and a firm belief that inner city children can be just as successful.” The UK schools minister says small schools can teach disadvantaged children the skills that middle class children take for granted: “High ambition, zero tolerance of failure, an expectation that children will go to university and that schools will give them the education to go to university.”

11

Ark is also helping to fund the 30 ‘Future Leaders’ group on the school leadership training scheme visiting the US. The trainees are expected to take some of the ideas they experience in the US back home to the UK. Many of them think it will be difficult to transfer the model to the UK, however. They talk about the fact that most of the US schools are middle schools, for 10–14 year-olds. The model has been tested less in the secondary school age group (11–18). They also ask where the money to fund smaller schools will come from, though others point out the fact that in the US facilities are basic. “They don’t even have interactive whiteboards,” says one of the group’s mentors. “They just teach. Small schools might not be practical in the UK, but what I really want these new school leaders to take back is the sense of culture in these schools.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 22/10/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Newark is the poorest city in the US. 2. Pupils at the North Star Academy are better at maths than kids in the local neighbourhood school. 3. Pupils have to look teachers in the eye when they speak to them. 4. If a pupil doesn’t hand in their homework by 8am, the school calls their parents. 5. Pupils have a test every six days. 6. Mr Verrilli doesn’t go into classrooms himself. 7. More girls apply to go to North Star than boys. 8. The UK is planning to start academies like the US charter schools.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words or expressions.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. A phrasal verb meaning to give to someone in authority. (para 4) 2. A phrasal verb meaning to arrive. (para 4) 3. A verb meaning to provide the money for something that costs a lot. (para 6) 4. An adjective meaning not changing. (para 8) 5. A noun meaning a formal discussion. (para 9) 6. A verb meaning to emphasize. (para 9) 7. An adjective meaning relating to a city. (para 9) 8. A three-word expression meaning expect something always to happen without thinking about any possible problems. (para 10)

Extreme education Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. look someone _______ the eye 2. hand in homework _______ 8am 3. _______ the waiting list 4. care _______ their kids’ education 5. the difference _______ rich and poor 6. to deal _______ a problem 7. take something _______ granted 8. where will the money come _______?

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb 1.

accept

2.

behave

3.

tolerate

4.

expect

5.

believe

6.

admit

7.

achieve

8.

educate

noun

7 Discussion Do pupils achieve better results in schools with strict rules? Would you like to attend such a school?

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Why? / Why not?

Extreme education Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. disadvantaged 2. proficient 3. behaviour 4. attitude 5. strict 6. mentor 7. achievement 8. admission 9. appropriate 10. zero tolerance

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

hand in turn up fund consistent debate highlight urban take for granted

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F T T T F F T F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Extreme education / Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building verb

noun

1.

accept

acceptance

2.

behave

behaviour

3.

tolerate

tolerance

4.

expect

expectation

5.

believe

belief

6.

admit

admission

7.

achieve

achievement

8.

educate

education

H

10 90% 3,500 1,800 200 all of them

in by on about between with for from

•P

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3 1

Advanced

What are they called now?

Match the old African state and province names with their current names.

Abyssinia







Somalia



Benadir







Mali



French Sudan





Mozambique



German Southwest Africa



Ethiopia



Rhodesia







Burkina Faso



Upper Volta





Namibia



Portuguese East Africa



Zimbabwe

2

Key words

Put the following key words into the sentences.

bureaucracy confiscate

plummet regime

delusion conspiracy hyperinflation collapse

whim independence

1. When something is in a state of _______________, it is breaking down and has almost stopped functioning. 2. A _______________ is a secret plan to do something bad or illegal, especially in politics. 3. A _______________ is a sudden feeling that you need to do something (usually unimportant). 4. When you get your _______________ you are no longer controlled by another person or country. 5. An idea or belief that is not true can be called a _______________. It is often the belief that you are better than you really are. 6. When there is an incredibly high increase in prices this is called _______________. 7. _______________ is a complicated or annoying system of rules and processes. 8. A system or form of government (often military) that controls the country in a strict or unfair way is called a _______________. 9. When something falls very quickly, we can say that it _______________.

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10. When you _______________ something, you take it away for legal reasons or as a punishment.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Advanced 6

Yesterday, the last plane left behind another government sinking deeper into the delusion that everything is under its control. As the economy shrinks amid hyperinflation and collapsing production, Mr Mugabe has created a vast new bureaucracy to oversee price controls on nonexistent goods in the shops.

1 The last flight out taxied from the sparkling new Harare airport, lifted over the city and dipped its wings in farewell. With that, British Airways said goodbye to Zimbabwe.

7

His finance minister maintains an official exchange rate so out of proportion with the hidden market that the central bank governor has to send his staff out to buy dollars on the street.

2 Cephas Msipa, a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, said he thought it was probably part of a British government conspiracy to unseat the Zimbabwean ruler, Robert Mugabe, but that he was going to miss British Airways anyway. “In these difficult times, Air Zimbabwe has developed a reputation for being unreliable,” he said.

8

The regime has said they have the best agricultural season even though there is no bread in the shops because the wheat harvest has fallen short by two-thirds and production of tobacco, once Zimbabwe’s biggest money earner, has dropped to one-fifth of what it once was. Cigarettes are in such short supply that a marijuana joint is cheaper.

3 What he means is that Zimbabwe’s national airline is in much the same state as the country, with flights running days late due to lack of fuel or maintenance, or diverted at Mr Mugabe’s whim to a shopping trip in Kuala Lumpur or to attend the Pope’s funeral.

9

The government has even announced plans to sell electricity to Namibia next year even though it doesn’t generate enough power to keep lights on at home.

Last BA flight from a grounded economy Chris McGreal on BA152, Harare–London October 29, 2007

12 But the airline says it has been defeated by escalating costs, particularly the price of having to bring fuel in by road from South Africa, and the unreal maths of the Zimbabwean economy. The Zimbabwe dollar has plummeted from $5,100 to the pound at the beginning of 2006 to nearly $2m to the pound today.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

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5 It’s not the first time BA has been forced out of Zimbabwe. Services were discontinued in 1965 when Ian Smith declared independence for Rhodesia and promised that not in a thousand years would a black man rule. BA was back 15 years later when Mr Smith was defeated by the reality of economics as much as war; Rhodesia ceased to exist and the only black man to ever rule Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, took power.

11 Other European airlines abandoned Zimbabwe as its economy collapsed but BA stayed because historic ties with Britain meant there were still a steady number of passengers.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4 Annie, a white Zimbabwean, is going to miss BA for another reason. “There’s toilet paper on this plane. I haven’t been able get toilet paper in the shops for weeks,” she said. “I don’t know why it matters that this is the last flight, but it does. It’s as if we’re finally being cut off from the rest of the world. I think for us [whites] it felt like the escape route if we ever needed it”.

10 The reality is that a man living in a Harare township lucky enough to have a job earns, on average, Z$5m dollars a month, or £2.50 at the hidden-market rate. His transport to work in Harare costs more than that but he has to overspend if he wants to keep his job.

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British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe

CA

Level 3

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3

Advanced

13 Mr Msipa and the Zimbabwean government are suspicious of the economic claims. He doesn’t understand how BA isn’t making money. Mr Msipa admits there is a crisis though, and that his dad might be part of the problem. 14 His father is the Zanu-PF governor of Midlands province where he has overseen the confiscation of white-owned farms and the collapse of agriculture. Mr Msipa concedes this may have been a mistake. “Being an old nationalist, my father believes that everything is about the land. Whereas our generation says we should get into computers and call centres”.

15 The younger Mr Msipa is a property developer who travels regularly to London. His job has kept the worst effects of the economic collapse away from him and his five children. “We have a relative advantage. I can get things done ... I have contacts,” he said. “But how I’m going to get to London now is a problem. No one wants to go through Johannesburg. They steal your luggage there. I suppose it will just have to be Air Zimbabwe.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 29/10/07

3 Comprehension check Complete the sentences with the correct endings. 1. British Airways have stopped flights from Zimbabwe for...

5. The average worker from a township in Zimbabwe earns...





a. ... the first time in its history. b. ... the rest of the year. c. ... the second time in 75 years.

2. White Zimbabweans see British Airways as their... a. ... link to the rest of the world. b. ... link to South Africa. c. ... only escape route out of Zimbabwe.

3. The first black man to rule Zimbabwe was... a. ... Ian Smith. b. ... Robert Mugabe. c. ... Cephas Msipa.

4. Mugabe has been in power for...

a. ... four-fifths of last year’s production. b. ... two-thirds of last year’s production. c. ... one-fifth of last year’s production.

7. Zimbabwe’s main industry is....

a. ... agriculture. b. ... computers. c. ... call centres.

a. ... more than 10years. b. ... more than 15 years. c. ... more than 25 years.

NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •





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6. Tobacco production has fallen to...

CA



a. ... approximately the cost of a plane ticket to London. b. ... less than the money he needs to spend on transport to get to work. c. ... £225 per year.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Stress patterns Write the words underneath the correct stress patterns.

agriculture plummeted government governor

proportion independence conspiracy reality bureaucracy reputation confiscation delusion Johannesburg discontinued Zimbabwean nationalist

oOo Zimbabwe

Ooo maintenance

oOoo economy

ooOo economic

5 Discussion In Zimbabwe, a loaf of bread costs more than fifty times the price it was at the beginning of the year. Compare this to inflation in your country. In your country: How much do dairy products (milk, butter, cheese) cost now? How much did they cost one year ago / five years ago? Make the same comparisons for other items such as bread, alcohol, cigarettes, petrol, houses etc.

6 Webquest What is the current rate of exchange between the British pound and the Zimbabwean dollar? Go to www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html to read the latest updated facts and figures about Zimbabwe.

H

NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Go to www.swradioafrica.com and click on the ‘listen live’ button to listen to the latest independent news from Zimbabwe. The website also contains short news articles and podcasts.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 What are they called now?

3 Comprehension check



1 2 3 4 5 6 7

oOo

Ooo

oOoo

ooOo

Zimbabwe

maintenance

economy

economic

delusion proportion

governor plummeted government nationalist

conspiracy Zimbabwean reality bureaucracy Johannesburg

reputation discontinued independence confiscation agriculture

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Advanced

H

1. collapse 2. conspiracy 3. whim 4. independence 5. delusion 6. hyperinflation 7. bureaucracy 8. regime 9. plummet 10. confiscate

4 Vocabulary: Stress patterns

•P

2 Key words

c a b c b c a

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Abyssinia Ethiopia Benadir Somalia French Sudan Mali German Southwest Africa Namibia Rhodesia Zimbabwe Upper Volta Burkina Faso Portuguese East Africa Mozambique

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1 1

Elementary

What are they called now?

Match the old African state and province names on the left with their names now (on the right).

Abyssinia Benadir French Sudan German Southwest Africa Rhodesia Upper Volta Portuguese East Africa

2

Somalia Mali Mozambique Ethiopia Burkina Faso Namibia Zimbabwe

Key words

Write in the missing vowels (a/e/i/o/u). Skim-read the article to find the answers. The paragraph numbers will help you. 1. When something is not true or you can’t trust it, it is _nr_

_ _bl_ . (para 2)

2. If a plane is sent on a different route to the one it is supposed to go on we say it has been d_v_ (para 3) 3. When you are separated from something, or if your connection has been broken you are c_t

rt_ d.

_ff. (para 4)

4. When you have this you are no longer controlled by another person or country: _nd_p_nd_nc_. (para 5) 5. When somebody else wins instead of you, you have been d_f_

_ t_d. (para 5)

6. When something does this, it breaks down and (almost) stops functioning: c_ll_ps_. (para 6) 7. This is an incredibly high increase in prices: hyp_r_nfl_t_

_ n. (para 6)

8. This is a complicated or annoying system with too many rules: b_r_

_ _ cr_cy. (para 6)

9. The value of the money of one country against the money of another country:

_xch_ng_ r_t_. (para 6)

10. The amount of crop (wheat, corn, rice, etc.) that is collected: h_rv_st. (para 7) 11. When someone believes you have done something wrong or are not telling the truth, they are s_sp_c_ _ _ s. (para 10)

O

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

•P H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

dm_t. (para 10)

CA

12. To agree that something is not really true or that you have done something wrong: _

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Last BA flight from a grounded economy Chris McGreal on BA152, Harare–London October 29, 2007 1 The last flight left the new Harare airport, flew over the city and dipped its wings in farewell. With that, British Airways said goodbye to Zimbabwe. 2 Cephas Msipa, a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, said he thought it was probably part of a British government plan against the Zimbabwean ruler, Robert Mugabe, but he said that he was going to miss British Airways anyway. “In these difficult times, people think Air Zimbabwe is unreliable,” he said. 3 Air Zimbabwe flights run days late because there is no fuel or maintenance, or they are diverted when Mr Mugabe feels like going on a shopping trip in Kuala Lumpur or attending the Pope’s funeral. 4 Annie, a white Zimbabwean, is going to miss BA for another reason. “There’s toilet paper on this plane, but there’s no toilet paper in the shops. It feels like we’re being cut off from the rest of the world”. 5 BA stopped flights to Zimbabwe once before in 1965 when Ian Smith declared independence for Rhodesia. BA returned 15 years later when Mr Smith was defeated by economics and war. At that time, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe took power. 6 Now Zimbabwe’s government is losing control. Zimbabwe has a shrinking economy, hyperinflation and production is collapsing. At the same time, Mr Mugabe is creating more and more new bureaucracy. The official exchange rate is so different to the exchange rate of the hidden market that the central bank governor has to send his staff out to buy dollars on the street.

7 The government says Zimbabwe is having a great agricultural season. But there is no bread in the shops because the wheat harvest is down by two-thirds and production of tobacco has dropped to one-fifth of what it once was. The government has said that it plans to sell electricity to Namibia next year, even though there isn’t enough power to keep lights on in Zimbabwe. 8 A man living in a Harare township earns, on average, Z$5m dollars a month, or £2.50 at the hidden-market rate. His journey to work in Harare costs more than that but he has to travel to work if he wants to keep his job. 9 British Airways stayed when other European airlines left Zimbabwe as its economy collapsed – at the moment there are about $2m Zimbabwean dollars to the British pound. But now BA says that costs are too high, particularly the cost of bringing fuel in by road from South Africa. 10 Mr Msipa and the Zimbabwean government are suspicious but Mr Msipa admits there is a crisis, and that his dad might be part of the problem. His father is the Zanu-PF governor of Midlands province. There, he has taken farms away from white farmers and has overseen the collapse of agriculture. Mr Msipa says this was possibly a mistake. “My father is an old nationalist who believes that everything is about the land, but our generation says we should get into computers and call centres”. 11 The younger Mr Msipa is a property developer who travels regularly to London. His job has kept the worst effects of the economic collapse away from him and his five children. “We have an advantage. I can do things ... I have contacts,” he said. “But how I’m going to get to London now is a problem. No one wants to go through Johannesburg. They steal your luggage there. I suppose it will just have to be Air Zimbabwe.” © Guardian News & Media 2007

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First published in The Guardian, 29/10/2007

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves. 1. British Airways no longer...

a. ... rule Zimbabwe.

2. White Zimbabweans saw British Airways...

b. ... to travel to work in Harare.

3. Robert Mugabe is the first black man to...

c. ... flies to Zimbabwe.

4. Mugabe has been in power for...

d. ... and the hidden-market rate.

5. The average worker from a township in Zimbabwe doesn’t earn enough money...

e. ... as their link to the rest of the world.

6. Tobacco and wheat production in Zimbabwe...

f. ... is agriculture.

7. Zimbabwe’s main industry...

g. ... over 25 years.

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. There are two different exchange rates in Zimbabwe, h. ... have fallen dramatically. the government’s rate...

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary: Collocations / Word pairs Match the words on the left with the words on the right to make collocations. What is their connection with the text? Example:

lifelong

member

Cephas Msipa is a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF.

difficult toilet wheat tobacco shopping lose shrinking hidden call property

paper economy trip times centres production market harvest developer control

5 Discussion Now, in Zimbabwe, a loaf of bread costs more than fifty times the price it was a year ago. Compare this to inflation in your country. Now, a litre of milk costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. Now, a loaf of bread costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. Now, a packet of cigarettes costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. Now, an apartment costs about _____________. A year ago it cost _____________. ... continue...

6 Webquest What is the current rate of exchange between the British pound and the Zimbabwean dollar? Go to www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html to read the latest updated facts and figures about Zimbabwe. Go to www.swradioafrica.com and click on the ‘listen live’ button to listen to the latest independent news from

H

NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Zimbabwe. The website also contains short news articles and podcasts.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 1

Elementary

KEY

1. unreliable 2. diverted 3. cut off 4. independence 5. defeated 6. collapse 7. hyperinflation 8. bureaucracy 9. exchange rate 10. harvest 11. suspicious 12. admit

1. c 2. e 3. a 4. g 5. b 6. h 7. f 8. d

4 Vocabulary: Collocations / Word pairs difficult times toilet paper wheat harvest tobacco production shopping trip lose control shrinking economy hidden market call centres property developer

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Elementary

H

2 Key words

Ethiopia Somalia Mali Namibia Zimbabwe Burkina Faso Mozambique

•P

Abyssinia Benadir French Sudan German Southwest Africa Rhodesia Upper Volta Portuguese East Africa

3 Comprehension check

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 What are they called now?

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2 1

Intermediate

What are they called now?

Match the old African state and province names with their current names. Abyssinia







Somalia

Benadir







Mali

French Sudan





Mozambique

German Southwest Africa



Ethiopia

Rhodesia







Burkina Faso

Upper Volta







Namibia

Portuguese East Africa



Zimbabwe

2

Key words

Match the keywords with their definitions.

bureaucracy regime

plummet hyperinflation

conspiracy collapse

confiscate independence

1. When something does this it breaks down and (almost) stops functioning. ___________________ 2. This is a secret plan to do something bad or illegal, especially in politics. ___________________ 3. When you have this you are no longer controlled by another person or country. ___________________ 4. This is an incredibly high increase in prices. ___________________ 5. This is what we call a complicated or annoying system of rules and processes. ___________________ 6. A system or form of government (often military) that controls the country in a strict or unfair way. ___________________ 7. When something falls very quickly, we can say that it does this. ___________________

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. When you do this, you take something away from someone for legal reasons or as a punishment. ___________________

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Intermediate 7

Last BA flight from a grounded economy Chris McGreal on BA152, Harare–London October 29, 2007 1 The last flight left the sparkling new Harare airport, lifted over the city and dipped its wings in farewell. With that, British Airways said goodbye 8 to Zimbabwe.

2 Cephas Msipa, a lifelong member of Mr Mugabe’s

the same state as the country; flights are running days late due to lack of fuel or maintenance, or are diverted when Mr Mugabe feels like going on a shopping trip in Kuala Lumpur or attending the Pope’s funeral.

4 Annie, a white Zimbabwean, is going to miss BA for

another reason. “There’s toilet paper on this plane. I haven’t been able get toilet paper in the shops for weeks,” she said. “I don’t know why it matters that this is the last flight, but it does. It’s as if we’re finally being cut off from the rest of the world”.

5 It’s not the first time BA has been forced out of

Zimbabwe. Flights were stopped in 1965 when Ian Smith declared independence for Rhodesia. BA was back 15 years later when Mr Smith was defeated by economics as much as war; Rhodesia ceased to exist and the only black man to ever rule Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, took power.

6 Zimbabwe’s government is losing control. Mr

Mugabe is creating a vast new bureaucracy while the economy shrinks amid hyperinflation and collapsing production. The official exchange rate is so different to that of the hidden market that the central bank governor has to send his staff out to buy dollars on the street.

Other European airlines left Zimbabwe as its economy collapsed but BA stayed because historic ties with Britain meant there were still a steady number of passengers.

10 But the airline says it has been defeated by

escalating costs, particularly the price of having to bring fuel in by road from South Africa, and the unreal maths of the Zimbabwean economy. The Zimbabwe dollar has plummeted from $5,100 to the pound at the beginning of 2006 to nearly $2m to the pound today.

11 Mr Msipa and the Zimbabwean government

are suspicious; they don’t understand how BA isn’t making money. Mr Msipa admits there is a crisis though, and that his dad might be part of the problem.

12 His father is the Zanu-PF governor of Midlands province where he has confiscated whiteowned farms and has overseen the collapse of agriculture. Mr Msipa says this may have been a mistake. “My father an old nationalist who believes that everything is about the land. Whereas our generation says we should get into computers and call centres”.

13 The younger Mr Msipa is a property developer

who travels regularly to London. His job has kept the worst effects of the economic collapse away from him and his five children. “We have a relative advantage. I can get things done ... I have contacts,” he said. “But how I’m going to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

O

3 What he means is that Air Zimbabwe is in much

9

The reality is that a man living in a Harare township lucky enough to have a job earns, on average, Z$5m dollars a month, or £2.50 at the hiddenmarket rate. His transport to work in Harare costs more than that but he has to travel to work if he wants to keep his job.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Zanu-PF, said he thought it was probably part of a British government conspiracy against the Zimbabwean ruler, Robert Mugabe, but he said that he was going to miss British Airways anyway. “In these difficult times, Air Zimbabwe has a reputation for being unreliable,” he said.

The regime says Zimbabwe is having a great agricultural season, even though there is no bread in the shops because the wheat harvest is down by two-thirds and production of tobacco has dropped to one-fifth of what it once was. The government has even announced plans to sell electricity to Namibia next year even though it doesn’t generate enough power to keep lights on at home.

•P H

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe

CA

Level 2

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2

Intermediate

get to London now is a problem. No one wants to go through Johannesburg. They steal your luggage there. I suppose it will just have to be Air Zimbabwe.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 29/10/2007

3 Comprehension check According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. British Airways now only fly to Zimbabwe once a week. 2. White Zimbabweans saw British Airways as their link to the rest of the world. 3. Robert Mugabe is the first black man to rule Zimbabwe. 4. Mugabe has been in power for over 40 years. 5. The average worker from a township in Zimbabwe earns about the same as the cost of a plane ticket to London. 6. Tobacco and wheat production has fallen dramatically. 7. Zimbabwe’s main industry is computers.

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NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. There are two different exchange rates in Zimbabwe, the government’s rate and the hidden market rate.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions Write in the missing prepositions then check your answers by reading back over the article. 1. British Airways said goodbye ______ Zimbabwe 2. part ______ a British government conspiracy 3. a reputation ______ being unreliable 4. going ______ a shopping trip 5. Mr Smith was defeated ______ economics 6. Rhodesia ceased ______ exist 7. a man living ______ a Harare township 8. historic ties ______ Britain 9. defeated ______ escalating costs 10. part ______ the problem 11. we should get ______ computers 12. No one wants to go ______ Johannesburg

5 Discussion In Zimbabwe, a loaf of bread costs more than fifty times the price it was at the beginning of the year. Compare this to inflation in your country. In your country: How much do dairy products (milk, butter, cheese) cost now? How much did they cost one year ago / five years ago? Make the same comparisons for other items such as bread, alcohol, cigarettes, petrol, houses etc.

6 Webquest What is the current rate of exchange between the British pound and the Zimbabwean dollar? Go to www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html to read the latest updated facts and figures about Zimbabwe.

H

NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Go to www.swradioafrica.com and click on the ‘listen live’ button to listen to the latest independent news from Zimbabwe. The website also contains short news articles and podcasts.

British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 What are they called now?

3 Comprehension



1. F (they have stopped flying to Zimbabwe) 2. T 3. T 4. F (he has been in power for over 25 years) 5. F (they earn much, much less) 6. T 7. F (the main industry is still agriculture) 8. T

collapse conspiracy independence hyperinflation bureaucracy regime plummet confiscate

1. British Airways said goodbye to Zimbabwe 2. part of a British government conspiracy 3. a reputation for being unreliable 4. going on a shopping trip 5. Mr Smith was defeated by economics 6. Rhodesia ceased to exist 7. a man living in a Harare township 8. historic ties with Britain 9. defeated by escalating costs 10. part of the problem 11. we should get into computers 12. No one wants to go through Johannesburg

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / British Airways says goodbye to Zimbabwe / Intermediate

H

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions

•P

2 Key words

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Abyssinia Ethiopia Benadir Somalia French Sudan Mali German Southwest Africa Namibia Rhodesia Zimbabwe Upper Volta Burkina Faso Portuguese East Africa Mozambique

Google reveals mobile plans Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

incompatible trial

launch protracted

intrigue lobby





foothold slot



outpace vaunted

1. A ____________ process is one that lasts for a long time, often longer than expected. 2. Something which is ____________ is praised highly or described as very important or successful. 3. If two or more devices are ____________, they are not able to work together because they have different operating systems. 4. ____________ is normally a noun but as a verb it means to test something thoroughly to see if it works. 5. If you ____________ people in authority, you try to influence them on a particular subject. 6. If you ____________ a product or service you start selling it to the public on a specific date. 7. If a company ____________ another company, it moves more quickly and is more successful than its rival. 8. If you gain a ____________ in a particular market, you enter that market for the first time and take a position from which you can become more successful. 9. ____________ involves a lot of interest and speculation about a particular subject. 10. A ____________ is a time during a series of events when it is arranged that something will happen. Aircraft have to book a ____________ in order to land and take off, for example.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether you think these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Google was founded by two university students. 2. Google was founded in 1988. 3. It is now the fifth largest company in the USA. 4. The iPhone mobile phone system is owned by Google. 5. Google is now worth around $22.5 billion.

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Google is more successful than AOL but not as successful as Yahoo.

Google reveals mobile plans Advanced

2 Announcing the news, the Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said Android was a toolkit that would encourage people to use the Internet on their phones and would bridge the conflict between different incompatible handsets. “The fundamental problem with handsets today is that they don’t have full power Internet browsers – we have to do specialized engineering to get our software on those devices,” he said. “This will give wireless operators and phone manufacturers the ability to create new things.” 3 Increasing the amount of time people spend surfing the Internet on their phones would also let Google harvest information and display advertisements direct to mobile phones users just as it does on home computers, said Andy Rubin, the company’s director of mobile. “We currently put ads on phones via the web browser,” he said. “Part of this is that it makes it so that there’s really no difference between browsing on your phone or on a computer. This enables Google’s business, but you won’t see a completely advertising-driven cellphone for a while yet.” 4 Android – which will starting appearing on phones next year – has support from more than 30 companies, including mobile phone networks such as T-Mobile and handset makers such as Motorola and South Korea’s HTC. Some experts had previously speculated that Google was planning to manufacture its own mobile phones in a similar vein to Apple, whose iPhone device will be launched in the UK next week. 5 But Mr Schmidt said he only intended to offer new software for mobile phones – not the handsets themselves – bringing to an end months of intrigue

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Advanced

6 Moving into the phone market could prove to be a money-spinner for the Californian company, allowing it to get a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. Nokia, the market-leading mobile phone maker, sold more than 100m handsets in the last three months, while network operators such as Vodafone remain some of the largest companies around the globe. 7 The move underlines Google’s expanding influence over our lives as more information and money moves online. The Internet giant – which was founded by university roommates Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 – is now worth in excess of $225bn (£108bn), making it the fifth largest company in America. Thanks in large part to its ability to display advertising on its search engine pages, Google has built a multibilliondollar business and outpaced other Internet giants including Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL. 8 Google’s plans for future products and services are wide-ranging, spanning office software, web monitoring and other advertising businesses. It is known to be trialling a system for monitoring television viewing, and last year bought the radio advertising company dMarc, with the aim of delivering adverts across a broad range of media. “This is a shot that is going to be heard around the world, but it’s just the first shot in what is going to be a very protracted battle in the next frontier of the mobile web,” said Michael Gartenberg, a technology analyst with Jupiter Research. 9 Meanwhile, Google is lobbying to buy its own space on the US airwaves in what is seen as a threat to traditional phone companies and Internet providers. By purchasing a slot on the mobile phone spectrum, Google could sidestep the telecommunications networks entirely and provide a series of mobile services directly to the public. 10 The announcement of Android comes days before Apple launches its much-vaunted iPhone handset in the UK. Google denied it was attempting to compete

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1 Google today took another step in its quest to become the most powerful company in the world as it finally confirmed plans to enter the mobile phone industry. The company is introducing a new mobile system called Android, which it hopes will bring Internet access to the masses – and help it sell more advertising.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent November 5, 2007

around the project, which is thought to have heavily involved staff from the company’s British offices. “It’s incredibly important to say this is not the announcement of the Google Phone,” he said.

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Google reveals mobile plans

CA

Level 3

Google reveals mobile plans Level 3

Advanced

head-to-head with the iPod maker. Although some Google applications such as Internet search and maps come pre-installed on the iPhone, it does not require any Google services in order to run. Mr Schmidt, who is also on the board of Apple, said Android was aiming to work with existing phone companies rather than replace them. “It’s true that I’m on the board of Apple, but it’s also important to state that there are going to be many different sorts of mobile experiences,” he said. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 05/11/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information in the text. 1. Why is Google interested in entering the mobile phone industry?

a. Because Google wants to compete with iPhone. b. Because it has wide-ranging plans for future products. c. Because this will help it to sell more advertising.

2. What exactly is Android?

a. A mobile phone like the iPhone. b. A toolkit that will encourage people to use the Internet on their mobile phones. c. A system that is designed to replace existing mobile phone companies.

3. What has been the main factor in Google’s success?

a. The fact that it is able to display advertising on its search engine pages. b. The fact that it has gained a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. c. The fact that it has purchased a slot on the mobile phone spectrum.

4. How does the article describe Google’s plans for future products and services?

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a. It is part of a battle in the next frontier of the mobile web. b. It is planning to be involved in a number of different technological areas. c. It wants to sidestep the telecommunications network entirely.

CA



Google reveals mobile plans Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A verb meaning to gather. (para 3) 2. A verb meaning to look for information on the Internet. (para 3) 3. A four-word expression meaning in almost the same style. (para 4) 4. A two-word expression meaning a very profitable product or activity. (para 6) 5. A three-word expression meaning more than a particular amount. (para 7) 6. A verb meaning to include a number of things. (para 8) 7. A verb meaning to avoid something problematical. (para 9) 8. A three-word expression meaning competing directly with someone else. (para 10)

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs and the nouns. Check your answers in the text. 1. provide 2. launch 3. take 4. surf 5. move into 6. found 7. build 8. install

a. a business b. a step c. a new product d. a market e. an application f. a service g. the Internet h. a company

6 Vocabulary 3: Nouns followed by prepositions Fill the gaps using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. access ____________ 2. problem ____________ 3. difference ____________ 4. influence ____________ 5. in excess ____________ 6. thanks ____________ 7. range ____________ 8. threat ____________

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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Are you happy to use your mobile phone to make calls and send messages or do you want other services on your phone? What kind of services would you like your mobile phone provider to offer?

Google reveals mobile plans Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. protracted 2. vaunted 3. incompatible 4. trial 5. lobby 6. launch 7. outpaces 8. foothold 9. intrigue 10. slot/slot

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

c b a b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Nouns followed by prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

to with between over of to of to

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1. 2. 3. 4.

f c b g d h a e

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3 Comprehension check

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. F

harvest browse in a similar vein money-spinner in excess of span sidestep head-to-head

Google reveals mobile plans Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. handset manufactures

launch media

monitor online

purchase browser

display market leader

1. If a company ________________ something, it makes large quantities of it in a factory. 2. A ________________ is a computer programme that makes it possible for you to find information on the Internet. 3. If you ________________ a product or service, you start selling it to the public on a specific date. 4. ________________ means connected through a computer to the Internet. 5. A ________________ is the part of a telephone that you hold next to your ear. 6. A ________________ is a company that sells more of a particular product than any other company. 7. Radio, television, newspapers and the Internet are known as the ________________. 8. ________________ is a more formal word for buy. 9. If you ________________ something, you put it somewhere where people can see it. 10. If you ________________ something, you watch it regularly and check what is happening.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible.

1. How many companies support Android? 2. How many handsets did Nokia sell in the past three months? 3. When did Google start? 4. Who started Google? 5. How much is Google worth?

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Which company launched the iPhone?

Google reveals mobile plans Elementary 5

But Mr Schmidt said Google only planned to offer new software for mobile phones – not to make the handsets themselves. “It’s very important to say this is not a Google Phone,” he said.

6

Google could make a lot of money by moving into the mobile phone market. It will take its position in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. Nokia, the mobile phone maker and the market leader, sold more than 100m handsets in the last three months, and network operators such as Vodafone are some of the largest companies in the world.

7

More information and money is moving online and Google is becoming more and more powerful. University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google in 1998 and it is now worth more than $225bn (£108bn), making it the fifth largest company in America. Google is able to display advertising on its search engine pages and this has helped to make it a multibillion-dollar business which has now moved ahead of other Internet giants including Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL.

8

Google has a number of plans for future products and services, including office software, web monitoring and other advertising businesses. It is testing a system for monitoring television viewing, and last year it bought a radio advertising company in order to advertise in different forms of media.

9

Google is also trying to buy space on the US airwaves. This could be bad news for traditional phone companies and Internet providers. If Google purchases space on the mobile phone spectrum, it could provide a series of mobile services directly to the public without using the telecommunications networks at all.

Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent November, 5 2007

2 Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt, announced

the news. He said that Android was a software set that would make it easier for people to use the Internet on their phones. “The main problem with handsets today is that they don’t have full power Internet browsers – we have to use specialized engineering to get Google software on those handsets,” he said. “Android will give wireless operators and phone manufacturers the ability to create new things.”

3 Google wants to increase the amount of time

people spend surfing the Internet on their phones. This will also make it possible for Google to gather information and to display advertisements direct to mobile phone users in the same way as it does on home computers, said Andy Rubin, Google’s director of mobile. “At the moment we put advertisements on phones using the web browser,” he said. “There’s really no difference between browsing on your phone or on a computer. This helps Google’s business to grow but we don’t have mobile phones powered by advertising just yet.”

4 Android – which will start appearing on phones next

year – has support from more than 30 companies, including mobile phone networks such as T-Mobile and handset makers such as Motorola and South Korea’s HTC. Some people thought that Google was planning to manufacture its own mobile phones in a similar way to Apple’s iPhone.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Elementary

10 The news about Android comes days before the

launch of the Apple iPhone handset in the UK. Google says it is not trying to compete directly with Apple. Although some Google applications such as Internet search and maps are already on the

O

industry. The company is introducing a new mobile system called Android. Google is hoping that Android will bring the Internet to millions of people – and that it will also help Google to sell more advertising.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Google is planning to enter the mobile phone

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Google reveals mobile plans

CA

Level 1

Google reveals mobile plans Level 1

Elementary

iPhone, it can run without any Google services. Mr Schmidt, who is also on the board of Apple, said Android would work with existing phone companies and would not replace them. “It’s true that I’m on the board of Apple, but it’s also important to say that there are going to be a lot of technical developments in the mobile industry,” he said. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 05/11/07

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text.

1. Android will make it possible… 2. Android will not… 3. Android is not… 4. The mobile phone industry… 5. Google is planning… 6. Google is now… a. … is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. b. … the fifth biggest company in the USA. c. … appear on mobile phones until next year. d. … to advertise in different forms of media. e. … for millions more people to surf the Internet on their mobile phones.

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

f. … a mobile phone.

Google reveals mobile plans Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Compound nouns Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make compound nouns from the text. 1. market

a. browser

2. university

b. computer

3. Internet

c. executive

4. web

d. student

5. wireless

e. network

6. chief

f. operator

7. home

g. leader

8. telecommunications

h. provider

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building (nouns ending in -er or -or?) Complete the table.

verb 1. 2.

noun

browse manufacture

3.

operate

4.

provide

5.

use

6.

lead

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress Put these words into two groups according to their stress. product

display

gather

provide

handset

mobile

compete

replace

software

increase

announce

market

NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Elementary

o0

H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

B

•P

0o

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

A

Google reveals mobile plans Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Compound nouns

1. manufactures 2. browser 3. launch 4. online 5. handset 6. market leader 7. media 8. purchase 9. display 10. monitor

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

More than 30 100 million 1998 Larry Page and Sergey Brin $225 billion Apple

g d h a e c b f

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building (nouns ending in -er or -or?)

1. 2.

verb

noun

browse

browser

manufacture

manufacturer

3.

operate

operator

4.

provide

provider

5.

use

user

6.

lead

leader

3 Comprehension check

0o product gather handset mobile software market

B

o0 display provide compete replace increase announce

H

NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans/ Elementary

A

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

6 Vocabulary 3: Word stress

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1. e 2. c 3. f 4. a 5. d 6. b

Google reveals mobile plans Level 2 Intermediate 1

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

confirm monitor

device range

handset purchase

launch slot

foothold deny

1. ____________ is a more formal word for buy. 2. A ____________ is a number of different things that are of the same general type. 3. If you ____________ something, you say that it is definitely true. 4. If you ____________ something, you say that it is not true. 5. If you ____________ something, you watch it regularly and check what is happening. 6. A ____________ is a time during a series of events when you can reserve a space to operate a service. 7. If you gain a ____________ in a particular market, you enter that market for the first time and take a position from which you can become more successful. 8. If you ____________ a product or service you start selling it to the public on a specific date. 9. A ____________ is a piece of equipment that performs a particular function. 10. A ____________ is the part of a telephone that you hold next to your ear.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. How many companies support Android? 2. How many handsets did Nokia sell in the past three months? 3. When was Google founded? 4. How much is Google worth? 5. Which company launched iPhone?

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Who are Larry Page and Sergey Brin?

Google reveals mobile plans Level 2 Intermediate

2 Google chief executive, Eric Schmidt, announced

the news. He said that Android was a software set that would encourage people to use the Internet on their phones. It would also solve the problem of different handsets with different operating systems. “The fundamental problem with handsets today is that they don’t have full power Internet browsers – we have to do specialized engineering to get our software on those devices,” he said. “This will give wireless operators and phone manufacturers the ability to create new things.”

3 Increasing the amount of time people spend surfing

the Internet on their phones would also let Google gather information and display advertisements direct to mobile phones users, just as it does on home computers, said Andy Rubin, the company’s director of mobile. “We currently put ads on phones using the web browser,” he said. “Part of this is that it makes it so that there’s really no difference between browsing on your phone or on a computer. This helps Google’s business to grow, but you won’t see a cellphone that’s completely driven by advertising for some time yet.”

4 Android – which will starting appearing on

phones next year – has support from more than 30 companies, including mobile phone networks such as T-Mobile and handset makers such as Motorola and South Korea’s HTC. Some experts had previously thought that Google was planning to manufacture its own mobile phones in a similar way to Apple, whose iPhone device will be launched in the UK next week.

5 But Mr Schmidt said he only intended to offer new software for mobile phones – not the handsets

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans / Intermediate

7 The move highlights Google’s growing influence

over our lives as more information and money moves online. The Internet giant – which was founded by university roommates Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 – is now worth more than $225bn (£108bn), making it the fifth largest company in America. Thanks mainly to its ability to display advertising on its search engine pages, Google has built a multibillion-dollar business and has moved ahead of other Internet giants including Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL.

8 Google has a range of plans for future products and services, including office software, web monitoring and other advertising businesses. It is known to be testing a system for monitoring television viewing, and last year it bought a radio advertising company with the aim of delivering adverts across a broad range of media.

9 Meanwhile, Google is trying to buy its own space

on the US airwaves. Some people see this as a threat to traditional phone companies and Internet providers. If it purchases a slot on the mobile phone spectrum, Google could provide a series of mobile services directly to the public without using the telecommunications networks at all.

10 The announcement of Android comes days

before Apple launches its highly praised iPhone handset in the UK. Google denied it was trying to compete directly with Apple. Although some Google applications such as Internet search and maps come pre-installed on the iPhone, it does not require any Google services in order to run. Mr Schmidt, who is also on the board of Apple, said

O

enter the mobile phone industry. The company is introducing a new mobile system called Android, which it hopes will bring Internet access to millions of people – and help it sell more advertising.

a money-spinner for the Californian company. It will enable Google to get a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. Nokia, the mobile phone maker and the market leader, sold more than 100m handsets in the last three months, while network operators such as Vodafone are some of the largest companies in the world.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Google has finally confirmed that it plans to

6 Moving into the phone market could prove to be

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Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent November 5, 2007

themselves. “It’s incredibly important to say this is not the announcement of the arrival of the Google Phone,” he said.

CA

Google reveals mobile plans

Google reveals mobile plans Level 2 Intermediate Android would work with existing phone companies rather than replace them. “It’s true that I’m on the board of Apple, but it’s also important to state that there are going to be many different sorts of mobile experiences,” he said. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 05/11/07

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Android is a mobile phone. 2. Mobile phone networks and handset makers are supporting Android. 3. The mobile phone market is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. 4. Page and Brin were students when they founded Google. 5. Google is the fifth largest company in the world. 6. Google is trying to compete directly with Apple’s iPhone.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words or expressions. 1. An adverb meaning at the moment. (para 3) 2. A verb meaning to look for information on the Internet. (para 3) 3. A two-word expression meaning a very profitable product or activity. (para 6) 4. A two-word expression meaning the company that sells more of a particular product than any other. (para 6) 5. A verb meaning to emphasize. (para 7) 6. A noun meaning someone who shares a room with you. (para 7) 7. An adjective meaning wide. (para 8)

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A noun meaning a situation that could cause harm. (para 9)

Google reveals mobile plans Level 2 Intermediate 5 Vocabulary 2: Chunks Rearrange these words to make phrases from the text. 1. phone a system mobile new 2. power browser a Internet full 3. fastest the one growing world’s of industries 4. the some in of world companies largest the 5. fifth America company the in largest 6. future a plans and services products for range of

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb 1.

announce

2.

appear

3.

apply

4.

encourage

5.

browse

6.

arrive

7.

operate

8.

produce

noun

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you surf the Internet on your mobile phone? What other services would you like your mobile phone to provide?

Google reveals mobile plans Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. purchase 2. range 3. confirm 4. deny 5. monitor 6. slot 7. foothold 8. launch 9. device 10. handset

1. currently 2. browse 3. money-spinner 4. market leader 5. highlight 6. roommate 7. broad 8. threat

5 Vocabulary 2: Chunks

1. F 2. T 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Google reveals mobile plans / Intermediate

verb 1.

announce

2.

appear

3.

apply

noun announcement appearance application

4.

encourage

encouragement

5.

browse

browser

6.

arrive

arrival

7.

operate

operator (operation)

8.

produce

product (producer, production)

H

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

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1. More than 30 2. 100 million 3. 1998 4. More than $225 billion 5. Apple 6. They are the founders of Google

1. a new mobile phone system 2. a full-power Internet browser 3. one of the world’s fastest-growing industries 4. some of the world’s largest companies 5. the fifth largest company in America 6. a range of plans for future products and services

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

Bye bye Belgium? Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Complete the sentences using these key words from the text.

apocalypse courtesy

fragile amicable

inevitable steadfast

arrogance humiliated

pact demise

1. If you feel _________________, you feel very embarrassed and ashamed. 2. A _________________ person is one who does not change his or her opinions because they have a strong belief in something. 3. An _________________ relationship is one that is friendly and without arguments. 4. If something is _________________, it can be broken or damaged very easily. 5. If something is _________________, it is impossible to avoid or prevent. 6. A _________________ is an agreement between two or more people or organizations in which they promise



to do something. 7. _________________ is formal politeness in social situations. 8. The _________________ of something is the time when it ceases to exist. 9. _________________ is behaviour that shows you think you are better or more important than other people. 10. _________________ is a time when the whole world will be destroyed.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. More Belgians speak French as a mother-tongue than Dutch (Flemish). 2. Belgium has existed as a country for over 300 years. 3. More than half the population of Belgium think their country will break into two parts. 4. The French part of Belgium is called Wallonia. 5. The Flemish part of Belgium is called Flamonia.

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NEWS LESSONS / Bye bye Belgium? / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Only Dutch is spoken in Brussels.

Bye bye Belgium? Advanced

Bye bye Belgium?

at least it doesn’t really look it. The newspapers and the politicians, though, are predicting apocalypse. Believe them, and the country is in the worst trouble of its brief history, or at least since the dark days of the last war. Belgium, remarkably, has spent the past 156 days without a government and while this is plainly not yet in itself a catastrophe, there is a very real fear that the fragile and complicated arrangement that holds this impossible country together may finally be beginning to come unstuck. Belgium, it is whispered, could soon be no more.

5

Some may see here the seeds of something rather nastier than a quest for linguistic integrity. But in any case, continues Demesmaeker, the root of the problem is that Halle’s French speakers show “very little willingness to learn Dutch. They come here, they see Halle as some kind of extension of Brussels, they walk into the shops and they say, ‘Bonjour’. Many make no attempt. Don’t get me wrong: I have nothing against Walloons. I go often to the Ardennes forests, in the far south, and there they are charming, completely different. But here ... Well, there’s a certain arrogance, I think. French was for so long the dominant language and culture here, you see. And the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Halle, well ... there are tensions. They don’t like too many people speaking French here. They don’t like some of the classes in our schools being half-full of French children.”

6

A local shopkeeper agreed: “This is Flanders here, and we deserve as much respect as anyone else for our language and for our culture. If we go to Wallonia, we expect to have to speak French. It’s only right. And it’s only right that when Belgian French-speakers come here, they should speak Dutch. It’s common courtesy. But most either can’t, or don’t bother.”

7

Reinforced by such passionate sentiments, Belgium’s Flemish politicians last week took the historic step of voting through the split-up of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde suburb in parliamentary committee. The Walloon MPs stormed out of the chamber in protest. In living memory, this was the first time that Belgium’s unspoken pact had been broken: the politicians of one language community had forced a vote, against the wishes of those of another. It may not signal the end of Belgium, but

2 Belgium’s citizens seem quite resigned to it: recent

surveys show that in the north as many as 63% think the break-up of their 177-year-old country is now more or less inevitable. “The place has had it,” says René Vanderweiden, a telecoms engineer, queuing in the Brussels drizzle for a tram. “Maybe not now, maybe not in ten years’ time. But within my lifetime, I’d guess. The Flemings (Belgium’s Dutch-speaking majority) want out of it, and they’re no longer afraid of saying so. There’s an impatience, that wasn’t there before.”

3 Sheltering from the rain in a cafe, Joelle Rutten,

who works in a bookshop, blames the politicians. “We obviously don’t need them,” she says. “Look at us – we’re all going to work, paying our taxes, nothing has changed. They’re utterly out of touch with ordinary people, anyway, arguing about things that mean nothing to most of us. It’s a scandal! They have no idea what they’re doing at all.”

4 Sadly, though, the politicians – or some of them,

at least – seem to have a very clear idea of what they are doing. In a town hall office in the Brussels suburb of Halle, Mark Demesmaeker, deputy mayor, remarks cheerfully that he “can no longer see the value of Belgium, actually. There are six million of us Flemings, we work hard, we make money, and we’re perfectly capable of standing on our own two feet. Indeed, we would be one of the wealthier

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Bye bye Belgium? / Advanced

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1 Belgium is in crisis, apparently, though on the outside

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Jon Henley November 13, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

small countries of Europe. For us, Belgium is simply counterproductive. We’d be better off without it.” At any rate, on the streets of Halle, barely a quarter of an hour’s train ride from the capital, feelings are certainly running high. Here, as Demesmaeker politely explains, the local council has a Flemish language manifesto stating that Halle is a Dutchlanguage town, and intends to remain so. “We merely ask everyone to respect that,” he says.

CA

Level 3

Bye bye Belgium? Level 3

Advanced

most politicians agree that it does not bode well for the country’s future.

8 In an office in the centre of Brussels, Charles Piqué,

the capital’s French-speaking minister-president, concedes that the vote had “a very, very strong symbolic value. It is not decisive, I don’t think, not yet. But it marks another step in the ongoing process of Flemish intimidation. We have learned in this country, over the years, to compromise more and more to avoid these kinds of situations. But this shows their determination, that they are prepared to increase tensions between the communities. And this is just the beginning of the Flemish demands. They will now demand a full transfer of responsibilities, the further defederalization of this country. What happens next is critical.”

9 But is Belgium really necessary? That, increasingly,

is becoming the question, if not quite yet for ordinary Belgians, then certainly for their political leaders and the media. The ‘Czechoslovakia option’ of an amicable divorce, with Brussels becoming a kind of international city state, is being openly discussed. So too, extraordinarily, is the notion that Wallonia might become part of France, which a poll this weekend showed the French would be perfectly happy to countenance.

10 Joelle Rutten, the bookshop worker, steadfastly

not prepared to do is carry on as things are. This is a very, very deep crisis.”

12

Unfortunately, says Piqué, for the Walloons and for Brussels, “an arrangement like that would be very, very difficult. In a federal state, based on co-operation and solidarity, everything is possible. In a confederation, where there’s no real central government to resolve disputes, everything becomes much more problematic. And if the Flemish get exactly what they want out of all this, and make no concessions, and the Walloons start to feel humiliated and realize they’ve been left with nothing, then there will inevitably be a radicalization. Future historians could well look back and say: ‘This moment, right now, was this country’s turning point.’”

13

The demise of Belgium, Piqué says, would be “a victory for selfishness”. Also, it would be shortsighted, costly and sad. Call me sentimental, but on balance I agree. Outside, it is still pouring. But the tram comes, on time, and nobody on it looks any unhappier than they might reasonably be expected to look in Brussels in November in the rain. They may not be missing their politicians, the Belgians. But it is beginning to look like they might, in the not too distant future, be missing their country. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/11/07

refuses to believe that Belgium is on the brink: “We’ve grown up in this country; it’s a nice country, a friendly country. It would be stupid, completely idiotic, to split it all up just because a few thickheaded politicians are so out of touch with reality that they can’t see sense.”

11 But for Demesmaeker and his Flemish friends,

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there now has to be, at the very least, major constitutional reform: “We could just about live with a confederation – two independent states that voluntarily decide what they can profitably do together. That would be sensible, and it’s a very different proposition from what we have now,” he says. “It’s not that we’re not prepared to help Wallonia; nobody wants a weak neighbour. But it would have to be on our terms: there would have to be transparency, efficiency, less waste. What we are

Bye bye Belgium? Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why do some people think that Belgium will break up?

a. Because the country’s Dutch-speaking majority think they will be better off as an independent country.



b. Because the country’s French-speaking minority wants to become a part of France.



c. Because the country is in economic decline.

2. What is the minimum requirement of people like the deputy mayor of Halle?

a. That Belgium is divided into two independent countries.



b. That everyone in Belgium should speak Dutch.



c. That there should be major constitutional reform.

3. What is the view of the minister-president of Brussels?

a. He believes that Flemish politicians are prepared to increase tensions between the two communities.



b. He thinks that the break-up would be good for most Belgians.



c. He supports a confederation rather than a federal state.

4. Which sentence best describes the mood in Brussels after 156 days without a government?

a. There is anger and panic in the streets.



b. Life goes on as normal.



c. People are out on the streets demanding change.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A noun meaning an event that causes serious problems for everyone. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning accepting that something bad must happen. (para 2) 3. A three-word expression meaning not having recent knowledge about something. (para 3) 4. A six-word expression meaning to be independent. (para 4) 5. A four-word expression meaning it looks as if something bad will happen. (para 7) 6. A verb meaning to allow to happen. (para 9) 7. A three-word expression meaning about to experience something bad. (para 10)

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8. A two-word noun meaning a time when an important change takes place. (para 12)

Bye bye Belgium? Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to form collocations. Check your answers in the text. 1. make

a. a vote

2. resolve

b. a pact

3. pay

c. respect

4. break

d. concessions

5. force

e. taxes

6. deserve

f. disputes

6 Vocabulary 3: Expressions Match the expressions from the text with their meanings. 1. to be better off

a. people are very angry

2. feelings are running high

b. to continue

3. to get someone wrong

c. to leave quickly because you are very angry

4. to storm out

d. to misunderstand

5. to carry on

e. failing to consider what will happen in the future

6. short-sighted

f. in a better situation

7 Discussion Do you think countries should be divided along ethnic or linguistic lines?

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What are the arguments for and against such divisions?

Bye bye Belgium? Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. humiliated 2. steadfast 3. amicable 4. fragile 5. inevitable 6. pact 7. courtesy 8. demise 9. arrogance 10. apocalypse

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

a c a b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Bye bye Belgium? / Advanced

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

f a d c b e

O

1. 2. 3. 4.

6 Vocabulary 3: Expressions

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

d f e b a c

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F F T T F F

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

catastrophe resigned out of touch stand on your own two feet does not bode well countenance on the brink turning-point

Bye bye Belgium? Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Complete the sentences using these key words from the text.

wealthy break up

impatient idiotic

scandal polite

arrogant constitution

inhabitants symbolic

1. An ________________ person is someone who doesn’t like waiting. 2. If someone is ________________, they are very, very stupid. 3. A ________________ person behaves towards other people in a pleasant way. 4. If you are ________________, you have a lot of money. 5. If something is ________________, it represents something important. 6. If you are ________________, you think you are better or more important than other people. 7. If a country ________________, it divides into different parts. 8. The ________________ of a town, city or country are the people who live there. 9. A ________________ is a situation that makes a lot of people shocked and angry. 10. The ________________ of a country is a set of laws that describe the rights and duties of its citizens.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How old is Belgium? 2. What percentage of northern Belgians think Belgium will break up? 3. What is the main language spoken in the Brussels suburb of Halle? 4. What is the name of the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium? 5. What is the name of the French-speaking part of Belgium?

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6. How long has Belgium been without a government?

Bye bye Belgium? The main problem, says Demesmaeker, is that Halle’s French speakers “do not want to learn Dutch. They come here, they think Halle is part of Brussels, they walk into the shops and they say, ‘Bonjour’. Most don’t try to speak Dutch. Listen, I have nothing against Walloons. I often go to the French part of Belgium, and there they are very nice people, completely different. But here ... Well, they are a bit arrogant, I think. French was the main language and culture here for a long time, you see. And the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Halle don’t like too many people speaking French here. They don’t like some of the classes in our schools being half-full of French children.”

6

A local shopkeeper agreed with Demesmaeker: “This is Flanders here, and people must respect our language and our culture. If we go to Wallonia, we expect to have to speak French. It’s only right. And it’s only right that when Belgian French-speakers come here, they should speak Dutch. It’s just being polite. But most of them can’t speak Dutch or don’t want to speak Dutch.”

7

Last week Belgium’s Flemish politicians voted to break up the Halle district. The Walloon MPs walked out of the parliament in protest. Charles Piqué, the French-speaking minister-president of Brussels, says the vote was symbolic. “It is not the end, I don’t think, not yet. ... We have learned in this country, over the years, to avoid these kinds of situations. But this shows that the Flemish politicians want to increase tensions between the communities. And this is just the beginning of their demands. What happens next is critical.”

8

Joelle Rutten, the bookshop worker, does not believe that Belgium is about to break up: “We’ve grown up in this country; it’s a nice country, a friendly country. It would be stupid, completely idiotic, to break it up just because a few stupid politicians cannot see sense.”

9

Demesmaeker and his Flemish friends want a major reform of Belgium’s constitution. “A confederation – two independent states that

Jon Henley November 13, 2007 1 For 177 years Belgium has been a federal kingdom with two languages, French and Dutch. Now some people think that the country is going to break up and divide into two different countries – Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia. If you believe what Belgian newspapers and politicians are saying, the country is in the worst trouble since the dark days of the Second World War. Belgium has had no government for 156 days. Having no government is not the end of the world but there is a very real fear that the end of Belgium is very near. 2 The people of Belgium seem to accept it. In the north, 63% of people think the country will divide. “This place is finished,” says René Vanderweiden, a telecoms engineer. “Maybe not now, maybe not in ten years’ time. But within my lifetime, I’d guess. The Flemings (Belgium’s Dutch-speaking majority) want to leave, and they’re not afraid to say that they want to leave. They’re impatient and they weren’t like that before.” 3 Joelle Rutten, a bookshop assistant, says the problems are the fault of the politicians. “We don’t need them,” she says. “Look at us – we’re all going to work, paying our taxes, nothing has changed. They don’t understand ordinary people. They argue about things that mean nothing to most of us. It’s a scandal! They don’t know what they’re doing.” 4 But some politicians know exactly what they are doing. The deputy mayor of the Brussels suburb of Halle, Mark Demesmaeker, says that he “can no longer see the value of Belgium. There are six million of us Flemings, we work hard, we make money, and we could be independent. In fact, Flanders would be one of the wealthier small countries of Europe. Belgium is simply not good for us.”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Bye bye Belgium? / Elementary

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5

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Bye bye Belgium?

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Elementary

CA

Level 1

Bye bye Belgium? Level 1

Elementary

decide what they can do together would be a good idea,” he says. Unfortunately, says Piqué, for the Walloons and for Brussels, “a confederation like that would be very, very difficult. In a federal state, with co-operation and solidarity, everything is possible. In a confederation, where there’s no real central government, everything becomes much more problematic.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/11/07

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text.

1. Many people in Flanders want Belgium to break up because… 2. Some people believe that the main problem is that… 3. Other people say that the problems… 4. For 156 days Belgium… 5. For 177 years Belgium… 6. Many people believe Belgium…

a. … will break up soon. b. … are the fault of the politicians. c. … has been a federal kingdom. d. … French-speakers do not want to speak Dutch. e. … they believe an independent Flanders would be one of the richer small countries in Europe.

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f. … has had no government.

Bye bye Belgium? Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. 1. the end _______ the world

5. mean nothing _______ most of us

2. _______ ten years’ time

6. not good _______ us

3. the fault _______ the politicians

7. the French part _______ Belgium

4. argue _______ things

8. full _______ children

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table. All the answers are in the text. verb 1.

noun

govern

2.

division

3.

belief

4. 5.

increase assist

6. 7.

argument co-operate

8.

agreement

6 Vocabulary 3: Word puzzle Rearrange these letters to make words from the text. 1. t – r – a – m – j – o – y – i 2. d – e – a – f – l – e – r 3. r – o – u – b – l – e – t 4. s – i – d – r – i – t – t – c 5. n – e – d – n – i – d – p – e – t – e – n

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6. b – u – s – r – u – b

Bye bye Belgium? Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions

1. impatient 2. idiotic 3. polite 4. wealthy 5. symbolic 6. arrogant 7. breaks up 8. inhabitants 9. scandal 10. constitution

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

5 Vocabulary 2: Word building

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e d b f c a

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Bye bye Belgium? / Elementary

govern

government

2.

divide

division

3.

believe

belief

4.

increase

increase

5.

assist

assistant

6.

argue

argument

7.

co-operate

co-operation

8.

agree

agreement

1.

6 Vocabulary 3: Word puzzle 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

majority federal trouble district independent suburb

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3 Comprehension check

noun

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177 years 63% Dutch Flanders Wallonia 156 days (at the time the article was written)

verb

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

of in of about to for of of

Bye bye Belgium? Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Complete the sentences using these key words from the text.

wealthy courtesy

fragile manifesto

inevitable compromise

arrogance intimidation

concession voluntarily

1. If you ________________, you solve a problem by accepting you cannot have everything you want. 2. If something is ________________, it is impossible to avoid or prevent. 3. A ________________ is a formal statement expressing the aims of a political party. 4. If you do something ________________, you do it because you choose to do it and not because you have to. 5. ________________ is formal politeness in social situations. 6. ________________ is behaviour that shows you think you are better or more important than other people. 7. If you are ________________, you have plenty of money. 8. If something is ________________, it can be broken or damaged very easily. 9. A ________________ is something that you give or allow to someone in order to make an agreement. 10. ________________ is the process of making other people feel frightened so they will do what you want.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How old is Belgium? 2. What percentage of northern Belgians think the break-up of Belgium is inevitable? 3. What is the main language spoken in the Brussels suburb of Halle? 4. What is the name of the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium? 5. What is the name of the French-speaking part of Belgium?

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6. How long has Belgium been without a government?

Bye bye Belgium? Intermediate

Bye bye Belgium?

2 Belgium’s citizens seem to accept it: recent surveys show that in the north as many as 63% think the break-up of their 177-year-old country is now more or less inevitable. “This place is finished,” says René Vanderweiden, a telecoms engineer. “Maybe not now, maybe not in ten years’ time. But within my lifetime, I’d guess. The Flemings (Belgium’s Dutch-speaking majority) want to leave, and they’re no longer afraid of saying so. They’re impatient and they weren’t like that before.” 3 Joelle Rutten, a bookshop assistant, blames the politicians. “We obviously don’t need them,” she says. “Look at us – we’re all going to work, paying our taxes, nothing has changed. They’re completely out of touch with ordinary people, anyway, arguing about things that mean nothing to most of us. It’s a scandal! They have no idea what they’re doing at all.” 4 Sadly, though, some politicians seem to have a very clear idea of what they are doing. In a town hall office in the Brussels suburb of Halle, Mark Demesmaeker, deputy mayor, remarks cheerfully that he “can no longer see the value of Belgium, actually. There are six million of us Flemings, we work hard, we make money, and we’re perfectly capable of being independent. Indeed, we would be one of the wealthier small countries of Europe. For us, Belgium is simply

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Bye bye Belgium? / Intermediate

5

The root of the problem, says Demesmaeker, is that Halle’s French speakers show “very little willingness to learn Dutch. They come here, they see Halle as some kind of extension of Brussels, they walk into the shops and they say, ‘Bonjour’. Many make no attempt. Don’t misunderstand: I have nothing against Walloons. I go often to the far south, and there they are charming, completely different. But here . . . Well, there’s a certain arrogance, I think. French was for so long the dominant language and culture here, you see. And the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Halle, well they don’t like too many people speaking French here. They don’t like some of the classes in our schools being half-full of French children.”

6

A local shopkeeper agreed: “This is Flanders here, and we deserve as much respect as anyone else for our language and for our culture. If we go to Wallonia, we expect to have to speak French. It’s only right. And it’s only right that when Belgian French-speakers come here, they should speak Dutch. It’s simple courtesy. But most either can’t speak Dutch or don’t bother.”

7

Last week in a parliamentary committee, Belgium’s Flemish politicians took the historic step of voting for the break-up of the Halle district. The Walloon MPs walked out of the chamber in protest. This was the first time in living memory that Belgium’s unspoken agreement had been broken: the politicians of one language community had forced a vote, against the wishes of those of the other. It may not be the end of Belgium, but most politicians agree that the country’s future looks uncertain.

8

Charles Piqué, the French-speaking ministerpresident of Brussels, accepts that the vote had “a very, very strong symbolic value. It is not decisive, I don’t think, not yet. But it is another step in the continuing process of Flemish

O

1 On the outside everything looks normal but Belgium is in a crisis, according to its newspapers and politicians. If you believe them, the country is in the worst trouble of its brief history, or at least since the dark days of the last war. For the past 156 days Belgium has had no government and, while this is clearly not a catastrophe in itself, there is a very real fear that the fragile and complicated arrangement that holds the country together may finally be coming apart. Belgium may soon cease to exist.

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counterproductive.” At any rate, on the streets of Halle, people have strong feelings. Here, the local council has a Flemish language manifesto stating that Halle is a Dutch-language town, and will remain so. “We simply ask everyone to respect that,” says Demesmaeker.

CA

Level 2

Bye bye Belgium? Level 2

Intermediate

intimidation. We have learned in this country, over the years, to compromise more and more to avoid these kinds of situations. But this shows that they are prepared to increase tensions between the communities. And this is just the beginning of the Flemish demands. They will now demand a full transfer of responsibilities. What happens next is critical.” 8 Joelle Rutten, the bookshop worker, refuses to believe that Belgium is about to break up: “We’ve grown up in this country; it’s a nice country, a friendly country. It would be stupid, completely idiotic, to split it all up just because a few stupid politicians are so out of touch with reality that they can’t see sense.” 9 But for Demesmaeker and his Flemish friends, there now has to be, at the very least, major constitutional reform: “We could just about live with a confederation – two independent states that voluntarily decide what they can profitably do together. That would be sensible, and it’s a very different proposition from what we have now,” he says. “It’s not that we’re not prepared to help Wallonia; nobody wants a weak neighbour. But it would have to be on our terms: there would have to be transparency, efficiency, less waste. What we are not prepared to do is carry on as things are. This is a very, very deep crisis.”

10

Unfortunately, says Piqué, for the Walloons and for Brussels, “an arrangement like that would be very, very difficult. In a federal state, based on co-operation and solidarity, everything is possible. In a confederation, where there’s no real central government to resolve disputes, everything becomes much more problematic. And if the Flemish get exactly what they want out of all this, and make no concessions, and the Walloons realize they’ve been left with nothing, then there will inevitably be a radicalization. Future historians could well look back and say: ‘This moment, right now, was Belgium’s turning point.’”

11

The break-up of Belgium, Piqué says, would be ‘a victory for selfishness’. It would also be costly and sad. Maybe I’m sentimental, but on balance I agree. On the streets of Brussels it is pouring with rain. But the tram comes, on time, and nobody on it looks any unhappier than usual in Brussels in November in the rain. The Belgians may not be missing their politicians but it is beginning to look like they might soon be missing their country. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 13/11/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Most French-speaking Belgians want to see the break-up of their country. 2. An independent Flanders would be one of the wealthier small countries in Europe. 3. The problem in the suburb of Halle is that French-speakers don’t want to learn Dutch. 4. Walloon politicians voted in favour of the break-up of the Halle district. 5. The minister-president of Brussels does not believe the vote is decisive. 6. Mr Demesmaeker strongly supports a confederation. 7. The Flemings are not prepared to help Wallonia.

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8. Belgium is certain to break into two parts soon.

Bye bye Belgium? Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A three-word expression meaning not having recent knowledge about something. (para 3) 2. A noun meaning a situation that shocks you and makes you angry. (para 3) 3. An adjective meaning having the opposite result to the one you intended. (para 4) 4. An adjective meaning more important, powerful or successful. (para 5) 5. An adjective meaning making the final result of a situation completely certain. (para 8) 6. A noun meaning an honest and open way of doing things. (para 10) 7. A noun meaning a situation in which people become angrier and more political. (para 11) 8. A two-word noun meaning a time when an important change takes place. (para 11)

5 Vocabulary 2: Words followed by prepositions Fill the gaps using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. according _______

5. value _______

2. afraid _______

6. capable _______

3. out of touch _______

7. respect _______

4. argue _______

8. based _______

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table. All the answers are in the text. verb 1.

arrange

2.

extend

3.

agree

4.

demand

5.

propose

6.

co-operate

7.

concede

8.

govern

noun

7 Discussion

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What are the arguments for and against dividing countries along ethnic or linguistic lines?

Bye bye Belgium? Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. compromise 2. inevitable 3. manifesto 4. voluntarily 5. courtesy 6. arrogance 7. wealthy 8. fragile 9. concession 10. intimidation

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F T T F T F F F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Bye bye Belgium? / Intermediate

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

to of with about of of for on

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building verb

noun

1.

arrange

arrangement

2.

extend

extension

3.

agree

agreement

4.

demand

demand

5.

propose

proposition / proposal

6.

co-operate

co-operation

7.

concede

concession

8.

govern

government

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177 years 63% Dutch (Flemish) Flanders Wallonia 156 days (at the time when the article was written)



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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Words followed by prepositions

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

out of touch scandal counterproductive dominant decisive transparency radicalization turning-point

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer

What does a palaeontologist do? Can you name any well-known palaeontologists (real or on TV or film)? Would you like to be a palaeontologist? Why / Why not?

2

Key words: Pronunciation and meaning

1. Draw the stress pattern for these words from the article. e.g. Palaeontological ooooOoo

rummaging Ooo

correspondent

_________________

dinosaur

_________________

enthusiast

_________________

fossil

_________________

sauropods

_________________

programmer

_________________

association

_________________

palaeontologists

_________________

eminent

_________________

vertebra

_________________

carnivorous

_________________

herbivorous

_________________

specimens

_________________

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2. Discuss their meanings and then check your answers in a dictionary.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Advanced

1 Part-time dinosaur enthusiast Mike Taylor was rummaging among the shelves of the Natural History Museum in London when he came across a dusty fossil. He immediately realized that the label stuck to the fossil was distinctly wrong. 2 For 113 years the fossil, stored deep below the museum after being dismissed as just another fossil from a common North American dinosaur, had barely attracted a second look. In fact, what the computer programmer from Gloucestershire had found was evidence of a new species that lived 140m years ago. 3 According to the journal of the British Palaeontological Association, the dinosaur, now named Xenoposeidon proneneukus, belonged to a previously unknown family of sauropods. It was about the size of an elephant and weighed as much as 7.5 tonnes, the journal suggests. 4 The astonishing find came last January during a day of PhD research spent picking through bones to learn more about sauropods, the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth. Taylor was visiting the museum as part of his research at Portsmouth University. 5 Behind grey metal doors in a gloomy sub-basement lie row upon row of shelves strewn with the fossilised remains of extinct creatures. Many of the museum’s 90 million fossils can be found there. Taylor found the long neglected spine fossil on a shelf, a few floors beneath the offices of some of the most eminent palaeontologists in Britain.

7

“I took it over to the bench, laid it down gently on sandbags, and started looking at it. I was thinking, can it be this, can it be that, and the answer, over and over, was no.”

8

The bone, a vertebra from near the hip of the creature, was discovered in Ecclesbourne Glen, near Hastings, in the early 1890s, by a fossil collector called Philip James Rufford.

9

It was studied briefly by the English palaeontologist Richard Lydekker, before being stored at the museum. It was labelled as ‘Morosaurus brevis’ once a common sauropod in what is now North America.

10 Taylor noticed features in the spinal bone that made it clear it was from a sauropod. It contained large air holes that lightened the skeleton, making it easier for the giants to walk. But it differed dramatically in other ways. 11 Apart from its probable size, Taylor says it is almost impossible to infer anything else about it. Describing how he felt on holding the bone, Taylor said: “It’s just pure love.” 12 “What this suggests is that these dinosaurs were much more diverse and more widespread than we realized, so we’re still only scratching the surface in understanding them,” he said. 13 There are three major groups of dinosaurs. The most fearsome were the carnivorous theropods, among them Tyrannosaurus rex and the velociraptor. A second group is the ornithischians, such as the triceratops and stegosaurus. 14 But the sauropods, including the herbivorous diplodocus and brachiosaurus, dwarfed them all,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf / Advanced

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Ian Sample, science correspondent November 15, 2007

“I was going through the cabinets looking for two particular specimens, but before I got to those, I found this thing lying on its side with a label calling it something that it clearly wasn’t,” he said.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Spinal fossil of sauropod found in museum vault. Species believed to have lived 140m years ago.

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Untouched on a shelf for 113 years: a dusty bone of the dinosaur no one knew existed

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Level 3

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 3

Advanced

with some weighing 70 tonnes and nearing 30 metres long. 15 Angela Milner, keeper of palaeontology at the museum, said the Xenoposeidon was unlikely to be the only undiscovered species in the collection.

are so important. Things that did not appear too significant when they were first discovered can become important later on.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/11/07

16 “Because the collections here are so large, it’s bound to be the case that some specimens have not been reviewed in many, many years,” she said. “When people look at things using modern techniques, it’s not unusual to make new discoveries and that’s why museum collections

3 Comprehension check Choose the correct answer according to the information in the article.

1. Nobody had noticed this new species before because the fossil... a. ... had been labelled incorrectly. b. ... had not been labelled. c. ... had been hidden. 2. The fossil was recently rediscovered at... a. ... Portsmouth University. b. ... Ecclesbourne Glen, near Hastings. c. ... the Natural History Museum in London 3. Sauropods were... a. ... meat eaters. b. ... vegetarians. c. ... omnivores (ate anything).

5. The diplodocus and the brachiosaurus were two of the...



a. ... smallest dinosaurs. b. ... medium-sized dinosaurs. c. ... largest dinosaurs. 6. Angela Milner says... a. ... that it was likely to be the only incorrectly labelled fossil in the museum. b. ... there are probably more incorrectly labelled fossils in the museum c. ... that there are definitely more Xenoposeidon fossils in the museum.

4. The three major dinosaur groups are the...

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a. ... theropods, ornithischians and sauropods. b. ... tyrannosaurus, the stegosaurus and the velociraptor. c. ... sauropods, diplodocus and brachiosaurus.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Multiword expressions 1. Match these expressions with the explanations and then check back over the article to see how they were used. 1. rummaging around

don’t know or understand much – not looking into something deeply

2.

to come across something

people don’t usually look more than once

3.

to barely attract a second look

to tower over somebody / to be very much taller

4.

only scratching the surface

to discover something by chance

5.

to dwarf something or somebody

it is very likely so

6.

it’s bound to be the case

searching in a haphazard or undirected way

5 Discussion Have you ever found anything exciting or interesting, something you didn’t know you had, or something that amazed or surprised you? Think back to when you were a child. •

What was it?

•

Where did you find it?

•

What did you do with it?

•

Where is it now?

6 Webquest Choose one dinosaur, research it on the Internet, and then hold a short presentation about it to your group. You can find a lot of clear information on websites such as: •

www.zoomdinosaurs.com

•

www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/fact_files

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NEWS LESSONS / Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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You can also print out pictures from Google photos.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Warmer

3 Comprehension check

A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies palaeontology, learning about the forms of life that existed in former geologic periods, chiefly by studying fossils.

1. a 2. c 3. b 4. a 5. c 6. b

Well-known palaeontologists include: Mary Anning, Richard Owen, Charles Darwin, Ross in the TV series Friends, and Cary Grant in the film Bringing up Baby. www.zoomdinosaurs.com/subjects/dinosaurs/ glossary/Paleontologists.shtml

4 Vocabulary: Multiword expressions 1. rummaging around = searching in a haphazard or undirected way

2 Key words: Pronunciation and meaning

2. to come across something = to discover something by chance

correspondent ooOo

3. to barely attract a second look = people don’t usually look more than once

dinosaur

Ooo

enthusiast

oOoo

fossil

Oo

sauropods

Ooo

programmer

Ooo

association

oooOo

4. only scratching the surface = don’t know or understand much – not looking into something deeply 5. to dwarf something or somebody = to tower over somebody / to be very much taller 6. it’s bound to be the case = it is very likely so

palaeontologists oooOoo eminent

Ooo

vertebra

Ooo

carnivorous

oOoo

herbivorous

oOoo

specimens

Ooo

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You can listen to the words being spoken on online dictionaries such as www.m-w.com/dictionary

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 1 1

Elementary

Warmer

•

What is a palaeontologist?

•

Where do palaeontologists usually work?

•

Would you like to be a palaeontologist? Why / Why not?

2 Key words Write the words from the article into the sentences. The paragraph numbers will help you.

enthusiast feature

reasearch shelf

fossil creature

undiscovered label (vb)

specimen common

1. A _________________ is a flat piece of wood, glass or plastic that you put things on. (para 1) 2. A _________________ is (a part of) an animal or plant that lived many thousands of years ago. (para 1) 3. An _________________ is someone who is very interested in something and spends a lot of time doing it. (para 1) 4. When something is _________________ it is usual, ordinary or exists in large numbers. (para 2) 5. _________________ is the detailed study of something in order to find new facts and information. (para 4) 6. _________________ is the word we use for anything that lives (except plants). (para 4) 7. When you _________________ something, you attach a piece of paper which provides its name or other information. (para 8) 8. A _________________ is an important part or aspect of something. (para 9) 9. When something has not been found or seen before, it is _________________ (para 12).

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10. A _________________ is an example of something, especially a plant or an animal. (para 13)

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 1

Elementary

Untouched on a shelf for 113 years: a dusty bone of the dinosaur no one knew existed

8

It was studied briefly by the English palaeontologist Richard Lydekker, and then kept at the museum. It was labelled as “Morosaurus brevis” once a common sauropod in North America.

9

Taylor noticed features in the bone that made it clear it was from a sauropod. For example, it had large air holes that made the skeleton lighter, so that the giants could walk. But in other ways it was very different.

Ian Sample, science correspondent November 15, 2007 1 Part-time dinosaur enthusiast Mike Taylor was looking in the shelves of the Natural History Museum in London when he found a dusty fossil. He immediately realized that the label on the fossil was wrong. 2 For 113 years the museum thought that the fossil was from a common North American dinosaur. In fact, what Mike Taylor had found was a new dinosaur that lived 140 million years ago. 3 The dinosaur, now named Xenoposeidon proneneukus, belonged to a family of sauropods. It was about the size of an elephant and weighed up to 7.5 tonnes. 4 Mike Taylor found the fossil last January while he was doing some research. He was looking at bones to learn more about sauropods, the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth. Taylor was visiting the museum as part of his research at Portsmouth University. 5 Behind grey metal doors in a dark basement in the museum are rows of shelves. Many of the museum’s 90 million fossils can be found there. Taylor found the spine fossil on a shelf, just a few floors beneath the offices of some of the most respected palaeontologists in Britain. 6 “I was looking for two particular specimens, but before I got to those, I found this thing with a label that called it something that it was not,” he said. “I took it over to the bench, laid it down gently on sandbags, and started looking at it.

10 Apart from its size, Taylor says it is almost impossible to know anything else about the dinosaur. 11 There are three major groups of dinosaurs. The most frightening were the carnivorous theropods, among them Tyrannosaurus rex and the velociraptor. A second group is the ornithischians, such as the triceratops and stegosaurus. But the sauropods, which include the herbivorous diplodocus and brachiosaurus, were the largest of them all; they could weigh up to 70 tonnes and some were nearly 30 metres long. 12 Angela Milner, a palaeontologist at the museum, said the Xenoposeidon was probably not the only undiscovered species in the collection. 13 “Because the collections here are so large, some specimens have not been looked at for many, many years,” she said. “When people look at things using modern techniques, they sometimes make new discoveries and that’s why museum collections are so important.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/11/07

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

7 The bone, a vertebra from near the hip of the creature, was discovered in Ecclesbourne Glen, near Hastings, in the early 1890s, by a fossil collector called Philip James Rufford.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the article? 1. A new type of dinosaur has been discovered. 2. Xenoposeidon proneneukus lived 113 years ago. 3. The wrong dinosaur name was written on the label. 4. The fossil was on display in the museum. 5. Xenoposeidon proneneukus was a meat-eater. 6. Sauropods were the largest dinosaurs. 7. Experts think there are many more undiscovered dinosaurs. 8. The fossil was found in North America. 9. The fossil is from the foot of the dinosaur. 10. Mike Taylor is very interested in dinosaurs.

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions Fill in the missing propositions. Check your answers in the article. 1. The Natural History Museum is ____________ London. 2. Xenoposeidon proneneukus belonged ____________ a family ____________ sauropods. 3. It was the size ____________ an elephant. 4. Taylor was looking ____________ bones. 5. The fossil was ____________ a shelf. 6. It was discovered ____________ a fossil collector 113 years ago. 7. Sauropods were the largest ____________ them all.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. Some specimens have not been looked at ____________ many years.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 1

Elementary

5 Discussion Have you ever found anything exciting or interesting? Think back to when you were a child. •

What was it?

•

Where did you find it?

•

What did you do with it?

•

Where is it now?

5 Webquest Research one dinosaur on the Internet, make some notes, and then tell your group about it. You can find a lot of clear information on websites such as: •

www.zoomdinosaurs.com

•

www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/fact_files

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NEWS LESSONS / Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

You can also print out pictures from Google photos.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Warmer

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions

A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies

1. in 2. to/of 3. of 4. at 5. on 6. by 7. of 8. for

palaeontology, learning about the forms of life that existed in former geologic periods, chiefly by studying fossils.

2 Keywords 1. shelf 2. fossil 3. enthusiast 4. common 5. research 6. creature 7. label 8. feature 9. undiscovered 10. specimen

3 Comprehension check

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1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. T 7. T 8. F 9. F 10. T

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer

What is a palaeontologist? Can you think of any well-known palaeontologists (real or on TV or film)? Would you like to be a palaeontologist? Why / Why not?

2

Key words

Write the following words from the article into the sentences.

enthusiast diverse

research widespread

vertebra fossil

significant label (vb)

discover extinct

1. When you find something that was hidden or missing, you _________________ it. 2. When something is _________________ it is large, noticeable or important. 3. An _________________ animal or plant is one that no longer exists. 4. An _________________ is someone who is very interested in something and spends a lot of time doing it. 5. When something is _________________, it is very different to something else. 6. A _________________ is one of the bones that forms a line down the centre of your back. 7. _________________ is the detailed study of something in order to find new facts and information. 8. A _________________ is (a part of) an animal or plant that lived many thousands of years ago. 9. When you _________________ something, you attach a piece of paper which provides it’s name or



other information.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

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10. When something is _________________ is exists in many different places.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Intermediate near Hastings, in the early 1890s, by a fossil collector called Philip James Rufford. 8

It was studied briefly by the English palaeontologist Richard Lydekker, before being stored at the museum. It was labelled as “Morosaurus brevis” once a common sauropod in what is now North America.

9

Taylor noticed features in the bone that made it clear it was from a sauropod. For example, it contained large air holes that lightened the skeleton, making it easier for the giants to walk. But in other ways it was very different.

Ian Sample, science correspondent November 15, 2007

3 According to the journal of the British Palaeontological Association, the dinosaur, now named Xenoposeidon proneneukus, belonged to a previously unknown family of sauropods. It was about the size of an elephant and weighed as much as 7.5 tonnes. 4 The astonishing find came last January during a day of research spent looking at bones to learn more about sauropods, the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth. Taylor was visiting the museum as part of his research at Portsmouth University. 5 Behind grey metal doors in a gloomy basement are rows of shelves covered with the fossilized remains of extinct creatures. Many of the museum’s 90 million fossils can be found there. Taylor found the long neglected spine fossil on a shelf, just a few floors beneath the offices of some of the most respected palaeontologists in Britain. 6 “I was searching the cabinets looking for two particular specimens, but before I got to those, I found this thing lying on its side with a label calling it something that it clearly was not,” he said. “I took it over to the bench, laid it down gently on sandbags, and started looking at it. 7 The bone, a vertebra from near the hip of the creature, was discovered in Ecclesbourne Glen,

10 Apart from its size, Taylor says it is almost impossible to infer anything else about the dinosaur. Describing how he felt when he held the bone, Taylor said: “It’s just pure love.” 11 “What this suggests is that these dinosaurs were much more diverse and more widespread than we realized, and that we still don’t know much about them,” he said. 12 There are three major groups of dinosaurs. The most fearsome were the carnivorous theropods, among them Tyrannosaurus rex and the velociraptor. A second group is the ornithischians, such as the triceratops and stegosaurus. 13 But the sauropods, including the herbivorous diplodocus and brachiosaurus, were the largest of them all, with some weighing 70 tonnes and nearing 30 metres long. 14 Angela Milner, a palaeontologist at the museum, said the Xenoposeidon was unlikely to be the only undiscovered species in the collection. 15 “Because the collections here are so large, some specimens have not been closely looked at for many, many years,” she said. “When people look at things using modern techniques, they sometimes make new discoveries and that’s why museum collections are so important. Things that did not appear very significant when they were first discovered can become important later on.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 15/11/07

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf / Intermediate

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2 For 113 years it was thought that the fossil was from a common North American dinosaur. In fact, what Mike Taylor had found was evidence of a new species that lived 140 million years ago.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Part-time dinosaur enthusiast Mike Taylor was looking in the shelves of the Natural History Museum in London when he came across a dusty fossil. He immediately realized that the label stuck to the fossil was distinctly wrong.

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Untouched on a shelf for 113 years: a dusty bone of the dinosaur no one knew existed

CA

Level 2

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 2 3

Intermediate

Comprehension check

Match the sentence halves and then put them into the correct order to retell the story. The fossil was discovered in Ecclesbourne Glen, near Hastings...

... and was in fact from an unknown dinosaur.

Modern techniques showed that it is from a Xenoposeidon proneneukus...

... in the early 1980s, by Philip James Rufford.

A leading palaeontologist said there are likely to be other undiscovered species...

... which lived 140 million years ago.

The mis-labelled fossil lay...

... and was stored in the Natural History Museum.

A dinosaur enthusiast discovered the dusty bone...

... on a shelf in a basement for 113 years.

He found out that the bone had the wrong label...

... last January while doing some research.

It was thought to be a common sauropod...

... in the museum.

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

enthusiast

3. dinosaur

find

4. metal

basement

5. astonishing

doors

6. gloomy

palaeontologists

7. extinct

unknown

8. respected

fossil

9. major

wrong

10. previously

group

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf / Intermediate

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2. distinctly

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creatures

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1. dusty

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Join the words to make collocations from the article. Then make a sentence for each collocation.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 2

Intermediate

5 Discussion Have you ever found anything exciting or interesting, something you didn’t know you had, or something that amazed or surprised you? Think back to when you were a child. •

What was it?

•

Where did you find it?

•

What did you do with it?

•

Where is it now?

6 Idioms Choose one dinosaur, research it on the Internet, and then hold a short presentation about it to your group. You can find a lot of clear information on websites such as: www.zoomdinosaurs.com www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/fact_files/

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NEWS LESSONS / Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

You could also print out pictures from Google photos.

Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Warmer

3 Comprehension check

A palaeontologist is a scientist who studies palaeontology, learning about the forms of life that existed in former geologic periods, chiefly by studying fossils.

1. The fossil was discovered in Ecclesbourne Glen, near Hastings, in the early 1890s, by Philip James Rufford. 2. It was thought to be a common sauropod and was stored at the Natural History Museum. 3. The mis-labelled fossil lay on a shelf in a basement for 113 years. 4. A dinosaur enthusiast discovered the dusty bone last January while doing some research. 5. He found out that the bone had the wrong label and was in fact from an unknown dinosaur. 6. Modern techniques showed that it is from a Xenoposeidon proneneukus which lived 140 million years ago. 7. A leading palaeontologist said there are likely to be other undiscovered species in the museum.

1. discover 2. significant 3. extinct 4. enthusiast 5. diverse 6. vertebra 7. research 8. fossil 9. label 10. widespread

4 Vocabulary: Collocations 1. dusty fossil 2. distinctly wrong 3. dinosaur enthusiast 4. metal doors 5. astonishing find 6. gloomy basement 7. extinct creatures 8. respected palaeontologists 9. major group 10. previously unknown

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Dinosaur bone ‘found’ after 113 years on a shelf / Intermediate

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2 Key words

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www.zoomdinosaurs.com/subjects/dinosaurs/glossary/ Paleontologists.shtml

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Well-known palaeontologists include: Mary Anning, Richard Owen, Charles Darwin, Ross in the TV series Friends and Cary Grant in the film Bringing up Baby.

Iceberg survivors Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps using an appropriate form of these key words from the text. stricken gutted

hypothermia mainland

relieved ordeal

endure list

evacuate drift

1. If a ship ____________ , it leans to one side. 2. An ____________ is an extremely unpleasant experience, especially one that lasts a long time. 3. ____________ is a serious medical condition in which your body temperature is very low. 4. If you feel ____________, you feel extremely disappointed. 5. If you feel ____________, you feel happy and relaxed because a bad situation has ended. 6. If a ship is ____________, it is badly damaged. 7. If you ____________ something unpleasant, you suffer it patiently for a long time. 8. If a ship ____________, it moves slowly in different directions because it has no power. 9. When people are ____________ from a dangerous situation, they are helped to leave it. 10. The ____________ is a large mass of land that forms the main part of a country and does not include any islands.

2

What do you think?

Read the headline again. Now decide whether these statements about the text are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. The ship was trapped in ice. 2. The ship hit an iceberg. 3. The passengers were rescued immediately. 4. They were on a cruise in the Arctic. 5. The passengers weren’t afraid.

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6. The accident happened in the daytime.

Iceberg survivors Advanced

Happy to be heading home: iceberg survivors tell of fear in darkness

7

The Explorer, owned by a Canadian tour company, GAP Adventures, was a week away from completing a 19-day, £4,000 trip tracing the 1914-16 expedition undertaken by the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in his ship Endurance. Endurance was trapped in the ice for months before being broken up by it in October 1915.

8

A spokesman for GAP Adventures said that after landing in Punta Arenas, at the southern tip of mainland Chile, the passengers would be given the option of joining another cruise or flying home. When asked whether an investigation was under way into the ship’s sinking, the spokesman said: “The investigation will commence once all the passengers are safely on the mainland.”

4 The Explorer took on water after an iceberg struck the ship shortly before midnight on Friday, punching a hole in its side. All 154 holidaymakers and staff on board, including 23 Britons, escaped on lifeboats and endured five hours in subzero temperatures before being rescued by the Norwegian vessel Nordnorge, which took them to two nearby military bases on King George Island.

9

Those on board included 17 Dutch people, 14 Americans, 12 Canadians, 10 Australians, four Swiss, four Irish, three Danes, two Argentines, two Belgians, two from Hong Kong and single passengers from China, France, Germany, Japan, Colombia and Sweden. The majority of the crew were believed to be from the Philippines, the company stated.

5 Passengers among the first group of survivors to reach the mainland spoke of their relief as they stepped off the plane. “I feel wonderful, very

10 Mrs Flood, whose husband was employed by GAP to give lectures on the ship, said that as a staff member he was one of the last people to be

1 A survivor of the stricken Antarctic cruise liner Explorer has spoken of the terrifying hours he spent drifting in the darkness in a lifeboat in the freezing cold with other passengers, not knowing whether they would be rescued before the onset of hypothermia. The wife of Bob Flood, 52, an ornithologist and academic, said that her husband believed they were going to die. 2 “When they were in the lifeboat, they didn’t know whether a boat would come to rescue them,” Mandy Flood said. “He didn’t know how long it would be before hypothermia would set in. I don’t really know whether they had very much information. He said that he did think they would die.” 3 Last night, a relieved Mr Flood, from the Isles of Scilly, arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile, on a military cargo plane, along with the remainder of the tourists and crew from the shipwreck. Eleven passengers and 66 staff had been forced to remain on a military base in the Antarctic for two nights due to bad weather. They joined the 75 passengers and two staff members who arrived on the mainland on Saturday night.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Iceberg survivors / Advanced

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“I’m so relieved, I’m happy that everyone made it off the ship, because it could have been a big disaster,” said Eli Charne, 38, from California, speaking before he left King George Island. Charne, who raised the alarm after he felt the vessel strike ice, said: “I thought the ship was going down. We were on the lowest deck of the ship, so we all rushed out of the room and pressed the emergency button as water rushed in. It’s certainly nice to be on the way home now. I’m just really glad to be around still,” he told Reuters.

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One of the last to leave the Antarctic cruise ship as it started listing believed they were all going to die Karen McVeigh November 26, 2007

pleased to be alive,” Danish tourist Jan Henkel, 42, told the AFP news agency. Henkel, who proposed to his girlfriend, Mette Larsen, after they survived the ordeal, added: “Everybody was afraid they would die, I think.”

CA

Level 3

Iceberg survivors Level 3

Advanced

evacuated as water filled the lower decks. “It took an hour for the full evacuation to take place and by that point the boat had started listing. He said that was quite frightening and he realized they were in danger. He said that he knows how close they came,” she said. 11 She said that earlier in the trip her husband had emailed her to tell her that he had managed to shoot some film footage of a rare bird called the angel of the Antarctic, the snowy petrel. “He had been to the Antarctic twice and had not been able to get this, so he emailed me to tell me he had and he was thrilled. I had in my mind that, as soon as he got on a rescue boat, he would be absolutely gutted that he had lost this footage.

“But she said that despite his ordeal, Mr Flood had managed to save a souvenir of his trip. “When I asked him whether he had managed to save anything at all from the ship, he said yes – his passport and his pen drive (computer memory stick), which had all the footage.” © Guardian News and Media 2007 First published in The Guardian 26/11/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What was the passengers’ greatest fear? a. That they would drown. b. That no-one knew where they were so they wouldn’t be rescued. c. That they wouldn’t be rescued before they died of hypothermia. 2. Where were the passengers taken first? a. To King George Island. b. To Punta Arenas. c. To Norway. 3. How did the passenger who raised the alarm know there was a problem? a. He heard the sound of the ship hitting an iceberg. b. He felt the ship hit an iceberg. c. He saw the ship hit an iceberg. 4. Why was Mr Flood particularly relieved after his rescue?

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a. Because he managed to save his passport. b. Because he was the last man off the ship before it sank. c. Because he managed to save his pictures of the rare snowy petrel.

Iceberg survivors Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A noun meaning the beginning of something bad. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning someone who studies birds. (para 1). 3. A noun meaning an accident where a ship is destroyed during a voyage. (para 3) 4. A two-word expression meaning because of. (para 3) 5. A verb meaning to ask someone to marry you. (para 5) 6. A two-word expression meaning not to die as the result of an accident. (para 6) 7. A noun meaning film of a particular subject or event. (para 11) 8. An adjective meaning very pleased and excited. (para 11)

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right to make collocations from the text. 1. survive 2. raise 3. give 4. punch 5. press 6. take 7. shoot 8. take on

a. a lecture b. place c. film footage d. an emergency button e. an ordeal f. a hole g. water h. the alarm

6 Vocabulary 3: Phrasal verbs Fill the gaps using an appropriate form of these phrasal verbs from the text. set in

take on

break up

rush in

rush out

step off

1. The ship began to ____________ water and soon began to sink. 2. The Endurance ____________ in the ice in 1915. 3. When water ____________ , it comes in through a hole very quickly. 4. If a disease or a condition ____________ , it begins to affect a person or a group of people. 5. When you ____________ a boat or a plane, you leave it. 6. If you ____________ of somewhere, you leave extremely quickly.

7 Discussion

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The Antarctic is clearly a dangerous place to visit. Can you think of any other dangerous parts of the world for tourists? What makes them dangerous? What dangerous places would you like to visit?

Iceberg survivors Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. lists 2. ordeal 3. hypothermia 4. gutted 5. relieved 6. stricken 7. endure 8. drifts 9. evacuated 10. mainland

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

onset ornithologist shipwreck due to propose to make it footage thrilled

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Phrasal verbs

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c a b c

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Iceberg survivors / Advanced

take on broke up rushes in sets in step off rush out

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F T F F F F

e h a f d b c g

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 What do you know?

Iceberg survivors Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text. survivor lists

life raft deck

iceberg crew

rescue military base

cruise investigation

1. To _______________ someone is to save them from a dangerous situation. 2. The _______________ are all the people who work on a ship. 3. A _______________ is one of the levels on a ship. 4. A _______________ is a small boat used for saving people whose ship is sinking. 5. A _______________ is a person who is still alive after a serious accident. 6. A _______________ is a place where soldiers live and work. 7. A _______________ is a journey by ship for pleasure that involves visiting a lot of different places. 8. An _______________ is a very large piece of ice floating in the sea. 9. An _______________ is an official process where people ask a lot of questions to find out why an accident happened. 10. If a ship _______________ , it leans to one side.

2

Find the answer

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible.

1. How many people were on the ship in total? 2. How British people were on the ship? 3. How many hours did they spend in the life rafts? 4. How much did the holiday cost? 5. Where were most of the crew from?

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6. Where is Punta Arenas?

Iceberg survivors

Passengers in the first group of survivors to arrive in Chile talked about their feelings when they got off the plane. “I feel wonderful, very pleased to be alive,” Danish tourist Jan Henkel, 42, said. “Everybody was afraid they would die.” When they reached Chile, Mr Henkel asked his girlfriend to marry him.

6

“I’m so happy that everyone got off the ship, because it was nearly a terrible disaster,” said Eli Charne, 38, from California. Charne, who felt the ship hit the iceberg, said: “I thought the ship was sinking. We were on the lowest deck of the ship, so we all ran out of the room and pressed the emergency button as the water came in. It’s certainly nice to be on the way home now. I’m just really glad to be alive” he said.

7

The Explorer is owned by a Canadian tour company, GAP Adventures. It was near the end of a 19-day, £4,000 trip when it hit the iceberg. A spokesman for GAP Adventures said that after they arrived in Punta Arenas in Chile, the passengers could join another cruise or fly home. When he was asked about an investigation into the accident, the spokesman said: “The investigation will begin when all the passengers are safe in Chile.”

8

The passengers included 23 British, 17 Dutch, 14 Americans, 12 Canadians, 10 Australians, four Swiss, four Irish, three Danish, two Argentines, two Belgians, two from Hong Kong and single passengers from China, France, Germany, Japan, Colombia and Sweden. Most of the crew were from the Philippines, the company said.

9

Mrs Flood, whose husband worked for GAP and gave lectures on the ship, said that Mr Flood was one of the last people to leave the ship as water lower decks filled with water. “It took an hour for everyone to get off and by then the ship was listing. He said that was

One of the last to leave the Antarctic cruise ship as it started listing believed they were all going to die. Karen McVeigh November 26, 2007 1 Last week a cruise ship called the Explorer hit an iceberg in the Antarctic and sank. All the passengers are safe now but they were very afraid when the accident happened. One of the survivors has talked about the terrifying hours the passengers spent in the darkness in a lifeboat in the freezing cold. They did not know if a rescue boat would come before they died from the cold. The wife of Bob Flood, 52, who worked on the ship, said that her husband thought they would all die. 2 “When they were in the life raft, they didn’t know if a boat would come to rescue them,” Mandy Flood said. “He didn’t know how long it would be before he became ill from the cold. They didn’t have any information. He said that he thought they would die.” 3 Last night, Mr Flood arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile, on an army plane, along with the other tourists and the crew from the ship. Eleven passengers and 66 staff had to stay on a military base in the Antarctic for two nights because of bad weather. Then they arrived in Chile and joined the 75 passengers and two staff members who arrived on Saturday night. 4 The Explorer began to sink after the ship hit an iceberg just before midnight on Friday. The iceberg made a large hole in the side of the ship. All 154 holidaymakers and crew on board escaped on life rafts and then had to spend five hours in sub-zero temperatures before a Norwegian ship found them and took them to two military bases on King George Island.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Iceberg survivors / Elementary

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Happy to be heading home: iceberg survivors tell of fear in darkness

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Elementary

CA

Level 1

Iceberg survivors Level 1

Elementary

quite frightening and he knew they were in danger. He said that he knows how near they were to dying,” she said.

I thought that he would lose his pictures when the ship sank. “But when I asked him if he had saved anything at all from the ship, he said yes – his passport and his computer memory stick, with all the pictures.”

10 Mrs Flood also said that earlier in the trip her husband took some pictures of a rare bird called the snowy petrel. “He went to the Antarctic twice before but did not see the bird and did not take any pictures. He emailed me to tell me he had taken the pictures and he was really pleased.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 26/11/07

3 Comprehension check Join the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The ship sank because…

a. … when all the passengers are safe in Chile.

2. The passengers were afraid because… b. … if a rescue boat would come before they died of cold. 3. Mr Flood was very pleased because…

c. … her husband saved his computer memory stick with the photos of the rare bird.

4. The passengers did not know…

d. … it was dark and the weather was very cold.

5. The ship was near the end of its trip…

e. … it hit an iceberg.

6. The investigation will start…

f. … when it hit the iceberg.

4 Vocabulary 1: Nations and nationalities Complete the table. All these nationalities are in the text.

country

nationality

Canada Australia Switzerland Norway Denmark Belgium The Netherlands

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Ireland

Iceberg survivors Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Opposite adjectives Find the opposites of these words in the text. 1. boiling ____________ 2. small ____________ 3. highest ____________ 4. dead ____________ 5. dangerous ____________ 6. common ____________

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text with the correct prepositions.

1. _______ danger 2. _______ the freezing cold 3. _______ Saturday night 4. along _______ the other tourists 5. just _______ midnight 6. _______ the way home 7. they ran _______ the room

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8. an investigation _______ the accident

Iceberg survivors Level 1

Elementary

KEY

1. 154 2. 23 3. five 4. £4,000 5. The Philippines 6. Chile

3 Comprehension check 1. e 2. d 3. c 4. b 5. f 6. a



© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Iceberg survivors / Elementary

Nationality

Canada

Canadian

Australia

Australian

Switzerland

Swiss

Norway

Norwegian

Denmark

Danish

Belgium

Belgian

The Netherlands

Dutch

Ireland

Irish

5 Vocabulary 2: Opposite adjectives 1. freezing 2. large 3. lowest 4. alive 5. safe 6. rare

6 Vocabulary 3: Prepositions 1. in 2. in 3. on 4. with 5. before 6. on 7. out of 8. into

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2 Find the answer

Country

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1. rescue 2. crew 3. deck 4. life raft 5. survivor 6. military base 7. cruise 8. iceberg 9. investigation 10. lists

4 Vocabulary 1: Nations and nationality

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Key words

Iceberg survivors Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps using these key words from the text.

hypothermia rescue

gutted cruise

survivor option

life raft lists

iceberg thrilled

1. A _______________ is a journey by ship for pleasure that involves visiting a lot of different places. 2. A _______________ is a person who is still alive after a serious accident. 3. If you feel _______________, you feel very pleased and excited. 4. An _______________ is something you can choose in a particular situation. 5. To _______________ someone is to save them from a dangerous situation. 6. _______________ is a serious medical condition in which your body temperature is very low. 7. If a ship _______________ , it leans to one side. 8. A _______________ is a small boat used for saving people whose ship is sinking. 9. If you feel _______________, you feel extremely disappointed. 10. An _______________ is a very large piece of ice floating in the sea.

2

Find the answer

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. Where is Punta Arenas? 2. How many people were on the ship in total? 3. How many Americans were on the ship? 4. How long did they spend in the life rafts? 5. How much did the holiday cost?

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6. How long did it take to get everyone off the ship?

Iceberg survivors

Passengers among the first group of survivors to reach Chile spoke about their feelings as they got off the plane. “I feel wonderful, very pleased to be alive,” Danish tourist Jan Henkel, 42, told the AFP news agency. Henkel added: “Everybody was afraid they would die, I think.” Mr Henkel proposed to his girlfriend when they reached Chile.

6

“I’m so happy that everyone got off the ship, because it could have been a big disaster,” said Eli Charne, 38, from California, speaking before he left King George Island. Charne, who raised the alarm after he felt the ship hit the iceberg, said: “I thought the ship was sinking. We were on the lowest deck of the ship, so we all ran out of the room and pressed the emergency button as the water came in. It’s certainly nice to be on the way home now. I’m just really glad to be alive still,” he told Reuters.

7

The Explorer, owned by a Canadian tour company, GAP Adventures, had almost completed a 19-day, £4,000 trip following the 1914-16 expedition undertaken by the explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton in his ship Endurance. Endurance was stuck in the ice for months before the ice broke it up in October 1915.

8

A spokesman for GAP Adventures said that after landing in Punta Arenas in Chile, the passengers would be given the option of joining another cruise or flying home. When he was asked whether an investigation was under way into the accident, the spokesman said: “The investigation will begin as soon as all the passengers are safely in Chile.”

9

Those on board included 23 British, 17 Dutch, 14 Americans, 12 Canadians, 10 Australians, four Swiss, four Irish, three Danish, two Argentines, two Belgians, two from Hong Kong and single passengers from China, France, Germany, Japan, Colombia and Sweden. The majority of the crew were believed to be from the Philippines, the company stated.

One of the last to leave the Antarctic cruise ship as it started listing believed they were all going to die. Karen McVeigh November 26, 2007 1 The Antarctic cruise liner Explorer hit an iceberg and sank last week. One of the survivors of the accident has spoken of the terrifying hours he spent in the darkness in a lifeboat in the freezing cold with other passengers, not knowing whether they would be rescued before they died of hypothermia. The wife of Bob Flood, 52, an ornithologist and academic, said that her husband thought they were going to die. 2 “When they were in the life raft, they didn’t know whether a boat would come to rescue them,” Mandy Flood said. “He didn’t know how long it would be before he began to suffer from hypothermia. I don’t really know whether they had very much information. He said that he thought they would die.” 3 Last night, Mr Flood arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile, on a military cargo plane, along with the other tourists and crew from the ship. Eleven passengers and 66 staff had to stay on a military base in the Antarctic for two nights because of bad weather. They joined the 75 passengers and two staff members who arrived in Chile on Saturday night. 4 The Explorer began to sink after the ship hit an iceberg just before midnight on Friday. The iceberg made a large hole in the side of the ship. All 154 holidaymakers and staff on board escaped on lifeboats and then had to spend five hours in sub-zero temperatures before a Norwegian ship, the Nordnorge, rescued them and took them to two nearby military bases on King George Island.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / Iceberg survivors / Intermediate

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Happy to be heading home: iceberg survivors tell of fear in darkness

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Intermediate

CA

Level 2

Iceberg survivors Level 2

Intermediate

10 Mrs Flood, whose husband was employed by GAP to give lectures on the ship, said that as a staff member he was one of the last people to leave the ship as water filled the lower decks. “It took an hour for everyone to get off and by then the ship was listing. He said that was quite frightening and he realized they were in danger. He said that he knows how near they were to dying,” she said.

and had not been able to get these pictures, so he emailed me to tell me he had and he was thrilled. I thought that as soon as he got on a rescue boat, he would be absolutely gutted that he had lost his pictures. “But when I asked him whether he had managed to save anything at all from the ship, he said yes – his passport and his computer memory stick, which had all the pictures.”

11 She said that earlier in the trip her husband had taken some pictures of a rare bird called the snowy petrel. “He had been to the Antarctic twice

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 26/11/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The Explorer was on a cruise in the Arctic Ocean. 2. The survivors were certain someone would rescue them. 3. While they were in the life rafts, the air temperature was just below zero. 4. Everyone saw the ship hit the iceberg. 5. Mr Flood was unhappy because he lost his photographs. 6. The survivors were rescued by a Norwegian ship.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. An adjective meaning very frightening. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning someone who studies birds. (para 1) 3. A noun meaning all the people who work on a ship. (para 3) 4. A two-word expression meaning a place where members of the armed forces live and work. (para 3) 5. A verb meaning to ask someone to marry you. (para 5) 6. A noun meaning one of the levels on a ship. (para 6) 7. A noun meaning a long journey organized to a dangerous or distant place. (para 7)

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8. An adjective meaning not often seen or found. (para 11)

Iceberg survivors Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Nations and nationalities Complete the table. All these nationalities are in the text.

1. 2.

country

nationality

Canada The Netherlands

3.

Swiss

4. 5.

Norwegian Denmark

6.

Belgian

6 Vocabulary 3: Noun + noun collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text.

verb

noun

1.

cruise

a.

boat

2.

tour

b.

button

3.

life

c.

plane

4.

cargo

d.

company

5.

staff

e.

stick

6.

emergency

f.

liner

7.

rescue

g.

raft

8.

memory

h.

member

7 Discussion

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Would you like to visit a dangerous place like the Antarctic? Why? Why not?

Iceberg survivors Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. cruise 2. survivor 3. thrilled 4. option 5. rescue 6. hypothermia 7. lists 8. life raft 9. gutted 10. iceberg

1. terrifying 2. ornithologist 3. crew 4. military base 5. propose 6. deck 7. expedition 8. rare

5 Vocabulary 2: Nations and nationalities

2 Find the answer 1. Chile 2. 154 3. 14 4. 5 hours 5. £4,000 6. one hour

1.

country

nationality

Canada

Canadian

2. The Netherlands

Dutch

3.

Switzerland

Swiss

4. 5.

Norway

Norwegian

Denmark

Danish

6.

Belgium

Belgian

3 Comprehension check

noun

1.

cruise

f.

liner

2.

tour

d.

company

3.

life

g.

raft

4.

cargo

c.

plane

5.

staff

h.

member

6.

emergency

b.

button

7.

rescue

a.

boat

8.

memory

e.

stick

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verb

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6 Vocabulary 3: Noun + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. T

The future of design? Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading task: New ideas

Use two or more of these words to make six new design inventions. Then skim-read the article to check your answers. magnetic

sticky clock wastepaper

robotic glowing

camera

garden

mirrors

vague

solar-powered

tidier

transparent furniture

cable

memos

web

bin

bathroom

a) ____________ ____________ b) ____________ – ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ c) ____________ ____________ ____________ d) ____________ ____________ ____________ e) ____________ ____________ ____________ f) ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

2

Keywords: Synonyms

Skim the article again to find words that mean (almost) the same as: 1) allowed / given/ come true ____________ 2) boring / unexciting ____________ 3) rule / idea ____________ 4) original ____________ 5) factory-made in large numbers ____________ 6) plan / project ____________ 7) fail ____________ 8) payment ____________ 9) inexact / indeterminate ____________

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10) view / see ____________

The future of design? Advanced

The future of design?

1 If Kohei Nishiyama’s wishes are granted, he will be financially independent by the age of 40, living as an inventor and being woken each morning by his robot dog. But the 37-year-old Tokyo-based designer and founder of Elephant Design has a more ambitious dream, one he hopes will change the face of British shopping. 2 He wants to empty the shelves of dreary, massmarketed and mass-produced objects and replace them with products that we - the people - have helped to develop. Nishiyama calls his idea Design to Order and the principle is simple. Anyone with a unique idea, for anything from a robotic web camera to a magnetic bathroom mirror, posts an image and description on his website. There, people can log on to suggest alterations and improvements to the design. If enough people then vote for the product, he makes a deal with a manufacturer and the product is made. 3 “There are so many mass-produced products making it on to the shelves because that’s how large companies do things. Our idea is to give people what they want by involving anyone of any age or nationality who has a good idea, early on in the process,” says Nishiyama. “There are a lot of people who have great ideas but they’re not working in the business. Our society is an underutilised talent.” 4 The scheme has been running in Japan for a few years, and has taken off among fellow designers who use it to float their ideas instead of committing to something that may flop. The company has recently set up a test site with retailer Muji to help develop products for its

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Advanced

5

Earlier this year, Nishiyama appointed Londonbased designers The Division as its first British consultancy to feed into the project, ahead of a formal UK launch next year. The company has submitted three designs to Nishiyama’s test site at www.cuusoo.jp/muji, including a clock that is vague about the time, a set of solar-powered, glowing garden furniture, and a wastepaper bin that tidies ugly cables around work desks.

6

David Tonge, founder of The Division, said: “Our thinking with the clock was that mostly these are at work to measure people’s efficiency and people are watched clocking in and clocking out. We wanted something more relaxed for the home, so the hour hand is on the outside, and like a sundial it’s fairly vague. But in the centre, it displays minutes in a digital form so you can use it if you’re doing something like cooking pasta for 13 minutes.”

7

The idea for the garden furniture came after Tonge was fed-up with the over-designed options he found in shops, while the cable tidier is a standard paper bin fitted with a powerblock and cable storage compartments.

8

As of yesterday, Tonge’s clock had received 39 votes, the cable tidier 22 votes and the garden furniture nine. The leading product on the site, with 235 votes, is a bathroom mirror that doubles as a whiteboard. The designers pitch it at the busy professional, who can write appointments and thoughts on it, attach memos like fridge magnets, and glimpse them as they brush their teeth in the morning. Any item that achieves 1,000 votes is put forward for manufacture.

9

For now the test site is free to designers, but Nishiyama says he will take ideas from other people, if there are at least ten of them who

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A Japanese innovator wants to change the face of shopping and replace mass-produced goods with people-power ideas

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Ian Sample, science correspondent November 24, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

stores. One idea, for transparent sticky memos, was suggested by a 21-year-old student and will be marketed next month. She stands to get royalties from every pack sold.

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Level 3

The future of design? Level 3

Advanced

support an idea. His company will even produce images for the site if needed. 10 “Because it’s a new thing and it’s experimental, a lot of people are posting ideas and, it has to be said, some of them are utterly rubbish,” says Tonge. “But it can be surprising. There are definitely regular people out there, who are not designers, who have some good, interesting ideas, and some of those may well end up on the shelves.” © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 24/11/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Kohei Nishiyama is a…

4. Who can currently post ideas on the site?

a) ... financially independent, 40-year old, Tokyo- based inventor.

a) Japanese designers.

b) ... 37-year old, London-based inventor.

c) Anyone.

c) ... 37-year old, Tokyo-based inventor 2. Kohei Nishiyama wants to….. a) ... retire by the time he’s 40. b) ... change the face of shopping. c) ... set up a web design company in London.

b) Japanese and British designers.

5. Currently, the most popular idea is..... a) ... the robotic dog. b) ... the vague clock. c) ... the bathroom mirror that doubles as a whiteboard.

3. People who suggest successful designs can.... a) ... earn money for every item sold. b) ... get a job with the company.

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c) ... vote for other designs.

The future of design? Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Match the words on the left and the right to make collocations from the article. Then look back over the article to see how they were used.





grant float post make found suggest develop receive

improvements votes a product ideas a wish a comment / an image / an idea a deal a company

5 Discussion Which statement about the article do you most agree with? a) This is a great opportunity for new designers to get themselves and their products known. b) Kohei Nishiyama has found an easy way to make money using other people’s ideas and hard work.

6 A new invention: Group work What single item would make your life easier – either at work or at home? Think of something that would help you in your everyday life. What would your invention do? E.g. polish your shoes, put on your make up, clean the snow off your garden path. Make notes and present your ideas to the class.

6 Webquest Go to the website in the article www.cuusoo.jp/muji.

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Click on the pictures and see if you can guess what the designs are (the website is in Japanese).

The future of design? Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 New ideas

3 Comprehension check

a) vague clock b) solar-powered glowing garden furniture c) transparent sticky memos d) robotic web camera e) magnetic bathroom mirrors f) wastepaper bin cable tidier

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Advanced

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grant a wish float ideas post a comment / an image / an idea make a deal found a company suggest improvements develop a product receive votes

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1) granted 2) dreary 3) principle 4) unique 5) mass-produced 6) scheme 7) flop 8) royalties 9) vague 10) glimpse

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Keywords: Synonyms

c b a b c

The future of design? Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading task: New ideas

Use two or more of these words to make six new design inventions. The first letter of each word is given to help you. Then skim-read the article to check your answers.



magnetic

sticky wastepaper

robotic

camera

clock garden

glowing

tidier

transparent furniture

mirrors

vague



solar-powered

cable

memos

web

bin

bathroom

lock ague a) v____________ c____________ b) s____________ - ____________ g____________ g____________ f____________ c) t____________ s____________ m____________ d) r____________ w____________ c____________ e) m____________ b____________ m____________ f) w____________ b____________ c____________ t____________

2 Keywords: Antonyms Write these keywords from the article into the sentences.

manufacture

improvement

vague

ugly

fairly



mass-produced

change the face

founder

glowing

scheme

1) When we _________________ of something, we change the way it looks. 2) The person who starts or sets up a company is its _________________. 3) An _________________ is something that makes something else better. 4) _________________ is another word for a plan or idea. 5) When thousands and thousands of the same item are made in a short time, we say they are ______________. 6) When something in not exact, it is _________________. 7) When something gives off light, we can say it is _________________. 8) The opposite of pretty or attractive is _________________. 9) The word _________________ means the same as rather, or a little bit.

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10) When you_________________something, you make or produce it.

The future of design? Level 1

Elementary

The future of design? Ian Sample, science correspondent November 24, 2007

solar-powered, glowing garden furniture, and a wastepaper bin that tidies ugly cables. 6

David Tonge, founder of The Division, said: “We wanted a relaxed clock for the home, so the hour hand is on the outside, and like a sundial it’s fairly vague. But in the centre, it displays minutes in a digital form so you can use it if you’re doing something like cooking pasta for 13 minutes.”

7

Any item on the site that gets 1,000 votes is put forward for manufacture. As of yesterday, Tonge’s clock had received 39 votes, the cable tidier 22 votes and the garden furniture nine. The product with the most votes, is a bathroom mirror that is also a whiteboard. The designers hope the buyers will be busy professional people who can write appointments and notes on it, attach memos like fridge magnets, and then see them as they brush their teeth in the morning.

8

For now the test site is only free to designers, but Nishiyama says he will take ideas from other people if there are 10 more people who support the idea. “Because it’s a new thing, a lot of people are posting ideas and some of them are rubbish,” says Tonge. “But it can be surprising. There are people out there, who are not designers, with some good, interesting ideas, and some of those may end up in the shops.”

A Japanese innovator wants to change face of shopping and replace mass-produced goods with people-power ideas 1 By the age of 40, Kohei Nishiyama wants to be financially independent, an inventor, and have a robot dog. The 37-year-old Tokyo-based designer who is the founder of Elephant Design has a dream, and he hopes it will change the face of British shopping. 2 He wants to empty the shops of boring, massmarketed and mass-produced items and replace them with products that we - the people - have helped to develop. Nishiyama calls it ‘Design to Order’ and the idea is simple. Anyone with a unique idea, for anything from a robotic web camera to a magnetic bathroom mirror, can post an image and description on his website. Other people can log on to suggest improvements to the design. If enough people then vote for the product, he makes a deal with a manufacturer and the product is made. 3 “There are so many mass-produced products in shops because that’s how large companies work. Our idea is to give people what they want by involving anyone of any age or nationality who has a good idea,” says Nishiyama.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 24/11/07

4 The scheme has been running in Japan for a few years. Young designers use it to present their ideas before they make something that may fail. The company has recently set up a test site with retailer Muji to help develop products for its stores. One idea, for transparent sticky memos, suggested by a 21-year-old student will be marketed next month. She will get royalties from every pack that is sold.

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5 London-based designers The Division have placed three designs on Nishiyama’s website: a clock that is vague about the time, a set of

The future of design? Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check 1 Find the best ending for each sentence.



a) Kohei Nishiyama is based...





... 1,000 votes, it can be produced.



b) Kohei Nishiyama’s company is called...



... Elephant Design.



c) Kohei Nishiyama thinks mass-produced products...

... the website.



d) Young designers can post their ideas on...



... interesting products,



e) When a design gets...





... are boring.



e) Kohei Nishiyama wants to make...





... in Japan.



4 Comprehension check 2 Put these sentences describing the design process in the correct order according to the article. ...... They post them with an image on the website. ...... The designer gets money for the items that are sold.

1 ...... Designers think of new and interesting ideas. ...... The most popular designs are made and sold.

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

....... People vote for the best ideas.

The future of design? Level 1

Elementary

5 A new invention: Group work Can you think of an item that would make your life easier – either at work or at home? What would it do, e.g. tie your shoelaces, put on your make up, clean the snow off your garden path? Talk in your groups and then complete the sentence below. Can you add any more information? •

We would like to have something that _____________ (what does it do?) _____________ because _____________.

6 Webquest Go to the website in the article www.cuusoo.jp/muji.

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Click on the pictures and see if you can guess what the designs are (the website is in Japanese).

The future of design? Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Pre-reading task

3 Comprehension check 1

a) vague clock b) solar-powered glowing garden furniture c) transparent sticky memos d) robotic web camera e) magnetic bathroom mirrors f) wastepaper bin cable tidier

a) Kohei Nishiyama is based in Japan. b) Kohei Nishiyama’s company is called Elephant Design. c) Kohei Nishiyama thinks mass-produced products are boring. d) Young designers can post their ideas on the website. e) When a design gets 1,000 votes it can be produced. f) Kohei Nishiyama wants to make interesting products.

NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Elementary

1) Designers think of new and interesting ideas. 2) They post them with an image on the website. 3) People vote for the best ideas. 4) The most popular designs are made and sold. 5) The designer gets money for the items that are sold.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

4 Comprehension check 2

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1) change the face 2) founder 3) improvement 4) scheme 5) mass-produced 6) vague 7) glowing 8) ugly 9) fairly 10) manufacture

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Antonyms

The future of design? Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading task: New ideas

Use two or more of these words to make six new design inventions. The first letter of each idea is given to help you. Then skim-read the article to check your answers. magnetic

sticky

camera

clock wastepaper

robotic glowing

garden

mirrors

solar-powered

tidier

transparent furniture

vague

cable

memos

web

bin

bathroom

a) v___________ ___________ b) s___________ – ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ c) t___________ ___________ ___________ d) r___________ ___________ ___________ e) m___________ ___________ ___________ f) w___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

2

Key words: Synonyms

Skim the article again to find words that mean (almost) the same as: 1. boring / unexciting – _______________ (para 2) 2. rule / idea – _______________ (para 2) 3. original – _______________ (para 2) 4. factory-made in large numbers – _______________ (para 2) 5. changes – _______________ (para 2) 6. plan / project – _______________ (para 4) 7. to fail – _______________ (para 4) 8. payment – _______________ (para 4) 9. inexact / indeterminate – _______________ (para 5) 10. leads / wires – _______________ (para 5) 11. shows – _______________ (para 6) 12. normal / ordinary – _______________ (para 7)

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

13. no good / useless – _______________ (para 9)

The future of design? Level 2

Intermediate

The future of design?

company has placed three designs on Nishiyama’s website: a clock that is vague about the time, a set of solar-powered, glowing garden furniture, and a wastepaper bin that tidies ugly cables around work desks.

Ian Sample, science correspondent November 24, 2007 A Japanese innovator wants to change the face of shopping and replace mass-produced goods with people-power ideas

6

David Tonge, founder of The Division, said: “We wanted a relaxed clock for the home, so the hour hand is on the outside, and like a sundial it’s fairly vague. But in the centre, it displays minutes in a digital form so you can use it if you’re doing something like cooking pasta for 13 minutes.”

7

The idea for the garden furniture came after Tonge was fed-up with the over-designed options he found in shops, while the cable tidier is a standard paper bin fitted with a powerblock and cable storage compartments.

8

Any item on the site that gets 1,000 votes is put forward for manufacture. As of yesterday, Tonge’s clock had received 39 votes, the cable tidier 22 votes and the garden furniture nine. The leading product on the site, with 235 votes, is a bathroom mirror that is also a whiteboard. The designers hope the buyers will be busy professionals, who can write appointments and thoughts on it, attach memos like fridge magnets, and see them as they brush their teeth in the morning.

9

For now the test site is only free to designers, but Nishiyama says he will take ideas from other people, if there are at least ten people who support an idea. “Because it’s a new thing and it’s experimental, a lot of people are posting ideas and, it has to be said, some of them are rubbish,” says Tonge. “But it can be surprising. There are definitely people out there, who are not designers, who have some good, interesting ideas, and some of those may end up in the shops.”

1 If Kohei Nishiyama succeeds, he will be financially

independent by the age of 40, living as an inventor and being woken each morning by his robot dog. The 37-year-old Tokyo-based designer and founder of Elephant Design has a dream, one he hopes will change the face of British shopping.

2 He wants to empty the shelves of dreary, mass-

marketed and mass-produced objects and replace them with products that we - the people - have helped to develop. Nishiyama calls his idea ‘Design to Order’ and the principle is simple. Anyone with a unique idea, for anything from a robotic web camera to a magnetic bathroom mirror, posts an image and description on his website. There, people can log on to suggest alterations and improvements to the design. If enough people then vote for the product, he makes a deal with a manufacturer and the product is made.

3 “There are so many mass-produced products

making it on to the shelves because that’s how large companies do things. Our idea is to give people what they want by involving anyone of any age or nationality who has a good idea, early on in the process,” says Nishiyama.

4 The scheme has been running in Japan for a few

years, and has taken off among designers who use it to present their ideas instead of committing to something that may flop. The company has recently set up a test site with retailer Muji to help develop products for its stores. One idea, for transparent sticky memos, was suggested by a 21-year-old student and will be marketed next month. She will get royalties from every pack sold.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 24/11/07

5 Ahead of the formal UK launch next year,

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Nishiyama has appointed London-based designers The Division as its first British consultancy. The

The future of design? Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences true or false according to the article? Correct any sentences that are false. 1. Kohei Nishiyama comes from Japan but lives in London. true / false 2. Kohei Nishiyama is the founder of a new design company. true / false 3. He doesn’t like mass-marketed products. true / false 4. Elephant Design offers young designers the chance to present their ideas. true / false 5. Kohei Nishiyama wants to move the company base to the UK. true / false 6. A design needs 1000 votes before it can be produced. true / false 7. Currently the most popular product is the vague clock. true / false 8. There are no plans to market any new ideas yet. true / false

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation 1. Pair these words from the article according to their stress-patterns. e.g. replace + unique both have the stress-pattern oO

designer

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Intermediate

alterations

ambitious vague

cable

O

independent

imagination

experimental

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

scheme

financially

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consultancy

CA

product

The future of design? Level 2

Intermediate

5 A new invention: Group work Can you think of an item that would make your life easier – either at work or at home? What would it do, e.g. polish your shoes, put on your make up, clean the snow off your garden path? Make notes and present your ideas to the class.

7 Webquest Go to the website in the article www.cuusoo.jp/muji.

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Intermediate

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Click on the pictures and see if you can guess what the designs are (the website is in Japanese).

The future of design? Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 New ideas

3 Comprehension check

a) vague clock b) solar-powered glowing garden furniture c) transparent sticky memos d) robotic web camera e) magnetic bathroom mirrors f) wastepaper bin cable tidier

1. false 2. true 3. true 4. true 5. false 6. true 7. false 8. false

2 Key words: Synonyms 4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation

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NEWS LESSONS / The future of design? / Intermediate



•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

product – cable Oo vague – scheme O (1 syllable only) designer – ambitious oOo independent – alterations ooOo financially – consultancy oOoo experimental – imagination oooOo

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. dreary 2. principle 3. unique 4. mass-produced 5. alterations 6. scheme 7. flop 8. royalties 9. vague 10. cables 11. displays 12. standard 13. rubbish

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

auction abound

reservations mannequin

unwitting attached

snip saggy

curator compelling

1. If you are ____________ to something, you are very fond of it. 2. If something is ____________, it is interesting enough to attract and hold your attention. 3. ____________ clothes have lost their shape and often hang down in the middle. 4. If a person is an ____________ participant in something, they become involved in it without intending to. 5. An ____________ is a public sale where things are sold to the people who offer the highest amount of



money for them.

6. If you have ____________ about something, you have feelings of doubt about it. 7. A ____________ is a model of a human body used to display clothes. 8. If things ____________, they exist in large numbers. 9. If something is a ____________, you can buy it at a very cheap price. 10. A ____________ is someone whose job is to look after the objects in a museum.

2

What do you think?

b. up to $150

3. black velvet cushion

c. up to $1,500

4. black satin coat

d. up to $2,000

5. dog bed (gift from Elton John)

e. up to $200

6. porcelain vegetable basket

f. up to $400

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Advanced

O

2. a teacup and saucer

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a. up to $1,200

CA

1. a sofa

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Former Black Sabbath singer and American reality TV show star, Ozzy Osbourne, is being forced to sell some of his possessions because there isn’t enough space for them in his Hollywood mansion. How much do you think each of these items is worth? Match the items with the prices and then check your answers in the text.

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Advanced

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’

6

“This is where celebrity and stupidity meet in vivid pinks and pastel colours,” declares James Comisar, curator of the Comisar Collection, “the world’s largest archive of TV artifacts”. He is standing in a reproduction of Kelly Osbourne’s bedroom. Next to Kelly’s round bed with pink headboard stand two matching pink and black nightstands. Nearby a lime green plastic folding egg chair is perched, and in the corner is Kelly herself! Actually, it’s not Kelly but a mannequin dressed up as Kelly, all pink, punk, lime green stuff.

7

But pink punk is not really why we are here. We are here for the gothic, the black velvet cushions adorned with crucifixes and icons ($50–150 each), the saggy black Ozzy jumper, the limited edition Black Sabbath Converse sneakers (unworn), the floor-length black satin bat coat (13 buttons and bat wing scallops on chest, estimate $800–1,200).”I don’t care if that chair came from Macy’s or the Queen,” says Comisar. “Ozzy sat in it.”

8

Treasures abound, whether it be the Osbourne family light switches, each one carefully labelled – ‘Ozzy bathroom’ for example – and each one including several lighting moods, from ‘romantic’ to ‘panic’. Almost lost in a corner is Ozzy’s red Bentley, a present from Sharon. Ozzy is keen to see it go. He likes black, not red. “He said to me, ‘I feel like I’m driving a fucking fire engine’,” the auctioneer confides.

9

Yet among the skulls, the crucifixes, the bible stands and the strangely compelling assemblage of vintage car horns, the eye can’t help but be drawn to the four-poster dog bed, a gift for Minnie, the Osbournes’ pet pomeranian, from Sir Elton John.

December 1, 2007 1 The dog bed takes pride of place in the auction of items belonging to the premier husband and wife team of reality TV. Forget arriviste LA types such as the Beckhams, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are the original hard-shopping celebrity couple – as assembled belongings from their three houses, displayed inside a guitar showroom in Beverly Hills, prove. 2 The origins of the Osbourne Collection auction lie in Sharon’s wish to downsize. So many things, so little time, so some of it has to go. Naturally, it’s all for the best possible cause – Sharon’s colon cancer programme at an LA hospital. Ozzy, however, has his reservations. “Originally we were going to be selling a lot more,” explains Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions, “but Ozzy is very emotionally attached to a lot of his things.” 3 Julien knows this because when he visited the Osbourne residence in Beverly Hills, Ozzy would take to leaving notes stuck to doors bearing polite messages such as: “Auction people - Keep Out!” Ozzy may have succeeded in keeping some of his more prized possessions, but there are still many on sale. 4 Some of them will be familiar to viewers of The Osbournes, the MTV show that catapulted the apparently unwitting heavy metal legend into a new and altogether more sinister celebrity. For example, there is the ornate sofa where Ozzy would sit fulminating against his remote control (bids for the sofa invited at $1,000–2,000) and the porcelain vegetable basket thing that featured so prominently in the Osbourne’s fitted kitchen (a snip, starting at $100–200). There is also, wonder of wonders, the actual coffee cup Ozzy, would clasp in his shaking hands as he tried to make sense of the seething modernity around

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Advanced

O

Sharon, by all accounts, is the one with taste. It is Sharon who defined the family’s Malibu beachfront home by filling it with shabby chic, which the younger members of the family know a lot about.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5

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Dan Glaister in Los Angeles

him (Mary Rose Young teacup and saucer, estimate $200–400).

CA

Level 3

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 3

Advanced

10 “This represents the scope and absurdity of celebrity-dumb in this country,” says Comisar, a surprising comment for a man who dedicates himself to collecting knickknacks from TV land. “A bed for a dog that is the price of a small automobile. You wonder what goes through their minds that Sir Elton would come to their home and say, ‘What these people really need is a bed for

their dog.’” Well, not any more. Dog bed seeks new owner, will go to good home for $1,000–1,500. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 01/12/07

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why are the Osbournes selling so many of their possessions? a. Because Ozzy is tired of them. b. Because Sharon wants to reduce the amount of stuff they have. c. Because they are short of money. 2. What will happen to the money they make from the auction? a. It will be given to a local charity. b. It will help to pay off some of their debts. c. They will use it to buy more things for the house. 3. What is Ozzy’s favourite colour? a. red b. blue c. black 4. What does the curator think of the dog-bed? a. He thinks it’s fantastic. b. He thinks it’s absurd.

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NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

c. He thinks Ozzy would prefer a small automobile.

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions: 1. A four word expression meaning to occupy the most central or important place in a room (usually because you are proud of something). (para 1) 2. A two word expression meaning something you value more than anything else. (para 3) 3. A verb meaning to suddenly put someone in an important position. (para 4) 4. An adjective meaning threatening to do something evil. (para 4) 5. A verb meaning to speak or write angrily about something. (para 4) 6. A noun meaning an offer made at an auction. (para 4) 7. An adjective meaning old and in a bad condition. (para 5) 8. A noun meaning an object that is culturally or historically important. (para 6) 9. A verb meaning to say something to someone in secret. (para 8) 10. A two-word noun meaning small cheap objects used as decorations. (para 10)



5 Vocabulary 2: Words followed by prepositions Which prepositions follow these words and expressions? Check your answers in the text. 1. fulminate _______ 2. make sense _______ 3. adorn _______ 4. dedicate oneself _______ 5. attached _______ 6. succeed _______ 7, familiar _______ 8. scope _______

6 Vocabulary 3: Adverbial expressions Match the adverbs from the text with their meanings. 1. naturally 2. carefully 3. prominently 4. apparently 5. originally 6. strangely

a. in a way that is easy to notice b. at first c. with a great deal of attention d. in a curious way e. of course f. based on what you have heard and not on what you are sure is true

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Imagine that you had to get rid of 99% of your possessions. What five items would you keep and why?

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. attached 2. compelling 3. saggy 4. unwitting 5. auction 6. reservations 7. mannequin 8. abound 9. snip 10. curator

1. take pride of place 2. prized possession 3. catapult 4. sinister 5. fulminate 6. bid 7. shabby 8. artefact 9. confide 10. knick-knacks

2 What do you think?

5 Vocabulary 2: Words followed by prepositions

6 Vocabulary 3: Adverbial expressions 1. e 2. c 3. a 4. f 5. b 6. d

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Advanced

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1. b 2. a 3. c 4. b

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3 Comprehension check

1. against 2. of 3. with 4. to 5. to 6. in 7. with 8. of

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. d 2. f 3. b 4. a 5. c 6. e



‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. curator bargain

bid knick-knacks celebrity crucifix

auction charity

documentary estimate

1. An ____________ is a public sale where things are sold to the people who offer the most money. 2. A ____________ is a famous person, usually in the world of entertainment or sport. 3. A ____________ is an organization to which people give money so that it can help people who are poor or ill. 4. A ____________ is a religious symbol in the shape of a cross. 5. An ____________ is a guess about how much something will cost. 6. ____________ are small cheap objects which people use as decorations. 7. A ____________ is someone whose job is to look after the objects in a museum. 8. A ____________ is an offer to buy something at a public sale or on a website such as eBay. 9. A ____________ is something that you buy that costs much less than normal. 10. A ____________ is a TV programme that shows real people and events.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.

1. How many houses have Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne got? 2. What is Ozzy’s daughter’s name? 3. How much will the sofa cost? 4. How much will the dog bed cost? 5. What colour is Ozzy’s Bentley?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Who gave the dog bed to the Osbournes?

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Elementary

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’

2 The auction, called the Osbourne Collection, is happening because Sharon’s wants to sell a lot of their things. The Osbournes have so many things and so little time, so some of it has to go. Sharon is planning to give any money they earn from the auction to a cancer charity. Ozzy, however, is not very happy about the auction. “We were planning to sell a lot more,” explains Darren Julien from the auction company, “but Ozzy really likes a lot of his things.”

5

James Comisar is curator of the Commissar Collection, the world’s biggest television museum. He is standing in a reproduction of Kelly Osbourne’s bedroom (Kelly is Ozzie and Sharon’s daughter). “This is a combination of celebrity and stupidity in bright pinks and pale colours,” he says. Next to Kelly’s round bed there are two pink and black bedside tables. Nearby there is a large lime green plastic egg, and in the corner is Kelly herself! Actually, it’s not Kelly but a shop window model dressed up as Kelly, all pink, punk and lime green.

6

But pink punk is not really why people will go to the auction. They will go there to buy the gothic things - the black velvet cushions covered in crucifixes ($50–150 each), the big black Ozzy jumper, the limited edition Black Sabbath shoes (never worn), the floor-length black satin coat (estimate $800–1,200).”I don’t care if that chair came from Macy’s or the Queen,” says Comisar. “Ozzy sat in it.”

7

There are all kinds of treasures in the collection. Osbourne family light switches, for example, each one carefully labelled – “Ozzy bathroom” for example – and each one including several lighting moods, from “romantic” to “panic”. In a corner is Ozzy’s red Bentley, a present from Sharon. Ozzy wants to sell it. He likes black, not red. “He told me that he feels like he’s driving a fire engine,” says Darren Julien.

8

Among the skulls, the crucifixes, the bible stands and the strange collection of old car horns, is a four-poster dog bed, a gift for Minnie, the Osbournes’ pet dog, from Sir Elton John. “This shows just how crazy some celebrities are in this country,” says Comisar, which is a surprising thing for him to say because he spends his time collecting TV knick-knacks. “A bed for a dog that is the price of a small car! You wonder what they

3 Julien knows this because when he visited the Osbournes’ house in Beverly Hills, Ozzy put notices on the doors with polite messages such as: “Auction people - Keep Out!” Ozzy is keeping some of his favourite things, but there are still many for sale. 4 People who watched the MTV show The Osbournes will recognize many of the things. For example, there is the sofa where Ozzy used to sit complaining about his remote control (the auction company is inviting bids for the sofa at $1,000–2,000) and the vegetable basket from the Osbourne’s kitchen (a bargain, starting at $100–200). There is also the actual coffee cup

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Elementary

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1 Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are the most famous husband and wife team of reality TV. The documentary The Osbournes showed the everyday lives of Ozzie, who was once a rock singer in the band Black Sabbath, and Sharon, who often appears on TV as a judge in music competitions. The Osbournes also showed Ozzie and Sharon spending a lot of money buying different things for their three houses. Now they have decided to sell some of their things at an auction in California. People can see all the items which are for sale in a guitar showroom in Beverly Hills. The strangest item is probably the dog bed.

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Dan Glaister in Los Angeles December 1, 2007

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Ozzy used to hold in his shaking hands as he complained about all the modernity around him (Mary Rose Young teacup and saucer, starting price $200–400).

CA

Level 1

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 1

Elementary

are thinking of if Sir Elton comes to their home and says, ‘What these people really need is a bed for their dog.’” Well, not any more. The dog bed is for sale for $1,000-1,500. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 01/12/07

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings with the endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The Osbournes are selling a lot of their things because … 2. Ozzy is unhappy about the auction because … 3. The curator of the television museum thinks that … 4. All the money they make from the auction … 5. Ozzy doesn’t like his Bentley because … 6. Ozzy complained about his remote control because …

a. … he really likes a lot of his things. b. … will go to to a cancer charity. c. … he doesn’t like a lot of modern things. d. … it is crazy to spend so much money on a dog bed. e. … they have too many things in their houses.

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NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Elementary

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f. … it’s the wrong colour.

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Noun + noun collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make two-word expressions from the text. 1. reality 2. vegetable 3. coffee 4. floor 5. light 6. fire 7. car 8. pet

a. dog b. length c. engine d. cup e. TV f. switch g. basket h. horn

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Complete these expressions from the text using prepositions. 1. _______ example 2. _______ sale 3. not happy _______ the auction 4. covered _______ 5. all kinds _______ treasures 6. _______ one corner 7. a present _______ Sharon 8. complain _______ something

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

verb 1.

sell

2.

combine decision

3.

7. 8.

collect present reproduce complete

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5. 6.

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complaint

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4.

noun

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Noun + noun collocations

1. auction 2. celebrity 3. charity 4. crucifix 5. estimate 6. knick-knacks 7. curator 8. bid 9. bargain 10. documentary

1. e 2. g 3. d 4. b 5. f 6. c 7. h 8. a

2 Find the information

1. for 2. for 3. about 4. in 5. of 6. in 7. from 8. about

verb

noun

1.

sell

sale

2.

combine

combination

3.

decide

decision

4.

complain

complaint

5. 6.

collect

collection

present

present

7.

reproduce

reproduction

8.

complete

competition

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Elementary

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1. e 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. f 6. c

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

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1. Three 2. Kelly 3. $1,000 to £2,000 4. $1,000 to $1,500 5. Red 6. Elton John

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

auction downsize

curator bid

attached artefact

baggy vintage

pastel knick-knacks

1. ____________ are small cheap objects used as decorations. 2. An ____________ is an object that is culturally or historically important. 3. ____________ colours or shades are pale and soft. 4. A ____________ is someone whose job is to look after the objects in a museum. 5. An ____________ is a public sale where things are sold to the people who offer the most money. 6. A ____________ object is old but is kept in a good condition. 7. If you are ____________ to something, you are very fond of it. 8. ____________ clothes have lost their shape and often hang down in the middle. 9. If you ____________, you reduce the size or quantity of something. 10. A ____________ is an offer to buy something at a public sale or on a website such as eBay.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. Who gave the dog bed to the Osbournes? 2. What colour is Ozzy’s Bentley? 3. How much will the sofa cost? 4. How much will the dog bed cost? 5. What is Ozzy’s daughter’s name?

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NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Intermediate

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Where is their beachfront house?

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Intermediate

2 The Osbourne Collection auction is the result of Sharon’s wish to downsize. They have so many things and so little time, so some of it has to go. Naturally, it’s all for the best possible cause – profits from the auction will go to a cancer charity. Ozzy, however, is not so sure about the idea. “Originally we were going to be selling a lot more,” explains Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions, “but Ozzy is very emotionally attached to a lot of his things.” 3 Julien knows this because when he visited the Osbourne residence in Beverly Hills, Ozzy left notes stuck to doors with polite messages such as: “Auction people – Keep Out!” Ozzy may have succeeded in keeping some of his favourite possessions, but there are still many on sale. 4 Some of the items will be familiar to viewers of The Osbournes, the MTV show that made the former heavy metal legend into a new kind of celebrity. For example, there is the sofa where Ozzy used to sit complaining about his remote control (bids for the sofa are invited at $1,000– 2,000) and the vegetable basket thing so often seen in the Osbourne’s fitted kitchen (a bargain, starting at $100–200). Over there is the actual coffee cup Ozzy used to hold in his shaking hands as he tried to make sense of all the modernity around him (Mary Rose Young teacup and saucer, estimate $200–400).

6 “This is a combination of celebrity and stupidity in bright pinks and pastel colours,” says James Comisar, curator of the Comisar Collection, the world’s largest archive of TV artifacts. He is standing in a reproduction of Ozzy and Sharon’s daughter Kelly’s bedroom. Next to Kelly’s round bed there are two matching pink and black bedside tables. Nearby there is a lime green plastic folding egg, and in the corner is Kelly herself! Actually, it’s not Kelly but a shop window model dressed up as Kelly, all pink, punk and lime green. 7 But pink punk is not really why we are here. We are here for the gothic, the black velvet cushions covered in crucifixes and icons ($50–150 each), the baggy black Ozzy jumper, the limited edition Black Sabbath shoes (unworn), the floor-length black satin coat (estimate $800–1,200).”I don’t care if that chair came from Macy’s or the Queen,” says Comisar. “Ozzy sat in it.” 8 There are all kinds of treasures in the collection. Osbourne family light switches, for example, each one carefully labelled – ‘Ozzy bathroom’ for example - and each one including several lighting moods, from ‘romantic’ to ‘panic’. In a corner is Ozzy’s red Bentley, a present from Sharon. Ozzy is keen to see it go. He likes black, not red. “He said to me that he feels like he’s driving a fire engine,” says the auctioneer. 9 Yet among the skulls, the crucifixes, the bible stands and the strange collection of vintage car horns, you can’t help but notice the four-poster dog bed, a gift for Minnie, the Osbournes’ pet dog, from Sir Elton John. 10 “This shows just how absurd some celebrities are in this country,” says Comisar, a surprising comment for a man who spends his time collecting knick-knacks from TV land. “A bed for

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Intermediate

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1 Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are the most famous husband and wife team of reality TV. The documentary The Osbournes showed the everyday lives of former rock-star Ozzie and reality TV show judge Sharon. It also showed their amazing shopping habits. Now some of their belongings are going to be auctioned at a sale in California. The dog bed is probably the strangest object among the items currently being displayed in a guitar showroom in Beverly Hills.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Dan Glaister in Los Angeles December 1, 2007

5 Sharon, people say, is the one who has taste. It is Sharon who defined the image of the family’s Malibu beachfront home by filling it with shabby chic, something which the younger members of the family know a lot about.

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‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’

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Level 2

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 2

Intermediate

a dog that is the price of a small automobile. You wonder what goes through their minds that Sir Elton would come to their home and say, ‘What these people really need is a bed for their dog.’” Well, not any more. The dog bed is for sale for $1,000–1,500. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 01/12/07

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The Osbournes are selling some of their possessions because they need money. 2. Ozzy is more enthusiastic about the auction than Sharon. 3. The Comisar Collection is a kind of museum. 4. Ozzy does not like his red Bentley very much. 5. The Osbournes really needed a four-poster dog bed. 6. The cushions are the cheapest items mentioned.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find these words and expressions: 1. An adverb meaning at first. (para 2) 2. A noun which is a formal word for home. (para 3) 3. A noun meaning a famous person in entertainment or sport. (para 4) 4. A two-word noun meaning a device used to operate a tv. (para 4) 5. A four-word expression meaning to understand something difficult. (para 4) 6. A noun meaning an amount that you guess or calculate according to the information available. (para 4) 7. An adjective meaning old and worn. (para 5)

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NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Intermediate

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. An adjective meaning completely stupid. (para 10)

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Which prepositions follow these words? Check your answers in the text. 1. complain _______ 2. attached _______ 3. stuck _______ 4. succeed _______ 5. familiar _______ 6. fill _______ 7. combination _______ 8. covered _______

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table.

Adjective



1.

real

2.

stupid

3.

modern

Noun

4.

romance

5.

absurdity

6.

emotion

7.

limit

8.

goth

7 Discussion

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What kind of things do people collect and why? Do you collect anything?

‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. knick-knacks 2. artefact 3. pastel 4. curator 5. auction 6. vintage 7. attached 8. baggy 9. downsize 10. bid

1. originally 2. residence 3. celebrity 4. remote control 5. to make sense of 6. estimate 7. shabby 8. absurd

1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. T

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Adjective

Noun

1.

real

reality

2.

stupid

stupidity

3.

modern

modernity

4.

romantic

romance

5.

absurd

absurdity

6.

emotional

emotion

7.

limited

limit

8.

gothic

goth

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007 NEWS LESSONS / ‘What am I bid for the four-poster dog bed?’ / Intermediate

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3 Comprehension check

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1. Elton John 2. red 3. $1,000 to $2,000 4. $1,000 to $1,500 5. Kelly 6. Malibu

1. about 2. to 3. to 4. in 5. with 6. with 7. of 8. in

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer: Brainstorming

a) How many music genres can you think of in three minutes? b) What kind of music do you like? Try to find others in your group who have a similar taste in music to your own (i.e. if you like rock music, join with others who like rock; if you prefer classical or opera, sit with others who like this kind of music).

2

Discussion: Questions

a) In your groups, discuss these questions: a) How much does a CD cost in your country? b) How many CDs do you buy in a month/year? c) When did you last buy a CD or download music from the Internet? d) What do you consider to be a fair price for a CD? e) How much would you be willing to pay to download music? f) Do you think more music is downloaded legally or illegally? g) What do you think the ratio of legal to illegal downloads might be? b) How do your answers reflect what is written in the article?

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3

Advanced

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album

music industry struggling with the effects of digital piracy. Despite an increase in sales of live concert tickets, CD sales are less profitable than ever due to increased competition and piracy.

Alexandra Topping November 7, 2007 1 When Radiohead invited their fans to pay as much - or as little - as they liked for a digital download of their new album, In Rainbows, it was hailed as the beginning of a new era for the struggling record industry.

7

2 So what then, was the ultimate value of the ground-breaking album and its test of the constraints of the digital age? Around £2.90, it would seem.

Industry bodies have estimated that worldwide, people download 20 tracks illegally for every digital download they pay for, which may suggest Radiohead has surpassed most other artists in this particular experiment. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 07/11/07

3 Research revealed yesterday that a mere 38% of people downloading the album were willing to part with anything at all. Two thirds paid only the 45p charge for handling. 4 The average amount that less frugal fans were willing to pay was still a paltry $6 (£2.90) – far below the price of a CD or the amount a digital album would cost to download from the Apple iTunes store. 5 During the first 29 days of October, 1.2 million people worldwide visited the In Rainbows site, with a significant percentage of visitors ultimately downloading the album. The study showed that 38% of global downloaders of the album willingly paid to do so, with the remaining 62% choosing to pay nothing. The percentage downloading for free in the US (60%) is only marginally lower than in the rest of the world (64 %).

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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6 The Radiohead ‘honesty box’ experiment has been closely watched by other artists, their record labels and management companies. It was widely seen as the most high-profile attempt yet to restructure the economics of a

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text.

1. Radiohead found that... a) ... nearly everybody was willing to pay for the album. b) ... just over half of all downloaders were willing to pay for the album. c) ... just over a third of all downloaders were willing to pay for the album. 2. Compared to other countries... a) ... more... b) ... less... c) ... the same number of... Americans downloaded the album for free. 3. The music industry has seen a decline in the profits made on sales of... a) ... concert tickets. b) ... music downloads. c) ... music CDs. 4. According to the figures given for illegal downloads, Radiohead’s experiment... a) ... has been a success. b) ... has been unsuccessful.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

c) ... has made no difference at all.

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3

Advanced

4 Role play Role cards:

Journalist or newspaper you write for. Decide which magazine

Think of questions that you want to ask the others. At the end of the role play you should decide what kind of spin you are going to give your article. Will it be for or against Radiohead’s business model, or will your report be neutral?

A Radiohead band member

A Consumer

Describe your business model. Give reasons why you chose this model. Decide how you will sell or market your next album.

Explain how you buy music and why you prefer this method. Say how much you are happy to pay for music. Is Radiohead’s idea a good or bad thing for music buyers?

A member of a new band Is it easy to break into the music scene? What are you doing to get yourself known and to sell your new album (you’ve just recorded it)? How does Radiohead’s business model affect new bands?

Note: Each role can be given to one or more people – the minimum amount of roles per group is two: the journalist plus one other. If possible, record the role play. • For more background information, please refer to the onestopenglish weekly news lesson 57 from October 11th 2007, ‘Radiohead’s bid to revive the music industry’.

5 Writing: Follow up Choose one of the following: a) Write up a report of your role play in the style of an article for a newspaper or website.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

b) Chose to be either a band member or consumer and write a letter to a newspaper stating your opinion.

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 3 Advanced KEY 3 Comprehension check 1. Radiohead found that... c) ... just over a third of all downloaders were willing to pay for the album. 2. Compared to other countries... b) ... less Americans downloaded the album for free. 3. The music industry has seen a decline in the profits made on sales of... a) ... concert tickets. 4. According to the figures given for illegal downloads, Radiohead’s experiment... a) ... has been a success.

•

http://www.apple.com/itunes/

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Advanced

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http://www.inrainbows.com/

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Links:

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 1 Elementary 1 Warmer: Music genres a) Write in the missing vowels (a,e,i,o,u) to find different kinds of music.

j_zz

cl_ss_c_l

r_ck

p_p

c_ _ntry



r_gg_ _

_p_r_

p_nk

h_ _vy m_t_l

rhythm & bl_ _s

s_ _l

b) Can you add any more? c) What kind of music do you like? Can you find someone in your group who has a similar taste in music to you?

2 Keywords Use these words to complete the sentences.

experiment

handling charge

increase

piracy

download



successful

honesty box

average

decrease

illegally

1. When numbers go up, they _________________. 2. When numbers go down, they _________________. 3. When you do something against the law (commit a crime), you do it _________________. 4. A _________________ is a fee that a shop charges you when they send your goods to you. 5. An _________________ is the amount you get when you add numbers together and then divide the total by the number of things you added together. 6. If you get what you want, you are _________________. 7. When you copy information from the Internet to your computer, you _________________ it. 8. An _________________ is a (virtual) container into which the seller hopes the buyer will place money. 9. _________________ is the crime of making and selling illegal copies of something, especially CDs and DVDs.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Elementary

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10. An _________________ is a (scientific) test to find out what happens to someone or something.

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 1 Elementary Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album

•

Alexandra Topping November 7, 2007

For more background information, please refer to the onestopenglish weekly news lesson 57 from October 11th 2007, ‘Radiohead’s bid to revive the music industry’ and http://www.inrainbows.com/

1 In October 2007 Radiohead asked their fans to pay as much - or as little - as they liked for a digital download of their new album, In Rainbows. 2 So what were people willing to pay? The answer is, around £2.90. 3 But only 38% of people who downloaded the album paid anything at all. Two thirds paid only the 45p charge for handling. 4 The average amount that fans were willing to pay was still only $6 (£2.90) – far below the price of a CD or the amount a digital album would cost to download from the Apple iTunes store. 5 During the first 29 days of October, 1.2 million people worldwide visited Radiohead’s In Rainbows website. A large number of these visitors downloaded the album. The study showed that 38% paid to download the album, but that the remaining 62% choose to pay nothing. The percentage of people who downloaded for free in the US (60%) is only very slightly lower than in the rest of the world (64%). 6 The Radiohead ‘honesty box’ experiment is being closely watched by other artists, their record labels and management companies. Even though sales of live concert tickets are increasing, CD sales are decreasing. This is because of increased competition and piracy. 7 Worldwide, people download 20 tracks illegally for every digital download they pay for. So it seems that Radiohead’s experiment was successful. © Guardian News & Media 2007

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

First published in The Guardian, 07/11/07

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 1 Elementary 3 How to download the album in ten easy steps. Number these instructions to put them into the correct order.



Now transfer the album to your iPod, MP3-player, or burn it onto a CD,



then download the album and save it on your computer.

3

then click on ‘view basket’.



Now type in the amount you want to pay,



then listen and enjoy!

6

(you might have to wait in a queue).



Click on DOWNLOAD,



Turn on your computer and go to www.inrainbows.com.



then click on ‘pay now’



Type in your details,

4 Discussion Complete the sentences. a) In my country a CD costs about _________________. b) I buy about _________________ CDs a year. c) I _________________ download music from the Internet. d) I think _________________ is a fair price for a CD. e) I’m willing to pay _________________ to download music. f) I last went to a live concert / opera / musical performance in _________________.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Elementary

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now compare your sentences with your partner.

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Warmer – music genres jazz classical rock pop country rhythm & blues reggae opera punk heavy metal soul

2 Keywords

3 How to download the album in 10 easy steps. 1. Turn on your computer and go to www.inrainbows.com. 2. Click on DOWNLOAD, 3. then click on ‘view basket’. 4. Now type in the amount you want to pay, 5. then click on ‘pay now’ 6. (you might have to wait in a queue). 7. Type in your details, 8. then download the album and save it on your computer. 9. Now transfer the album to your iPod, MP3-player, or burn it onto a CD, 10. then listen and enjoy!

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. increase 2. decrease 3. illegally 4. handling charge 5. average 6. successful 7. download 8. honesty box 9. piracy 10. experiment

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer: Brainstorming

a) How many music genres can you think of in three minutes? b) What kind of music do you like? Can you find someone in your group who has a similar taste in music to you?

2

Key words

Use these words from the article to complete the sentences.

handling charge

struggling

piracy

download

experiment



honesty box

ultimately

average

remaining

reveal

era

1. We use this word to talk about a particular period of time. _______________ 2. When a company or industry experiences financial difficulties, it is said to be _______________ 3. When you give out information that was not known before, you _______________ it. 4. A _______________ is a fee that a shop charges you when they send your goods to you. 5. An _______________ is the amount you get when you add numbers together and then divide the total by the number of things you added together. 6. _______________ means the same as, in the end, or finally. 7. When you copy information from the Internet to your computer, you _______________ it. 8. When something is _______________ , it is the amount that is still left. 9. An _______________ is a container into which the seller hopes the buyer will place money. 10. _______________ is the crime of making and selling illegal copies of something, especially CDs and DVDs.

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NEWS LESSONS / Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album / Intermediate

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11. An _______________ is a (scientific) test to find out what happens to someone or something.

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 2

Intermediate

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album

for. This suggests that Radiohead’s experiment was successful.

Alexandra Topping November 7, 2007

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 07/11/07

1 When Radiohead invited their fans to pay as

much - or as little - as they liked for a digital download of their new album, In Rainbows, many said it was the beginning of a new era for the struggling record industry.

2 So what then, were people willing to pay? Around £2.90, it would seem.

3 Research revealed yesterday that only 38% of

people downloading the album were willing to pay anything at all. Two thirds paid only the 45p charge for handling.

4 The average amount that fans were willing to pay was still only $6 (£2.90) – far below the price of a CD or the amount a digital album would cost to download from the Apple iTunes store.

5 During the first 29 days of October, 1.2 million

people worldwide visited Radiohead’s In Rainbows website. A large number of these visitors ultimately downloaded the album. The study showed that 38% willingly paid to download the album, with the remaining 62% choosing to pay nothing. The percentage downloading for free in the US (60%) is only very slightly lower than in the rest of the world (64 %).

6 The Radiohead ‘honesty box’ experiment has been closely watched by other artists, their record labels and management companies. Despite an increase in sales of live concert tickets, CD sales are less profitable than ever due to increased competition and piracy.

7 It is thought that worldwide, people download 20

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tracks illegally for every digital download they pay

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The record industry is not doing well. T/F 2. Less than 50% of people downloaded Radiohead’s album for free. T/F 3. The album was cheaper on Apple’s iTunes website. T/F 4. Recently, CD sales have been decreasing. T/F 5. Sales of live concert tickets are increasing. T/F 6. A higher percentage of people download for free in the USA than anywhere else in the world. T/F 7. There are currently more illegal music downloads than legal downloads. T/F 8. Radiohead’s experiment was a flop. T/F

4 Discussion In groups, discuss these questions: a) How much does a CD cost in your country? b) How many CDs do you buy in a month/year? c) When did you last buy a CD or download music from the Internet? d) What do you consider to be a fair price for a CD? e) How much would you be willing to pay to download music? f) When did you last go to a live concert / opera / musical performance? g) Do you plan to go to a concert in the near future?

4 Writing - Follow up Write an email to a friend. Tell them about Radiohead’s new album.

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For more background information, please refer to the onestopenglish weekly news lesson 57 from October 11th 2007, ‘Radiohead’s bid to revive the music industry’ and http://www.inrainbows.com/

CA

•

Radiohead fans pay £2.90 for digital album Level 2 Intermediate KEY 2 Key words 1. era 2. struggling 3. reveal 4. handling charge 5. average 6. ultimately 7. download 8. remaining 9. honesty box 10. piracy 11. experiment

2 Comprehension check 1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True 5. True 6. False 7. True 8. False

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Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

audacious unscathed

wriggle scale

adjoining tip-off

admonish homage

inmate feud

1. If someone emerges ______________ from a dangerous or bad situation, they are not harmed or damaged by it. 2. If you pay ______________ to an artist, you show respect by using their style or ideas in your own work or in something that you do. 3. If you ______________ someone, you tell them that you do not approve of something they have done. 4. A ______________ is a warning or secret information given to someone. 5. A ______________ is an angry disagreement between two people or groups that continues for a long time. 6. If you ______________ a wall or a fence, you climb over it. 7. An ______________ is someone who is kept in a prison or an institution. 8. An ______________ act is one that is done with extreme confidence, despite difficulties and risks. 9. An ______________ room or property is one that is next to and connected to another room or property. 10. If you ______________ through a small opening, you do it by twisting and turning your body.

2

Order of events

The text is about an escape from a jail in the USA. Put these sentences into a logical order and then read the text and check your answers. a. They split up and went in different directions along a railway line. b. Then they jumped from the cell-block roof. c. The two prisoners used metal wire to remove the cement around a concrete block in their cell. d. A reward of $8,000 has been offered for their recapture. e. They climbed an eight-metre high razor-wire fence.

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f. They removed the block and squeezed through the narrow hole.

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Advanced

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards

“I think this is a very serious situation,” he admonished reporters at a press conference. “I really prefer not to compare with any movie, although I can understand why you might because it does look certainly very similar to some of them.” Then, in a complete contradiction of his previous position, he added: “Except in The Shawshank Redemption they had a better poster on the wall.”

• Hunt on for two prisoners after movie-style breakout • Escapees used pinups to cover holes in cell walls Ed Pilkington in New York December 19, 2007 1 They really rubbed it in. Not only did they leave a handwritten note that said, “Thank you officer for the tools needed. You’re a real pal! Happy holidays.” They also signed it with a smiley face. The note was a going-away card from two prisoners in a New Jersey jail who on Saturday broke out of a high-security wing armed only with a thick metal wire and a metal wheel used to turn off water pipes. The audacious breakout appeared to combine an intimate knowledge of Hollywood prison films, an ability to wriggle through small holes worthy of Houdini and a talent for parkour, the urban hobby of leaping off high buildings. 2 Police were still searching last night for Jose Espinosa, 20, and Otis Blunt, 32, as details emerged about how they pulled off the escape from Union County jail. They began by using the wire to scratch away the cement around a concrete block in the adjoining wall between their two cells, B310 and B311. By removing the block, Blunt managed to squeeze his 1.79-metre (5ft 9in) (11½st) frame through a 20cm by 40cm hole into Espinosa’s cell. From there, Espinosa, who is 1.67 metres tall (5ft 5in) and 10st 10lb, and Blunt both wriggled out of a similar hole that had been opened by removing a block separating Espinosa’s cell from the outside world. 3 Investigators found that the men had disguised the holes by using the heavy metal wheel to crush up the rubble and hide it in plastic boxes used to store their personal possessions. They had then, in an apparent movie homage, placed posters of women in bikinis over the holes.

5

From the world of Tim Robbins, the inmates moved into the realm of Steve McQueen. To put wardens off the scent they padded out their beds with pillows to make dummy sleeping prisoners. Once out of the cell they hurled themselves from a roof 10 metres high. No blood was found, suggesting they landed unscathed.

6

After that, all they had to do was scale an eightmetre razor-wire fence, which didn’t seem to bother them either. Tracks in the snow suggest they parted company and headed in opposite directions along a railway line.

7

It emerged that this was the second time Blunt had tried to break out using the wire method. The first occasion was nipped in the bud in September after a tip-off from a fellow inmate, and he was moved to what had been assumed to be a more secure part of the prison.

8

Blunt was being held awaiting trial for robbery and shooting at a corner shop. Espinosa had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was awaiting sentencing in which he would have received at least 17 years. He had been the driver in a drive-by shooting in New Jersey in what prosecutors said was a gang feud.

9

A reward of $8,000 has been offered for the men’s recapture, and a full inquiry ordered into prison security. © Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 19/12/07

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4 A local prosecutor, Ted Romankow expressed his displeasure about the Hollywood connection.

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Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information given in the text. 1. Why is the placing of posters of women in bikinis over the holes described as ‘an apparent movie homage’? a. Because the escaped prisoners liked The Shawshank Redemption. b. Because the same kind of thing happens in Hollywood movies. c. Because the prisoners wanted to put the wardens off the scent. 2. Why was the local prosecutor angry with the press? a. Because they wrote false reports about the escape. b. Because they romanticized the escape by comparing it to a Hollywood movie. c. Because the escape was quite different from what happens in the movies. 3. Why did Blunt’s first attempt to escape fail? a. Because he was moved to a more secure part of the prison. b. Because he couldn’t squeeze through the hole. c. Because another prisoner told the prison authorities he was planning to escape. 4. How did the prison authorities know the men were not hurt when they jumped from the roof? a. Because the roof was only 10 metres high. b. Because the men parted company. c. Because no blood was found at the scene.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. An adjective meaning extremely detailed. (para 1) 2. A verb meaning to jump. (para 1) 3. A noun meaning broken pieces of stone and brick. (para 3) 4. A noun meaning a difference between two statements that makes it impossible for both of them to be true. (para 4) 5. A five-word expression meaning to do something to try to prevent someone from discovering the truth. (para 5) 6. An adjective meaning designed to look real but not real. (para 5) 7. A verb meaning to go in a particular direction. (para 6)

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8. A four-word expression meaning to stop a bad situation from becoming worse by taking action at an early stage of its development. (para 7)

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs Fill the gaps in the sentences using these phrasal verbs from the text.

rub in

pull off

break out

crush up

pad out

turn off

1. If you _________ _________ of a prison, you escape from it. 2. If you _________ something _________, you fill it with soft material. 3. If you _________ something _________, you break it into very small pieces by pressing it hard. 4. If you _________ it _________, you remind someone of something stupid they have done. 5. If you _________ _________ a power or water supply, you switch it off. 6. If you _________ something _________, you succeed in doing something difficult.

6 Vocabulary 3: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text. 1. offer

a. displeasure

2. leave

b. possessions

3. express

c. company

4. part

d. a reward

5. store

e. an inquiry

7 Discussion

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What other ways are there of escaping from prison?

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Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. unscathed 2. homage 3. admonish 4. tip-off 5. feud 6. scale 7. inmate 8. audacious 9. adjoining 10. wriggle

1. intimate 2. leap 3. rubble 4. contradiction 5. put someone off the scent 6. dummy 7. head 8. nip in the bud

2 Order of events

1. break out 2. pad out 3. crush up 4. rub in 5. turn off 6. pull off

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H

1. b 2. b 3. c 4. c

1. d 2. f 3. a 4. c 5. b 6. e

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3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Verb + Noun Collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. c 2. f 3. b 4. e 5. a 6. d

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrasal verbs

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

jail squeeze

tools similar

prosecutor poster

fence track

cell reward

1. A _______________ is a large printed picture that you put on a wall for decoration. 2. A _______________ is a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone is guilty. 3. If something is _______________ to another thing, it is almost the same but not exactly the same. 4. A _______________ is a mark a person or animal leaves on the ground. 5. _______________ is another word for prison. 6. A _______________ is money you receive for helping the police catch a criminal. 7. A _______________ is a wall made of wood or wire that surrounds an area of land. 8. If you _______________ through a small opening, your body goes through it with some difficulty. 9. _______________ are pieces of equipment you use for particular types of work. 10. A _______________ is a small room where a prisoner is kept.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How much money has been offered as a reward? 2. How many prisoners escaped? 3. What were the numbers of their cells? 4. How big was the hole they escaped through? 5. How old is Otis Blunt?

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6. How tall is he?

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Elementary

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards • Hunt on for two prisoners after movie-style breakout • Escapees used pinups to cover holes in cell walls

jumped from a roof 10 metres high. There was no blood on the ground, which probably means they were not injured. 6

After that, they had to climb an eight-metre razorwire fence, but this wasn’t a problem for them either. Police found tracks in the snow which showed that they split up and walked in opposite directions along a railway line.

7

This was the second time Blunt had tried to escape from prison using the wire method. The first time another prisoner told the prison authorities about his plan and they moved him to a more secure part of the prison.

8

Blunt was in prison before going on trial for robbery and shooting at a corner shop. Espinosa was the driver in a drive-by shooting in New Jersey and was facing a jail sentence of at least 17 years.

9

A reward of $8,000 has been offered for the men’s recapture, and a full inquiry ordered into prison security. A local prosecutor, Ted Romankow, does not like the Hollywood connection. “I think this is a very serious situation,” he told reporters at a press conference. “I really prefer not to compare it with any movie, although I can understand why you want to do that because it is certainly very similar to some of them.” Then, changing his previous position, he added: “Except in The Shawshank Redemption they had a better poster on the wall.”

Ed Pilkington in New York December 19, 2007 1 Two prisoners have escaped from a jail in New Jersey, USA. The escape was just like the ones people see in the movies. The men left a handwritten note for their guard, which said: “Thank you for the tools we needed. You’re a real friend! Happy holidays.” They also signed it with a smiley face. 2 The prisoners escaped from a high-security section of the jail using just a thick metal wire and a metal wheel used to turn off water pipes. The escape showed that the men had a detailed knowledge of Hollywood prison films, an ability to squeeze through very small holes like Houdini, and an ability to jump off high buildings. 3 Police are still searching for Jose Espinosa, 20, and Otis Blunt, 32, as details of their escape from Union County jail become known. They began by using the wire to remove the cement around a concrete block in the wall between their two cells, B310 and B311. After removing the block, Blunt squeezed his 1.79-metre (5ft 9in) (11½st) body through a 20cm by 40cm hole into Espinosa’s cell. From there, Espinosa, who is 1.67 metres tall (5ft 5in) and 10st 10lb, and Blunt both squeezed through a similar hole from Espinosa’s cell into the area outside the highsecurity section.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 19/12/07

4 Prison officials said the men used the heavy metal wheel to break up the concrete blocks. They then put the small pieces of concrete in the plastic boxes they used to store their personal possessions. Then, just like in the movies, they put posters of women in bikinis over the holes.

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5 The prisoners filled their beds with pillows so the prison guards would think they were still asleep. When they had got out of Espinosa’s cell, they

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings with the endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The men filled their beds with pillows because… 2. The police know they split up because… 3. The police know the men were not injured because… 4. The guards didn’t see the holes in the cell walls because… 5. The men were able to escape because… 6. Espinosa was in jail because… a. … they could squeeze through very small holes. b. … there was no blood on the ground. c. … the prisoners covered them with posters. d. … they wanted the guards to think they were still asleep. e. … he was the driver in a drive-by shooting. f. … they found their tracks in the snow.

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

b. wire

3. water

c. box

4. concrete

d. pipe

5. prison

e. line

6. press

f. guard

7. plastic

g. security

8. railway

h. conference

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2. high

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a. block

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1. razor

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make two-word expressions from the text.

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. 1. thank you _______ 2. escape _______ a jail 3. squeeze _______ a small hole 4. search _______ someone 5. just like _______ the movies 6. on trial _______ robbery 7. walk _______ opposite directions 8. similar _______

6 Word stress Divide these words from the text into two groups according to their word stress. section

escape

movie

metal

prison

asleep

secure

compare

detail

remove

concrete

along

0 o

B

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o0

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A

The new passage to India, business class Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

1. poster 2. prosecutor 3. similar 4. track 5. jail 6. reward 7. fence 8. squeeze 9. tools 10. cell

1. b (razor wire) 2. g (high security) 3. d (water pipe) 4. a (concrete block) 5. f (prison guard) 6. h (press conference) 7. c (plastic box) 8. e (railway line)

2 Find the information

1. for 2. from 3. through 4. for 5. in 6. for 7. in 8. to

A

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0 o section movie metal prison detail concrete

B

o0 escape asleep secure compare remove along

H

1. d 2. f 3. b 4. c 5. a 6. e

6 Word stress

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3 Comprehension check

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. $8,000 2. two 3. B310 and B311 4. 20cm by 40cm 5. 32 6. 1.79 metres (5ft 9in)

5 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. daring rubble

breakout fence

emerge cell

contradiction manslaughter

prosecutor feud

1. A ____________ is a flat upright structure made of wood or wire that surrounds an area of land. 2. A ____________ is a small room where a prisoner is kept. 3. ____________ is the crime of causing someone’s death illegally but without intending to. 4. A ____________ is an escape from a prison. 5. ____________ is a mixture of broken pieces of stone, brick and concrete. 6. If you are ____________, you are brave enough to do dangerous things. 7. A ____________ is an angry disagreement between two people or groups that continues for a long time. 8. When a piece of news or certain details ____________, they become known to the general public. 9. A ____________ is a difference between two statements that makes it impossible for them both to be true. 10. A ____________ is a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone is guilty.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many prisoners escaped? 2. How old is Jose Espinosa? 3. How tall is he? 4. What were the numbers of their cells? 5. How big was the hole they escaped through?

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6. How much money has been offered as a reward?

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Intermediate

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards

is a very serious situation,” he told reporters at a press conference. “I really prefer not to compare with any movie, although I can understand why you might do that because it does look certainly very similar to some of them.” Then, in a complete contradiction of his previous position, he added: “Except in The Shawshank Redemption they had a better poster on the wall.”

• Hunt on for two prisoners after movie-style breakout • Escapees used pinups to cover holes in cell walls Ed Pilkington in New York December 19, 2007 1 The two escaped prisoners made fun of their guards. Not only did they leave a handwritten note that said, “Thank you officer for the tools we needed. You’re a real pal! Happy holidays.” They also signed it with a smiley face. The note was a leaving card from two prisoners in a New Jersey jail who broke out of a high-security wing using just a thick metal wire and a metal wheel used to turn off water pipes. The daring breakout combined a detailed knowledge of Hollywood prison films, an ability to squeeze through small holes like Houdini, and an ability to jump off high buildings.

5

From The Shawshank Redemption the inmates moved to Steve McQueen’s The Great Escape. They filled their beds with pillows so the prison guards would think they were still asleep. When they had got out of the cell they jumped from a roof 10 metres high. No blood was found, which means they were probably not injured.

6

After that, all they had to do was climb an eightmetre razor-wire fence, which didn’t seem to bother them either. Tracks in the snow suggest they split up and headed in opposite directions along a railway line.

2 Police are still searching for Jose Espinosa, 20, and Otis Blunt, 32, as details emerge about how they managed to escape from Union County jail. They began by using the wire to remove the cement around a concrete block in the wall between their two cells, B310 and B311. After removing the block, Blunt managed to squeeze his 1.79-metre (5ft 9in), (11½st) body through a 20cm by 40cm hole into Espinosa’s cell. From there, Espinosa, who is 1.67 metres tall (5ft 5in) and 10st 10lb, and Blunt both squeezed through a similar hole that had been opened by removing a block separating Espinosa’s cell from the outside world.

7

It emerged that this was the second time Blunt had tried to break out using the wire method. On the first occasion a fellow prisoner told the prison authorities about his plan and he was moved to what they thought was a more secure part of the prison.

8

Blunt was in prison awaiting trial for robbery and shooting at a corner shop. Espinosa had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was awaiting sentencing in which he would have received at least 17 years. He had been the driver in a driveby shooting in New Jersey in what prosecutors said was a gang feud.

9

A reward of $8,000 has been offered for the men’s recapture, and a full inquiry ordered into prison security.

3 Investigators found that the men had used the heavy metal wheel to break up the concrete blocks and hide the rubble in the plastic boxes they used to store their personal possessions. Then, just like in the movies, they placed posters of women in bikinis over the holes.

© Guardian News & Media 2007 First published in The Guardian, 19/12/07

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4 A local prosecutor, Ted Romankow, did not approve of the Hollywood connection. “I think this

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text?

1. The prisoners escaped by climbing through a window. 2. The prisoners used posters to cover the holes in the walls of their cells. 3. The men were injured when they jumped from the roof. 4. The men ran away in the same direction along a railway line. 5. Blunt had tried to escape before. 6. The prison authorities are happy with the level of security in the prison.

4 Find the word Find the following words or expressions in the text.

1. A verb meaning to get through a very small space. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning almost the same but not exactly the same. (para 2) 3. A two-word expression meaning things that belong to a person. (para 3) 4. A noun meaning someone kept in a prison or an institution. (para 5) 5. A two-word expression meaning very sharp wire used for protection or security. (para 6) 6. A verb meaning to go in a particular direction. (para 6) 7. An adjective meaning safe. (para 7)

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8. A three-word expression meaning a situation where someone is shot from a moving car. (para 8)

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions Fill the gaps in the phrases from the text using prepositions 1. make fun _______ someone 2. break out _______ a jail 3. squeeze _______ a small opening 4. search _______ someone 5. escape _______ a jail 6. compare _______ 7. similar _______ 8. travel _______ opposite directions

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building Complete the table. adjective 1.

able

2.

secure

noun

3.

smile

4.

person

5.

injury

6.

guilt

7 Discussion

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The two men made a hole in their cell wall and escaped through it. Can you think of other ways that prisoners could escape from prison?

Thanks for the tools! Jailbreakers taunt guards Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. fence 2. cell 3. manslaughter 4. breakout 5. rubble 6. daring 7. feud 8. emerge 9. contradiction 10. prosecutor

1. squeeze 2. similar 3. personal possessions 4. inmate 5. razor-wire 6. head 7. secure 8. drive-by shooting

2 Find the information 1. two 2. 20 3. 1.67 metres (5ft 5in) 4. B310 and B311 5. 20cm by 40cm 6. $8,000

1. of 2. of 3. through 4. for 5. from 6. with 7. to 8. in

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 2: Word building

1. F 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. F

1. ability 2. security 3. smiley 4. personal 5. injured 6. guilty

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5 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. launch affluent

clogged latent

welding decade

stringent subsidized

hub miniscule

1. If a regulation or test is ________________, it is extremely strict in order to ensure high standards. 2. An ________________ person is one who is rich enough to buy things for pleasure. 3. ________________ means extremely small. 4. A ________________ is a period of ten years. 5. If a street is ________________, it is completely blocked by heavy traffic. 6. A ________________ is an occasion when a company starts selling a new product. 7. If an activity or product is ________________, part of its cost is paid for by the authorities. 8. ________________ is a process in which two pieces of metal are joined by being heated and pressed together. 9. A ________________ is the most important place where an activity takes place. 10. If something is ________________, it exists but is not obvious and has not developed yet.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. India has a population of two billion. 2. The currency of India is the rupee. 3. China currently has the fastest-growing car market in the world. 4. One in every two people in the USA owns a car. 5. Renault produces the world’s cheapest car.

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6. Traffic in Delhi moves at an average speed of less than five miles an hour.

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Advanced

India gears up for mass motoring revolution with £1,260 car

2 Like a modern-day version of Henry Ford, Tata’s idea is of an affordable car that is light and simple, yet made from high-quality materials. The result is a jelly bean-shaped vehicle into which five adults can squeeze. The basic model makes no concession to luxury: its price has been kept low by using more plastic than steel, and swapping hi-tech glue for traditional welding. Rival manufacturers had questioned whether the car would meet safety standards, especially if the company plans to export such models to Europe, which requires cars to meet stringent crash tests. Tata officials said the car had been designed so it could be easily strengthened with metal plates to meet tougher safety standards.

The ‘people’s car’ is also a realization of the Tata chairman’s dream: to put every Indian family behind a steering wheel. He says the thought came to him first while watching families on motorbikes travelling through dusty streets. “The father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family.”

5

At just 100,000 rupees, excluding sales tax, the Nano is less than half the price of the next cheapest car on the road in India and a bit more than an upmarket motorcycle. Analysts say that amid an economic boom there is a latent demand from increasingly affluent Indians trading up from a ‘two-wheeler’ to a car. If just 10% of motorcycle owners switched to Tata’s Nano, it would mean 1m extra cars on India’s roads a year.

6

“Tata have been very smart and have studied the market very carefully,” said Abdul Majeed, a partner in the automotive division of PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Like Ford’s Model T, which drove the American motor boom in the early 20th century, Tata will give the Indian consumer a tough, easy to drive, cheap to maintain and, most of all, affordable car. The market possibilities are huge.”

7

But environmentalists say the possibility of mass sales of the Nano has worrying implications for the environment. Major cities in India are now wreathed in smog and rush hours have spread long into the night. In Delhi traffic now crawls, on average, at less than nine miles an hour – half that a decade ago. As congestion builds up and cars slow, greenhouse gases emissions increase more rapidly. India’s vehicles spewed 219m tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2005. Experts say that figure will jump almost seven-fold to 1,470 tonnes by 2035 if car travel remains unchecked.

3 Conceived four years ago, the Nano has already revolutionized the motor industry. Days before Tata unveiled the car, Ford announced it would increase spending by $500m (£250m) a year to make India a hub for ‘small-car manufacturing’. Last October, Renault said it was considering making a $5,000 car in India for export to the US.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Advanced

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1 It has no radio, no boot, no airbag, no passengerside mirror and just one long windscreen wiper. And if you want air-conditioning to deal with India’s summer heat, you’ll have to buy the deluxe version. India’s Tata Group has unveiled the world’s cheapest car, the Nano, which goes on sale later this year with a price tag of 100,000 rupees (£1,260) to bring motoring to the country’s billion-strong masses. For 70-year-old Ratan Tata, the group’s chairman, the launch of the Nano is a landmark in transport, comparable to the first powered flight by the Wright brothers, or the first moonshot. But environmentalists say the new car could bring about a ‘nightmare’ of choking pollution and clogged roads.

4

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi January 11, 2008

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Environmentalists fear city smog nightmare if millions of Tata’s Nanos hit the road

For now Tata remains focused on India, which analysts predict will become the fastest growing car market – overtaking China – in five years.

CA

Level 3

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 3

Advanced

8 “In terms of emission standards we are five to 10 years behind Europe. We do not tax diesel properly and hence subsidize more dirty car use,” said Sunita Narain of Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment. “We need public transport to ensure mobility, not policies that promote private cars, otherwise we will meet people’s aspirations, but not their needs.”

£35bn on new road projects. Farmland has been handed over to industry for the factories to build new cars. 10

9 The motor lobby insists that Indian car ownership is minuscule in per capita terms: seven or eight out of every 1,000 people, compared with more than 500 in America. The number of private cars in India – about 13m – is only a little more than half the number of cars in America at the onset of the Great Depression of the 1930s. India’s mass motoring boom is already reshaping the country. Slowly cities are giving way to wideflung suburbs. The government is spending

In the case of Tata’s new car, more than 1,000 acres of luxuriantly fertile fields in West Bengal’s Singur district were acquired to set up the Nano plant. The factory will be able to churn out 250,000 cars a year. Thousands of farmers who once raised four crops a year have been evicted to make way for the new facility. Last month Shankar Patra, a 50-year-old farmer who saw his fields turned over to the Tata plant, killed himself. “Without our fields there is no work for us. The village will die,” said Patra’s 22-year-old son, Pratap. “We have nothing, but the rest of India will have a new car.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 11/01/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information given in the text. 1. Why do environmentalists describe the Nano as a ‘nightmare’? a. Because it has no air-conditioning. b. Because the car will be sold in large numbers and cause more pollution. c. Because it is very cheap. 2. How has the Nano revolutionized the motor industry? a. It uses plastic rather than metal and glue rather than welding. b. Five adults can squeeze into it. c. It has attracted other car-makers to India. 3. What solution does the Centre for Science and Environment suggest? a. Better public transport. b. More expensive cars not cheaper ones. c. Motorcycles not cars.

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NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4. What effect is car ownership having on Indian cities? a. It enables people to reach the suburbs easily. b. It is increasing environmental pollution. c. It is putting every Indian family behind a steering wheel.

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the following words and expressions in the text. 1. A verb meaning to announce something officially that was previously a secret. (para 1) 2. A two-word verb meaning to make something happen. (para 1) 3. An adjective meaning cheap enough for ordinary people to afford. (para 2) 4. A verb meaning to think of something such as a new idea, plan or design. (para 3) 5. A two-word expression meaning surrounded by or covered in. (para 7) 6. A noun meaning a situation where a place is crowded with vehicles. (para 7) 7. A verb meaning to make something flow out with a lot of force. (para 7) 8. A verb meaning to legally force someone to leave their home or land. (para 10)

5 Vocabulary 2: Chunks

2. car the growing market fastest

_________________________________________

3. affordable weather of a form safe all transport

_________________________________________

4. the less next car the price half cheapest than of

_________________________________________

5. the in 20th early century

_________________________________________

6. the worrying for environment implications

_________________________________________

7. ten Europe five years to behind

_________________________________________

8. than hour nine less an miles

_________________________________________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Advanced

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_________________________________________

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1. quality from materials high made

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text.

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 3

Advanced

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make two-word expressions from the text. 1. rush

a. gases

2. windscreen

b. boom

3. safety

c. wiper

4. steering

d. tax

5. sales

e. wheel

6. economic

f. hour

7. greenhouse

g. transport

8. public

h. standards

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Advanced

•P

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Should car ownership and car travel be restricted in order to protect the environment?

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. stringent 2. affluent 3. miniscule 4. decade 5. clogged 6. launch 7. subsidized 8. welding 9. hub 10. latent

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

made from high-quality materials the fastest growing car market a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport less than half the price of the next cheapest car in the early 20th century worrying implications for the environment five to ten years behind Europe less than nine miles an hour

3 Comprehension check

6 Vocabulary 3: Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Advanced

O

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

f c h e d b a g

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

b c a b

•P H

F T T T F F

5 Vocabulary 2: Chunks

CA

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

unveil bring about affordable conceive wreathed in congestion spew evict

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

boot smog

airbag manufacturer boom scooter damage motor nightmare greenhouse gases

1. The ____________ industry is the industry that produces cars. 2. If something causes ____________, it causes physical harm to something. 3. ____________ is dirty air that is a mixture of smoke and fog. 4. An ____________ is a large bag that fills with air and protects the driver if a car has an accident. 5. ____________ are gases like carbon dioxide that make the earth warmer. 6. A ____________ is an extremely difficult or frightening situation or a very bad dream. 7. A ____________ is a small motorcycle with a very small engine. 8. The ____________ of a car is the space, usually at the back, where you place your luggage. 9. A ____________ is a sudden large increase in the activity of an industry. 10. A ____________ is a person or company that makes a product.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many cars will the Tata factory produce each year? 2. How many people out of one thousand have a car in India? 3. How much will the Nano car cost? 4. How much carbon dioxide did cars in India produce in 2005? 5. How many people live in India?

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NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What is the money used in India called?

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Elementary

India gears up for mass motoring revolution with £1,260 car

1 The Tata Group company in India is planning to produce the world’s cheapest car. The car, called the Nano, has no radio, no boot, no airbag, no mirror on the passenger’s side and just one long windscreen wiper. And if you want airconditioning for the hot summers in India, you will have to buy the more expensive deluxe model of the Nano. 2 The Nano will be on sale later this year for 100,000 rupees (£1,260). The aim of the Nano is to make it possible for the billion people who live in India to enjoy motoring for the first time. 70-year-old Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata, believes that the Nano is as important an event in the history of transport as the first flight or the first landing on the moon. But environmentalists say the new car will be a ‘nightmare’ and will make the air dirtier and cause traffic jams. 3 Like Henry Ford’s Model T Ford in the 1930s, Tata’s idea is to build a cheap car that is light and simple, but made from high-quality materials. The result is a small car which is just big enough for five people. The cheapest model is very basic: its price is low because it uses more plastic than steel. Other car manufacturers say the Nano may not meet safety standards, especially if the company plans to export it to Europe. Tata officials say it is easy to make the car stronger with metal plates to meet these safety standards. 4 Tata had the idea for the Nano four years ago but it has already brought big changes to the motor industry. Just a few days before Tata showed the car to the public for the first time, Ford said it was planning to increase its spending by $500m (£250m) a year to make India a centre of ‘small-car manufacturing’. Last October, Renault

5

The Tata chairman’s dream is a car for every Indian family. He says he used to watch families on motorbikes travelling through dusty streets: “The father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife sitting behind him holding a baby. I wanted to make a safe, cheap, all-weather form of transport for families like these.”

6

The Nano costs just 100,000 rupees plus sales tax and is less than half the price of the next cheapest car on the road in India. It costs a bit more than a quality motorcycle. The economic boom in India means that people with money want to buy cars instead of motorcycles. If just 10% of motorcycle owners buy a Nano, there will be 1m extra cars on India’s roads every year.

7

But environmentalists say the Nano could cause enormous damage to the environment. India’s largest cities are now covered in smog. In Delhi traffic now moves at less than nine miles an hour – half the speed of ten years ago. Traffic jams are getting worse and car travel in cities is getting slower. At the same time cars are producing more and more greenhouse gases. In 2005, cars, buses and lorries in India produced 219m tonnes of carbon dioxide. Experts say that will increase by almost 700% to 1,470 tonnes by 2035 if the number of cars continues to grow.

8

The motor industry says that only seven or eight out of every 1,000 people in India have a car. In America more than 500 in every 1,000 people have a car. The number of private cars in India – about 13m – is only a little more than half the number of cars in America at the start of the 1930s. But the boom in motoring in India is already changing the shape of the country. Cities are growing into the countryside. The government is spending £35bn on new road

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Elementary

O

Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi January 11, 2008

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Environmentalists fear city smog nightmare if millions of Tata’s Nanos hit the road.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

said it was thinking about making a $5,000 car in India for export to the US. At first the Nano will only be on sale in India and experts say that India will soon be the fastest growing car market in the world. At the moment China is the fastest growing car market.

CA

Level 1

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 1

Elementary

projects. Companies are building car factories on farmland. 9 The Tata factory will produce 250,000 cars a year. Thousands of farmers lost their land when the new factory was built. Last month Shankar Patra, a 50-year-old farmer who lost his fields to the Tata factory, killed himself. “Without our

fields we have no work. The village will die,” said Patra’s 22-year-old son, Pratap. “We have nothing, but the rest of India will have a new car.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 11/01/08

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings with the endings to make sentences about the text. 1. People will buy the Nano because… 2. The Nano is cheap because… 3. Environmentalists are worried because… 4. The farmer killed himself because… 5. China… 6. India…

a. … is the fastest-growing car market in the world. b. … it is cheap. c. … he lost his land. d. … they believe the Nano will make the air dirtier. e. … will soon be the fastest-growing car market in the world.

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NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

f. … it is made mostly of plastic, not steel.

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary 1: Adjectives Match the adjective forms in the left-hand column with their opposites from the text in the right-hand column. 1. most expensive

a. fastest

2. cleaner

b. safe

3. slowest

c. light

4. dangerous

d. simple

5. public

e. dirtier

6. cheaper

f. cheapest

7. heavy

g. private

8. complicated

h. more expensive

5 Vocabulary 2: Cars and car travel Fill the gaps in the sentences using these words connected with cars and car travel. mirror

windscreen wiper

passenger

traffic jam

air-conditioning

speed

1. A ____________ is a situation when cars cannot move because there are too many cars on the road. 2. You use the ____________ if you are hot. 3. You use the ____________ if it is raining and you can’t see. 4. You use the ____________ to see what is behind your car. 5. The ____________ limit in English towns and cities is 30 miles per hour. 6. A ____________ is someone who travels in a car with the driver.

6 Vocabulary 3: Puzzle

2. r – o - n – e – n – t – m – i – n – v – e

5. n – t – g – i – o – m – o – r

3. r - a – t – f – i – f – c

6. t – a – c – r – o – f - y

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Elementary

H

4. t – a – s – f – e – y

•P

1. s – t – r – a – p – n – o – r – t

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Rearrange the letters to make words from the text.

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Adjectives

1. motor 2. damage 3. smog 4. airbag 5. greenhouse gases 6. nightmare 7. scooter 8. boot 9. boom 10. manufacturer

1. f 2. e 3. a 4. b 5. g 6. h 7. c 8. d

2 Find the information

1. traffic jam 2. air-conditioning 3. windscreen wiper(s) 4. mirror 5. speed 6. passenger

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

250,000 Seven or eight 100,000 rupees (£1,260) 219 million tonnes One billion The rupee

5 Vocabulary 2: Cars and car travel

6 Vocabulary 3: Puzzle

NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Elementary

H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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1. b 2. f 3. d 4. c 5. a 6. e

1. transport 2. environment 3. traffic 4. safety 5. motoring 6. factory

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Comprehension check

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

boot smog

vehicle rival emission evict

boom nightmare

consumer switch

1. If you ____________ someone, you force them by law to leave their home or their land. 2. An ____________ is a substance, particularly a gas, that goes into the air. 3. A ____________ is an extremely difficult or frightening situation or a very bad dream. 4. A ____________ is a machine that you travel in on a road, such as a car, a bus or a motorcycle. 5. The ____________ of a car is the space, usually at the back, where you place your luggage. 6. If you ____________, you change from one thing to another. 7. A ____________ is a sudden major increase in the activity of a particular industry. 8. A ____________ is someone who buys and uses goods and services. 9. A ____________ is a person or business that competes with another. 10. ____________ is polluted air that is a mixture of smoke and fog.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What is the population of India? 2. What is the currency of India? 3. How much will the Nano car cost? 4. How many people per thousand people in India have a car? 5. How much carbon dioxide did cars in India produce in 2005?

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NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How many cars will the Tata factory be able to produce each year?

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Intermediate

India gears up for mass motoring revolution with £1,260 car

5

The Nano costs just 100,000 rupees plus sales tax and is less than half the price of the next cheapest car on the road in India and a bit more than a quality motorcycle. Analysts say that the economic boom in India means that people with money will want to buy cars instead of motorcycles. If just 10% of motorcycle owners switched to the Nano it would mean 1m extra cars on India’s roads a year.

6

“Tata have been very clever and have studied the market very carefully,” said motor industry expert Abdul Majeed. “The Nano is like Ford’s Model T which drove the American motor boom in the early 20th century. Tata will give the Indian consumer a cheap car that is easy to drive and cheap to maintain. The market possibilities are huge.”

7

But environmentalists say the possibility of mass sales of the Nano could cause enormous damage to the environment. India’s largest cities are now covered in smog and rush hours last long into the night. In Delhi traffic now crawls, on average, at less than nine miles an hour – half the speed of ten years ago. As traffic jams increase and cars slow down, the emissions of greenhouse gases increase more rapidly. India’s vehicles produced 219m tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2005. Experts say that will increase by almost 700% to 1,470 tonnes by 2035 if car travel is not restricted.

8

“In terms of emission controls, we are five to 10 years behind Europe. We do not tax diesel

Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi January 11, 2008 1 It has no radio, no boot, no airbag, no passengerside mirror and just one long windscreen wiper. And if you want air-conditioning to deal with India’s summer heat you’ll have to buy the deluxe version. India’s Tata Group has just announced the world’s cheapest car, the Nano, which will go on sale later this year for 100,000 rupees (£1,260) to bring motoring to the country’s billion inhabitants. 70-year-old Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata, believes that the Nano is as important an event in the history of transport as the first powered flight by the Wright brothers, or the first landing on the moon. But environmentalists say the new car could cause a ‘nightmare’ of terrible pollution and blocked roads. 2 Like a modern-day version of Henry Ford, Tata’s idea is of a cheap car that is light and simple, but made from high-quality materials. The result is a small vehicle which can just hold five adults. The cheapest model is very basic: its price has been kept low by using more plastic than steel, and using glue to hold the parts together. Rival manufacturers had questioned whether the car would meet safety standards, especially if the company plans to export such models to Europe. Tata officials said the car had been designed so it could be easily strengthened with metal plates to meet tougher safety standards. 3 First designed four years ago, the Nano has already revolutionized the motor industry. Just a few days before Tata showed the car to the public for the first time, Ford announced it would increase spending by $500m (£250m) a year to make India a centre of ‘small-car manufacturing’. Last October, Renault said it was considering making a $5,000 car in India for export to the US. For the time being the Nano will only be

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Intermediate

O

The ‘people’s car’ is also a realization of the Tata chairman’s dream: to put every Indian family in a car. He says the thought came to him first while watching families on motorbikes travelling through dusty streets: “The father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a baby. I wondered whether there could be a safe, cheap, all-weather form of transport for such a family.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4

•P H

Environmentalists fear city smog nightmare if millions of Tata’s Nanos hit the road.

on sale in India and analysts predict that India will become the fastest growing car market – overtaking China – in five years.

CA

Level 2

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 2

Intermediate

properly so more dirty car use is encouraged,” said Sunita Narain of Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment. “We need better public transport, not policies that promote private cars, otherwise we will not meet people’s needs.” 9 The motor industry says that Indian car ownership is still small: seven or eight out of every 1,000 people own a car, compared with more than 500 in every 1,000 in America. The number of private cars in India – about 13m – is only a little more than half the number of cars in America at the start of the 1930s. But the boom in motoring in India is already changing the shape of the country. Slowly cities are being replaced by distant suburbs. The government is spending £35bn on new road projects. Farmland has been given to industry for the factories to build new cars.

10 In the case of Tata’s new car, more than 1,000 acres of fields in West Bengal’s Singur district were taken to build the Nano plant. The factory will be able to produce 250,000 cars a year. Thousands of farmers who once grew four crops a year have been evicted to make way for the new factory. Last month Shankar Patra, a 50year-old farmer who lost his fields to the Tata plant, killed himself. “Without our fields there is no work for us. The village will die,” said Patra’s 22-year-old son, Pratap. “We have nothing, but the rest of India will have a new car.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 11/01/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. There were more cars in America in the 1930s than there are in India today. 2. Ford and Renault are also planning to make cars in India. 3. The chairman of Tata wants everyone in India to own a car. 4. The next cheapest car in India costs 200,000 rupees. 5. In Delhi traffic moves faster than it did 10 years ago. 6. There are around 13 million private cars in India. 7. The Indian government does not want to spend money on new roads.

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NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. The Tata factory has been built on farmland.

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the following words and expressions in the text. 1. A noun meaning someone who wants to protect the environment. (para 1) 2. A comparative adjective meaning more difficult and stricter. (para 2) 3. A verb meaning say what will happen in the future. (para 3) 4. A noun meaning a small vehicle that looks like a motorcycle with a small engine. (para 4) 5. A two-word expression meaning extra money you have to pay when you buy something. (para 5) 6. A verb meaning to keep in a good working condition. (para 6) 7. A two-word expression meaning the time of day when there are a lot of cars on the road because



people are going to or from work. (para 7) 8. A verb meaning to encourage or support something. (para 8)

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

2. public

b. boom

3. safety

c. wiper

4. rush

d. tax

5. sales

e. quality

6. economic

f. hour

7. greenhouse

g. transport

8. windscreen

h. standards

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Intermediate

H

a. gases

•P

1. high

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make two-word expressions from the text.

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 2

Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1.

pollute

2.

revolution

3.

realize

4.

consume

5.

emit

6. 7.

noun

encouragement own

8.

eviction

7 Discussion Does everyone have the right to own a car? How can we protect the environment if road and air travel

O H

N

•P

CA

NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Intermediate

T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

becomes even cheaper?

India gears up for mass motoring revolution Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. evict 2. emission 3. nightmare 4. vehicle 5. boot 6. switch 7. boom 6. consumer 9. rival 10. smog

1. environmentalist 2. tougher 3. predict 4. scooter 5. sales tax 6. maintain 7. rush hour 8. promote

2 Find the information

1. e 2. g 3. h 4. f 5. d 6. b 7. a 8. c

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building

1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. F 6. T 7. F 8. T

1. pollution 2. revolutionize 3. realization 4. consumer 5. emission 6. encourage 7. ownership 8. evict

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / India gears up for mass motoring revolution / Intermediate

H

3 Comprehension check

•P

One billion The rupee 100,000 rupees (£1,260) Seven or eight per thousand 219 million tonnes 250,000

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Collocations

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Write these words into the definitions below. race issue

wary

alienate

controversial

tinged

poll

embark

prominent

(political) camp

tie

1. When you do this you start or begin doing something that may be difficult. ________________ 2. This term is being used more frequently in US politics these days when there is any controversy that includes possible racism. ________________ 3. When people get an equal amount of points or votes we say that the result is a draw or a ________________. 4. This is a term for a group of people who support the same person. ________________ 5. When something is racially ________________ it contains a small amount of racism. 6. When you are ________________, you are usually careful or nervous. 7. When you ________________ someone, they no longer like you or want to support you. 8. A ________________ subject is one that many people disagree with or do not approve of. 9. When someone or something is ________________ they or it are well-known and in the public eye. 10. A ________________ is the process that asks many people their opinion about a certain topic.

2

What do you know?

Find the answers to the following questions by skim-reading the article. 1. How many US states are mentioned in the article? 2. How many candidates for the Democratic Party are mentioned in the article? 3. What do Obama’s team accuse Clinton of doing? 4. What do Clinton’s team accuse Obama of doing?

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5. According to the polls, who is currently in the lead?

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Advanced

Clinton

and Obama prepare to face off following round of attacks

2 After Obama’s victory in Iowa and Clinton’s in New Hampshire, the two candidates – who met for a debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday – were looking to break the tie in Nevada on Saturday or South Carolina the following week. 3 The increasingly bitter and ugly exchanges over race reflect the importance of South Carolina, where about half the Democratic voters are African-American. 4 The Obama team today accused Clinton of being “engaged in the politics of personal destruction”. 5 The Clinton team has been forced to defend themselves over a series of remarks that have been interpreted as racially tinged. The most controversial was a comment from Clinton that suggested she was trying to minimize the role of Martin Luther King in the civil rights era. 6 The Clinton team accused Obama of distorting the remarks. Obama rejected the charges. 7 Meanwhile, Bob Johnson, a founder of the Black Entertainment Television who is among Clinton’s most prominent African-American supporters, revived the issue of Obama’s teenage drug use, which he wrote about in his memoir, Dreams From My Father. 8 During an introduction for Clinton at an event, Johnson said Hillary and Bill Clinton were engaged

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Clinton and Obama prepare to face off / Advanced

Johnson later said that his comments referred to Obama’s work as a community organizer in Chicago “and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect”. The Obama team demanded an apology.

10 Bill Shaheen, a New Hampshire Clinton campaign official, resigned last month after suggesting Democrats should be wary of nominating Obama because of his past drug use. 11 In what seems to have been another misjudged remark, Obama’s wife, Michelle, campaigning for him in South Carolina, also brought up race. Addressing African-Americans sceptical about his ability to win, she said Iowa, which is predominantly white, voted for Obama. “Ain’t no black people in Iowa,” she said. 12 The language could alienate some white voters and the comment is also factually wrong – there are 75,000 African-Americans in Iowa. 13 John Edwards, who is trailing at 11%, supported Obama in the race row. The former North Carolina senator has recently gone out of his way to find a common cause with Obama. The association with Obama has led to speculation that Edwards is trying to become Obama’s vice presidential running mate. 14 A legal dispute over the role of unions in Nevada has also raised issues of race, with Obama and Clinton competing for the support of Latinos, who make up about a quarter of the state’s population. 15 Obama campaigned in Nevada on 14 January while Clinton held an event in New York, fixed before the row, to mark Martin Luther King’s birthday the following day.

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1 Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama came face-toface on January 15 for the first time since their two camps embarked on the dangerous strategy of trying to gain politically from the race issue.

9

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January 14, 2008

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Ewen MacAskill and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington

in black issues when Obama “was doing something in the neighbourhood: I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in his book”.

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Level 3

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 3

Advanced

16 A poll for the Washington Post-ABC News today showed Obama closing the gap nationwide, with Clinton on 42%, down 11% since last month, and Obama on 37%, up 14%. But a national CBS News-New York Times poll had Clinton on 42% to Obama’s 27%, almost unchanged since last month. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 14/01/08

3 Vocabulary 1: Lexical fields Find words in the article which you particularly associate with politics in the USA. Write at least ten and compare them with your neighbour.

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US politics

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + noun collocations Match the adjectives on the left with the nouns on the right to make collocations and explain what they mean in the context of the article. community dangerous common bitter personal national race campaign





official destruction row cause organizer poll strategy exchanges

5 Discussion One of the reasons behind the controversy is that Obama publically admitted taking drugs in his youth. Do you think that people’s past acts should affect their chances of getting a particular job? Support your answer with examples.

6 Webquest

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Check out US websites such as the Washington Post or CNN to see who is currently leading in the campaign to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

3 Vocabulary 1: Lexical fields

1. embark 2. race issue 3. tie 4. (political) camp 5. tinged 6. wary 7. alienate 8. controversial 9. prominent 10. poll

(possible answers)

NEWS LESSONS / Clinton and Obama prepare to face off / Advanced

Community organizer Dangerous strategy Common cause Bitter exchanges Personal destruction National poll Race row Campaign official

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1. 5: Nevada; New Hampshire; South Carolina; Iowa; North Carolina; (New York is a city, Washington Post is a newspaper) 2. 3: Clinton, Obama and Edwards 3. The Obama team accused Clinton of being “engaged in the politics of personal destruction”. 4. The Clinton team accused Obama of distorting the remarks. 5. Clinton.

4 Vocabulary 2: Adjective + noun collocations

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2 What do you know?

nominating; race issue; candidates; debate; camp; campaign; campaigning; voters; senator; Democrats; democratic; supporters; civil rights; vice presidential running mate...

Clinton and Obama Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Write these key words next to their definitions (use a dictionary to help you).

resign

race

defend

autobiography

racist

poll

distort



support

bitter

victory

controversial

demand

accuse

ain’t

1. An opinion or decision that people disagree with or do not approve of is ________________. 2. Involving very angry feelings. ________________ 3. A noun meaning a win. ________________ 4. When you say that someone has done something wrong, you________________ them (of doing it). 5. To protect someone or something from attack. ________________ 6. In this context, ________________ means: a group of people who are similar because they have the same skin colour or speak the same language, or have the same history or customs. 7. ________________ behaviour is offensive or harmful to people who belong to a race that is different from your own. 8. When you change information so that it is no longer true or accurate you ________________ it. 9. When you say formally that you are leaving a job, you ________________. 10. When you help a person or organization to be successful, you ________________ them. 11. This is a book about your life that you write yourself. ________________ 12. A spoken way of saying ‘am not’, ‘is not’, ‘are not’, ‘has not’, or ‘have not’. Many people think it is incorrect. ________________ 13. When you ________________ something, you say in a very firm way that you want something. 14. A ________________ is an occasion when a lot of people are asked what they think about something. Definitions: Macmillan English Dictionary online.

2 What do you know? Read the article quickly and answer the questions. 1. Which Clinton is the article about? Bill, Hillary or Chelsea? 2. Who is John Edwards? 3. What’s Barack Obama’s wife called? 4. Who is leading in the polls?

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5. Which US state is not mentioned in the article: Nevada, North Carolina, California?

Clinton and Obama Level 1

Elementary

Clinton and Obama Ewen MacAskill and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington January 14, 2008 1 Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama met face-toface on January 15 for the first time since the controversial matter of the race issue. 2 After Obama’s victory in Iowa and Clinton’s in New Hampshire, the two candidates are each hoping to win in Nevada or in South Carolina. 3 The bitter and ugly exchanges over race show how important it is for both of the candidates to win in South Carolina, where about half the Democratic voters are African-American. 4 The Obama team accused Clinton of trying to make him look bad. 5 The Clinton team had to defend themselves over remarks that some people thought sounded a bit racist. The most controversial was a comment from Clinton about Martin Luther King. The Clinton team said Obama was distorting the remarks.

white, voted for Obama. “Ain’t no black people in Iowa,” she said. 10 This remark might lose Obama some white votes and the comment is also wrong – there are 75,000 African-Americans in Iowa. 11 Democrat John Edwards, who is in third place at 11%, supported Obama in the race issue. Many people now think that Edwards wants to become Obama’s vice presidential running mate. 12 In Nevada there is also a race issue, with Obama and Clinton both trying to get the support of Latinos, who make up about a quarter of the state’s population. 13 A poll for the Washington Post-ABC News today showed that Obama is closing the gap nationwide, with Clinton on 42%, down 11% since last month, and Obama on 37%, up 14%. But a national New York Times-CBS News poll showed that Clinton is on 42% and Obama on 27%. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 14/01/08

6 Meanwhile, Bob Johnson, one of Clinton’s most well-known African-American supporters, talked about Obama taking drugs when he was a teenager. Obama wrote about drugs in his autobiography, Dreams From My Father. 7 Johnson later said he was talking about Obama’s work as a community worker in Chicago “and nothing else”. The Obama team demanded an apology. 8 Bill Shaheen, a New Hampshire Clinton campaign official, resigned last month after he said that Democrats should be careful of voting for Obama because of his past drug use.

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9 On the other side, Michelle Obama, campaigning for her husband in South Carolina, also mentioned race. In a talk to African-Americans, she reminded them that Iowa, which is mostly

Clinton and Obama Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentences with the correct endings. 1. The name of the third place candidate for the Democrats is ...

a) Obama

2. Obama and Clinton are arguing about ...

b) John Edwards

3. There are approximately 75,000 African-Americans in ...

c) Hillary Clinton

4. The first primary elections were in ...

d) race issues

5. At the moment, the polls show that the next President could be ...

e) Iowa and New Hampshire

6. In the race row, Edwards supported ...

f) Iowa

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation 1. Write these words into the box according to how they are pronounced. controversial

demand

democratic

accuse

president

candidates

presidential

defend

teenager

resign

democrat

support

ooOo

Ooo

oO

democratic



2. Now write the stress patterns for these words. comment autobiography official

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community

Clinton and Obama Level 1

Elementary

5 Discussion Obama wrote that he took drugs when he was a teenager. 1. Do you think he can still be a good president? 2. Now complete this sentence: People who ________________ shouldn’t work as a________________ , but people who________________ can still work as a ________________.

5 Webquest

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Check out US news websites, for example www.washingtonpost.com or www.CNN.com to see who has the most votes at the moment: Clinton, Obama or Edwards.

Clinton and Obama Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

3 Comprehension check

1. controversial 2. bitter 3. victory 4. accuse 5. defend 6. race 7. racist 8. distort 9. resign 10. support 11. autobiography 12. ain’t 13. demand 14. poll

1. The name of the third place candidate for the Democrats is John Edwards. 2. Obama and Clinton are arguing about race issues. 3. There are approximately 75,000 African-Americans in Iowa. 4. The first primary elections were in Iowa and New Hampshire. 5. At the moment, the polls show that the next President could be Hillary Clinton. 6. In the race row, Edwards supported Obama.

NEWS LESSONS / Clinton and Obama / Elementary

Ooo

oO

democratic controversial presidential democrat

president candidates teenager

accuse defend resign support demand

comment autobiography official community

Oo oooOoo oOo oOoo

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2.

ooOo

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1. Hillary 2. The third candidate for the Democrats 3. Michelle Obama 4. Hillary Clinton 5. California

1.

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2 What do you know?

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Write these words into the definitions below. legal dispute

political camp

race issue

candidates

tie

racially tinged

distorts

controversial

revive

poll

destruction

1. This term is being used more frequently in US politics these days when there is any controversy that includes possible racism. ________________ 2. If people get an equal amount of points or votes we say that the result is a draw or a ________________. 3. This is a term for a group of people who support the same politician. ________________. 4. When something is ________________ ________________ it contains a small amount of racism. 5. A ________________ subject is one that many people disagree with or do not approve of. 6. A ________________ is the process that asks many people their opinion about a certain topic. 7. People who compete in an election are called ________________. 8. If someone ________________ something, they change the information so that it is no longer true or accurate. 9. A ________________ is a disagreement that has to be decided by a court. 10. When you ________________ something, you bring it back to life. 11. ________________ is another word for very severe damage or harm.

2

What do you know?

Which further ten words or names would you expect to appear in an article about the US Democratic Party’s presidential candidates?

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Clinton and Obama prepare to face off / Intermediate

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_______________

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_______________

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_______________

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Compare your answers in class and then skim-read the article to see how many of your words actually appear.

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 2

Intermediate

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off following round of attacks Ewen MacAskill and Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington January 14, 2008

9

10 In what seems to have been another misjudged

remark, Michelle Obama, campaigning for her husband in South Carolina, also mentioned race. Addressing African-Americans who were unsure about his ability to win, she reminded them that Iowa, which is predominantly white, voted for Obama. “Ain’t no black people in Iowa,” she said.

1 Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama came face-to-

face on January 15 for the first time since their two camps began the dangerous strategy of trying to gain political points from the race issue.

2 After Obama’s victory in Iowa and Clinton’s in New Hampshire, the two candidates – who met for a debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday – are hoping to break the tie in Nevada or in South Carolina.

3 The bitter and ugly exchanges over race show the

importance of South Carolina, where about half the Democratic voters are African-American.

11 Not only might the remark lose Obama some white votes, the comment is also factually wrong – there are 75,000 African-Americans in Iowa.

12 John Edwards, who is in third place at 11%,

supported Obama in the race row. The former North Carolina senator has recently gone out of his way to find a common cause with Obama and many people now believe that Edwards is trying to become Obama’s vice presidential running mate.

4 The Obama team today accused Clinton of being “engaged in the politics of personal destruction”.

5 The Clinton team has been forced to defend

themselves over a series of remarks that have been interpreted as racially tinged. The most controversial was a comment from Clinton that suggested she was trying to minimize the role of Martin Luther King in the civil rights era. The Clinton team accused Obama of distorting the remarks.

Bill Shaheen, a New Hampshire Clinton campaign official, resigned last month after suggesting Democrats should be careful of voting for Obama because of his past drug use.

13 A legal dispute over the role of unions in Nevada

has also raised issues of race, with Obama and Clinton competing for the support of Latinos, who make up about a quarter of the state’s population.

14 A poll for the Washington Post-ABC News today

6 Meanwhile, Bob Johnson, a founder of the Black

Entertainment Television who is among Clinton’s most well-known African-American supporters, revived the issue of Obama’s teenage drug use, which he wrote about in his memoir, Dreams From My Father.

7 During an introduction for Clinton at an event,

showed Obama closing the gap nationwide, with Clinton on 42%, down 11% since last month, and Obama on 37%, up 14%. But a national CBS News-New York Times poll showed Clinton on 42% compared to Obama’s 27%. A figure that has remained unchanged since last month. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 14/01/08

Johnson said Hillary and Bill Clinton were engaged in black issues when Obama “was doing something in the neighbourhood: I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in his book”.

8 Johnson later said that his comments referred

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NEWS LESSONS / Clinton and Obama prepare to face off / Intermediate

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to Obama’s work as a community organizer in Chicago “and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect”. The Obama team demanded an apology.

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the information given in the text. 1. What is the name of the third candidate for the Democratic nomination? a. Bob Johnson b. Bill Shaheen c. John Edwards d. Martin Luther King 2. What does the article mean by the term, personal destruction? a. That Clinton will become ill. b. That Clinton is trying to ruin her opponent’s chances. c. That Clinton will ruin her own chances. d. That the Democratic Party will personally intervene. 3. Approximately how many African-Americans are there in Iowa? a. 750 b. 7,500 c. 75,000 d. 750,000 4. What does the CBS News-New York Times poll show? a. That Clinton is still in the lead. b. That Obama is likely to overtake Clinton. c. That John Edwards is likely to be Vice President. d. That the American public don’t care who becomes their next president.

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions Fill in the missing prepositions. 1. meet someone face ________ face 2. Obama’s victory ________ Iowa 3. exchanges ________ race 4. Bob Johnson is ________ Clinton’s most well-known African-American supporters. 5. doing something ________ the neighbourhood 6. because ________ his past drug use 7. Michelle Obama, campaigning ________ her husband ________ South Carolina 8. John Edwards, who is in third place ________ 11% 9. a legal dispute ________ the role ________ unions ________ Nevada

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10. a poll ________ the Washington Post

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 2

Intermediate

5 Discussion In his book, Obama admitted that he took drugs when he was a teenager. What do you think: should things that people did in the past affect their chances of getting a particular job? Yes / no / it depends? Think of examples to support your answer.

6 Webquest

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Check out US websites such as the www.washingtonpost.com or www.CNN.com to see who is currently leading in the campaign to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

Clinton and Obama prepare to face off Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions

1. race issue 2. tie 3. political camp 4. racially tinged 5. controversial 6. poll 7. candidates 8. distorts 9. legal dispute 10. revive 11. destruction

1. to 2. in 3. over 4. among 5. in 6. of 7. for/in 8. at 9. over/of/in 10. for

3 Comprehension check

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1. c 2. b * Quote from the website http://www.sourcewatch.org/index. php?title=Politics_of_personal_destruction The politics of personal destruction–a phrase popularized by Bill Clinton during his impeachment– has been in vogue since long before Clinton’s impeachment. Although the tactic of demonizing the opposition has been practiced with varying intensity throughout the history of politics, this current round of hyper-partisan warfare can be traced back to 1987, when President Ronald Reagan nominated Robert H. Bork for the Supreme Court. 3. c 4. a

Life through a lens Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. percentage soap

research average

sedentary childhood

survey decrease

multitask own

1. A ____________ is a set of questions that you ask a large number of people. 2. ____________ is the time of a person’s life when they are a child. 3. ____________ is when you study something in detail to discover new facts. 4. If you ____________, you do more than one thing at the same time. 5. ____________ is the opposite of increase. 6. If you do a ____________ activity, you sit down a lot and don’t do much exercise. 7. If you ____________ something, it is yours, usually because you have bought it. 8. A ____________is a television series about the lives of a group of people. 9. A ____________ is an amount that is equal to part of a total you have divided by 100. 10. An ____________ is a usual level or standard.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many children have a TV set in their bedroom? 2. What percentage of British children watch TV in bed at night? 3. How many children read books in their own time each day? 4. How many children did the survey interview? 5. What percentage of children watch TV during their evening meal?

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6. What percentage of children use the Internet?

Life through a lens Elementary

Life through a lens: How Britain’s children eat, sleep and breathe TV

1 A survey has shown that in modern-day Britain many children spend a lot of their daily lives watching television. They watch TV before they go to school, when they return home, as they eat their evening meal and then (63% of them – a much higher percentage than read a book each day) in bed at night. The survey of five to 16-year-olds shows that four out of every five children now have a TV set in their bedroom. 2 Many children now do other things while they watch television, including social networking on the Internet, looking from their laptop to the TV screen and back again. Even if they are concentrating on the television, young people often do not watch just one programme. Boys in particular often switch from one channel to another and back again to watch two programmes at the same time. The survey, from the market research agency Childwise, will make many people worried that childhood is now more about private space and sedentary activities than about play, social interaction or the child’s own imagination. 3 The survey also shows that children are watching more television than before. The amount of television-watching decreased over the last three years but is now increasing again. This is mainly the result of more girls watching soaps. 4 Children’s use of the Internet is also increasing rapidly. This means British children spend an average of five hours and 20 minutes in front of a screen every day, compared with four hours and 40 minutes five years ago. But children do not read for pleasure as much as they did in the past. Four out of five children read books in their own time but only one out of four read books every day and only 53% at least once a week. 5 The survey interviewed 1,147 children in 60 schools around England, Scotland and Wales. It © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Life through a lens / Elementary

6

Rosemary Duff, the research director of Childwise, said television was now “a part of children’s lives”. She said that children watch it in a different way now. “In the past they paid a lot of attention when they watched television but now it is everywhere, at home and everywhere you go.”

7

“Children now multitask. They have one eye on the television while they read magazines or use the computer,” Duff said. When Childwise asked boys to choose between programmes on different channels they often didn’t want to choose and said they wanted to ‘watch both’. “They switch from one programme to another and cannot imagine that they need to make a decision. They are surprised when you ask them to make a choice.”

8

Computers are also now a key part of children’s private worlds. “The Internet is now an important part of most young people’s lives,” says the study. 85% of five to 16-year-olds use the Internet, and over a third (including a quarter of five to six-year-olds) own a computer or laptop. On average, they go online just over four times a week and spend two hours online each time.

9

The survey shows that children are using the Internet more and more, especially younger children. This is mainly because of social networking sites like Bebo. The main reason children use the Internet is communication (social networking), then fun (online games) and finally studying. Almost three quarters (72%) of children have visited a social networking site, and over half have their own profile. Sometimes

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found that children aged 5 to 16 watch television for an average 2.6 hours a day, and one in 10 say they watch more than four hours a day. The survey also asked if children watched television while eating dinner or in bed before going to sleep. It found that 58% watch during their evening meal, while 63% lie in bed watching TV (rising to almost 75% of 13 to 16-year-olds). 66% – particularly the youngest children – watch before school, and 83% turn on the television after returning home.

CA

Level 1

Life through a lens Level 1

Elementary

they lie about their age if there are minimum age requirements to join a social networking site. Children as young as eight are now joining sites like these. 10 Kathy Evans, policy director of the Children’s Society, which is studying modern childhood, said that people are worried about the possible results of children’s TV and Internet viewing

habits. The Children’s Society will publish a report next month on children and technology. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 16/01/08

3 Comprehension Check Match the beginnings and the endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The survey shows that… 2. The amount of television watching is increasing again… 3. The main reason children use the Internet... 4. Two thirds of children… 5. Over a third of children… 6. 83% of children…

a. … because more girls are watching soaps. b. … turn on the television when they get home from school. c. … own a laptop. d. … children are spending more and more time watching TV and using the Internet. e. … watch TV before they go to school.

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f. … is social networking.

Life through a lens Level 1

Elementary

4 Percentages Match the phrases from the text with the percentages. 1. Four out of five children 2. One out of four children 3. One in ten children 4. Three quarters of children 5. A quarter of five to six-year olds 6. Nearly two thirds of children

a. 25% b. 63% c. 25% d. 10% e. 75% f. 80%

5 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. 1. school they before to go 2. least week at once a 3. going sleep to before 4. hours more a than day four 5. returning after home 6. channel switch to one from another

6 Word stress Put these words from the text into group A or group B according to their stress. average

amount

private

children

return

result

survey (n)

between

programme

childhood

because

report

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B o0

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A 0o

Life through a lens Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

4 Percentages

1. survey 2. childhood 3. research 4. multitask 5. decrease 6. sedentary 7. own 8. soap 9. percentage 10. average

1. f 2. a/c 3. d 4. e 5. a/c 6. b

1. d 2. a 3. f 4. e 5. c 6. b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Life through a lens / Elementary

A 0o

B o0

average private children survey programme childhood

amount return result between because report

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3 Comprehension check

4 Word stress

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1. Four out of every five (80%) 2. 63% 3. One out of four (25%) 4. 1,147 5. 58% 6. 85%

1. before they go to school 2. at least once a week 3. before going to sleep 4. more than four hours a day 5. after returning home 6. switch from one channel to another

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

5 Chunks

Life through a lens Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. widespread

facilities

sedentary

decline

pastime

balanced

survey

reluctant

multitask

essential

1. If you ____________, you do more than one thing at the same time. 2. If something is ____________, it happens or exists in many places. 3. A ____________ life is one in which all parts combine well together and exist in the correct amounts. 4. A ____________ is a set of questions that you ask a large number of people. 5. ____________ are things such as rooms or pieces of equipment provided at a place for people to use. 6. A ____________ is a reduction in the amount or quality of something. 7. If something is ____________, it is completely necessary. 8. A ____________ is something people do regularly for fun in their free time. 9. If you are ____________ to do something, you don’t want to do it. 10. If an activity is described as ____________, it involves a lot of sitting and not much exercise.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. What percentage of British children watch TV in bed at night? 2. How much time on average do British children spend in front of a screen each day? 3. How many children read books in their own time each day? 4. How many children did the survey interview? 5. What percentage of five to 16-year olds use the Internet?

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6. How much time on average do children spend online (on the Internet)?

Life through a lens The report, based on interviews with 1,147 children in 60 schools around England, Scotland and Wales, found television viewing now averages 2.6 hours a day across the age group, though one in ten say they watch more than four hours daily. The survey, which has been conducted annually for 14 years, asked for the first time whether children watched television while eating dinner or in bed before going to sleep. It found that 58% watch during their evening meal, while 63% lie in bed watching the screen (rising to almost 75% of 13 to 16-year-olds). Two-thirds – particularly the youngest children – watch before school, and 83% turn on the television after returning home.

6

Rosemary Duff, Childwise research director, said television was now “a part of children’s lives”, but added that the quality of viewing had changed. “People used to pay more attention when they watched television. It used to be less widespread but much higher in its importance. Now it is widespread but just part of the background, not just at home but wherever you go.”

7

“It seems that children now multitask, keeping one eye on the television as they flick through magazines or use the computer,” Duff added. When the company asked boys to choose between programmes on different channels they often refused, saying they would ‘watch both’. “They switch from one to another and cannot imagine that they should have to make a decision. They are surprised that you should put them in a situation where they have to make a choice.”

8

Computers are also now a key part of children’s private worlds. “The Internet is now an essential part of most young people’s lives,” says the study, with 85% of five to 16-year-olds using the Internet, and over a third (including a quarter of five to sixyear-olds) owning a computer or laptop of their own. On average, they go online just over four times a week, spending two hours each time.

9

The survey shows a rise in Internet use, particularly among younger children. This is mainly the result of social networking sites, primarily Bebo. Communication, says the report, “has overtaken

Lucy Ward, social affairs correspondent January 16, 2008 1 A generation of ‘multitasking’ children are living their daily lives – including eating and falling asleep – to the accompaniment of television, according to a survey of young people’s media habits. They watch TV before they go to school, when they return home, as they eat their evening meal and then – for 63%, a much higher percentage than read a book each day – in bed at night. The survey of five to 16year-olds shows that four out of five children now have a TV set in their bedroom.

2 Television has become so widespread that many

children now combine it with other activities, including social networking online, looking from their laptop to the TV screen and back again. Even if they are concentrating on the television, young people are now unwilling to watch just one programme, with boys in particular often switching between channels to keep up with two programmes at the same time. The survey, conducted by the market research agency Childwise, will increase worries that childhood is increasingly about private space and sedentary activities and less about play, social interaction or the child’s own imagination.

3 The government’s recent Children’s Plan focused

on improving play facilities as a means of ensuring a more balanced life for young people who spend a lot of time watching television. Today’s survey findings show that after declining for three years, television-watching among children is now increasing again. This is mainly the result of more girls watching soap operas.

4 Internet use is also continuing to increase rapidly.

This means British children spend an average of five hours and 20 minutes in front of a screen a day, up from four hours and 40 minutes five years ago. Reading books for pleasure, on the other hand, continues to decline as a regular pastime. While four out of five children read books in their own time, only a quarter do so daily and 53% at least once a week.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Life through a lens / Intermediate

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Life through a lens: How Britain’s children eat, sleep and breathe TV

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Intermediate

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Level 2

Life through a lens Level 2

Intermediate

fun (e.g. online games) as the main reason to use the Internet and study is now far behind”. Almost three quarters (72%) of children have visited a social networking site, and over half have their own profile – sometimes lying about their age to avoid minimum age requirements. Children as young as eight are now signing up.

effects of children’s TV and Internet viewing habits”. The inquiry will report next month on children and technology as part of its two-year investigation. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 16/01/08

10 Kathy Evans, policy director of the Children’s

Society, which is conducting its own inquiry into modern childhood, said there was now “growing public and professional concern about the possible

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Boys often watch more than one TV programme at the same time. 2. The rise in Internet use is mainly the result of social networking sites. 3. The number of children watching television is falling steadily. 4. Less than half the children surveyed watch TV while they are eating their evening meal. 5. The survey is conducted every 14 years. 6. Many children watch TV and use a laptop at the same time.

4 Find the word Find the following words or phrases in the text.

1. A four-word expression meaning while something else is happening or can be heard. (para 1) 2. A three-word phrasal verb meaning to continue to follow. (para 2) 3. An adverb meaning every year. (para 5) 4. A two-word phrasal verb meaning look quickly at a magazine or newspaper. (para 7) 5. A verb meaning to say you will not do something that someone has asked you to do. (para 7) 6. An adjective meaning as small in amount or degree as possible. (para 9) 7. A two-word phrasal verb meaning agree to join a course or organization. (para 9)

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8. A noun meaning the time of your life when you are a child. (para 10)

Life through a lens Level 2

Intermediate

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make collocations. 1. visit 2. turn on 3. improve 4. flick through 5. make 6. use 7. pay 8. conduct

a. facilities b. the Internet c. a magazine d. attention e. a survey f. a choice g. a website h. the television

6 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1.

interact

2.

imagine

3. 4.

decline research

5. 6.

noun

refusal inquire

7.

investigate

8.

please

7 Discussion

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Do you think children spend too much time watching TV and using the Internet? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these activities?

Life through a lens Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. multitask 2. widespread 3. balanced 4. survey 5. facilities 6. decline 7. essential 8. pastime 9. reluctant 10. sedentary

1. to the accompaniment of 2. keep up with 3. annually 4. flick through 5. refuse 6. minimum 7. sign up 8. childhood

5 Verb + noun collocations

1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. F 6. T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Life through a lens / Intermediate

6 Word building verb 1.

noun

interact

interaction

2.

imagine

imagination

3.

decline

decline

4.

research

research

5.

refuse

refusal

6.

inquire

inquiry

7.

investigate

investigation

8.

please

pleasure

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3 Comprehension check

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1. 63% 2. Five hours 20 minutes 3. A quarter (25%) 4. 1,147; 5. 85% 6. Two hours (four times a week)

1. g 2. h 3. a 4. c 5. f 6. b 7. d 8. e

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2 Find the information

Life through a lens Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. ubiquitous anecdotal

flicker revival

flick decline

flip bug

sedentary pastime

1. A ____________ is a reduction in the amount or quality of something. 2. A ____________ is something people do regularly for fun in their free time. 3. A ____________ is the process of becoming active, successful or popular again. 4. A ____________ is a sudden strong enthusiasm for doing something. 5. If an activity is described as ____________, it involves a lot of sitting and not much exercise. 6. If something is ____________, it can be found everywhere. 7. If evidence is ____________ , it is based on someone’s personal experience or information rather than on facts. 8. If you ____________ from one TV channel to another, you keep changing channels quickly. 9. If a light or a TV screen ____________, it goes on and off or becomes brighter or less bright in quick succession. 10. If you ____________ your eyes from one thing to another, you move them quickly.

2

What do you think?

The article is about TV, the Internet and reading habits of British children. Decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F) and then check your answers in the text. 1. More than 80% of schoolchildren turn on the TV when they return home from school. 2. Only 50% of schoolchildren read books in their own time every day. 3. More than 50% of schoolchildren in Britain own a computer or a laptop. 4. More than half the children surveyed have their own profile on a social networking site. 5. Almost three in four thirteen to sixteen year olds watch TV in bed.

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6. 95% have a TV in their bedroom.

Life through a lens Advanced

Life through a lens: How Britain’s children eat, sleep and breathe TV

1 A generation of ‘multitasking’ children are living their daily lives – including eating and falling asleep – to the accompaniment of television, according to a survey of youngsters’ media habits. The flickering of the screen accompanies most of them before they go to school, when they return home, as they consume their evening meal and then – for 63%, far more than read a book each day – in bed at night. The study of five to 16-year-olds shows that four out of five children now have a TV set in their bedroom. 2 So ubiquitous has television become that many children now combine it with other activities, including social networking online, flicking their eyes from laptop to TV screen and back again. Even if they are focusing on the television, young people are now reluctant to commit to one programme, with boys in particular often flipping between channels to keep up with two simultaneous shows at once. The findings, from the market research agency Childwise, will fuel concerns that childhood is increasingly about private space and sedentary activities and less about play, social interaction or the child’s own imagination. 3 The government’s recent Children’s Plan, while attempting to calm panic over claims of ‘toxic’ childhood, focused on improving play facilities as a means of ensuring a more balanced life for screen-bound youngsters. Today’s survey findings indicate a revival in television-watching among children after three years of decline, driven mainly by more girls watching soaps such as Hollyoaks and EastEnders. 4 Internet use – now that the social networking bug is biting younger than ever – is also continuing to grow at a far greater rate than the brief fall-off in TV viewing. That means British children spend an average of five hours and 20 minutes in front of a screen a day, © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Life through a lens / Advanced

5

The report, based on interviews with 1,147 children in 60 schools around England, Scotland and Wales, found television viewing now averages 2.6 hours a day across the age group, though one in ten say they watch more than four hours daily. The survey, which has been conducted annually for 14 years, asked for the first time whether children watched television while eating dinner or in bed before going to sleep. It found that 58% watch during their evening meal, while 63% lie in bed watching the screen (rising to almost three-quarters of 13 to 16-year-olds). Two-thirds – particularly the youngest children – watch before school, and 83% turn on the television after returning home.

6

Rosemary Duff, Childwise research director, said television was now “almost woven into children’s lives”, but added that the quality of viewing had changed. “A lot of television viewing has lost the ‘pay it attention’ feel it used to have. It used to be less ubiquitous but much higher in its importance whereas now it is widespread but just part of the background, not just at home but wherever you go.”

7

Anecdotal evidence indicated that children now multitask, keeping one eye on the television as they flick through magazines or use the computer, Duff added. Boys asked by the company to choose between programmes on different channels frequently refused, saying they would ‘watch both’. “They flick from one to another and cannot conceive that they should have to make a decision. They are puzzled that you should put them in a situation of having to make one or anther choice.”

8

Computers are also now a key part of children’s private worlds. “The Internet is now an essential part of most young people’s lives,” says the

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January 16, 2008

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Lucy Ward, social affairs correspondent

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up from four hours and 40 minutes five years ago. The rise may have come at the expense of reading books for pleasure, which, in a development that will alarm many parents, continues to decline as a regular pastime. While four out of five children read books in their own time, only a quarter do so daily and 53% at least once a week.

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Level 3

Life through a lens Level 3

Advanced

study, with 85% of five to 16-year-olds accessing the Net, and over a third (including a quarter of five to six-year-olds) owning a computer or laptop of their own. On average, they go online just over four times a week, spending two hours each time. 9

The survey shows a rise in Internet use, particularly among younger children, driven primarily by a boom in the use of social networking sites, primarily Bebo. Communication, says the report, “has overtaken fun (e.g. online games) as the main reason to use the Internet and study is now far behind”. Almost three quarters (72%) of children have visited a social networking site, and over half have set up their own profile – sometimes lying about their age to sidestep minimum age

safeguards. Children as young as eight are now signing up. 10 Kathy Evans, policy director of the Children’s Society, which is conducting its own inquiry into modern childhood, said there was now “mounting public and professional concern about the potential impact of children’s TV and Internet viewing habits”. The inquiry will report next month on children and technology as part of its two-year investigation. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 16/01/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What is the main reason for the increase in the number of hours children spend in front of a screen? a. More girls are watching soaps. b. There has been a large increase in Internet use. c. The use of social-networking sites. 2. What does the phrase ‘children now multitask’ mean? a. They perform several tasks on their computers. b. They can watch TV, read a magazine and use a computer at the same time. c. They are unable to make firm decisions.

4. Which of these best describes the conclusions of the survey? a. People are worried that children are spending too much time in front of TV and computer screens. b. Children’s use of computers and TV viewing habits should be regarded as normal. c. The Internet is now an essential part of people’s lives.

3. What is the main reason for children’s use of the Internet?

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a. To play online games. b. To send emails. c. To use social networking sites like Bebo.

Life through a lens Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Find the following words or phrases in the text. 1. A verb meaning to eat or drink something. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning not willing to do something. (para 2) 3. A two word expression meaning to increase worries. (para 2) 4. An adverb meaning every year. (para 5) 5. A two-word expression meaning an integral part of. (para 6) 6. A verb meaning to imagine or think of doing something. (para 7) 7. A verb meaning to avoid something difficult or unpleasant. (para 9) 8. A participle meaning increasing. (para 10)

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make collocations. 1. conduct 2. fuel 3. pay 4. flick through 5. make 6. access 7. visit 8. sidestep

a. attention b. a website c. a magazine d. the Internet e. a survey f. a decision g. safeguards h. concerns

6 Expressions with prepositions Fill the gaps in the expressions from the text using prepositions. 1. at the expense _______ 2. based _______ 3. to the accompaniment _______ 4. focus _______ 5. to commit _______ 6. a rise _______ Internet use 7. concern _______ 8. driven _______

7 Discussion

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How much time do you spend each day watching TV and using your computer? Should parents be worried by the amount of time their children spend watching TV and using computers? Is the decline in reading a worrying trend?

Life through a lens Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. decline 2. pastime 3. revival 4. bug 5. sedentary 6. ubiquitous 7. anecdotal 8. flip 9. flickers 10. flick

1. consume 2. reluctant 3. fuel concerns 4. annually 5. woven into 6. conceive 7. sidestep 8. mounting

3 Comprehension check

4 Expressions with prepositions

1. a 2. b 3. c 4. a

1. of 2. on 3. of 4. on 5. to 6. in 7. about 8. by

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Life through a lens / Advanced

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1. T 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. F

1. e 2. h 3. a 4. c 5. f 6. d 7. b 8. g

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2 What do you think?

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5 Verb + noun collocations

A tale of two ships Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Write the key words into the definitions and decide whether they are verbs, nouns or adjectives. nautical

ram

fleet

clash

uncompromising

harpoon

carcass

pursue

vessel

tactics

1. When you _____________ someone, you chase them in order to catch them. 2. If a vehicle or boat _____________ something, it hits it very hard.

noun / verb / adjective

noun / verb / adjective

3. When you hit a whale with a weapon made of a blade on a rope, you _____________ it. noun / verb / adjective 4. When you _____________ with someone, you argue violently or fight with them. 5. The body of a dead animal is a _____________.

noun / verb / adjective

noun / verb / adjective

6. _____________ is a formal word for a large boat or ship.

noun / verb / adjective

7. A _____________ is a group of vehicles, planes, boats or trains, usually owned by one organization or person. noun / verb / adjective 8. _____________ are a particular method or plan for achieving something (usually used in the plural form). noun / verb / adjective 9. _____________ is a word meaning relating to ships or sailing.

noun / verb / adjective

10. When someone is _____________, they are very determined and not willing to change their opinions, plans, or actions.

2

noun / verb / adjective

Skim-reading

Skim the text to find the answers to these questions. 1. How many ships does the article mention and who do they belong to? 2. Who is the captain of the MV Steve Irwin? 3. Which organization believes in non-violent action? 4. What happened when the three characters met last year in the Antarctic? 5. What happened to Giles Lane and Benjamin Potts? Why?

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6. What are the main differences between Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd?

A tale of two ships Advanced

A tale of two ships

extraordinary courage – or stupidity – Giles Lane from Brighton and Benjamin Potts from Australia leapt aboard the Yusshin Maru No. 2 from the Irwin to deliver a letter to the Japanese captain requesting him to leave the whale sanctuary. The Japanese, not believing their luck, promptly held them captive and sped over the horizon. This sparked an international diplomatic incident.

John Vidal January 17, 2008

7

The drama is reaching its climax. The last time all these characters met in the Antarctic, almost a year ago, there was an international incident and several near disasters. Over a period of more than a week, acid and mud, as well as water cannons and nail guns, were used. There were collisions, shouting matches and three distress flares had to be launched – first by Sea Shepherd when one of its dinghies got separated and its crew was stranded on an ice floe, then by one of the Japanese ships when it was rammed by the Sea Shepherd ship the Robert Hunter, and lastly by the Nisshin Maru again when it caught fire and one man died. As is customary at sea, everyone stopped fighting each other to help those in distress.

8

This time, the environmentalists are aware they could be sailing in to a carefully laid trap set by the Japanese fleet, which is clearly intending to regroup and draw in its hunters. “Anything could happen”, said Greenpeace’s Dave Walsh, on board the Esperanza.

9

It is clear that there is far more at stake than a chase. Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace might both be pursuing the same whaling ships, but at play in the southern ocean are large egos, corporate pride, old jealousies, intense rivalries, distrust and fundamental differences of opinion about the environment, protest and confrontation. While the crews undoubtedly have deep respect for each other in such dangerous conditions, they are in official or semi-official conflict.

2 The nautical drama is being played out between seven ships deep in the wild, and normally extremely lonely, Southern Ocean on the edge of Antarctica. The Nisshin Maru, a large Japanese whaling factory ship, is steaming due south at 15 knots in heavy seas with a crew of 80 and with the carcasses of possibly 50 whales on board.

5 The MV Steve Irwin is roughly 2,500 miles southwest of Fremantle in Australia, pursuing a group of four small whaling ships that the Japanese are using to kill nearly 1,000 whales in the Antarctic whale sanctuary this year. This taskforce of four ships is thought to be heading towards the Nisshin Maru to offload any whales they may have harpooned and pick up stores. 6 But the chase is serious because one of these smaller whalers, the Yusshin Maru No. 2, has already clashed with the Irwin and ran from it with two of the Sea Shepherd boat’s crew. In an act of © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Advanced

10 The two organizations, Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, are as different as chalk and cheese. The tactics they use are different. Sea Shepherd thinks nothing of chucking acid, stink bombs, urine or even chocolate cake at its adversaries.

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4 Steaming towards both ships is the MV Steve Irwin, the black-painted flagship of Captain Paul Watson and the California-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the world’s most uncompromising environmental enforcement group. His crew is smaller, but – like that of the Esperanza – is made up of brilliant and committed seamen.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Two miles behind it, in full sight but not in radio contact, is the Esperanza, a Greenpeace vessel with a volunteer crew of 21 nationalities and a Dutch captain. The Esperanza is well equipped but it looks tiny beside the vast whaling vessel.

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1 An epic battle is being fought out across thousands of miles of empty ocean, with just two boats struggling to stop Japan’s whaling expedition in the Antarctic. The trouble is that one belongs to Greenpeace and the other to Sea Shepherd, rival organizations that are as likely to fight each other as the whalers they are hunting down.

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Level 3

A tale of two ships Level 3

Advanced

It will try to foul ships by putting ropes round their propellers and, led by Watson, the crew has crept on to its enemies’ boats at night and opened the stopcocks to sink them. Greenpeace’s main tactic is to put itself between the whales and the whalers, or in the paths of survey ships – not safe, but highly effective. Its rule is non-violent direct action. 11 Greenpeace said, “We’re not working together in any way. We have our interpretation [of direct action] and they have theirs, and we stick to ours,” said a spokesperson. “We are a confrontational organization. We will put ourselves at risk, but no one else. We would never endanger sailors on other ships. Our argument is not with the guys on the ships; it is with the [Japanese] ministries”.

12 Watson is far more personal. “We are obsessed with stopping the cetacean Death Star, that vicious, cruel killing machine otherwise known as the Nisshin Maru, and her fleet of boats armed with explosive harpoons. We know that if we kill the whales, the sharks, the seals and the sea turtles, we will destroy the very foundation of life in the oceans,” he says. 13 Both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace know they will meet in the Antarctic regularly and fall out with each other constantly. But meanwhile, there have been no whales killed in the Southern Ocean in the past six days. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 17/01/08

3 Vocabulary: Collocations Match the verbs on the left and the nouns on the right to make collocations. In which contexts were they used in the article?

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NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

life whales a battle tactics a stopcock an international incident a trap acid a ship a letter

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spark ram open set chuck fight harpoon deliver use destroy

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A tale of two ships Level 3

Advanced

4 Debate: Role play Read the article again and make notes on your role card (1 card per student). Then have a debate in groups of three or more. Be prepared to defend your position. You are a crew member on the following ship: Esperanza (Greenpeace)

You are a crew member on the following ship: MV Steve Irwin (Sea Shepherd)

You are a crew member on the following ship: Esperanza (Greenpeace)

Your political and environmental beliefs

Your political and environmental beliefs

Your political and environmental beliefs

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

Non-violent direct action

Your tactics

Your job

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

7 Webquest Look at these websites to find out about the latest developments in the sea battle: • • •

www.greenpeace.org/international/ www.seashepherd.org/ www.whaling.jp/english/index.html

You can also read a further Guardian article at: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/29/whaling.conservation

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A tale of two ships Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

3 Vocabulary: Collocations

1. pursue (verb) 2. ram (verb) 3. harpoon (verb) 4. clash (verb) 5. carcass (noun) 6. vessel (noun) 7. fleet (noun) 8. tactics (noun) 9. nautical (adjective) 10. uncompromising (adjective)

spark an international incident ram a ship open a stopcock set a trap chuck acid fight a battle harpoon whales deliver a letter use tactics destroy life

2 Skim-reading

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1. Seven (five belong to Japan, one belongs to Green peace, and one to Sea Shepherd) 2. Paul Watson 3. Greenpeace 4. A battle ensued resulting in one death and a fire 5. They were held hostage when they boarded the Yusshin Maru No. 2 6. The tactics they use are different

A tale of two ships Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Match the following words with their definitions. Example: whaling - the activity of hunting whales. (definition, Macmillan English Dictionary online) distress flare



sanctuary 1.

harpoon

incident

jealousy

trap

battle

chase

capture

crew

cruel

rival

_____________ – the people who work on a ship.

2. _____________ – a person, team or business that competes with another. 3. _____________ – a fight between two groups of people. 4. _____________ – a special area where animals live in a natural environment protected from people. 5. _____________ – a feeling of anger and sadness because someone has something that is better than you have. 6. _____________ – to follow someone or something quickly in order to catch them. 7. _____________ – to catch someone so that they become your prisoner. 8. _____________ – something that happens, especially a violent, criminal or dangerous event. 9. _____________ – a rocket sent up into the sky to show that at ship is in trouble and needs help. 10. _____________ – when you are this, you enjoy causing pain to other people or animals. 11. _____________ – a trick or plan to catch someone. 12. _____________ – a weapon made from a blade on a pole fixed to a rope, used for hunting whales.

2 Skim-reading Skim the text and circle the correct answers to these questions. 1. How many ships does the article mention? (2 / 6 / 7) 2. In which ocean is the battle taking place? (Pacific Ocean / Atlantic Ocean / Southern Ocean) 3. Who is the captain of the MV Steve Irwin? (Giles Lane / Paul Watson / Dave Walsh) 4. Which organization believes in non-violent action? (Greenpeace / Sea Shepherd / the Japan Whaling Association) 5. Which group throws acid and rams ships? (Greenpeace / Sea Shepherd / the Japan Whaling Association) 6. Members of which organization boarded a Japanese whaler? (Greenpeace / Sea Shepherd / the Japan Whaling

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NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Elementary

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Association)

A tale of two ships Elementary 7

Now, the drama is reaching its climax. The last time Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers met in the Antarctic was almost a year ago and there were several near disasters. Over a period of more than a week, acid and mud, as well as water cannons and nail guns, were used. There were collisions, shouting matches and three distress flares had to be launched – first by Sea Shepherd when some of its crew was stuck on an ice floe, then by one of the Japanese ships when it was rammed by the Sea Shepherd ship, and lastly by the Nisshin Maru again when it caught fire and one man died.

8

This year, the environmentalists know they could be sailing into a trap set by the Japanese fleet. “Anything could happen”, said Greenpeace’s Dave Walsh, on board the Esperanza.

9

Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace are chasing the same whaling ships, but there are also other factors involved in this battle: large egos, jealousy, rivalry, distrust and very different opinions about the environment, protest and confrontation. Although the crews respect each other in such dangerous conditions, they are still in conflict.

John Vidal January 17, 2008 1 In thousands of miles of empty ocean, just two boats are trying to stop Japan’s whaling expedition in the Antarctic. One boat belongs to Greenpeace and the other to Sea Shepherd. The problem is that they are rival organizations.

4 The MV Steve Irwin, the black flagship of the radical California-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is also nearby. Captain Paul Watson’s crew is smaller but – like the Esperanza’s crew – is made up of brilliant and committed seamen. 5 The MV Steve Irwin is about 2,500 miles southwest of Fremantle in Australia. It is chasing a group of four small whaling ships that the Japanese are using to kill nearly 1,000 whales in the Antarctic whale sanctuary this year. The four ships are sailing towards the Nisshin Maru to offload harpooned whales and pick up stores. 6 Two of the Sea Shepherd boat’s crew, Giles Lane from Brighton and Benjamin Potts from Australia, jumped aboard one of the smaller whalers, the Yusshin Maru No. 2, from the MV Steve Irwin. They wanted to give a letter to the Japanese captain asking him to leave the whale sanctuary. The Japanese held the men captive and sailed away over the horizon. This act sparked an international diplomatic incident.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Elementary

10 The two organizations, Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, are as different as chalk and cheese. The tactics they use are very different. Sea Shepherd throws acid, stink bombs, urine or even chocolate cake at its enemies. It puts ropes round their propellers and, led by Watson, the crew has crept on to its enemies’ boats at night and tried to sink them. Greenpeace’s main tactic is to put itself between the whales and the whalers or in front of survey ships – these tactics are not safe but highly effective. Greenpeace’s rule is non-violent direct action. 11 Greenpeace said, “We’re not working together with Sea Shepherd. We are a confrontational organization. We put ourselves at risk, but no one else. We would never endanger sailors on other ships. Our argument is not with the guys on the ships; it is with the [Japanese] ministries”.

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3 The Esperanza, a Greenpeace ship, is two miles behind. It has a volunteer crew of 21 nationalities and a Dutch captain. The Esperanza is wellequipped but it looks tiny against the huge whaling ship.

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2 Altogether, seven ships are taking part in the battle in the Southern Ocean on the edge of Antarctica. The Nisshin Maru, a large Japanese whaling factory ship, is sailing south in heavy seas. It has a crew of 80 and the bodies of possibly 50 dead whales on board.

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A tale of two ships

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A tale of two ships Level 1

Elementary

12 Watson said, “We will stop the vicious, cruel killing machine, the Nisshin Maru, and the other boats which are armed with explosive harpoons. We know that if people kill the whales, the sharks, the seals and the sea turtles, they will destroy the very foundation of life in the oceans”. 13 Both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace know they will meet in the Antarctic again and again. But meanwhile, there have been no whales killed in the Southern Ocean in the past six days. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 17/01/08

3 Comprehension check Match the halves of the sentences. 1. Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are... ... taking place in the Southern Ocean on the edge of Antarctica. 2. The sea battle is...



... the two Sea Shepherd crew members.

3. Japan is using four small whaling ships... ... trying to stop Japan’s whaling expedition in the Antarctic. 4. The Nisshin Maru is...



... jumped aboard one of the smaller whalers.

5. Two of the Sea Shepherd boat’s crew...



... sabotage or sink the whalers.

8. Greenpeace puts itself between...



... a large Japanese whaling factory ship with a crew of 80 men.

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... the whalers and the whales.

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7. Sea Shepherd tries to...

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. The Japanese whaler sailed away over ... to kill nearly 1,000 whales in the Antarctic whale sanctuary. the horizon with...

A tale of two ships Level 1

Elementary

4 Vocabulary: Opposites a) Match these opposites:

huge empty leave in front of safe smaller different

stay larger full tiny similar behind dangerous

b) The article says that Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are as different as chalk and cheese. Can you think of a similar expression in your language?

5 Discussion Which of these statements do you most agree with? a) There are many whales, so it’s ok to kill a few for scientific purposes. b) Peaceful protest is the best way to stop whaling. The Japanese crew are only doing their job. c) Violence and sabotage are the only way to stop whaling. It doesn’t matter whether people get hurt – animals are as important as humans.

6 Webquest Look at these websites to find out about the latest developments in the sea battle: •

www.greenpeace.org/international/

•

www.seashepherd.org/

•

www.whaling.jp/english/index.html

You can also read a further Guardian article at: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/29/whaling.conservation

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NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Elementary

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A tale of two ships Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

3 Comprehension check

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Seven ships (five belong to the Japanese, one belongs to Greenpeace, one to Sea Shepherd) Southern Ocean Paul Watson Greenpeace Sea Shepherd Sea Shepherd

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Elementary

4 Vocabulary: Opposites a)

huge empty leave in front of safe smaller different

tiny full stay behind dangerous larger similar

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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2 Skim-reading

Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are trying to stop Japan’s whaling expedition in the Antarctic. The sea battle is taking place in the Southern Ocean on the edge of Antarctica. Japan is using four small whaling ships to kill nearly 1,000 whales in the Antarctic whale sanctuary. The Nisshin Maru is a large Japanese whaling factory ship with a crew of 80 men. Two of the Sea Shepherd boat’s crew jumped aboard one of the smaller whalers. The Japanese whaler sailed away over the horizon with the two Sea Shepherd crew members. Sea Shepherd tries to sabotage or sink the whalers. Greenpeace puts itself between the whalers and the whales.

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crew rival battle sanctuary jealousy chase capture incident distress flare cruel trap harpoon

A tale of two ships Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer

Write down ten words you would expect to find in an article about whaling. Compare your words with your partner’s, then skim-read the article. How many of your words can you find? Example: whaling - the activity of hunting whales. (definition, Macmillan English Dictionary online)

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________



_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________



2

Skim-reading

Skim the text again to find the answers to these questions. 1. How many ships does the article mention and who do they belong to? 2. Where is the battle taking place? 3. Who is the captain of the MV Steve Irwin? 4. Which organization believes in non-violent action? 5. Which group is the most radical?

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6. Giles Lane and Benjamin Potts are members of which organization?

A tale of two ships Intermediate

A tale of two ships

the Irwin to deliver a letter to the Japanese captain, requesting him to leave the whale sanctuary. The Japanese promptly held them captive and sailed away over the horizon. This act sparked an international diplomatic incident.

John Vidal January 17, 2008

7

The drama is reaching its climax. The last time Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers met in the Antarctic, almost a year ago, there were several near disasters. Over a period of more than a week, acid and mud, as well as water cannons and nail guns, were used. There were collisions, shouting matches and three distress flares had to be launched – first by Sea Shepherd when one of its dinghies got separated and its crew was stranded on an ice floe, then by one of the Japanese ships when it was rammed by the Sea Shepherd ship and lastly by the Nisshin Maru when it caught fire and one man died. As is customary at sea, everyone stopped fighting each other to help those in distress.

8

This time, the environmentalists are aware they could be sailing in to a carefully laid trap set by the Japanese fleet. “Anything could happen”, said Greenpeace’s Dave Walsh, on board the Esperanza.

9

It is clear that there is far more at stake than a chase. Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace might both be chasing the same whaling ships, but there are also other factors involved: large egos, corporate pride, old jealousies, intense rivalries, distrust and fundamental differences of opinion about the environment, protest and confrontation. Although the crews have deep respect for each other in such dangerous conditions, they are in official or semi-official conflict.

2 The nautical drama involving seven ships is taking place in the wild, and normally extremely lonely, Southern Ocean on the edge of Antarctica. The Nisshin Maru, a large Japanese whaling factory ship, is sailing south at 15 knots in heavy seas with a crew of 80 and with the carcasses of possibly 50 whales on board.

5 The MV Steve Irwin is roughly 2,500 miles south-west of Fremantle in Australia. It is chasing a group of four small whaling ships that the Japanese are using to kill nearly 1,000 whales in the Antarctic whale sanctuary this year. The four ships are thought to be heading towards the Nisshin Maru to offload harpooned whales and pick up stores. 6 One of these smaller whalers, the Yusshin Maru No. 2, has already clashed with the Irwin and ran from it with two of the Sea Shepherd boat’s crew. In an act of extraordinary courage – or stupidity – Giles Lane from Brighton and Benjamin Potts from Australia leapt aboard the Yusshin Maru No. 2 from © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Intermediate

10 The two organizations, Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, are as different as chalk and cheese. The tactics they use are very different. Sea Shepherd thinks nothing of chucking acid, stink bombs, urine or even chocolate cake at its enemies. It will try to foul ships by putting ropes round their propellers and, led by Watson, the crew has crept on to its enemies’ boats at night and opened the stopcocks to sink them. Greenpeace’s main tactic is to put itself between the whales

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4 The MV Steve Irwin, the black-painted flagship of Captain Paul Watson and the Californiabased Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the world’s most uncompromising environmental enforcement group, is also nearby. Watson’s crew is smaller, but – like the Esperanza’s crew – is made up of brilliant and committed seamen.

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3 Two miles behind it is the Esperanza, a Greenpeace ship with a volunteer crew of 21 nationalities and a Dutch captain. The Esperanza is well-equipped but it looks tiny beside the vast whaling ship.

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1 A battle is being fought across thousands of miles of empty ocean, with just two boats struggling to stop Japan’s whaling expedition in the Antarctic. The problem is that one boat belongs to Greenpeace and the other to Sea Shepherd, rival organizations.

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Level 2

A tale of two ships Level 2

Intermediate

and the whalers, or in the paths of survey ships – these tactics are not safe, but highly effective. Greenpeace’s rule is non-violent direct action. 11 Greenpeace said, “We’re not working together in any way. We have our interpretation [of direct action] and they have theirs, and we stick to ours,” said a spokesperson. “We are a confrontational organization. We will put ourselves at risk, but no one else. We would never endanger sailors on other ships. Our argument is not with the guys on the ships; it is with the [Japanese] ministries”. 12 Watson is far more personal. “We are obsessed with stopping the cetacean Death Star, that

vicious, cruel killing machine otherwise known as the Nisshin Maru, and her fleet of boats armed with explosive harpoons. We know that if we kill the whales, the sharks, the seals and the sea turtles, we will destroy the very foundation of life in the oceans,” he says. 13

Both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace know they will meet in the Antarctic regularly, and fall out with each other constantly. But meanwhile, there have been no whales killed in the Southern Ocean in the past six days. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 17/01/08

3 Comprehension check (More than one answer may be correct)

3. According to the article, there is jealously and rivalry between... a) ... Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd. b) ... Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers. c) ... Greenpeace and the Japanese whalers.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / A tale of two ships / Intermediate

5. Greenpeace says their argument is with... a) ... the Japanese whalers. b) ... Sea Shepherd. c) ... the Japanese ministries. 6. What do Sea Shepherd call the ‘Cetacean Death Star’? a) The Esperanza. b) The Japanese whaling fleet. c) The Nisshin Maru.

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a) ... lonely and wild. b) ... south of Australia. c) ... a whale sanctuary.

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2. The Southern Ocean is...

a) The Japanese whaler’s. b) Sea Shepherd’s. c) Greenpeace’s.

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a) The Esperanza. b) The MV Steve Irwin. c) The Nisshin Maru.

4. Members of whose crew had to be rescued from an ice floe last year?

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1. Which ship has the largest crew?

A tale of two ships Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions Write the missing prepositions into these phrases from the article. 1. _____ different _____ chalk and cheese 2. miles _____ empty ocean 3. one boat belongs _____ Greenpeace, the other _____ Sea Shepherd 4. 2,500 miles south-west _____ Australia 5. Giles Lane is _____ Brighton 6. an act _____ courage (or stupidity) 7. a period _____ more than a week 8. a trap set _____ the Japanese fleet 9. differences _____ opinion _____ protest and confrontation 10. _____ any way

5 Discussion Greenpeace try to stop the whaling by putting themselves between the whale and the whalers. Sea Shepherd use stronger and more forceful tactics such as throwing acid and ramming the whalers. • • • •

Which of these tactics do you think is most effective and why? Do you agree with either of the tactics? Which do you think is the most dangerous? Can you think of any other ways to stop whaling?

7 Webquest Look at these websites to find out about the latest developments in the sea battle: • • •

www.greenpeace.org/international/ www.seashepherd.org/ www.whaling.jp/english/index.html

You can also read a further Guardian article at: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/29/whaling.conservation

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A tale of two ships Level 2 Intermediate KEY 2 Skim-reading

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Seven ships (five belong to the Japanese, one belongs to Greenpeace, one to Sea Shepherd) In the Southern Ocean in Antarctica Paul Watson Greenpeace Sea Shepherd Sea Shepherd

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c a, b and c a b c c

as different as chalk and cheese miles of empty ocean one boat belongs to Greenpeace, the other to Sea Shepherd 2,500 miles south-west of Australia Giles Lane is from Brighton an act of courage (or stupidity) a period of more than a week a trap set by the Japanese fleet differences of opinion about protest and confrontation in any way

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Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

funding hitch

reusable impact

demand conventional

spin-off hypersonic

vast claustrophobia

1. ________________ means extremely large. 2. A ________________ is a problem that is not particularly serious. 3. If something is ________________, it can be used again, often more than once. 4. ________________ is another word for effect or influence. 5. A ________________ speed is a speed which is several times faster than the speed of sound. 6. If something is ________________, it is of the usual, traditional or accepted type, instead of being



new or different. 7. If there is ________________ for a particular product or service, a lot of people want it. 8. ________________ is the money that a government or organization provides for a particular purpose. 9. ________________ is the fear of being in a small or crowded place. 10. A ________________ is something good or useful that happens unexpectedly because of something else.

2

What do you know?

The text is about hypersonic air travel. Which of these statements do you think are True (T) and which are False (F)? Check your answers in the text. 1. Hypersonic air travel would make it possible to fly from Brussels to Australia in less than 4 hours. 2. A hypersonic plane would use liquid hydrogen rather than normal aviation fuel. 3. A hypersonic plane would not be able to have windows for the passengers to see out. 4. The plane would fly at the height of the ozone layer. 5. A hypersonic plane, flying at five times the speed of sound, could be operating within five years.

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6. The route from Brussels to Australia would take the plane over the South Pole.

Fly to Australia in under five hours Advanced

1 The artist’s impression looks like something out of a science fiction film. But a hypersonic passenger plane that could fly to Australia from northern Europe in less than five hours has been designed in Britain. With funding from the European Space Agency, a team of engineers and scientists has come up with the A2, a plane they believe could carry 300 passengers at a top speed of more than 3,000mph. The project is part of an EU drive to push forward the boundaries of air travel. Scientists were asked to find out if it was possible to build a commercial plane that used the sort of technology more closely associated with travel to the edge of space and beyond. 2 UK-based Reaction Engines designs and develops space transport and hi-tech propulsion systems. Its directors are experts in fields ranging from space rockets and weapons systems to nuclear power. One of the firm’s main projects is the development of Skylon, an unpiloted reusable space plane intended to provide inexpensive and reliable access to space, which is expected to take approximately ten years to develop and be capable of transporting 12 tonnes of cargo into space. 3 Alan Bond, a senior engineer and managing director at the company, said the A2 could be operating within 25 years if there was demand for it. Bond said: “The A2 is designed to leave Brussels international airport, fly quietly and subsonically out into the north Atlantic at mach 0.9 before reaching mach 5 across the North Pole and heading over the Pacific to Australia. The flight time from Brussels to Australia, allowing for air traffic control, would be four hours 40 minutes. It sounds incredible by today’s standards but I don’t see why future generations can’t make day trips to Australasia.” © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Advanced

5 Another advantage of the design is that, while the 132 metre-long A2 is much bigger than conventional jets, it would be lighter than a Boeing 747 and could land on current airport runways. But there are a few hitches. For one thing, the A2 might not be great for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia, as it does not have portholes. The heat generated by travelling so quickly makes it difficult to install windows that are secure and not too heavy. One solution Reaction Engines has proposed is to install flat screen panels where the window would be, showing images of the scene outside. 6 In recent days the design has been discussed excitedly on science and environment talkboards. Some believe it would be too expensive to produce commercially. There is also concern that producing the liquid hydrogen could prove to be more environmentally damaging than Reaction Engines believes. And there are fears that because the plane would fly at around the height of the ozone layer, it could cause damage to the atmosphere. 7 Still, Bond said that within 25 years 10% of air travel could be hypersonic. Some routes, such as Europe to India, would not work so well, because the plane would have to go a long way round to avoid having to travel at supersonic speeds over populated areas. But he thought the A2 could get to California by travelling hypersonically across the Atlantic, then conventionally across the US. Reaction Engines claims it would be quieter than Concorde ever was.

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Steven Morris February 5, 2008

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UK firm unveils exploratory plans for 3,000mph eco-friendly passenger jet

4 Reaction Engines estimates that the cost of the flight would be similar to a current first class fare. Moreover, the company claims, the plane would not leave much of a carbon footprint. The key to the design is the fuel it would use. Conventional fuels would not be able to get the A2 up to the necessary speed, and so Reaction Engines has designed an engine that would run on liquid hydrogen. A spin-off is that liquid hydrogen is potentially much greener than conventional fuel – rather than producing vast amounts of carbon emissions, it gives off water vapour and nitrous oxide.

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The hypersonic plane designed to reach Australia in under five hours

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Level 3

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 3

Advanced

8 Bond accepted the project was still at the early exploratory stages. The next phase is more work on the A2’s environmental impact. Bond said: “Our work shows that it is possible technically; now it’s up to the world to decide if it wants it.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 05/02/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why would the Europe to India route be less attractive for hypersonic flights? a. Because it is not far enough to make it economical. b. Because planes travelling at supersonic speeds would have to make long detours to avoid populated areas. c. Because there would not be sufficient business on such routes. 2. What is the main function of Skylon? a. To make hypersonic passenger flights possible. b. To transport cargo into space. c. To fly without a pilot.

3. Why wouldn’t the hypersonic plane have windows? a. Because travelling at such high speeds would mean the windows would have to be very heavy to be secure. b. Because looking out of the windows at such high speeds would make the passengers ill. c. Because it would be cheaper to use flat screen panels showing images of the scene outside. 4. What is the next stage in the development of the A2 hypersonic aircraft? a. To develop the necessary technology to build the engines. b. To design an engine that will run on liquid hydrogen. c. To assess its possible effect on the environment.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the following words and expressions in the text. 1. A two-word expression meaning a picture showing what a new machine or building will look like. (para 1) 2. A three-word phrasal verb meaning to think of something such as an idea or a plan. (para 1) 3. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to advance. (para 1) 4. A three-word expression meaning in comparison with what happens now. (para 3) 5. A two-word expression meaning the amount of carbon dioxide a particular activity produces. (para 4) 6. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to emit. (para 4) 7. A noun meaning a window in a plane or ship. (para 5) 8. A four-word expression meaning during the phase(s) of development where things are still being



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investigated. (para 8)

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 3

Advanced

5 Vocabulary 2: Noun + noun collocations Match the words from the left-hand column with those from the right-hand column to make expressions from the text. 1. science

a. runway

2. propulsion

b. panel

3. air traffic

c. hydrogen

4. flat screen

d. trip

5. liquid

e. control

6. ozone

f. fiction

7. airport

g. system

8. day

h. layer

6 Grammar: Adverbs Fill the gaps in the sentences using these adverbs from the text. potentially commercially conventionally excitedly environmentally technically closely 1. Some people are worried that the A2 might be _________________ damaging. 2. The technology used in the A2 is more _________________ associated with space travel. 3. A hypersonic plane is ______________ possible but it might be too expensive to produce it ________________. 4. It would have to fly _________________ across populated areas like the USA. 5. People have been talking _________________ about the project on internet message boards. 6. Liquid hydrogen is _________________ much greener than conventional aviation fuel.

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Advanced

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Do you think hypersonic travel would be good or bad for the planet?

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. vast 2. hitch 3. reusable 4. impact 5. hypersonic 6. conventional 7. demand 8. funding 9. claustrophobia 10. spin-off

1. artist’s impression 2. come up with 3. push forward 4. by today’s standards 5. carbon footprint 6. give off 7. porthole 8. in/at the exploratory stage(s)

2 What do you know? 1. F 2. T 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. F

1. f 2. g 3. e 4. b 5. c 6. h 7. a 8. d

3 Comprehension check

6 Grammar: Adverbs

1. b 2. b 3. a 4. c

1. environmentally 2. closely 3. technically / commercially 4. conventionally 5. excitedly 6. potentially

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

5 Vocabulary 2: Noun + noun collocations

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

hypersonic cargo

mach vapour

claustrophobia environment

incredible populated

weapons message board

1. Water _________________ is small drops of water in the air. 2. _________________ is a unit for measuring the speed of an aircraft in comparison with the speed of sound. 3. _________________ are things like guns and bombs which are used in wars. 4. A _________________ is a place where Internet users write emails to each other about a particular subject. 5. If something is _________________, it is difficult to believe. 6. If an area of the world is densely _________________, a lot of people live there. 7. The _________________ is the natural world, including the land, water, air and plants. 8. A _________________ speed is a speed which is several times faster than the speed of sound. 9. _________________ is the fear of being in a small or crowded place. 10. A _________________ plane is one that carries goods instead of people.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How many passengers will the A2 carry? 2. How fast will it be able to fly? 3. How long will the flight time from Brussels to Australia be? 4. How long will the A2 be? 5. What percentage of air travel could be hypersonic in 25 years’ time?

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6. How fast will the A2 fly across the North Pole?

Fly to Australia in under five hours Elementary

1 It looks like something out of a science fiction film. A team of engineers and scientists in Britain has designed a plane that could fly to Australia from northern Europe in less than five hours. With money from the European Space Agency, they have designed the A2, a plane which could carry 300 passengers at a top speed of more than 3,000mph. The project is part of an EU programme to develop air travel. Scientists want to find out if it is possible to build a passenger plane with space travel technology. 2 A British company called Reaction Engines designs and develops space transport and rocket systems. Its directors are experts in different fields – from space rockets and weapons systems to nuclear power. One of the company’s main projects is the development of Skylon, a space plane without a pilot, which will provide cheap and reliable space travel. The development of Skylon will take approximately ten years and it will be able to transport 12 tonnes of cargo into space. 3 Alan Bond, a senior engineer and managing director at Reaction Engines, says the A2 could be flying in less than 25 years’ time, if people want to buy it. Bond says: “The A2 is designed to leave Brussels international airport, fly quietly over the north Atlantic at mach 0.9 (just below the speed of sound) before reaching a speed of mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) across the North Pole and flying over the Pacific to Australia. The flight time from Brussels to Australia will be four hours 40 minutes. This is incredible compared with the air travel of today but in the future people could make day trips to Australia.” 4 Reaction Engines believes that the flight will cost about the same as a first class fare to Australia costs today. The company also says that the plane will not be able to reach the necessary © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Elementary

5 The A2 is 132 metres long and is much bigger than normal passenger jet aircraft but it will be lighter than a Boeing 747 and could land on normal airport runways. But there are a few problems. For one thing, the A2 will not be so good if you have claustrophobia, as it does not have windows. The speed of the A2 will produce a lot of heat and it will not be possible to use the type of windows used today. Reaction Engines says it could use flat TV screens instead of windows. The screens would show pictures of the sky outside the plane. 6 A lot of people are excited about this project and have been discussing the design on science and environment message boards. Some people think it will be too expensive to use for passenger transport. Others are worried that producing the liquid hydrogen could be bad for the environment. And some people are afraid that because the plane will fly at the height of the ozone layer it could cause damage to the atmosphere. 7 But Bond says that in 25 years time, 10% of air travel could be hypersonic. However, planes will not be able to fly at hypersonic speeds over populated areas, so routes like Europe to India will not be possible because planes will not be able to fly direct. But Bond thinks the A2 could get to California by travelling at a hypersonic speed across the Atlantic, then at a normal speed over the USA. Reaction Engines says the A2 will be quieter than supersonic planes like Concorde. 8 Bond agrees that the project is only just beginning. The next stage of the project is to find out the effect of the A2 on the environment. “Our work shows that the A2 is possible technically; now the world has to decide if it wants it.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 05/02/08

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Steven Morris February 5, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

UK firm unveils exploratory plans for 3,000mph eco-friendly passenger jet

speed with normal aviation fuels, so Reaction Engines has designed an engine that will use liquid hydrogen. Liquid hydrogen could be much better for the environment than normal aviation fuel. It doesn’t produce large amounts of carbon but produces water vapour and nitrous oxide.

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The hypersonic plane designed to reach Australia in under five hours

CA

Level 1

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings with the endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The A2 will not fly from Europe to India because… 2. Some people are worried because... 3. The A2 will be much bigger… 4. The A2 will be quieter… 5. Flying to Australia on the A2 will not be more expensive than… 6. The A2 will use liquid hydrogen because…

a. … the cost of a first class ticket to Australia on a normal plane. b. … than normal passenger jet aircraft. c. … it will not be able to reach the necessary speed with normal aviation fuel. d. … it cannot fly over populated areas. e. … than supersonic panes like Concorde. f. … liquid hydrogen could be bad for the environment.

4 Vocabulary 1: Chunks

___________________________________

3. than 25 less years’ time in

___________________________________

4. the sound just speed below of

___________________________________

5. the for environment bad

___________________________________

6. the cause to damage atmosphere

___________________________________

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Elementary

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2. space and cheap travel reliable

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___________________________________

CA

1. than hours less five

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text.

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Noun + noun collocations Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make expressions from the text. 1. day

a. plane

2. science

b. director

3. managing

c. travel

4. liquid

d. fiction

5. passenger

e. trip

6. space

f. hydrogen

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

fly

3.

discussion

4.

design

5.

transport

6.

damage

7.

react

8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Elementary

agreement

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2.

noun

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develop

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

verb 1.

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Chunks

1. vapour 2. mach 3. weapons 4. message board 5. incredible 6. populated 7. environment 8. hypersonic 9. claustrophobia 10. cargo

1. less than five hours 2. cheap and reliable space travel 3. in less than 25 years’ time 4. just below the speed of sound 5. bad for the environment 6. cause damage to the atmosphere

6 Vocabulary 3: Word building noun

3 Comprehension check

1.

develop

development

2.

fly

flight

1. d 2. f 3. b 4. e 5. a 6. c

3.

discuss

discussion

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Elementary

4.

design

design

5.

transport

transport

6.

damage

damage

7.

react

reaction

8.

agree

agreement

H

verb

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1. 300 2. 3,000mph 3. Four hours 40 minutes 4. 132 metres 5. 10% 6. Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound)

1. e 2. d 3. b 4. f 5. a 6. c

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 2: Noun + noun collocations

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

hypersonic conventional

mach claustrophobia

reusable incredible

demand secure

spin-off firm

1. A ________________ is a company or business. 2. If there is ________________ for a particular product or service, a lot of people want it. 3. A ________________ speed is a speed which is several times faster than the speed of sound. 4. ________________ is the fear of being in a small or crowded place. 5. A ________________ is something good or useful that happens unexpectedly because of something else. 6. ________________ is a unit for measuring the speed of an aircraft in comparison with the speed of sound. 7. If something is ________________, it is difficult to believe. 8. If something is ________________, it can be used again, often more than once. 9. If something is ________________, it is fixed firmly and in a safe way. 10. If something is ________________, it is of the usual, traditional or accepted type, instead of being



new or different.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible. 1. How fast will the A2 be able to fly? 2. How many passengers will it carry? 3. How long will it take to fly from Brussels to Australia? 4. How long will the A2 be? 5. What percentage of air travel could be hypersonic in 25 years’ time?

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NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How much cargo will Skylon be able to carry into space?

Fly to Australia in under five hours Intermediate

1 The artist’s impression looks like something out of a science fiction film. But a hypersonic passenger plane that could fly to Australia from northern Europe in less than five hours has been designed in Britain. With money from the European Space Agency, a team of engineers and scientists has designed the A2, a plane they believe could carry 300 passengers at a top speed of more than 3,000mph. The project is part of an EU programme to develop air travel. Scientists were asked to find out if it was possible to build a commercial plane that used the sort of technology used in space travel. 2 UK-based Reaction Engines designs and develops space transport and hi-tech rocket systems. Its directors are experts in different fields – from space rockets and weapons systems to nuclear power. One of the firm’s main projects is the development of Skylon, a pilotless, reusable space plane, which will provide inexpensive and reliable access to space. It will take approximately ten years to develop Skylon, which will be capable of transporting 12 tonnes of cargo into space. 3 Alan Bond, a senior engineer and managing director at the company, said the A2 could be operating within 25 years, if there was sufficient demand for it. Bond said: “The A2 is designed to leave Brussels international airport, fly quietly and subsonically out into the north Atlantic at mach 0.9 before reaching mach 5 across the North Pole and flying over the Pacific to Australia. The flight time from Brussels to Australia, allowing for air traffic control, would be four hours 40 minutes. If you compare it with air travel today, it sounds incredible but I don’t see why future generations can’t make day trips to Australasia.”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Intermediate

5 Another advantage of the design is that, although the 132 metre-long A2 is much bigger than conventional jets, it would be lighter than a Boeing 747 and could land on the airport runways used today. But there are a few problems. For one thing, the A2 might not be great for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia, as it does not have portholes. When travelling at hypersonic speeds, the amount of heat generated would make it difficult to install windows that are secure and not too heavy. One solution Reaction Engines has proposed is to install flat screen panels instead of windows. These would show images of the scene outside. 6 In recent days, people have been discussing the design excitedly on science and environment message boards. Some believe it would be too expensive to produce commercially. There is also concern that producing the liquid hydrogen could be more environmentally damaging than Reaction Engines believes. And there are fears that because the plane would fly at around the height of the ozone layer, it could cause damage to the atmosphere. 7 But Bond says that within 25 years, 10% of air travel could be hypersonic. Some routes, such as Europe to India, would not work so well, because the plane would have to go a long way round to avoid having to travel at supersonic speeds over populated areas. But he thought the A2 could get to California by travelling hypersonically across the Atlantic, then conventionally across the US. Reaction Engines says the A2 would be quieter than Concorde was.

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Steven Morris February 5, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

UK firm unveils exploratory plans for 3,000mph eco-friendly passenger jet

4 Reaction Engines estimates that the flight would cost about the same as the current first class fare to Australia. Moreover, according to the company, the plane would not be able to reach the necessary speed with normal aviation fuels so Reaction Engines has designed an engine that would run on liquid hydrogen. A spin-off is that liquid hydrogen could be much greener than conventional fuel. It doesn’t produce large amounts of carbon emissions but gives off water vapour and nitrous oxide.

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The hypersonic plane designed to reach Australia in under five hours

CA

Level 2

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 2

Intermediate

8 Bond agrees that the project is only in its initial stages. The next phase is more work on the effect of the A2 on the environment. “Our work shows that it is possible technically; now it’s up to the world to decide if it wants it.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 05/02/08

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The A2 is specifically designed to fly from Europe to India. 2. It will fly conventionally over populated areas. 3. The A2 will fly at the height of the ozone layer. 4. It will fly at mach 5 over the North Atlantic. 5. The A2 will have no windows at all. 6. The A2 would need specially designed airports.

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word Find the following words and expressions in the text. 1. A two-word expression meaning a picture showing what a new machine or building will look like. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning produced in order to be sold. (para 1) 3. An adjective meaning cheap. (para 2) 4. A two-word expression meaning very small drops of water in the air. (para 4) 5. A noun meaning a window in a plane or ship. (para 5) 6. An adverb meaning with great excitement. (para 6) 7. A two-word expression meaning very bad for the environment. (para 6)

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CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A noun meaning a particular period of time during the development of something. (para 8)

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 2: Opposites Complete the table by adding the prefixes un–, in– or dis– to form the negative forms of these words. 1. reliable

____________

2. expensive

____________

3. credible

____________

4. conventional

____________

5. advantage

____________

6. populated

____________

7. sufficient

____________

8. secure

____________

6 Vocabulary 3: Expressions using prepositions Fill the gaps using prepositions. Then check your answers in the text. 1. suffer _______ claustrophobia 2. access _______ space 3. _______ a speed of 3,000mph 4. capable _______ transporting 12 tonnes of cargo 5. flying _______ the Pacific to Australia 6. the engine runs _______ liquid hydrogen

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Make a list of the points in favour of hypersonic travel and the points against. Would you like to travel in this way?

Fly to Australia in under five hours Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Find the word

1. firm 2. demand 3. hypersonic 4. claustrophobia 5. spin-off 6. mach 7. incredible 8. reusable 9. secure 10. conventional

1. artist’s impression 2. commercial 3. inexpensive 4. water vapour 5. porthole 6. excitedly 7. environmentally damaging 8. phase

2 Find the information

1. unreliable 2. inexpensive 3. incredible 4. unconventional 5. disadvantage 6. unpopulated 7. insufficient 8. insecure

1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. T 6. F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fly to Australia in under five hours / Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 3: Expressions with prepositions



1. from 2. to 3. at 4. of 5. over 6. on

H

3 Comprehension check

•P

More than 3,000mph 300 Four hours 40 minutes 132 metres 10% 12 tonnes

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary 2: Opposites

Rules and respect Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer

What do you think is meant by the phrase ‘rules and respect’?

2

Key words: Synonyms

Find the synonyms used in the article for the following words. The paragraph number is provided to help you. 1. announce (para1) ___________________ 2. team (para 2) ___________________ 3. (football) game (para 2) ___________________ 4. walk (slowly) (para 2) ___________________ 5. develop/invent (para 4) ___________________ 6. mind-set/way of thinking (para 4) ___________________ 7. way (para 5) ___________________ 8. fitting/proper (para 6) ___________________ 9. first language (para 7) ___________________ 10. task (para 8) ___________________ 11. (football) field (para 9) ___________________ 12. shows/indicates (para 9) ___________________ 13. main (para 10) ___________________ 14. positive outcome (para 11) ___________________

3

Skim-reading

Skim-read the article to find the answers to these questions. 1. What nationality is the England football team’s new manager? 2. Which well-known teams has he managed in the past? 3. Why didn’t he want to speak English at the press conference? 4. What language does he speak with the players? 5. What does Capello demand from his players?

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What recently damaged the England players’ self-confidence?

Rules and respect Level 3

Advanced

Rules

and respect are the buzz words as Capello seeks winning mentality

translation from the manager’s native tongue. “I will speak English with you when I am sure that I know all the terms and all the right words,” he said. “You are good at twisting things, so I want to be very careful. But with the players I can explain and communicate in English and I’m happy about that.”

Richard Williams February 6, 2008 1 At Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid the players called Fabio Capello ‘Mister’, the name given to generations of managers in Italy and Spain as a result of the many British coaches who spread the game around the world. In England, however, he will have another title. The players can call him ‘Boss’, Capello declared yesterday. 2 To the England football squad the Italian’s iron word will be law. And that means no wasting time with computer games, no strolling down to breakfast at whatever time suits the individual, and absolutely no golf in the run-up to international football matches. 3 “After the match they can play all the golf they like,” Capello said with a grim smile during a press conference, when he explained the need for a code of behaviour. 4 “We are only together for a short time,” he said, “and in that time you need to try and work and create a way of working. To do that you need to set some rules. Eating together and getting up from the table at the same time and being punctual – these things are about respect for other people and for each other. We don’t have a long time to create a group mentality. It’s important to spend time together.” 5 Capello continued: “We need to work in an orderly fashion. Compared to football clubs, we don’t have many days together. Therefore we need strict rules. If we follow those rules, we’ll create a group and a specific winning mentality, which is what I want.” 6 “People make mistakes but, if they want to be part of this group, they will follow the rules. If someone doesn’t, then we will analyze why the rules were broken and take the appropriate course of action.”

8

Capello’s objective is to create a unified team in time for the first World Cup qualifying game against Andorra in September. In the meantime he will be studying videos of each friendly match and passing on his observations to the players.

9

“We’ve worked very hard on the tactical front for the last few days, all of this in order to create a group mentality and, more importantly, a way of moving on the pitch that reflects my ideas about football,” he said. “I’ve seen some English clubs move on the pitch in the way I want my team to move. So for some it won’t be anything new. Others who aren’t used to moving this way will have to adapt.”

10 On the psychological front, his principal task will be to restore the self-belief so badly damaged by failure to qualify for Euro 2008. But that, as he pointed out, is not an overnight job. 11 “I want the team to regain their winning mentality by being confident in their own resources and by playing bravely. I believe we need to leave the past behind. We need a positive mind-set and to look ahead. But we can’t perform miracles. We’ve only just started our work. Give us time to show results.” 12 And after a month in England, what was his view of England’s players? “I think players are the same everywhere,” he concluded. “My first impressions of these players are very good. They’re very attentive and eager to impress. With this spirit and mentality I believe we will be able to do very well.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 06/02/08

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NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

7 At the press conference, headphones were provided for journalists needing a simultaneous

Rules and respect Level 3 4

Advanced

Comprehension check

Choose the right answer. 1. Capello wants the England players to call him... a) ... Mister. b) ... Boss. c) ... Sir.

3. He says the players should not play golf... a) ... before the matches. b) ... after the matches. c) ... at all.

2. Capello wants the players to eat... a) ... in expensive restaurants. b) ... together. c) ... once a day.

4. He believes that strict rules will lead to... a) ... better discipline. b) ... higher earnings. c) ... more positive results.

5 Discussion: Football small talk Put the words in the right order and practise using the sentences in imaginary small talk situations. You can change the names to make the sentences apply to your country’s national football team. 1. yesterday? / What / game / you / of / think / did / the 2. the / What / of / was / the / result / afternoon? / match / this 3. World / reckon / qualify / England / for / can / the / you / next / Do / Cup? 4. this / What / England’s / are / chances / beating / match / of / Germany / in / the / evening? 5. you / again? / Capello / is / think / to / likely / pick / Do / to / play / for / Beckham / England 6. do / support? / Who / you 7. do / the / manager? / What / think / you / of / new 8. England / the / would / choose / as / you / captain / of / squad? / Who

6 Webquest Look on the Internet to find out when Fabio Capello took over as England manager, how much he earns, whether England won or lost their first match with him as manager, and who that match was against. You can watch a short video about Capello on http://www.fabiocapello.org.uk/ and an interview with him on

O •P H

NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Advanced

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7229823.stm

Rules and respect Level 3

Advanced

KEY 2 Key words: Synonyms

4 Comprehension check

1. declare 2. squad 3. match 4. stroll 5. create 6. mentality 7. fashion 8. appropriate 9. native tongue 10. objective 11. pitch 12. reflects 13. principal 14. result

1. 2. 3. 4.

NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Advanced

What did you think of the game yesterday? What was the result of the match this afternoon? Do you reckon England can qualify for the next World Cup? What are England’s chances of beating Germany in the match this evening? Do you think Capello is likely to pick Beckham to play for England again? Who do you support? What do you think of the new manager? Who would you choose as captain of the England squad?

H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

•P

1. Italian 2. Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid 3. Because the journalists often twist words, and he was worried that they would misquote him. 4. English 5. Adherence to rules, respect, a winning mentality and a different way of moving on the pitch. 6. Not qualifying for Euro 2008.

5 Discussion: Football small talk

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3 Skim-reading

b b a c

Rules and respect Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Match these key words from the article with the definitions. The paragraph numbers will help you. simultaneous punctual native tongue

press conference winning mentality qualify (for something)

restore objective group mentality

respect tactics self-confidence

1. ________________ is a feeling you have for someone because of their personal qualities, their achievements, or their status. You show this by treating them in a polite and kind way. (title) 2. A ________________ is an official meeting where someone makes a formal statement to journalists and answers questions. (para 3) 3. When you are on time, you are ________________. (para 4) 4. Thinking like a team: ________________. (para 4) 5. Thinking positively and expecting to succeed: ________________. (para 5) 6. When things happen or are done at the same time, they are ________________. (para 7) 7. Your ________________ is the language you first learnt and spoke at home while you were growing up. (para 7) 8. An ________________ is something that you plan to achieve, especially in business or work. (para 8) 9. These are particular methods or plans you have to achieve something: ________________. (para 9) 10. When you have ________________, you have the feeling that you can do things well and that people respect you. (para 10) 11. When you ________________ something, you bring it back to the condition it was before. (para 10) 12. When you _____________, you reach the next stage of a competition by winning in an earlier stage. (para 10)

2 Find the information Skim-read the article to find the answers to these questions.

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NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. What is the name of the England football team’s new manager? 2. Which Spanish and Italian teams has he managed in the past? 3. What language does he speak at press conferences? 4. What language does he speak with the England team players? 5. Which country will England play in a World Cup qualifying match in September 2008?

Rules and respect Level 1

Elementary

Rules and respect are the buzz words as Capello seeks winning mentality

native tongue were given headphones. “I will speak English with you when I am sure that I know all the terms and all the right words,” he said. “You are good at twisting things, so I want to be very careful. But with the players I can explain and communicate in English and I’m happy about that.”

Richard Williams February 6, 2008 1 At Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid the players called Fabio Capello ‘Mister’, the name given to generations of managers in Italy and Spain by British football coaches around the world. In England, however, he will have another title. The players can call him ‘Boss’, Capello said. 2 The England football team will have to do exactly what the Italian says. And that means no computer games, no having breakfast whenever they feel like it, and absolutely no golf before international football matches. 3 At a press conference Capello explained the need for strict rules. “After the match they can play all the golf they like,” he said with a serious smile. 4 “We are only together for a short time,” he said, “and in that time we need to find a way of working. To do that you need rules. Eating together and getting up from the table at the same time and being punctual – these things are about respect for other people and for each other. We don’t have a long time to create a group mentality, so it’s important to spend time together.” 5 Capello said: “Compared to football clubs, we don’t have many days together. Therefore we need strict rules. If we follow those rules, we’ll create a specific winning mentality, which is what I want.” 6 He said: “People make mistakes but, if they want to be part of this group, they will follow the rules. If someone doesn’t, then we will look at why the rules were broken and do something about it.”

8

Capello’s objective is to create a strong team in time for the first World Cup qualifying game against Andorra in September. In the meantime, he will be watching videos of each England match and talking about them with the players.

9

“We’ve worked very hard on tactics for the last few days in order to create a group mentality and a different way of moving on the pitch,” he said. “I’ve seen some English clubs move on the pitch in the way I want my team to move. So for some players it won’t be anything new. Others who aren’t used to moving this way will have to learn.”

10 Psychologically, his main task will be to restore the players’ self-confidence which was lost when the England team failed to qualify for Euro 2008. But that, as he said, is not an overnight job. 11 “I want the team to regain their winning mentality by being confident and by playing bravely. I believe we need to leave the past behind. We need to look ahead positively. But we can’t perform miracles. We’ve only just started our work. Give us time to show what we can do.” 12 So, after a month in England, what was his view of England’s players? “I think players are the same everywhere,” he concluded. “My first impressions of these players are very good and I believe we will be able to do very well.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 06/02/08

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NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

7 At the press conference, journalists who needed a simultaneous translation from the manager’s

Rules and respect Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves. 1. Capello wants the England players…

… to beat Andorra.

2. Before matches, Capello wants the players…

… to a better team mentality.

3. He believes that strict rules will lead…

… in English.

4. Capello still speaks Italian…

… to call him ‘Boss’.

5. He is able to communicate with the players…

… all over the world.

6. He wants the players to move differently…

… at press conferences.

7. His first aim is for England…

… to eat together.

8. He says football players are the same…



… on the football pitch.

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Look through the article to find nouns that can follow football. Can you think of more?

pitch



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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

football...

Rules and respect Level 1

Elementary

5 Discussion: Football small talk Hold mini conversations about football. Start with these questions and continue the conversation for as long as you can. Which football team do you support? Have you ever been to a football match? Who won the last European Cup / World Cup? Did you watch any of the matches? If yes, where?

6 Webquest Watch a short video about Capello on www.fabiocapello.org.uk and find the answers to these questions on the website. When did Fabio Capello begin the job as England manager? ________________________ How much does he earn? ________________________ You can see more video clips on http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7229823.stm

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What language does Capello speak in the videos? ________________________

Rules and respect Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

3 Comprehension check

1. respect 2. press conference 3. punctual 4. group mentality 5. winning mentality 6. simultaneous 7. native tongue 8. objective 9. tactics 10. self-confidence 11. restore 12. qualify

1. Capello wants the England players to call him ‘Boss’. 2. Before matches, Capello wants the players to eat together. 3. He believes that strict rules will lead to a better team mentality. 4. Capello still speaks Italian at press conferences. 5. He is able to communicate with the players in English. 6. He wants the players to move differently on the football pitch. 7. His first aim is for England to beat Andorra. 8. He says football players are the same all over the world.

NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Elementary

Possible answers: match, pitch, game, manager, coach, result, score, player, star, stadium, club, team, squad, hooligan, competition, trophy, league

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2 Find the information

Rules and respect Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer

What do you think is meant by the phrase ‘rules and respect’?

2

Key words

Write these key words into the sentences.

group mentality self-confidence

grim stroll

declare restore



winning mentality native tongue

qualify pitch

objective

1. When you officially announce that something is true or happening, you ___________________ it. 2. If your smile is ___________________, it is serious or even unfriendly. 3. When you ___________________, you walk without hurrying. 4. Thinking like a team: ___________________. 5. Thinking positively, with a view to succeeding: ___________________. 6. Your ___________________ is the language you first learnt and spoke at home while you were growing up. 7. An ___________________ is something that you plan to achieve, especially in business or work. 8. A ___________________ is a place or ground where sport is played. 9. When you have ___________________, you have the feeling that you can do things well and that people respect you. 10. When you ___________________ something, you bring it back to the condition it was before, or make someone have a particular feeling again.



11. When you ___________________ for something you reach a particular stage of a competition by competing successfully in an earlier stage.

3

Skim-reading

Skim-read the article to find the answers to these questions.

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1. What nationality is the England football team’s new manager? 2. Which well-known teams has he managed in the past? 3. Why didn’t Capello speak English at the press conference? 4. What language does he speak with the England team players? 5. What is going to take place in September 2008?

Rules and respect Level 2

Intermediate

Rules and respect are the buzz words as Capello seeks winning mentality Richard Williams February 6, 2008

“You are good at twisting things, so I want to be very careful. But with the players I can explain and communicate in English and I’m happy about that.”

8

Capello’s objective is to create a unified team in time for the first World Cup qualifying game against Andorra in September. In the meantime, he will be studying videos of each friendly match and passing on his comments to the players.

9

“We’ve worked very hard on tactics for the last few days in order to create a group mentality and, more importantly, a different way of moving on the pitch,” he said. “I’ve seen some English clubs move on the pitch in the way I want my team to move. So for some it won’t be anything new. Others who aren’t used to moving this way will have to learn.”

1 At Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid the players

called Fabio Capello ‘Mister’, the name given to generations of managers in Italy and Spain by the many British football coaches around the world. In England, however, he will have another title. The players can call him ‘Boss’, Capello declared.

2 The England football squad will have to do exactly

what the Italian says. And that means no wasting time with computer games, no strolling down to breakfast whenever they feel like it, and absolutely no golf before international football matches.

3 “After the match they can play all the golf they

like,” Capello said with a grim smile during a press conference, when he explained the need for strict rules.

4 “We are only together for a short time,” he said,

“and in that time you need to create a way of working. To do that you need to set some rules. Eating together and getting up from the table at the same time and being punctual – these things are about respect for other people and for each other. We don’t have a long time to create a group mentality. It’s important to spend time together.

5 “Compared to football clubs, we don’t have many days together. Therefore we need strict rules. If we follow those rules, we’ll create a group and a specific winning mentality, which is what I want.”

6 “People make mistakes but, if they want to be part of this group, they will follow the rules. If someone doesn’t, then we will analyse why the rules were broken and take the appropriate course of action.”

10 Psychologically, his main task will be to restore

the players’ self-confidence which was so badly damaged when the England team failed to qualify for Euro 2008. But that, as he pointed out, is not an overnight job.

11 “I want the team to regain their winning mentality

by being confident in their own resources and by playing bravely. I believe we need to leave the past behind. We need a positive mind-set and to look ahead. But we can’t perform miracles. We’ve only just started our work. Give us time to show what we can do.”

12 So, after a month in England, what was his view of

England’s players? “I think players are the same everywhere,” he concluded. “My first impressions of these players are very good. They’re very attentive and eager to impress. With this spirit and mentality I believe we will be able to do very well.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 06/02/08

7 At the press conference, headphones were

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provided for journalists who needed a simultaneous translation from the manager’s native tongue. “I will speak English with you when I am sure that I know all the terms and all the right words,” he said.

Rules and respect Level 2

Intermediate

4 Comprehension check According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. Capello wants the England players to call him ‘Mister’. 2. Capello wants the players to eat together and leave the table at the same time. 3. He says the players should not play golf or computer games. 4. He believes that strict rules will lead to higher earnings. 5. Capello doesn’t completely trust journalists. 6. He wants the players to move differently on the football pitch. 7. He thinks England will need a miracle in order to beat Andorra. 8. He says football players are the same all over the world.

5 Vocabulary: What was the score? a) Match the results on the left with the phrases on the right. 1. England 0:0 Switzerland

four all or it was a draw

2. England 1:0 Switzerland

nil nil or it was a no-score draw

3. England 4:4 Switzerland

two one to Switzerland

4. England 1:2 Switzerland

one nil to England

b) What was the score in England’s match against Switzerland on February 6th 2008?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7229823.stm

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c) What was the result of the last football match you watched?

Rules and respect Level 2

Intermediate

6 Discussion: Football small talk Think about the last football match you watched. Talk about it with a partner as though you watched it yesterday. Use these questions to start off and continue the small talk. What did you think of the game yesterday? What was the score? What did you think of the second goal / the goal keeper / the penalty? Do you think they can win the next match? What do you think of the new manager? Who would you choose as captain of the national team? Who do you support?

7 Webquest Watch a short video about Capello on www.fabiocapello.org.uk and find the answers to the following questions on the website.

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When did Fabio Capello take over as England manager? How much does he earn? What do visitors to the website think about an Italian managing the England football team? (see the visitor poll)

Rules and respect Level 2 Intermediate KEY 2 Key words

4 Comprehension check

1. declare 2. grim 3. stroll 4. group mentality 5. winning mentality 6. native tongue 7. objective 8. pitch 9. self-confidence 10. restore 11. qualify

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Rules and respect / Intermediate

nil nil or it was a no-score draw one nil to England four all or it was a draw two one to Switzerland

b) 2:1 to England

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Italian Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid He was worried the journalists would twist his words (mis-quote him). English The first World Cup qualifying match against Andorra.

a) 1. 2. 3. 4.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

5 Vocabulary: What was the score?

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3 Skim-reading

F T F F T T F T

Shark species face extinction Level 3 1

Advanced

Key adjectives

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key adjectives from the text. endangered devastating

vulnerable unrestricted

extinct resilient

revised predatory

excessive wide-ranging

1. A ____________ animal or person is one that is at risk of being damaged by something negative or harmful. 2. A ____________ animal is one that kills and eats other animals. 3. If something is ____________, there is much more of it than is reasonable or necessary. 4. An ____________ animal, plant or language no longer exists. 5. A ____________ creature is one that is able to become healthy or strong again despite a serious problem. 6. If something is ____________, it covers a very large area. 7. An ____________ species is one that may soon become extinct. 8. An ____________ activity is one that has no rules or limits to control it. 9. A ____________ version of something is one that has been changed or added to. 10. ____________ means ‘causing a lot of harm or damage’.

2

What do you know?

The text is about endangered species and, in particular, sharks. Decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F) and then check your answers in the text. 1. Shark fins are a delicacy in China. 2. More than 100 species of shark are on the World Conservation Union’s endangered list. 3. The world’s shark population has fallen by 90% as a result of the demand for shark fins. 4. The shark population along the US east coast has only fallen by 1%. 5. Shark fishing is not permitted in international waters.

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6. Sharks mature in a relatively short time – 5 to 6 years.

Shark species face extinction Recent studies have shown that all shark populations in the north-west Atlantic Ocean have declined by an average of 50% since the early 1970s. Shark numbers can become depleted very quickly because they take a long time to mature - 16 years in the case of a scalloped hammerhead. Their fins are highly prized in China and can fetch up to £140 a kilogram. Until recently the eating of shark fin was a delicacy restricted to the rich in China, said Baum, but as the country’s middle class has grown in the past 25 years, so has the market for shark fins. Excessive fishing has caused a 90% decline in shark populations across the world’s oceans and up to 99% along the US east coast, which are some of the best-managed waters in the world, according to Baum.

6

The decline in predators such as sharks can have devastating consequences for the local marine ecology. In a case study published last year, Baum found that a major decline in the numbers of predatory sharks in the north Atlantic after 2000 had allowed populations of the sharks’ prey, cownose rays, to explode. The rays in turn decimated the bay scallop populations around North Carolina. “There was a fishery for bay scallops in North Carolina that lasted over a century uninterrupted and it was closed down in 2004 because of cownose rays.”

7

Fishing for sharks in international waters is unrestricted, but Baum supports a recent UN resolution calling for immediate limits on catching sharks and a ban on shark finning. Sonja Fordham, of the Shark Alliance, a coalition of 50 scientific and conservation groups, said: “People think these wide-ranging, fast sharks are resilient to fishing; however, this shows this is not the case. Concerned citizens can really help by making their fisheries ministers aware that they support conservation measures such as catch limits.”

8

Some conservation efforts for sharks will focus on newly identified hotspots where sharks congregate during migrations. Peter Klimley of

Call for marine reserves to protect migration hotspots as scientists fear decline will affect other species Alok Jha in Boston Monday February 18 2008

1 Nine more species of shark are to be added to the endangered list as scientists warn that oceans are being emptied of the fish by overfishing and finning. The scalloped hammerhead shark, which has declined by 99% over the past 30 years in some parts of the world, is particularly vulnerable and will be declared globally endangered on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) list. 2 “Sharks are definitely at the top of the list for marine fishes that could go extinct in our lifetimes,” said Julia Baum of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California and a member of IUCN shark specialist group. “If we carry on the way that we are, we’re looking at a really high risk of extinction for some of these shark species within the next few decades.” 3 At the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Boston, Baum said that in addition to the scalloped hammerhead, other shark species that will be added to the revised IUCN endangered list later this year are the smooth hammerhead, short-fin mako, common thresher, big-eye thresher, silky, tiger, bull and dusky. There are already 126 species of shark on the IUCN’s list. 4 “The perception has been that really wideranging species can’t become endangered because if they are threatened in one area, surely they’ll be fine in another area,” said Baum. “But fisheries now cover all corners of the earth and they’re intense enough that these species are being threatened everywhere.”

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Advanced

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Level 3

Shark species face extinction Level 3

Advanced

the University of California, Davis, found that scalloped hammerhead sharks migrate along fixed ‘superhighways’ in the oceans, speeding between a series of ‘stepping stone’ sites near coastal islands ranging from Mexico to Ecuador. “Hammerhead sharks are not evenly dispersed throughout the seas, but concentrated at seamounts and offshore islands,” he said. “Hence, enforcing reserves around these areas will go far in protecting these species and will provide the public with places for viewing sharks in their habitat.”

scientists as ‘the white shark cafe’, Klimley says. “We started calling it the cafe because that is where you might go to have a snack or maybe just to ‘see and be seen’. We are not sure which,” said Salvador Jorgensen, a researcher at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. “Once they leave the cafe they return year after year to the same exact spot along the coast, just as you might return to a favourite fishing hole.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 18/02/08

9 One site between Hawaii and Mexico attracts so many sharks it has become known among

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why are wide-ranging species of shark becoming endangered? a. Because their prey has exploded. b. Because shark fishing is unrestricted. c. Because intense fisheries now cover all corners of the earth. 2. Why did the North Carolina bay scallop fishery close down? a. Because there weren’t any sharks to eat the cownose rays that feed on scallops. b. Because the sharks ate all the scallops. c. Because it was no longer profitable. 3. Why has the consumption of shark fin in China increased? a. Because it has become cheaper to buy. b. Because the growing middle class in China can afford to buy this expensive delicacy. c. Because the Chinese believe it is good for the health.

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4. What is the ‘white shark cafe’? a. A coastal island. b. A place where migrating sharks regularly gather. c. A place where sharks return to each year to have their young.

Shark species face extinction Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Find the following words and expressions in the text. 1. a five-word expression meaning in 30 to 40 years time (para 2) 2. an adjective meaning having fewer members than usual or than before (para 5) 3. a two-word expression meaning considered to be very important or valuable (para 5) 4. a verb meaning to be sold for a particular amount of money (para 5) 5. a noun meaning a rare or expensive type of food (para 5) 6. a verb meaning to destroy by removing a large percentage of something (para 6) 7. an adjective meaning worried (para 7) 8. a two-word expression meaning located with equal amounts of space between them (para 8)

5 Expressions with Prepositions Complete the phrases using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. focus _______ 2. in addition _______ 3. restricted _______ the rich 4. the market _______ a particular product 5. limit(s) _______ catching sharks 6. a ban _______ shark finning 7. resilient _______ fishing 8. provide people _______ something

6 Adjective + noun collocations Match the adjectives in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make expressions from the text. Check your answers in the text. 1. devastating 2. endangered 3. major 4. high 5. annual 6. highly prized



a. risk b. delicacy c. species d. meeting e. consequences f. decline

7 Discussion

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Should there be a complete ban on certain types of fishing in order to protect endangered species? Should we allow certain species to become extinct because that is simply the natural order of things?

Shark species face extinction Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key adjectives 1. vulnerable 2. predatory 3. excessive 4. extinct 5. resilient 6. wide-ranging 7. endangered 8. unrestricted 9. revised 10. devastating

2 What do you know? 1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. F 6. F

4 Find the word 1. within the next few decades 2. depleted 3. highly prized 4. fetch 5. delicacy 6. decimate 7. concerned 8. evenly dispersed

5 Expressions with prepositions 1. on 2. to 3. to 4. for 5. on 6. on 7. to 8. with

4 Adjective + noun collocations

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1. c 2. a 3. b 4. b

1. e 2. c 3. f 4. a 5. d 6. b

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3 Comprehension check

Shark species face extinction Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key adjectives from the text.

endangered



habitat



scallop fin

extinct species

migration ban

conservation resolution

1. An _______________ animal, plant or language no longer exists. 2. An _______________ species is one that may soon become extinct. 3. A _______________ is a type of shellfish that many people like to eat. 4. An animal’s natural _______________ is the place it normally lives in. 5. A _______________ is a thin flat part of a fish’s body that sticks out. 6. _______________ is a period when animals, fish or birds travel in large numbers to a different part of the world to seek warmer or cooler weather. 7. A _______________ is an official statement ordering people not to do something. 8. A _______________ is a formal proposal at an official organisation. 9. A _______________ is a group of animals whose members are all similar. 10. _______________ is the protection of the environment and the animals and other creatures in it.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How much do shark fins cost in China? 2. How many species of shark are on the World Conservation Union’s list of endangered species? 3. How many years does it take a scalloped hammerhead shark to grow to adult size? 4. How much have shark populations fallen along the US east coast? 5. How much have shark populations fallen in the oceans of the world as a result of fishing?

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6. What is the IUCN?

Shark species face extinction

Studies have shown that all shark populations in the north-west Atlantic Ocean have fallen by an average of 50% since the early 1970s. Numbers of sharks can fall very quickly because they take a long time to grow to adult size - 16 years in the case of a scalloped hammerhead. The fins of hammerhead sharks are a very popular food in China and can cost as much as £140 a kilogram. Until 20 or 30 years ago only rich people ate shark fin in China, said Baum, but in the last 25 years the middle class in China has grown and so has the market for shark fins. Shark populations in the oceans of the world have fallen by 90% as a result of fishing and by almost 99% along the US east coast.

6

When the number of sharks falls in a particular region this can have a very bad effect on the local marine ecology. In one example, Baum found that a major fall in the numbers of sharks in the north Atlantic after 2000 allowed populations of the sharks’ main food, cownose rays, to increase rapidly. Then the large numbers of cownose rays destroyed the bay scallop populations around North Carolina. “There was a fishery for bay scallops in North Carolina that operated for over a hundred years but it closed down in 2004 because of cownose rays.”

7

People are free to catch sharks in international waters, but Baum supports a United Nations resolution for immediate limits on catching sharks and a ban on shark finning. Sonja Fordham, of the Shark Alliance said: “Fishing has a really bad effect on shark populations. Worried citizens can really help by telling their fisheries ministers that they support limits on catches.”

8

Conservation efforts for sharks will focus on hotspots where sharks gather during migrations. Peter Klimley of the University of California found that scalloped hammerhead sharks migrate along fixed ‘superhighways’ in the oceans, swimming between a series of sites near coastal islands from Mexico to Ecuador. “Hammerhead sharks are concentrated at underwater mountains and offshore islands,” he said. “So, if we have

Call for marine reserves to protect migration hotspots as scientists fear decline will affect other species Alok Jha in Boston February 18, 2008 1 The number of sharks in the world’s oceans is falling rapidly. Scientists say that fishing and hunting sharks for their fins, known as ‘finning’, are the main reasons for the fall in the shark population. Nine more species of shark will soon be on the list of endangered species. One of these species is the scalloped hammerhead shark. Its numbers have fallen by 99% over the past 30 years in some parts of the world. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) list of endangered species will list the scalloped hammerhead shark as endangered worldwide. 2 “Sharks are definitely at the top of the list of marine animals that could become extinct during our lifetimes,” said Julia Baum of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California and a member of IUCN shark specialist group. “If things don’t change, some of these shark species will become extinct in the next twenty or thirty years.” 3 At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Baum said that as well as the scalloped hammerhead, other shark species will be on the IUCN endangered list later this year. They include the smooth hammerhead, short-fin mako, common thresher, big-eye thresher, silky, tiger, bull and dusky. There are already 126 species of shark on the IUCN’s list. 4 “People think that a worldwide species can’t become extinct because if they are in danger in one part of the world, surely they’ll be fine in another part,” said Baum. “But fisheries now cover all corners of the earth and the fishing is so intensive that these species are in danger everywhere.”

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Elementary

CA

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Shark species face extinction Level 1

Elementary

reserves around these areas, it will help to protect these species and will provide the public with places where they can see sharks in their natural habitat.” 9

One site between Hawaii and Mexico attracts so many sharks that scientists call it ‘the white shark cafe’, Klimley says. “We started calling it the cafe because that is where you might go to have a snack or maybe just to ‘see and be seen’. We are not sure which,” said Salvador

Jorgensen, a researcher at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. “When they leave the cafe they return year after year to the same exact spot along the coast, just as people return to a favourite fishing hole.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 18/02/08

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text.

1. The shark population is falling rapidly because of… 2. The scallop fishery in North Carolina closed because… 3. People catch sharks for their fins because… 4. Scientists call one place “the white shark café” because… 5. Shark numbers can fall very quickly because… 6. Scientists are going to put scalloped hammerhead sharks on the list of endangered species because…

a. … sharks return there again and again. b. … there is a real danger that they will become extinct. c. … there were no sharks to eat the cownose rays. d. … they can sell them for a lot of money. e. … fishing and finning.

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f. … they take a long time to grow to adult size.

Shark species face extinction Level 1

Elementary

4 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text 1. the years over 30 past 2. next the in or twenty years thirty 3. early the 1970s since 4. years in last the 25 5. hundred a over years for 6. of by 50% average an

5 Vocabulary 1: Synonyms Match the words from the text in the left-hand column with the words in the right-hand column that have a similar meaning. 1. rapidly

a. grow

2. worldwide

b. because of

3. fine

c. wealthy

4. rich

d. light meal

5. as a result of

e. all over the world

6. increase

f. environment

7. habitat

g. very quickly

8. snack

h. alright

6 Word building: Irregular verbs Complete the table using forms from the text.

past simple

past participle

grow

grew

fall

fell became

show

cost find

become

showed cost

found left

left

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saw

Shark species face extinction Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Chunks

1. extinct 2. endangered 3. scallop 4. habitat 5. fin 6. migration 7. ban 8. resolution 9. species 10. conservation

1. over the past 30 years 2. in the next twenty or thirty years 3. since the early 1970s 4. in the last 25 years 5. for over a hundred years 6. by an average of 50%

1. e 2. c 3. d 4. a 5. f 6. b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Shark species face extinction / Elementary

6 Word building: Irregular verbs past simple

past participle

grow

grew

grown

fall

fell

fallen

become

became

become

show

showed

shown

cost

cost

cost

find

found

found

leave

left

left

see

saw

seen

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1. £140 a kilo 2. 126 3. 16 4. 99% 5. 90% 6. World Conservation Union

1. g 2. e 3. h 4. c 5. b 6. a 7. f 8. d

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2 Find the information

5 Vocabulary 1: Synonyms

Shark species face extinction Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

endangered devastating

habitat predator

scallop explode

extinct migration

coalition conservation

1. A ______________ is an animal that kills and eats other animals. 2. An ______________ animal, plant or language no longer exists. 3. An ______________ species is one that may soon become extinct. 4. ______________ means ‘causing a lot of harm or damage’. 5. A ______________ is a type of shellfish that many people like to eat. 6. A ______________ is a temporary union of different groups who agree to work together to achieve a common aim. 7. If a population ______________, it increases very rapidly. 8. ______________ is a period when animals, fish or birds travel in large numbers to a different part of the world to seek warmer or cooler weather. 9. ______________ is the protection of the environment and the animals and other creatures in it. 10. An animal’s natural ______________ is the place it normally lives in.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How many species of shark are on the World Conservation Union’s list of endangered species? 2. How much do shark fins sell for in China? 3. How many years does it take a scalloped hammerhead shark to mature? 4. By how much have shark populations fallen along the US east coast? 5. How many groups are in the Shark Alliance?

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6. Worldwide by how much have shark populations fallen as a result of fishing?

Shark species face extinction Intermediate

1 Scientists are warning that over-fishing and the practice of catching sharks for their fins, known as ‘finning’, are reducing shark populations rapidly. Nine more species of shark will soon be added to the list of endangered species. The scalloped hammerhead shark, whose numbers have fallen by 99% over the past 30 years in some parts of the world, is particularly at risk and will be declared globally endangered on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) list. 2 “Sharks are definitely at the top of the list for marine fishes that could go extinct in our lifetimes,” said Julia Baum of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California and a member of IUCN shark specialist group. “If we carry on the way that we are, we’re looking at a really high risk of extinction for some of these shark species within the next few decades.” 3 At the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Boston, Baum said that in addition to the scalloped hammerhead, other shark species that will be added to the IUCN endangered list later this year are the smooth hammerhead, short-fin mako, common thresher, big-eye thresher, silky, tiger, bull and dusky. There are already 126 species of shark on the IUCN’s list. 4 “People think that worldwide species can’t become endangered because if they are threatened in one area, surely they’ll be fine in another area,” said Baum. “But fisheries now cover all corners of the earth and the fishing is so intensive that these species are in danger everywhere.” 5 Recent studies have shown that all shark populations in the north-west Atlantic Ocean

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Shark species face extinction / Intermediate

6 A fall in numbers of predators such as sharks can have devastating consequences for the local marine ecology. In a case study published last year, Baum found that a major fall in the numbers of predatory sharks in the north Atlantic after 2000 had allowed populations of the sharks’ prey, cownose rays, to explode. In turn the rays destroyed the bay scallop populations around North Carolina. “There was a fishery for bay scallops in North Carolina that lasted over a century but it closed down in 2004 because of cownose rays.” 7 There are no restrictions on fishing for sharks in international waters, but Baum supports a recent UN resolution calling for immediate limits on catching sharks and a ban on shark finning. Sonja Fordham, of the Shark Alliance, a coalition of 50 scientific and conservation groups, said: “People think these wide-ranging, fast sharks are not affected by fishing but this shows this is not the case. Worried citizens can really help by making their fisheries ministers aware that they support conservation measures such as limits on catches.” 8 Some conservation efforts for sharks will focus on newly identified hotspots where sharks gather during migrations. Peter Klimley of the University of California found that scalloped hammerhead sharks migrate along fixed ‘superhighways’ in the oceans, speeding between a series of sites near coastal islands from Mexico to Ecuador.

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Alok Jha in Boston February 18, 2008

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Call for marine reserves to protect migration hotspots as scientists fear decline will affect other species

have fallen by an average of 50% since the early 1970s. Numbers of sharks can fall very quickly because they take a long time to mature - 16 years in the case of a scalloped hammerhead. Their fins are highly prized in China and can sell for as much as £140 a kilogram. Until recently only the rich ate shark fin in China, said Baum, but in the last 25 years the country’s middle class has grown and so has the market for shark fins. Intensive fishing has caused a 90% fall in shark populations in the oceans of the world and up to 99% along the US east coast, which are some of the best-managed waters in the world, according to Baum.

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Shark species face extinction amid overfishing and appetite for fins

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Level 2

Shark species face extinction Level 2

Intermediate

“Hammerhead sharks are not evenly spread throughout the seas, but concentrated at underwater mountains and offshore islands,” he said. “So, enforcing reserves around these areas will help to protect these species and will provide the public with places where they can view sharks in their natural habitat.” 9

One site between Hawaii and Mexico attracts so many sharks that scientists call it ‘the white shark cafe’, Klimley says. “We started calling

it the cafe because that is where you might go to have a snack or maybe just to ‘see and be seen’. We are not sure which,” said Salvador Jorgensen, a researcher at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. “Once they leave the cafe they return year after year to the same exact spot along the coast, just as people return to a favourite fishing hole.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 18/02/08

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The bay scallop fishery in North Carolina closed because sharks ate all the cownose rays. 2. Only rich people eat shark fin in China. 3. Intensive fishing is the main reason the shark population is falling. 4. Hammerhead sharks are spread evenly around the world’s oceans. 5. Fishing for sharks in international waters is not permitted. 6. Migrating sharks often return to the same places along the coast. 7. The scalloped hammerhead is the only endangered species of shark. 8. Fisheries now cover all corners of the earth.

4 Find the word Find the following words and expressions in the text. 1. A two-word phrasal verb meaning continue. (para 2) 2. A verb meaning to grow to full adult size. (para 5) 3. A two-word expression meaning considered to be very important or valuable. (para 5) 4. A two-word expression meaning up to a short time ago. (para 5) 5. A verb meaning to increase very rapidly. (para 6) 6. A noun meaning a formal proposal considered by an organisation and voted on at a meeting. (para 7) 7. A two-word adjective meaning found everywhere. (para 7)

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8. A verb meaning making sure the law is obeyed by people. (para 8)

Shark species face extinction Level 2

Intermediate

5 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text 1. the years over 30 past 2. next the within decades few 3. early the 1970s since 4. years in last the 25 5. the in some world parts of 6. of by 50% average an

6 Vocabulary 1: Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1.

restrict

2.

resolve

3.

conserve

4.

migrate

noun

5.

enforcement

6.

protection

7.

reduction

8.

threat

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Shark species face extinction / Intermediate

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Should we spend a lot of money to protect endangered species or should we simply ‘let nature take its course’ and allow them to become extinct like the dinosaurs?

Shark species face extinction Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. predator 2. extinct 3. endangered 4. devastating 5. scallop 6. coalition 7. explodes 8. migration 9. conservation 10. habitat

1. carry on 2. mature 3. highly prized 4. until recently 5. explode 6. resolution 7. wide-ranging 8. enforcing

2 Find the information

1. over the past 30 years 2. within the next few decades 3. since the early 1970s 4. in the last 25 years 5. in some parts of the world 6. by an average of 50%

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Shark species face extinction / Intermediate

verb

noun

1.

restrict

restriction

2.

resolve

resolution

3.

conserve

conservation

4.

migrate

migration

5. 5. enforce

enforcement

6. 6. protect

protection

7. 7. reduce

reduction

8. 8. threaten

threat

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1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. T 7. F 8. T



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6 Vocabulary 1: Word building

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1. 126 2. £140 a kilogram 3. 16 years 4. 99% 5. 50 6. 90%

5 Chunks

The Oscars Level 3 1

Advanced

Team quiz: And the award for best actor goes to...

All of these actors have won an Oscar for best actor, but in which year, and for their role in which film? Match each actor with the film he starred in and the year the film was in the cinemas. Russell Crowe

The Godfather

1944

Daniel Day-Lewis

Gladiator

1948

Ben Kingsley



My Left Foot

1951

Marlon Brando

The Last King of Scotland

1972

Bing Crosby

Going My Way

1975

Humphrey Bogart

Life is Beautiful

1982

Roberto Benigni

Hamlet

1989

Forest Whitaker

Ghandi

1998

Jack Nicholson

The African Queen

2000

Laurence Olivier

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

2006

Which of the actors above: a) Refused the award? ____________________ b) Won the Oscar for best actor again this year? ____________________

2

Key words

Write these key words from the article into the definitions.

resolution

montage

contender

hyperbole

stoked



driven

sentiment

menacing

noteworthy

prospector

1. Something that is _________________ is intended to seriously threaten or frighten someone. 2. When you are _________________ you always try very hard to achieve things and be successful. 3. A _________________ is someone who searches an area of land or water for gold, oil etc. 4. When something is _________________ it is worth giving special attention or praise to. 5. When someone says they are _____________, they mean that they are really happy or excited about something. (slang) 6. A _________________ is the action of solving a problem or dealing with a disagreement in a satisfactory way. 7. A _________________ is a feeling or expression of sympathy, sadness or love. 8. A _________________ is a single picture created by combining several different pictures, pieces of music, etc. 9. A _________________ is someone who competes with other people for a prize or job.

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10. _________________ is a way of emphasizing what you are saying by describing it as far more extreme than it really is.

The Oscars Advanced

Coens alone as No Country dominates Oscars

uncertainty that showed in much of the broadcast. Host Jon Stewart, making his second appearance at the helm of the second most-watched television programme in the US, opened proceedings by remarking, “You’re here! I can’t believe it! You’re actually here!”

3 In a night short on surprises, the heavily-tipped favourite Daniel Day-Lewis won the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of a driven oil prospector in There Will Be Blood. He accepted his award, on his knees, from Helen Mirren, remarking that, “that’s the closest I’ll ever come to getting a knighthood.”

That sense of relief and disbelief filtered through to the rest of the show. While the Oscars are always keen on sentiment, much of this year’s broadcast was given over to nostalgic reruns of previous wins and interviews with stars of bygone years.

8

“Had the writers’ strike continued, they would have had to pad out the ceremony with even more montages,” Stewart said at one point, before introducing yet another montage of old clips. After it finished, he said, “Thank God we didn’t have to show that.”

9

One of the evening’s surprises came when Marion Cotillard won the best actress award for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Julie Christie and Ellen Page had been considered strong contenders for the award, but Cotillard built on her victory at the BAFTAs to win the Oscar.

4 There was a British flavour to much of the evening, with six Oscars going to British nominees. The most notable was to Tilda Swinton for her supporting performance in the legal thriller Michael Clayton. Swinton also produced the most noteworthy acceptance speech of the night, noteworthy for its inclusion of the words nipple and buttock in the 45 seconds winners are allowed.

10 British winners included Alexandra Byrne for her costume designs for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Jan Archibald, along with Didier Lavergne for La Vie en Rose, and Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman for the animated short film Peter and the Wolf.

5 Speaking backstage on the night, Swinton admitted to being surprised at her win. “I’m so stoked, as they say, I think it’s fantastic. It’s completely astonishing, and I’m amazed I’m still standing, but I’m not complaining. It’s good.”

11 Daniel Day-Lewis was the only winner to attempt to scale the heights of Oscar hyperbole, when he noted from the stage that There Will be Blood had, “sprung like a golden sapling out of the mad, beautiful head of [director] Paul Thomas Anderson.”

6 The 80th annual Academy Awards took place against the backdrop of inclement weather and the aftermath of the writers’ strike. The strike caused the Golden Globes, Hollywood’s other major celebration, to be cancelled. But its resolution less than two weeks before the Academy Awards left the show’s writers little time to prepare, an

12 But best actress winner Cotillard probably came up with the most touching sentiment of the night when she remarked from the stage that, “It is true, there are some angels in this city.”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Oscars / Advanced

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 25/02/08

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2 The film also picked up the best supporting actor Oscar for the menacing performance by Javier Bardem as the hitman Anton Chigurh. Rounding things off on a triumphant night for the film, directors Ethan and Joel Coen also won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for their work bringing the vision of novelist Cormac McCarthy to the screen.

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1 The Coen brothers’ brutal thriller No Country For Old Men dominated the 80th Academy Awards on Sunday, winning best director and best film.

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Dan Glaister, Los Angeles February 25, 2008

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Level 3

The Oscars Level 3

Advanced

3 Skimming for information Skim-read the text to find out who won the following 80th Academy Awards and for which films. a) Best actor ________________________________________________________________ b) Best actress ______________________________________________________________ c) Best film _________________________________________________________________ d) Best supporting actress _____________________________________________________ e) Best supporting actor _______________________________________________________ f) Best director ______________________________________________________________

4 Comprehension check (with a bit of general knowledge thrown in) 1. When he accepted his award, on his knees, from Helen Mirren, Daniel Day-Lewis said, “That’s the closest I’ll   ever come to getting a knighthood.” Why did he say that? a) Because Helen Mirren is a member of the British royal family. b) Because Helen Mirren previously won an Oscar for her portrayal of the British Queen. c) Because, being Irish, he can’t be knighted in England. 2. The 80th Academy Awards took place even though... a) ... the weather was bad and the writers were still on strike. b) ... the weather was incredibly hot and the writers’ strike had only just ended. c) ... the weather was bad and the writers’ strike had only just ended. 3. How many times has Jon Stewart hosted the Oscars ceremony? a) Twice, including this year. b) Twice before, therefore three times including this year. c) Once, this was his first time. 4. What are the BAFTAs?

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a) Awards presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. b) Awards presented by the Belgian Academy of Film and Television Actors. c) Awards presented by the Berlin Association of Film and Theatre Actors.

The Oscars Level 3

Advanced

4 Webquest Go to www.oscar.com and watch the best acceptance speeches. You can see short clips of post-award acceptance speeches and interviews on the ‘Thank you cam’. To find quotes from previous winners, type best and worst acceptance speeches into an Internet search engine.

7 Speaking: An acceptance speech In his acceptance speech, Daniel Day-Lewis said that There Will be Blood had, “sprung like a golden sapling out of the mad, beautiful head of [director] Paul Thomas Anderson.”

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You are going to be presented with an award (for best student / best homework / best attendance). Write a 30 second acceptance speech. Try to make your language as flowery, over the top, and emotional as possible. Make your acceptance speech to the class. The information from task 5 will help you.

The Oscars Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Team quiz: And the award for best actor 3 Skimming for information goes to... Bing Crosby, Going My Way, 1944 Laurence Olivier, Hamlet, 1948 Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen, 1951 Marlon Brando, The Godfather, 1972 Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975 Ben Kingsley, Ghandi, 1982 Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot, 1989 Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful, 1998 Russell Crowe, Gladiator, 2000 Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland, 2006 Marlon Brando refused the award. Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for best actor again this year.

2 Key words

a) Best actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for There will be Blood b) Best actress: Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose c) Best film: No Country for Old men (Coen Brothers) d) Best supporting actress: Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton e) Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old men f) Best director: Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old men

4 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b c a a

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1. menacing 2. driven 3. prospector 4. noteworthy 5. stoked 6. resolution 7. sentiment 8. montage 9. contender 10. hyperbole

The Oscars Level 1 1

Elementary

Team quiz: And the winner is...

In the past, these actors won an Oscar for best actor. Match each actor with a film and the year the film was in the cinemas. Russell Crowe

The Godfather

1944

Daniel Day-Lewis

Gladiator

1948

Ben Kingsley

My Left Foot

1951

Marlon Brando

The Last King of Scotland

1972

Bing Crosby

Going My Way

1975

Humphrey Bogart

Life is Beautiful

1982

Roberto Benigni

Hamlet

1989

Forest Whitaker

Ghandi

1998

Jack Nicholson

The African Queen

2000

Laurence Olivier

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

2006

One of the actors won the Oscar for best actor again this year. Who? ________________________

2 Key words Write these key words from the article into the definitions.

astonishing

acceptance speech

victory



portrayal

touching sentiment

animated

prospector triumphant

sapling nominee

1. When you are __________________, you win or have much success. (para 2) 2. The way that you show or describe someone is your __________________ of him/her. (para 3) 3. A __________________ is someone who searches an area of land or water for gold, oil etc. (para 3) 4. A __________________ is someone who has been officially suggested for a position or prize. (para 4) 5. An __________________ is what you give (say) when you win a prize or award. (para 4) 6. Something that is __________________ is very surprising. (para 5) 7. A __________________ is another word for a win. (para 7) 8. An __________________ film consists of a series of drawings that are shown quickly one after another so that they look as if they are moving. (para 8) 9. A __________________ is a young tree. (para 9)

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10. A __________________ is an emotional expression of sympathy, sadness, or love. (para 10)

The Oscars Level 1

Elementary

Coens alone as No Country dominates Oscars Dan Glaister, Los Angeles February 25, 2008

time, opened the show by saying, “You’re here! I can’t believe it! You’re actually here!” 7

One of the evening’s biggest surprises came when Marion Cotillard won the best actress award for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Most people had expected either Julie Christie or Ellen Page to win the award, but Cotillard followed her victory at the BAFTAs (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards) by winning the Oscar.

8

British winners included Alexandra Byrne for her costume designs for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Jan Archibald, along with Didier Lavergne for La Vie en Rose, and Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman for the animated short film Peter and the Wolf.

9

Daniel Day-Lewis was the only winner to use over-the-top sentimental and emotional language. He said during his acceptance speech that There Will be Blood had, “sprung like a golden sapling out of the mad, beautiful head of [director] Paul Thomas Anderson.”

1 The Coen brothers’ brutal thriller No Country For Old Men won the Oscars for best director and best film at the 80th Academy Awards in Los Angeles last Sunday. 2 Javier Bardem also won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role as the hitman Anton Chigurh in the same film. And, in a triumphant night for the film, its directors Ethan and Joel Coen won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay. 3 In a night of few surprises, Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of an oil prospector in There Will Be Blood. He accepted his award on his knees from Helen Mirren who won the best actress Oscar last year for her portrayal of the British Queen. 4 There was a British feeling to much of the evening, with six Oscars going to British nominees. British actress, Tilda Swinton won the award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in the legal thriller Michael Clayton. Swinton also surprised many people with her 45-second acceptance speech when she used the words nipple and buttock. 5 Speaking backstage after her win, Swinton said she was surprised to win. “I’m so excited, I think it’s fantastic. It’s completely astonishing, and I’m amazed I’m still standing, but I’m not complaining. It’s good.”

10 But best actress winner Cotillard probably came up with the most touching sentiment of the night when she said, “It is true, there are some angels in this city.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 25/02/08

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6 The 80th annual Academy Awards took place even though there were problems: the weather was bad, and the writers’ strike had only just ended. The Golden Globes, Hollywood’s other major celebration, was cancelled because of the writers’ strike. The strike ended less than two weeks before the Academy Awards and so the show’s writers had very little time to prepare. Jon Stewart, who hosted the awards for the second

The Oscars Level 1

Elementary

3 Skimming for information Skim-read the text to find out who won these 80th Academy Awards: a) Best actor – ____________________ for There will be Blood b) Best actress – ____________________ for La Vie en Rose c) Best supporting actress – ____________________ for Michael Clayton d) Best supporting actor – ____________________ for No Country For Old Men e) Best director – ____________________ for No Country For Old Men

4 Comprehension check 1. The most successful film at this year’s Oscars was...

... a French actress.

2. No Country for Old Men was directed...

... of an oil prospector.

3. Daniel Day-Lewis won the best actor Oscar for his portrayal...

... by Jon Stewart.

... a British actress.

5. The Oscars ceremony was hosted...

... won by Europeans.

6. Tilda Swinton is...

... No Country for Old Men.

7. Marion Cotillard is...

... by the Coen brothers.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Oscars / Elementary





... of a hitman.

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8. This year’s Oscars for best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress were all...

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4. Javier Bardem won the best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal...

The Oscars Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary: Prepositions Fill in the missing prepositions. Check your answers in the article. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

the Oscar ______ best director ______ the Academy Awards ______ Los Angeles his portrayal ______ an oil prospector He accepted his award ______ his knees ______ Helen Mirren best actress ______ a supporting role there are some angels ______ this city

6 Speaking: My favourite film What is your all-time favourite film? Tell members of your class about the film and why you like it.

6 Webquest

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Go to www.oscar.com and watch the short interviews on the ‘Thank you cam’.

The Oscars Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Team quiz: And the winner is...

4 Comprehension check

Bing Crosby, Going My Way, 1944 Laurence Olivier, Hamlet, 1948 Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen, 1951 Marlon Brando, The Godfather, 1972 Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975 Ben Kingsley, Ghandi, 1982 Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot, 1989 Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful, 1998 Russell Crowe, Gladiator, 2000 Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland, 2006

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for best actor again this year.

2 Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

triumphant portrayal prospector nominee acceptance speech astonishing victory animated sapling touching sentiment

The most successful film at this year’s Oscars was No Country For Old Men. No Country For Old Men was directed by the Coen brothers. Daniel Day-Lewis won the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of an oil prospector. Javier Bardem won the best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of a hitman. The Oscars ceremony was hosted by Jon Stewart. Tilda Swinton is a British actress. Marion Cotillard is a French actress. This year’s Oscars for best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress were all won by Europeans.

5 Vocabulary: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

for at / in of on / from in in

3 Skimming for information Daniel Day-Lewis Marion Cotillard Tilda Swinton Javier Bardem Joel and Ethan Coen

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a) b) c) d) e)

The Oscars Level 2 1

Intermediate

Team quiz: And the award for best actor goes to...

All of these actors have won an Oscar for best actor, but in which year, and for their role in which film? Match each actor with the film he starred in and the year the film was in the cinemas. Russell Crowe Daniel Day-Lewis Ben Kingsley Marlon Brando Bing Crosby Humphrey Bogart Roberto Benigni Forest Whitaker Jack Nicholson Laurence Olivier

The Godfather Gladiator My Left Foot The Last King of Scotland Going My Way Life is Beautiful Hamlet Ghandi The African Queen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

1944 1948 1951 1972 1975 1982 1989 1998 2000 2006

Which of the actors above won the Oscar for best actor again this year? ____________________

2

Key words

Write these key words from the article into the definitions.

animated portrayal

triumphant noteworthy

nominee prospector

nostalgic heavily-tipped

sentiment dominate

1. When you ___________________ something, it means you perform much better than your opponents. 2. When you are ___________________, you win or have much success. 3. When you are ___________________ for something, most people expect you to win. 4. The way that you show or describe someone is your ___________________ of him/her. 5. A ___________________ is someone who searches an area of land or water for gold, oil etc. 6. A ___________________ is someone who has been officially suggested for a position or prize. 7. When something is ___________________, it is worth giving special attention or praise to. 8. Something that is ___________________ reminds you of happy times in the past. 9. An ___________________ film consists of a series of drawings that are shown quickly one after another so that they look as if they are moving. 10. A ___________________ is a feeling or expression of sympathy, sadness or love.

3

Skimming for information

Skim-read the text to find out who won the following 80th Academy Awards and for which films.

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a) Best actor ________________________________________________________ b) Best actress ______________________________________________________ c) Best film _________________________________________________________ d) Best supporting actress _____________________________________________ e) Best supporting actor _______________________________________________ f) Best director _________________________________________________________

The Oscars Level 2

Intermediate

Coens alone as No Country dominates Oscars

cancelled. As the strike ended less than two weeks before the Academy Awards, it left the show’s writers little time to prepare. Jon Stewart, hosting the second most-watched television programme in the US for the second time, opened the show by saying, “You’re here! I can’t believe it! You’re actually here!”

Dan Glaister, Los Angeles February 25, 2008

1 The Coen brothers’ brutal thriller No Country For

Old Men dominated the 80th Academy Awards on Sunday, when it won best director and best film.

7

That sense of relief and disbelief continued throughout the rest of the show and much of this year’s broadcast was given over to nostalgic reruns of previous wins and interviews with stars and past winners.

8

One of the evening’s biggest surprises came when Marion Cotillard won the best actress award for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Most people had expected either Julie Christie or Ellen Page to win the award, but Cotillard followed her victory at the BAFTAs (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards) by winning the Oscar.

9

Other British winners included Alexandra Byrne for her costume designs for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Jan Archibald, along with Didier Lavergne for La Vie en Rose, and Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman for the animated short film Peter and the Wolf.

2 Javier Bardem won the best supporting actor Oscar for his role as the hitman Anton Chigurh in the same film. Rounding things off on a triumphant night for the film, directors Ethan and Joel Coen also won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for bringing the work of novelist Cormac McCarthy to the screen.

3 In a night without many surprises, the heavily-

tipped favourite Daniel Day-Lewis won the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of an oil prospector in There Will Be Blood. He accepted his award, on his knees, from Helen Mirren (who won an Oscar in 2006 for her portrayal of the British Queen), remarking that, “that’s the closest I’ll ever come to getting a knighthood.”

4 There was a British feeling to much of the evening, with six Oscars going to British nominees. The most notable was to Tilda Swinton, who won the award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in the legal thriller Michael Clayton. Swinton also produced the most noteworthy acceptance speech of the night, noteworthy for its inclusion of the words nipple and buttock in the 45 seconds winners are allowed.

5 Speaking backstage on the night, Swinton admitted

to being surprised at her win. “I’m so excited, I think it’s fantastic. It’s completely astonishing, and I’m amazed I’m still standing, but I’m not complaining. It’s good.”

10 Daniel Day-Lewis was the only winner to use

over-the-top sentimental and emotional language when he said during his acceptance speech that There Will be Blood had, “sprung like a golden sapling out of the mad, beautiful head of [director] Paul Thomas Anderson.”

11 But best actress winner Cotillard probably came up with the most touching sentiment of the night when she remarked from the stage that, “It is true, there are some angels in this city.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 25/02/08

6 The 80th annual Academy Awards took place

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NEWS LESSONS / The Oscars / Intermediate

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

in inclement weather and with the writers’ strike only just ended. The strike caused the Golden Globes, Hollywood’s other major celebration, to be

The Oscars Level 2

Intermediate

4 Comprehension check According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. No Country For Old Men won more Oscars than any other film at this year’s Academy Awards. 2. Cormac McCarthy directed the film No Country For Old Men. 3. The writers’ strike in Los Angeles ended shortly before the Oscars. 4. The weather in Los Angeles was perfect for the ceremony. 5. Daniel Day-Lewis expects to get a knighthood. 6. Jon Stewart has hosted the Oscars ceremony before. 7. Most people had expected Marion Cotillard to win the best actress award. 8. This year’s Oscars for best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and best supporting actress were all won by Europeans.

5 Speaking: Class awards Decide who or what in your class should win awards for the following categories. Think of two more categories. Best attendance record The most useful contributions Always doing the homework Never forgetting to bring a dictionary Best lesson this term/semester Most memorable comment ............ ............ Make and award certificates in class. The winners should thank the class for the awards by giving acceptance speeches.

6 Webquest Go to www.oscar.com and watch the best acceptance speeches. You can see short clips of post-award acceptance speeches and interviews on the ‘Thank you cam’.

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NEWS LESSONS / The Oscars / Intermediate

CA

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

To find quotes from previous winners, type best and worst acceptance speeches into an Internet search engine.

The Oscars Level 2

Intermediate

KEY

2 Key words 1. dominate 2. triumphant 3. heavily-tipped 4. portrayal 5. prospector 6. nominee 7. noteworthy 8. nostalgic 9. animated 10. sentiment

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Oscars / Intermediate

Best actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood Best actress: Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose Best film: No Country For Old Men (Coen Brothers) Best supporting actress: Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem for No Country For Old Men Best director: Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men

4 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

T F T F F T F T

H

Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for best actor again this year.

a) b) c) d) e) f)

•P

Bing Crosby, Going My Way, 1944 Laurence Olivier, Hamlet, 1948 Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen, 1951 Marlon Brando, The Godfather, 1972 Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975 Ben Kingsley, Ghandi, 1982 Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot, 1989 Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful, 1998 Russell Crowe, Gladiator, 2000 Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland, 2006

3 Skimming for information

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 Team quiz: And the award for best actor goes to...

The Turkmen cockroach Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer

cockroach /ˈkɒkrəƱtʃ/ noun [countable] An insect similar to a large beetle that lives in places where food is kept. Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattodea. This name derives from the Latin word for ‘cockroach’, blatta. Discuss what you would do if you saw a cockroach: •

in the street?

•

in your home?

•

in a restaurant?

2

Key words

Skim read the article and find a word that means: 1. To get rid of an employee – two words. (sub-title and para 4) 2. A short news broadcast or official statement. (para 1) 3. One complete turn around a course or a circuit. (para 2) 4. A silly or embarrassing mistake. (para 3) 5. Something that fails completely in an embarrassing way. (para 5) 6. To improve the way something looks by making major changes to it. (para 5) 7. An informal word for an argument. (para 6) 8. To start a new project, one that will difficult and take time. (para 8) 9. To make a short visit. (para 11)

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10. The act of chopping off someone’s head. (notes)

The Turkmen cockroach Advanced

And finally... how the march of a lone cockroach put 30 people out of work

Niyazov, who also had run-ins with state TV executives. Several executives were sacked after drunken technicians failed to screen the New Year’s address to the nation by Niyazov. They eventually managed to get the bulletin on air at 3am.

Luke Harding in Moscow February 22, 2008

3 It was only at 9am the following day that horrified officials from Turkmenistan’s ministry of culture discovered the cockroach’s guest appearance. And that, perhaps, should have been the end of the matter, the mildly entertaining footage being occasionally shown on a TV bloopers show. But the consequences of this particular cockroach’s five minutes of fame were immediate and severe. 4 The country’s president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, took news of the insect so badly that he responded by firing no fewer than 30 workers from the main state TV channel, the news website Kronika Turkmenistan reported yesterday. 5 Before the cockroach debacle, Berdymukhamedov had instructed Turkmenistan’s minister of culture, Gulmurat Muradov, to revamp the country’s Soviet-era TV channel. However, a new ministerial supervisory committee founded to carry out this task only worked 9am to 6pm - allowing the cockroach to make its run undetected. 6 Berdymukhamedov became leader of the oil-rich former Soviet republic in December 2006, following the sudden death of Turkmenistan’s longstanding and flamboyantly authoritarian ruler Saparmurat

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Advanced

8

Berdymukhamedov has been credited with improving relations with the west, and embarking at home on a series of mild liberal reforms. He has announced the opening of Internet cafes in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital, and reintroduced foreign languages to the school curriculum.

9

Last March the president restored pensions to more than 100,000 elderly citizens and in January he reversed another of his predecessor’s more bizarre bans – on opera and ballet performances.

10 “Our flourishing nation should not stand separate from the world,” Berdymukhamedov told state-run television. He added: “It absolutely should have a worthy operatic theatre and a worthy state theatre.” The first opera would be performed in six or seven months, he suggested. 11 Berdymukhamedov has moved to end Turkmenistan’s isolation from the rest of the world in other ways too. He has overseen attempts to attract larger numbers of foreign tourists to Turkmenistan, including the building of a multibillion pound tourist resort on the Caspian Sea. The president has also dropped in on Washington. 12 Berdymukhamedov’s apparent dislike of cockroaches may have something to do with his previous career as a dentist. He graduated from Turkmenistan’s state medical institute in 1979, completing a PhD in medical sciences in Moscow, and working as a dentist from 1980 to 1995. In December 1997 he was appointed minister for health.

O

2 The cockroach managed to complete a whole lap of the desk, apparently undetected, before disappearing. The programme, complete with cockroach, was repeated at 11pm that night.

Those sacked in the cockroach debacle included journalists, directors, camera operators, and technical staff, the website reported. Yesterday nobody from the Turkmen embassy in Moscow was available for comment.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 For the viewers of Turkmenistan’s popular nightly news programme, Vatan, it was another routine bulletin. But as the newsreader began the 9pm broadcast, viewers across the central Asian country spotted something unusual crawling across the studio table: a large brown cockroach.

7

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Turkmen president sacks staff after insect’s walk-on part in TV news bulletin

CA

Level 3

The Turkmen cockroach Level 3

Advanced

Cockroach notes •

4,500 cockroach species have been classified, but there are thought to be at least twice as many species yet to be discovered around the world.

•

A cockroach will live after decapitation for several weeks before starving to death; the severed head survives several hours.

•

Despite the belief cockroaches would be the only survivors of nuclear war, being 15 times more resistant to radiation than humans, other insects such as fruit flies can survive even higher doses.

•

The world’s largest species is the wingless Australian rhinoceros (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), weighing up to 33.5 gms and up to 90 mm in length.

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 22/02/08

3 Comprehension check 1. Where does Turkmenistan’s wealth currently come from? a) Tourism b) Oil c) Pharmaceuticals 2. Before he became president, Berdymukhamedov was... a) a dentist. b) the Minister for Health. c) Both of the above. 3. Operatic theatre and ballet... a) can now be performed in Turkmenistan. b) have been banned. c) are free for pensioners. 4. The cockroach wasn’t noticed at first because... a) the technical staff had been sacked. b) the bulletin wasn’t shown until 3am. c) the ministerial advisory committee had finished work for the day. 5. Berdymukhamedov wants to... a) cut ties with Russia. b) bring about an end to Turkmenistan’s isolation from the rest of the world. c) offer free dental treatment to the country’s 100,000 pensioners.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Turkmenistan is... a) landlocked. b) an island. c) is on the Caspian sea.

The Turkmen cockroach Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Join the words to make 3(or 4)-word collocations from the article. Then, talk with a partner, explain what they mean and write an example sentence of your own for each collocation.

mildly

tourist

institute



flamboyantly

operatic

resort



mild

authoritarian

theatre



worthy

medical

footage



multibillion pound

liberal

ruler



state

entertaining

reforms

4 Discussion Berdymukhamedov’s reaction to the cockroach debacle was to sack 30 people. Do you think his actions were justified? Give reasons why or why not.

7 Webquest Do cockroaches bite? How big is a cockroach baby? What do cockroaches eat? Go to http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/kunkel/cockroach_faq.html to find the answers to these and many other questions.

H

NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Create a class quiz with each student contributing one question (plus answer).

The Turkmen cockroach Level 3 Advanced KEY 2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

1. sack and fire 2. bulletin 3. lap 4. bloopers 5. debacle 6. revamp 7. run-in 8. embark 9. drop in 10. decapitation

mildly entertaining footage flamboyantly authoritarian ruler mild liberal reforms worthy operatic theatre multibillion pound tourist resort state medical institute

2 Comprehension check b) Oil c) Both of the above. a) can now been performed in Turkmenistan. c) the ministerial advisory committee had finished work for the day. b) bring about an end to Turkmenistan’s isolation from the rest of the world. c) is on the Caspian sea.

H

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

cockroach /ˈkɒkrəƱtʃ/ noun [countable] An insect similar to a large beetle that lives in places where food is kept. Find words in the article that mean: 1. To get rid of an employee. (sub-title and para 4) 2. A short news programme or official statement. (para 1) 3. The people who watch a TV programme at home. (para 1) 4. To be shown again. (para 2) 5. Shocked. (para 3) 6. Something that happens that is (in this case) embarrassing. (para 5) 7. To show a TV or radio programme. (para 6) 8. Changes, especially to make a system work fairly. (para 8) 9. To give something back to someone. (para 9) 10. To do something in front of an audience, especially in a theatre. (para 9) 11. A situation in which a country is alone. (para 10) 12. Someone has completed their studies at a university. (para 11)

2 Vocabulary: Word beetle Skim the article to find media and TV jobs. Write them onto the word beetle. d__________ c_______ o________

j_________

media/TV jobs

t_________

n_________

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NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Elementary

CA

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

TV e_________

The Turkmen cockroach Elementary 8

Berdymukhamedov has begun a series of mild liberal reforms in Turkmenistan. He has said that Internet cafes will open in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital, and he has said that school children should start learning foreign languages again.

9

Last March the president restored pensions to more than 100,000 old people. In January he announced that opera and ballet are allowed to be performed once again in Turkmenistan .

Luke Harding in Moscow February 22, 2008

2 The cockroach ran the whole way across the desk and then disappeared. The programme, complete with cockroach, was repeated at 11pm that night. 3 Horrified officials from Turkmenistan’s ministry of culture knew nothing about the cockroach until 9am the next day. The results of the cockroach’s five minutes of fame were immediate and severe. 4 The country’s president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov immediately sacked 30 workers from the main state TV channel, the news website Kronika Turkmenistan reported yesterday. 5 Before the cockroach incident, Berdymukhamedov had ordered Turkmenistan’s minister of culture, Gulmurat Muradov, to modernise the country’s TV channel. However, the new ministerial committee in charge of the modernization only works from 9am to 6pm. This allowed the cockroach to run around at 9pm unnoticed. 6 Berdymukhamedov became leader of the oil-rich former Soviet republic in December 2006. The previous president, Saparmurat Niyazov, sacked several TV executives after drunken technicians forgot to broadcast his New Year’s speech to the nation. They eventually broadcast the speech at 3am. 7 Those sacked in the cockroach incident included journalists, directors, camera operators, and technical staff.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Elementary

10 Berdymukhamedov wants to end Turkmenistan’s isolation from the rest of the world in other ways too. He wants to attract more foreign tourists to Turkmenistan, especially to the new multibillion pound tourist resort on the Caspian Sea. The president has also visited Washington. 11 Berdymukhamedov’s dislike of cockroaches may have something to do with his previous career as a dentist. He graduated from Turkmenistan’s state medical institute in 1979, he has a PhD in medical sciences from Moscow, and he worked as a dentist from 1980 to 1995. In December 1997, he was made minister for health. Cockroach notes •

•

•

•

4,500 cockroach species are known, but there may be at least twice as many species not yet discovered around the world. Although people some people think that cockroaches would be the only survivors of nuclear war (because they 15 times more resistant to radiation than humans), other insects such as fruit flies can survive even higher doses of radiation. A cockroach can live without a head for several weeks before it starves to death; the head by itself can survive several hours. The world’s largest species of cockroach is the wingless Australian rhinoceros (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), it weighs up to 33.5 gms and can measure up to 90 mm in length.

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 22/02/08

O

1 For the people watching the news in Turkmenistan, it was another normal bulletin. But as the newsreader began reading the news at 9pm, viewers across the central Asian country saw something unusual crawling across the studio table: a large brown cockroach.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Turkmen president sacks staff after an insect walks onto a TV news bulletin

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And finally... how a cockroach put 30 people out of work

CA

Level 1

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Join the sentence halves to re-tell the story. a) A cockroach ran across...

... the state TV channel.

b) Ministry officials knew nothing until...

... the cockroach incident funny.

c) The news bulletin, with the cockroach, was shown again on TV...

... the newsreader’s desk on live television.

d) The president did not find...

... international image.

e) The president sacked 30 staff at...

... the same evening.

f) Turkmenistan wants to improve its...

... opera and ballet performances.

g) Turkmenistan has built a new multibillion pound tourist resort at...

... the next morning.

h) Turkmens can now go to Internet cafes and...

... the Caspian Sea.

4 Vocabulary: Countries Write the country names under their correct pronunciation pattern. Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Russia

Afghanistan

Iran

Pakistan

O

NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Elementary

Ooo

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

Oo

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oO

CA

oOoo

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1

Elementary

5 Questions and answers Write your answers to the questions. Then ask and answer the questions in groups. What you would do if you saw a cockroach: • • •

in the street? in your home? in a restaurant?

E.g. If I saw a cockroach in the street, I would... • • •

... walk away. ... call the authorities. ... scream.

6 Webquest: Cockroach quiz Do cockroaches bite? How big is a cockroach baby? What do cockroaches eat? Go to http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/kunkel/cockroach_faq.html to find the answers to these and many other questions.

H

NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Make a class quiz. Each student should write at least one question (plus answer).

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Key words

3 Comprehension check

1. sack 2. bulletin 3. viewers 4. repeated 5. horrified 6. incident 7. broadcast 8. reforms 9. restored 10. performed 11. isolation 12. graduated

a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h)

NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Elementary

oOoo

oO

Oo

Ooo

Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Afghanistan

Ukraine Iran

Russia

Kazakhstan Pakistan

H

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

4 Vocabulary: Countries

•P

camera operators directors journalists newsreaders TV executives technicians / technical staff

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Vocabulary: Word beetle

A cockroach ran across the newsreader’s desk on live television. Ministry officials knew nothing until the next morning. The news bulletin, with the cockroach, was shown again on TV the same evening. The president did not find the cockroach incident funny. The president sacked 30 staff at the state TV channel. Turkmenistan wants to improve its international image. Turkmenistan has built a new multibillion pound tourist resort at the Caspian Sea. Turkmens can now go to Internet cafes and opera and ballet performances.

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1 1

Intermediate

Warmer

cockroach /ˈkɒkrəƱtʃ/ noun [countable] An insect similar to a large beetle that lives in places where food is kept. What you would do if you saw a cockroach: • • •

in the street? in your home? in a restaurant?

E.g. If I saw a cockroach in a restaurant, I would...

2 Key words Skim read the article and find a word that means: 1. To get rid of an employee – two words. (sub-title and para 4) 2. A short news programme or official statement. (para 1) 3. A TV or radio programme. (para 1) 4. Shocked. (para 3) 5. The results of affects of something. (para 3) 6. Not seen, or unnoticed. (para 5) 7. Changes, especially to make a system work fairly. (para 8) 8. To give something back to someone. (para 9) 9. To have good qualities. (para 10)

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

10. Someone has completed their studies at a university. (para 12)

The Turkmen cockroach Intermediate

And finally... how a cockroach put 30 people out of work

several TV executives after drunken technicians failed to screen his New Year’s speech to the nation. They eventually managed to broadcast the bulletin at 3am.

Luke Harding in Moscow February 22, 2008

3 It was only at 9am the following day that horrified officials from Turkmenistan’s ministry of culture discovered the cockroach’s guest appearance. And that, perhaps, should have been the end of the matter. But the consequences of this cockroach’s five minutes of fame were immediate and severe. The country’s president, Kurbanguly 4 Berdymukhamedov, took news of the insect so badly that he reacted by sacking 30 workers from the main state TV channel, the news website Kronika Turkmenistan reported yesterday. 5 Before the cockroach incident, Berdymukhamedov had instructed Turkmenistan’s minister of culture, Gulmurat Muradov, to modernize the country’s TV channel. However, a new ministerial committee set up to carry out this task only worked 9am to 6pm. This allowed the cockroach to run around undetected. 6 Berdymukhamedov became leader of the oil-rich former Soviet republic in December 2006. The previous president, Saparmurat Niyazov, sacked

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Intermediate

8

Berdymukhamedov is trying to improve relations with the west, and has begun a series of mild liberal reforms at home. He has announced the opening of Internet cafes in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan’s capital, and reintroduced foreign languages to the school curriculum.

9

Last March the president restored pensions to more than 100,000 elderly citizens and in January he reversed another of his predecessor’s more bizarre bans – on opera and ballet performances.

10 “Our flourishing nation should not stand separate from the world,” Berdymukhamedov said. He added: “It absolutely should have a worthy operatic theatre and a worthy state theatre.” 11 Berdymukhamedov wants to end Turkmenistan’s isolation from the rest of the world in other ways too. He has overseen ideas to attract larger numbers of foreign tourists to Turkmenistan, including the building of a multibillion pound tourist resort on the Caspian Sea. The president has also visited Washington. 12 Berdymukhamedov’s dislike of cockroaches may have something to do with his previous career as a dentist. He graduated from Turkmenistan’s state medical institute in 1979, completing a PhD in medical sciences in Moscow, and then worked as a dentist from 1980 to 1995. In December 1997 he was appointed minister for health.

O

2 The cockroach managed to run the whole way across the desk before disappearing. The programme, complete with cockroach, was repeated at 11pm that night.

Those sacked in the cockroach incident included journalists, directors, camera operators, and technical staff. Nobody from the Turkmen embassy in Moscow was available for comment.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 For the viewers of Turkmenistan’s popular nightly news programme, Vatan, it was another routine bulletin. But as the newsreader began the 9pm broadcast, viewers across the central Asian country spotted something unusual crawling across the studio table: a large brown cockroach.

7

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Turkmen president sacks staff after an insect walks onto a TV news bulletin

CA

Level 1

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1

Intermediate

Cockroach notes •

4,500 cockroach species have been classified, but there are thought to be at least twice as many species yet to be discovered around the world.

•

A cockroach can live without a head for several weeks before starving to death; the head by itself can survive several hours.

•

Despite the belief cockroaches would be the only survivors of nuclear war, being 15 times more resistant to radiation than humans, other insects such as fruit flies can survive even higher doses.

•

The world’s largest species is the wingless Australian rhinoceros (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), weighing up to 33.5 gms and up to 90 mm in length.

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 22/02/08

3 Comprehension check According to the article are these statements True (T) or False (F)? 1. Turkmenistan’s wealth currently comes from oil. T/F 2. Before he became president, Berdymukhamedov was a dentist. T/F 3. Berdymukhamedov has banned performances of operas and ballets. T/F 4. The capital of Turkmenistan is Vatan. T/F 5. Berdymukhamedov wants to bring about an end to Turkmenistan’s isolation from the rest of the world. T/F 6. Turkmenistan has no coast. T/F 7. Berdymukhamedov wants school children to learn foreign languages. T/F 8. Turkmenistan used to be a part of the former Soviet Union. T/F

4 Vocabulary: Countries and nationalities Fill in the missing information in the box.

E.g. The country is Australia, the people are Australian.

country

nationality

Turkmenistan Ukrainian Russia Uzbekistani Iran

Afghani

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NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Kazakhstan

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1

Intermediate

5 Discussion Berdymukhamedov’s reaction to the cockroach incident was to sack 30 people. Do you think this was the right thing to do? Give reasons why or why not.

6 Webquest: Cockroach quiz Do cockroaches bite? How big is a cockroach baby? What do cockroaches eat? Go to http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/kunkel/cockroach_faq.html to find the answers to these and many other questions.

H

NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Create a class quiz. Each student should write at least one question (plus answer).

The Turkmen cockroach Level 1 Intermediate KEY 2 Key words 1. sack 2. bulletin 3. broadcast 4. horrified 5. consequences 6. undetected 7. reforms 8. restored 9. worthy 10. graduated

4 Vocabulary: Countries and nationalities country

nationality

Turkmenistan

Turkmen

Ukraine

Ukrainian

Russia

Russian

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistani

Iran

Iranian

Afghanistan

Afghani

Kazakhstan

Kazakh

3 Comprehension check

H

NEWS LESSONS / The Turkmen cockroach / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. True 2. True 3. False 4. False 5. True 6. False 7. True 8. True

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. unanimous implicit

hardliner shun

fatigues rhetoric

mandate ovation

convalescing omnipotent

1. A ____________ is the authority of an elected government to do the things they promised to do before an election. 2. A standing ____________ is when the members of an audience stand up and clap their hands to express their



admiration or enjoyment. 3. If someone is ____________, they are resting in order to recover from an illness or an operation. 4. If something is ____________, it is not stated directly but is understood from what someone says or does. 5. A ____________ is someone who is strict or extreme in their beliefs or opinions. 6. ____________ is a style of speaking or writing that is intended to influence people. 7. An ____________ person is one who is powerful enough to do everything. 8. ____________ are simple loose clothes worn by soldiers. 9. A ____________ decision is one that everyone agrees with and supports. 10. If you ____________ something, you deliberately avoid it.

2

What do you know?

Are these statements True (T) or False (F)? Check your answers in the text. 1. Havana is the capital of Cuba. 2. Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro is over 90 years old. 3. Fidel Castro was in power in Cuba for more than half a century. 4. Fidel Castro’s brother is the new Cuban head of state. 5. The Cuban revolution took place in 1949.

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6. More than 20 million people live in Cuba.

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl

Raúl, who has headed a caretaker government, was given a standing ovation by the assembly before being confirmed as head of state and government. The assembly was also due to name a 31-member council of state. The lack of suspense reflected the authorities’ tight control over the island and its 11 million people, many of whom hanker for relief from poverty harsher than that experienced in eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin wall.

5

The Bush administration called on Havana to move towards democracy, an implicit acknowledgment that Cuba retained the initiative despite Washington’s economic embargo. “We urge the Cuban government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights and creating a clear pathway toward free and fair elections,” Condoleeza Rice, the secretary of state, said in a statement.

6

It remains unclear to what extent Fidel will retain influence. He is still leader of the Communist party and an assembly member, and writes newspaper editorials, though the byline has changed from Commander in Chief to Comrade Fidel. The mention of his name last night prompted a standing ovation. The assembly, whose members are elected from a list fixed by the authorities, has traditionally been a rubber stamp for the ‘maximum commandante’ who ruled like a colossus after the 1959 revolution.

7

Under Raúl, who has a collegiate style, the council of state is expected to wield more power. The president, who has long shunned the limelight, is believed to favour a Chinesetype economic liberalization to improve living standards without loosening political control. He has encouraged criticism of the system, raising expectations that delivering better food, transport and housing rather than rhetoric would characterize his rule.

Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent February 25, 2008

1 Cuba’s national assembly has unanimously named Raúl Castro as head of state, formally ending almost half a century of Fidel Castro’s rule. The 76-year-old defence minister took power in a choreographed ceremony of party unity which cast his brother in the role of revered, but no longer omnipotent, oracle of the revolution. As the constitutionally-designated successor, Raúl’s appointment was expected but the appointment of an ideological hardliner as his deputy was a surprise. José Ramón Machado, a 77-year-old veteran of Fidel’s Sierra Maestra guerrilla campaign, was promoted ahead of young potential reformers. 2 In his first speech as leader Raúl, in a suit and tie instead of his usual fatigues, promised to consult Fidel on important decisions of state. “The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution is unique. Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, he is irreplaceable,” he said. The new president also said the Communist party would ensure socialism outlasted Fidel and his generation. “The mandate of this legislature is clear ... to continue strengthening the revolution at a historic moment. This conviction has particular importance when the founding generation of the revolution is disappearing,” he said. 3 The mood in the 614-seat chamber showed little sense of drama or history in the making in an effort to project normality and continuity. The streets of Havana were quiet as people absorbed the latest step in Fidel’s withdrawal from public life, a transition initiated 19 months ago when he provisionally ceded power to undergo emergency intestinal surgery. Last week the convalescing 81-year-old said he would not accept another term as president.

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After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Advanced

CA

Level 3

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 3

Advanced

8 Under Raúl the military has taken control of much of the economy by managing farms, tourist resorts and other businesses, giving so-called ‘Raúlista’ senior officers political power and smoothing the transition. Yet since taking over, the younger Castro has attempted few reforms, possibly because ideological purists in the

government have applied the brakes, arguing that support from oil-rich Venezuela would permit a return to core communism. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 25/02/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text.

1. What will Fidel Castro’s role be now that his brother has succeeded him as head of state? a. He will remain the omnipotent oracle of the revolution. b. He will continue to be leader of the Communist party. c. He will give up power in order to undergo surgery.

2. What kind of policies does Raúl Castro intend to follow? a. He does not want to change anything. b. He intends to criticize the system. c. He wants to raise living standards but retain strong political control.

3. How did the people of Havana react to Raúl’s appointment as head of state? a. With angry demonstrations. b. Calmly and quietly. c. With a standing ovation.

4. Why has Raúl Castro attempted few reforms? a. Because he has been prevented from doing so by hardliners. b. Because he favours a Chinese-type economic liberalization.

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c. Because he has to consult his brother on important decisions of state.

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Find the words or expressions in the text that mean the following: 1. An adjective meaning respected and admired. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning impossible to replace. (para 2) 3. A verb meaning to last longer than. (para 2) 4. A noun meaning the act of no longer being involved in something. (para 3) 5. A two word expression meaning a temporary administration that is in charge of a country until a new government is elected. (para 4) 6. A two-word verb meaning to have a strong feeling of wanting something. (para 4) 7. A noun meaning a situation in which someone gets a lot of interest and attention from the media. (para 7) 8. A three-word idiom meaning to slow things down. (para 8)



5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to form collocations from the text. 1. release 2. take 3. cede 4. undergo 5. respect 6. wield 7. shun 8. raise

a. power b. human rights c. expectations d. power e. prisoners f. the limelight g. surgery h. power

6 Adjective + noun collocations Fill the gaps in these collocations using adjectives beginning with the letters shown. Then check your answers in the text. 1. e____________ embargo 2. i____________ hardliner 3. p____________ importance 4. t____________ control 5. p____________ prisoner 6. h____________ rights 7. i____________ acknowledgement 8. p____________ life

7 Discussion

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Should economic sanctions be imposed on countries that do not have free and democratic elections?

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. mandate 2. ovation 3. convalescing 4. implicit 5. hardliner 6. rhetoric 7. omnipotent 8. fatigues 9. unanimous 10. shun

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

revered irreplaceable outlast withdrawal caretaker government hanker for limelight apply the brakes

5 Verb + noun collocations

3 Comprehension check

4 Adjective + noun collocations

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

b c b a

economic ideological particular tight political human implicit public

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl / Advanced

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T F F T F F

e a/d/h a/d/h g b a/d/h f c

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 What do you know?

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text unanimous appointment

hardliner recover

ovation dislike

assembly task

single-handedly consult

1. A national ____________ is another word for a country’s parliament. 2. An ____________ is a situation in which someone is given a new job, especially an important one. 3. A ____________ decision is one that everyone agrees with and supports. 4. A ____________ is someone who is strict or extreme in their beliefs or opinions. 5. ____________ is the opposite of ‘like’. 6. A standing ____________ is when the members of an audience stand up and clap their hands to express their admiration or enjoyment. 7. A ____________ is something that you have to do. 8. If you ____________ someone, you ask them for their advice or opinion. 9. If you do something ____________, you do it yourself without help from other people. 10. If you ____________ , you become fit and healthy again after an illness or an operation.

2

Find the information

Find this information in the text as quickly as possible. 1. How old is Fidel Castro? 2. Is Raúl Castro younger or older than his brother? 3. When did Fidel Castro undergo surgery? 4. When was the Cuban revolution? 5. What is the population of Cuba?

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6. How many members of the Cuban parliament are there?

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Elementary

2 Raúl made his first speech as leader wearing a suit and tie instead of his usual army uniform. He promised to consult Fidel on important decisions of state. “The leader of the Cuban revolution is a special man. Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, no-one can replace him,” he said. The new president said socialism would continue after Fidel and his generation. “Our task is clear ... to continue to make the revolution stronger at a historic moment. This is particularly important when the generation which led the revolution is disappearing,” he said. 3 The Cuban authorities wanted to show that everything in the country was normal so there was no drama in the 614-seat parliament when the historic appointment was made. The streets of the Cuban capital Havana were quiet as people followed the latest step in 81-year-old Fidel’s departure from public life. He began the process of leaving public life 19 months ago when he left power for a short time for emergency medical treatment. Last week Fidel, who is still recovering from his operation, said he did not want to accept another term as president.

5 The American government called on Cuba to move towards democracy. “We call on the Cuban government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by freeing all political prisoners, respecting human rights and creating a clear road towards free and fair elections,” Condoleeza Rice, the secretary of state, said in a statement. 6 It is still not clear how much influence Fidel will have. He is still leader of the Communist party and an assembly member and writes newspaper articles under the name Comrade Fidel. When someone mentioned his name in the assembly, there was a standing ovation. Fidel ruled Cuba almost single-handedly since the revolution in 1959 and the members of the assembly always approved his decisions. 7 Raúl likes to consult his colleagues before he makes decisions so under his rule the council of state will probably have more power. The new president, who dislikes publicity, is in favour of a Chinese-type economic liberalization to improve living standards without weakening political control. He has encouraged people to criticize the system and some people hope that he will deliver better food, transport and housing and will not just make speeches. 8 With Raúl as president the military has taken control of much of the economy – managing farms, tourist resorts and other businesses and giving senior military officers political power. But

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl / Elementary

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1 Cuba’s national assembly has unanimously named 76-year-old Raúl Castro as the new head of state, and formally ended almost 50 years of rule by his older brother Fidel Castro. The Cuban constitution had already named Raúl as the man who would follow Fidel as head of state so his appointment was not a surprise. However, the appointment of a hardliner as his deputy was a surprise. José Ramón Machado, a 77-yearold who was a comrade of Fidel in the Cuban guerrilla war, became deputy head of state when many people thought a younger man would get the job.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent February 25, 2008

4 The members of the Cuban parliament gave Raúl, who was head of the temporary government, a standing ovation before they confirmed him as head of state and government. The assembly also named a 31-member council of state. The Cuban authorities control the island and its 11 million people carefully and the calm atmosphere in the streets showed how strict that control is. Many Cubans want an end to a situation in which they are poorer than people in eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin wall.

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Level 1

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 1

Elementary

the younger Castro has not introduced many reforms, possibly because the hardliners in the government have prevented them, saying that support from oil-rich Venezuela will allow Cuba to return to basic communism. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 25/02/08

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The streets of Havana were quiet because… 2. Fidel Castro has left power because… 3. There was a standing ovation in the national assembly because… 4. Raúl is different from Fidel because... 5. People hope Raúl… 6. Money from Venezuela… a. … will deliver better food, transport and housing. b. … someone mentioned Fidel Castro’s name. c. … will allow Cuba to return to basic communism. d. … the Cuban authorities control the island and its people carefully. e. … he prefers to consult his colleagues before he makes decisions. f. … he has been ill.

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions Fill the gaps in the phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text.

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1. _____ favour of 2. head _____ state 3. instead _____ 4. departure _____ 5. recover _____ 6. secretary _____ state 7. take control _____

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 1

Elementary

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + noun collocations Fill the gaps in the sentences using these verbs from the text.

make

free

consult

respect

have

improve

1. It is not clear how much influence Fidel Castro will ____________. 2. The new president wants to ____________ living standards. 3. He says he will ____________ his colleagues before he makes decisions. 4. Politicians ____________ a lot of speeches. 5. All governments should ____________ human rights. 6. They should also ____________ political prisoners.

6 Word building: Adjectives Complete the table using adjectives from the text.

Noun

Adjective

history democracy peace economy politics medicine Cuba

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basis

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Vocabulary 1: Prepositions

1. assembly 2. appointment 3. unanimous 4. hardliner 5. dislike 6. ovation 7. task 8. consult 9. single-handedly 10. recover

1. in 2. of 3. of 4. from 5. from 6. of 7. of

2 Find the information

1. have 2. improve 3. consult 4. make 5. respect 6. free

Adjective

history

historic

democracy

democratic

peace

peaceful

economy

economic

politics

political

medicine

medical

Cuba

Cuban

basis

basic

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl / Elementary

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1. d 2. f 3. b 4. e 5. a 6. c

Noun

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3 Comprehension check

6 Word building: Adjectives

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 81 2. Younger 3. 19 months ago 4. 1959 5. 11 million 6. 614

5 Vocabulary 2: Verb + Noun Collocations

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. unanimous retain

designate hardliner collegiate convalescing ovation initiative veteran single-handedly

1. A ____________ is someone who is strict or extreme in their beliefs or opinions. 2. If you do things in a ____________ way, you consult your colleagues before making important decisions. 3. ____________ is another word for ‘keep’ or ‘preserve’. 4. If you hold the ____________ in a particular situation, you have the opportunity to take action before other people do. 5. A ____________ is someone who was in the armed forces in the past. 6. If someone is ____________, they are resting in order to recover from an illness or an operation. 7. If you do something ____________, you do it yourself without help from other people. 8. A standing ____________ is when the members of an audience stand up and clap their hands to express their admiration or enjoyment. 9. A ____________ decision is one that everyone agrees with and supports. 10. If you ____________ someone for a particular purpose, you choose them formally for that purpose.

2

Find the information

Find this information in the text as quickly as possible. 1. What is the population of Cuba? 2. How old is Fidel Castro? 3. Is Raúl Castro younger or older than his brother? 4. When was the Cuban revolution? 5. When did Fidel Castro undergo surgery?

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6. How many members of the Cuban parliament are there?

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Intermediate

2 In his first speech as leader, Raúl, wearing a suit and tie instead of his usual army uniform, promised he would consult Fidel on important decisions of state. “The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution is unique. Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, he is irreplaceable,” he said. The new president said the Communist party would ensure socialism lived on after Fidel and his generation. “Our task is clear ... to continue strengthening the revolution at a historic moment. This is particularly important when the generation which led the revolution is disappearing,” he said. 3 The Cuban authorities tried to show a sense of normality and continuity so there was no sense of drama in the 614-seat parliament as the historic events took place. The streets of Havana were quiet as people followed the latest step in Fidel’s gradual departure from public life, a process he began 19 months ago when he gave up power temporarily to undergo emergency surgery. Last week the convalescing 81-year-old said he would not accept another term as president.

5 The American government called on Havana to move towards democracy, a move which suggested that Cuba still retains the initiative in spite of the economic embargo imposed by the Americans. “We urge the Cuban government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights and creating a clear pathway toward free and fair elections,” Condoleeza Rice, the secretary of state, said in a statement. 6 It is still unclear how much influence Fidel will retain. He is still leader of the Communist party and an assembly member, and writes newspaper editorials, though the author’s name has changed from Commander in Chief to Comrade Fidel. When his name was mentioned in the assembly, there was a standing ovation. The assembly, whose members are elected from a list fixed by the authorities, has always been a rubber stamp for Fidel who ruled the country almost singlehandedly after the 1959 revolution. 7 Raúl has a more collegiate style, and under his rule the council of state will probably have more power. The president, who has always avoided publicity, is believed to be in favour of a Chinesetype economic liberalization to improve living standards without loosening political control. He has encouraged criticism of the system, raising expectations that delivering better food, transport and housing rather than just making speeches would be a characteristic of his rule.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl / Intermediate

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1 Cuba’s national assembly has unanimously named Raúl Castro as head of state, and formally ended almost half a century of Fidel Castro’s rule. The 76-year-old defence minister took power in a display of party unity which portrayed his elder brother as the voice of the revolution. The Cuban constitution had designated Raúl as Fidel’s successor so his appointment was expected but the appointment of a hardliner as his deputy was a surprise. José Ramón Machado, a 77-year-old veteran of Fidel’s guerrilla war, was given the post ahead of young potential reformers.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent February 25, 2008

4 Raúl, who was head of the temporary government, was given a standing ovation by the members of parliament before being confirmed as head of state and government. The assembly also named a 31-member council of state. The calm atmosphere reflected the authorities’ tight control over the island and its 11 million people, many of whom want an end to poverty that is worse than that in eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin wall.

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After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl

CA

Level 2

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 2

Intermediate

8 Under Raúl the military has taken control of much of the economy – managing farms, tourist resorts and other businesses and giving senior officers political power. But since taking over, the younger Castro has not introduced many reforms, possibly because the hardliners in the

government have prevented them, arguing that support from oil-rich Venezuela would allow Cuba to return to basic communism. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 25/02/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Everyone in the 614-seat Cuban National Assembly supported the nomination of Raúl Castro as head of state. 2. No-one was surprised by the choice of José Ramón Machado as deputy head of state. 3. Raúl Castro normally wears a suit. 4. The people of Havana demonstrated noisily on the streets as the historic events took place. 5. Fidel Castro gave up power temporarily 19 months ago because he had a serious medical problem. 6. Fidel Castro still writes newspaper articles. 7. Raúl Castro will rule Cuba single-handedly. 8. Raúl Castro has already introduced a large number of reforms.

4 Find the word Find the words or expressions in the text that mean the following: 1. A noun meaning someone who has an important position after someone else. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning very special, unusual or good. (para 2) 3. An adjective meaning impossible to replace. (para 2) 4. A verb meaning to let someone leave a place where they have been kept. (para 5) 5. A noun meaning a newspaper article in which the editor gives their opinion on a particular subject. (para 6) 6. A two-word noun meaning automatic official approval for something. (para 6) 7. A verb which is the opposite of tighten. (para 7)

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8. A noun meaning a particular quality or feature that is typical of something. (para 7)

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 2

Intermediate

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to form collocations from the text.

1. make 2. take 3. impose 4. undergo 5. respect 6. retain 7. release 8. raise

a. power b. human rights c. expectations d. a speech e. prisoners f. an embargo g. surgery h. the initiative

6 Word building Complete the tables.

adjective 1.

strong

2.

loose

3. 4.

verb

tighten weak

adjective 1.

normal

2.

continuous

3.

poor

4.

united

noun

7 Discussion

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Cuba has free healthcare and education, and employment for all but its citizens are not free to travel abroad or say what they want. Which is more important – social security or human rights?

After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. hardliner 2. collegiate 3. retain 4. initiative 5. veteran 6. convalescing 7. single-handedly 8. ovation 9. unanimous 10. designate

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

T F F F T T F F

6 Vocabulary 1: Word building adjective

verb

1.

strong

strengthen

2.

loose

loosen

3.

tight

tighten

4.

weak

weaken

adjective

noun

1.

normal

normality

2.

continuous

continuity

3.

poor

poverty

4.

united

unity

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / After 49 years of Fidel, Cuba ushers in the era of Raúl / Intermediate

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3 Comprehension check

d a f g b h e c

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11 million 81 Younger 1959 19 months ago 614

5 Verb + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

successor unique irreplaceable release editorial rubber stamp loosen characteristic

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

venture

mere

chutney

modest

cynic



goodies

blurb

sustainable

competitive

onlooker

1. ____________ are things that are nice to eat. 2. If agriculture is ____________, it uses methods that do not harm the environment. 3. ____________ is a cold food made from fruit, spices and vinegar and eaten with meat or cheese. 4. ____________ prices are cheaper than many others. 5. ____________ is used to emphasise that something is small, cheap or unimportant. 6. An ____________ is someone who watches something but does not take part in it. 7. ____________ is information printed about something to describe it or make it attractive to buy. 8. A ____________ is a new business or activity. 9. A ____________ crowd is one that is fairly small. 10. A ____________ is someone who believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere or honest.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Prince Charles is the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. 2. Charles owns a supermarket. 3. He is married to the Duchess of Cornwall. 4. Charles’s vegetables are cheaper than those sold in the supermarket opposite his shop. 5. Charles was 60 last year.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Charles in interested in environmental issues.

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Advanced

1 He is the heir to the throne, a businessman, a champion of the environment. And from this morning, he is probably Britain’s poshest greengrocer. At 9am sharp, Highgrove, Prince Charles’s store on the main high street of his adopted home town, Tetbury, will open its blueygreen doors to the great unwashed. It is the latest venture for the prince’s ever expanding business portfolio, which has earned millions of pounds in profit over the last few years. 2 At Highgrove shop, the prince is sticking to the formula that has served him so well; on offer will be everything from seasonal vegetables freshly pulled out of the ground from the prince’s nearby estate – no extra charge for the royal mud still clinging to them – to apple juice from Camilla’s orchards in Wiltshire. There will be jams, jellies, honeys, chutneys and mustards, as well as handmade biscuits and chocolates. But the coachloads of visitors, tourists and shoppers that will beat a path to his store should not come expecting a bargain. 3 Away from the food shelves, a Highland vase to mark the prince’s 60th birthday later this year was going for an eye-watering £395. You could spend £30 on a pair of gardening gloves or £45 on a nesting box – only the better class of bird welcome. The best buy may have been a collection of Prince Charles’s sketches, a mere £6.95. 4 A modest crowd turned up for the official opening yesterday afternoon. There was no cutting of ribbon, no toasts, simply an appearance by Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The royal couple had a chat with the staff, rubbed shoulders with the great and good of Tetbury and, no doubt, checked the stock was all in order. “He doesn’t exactly look like a shopkeeper, does he?” said Steve Gray, one of the onlookers. “Why

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Advanced

6 According to the publicity blurb, the shop is about reflecting Charles’s interests. So the first displays that the visitor is greeted with are chicken chinaware and stationery designed by Samantha Buckley, a student at the prince’s School of Traditional Arts in East London. And the wooden boxes that the chutneys are stored in are made from sustainable Welsh oak by disadvantaged people being taught skills through one of the projects championed by the prince. But the highlight is probably the organic vegetables. There is no greengrocer in Tetbury so the good people of the town are very excited that they will be able to buy Charles’s muddy vegetables at his new store. 7 Sarah Champier-Lowe, the prince’s personal florist and in charge of making sure the vegetables yesterday looked more like a still life painting than a food stall, said: “When we had a preview, people couldn’t wait to get at the vegetables.” To be fair, the vegetable prices were reasonable. A bunch of earthy organic leeks from Highgrove will cost £1.35 today. A similar bunch of leeks from the Netherlands which looked nothing like as tasty as Charles’s was £1.10 in the supermarket opposite. 8 Anyway, the prince’s people were keen to point out, the profits of the shop are to be ploughed back into the prince’s Charities Foundation, which manages and allocates funds generated by his social enterprises. Most Tetbury shopkeepers were welcoming of the new kid on the block. A few metres from Charles’s shop, David Herbert, of the food and drinks store, Quayles, said: “Everybody has been telling me my business is going to suffer. It’s not – it’s good for the town. We’ll all benefit. The shop will attract

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Steven Morris March 18, 2008

5 The cynics might say the prince is doing it to promote brand Charles. There have been rumours that Highgrove in Tetbury is the first one of a chain of stores. Charles’s people said that this was nonsense – but did admit that he was looking at exporting some of his goodies.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Prince and duchess launch latest royal business venture – and rival retailers say they don’t mind at all.

is he doing this? He doesn’t need the money and it seems a bit odd, a royal running a shop.”

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Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop

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Level 3

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 3

Advanced

more visitors.” Chocolate shop owner Hortensia Oates had been checking out the prices Charles was charging. “I’ve got to admit they are pretty competitive,” she said. 9

Butcher John Newman sells beef from Charles’s estate and, indeed, fine lamb from Princess Anne’s land too. “This will bring more people into the town so that’s good for us.” The shopkeepers are painfully keen not to be seen to criticize their royal neighbour – this is a royalist town if ever there was one. As they left the store yesterday, the duchess shook hands

with onlookers – and heartily recommended the shop. “It’s got some lovely things in,” she said. 10

The prince was busy checking out a new rival, the Chef’s Table. “I hear it’s good,” he told one Tetbury resident. “Not as good as your shop,” she replied. In places like this, it is best to stay on the right side of the royals. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 18/03/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text.

1. What is “the formula that has served him so well”? a. Working for charity b. Selling home-grown vegetables and home-made food c. Working as a shopkeeper in his own business 2. What, according to the text, might a cynical view of Charles’s new shop be? a. That it is very expensive and only aimed at the upper classes. b. That the profits will go to Charles’s own charities. c. That it is designed to promote Charles’s own brand and image. 3. What is the attitude of the shopkeepers of the small town of Tetbury to Charles’s new venture? a. They see it as competition so they do not welcome it. b. They think their own businesses will suffer as a result. c. They believe it will attract more visitors to the town and this will be good for everyone. 4. What is the attitude of the people of Tetbury to Charles’s new venture? a. They are excited because there is no greengrocer in the town. b. They are all royalists so they welcome it.

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NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Advanced

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

c. They are worried that the town will be crowded with tourists.

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 3

Advanced

4 Colloquial expressions Match these colloquial expressions from the text with their meanings. 1. the great unwashed

a. the important people of a particular place

2. to beat a path to someone’s door

b. someone who has just started a new activity

3. an eye-watering price

c. to be on good terms with someone

4. the great and good

d. an insulting term for people from low social classes

5. the new kid on the block

e. extremely expensive

6. to be on the right side of someone

f. to make your way to a particular place

5 Find the word Find the words or expressions in the text that mean the following. 1. A four-word expression that means the person who will be the next king or queen. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning typical of people from a high social class. (para 1) 3. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to continue to do something and not to change it. (para 2) 4. A noun (often used in the plural) meaning large groups of people. (para 2) 5. A three-word expression meaning to meet and talk to famous or important people. (para 4) 6. A verb meaning to support a cause publicly. (para 6) 7. A three-word expression used to highlight something good about something you are criticising. (para 7) 8. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to reinvest. (para 8)

6 Expressions with prepositions Use prepositions to fill the gaps in these phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text. 1. __________ the last few years 2. a chat __________ the staff 3. a chain __________ stores 4. according __________ the publicity blurb 5. in charge __________ 6. to plough profits back __________ the business 7. the new kid __________ the block 8. shake hands __________ someone

6 Discussion Prince Charles will probably be the next King of the United Kingdom. Do you think royal families are a

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NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Advanced

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good thing or a bad thing? Is it better to have an unelected king or queen or an elected president?

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Colloquial expressions

1. goodies 2. sustainable 3. chutney 4. competitive 5. mere 6. onlooker 7. blurb 8. venture 9. modest 10. cynic

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4.

b c c a

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Advanced

heir to the throne posh stick to coachloads rub shoulders with champion to be fair plough back

6 Expressions with prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

over with of to of into on with

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T F T F F T

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Find the word

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2 What do you know?

d f e a b c

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.



posh



estate

orchard

chutney

florist





leek



competitive

benefit

highlight

vase

1. A ________________ is a long, thin vegetable that tastes a bit like an onion. 2. ________________ prices are cheaper than many others. 3. A ________________ is someone whose job is to arrange or sell flowers. 4. A ________________ is a container for flowers. 5. An ________________ is a large area of land belonging to one person, usually with a very big house on it. 6. A ________________ is the most exciting, interesting or impressive part of something. 7. An ________________ is an area of land where fruit trees grow. 8. If a person is ________________, he or she is from a high social class. 9. If you ________________ from something you get an advantage or a profit from it. 10. ________________ is a cold food made from fruit, spices and vinegar and eaten with meat or cheese.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How old will Charles be at his next birthday? 2. What is the name of his wife? 3. What is the name of Prince Charles’s country house? 4. How much does the expensive vase cost? 5. How much does a bunch of leeks cost in Charles’s shop?

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6. How much does a bunch of leeks cost in the supermarket opposite?

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Elementary

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop

6

The prince’s florist, Sarah Champier-Lowe, said: “When people came to the shop before the official opening they were most interested in the vegetables.” In truth, the vegetable prices were not so expensive. A bunch of organic leeks from Highgrove costs £1.35. A bunch of leeks from the Netherlands was £1.10 in the supermarket opposite.

7

Members of the prince’s staff say that any profits from the shop will go to the prince’s Charities Foundation, which manages the money which his social enterprises generate. Most shopkeepers in Tetbury welcomed the new business. A few metres from Charles’s shop, David Herbert, who has a food and drinks shop, said: “Everybody tells me my business is going to suffer. It’s not – it’s good for the town. We will all benefit. The shop will bring more visitors to the town.” Chocolate shop owner Hortensia Oates looked at the prices of the food in Charles’s shop. “I must say that his prices are quite competitive,” she said.

8

Butcher John Newman sells beef from Charles’s estate. “This will bring more people to the town so that’s good for us.” The shopkeepers don’t want to criticize their royal neighbour – this town likes the royal family. When Charles and Camilla left the shop yesterday, Camilla shook hands with people in the crowd – and recommended the

Steven Morris March 18, 2008 1 Prince Charles will be the next king of England. He is also a businessman and a champion of the environment. And now he is probably also the poshest greengrocer in Britain. Charles has opened a shop called Highgrove (the name of his country estate) on the main high street of his local town, Tetbury. It is the latest in the prince’s list of businesses, which have earned millions of pounds in profit over the last few years. 2 In the Highgrove shop, the prince will sell everything from fresh vegetables from his country estate to apple juice from his wife Camilla’s orchards in nearby Wiltshire. There will be jams, jellies, chutneys, honeys and mustards, as well as handmade biscuits and chocolates. But the thousands of visitors, tourists and shoppers that will come to his store should not expect to find cheap prices. For example, a vase marking the prince’s 60th birthday later this year costs £395. You could also spend £30 on a pair of gardening gloves or for £45 you could buy a bird box. The best thing to buy might be a collection of Prince Charles’s drawings which costs just £6.95. 3 A small crowd came to the official opening. Charles and Camilla also came but there was no official ceremony. The royal couple chatted to the staff, met a few local people and had a look round the shop. “He doesn’t really look like a shopkeeper, does he?” said Steve Gray, one of the people in the crowd. “Why is he doing this? He doesn’t need the money and a member of the royal family running a shop seems a bit strange.” 4 Some people might think the prince is doing it to promote the Prince Charles brand name. Others say that Highgrove in Tetbury is the first one of a chain of stores. Members of Charles’s staff

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Elementary

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The advance publicity says that the shop reflects Charles’s interests. So the first things that the visitor sees when he or she enters the shop are chinaware and stationery designed by a student at the prince’s School of Traditional Arts in East London. And the wooden boxes for storing the chutney are made by people learning skills in one of the projects Charles supports. But for most people the highlight is probably the organic vegetables. There is no greengrocer in Tetbury so the people of the town are very excited that they will be able to buy Charles’s vegetables at his new shop.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5

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Prince and duchess launch latest royal business venture – and rival retailers say they don’t mind at all.

say that this is not true – but they do say that he is thinking of exporting some of the food he produces on his estate.

CA

Level 1

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 1

Elementary

shop. “It’s got some lovely things,” she said. The prince was busy looking at another shop, the Chef’s Table. “I hear it’s good,” he said to one of the local people. “It’s not as good as your shop,” she replied. In places like Tetbury, it is best to have a good relationship with members of the royal family. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 18/03/08

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text.

1. Local shopkeepers think Prince Charles’s new shop is good for the town because… 2. Charles’s organic vegetables are more expensive… 3. People are excited about the vegetables because… 4. The shopkeepers don’t want to criticize Prince Charles because… 5. Any profits from the shop… 6. The vase marking the prince’s 60th birthday…

a. … people in Tetbury like the royal family. b. … is very expensive. c. … than the vegetables in the supermarket opposite. d. … will go to the prince’s Charities Foundation. e. … there is no greengrocer in the town.

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f. ... it will bring more visitors to the town.

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 1

Elementary

4 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. 1. few the years over last 2. the to thing buy best 3. in crowd the of one people the 4. doing why he is this? 5. the opposite in supermarket 6. Charles’s a shop metres from few

5 Vocabulary: Compound words Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make words from the text. 1. green

a. keeper

2. super

b. made

3. hand

c. ware

4. shop

d. market

5. business

e. grocer

6. china

f. man

6 Word stress Put these words from the text into one of the two groups depending on their word stress.

reply

promote

business

biscuit

produce

reflect

A 0 o

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Elementary

advance royal

B

highlight neighbour

o 0

H



estate

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local

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Chunks

1. leek 2. competitive 3. florist 4. vase 5. estate 6. highlight 7. orchard 8. posh 9. benefit 10. chutney

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e d b a f c

6 Word stress A 0 o

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

f c e a d b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Elementary

local business biscuit highlight royal neighbour

B

o 0

estate advance reply promote produce reflect

H

60 Camilla Highgrove £395 £1.35 £1.10

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Vocabulary: Compound Words

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

over the last few years the best thing to buy one of the people in the crowd why is he doing this? in the supermarket opposite a few metres from Charles’s shop

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

heir

venture

chutney

cynic

goodies



sustainable

prominent

competitive

onlooker

rumour

1. ________________ is a cold food made from fruit, spices and vinegar and eaten with meat or cheese. 2. An ________________ is someone who watches something but does not take part in it. 3. A ________________ is unofficial information that may or may not be true. 4. A ________________ person is one who is important and well known. 5. A ________________ is a new business or activity. 6. If agriculture is ________________, it uses methods that do not harm the environment. 7. A ________________ is someone who believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere or honest. 8. ________________ are things that are nice to eat. 9. The ________________ to the throne of a country is the person who will be its next king or queen. 10. ________________ prices are cheaper than many others.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. What is the name of Prince Charles’s country house? 2. What is the name of Charles’s new shop? 3. How much does the Highland vase cost? 4. How old will Charles be at his next birthday? 5. What is the name of his wife? 6. What is the difference in price between the leeks on sale in Charles’s shop and those on sale in the

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NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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supermarket opposite?

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Intermediate

1 Prince Charles is the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom. He is also a businessman and a champion of the environment. And now he is probably also Britain’s poshest greengrocer. Charles has opened a store called Highgrove (the name of his country house) on the main high street of the local town, Tetbury. It is the prince’s latest venture in his growing business portfolio, which has earned millions of pounds in profit over the last few years. 2 At the Highgrove shop, the prince will sell everything from seasonal vegetables freshly pulled out of the ground from the prince’s nearby estate to apple juice from his wife Camilla’s orchards in Wiltshire. There will be jams, jellies, honeys, chutneys and mustards, as well as handmade biscuits and chocolates. But the thousands of visitors, tourists and shoppers that will come to his store should not expect a bargain. 3 Away from the food shelves, a Highland Vase marking the prince’s 60th birthday later this year was on sale for an amazing £395. You could spend £30 on a pair of gardening gloves or £45 on a bird box. The best buy may be a collection of Prince Charles’s drawings for just £6.95. 4 A small crowd turned up for the official opening. There was no cutting of ribbon, no toasts, just an appearance by Charles and Camilla. The royal couple had a chat with the staff, met prominent local people and, no doubt, checked the stock was all in order. “He doesn’t exactly look like a shopkeeper, does he?” said Steve Gray, one of the onlookers. “Why is he doing this? He doesn’t need the money and it seems a bit strange, a member of the royal family running a shop.” 5 Cynics might say the prince is doing it to promote the Prince Charles brand name. There have

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Intermediate

6 According to the advance publicity, the shop is about reflecting Charles’s interests. So the first displays that the visitor sees are chinaware and stationery designed by a student at the prince’s School of Traditional Arts in East London. And the wooden boxes that the chutneys are stored in are made from sustainable Welsh oak by disadvantaged people being taught skills through one of the projects supported by the prince. But the highlight is probably the organic vegetables. There is no greengrocer in Tetbury so the people of the town are very excited that they will be able to buy Charles’s muddy vegetables at his new store. 7 Sarah Champier-Lowe, the prince’s personal florist and in charge of making sure the vegetables looked good said: “When we had a preview, people couldn’t wait to get at the vegetables.” In truth, the vegetable prices were not particularly expensive. A bunch of organic leeks from Highgrove will cost £1.35 today. A similar bunch of leeks from the Netherlands which didn’t look as tasty as Charles’s was £1.10 in the supermarket opposite. 8 Anyway, the prince’s staff said, the profits of the shop will go to the prince’s Charities Foundation, which manages the money generated by his social enterprises. Most Tetbury shopkeepers welcomed the new business. A few metres from Charles’s shop, David Herbert, of the food and drinks store, Quayles, said: “Everybody has been telling me my business is going to suffer. It’s not – it’s good for the town. We’ll all benefit. The shop will attract more visitors.” Chocolate shop owner Hortensia Oates had checked out the prices Charles was charging. “I’ve got to admit his prices are quite competitive,” she said. 9 Butcher John Newman sells beef from Charles’s estate. “This will bring more people into the town so that’s good for us.” The shopkeepers don’t want to criticize their royal neighbour – this is a

O

Steven Morris March 18, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Prince and duchess launch latest royal business venture – and rival retailers say they don’t mind at all.

been rumours that Highgrove in Tetbury is the first one of a chain of stores. Members of Charles’s staff said that this was nonsense – but they did admit that he was thinking of exporting some of his goodies.

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Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop

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Level 2

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 2

Intermediate

royalist town. As they left the store yesterday, Camilla shook hands with onlookers – and recommended the shop. “It’s got some lovely things in,” she said. 10 The prince was busy checking out a new rival, the Chef’s Table. “I hear it’s good,” he told one Tetbury resident. “Not as good as your shop,” she replied. In places like this, it is best to be on the right side of the royals. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 18/03/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Local shopkeepers are angry about Charles’s new shop. 2. Thousands of people came to the opening. 3. The prince cut a ribbon to open the shop. 4. The vegetables in the shop are not particularly expensive. 5. Some non-food items in the shop are very expensive. 6. Any profits from the shop will go towards opening more shops.

4 Find the word Find the words or expressions in the text that mean the following. 1. An adjective meaning typical of people from a high social class. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning a large area of land belonging to one person, usually with a very big house on it. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning something you buy that costs much less than normal. (para 2) 4. A noun meaning a long, thin strip of coloured cloth. (para 4) 5. An adjective meaning not having the same opportunities as other people, usually because of a lack of money. (para 6) 6. A noun meaning the most exciting, interesting or impressive part of something. (para 6) 7. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to manage to reach or touch something. (para 7)

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8. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to examine something carefully to find something out. (para 8)

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 2

Intermediate

5 Vocabulary 1: Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text. 1. run

a. millions of pounds

2. promote

b. skills

3. teach

c. a business/a shop

4. have

d. visitors

5. earn

e. a chat

6 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. 1. __________ the last few years 2. away __________ the food shelves 3. on sale __________ £395 4. have a chat __________ someone 5. all __________ order 6. thinking __________ doing something 7. according __________ the publicity 8. in charge __________

7 Discussion Do you buy organic produce?

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of food that is grown organically?

Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. chutney 2. onlooker 3. rumour 4. prominent 5. venture 6. sustainable 7. cynic 8. goodies 9. heir 10. competitive

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F F F T T F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Welcome to UK’s poshest veg shop / Intermediate

6 Vocabulary 2: Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

over from for with in of to of

H

3 Comprehension check

c f b e a d

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Highgrove Highgrove £395 60 Camilla 25 pence

5 Vocabulary 1: Verb + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

posh estate bargain ribbon disadvantaged highlight get at check out

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer addiction – a strong need that someone feels to regularly take an illegal or harmful drug: There is a growing problem of drug addiction in our cities. addiction to – a strong need or wish to spend as much time as possible doing a particular activity: Many people have an addiction to nicotine. His addiction to the Internet is taking over his life. Source: Macmillan English Dictionary Online

What things might people become addicted to? Make a list. Divide the list into new or modern addictions and old or traditional addictions.

2

Key words and phrases

Write the key words and phrases into the sentences. case study

discussion boards

self-help group

negative repercussions

a fix

clinical disorder

public health issue

significant other

withdrawal symptoms

wean off

1. ____________________ are the unpleasant physical and mental effects suffered by someone who stops taking a substance that they are addicted to. 2. A ____________________ is a medical matter that affects the general population. 3. A ____________________ is a medical problem or condition. 4. ____________________ are the bad effects that something has, usually lasting for a long time. 5. A ____________________ is a piece of research that records details of how a situation develops over a period of time. 6. Your ____________________ is the person you are having a (romantic) relationship with. 7. When you make someone gradually stop depending on something that they like and have become used to, especially a drug or a bad habit, you ____________________ them ____________________ it. 8. ____________________ is an amount of a drug that someone feels they need to take regularly to satisfy their addiction. 9. ____________________ is another term for online forums.

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10. A ____________________ consists of people who discuss their problems and find ways to deal with them.

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Advanced

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’

1 Tense? Angry? Can’t get online? Internet addiction is now a serious public health issue that should be officially recognised as a clinical disorder, according to a leading psychiatrist.

4

Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, writes that the extent of the disorder it is more difficult to estimate in America because people tend to surf at home instead of in Internet cafes. But he believes there are similar cases and says: “Unfortunately Internet addiction is resistant to treatment and has high relapse rates.” He told The Observer that he did not believe specific websites were responsible. “The relationship is with the computer,” he said. “First, it becomes a significant other to them. Second, they exhaust emotions that they could experience in the real world on the computer, through any number of mechanisms: emailing, gaming, porn. Third, computer use occupies a tremendous amount of time in their life. Then if you simply try to remove the computer, they’ve lost their best friend. That can take the form of depression or rage.”

5

Harry Husted, a single 51-year-old from New York, spends 16 hours a day on the Internet. He insists that he is not addicted, but admits that he used to be. “I used to work with computers for eight hours, then get home and go online for seven hours. I would stay up until two or three in the morning or until I got so sleepy I had to go to bed. I wouldn’t go out to get the groceries and I couldn’t have cared less about friends, TV, anything. After a while I realized what was happening and did something about it. Now if I use MySpace it’s only to advertise my business.”

6

Internet addiction clinics have sprung up around the world in an attempt to wean people off their need for a fix. Many people have turned, apparently without irony, to web discussion boards with names such as Internet Addicts Anonymous. The Centre for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania, says Internet addiction has become a growing legal issue in criminal, divorce and employment cases.

2 Excessive gaming, viewing online pornography, emailing and text messaging have been identified as causes of the disorder by Dr Jerald Block, in the respected American Journal of Psychiatry. Block argues that the disorder is now so common that it should be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He says Internet addiction has four main components: • •

• •

Excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time or a neglect of basic drives; Withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible; The need for better computers, more software, or more hours of use; Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation and fatigue.

3 A case study is South Korea, which has the greatest use of broadband in the world. Block points out that 10 people died from blood clots from remaining seated for long periods in Internet cafes and another was murdered because of an online game. Their country now considers Internet addiction as one of its most serious public health issues. The government estimates that around 210,000 South Korean children are affected and in need of treatment. 80 per cent of them might need drugs targeting the brain and nearly a quarter could need to go to hospital. Since the average high school pupil there spends about 23 hours per week gaming, another 1.2 million are believed to be at risk of addiction and require basic counselling. There has been alarm over a rising

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number of addicts dropping out of school or quitting their jobs to spend more time on computers. In China it has been reported that 13.7 per cent of adolescent Internet users, about 10 million, could be considered addicts.

CA

Level 3

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 3

Advanced

7

Robert Freedman, editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry, said Internet addiction can be diverse. “In Korea, it seems to be primarily gaming sites. In America, it seems to be Facebook. Additionally, it’s porn, it’s games, it’s gambling, it’s chatting with friends. All these things existed before, but now they’re a lot easier.”

8

To beat the addiction, he advised: “A self-help group might be a place to start. Maybe replace an online group with a real one.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 23/03/08

3 Comprehension check Find the answers to the questions in the article. 1. What are the four basic components of Internet addiction? a) Emailing, viewing online pornography, texting and isolation. b) Excessive use, withdrawal symptoms when the computer is not accessible, the constant need for better computers and software and negative repercussions on the user’s life. c) Spending at least 16 hours a day on the Internet, quitting jobs, leaving school and social isolation. 2. In Korea, the main cause of Internet addiction is... a) ... playing online games. b) ... viewing pornography. c) ... spending time on social websites such as Facebook and MySpace. 3. The case study revealed that many Internet addicts... a) ... are in financial trouble. b) ... take recreational drugs. c) ... left their jobs or stopped attending school. 4. Ironically, self-help groups can be found...

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a) ... in Internet cafes. b) ... on the Internet. c) ... in Pennsylvania.

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Negative emotions In the article, there are many words that are used to describe negative emotions and states of mind. a) Find words that mean the following. tiredness

_________________

despondency

_________________

loneliness

_________________

anxiety

_________________

b) How many other similar words can you find? Explain their meaning.

5 Discussion: Are you a net junkie? Answer these questions for yourself or for someone you know and discuss the results. Do you think these test questions are a good indicator of Internet addiction? •

Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet?

•

Do you need increasing amounts of time on the net in order to achieve satisfaction?

•

Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use?

•

Do you feel restless, moody, depressed or tense when you try to cut down or stop Internet use?

•

Do you often stay online longer than you originally intended?

•

Have you jeopardized or risked losing a partner, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?

•

Have you lied to family members, a therapist or others to conceal the extent of your involvement with the Internet?

•

Do you use it to escape from problems (e.g. feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)?

If you answer ‘yes’ to five or more of these questions, you may have an Internet addiction! Source: Centre for Internet Addiction Recovery www.netaddiction.com

6 Webquest

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Go to the website www.netaddiction.com. Here you can take further tests, read about real-life cases of Internet addiction, listen to podcasts and watch videos.

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 3 Advanced KEY 2 Key words and phrases

4 Vocabulary: Negative emotions

1. withdrawal symptoms 2. public health issue 3. clinical disorder 4. negative repercussions 5. case study 6. significant other 7. wean off 8. a fix 9. discussion boards 10. self-help group

a)

fatigue depression isolation tension

b) possible answers: anger, rage, lying, loss of sense of time, neglect of basic drives, arguments, not caring

3 Comprehension check b a c b

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1. 2. 3. 4.

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 1 1

Elementary

Warmer: Brainstorming addiction – a strong need that someone feels to regularly take an illegal or harmful drug: There is a growing problem of drug addiction in our cities. addiction to – a strong need or wish to spend as much time as possible doing a particular activity: Many people have an addiction to nicotine. His addiction to the Internet is taking over his life. Source: Macmillan English Dictionary Online

What things might people become addicted to? How many can you write down in one minute?

2 Key words and phrases Write the key words and phrases from the article into the sentences.

withdrawal symptoms groceries

isolation

repercussions

discussion boards

psychiatrist

self-help group

components

clot case

excessive

estimate recovery

admit

treatment

1. When something is _____________________ it is much more than is reasonable or necessary. (subtitle) 2. When you are alone and separated from other people you are in _____________________. (subtitle) 3. _____________________ are the unpleasant physical and mental effects suffered by someone who stops taking a substance that they are addicted to. (subtitle) 4. A _____________________ is a doctor who treats people with mental disorders. (para 1) 5. _____________________ are parts, or features of something. (para 2) 6. _____________________ are the bad effects that something has, usually lasting for a long time. (para 2) 7. A _____________________ is a lump of blood in your veins that can be dangerous. (para 3) 8. An _____________________ is a guess at a number. (para 3) 9. _____________________ is another word for medical care. (para 3) 10. When you _____________________ to something, you agree that it is true. (para 5) 11. _____________________ are food and other goods you buy regularly for the home. (para 5) 12. _____________________ is another term for online forums. (para 6) 13. _____________________ is the process of getting better after an illness or health problem. (para 6 ) 14. A _____________________ is a legal matter often decided at court. (para 6) 15. A _____________________ is a group of people who discuss their similar problems and find ways to deal with

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them. (para 8)

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Elementary 4

Dr Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, writes that it is more difficult to estimate how bad the problem is in America because people go online at home instead of in Internet cafes. “Unfortunately it is not easy to treat Internet addiction,” he said. “The problem is with the relationship with the computer,” he said. “If you try to remove the computer, they feel they’ve lost their best friend. That can lead to depression or rage.”

5

Harry Husted, a single 51-year-old from New York, spends 16 hours a day on the Internet. He says that he is not addicted, but admits that he used to be. “I used to work with computers for eight hours, then get home and go online for another seven hours. I was online until two or three o’clock in the morning or until I got so tired that I had to go to bed. I didn’t go out to get the groceries and I didn’t care about friends, TV, or anything. When I realized what was happening I did something about it. Now I only use MySpace to advertise my business.”

6

Internet addiction clinics are opening all around the world, and many people have joined web discussion boards such as Internet Addicts Anonymous. The Centre for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania, says Internet addiction is often a factor in criminal, divorce and employment cases.

7

Robert Freedman, the editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry, said Internet addiction is different from person to person. “In Korea, people are mostly addicted to gaming sites. In America, it is Facebook. They are also addicted to online pornography, games, gambling, chatting with friends. All these things existed before the Internet, but now they’re a lot easier.”

8

His advice to addicts is: “A self-help group is a good place to start, but maybe a real group is better than an online one.”

1 Tense? Angry? Can’t get online? Internet addiction is now a serious health problem says a leading psychiatrist. 2 In the American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr Jerald Block writes that Internet addiction is caused by excessive gaming, looking at online pornography, emailing and text messaging. He says that the disorder is now so common that it should be included in medical text books. According to Block, Internet addiction has four main components: • •

• •

Excessive use, and not realizing how long you spend on the Internet; Withdrawal symptoms, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when there is no access to the Internet; The need for better computers, more software or more hours of use; Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, not doing well at school or work, social isolation and tiredness.

3 Block says that in South Korea 10 people died from blood clots because they sat for long periods in Internet cafes and another was murdered because of an online game. South Korea now sees Internet addiction as one of its most serious public health issues. The government estimates that around 210,000 South Korean children need treatment. 80 per cent of them might need medicines that help the brain and nearly a quarter might need to go to hospital. High school pupils there spend about 23 hours per week gaming, so another 1.2 million need basic counselling about Internet addiction. Many people are also worried about the number of addicts who stop going to school or leave their jobs to spend more time on computers. In China, there might be 10 million teenage Internet addicts.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ / Elementary

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 23/03/08

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David Smith, technology correspondent March 23, 2008

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New evidence shows that excessive use of the Internet causes isolation, tiredness and withdrawal symptoms

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Level 1

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves. 1. Internet addicts don’t realize how...

... lonely and tired.

2. Leading psychiatrists think...

... spends 23 hours a week playing online games.

3. The average South Korean high school student...

... difficult to treat.

4. People have died because of their...

... many hours they spend online.

5. South Koreans go online...

... social networking websites.

6. Internet addiction is...

... Internet addiction.

7. Facebook and MySpace are...

... better computers and software.

8. In the USA, most people...

... at Internet cafes more often than Americans.

9. Internet addicts are often...

... Internet addiction is a real illness.

10. Internet addicts think they need...

... surf the Internet at home.

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions Fill in the missing prepositions. Check your answers in the article.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Internet addiction is caused _________ excessive gaming looking _________ online pornography it should be included _________ medical text books feelings _________ anger not doing well _________ school 10 people died _________ blood clots need to go _________ hospital a single 51-year-old _________ New York spend16 hours a day _________ the Internet spend more time _________ computers

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ / Elementary

to

of

in

by

O

at (x2)

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from (x2)

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on (x2)

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Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 1

Elementary

5 Discussion: Addicted to Do you agree with either of these sentences? Many people are addicted to something and it is a big problem these days. Being addicted to something is not a new problem.

6 Webquest Go to the website www.netaddiction.com. Here you can take tests, read about real-life cases of Internet

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addiction, listen to podcasts and watch videos.

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 1 Elementary KEY 2 Key words and phrases

4 Vocabulary: Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

excessive isolation withdrawal symptoms psychiatrist components repercussions clot estimate treatment admit groceries discussion boards recovery case self-help group

by at in of at from to from on on

3 Comprehension check Internet addicts don’t realize how many hours they spend online. Leading psychiatrists think Internet addiction is a real illness. The average South Korean high school student spends 23 hours a week playing online games. People have died because of their Internet addiction. South Koreans go online at Internet cafes more often than Americans. Internet addiction is difficult to treat. Facebook and MySpace are social networking websites. In the USA, most people surf the Internet at home. Internet addicts are often lonely and tired. Internet addicts think they need better computers and software.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer addiction – a strong need that someone feels to regularly take an illegal or harmful drug: There is a growing problem of drug addiction in our cities. addiction to – a strong need or wish to spend as much time as possible doing a particular activity: Many people have an addiction to nicotine. His addiction to the Internet is taking over his life. Source: Macmillan English Dictionary Online

What things might people become addicted to? Make a list. Can you divide the list into new or modern addictions and old or traditional addictions?

2

Key words and phrases

Write the keywords and phrases from the article into the sentences.

discussion boards



clinical disorder



inaccessible

diverse



withdrawal symptoms

psychiatrist

adolescent

irony



significant other

excessive

repercussions

self-help group

component

1. When something is ___________________ it is much more than is reasonable or necessary. (subtitle) 2. ___________________ are the unpleasant physical and mental effects suffered by someone who stops taking

a substance that they are addicted to. (subtitle)

3. A ___________________ is a medical problem or condition. (para 1) 4. A ___________________ is a doctor who treats people with mental disorders. (para 1) 5. A ___________________ is a part, or feature of something. (para 2) 6. When something is ___________________ it is impossible to reach or use. (para 2) 7. ___________________ are the bad effects that something has, usually lasting for a long time. (para 2) 8. An ___________________ is a boy or girl who is not yet a man or a woman. (para 3) 9. Your ___________________ is the person (or thing) you are having a (romantic) relationship with. (para 4) 10. ___________________ is a form of humour in which you use words to express the opposite of what the words

really mean. (para 6)

11. ___________________ is another term for online forums. (para 6) 12. When things are very different from each other they are ___________________ (para 7 ) 13. A ___________________ is a group of people who discuss their similar problems and find ways to deal with

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them. (para 8)

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Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Intermediate

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’

5

Harry Husted, a single 51-year-old from New York, spends 16 hours a day on the Internet. He insists that he is not addicted, but admits that he used to be. “I used to work with computers for eight hours, then get home and go online for another seven hours. I stayed up until two or three in the morning, or until I got so sleepy I had to go to bed. I didn’t go out to get the groceries and I didn’t care about friends, TV, or anything. After a while I realized what was happening and did something about it. Now if I use MySpace it’s only to advertise my business.”

6

Internet addiction clinics are opening all around the world, and many people have turned, apparently without irony, to web discussion boards with names such as Internet Addicts Anonymous. The Centre for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania, says Internet addiction has become a growing legal issue in criminal, divorce and employment cases.

7

Robert Freedman, editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry, said Internet addiction can be diverse. “In Korea, it seems to be mostly gaming sites. In America, it is Facebook. Additionally, it’s porn, it’s games, it’s

David Smith, technology correspondent March 23, 2008 1 Tense? Angry? Can’t get online? Internet addiction is now a serious health problem that should be officially recognized as a clinical disorder, says a leading psychiatrist.

2 In the respected American Journal of Psychiatry,

Dr Jerald Block writes that the disorder is caused by excessive gaming, viewing online pornography, emailing and text messaging. He says that the disorder is now so common that it should be included in medical text books. According to Block, Internet addiction has four main components: • •

• •

Excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time; Withdrawal symptoms, including feelings of anger, tension and/or depression when the computer is inaccessible; The need for better computers, more software, or more hours of use; Negative repercussions, including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation and tiredness.

3 Block says that in South Korea 10 people died from

blood clots because they stayed seated for long periods in Internet cafes and another was murdered because of an online game. South Korea now considers Internet addiction one of its most serious public health issues. The government estimates that around 210,000 South Korean children need treatment. 80 per cent of them might need drugs that target the brain and nearly a quarter could need to go to hospital. Since the average high school pupil there spends about 23 hours per week gaming, another 1.2 million are believed to be at risk of addiction and require basic counselling. Many people are also worried about the number of addicts who stop going to school or leave their jobs to spend more time on computers. In China it

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ / Intermediate

O

Dr Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, writes that it is more difficult to estimate how bad the problem is in America because people tend to surf at home instead of in Internet cafes. But he believes there are similar cases, and says: “Unfortunately it is not easy to treat Internet addiction.” He told The Observer that he did not believe specific websites were responsible. “The relationship is with the computer,” he said. “First, it becomes a significant other to them. Second, they use up emotions that they could experience in the real world on the computer, through any number of mechanisms: emailing, gaming, porn. Third, computer use takes up a huge amount of time in their life. Then if you simply try to remove the computer, they feel they’ve lost their best friend. That can take the form of depression or rage.”

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

4

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New evidence shows that excessive use of the Internet causes people to suffer from isolation, tiredness and withdrawal symptoms

has been reported that about 10 million adolescent Internet users could be considered addicts.

CA

Level 2

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 2

Intermediate

gambling, it’s chatting with friends. All these things existed before, but now they’re a lot easier.”

8

To beat the addiction, he advised: “A self-help group might be a good place to start, but maybe a real group is better than an online one.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 23/03/08

3

Comprehension check

According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. The four basic components of Internet addiction are excessive use, withdrawal symptoms when the computer is not accessible, the constant need for better computers and software and negative repercussions on the user’s social life. 2. In South Korea, the main cause of Internet addiction is spending time on social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace. 3. The average South Korean high school student spends 16 hours a day playing online games. 4. People have died as a consequence of their Internet addiction. 5. South Koreans go online at Internet cafes more often than Americans. 6. Internet addiction is easy to treat.

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation and intonation Write the words from the article into the following columns according to their intonation patterns.

psychiatry

isolation



pornography components significant psychiatrist adolescent specific

oOo

addiction

withdrawal

oOoo

repercussion

excessive

ooOo

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Can you find any more words in the article that have these intonation patterns?

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 2 .

Intermediate

5 Discussion: Addictions

Below are four examples of things people might be addicted to:

the Internet

alcohol

smoking

hard drugs (e.g. heroin, cocaine, etc.)

Work in groups or pairs and make notes about how being addicted to one of them affects the addict’s life. Think about, money, social life, family, time, health, etc. •

What similarities and differences do you find?

•

Is one addiction worse than the others?

•

What advice would you give an addict?

6 Webquest

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Go to the website www.netaddiction.com. Here you can take tests, read about real-life cases of internet addiction, listen to podcasts and watch videos.

Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 2 Keywords and phrases 1. excessive 2. withdrawal symptoms 3. clinical disorder 4. psychiatrist 5. component 6. inaccessible 7. repercussions 8. adolescent 9. significant other 10. irony 11. discussion boards 12. diverse 13. self-help group

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation and intonation oOo

oOoo

ooOo

addiction withdrawal excessive components specific

psychiatrist pornography significant psychiatry

isolation repercussion adolescent

3 Comprehension check T F F T T F

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

sue

lawsuit

dispute

piracy

expansion



label

collapse

stall

front (vb)

back catalogue

1. If sales or prices _________________, they fall very quickly and dramatically. 2. If someone agrees to _________________ an advertising campaign, they are the main personality seen in that campaign. 3. In the record business, _________________ is the illegal copying and sale of CDs. 4. A _________________ is a case that a court of law is asked to decide involving a disagreement between two people or organizations. 5. A record _________________ is a company that produces records. 6. If a process begins to _________________, it stops making progress. 7. If you _________________ someone, you make a legal claim against them, usually to get money from them because they have done something bad to you. 8. A _________________ is a serious disagreement, especially one between groups of people that lasts for a long time. 9. An artist’s _________________ is all the books, films or records he or she has produced in the past. 10. _________________ is the process of increasing in size.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. The Beatles refused to allow their music to be used in advertising. 2. Sales of music CDs are rising steadily. 3. EMI is the world’s biggest record label. 4. Sony owns the rights to The Beatles’ back catalogue. 5. Virgin Records was founded by Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Atlantic.

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6. Radiohead gave away their album In Rainbows for free on the Internet.

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Advanced

1 The sometimes uneasy relationship between bands and brands has been reflected in a new legal case in the US. Alternative rock group the Smashing Pumpkins are suing their record label, claiming it used their name and music without permission in promotional deals with Pepsi and Amazon. The group, headed by Billy Corgan, was signed to Virgin Records in the US for 17 years but yesterday claimed its only existing agreement covered the right to sell digital downloads and not the right to use the band’s image in promotional campaigns. 2 In a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in Los Angeles superior court on Monday, band members said they had “worked hard for over two decades to accumulate a considerable amount of goodwill in the eyes of the public”. Virgin’s use of the band in a promotion known as Pepsi Stuff, in conjunction with Amazon.com and PepsiCo, threatened their reputation for “artistic integrity”, band members claimed. They said they would “never grant such authority to Virgin, or any other entity”. 3 While some big name artists, from Michael Jackson to Robbie Williams, have willingly signed deals with soft drinks brands and mobile phone networks to front their campaigns and feature their branding on tours, others have consistently refused. 4 The Smashing Pumpkins, who broke up in 2000 amid stalling album sales and disputes between band members but reunited in 2006, have had a turbulent relationship with the major labels. Despite selling millions of copies of albums such as Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, they gave their music

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Smashing Pumpkins sue record label / Advanced

5 While disputes between artists and labels are nothing new, the tension is expected to increase as the music industry looks for new revenue streams. The Beatles famously refused to have their music used in advertising but recently Sony Publishing, which owns the rights to their back catalogue, said it would allow it for the first time. The links between advertisers and music labels have grown in recent years as so-called “sync” licensing fees have become ever more important to help replace collapsing CD sales. Record labels and artists have also looked to advertisers to help promote new artists, particularly in territories where it is difficult to secure radio play for new groups. Levis has a long track record of helping old and new artists into the charts, José González scored a worldwide hit with Heartbeats after it featured in a Sony advert, and Moby’s Play album famously took off only after every track was licensed to an ad agency. 6 Big labels, suffering as digital download sales fail to compensate for falling CD sales and the impact of piracy, are launching divisions dedicated to forging partnerships between big brands and their artists. Guy Hands, who bought EMI last year through his venture capital group Terra Firma, has identified the relationship as an important one in turning the company around. 7 EMI refused to comment on the lawsuit yesterday. It has owned Virgin Records since 1991, when it was sold by its founder Sir Richard Branson to help fund the expansion of his airline business. Earlier this month, Warner Music International announced the first deal by a new division designed to exploit links between its artists and brands. Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini will have a long-term relationship with Puma, which will use his song New Shoes across its global advertising campaigns.

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• Band says Virgin had no agreement to use name • Tensions growing as labels seek new revenue streams

away on the Internet long before Radiohead had conceived last year’s pay-what-you-like experiment for In Rainbows. In 2000, their final album before they split, Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, was given away for free following a dispute with Virgin.

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Smashing Pumpkins sue record label over use of songs in Pepsi promotional deals

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Level 3

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 3

Advanced

Universal Music, the world’s biggest record label, has launched a joint venture with Sir Martin Sorrell’s global marketing giant WPP to better exploit the links between music and advertisers. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 26/03/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why are the Smashing Pumpkins suing their record label? a. Because they say the label used their name and music in advertising without their permission. b. Because their record label gave their final album away free. c. Because the group has the sole right to sell digital downloads. 2. What is the possible effect of using a song in an advert? a. The recording artist can lose money. b. The song can become a worldwide hit. c. It can secure radio play for new artists. 3. What was EMI’s reaction to the Smashing Pumpkins’ lawsuit? a. The company said it was a matter for Virgin Records. b. The company said it didn’t want to discuss the matter. c. The company said it would defend its actions. 4. Why do record companies want to cooperate with big brands? a. Because they think it is good for their image. b. Because they want to help to promote the names of these big brands.

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c. Because they want to compensate for falling CD sales and the impact of piracy.

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. An adjective meaning not settled or calm and able to change quickly and get worse. (para 1) 2. A verb meaning to get more and more of something over a period of time. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning a separate unit that is complete and has its own character. (para 2) 4. An adjective meaning stormy. (para 4) 5. A verb meaning to get back together again. (para 4) 6. A verb meaning to get or achieve something important. (para 5) 7. A two-word expression meaning a reputation based on things done or not done in the past. (para 5) 8. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to stop being unsuccessful and start being successful. (para 6)

5 Business terms Match these business terms from the text with their definitions. 1. venture capital

a. a failure to follow the terms of an agreement

2. revenue stream

b. a separate part of a large organization

3. joint venture

c. money invested in a new business

4. division

d. money paid for the right to use something

5. breach of contract

e. an agreement between two companies to work together

6. licensing fee

f. source of income

6 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text. 1. file

a. a partnership

2. grant

b. a deal

3. sign

c. authority to someone

4. own

d. a joint venture

5. forge

e. a lawsuit

6. launch

f. the rights to something

6 Discussion

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Should artists have the right to decide how their music is used by record companies?

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. collapse 2. front 3. piracy 4. lawsuit 5. label 6. stall 7. sue 8. dispute 9. back catalogue 10. expansion

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

a b b c

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6 Verb + noun collocations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e c b f a d

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3 Comprehension check

c f e b a d

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T F F T T F

5 Business terms

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

uneasy accumulate entity turbulent reunite secure track record turn around

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

download

promote

back catalogue



brand

contract

give away



sue

label

refuse

split up

1. A record _________________ is a company that produces records. 2. A _________________ is a computer file obtained from the Internet. 3. If you _________________ to do something that someone has asked you to do, you say that you will not do it. 4. A _________________ is a written legal agreement between two people or businesses. 5. If the members of a rock group _________________, they decide to stop working together. 6. If you _________________ a product, you advertise it to make people buy it. 7. A _________________ is a product or group of products that has its own name, e.g. Pepsi. 8. If you _________________ someone, you make a legal claim against them, usually to get money from them because they have done something bad to you. 9. If a company _________________ something _________________, they let you have it without paying for it. 10. An artist’s _________________ is all the books, films or records he or she has produced in the past.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. When did EMI buy Virgin Records? 2. When did the Smashing Pumpkins split up? 3. When did the Smashing Pumpkins re-form? 4. For how long did the Smashing Pumpkins have a contract with Virgin Records in the US? 5. How much did the Smashing Pumpkins’ 2000 album cost?

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6. Which two companies were advertised using the Smashing Pumpkins’ music?

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Elementary

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label over use of songs in Pepsi promotional deals

1 Rock bands often have a difficult relationship with the world of big business and a new legal case in the US is an example of this relationship. American rock group the Smashing Pumpkins are suing their record label because they say it used their name and music without permission in promotional deals with Pepsi and Amazon. The group had a contract with Virgin Records in the US for 17 years. However, they have now said that the only agreement they have now covers the right to sell digital downloads and not the right to use the band’s image in advertising campaigns. 2 The group has taken their record company to court in Los Angeles for breaking their contract. Band members said they had “worked hard for over twenty years to build up a good image with the public”. Virgin used their name and music in a promotion with Amazon.com and PepsiCo called Pepsi Stuff. The Smashing Pumpkins say that this was bad for their image and their “artistic integrity”. They said they would “never give permission like this to Virgin, or any other company”. 3 Some big name artists, like Michael Jackson and Robbie Williams, have happily signed deals with soft drinks brands and mobile phone networks to be part of their advertising campaigns and to advertise their products on their tours, but other artists have always refused to sign such deals. 4 The Smashing Pumpkins split up in 2000. Sales of their records had stopped rising and band members were arguing with each other. They re-formed in 2006 but have always had a difficult

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Smashing Pumpkins sue record label / Elementary

5

Disagreements between artists and their record labels are nothing new but many people believe that problems will increase because the music industry is looking for new sources of income. The Beatles famously did not give permission for their music to be used in advertising but Sony Publishing, which now owns the rights to the Beatles back catalogue, said it will allow Beatles songs to be used.

6

The links between advertisers and music labels have become stronger in recent years because music labels need licensing fees to replace falling CD sales. Record labels and artists also use advertisers to promote new artists, particularly in areas where it is difficult for new groups to get their music played on the radio. Levis has helped to make the music of a lot of old and new artists popular, José González had a worldwide hit with Heartbeats after it appeared in a Sony advert, and Moby’s Play album became a hit when every track was licensed to an advertising agency.

7

The big record companies have found that their profits are falling because CD sales are falling, people are illegally copying CDs, and digital downloads are not making enough money. As a result they are trying to create partnerships between big brands and their artists. Guy Hands, who bought the record label EMI last year, says the relationship between big brands and artists is important if the company is going to be successful again.

8

EMI did not want to comment on the court case. It has owned Virgin Records since 1991, when Richard Branson sold it to get money for his airline business. Earlier this month, Warner Music International announced its first partnership

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Owen Gibson, media correspondent March 26, 2008

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• Band says Virgin had no agreement to use name • Tensions growing as labels seek new revenue streams

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relationship with the big record companies. Although they sold millions of copies of albums such as Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, they also gave their music away for nothing on the Internet. In 2000, they gave away their album for free after a disagreement with Virgin.

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Level 1

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 1

Elementary

between an artist and a brand. Scottish singer songwriter Paolo Nutini will have a long-term relationship with Puma, which will use his song New Shoes in its global advertising campaigns. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 26/03/08

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The Smashing Pumpkins are suing their record company because... 2. Music labels want to work with advertisers because... 3. Richard Branson sold Virgin Records because… 4. The Smashing Pumpkins split up because… 5. Record companies’ profits are falling because… 6. Sony can allow Beatles songs to be used in advertising because…

a. … it now owns the rights to the Beatles’ back catalogue. b. … he needed money for his airline business. c. … sales of their records had stopped rising. d. … they say it used their name and music in advertising without permission. e. … CD sales are falling and they need money from other sources.

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f. … CD sales are falling and people are copying CDs illegally.

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 1

Elementary

4 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns and noun phrases in the right-hand column. Then check your answers in the text. 1. sign

a. a product

2. advertise

b. a partnership

3. give

c. someone to court

4. create

d. a deal

5. have

e. a relationship

6. take

f. permission

5 Words and definitions Match the words and expressions with their definitions. 1. advertising campaign

a. a song that sells a very large number of copies

2. income

b. the difference between what you earn and what you spend

3. licensing fee

c. a planned series of advertisements to promote something

4. profit

d. a professional performer in music, dance or the theatre

5. hit

e. money someone gets for working or for selling something

6. artist

f. money paid for permission to use something

6 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1

permit

2

disagree

3

promote

noun

4

announcement

5

belief

6

advertisement

7

increase produce

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8

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Verb + noun collocations

1. label 2. download 3. refuse 4. contract 5. split up 6. promote 7. brand 8. sue 9. gives ... away 10. back catalogue

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d e b c f a

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Smashing Pumpkins sue record label / Elementary

c e f b a d

6 Word building verb

noun

1

permit

permission

2

disagree

disagreement

3

promote

promotion

4

announce

announcement

5

believe

belief

6

advertise

advertisement

7

increase

increase

8

produce

product

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1991 2000 2006 17 years nothing (it was free) Pepsi and Amazon

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Words and definitions

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2 Find the information

d a f b e c

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. download

sue

lawsuit

dispute

piracy

back catalogue

label

goodwill

promote

charts

1. A ____________ is a serious disagreement, especially one between groups of people that lasts for a long time. 2. The ____________ is a list showing the CDs that people have bought the most copies of in the previous week. 3. A ____________ is a case that a court of law is asked to decide involving a disagreement between two people or organizations. 4. If you ____________ someone, you make a legal claim against them, usually to get money from them because they have done something bad to you. 5. An artist’s ____________ is all the books, films or records he or she has produced in the past. 6. A record ____________ is a company that produces records. 7. If you ____________ a product, you attract people’s attention to it through advertising. 8. In the record business, ____________ is the illegal copying and sale of CDs. 9. A ____________ is a computer file obtained from the Internet. 10. ____________ is the good reputation that a person, a group of people or a company has in the eyes of the general public.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. When did EMI buy Virgin Records? 2. When did the Smashing Pumpkins break up? 3. Which two companies were advertised using the Smashing Pumpkins’ music? 4. Which band had a hit album called In Rainbows? 5. Which is the world’s biggest record label?

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6. When did the Smashing Pumpkins re-form?

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Intermediate

1 Rock bands often have a difficult relationship with the world of big business and this has been reflected in a new legal case in the US. Alternative rock group the Smashing Pumpkins are suing their record label, saying it used their name and music without permission in promotional deals with Pepsi and Amazon. The group, led by Billy Corgan, was signed to Virgin Records in the US for 17 years but yesterday said that its only existing agreement covered the right to sell digital downloads and not the right to use the band’s image in advertising campaigns. 2 The group has filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles superior court for a breach of contract. Band members said they had “worked hard for over twenty years to build up a great deal of goodwill in the eyes of the public”. Virgin’s use of the band in a promotion known as Pepsi Stuff, together with Amazon.com and PepsiCo, was in conflict with their reputation for “artistic integrity”, they said. They said they would “never give such authority to Virgin, or any other company”. 3 Some big name artists, from Michael Jackson to Robbie Williams, have happily signed deals with soft drinks brands and mobile phone networks to be part of their advertising campaigns and to feature their products on their tours, but others have always refused to sign such deals. 4 The Smashing Pumpkins broke up in 2000 when sales of their albums had stopped rising and band members were arguing with each other. They re-formed in 2006 and have always had a stormy relationship with the big record companies. Despite selling millions of copies of albums such as Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, they gave © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Smashing Pumpkins sue record label / Intermediate

5 Disputes between artists and record labels are nothing new, but the tension is expected to increase as the music industry looks for new sources of income. The Beatles famously refused to let their music be used in advertising but recently Sony Publishing, which owns the rights to their back catalogue, said it would allow it for the first time. The links between advertisers and music labels have grown in recent years as licensing fees have become more and more important to help replace falling CD sales. Record labels and artists have also looked to advertisers to help promote new artists, particularly in areas where it is difficult for new groups to get their music played on the radio. Levis has helped a lot of old and new artists to get their music into the charts, José González had a worldwide hit with Heartbeats after it appeared in a Sony advert, and Moby’s Play album only became successful after every track was licensed to an advertising agency. 6 The big record companies have found that their profits are falling as sales of digital downloads fail to compensate for falling CD sales and the impact of piracy. As a result, they are forming special divisions whose job it is to create partnerships between big brands and their artists. Guy Hands, who bought EMI last year, has identified the relationship between big brands and artists as an important one in making the company successful again. 7 EMI did not want to comment on the lawsuit yesterday. It has owned Virgin Records since 1991, when Richard Branson sold it to provide funding for his airline business. Earlier this month, Warner Music International announced the first deal by a new division designed to promote links between its artists and brands. Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini will have

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• Band says Virgin had no agreement to use name • Tensions growing as labels seek new revenue streams

their music away on the Internet long before Radiohead’s pay-what-you-like experiment for In Rainbows last year. In 2000, their final album before they split, Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music, was given away free after a dispute with Virgin.

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Level 2

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 2

Intermediate

a long-term relationship with Puma, which will use his song New Shoes in its global advertising campaigns. Universal Music, the world’s biggest record label, has a new joint venture with Sir Martin Sorrell’s global marketing giant WPP to exploit the links between music and advertisers. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 26/03/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The Beatles did not allow their music to be used in advertising. 2. Sony is planning to use The Beatles’ music in advertising. 3. The Smashing Pumpkins believe their record company does not have the right to sell digital downloads of their music. 4. Disputes between artists and record labels are the result of piracy and falling CD sales. 5. Michael Jackson and Robbie Williams have always refused to sign deals with big brands. 6. Links between music labels and advertisers have been growing in recent years.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A two-word expression meaning a planned series of advertisements and events planned to promote something. (para 1) 2. A verb meaning to include as an important part of something. (para 3) 3. A two-word verb meaning to end a working relationship. (para 4) 4. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to hope or expect to get help from someone. (para 5) 5. A noun meaning a single song on an album. (para 5) 6. A two-word verb phrase meaning to change the bad result of something. (para 6) 7. A noun meaning the effect of something. (para 6)

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8. An adjective meaning including or affecting the whole world. (para 7)

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 2

Intermediate

5 Business terms Match the words in the left-hand column with the definitions in the right-hand column. 1. deal

a. the difference between income and expenditure

2. breach of contract

b. an agreement between two companies to work together

3. joint venture

c. a separate part of a large organization

4. licensing fee

d. a formal business agreement

5. profit

e. money paid for the right to use something

6. division

f. a failure to follow the terms of an agreement

6 Word building Complete the table.

verb 1

permit

2

agree

3

dispute

4

promote

5

announce

6

sign

7

advertise

8

divide

noun

7 Discussion What is the best way to listen to music? Do you prefer to buy CDs or are you happier downloading tracks

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from the Internet?

Smashing Pumpkins sue record label Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. dispute 2. charts 3. lawsuit 4. sue 5. back catalogue 6. label 7. promote 8. piracy 9. download 10. goodwill

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T T F F F T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Smashing Pumpkins sue record label / Intermediate

6 Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

permission agreement dispute promotion announcement signature advertisement/advertising division

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3 Comprehension check

d f b e a c

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1991 2000 Pepsi and Amazon Radiohead Universal Music 2006

5 Business terms

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

advertising campaign feature break up look to track compensate for impact global

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading

1. Do you like flying? 2. Have you ever had any problems at an airport? 3. How would you feel if your luggage got lost or was delayed? 4. And if your flight was cancelled? This article is about what happened when London Heathrow Airport opened its new terminal.

2

Key words

Match some key words from this article with the definitions.

fume



farcical



intimidating



meltdown



backlog calamity

proliferated

surly

1. _____________________: complete collapse of an organization 2. _____________________: frighteningly difficult 3. _____________________: disaster 4. _____________________: increased and increased 5. _____________________: a lot of work waiting to be done before starting the next job 6. _____________________: ridiculous 7. _____________________: become extremely angry 8. _____________________: bad-tempered and rude

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Now read the article quickly to check.

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Advanced

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day

2

3

It was 20 years in the planning, cost £4.3bn to build and its staff underwent six months’ training before it opened.

•

But none of that could prevent Heathrow’s Terminal 5 from descending into chaos on its opening day yesterday after the baggage system collapsed.

•

Thousands of passengers had their travel plans disrupted and British Airways was forced to cancel at least 34 flights in and out of the terminal.

•

4

The prospects for today were little better as BA staff scrambled to clear an intimidating baggage backlog and work out exactly what had gone wrong.

5

The disastrous launch was a major embarrassment for both Heathrow owner BAA and British Airways. Travellers were restricted to carrying hand luggage and told that they would have to leave checked-in bags for collection at a later time, or else rebook their flights. Delays at luggage carousels proliferated as queues lengthened to depressing proportions in the departure hall.

6

•

The situation worsened in the afternoon as the entire baggage handling operation ground to a halt under an overwhelming volume of backed-up luggage, triggering angry scenes at BA desks as passengers swamped staff with complaints.

7

Just hours after BA’s chief executive, Willie Walsh, had toured the terminal promising a new era for Heathrow travel, the airline was forced to apologize once again for farcical conditions at Britain’s biggest and busiest airport.

8

“British Airways flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 will depart with hand baggage only due to problems associated with processing customers’ baggage,” said the airline in a statement. “British Airways apologizes to customers for the problems during Terminal 5’s first day of operations following one

•

•

Baggage handlers’ IDs were not recognized by computers and they were not able to log on to the handling system, resulting in three flights taking off without bags The handlers also could not get where they were supposed to go because they could not get into the car parks or get security clearance Amid confusion over the layout of the new terminal, bag handling teams were unable to make good the delays, which left passengers in arrivals while their bags waited on planes Problems were exacerbated by a lack of the baggage storage bins that are loaded on to planes. Carousels loading luggage also broke down By the afternoon, the already crammed system became overloaded and a ban on checking in luggage was issued Delays in loading and unloading planes led to delays in departures and arrivals, forcing BA to cancel 34 flights to ensure that its jets start in the right positions to run a normal timetable today

10 BA blamed the calamity on ‘teething problems’,

but found little sympathy from many of the 40,000 people who passed through T5 yesterday.

11 Kate Adamson, 39, travelling from Frankfurt with

her daughter Olivia, five, gave up on her luggage after waiting more than an hour-and-a-half in the morning. Adamson, who was visiting her parents in Maidenhead, Berkshire, said: “I am furious. We had a 50-minute flight from Frankfurt and then we had a 90-minute wait. The luggage system seemed to have packed up completely. Staff have been really surly and there has been no announcement. One BA woman in there was saying there was a technical problem. I’ve given up. They can send my bags on.”

12 Producer Sir George Martin, famous for his work

with The Beatles, was among those caught up in the

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A series of factors were behind yesterday’s meltdown:

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Dan Milmo, transport correspondent March 28, 2008

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Flights cancelled and baggage system collapses at BA’s £4.3bn showpiece

of the most complex and largest airport moves in history.” BA said customers not yet checked-in for travel would receive a refund or could rebook.

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Advanced

difficulties. He said: “When I came here I was very excited about the new terminal, but not now.”

yesterday, but BA was helped by the fact that the terminal will operate far below its full capacity of 70,000 passengers until next month, when it hopes to have all glitches ironed out. In the meantime, hundreds of daily BA flights will continue to operate from Heathrow’s terminals 1 and 4, which reported no serious problems yesterday.

13 Matt Duffy was stuck on a flight arriving into

Terminal 5 from Glasgow for more than an hour – and then when he was transported to the terminal, the wheelchair user was met by a kerb. “I couldn’t even get into the building without getting up a step,” he said. “It is totally unbelievable as far as I am concerned.”

16

14 BA has exclusive use of Terminal 5, which was designed by Lord Rogers and opened by the Queen earlier this month.

BA had promised that the new system would halve the number of bag delays and losses at the airline, which, at 26.5 bags for every 1,000 passengers, is the worst of any major European carrier. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 28/03/08

15 The 34 cancelled flights represented almost 10% of the total due to fly in and out of the terminal

3 General understanding Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences about the article. 1. The opening of Terminal 5...

a. ... lack of equipment.

2. A lot of flights...

b. ... take on their hand luggage.

3. A lot of luggage...

c. ... their money back if they couldn’t fly.

4. Passengers were allowed to...

d. ... were cancelled.

5. British Airways had hoped that terminal 5...

e. ... was not loaded onto the planes.

6. BA promised to give passengers...

f. ... would be the best ever.

7. The delays were mainly due to...

g. ... problems with the computer system.

8. There were also problems with...

h. ... was not a success.

4 Vocabulary development: Synonyms Find synonyms for the following. Paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. ____________________: disturbed and spoilt (para 3) 2. ____________________: the circular conveyor belts delivering luggage (para 5) 3. ____________________: causing (para 6) 4. ____________________: flooded, overloaded (everyone wanted help at once and made their job impossible) (para 6) 5. ____________________: made much worse (para 9) 6. ____________________: very full (para 9) 7. ____________________: stopped working (para 11)

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8. ____________________: minor problems (para 15)

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 3

Advanced

5 Language development: -ing forms There are a lot of -ing forms in the text. Some are adjectives, some are gerunds (the noun form of the verb), some are part of the continuous, and some are participles. Scan the text and underline the ones below (paragraph numbers are given to help you), and see if you can put them in the right column. An example of each has been done for you. planning (1) descending (2) opening (2) intimidating (4) carrying (5) depressing (5) handling (6) overwhelming (6) triggering (6) promising (7) resulting (9) teething (10) travelling (11) waiting (11) visiting (11) saying (11) arriving (13)

Adjective

Gerund

Continuous

Participle

opening (2)

planning (1)

visiting (11)

triggering (6)

If you’re not quite sure of the difference, here is a tip. When they are used as ADJECTIVES they often come before nouns. GERUNDS are like nouns, so they can be the subject or object of a verb, and they often come after the or a preposition. CONTINUOUS forms appear with the verb to be, to say what somebody or something is doing. PARTICIPLES also describe what people or things are doing, but without the verb to be; sometimes they come after a comma.

6 Discussion 1. How efficient are the airports in your country? 2. And the train and bus systems? 3. What changes would you make to improve them? 4. Do you think public transport should be free? 5. Should air travel be restricted to reduce global warming?

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6. If so, how?

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 3

Advanced

KEY 2 Key words

4 Vocabulary development: Synonyms

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

h d e b f c g a

Adjective

Gerund

opening (2) intimidating (4) depressing (5) overwhelming (6) teething (10)

planning (1) descending (2) carrying (5) handling (6) waiting (11)

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day / Advanced

Continuous

Participle

visiting (11) triggering (6) saying (11) promising (7) resulting (9) travelling (11) arriving (13)

H

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

5 Language development: -ing forms

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3 General understanding

disrupted carousels triggering swamped exacerbated crammed packed up glitches

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meltdown intimidating calamity proliferated backlog farcical fume surly

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading

1. Do you like flying? 2. Have you ever had any problems at an airport? 3. How would you feel if your luggage didn’t arrive? 4. How would you feel if your plane didn’t leave? This article is about what happened when London Heathrow Airport opened its new terminal.

2

Key words

Match some key words from this story with the meanings below.

fume





complained

chaos



apologize

collapses

handlers



backlog disaster

carousels

teething problems

1. ___________________: told somebody that they were not satisfied 2. ___________________: say that you are sorry 3. ___________________: breaks down and stops working 4. ___________________: problems that only happen at the start of a new system 5. ___________________: people who move things by hand from place to place 6. ___________________: a lot of work you have to do before you start the next job 7. ___________________: terrible situation 8. ___________________: complete confusion 9. ___________________: become very angry 10. ___________________: where you look for your luggage when it comes into the airport

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Now read the article quickly to check.

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Elementary

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day

2 But that didn’t stop the problems at Heathrow Terminal 5 when it first opened yesterday, and the baggage system stopped working.

•

•

•

3 British Airways had to cancel at least 34 flights in and out of the terminal, and thousands of passengers couldn’t travel.

•

4 Things still looked bad today as BA staff hurried to clear an enormous baggage backlog and work out exactly what had gone wrong.

•

5 This terrible first day was very embarrassing for both Heathrow owner BAA and British Airways. Travellers were only allowed to take hand luggage, and they were told that their checked-in bags would arrive later, or they could rebook their flights. Delays at luggage carousels increased as queues got longer and longer in the departure hall. 6 The situation got worse in the afternoon as the baggage handling operation broke down completely, leading to angry scenes at BA desks as hundreds of passengers complained to staff. 7 Just hours after BA’s chief executive, Willie Walsh, had toured the terminal promising a new beginning for Heathrow travel, the airline had to apologize once again for terrible conditions at Britain’s biggest and busiest airport. 8 “British Airways flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 will depart with hand luggage only due to problems associated with processing customers’ baggage,” said the airline in a statement. “British Airways apologizes to customers for the problems during Terminal 5’s first day of operations following one of the most complex and largest airport moves in history.” BA said

•

Computers did not recognize the IDs of the baggage handlers and they could not log on to work, so three flights took off without bags Also, the handlers could not get where they were supposed to go because they could not get into the car parks or get security clearance Baggage handlers could not send luggage to the right place because they didn’t know the layout of the new terminal, so passengers arriving had to wait hours for their luggage to leave the plane There weren’t enough baggage storage bins to load luggage onto planes, which made things worse. Carousels loading luggage also broke down By the afternoon, the system became overloaded and no more luggage could be checked in Delays in loading and unloading planes led to delays in departures and arrivals, forcing BA to cancel 34 flights so that its jets could get ready for a normal timetable today

10 BA blamed the disaster on ‘teething problems’, but got little sympathy from many of the 40,000 people who passed through T5 yesterday. 11 Kate Adamson, 39, travelling from Frankfurt with her daughter Olivia, five, stopped expecting her luggage after waiting more than an hour-anda-half in the morning. She said: “I am furious. We had a 50-minute flight from Frankfurt and then we had a 90-minute wait. The luggage system seemed to have stopped completely. Staff have been really rude and there has been no announcement. One BA woman in there was saying there was a technical problem. I’ve given up. They can send my bags on.” 12 Producer Sir George Martin, famous for his work with The Beatles, was also affected by the difficulties. He said: “When I came here I was very excited about the new terminal, but not now.” 13 Matt Duffy had to wait on a flight arriving into

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day / Elementary

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1 It took 20 years to plan, cost £4.3bn to build and its staff had six months’ training before it opened.

A lot of things caused yesterday’s disaster:

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Dan Milmo, transport correspondent March 28, 2008

9

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Flights cancelled and baggage system collapses at BA’s £4.3bn showpiece

customers who had not yet checked-in for travel could get their money back or rebook.

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Level 1

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 1

Elementary

Terminal 5 from Glasgow for more than an hour – and then when he was transported to the terminal, his wheelchair couldn’t get up the step. “I couldn’t even get into the building without getting up a step,” he said. “It is totally unbelievable as far as I am concerned.” 14 BA is the only airline that can use Terminal 5, which was designed by Lord Rogers and opened by the Queen earlier this month.

passengers until next month, when it hopes all the problems will be solved. In the meantime, hundreds of daily BA flights will continue to go from Heathrow’s terminals 1 and 4, which reported no serious problems yesterday. 16

15 The 34 cancelled flights represented almost 10% of the total timetabled to fly in and out of the terminal yesterday but, luckily, BA didn’t plan to use the terminal’s full capacity of 70,000

BA had promised that the new system would reduce the number of bags that were late or lost at the airline by 50%, which, at 26.5 bags for every 1,000 passengers, is the worst of any major European airline. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 28/03/08

3 Scanning for information Look through the text quickly and underline these numbers. £4.3bn

34

39

90

10%

70,000

20%

26.5

Now match each number with its explanation below. 1. __________________: the flights that couldn’t come in or out of Terminal 5 2. __________________: the percentage of cancelled flights on yesterday’s timetable 3. __________________: the money spent on the terminal 4. __________________: the passengers who will use T5 next month 5. __________________: the years needed to plan T5 6. __________________: the age of the passenger from Frankfurt 7. __________________: the number of bags usually late or lost for every thousand BA passengers

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. __________________: the minutes Ms Adamson waited and still didn’t get her luggage

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 1

Elementary

4 General understanding Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences about the story. 1. Terminal 5...





a. ... they were sorry.

2. A lot of flights...



b. ... because the computers didn’t accept their ID.

3. A lot of people’s...



c. ... had a bad first day.

4. People could only take...

d. ... were timetabled to leave yesterday.

5. British Airways said...



e. ... did not take off.

6. BA offered to give...



f. ... luggage did not arrive.

7. Some staff could not work...

g. ... their hand luggage onto the plane.

8. About 340 flights...

h. ... some people their money back.



5 Vocabulary development: Meanings of get Get has a lot of meanings in English. In this story it is used a lot, with three basic meanings. Mark each of the extracts below with one of these letters. H if you think it means something like: have, take or receive G if you think it means go, move or arrive B if you think it means become

1. Customers … could get their money back... (para 8) _____________________ 2. ... the handlers could not get where they were supposed to go... (para 9) _____________________ 3. ... they could not get into the car parks... (para 9) _____________________ 4. ... or get security clearance (para 9) _____________________ 5. ... so that its jets could get ready... (para 9) _____________________ 6. BA ... got little sympathy... (para 10) _____________________ 7. ... his wheelchair couldn’t get up the step. (para 13) _____________________ 8. “I couldn’t even get into the building... (para 13) _____________________

H

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9. ... without getting up a step,”... (para 13) _____________________

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 1

Elementary

KEY 2 Key words

4 General understanding

1. complained 2. apologize 3. collapses 4. teething problems 5. handlers 6. backlog 7. disaster 8. chaos 9. fume 10. carousels

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

H G G H B H G G G

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day / Elementary

H

34 10% £4.3bn 70,000 20 39 26.5 90

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

5 Vocabulary development: Meanings of get

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3 Scanning for information

c e f g a h b d

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading

1. Do you like flying? 2. Have you ever had any problems at an airport? 3. How would you feel if your luggage got lost, or was late arriving? 4. How would you feel if your flight was cancelled? This article is about what happened when London Heathrow Airport opened its new terminal.

2

Key words

Match some key words from this article with the definitions below.

fume





complained

chaos



packed up

collapses

backlog

prospects

surly

kerb

due to





1. _____________________: told somebody that they were not satisfied 2. _____________________: timetabled to, expected to 3. _____________________: breaks down and stops working 4. _____________________: stopped working 5. _____________________: edge of a pavement that is higher than the road 6. _____________________: a lot of work you have to do before you start the next job 7. _____________________: outlook; the possibility that something will happen in the future 8. _____________________: complete confusion 9. _____________________: become very angry 10. _____________________: bad-tempered and rude

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NEWS LESSONS / Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article quickly to check.

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Intermediate

1 It was 20 years in the planning, cost £4.3bn to build and its staff underwent six months’ training before it opened. 2 But none of that could stop the chaos at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 when it first opened yesterday and the baggage system stopped working. 3 Thousands of passengers had their travel plans spoilt and British Airways had to cancel at least 34 flights in and out of the terminal. 4 The prospects for today were little better as BA staff hurried to clear an enormous baggage backlog and work out exactly what had gone wrong. 5 This terrible first day was very embarrassing for both Heathrow owner BAA and British Airways. Travellers were only allowed to carry hand luggage and told that they would have to leave checked-in bags for collection at a later time, or else rebook their flights. Delays at luggage carousels increased as queues got longer and longer in the departure hall. 6 The situation worsened in the afternoon as the entire baggage handling operation broke down under a huge volume of backed-up luggage, leading to angry scenes at BA desks as hundreds of passengers complained to staff. 7 Just hours after BA’s chief executive, Willie Walsh, had toured the terminal promising a new beginning for Heathrow travel, the airline was forced to apologize once again for terrible conditions at Britain’s biggest and busiest airport. 8 “British Airways flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 will depart with hand baggage only due to problems associated with processing customers’ baggage,” said the airline in a statement. “British Airways apologizes to customers for the problems during Terminal 5’s first day of

9 A lot of things caused yesterday’s disaster: •

•

•

•

•

•

Computers did not recognize baggage handlers’ IDs and they could not log on to the handling system, so three flights took off without bags Also, the handlers could not get where they were supposed to go because they could not get into the car parks or get security clearance Not knowing the layout of the new terminal, bag handling teams could not send luggage to the right place, so arriving passengers had to wait ages for their luggage to leave the plane There weren’t enough baggage storage bins to load luggage onto planes, which made things worse. Carousels loading luggage also broke down By the afternoon, the system became overloaded and there was a ban on checking-in luggage Delays in loading and unloading planes led to delays in departures and arrivals, forcing BA to cancel 34 flights so that its jets could start in the right positions to run a normal timetable today

10 BA blamed the disaster on ‘teething problems’, but got little sympathy from many of the 40,000 people who passed through T5 yesterday. 11 Kate Adamson, 39, travelling from Frankfurt with her daughter Olivia, five, stopped expecting her luggage after waiting more than an hour-anda-half in the morning. Ms Adamson, who was visiting her parents in Maidenhead, Berkshire, said: “I am furious. We had a 50-minute flight from Frankfurt and then we had a 90-minute wait. The luggage system seemed to have packed up completely. Staff have been really surly and there has been no announcement. One BA woman in there was saying there was a technical problem. I’ve given up. They can send my bags on.” 12 Producer Sir George Martin, famous for his work with The Beatles, was among those affected by

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day / Intermediate

O

Dan Milmo, transport correspondent March 28, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Flights cancelled and baggage system collapses at BA’s £4.3bn showpiece

operations following one of the most complex and largest airport moves in history.” BA said customers who had not yet checked-in for travel would receive a refund or could rebook.

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Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day

CA

Level 2

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 2

Intermediate

the difficulties. He said: “When I came here I was very excited about the new terminal, but not now.” 13 Matt Duffy had to wait on a flight arriving into Terminal 5 from Glasgow for more than an hour and then when he was transported to the terminal, his wheelchair couldn’t get up the kerb. “I couldn’t even get into the building without getting up a step,” he said. “It is totally unbelievable as far as I am concerned.” 14 BA is the only airline that can use Terminal 5, which was designed by Lord Rogers and opened by the Queen earlier this month. 15 The 34 cancelled flights represented almost 10% of the total due to fly in and out of the

terminal yesterday, but BA was helped by the fact that the terminal will not operate at its full capacity of 70,000 passengers until next month, when it hopes to have all problems solved. In the meantime, hundreds of daily BA flights will continue to operate from Heathrow’s terminals 1 and 4, which reported no serious problems yesterday. 16

BA had promised that the new system would halve the number of bag delays and losses at the airline, which, at 26.5 bags for every 1,000 passengers, is the worst of any major European carrier. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 28/03/08

3 General understanding Are the following sentences True (T) or False (F)? If they are false, say why. 1. Terminal five opened successfully. 2. A lot of flights did not take off. 3. Everybody lost their luggage. 4. Nobody could take hand luggage into the plane. 5. British Airways said they were sorry. 6. BA didn’t offer to give some people their money back. 7. Some staff could not work because the computers didn’t accept their ID.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. About 340 flights were timetabled to leave yesterday.

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 2

Intermediate

4 Vocabulary development 1: Word search You can often guess the meaning of new words from the sentence they are in. Find words in the text that mean the following. Paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. got worse (para 6): __________________ 2. waiting in a long queue (para 6): __________________ 3. money a company gives you back if there is a problem (para 8): __________________ 4. terrible situation (para 10): __________________ 5. work (para 15): __________________ 6. cut in half (para 16): __________________ 7. things that are lost (para 16): __________________ 8. another word for an airline company (para 16): __________________

5 Vocabulary development 2: Compound noun phrases In English we often put two or three nouns together to express new ideas. How many ways can you combine these nouns? baggage system



luggage



bag

storage



backlog



hand



teams

handling delays



handler bins

Now check and find them in the text.

6 Discussion 1. Do the airports in your country work well? 2. What about the train and bus systems? 3. How could they be better? 4. Do you think public transport should be free? 5. Do you think people should not travel so much by air, to reduce global warming?

H

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6. If so, how would you stop them?

Passengers fume in the chaos of Terminal 5’s first day Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 2 Key words 1. complained 2. due to 3. collapses 4. packed up 5. kerb 6. backlog 7. prospects 8. chaos 9. fume 10. surly

3 General understanding 1. False. There were a lot of problems. 2. True. 3. False, but a lot of people will have to wait for their luggage. 4. False. They could only take hand luggage. 5. True. 6. False. They said they could have a refund. 7. True. 8. True.

5 Vocabulary development 2: Compound noun phrases Here are some of the compounds in the text, but you could make more…

baggage

system backlog handlers handling storage

bins

delays bag hand

handling

system

handling

teams

baggage luggage

4 Vocabulary development 1: Word search worsened backed-up refund disaster operate halve losses carrier

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The week the crisis hit home Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer Credit crunch: A shortage of available loans. In well-functioning markets, this would simply mean a rise in interest rates, but in practice it often means that some borrowers cannot get loans at all, a situation of credit rationing.

What do you know about the global credit crunch? Talk in small groups for five minutes and exchange what information you have.

2

Key words and phrases

Find words or phrases in the article that mean the following. The relevant sections of the article have been given to help you. 1. A legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank in order to buy a house. Repayments are usually made monthly. _____________________ (section 1) 2. To remove an offer from the market. _____________________ (section 1) 3. A situation in which your house has lost value and is now worth less than the amount you are paying for it. _____________________ (section 1) 4. A period when trade and industry are not successful and there is a lot of unemployment. ___________________ (section 1) 5. Someone who buys and uses goods and services. _____________________ (section 1) 6. Amount of money that a person, business, or country borrows, especially from a bank. _____________________ (section 2) 7. An agreement with your bank that allows you to spend money when you have no money left in your account. _____________________ (section 2) 8. The percentage that an institution such as a bank charges or pays you when you borrow money from it or keep money in an account. _____________________ (section 3) 9. The total value of the goods and services that a country produces in a year, not including income received from money invested in other countries. _____________________ (section 5) 10. An economic process in which prices increase so that money becomes less valuable. ____________________ (section 6)

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NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

Source: Macmillan English Dictionary Online

CA



The week the crisis hit home Advanced

1 Mortgage rates soar as lenders pull their deals! Millions face nightmare of negative equity! US recession a possibility, admits top banker! 2 Over the last few days, the reality of the longrunning financial crisis has finally hit home to the British public, with news of worrying data and fearful forecasts for the future. 3 With consumer borrowing rising at a time when banks are dropping their best mortgage deals, economists warn that many people could be heading for financial disaster. 4 Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s warning that the US could slip into recession, which would have drastic consequences for the world economy, has added to the gloom. Credit 5 The Bank of England has reported that consumer borrowing is soaring at its fastest rate for five years, with lending through loans, overdrafts and credit cards jumping by a total of £2.35bn in February. 6 Economists fear that this unsecured borrowing is being used to cover essential costs such as the monthly mortgage bill. Similar desperation was seen across the Atlantic last year when the US economy began to falter. Mortgages 7 The news on mortgages is getting worse day by day, with hundreds of deals being pulled every week. Underpinning the panic is the credit crunch, which has forced banks to hoard cash and be much choosier about who they lend to. 8 Bank of England figures show that mortgage approvals have dropped to 73,000 a month; half as many as a year ago. First Direct and the Co-operative Bank have both pulled mortgages offers, and Halifax is tipped to do the same. © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Advanced

10 This is despite the recent cuts in interest rates, which lenders appear determined to ignore. The housing market 11 “Negative equity threat to 3 million homes” was the headline in a recent edition of the Daily Mail. But Labour politicians disagree with the suggestion that the current problems could lead to a repeat of the recession of the early 1990s, but official statistics do back up the concern. 12 In parliament, Vince Cable warned that a 10% drop in house prices would leave 3m households locked in the misery of negative equity. 13 Minister Angela Eagle was quick to disagree and said Cable’s assessment was “colourful and lurid fiction”. Prices, though, have fallen for the last five months, and economists warn that a larger drop becomes more likely once people expect it to happen. 14 “The likelihood of a sharp change in house prices will also rise if both sellers and buyers start expecting it to happen. This is becoming a very real threat due to all the current high profile bad news about mortgages and the housing market,” – Howard Archer, Global Insight. The economy 15 The chancellor, Alistair Darling, insists the UK economy will still expand this year. 16 News that growth in the key service sector is slowing is putting pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates. But persistent inflationary pressures may deter policymakers. 17 The picture in the US is murkier, with Ben Bernanke warning that the world’s largest economy could shrink in the first half of 2008. 18 “It now appears likely that real gross domestic product will not grow much, if at all, over the first half of 2008 and could even contract slightly,” said Bernanke.

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Introduction

Research suggests the average rate on a two-year fixed-rate mortgage has risen from 6.15% to 6.29% over the last two weeks – adding up to £160 to the annual cost of a £150,000 mortgage.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Graeme Wearden April 3, 2008

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The week the crisis hit home

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Level 3

The week the crisis hit home Level 3

Advanced

Further bad news 19 Oil is still trading over $100 a barrel which indicates that petrol prices will stay at their current level of about a pound a litre. 20 Food inflation is soaring. The cost of milk, bread and sugar has been going up for many months, driven by higher demand in emerging markets. The latest edible commodity to come under pressure is rice – prompting a warning from the UN that 36 countries could run short of essential food stocks.

21

“The international rice market is currently facing a particularly difficult situation with demand outstripping supply and substantial price increases.” – UN Food and Agriculture Organization. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 03/04/08

3 Comprehension check Find the answers to these questions in the article. 1. Mortgage rates are... a) ... going up. b) ... going down. c) ... remaining steady. 2. It is becoming ___________________ to get a new mortgage deal? a) easier b) harder c) impossible 3. Many people in Britain are having to borrow more money to pay for... a) ... new cars. b) ... food. c) ... their homes. 4. Some banks are... a) ... closing their branches. b) ... stockpiling cash. c) ... offering new and exciting deals.

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5. House prices in Britain are... a) ... falling. b) ... rising. c) ... remaining steady.

The week the crisis hit home Level 3

Advanced

4 Note-taking and summarizing The article is divided up into 6 sections. Make notes of the keywords and facts in each section. Then give a summary of the article using only your notes. Introduction Credit Mortgages The housing market The economy Further bad news Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................

5 Discussion What advice would you give people to help them avoid or survive the credit crunch?

6 Webquest Read the following articles to discover what advice some financial professionals are giving. Is the advice

•

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/creditcrunch

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Advanced

H

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/apr/13/consumeraffairs.householdbills

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•

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

similar to yours in question 5?

The week the crisis hit home Level 3 Advanced KEY 2 Key words and phrases 1. mortgage 2. to pull a deal 3. negative equity 4. recession 5. consumer 6. loan 7. overdraft 8. interest rate 9. gross domestic product (GDP) 10. inflation

3 Comprehension check a b c b a

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The week the crisis hit home Level 1 1

Elementary

Warmer: Borrow and lend

1. Write borrow or lend into the gaps: a. Can I __________________ your pen, please? b. Can you __________________ me your pen, please? c.

Would you like to __________________ my pen?

d. Shall I __________________ you my pen? 2. What’s the difference between borrow and lend? Tip: It might help to draw pictures and translate the words into your own language. 3. In pairs, practise situations in which you lend and borrow things. Credit crunch: A shortage of available loans. This could simply mean a rise in interest rates, but it often means that some borrowers cannot get loans at all.

2 Key words and phrases Write in the missing vowels (a,e,i,o,u). 1. A legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank to buy a house. Repayments are usually made monthly. m _ r t g _ g _ 2. To remove an offer. p _l l _ d_ _ l 3. What you have when your house has lost value and you are now paying more than what it’s worth. n_g_t_v_ _q__ty 4. A period when trade and industry are not successful and there is a lot of unemployment. r _ c _ s s _ _ n 5. Someone who buys and uses goods and services. c _ n s _ m _ r 6. An amount of money that a person, business or country borrows, especially from a bank. l _ _ n 7. An agreement with your bank that allows you to spend money when you have no money left in your account.

_v _ r d r _ f t

8. An expert in financial matters, especially one who advises a government department, business, or organization. _ c _ n _ m _ s t 9. The member of the British government who is responsible for taxes and for deciding how the government spends its money. c h _ n c _ l l _ r 10. An economic process in which prices increase so that money becomes less valuable. _ n f l _ t _ _ n

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NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Elementary

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The week the crisis hit home Elementary

1 Mortgage rates increase as banks remove their deals! Millions face nightmare of negative equity! US recession a possibility, says top banker! 2 Recently, the British people have been hearing and reading a lot of bad news about the current financial crisis; and the financial future does not look good. 3 People are borrowing more and more money. Economists warn that many of them could be heading for financial disaster. 4 Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke also warned that the US could fall into a recession, which is bad news for the world economy. Credit 5 The Bank of England has reported that consumer borrowing is growing at its fastest rate for five years. The amount of money lent via loans, overdrafts and credit cards jumped by £2.35 billion in February. 6 Economists worry that many people are borrowing money to pay for essential costs such as the monthly mortgage bill. A similar situation happened across the Atlantic last year when the US economy began to have problems. Mortgages 7 The news about mortgages is getting worse day by day, and banks are pulling hundreds of deals every week. One of the reasons for the problem is the credit crunch, which has forced banks to keep their cash and not lend money to everyone. 8 Bank of England figures show that the amount of new mortgages has dropped to 73,000 a month; half as many as a year ago.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Elementary

The housing market 10 ‘Negative equity is a threat to 3 million homes’ was the headline in a recent edition of the Daily Mail newspaper. But Labour politicians do not believe that that there will be another recession. However, official statistics disagree. 11 In parliament, Liberal Democrat, Vince Cable, warned that a 10% fall in house prices would leave 3 million households with negative equity. 12 Government Minister Angela Eagle was quick to disagree. But house prices have fallen for the last five months and economists warn that this trend is likely to continue. The economy 13 The chancellor, Alistair Darling, insists the UK economy will still grow this year. The Bank of England is under pressure to cut interest rates. 14 It’s unclear what will happen in the US, but Ben Bernanke warned that the world’s largest economy could shrink in the first half of 2008. Further bad news 15 Oil is still selling at over $100 a barrel which suggests that petrol prices will stay at their current level of about a pound a litre. 16 Food inflation is rising. The cost of milk, bread and sugar has been going up for many months. The latest food to come under pressure is rice – the UN has warned that 36 countries could run short of essential food stocks. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 03/04/08

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Introduction

The average rate on a two-year fixed-rate mortgage has increased from 6.15% to 6.29% over the last two weeks. This means that people who have a £150,000 mortgage now have to pay £160 more a year.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Graeme Wearden April 3, 2008

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The week the crisis hit home

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Level 1

The week the crisis hit home Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the halves of these ‘bad news’ sentences. 1. People are paying more money...

... doesn’t look good.

2. The financial future...

... fall into recession.

3. The US economy might...

... many loans.

4. Food is becoming more...

... for their homes in Britain.

5. Banks are not giving...

... money on their credit cards.

6. People are borrowing...

... expensive worldwide.

4 Vocabulary: Describing trends Draw arrows ↑ ↓ → (upward, downward or steady) next to these phrases from the text to show what kind of trend they describe. 1. Mortgage rates increase 2. Consumer borrowing is growing 3. The amount of new mortgages has dropped 4. House prices have fallen 5. Petrol prices will stay at their current level 6. The cost of milk, bread and sugar has been going up

5 Discussion Brainstorm as many different ways to save money as you can (e.g. stop smoking; walk to work). Talk in groups. Which of these things would you be willing to do to save money?

5 Webquest Skim-read the following article to discover what advice some financial professionals gave.

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NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/apr/13/consumeraffairs.householdbills

The week the crisis hit home Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Warmer: Borrow and lend

3 Comprehension check

1. a. borrow b. lend c. borrow d. lend

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

4 Vocabulary: Describing trends 1. Mortgage rates increase ↑ 2. Consumer borrowing is growing ↑ 3. The amount of new mortgages has dropped ↓ 4. House prices have fallen ↓ 5. Petrol prices will stay at their current level → 6. The cost of milk, bread and sugar has been going up ↑

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NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. mortgage 2. pull a deal 3. negative equity 4. recession 5. consumer 6. loan 7. overdraft 8. economist 9. chancellor 10. inflation

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2 Key words and phrases

People are paying more money for their homes in Britain. The financial future doesn’t look good. The US economy might fall into recession. Food is becoming more expensive worldwide. Banks are not giving many loans. People are borrowing money on their credit cards.

The week the crisis hit home Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer: Borrow and lend

a) Try to explain the difference between borrow and lend. Tip: It might help to draw a picture and translate the words into your own language. b) In pairs, offer to lend someone something, and ask to borrow something. Then explain to a third person what you said and did. Credit crunch: A shortage of available loans. This could simply mean a rise in interest rates, but it often means that some borrowers cannot get loans at all.

2 Key words and phrases Match the words or phrases with their meanings.

pull a deal

interest rate

consumer mortgage

statistics

overdraft

inflation

recession

loan negative equity

1. A legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank to buy a house. Repayments are usually made monthly. ___________________ 2. To remove an offer from the market. ___________________ 3. A situation in which your house has lost value and is now worth less than the amount you are paying for it. _____________________ 4. A period when trade and industry are not successful and there is a lot of unemployment. _________________ 5. Someone who buys and uses goods and services. ___________________ 6. Amount of money that a person, business or country borrows, especially from a bank. __________________ 7. An agreement with your bank that allows you to spend money when you have no money left in your account. ___________________ 8. The percentage that an institution such as a bank charges or pays you when you borrow money from it or keep money in an account. ___________________ 9. A group of numbers that represent facts or describe a situation. ___________________ 10. An economic process in which prices increase so that money becomes less valuable. ___________________

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

Source: Macmillan English Dictionary Online

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The week the crisis hit home Intermediate

1 Mortgage rates soar as lenders pull their deals! Millions face nightmare of negative equity! US recession a possibility, says top banker! 2 Over the last few days, the British people have been hearing a lot of bad news about the current financial crisis; and forecasts for the future do not look good. 3 Consumer borrowing is rising at a time when banks are dropping their best mortgage deals. Economists warn that many people could be heading for financial disaster. 4 The Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s warning that the US could slip into recession, which would have drastic consequences for the world economy, has added to the bad news. Credit 5 The Bank of England has reported that consumer borrowing is growing at its fastest rate for five years. The money lent via loans, overdrafts and credit cards jumped by a total of £2.35bn in February. 6 Economists fear that many people are borrowing money to cover essential costs such as the monthly mortgage bill. A similar situation happened across the Atlantic last year when the US economy began to have problems. Mortgages 7 The news on mortgages is getting worse day by day, with hundreds of deals being pulled every week. One of the reasons behind the panic is the credit crunch, which has forced banks to hang on to cash and not lend money to everyone. 8 Bank of England figures show that the amount of new mortgages has dropped to 73,000 a month; half as many as a year ago. 9 Research suggests the average rate on a twoyear fixed-rate mortgage has risen from 6.15% © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The week the crisis hit home / Intermediate

The housing market 11 ‘Negative equity threat to 3 million homes’ was the headline in a recent edition of the Daily Mail. But Labour politicians do not believe that the current problems will lead to a repeat of the recession of the early 1990s. However, official statistics show a different picture. 12 In parliament, Liberal Democrat, Vince Cable, warned that a 10% drop in house prices would leave 3 million households with negative equity. 13 Government Minister Angela Eagle was quick to disagree. Prices, though, have fallen for the last five months, and economists warn that a larger drop in prices becomes more likely as soon as people expect it to happen. The economy 14 The chancellor, Alistair Darling, insists the UK economy will still expand this year. 15 News that growth in the key service sector is slowing is putting pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates. 16 The picture in the US is unclear, and Ben Bernanke warned that the world’s largest economy could shrink in the first half of 2008. Further bad news 17 Oil is still trading over $100 a barrel which indicates that petrol prices will stay at their current level of about a pound a litre. 18 Food inflation is soaring. The cost of milk, bread and sugar has been going up for many months. The latest food to come under pressure is rice – the UN has warned that 36 countries could run short of essential food stocks. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 03/04/08

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Introduction

10 This is despite the recent cuts in interest rates, which lenders are not passing on to their customers.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Graeme Wearden April 3, 2008

to 6.29% over the last two weeks – adding up to £160 to the annual cost of a £150,000 mortgage.

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The week the crisis hit home

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Level 2

The week the crisis hit home Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? Correct any false sentences. 1. Mortgage rates are remaining steady. 2. It is becoming impossible to get a new mortgage deal. 3. Many people in Britain are having to borrow more money to pay for their homes. 4. Some banks are stockpiling cash. 5. House prices in Britain are likely to remain steady. 6. Petrol prices are likely to go up dramatically. 7. The US economy is going to stay very strong. 8. Interest rates in the UK have risen.

4 Vocabulary: Describing trends Draw arrows ↑ ↓ → (upward, downward or steady) next to these phrases from the text to show what kind of trend they describe. 1. Mortgage rates soar 2. Consumer borrowing is rising 3. The US could slip into recession 4. Consumer borrowing is growing 5. The amount of new mortgages has dropped 6. Prices have fallen 7. The UK economy will still expand 8. The world’s largest economy could shrink 9. Petrol prices will stay at their current level

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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10. The cost of milk, bread and sugar has been going up

The week the crisis hit home Level 2

Intermediate

5 Discussion: Giving advice Discuss in groups what advice you would give people to help them avoid or survive the credit crunch. Then role play the situation. Use these sentence beginnings: If I were you, I would... Why don’t you... It’s probably not a good idea to... You could... Have you thought of...

6 Webquest Skim-read the following article to discover what advice some financial professionals are giving. Is the advice similar to yours in question 5?

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/apr/13/consumeraffairs.householdbills

The week the crisis hit home Level 2 Intermediate KEY 2 Key words and phrases

4 Vocabulary: Describing trends

1. mortgage 2. pull a deal 3. negative equity 4. recession 5. consumer 6. loan 7. overdraft 8. interest rate 9. statistics 10. inflation

1. Mortgage rates soar ↑ 2. Consumer borrowing is rising ↑ 3. The US could slip into recession ↓ 4. Consumer borrowing is growing ↑ 5. The amount of new mortgages has dropped ↓ 6. Prices have fallen ↓ 7. The UK economy will still expand ↑ 8. The world’s largest economy could shrink ↓ 9. Petrol prices will stay at their current level → 10. The cost of milk, bread and sugar has been going up ↑

3 Comprehension check

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. False 2. False 3. True 4. True 5. False 6. False 7. False 8. False

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 3 1

Advanced

Pre-reading 1

1. If you are a teenager, what kind of thing do you enjoy reading most? 2. Make a short list of five before you read the article below. 3. If you are not a teenager, guess the kind of things they like reading!

2

Pre-reading 2

Look at the following lists (which are not in the right order!). One is the top ten favourites of young British teenagers; the other is the kind of thing they hate reading most. Which do you think is which? Facebook The Beano Magazine articles about skinny celebrities Music (scores) / the Harry Potter series / maps/directions Shakespeare Encyclopedias and dictionaries Financial Times / anything in another language Books of over 100 pages Books assigned by school/teachers Homework

3

Books by Anthony Horowitz Film scripts My own blog or fan fiction Bliss magazine / online song lyrics Online computer game cheats The Harry Potter series BBC Online / the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison Anne Frank’s diary Heat magazine The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis

Pre-reading 3

Well, the second list shows the top ten favourites. Which order do you think they came in?

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NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the text and see if you were right.

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 3

Advanced

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank: the reading diary of British teenagers Shakespeare and homework lose out as Internet competes with books and magazines for attention of young readers Mark Brown, arts correspondent March 27, 2008 1 It may not make all parents leap for joy but a report

published today shows the favourite reading material of young teenagers is Heat magazine. Parents may be more pleased to note that Anne Frank’s diary, books by Anthony Horowitz and CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are also in the top ten.

2 The celebrity gossip and news magazine comes top

when 11 to 14-year-olds are asked to name their favourite read, followed by teenage girls’ magazine Bliss, which comes joint second with reading song lyrics online. They are followed by reading computer game cheats advice online, and then reading your own blog or fan fiction.

3 The first books in the list are the Harry Potter series

at number five. Proving what a contrary lot teenagers are, Harry Potter is also number eight in the most loathed reading material top ten.

4 The results are contained in a report called Read Up,

Fed Up: Exploring Teenage Reading Habits in the UK Today, which was commissioned by organizers of the National Year of Reading, which Gordon Brown launched in January.

5 Other books on the favourites list are Anne Frank’s

diary at number six, Anthony Horowitz novels at eight, the CS Lewis classic at number nine and books by Louise Rennison – author of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series – in joint tenth place with BBC Online.

6 Honor Wilson-Fletcher, director of the National Year of Reading, said she was more interested in the shape of the list than the rankings. “I think the diversity of the list is really encouraging. I read everything from Jane Austen to Grazia magazine and if you asked adults the same question we’ve asked teenagers you wouldn’t expect James Joyce and Dostoevsky to be there.”

followed by Shakespeare, books of over 100 pages and stories about skinny celebrities in magazines – although the cover and pages six to 12 of this week’s favourite read Heat are devoted to the subject.

8 Evidence that the Facebook phenomenon may be

over is perhaps reflected by it being the ninth most hated read, although the report shows a big rise in online reading.

9 It also reveals that 45% of young teenagers have been told off by parents for reading something considered improper. Wilson-Fletcher said: “One of the fundamental problems we’ve got is that we end up being pejorative about certain kinds of reading. Parents should realize reading is not just about books.”

10 She said the amount of online reading should be

celebrated. “Young people are web natives – exposed to a wider variety of reading material than any previous generation through the explosion of digital media. It seems not all adults are comfortable with this shift and are often discouraging teens from taking advantage of this new reading landscape.”

11 The schools minister, Jim Knight, said: “It is vital that

young people have the opportunity to read widely. It is wonderful that 80% of the teenagers surveyed write their own stories and keep up-to-date with current affairs by using sites like BBC Online.”

12 Also revealed is a gender divide. Among boys, 41% listed online computer game cheats as their favourite read, while online song lyrics came second. Nearly a third of boys said they loved reading because it helped them get better at hobbies. Girls took a different approach, with 39% saying they loved reading because it provided an escape, or quiet time to enjoy on their own.

13 The survey was compiled by using focus groups from which the 20 most loved and 20 most loathed reads were assembled. From this, a ‘national conversation about reading’ was launched, with teenagers logging on to the teen website Pizco to have their say. A total of 1,340 teenagers were surveyed. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 27/03/08

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

7 Predictably, the most loathed read is homework. It is

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 3

Advanced

The lists in full: Most loved reads

Most loathed reads

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Heat magazine Bliss magazine / online song lyrics Online computer game cheats My own blog or fan fiction The Harry Potter series Anne Frank’s diary Film scripts Books by Anthony Horowitz The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis 10. BBC Online / the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison

Homework Shakespeare Books of over 100 pages Magazine articles about skinny celebrities Books set by school/teachers Encyclopedias and dictionaries The Beano Music (scores) / the Harry Potter series / maps/directions 9. Facebook 10. Financial Times / anything in another language

4 Vocabulary development 1: Word search Find words in the text that mean the following. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. ______________________: jump (1) 2. ______________________: inconsistent and difficult to please (3) 3. ______________________: hated (3) 4. ______________________: order in which they are placed (6) 5. ______________________: variety (6) 6. ______________________: very thin (7) 7. ______________________: surprising thing that happens (8) 8. ______________________: unsuitable (9) 9. ______________________: very critical (9) 10. ______________________: move, change (10)

5 General understanding Are the following statements True (T) or False (F)? If they are false, say why. 1. The writer thinks most parents would approve of the writer CS Lewis. 2. The teenagers questioned prefer books to magazines. 3. Harry Potter books are both loved and hated. 4. Honor Wilson-Fletcher is not surprised by the results. 5. She thinks reading something is better than reading nothing. 6. Jim Knight is discouraged by the results. 7. Boys and girls read for the same reasons.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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8. The survey was conducted online.

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 3

Advanced

6 Collocations A Some words are often found together. Match the words on the left with their collocations on the right. 1. reading





a. problems

2. joint





b. fiction

3. song





c. game

4. computer





d. approach

5. fan





e. divide

6. fundamental



f. second

7. current





g. groups

8. gender





h. lyrics

9. different





i. affairs

10. focus





j. material

7 Collocations B Now match nine of the collocations with their meaning. a. ____________________: several people brought together to find out their opinions b. ____________________: important things that are happening now c. ____________________: basic difficulties d. ____________________: stories made up about popular stars e. ____________________: the big difference between boys and girls f. ____________________: the words of songs g. ____________________: shared second place h. ____________________: things you can read i. ____________________: another attitude

8 Discussion 1. Do the results of the survey surprise you? 2. How similar is the situation in your country? 3. What do you think explains the situation? 4. How much does it matter what young people read? 5. Why?

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NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Advanced

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6. What would you do to change the situation?

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 3

Advanced

KEY 4 Vocabulary development 1: Word search 6 Collocations A 1. leap 2. contrary 3. loathed 4. ranking 5. diversity 6. skinny 7. phenomenon 8. improper 9. pejorative 10. shift

1. j 2. f 3. h 4. c 5. b 6. a 7. i 8. e 9. d 10. g

5 General understanding

7 Collocations B

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

focus groups current affairs fundamental problems fan fiction gender divide song lyrics joint second reading material different approach

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True False; books don’t appear until number four. True True True False; he’s glad that they read widely, including BBC online 7. False; see paragraph 12 8. True

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 1 1

Elementary

Pre-reading 1

1. How old are you? 2. Are you a teenager? (between 13 and 19) 3. Do you like reading? 4. What kind of thing do you read? 5. If you are older, what do you think teenagers like reading best?

2

Pre-reading 2: Key words

Find words in the box to match the definitions below.

celebrity

scandal



blog

fan fiction





favourite



gossip



cheats

literature



skinny



current affairs

1. ___________________: a ‘web log’, like a diary on the Internet, that anyone can read 2. ___________________: untrue stories about popular stars and famous people 3. ___________________: unfair ways to win a game or pass a test 4. ___________________: somebody who is often in the news or on TV, like a pop star or actor 5. ___________________: the one you like best 6. ___________________: important things happening now 7. ___________________: a situation that everybody thinks is terrible or wrong 8. ___________________: talking about other people’s private lives 9. ___________________: very, very thin 10. ___________________: books, plays and poems that people think are very well written

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now read the article and check.

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 1

Elementary

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank: the reading diary of British teenagers Shakespeare and homework lose out as Internet competes with books and magazines for attention of young readers

pages and stories about skinny celebrities in magazines – although the cover and pages six to 12 of this week’s favourite read Heat are all about that. 8

Perhaps the amazing success of Facebook may be over, because it is the ninth most hated read, although the report shows a big rise in online reading. Wilson-Fletcher says we should be glad that they read so much online, which earlier generations didn’t have the chance to do.

9

The report also shows that 45% of young teenagers’ parents criticize them for reading something they think is bad for them. But WilsonFletcher thinks that parents are too critical, and reading is not just about reading books.

Mark Brown, arts correspondent March 27, 2008 1 Many parents won’t like it, but a report published today shows young teenagers’ favourite reading is Heat magazine. Parents may be happier to see that Anne Frank’s diary, books by Anthony Horowitz and CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are also in the top ten. 2 The celebrity gossip and news magazine comes top when 11 to 14-year-olds are asked to name their favourite read. This is followed by teenage girls’ magazine Bliss, which comes joint second with reading song lyrics online. They are followed by reading computer game cheats advice online, and then reading your own blog or fan fiction. 3 The first books in the list are the Harry Potter series at number five. But not all teenagers agree, because Harry Potter is also number eight in the most hated reading material top ten. 4 The results are in a report called Read Up, Fed Up: Exploring Teenage Reading Habits in the UK Today, as part of the National Year of Reading, which Gordon Brown set up in January. 5 Other books on the favourites list are Anne Frank’s diary at number six, Anthony Horowitz novels at eight, the CS Lewis classic at number nine and books by Louise Rennison – author of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series – in joint tenth place with BBC Online.

10 The schools minister, Jim Knight, said: “It is vital that young people have the opportunity to read widely. It is wonderful that 80% of the teenagers surveyed write their own stories and keep up-to-date with current affairs by using sites like BBC Online.” 11 The report also shows a big difference between boys and girls. 41% of boys put online computer game cheats as their favourite read, and put online song lyrics second. Nearly a third of boys said they loved reading because it helped them get better at hobbies. 39% of girls said they loved reading because it provided an escape, or quiet time to enjoy on their own. 12 Young people were surveyed to find the 20 most loved and 20 most loathed reads. Then teenagers logged on to the teen website Pizco to vote on the lists. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 27/03/08

6 Honor Wilson-Fletcher, director of the National Year of Reading, said she was more interested in the variety of the list than the order. She said that adults read different kinds of things too and not many read serious literature.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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7 Predictably, the most hated read is homework. It is followed by Shakespeare, books of over 100

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 1

Elementary

The lists: Most loved reads

Most hated reads

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Heat magazine Bliss magazine / online song lyrics Online computer game cheats My own blog or fan fiction The Harry Potter series Anne Frank’s diary Film scripts Books by Anthony Horowitz The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis 10. BBC Online / the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison

Homework Shakespeare Books of over 100 pages Magazine articles about skinny celebrities Books set by school/teachers Encyclopedias and dictionaries The Beano Music (scores) / the Harry Potter series / maps/directions 9. Facebook 10. Financial Times / anything in another language

3 Quiz What do you know about the teenagers’ favourites? Match the words on the left with their explanations on the right. 1. Anthony Horowitz

a. Born in 1898; serious writer of imaginative books for children

2. Bliss

b. Stories written like a modern teenage girl’s diary



d. Real teenage girl who wrote a diary about hiding from the Nazis in World War Two

5. CS Lewis



e. A magazine with lots of stories about famous people

6. Anne Frank



f. A magazine about pop music, television, and stories about famous people

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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4. Heat

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

3. Georgia Nicolson books c. Writer of books about Alex Rider, a 14-year-old spy

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 1

Elementary

4 Language and understanding: Comparatives Look at the list of most loved reads, and mark the sentences True (T) or False (F). 1. Teenagers like Harry Potter more than Georgia Nicolson. 2. They like Anne Frank’s diary less than Georgia’s. 3. They don’t like CS Lewis as much as Anthony Horowitz. 4. They like fan fiction as much as their own blogs. 5. They like online computer game cheats more than film scripts. 6. They don’t like Bliss magazine as much as online song lyrics. Now write true sentences about the list of most hated reads. Example: Teenagers hate homework more than Shakespeare. 7. The Financial Times / The Beano 8. encyclopedias / dictionaries 9. maps and directions / homework 10. Music (scores) / the Harry Potter series 11. Anything in another language / books set by schoolteachers

5 Pronunciation: Key sounds

/eɪ/ as in play

/iː/ as in see

/e/ as in red

The title of the report was ‘Read Up, Fed Up’. The word read can be pronounced /riːd/, in the infinitive, or /red/ like the past tense. Which do you think it is here? Here are some more words from the article. Put them in the columns for their vowel sound.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Elementary

/e/ as in red

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/iː/ as in see

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/eɪ/ as in play

many say said set any Shakespeare pleased

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

make eight cheat fed name heat teenagers helped web teens media

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 1

Elementary

KEY 2 Pre-reading 2: Key words 1. blog 2. fan fiction 3. cheats 4. celebrity 5. favourite 6. current affairs 7. scandal 8. gossip 9. skinny 10. literature

3 Quiz 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c e b f a d

4 Language and understanding: Comparatives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

True False True True True False

7. They hate the Financial Times less than the Beano (or: They don’t hate the Financial Times as much as the Beano). 8. They hate encyclopedias as much as dictionaries. 9. They don’t hate maps and directions as much as homework (or: They hate maps and directions less than homework). 10. They hate Music (scores) as much as the Harry Potter series. 11. They don’t hate anything in another language as much as books set by schoolteachers (or: They hate anything in another language less than books set by schoolteachers).

5 Pronunciation: Key sounds

/e/ as in red

make eight name say Shakespeare

cheat heat teenagers teens media pleased

fed many said set helped web any

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NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Elementary

/iː/ as in see

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

/eɪ/ as in play

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

The word read is probably pronounced /red/ so that it means finished reading and rhymes with fed, in fed up – meaning bored or not interested.

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 2 1

Intermediate

Pre-reading 1

1. If you are a teenager, what kind of thing do you enjoy reading most? 2. Make a short list of 5 before you read the article below. 3. If you are not a teenager, guess the kind of things they like reading!

2

Pre-reading 2: Quiz

Look at this list of the top ten favourites of young British teenagers – not in the right order!

Most loved reads 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Books by Anthony Horowitz Film scripts My own blog or fan fiction Bliss magazine / online song lyrics Online computer game cheats The Harry Potter series BBC Online / the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison / Anne Frank’s diary 8. Heat magazine 9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis



What do you know about them? Match the words on the left with their explanations on the right. 1. Anthony Horowitz

a. Born in 1898; serious writer of imaginative books for children

2. blog

b. Untrue stories about popular stars and celebrities



3. Fan fiction

c. Fictional modern teenage girl’s diary

4. Bliss



d. Writer of books about Alex Rider, a 14-year-old spy

5. cheats



e. Real teenage girl who wrote a diary about hiding from the Nazis in World War Two

6. Georgia Nicolson books f. A web log, like an online diary with pictures that anyone can log onto 7. Anne Frank



g. A celebrity gossip magazine

8. CS Lewis



h. A celebrity gossip and entertainment magazine

9. Heat



i. Unfair ways to win a game or pass a test

3

Pre-reading 3

Before you read the article, see if you can put the teenagers’ top ten in the right order.

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NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Now, read the text and see if you were right.

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Intermediate

1 It may not make all parents jump for joy but a report published today shows the favourite reading material of young teenagers is Heat magazine. Parents may be more pleased to see that Anne Frank’s diary, books by Anthony Horowitz and CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are also in the top ten. 2 The celebrity gossip and news magazine comes top when 11 to 14-year-olds are asked to name their favourite read, followed by teenage girls’ magazine Bliss, which comes joint second with reading song lyrics online. They are followed by reading computer game cheats advice online, and then reading your own blog or fan fiction. 3 The first books in the list are the Harry Potter series at number five. Proving how inconsistent teenagers are, Harry Potter is also number eight in the most hated reading material top ten. 4 The results are in a report called Read Up, Fed Up: Exploring Teenage Reading Habits in the UK Today, which was commissioned by organizers of the National Year of Reading, which Gordon Brown launched in January. 5 Other books on the favourites list are Anne Frank’s diary at number six, Anthony Horowitz novels at eight, the CS Lewis classic at number nine and books by Louise Rennison – author of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series – in joint tenth place with BBC Online. 6 Honor Wilson-Fletcher, director of the National Year of Reading, said she was more interested in the shape of the list than the rankings. “I think the diversity of the list is really encouraging. I read everything from Jane Austen to Grazia magazine and if you asked adults the same question we’ve asked teenagers you wouldn’t expect James Joyce and Dostoevsky to be there.” © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Intermediate

8 Perhaps the amazing success of Facebook may be over, because it is the ninth most hated read, although the report shows a big rise in online reading. 9 It also reveals that 45% of young teenagers have been criticized by parents for reading something considered unsuitable. Wilson-Fletcher said: “One of our biggest problems is that we are too critical about certain kinds of reading. Parents should realize that reading is not just about books.” 10 She said we should be glad about the amount of online reading. “Young people are web natives – exposed to a wider variety of reading material than any previous generation through the explosion of digital media. It seems not all adults are comfortable with this change and often discourage teens from taking advantage of this new reading landscape.” 11 The schools minister, Jim Knight, said: “It is vital that young people have the opportunity to read widely. It is wonderful that 80% of the teenagers surveyed write their own stories and keep up-todate with current affairs by using sites like BBC Online.” 12 The report also shows a big gap between boys and girls. 41% of boys listed online computer game cheats as their favourite read, and put online song lyrics second. Nearly a third of boys said they loved reading because it helped them get better at hobbies. 39% of girls said they loved reading because it provided an escape, or quiet time to enjoy on their own. 13 Young people were surveyed to find the 20 most loved and 20 most loathed reads. Then teenagers logged on to the teen website Pizco to vote. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 27/03/08

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Mark Brown, arts correspondent March 27, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Shakespeare and homework lose out as Internet competes with books and magazines for attention of young readers

7 Predictably, the most hated read is homework. It is followed by Shakespeare, books of over 100 pages and stories about skinny celebrities in magazines – although the cover and pages six to 12 of this week’s favourite read Heat are totally concerned with that.

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Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank: the reading diary of British teenagers

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Level 2

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 2

Intermediate

The lists: Most loved reads

Most hated reads

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Heat magazine Bliss magazine / online song lyrics Online computer game cheats My own blog or fan fiction The Harry Potter series Anne Frank’s diary Film scripts Books by Anthony Horowitz The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis 10. BBC Online / the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison

Homework Shakespeare Books of over 100 pages Magazine articles about skinny celebrities Books set by school/teachers Encyclopedias and dictionaries The Beano Music (scores) / the Harry Potter series / maps/directions 9. Facebook 10. Financial Times / anything in another language

4 Vocabulary development 1: Word search Find words in the text that mean the following. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. _____________________: talking (or writing) about people’s personal lives (2) 2. _____________________: not always the same in similar situations (3) 3. _____________________: requested, asked for, ordered (4) 4. _____________________: order in which they are put (6) 5. _____________________: variety (6) 6. _____________________: very thin (7) 7. _____________________: told that they have done something wrong (9) 8. _____________________: important things that are happening now (11)

5 General understanding

b. ... is glad teenagers want to follow the news.

3. Harry Potter books...



c. ... want children to read serious books.

4. Honor Wilson-Fletcher...



d. ... like magazines more than books.

5. Jim Knight...



e. ... the survey questions online.



6. Boys and girls don’t...

f. ... are loved as well as hated.

7. Teenagers answered...

g. ... is not surprised by the results.



© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Intermediate

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2. The teenagers in the survey...

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a. ... read for the same reasons.

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1. The writer thinks most parents...

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the sentence halves.

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 2

Intermediate

6 Talking numbers In reports of surveys like this, there are often a lot of numbers. We can use percentages, such as 33.3%, or we can use fractions, like a third. Using fractions makes the numbers less precise. Match these percentages from the text with (less precise) fractions. 1. 39%



a. a little under half

2.

41%

b.

almost two fifths

3.

45%

c.

four fifths

4.

80%

d.

just over two fifths

Now write these percentages as (less precise) fractions. 5. 50% ________________________ 6. 25% ________________________ 7. 66.6% ________________________ 8. 10% ________________________ 9. 90% ________________________ 10. 26% ________________________ 11. 49% ________________________ 12. 35% ________________________

7 Discussion 1. Do the results of the survey surprise you? 2. How similar is the situation in your country? 3. Why do you think teenagers like reading the things they do? 4. How much does it matter what young people read? 5. Why?

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NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What would you do to change the situation?

Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 2 Pre-reading 2: Quiz

5 General understanding

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

gossip inconsistent commissioned ranking diversity skinny criticized current affairs

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Celebrity scandal and Anne Frank / Intermediate

1. 2. 3. 4.

b d a c

5. half 6. a quarter 7. two thirds 8. a tenth 9. nine tenths 10. just over a quarter 11. just under half / almost half 12. just over a third

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

6 Talking numbers

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4 Vocabulary development 1: Word search

c d f g b a e

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

d f b g i c e a h

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

disorder

overwhelming

confess



high-profile

forthcoming

consultant



stigma gorge

revelation memoirs

1. A _______________ is a feeling that something is wrong or embarrassing in some way. 2. If you write your _______________, you write an autobiographical account of your experiences. 3. If a publication is _______________, it is going to appear soon. 4. A _______________ person is often seen in public, mentioned in the newspapers and appears on television. 5. If you _______________ to something about yourself, you admit to it, even though it might be embarrassing and you would not normally tell other people about it. 6. A _______________ is an illness or medical condition. 7. A _______________ is a senior doctor who specializes in a particular area of medicine. 8. An _______________ feeling is one that is so strong that you cannot think or behave normally. 9. A _______________ is the admission of something that was previously hidden or secret. 10. If you _______________ on something, you eat so much of it that you cannot eat any more.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Bulimia and anorexia are both eating disorders. 2. Bulimia and anorexia are the same thing. 3. It is quite common for middle-aged and elderly men to suffer from eating disorders. 4. More men than women suffer from eating disorders. 5. 80% of people suffering from eating disorders are aged between 12 and 20.

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NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. More than one million people in Britain suffer from eating disorders.

John Prescott admits bulimia Advanced

1 The former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, John Prescott, has been praised by medical experts for his ‘brave’ admission that he struggled with the eating disorder bulimia for two decades. In his forthcoming autobiography, Prescott reveals that the stress of political life led him to seek comfort in food and then force himself to throw up. He says he began suffering from bulimia in the 1980s, when the pressure of being in the Labour shadow cabinet became overwhelming. He battled the condition throughout his time in government, gorging on burgers, chocolate, crisps and fish and chips. But he now says he has been free of the problem for more than a year. 2 “I’m sure it was to do with stress,” he wrote in the Sunday Times, which is to serialize his memoirs. “I wasn’t doing it all the time, and there would be gaps of weeks and months, but during those years when we first got into power, I let things get on top of me and took refuge in stuffing my face.” He added: “I’ve never confessed it before. Out of shame, I suppose, or embarrassment – or just because it’s such a strange thing for someone like me to confess to. People normally associate it with young women – anorexic girls, models trying to keep their weight down, or women in stressful situations, like Princess Diana.” 3 He also revealed how he would turn to sweet things and Chinese food when things became stressful. “I could drink a whole tin of condensed milk, just for the taste, stupid things like that. I still love trifles; they’re one of my favourites. I can eat them forever. Whenever I go to Mr Chu’s in Hull, my favourite Chinese restaurant in the whole world ... I could eat my way through the entire menu.” 4 Although Prescott tried to hide the illness from his wife, she realized what was going on. “The

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Advanced

5 “Once or twice a year, when I was absolutely knackered, I did get out a bottle of vodka and place it on my desk. The office hated it when they saw what was happening. They knew I’d go at it full pelt, as I always do with anything, and empty the bottle. But that was very rare.” Prescott, who resigned as deputy prime minister last June and will retire as an MP at the next election, is now supporting a National Health Service campaign to raise awareness of eating disorders. 6 The eating disorder support charity Beat said Prescott’s decision to speak out had shown considerable courage. “It will help other people to realize that men can be affected by eating disorders, and you can get help and treatment – even if you have been ill for a very long time,” said the charity’s chief executive, Susan Ringwood. “It is a brave thing to do because people do feel ashamed of themselves and find it really hard even to tell close family members.” 7 Although girls and young women aged between 12 and 20 account for 80% of new cases of eating disorders, boys and men are also affected. “It is probably under-diagnosed – even a doctor doesn’t necessarily think it can affect a boy or a man,” said Ringwood. “Anybody could have this condition, including people who are in the public eye,” she said. “People absolutely shouldn’t be ashamed. We need to get past that huge stigma that is associated with an eating disorder.” 8 Dr Ty Glover, a consultant psychiatrist and expert on eating disorders, described Prescott’s revelation as “a hugely brave and courageous thing”. He added: “It’s hard enough for a young

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Sam Jones April 21, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Eating disorder experts praise ‘brave’ confession • Former deputy PM blames stress for binge eating

signs in the toilet gave it away, and all the missing food.” She urged him to see a doctor and a consultant eventually diagnosed him with bulimia. “I turned up and found his waiting room full of young women. I was the only man there. I felt a right twerp. Luckily none of them shopped me to the press.” In the book, he also reveals that, despite preferring food to alcohol, he would occasionally drink to relieve the stress and to let people know how low he was feeling.

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‘I took refuge in stuffing my face...’ John Prescott admits bulimia

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Level 3

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 3

Advanced

girl to confess to, but for a high-profile male politician approaching 70, it’s especially impressive.” Glover said he had never before come across a man of Prescott’s age with bulimia. “It seriously makes me think that maybe we’re completely missing a whole audience of middle-aged men who are too scared to admit they have a problem. “John’s bravery will hopefully encourage more men to stop suffering in silence and come forward to seek treatment.”

9

There are thought to be more than one million people in Britain with an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia, 90% of whom are women. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 21/04/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why might people think it strange for a 70-year old politician to confess to suffering from bulimia? a. Because politicians normally never confess to anything. b. Because people might think he wasn’t being serious. c. Because people normally associate bulimia with young women. 2. What, in his view, was the cause of his eating disorder? a. He was constantly hungry. b. He was under a lot of stress in his job. c. The fact that he likes sweet things. 3. Why is his decision to confess to suffering from bulimia described as ‘brave’? a. Because sufferers often feel ashamed of themselves and find it hard to tell other people. b. Because it is embarrassing for a man to suffer from a disease associated with women. c. Because the treatment is difficult and sometimes unpleasant. 4. According to the consultant psychiatrist, how many middle-aged men are suffering from bulimia? a. A few. b. A lot.

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NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

c. An unknown number.

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. 1. A verb meaning to fight against. (para 1) 2. A verb meaning to publish in a series of separate parts. (para 2) 3. A three-word expression meaning to behave in a way that makes you feel more comfortable in an unpleasant situation. (para 2) 4. An informal three-word expression meaning to fill yourself with food until you can’t eat any more. (para 2) 5. An informal word for a stupid person. (para 4) 6. An informal verb meaning to inform the police or someone in authority about someone who has done something wrong; to betray. (para 4) 7. An informal adjective meaning very tired. (para 5) 8. A three word expression meaning as quickly as possible. (para 5)

5 Nouns and adjectives Complete the table.

noun 1

adjective

courage

2

brave

3

embarrassed

4

stress

5

anorexia

6

aware

6 Phrasal verbs Match the verbs with the definitions. 1. account for 2. throw up 3. speak out 4. keep down 5. turn to 6. give away 7. turn up 8. come across

a. to start to use something in an attempt to help yourself when you are having difficulty dealing with a situation b. to meet someone or find something by chance c. to be the reason why something exists or happens d. to provide information that should be kept secret e. to control something and prevent it from increasing in size or number f. to arrive somewhere without making a firm arrangement g. to vomit h. to state your opinion firmly and publicly about something.

6 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Do you agree with the theory that images of super-thin models are responsible for anorexia and bulimia in young girls and women? What other factors might lead to eating disorders?

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. stigma 2. memoirs 3. forthcoming 4. high-profile 5. confess 6. disorder 7. consultant 8. overwhelming 9. revelation 10. gorge

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

c b a c

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Advanced

6 Phrasal verbs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

c g h e a d f b

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3 Comprehension check

courageous bravery embarrassment stressful anorexic awareness

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T F F F T T

5 Nouns and adjectives

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

battle serialize take refuge in stuff one’s face twerp shop knackered at full pelt

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

disorder

anorexia

bulimia

consultant

stress



autobiography

exhausted

embarrassed

vomit

throw up

1. A ___________________ is a senior doctor who specializes in a particular area of medicine. 2. An ___________________ is a book about your life that you write yourself. 3. If you are ___________________, you feel very, very tired. 4. A ___________________ is an illness or medical condition. 5. If you ___________________, food comes up from your stomach and out through you mouth. 6. ___________________ is another way of saying vomit. 7. ___________________ is a serious illness that makes you want to stop eating. 8. ___________________ is a worried or nervous feeling that stops you relaxing. 9. If you feel ___________________, you feel ashamed of something and worried about what other people will think. 10. ___________________ is a serious illness in which a person makes himself or herself vomit after eating in order to control his or her weight.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How old is John Prescott? 2. What job did he do? 3. When did he begin suffering from bulimia? 4. How many people in Britain suffer from eating disorders? 5. What percentage of them are women?

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NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What is the age of 80% of new cases of eating disorders?

John Prescott admits bulimia Elementary

1 Anorexia and bulimia are both illnesses where people have problems with eating – problems known as eating disorders. People who suffer from anorexia do not eat enough food and they soon become very thin. People who suffer from bulimia eat a large amount of food but they usually vomit after eating it. Both these eating disorders can be very dangerous for your health. 2 The former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, John Prescott, has published his autobiography. In the book he says that he suffered from bulimia for twenty years. He says that the stress of political life made him eat large amounts of food and then force himself to throw up. He says he began suffering from bulimia in the 1980s, when he was under a lot of stress in his work as a politician. He suffered from bulimia during his time as a member of the government, eating large amounts of burgers, chocolate, crisps and fish and chips. But he now says he has been free of the problem for more than a year. 3 “I’m sure it was a question of stress,” he wrote in the Sunday Times newspaper. “I wasn’t doing it all the time, and sometimes I didn’t do it for weeks and months, but when I had too much work to do I use to eat a lot and then throw up.” He added: “I’ve never told anyone before. Probably because I was ashamed or embarrassed – or just because it’s such a strange thing for someone like me to suffer from. People normally associate eating disorders with young women – anorexic girls, models trying to stay thin, or women in stressful situations, like Princess Diana.” 4 He also said he used to eat sweet things and Chinese food when life became stressful. “I could drink a whole tin of condensed milk, just for the taste, stupid things like that. And when I went to Mr Chu’s in Hull, my favourite Chinese restaurant

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Elementary

6 “Once or twice a year, when I was absolutely exhausted, I used to get out a bottle of vodka and put it on my desk. The people in the office hated it when they saw what was happening. They knew I’d drink it really quickly and finish the whole bottle. But that was very rare.” 7 The charity Beat, which helps people with eating disorders, said Prescott’s decision to talk about his illness was very brave. “It will help other people to realize that men can suffer from eating disorders, and you can get help and treatment – even if you have been ill for a very long time,” said the charity’s chief executive, Susan Ringwood. “It is a brave thing to do because people often feel ashamed and find it difficult to talk about, even to family members.” 8 80% of new cases of eating disorders are girls and young women aged between 12 and 20 but boys and men also suffer. “Even some doctors don’t believe it can affect a boy or a man,” said Ringwood. “Anybody can have this illness, including the well-known,” she said. “People shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed if they have an eating disorder.” 9 Dr Ty Glover, a consultant psychiatrist and expert on eating disorders, said Prescott was very brave to talk about his eating problems. He added: “It’s difficult for a young girl to say she has an eating disorder, but for a well-known male politician who

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Sam Jones April 21, 2008

5 Prescott tried to hide the illness from his wife but she realized what was happening. “I could see the signs in the toilet and a lot of food was missing.” She told him to see a doctor and a consultant finally told him he was suffering from bulimia. “I arrived at the consultant’s and his waiting room was full of young women. I was the only man there. I felt like an idiot. Luckily none of the women told the newspapers about me.” In the book, he also says that although he preferred food to alcohol, he would sometimes drink because of stress and to let people know how bad he was feeling.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Eating disorder experts praise ‘brave’ confession • Former deputy PM blames stress for binge eating

in the whole world ... I could eat everything on the menu.”

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‘I took refuge in stuffing my face...’ John Prescott admits bulimia

CA

Level 1

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 1

Elementary

is nearly 70 years old, it’s especially difficult.” Glover said he had never before heard of a man of Prescott’s age with bulimia. “It makes me think that maybe there are a large number of middle-aged men who are too frightened to tell anyone they have a problem. “I hope they will stop suffering in silence and seek treatment.”

10

It is believed that there are more than one million people in Britain with an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia. 90% of these people are women. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 21/04/08

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. People who suffer from bulimia... 2. People who suffer from anorexia... 3. John Prescott began to suffer from bulimia because… 4. He says he felt like an idiot because… 5. His case is unusual because… 6. The chief executive of Beat thinks Prescott is brave because…

a. … young women usually suffer from eating disorders, not middle-aged men. b. … don’t eat enough food and become extremely thin. c. … he was the only man in the consultant’s waiting room. d. … eat large amounts of food and then throw up. e. … people often feel ashamed and find it difficult to talk about eating disorders.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

f. … he was under a lot of stress in his job.

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 1

Elementary

4 Word building Complete the table. Check your answers in the text.

adjective 1

noun

silent

2

stress

3

brave

4

embarrassment

5

exhaustion

6

danger

5 Prepositions Complete these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. suffer _____________ an illness 2. dangerous _____________ your health 3. be _____________ a lot of stress 4. free _____________ a problem 5. associate _____________ something 6. hide something _____________ someone 7. prefer food _____________ alcohol 8. feel ashamed _____________ something

6 Word stress Divide these words into two groups according to their stress. illness

amount

suffer

ashamed

treatment

frightened

believe

throw up

menu

prefer

expert

Chinese

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NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

B o 0

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A 0 o

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Word building

1. consultant 2. autobiography 3. exhausted 4. disorder 5. vomit 6. throw up 7. anorexia 8. stress 9. embarrassed 10. bulimia

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d b f c a e

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Elementary

from for under of with from to; of

6 Word stress A 0 o

B o 0

illness suffer treatment frightened menu expert

amount ashamed believe throw up prefer Chinese

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nearly 70 deputy prime minister (of the United Kingdom) in the 1980s more than one million 90% between 12 and 20

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Prepositions

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

silence stressful bravery embarrassed exhausted dangerous

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. disorder consultant

anorexia gorge

bulimia autobiography

confess resign

high-profile speak out

1. _________________ is a serious illness that makes you want to stop eating. 2. A _________________ is a senior doctor who specializes in a particular area of medicine. 3. A _________________ is an illness or medical condition. 4. If you _________________ on something, you eat so much of it that you cannot eat any more. 5. _________________ is a serious illness in which a person makes himself or herself vomit after eating in order to control his or her weight. 6. If you _________________ from a job, you state formally that you are leaving it permanently. 7. A _________________ person is often seen in public, mentioned in the newspapers and appears on television. 8. If you _________________ about something, you state your opinion firmly and publicly. 9. An _________________ is a book about your life that you write yourself. 10. If you _________________ to something about yourself, you admit to it, even though it might be embarrassing and you would not normally tell other people about it.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. When did John Prescott begin suffering from bulimia? 2. How old is he? 3. How long did he suffer from bulimia? 4. How many people in Britain suffer from eating disorders? 5. What percentage of them are women?

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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6. What is the age of 80% of new cases of eating disorders?

John Prescott admits bulimia Intermediate

1 Medical experts have praised the former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, John Prescott, for his ‘brave’ admission that he suffered from the eating disorder bulimia for twenty years. In his autobiography, Prescott says that the stress of political life led him to seek comfort in food and then force himself to throw up. He says he began suffering from bulimia in the 1980s, when he was under great pressure in his work as a politician. He struggled with the condition throughout his time in government, gorging on burgers, chocolate, crisps and fish and chips. But he now says he has been free of the problem for more than a year. 2 “I’m sure it was to do with stress,” he wrote in the Sunday Times newspaper. “I wasn’t doing it all the time, and sometimes there were gaps of weeks and months, but during those years when we first got into power, when I had too much work to do I use to find comfort in eating.” He added: “I’ve never confessed it before. Probably because of shame or embarrassment – or just because it’s such a strange thing for someone like me to confess to. People normally associate it with young women – anorexic girls, models trying to keep their weight down, or women in stressful situations, like Princess Diana.” 3 He also said he used to eat sweet things and Chinese food when things became stressful. “I could drink a whole tin of condensed milk, just for the taste, stupid things like that. And whenever I go to Mr Chu’s in Hull, my favourite Chinese restaurant in the whole world ... I could eat everything on the menu.” 4 Although Prescott tried to hide the illness from his wife, she realized what was going on. “The signs in the toilet gave it away, and all the missing food.” She encouraged him to see a © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Intermediate

5 “Once or twice a year, when I was absolutely knackered, I used to get out a bottle of vodka and place it on my desk. The office hated it when they saw what was happening. They knew I’d drink it really quickly, as I always do with anything, and finish the whole bottle. But that was very rare.” Prescott, who resigned as deputy prime minister last year, is now supporting a National Health Service campaign to raise awareness of eating disorders. 6 The eating disorder support charity Beat said Prescott’s decision to speak out had shown considerable courage. “It will help other people to realize that men can suffer from eating disorders and you can get help and treatment – even if you have been ill for a very long time,” said the charity’s chief executive, Susan Ringwood. “It is a brave thing to do because people do feel ashamed of themselves and find it really hard even to tell close family members.” 7 Although 80% of new cases of eating disorders are girls and young women aged between 12 and 20, boys and men are also affected. “It is probably under-diagnosed – even doctors don’t necessarily think it can affect a boy or a man,” said Ringwood. “Anybody could have this condition, including people who are in the public eye,” she said. “People absolutely shouldn’t be ashamed. We need to get past the embarrassment and shame that is associated with an eating disorder.” 8 Dr Ty Glover, a consultant psychiatrist and expert on eating disorders, described Prescott’s confession as “a very brave and courageous thing”. He added: “It’s hard enough for a young girl to confess to, but for a high-profile male

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Sam Jones April 21, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Eating disorder experts praise ‘brave’ confession • Former deputy PM blames stress for binge eating

doctor and a consultant eventually diagnosed him with bulimia. “I arrived at the consultant’s and found his waiting room full of young women. I was the only man there. I felt a complete idiot. Luckily none of them told the newspapers about me.” In the book, he also says that, despite preferring food to alcohol, he would occasionally drink to relieve the stress and to let people know how low he was feeling.

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‘I took refuge in stuffing my face...’ John Prescott admits bulimia

CA

Level 2

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 2

Intermediate

politician who is nearly 70, it’s especially impressive.” Glover said he had never before heard of a man of Prescott’s age with bulimia. “It seriously makes me think that maybe we’re completely missing a large number of middleaged men who are too scared to admit they have a problem. “John’s bravery will hopefully encourage more men to stop suffering in silence and seek treatment.”

9

It is believed that there are more than one million people in Britain with an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia, 90% of whom are women. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 21/04/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. John Prescott believes his eating problems were caused by stress. 2. He often drank vodka when he was feeling stressed. 3. Some doctors don’t think boys and men are affected by eating disorders. 4. Many men don’t tell their families about their eating problems because they feel ashamed. 5. More men suffer from eating disorders than women. 6. If you are suffering from bulimia, you don’t want to eat anything.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to vomit. (para 1) 2. A three-word expression meaning to be connected with. (para 2) 3. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to control something and prevent it from increasing in size or number. (para 2) 4. A two-word expression for thick, sweet milk that is sold in cans. (para 3) 5. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to provide information that should be kept secret. (para 4) 6. An adjective meaning depressed. (para 4) 7. An informal adjective meaning very tired. (para 5)

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NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. An adjective meaning large in size, amount or degree. (para 6)

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 2

Intermediate

5 Word building Complete the table.

adjective 1

embarrassed

2

brave

noun

3

courage

4

stress

5

shame

6

aware

6 Prepositions Complete these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. suffer _______________ an eating disorder 2. be _______________ pressure 3. free _______________ a problem 4. associate _______________ something 5. hide something _______________ someone 6. diagnose someone _______________ a disease 7. prefer food _______________ alcohol 8. feel ashamed _______________ something

7 Discussion Why do so many young people suffer from eating disorders? What is the solution to the problems such

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NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

disorders cause?

John Prescott admits bulimia Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. anorexia 2. consultant 3. disorder 4. gorge 5. bulimia 6. resign 7. high-profile 8. speak out 9. autobiography 10. confess

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

T F T T F F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / John Prescott admits bulimia / Intermediate

6 Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

from under of with from with to of

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3 Comprehension check

embarrassment bravery courageous stressful ashamed awareness

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in the 1980s nearly 70 twenty years more than one million 90% between 12 and 20

5 Word building

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

throw up to do with keep down condensed milk give away low knackered considerable

The demand for natural cures soars Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer

Which of these words do you associate with alternative medicine? Say why.

2

herbal remedies

health stores

homeopathic remedies

GP (General Practitioner)

prescription

chemist

supermarket

Key words and phrases

a) Explain the differences between: pills, potions and ointments. (para 2) b) Skim-read the article to find words that mean the following. 1. When something is considered ordinary or normal and accepted or used by most people, we can say it’s ___________________. (para 1) 2. Giving drugs or medicines to yourself without seeking advice from a doctor: ___________________. (para 1) 3. ___________________ is a law or a set of laws. (para 3) 4. A ___________________ is a substance that is not medicine but that a patient who is taking it believes is medicine, so they get better. (para 4) 5. When something is ___________________, it continues for a long time without stopping. (para 6)

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NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. When something is ___________________, it may be seriously considered. (para 6)

The demand for natural cures soars Advanced

£200m boom as demand for ‘natural’ cures soars 5

2 And there is no sign of a slowdown as consumers – the majority of whom are women aged 35 years and over – are expected to continue sweeping ‘natural’ pills, potions and ointments off the shelves, according to new research. Sales are predicted to reach £265m in the next four years. Growth has been particularly rapid in the past five years, according to the British Lifestyles report by researchers Mintel as the market acquires “a greater reputation for offering legitimate alternatives to pharmaceutical-based treatments”.

Today’s high-octane lifestyles, longer working hours and increased stress are all said to have contributed to the love affair with complementary medicine. While one in five people reportedly suffers from stress and insomnia, many do not want to tell their doctors, to avoid black marks on their medical records. Others are worried about the stigma of taking antidepressants, while others worry that they might develop an addiction to pharmaceutical drugs. For many, complementary medicines are the answer. The Jamie Oliver effect – highlighting the ill effects of diets stuffed with additives – is also believed to have spilled over into medicine, with consumers attracted by claims of natural goodness.

6

3 One reason is that the British government is encouraging people towards more self-medication by relaxing regulations on prescription-only drugs at the same time as promoting the role of the pharmacist. This has prompted more people to try alternative treatments which they would not have considered had they visited their GPs. The industry will be given further legitimacy by new EU legislation, which will require all over-thecounter herbal medicines in the UK to have either Traditional Herbal Medicines Registration or full Marketing Authorization.

Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, said he was not surprised at the increase in sales. “The last time I checked, there were 40 million websites promoting complementary medicine. It’s incessant.” Ernst, who last week asked the Prince of Wales to withdraw two guides published by his Foundation for Integrated Health on the basis that they misrepresented scientific evidence, said that only claims by some herbal medicines were ‘biologically plausible’.

7

“But homeopathy is not. It doesn’t work, and that’s that,” he said. “And unless people are very certain of what they are taking, they could cause more harm than good. Some can interact with prescribed medicines.” While researching his latest book which examines the efficiency of alternative medicine, Ernst said his co-author, Dr Simon Singh, visited ten homeopathic outlets and asked for protection from malaria. “And they all provided some, without exception. They were all very nice, but the nightmare begins when you return home with malaria.”

4 Herbal medicines, which contain extracts from plants and minerals, account for the fastest growth. Scientific tests have shown there is evidence that some could have a beneficial effect. More controversial are the homeopathic remedies, with critics claiming they offer nothing more than a placebo effect. Homeopathy is a system of therapy based on the concept that disease can be treated

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Advanced

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 20/04/08

O

1 Alternative medicines are fast becoming mainstream as Britons increasingly turn to selfmedication. Sales of herbal and homeopathic remedies in chemists, health stores and supermarkets have doubled in the last decade and are now estimated to be worth £200m a year.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Caroline Davies April 20, 2008

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Leap in sales of alternative medicines led by women over 35

with drugs, in minute doses, thought capable of producing the same symptoms in healthy people as the disease itself does.

CA

Level 3

The demand for natural cures soars Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Find the answers to the questions in the article. 1. An increasing number of women over the age of 35 are… a) … doing more cleaning. b) … buying medicines themselves and not going to a doctor. c) … going to homeopaths. 2. Sales of alternative remedies have… a) … increased rapidly in the last ten years. b) … doubled in the last year. c) … fallen recently. 3. Many people have turned to alternative remedies… a) … because they don’t trust their GPs. b) … to counteract their stressful lifestyles. c) … because they are cheaper than health insurance. 4. The Jamie Oliver effect… a) … shows people that they are bad cooks. b) … is advocated by the Prince of Wales. c) … is making people look at how (un)healthy their lifestyle is.

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NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5. Edzard Ernst believes that… a) … some herbal medicines work but homeopathic remedies don’t. b) … herbal and homeopathic remedies are better than prescription drugs. c) … all forms of alternative medicine are dangerous.

The demand for natural cures soars Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Match the words to make collocations from the text. prescription-only high-octane over-the-counter legitimate placebo scientific biologically

lifestyle alternative effect evidence plausible drugs medicine

Now write a sentence of your own for each collocation.

!

.................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................

4 Discussion Have you ever bought over-the-counter alternative remedies? Why / why not?

7 Webquest What are these plants called in your language? Put the Latin name into a search engine to find out. • • • •

purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) yarrow (Achillea millefolium) chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile or Matricaria recutita) hops (Humulus lupus)

Which could you take…

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NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a) … to ease a headache or migraine? b) … to boost your immune system? c) … as a sedative? d) … when you have a cold or a fever?

The demand for natural cures soars Level 3 Advanced KEY 2 Key words and phrases

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

a)

prescription-only drugs high-octane lifestyle over-the-counter medicine legitimate alternative placebo effect scientific evidence biologically plausible

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

b a b c a

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Advanced

a) to ease a headache or migraine = chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile or Matricaria recutita) b) to boost your immune system = purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) c) as a sedative = hops (Humulus lupus) and maybe chamomile d) when you have a cold or a fever = yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

H

3 Comprehension check

6 Webquest

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b) 1. mainstream 2. self-medication 3. legislation 4. placebo 5. incessant 6. plausible

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

pill: a small piece of solid medicine that you swallow with water potion: a drink that may be useful as medicine ointment: a thick, smooth substance that you put on sore or injured skin

The demand for natural cures soars Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words alternative medicine: medical treatment which uses methods that are different from the usual Western scientific methods.

Which of the following do you think are examples of alternative medicine? aromatherapy

physiotherapy

herbal medicine (phytotherapy)

acupuncture

homeopathy

plastic surgery

2 Key words Write the key words from the article into the sentences. remedy

stigma

counter

boom

outlet

treatment

addiction

placebo

legitimate

minute

insomnia

1. A ___________________ is a sudden increase in sales or profits. 2. When you get ___________________, you are getting medical care. 3. A ___________________ is another word for cure. 4. A ___________________ is a substance that is not medicine but that a patient who takes it believes is medicine, so they get better. 5. When something is ___________________, it is very, very small. 6. ___________________ is the strong need that someone feels to regularly take an illegal or harmful drug. 7. When something is ___________________, it is legal. 8. A ___________________ is the long, flat surface in a shop that the shop assistant stands behind. 9. An ___________________ is a shop or store where a particular product is sold. 10. A ___________________ is a feeling that something is wrong or embarrassing in some way.

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NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

11. ___________________ is a medical condition in which people cannot sleep.

The demand for natural cures soars Level 1

Elementary

£200m boom as demand for ‘natural’ cures soars

to tell their doctors, as they don’t want to have black marks on their medical records. Others don’t want people to know that they take antidepressants, while others worry that they might develop an addiction to pharmaceutical drugs. For many, alternative medicines are the natural answer.

Leap in sales of alternative medicines led by women over 35 Caroline Davies April 20, 2008 1 Alternative medicines are more and more popular in Britain. Sales of herbal and homeopathic remedies in chemists, health stores and supermarkets have doubled in the last ten years and are now worth £200m a year. 2 And there is no sign that this trend is going to change. The majority of the people who buy alternative medicines are women aged 35 years and over. Sales will probably reach £265m in the next four years. The British Lifestyles report by Mintel says that natural cures now have “a better reputation for offering legitimate alternatives to pharmaceutical-based treatments”. 3 One reason for the increase in sales is that the British government wants people to get advice from pharmacists. Because of this more people are trying alternative treatments instead of going to doctors. New EU laws require all over-thecounter herbal medicines in the UK to have either Traditional Herbal Medicines Registration or full Marketing Authorization. These standards make people feel it is safer to buy alternative medicines.

6

Edzard Ernst, professor of alternative medicine at Exeter University, said he was not surprised at the increase in sales. “The last time I checked there were 40 million websites promoting alternative medicine, and many herbal medicines do work.”

7

“But homeopathy doesn’t work,” he said. “And people should know what they are taking, otherwise they could cause more harm than good. Some remedies don’t work well with prescribed medicines.”

8

While researching his latest book about alternative medicine, Ernst said his co-author, Dr Simon Singh, visited ten homeopathic outlets and asked for protection from malaria. “All the outlets offered some, and the people were all very nice, but the nightmare begins when you return home from your holiday with malaria.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 20/04/08

4 Herbal medicines, which are made from plants and minerals, account for the fastest increase in sales. Scientific tests have shown there is evidence that some have positive effects. Homeopathic remedies are more controversial as critics say that they offer nothing more than a placebo effect. Homeopathy is a system of therapy based on the idea that illness can be treated with drugs in minute doses.

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NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Elementary

CA

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5 Modern lifestyles, longer working hours and stress have all made people turn to alternative medicine. Although one in five people suffer from stress and insomnia, many do not want

The demand for natural cures soars Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves to give information from the article. 1. More and more women over the age of 35...

... can treat illnesses.

2. Sales of alternative remedies have...

... standardize the quality of herbal medicines.

3. New EU laws aim to...

... are buying medicines for themselves and not going to a doctor.

4. There are over 40 million websites...

... protect people from Malaria.

5. Some herbal medicines...

... on alternative medicine.

6. Homeopathic remedies cannot...

... increased rapidly in the last ten years.

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation Write the country names under their correct pronunciation pattern.

homeopathic

government

prescription

pharmacist

legislation



registration

authorization

controversial

complementary

regulations





oOo



ooOo

Ooo

oooOo

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NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Can you find any more words in the article with these stress patterns?

The demand for natural cures soars Level 1

Elementary

5 Discussion Ask and answer these questions. •

Do you sometimes buy alternative medicines?

•

Do you think herbal remedies work?

•

Do you think homeopathic remedies work?

6 Webquest What are these plants called in your language? Put the Latin name into a search engine to find out. •

purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

•

yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

•

chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile or Matricaria recutita)

•

hops (Humulus lupus)

Which could you take… a) … for a headache or migraine? b) … to help your immune system? c) … to help you sleep?

H

NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

d) … when you have a cold or a fever?

The demand for natural cures soars Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Warmer suggested answer: aromatherapy; herbal medicine (phytotherapy); acupuncture; homeopathy

2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation oOo

ooOo

Ooo

oooOo

prescription

complementary

pharmacist

homeopathic

controversial

government

authorization

legislation registration regulations

1. boom 2. treatment 3. remedy 4. placebo 5. minute 6. addiction 7. legitimate 8. counter 9. outlet 10. stigma 11. insomnia

3 Comprehension check

6 Webquest a) for a headache or migraine = chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile or Matricaria recutita) b) to help your immune system = purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) c) to help you sleep = hops (Humulus lupus) and maybe chamomile d) when you have a cold or a fever = yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

H

NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. More and more women over the age of 35 are buying medicines for themselves and not going to a doctor. 2. Sales of alternative remedies have increased rapidly in the last ten years. 3. New EU laws aim to standardize the quality of herbal medicines. 4. There are over 40 million websites on alternative medicine. 5. Some herbal medicines can treat illnesses. 6. Homeopathic remedies cannot protect people from Malaria.

The demand for natural cures soars Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Write the key words from the article into the sentences. potion

stigma

counter

outlet beneficial predict

extract

legitimate

consumer

remedy

insomnia

ointment

placebo

1. An _____________________ is a thick, smooth substance that you put on sore or injured skin. 2. A _____________________ is a drink that is taken as medicine. 3. A _____________________ is another word for cure. 4. A _____________________ is a substance that is not medicine but that a patient who takes it believes is medicine, so they get better. 5.

A _____________________ is someone who buys something.

6. To _____________________ is to say what you think will happen in the future. 7. When something is _____________________, it is legal. 8. A _____________________ is the long, flat surface in a shop that the shop assistant stands behind. 9. An _____________________ is a substance that has been taken from another substance, e.g. from a plant. 10. When something is _____________________, it has a positive effect. 11. _____________________ is a medical condition in which people cannot sleep. 12. A _____________________ is a feeling that something is wrong or embarrassing in some way. 13. An _____________________ is a shop or store where a particular product is sold.

2 Before reading Which of these further words would you expect to read in an article about alternative medicine?

plants



minerals

prescription

health stores

doctor



farm



chemist

supermarket

malaria

stress

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NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Add five of your own ideas, then skim-read the article to find out.

The demand for natural cures soars Intermediate

£200m boom as demand for ‘natural’ cures soars 5

Modern lifestyles, longer working hours and increased levels of stress have all contributed to the love affair with complementary medicine. Although one in five people suffer from stress and insomnia, many do not want to tell their doctors, as they don’t want to have black marks on their medical records. Others are worried about the stigma of taking antidepressants, while others worry that they might develop an addiction to pharmaceutical drugs. For many, complementary medicines are the answer, with consumers attracted by claims of natural goodness.

6

Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, said he was not surprised at the increase in sales. “The last time I checked there were 40 million websites promoting complementary medicine, and many herbal medicines do work.”

7

“But homeopathy doesn’t work, and that’s that,” he said. “And unless people are very certain of what they are taking, they could cause more harm than good. Some remedies can interact negatively with prescribed medicines.”

8

While researching his latest book which examines the efficiency of alternative medicine, Ernst said his co-author, Dr Simon Singh, visited ten homeopathic outlets and asked for protection from malaria. “And they all provided some, without exception. They were all very nice, but the nightmare begins when you return home with malaria.”

2 And there is no sign that this trend is going to change as consumers – the majority of whom are women aged 35 years and over – keep on buying ‘natural’ pills, potions and ointments, according to new research. Sales are predicted to reach £265m in the next four years. Growth has been particularly rapid in the past five years, according to the British Lifestyles report by researchers Mintel, as natural cures get “a greater reputation for offering legitimate alternatives to pharmaceutical-based treatments”. 3 One reason for the increase in sales is that the British government has relaxed regulations on prescription-only drugs, and at the same time is promoting the role of the pharmacist. This has encouraged more people to try alternative treatments which they would probably not have considered had they visited their GPs. New EU legislation, which requires all over-the-counter herbal medicines in the UK to have either Traditional Herbal Medicines Registration or full Marketing Authorization, will give the industry further legitimacy. 4 Herbal medicines, which contain extracts from plants and minerals, account for the fastest growth in sales. Scientific tests have shown there is evidence that some could have a beneficial effect. More controversial are the homeopathic remedies, which critics claim offer nothing more

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Intermediate

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 20/04/08

O

1 Alternative medicines are fast becoming more and more popular in Britain. Sales of herbal and homeopathic remedies in chemists, health stores and supermarkets have doubled in the last decade and are now estimated to be worth £200m a year.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Caroline Davies April 20, 2008

•P H

Leap in sales of alternative medicines led by women over 35

than a placebo effect. Homeopathy is a system of therapy based on the concept that disease can be treated with drugs, in minute doses.

CA

Level 2

The demand for natural cures soars Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these sentences True (T) or False (F) according to the article? 1. An increasing number of women over the age of 35 are buying medicines for themselves and not going to a doctor. 2. Sales of alternative remedies have increased rapidly in the last ten years. 3. Many people have turned to alternative remedies because they don’t trust their doctors. 4. New EU laws aim to standardize the quality of herbal medicines. 5. Some herbal medicines work but homeopathic remedies don’t. 6. Many people don’t want others to know that they’re taking antidepressants. 7. Homeopathic remedies can protect people from Malaria.

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation Write these words into the table according to their stress patterns. homeopathic

consumers

predicted

government

prescription

pharmacist

complementary

legislation

regulations

registration

authorization

controversial

O

NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Intermediate

oooOo

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

Ooo

•P H

ooOo

CA

oOo

The demand for natural cures soars Level 2

Intermediate

5 Discussion Would you ever buy herbal or homeopathic remedies? Why / why not?

6 Webquest What are these plants called in your language? Put the Latin name into a search engine to find out. •

purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

•

yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

•

chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile or Matricaria recutita)

•

hops (Humulus lupus)

Which could you take… a) … to ease a headache or migraine? b) … to boost your immune system? c) … as a sedative?

H

NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

d) … when you have a cold or a fever?

The demand for natural cures soars Level 2 Intermediate KEY

1. T 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. T 7. F

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The demand for natural cures soars / Intermediate

ooOo

Ooo

oooOo

complementary

pharmacist

homeopathic

predicted

controversial

government

authorization

prescription

legislation registration regulations

6 Webquest a) to ease a headache or migraine = chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile or Matricaria recutita) b) to boost your immune system = purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) c) as a sedative = hops (Humulus lupus) and maybe chamomile d) when you have a cold or a fever = yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

H

3 Comprehension check

oOo consumers

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1. ointment 2. potion 3. remedy 4. placebo 5. consumer 6. predict 7. legitimate 8. counter 9. extract 10. beneficial 11. insomnia 12. stigma 13. outlet

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation

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2 Key words

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 3 Advanced 1 Key words Match these verbs from the text with their definitions.

hamper unfurl

stroll mediate

tackle amend

wield hint

boom bundle

1. _________________: to untie or open something that was rolled up, e.g. a flag or an umbrella 2. _________________: to have and be able to use power or influence 3. _________________: to make changes to a document, law or agreement 4. _________________: to try to end a disagreement between two people or groups 5. _________________: to walk without hurrying 6. _________________: to make someone go somewhere by pushing them in a rough way 7. _________________: to say what you are feeling or thinking in an indirect way 8. _________________: to prevent something from happening or progressing normally 9. _________________: to make a deep loud sound that continues for some time 10. _________________: to make an organized and determined attempt to deal with a problem

2 What do you know? Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. The Russian prime minister’s office is in the White House. 2. Vladimir Putin was president of Russia for 12 years. 3. Boris Yeltsin was the president of Russia before Putin. 4. Russia is involved in a dispute with Ukraine over the breakaway region of Abkhazia. 5. The new president of Russia is a very tall man.

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6. The new president of Russia is called Dmitry Medvedev.

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 3 Advanced Medvedev sworn in as Russian president

Medvevev has announced that his first foreign trip will be to China and Kazakhstan. But one of his early tasks will be to try to establish good relations with the next president of the United States – and improve Moscow’s fractious relationship with Washington.

7

Today experts said that arguably Medvedev’s biggest challenge would be to prevent the Kremlin’s powerful siloviki, or military intelligence clan, from moving against him. Unlike Putin, Medvedev – a former St Petersburg lawyer – was never in the KGB, whose ex-members dominate the top levels of Russia’s government and bureaucracy. “He has got enough problems to make his hair go grey,” Sam Greene, an expert at the Moscow Carnegie Centre, said today. Asked who Russia’s real leader would be, he said: “We have to assume the status quo remains in place, with Putin as the person in the elite whom everyone calls. This regime has thrived on flexibility and informal power relations. I’ve got no reason to think this is going to change in the future. The thing that made Putin different from Boris Yeltsin is his ability to mediate between different factions within the elite. This isn’t something codified in the constitution, and it can’t easily be passed to Medvedev,” he said.

8

Political analysts are divided as to whether Putin intends to come back as president in 2012, or gradually fade away from politics. Under Russia’s

3 Putin arrived first at the Kremlin palace. He strolled down a long red carpet in front of 2,400 dignitaries, diplomats and Russia’s patriarch Alexey II. Medvedev turned up next – a diminutive figure, nervously scanning his feet as he entered the Kremlin’s vast gold Andreyevsky Hall. 4 Afterwards, both men stood together side by side in the Kremlin’s cold, blustery palace courtyard as a 31-gun salute boomed cross the capital. Aged just 42, and the youngest Russian leader

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Medvedev also paid warm tribute to his predecessor. He is expected to nominate Putin as Russia’s new prime minister and head of the government. “I would like to thank Vladimir Putin for his personal support, which I have felt constantly,” he said. The carefully managed ceremony left little doubt that Putin and Medvedev are likely to run Russia as a tandem – with Putin wielding considerable influence, especially behind the scenes, from his new prime ministerial office in Russia’s White House.

Early challenges include dealing with Russia’s rampant inflation – currently running at at least 12%. He also has to tackle growing popular dissatisfaction at rising food and utility prices, and Russia’s continuing demographic crisis. Medvedev also has several foreign policy problems in his in-tray. He has to decide what to do about the breakaway region of Abkhazia, where Russia is embroiled in a military stand-off with Georgia, and negotiate a new co-operation and partnership agreement with the European Union.

•P H

1 Dmitry Medvedev has become Russia’s new president and the country’s third post-Soviet leader during a ceremony at the Kremlin which – formally at least – brought down the curtain on Vladimir Putin’s eight tumultuous years in power. Standing next to Putin, the outgoing president, Medvedev swore an oath on Russia’s constitution. He then delivered a speech promising to improve the lives of ordinary Russians, fight corruption and end the country’s “legal nihilism”. He said: “I’m going to pay special attention to the fundamental role of the law. We must achieve a true respect in law, and overcome the legal nihilism, which is hampering modern development.” He also promised to make life “comfortable, confident and secure” for ordinary Russians.

5

CA

Luke Harding May 8, 2008

for well over a century, Medvedev now faces a formidable series of problems – both at home and abroad.

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 3 Advanced constitution, Putin, who took over from Boris Yeltsin in 2000, was obliged to step down as president. But there is nothing to stop him returning after a four-year gap. Today Putin strongly hinted that he stuck to the law – despite calls from powerful factions inside the Kremlin for him to amend the constitution and serve a third term as president. “I made a commitment to work openly and honestly, to faithfully serve the people and the state. And I did not violate my promise,” he said in a brief address. 9

Medvedev’s promise, meanwhile, to turn Russia into a law-based society, is an intriguing one. Yesterday, the authorities banned an anti-Kremlin opposition rally in Moscow by

supporters of The Other Russia movement, despite the constitution guaranteeing the right to assembly. One man was arrested and bundled into a police van after trying to unfurl a banner. 10 “Our pensions are now 40 times less than what MPs earn. We have to survive on 4,000 roubles (£88) a month,” Zoya Vasilyevna, a 77-year-old retired teacher, complained at the rally. “It was my generation who defended this country in the war, but now these people have stolen all the resources. Putin only likes billionaires. He’s not interested in us,” she said. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 08/05/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What did Medvedev specifically promise to do in his speech at the Kremlin? a. To pay warm tribute to his predecessor. b. To visit China and Kazakhstan. c. To pay special attention to the law. 2. Which of these statements best reflects the opinions expressed in the text? a. Vladimir Putin is planning to return as president in 2012. b. Vladimir Putin will have very little influence when he becomes prime minister. c. Vladimir Putin will run Russia together with Dmitry Medvedev. 3. What, according to some experts, is Medvedev’s biggest challenge? a. To try and establish good relations with the next American president. b. To keep the military intelligence group in the Kremlin on his side. c. To make life comfortable, confident and secure for ordinary Russians.

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4. Which of these statements best reflects the challenges faced by Russia’s new president? a. He has several very difficult problems, both in Russia and abroad. b. He has one or two serious challenges to deal with. c. He is facing some minor problems but none of them are serious.

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 3 Advanced 4 Find the word Find the following words and expressions in the text. 1. An adjective meaning involving a lot of noise, excitement, activity or violence. (para 1) 2. A three-word expression meaning to praise someone publicly. (para 2) 3. An adjective meaning very short or small. (para 3) 4. An adjective meaning with strong winds. (para 4) 5. A noun meaning a conflict in which neither side can do anything to win or achieve their aim. (para 5) 6. An adjective meaning causing problems and difficult to control. (para 5) 7. A noun meaning a group of people who share an interest or aim. (para 7) 8. A two-word noun meaning the present situation or the way things usually are. (para 7)

5 Phrasal verbs Match these phrasal verbs from the text with their definitions. 1. take over

a. to disappear slowly

2. step down

b. to arrive somewhere

3. fade away

c. to do something you promised or decided you would do

4. thrive on

d. to leave an official position or job

5. turn up

e. to begin to do something someone else was doing

6. stick to

f. to become successful or happy in a particular situation

6 Collocations Complete the collocations using these verbs from the text.

wield negotiate

deliver hamper

pay bring down

establish amend

1. ________________ good relations

5. ________________ development

2. ________________ an agreement

6. ________________ tribute

3. ________________ a speech

7. ________________ the constitution

4. ________________ the curtain

8. ________________ influence



7 Discussion

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Do you agree with the presidential systems in Russia and the United States where presidents are elected for a maximum of two four-year terms of office? What are the arguments for and against limiting the amount of time an elected president can stay in office?

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. unfurl 2. wield 3. amend 4. mediate 5. stroll 6. bundle 7. hint 8. hamper 9. boom 10. tackle

1. tumultuous 2. pay tribute to 3. diminutive 4. blustery 5. stand-off 6. rampant 7. clan 8. status quo

2 What do you know?

1. e 2. d 3. a 4. f 5. b 6. c

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H

1. c 2. c 3. b 4. a

1. establish 2. negotiate 3. deliver 4. bring down 5. hamper 6. pay 7. amend 8. wield

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3 Comprehension check

6 Collocations

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1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. T

5 Phrasal verbs

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

corruption



praise

secure step down

inflation



negotiate

utilities

constitution

KGB

ban

1. The _________________ of a country is the set of basic laws that describe the rights and duties of its citizens. 2. If you _________________ from an official position or job, you leave it formally. 3. If you feel _________________, you are safe from attack, harm or damage. 4. If you _________________ someone, you say very positive things about them. 5. The _________________ was the state security service of the former Soviet Union. 6. _________________ is dishonest or illegal behaviour by officials or people in positions of power. 7. _________________ is an economic process in which prices increase and money becomes less valuable. 8. _________________ are public services such as gas, water and electricity. 9. If you _________________ something, you say officially that people must not do it. 10. If you _________________ an agreement, you discuss it in a very formal way first until both sides are happy with it.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. Who is the new president of Russia? 2. How old is he? 3. What is the level of inflation in Russia? 4. How long was Vladimir Putin president of Russia? 5. How much money do Russian pensioners receive each month?

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6. Which foreign countries will the new president visit first?

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Elementary

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president

foreign policy problems. He has to decide what to do about the region of Abkhazia, where Russia has a disagreement with Georgia, and he has to negotiate a new co-operation and partnership agreement with the European Union.

Luke Harding May 8, 2008

4 One of the biggest problems for the new president is how to stop Russia’s rising inflation – which is around 12% or more. Another problem is that people are angry about the rising costs of food and utilities. Medvedev also has several

7 The question is who will be the real leader of Russia, the new president or the new prime minister? Medvedev or Putin? Greene says: “The current situation will probably continue, so Putin will be the person that everyone talks to. This government is flexible and has informal power relations. I don’t think this is going to change in the future. Putin was different from Boris Yeltsin because he was able to make different factions inside the ruling class agree. This isn’t something that’s written in the constitution and you can’t easily pass this to Medvedev,” he said. 8 Political analysts cannot agree whether Putin is planning to return as president in 2012, or whether he is planning to disappear gradually from politics. Russia’s constitution says that Putin had to step down after two four-year terms as president. But there is nothing to stop him returning after a four-year break. Today Putin said that he had followed the law – even though many powerful people in the government wanted him to change the law and continue as president. “I said I would work openly and honestly, to faithfully serve the people and the state. And I

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Medvedev sworn in as Russian president / Elementary

O

3 Putin arrived at the Kremlin palace first. He walked along a long red carpet in front of 2,400 important guests and diplomats. Medvedev, a small man, arrived in the Kremlin’s huge gold Andreyevsky Hall next and nervously stared at his feet. Afterwards both men stood together side by side in the Kremlin’s cold, windy palace courtyard. Aged just 42, and the youngest Russian leader for more than a hundred years, Medvedev now faces a series of problems – both at home and abroad.

6 Some experts say that Medvedev’s biggest problem is to stop the Kremlin’s powerful military intelligence group from moving against him. Medvedev – a former St Petersburg lawyer – was never in the KGB, whose ex-members have a lot of power in the Russian government. Putin was in the KGB and had a good relationship with these people. “He has got enough problems to make his hair go grey,” says Sam Greene, an expert at the Moscow Carnegie Centre.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Medvedev also praised Mr Putin. People expect that Medvedev will name Putin as Russia’s new prime minister and head of the government. “I would like to thank Vladimir Putin for his personal support, which I have always had,” he said. Putin and Medvedev will probably run Russia together – and Putin will probably still have a lot of power as prime minister of Russia in his new prime ministerial office in Russia’s White House.

5 Medvevev has announced that his first foreign trips will be to China and Kazakhstan. But one of his first tasks will be to try to have good relations with the next president of the United States – and improve Moscow’s problematic relationship with Washington.

•P H

1 Dmitry Medvedev is the new president of Russia. He is the third president since the end of the Soviet Union. Medvedev became president at a ceremony at the Kremlin which ended Vladimir Putin’s eight years in power. Standing next to Mr Putin, Medvedev gave a speech in which he promised to improve the lives of ordinary Russians, fight corruption and strengthen the law. He said: “I’m going to pay special attention to the basic role of the law. We must have true respect for the law and we must remove those problems with the law which are preventing the modern development of our country.” He also promised to make life “comfortable, confident and secure” for ordinary Russians.

CA

Level 1

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 1

Elementary

did not break my promise,” he said in a short speech. 9

10

Meanwhile, Medvedev’s promise to turn Russia into a society based on law is an interesting one. Yesterday, the authorities banned an anti-government demonstration in Moscow by supporters of The Other Russia movement, even though the constitution says that people have the right to protest.

“MPs earn 40 times more than our pensions. We have to live on 4,000 roubles (£88) a month,” said Zoya Vasilyevna, a 77-year-old retired teacher at the demonstration. “My generation defended this country in the war, but now these people have stolen everything. “Putin only likes billionaires. He’s not interested in us,” she said. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 08/05/08

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. One of the new president’s biggest problems is... 2. The new president is planning... 3. He also has to decide... 4. The constitution says people have the right... 5. Putin was able... 6. The new president promised...

a. … to make life comfortable and secure for ordinary people. b. … what to do about Abkhazia. c. … how to stop Russia’s rising inflation. d. … to make different factions agree. e. … to protest.

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f. … to visit China and Kazakhstan.

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 1

Elementary

4 Adjectives Match the adjectives in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. Check your answers in the text. 1. red

a. people

2. foreign

b. relations

3. good

c. policy

4. current

d. support

5. ordinary

e. carpet

6. personal

f. situation

5 Prepositions Fill the gaps in the phrases using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. not interested ___________ us 2. pay attention ___________ something 3. respect ___________ the law 4. head ___________ government 5. a disagreement ___________ someone 6. different ___________ someone else 7. ___________ a four-year break 8. a society based ___________ law

6 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1

agree

2

develop

noun

3

strength speak

6

oppose

7

move

8

improvement

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5

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promise

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4

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Adjectives

1. constitution 2. step down 3. secure 4. praise 5. KGB 6. corruption 7. inflation 8. utilities 9. ban 10. negotiate

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c f b e d a

in to for of with from after on

6 Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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agreement development strengthen promise speech opposition movement improve

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Dmitry Medvedev 42 12% or more eight years 4,000 roubles (£88) China and Kazakhstan

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Prepositions

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2 Find the information

e c b f a d

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these verbs from the text. corruption

hamper

dignitary

stroll

mediate

challenge

utilities

banner

constitution

step down

1. If you _________________ between two people or groups, you try to end a disagreement between them. 2. If you _________________, you walk without hurrying. 3. If you _________________ something, you prevent it from happening or progressing normally. 4. A _________________ is a wide piece of cloth with a message on it, often stretched between two poles. 5. _________________ are public services such as gas, water and electricity. 6. The _________________ of a country is the set of basic laws that describe the rights and duties of its citizens. 7. A _________________ is someone who has an important official position. 8. If you _________________ from an official position or job, you leave it formally. 9. _________________ is dishonest or illegal behaviour by officials or people in positions of power. 10. A _________________ is something that needs a lot of skill, energy and determination to deal with.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. Who is the new president of Russia? 2. How old is he? 3. For how many years was Vladimir Putin president of Russia? 4. How much money do Russian pensioners receive each month? 5. Which foreign countries will the new president visit first?

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6. Who was president of Russia before Vladimir Putin?

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Intermediate

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president

crisis. Medvedev also has several foreign policy problems in his in-tray. He has to decide what to do about the breakaway region of Abkhazia, where Russia is involved in a military stand-off with Georgia, and negotiate a new co-operation and partnership agreement with the European Union.

Luke Harding May 8, 2008

4 Early challenges for the new president include dealing with Russia’s rising inflation – which currently stands at 12% or more. He also has to deal with growing dissatisfaction at rising food and utility prices and the continuing population

7 Political analysts cannot agree whether Putin is planning to return as president in 2012, or intends to disappear gradually from politics. Under Russia’s constitution, Putin, who took over from Boris Yeltsin in 2000, was forced to step down as president. But there is nothing to stop him returning after a four-year break. Today Putin said that he had followed the law – even though many powerful people in the government wanted him to change the law and continue as president. “I said I would work openly and honestly, to faithfully serve the people and the state. And I did not break my promise,” he said in a short speech.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Medvedev sworn in as Russian president / Intermediate

O

3 Putin arrived at the Kremlin palace first. He strolled down a long red carpet in front of 2,400 dignitaries and diplomats. Medvedev arrived next – a diminutive figure who, as he entered the Kremlin’s vast gold Andreyevsky Hall, nervously stared at his feet. Afterwards both men stood together side by side in the Kremlin’s cold, windy palace courtyard as a 31-gun salute was heard across Moscow. Aged just 42, and the youngest Russian leader for more than a hundred years, Medvedev now faces a series of problems – both at home and abroad.

6 Some experts say that Medvedev’s biggest challenge is to prevent the Kremlin’s powerful military intelligence group from moving against him. Unlike Putin, Medvedev – a former St Petersburg lawyer – was never in the KGB, whose ex-members dominate the top levels of Russia’s government and bureaucracy. “He has got enough problems to make his hair go grey,” Sam Greene, an expert at the Moscow Carnegie Centre, said today. When Greene was asked who Russia’s real leader would be, he said: “We have to assume the current situation will continue, so Putin will be the person that everyone calls. This government is based on flexibility and informal power relations. I’ve got no reason to think this is going to change in the future. The thing that made Putin different from Boris Yeltsin is his ability to mediate between different factions within the ruling class. This isn’t something that’s written in the constitution, and it can’t easily be passed to Medvedev,” he said.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Medvedev also praised Mr Putin. It is expected that Medvedev will name Putin as Russia’s new prime minister and head of the government. “I would like to thank Vladimir Putin for his personal support, which I have felt constantly,” he said. The Kremlin ceremony left little doubt that Putin and Medvedev will probably run Russia together – with Putin still having considerable influence, especially behind the scenes, from his new prime ministerial office in Russia’s White House.

5 Medvevev has announced that his first foreign trip will be to China and Kazakhstan. But one of his early tasks will be to try to establish good relations with the next president of the United States – and improve Moscow’s problematic relationship with Washington.

•P H

1 Dmitry Medvedev has become Russia’s new president and the country’s third post-Soviet leader during a ceremony at the Kremlin which – formally at least – ended Vladimir Putin’s eight years in power. Standing next to Mr Putin, Medvedev gave a speech promising to improve the lives of ordinary Russians, fight corruption and promote the rule of law. He said: “I’m going to pay special attention to the fundamental role of the law. We must achieve a true respect in law and overcome problems with the law which are hampering modern development.” He also promised to make life “comfortable, confident and secure” for ordinary Russians.

CA

Level 2

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 2 8

9

Intermediate

Meanwhile, Medvedev’s promise to turn Russia into a law-based society is an interesting one. Yesterday, the authorities banned an anti-Kremlin opposition rally in Moscow by supporters of The Other Russia movement, even though the constitution guarantees people’s right to gather. One man was arrested and pushed into a police van after trying to wave a banner.

(£88) a month,” Zoya Vasilyevna, a 77-year-old retired teacher, complained at the rally. “It was my generation who defended this country in the war, but now these people have stolen all the resources. Putin only likes billionaires. He’s not interested in us,” she said. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 08/05/08

“Our pensions are now 40 times less than what MPs earn. We have to survive on 4,000 roubles

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Many people doubt that Medvedev and Putin will run Russia together. 2. The Russian president lives in the White House. 3. Medvedev is younger than Putin. 4. Both Putin and Medvedev were members of the former state security, the KGB. 5. Putin is very good at mediating between different groups within the Russian ruling class. 6. Putin will definitely return as president in 2012.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. An adjective meaning safe from attack, harm or damage. (para 1) 2. A three-word expression meaning secretly rather than publicly. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning a ceremony in which guns are fired. (para 3) 4. A noun meaning a conflict in which neither side can do anything to win or achieve their aim. (para 4) 5. A verb meaning control someone or something because you have more power or influence. (para 6) 6. A verb meaning believe something is true even though you have no proof. (para 6) 7. A verb meaning say officially that people must not do something. (para 8)

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8. A noun meaning a public meeting that a lot of people go to in order to protest against something. (para 9)

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 2

Intermediate

5 Prepositions Complete these phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. the rule ___________ law 2. thank someone ___________ something 3. side ___________ side 4. deal ___________ problems 5. involved ___________ something 6. good relations ___________ someone 7. based ___________ something 8. an agreement ___________ someone

6 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

adjective 1

able

2

flexible

noun

3

confidence

4

problem

5

power

6

security

7

comfort

8

dissatisfied

7 Discussion

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What is better for a country – to have a king or queen as head of state or to have a president?

Medvedev sworn in as Russian president Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. mediate 2. stroll 3. hamper 4. banner 5. utilities 6. constitution 7. dignitary 8. step down 9. corruption 10. challenge

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

of for by with in with on with

3 Comprehension check

6 Word building

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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ability flexibility confident problematic powerful secure comfortable dissatisfaction

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F F T F T F

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Dmitry Medvedev 42 eight years 4,000 roubles (£88) China and Kazakhstan Boris Yeltsin

5 Prepositions

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

secure behind the scenes salute stand-off dominate assume ban rally

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 3 1

Advanced

Brainstorming

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of: a) suburban living: living in a suburban area outside of a big town or city? b) urban living: living in a big town or city?

2

Key words

Find the missing key words in the article. The paragraph numbers have been given to help you. 1. A _______________ is a legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank in order to buy a house. The money is usually paid back in monthly payments. (title) 2. When banks _______________, they take someone’s property because they failed to pay back the money they borrowed to buy it. (subtitle) 3. _______________ is a synonym for danger. (para 1) 4. A _______________ is someone who lives in a suburb. (para 2) 5. An adjective meaning large and impressive: _______________. (para 2) 6. An adjective relating to populations: _______________. (para 3) 7. An adjective meaning dirty and untidy: _______________. (para 4) 8. When something is _______________, it makes you think something bad will happen. (para 4) 9. Something that is _______________ is lively and exciting or bright and colourful. (para 6) 10. When something is _______________, it is certain to fail or be destroyed. (para 7) 11. A _______________ is a long thin bar with a weight at the lower end that swings from side to side, usually in order to keep a clock working. (para 7)

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12. Something that is _______________, is made for one particular person or purpose. (para 10)

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Advanced 5

McDonald moved to Elk Grove four years ago, attracted by suburban life; a new home in a new location, with award-winning schools. Elk Grove had the reputation of being a friendly, familyoriented community.” But once the mortgage crisis started to bite, McDonald began to notice changes.

6

“I took my kids for a walk in the park and saw some graffiti,” she says. Soon after, McDonald and seven others took the decision to form a neighbourhood association. Today, the group has 400 members, a lawn-mowing task force, and a vibrant online message board.

7

But unmown lawns are the least of suburbia’s problems, according to Christopher Leinberger, an urban theorist who wrote an analysis of the problem in the Atlantic Monthly. He argues that suburbia is doomed: “For the past 50 years we’ve left the city and headed to the suburbs,” he says. “Now the pendulum is swinging back, aided by $4 per gallon gas.”

8

The move has also been helped by cultural and demographic changes, says Leinberger. Couples are having children later in life, so the need for the suburban mansion with five bedrooms and a huge garden is not quite as pressing. Many potential buyers also prefer the concept of walkable, urban living over driveable, suburban living.

9

“Transport now accounts for 19% of household costs, compared to 3% a hundred years ago,” says Leinberger. “At some point this country has to get serious about reducing carbon emissions.

As the banks foreclose on loans across the US, worried householders watch their tree-lined streets change

2 McDonald is a self-confessed suburbanite and president of the Franklin Reserve Neighbourhood Association, a new development in the city of Elk Grove, 15 miles south of the Californian capital, Sacramento. Franklin Reserve, a collection of imposing houses on anonymous cul-de-sacs with improbable names – Snow Leopard Circle, Fox Trotter Way – is at the heart of what some see as a struggle for the soul of suburbia. 3 The full onset of the mortgage foreclosure crisis, coupled with demographic changes, rising fuel prices and a host of other factors means that the suburbs could be on the way out. The term ‘slumburbia’ was not far behind. 4 Franklin Reserve, a walled but not gated community of 15,000 people, appears to be a prosperous development. But there are signs that all is not well. Some front lawns are unkempt, and there are many ‘for sale’ signs and signs offering properties for rent. On Caprezzo Way a five-bedroom, three-bathroom house, complete with pool, is on the market for $550,000, probably $100,000 less than a year ago. Across the street a more ominous sign of the mortgage foreclosure crisis is taped to the wrought iron gate of a house on Cortino Way. ‘Notice to quit,’ it declares, telling the occupants, who couldn’t pay their mortgage, they have three days to leave.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Advanced

10 But what most alarms urban theorists is what might become of developments like Franklin Reserve once people can no longer afford to live there. Unlike the inner city that was abandoned in the latter half of the last century, it is hard to adapt suburban developments to other uses. “These spaces are custom-made for residential purposes only,” says Leinberger. “They don’t convert easily to retail or office or hotel.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 28/04/08

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1 Susan McDonald doesn’t look like an activist. She drives a nice car, wears smart clothes and during office hours is the neighbourhood personal banker. But after work McDonald has another life. It is then that the mother of three turns into a neighbourhood organizer, determined to mobilize her community to battle for a way of life that many believe is in peril.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Dan Glaister in Elk Grove April 28, 2008

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There goes the neighbourhood: mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump

CA

Level 3

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Find the answers to the questions in the article. 1. Why did Susan McDonald move to Franklin Reserve? 2. What was the thing that led Susan McDonald to set up a neighbourhood association? 3. How many inhabitants have joined the neighbourhood association and what do they do? 4. How has the cost of driving and keeping a car changed in the past 100 years? 5. Why are more people moving back to the towns?

4 Vocabulary: Lexical groups Look back at the article. Which words do you specifically associate with finance? Write them onto the word wheel.

l na o r s er nke p a . b e.g

finance

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http://www.ubs.com/1/e/about/bterms.html

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Advanced

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http://handsonbanking.org/nav_elements/teachers_guide_PDF/HOB_Dictionary.pdf

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http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/financialguide.pdf

•

CA

•

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

These websites and PDFs may be useful when you need to look up specific financial terms in English.

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 3

Advanced

5 Discussion Are house prices in your area going up or down? Why do you think this is?

6 Webquest Look at this website http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/neighbourhoodwatch/nwatch01.htm or type neighbourhood watch into a search engine. Go to the directory (this lists all the registered schemes in the UK), choose one, make notes on the main information and tell your class about the scheme and its aims and activities.

!

........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

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........................................................................................................................................................

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 3 Advanced KEY 2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Lexical groups

1. mortgage 2. foreclosure 3. peril 4. suburbanite 5. imposing 6. demographic 7. unkempt 8. ominous 9. vibrant 10. doomed 11. pendulum 12. custom-made

Possible answers: • mortgage • banks • foreclose • prices • prosperous • rent • buyer • costs • afford

3 Comprehension check

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Possible answers: 1. She was attracted by suburban life; a new home in a new location, with award-winning schools. Elk Grove had the reputation of being a friendly, family-oriented community. 2. Graffiti in the park. 3. 400. Mow lawns, communicate via Internet message board, report problems to the police. 4. Transport now accounts for 19% of household costs, compared to 3% a hundred years ago. 5. Increase in fuel prices plus people having children later and not needing such large houses.

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 1 1

Elementary

Suburbia

Have you ever seen the US TV series Desperate Housewives? Describe the area where the main characters live (or describe what you imagine ‘suburbia’ to be like).

2 Key words Write in the missing vowels (a e i o u) to complete the key words from the text. The paragraph numbers have been given to help you. 1. The money you pay back to the bank for your house is your m _ rtg _ g _. (title) 2. When banks f _ r _ cl _ s _, they take away someone’s house property because they didn’t pay back the money they borrowed to buy it. (subtitle) 3. People who live in an area are the c _ mm _ n _ ty. (para 1) 4. A c _ l-d _ -s _ c is a short street closed at one end so cars can’t drive through it. (para 2) 5. An _ ss _ c _ _ t _ _ n is a group of people with similar interests and aims. 6. A l _ wn is an area of grass, usually in a garden. (para 4) 7. People who live in a house are the _ cc _ p _ nts. (para 4) 8. Illegal writing sprayed or painted onto walls is called gr _ ff _ t _ . (para 6) 9. A t _ sk f _ rc _ is a group of people who deal with a particular problem. (para 6) 10. An _m _ ss _ _ n is a gas that goes into the air. (para 9) 11. If you can _ ff _ rd something, you have enough money to pay for it. (para 10)

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

12. Something that is c _ st _ m-m _ d _ is made for one particular person or purpose. (para 10)

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Elementary 5

Susan McDonald moved to Elk Grove four years ago. She wanted a new home in a new location, with good schools and a friendly, family-oriented community – she wanted the perfect suburban life. But when the mortgage crisis started, McDonald began to notice changes.

6

“I took my kids for a walk in the park and saw some graffiti,” she says. Soon after, McDonald and seven others decided to start a neighbourhood association. Today, the group has 400 members, a lawn-mowing task force, and a lively online message board.

7

But long grass is only one of suburbia’s problems, according to Christopher Leinberger. He says that the end of suburbia is in sight. “For 50 years we left the city and headed to the suburbs. Now people are moving back to the cities, helped by the high gas prices, currently $4 per gallon gas.”

8

The move back to the towns and cities has also been helped by other changes, says Leinberger. People are having children later in life, so they don’t need a suburban house with five bedrooms and a huge garden. Many house buyers also prefer to be able to walk to where they want to go; in suburbia they have to drive everywhere.

9

“19% of household costs go on transport. A hundred years ago it was only 3%,” says Leinberger. “At some point this country has to get serious about reducing carbon emissions.”

As the banks foreclose on loans across the US, worried householders watch their tree-lined streets change

2 McDonald is president of the Franklin Reserve Neighbourhood Association in the city of Elk Grove, 15 miles south of the Californian capital, Sacramento. Franklin Reserve is a collection of large houses on cul-de-sacs with unusual names – Snow Leopard Circle, Fox Trotter Way. Here, McDonald and her neighbours are fighting for their suburban way of life. 3 The mortgage foreclosure crisis, along with rising fuel prices and other factors such as more people moving back to towns and cities, could mean the end for the suburbs. Newspapers have already started talking about ‘slumburbia’. 4 At Franklin Reserve, a walled community of 15,000 people, there are signs that all is not well. Some front lawns are overgrown and untidy, and there are many ‘for sale’ signs and signs offering houses for rent. On Caprezzo Way a five-bedroom, three-bathroom house, with swimming pool, is on sale for $550,000, probably $100,000 less than a year ago. Across the street another sign is taped to the gate of a house on Cortino Way. It says ‘Notice to quit,’ and tells the occupants, who couldn’t pay their mortgage, that they have three days to leave.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Elementary

10 But what worries urban theorists is what might happen to places like Franklin Reserve when people can no longer afford to live there. “These areas are custom-made for people to live in,” says Leinberger. “It’s not easy to turn them into shops or offices or hotels.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 28/04/08

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1 Susan McDonald drives a nice car, wears smart clothes and during office hours is the neighbourhood personal banker. But after work McDonald has another life. It is then that the mother of three children turns into a neighbourhood organizer, encouraging people in her community to fight for a way of life that many believe is in danger.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Dan Glaister in Elk Grove April 28, 2008

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There goes the neighbourhood: mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump

CA

Level 1

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves. 1. Susan McDonald is an activist,...

... have to drive everywhere.

2. She is the president of the Franklin Reserve...

... household costs now go on transport.

3. She moved to Franklin Reserve because of its...

... gardens of empty houses tidy.

4. Some of her neighbours cannot afford to...

... pay their rent or mortgage.

5. Susan and her neighbours keep the...

... a mother and a businesswoman.

6. These days many people don’t want to...

... Neighbourhood Association.

7. People have started...

... safe, family-friendly reputation.

8. Nearly twenty per cent of people’s...

... moving back to the cities.

4 Vocabulary: Financial English Complete the crossword with financial words from the article.

ACROSS 3. When a bank takes away your house because you can’t pay 5. Money you pay to the owner of a house so that you can live there 7. Someone who works in a bank or other financial organization

1 3

2 4

R

S T

5

T 6 7

G

B

K L

DOWN 1. The amount of money you have to pay to buy something 2. Money you pay back to the bank when you buy a house 4. Money you pay regularly for something 6. When something is available and people can buy it, it is for...

These websites and PDFs may help you when you need to look up specific financial terms in English.

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/financialguide.pdf http://handsonbanking.org/nav_elements/teachers_guide_PDF/HOB_Dictionary.pdf http://www.ubs.com/1/e/about/bterms.html

CA

• • •

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 1

Elementary

5 Discussion Tick the statement that is most true for you and compare answers in your group. Say why you chose your statement. a) I prefer to live in a town or city. b) I prefer to live near a town or city, in the suburbs. c) I prefer to live in the country.

6 Webquest: New words In paragraph three of the article there is a new word made by joining two other words:

slum + suburbia = slumburbia Do you know what these new words are? •

iPod + broadcast = ___________________

•

smoke + fog =

___________________

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Write ‘new words’ into a search engine or check http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/resourcenew.htm to find other new words.

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 1 Elementary KEY 4 Vocabulary: Financial English

1. mortgage 2. foreclose 3. community 4. cul-de-sac 5. association 6. lawn 7. occupants 8. graffiti 9. task force 10. emission 11. afford 12. custom-made

1 3

F

O

5

2

P R

R

E

C

L

M O

I

O

R

C

S

T

T

G

S

A

E

N 6

7

4

B

S A

N

K

E

E

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

• •

podcast smog

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Elementary

R

L

6 Webquest: New words

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

E

G

3 Comprehension check Susan McDonald is an activist, a mother and a businesswoman. She is the president of the Franklin Reserve Neighbourhood Association. She moved to Franklin Reserve because of its safe, family-friendly reputation. Some of her neighbours cannot afford to pay their rent or mortgage. Susan and her neighbours keep the gardens of empty houses tidy. These days many people don’t want to have to drive everywhere. People have started moving back to the cities. Nearly twenty per cent of people’s household costs now go on transport.

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Key words

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 2 1

Intermediate

Brainstorming

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of: a) suburban living: living in a suburban area outside of a big town or city? b) urban living: living in a big town or city?

2

Key words

Write these key words into the sentences. doomed

lawn

foreclose

cul-de-sac mortgage

suburbanite community

custom-made ominous

demographic

potential

1. A __________________ is a legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank in order to buy a house.

The money is usually paid back in monthly payments.

2. When banks __________________, they take someone’s property because they failed to pay back the money

they borrowed to buy it.

3. People who live in an area are the __________________. 4. A __________________ is someone who lives in a suburb. 5. A __________________ is short street closed at one end so traffic can’t drive through it. 6. An adjective relating to populations: __________________. 7. A __________________ is an area of grass, especially in a garden. 8. When something is __________________, it makes you think something bad will happen. 9. When something is __________________, it is certain to fail or be destroyed. 10. An adjective for when something is possible or likely in the future: __________________.

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

11. Something that is __________________, is made for one particular person or purpose.

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 2

Intermediate

There goes the neighbourhood: mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump As the banks foreclose on loans across the US, worried householders watch their tree-lined streets change

the reputation of being a friendly, family-oriented community.” But once the mortgage crisis started to bite, McDonald began to notice changes.

6

“I took my kids for a walk in the park and saw some graffiti,” she says. Soon after, McDonald and seven others decided to form a neighbourhood association. Today, the group has 400 members, a lawn-mowing task force and a lively online message board.

7

But long grass is the least of suburbia’s problems, according to Christopher Leinberger, an urban theorist who wrote an analysis of the problem in the Atlantic Monthly. He argues that suburbia is doomed: “For the past 50 years we’ve left the city and headed to the suburbs,” he says. “Now people are moving back, aided by $4 per gallon gas.”

8

The move back to the towns and cities has also been helped by cultural and demographic changes, says Leinberger. Couples are having children later in life, so they don’t need a suburban house with five bedrooms and a huge garden. Many potential house buyers also prefer the concept of being able to walk to where they want to go; in suburbia they have to drive everywhere.

9

“Transport now accounts for 19% of household costs, compared to 3% a hundred years ago,” says Leinberger. “At some point this country has to get serious about reducing carbon emissions.”

Dan Glaister in Elk Grove April 28, 2008 1 Susan McDonald doesn’t look like an activist. She

drives a nice car, wears smart clothes and during office hours is the neighbourhood personal banker. But after work McDonald has another life. It is then that the mother of three turns into a neighbourhood organizer, encouraging people in her community to fight for a way of life that many believe is in danger.

2 McDonald, who calls herself a suburbanite, is

president of the Franklin Reserve Neighbourhood Association in the city of Elk Grove, 15 miles south of the Californian capital, Sacramento. Franklin Reserve, a collection of large houses on anonymous cul-de-sacs with unlikely names – Snow Leopard Circle, Fox Trotter Way – is at the heart of what some call ‘the fight for suburbia’.

3 The mortgage foreclosure crisis, along with

demographic changes, rising fuel prices and other factors could mean the end for the suburbs. The term ‘slumburbia’ was not far behind.

4 At Franklin Reserve, a walled community of 15,000

people, there are signs that all is not well. Some front lawns are overgrown and untidy, and there are many ‘for sale’ signs and signs offering properties for rent. On Caprezzo Way a five-bedroom, threebathroom house, complete with pool, is on the market for $550,000, probably $100,000 less than a year ago. Across the street a more ominous sign of the mortgage foreclosure crisis is taped to the gate of a house on Cortino Way. ‘Notice to quit,’ it declares, telling the occupants, who couldn’t pay their mortgage, they have three days to leave.

5 McDonald moved to Elk Grove four years ago,

10 But what most alarms urban theorists is what might become of developments like Franklin Reserve once people can no longer afford to live there. Unlike the inner city that was abandoned in the latter half of the last century, it is hard to adapt suburban developments to other uses. “These spaces are custom-made for residential purposes only,” says Leinberger. “They don’t convert easily to retail or office or hotel.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 28/04/08

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

attracted by suburban life; a new home in a new location, with award-winning schools. Elk Grove had

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 2 3

Intermediate

Comprehension check

According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? Correct any false sentences. 1. Susan McDonald is an activist, a mother and a business-woman. 2. She is the mayor of Franklin Reserve. 3. She moved to Franklin Reserve because of its safe, family-friendly reputation. 4. Some of her neighbours cannot afford to pay their rent or mortgage. 5. Susan employs the 400 local kids to cut the grass in front gardens. 6. Many people don’t want to have to drive everywhere. 7. A quarter of people’s household costs now go on transport. 8. Suburban areas such as Franklin Reserve can easily be converted into hotels or offices.

4 Vocabulary: Finance words Look back at the article. How many finance words can you find? Write them onto the word wheel.

al n so r er nke p . ba e.g

finance

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http://www.ubs.com/1/e/about/bterms.html

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Intermediate

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http://handsonbanking.org/nav_elements/teachers_guide_PDF/HOB_Dictionary.pdf

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http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/financialguide.pdf

•

CA

•

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

These websites and PDFs may be useful when you need to look up specific financial terms in English.

Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump Level 2 .

Intermediate

5 Discussion

Are house prices in your area going up or down? Why do you think this is?

6 Webquest In paragraph three of the article there is a new word made by joining two other words:

slum + suburbia = slumburbia Do you know what these words could be? •

iPod + broadcast = _________________

•

smoke + fog =

_________________

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NEWS LESSONS / Mortgage crisis sees suburbs slump / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Write ‘new words’ into a search engine or check http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/resourcenew.htm to find other new words.

Mortgage crisis sees ‘is suburbs slump Addiction to Internet an illness’ Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Finance words

1. mortgage 2. foreclose 3. community 4. suburbanite 5. cul-de-sac 6. demographic 7. lawn 8. ominous 9. doomed 10. potential 11. custom-made

Possible answers: • mortgage • bank • foreclose • loans • prices • sale • rent • on the market • costs • afford

3 Comprehension check

6 Webquest

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9.

• •

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

podcast smog

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

True False, she is the president of the Franklin Reserve Neighbourhood Assosciation. True True False, the Neighbourhood Assosciation has 400 members and a lawn-mowing taskforce. True False, 19% of people’s household costs go on transport. False, it’s hard to adapt these areas for other purposes.

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

predator

extinct

endangered

vulnerable

eradicate



rodent

evolves

unmolested

remote

ornithologist

1. If someone or something is __________________, they are easy to attack. 2. A __________________ place is one that is very far from cities, towns or people. 3. If an animal is __________________, it is not disturbed or bothered by other animals. 4. If a creature is __________________, it no longer exists anywhere in the world. 5. A __________________ is a type of small animal that has long sharp front teeth. 6. When an animal __________________, its physical form changes over a long period of time. 7. An __________________ is someone who studies birds. 8. If you __________________ something, you get rid of it completely. 9. A __________________ is an animal that kills and eats other animals. 10. An __________________ species is one that may soon become extinct.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements about wildlife on Gough Island in the South Atlantic are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Mice arrived in Gough Island on cruise ships. 2. The normal diet of house mice is insects and seeds. 3. The mice are 30 times bigger than the birds they kill. 4. More than half the young birds on Gough Island die in their nests. 5. One sixth of the world’s most endangered birds are on British territory.

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NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. The largest mice in the world live on Gough Island.

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Advanced

1 For tens of thousands of years, the birds of Gough Island lived unmolested, without predators on a remote outcrop in the south Atlantic. Today, the British-owned island, described as the home of the most important seabird colony in the world, still hosts 22 breeding species and is a world heritage site. But as a terrible consequence of the first whalers making landfall there 150 years ago, Gough Island has become the stage for one of nature’s great horror shows. Mice stowed away on the whaling boats jumped ship and have since multiplied to 700,000 or more on an island of about 25 square miles. 2 What is horrifying ornithologists is that the British house mouse has somehow evolved, growing to up to three times the size of ordinary domestic house mice, and instead of surviving on a diet of insects and seeds, has adapted itself to become a carnivore, eating albatross, petrel and shearwater chicks alive in their nests. They are now believed to be the largest mice in the world. Birdlife International, a global alliance of conservation groups, has recognized that the mice, who are without predators themselves, are out of control and threatening to make extinct several of the world’s rarest bird species. 3 The organization, which runs the Red List of endangered bird species, elevated the Tristan albatross, of which only a few remain in the world, and the Gough bunting, a small finch found only on the island, to the list of the world’s most critically endangered species, the highest category of threat. Five other bird species on the island are also said to be threatened. 4 The RSPB has proposed hiring helicopters to drop thousands of tonnes of rodent poison on the volcanic island, 2,000 miles off the coast of South America. “A government-funded feasibility study done with New Zealand, which has eradicated

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Advanced

5 “Things are getting worse on Gough,” said Dr Geoff Hilton, an RSPB scientist who has been researching conservation problems in UK overseas territories. “In the presence of house mice, the albatross and bunting have no chance of survival. The only hope for these threatened birds is complete eradication of mice. The world’s greatest seabird island is being eaten alive, as the mice are likely to be affecting the fortunes of many seabirds on the island. Without help Gough Island will be likely to lose the majority of seabirds,” said Hilton. 6 Those who have witnessed the phenomenon say the mice attack at night either alone or in groups, gnawing through the nests to get at the baby birds. Their parents, who have never experienced predators, are unable to defend them. Studies suggest about 60% of all Gough’s chicks die in their nests. “It is a catastrophe. The albatross chicks weigh ten kilograms. They evolved on Gough because it had no mammal predators – that is why they are so vulnerable. The mice weigh 35 grams; it is like a tabby cat attacking a hippopotamus,” said Hilton. 7 Britain has long been criticized for not maintaining the ecology of its overseas territories, which are mainly made up of groups of islands such as Pitcairn, Tristan da Cunha, and the Falklands. Of the world’s 190 most endangered birds, 32 are now officially British responsibility. 8 The RSPB’s spokeswoman added: “The study shows there is a glimmer of light. The UK government has supported us in discovering the problem, in conducting the feasibility study, and now in finalizing our plan for the mouse eradication. The big question is whether the UK will take its international commitments seriously and do what the governments of New Zealand and Australia have done, and provide the

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

John Vidal, environment editor

rats from many islands, shows it is possible. The mice would take the poison and just go to their nests and die. We think it could be done fairly easily and would cost about £2.6m,” a spokeswoman said.

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From stowaway to supersize predator: the mice eating rare seabirds alive

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Level 3

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 3

Advanced

big money needed to actually do the mouse eradication. If they don’t, we won’t be able to give two critically threatened species the lifeline they need.” 9

The discovery that the mice had adapted their diets and supersized themselves was made by Richard Cuthbert, a professional ornithologist who spent a year on the island in 2001 and stumbled on the phenomenon as he was

leaving. “It sounds incredulous, implausible that a mouse could attack a chick, but these chicks are really big spherical balls of fat covered in down, and because they are so fat and big they cannot defend themselves,” he said. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 20/05/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What is the only hope for the survival of the endangered bird species on Gough Island? a. That insects and seeds are introduced to the island to feed the mice. b. That the mice are taken from the island and sent elsewhere. c. That the mice are destroyed by poison. 2. Why can’t the parents defend their chicks? a. Because the mice are too big. b. Because they have no experience of predators. c. Because they are too fat. 3. What is the ‘glimmer of light’ referred to in the text? a. The fact that New Zealand and Australia have eradicated rats from islands. b. The fact that the UK government has supported the RSPB and the feasibility study. c. The fact that the cold South Atlantic weather may kill the mice. 4. Which answer best describes how the Gough Island mice have evolved? a. They have become much bigger and now only eat meat. b. They have stopped eating insects and seeds and started eating birds.

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c. They have adapted their diets and grown to up to three times the size of ordinary domestic house mice.

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A noun meaning a rock or group of rocks. (para 1) 2. A two-word expression meaning to arrive on land after a long voyage. (para 1) 3. A phrasal verb meaning to hide in a ship or plane and travel without permission. (para 1) 4. A two-word expression meaning to leave a ship without permission. (para 1) 5. A two-word expression meaning a report on the chances something has of being successful. (para 4) 6. A verb meaning to keep biting something. (para 6) 7. A phrasal verb meaning to find something by accident. (para 9) 8. An adjective meaning difficult to accept as true. (para 9)

5 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text. 1. house domestic mice ordinary 2. the species bird rarest of several world’s 3. feasibility a funded study government 4. most the critically world’s species endangered 5. of groups alliance a conservation global 6. the colony most world in the seabird important

6 Word formation Complete the sentences about the text using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence. 1. The effects of the growing numbers of mice on Gough Island could be _______________ for the bird population. [catastrophe] 2. The UK government has supported the RSPB _______________. [propose] 3. Britain’s _______________ of the ecology of its overseas territories has been criticized. [maintain] 4. The Tristan albatross and Gough bunting are facing _______________. [extinct] 5. The _______________ of the Gough Island mice is extraordinary. [evolve] 6. The birds have no defence against the mice; they are _______________. [defend]

6 Discussion

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Is it important if rare species become extinct? Should governments and conservationists intervene in situations like this or should they simply let nature take its course?

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. vulnerable 2. remote 3. unmolested 4. extinct 5. rodent 6. evolves 7. ornithologist 8. eradicate 9. predator 10. endangered

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

c b b c

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Advanced

6 Word formation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

catastrophic proposal maintenance extinction evolution defenceless

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3 Comprehension check

ordinary domestic house mice several of the world’s rarest bird species a government-funded feasibility study the world’s most critically endangered species a global alliance of conservation groups the most important seabird colony in the world

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F T F T T T

5 Chunks

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

outcrop make landfall stow away jump ship feasibility study gnaw stumble on implausible

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

species

extinct

endangered

ornithologist

rare



chick

poison

conservation

defend

nest

1. If a creature is ____________________, it no longer exists anywhere in the world. 2. If something is ____________________ , it is not often seen or found. 3. An ____________________ is someone who studies birds. 4. A ____________________ is an animal group whose members have the same features and can produce young together. 5. ____________________ is a substance that can kill you if you eat it. 6. ____________________ is the opposite of attack. 7. An ____________________ species is one that may soon become extinct. 8. ____________________ is the protection of the environment and the animals in it. 9. A ____________________ is a home that birds make to keep their eggs and babies in. 10. A ____________________ is a baby bird.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. Where is Gough Island? 2. How far is Gough Island from the coast of South America? 3. How many species of birds live on the island? 4. How many mice are there on the island? 5. How much will it cost to remove all the mice from the island?

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6. How much do the albatross chicks weigh?

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Elementary

2 But now something terrible is happening to the birds on Gough Island. When the first whaling ships landed there 150 years ago, a number of mice escaped from the ships and made their home on the island. Now there are more than 700,000 mice on an island which is only 25 square miles in size. 3 Ornithologists are shocked that the British house mouse has somehow changed and now grows to almost three times the size of normal house mice. House mice usually eat insects and seeds but the mice on Gough Island have changed and are now meat-eaters. They eat baby birds alive in their nests and they are now the largest mice in the world. Birdlife International, a global conservation group, says that the mice on Gough Island are out of control and could make several of the world’s rarest bird species extinct. 4 Birdlife International keeps a list of endangered bird species and has now put two of Gough Island’s bird species on the list of the world’s most endangered species, the highest level of danger. There is also a danger that five other bird species on the island will become extinct. 5 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has suggested using helicopters to drop thousands of tonnes of rat poison on Gough Island. “New Zealand has removed rats completely from many islands, so it is possible.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Elementary

6 “Things are getting worse on Gough,” said Dr Geoff Hilton, an RSPB scientist who has been studying conservation problems in the UK’s overseas territories. “The presence of house mice means that rare birds have no chance of survival. The only hope for these birds is to remove the mice completely. The mice are eating this island alive. Without help Gough Island will probably lose most of its seabirds,” said Hilton. 7 People who have seen the mice in action say they attack at night either alone or in groups, eating through the nests to attack the baby birds. The birds’ parents can’t defend them. Studies show that about 60% of all the baby birds on Gough Island die in their nests. “It’s disastrous. The albatross chicks weigh ten kilograms but they are easy to attack. The mice weigh 35 grams; it is like a pet cat attacking a hippopotamus,” said Hilton. 8 The RSPB’s spokeswoman added: “The study shows there is some hope. The UK government has helped us to discover the problem, to conduct the study, and now to finalize our plan to destroy the mice. The big question is whether the UK will provide the big money needed to actually destroy the mice. Without this money, we can’t help these endangered bird species.” 9 Richard Cuthbert, a professional ornithologist who spent a year on the island in 2001, was the man who first discovered that the mice had changed their diet and increased in size. “It sounds incredible that a mouse could attack a baby bird, but these birds are so fat and big that they cannot defend themselves,” he said. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 20/05/08

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1 Gough Island is a small hilly island in the cold South Atlantic, 2,000 miles from the coast of South America. It is home to tens of thousands of seabirds. For tens of thousands of years the birds of Gough Island lived safely on their rocky island, which some people say is the most important home for seabirds in the world. Today there are still 22 species of birds and Gough Island is protected by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.

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John Vidal, environment editor May 20, 2008

The mice will eat the poison and just go to their nests and die. We think it will be quite easy to do and it will cost about £2.6m,” an RSPB spokeswoman said.

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From stowaway to supersize predator: the mice eating rare seabirds alive

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Level 1

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. It will cost about £2.6 million… 2. The UK government helped the RSPB... 3. The problem is that… 4. Helicopters… 5. More than half the baby birds on Gough Island… 6. The mice on Gough Island…

a. … die in their nests. b. … the chicks cannot defend themselves. c. … to kill all the mice on Gough Island. d. … are the biggest mice in the world. e. … will drop thousands of tonnes of rat poison on the island. f. … to discover the problem and conduct the study.

4 Word building: Nouns and adjectives Complete the table using words from the text.

shock

3

profession

4

globe

5

disaster

6

hill

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Elementary

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rock

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1

adjective

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noun

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 1

Elementary

5 Verbs Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the words in the right-hand column to make expressions from the text. Check your answers in the text.

1. spend

a. £2.6 million



2. finalize

b. a list



3. keep

c. time (a year)



4. weigh

d. in size



5. cost

e. ten kilograms



6. increase

f. a plan

6 Irregular plural forms Complete the table.

singular 1

mice

2

louse

3

sheep

4

deer fish

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geese

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5

plural

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Word Building: Nouns and adjectives

1. extinct 2. rare 3. ornithologist 4. species 5. poison 6. defend 7. endangered 8. conservation 9. nest 10. chick

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c f b e a d

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Elementary

c f b e a d

6 Irregular plural forms 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

mouse lice sheep deer fish goose

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in the South Atlantic 2,000 miles 22 700,000 £2.6 million ten kilograms

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Verbs

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2 Find the information

rocky shocked professional global disastrous hilly

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 2 Intermediate 1

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. predator

extinct

horrified

carnivore

endangered rare

remote chick

ornithologist catastrophe

1. If a creature is ___________________, it no longer exists anywhere in the world. 2. An ___________________ is someone who studies birds. 3. A ___________________ is an animal that kills and eats other animals. 4. A ___________________ is a baby bird. 5. If something is ___________________, it is not often seen or found. 6. If you are ___________________, you find something extremely shocking and unpleasant. 7. A ___________________ is something that causes a lot of damage and suffering. 8. An ___________________ species is one that may soon become extinct. 9. A ___________________ place is one that is very far from cities, towns or people. 10. A ___________________ is an animal that eats meat.

2 Find the information Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. Where is Gough Island? 2. Which country governs Gough Island? 3. How many mice live on the island? 4. How much do albatross chicks weigh? 5. How much do the mice weigh?

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6. How much will it cost to remove all the mice from the island?

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 2 Intermediate

3 Birdlife International, which runs the Red List of endangered bird species, has now put two of Gough Island’s bird species on the list of the world’s most critically endangered species, the highest level of danger. Five other bird species on the island are also said to be in danger of becoming extinct. 4 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has proposed hiring helicopters to drop thousands of tonnes of rat poison on the volcanic island, 2,000 miles off the coast of South America. “A government-funded study done with New Zealand, which has removed rats completely from many islands, shows it is possible. The mice would

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Intermediate

7 Britain has been criticized for not doing enough to support the ecology of its overseas territories, which mainly consist of groups of islands such as Pitcairn, Tristan da Cunha and the Falklands. 32 of the world’s 190 most endangered birds are now officially British responsibility. 8 The RSPB’s spokeswoman added: “The study shows there is some hope. The UK government has supported us in discovering the problem, in conducting the study, and now in finalizing our plan to get rid of the mice. The big question is whether the UK will take its international commitments seriously and do what the governments of New Zealand and Australia have done, and provide the big money needed to actually get rid of the mice. If they don’t, we won’t be able to help these endangered bird species.” 9 The discovery that the mice had changed their diets and grown in size was made by Richard

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2 Ornithologists are horrified that the British house mouse has somehow changed and now grows to up to three times the size of ordinary domestic house mice. Instead of surviving on a diet of insects and seeds, it has adapted itself and has become a carnivore, eating baby birds alive in their nests. They are now believed to be the largest mice in the world. Birdlife International, a global alliance of conservation groups, has recognized that the mice, which have no predators themselves, are out of control and could make several of the world’s rarest bird species extinct.

6 People who have seen the mice in action say they attack at night either alone or in groups, eating through the nests to attack the baby birds. The birds’ parents are unable to defend them. Studies suggest about 60% of all the baby birds on Gough Island die in their nests. “It is a catastrophe. The albatross chicks weigh ten kilograms. They developed on Gough Island because it had no mammal predators – that is why they are so easy to attack. The mice weigh 35 grams; it is like a pet cat attacking a hippopotamus,” said Hilton.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1 For tens of thousands of years, the birds of Gough Island lived without danger on their rocky island in the south Atlantic. Today, the remote British-owned island, which has been described as the home of the most important seabird colony in the world, still has 22 species of birds and is a world heritage site. But now Gough Island has become the stage for one of nature’s great horror shows. When the first whaling ships landed there 150 years ago, mice escaped from the ships and their numbers have now grown to 700,000 or more on an island of about 25 square miles.

5 “Things are getting worse on Gough,” said Dr Geoff Hilton, an RSPB scientist who has been researching conservation problems in UK overseas territories. “The presence of house mice means that rare birds have no chance of survival. The only hope for these birds is to remove the mice completely. The mice are eating this island alive. Without help Gough Island will probably lose the majority of its seabirds,” said Hilton.

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John Vidal, environment editor May 20, 2008

eat the poison and just go to their nests and die. We think it could be done fairly easily and would cost about £2.6m,” a spokeswoman said.

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From stowaway to supersize predator: the mice eating rare seabirds alive

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 2 Intermediate Cuthbert, a professional ornithologist who spent a year on the island in 2001. “It sounds incredible that a mouse could attack a baby bird, but these birds are really big round balls of fat covered in feathers, and because they are so fat and big they cannot defend themselves,” he said. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 20/05/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. It will be very difficult to remove all the mice from Gough Island. 2. The albatross chicks are almost 30 times bigger than the mice. 3. New Zealand has tried to remove rats from some islands but without success. 4. The mice first arrived on Gough Island in the 19th century. 5. Gough Island is near the coast of South America. 6. No-one spends more than a few days on Gough Island because it is so remote.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A three-word expression meaning a special place protected by UNESCO. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning the activity of hunting for whales. (para 1) 3. A verb meaning to change your behaviour to deal with a new situation. (para 2) 4. A three-word expression meaning a research project paid for by the government. (para 4) 5. An adverb meaning to some degree but not completely. (para 4) 6. A three word expression meaning to remove completely. (para 8) 7. A noun meaning a promise to do something. (para 8)

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8. A verb meaning to make the final arrangements for something. (para 8)

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 2 Intermediate 5 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1

noun

conserve

2

proposal

3

survive

4

discover

5

commit

6

escape

7

recognition

8

removal

6 Prepositions Complete these phrases from the text using prepositions. 1. out _________ control 2. up _________ three times the size 3. survive _________ a diet of insects and seeds 4. in danger _________ becoming extinct 5. no chance _________ survival 6. consist _________ 7. get rid _________ 8. covered _________ feathers

7 Discussion

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Should governments spend money to protect endangered species?

Mice eating rare seabirds alive Level 2 Intermediate KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. extinct 2. ornithologist 3. predator 4. chick 5. rare 6. horrified 7. catastrophe 8. endangered 9. remote 10. carnivore

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

conservation propose survival discovery commitment escape recognize remove

3 Comprehension check

6 Prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mice eating rare seabirds alive / Intermediate

of to on of of of of in

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F T F T F F

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in the South Atlantic the UK 700,000 ten kilograms 35 grams £2.6 million

5 Word building

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

world heritage site whaling adapt government-funded study fairly get rid of commitment finalize

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer: What do you think?

a) How much do the following items cost in your local supermarket? •

a loaf of bread

_______________

•

a litre of milk

_______________

•

a dozen eggs

_______________

•

a packet of pasta

_______________

b) How do these prices compare with those of a year ago? c) Skim-read the article to find out (on average) how much the items currently cost in Britain. Note: Tesco and Asda are two of the largest supermarket chains in the UK.

2

Key words

Find the key words in the article. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. In the sea, not on land: __________________. (para 1) 2. When you usually do something, you __________________ to do it. (para 4) 3. A verb meaning to be different in different situations. __________________ (para 5) 4. A noun meaning something which is like something that happened before: __________________. (para 5) 5. When you are __________________, you have no money in the bank account and your balance is below zero. (para 8) 6. A noun meaning a way to solve a problem in which people accept they cannot have everything they want: __________________. (para 9) 7. An adjective used to describe poultry that are kept together in small spaces: __________________. (para 9) 8. The opposite of 7 above: __________________. (para 9) 9. __________________ are products that a company produces for itself. They usually have the name of the shop on the label. (para 11) 10. __________________ are feelings of doubt about whether something is good or right. (para 12) 11. When something is famous for being bad, it is __________________ bad. (para 13) 12. When you __________________ something, you formally start it. (para 13) 13. A __________________ is a set of plans set by a government. (para 13) 14. When you __________________ something, you throw it away. (para 14)

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15. Something that is __________________ is confused, in the wrong order, or upside down. (para 14)

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Advanced

Global food crisis Families struggling as bills begin to bite

2 The first thing that Jim Wall does on his way home from the oil rigs is call in at a large Tesco supermarket on the outskirts of Aberdeen, to buy “a bit of everything”. Although the family has a weekly box of vegetables delivered from a local farmers’ market, his return is eagerly awaited. 3 “I always fill up the fridge and freezers before I go, and then when I come back I have to do it all over again,” he says. “I know the cupboards will be almost empty by that stage.” The couple say their weekly food bill is usually around £150, though in the last four days they’ve spent £220. A few years ago, they reckon, they spent about £100 a week. 4 “Bread and milk are classic examples,” says her husband. “I think it was about 75p for a loaf of Asda bread just a couple of months back, now it’s almost £1.” “I tend to go and get a little bit of shopping when he’s away, and what used to cost me £20 to £25 is now £35, almost £40, for pretty much the same amount of stuff,” says Sharon Wall. “I was in Asda the other day and I thought, oh, I’ve got hardly anything here and it’s come to £20!” 5 The numbers and the precise circumstances may vary, but in recent months the Walls’ experience has found echoes in family budgets up and down Britain. For many, food price increases – a pound here, £10 there – are starting to hurt. 6 Bread costs 20% more than it did a year ago and rice 60% more. Pasta has gone up by 81% in some shops, and in Tesco it was found to be 113% more expensive. Butter costs 60% more than it did and

8

In his small local Asda, Jim Wall pauses in front of a shelf of bread, running through his head the small, familiar calculations – 5p, 12p, 24p – that can make the difference between ending the month overdrawn, and not. Warburton’s farmhouse loaves, the family favourite, are £1.12 each. He puts two loaves of Asda Baker’s Gold, 95p each, in his trolley. “When you’re going through almost a loaf of bread a day, that 17p does make a difference.”

9

Eggs, too, involve a compromise: “I really don’t like the way battery chickens are kept, but six plain eggs are just 88p, and here you have 12 free range for £2.92.” In the end he compromises with a dozen ‘barn eggs’ for £2.52.

10 Food miles, pesticides, and fair trade also concern them, Sharon Wall says, but these days ethics can feel something of an expensive luxury. “We try to get bits of organic food; I try to get the fair trade coffee. Price comes into it, though. Some weeks I try to pick up the fair trade coffee, whereas other weeks I think, I just can’t afford it this week.” 11 Stores look rather different than they used to: budget and own-brand ranges are now found front and centre in displays. “We are seeing more promotions than ever, says Andrew Opie, from the British Retail Consortium, which represents leading British supermarket chains, “and these tend to be straightforward reductions in price, rather than bogofs (‘buy one get one free’ offers).” 12 The Wall family welcome offers, of course, but with reservations. “The things that aren’t good for you, the cookies and the cakes and the crisps, are the things that are on offer” says Jim Wall. 13 Late last year, in response to high prices and the

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Families struggling as bills begin to bite / Advanced

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1 For the two weeks in every month that her husband Jim is working offshore on oil rigs, Sharon Wall is at home with their four young children. As Sharon does not drive, and there are no good quality food shops within walking distance, feeding the junior Walls is a little more complicated than for most families.

“The odd thing is that a lot of people seem to have only just noticed,” says Alex Beckett, a food journalist. “In fact, food prices have been going up for quite some time, but they have dramatically soared in the last 18 months.”

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May 29, 2008

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meat prices are up too. These increases represent the sharpest rise in food prices since records began.

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Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 3

Advanced

country’s notoriously poor nutrition, the Scottish parliament initiated a ‘national food debate’ in order to come up with a comprehensive policy for food provision in Scotland. 14 This is a conversation that needs to happen not only in Scotland, say experts. For as long as Britain consumes so much more than it produces

– and bins £10bn-worth of food a year, including, every day, 550,000 chickens and 5.1m potatoes – they argue that talk of supermarket prices is topsy-turvy at best. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 29/05/08

3 Comprehension check Find the answers to the questions in the article. 1. Which food item has had the sharpest price increase? a) bread b) pasta c) butter d) milk 2. How much has the Wall’s food bill risen by in the last few years? a) 15% b) 25% c) 50% d) 60% 3. When they can afford it, the Walls buy... a) barn eggs. b) organic milk. c) cakes and crisps. d) fair trade coffee. 4. The Scottish parliament’s national food debate aims to... a) persuade people to eat less chickens and potatoes. b) provide cheap food for all. c) get people to eat healthier food. d) force out large supermarket chains. 5. If a loaf of bread costs £1, which of the following offers would save you the most money?

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a) bogof b) two for the price of one c) half price d) 50% off

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Collocations a) Match the words to make collocations (word pairs) from the article. walking eagerly classic hardly pretty family precise dramatically familiar expensive

anything circumstances calculations budget distance soared example luxury much awaited

b) Now use the collocations to make sentences of your own.

!

........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................

5 Discussion If you had to reduce your weekly food bill by 20%, how would you go about it?

6 Webquest How does www.mysupermarket.co.uk help British shoppers save money and calories? Go to the website and watch the demo video to find out.

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Also find out what the traffic light food labelling system is by going to http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/ foodlabels/trafficlights/.

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 3 Advanced KEY 2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Collocations

1. offshore 2. tend 3. vary 4. echoes 5. overdrawn 6. compromise 7. battery 8. free range 9. own-brand 10. reservations 11. notoriously 12. initiate 13. policy 14. bin 15. topsy-turvy

• • • • • • • • • •

walking distance eagerly awaited classic example hardly anything pretty much family budget precise circumstances dramatically soared familiar calculations expensive luxury

3 Comprehension check b c d c a, b, c & d (all answers are the same)

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1 2 3 4 5

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 1

Elementary

1 Warmer: What do you think? a) How much do these items cost in your local supermarket? •

a loaf of bread

_______________

•

a litre of milk

_______________

•

a dozen eggs

_______________

•

a packet of pasta

_______________

b) Skim-read the article to find out (on average) how much the items currently cost in Britain. Note: Tesco and Asda are two of the largest supermarket chains in the UK.

2 Key words Match the key words from the article with the definitions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. free range increases cupboard fridge pesticides organic trolley freezer battery

stuff

hardly anything

struggling odd throw away

1. Fighting, or experiencing financial difficulties: ____________________. (title) 2. Three words (para 3) that describe places in the kitchen where you can keep different kinds of food: cold food ____________________ frozen food ____________________ tins and packets of food ____________________ 3. A word you can use to talk about a variety of different things: ____________________. (para 4) 4. A phrase meaning almost nothing. ____________________ (para 4) 5. Rises in the number, amount or degree of something: ____________________. (para 5) 6. Another word for strange or unusual: ____________________. (para 7) 7. A wire basket on wheels that you push in a supermarket: ____________________. (para 8) 8. An adjective used to describe birds that are kept together in small spaces: ____________________. (para 9) 9. The opposite of 8 above: ____________________. (para 9) 10. Chemicals used for killing insects, especially those that eat crops: ____________________. (para 10) 11. An adjective to describe food that is produced naturally and without using 10 above: _________________. (para 10)

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12. To get rid of something you no longer want, e.g. by putting it in a dustbin: ____________________. (para 12)

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Elementary rises in food prices since records began. 7

1 Jim Wall works on oil rigs in the North Sea and is away for two weeks at a time. His wife, Sharon, stays at home with their four young children. Sharon cannot drive and there are no good quality food shops nearby, so feeding her children is complicated.

“The odd thing is that a lot of people have only just noticed,” says Alex Beckett, a food journalist. “In fact, food prices have been going up for quite some time, but they have gone up dramatically in the last 18 months.”

8

2 On his way home from the oil rigs, Jim Wall stops at a large Tesco supermarket in Aberdeen to buy “a bit of everything”. The family has a box of vegetables delivered from a local farmers’ market every week, but they look forward to Jim coming home with the rest of the food.

In his small local Asda, Jim Wall pauses in front of a shelf of bread. Warburton’s farmhouse loaves, the family’s favourite, are £1.12 each. He puts two loaves of Asda Baker’s Gold, 95p each, in his trolley. “When your family eats a loaf of bread a day, that 17p does make a difference.”

9

Jim also has to decide which eggs to buy: “I really don’t like the way battery chickens are kept, but six eggs from battery chickens are just 88p, and 12 free range cost £2.92.” In the end he buys a dozen ‘barn eggs’ for £2.52.

4 “Bread and milk are good examples,” says Jim Wall. “I think it was about 75p for a loaf of Asda bread two months ago, now it’s almost £1.” “I usually get a little bit of shopping when he’s away, but what used to cost me £20 to £25 is now £35 to £40, for pretty much the same amount of stuff,” says Sharon Wall. “I was in Asda the other day and I thought, oh, I’ve got hardly anything here and it’s £20!” 5 Many families in Britain have the same problems as the Walls. For many people, food price increases are starting to hurt.

10 Sharon Wall says that they think about food miles, pesticides and fair trade, but these days ‘green’ shopping is an expensive luxury. “We try to buy organic food and I try to get fair trade coffee but sometimes I just can’t afford it.” 11 Supermarkets do have many promotions and special offers but as Jim says, “The things that aren’t good for you, the cookies and the cakes and the crisps, are the things that are on offer”. 12 The Scottish parliament is looking at the problem of providing good healthy food to the people in Scotland. This is a topic that needs to be discussed not only in Scotland, say experts. Currently people in Britain throw away £10bnworth of food a year, including, every day, 550,000 chickens and 5.1m potatoes.

6 Bread costs 20% more than it did a year ago and rice 60% more. Pasta has gone up by 81% in some shops, and in Tesco it was 113% more expensive. Butter costs 60% more than it did and meat prices are up too. These are the sharpest

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Families struggling as bills begin to bite / Elementary

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 29/05/08

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3 “I always fill up the fridge and freezers before I go, and then when I come back I have to do it all over again,” he says. “I know the cupboards will be almost empty by then.” The couple say their weekly food bill is usually around £150, however, in the last four days they’ve spent £220. A few years ago they spent about £100 a week on food.

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3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves. 1. Jim Wall works on...

... has risen by 50%.

2. Sharon Wall looks after...

... people to eat more healthy food.

3. Sharon cannot drive so Jim...

... their four children.

4. The Walls’ food bill...

... over half a million chickens a day.

5. When they can afford it, the Walls...

... usually for unhealthy food.

6. Promotional offers in supermarkets are...

... buy organic food.

7. People in Britain throw away...

... does the main shopping.

8. The Scottish parliament wants...

... oil rigs in the North Sea.

4 Vocabulary: Packaging and quantities In the article you can read about a loaf of bread, a litre of milk, a dozen eggs, and a packet of pasta. What other items come in packets or litres? Write your ideas into the word wheels.

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a litre of...

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5 Language: Word games alliteration is the use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words in a sentence, especially in poetry Source: Macmillan English Dictionary There is a nice example of alliteration in the title of the article: bills begin to bite. In pairs or teams, see who can think of the best or funniest example of alliteration using words from the article: pasta bread eggs milk rice butter supermarket children

!

Example: pink pasta is prettier. ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................ .......................................................................................................................................................

6 Webquest

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How does www.mysupermarket.co.uk help British shoppers save money and calories? Go to the website and watch the demo video to find out.

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 1 Elementary KEY 2 Key words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

struggling fridge, freezer, cupboard stuff hardly anything increases odd trolley battery free range pesticides organic throw away

3 Comprehension check Jim Wall works on oil rigs in the North Sea. Sharon Wall looks after their four children. Sharon cannot drive so Jim does the main shopping. The Walls’ food bill has risen by 50%. When they can afford it, the Walls buy organic food. Promotional offers in supermarkets are usually for unhealthy food. People in Britain throw away over half a million chickens a day. The Scottish parliament wants people to eat more healthy food.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer: What do you think?

a) How much do the following items cost in your local supermarket? •

a loaf of bread

_______________

•

a litre of milk

_______________

•

a dozen eggs

_______________

•

a packet of pasta

_______________

b) Have these prices increased much in the past year? c) Skim-read the article to find out (on average) how much the items currently cost in Britain. Note: Tesco and Asda are two of the largest supermarket chains in the UK.

2

Key words

Match the key words from the article with the definitions.

free range

topsy-turvy



stuff

trolley

overdrawn

hardly anything

struggling

own-brand

offshore

organic

battery

represent

pesticides

1. Fighting, or experiencing difficulties: ___________________. (title) 2. In the sea, not on land: ___________________. (para 1) 3. A word you can use to talk about a variety of different things: ___________________. (para 4) 4. A phrase meaning almost nothing: ___________________. (para 4) 5. To be a sign or a symbol of something: ___________________. (para 6) 6. When you are ___________________, you have no money in your bank account and your balance is below zero. (para 8) 7. A wire basket on wheels that you push, used in a supermarket for carrying the things you want to buy: ___________________. (para 8) 8. An adjective used to describe poultry that are kept together in small spaces: ___________________. (para 9) 9. The opposite of 7 above: ___________________. (para 9) 10. Chemicals used for killing insects, especially those that damage crops: ___________________. (para 10) 11. An adjective to describe food that is produced naturally and without using 10 above: ___________________. (para 10) 12. ___________________ are products that a company produces for itself. They usually have the name of the shop on the label. (para 11)

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13. Something that is ___________________ is confused, in the wrong order, or upside down. (para 13)

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Intermediate 8

In his small local Asda, Jim Wall pauses in front of a shelf of bread, running through his head the small, familiar calculations – 5p, 12p, 24p – that can make the difference between ending the month overdrawn, and not. Warburton’s farmhouse loaves, the family favourite, are £1.12 each. He puts two loaves of Asda Baker’s Gold, 95p each, in his trolley. “When your family eats a loaf of bread a day, that 17p does make a difference.”

9

Jim also has to decide which eggs to buy: “I really don’t like the way battery chickens are kept, but six eggs from battery chickens are just 88p, and here you have 12 free range for £2.92.” In the end he buys a dozen ‘barn eggs’ for £2.52.

Esther Addley May 29, 2008 1 For the two weeks in every month that her husband

2 The first thing that Jim Wall does on his way home

10 Sharon Wall says that they are also concerned

about food miles, pesticides and fair trade, but these days ‘green’ shopping is an expensive luxury. “We try to buy organic food; I try to get the fair trade coffee. Price is a factor, though. Some weeks I try to get the fair trade coffee, whereas other weeks I think, I just can’t afford it this week.”

3 “I always fill up the fridge and freezers before I

go, and then when I come back I have to do it all over again,” he says. “I know the cupboards will be almost empty by then.” The couple say their weekly food bill is usually around £150, however, in the last four days they’ve spent £220. A few years ago they spent about £100 a week on food.

11 Stores look rather different than they used to:

own-brand ranges are now found front and centre in displays. “We are seeing more promotions than ever, says Andrew Opie, from the British Retail Consortium, which represents leading British supermarket chains. These tend to be straightforward reductions in price, rather than bogofs (‘buy one get one free’ offers).”

4 “Bread and milk are classic examples,” says her

husband. “I think it was about 75p for a loaf of Asda bread just a couple of months back, now it’s almost £1.” “I usually get a little bit of shopping when he’s away, and what used to cost me £20 to £25 is now £35 to £40, for pretty much the same amount of stuff,” says Sharon Wall. “I was in Asda the other day and I thought, oh, I’ve got hardly anything here and it’s £20!”

12 The Wall family welcome offers, of course, but as

Jim says, “The things that aren’t good for you, the cookies and the cakes and the crisps, are the things that are on offer”.

5 In recent months many families in Britain have been experiencing the same problems as the Walls. For many, food price increases – a pound here, £10 there – are starting to hurt.

13 Last year, the Scottish parliament opened a national

6 Bread costs 20% more than it did a year ago and

rice 60% more. Pasta has gone up by 81% in some shops, and in Tesco it was found to be 113% more expensive. Butter costs 60% more than it did and meat prices are up too. These increases represent the sharpest rise in food prices since records began.

7 “The odd thing is that a lot of people have only just

noticed,” says Alex Beckett, a food journalist. “In fact, food prices have been going up for quite some time, but they have dramatically soared in the last 18 months.”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Families struggling as bills begin to bite / Intermediate

food debate to look at the problem of providing good healthy food to the people in Scotland. This is a topic that needs to be discussed not only in Scotland say experts. While Britain consumes so much more than it produces – and throws away £10bn-worth of food a year, including, every day, 550,000 chickens and 5.1m potatoes – experts say that talking about supermarket prices is topsy-turvy at best. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 29/05/08

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from the oil rigs is to stop at a large Tesco supermarket on the outskirts of Aberdeen, to buy “a bit of everything”. Although the family has a weekly box of vegetables delivered from a local farmers’ market, they eagerly look forward to his return.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Jim is working offshore on oil rigs, Sharon Wall is at home with their four young children. As Sharon does not drive, and there are no good quality food shops within walking distance, feeding her children is a little more complicated than for most families.

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Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 2 3

Intermediate

Comprehension check

According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. Jim Walls works at Tesco. 2. The Wall’s food bill has risen by 50%. 3. When they can afford it, the Walls buy eggs from battery chickens. 4. Promotional offers are usually for unhealthy food. 5. The Scottish parliament’s national food debate aims to get people to eat healthier food. 6. The family’s favourite bread costs £1. 7. Sharon and Jim Wall have four children. 8. Sharon Wall drives to the local Asda when her husband is away. 9. People in Britain waste over half a million chickens a day. 10. Supermarkets are promoting and selling more of their own brands. 11. The Wall family only buy organic or fair trade produce.

4 Vocabulary: Trends Fill in the missing vowels to find phrases used in the article to describe trends. Then check your answers in paragraphs 6 and 7.

c _ sts 20% m _ r _ g _ n _ _ p by m_ r_ _ xp_ ns _ v _ pr _ c _ s _ r _

_p

sh _ rp _ st r _ s _ pr _ c _ s h _ v _ b _ _ n g _ _ ng _ p dr _ m _ t _ c _ lly s _ _ r _ d

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Now decide how you would express the exact opposite of the phrases and write your answers on the right.

Families struggling as bills begin to bite Level 2

Intermediate

5 Discussion If necessary, would you be able to reduce your weekly food bill by 20%? How?

6 Webquest How does www.mysupermarket.co.uk help British shoppers save money and calories? Go to the website and watch the demo video to find out.

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Also find out what the traffic light food labelling system is by going to http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/ foodlabels/trafficlights/.

Families struggling begin to bite Addiction to Internetas‘isbills an illness’ Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 2 Key words

4 Vocabulary: Trends

1. struggling 2. offshore 3. stuff 4. hardly anything 5. represent 6. overdrawn 7. trolley 8. battery 9. free range 10. pesticides 11. organic 12. own-brand 13. topsy-turvy

Suggested answers: costs 20% more gone up by more expensive prices are up sharpest rise prices have been going up dramatically soared

costs 20% less gone down by less expensive / cheaper prices are down sharpest fall prices have been going down dramatically plummeted / fell

3 Comprehension check

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1. False 2. True 3. False 4. True 5. True 6. False 7. True 8. False 9. True 10. True 11. False

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.



plunge

foolhardy

embolism

abort

foiled

harnessed

exceed

weightlessness

gaze

gondola

1. If you do something ____________________, you ignore obvious dangers in a stupid way. 2. ____________________ is a situation in which you have no weight because you are outside the Earth’s atmosphere. 3. A ____________________ is the part of a hot-air balloon that people travel in. 4. If you ____________________ a particular speed, you go faster than it. 5. If you ____________________ at something, you look at it for a long time because it is attractive or interesting. 6. To ____________________ is to fall very quickly from a great height. 7. If you ____________________ a mission, you stop it because it is too dangerous to continue. 8. An ____________________ is a medical condition in which a blood vessel in your body becomes blocked by a mass of blood. 9. If an attempt to do something is ____________________, it is prevented from happening. 10. If something is ____________ to something else, it is firmly attached to it.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. The record for the highest parachute jump is a jump from over 100,000 feet. 2. It is impossible for a free-fall parachutist to travel faster than the speed of sound. 3. At 40,000 feet there is still enough oxygen to breathe. 4. The weather has no effect on attempts to break parachute-jumping records. 5. At a height of 12 miles, your blood will boil if your pressure suit fails.

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6. The world record parachute jump was set nearly 50 years ago.

The man who will free-fall to Earth Advanced

1 For twenty years Michel Fournier has worked towards a dream that is literally out of this world. It is to fly to the very edge of the Earth’s atmosphere, experience the weightlessness and deep blackness of space, gaze down upon the Earth – and then jump. Now the 64-yearold retired French army officer is set to fulfil it. Today, if the weather is favourable, he will attempt Le Grand Saut – The Great Leap – from almost 25 miles high up over the great plains of Saskatchewan in Canada. 2 His plan is to climb into the pressurised gondola of a 650ft balloon, which resembles a giant jellyfish, and make a two-hour journey up to 130,000ft. Then he will step out of the capsule and, wearing only a special spacesuit, helmet and parachute, plunge back down. It will take 15 minutes, during which he will break through the sound barrier. 3 It may seem extremely foolhardy, even suicidal. At 40,000ft there is not enough oxygen to breathe and the threat of suffering a fatal embolism. At 12 miles up, should his pressure suit fail, his blood could begin to boil because of the air pressure, according to scientists who have been advising him on his mission. Should his body become exposed, he would lose consciousness and suffer brain damage within very few minutes. 4 But if he succeeds, he will smash four world records, falling longer, further and faster than any human ever has. “It’s not a question of world records,” he said from his base in North Battleford. “What is important are what the results from the jump will bring to the safety of the conquest of space. However, the main question being asked today by all scientists is,

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Advanced

6 From today, though, there is a small window of opportunity when the conditions are perfect and he and his 40-strong team are determined to take advantage. Fournier will breathe pure oxygen for two to three hours before lift-off to prevent decompression sickness. He will ascend in the capsule harnessed to the giant balloon to the very edge of space. The pressure will then be let off gradually to allow him to make his jump. 7 It is estimated that he will be in freefall for around eight minutes, exceeding the speed of sound – 770mph – within 40 seconds and going on to approaching 1,000mph. At lower altitude, wind resistance will slow down his fall and his parachute is designed to open at around 20,000ft. 8 If he succeeds, he will have broken records for the fastest free-fall, the longest free-fall, the highest altitude for a human balloon flight, and the highest parachute jump. The previous record jump from a balloon was performed in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, now 79, a former US Air Force pilot who leapt from 102,800ft and exceeded 600mph in 1960. He has been in correspondence with Fournier. “I told him many years ago, it’s definitely beautiful but very hostile. If the pressure suit fails, you die,” he said. 9 Hot on Fournier’s heels is Steve Truglia, a 45-year-old stuntman from London and former

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Caroline Davies May 25, 2008

5 The former paratrooper has been preparing himself since 1988, when the French space agency selected him to free-fall and parachute from near-space to test potential methods of escape for astronauts. After physical and psychological tests, he was chosen for the mission, but the programme was aborted. So he decided to do it himself, selling his home and most of his belongings and pleading for private donations to fund the $20m needed for training and equipment. He has tried twice before, but been foiled by the weather or technical problems before getting off the ground.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

From over 130,000ft, the ultimate parachute jumper will break the sound barrier while on his way down

can a man survive when crossing the sound barrier?”

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The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 3

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member of the British Special Forces, who intends to take on whatever record Fournier succeeds in breaking. He reportedly plans a similar jump over the United States in July. Claude-Jean Harel, from Canada’s Great Excursions Company who is working with Fournier’s team, said that he had faith. “It is impossible not to be drawn into the dream, no matter how difficult to achieve it seems.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 25/05/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why did Michel Fournier decide to plan his free-fall mission himself? a. Because the French space agency programme was aborted. b. Because it was too expensive for the French space agency to fund it. c. Because technical problems foiled the French space agency mission. 2. Which sentence best describes his potential achievement? a. If he succeeds he will be the first man to break through the sound barrier. b. If he succeeds he will break a number of records simultaneously. c. If he succeeds he will be the oldest man since Joe Kittinger to hold the record. 3. What does Fournier describe as important? a. Contributing to the safety of the conquest of space. b. Breaking world records. c. Breaking through the sound barrier. 4. Why is the jump described as “foolhardy”? a. Because only a stupid person would attempt it. b. Because weightlessness can make you do stupid things.

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c. Because a fatal accident could occur for a number of reasons.

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A four-word expression meaning extremely good or impressive. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning the part of a space vehicle in which people travel. (para 2) 3. A modal verb used instead of if for describing a situation that may possibly happen. (para 3) 4. A verb meaning to ask for something in an urgent or emotional way. (para 5) 5. A three-word expression meaning a chance to do something that will only be available to you for a short time. (para 6) 6. A two-word expression meaning a serious medical condition caused by a sudden decrease in pressure around the body. (para 6) 7. A four-word expression meaning to write letters to and receive letters from someone. (para 8) 8. A five-word expression meaning following close behind someone. (para 9)

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. 1. suffer

a. a dream

2. lose

b. a mission

3. fulfil

c. a record

4. take

d. oxygen

5. break/smash

e. consciousness

6. have

f. brain damage

7. abort

g. faith

8. breathe

h. advantage

6 Phrasal verbs Match the verbs with the definitions. 1. take on

a. release

2. draw in(to)

b. contribute to

3. let off

c. continue

4. bring to

d. compete against

5. work towards

e. involve (often against someone’s will)

6. go on

f. prepare for

6 Discussion

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Is Michel Fournier brave or foolhardy? Should people risk their lives to break records?

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. foolhardy 2. weightlessness 3. gondola 4. exceed 5. gaze 6. plunge 7. abort 8. embolism 9. foiled 10. harnessed

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

f e a h c g b d

3 Comprehension check

6 Phrasal verbs

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Advanced

d e a b f c

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

out of this world capsule should plead window of opportunity decompression sickness be in correspondence with hot on the heels of

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

helmet stuntman

spacesuit

embolism

paratrooper

gondola

belongings

free-fall

altitude

resistance

1. ______________________ is a force that slows down a moving object. 2. An ______________________ is a medical condition in which a blood vessel in your body becomes blocked by

a mass of blood.

3. ______________________ is the height of a place or thing above sea level. 4. A ______________________ is a set of clothes that allows people to move and breathe in space. 5. A ______________________ is someone whose job is to perform dangerous actions in a film. 6. A ______________________ is a hard hat that you wear to protect your head. 7. ______________________ is the part of a parachute jump where the parachutist falls very quickly before the

parachute opens.

8. A ______________________ is the part of a hot-air balloon that people travel in. 9. A ______________________ is a soldier trained to jump out of an aeroplane wearing a parachute. 10. ______________________ are the things a person owns.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How old is Michel Fournier? 2. How long will it take him fall back down to Earth? 3. How long has he been preparing for this jump? 4. How many world records will he break if he succeeds? 5. What is the speed of sound?

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6. What altitude did Joe Kittinger jump from?

The man who will free-fall to Earth Elementary

1 For twenty years Michel Fournier has been planning an amazing adventure. He is planning to fly to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. There he will experience the weightlessness and deep blackness of space, look down at the Earth – and then jump. Now the 64-year-old retired French army officer is finally going to live that dream. Today, if the weather is good, he will attempt a parachute jump from almost 25 miles (40 km) above Saskatchewan in Canada. 2 Fournier will sit inside the pressurised gondola of a 650ft balloon and make a two-hour journey up to 130,000ft (nearly 40,000 metres). Then, wearing only a special spacesuit, helmet and parachute, he will jump out of the gondola and fall back down to Earth. It will take 15 minutes and he will travel at speeds faster than the speed of sound. 3 It is extremely dangerous and he might die. At 40,000ft there is not enough oxygen to breathe and he could suffer an embolism, which would kill him. At a height of 12 miles above the Earth, if there is a problem with his spacesuit, his blood might start to boil because of the air pressure. If his skin becomes open to the air, he will lose consciousness and suffer brain damage within a few minutes. 4 But if he succeeds, he will break four world records, falling longer, further and faster than any human has ever fallen before. “It’s not a question of world records,” he said from his base in North Battleford. “What is important is to see what the results of the jump are and if it can help to make space travel safer. But the main question all the scientists are asking is, can a man survive when travelling faster than the speed of sound?” 5 Fournier used to be a paratrooper. He has been preparing for this jump for 20 years. In 1988 the French space agency wanted someone to freefall and parachute from the edge of the Earth’s © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Elementary

6 But from today there is a small window of opportunity when the weather conditions are perfect and Fournier and his 40-strong team want to use that opportunity. Fournier will breathe pure oxygen for two to three hours before take-off to prevent decompression sickness. He will then rise in the giant balloon to the edge of space. Then the pressure will gradually decrease to allow him to make his jump. 7 He will be in free-fall for around eight minutes and will be travelling faster than the speed of sound (770mph) inside 40 seconds. He will continue to a speed of around 1,000mph. At lower altitude, wind resistance will slow him down and his parachute will open at around 20,000ft. 8 If he succeeds, he will break records for the fastest free-fall, the longest free-fall, the highest altitude for a human balloon flight, and the highest parachute jump. The previous record jump from a balloon was in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, now aged 79, a former US Air Force pilot who jumped from 102,800ft and travelled at more than 600mph. He has been writing to Fournier. “I told him many years ago, it’s definitely beautiful but very dangerous. If there is a problem with the spacesuit, you will die,” he said. 9 Fournier is not the only man who is trying to break the records. Steve Truglia, a 45-year-old stuntman from London, is planning to jump from an even higher altitude than Fournier in July. Jean Harel, a member of Fournier’s team, says that he believes Fournier will succeed. “It is impossible not to be involved in this dream, no matter how difficult it seems.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 25/05/08

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Caroline Davies May 25, 2008

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From over 130,000ft, the ultimate parachute jumper will break the sound barrier while on his way down

atmosphere to test possible methods of escape for astronauts. After physical and psychological tests, they chose Fournier but then they stopped the programme. So he decided to do it himself. He sold his home and most of his belongings and tried to raise the $20m he needed for training and equipment. He has tried twice before, but bad weather or technical problems stopped him getting off the ground.

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The man who will free-fall to Earth

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Level 1

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. If there is a problem with his spacesuit…

a. … it will not be possible for him to jump.

2. If his skin becomes open to the air…

b. … another man will try to break them again in July.

3. If the weather is good…

c. … he will break four world records.

4. If the weather is bad…

d. … he will suffer brain damage.

5. If he succeeds…

e. … he will die.

6. If Fournier breaks the records…

f. … he will attempt the jump today.

4 Expressions and meanings Match these words and expressions from the text with their meanings. 1. consciousness 2. decompression sickness 3. window of opportunity 4. weightlessness 5. brain damage 6. astronaut





a. a serious medical condition caused by a sudden decrease in pressure around your body b. physical harm to your brain as a result of illness or an accident c. when you have no weight because you are outside the Earth’s atmosphere d. someone who travels and works in space e. a chance to do something that you only have for a very short time

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NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Elementary

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

f. the state of being awake and able to hear, see and think

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 1

Elementary

5 Prepositions Fill the gaps in these phrases from the text using prepositions. Then check your answers in the text. 1. ____________ 40,000 feet there isn’t enough oxygen 2. the speed ____________ sound 3. a window ____________ opportunity 4. ____________ more than 600 mph 5. a problem ____________ his spacesuit 6. he has been preparing for this jump ____________ 20 years 7. for two ____________ three hours 8. Kittinger jumped ____________ 102,800 feet

6 Adjectives and nouns Complete the table using words from the text.

2

weightless

3

conscious

4

black

5

high

6

pressure

7

danger

8

difficulty

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Elementary

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sick

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1

noun

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

adjective

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Expressions and meanings

1. resistance 2. embolism 3. altitude 4. spacesuit 5. stuntman 6. helmet 7. free-fall 8. gondola 9. paratrooper 10. belongings

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e d f a c b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Elementary

at of of at with for to from

6 Adjectives and nouns 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

sickness weightlessness consciousness blackness height pressurized dangerous difficult

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64 15 minutes 20 years four 770mph 102,800 feet

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Prepositions

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2 Find the information

f a e c b d

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. embolism

stuntman

weightlessness

gondola

fatal

mission

belongings

free-fall

altitude

resistance

1. __________________ is the part of a parachute jump where the parachutist falls very quickly before the parachute opens. 2. __________________ are the things a person owns. 3. __________________ is a force that slows down a moving object. 4. A __________________ is the part of a hot-air balloon that people travel in. 5. An __________________ is a medical condition in which a blood vessel in your body becomes blocked by a mass of blood. 6. If something is __________________, it will cause someone to die. 7. A __________________ is someone whose job is to perform dangerous actions in a film. 8. __________________ is the height of a place or thing above sea level. 9. __________________ is a situation in which you have no weight because you are outside the Earth’s atmosphere. 10. A __________________ is a flight into space.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How high will Michel Fournier be when he jumps out of the balloon? 2. How long will it take him to reach that altitude? 3. When did he start to prepare for this mission? 4. What is the speed of sound? 5. How long will he be in free-fall?

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NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Intermediate

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. How old was Joe Kittinger when he made his world record jump?

The man who will free-fall to Earth Intermediate

1 For twenty years Michel Fournier has been preparing himself for a dream that is literally out of this world. He is planning to fly to the very edge of the Earth’s atmosphere, experience the weightlessness and deep blackness of space, look down at the Earth – and then jump. Now the 64-year-old retired French army officer is about to fulfil that dream. Today, if the weather is good, he will attempt The Great Leap from almost 25 miles (40 km) above Saskatchewan in Canada. 2 His plan is to climb into the pressurised gondola of a 650ft balloon and make a two-hour journey up to 130,000ft (nearly 40,000 metres). Then he will step out of the capsule and, wearing only a special spacesuit, helmet and parachute, dive back down. It will take 15 minutes, during which he will break through the sound barrier. 3 It may seem extremely dangerous, even suicidal. At 40,000ft there is not enough oxygen to breathe and he could suffer a fatal embolism. At 12 miles up, if his pressure suit fails, his blood could begin to boil because of the air pressure, according to scientists who have been advising him on his mission. If his body becomes exposed, he will lose consciousness and suffer brain damage within a few minutes. 4 But if he succeeds, he will break four world records, falling longer, further and faster than any human has ever fallen before. “It’s not a question of world records,” he said from his base in North Battleford. “What is important are what the results of the jump can bring to the safety of space travel. But the main question being asked today by all scientists is, can a man survive when crossing the sound barrier?” 5 The former paratrooper has been preparing

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Intermediate

6 From today, though, there is a small window of opportunity when the conditions are perfect and he and his 40-strong team are determined to take advantage of it. Fournier will breathe pure oxygen for two to three hours before take-off to prevent decompression sickness. He will then rise in the giant balloon to the very edge of space. The pressure will then be reduced gradually to allow him to make his jump. 7 He will be in free-fall for around eight minutes, will be travelling faster than the speed of sound – 770mph – within 40 seconds and will continue to around 1,000mph. At lower altitude, wind resistance will slow down his fall and his parachute is designed to open at around 20,000ft. 8 If he succeeds, he will break records for the fastest free-fall, the longest free-fall, the highest altitude for a human balloon flight, and the highest parachute jump. The previous record jump from a balloon was performed in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, now aged 79, a former US Air Force pilot who jumped from 102,800ft and travelled at more than 600mph in 1960. He has been writing to Fournier. “I told him many years ago, it’s definitely beautiful but very dangerous. If the pressure suit fails, you die,” he said. 9 Fournier is not the only man trying to break the records. Steve Truglia, a 45-year-old stuntman from London and former member of the British Special Forces, is planning to break whatever record Fournier succeeds in setting. Reports

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Caroline Davies May 25, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

From over 130,000ft, the ultimate parachute jumper will break the sound barrier while on his way down

himself since 1988, when the French space agency selected him to free-fall and parachute from near-space to test potential methods of escape for astronauts. After physical and psychological tests, he was chosen for the mission, but then they stopped the programme. So he decided to do it himself, selling his home and most of his belongings and trying to raise money to get the $20m needed for training and equipment. He has tried twice before, but bad weather or technical problems prevented him getting off the ground.

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Level 2

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 2

Intermediate

say he is planning a similar jump over the United States in July. Claude-Jean Harel, from Canada’s Great Excursions Company, who is working with Fournier’s team, says that he has faith. “It is impossible not to be involved in this dream, no matter how difficult it seems.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 25/05/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Michel Fournier’s main aim is to break four world records. 2. When he is in free-fall he will be travelling at the speed of sound. 3. The main danger is that the pressure suit could fail. 4. There will be 40 members of his team in the gondola. 5. The fastest speed he will reach is at around 20,000 feet. 6. Steve Truglia believes he can break any record set by Fournier.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A four-word expression meaning extremely good or impressive. (para 1) 2. Another word, apart from ‘gondola’, meaning the part of a space vehicle in which people travel. (para 2) 3. A three-word expression meaning the very strong air pressure that presses against a plane when it starts to travel at the speed of sound. (para 2) 4. An adjective meaning not covered; not protected. (para 3) 5. A noun meaning a soldier trained to jump out of planes wearing a parachute. (para 5) 6. An adjective meaning possible or likely in the future. (para 5) 7. A three-word expression meaning a chance to do something that will only be available to you for a short time. (para 6) 8. A two-word expression meaning a serious medical condition caused by a sudden decrease in pressure around

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NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Intermediate

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the body. (para 6)

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 2

Intermediate

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. 1. raise

a. a dream

2. lose

b. money

3. fulfil

c. a record

4. reduce

d. advantage

5. break

e. consciousness

6. break through

f. brain damage

7. suffer

g. the sound barrier

8. take

h. pressure

6 Adjectives and nouns Complete the table using words from the text.

adjective 1

black

2

weightless

3

conscious

noun

4

suicide

5

similarity

6

pressure

7

fate

8

sick

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Intermediate

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Would you like to try a parachute jump? Why? Why not?

The man who will free-fall to Earth Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. free-fall 2. belongings 3. resistance 4. gondola 5. embolism 6. fatal 7. stuntman 8. altitude 9. weightlessness 10. mission

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

b e a h c g f d

3 Comprehension check

6 Adjectives and nouns

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The man who will free-fall to Earth / Intermediate

blackness weightlessness consciousness suicidal similar pressurised fatal sickness

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F F T F F T

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25 miles (40km, 130,000 feet, 40,000 metres) two hours 1988 770mph around eight minutes 31

5 Verb + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

out of this world capsule sound barrier exposed paratrooper potential window of opportunity decompression sickness

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer: Airlines Virgin Atlantic

easyJet

Air France – KLM

Silverjet

Qantas

Ryanair

British Airways (BA)

Categorize these airlines into: a) budget airlines: ____________________________________________ b) national airlines: ___________________________________________ c) other: ____________________________________________________ Have you flown with any of these airlines? If not, would you like to, and where would you go?

2

Key words

Find the key words and phrases in the article. The paragraph numbers have been given to help you. 1. An adjective meaning cheap which is only used before a noun: ___________________. (title) 2. An adjective used to describe a company or person who has admitted they have no money: ___________________. (para 1) 3. A financial term that means the product is being put under pressure from both ends of the market (supply and demand) leading to a price increase: ___________________. (para 1) 4. This is what happens to a company when it loses all its money and ceases to operate: __________________. (para 2) 5. When a company does this, they neither make a profit nor lose money: ___________________. (para 2) 6. When something is this, it is almost certain to happen or occur in the near future: ___________________. (para 4) 7. A ___________________ is a regular or important feature of something. (para 5) 8. ___________________ is the practice of making advance purchases of fuel at a fixed price for future delivery to protect against anticipated price increases. (para 7) 9. This word has a double meaning. Either a confusing or uncontrolled situation, or sudden violent movements of air: ___________________. (para 8) 10. Saving money by taking a lower quality product or one that has less extras and costs less: ___________________. (para 8) 11. A company which is in severe trouble, but still with some hope of recovery, may be put into ___________________. (para 8)

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12. To have enough money to pay for something: ___________________. (para 9)

Is this the end of budget travel? Advanced 5

Add-on fees for bags and refreshments are a staple of the budget airline industry, but long-established airlines have, up to now, refused to charge for these services in case they lose out to competitors.

6

Echoing recent remarks from the BA boss, Willie Walsh, McCulloch said fares would also have to rise if airlines were going to stay in business. With oil trading near $130 a barrel, most airlines are technically unprofitable. BA and Virgin Atlantic have increased fuel surcharges over the past week in an attempt to cover their costs.

7

According to analysts at the investment bank Credit Suisse, the budget airlines will have to take action. “Without the benefit of fuel hedging we do not believe that any airline can be profitable in the medium term – not even easyJet and Ryanair,” said Credit Suisse.

8

Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said on Tuesday that the airline, which cut fares by around 1% last year, would survive and profit through the turbulence. “People are getting more price sensitive, they’re trading down and flying with us, at a time when the business-only airlines are going bust,” said O’Leary, referring to Silverjet’s fall into administration last Friday. Silverjet, a UK-based transatlantic airline, became the latest airline to enter administration due to financial problems, joining eight US airlines and two other airlines that operated flights from the UK.

9

“In the long term, no industry can exist if it doesn’t cover its costs,” said Toby Nicol, easyJet’s director of communications. Fuel accounts for about a third of airline budgets, and the recent steep price increase is causing enormous problems for an industry that had barely recovered from the impact of the 9/11 attacks.

1 The list of bankrupt airlines is growing by the week, but the biggest casualty of the oil squeeze in the industry could be cheap fares and the holiday plans of a generation of people who grew up with affordable flying. A decade of low ticket prices has enabled people to fly easily to other countries for weekend breaks and has made Ryanair an unlikely factor in the market for second homes in continental Europe. But airline executives warn that fares have to rise. 2 Ryanair warned that the high cost of oil would force it to raise fares by about 5% this year. The budget airline, which has claimed that many of its rivals may soon go bust, admitted that it will only break even this year if oil remains around $130 a barrel. Ryanair and easyJet are dominant carriers in the European budget segment and rely on low fares to fill their aircraft, squeezing more money out of passengers by charging for add-ons such as luggage check-in and hotel bookings. 3 British Airways, Air France – KLM and Qantas are hoping to find their way out of trouble by raising fares, although a leading industry executive warned that established carriers could also start charging passengers for baggage check-in and food amid soaring oil prices. The head of one of the world’s biggest airline alliances, oneworld, whose members include BA and Qantas, said the group would consider changing membership rules to allow budget-style charges. 4 “If the industry moves to a standard of charging for an apple juice in economy class, the alliance will move in that direction too,” said John McCulloch, oneworld’s managing partner. Asked if baggage check-in charges were also on the horizon, he added: “Airlines would argue that it’s the right way to do it. It’s £20 a bag, £10 a meal. We are going to see much more of that.” © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Is this the end of budget travel? / Advanced

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian Weekly, 06/06/08

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Dan Milmo, Houston June 6, 2008

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Bankruptcies increase as major airlines consider charges for baggage and food

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Is this the end of budget travel?

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Level 3

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Find the answers to the questions in the article. 1. Before British people buy second homes in Europe, they usually... a) … check oil prices. b) … check if budget airlines fly there. c) … check train fares. d) … check with Credit Suisse. 2. National airlines are initially trying to find a way through the crisis by... a) … running less planes. b) … charging for apple juice. c) … charging for baggage check-in. d) … raising fares. 3. If this doesn’t work, they will consider charging for... a) … fuel hedging. b) … food and baggage. c) … life jackets. d) … checking-in. 4. If oil prices go above $130 a barrel, most airlines… a) … will go bust. b) … won’t be able to carry baggage. c) … won’t be able to cover costs. d) … will have to sell their planes. 5. An industry can only exist if it can...

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

a) … trade down. b) … go into administration. c) … go bust. d) … cover costs.

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 3

Advanced

4 Vocabulary: Collocations Match the following words into pairs. Explain how they are used in the context of the article. weekend

carriers

continental

rules

dominant

surcharges

hotel

Europe

airline

breaks

membership

bookings

fuel

attacks

9/11

alliances

5 Discussion How would an increase in airfares and surcharges for baggage and food affect your decisions when planning a holiday or business trip? Are there any other factors that might influence your decision whether to fly or use an alternative method of transport?

6 Webquest What should you do if you have booked and paid for a flight on an airline that has gone into administration? Would you be able to get your money back?

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NEWS LESSONS / Is this the end of budget travel? / Advanced

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Find the answers in the FAQs (frequently asked questions) on Silverjet’s website: http://www.flysilverjet.com/.

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Warmer: Airlines

3 Comprehension check

a) budget airlines: Ryanair, easyJet b) national carriers: British Airways (BA), Qantas, Air France – KLM c) other: Virgin Atlantic, Silverjet

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

NEWS LESSONS / Is this the end of budget travel? / Advanced

weekend breaks continental Europe dominant carriers hotel bookings airline alliances membership rules fuel surcharges 9/11 attacks

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4 Vocabulary: Collocations

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1. budget 2. bankrupt 3. oil squeeze 4. go bust 5. break even 6. on the horizon 7. staple 8. fuel hedging 9. turbulence 10. trading down 11. administration 12. cover costs

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Key words

b d b c d

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 1

Elementary

1 Warmer Which is the odd one out? Why? BA / Air France – KLM / Credit Suisse / Qantas

2 Key words Match the key words and phrases from the article with the definitions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.

charge

bankrupt

cover costs

profit

economy



raise

budget

break even

rely on

alliance

1. An adjective meaning very cheap: ___________________. (title) 2. An adjective used to describe a company or person who has admitted they have no money: ___________________. (para 1) 3. When you ___________________ something, you increase its number, amount or level. (para 2) 4. When a company does this they neither make a profit nor lose money: ___________________. (para 2) 5. Companies ___________________ something (often profits or customers) in order to stay in business. (para 2) 6. An ___________________ is an arrangement between two or more people, groups, or businesses who agree to work together. (para 3) 7. To ask someone to pay money for something you are selling to them or doing for them: ___________________. (para 3) 8. ___________________ travel is the cheapest type of air travel available. (para 4) 9. A word meaning money that a business makes: ___________________. (para 6)

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10. To have enough money to pay for something: ___________________. (para 9

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 1

Elementary

Is this the end of budget travel?

5

Extra fees for bags and food and drinks are usual in the budget airline industry, but long-established airlines have, up to now, not charged for these services.

6

Agreeing with BA boss, Willie Walsh, McCulloch said fares would also have to rise if airlines were going to stay in business. With oil prices at around $130 a barrel, most airlines cannot make a profit.

7

According to analysts at the investment bank Credit Suisse, budget airlines will have to do something. Not even easyJet and Ryanair will be able to make a profit if they don’t buy up fuel in advance, said Credit Suisse.

8

Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said on Tuesday that his airline, which cut fares by around 1% last year, would survive this difficult time. “People are thinking more about money, so they fly with us instead of with the more expensive business-only airlines which are going bankrupt,” said O’Leary, referring to Silverjet’s financial problems. Silverjet is (or was) a UK-based business-only transatlantic airline.

9

“In the long term no industry can exist if it doesn’t cover its costs,” said Toby Nicol, easyJet’s director of communications. Airlines spend about a third of their budgets on fuel, and the recent price increase is causing enormous problems for an industry that is still recovering from the 9/11 attacks.

Bankruptcies increase as major airlines consider charges for baggage and food Dan Milmo, Houston June 6, 2008 1 The list of bankrupt airlines is growing every week, but the biggest change in the airline industry could be the end of cheap fares. In the last ten years, low ticket prices have meant that people can fly easily to other countries for cheap holidays and weekend breaks. But airline executives warn that fares have to rise. 2 On Tuesday, Ryanair warned that it would have to raise air fares by about 5% this year because of the high cost of oil. The budget airline said that it will only break even this year if oil remains at around $130 a barrel. European budget airlines, such as Ryanair and easyJet, rely on low fares to fill their aircraft. They then get more money out of passengers by charging for extras such as luggage check-in and hotel bookings. 3 British Airways, Air France – KLM and Qantas hope to find their way out of the problems caused by high oil prices by raising fares. But a leading industry executive warned that, if this isn’t successful, they might also start to charge passengers for baggage check-in and food. The boss of one of the world’s biggest airline alliances, oneworld, whose members include BA and Qantas, said the group would consider changing their rules to allow national airlines to charge for extras similar to the way that budget airlines do.

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian Weekly, 06/06/08

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4 John McCulloch, oneworld’s managing partner, said that if other airlines decide to charge for drinks in economy class, oneworld alliance will have to do the same. Speaking about baggage check-in charges, he said: “Airlines would say that it’s the right thing to do. Some already charge £20 for a bag and £10 for a meal. We are going to see much more of that.”

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the sentence halves to give a summary of the article. 1. Ryanair and easyJet are…

… airlines won’t make any money.

2. British Airways and Qantas are…

… high oil prices.

3. Airlines are increasing their fares because of…

… stopped operating this year.

4. Some airlines are charging passengers for…

… go on fuel.

5. If oil prices go above $130 a barrel, many…

… food and baggage.

6. About 33% of airlines’ costs…

… budget airlines.

7. More passengers are travelling with…

… national carriers.

8. Some airlines, e.g. Silverjet, have already…

… budget airlines to save money.

4 Vocabulary: Trends Do these phrases from the article mean: to go up ↑, go down ↓, or stay the same →? Draw arrows next to each phrase to show the trend it describes. • • • • • •

raise air fares break even the list is growing cut fares price increase cover costs

Do you know any other ways to describe trends?

5 Discussion How often do you fly? If air fares go up, do you think you will go on fewer holidays or business trips?

6 Webquest BA and Qantas are members of the oneworld alliance. Who are the other eight members?

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NEWS LESSONS / Is this the end of budget travel? / Elementary

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Who or what is Skyteam?

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Warmer

3 Comprehension check

Credit Suisse is the odd one out because it is a bank; all the others are airlines.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

4 Vocabulary: Trends • • • • • •

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Is this the end of budget travel? / Elementary

raise air fares ↑ break even → the list is growing ↑ cut fares ↓ price increase ↑ cover costs →

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budget bankrupt raise break even rely on alliance charge economy profit cover costs

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

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2 Key words

Ryanair and easyJet are budget airlines. British Airways and Qantas are national carriers. Airlines are increasing their fares because of high oil prices. Some airlines are charging passengers for food and baggage. If oil prices go above $130 a barrel, many airlines won’t make any money. About 33% of airlines’ costs go on fuel. More passengers are travelling with budget airlines to save money. Some airlines, e.g. Silverjet, have already stopped operating this year.

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer: Airlines

What do these acronyms stand for? BA

QANTAS

KLM

What do you know about these companies?

2

Financial key words

Match the key financial words and phrases from the article with the definitions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. charge

bankrupt

add-on fee

administration budget

cover costs

break even

affordable

profitable

economy

go bust

1. An adjective meaning cheap which is only used before a noun: __________________. (title) 2. An adjective used to describe a company or person who has admitted they have no money: __________________. (para 1) 3. When something is __________________, it is cheap enough that most people can pay for it. (para 1) 4. This is what happens to a company when it loses all its money and ceases to operate: __________________. (para 2) 5. When a company does this they neither make a profit nor lose money: __________________. (para 2) 6. To ask someone to pay an amount of money for something you are selling to them or doing for them: __________________. (para 3) 7. __________________ travel is the cheapest type of air travel available. (para 4) 8. An additional charge: __________________. (para 5) 9. When a business makes money, it is __________________. (para 7) 10. To have enough money to pay for something: __________________. (para 6) 11. A company which is in severe trouble, but still with some hope of recovery, may be put into

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

__________________. (para 8)

Is this the end of budget travel? Intermediate 5

Add-on fees for bags and refreshments are usual in the budget airline industry, but long-established airlines have, up to now, refused to charge for these services in case they lose out to competitors.

6

Agreeing with recent remarks made by the BA boss, Willie Walsh, McCulloch said fares would also have to rise if airlines were going to stay in business. With oil trading near $130 a barrel, most airlines are technically unprofitable. BA and Virgin Atlantic have increased fuel surcharges over the past week in an attempt to cover their costs.

7

According to analysts at the investment bank Credit Suisse, the budget airlines will have to take action. “Without buying up fuel in advance we do not believe that any airline can be profitable in the medium term – not even easyJet and Ryanair,” said Credit Suisse.

8

Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said on Tuesday that the airline, which cut fares by around 1% last year, would survive this difficult time. “People are getting more price sensitive, so they’re flying with us instead of with the more expensive business-only airlines which are going bust,” said O’Leary, referring to Silverjet’s fall into administration last Friday. Silverjet, a UK-based transatlantic airline, became the latest airline to enter administration due to financial problems, joining eight US airlines and two other airlines that operated flights from the UK.

9

“In the long term no industry can exist if it doesn’t cover its costs,” said Toby Nicol, easyJet’s director of communications. Fuel accounts for about a third of airline budgets, and the recent steep price increase is causing enormous problems for an industry that is still recovering from the effects of the 9/11 attacks.

1 The list of bankrupt airlines is growing by the week, but the biggest change in the industry could be the end of cheap fares. A decade of low ticket prices has enabled people to fly easily to other countries for affordable holidays and cheap weekend breaks. But airline executives warn that fares have to rise.

2 On Tuesday, Ryanair warned that the high cost of

oil would force it to raise fares by about 5% this year. The budget airline, which has warned that many of its rivals may soon go bust, admitted that it will only break even this year if oil remains at around $130 a barrel. European budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet rely on low fares to fill their aircraft. They then squeeze more money out of passengers by charging for add-ons such as luggage check-in and hotel bookings.

3 British Airways, Air France – KLM and Qantas

are hoping to find their way out of trouble caused by soaring oil prices by raising fares, although a leading industry executive warned that if this isn’t successful, they could also start charging passengers for baggage check-in and food. The head of one of the world’s biggest airline alliances, oneworld, whose members include BA and Qantas, said the group would consider changing their rules to allow national airlines to charge for extras similar to the way that budget airlines do.

4 “If the industry moves to a standard of charging

for an apple juice in economy class, oneworld alliance will move in that direction too,” said John McCulloch, oneworld’s managing partner. When he was asked if baggage check-in charges were also likely, he added: “Airlines would argue that it’s the right way to do it. Some already charge £20 a bag and £10 for a meal. We are going to see much more of that.”

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Is this the end of budget travel? / Intermediate

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian Weekly, 06/06/08

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Dan Milmo, Houston June 6, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Bankruptcies increase as major airlines consider charges for baggage and food

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Is this the end of budget travel?

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Level 2

Is this the end of budget travel? Level 2 3

Intermediate

Comprehension check

According to the article, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. Ryanair and easyJet are budget airlines. 2. National airlines are initially trying to find a way through the crisis by raising fares. 3. If this doesn’t work they will consider charging for onboard food and baggage. 4. If oil prices go above $130 a barrel, most airlines will have to sell their planes. 5. National airlines no longer want to offer business class. 6. About 33% of airlines’ costs go on fuel. 7. Michael O’Leary is the CEO of British Airways.

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation Which of the words below fit into this pronunciation pattern?

oOoo

•

executive

•

alliance

•

affordable

•

economy

•

administration

•

profitable

•

recovering

•

passengers

e.g. competitors

Draw stress bubbles to show the pronunciation patterns of the other words in the list.

5 Discussion How often do you fly? If air fares go up, do you think you will go on fewer holidays or business trips? Do you think that, in general, people will consider using other forms of transport and fly less?

6 Webquest BA and Qantas are members of the oneworld alliance. Who are the other eight members?

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Who or what is SkyTeam?

Is this the to end of budget travel? Addiction Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Warmer: Airlines

3 Comprehension check

BA = British Airways QANTAS = Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services KLM = Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V (Royal Dutch Airlines)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

2 Financial key words 1. budget 2. bankrupt 3. affordable 4. go bust 5. break even 6. charge 7. economy 8. add-on fee 9. profitable 10. cover costs 11. administration

T T T F F T F

4 Vocabulary: Pronunciation oOoo = competitors, executive, affordable, economy, recovering alliance = oOo administration = oooOo profitable = Oooo passengers = Ooo

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NEWS LESSONS / Is this the end of budget travel? / Intermediate

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •



English is too hard to read for children Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

tricky

literacy

dyslexia

awful

simplify

reform

problematic

unique

complicated

fluently

1. ______________________ is the ability to read and write. 2. If you ______________________ a system, you change it to make it better. 3. If something is ______________________, it is very, very bad. 4. If something is ______________________, it is very difficult to understand or use. 5. A ______________________ problem is one that is very difficult to solve. 6. If you speak a language ______________________, you speak easily and accurately. 7. ______________________ is a difficulty some people have with reading and spelling. 8. If something is ______________________, it is the only one that exists. 9. If you ______________________ something, you make it easier. 10. If something is ______________________, it causes problems.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. How many difficult words do British children meet by the age of 11? 2. How long does it take for British children to reach a basic reading level? 3. When did the Portuguese make changes to their spelling system? 4. When did the Turks change their alphabet from Arabic to Latin? 5. When did the Germans reform their spelling system?

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6. How many basic words would be easier to spell if ‘extra’ letters were removed?

English is too hard to read for children Elementary

2 Among these 800 words are monkey, spinach, banana, handkerchief, soldiers, stomach and telescope. They confuse children because they contain letter combinations that people usually pronounce in a different way. 3 These words are all problematic for reading because of the relationship between their spelling and their pronunciation. Masha Bell, who did the research, said that there were 200 words on the list that would be easier to spell if ‘extra’ letters like the i in friend or the u in shoulder were removed. “English is the worst of all the languages that use alphabets,” she said. “It is unique because there are not just spelling problems but reading problems. They do not exist anywhere else.” 4 Bell says that the spelling system costs schools money and is the reason for poor literacy results in the UK compared with the rest of Europe. In Finland, where words are usually pronounced as they look, children learn to read fluently within three months, she said. In the UK it takes three years for a child to reach a basic reading level. The tricky spellings make English particularly difficult for children with dyslexia and children from poorer families, whose parents may not read to them very often. 5 In the research Bell gives examples of words that have the same pronunciation but different letter combinations. Examples include to and two; clean and gene; same and aim; day and grey; kite and light; and stole and coal. Then there are those that look similar but sound different with the combinations of ea, ee and the letter o © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / English is too hard to read for children / Elementary

7 “In 1928 the Turks changed their whole alphabet from Arabic to Latin,” said John Wells, professor of phonetics at University College London and president of the Spelling Society. “It happened in the Soviet Union.” In Germany they made changes in the 1990s to make the writing system more regular. English has also developed – words like olde and worlde dropped the e. 8 Wells wants things to change again and says there are two possible ways to do this. The first would be to simplify the way we spell words then allow people to choose whether to use the new or old system, while the second way would be to change the spelling completely. “The Spelling Society thinks we should do it the first way,” he said. 9 Chris Davis, spokesman for the National Primary Headteachers’ Association, says the spelling system has a big effect on children’s literacy progress: “It definitely slows English children down. Languages with regular phonetics always come top when you compare reading in different countries.” But he says that teachers do not want to see things change. “It would be such a big change that people will not even think about it,” he said. 10 “There are already problems because of the different spelling system in America, but people here don’t want to use American spelling. They think that it is our language and it should be different.” Davis says that people believe spelling is linked to the origin of words. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 08/06/08

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1 New research says that the English spelling system is ‘absolutely awful’. The research has found that by the age of 11 British children meet 800 words with difficult spelling that slows down their reading.

6 Simplifying the system would improve literacy, according to Bell, but she said people didn’t want to change. “People don’t want to look at it,” she said. But other countries have made changes. Last month the parliament in Portugal, where the spelling system is also complicated, voted to reform and simplify it.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Complicated spelling system is blamed for low levels of literacy in Britain Anushka Asthana, education correspondent June 8, 2008

causing most trouble. The words in this category include eight and height, break and dreamt, move and post. The letters ough can also be pronounced in a number of different ways.

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English is too hard to read for children

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Level 1

English is too hard to read for children Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Reading is difficult for British children because... 2. Children get confused because... 3. People don’t want to use American spelling because... 4. The English spelling system... 5. Turkey changed... 6. Many teachers...

a. ... they think English spelling should be different. b. ... slows children’s reading down. c. ... its whole alphabet. d. ... English spelling is complicated. e. ... do want the English spelling system to change. f. ... people pronounce some letter combinations in a different way.

4 Chunks Rearrange these words to make phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text. 1. the eleven by of age 2. rest the with Europe compared of 3. three months within 4. a ways in number different of 5. do possible ways to this two

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6. whether use choose new system old or to the

English is too hard to read for children Level 1

Elementary

5 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1

combine

2 3

confusion pronounce

4 5

noun

simplification research

6

development

7

improvement

8

spell

6 Word stress Put these words from the text into two groups according to their stress.

0o

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / English is too hard to read for children / Elementary

pronounce system

remove confuse

unique children



o0

H

stomach reform

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contain language

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

awful reason

English is too hard to read for children Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Chunks

1. literacy 2. reform 3. awful 4. complicated 5. tricky 6. fluently 7. dyslexia 8. unique 9. simplify 10. problematic

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d f a b c e

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / English is too hard to read for children / Elementary

combination confuse pronunciation simplify research develop improve spelling

6 Word stress 0o

o0

awful

contain

stomach

pronounce

reason

remove

language

unique

system

reform

children

confuse

H

800 three years last month 1928 in the 1990s 200

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Word building

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

by the age of eleven compared with the rest of Europe within three months in a number of different ways two possible ways to do this choose whether to use the new or old system

English is too hard to read for children Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.



surplus

tricky

resistant

hinders

literacy

dyslexia

uniform

simplify

reform

problematic

1. If something is ____________________, it causes problems. 2. If you ____________________ something, you make it easier. 3. If something is ____________________, it is the same in all cases. 4. If something is ____________________, it is extra and more than you need. 5. A ____________________ problem is one that is very difficult to solve. 6. If you ____________________ a system, you change it to make it better. 7. ____________________ is the ability to read and write. 8. If something ____________________ a process it makes it more difficult or slow. 9. ____________________ is a difficulty some people have with reading and spelling. 10. If you are ____________________ to something, you fight against it.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. When did the Turks change their alphabet from Arabic to Latin? 2. When did the Germans reform their spelling system? 3. When did the Portuguese make changes to their spelling system? 4. How many difficult words do British children meet by the age of 11? 5. How many basic words could be simplified just by dropping surplus letters?

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6. How long does it take British children to reach a basic level of reading competence?

English is too hard to read for children Intermediate

English is too hard to read for children

clean and gene; same and aim; day and grey; kite and light; and stole and coal. Then there are those that look similar but sound different with the combinations of ‘ea’, ‘ee’ and the letter ‘o’ causing most trouble. Among the words in this category are eight and height, break and dreamt, and move and post. The letters ‘ough’ can also be pronounced in a number of different ways.

Baffling spelling system is blamed as literacy falls short of level in other European nations Anushka Asthana, education correspondent June 8, 2008

4 “English is the worst of all the alphabetical languages,” said Bell. “It is unique in that there are not just spelling problems but reading problems. They do not exist anywhere else.” 5 Bell argued that the spelling system cost schools money and was the reason for poor literacy results in the UK compared with the rest of Europe. In Finland, where words are usually pronounced as they look, children learn to read fluently within three months, she said. In the UK, academics have found that it takes three years for a child to reach a basic level of reading competence. The tricky spellings make English particularly difficult for children with dyslexia and children from poorer families, whose parents may not read to them very regularly. 6 In the research Bell gives examples of words that have the same pronunciation but different letter combinations. Examples include to and two;

8 “In 1928 the Turks changed their whole alphabet from Arabic to Latin,” said John Wells, professor of phonetics at University College London and president of the Spelling Society. “It happened in the Soviet Union.” In Germany there were changes made in the 1990s to make the writing system more regular. English has also developed with words such as olde and worlde dropping the e. 9 Wells wants to see things change again and says there are two possible approaches. The first would be to simplify the way in which words are spelt and then allow people to choose whether to use the new or old system, while the second approach would involve a complete change. “The Spelling Society is in favour of the first approach,” he said. 10 Chris Davis, spokesman for the National Primary Headteachers’ Association, said the spelling system had a major effect on children’s literacy progress: “It definitely slows English children down. In international comparisons, languages that are phonetically uniform always come top.” But he said that teachers would be unwilling to see things change. “It would be such a big change that people would find it very difficult to even consider it,” he said. 11 “There are already problems because of the

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / English is too hard to read for children / Intermediate

O

3 The words have all been identified as problematic for reading, as opposed to writing, because of their ‘phonic unreliability’, according to the study The Most Costly English Spellings. Masha Bell, who did the research, argued that there were 200 words on the list that could be improved just by dropping ‘surplus letters’ such as the i in friend or the u in shoulder.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Monkey, asparagus, spinach, caterpillar, dwarf, banana, handkerchief, soldiers, stomach and telescope have all been included on the long list of words that confuse children because they contain letter combinations that are more commonly pronounced in a different way.

7 Simplifying the system would improve literacy, according to Bell, but she said people were resistant to change. “People feel that they have suffered so much at the hands of English spelling that they don’t want to look at it,” she said. But other countries have made changes. Last month the parliament in Portugal, where the spelling system is also thought to be complicated, voted to reform and simplify it.

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1 The English spelling system is ‘absolutely awful’. That is the conclusion of new research that has found that children meet 800 words by the age of 11 that hinder their reading because of the way they are spelt.

CA

Level 2

English is too hard to read for children Level 2

Intermediate

different spelling system in America, but people would also be against using American spelling. I think it is a question of ownership, that it is our language.” Davis argued that people felt spelling was linked to the origin of words. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Observer, 08/06/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. The words in the list are problematic for reading. 2. The letter e in friend and the o in shoulder are ‘surplus letters’. 3. English children take longer to learn to read than Finnish children. 4. Teachers want English spelling to be simplified. 5. Some English words contain combinations of letters that are usually pronounced in a different way and this is confusing for children. 6. English is more difficult to learn than any other language.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. Two foods apart from banana. (para 2) 2. A noun meaning a small hairy creature with a lot of legs which eats leaves. (para 2) 3. A noun meaning a person who is much smaller than the normal size. (para 2) 4. An adjective meaning relating to the alphabet. (para 4) 5. An adverb meaning easily and accurately. (para 5) 6. A noun meaning the ability or skill to do something. (para 5) 7. A three-word expression meaning in agreement with. (para 9)

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. An adjective meaning very large or significant. (para 10)

English is too hard to read for children Level 2

Intermediate

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the adjectives with the nouns. There is more than one possibility so check your answers in the text. 1. make

a. money

2. reform

b. a word

3. pronounce

c. research

4. do

d. changes

5. give

e. an effect

6. cause

f. an example

7. have

g. trouble

8. cost

h. a system

6 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

verb 1

conclude

2

combine

3

compare

4

own

5 6

hindrance pronounce

7 8

noun

confusion approach

7 Discussion Do you think English spelling is difficult? Would you like English spelling to be simplified? Think of some

H

NEWS LESSONS / English is too hard to read for children / Intermediate

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difficult English words to spell. What would they look like with simpler spelling?

English is too hard to read for children Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. problematic 2. simplify 3. uniform 4. surplus 5. tricky 6. reform 7. literacy 8. hinders 9. dyslexia 10. resistant

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

d h b c f g e a

3 Comprehension check

6 Word building

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / English is too hard to read for children / Intermediate

conclusion combination comparison ownership hinder pronunciation confuse approach

H

T F T F T F

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1928 In the 1990s last month 800 200 Three years

5 Verb + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

asparagus, spinach caterpillar dwarf alphabetical fluently competence in favour of major

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

rescuer

seaweed

marine

stranding

trapped



plankton

vet

shallow

sonar

rumour

1. ______________________ water is the opposite of deep water. 2. A ______________________ is a situation in which a dolphin or whale is stuck in a place it cannot escape from, usually in shallow water. 3. ______________________ is a plant that grows in the sea. 4. If you are ______________________, you are in a place you cannot escape from. 5. A ______________________ is a story that people talk about but which may or may not be true. 6. ______________________ biology is the study of things that live in the sea. 7. ______________________ is a navigation system for ships and submarines that uses sound waves. 8. ______________________ are very small organisms floating in the sea that fish feed on. 9. A ______________________ is an animal doctor. 10. A ______________________ is a person who tries to save people or animals in dangerous situations.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. How long has Nick Tomlinson been a fishing-boat captain? 2. How far was Nick Tomlinson’s boat from the coast? 3. How many dolphins swam towards the shore? 4. How many died? 5. How many strandings have happened in the UK over the past ten years?

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NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What is the usual direction of the wind in Cornwall in the spring?

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Elementary

1 Something very strange happened off the coast of Cornwall in the south-west of England recently. Nick Tomlinson, has been a fishing-boat captain there for 35 years. He described what happened: “I was about 12 miles from the coast. I’m used to the noise of the big military guns but this was something different – bang, bang, bang, very close, very loud. My whole boat was shaking.” 2 At the same time as Nick Tomlinson’s boat was rocking out at sea, something extraordinary was happening in the muddy little channels near the port of Falmouth. Around 70 dolphins suddenly swam towards the shore and many of them got trapped in the mud. Rescuers covered them with wet sheets and seaweed to keep them wet. They guided some back out to sea but 26 died. 3 Marine scientists are shocked by the tragedy – the biggest stranding of dolphins for many years. Strandings of large numbers of dolphins and whales often happen in other parts of the world. In the UK, the number of strandings has increased to more than 700 over the past ten years. But this is usually because dolphins get trapped in fishing nets and this usually only happens to a few individuals or a small group. 4 During the next few weeks scientists will try to find the cause of this week’s stranding. The government has given them extra money to help them solve the mystery. Meanwhile, in Cornwall, there are a lot of rumours. Did explosions frighten the dolphins? Did sonar from navy ships frighten them? Is the navy testing secret equipment? 5 Even before the strandings it was an unusual spring off the coast of south Cornwall. The winds blew from the north and not from the usual south-westerly direction so the plankton came © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Elementary

7 When he heard about the strandings, Darryl Thorpe, a local vet, said that at first he couldn’t believe it. “This doesn’t happen in the UK with dolphins,” he said. Rescuers worked all day to save as many dolphins as they could but they had to kill the ones they could not save. One of the rescuers, Rory Goodall, said: “It was terrible.” He also said he could feel the water shaking. “It was a very strange feeling – something unusual was happening out there,” he said. 8 It is clear that the dolphins were not trapped in nets. A killer whale did not chase them to the shallow water because no-one saw a group of whales that day. Most people think the dolphins came into the shallow water to look for food. Then something frightened them. The question is what frightened them. 9 The Ministry of Defence says that navy ships were firing their guns on that day but that this was routine. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society believes sonar equipment or explosions frightened the dolphins or made them lose their way. It wants the navy to stop using sonar in the area until the the exact cause of the strandings is known. 10 Scientists are almost certain that sonar is the cause of strandings. But people are worried that they may never find the real reason for the death of the dolphins. They are afraid that something else might be the cause and that this could destroy the local dolphin population. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 14/06/08

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Steven Morris June 14, 2008

6 After this unusual spring came an unusual weekend. Leonora Burtt, a local diver, went out diving near Falmouth and noticed there were no large ships. “It was very strange. There are always large ships all around but all we could see was an unusual navy ship. It was very quiet. A fisherman told me that there was a submarine there too.”

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Ministry of Defence denies sonar to blame but conservationists call for navy to suspend its use

very late. The smaller fish that eat the plankton didn’t come and this makes life difficult for the dolphins which feed on these smaller fish.

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Theories and rumours abound as scientists ponder mystery of mass dolphin deaths

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Level 1

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The dolphins were in shallow water because... 2. They swam towards the shore because... 3. The spring in Cornwall was unusual because... 4. There were no small fish because... 5. The weekend was unusual because... 6. People are worried because...

a. ... something frightened them. b. ... they may never find the real reason for the death of the dolphins. c. ... there were no large ships. d. ... they were looking for food. e. ... the plankton came very late. f. ... the winds blew from a different direction to the normal one.

4 Opposites

b. deep

3. clear

c. extraordinary

4. shallow

d. wet

5. unusual

e. unclear

6. routine

f. loud

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a. normal

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1. dry

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Match the adjectives in the left-hand column with their opposites in the right-hand column.

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 1

Elementary

5 Chunks Rearrange these words to make phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text. The phrases are in the order they appear in the text. 1. the other in world of parts 2. few the weeks next during 3. solve to them help mystery the 4. first it he at believe couldn’t 5. water feel he shaking could the 6. else cause might the something be

6 Prepositions Fill the gaps in the phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. The phrases are in the order they appear in the text. 1. _____________ the coast of Cornwall 2. 12 miles _____________ the coast 3. trapped _____________ the mud 4. _____________ the past ten years 5. the cause _____________ the strandings is unknown

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6. the real reason _____________ the death of the dolphins

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Opposites

1. shallow 2. stranding 3. seaweed 4. trapped 5. rumour 6. marine 7. sonar 8. plankton 9. vet 10. rescuer

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

d a f e c b

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Elementary

in other parts of the world during the next few weeks to help them solve the mystery at first he couldn’t believe it he could feel the water shaking something else might be the cause

6 Prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

off from in over of for

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35 years 12 miles 70 26 more than 700 south-westerly

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Chunks

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2 Find the information

d f e b a c

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. clear (vb)

plankton

tarpaulin

seaweed

stranding

rumour

vet

grisly

tremor

disorientated

1. _______________________ are very small organisms floating in the sea that fish feed on. 2. If you are _______________________, you feel confused and don’t know where you are. 3. If you _______________________ an area, you remove everything from it. 4. A _______________________ event is horrible and shocking and involves a lot of blood. 5. A _______________________ is an animal doctor. 6. A _______________________ is a large sheet of strong, flexible, waterproof material. 7. _______________________ is a plant that grows in the sea. 8. A _______________________ is a situation in which a dolphin or whale is stuck in a place it cannot escape from, usually in shallow water. 9. A _______________________ is a story that people talk about but which may or may not be true. 10. A ____________ is a shaking movement caused by an earthquake or a large explosion.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. How many dolphins swam towards the shore? 2. How many died? 3. How many strandings have happened in the UK over the past ten years? 4. From which direction do the winds usually blow in Cornwall in the spring? 5. How long has Nick Tomlinson been a fishing-boat captain?

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NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Intermediate

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6. How many large ships were in the bay that weekend?

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Intermediate

1 Nick Tomlinson has been a fishing-boat captain in Cornwall in south-west England for 35 years. It was the first time he had experienced anything like this before. “I’m used to the big military guns but this was something different – bang, bang, bang, very close, very loud. The whole boat was shaking,” he said. 2 As Tomlinson’s boat was rocking 12 miles off shore, an extraordinary drama was taking place in muddy little channels near the port of Falmouth. Around 70 dolphins had suddenly swum towards the shore and dozens became trapped in mud. Rescuers tried to keep them wet by covering them with damp tarpaulins and seaweed. They guided some back out to sea but 26 died. 3 Marine scientists are shocked by the tragedy – the biggest mass stranding of dolphins for many years. Multiple strandings of dolphins, porpoises and whales often happen in other parts of the world. In the UK the number of strandings has doubled to more than 700 over the past ten years. But this is generally because the creatures become entangled in fishing nets and usually only involves a few individuals or a small group. 4 Over the next few weeks scientists from the Zoological Society of London will try to find the cause of this week’s stranding. The government has given them extra money to help them solve the mystery. 5 But meanwhile, in Cornwall, the experiences of people like Nick Tomlinson are leading to a lot of rumours. Were the dolphins terrified by explosions of some sort? Could sonar from naval vessels have frightened them? Is the military testing secret equipment?

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Intermediate

7 After this unusual spring came an unusual weekend. Leonora Burtt, a local diver, went out diving in the bay and noticed there were no large ships. “It was very strange. There are always large tankers around but all we could see was an unusual-looking naval vessel. It was strangely quiet. I was told by a fisherman that a submarine was around as well. It was as if they had cleared the area for something.” 8 When news of the strandings started reaching the authorities, Darryl Thorpe, a local vet and a member of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue organization, said that at first he couldn’t believe it. “This doesn’t happen in the UK with dolphins,” he said. 9 Rescuers worked all day to save as many as they could and put down the ones they could not save. It was grisly work. One of the rescuers, Rory Goodall, said: “It was terrible.” He also said he felt “tremors” that shook the shallow water. “It was a very strange feeling – something odd was going on out there,” he said. 10 It is easy to rule out some theories. Pathologists have said there was no sign the animals had been trapped in nets. The idea that a killer whale had scared them into the shallow water is unlikely – a group of whales would have been seen. The most popular theory is that the dolphins came closer to the coast than normal because of the lack of food and were then frightened into the shallow water. The question is what frightened them? 11 There were gunnery exercises on the day of the strandings but The Ministry of Defence says no firing was going on at the times the dolphins swam to shore and says the firing on

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Steven Morris June 14, 2008

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Ministry of Defence denies sonar to blame but conservationists call for navy to suspend its use

6 Even before the strandings it had been an unusual spring off the coast of south Cornwall. Winds blew from the north rather than the usual south-westerly direction and the plankton, an important source of food, came very late. Fishermen say this has caused a lack of smaller fish and this makes life difficult for the dolphins which feed on these smaller fish.

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Theories and rumours abound as scientists ponder mystery of mass dolphin deaths

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Level 2

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 2

Intermediate

Monday was routine. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society believes sonar equipment or explosions could have frightened the dolphins or made them feel disorientated. It wants the navy to stop using sonar in the area while the stranding is investigated and to say exactly what it is doing off the coast of Cornwall. 12 Marine biologists are almost certain that exposure to sonar leads to strandings. One Spanish study of a mass stranding of whales in the Canary Islands concluded the whales

had died after coming to the surface too quickly because they had been frightened by naval sonar. But people are worried that the reason for the dolphins’ deaths may never be found. The fear is that if something else is endangering the dolphins, whole populations of dolphins could be wiped out. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 14/06/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Scientists are sure that strandings are caused by sonar equipment. 2. The spring in Cornwall was unusual this year because the wind blew from a different direction to the normal one. 3. The lack of plankton meant the dolphins had no small fish to feed on. 4. The weekend was unusual because the sea was very calm. 5. There was no firing on the day of the strandings. 6. The dolphins were not trapped in fishing nets.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A noun meaning a person who tries to save people or animals from a dangerous situation. (para 2) 2. An adjective meaning caught in something so you cannot escape. (para 3) 3. A noun meaning a navigational system that uses sound waves. (para 5) 4. A noun meaning a general term for a ship or large boat. (para 7) 5. A phrasal verb meaning to kill an animal because it is old or sick. (para 9) 6. An adjective meaning the opposite of deep. (para 9) 7. A phrasal verb meaning to say that something is impossible. (para 10)

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NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Intermediate

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8. A phrasal verb meaning destroy completely. (para 12)

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 2

Intermediate

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column. Check your answers in the text. 1. solve

a. place

2. find

b. a theory

3. take

c. a mystery

4. clear

d. equipment

5. test

e. an area

6. rule out

f. the cause of something

6 Opposites Match the adjectives in the left-hand column with their opposites in the right-hand column. 1. deep

a. quiet

2. routine

b. damp

3. single

c. extraordinary

4. noisy

d. multiple

5. odd

e. shallow

6. dry

f. normal

7 Discussion Make a list of the different possibilities for the strandings. Which one is the most likely and which ones can

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NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Intermediate

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you rule out?

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. plankton 2. disorientated 3. clear 4. grisly 5. vet 6. tarpaulin 7. seaweed 8. stranding 9. rumour 10. tremor

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F T T F F T

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Intermediate

6 Opposites 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e c d a f b

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3 Comprehension check

c f a e d b

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around 70 26 more than 700 a south-westerly direction 35 years none

5 Verb + noun collocations

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

rescuer entangled sonar vessel put down shallow rule out wipe out

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 3 1

Advanced

Key verbs

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key verbs from the text.

shudders

drape

pinpoint

unravel

spook

clear

agitated

dismiss

suspend

heads for

1. If you ________________________ something, you cover it loosely with a piece of material. 2. If you ________________________ an idea or suggestion, you decide that it is impossible. 3. To ________________________ the cause of something means to identify the exact cause. 4. When someone ________________________ somewhere, they travel towards that place. 5. If you ________________________ a mystery, you solve it. 6. To ________________________ means to remove everything from a place or area. 7. If you ________________________ an activity, you stop it for a specific period. 8. When something ________________________, it shakes violently for a short time. 9. If the sea is ________________________, it becomes very rough. 10. If you ________________________ a person or animal, you make them very frightened or alarmed.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Dolphins are vegetarian. 2. Dolphins, porpoises and whales often become stuck in shallow water in different parts of the world. 3. This never happens in Britain. 4. In south-west England, the wind usually blows from the north. 5. Sonar equipment and explosions can frighten dolphins.

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NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Advanced

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6. Dolphins are frightened by killer whales.

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Advanced

1 Nick Tomlinson, a fishing-boat captain, had not felt anything like it in the 35 years he has been working the waters off the Cornish coast. “I’m used to the big military guns going off but this was something different – bang, bang, bang, very close, very loud. The vibrations went through the boat. The whole boat was shuddering.” 2 As Tomlinson’s boat was rocking 12 miles out, an extraordinary drama was taking place in muddy little coastline creeks near Falmouth. Around 70 dolphins had suddenly headed for shore and dozens became trapped in mud. Rescuers tried to keep them wet by draping damp tarpaulin and seaweed over them. They guided some back out to sea but 26 died. 3 Marine scientists are astounded at Monday’s tragedy – the biggest mass stranding of dolphins for many years. Multiple strandings of dolphins, porpoises and whales do happen frequently in other parts of the world. In the UK the number of strandings has doubled to more than 700 over the past ten years. But this increase is generally put down to the creatures becoming entangled in fishing nets and usually only involves a few individuals or a small group. 4 Over the next few weeks scientists from the Zoological Society of London will try to pinpoint the cause of this week’s stranding. The government has given them extra money to help them unravel the mystery. 5 But meanwhile, in Cornwall, there are a lot of rumours fuelled by the experiences of people like Nick Tomlinson. Were the dolphins terrified by explosions of some sort? Could sonar from naval vessels have spooked them? Is the military testing secret equipment? © Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Advanced

7 After this unusual spring came an unusual weekend. Leonora Burtt, of Falmouth, went out diving in the bay on Sunday and noticed a lack of large commercial vessels. “It was very odd. There are always large tankers around but all we could see was an unusual-looking naval vessel. It was strangely quiet. I was told by a fisherman that a submarine was around as well. It was as if the area had been cleared for something.” 8 On Monday news of the strandings started reaching the authorities. Darryl Thorpe, a local vet and a member of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue organization, said his initial reaction was disbelief. “This doesn’t happen in the UK with dolphins,” he said. 9 Throughout the day rescuers worked to save the creatures they could and put down the ones they could not. It was grisly work. One of the rescuers, Rory Goodall, said: “It was terrible.” He also said he felt “tremors” that agitated the shallow water. “It was a very strange feeling – something odd was going on out there,” he said. 10 It is easy to rule out some theories. Pathologists have said there was no sign the animals had been trapped in nets. The idea that a killer whale had scared them into the shallows has been largely dismissed – a group of whales would have been seen. The theory most of those involved in the rescue seem to be settling on is that they may have come closer to the coast than they normally would because of the lack of food and then been terrified into the shallow water. The question is what frightened them. 11 There were gunnery exercises on Friday and Monday afternoon but The Ministry of Defence says no firing was going on at the times the

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Steven Morris June 14, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Ministry of Defence denies sonar to blame but conservationists call for navy to suspend its use

6 Even before the dolphins headed for land it had been an unusual spring off the coast of south Cornwall. Northerly winds rather than the usual south-westerly ones blew in and the plankton, an important source of food, came very late. Fishermen say this has caused a lack of smaller fish, such as sardines and herrings, which in turn makes life difficult for predators such as dolphins.

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Theories and rumours abound as scientists ponder mystery of mass dolphin deaths

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Level 3

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 3

Advanced

dolphins actually headed to shore and insists the firing on Monday was routine. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society believes sonar equipment or explosions could have frightened the dolphins or caused them to become disorientated. It has called for the navy to suspend the use of sonar in the area while the stranding is investigated and to release details of its activities off Cornwall. 12 Marine biologists are increasingly convinced that exposure to sonar leads to strandings. One

of the most striking studies was carried out in Spain after a mass stranding of whales in the Canary Islands. Scientists concluded the whales had died after coming to the surface too quickly because they had been frightened by naval sonar. But a major concern is that the reason for the dolphins’ deaths may never be found. The fear is that if something else is endangering the dolphins, whole populations could be wiped out. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 14/06/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What caused so many dolphins to die off the Cornish coast? a. No-one knows for sure. b. They were spooked by killer whales. c. They were frightened by sonar equipment and explosions. 2. Why did the diver describe the weekend as ‘odd’? a. The wind was blowing from the north. b. There weren’t as many ships as usual. c. There was a submarine in the water. 3. Why did the whales in the Canary Islands die? a. They were killed by naval sonar. b. Sonar frightened them and they came to the surface too quickly. c. They became stranded in shallow water. 4. What are the rumours in Cornwall saying? a. That the dolphins were killed by the unusual weather. b. That the Ministry of Defence was firing guns.

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NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Advanced

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c. That secret military equipment is being tested.

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A noun meaning a very narrow channel on the coast where the tide flows in and out. (para 2) 2. A noun meaning a large sheet of strong, flexible, waterproof material. (para 2) 3. An adjective meaning shocked and surprised. (para 3) 4. A noun meaning the process of being left in a place you cannot get away from. (para 3) 5. An adjective meaning caught in something so you cannot escape. (para 3) 6. A noun meaning very small organisms floating in the sea. (para 6) 7. A noun meaning a creature that lives by killing and feeding on other animals. (para 6) 8. An adjective meaning dreadful, awful. (para 9)

5 Phrasal verbs Fill the gaps in these sentences using these phrasal verbs from the text.

put down



carry out

rule out go off

settle on call for

wipe out put down

1. If you __________________ an animal, you kill it because it is old or sick. 2. To __________________ means to request something formally. 3. If you __________________ a theory or suggestion, you decide that it is true or the best solution. 4. To __________________ means to destroy completely. 5. If you __________________ a theory or possibility, you say that it is not possible and you reject it. 6. If you _________________ a phenomenon to a particular cause, you believe that that cause is responsible for it. 7. Guns and bombs __________________. 8. ____________ is another way of saying perform or do.

6 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns from the right-hand column. Check your answers in the text. 1. unravel a. place 2. pinpoint b. a theory 3. take c. a mystery 4. fuel d. equipment 5. test e. a rumour 6. rule out f. a cause

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Advanced

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There are several different theories about why the dolphins died. What are they? Which one do you think is true?

Mystery of mass dolphin deaths Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key verbs

4 Find the word

1. drape 2. dismiss 3. pinpoint 4. heads for 5. unravel 6. clear 7. suspend 8. shudders 9. agitated 10. spook

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

put down call for settle on wipe out rule out put down go off carry out

3 Comprehension check

6 Verb + Noun Collocations

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Mystery of mass dolphin deaths / Advanced

c f a e d b

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a b b c

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F T F F T T

5 Phrasal verbs

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

creek tarpaulin astounded stranding entangled plankton predator grisly

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.



enforcement

warrant

raid

petition

sack

laughing stock

suspicious

bankrupt

siren

lawsuit

1. A ___________________ is a document written by a judge that gives the police permission to do something, for example to arrest someone or search a house. 2. A ___________________ is an action by police officers in which they suddenly enter a place in order to arrest people or search for something. 3. A ___________________ is a piece of equipment that makes a loud sound, used for warning people. 4. If you are ___________________, you say officially that you have no money and cannot pay what you owe. 5. If someone or something is a ___________________, everyone thinks they are silly or stupid. 6. If you ___________________ someone, you remove them from a job or official position. 7. ___________________ is the process of making sure people obey the law. 8. A ___________________ is a disagreement between two people that a court of law is asked to decide. 9. If you are ___________________, you believe that someone has probably done something wrong. 10. A ___________________ is a document signed by many people that asks someone in authority to do something.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. How many people live in Gerald? 2. What did the people of Gerald call Bill Jakob? 3. How much money did he owe? 4. What was written on his T-shirt? 5. How many people have signed the petition?

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NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Elementary

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6. How much money are the 17 people asking for?

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 1

Elementary

US town left red-faced after fake federal officer leads five-month war on drugs • Unemployed truck driver fools entire community • Wrongly arrested citizens threaten lawsuits Ed Pilkington in New York July 2, 2008 1 The small town of Gerald, Missouri (population just 1,200) had a huge problem with drugs. Then one day a man called Bill Jakob arrived in Gerald. He said he was a federal officer (FBI) and that he specialized in drug enforcement. He offered to help local officials in Gerald to solve their drug problem. They couldn’t believe their luck. Bill Jakob was a typical FBI agent – he was strong, he had very short hair, military boots and trousers and he wanted to get results. When he arrived, he was wearing a police badge and carrying federal ID and a gun. 2 He said he would not cost the local community of Gerald anything – he was a gift from the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington to help the town deal with its drug problems. He arrived in town driving an unmarked police car, equipped with a siren and a police radio, and he promised to leave the car in Gerald when he had finished the job. 3 There was only one problem: “Sergeant Bill”, as the people of Gerald soon began to call him, was not a federal agent, and never had been. He was in fact an unemployed truck driver with a criminal record who owed a lot of money and was almost bankrupt. 4 But for almost five months, from the day he arrived in town in January, he was known as the police king of Gerald. With the town’s five police officers he raided the homes of suspected drug users. Wearing a black T-shirt with the word Police on it, he arrested the local pharmacist and led at least 17 other raids. He didn’t follow normal police procedures and when people asked him for an arrest warrant he said that he didn’t need one because he was a federal agent.

States,” but he watched as the police brought the problem under control. But some people had their doubts. Linda Trest, a reporter with the local newspaper, became suspicious. 6 She began making inquiries. Was it true federal agents did not need search warrants? Did Jakob have security clearance? After just one hour’s research on her computer she found all the necessary evidence – when Jakob was 22 he was found guilty of sex abuse, he was $180,000 in debt, and he had no police documentation at all. He did, in fact, come from Washington – though not DC but Washington, Missouri, just 30 miles from Gerald. It was true that his police car was a police car, but he had bought it from a used car dealer. 7 The whole town was shocked. “He was everything that you would imagine a federal officer to be,” said Schulte. “But he did a lot of damage to this town.” Since the truth became known, three of the town’s five police officers, including the chief, have been sacked. Seventeen residents of Gerald have issued federal lawsuits against Jakob in which they are asking for up to $11m (£5.5m) each. One man says Jakob kicked him in the head, another says Jakob threatened him with a gun, and an elderly woman says he forced her into a psychiatric hospital when she said she did not want to co-operate with him. 8 Mike Withington says Jakob raided his house, banging on his door and throwing him in handcuffs into his front garden. “He [Jakob] was definitely the leader – it was all him,” he told the New York Times. 159 angry townspeople have signed a petition to remove the mayor, saying that “this incident has made Gerald the laughing stock of the whole state of Missouri”. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 02/07/08

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5 And he got results. Mayor Otis Schulte once called Gerald “a drug capital of the United

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The people of Gerald believed Bill Jakub was an FBI officer… 2. Sergeant Bill said he didn’t need an arrest warrant… 3. Sergeant Bill’s car really was a police car but… 4. The reporter from the local newspaper… 5. 159 people want to remove the mayor… 6. Bill Jakub was from Washington but… a. … didn’t believe Sergeant Bill was a real federal agent. b. … he had bought it second-hand from a used car dealer. c. … Washington, Missouri, not Washington DC. d. … because he was a federal agent. e. … because he looked like an FBI officer. f. … because everyone is laughing at Gerald.

4 Verb + noun collocations

b. damage

3. owe

c. results

4. follow

d. evidence

5. get

e. a problem

6. make

f. procedures

7. find

g. inquiries

8. do

h. money

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Elementary

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2. carry

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a. ID

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1. solve

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the verbs on the left with the nouns and noun phrases on the right to make expressions from the text. Check your answers in the text.

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 1

Elementary

5 Expressions with prepositions Complete the expressions using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. specialize ______________ something 2. equipped ______________ a siren and a police radio 3. bring ______________ control 4. $180,000 ______________ debt 5. find someone guilty ______________ a crime 6. co-operate ______________ someone

6 Word stress Put these words from the text into two groups according to their word stress.

inquiry

reporter

pharmacist

official

officer

enforcement

petition

federal

criminal

evidence

suspicious

NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Elementary

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B o0o

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A 0oo

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incident

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Verb + noun collocations

1. warrant 2. raid 3. siren 4. bankrupt 5. laughing stock 6. sack 7. enforcement 8. lawsuit 9. suspicious 10. petition

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

6 Word stress

e d b a f c

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Elementary

A 0oo

B o0o

incident pharmacist officer federal criminal evidence

inquiry reporter official enforcement petition suspicious

H

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

in with under in of with

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1,200 Sergeant Bill $180,000 Police 159 up to $11m each

5 Expressions with prepositions

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e a h f c g d b

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. enforcement

close-cropped

warrant

incentive

boast

stocky

bankruptcy

raid

petition

sack

1. If you _____________________ about something, you proudly tell other people what you can do in order to make them admire you. 2. If you _____________________ someone, you remove them from a job or official position. 3. _____________________ is the process of making sure people obey the law. 4. A _____________________ is an action by police officers in which they suddenly enter a place in order to arrest people or search for something. 5. A _____________________ is a document signed by many people that asks someone in authority to do something. 6. If your hair is _____________________, it is very short. 7. An _____________________ is something that makes you want to do something because you know you will benefit by doing it. 8. A _____________________ is a document written by a judge that gives the police permission to do something, for example to arrest someone or search a house. 9. _____________________ is a situation in which you admit officially that you have no money and cannot pay what you owe. 10. A _____________________ person is one who is strong but not tall.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the answers to these questions as quickly as possible. 1. What was Bill Jakob’s nickname? 2. How many police raids did he take part in? 3. How much money did he owe? 4. What was written on his T-shirt? 5. How many people have signed the petition?

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NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Intermediate

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Where is Gerald?

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Intermediate

1 When Bill Jakob, a federal officer who specialized in drug enforcement, offered his services to a tiny town in Missouri that was fighting against a huge rise in drug use, the local officials couldn’t believe their luck. They had found a man who was the image of the tough but reliable FBI agent – stocky build, close-cropped hair, military boots and trousers and a determination to get results. He came wearing a badge and carrying federal ID and a gun. 2 He said he would not cost the local community of Gerald anything – he was a gift from the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington to help the town clean up its drug problems. As an extra incentive, he arrived in town driving an unmarked police car, equipped with a siren and a police radio, which he promised to leave behind him when the job was done. 3 There was only one problem: “Sergeant Bill”, as he came quickly to be known by the 1,200 townspeople of Gerald, was not a federal agent and never had been. He was in fact unemployed, a former truck driver with a criminal record who had fallen into debt and filed for bankruptcy. 4 But for almost five months from the day he arrived in town in January, he built himself a reputation as the police king of Gerald. He led the town’s existing five officers in numerous raids against suspected drug users. Wearing a black T-shirt with the word Police on it, he took part in the arrest of the local pharmacist and a series of at least 17 raids. He didn’t follow normal police procedures and when he was asked for an arrest warrant he boasted that he didn’t need one because he was a federal agent.

6 She began making inquiries. Was it true federal agents did not need search warrants? Did Jakob have security clearance? Just one hour’s research on her computer was enough to find the incriminating evidence – when he was 22 he was found guilty of sex abuse, he was $180,000 in debt and had filed for bankruptcy, and he had no police documentation at all. He did, in fact, come from Washington – though not DC but Washington, Missouri, just 30 miles away. And his police car was indeed a police car, though he had bought it from a used car dealer. 7 The town was in shock. “He was everything that you would imagine a federal officer to be,” said Schulte. “This guy really did a lot of damage to this town.” Since the truth became known, three of the town’s five police officers, including the chief, have been sacked. Seventeen residents have issued federal lawsuits claiming up to $11m (£5.5m) each for violations that included being kicked in the head, threatened at gunpoint, and, in the case of one elderly woman, forced into a psychiatric hospital when she refused to co-operate. 8 Mike Withington says Jakob raided his house, banging on his door and throwing him in handcuffs into his front garden. “[Jakob] was definitely in charge – it was all him,” he told the New York Times. Angry townspeople have organized a petition of 159 names to have the mayor removed, complaining that “this incident has made Gerald the laughing stock of the whole state”.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Intermediate

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 02/07/08

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Ed Pilkington in New York July 2, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Unemployed truck driver fools entire community • Wrongly arrested citizens threaten lawsuits

5 And the results followed. Mayor Otis Schulte had called Gerald “a meth capital of the United States,” but he watched as the problem was brought under control. But some people had their doubts. Linda Trest, a reporter with the local paper, the Gasconade Country Republican – where they normally only write about rodeos and school sports events – became suspicious.

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US town left red-faced after fake federal officer leads five-month war on drugs

CA

Level 2

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Sergeant Bill was from Washington DC. 2. 159 people have signed a petition to have Sergeant Bill sacked. 3. Sergeant Bill looked just like a typical FBI agent. 4. It took Linda Trest a long time to find out the truth about Sergeant Bill. 5. Sergeant Bill’s police car wasn’t a police car at all. 6. Sergeant Bill was unemployed and in debt.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. An adjective meaning having no words or symbols on it to show what it is. (para 2) 2. A noun meaning a piece of equipment that makes a loud sound, used for warning people. (para 2) 3. A two-word expression meaning an official list of crimes someone has committed. (para 3) 4. A three-word expression meaning to begin to owe people money. (para 3) 5. A three-word expression meaning to apply officially to be declared bankrupt. (para 3) 6. A two-word expression meaning facts, statements or objects that suggest that someone is guilty of a crime. (para 6) 7. A noun meaning a case that a court of law is asked to decide involving a disagreement between two people. (para 7)



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NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Intermediate

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A two-word expression meaning someone or something that everyone thinks is very silly or stupid. (para 8)

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 2

Intermediate

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs on the left with the nouns and noun phrases on the right to make expressions from the text. 1. offer

a. inquiries

2. not believe

b. part

3. take

c. a lawsuit

4. follow

d. one’s services

5. make

e. a lot of damage

6. do

f. one’s luck

7. issue

g. someone’s house

6 Expressions with prepositions Complete the expressions using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. bring _____________ control 2. specialize _____________ something 3. equipped _____________ a siren and a police radio 4. take part _____________ 5. find someone guilty _____________ a crime 6. $180,000 _____________ debt 7. _____________ shock 8. _____________ gunpoint

7 Discussion Sergeant Bill fooled the whole town into believing he was an FBI agent. What could the citizens of Gerald

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NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

have done to prevent this situation?

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. boast 2. sack 3. enforcement 4. raid 5. petition 6. close-cropped 7. incentive 8. warrant 9. bankruptcy 10. stocky

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

d f b h a e c g

3 Comprehension check

6 Expressions with prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Intermediate

under in with in of in in at

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F F T F F T

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Sergeant Bill 17 $180,000 Police 159 Missouri, USA

5 Verb + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

unmarked siren criminal record fall into debt file for bankruptcy incriminating evidence lawsuit laughing stock

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

incentive

warrant

credentials

fake

bankruptcy

close-cropped

stocky

conviction

raid

petition

1. A ___________________ is someone or something that is false and not real. 2. If you have a previous ___________________, you have been found guilty of a crime in the past. 3. A __________________ is a document signed by many people that asks someone in authority to do something. 4. A ___________________ person is one who is strong but not tall. 5. If your hair is ___________________, it is very short. 6. A ___________________ is an action by police officers in which they suddenly enter a place in order to arrest people or search for something. 7. ___________________ is a situation in which you admit officially that you have no money and cannot pay what you owe. 8. An ___________________ is something that makes you want to do something because you know you will benefit by doing it. 9. ____________________ are documents that prove who you are or show your qualifications. 10. A ____________________ is a document written by a judge that gives the police permission to do something, for example to arrest someone or search a house.

2

Find the information

The headline at the beginning talks about a ‘fake federal officer’. Look at these statements and decide which of these things the fake cop did and which you think he didn’t do. Then check your answers in the text. 1. He said he was from Washington. 2. He wore a police badge and carried federal ID and a gun. 3. He shot the local pharmacist. 4. He raided hundreds of houses looking for drugs. 5. He had real police documents to prove he was a cop.

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NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. He forced one woman into a psychiatric hospital when she refused to co-operate.

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Advanced

1 When Bill Jakob, a federal officer specializing in drug enforcement, offered his services to a tiny town in Missouri that was struggling with a wave of methamphetamine use, the local officials couldn’t believe their luck. Here was a man who was the image of the tough but reliable FBI agent – stocky build, close-cropped hair, military boots and trousers and a determination to get results. He came sporting a badge, federal ID and a gun at his side. 2 He said he would not cost the local community of Gerald a penny – he was a gift from the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington to help the town clean up its drug problems. As an added incentive, he arrived in town driving an unmarked police car, equipped with siren and police radio, that he promised to leave behind him when the job was done. 3 There was only one problem: “Sergeant Bill”, as he came quickly to be known by the 1,200 townspeople of Gerald, was not a federal agent and never had been. He was in fact unemployed, a former truck driver with a criminal record who had fallen into debt and filed for bankruptcy. 4 But for almost five months, from the day he showed up in town in January, he built himself up to be the policing king of Gerald. He led the town’s existing five officers in numerous raids against suspected drug users. Wearing a black T-shirt with Police emblazoned on it, he took part in the arrest of the local pharmacist and in a series of at least 17 raids. He cut corners, brushing aside demands for an arrest warrant with the boast that as a federal agent he didn’t need one.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Advanced

6 She began making inquiries. Was it true federal agents had no need of search warrants? Had Jakob been security cleared? An hour’s research on her computer was enough to throw up the incriminating evidence – of a sex abuse conviction against him when he was 22, his $180,000 debt and bankruptcy, and the fact that he held no police credentials at all. He did, in fact, come from Washington – though not DC but Washington, Missouri, just 30 miles away. And his police car was indeed a police car, though he had bought it from a used car dealer. 7 The town was in shock. “He was everything that you’d think a federal officer would be,” said Schulte. “This guy really screwed this town up.” In the fallout, three of the town’s five police officers, including the chief, have been sacked. Seventeen residents have issued federal lawsuits claiming up to $11m (£5.5m) each for violations that included being kicked in the head, threatened at gunpoint and, in the case of one elderly woman, forced into a psychiatric hospital after refusing to co-operate. 8 Mike Withington says Jakob raided his house, pounding on his door and throwing him in handcuffs on to his front garden. “[Jakob] was definitely in charge – it was all him,” he told the New York Times. Angry townspeople have organized a petition of 159 names to have the mayor removed, complaining that “this incident has made Gerald the laughing stock of the whole state”. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 02/07/08

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Ed Pilkington in New York July 2, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Unemployed truck driver fools entire community • Wrongly arrested citizens threaten lawsuits

5 And the results followed. Mayor Otis Schulte had called Gerald “a meth capital of the United States,” but he watched as the problem was brought under control. But there were doubts too. Linda Trest, a reporter with the local paper, the Gasconade Country Republican – where news coverage normally involves rodeos and school sports events – grew suspicious.

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US town left red-faced after fake federal officer leads five-month war on drugs

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Level 3

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Why have 159 inhabitants of Gerald signed a petition to have the mayor removed? a. Because they like Sergeant Bill and want him to stay. b. Because they feel angry and humiliated that other people in the state are laughing at their town. c. Because they believe the mayor was responsible for hiring Sergeant Bill. 2. How did the local reporter find out that Sergeant Bill was a fake? a. She checked with the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington. b. She did some basic research on her computer. c. She asked to see his police credentials. 3. How did Sergeant Bill become “policing king” of the town of Gerald? a. He led a number of raids against suspected drug users. b. He wore a badge and carried federal ID and a gun. c. He convinced everyone he was a real cop. 4. Why were people in Gerald shocked? a. Because he was everything they thought a federal officer would be. b. Because he kicked people in the head and threatened others at gunpoint. c. Because he was $180,000 in debt.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A verb meaning to wear something, often in a way that shows you want people to notice it. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning having no words or symbols on it to show what it is. (para 2) 3. A three-word expression meaning to begin to owe people money. (para 3) 4. An adjective meaning printed or drawn in a very noticeable way. (para 4) 5. A two-word expression meaning to do something less carefully or thoroughly than you should. (para 4) 6. A two-word expression meaning facts, statements or objects that suggest that someone is guilty of a crime. (para 6) 7. A noun meaning the unpleasant effects of something that has happened. (para 7)

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NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A verb meaning to hit something several times with a lot of force. (para 8)

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 3

Advanced

5 Phrasal verbs Match the phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings. 1. brush aside

a. stop criminal behaviour

2. screw up

b. arrive in a place

3. clean up

c. talk about someone in a positive way so people are impressed

4. throw up

d. refuse to accept that something is important or true

5. build up

e. produce something new or unexpected

6. show up

f. make serious mistakes and spoil something

6 Two-word expressions Match the words in the left-hand column with those from the right-hand column to make two-word expressions from the text. 1. criminal

a. warrant

2. added

b. stock

3. arrest

c. officer

4. security

d. build

5. federal

e. record

6. laughing

f. boots

7. military

g. incentive

8. stocky

h. clearance

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Advanced

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

If you could fool a whole town into believing you were something you were not, what would you choose to be? What kind of things would you say or do to make them believe you?

Fake federal officer leads war on drugs Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. fake 2. conviction 3. petition 4. stocky 5. close-cropped 6. raid 7. bankruptcy 8. incentive 9. credentials 10. warrant

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

b b c a

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Fake federal officer leads war on drugs / Advanced

6 Two-word expressions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

e g a h c b f d

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3 Comprehension check

d f a e c b

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T T F F F T

5 Phrasal verbs

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

sport unmarked fall into debt emblazoned cut corners incriminating evidence fallout pound

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 1 1

Elementary

Warmer: The Last Supper quiz

Choose the correct answers in teams. 1. What kind of painting is the Last Supper? an oil painting

a fresco

a watercolour

a mosaic

Raphael

Botticelli

2. Who painted the Last Supper? Leonardo da Vinci

Michelangelo

3. When was it painted? 1405

between 1600 and 1603

between 1494 and 1498

1560

4. Where is the painting? Venice

Rome

The Vatican City

Milan

5. How big is the painting? 460 x 880 cm

80 x 80 cm

46 x 80 cm

1200 x 400 cm

6. How many people are in the painting? 11

12

13

14

2 Looking for key information Skim-read the article to find the answers to the following questions: 1. What kind of show did Peter Greenaway invent around the Last Supper? 2. What is Greenaway’s main job? 3. What did Greenaway take into the hall? 4. Who appeared as a three-dimensional hologram? 5. What kind of music played during the performance?

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NEWS LESSONS / The Last Supper for the laptop generation / Elementary

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. Who does Greenaway think the painting should belong to?

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 1

Elementary

Greenaway’s hi-tech gadgetry highlights da Vinci for the laptop generation

6

1 Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper burst into new life on Monday night after Peter Greenaway finally got permission to reinvent the 510-year-old painting as a sound and light show.

Last month the Italian government in Rome finally allowed Greenaway to put on the show. But he was only allowed to stage the show for one night to a small group of important official people from Milan, art experts and monks. But even though it was only a small audience, there was a feeling that Greenaway’s show could become an important event in the painting’s history.

7

2 The Italian authorities finally allowed the British film director Greenaway to take projectors, computers and speakers into the usually quiet and air-sealed hall in Santa Maria delle Grazie, where the picture of Christ and his twelve apostles is on one of the end walls. Inside the hall, Greenaway performed his vision of one of Christianity’s most sacred and fragile paintings, re-imagined “for the laptop generation”.

“If Leonardo was alive now he wouldn’t just be interested in film-making, he would be using high-definition cameras and he would be experimenting with holograms,” said Greenaway. “He would love modern technology and I am sure that he would support what we are doing. This painting belongs to the world in general; it belongs to the laptop generation as much as it does to academics and we want to show that.”

8

After the performance, the audience responded with enthusiasm. “I saw things that I have never seen before,” said Francesca Fiore, 41, a manager with Vodafone Italia. “It was incredible,” said Pierre Demarani, a publisher. “There is a new light, a new colour and a new vision.”

9

Greenaway plans to invent other performances around Las Meninas by Velázquez, Picasso’s Guernica, Monet’s Waterlilies and a Jackson Pollock in New York. His greatest ambition, though, is to work with Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

Robert Booth in Milan July 2, 2008

3 To the sound of modern opera music, he used modern technical tricks to make Leonardo’s Christ appear like a three-dimensional hologram with the sun over his head. Greenaway turned the original colourful painting red, grey and black; it became light and dark, and by the end of the performance the apostles were behind the shadow that looked like prison bars. 4 At least one of the world’s experts on da Vinci thought Greenaway’s work was “cultural vandalism”. But others think it may stop people thinking about The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s best-selling book and the film of the same name, when they think of The Last Supper.

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 02/07/08

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

5 Monday’s one-off performance almost did not happen. For 18 months the authorities refused permission as they were worried about possible damage to the painting and that Greenaway might upset peoples’ religious beliefs.

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Join these sentence halves to give a summary of the article. 1. The Last Supper has been reinvented by...

... the performance was fantastic.

2. The Last Supper can be seen in...

... a dining hall next to a church in Milan.

3. Greenaway thinks the painting should...

... have supported the show.

4. The audience thought...

... other famous paintings.

5. Greenaway thinks Leonardo da Vinci would...

... belong to everyone.

6.

... a British film director as a sound and light show.

Greenaway plans more sound and light shows around the world with...

4 Vocabulary: Missing vowels Look back at the article and fill in the missing vowels (a,e,i,o,u) to find the words. 1. When you get

p _ r m _ s s _ _ n, somebody allows you to do something.

2. Local officials, government workers and departments are often called the 3. Jesus’ twelve followers were called his 4. When someone has a 5. Something that is

v _ s _ _ n, they imagine how something will be.

f r _ g _ l _, it is easy to break or damage.

s h _ d _ w is an area of darkness created when something blocks the light.

V _ n d _ l _ s m is the act of deliberately damaging or destroying something.

9. A

_ n _ - _ f f p _ r f _ r m _ n c _ is a show that will never be repeated.

10. A

m _ n k is a man who lives in a religious community.

11. The people who watch a show are the

NEWS LESSONS / The Last Supper for the laptop generation / Elementary

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_ n t h _ s _ _ s m is the feeling of being very interested in something or excited by it.

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12.

_ _ d _ _ n c _.

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8.

_ p _ s t l _ s.

s _ c r _ d is holy or connected with God in a special way.

6. When something is 7. A

_ _ t h _ r _ t _ _ s.

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 1

Elementary

5 Webquest Watch a two-minute video of the installation by following this link: http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2288367,00.html Alternatively, go to www.youtube.com and type in Peter Greenaway last supper installation.

6 Discussion: But is it art? Do you think that Peter Greenaway’s installation / show is art? What is ‘art’ for you?

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Do you have a favourite piece of art?

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 1 Elementary KEY 1 Warmer: The Last Supper quiz

4 Vocabulary: Missing vowels

Teacher’s tip: award each team two points for a correct answer or if there are no correct answers, give one point to the team with the closest answer.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

a sound and light show film director computers, projectors and speakers Jesus Christ opera everyone

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5: 6.

The Last Supper has been reinvented by a British film director as a sound and light show. The Last Supper can be seen in a dining hall next to a church in Milan. Greenaway thinks the painting should belong to everyone. The audience thought the performance was fantastic. Greenaway thinks Leonardo da Vinci would have supported the show. Greenaway plans more sound and light shows around the world with other famous paintings.

Teacher’s notes and tips: If possible, watch the video via the Guardian website or YouTube before teaching this lesson. Integrate the video into your lesson if you can. Copy and print out (or show on screen) the seven photos which are found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/ gallery/2008/jul/02/art?picture=335404629 Either as an additional starter or as an extension, ask the students to talk about what they see on each photo. Set an extra task for homework: ask the students to find out how they would go about booking tickets to see the Last Supper. Where and how would they buy them? How much do they cost? When can you go and see the Last Supper (every day or only at special times)? etc.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Last Supper for the laptop generation / Elementary

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2 Looking for key information

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a fresco (although many call it a ‘false fresco’ as it was painted on a dry wall) Leonardo da Vinci between 1494 and 1498 In a refectory adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. 460 x 880 cm 13: Jesus and his 12 apostles

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

permission authorities apostles vision sacred fragile shadow vandalism one-off performance monks audience enthusiasm

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 2 1

Intermediate

Warmer: The Last Supper quiz

Choose the correct answers in teams. 1. What kind of painting is the Last Supper? an oil painting

a fresco

a watercolour

a mosaic

2. Who painted the Last Supper? Leonardo da Vinci

Michelangelo

Raphael

Botticelli

3. When was it painted? 1405

between 1600 and 1603

between 1494 and 1498

1560

4. Where is the painting? Venice

Rome

The Vatican City

Milan

5. How big is the painting? 460 x 880 cm

80 x 80 cm

46 x 80 cm

1200 x 400 cm

6. How many people are depicted in the painting? 11

2

12

13

14

Key words

Write the key words from the article into the sentences below.



dignitaries

blaspheme

refectory

enthusiasm

vandalism

authorities

masterpiece

permission

one-off performance

sacred

1. When you get ____________________, somebody in authority gives you the right to do something. 2. A ____________________ is an excellent painting, book, piece of music etc, or the best work of art that a

particular artist, writer, musician etc has ever produced.

3. Local officials, government workers and departments are often called the ____________________. 4. A ____________________ is a large communal food hall. 5. Something that is ____________________ is considered to be holy or connected with God in a special way. 6. ____________________ is the act of deliberately damaging or destroying something. 7. A _____________________________ is a show that will never be repeated. 8. When someone does this they curse or say offensive things about religious beliefs: ____________________. 9. ____________________ are people who have an important official position, e.g. mayor or government minister.

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10. ____________________ is the feeling of being very interested in something or excited by it.

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 2

Intermediate

Greenaway’s hi-tech gadgetry highlights da Vinci for the laptop generation

6

Permission was finally granted late last month by the Italian government in Rome. Greenaway was only allowed to stage the show for one night to a select group of Milanese dignitaries, art experts and monks. But despite the small audience, there was a feeling that Greenaway’s show could become a turning point in the painting’s history.

7

“If Leonardo was alive now he wouldn’t just be interested in film-making, he would be using high-definition cameras and would be experimenting with holograms,” said Greenaway. “He would be fascinated by modern technology. I am sure that he would support what we are doing. This painting belongs to the world in general; it belongs to the laptop generation as much as it does to academics and we want to demonstrate that.”

8

After the performance, the audience responded with enthusiasm. “I saw things that I have never seen before,” said Francesca Fiore, 41, a manager with Vodafone Italia. “It was incredible,” said Pierre Demarani, a publisher. “There is a new light, a new colour and a new vision.”

9

Greenaway plans to repeat the performance on Las Meninas by Velázquez, Picasso’s Guernica, Monet’s Waterlilies and a Jackson Pollock in New York. His greatest ambition, though, is to work with Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

Robert Booth in Milan July 2, 2008 1 Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper burst into

new life on Monday night after Peter Greenaway finally got permission to reinvent the 510-year-old masterpiece as a sound and light show.

2 In a remarkable victory for the British film director,

the Italian authorities allowed Greenaway to take projectors, computers and speakers into the usually quiet and air-sealed refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where the image of Christ and his twelve apostles decorates an end wall. Inside the refectory, Greenaway unveiled his vision of one of Christianity’s most sacred and fragile paintings, re-imagined “for the laptop generation”.

3 To the sound of modern opera, he used modern

technical tricks to make Leonardo’s Christ appear like a three-dimensional hologram while the sun rose and set over his head. He turned the original colourful painting red, grey and black; dawn broke, dusk fell and by the end of the performance the apostles were behind the shadow of prison-like bars.

4 At least one of the world’s experts on da

Vinci thought Greenaway’s work was “cultural vandalism”. But others think it may have saved The Last Supper’s reputation from The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel.

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 02/07/08

5 Monday’s one-off performance almost did not

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happen. For 18 months the authorities refused permission as they were worried about possible damage to the painting and that Greenaway might blaspheme.

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 2 3

Intermediate

Comprehension check

According to the article are these sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. The Last Supper has been ‘reinvented’ as a sound and light show by a British film director. 2. The Last Supper can be seen in a dining hall in Milan. 3. Greenaway’s Last Supper performance will be shown again in the Sistine Chapel. 4. Greenaway thinks the painting should belong to everyone. 5. The audience thought the performance was blasphemous. 6. Da Vinci painted the last supper in red, grey and black. 7. Peter Greenaway wrote the blockbuster novel, The Da Vinci Code. 8. Greenaway thinks da Vinci would have supported the new show.

4 Vocabulary 1. Complete these sentences with morning or evening. a) The sun rises in the _____________________ and sets in the _____________________. b) Dusk usually falls in the _____________________. c) Dawn breaks in the _____________________. 2. How many words can you add to the word wheels?

.s

e.g

ise

t gh ow i l h . .g s

r un

sun

e

light

3. Describe dawn and dusk.

!

........................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................

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........................................................................................................................................................

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 2

Intermediate

5 Webquest Watch a two-minute video of the installation by following this link: http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2288367,00.html Alternatively, go to www.youtube.com and type in Peter Greenaway last supper installation.

6 Discussion: But is it art? How do you feel about Peter Greenaway’s installation / show? What is ‘art’ for you?

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Do you have a favourite piece of art?

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Addiction to Internet ‘is an illness’ Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Warmer: The Last Supper quiz

4 Vocabulary

Teacher’s tip: award each team two points for a correct answer or if there are no correct answers, give one point to the team with the closest answer.

1. a) morning / evening b) evening (note: sometimes late afternoon) c) morning

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

a fresco (although many call it a ‘false fresco’ as it was painted on a dry wall) Leonardo da Vinci between 1494 and 1498 In a refectory adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. 460 x 880 cm 13: Jesus and his 12 apostles

2 Key words 1. permission 2. masterpiece 3. authorities 4. refectory 5. sacred 6. vandalism 7. one-off performance 8. blaspheme 9. dignitaries 10. enthusiasm

Teacher’s notes: If possible, watch the video via the Guardian website or YouTube before teaching this lesson. Integrate the video into your lesson if you can. Copy and print out (or show on screen) the seven photos which are found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/ gallery/2008/jul/02/art?picture=335404629 Either as an additional starter or as an extension, ask the students to talk about what they see on each photo. Set an extra task for homework: ask the students to find out how they would go about booking tickets to see the Last Supper. Where and how would they buy them? How much do they cost? When can you go and see the Last Supper (every day or only at special times)? etc.

3 Comprehension check True True False True False False False True

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 3 1

Advanced

Warmer: The Last Supper quiz

Try to answer these questions in teams. 1. What kind of painting is the Last Supper? 2. Who painted the Last Supper? 3. When was it painted? 4. Where is the painting? 5. How big is the painting? 6. How many people are depicted in the painting?

2

Key words

Skim-read the article to find words that mean the following. 1. heavenly: _______________________ (para 1) 2. officials / government workers and departments: _______________________ (para 2) 3. a large communal food hall: _______________________ (para 2) 4. give someone away, expose someone: _______________________ (para 2) 5. forefront, up-to-date, most modern: _______________________ (para 3) 6. curse, say offensive things about religious beliefs: _______________________ (para 5) 7. turning point, important: _______________________ (para 6) 8. the time after the invention of computers: _______________________ (para 7) 9. people and institutions connected with education: _______________________ (para 7)

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10. outer sex organs: _______________________ (para 8)

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Advanced

Greenaway’s hi-tech gadgetry highlights da Vinci for the laptop generation

painting as a projection screen for a performance of contemporary art,” he said. “We did not conserve this so that it would become an artist’s material. Peter Greenaway uses Leonardo because it will grab the world’s attention.”

Robert Booth in Milan July 2, 2008

4 At least one of the world’s experts on da Vinci thought Greenaway’s work was cultural vandalism. But others think it may have saved The Last Supper’s reputation from The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel, which frustrated many experts by reducing the painting’s hidden meanings to part of a plot. 5 Monday’s one-off performance almost did not happen. For 18 months the authorities refused permission as they were worried about possible damage to the painting and that Greenaway might blaspheme. Pietro Marani, one of the world’s leading Leonardo scholars who spent 17 years on the painting’s latest restoration, said he would not attend. “I don’t think it is appropriate to use the

7

“If Leonardo was alive now he wouldn’t just be interested in film-making, he would be handling high-definition cameras and would be experimenting with holograms,” said Greenaway. “He would be fascinated by the post-digital age. I am sure that he would support what we are doing, which isn’t true of some academics who believe that this painting belongs to them and not to the world. This painting belongs to the laptop generation as much as it does to academia and we want to demonstrate that.”

8

He was forced to drop his plans to show the apostles’ cups overflowing with blood and to project Christ’s genitals on the refectory walls. But he said his goal was never to shock, but to help people look again at a work of art that has been devalued by being seen on chocolate boxes and on T-shirts.

9

After the performance, the audience responded with enthusiasm. “I saw things that I have never seen before,” said Francesca Fiore, 41, a manager with Vodafone Italia. “It was incredible,” said Pierre Demarani, a publisher. “There is a new light, a new colour and a new vision.”

10 Greenaway plans to repeat the performance on Las Meninas by Velázquez, Picasso’s Guernica, Monet’s Waterlilies and a Jackson Pollock in New York. His ultimate ambition, though, is to work with Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / The Last Supper for the laptop generation / Advanced

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 02/07/08

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3 To the sound of modern opera, he used cutting-edge technical tricks to make Leonardo’s Christ appear like a three-dimensional hologram while a radiant sun rose and set over his head. He turned the original colourful image red, grey and black before the artist’s gentle brush strokes were replaced with a chalk outline of the 13 figures, as if Leonardo had drawn a crime scene. Dawn broke, dusk fell and by the end the disciples had been dramatically cast into the shadow of prison-like bars.

Permission was finally granted late last month by the national government in Rome. Greenaway was only allowed to stage the show for one night and to a select group of Milanese dignitaries, art experts and monks. But despite the small audience, there was a feeling that Greenaway’s show could become a pivotal moment in the painting’s history.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 In a remarkable victory for the British film director, the Italian authorities allowed Greenaway to take projectors, computers and speakers into the usually quiet and air-sealed refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where the image of Christ telling the apostles that one of them will betray him decorates an end wall. Inside the refectory, Greenaway unveiled his vision of one of Christianity’s most sacred and fragile paintings, re-imagined “for the laptop generation”.

6

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1 With a glint of a dagger and a blaze of celestial light, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper burst into new life on Monday night after Peter Greenaway finally got permission to reinvent the crumbling, 510-year-old masterpiece as a sound and light show.

CA

Level 3

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 3

Advanced

3 Comprehension check Find the answers to the questions in the article. 1. Peter Greenaway is...

4. Greenaway thinks the painting should belong to...

a) ... an art critic. b) ... a film director. c) ... a novelist. d) ... a painter. 2. The Last Supper can be seen in...

a) ... the laptop generation. b) ... academics. c) ... everyone. d) ... only a select few. 5. The invited audience thought the performance was...

a) ... a palace in Venice.

a) ... blasphemous.

b) ... the Vatican. c) ... a church in Rome. d) ... a dining hall in Milan.

b) ... inappropriate. c) ... incredible. d) ... a waste of money.

3. Greenaway’s Last Supper performance... a) ... ruined the painting. b) ... will run until the end of the year. c) ... was shown only once. d) ... will be shown again in the Sistine Chapel.

4 Vocabulary How many words can you find in the article that can be used to talk about or describe light? Make example sentences of your own for each of these words.

Words from the article

Example sentences .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... ....................................................................

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....................................................................

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 3

Advanced

5 Webquest Watch a two-minute video of the installation by following this link: http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2288367,00.html Alternatively, go to www.youtube.com and type in Peter Greenaway last supper installation.

6 Discussion: But is it art? How do you feel about Peter Greenaway’s installation? Can you think of any other examples of contemporary and/or controversial art? What is ‘art’ for you?

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Do you have a favourite piece of art?

The Last Supper for the laptop generation Level 3 Advanced KEY 1 Warmer: The Last Supper quiz

4 Vocabulary

Teacher’s tip: award each team two points for a correct answer or if there are no correct answers, give one point to the team with the closest answer.

(suggestions) glint, blaze, celestial (light), radiant, colourful, shadow

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

a fresco (although many call it a ‘false fresco’ as it was painted on a dry wall) Leonardo da Vinci between 1494 and 1498 In a refectory adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. 460 x 880 cm 13: Jesus and his 12 apostles

2 Key words 1. celestial 2. authorities 3. refectory 4. betray 5. cutting-edge 6. blaspheme 7. pivotal 8. post-digital 9. academia 10. genitals

Teacher’s notes: If possible, watch the video yourself via the Guardian website or YouTube before teaching this lesson. Integrate the video into your lesson if it’s technically possible. Copy and print out (or show on screen) the seven photos which are found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/ gallery/2008/jul/02/art?picture=335404629 Either as an additional starter or as an extension, ask the students to talk about what they see on each photo. Set an extra task for homework: ask the students to find out how they would go about seeing the Last Supper. Where and how would they buy the tickets? How much do they cost? When can you go and see the Last Supper (every day or only at special times)? How would they get there? etc.

3 Comprehension check b d c c c

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

coroner

deception

defraud

charge

money laundering



prosecutor

jury

deny

fraud

bankruptcy

1. A ____________________ is an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime. 2. ____________________ is a situation in which you officially admit that you have no money and cannot pay what you owe. 3. A ____________________ is a group of people, usually 12, who judge a court case. 4. A ____________________ is a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty. 5. ____________________ is the act of tricking someone by telling them something that is not true. 6. A ____________________ is someone whose job is to decide officially how someone died, especially if they died in a sudden or violent way. 7. When you say that you did not do something that someone has accused you of doing, you ____________________ it. 8. __________________ is the act of hiding money obtained from illegal activities by putting it into legal businesses. 9. If you ____________________ someone you get money from them in a dishonest way. 10. ____________________ is the crime of getting money from someone by tricking them.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How much money was involved in the fraud? 2. How many children did Anne and John Darwin have? 3. How much money did the Darwins want to borrow from the bank? 4. How much money did Anne Darwin have in Panama (in money, land and property)? 5. How much did Anne Darwin pay for the land in Panama?

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6. When did John Darwin ‘disappear’?

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Elementary

1 A court in the north of England has heard how a woman helped her husband to fake his own death. The prosecution says that Anne Darwin told insurance companies, a coroner and her own sons that her husband had died in a canoeing accident. Anne Darwin and her husband, John, owed a lot of money and were also facing an increase in payments for a bank loan when she took part in the £250,000 fraud. 2 The jury heard that the couple’s sons, Mark and Anthony, believed their father was dead after their mother told them: “I think I’ve lost him. He’s gone.” Darwin denies six charges of deception and nine charges of money laundering. 3 In March 2002, the Darwins’ bank refused to lend them £20,000 and they were facing bankruptcy. Six days later, prison officer John Darwin disappeared into the sea in a canoe. Anne Darwin phoned the police to report that her husband was missing, but she had in fact just driven him to the local railway station, the prosecutor, Andrew Robertson, told the court. Less than a month later her husband, who had grown his hair and a beard, was secretly living at another house they owned. 4 The prosecution says that Darwin defrauded various insurance companies by “telling them that her husband was dead when he was very much alive and well”. Robertson said she told police, their sons and the coroner that her husband had drowned. Robertson added: “Anne Darwin clearly thought nothing of lying to her sons and telling them that their own father was lost at sea and dead. “Mark said that his whole world fell apart. He felt he had not just lost a father, but his best friend.”

6 Anne Darwin will say that her husband forced her to do it, the court heard. Robertson said that to prove this defence, a wife has to show that she committed the crime in the presence of her husband and that he used force. He asked the jury to look at the picture taken in Panama and decide whether she was a woman whose husband was forcing her to do things, or if it “showed a woman who was very happy thinking about the money she got from the fraud”. He added that she had just over £500,000 in Panama in money, land and property. 7 Anne Darwin sent an email from Panama to her friends. She wrote about the land she had bought and said she planned to turn it into a nature reserve. She wrote that the $1m (£500,000) she paid for the land was “very cheap”. The prosecution says that she paid for the land with money she obtained by fraud. Robertson said: “The plan was simple but it required a lot of work from Anne Darwin.” 8 In a statement to police after her husband’s disappearance, she said that he was an experienced canoeist. Later she told the local newspaper: “When he went missing I stayed up all night. I didn’t go to bed for days. It was a nightmare and it’s still going on. I feel lost. People die, have a funeral, they have a grave, there’s something to mark the fact they existed on this earth, but without a body I don’t know how we can mark John’s life.” © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 15/07/08

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Elementary

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Helen Carter July 15, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Couple devised plot to escape debts, jury hears • Anne Darwin will claim coercion as part of defence

5 Anthony’s reaction was the same. The prosecution says that Anne Darwin knew that her children were upset but she continued with the deception. “Maybe the initial idea for the fraud was John Darwin’s rather than Anne’s, but she played an equal and vital role calmly and confidently.” Robertson showed the jury a photograph of the Darwins taken at an estate agent’s office in Panama, where he said they were “looking for property to buy with the money they got from the fraud”.

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Darwin trial: Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in £250,000 fraud with aplomb, court told

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Level 1

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. Everyone thought that John Darwin... 2. The prosecution says that Anne Darwin… 3. Anne Darwin told a local newspaper… 4. Anne Darwin told her friends… 5. John Darwin… 6. The prosecution says that the original idea for the fraud...

a. … was living in another house they owned. b. … she didn’t go to bed for days. c. … had drowned in March 2002. d. … was John Darwin’s. e. … the land she bought in Panama was very cheap. f. … drove her husband to the local railway station.

4 Verb + noun collocations

b. money

3. owe

c. a photograph

4. play

d. force

5. use

e. a charge

6. take

f. a crime

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Elementary

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2. deny

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a. a role

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1. commit

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text.

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 1

Elementary

5 Expressions with prepositions Use prepositions to complete these expressions from the text. 1. die ______________ an accident 2. take part ______________ a crime 3. ______________ fact 4. lost ______________ sea 5. ______________ the presence of 6. money obtained ______________ fraud

6 Word building Complete the table with words from the text.

2

defend

3

disappear

4

insure

5

pay

6

lend

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Elementary

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deceive

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1

noun

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verb

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Verb + noun collocations

1. charge 2. bankruptcy 3. jury 4. prosecutor 5. deception 6. coroner 7. deny 8. money laundering 9. defraud 10. fraud

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

c f b e a d

in in in at in by

6 Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

deception defence disappearance insurance payment loan

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Elementary

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£250,000 two £20,000 just over £500,000 $1 million (£500,000) March 2002

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

•P

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Expressions with prepositions

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2 Find the information

f e b a d c

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. coroner

deception

defraud

charge

money laundering

prosecutor

jury

deny

claim

bankruptcy

1. If you _____________________ someone you get money from them in a dishonest way. 2. ___________________ is the act of hiding money obtained from illegal activities by putting it into legal businesses. 3. A _____________________ is a group of people, usually 12, who judge a court case. 4. A ____________________ is a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty. 5. _____________________ is a situation in which you officially admit that you have no money and cannot pay what you owe. 6. A _____________________ is an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime. 7. If you ____________________ something is true, you say it is true even though there may be no definite proof. 8. _____________________ is the act of tricking someone by telling them something that is not true. 9. When you say that you did not do something that someone has accused you of doing, you _____________________ it. 10. A _____________________ is someone whose job is to decide officially how someone died, especially if they died in a sudden or violent way.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How much money was involved in the fraud? 2. How much money did the Darwins try to borrow from the bank? 3. How much money did Anne Darwin have in Panama (in money, land and property)? 4. How much did Anne Darwin pay for the land in Panama? 5. When did John Darwin ‘disappear’?

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6. How many years passed before the fraud was discovered?

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Intermediate

1 A court in the north of England has heard how a woman helped her husband to fake his own death by convincing insurers, a coroner and the couple’s own sons that he had died in a canoe accident. Anne Darwin, 56, and her husband, John, were deep in debt and were facing an increase in payments on a loan when she took part in the £250,000 fraud the court was told. 2 The jury heard that the couple’s sons, Mark and Anthony, believed their father was dead after their weeping mother told them: “I think I’ve lost him. He’s gone.” Darwin denies six charges of deception and nine charges of money laundering. 3 In March 2002, their bank refused to lend the Darwins £20,000 and they were facing bankruptcy. Six days later prison officer John Darwin disappeared into the sea in a canoe. When Anne Darwin phoned the police to report her husband missing, she had in fact just dropped him off at a railway station, the prosecutor, Andrew Robertson, told the court. Within a month, her husband, who had grown his hair and a beard, was secretly living at another house they owned. The jury was also told that he even registered at the local library under a false name, John Jones. 4 The prosecution claims that Darwin defrauded various insurance companies by “convincing them that her husband was dead when he was very much alive and well”. Robertson said she told police, their sons and the coroner that her husband had drowned. Robertson added: “Anne Darwin clearly thought nothing of lying to her sons in this way and convincing them that their own father was lost at sea and dead. “According

6 Anne Darwin will say that her husband forced her to do it, the court heard. Robertson said that to prove this defence, a wife has to show that the crime was committed in the presence of her husband and that he used force. He asked the jury to look at the picture taken in Panama and consider whether she was a woman whose was being forced to act by her husband, or if it “showed a woman who was very happy at the prospects of enjoying the money she got from the fraud”. The amount of money, land and property she had in Panama was “just over £500,000”, the prosecutor added. 7 In an email from Anne Darwin in Panama to friends, which was copied to her husband “John Jones”, she spoke of land she had purchased and hoped to turn into a nature reserve for ecological tourism. She wrote that the $1m (£500,000) market price was “an absolute bargain” as she had looked at other sites with less land that cost much more. The prosecution claims that she would have been paid for the land with money obtained by fraud. Robertson said: “The plan was simple but it obviously required a lot of pretence, persistence and guts on the part of Anne Darwin.” 8 In a statement to police following her husband’s disappearance, she said that he was an experienced canoeist but unable to perform an

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Intermediate

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Helen Carter July 15, 2008

5 Anthony’s reaction was the same. The prosecution claims that Anne Darwin knew that she was causing her children a lot of distress but she continued with the deception. “The initial idea may have been John Darwin’s rather than Anne’s, but it was a scheme in which Anne Darwin not only played an equal and vital role – but it was a role which she played calmly and confidently.” Robertson showed the jury a photograph of the Darwins taken at an estate agent’s office in Panama, where he claimed they were “looking for property to buy with the proceeds of the fraud”.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Couple devised plot to escape debts, jury hears • Anne Darwin will claim coercion as part of defence

to Mark, his whole world fell apart. He felt he had not just lost a father, but his best friend.”

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Darwin trial: Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in £250,000 fraud with aplomb, court told

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Level 2

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 2

Intermediate

Eskimo roll. A press release was issued to local media six months later in which Darwin said: “When he went missing I stayed up all night. I didn’t go to bed for days. It was a nightmare and it’s still going on. I feel very much in limbo. People die, have a funeral, they have a headstone, there’s something to mark the fact they existed on this earth, but without a body I don’t know how we can mark John’s life.”

9

The prosecution said of Darwin: “It is clear that Anne Darwin kept her nerve throughout the five-and-a-half years that passed before this fraud came to light.” The trial continues. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 15/07/08

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. In March 2002 John Darwin drowned in a canoeing accident. 2. The Darwins’ children knew John Darwin was alive. 3. Anne Darwin claims her husband forced her to lie about his death. 4. The Darwins had money problems. 5. The prosection claims that the Darwins used the insurance money to buy property in Panama. 6. The original idea of the fraud was probably Anne Darwin’s.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A verb meaning to pretend that something has happened when it has not. (para 1) 2. A three-word expression meaning owing a lot of money. (para 1) 3. A phrasal verb meaning to take someone to a place by car. (para 3) 4. A noun meaning a feeling you have when you are very unhappy, worried or upset. (para 5) 5. A noun meaning money you get from doing something. (para 5) 6. A verb meaning to buy. (para 7) 7. A plural noun meaning the quality of being brave and determined. (para 7) 8. A two-word expression meaning in a situation where you are not certain and you have to wait to find out what will

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happen next. (para 8)

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 2

Intermediate

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text. 1. commit

a. a role

2. deny

b. distress

3. cause

c. one’s nerve

4. play

d. force

5. use

e. a charge

6. keep

f. a crime

6 Word building Complete the table with words from the text.

verb 1

deceive

2

defend

3

pretend

4

persist

5

disappear

6

insure

7

pay

8

lend

noun

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Intermediate

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CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Think of different ways that people can fake their own death. Which way do you think would be the most convincing?

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. defraud 2. money laundering 3. jury 4. prosecutor 5. bankruptcy 6. charge 7. claim 8. deception 9. deny 10. coroner

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F F T T T F

6 Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

deception defence pretence persistence disappearance insurance payment loan

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H

3 Comprehension check

f e b a d c

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£250,000 £20,000 just over £500,000 £500,000 March 2002 five-and-a-half years

5 Verb + noun collocations

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

fake deep in debt drop off distress proceeds purchase guts in limbo

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

coroner

deception

defraud

coercion

allegedly



prosecutor

jury

money laundering

juror

charge

1. A ____________________ is a group of people, usually 12, who judge a court case. 2. A ____________________ is a member of a jury. 3. A ____________________ is an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime. 4. ____________________ is the act of tricking someone by telling them something that is not true. 5. ____________________ is the use of force or threats to make someone do something. 6. ____________________ is the act of hiding money obtained from illegal activities by putting it into legal businesses. 7. A ____________________ is someone whose job is to decide officially how someone died, especially if they died in a sudden or violent way. 8. A ____________________ is a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty. 9. If you ____________________ someone you get money from them in a dishonest way. 10. If someone _______________________does something, another person says they have done it even though this has not been proved.

2

Find the information

1. How much did Anne and John Darwin need to borrow from the bank? 2. What, according to Anne Darwin, had happened to her husband? 3. Who was John Jones? 4. How much did the Darwins pay for their property in Panama? 5. Where did they get the money to pay for the property?

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6. How long was it before the fraud came to light?

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Advanced

2 The jury heard that the couple’s sons, Mark and Anthony, believed their father was dead after their weeping mother told them: “I think I’ve lost him. He’s gone.” Darwin denies six deception charges and nine of money laundering. 3 In March 2002, six days after they were refused a £20,000 bank loan and were facing bankruptcy, prison officer John Darwin disappeared into the sea in a canoe. When Anne Darwin phoned the police to report her husband missing, she had in fact just dropped him off at a railway station, Andrew Robertson, prosecuting, told the court. Within a month, her husband, who had grown his hair and a beard, was secretly living at a neighbouring property they owned. The jury was told that he was an avid reader who could not resist registering at the library, under a false name: John Jones. 4 Darwin, it is claimed, defrauded various insurance companies by “convincing them that her husband was dead when he was very much alive and well”. Robertson said she told police, their sons and the coroner that her husband had drowned. Robertson added: “Anne Darwin clearly thought nothing of lying to her sons in this way and convincing them that their own father was lost at sea and dead. According to Mark, his whole world had fallen apart. He felt he had not just lost a father, but his best friend.”

6 Anne Darwin will rely on a defence of marital coercion, the court heard. Robertson said that to prove this defence, a wife has to show that the crime was committed in the presence of her husband and under his coercion. He asked the jurors to look at the picture taken in Panama and consider whether she was a woman who was being forced to act by her husband, or if it was “indicative of a woman who was very happy at the prospects of enjoying the fruits of the fraud”. The amount of money, land and property “she was sitting on in Panama was in the region of just over £500,000”, the prosecutor added. 7 In an email from Anne Darwin in Panama to friends, which was copied to her husband “John Jones”, she spoke of land she had purchased and hoped to turn into a nature reserve for ecological tourism. “This land has much more to offer than I originally thought. It has deep ravines and swamps with wildlife more interesting for nature trails,” she wrote. She spoke of seeing poison-dart frogs, eating mango, avocados and a small yellow fruit which was very tasty but whose name she couldn’t recall. 8 Darwin wrote that the $1m (£500,000) market price was “an absolute bargain” as she had looked at other sites with less land that cost much more. The prosecution claims that the land would have been paid for by fraudulently obtained funds. Robertson said: “Simple though the scheme was, it was obviously going to require a considerable amount of guile, convincing pretence and persistence, and guts

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Advanced

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1 A woman helped her husband to fake his own death by convincing insurers, a coroner and the couple’s own sons that he had died in a canoe accident, a court has been told. Anne Darwin, 56, and her husband, John, were deep in debt and facing an increase in payments on a loan when she took part in the £250,000 fraud the court was told.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• Couple devised plot to escape debts, jury hears • Anne Darwin will claim coercion as part of defence Helen Carter July 15, 2008

5 Anthony’s reaction was the same. “The prosecution believes that Anne Darwin must have been aware of the deep distress she was causing her children, yet she was steadfast in this way in the complete absence of her husband. The initial idea may have been John Darwin’s rather than Anne’s, but it was a scheme in which Anne Darwin not only played an equal and vital role – but it was a role which she played with superb aplomb.” Robertson showed the jury a photograph of the Darwins taken at an estate agent’s office in Panama, where they were allegedly “looking for property to buy with the proceeds of the fraud”.

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Darwin trial: Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in £250,000 fraud with aplomb, court told

CA

Level 3

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 3

Advanced

on the part of Anne Darwin to see it through.” 9

10

In a statement to police following her husband’s disappearance, she said that he was an experienced canoeist but unable to perform an Eskimo roll. A press release was issued to local media six months later in which Darwin was quoted as saying: “When he went missing I stayed up all night. I didn’t go to bed for days. It was a nightmare and it’s still going on. “I feel very much in limbo. People die, have a funeral, they have a headstone, there’s something to mark the fact they existed on this earth, but without a body I don’t know how we can mark John’s life.”

The prosecution said of Darwin: “It is clear that at no stage in the following five-and-a-half years before this fraud came to light did Anne Darwin’s nerve ever fail her.” The trial continues. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 15/07/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. How did John and Anne Darwin’s children react to the news that he was dead? a. They didn’t believe it. b. They were very distressed. c. They reported it to the police. 2. What part did Anne Darwin allegedly play in the deception? a. A very minor role. It was her husband’s idea. b. An important role. She was just as involved as her husband. c. The main role. She planned and executed the whole thing. 3. What is Anne Darwin’s defence in court? a. She says her husband forced her to do it. b. She claims she really believed he was dead. c. She says he was an experienced canoeist but was unable to roll a canoe. 4. Where, according to the prosecution, was John Darwin during most of the five-and-a-half years? a. In Panama. b. Living in a property very near Anne Darwin’s house.

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c. Hiding somewhere abroad.

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A verb meaning to pretend that something has happened when it has not. (para 1) 2. A noun meaning a situation in which a person has officially admitted that they have no money and cannot pay what they owe. (para 3) 3. An adjective meaning very enthusiastic. (para 3) 4. An adjective meaning not changing your opinions or actions because you have a strong belief in something. (para 5) 5. A two-word expression meaning in a confident and relaxed manner when dealing with a difficult situation. (para 5) 6. A noun meaning the skilful use of dishonest means to trick people or make them do what you want. (para 8) 7. A plural noun meaning the quality of being brave and determined. (para 8) 8. A two-word expression meaning in a situation where you are not certain and you have to wait to find out what will happen next. (para 9)

5 Compound nouns Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make compound nouns from the text. 1. bank a. price 2. insurance

b. stone

3. prison

c. reserve

4. estate

d. company

5. nature

e. agent

6. market

f. release

7. press

g. loan

8. head

h. officer

6 Expressions with prepositions Complete the expressions from the text using prepositions. 1. take part _____________

5. rely _____________

2. ____________ a false name

6. _____________ the part of

3. lost _____________ sea

7. _____________ limbo

4. be aware _____________

8. come _____________ light

6 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Advanced

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Imagine that you would like to pretend that you have died in order to claim life insurance money. How would you fake your own death?

Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. jury 2. juror 3. charge 4. deception 5. coercion 6. money laundering 7. coroner 8. prosecutor 9. defraud 10. allegedly

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

g d h e c a f b

3 Comprehension check

6 Expressions with prepositions

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

in under at of on on in to

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Missing canoeist’s wife played her part in fraud / Advanced

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b b a b

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£20,000 He had drowned John Darwin (it was a false name) $1m (£500,000) They got it from various insurance companies five-and-a-half years

5 Compound nouns

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

fake bankruptcy avid steadfast with aplomb guile guts in limbo

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.



airship

sway





neat

gentle





inflammable



gondola

decade

float



dull

smooth





1. If something is _____________________, it is boring or not interesting. 2. A _____________________ is the part fixed to a balloon or an airship that people travel in. 3. A _____________________ is a period of ten years. 4. An _____________________ is an aircraft without wings that is filled with gas and has an engine. 5. When something _____________________ in the air, it is lighter than air and moves slowly through it. 6. A _____________________ movement does not use or need much force or effort. 7. To _____________________ means to move or swing gently from side to side. 8. A _____________________ flight does not shake or frighten you. 9. If something is _____________________, it burns easily. 10. If something is _____________________, it is carefully arranged and looks nice.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. At what height does the airship fly? 2. How fast does it fly? 3. How many passengers does it carry? 4. How much does a 45-minute flight cost? 5. How long has Fritz Guenther been flying airships?

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NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Elementary

CA

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6. What gas is used to fill the airship?

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Elementary

2 But the famous sights are not the most interesting thing you see. You also see small details: the neat back gardens of houses, the tennis courts and cricket pitches in the parks, people walking their dogs and an early morning swimmer in an open-air swimming-pool. There are a lot of green spaces too – does south London really have all those trees? The flight is so gentle that you feel you are a spy flying over London as the city wakes up and begins with its business. 3 A few passengers will be able to enjoy this experience during the next six weeks – if the weather is good – if they have £360 for the hour-long flight. This is more than the cost of a return plane ticket to Florida, but it is about the same as a one-hour flight in a helicopter... and much quieter. 4 The flights take off from an airfield north of London, so a half-hour flight for £180 will take you as far as the Millennium Dome. A 45-minute trip costing £270 will allow you to float over Greenwich for a while. 5 Passengers have not flown over London in airships for several decades. A Belgian beer company sponsors the 75-metre airship and a German company built it. This is probably the first time in 90 years that an airship built by Zeppelin, with a German pilot, has been in the sky above London. Then it was a time of war and the airship flight was certainly not relaxing!

7 Guenther’s co-pilot, Katharine Board, is British and the first female airship pilot in the world. “I can’t believe how lucky I am,” she said. “Aircraft are just a little bit dull. Here I learn something new every day. It is like riding the waves, like a boat on the water. There’s no other aircraft you can fly this low, this slow. They pay me to float around the world.” 8 You have to book the flights in advance and and they will probably be more interesting for business customers than families on days out. The airship carries just 12 people a time, plus the pilot and the co-pilot. The airship has a licence to fly for five hours a day but if the weather is wet or windy it cannot fly. The ship was supposed to arrive last week but had to stay on the ground in Cologne for five days waiting for the weather to improve before it could fly across the Channel. 9 The balloon is filled with 8,425 cubic metres of helium, not the inflammable gases which the Hindenburg and R101 airships used before the Second World War when both airships had terrible accidents. Similar airships already operate passenger trips over Germany and Tokyo. The flight itself is not completely smooth: the gondola rocks slowly. Over the river, the cool air makes things peaceful but the concrete and pavements of the city send up hot air that makes the airship sway and rock from side to side.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Elementary

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 15/07/08

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1 There are a lot of ways to see the sights of London. One way, which is very relaxing but quite expensive, is to float over the city 1,000 feet above the ground at 30mph in an airship. Below you can see the great sights of the city: the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the River Thames.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Stephen Bates July 15, 2008

6 Fritz Guenther is the company’s flight operations manager and a former East German air-force pilot. He has been flying airships for 18 years: “I am from the eastern world and after the fall of the Berlin Wall I had to find something else to do. Now I think it is the best way of flying.” He flies the airship above the River Thames with a London street map on his knees – something that makes sense when you are travelling only a little faster than the traffic in the streets below.

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Poetry in motion: over London by airship

CA

Level 1

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The small details… 2. A one-hour flight in the airship… 3. The airship pilot thinks… 4. The airship co-pilot thinks… 5. The airship cannot fly… 6. Before the Second World War…

a. … if the weather is bad. b. … it is the best way of flying. c. … costs more than a return plane ticket to Florida. d. … airships were filled with inflammable gases. e. … are the most interesting things that you see. f. … it is like being in a boat on the water.

4 Compound nouns

b. ticket

3. cricket

c. manager

4. plane

d. trip

5. one-hour

e. pitch

6. operations

f. pool

7. street

g. flight

8. passenger

h. court

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Elementary

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2. tennis

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a. map

CA

1. swimming

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Match the nouns from the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make words from the text.

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 1

Elementary

5 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. 1. the above feet 1,000 ground 2. 45 a trip minute 3. five day for hours a 4. 90 the time in years first 5. the War World Second before 6. the London see to of sights

6 Adjectives Complete these adjectives from the text. 1. e __ p __ n __ __ v __ 2. g __ __ t l __ 3. s __ o o t __ 4. r __ l __ x __ ng 5. w __ n d __

H

NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Elementary

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6. i__ f __ a m __ a b l __

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Compound nouns

1. dull 2. gondola 3. decade 4. airship 5. floats 6. gentle 7. sway 8. smooth 9. inflammable 10. neat

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e c b f a d

6 Adjectives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Elementary

expensive gentle smooth relaxing windy inflammable

H

3 Comprehension check

1,000 feet above the ground a 45-minute trip for five hours a day the first time in 90 years before the Second World War to see the sights of London

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1,000 feet 30mph 12 £270 18 years helium

5 Chunks

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

f h e b g c a d

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. airship

landmark

glitter

cancel



hover

sway

inflammable gondola

glide decade

1. To _____________________ means to move or swing gently from side to side. 2. If you _____________________ an arrangement, you say that it will not now take place. 3. To _____________________ means to move in a smooth and easy way with no noise. 4. If something is _____________________, it burns easily. 5. A _____________________ is a period of ten years. 6. To _____________________ means to remain in the same position in the air. 7. An _____________________ is an aircraft without wings that is filled with gas and has an engine. 8. A _____________________ is the part fixed to a balloon or an airship that people travel in. 9. To _____________________ means to shine with a lot of small, quick flashes of light. 10. A _____________________ is a famous building or object that you can see and recognize easily.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. At what height does the airship fly? 2. How fast does it fly? 3. How many passengers does it carry? 4. How much does a one-hour flight cost? 5. How long is the airship?

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NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Intermediate

CA

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

6. What gas is used to fill the airship?

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Intermediate

2 But it is the small details that make the biggest impression: the neat back gardens with their children’s trampolines and paddling pools, the tennis courts and cricket pitches in the parks, the dog walkers and an early morning swimmer in an open-air pool. All the green spaces too – can south London really have all those trees? The flight is so gentle that you feel you are spying on London as the city wakes up and goes about its business. 3 A few paying passengers will be able to enjoy this experience during the next six weeks – weather permitting – if they can afford £360 for the hour-long flight. This is more than the cost of a return plane ticket to Florida, but it is more or less the same as a helicopter trip... and quieter. 4 The flights take off from an airfield north of London, so a half-hour flight for £180 will take you as far as the Millennium Dome and the 45minute trip costing £270 allows you to hover over Greenwich for a while. 5 It is several decades since paying passengers flew over London this way. The 75m-long airship, which is sponsored by a Belgian beer company, was built by the German Zeppelin company. This is probably the first time in 90 years that an airship built by Zeppelin, piloted by a German, has been in the sky above London. Then, of course, the intention was rather less peaceful and certainly not relaxing.

7 Guenther’s co-pilot, Katharine Board, is British and the first female airship pilot in the world. “I can’t believe how lucky I am,” she said. “Aircraft are just a little bit dull. Here I learn something new every day... It is like riding the waves, like a boat on the water. There’s no other aircraft you can fly this low, this slow. I get paid to float around the world.” 8 The flights have to be pre-booked and may be of more interest to business customers than families on days out. The airship carries just 12 people a time, plus the two crew. The airship is licensed to fly for five hours a day but if it is wet or windy its flights will be cancelled. The ship was supposed to arrive last week but was forced to stay on the ground in Cologne for five days waiting for the weather to improve before it could fly across the Channel. 9 The balloon is filled with 8,425 cubic metres of helium, not the inflammable gases which brought an end to pre-war airship flights after the accidents to the Hindenburg and R101. Similar airships already operate passenger trips over Germany and Tokyo. The flight itself is not completely smooth: the gondola rocks gently. Over the river, the cool air makes things peaceful but the concrete and pavements of the city send up hot air currents that make the airship sway and rock.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Intermediate

© Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 15/07/08

O

1 There are certainly much cheaper ways to see London, but few can be as relaxing as gliding over the capital 1,000 feet above the ground at 30mph in an airship. Below you can see the great landmarks of the city: the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the River Thames, glittering in the sun.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Stephen Bates July 15, 2008

6 Fritz Guenther, the company’s flight operations manager and a former East German air-force pilot, has been flying airships for 18 years: “I am from the eastern world and after the wall came down I had to find something else to do. Now I think it is the best way of flying.” He steers the airship along the line of the River Thames with an A-Z London street map on his knees – something that makes sense when you are travelling only a little faster, but much more smoothly, than the traffic below.

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Poetry in motion: over London by airship

CA

Level 2

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 2

Intermediate

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Travelling by airship costs much more than travelling by helicopter. 2. Airships can fly in all kinds of weather. 3. The airship sways and rocks because of the cool air. 4. Airships are quieter than helicopters. 5. Travelling by airship is very relaxing. 6. The River Thames makes the biggest impression on airship travellers.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A noun meaning a piece of equipment you can jump up and down on for sport or fun. (para 2) 2. A two-word expression meaning a very small swimming pool that children play in. (para 2) 3. A two-word expression meaning if the weather is suitable. (para 3) 4. A verb meaning to fly a plane. (para 5) 5. A noun meaning an assistant pilot. (para 7) 6. An adjective meaning boring or not interesting. (para 7) 7. A verb meaning to reserve in advance. (para 8)

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NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Intermediate

CA

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

8. A noun meaning the people who work on a ship, aircraft etc. (para 8)

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 2

Intermediate

5 Chunks Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text. 1.the weeks next during six 2. hour a flight half 3. the 1,000 ground above feet 4. 90 first years the time in 5. day five a for hours 6. plane Florida return a to ticket

6 Word building Complete the table with words from the text.

verb 1

intend

2

impress

3

noun

improvement

4

experience

5

fly

6

licence

7

cancellation

8

permission

7 Discussion

H

NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Intermediate

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Compare travelling by plane with travelling by airship. Which do you prefer? Why?

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. sway 2. cancel 3. glide 4. inflammable 5. decade 6. hover 7. airship 8. gondola 9. glitter 10. landmark

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F F F T T F

6 Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Intermediate

intention impression improve experience flight license cancel permit

H

3 Comprehension check

during the next six weeks a half-hour flight 1,000 feet above the ground the first time in 90 years for five hours a day a return plane ticket to Florida

•P

1,000 feet 30mph 12 £360 75 metres helium

5 Chunks

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

trampoline paddling pool weather permitting pilot co-pilot dull pre-book crew

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

landmark

comparable

soothing

dull

hover



sway

grounded

conglomerate

serene

decade

1. A __________________ is a period of ten years. 2. __________________ means calm or peaceful. 3. If something is __________________, it makes you feel more calm and relaxed and less nervous, worried or upset. 4. If something is __________________ to something else, it is fairly similar to it, so it is reasonable to compare them. 5. A __________________ is a large business organization that was formed when several different businesses joined together. 6. A __________________ is a famous building or object that you can see and recognize easily. 7. If something is described as __________________, it is boring or not interesting. 8. To __________________ means to move or swing gently from side to side. 9. If an aircraft is __________________, it is prevented from flying for some reason. 10. To __________________ means to remain in the same position in the air.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. Modern airships are filled with inflammable gases. 2. The airship Hindenburg crashed just after the Second World War. 3. The London street map is known as the A-Z. 4. Airships can fly in wet and windy weather. 5. A one-hour trip over London in an airship will cost more than a return plane ticket to Florida.

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6. Airships fly at just 100 feet above the ground.

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Advanced

2 But it is the small details that strike you most: the neat back gardens with their children’s trampolines and paddling pools, the tennis courts and cricket pitches in the parks, the dog walkers and an early morning swimmer gliding across an open-air municipal pool. All the green spaces too – can south London really have all those trees? The flight is so gentle in the gondola that it is like eavesdropping on London as it wakes and goes about its business. 3 A handful of paying passengers will be able to do just that over the coming six weeks – weather permitting – if their pockets are deep enough to pay £360 for the hour-long flight, rather more than the cost of a return fare to Florida, but apparently comparable to a helicopter trip... and quieter. 4 The flights take off from an airfield in Essex, so pro-rata a half-hour flight for £180 will get you as far as the Millennium Dome and the 45-minute intermediate trip allows you to hover over Greenwich. 5 It is many decades since paying passengers flew over London this way. And, since the 75mlong airship, sponsored by the Belgian beer conglomerate which brews Stella Artois, was built by the Zeppelin company, it may be the first time in 90 years that one of the company’s craft, piloted by a German, has been overhead. Then, of course, the intention was rather less peaceful and certainly far from soothing.

7 Guenther’s co-pilot, Katharine Board, is British and the first female airship pilot in the world. “I can’t believe how lucky I am,” she said. “Aircraft are just a little bit dull. Here you get to learn something new every day. It is like riding the waves, like a boat on the water. There’s no other aircraft you can fly this low, this slow. I get paid to float around the world.” 8 The flights for the next six weeks this summer, until 21 August, have to be pre-booked and may be of more interest to corporate clients than families on days out. The airship carries just 12 people a time, plus the two crew. The airship is licensed to fly for five hours a day but if it is wet or windy its trips will be cancelled. The ship was due to arrive last week but was grounded in Cologne for five days waiting for the weather to lift in order to cross the Channel. 9 Other ancient comparisons are outdated: the balloon is filled with 8,425 cubic metres of helium, not the inflammable gases which brought a premature end to pre-war flights in the wake of the accidents to the Hindenburg and R101. Similar craft operate passenger trips already over Germany and Tokyo. As if to emphasize its concern for safety, apart from the beer company’s logo, the airship bears a logo for a responsible drinking website. 10 The flight itself is not entirely smooth: the gondola rocks gently. Over the river, the cool air makes things tranquil but the concrete and pavements of the city send up hot air currents that make the airship sway and rock.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Advanced

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1 There are certainly much cheaper ways to see London, but few can be as serene as to glide over the capital 1,000 feet above the ground at 30mph in an airship. Laid out below you are the great landmarks: the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the River Thames, glittering in the sun.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

Stephen Bates July 15, 2008

6 Fritz Guenther, the company’s flight operations manager and a former East German air-force pilot, has been flying airships for 18 years: “I am from the eastern world and after the wall came down I had to find something else to do. Now I think it is the best way of flying.” He steers the airship up the line of the river with an A-Z London street map on his knees – something that makes sense when you are travelling only a little faster, but rather more smoothly, than the traffic below.

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Poetry in motion: over London by airship

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Level 3

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 3

Advanced

11 If the poet William Wordsworth had been there yesterday, he would not have had to change a word of his poem: “The city now doth like a garment wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.” Perhaps they should have invited him to do the advertising. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 15/07/08

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What is the most striking thing about the view from the airship? a. The great landmarks of London. b. The small details like back gardens, tennis courts and dog walkers. c. The River Thames, glittering in the sun. 2. What is the main advantage of the airship trip compared to one in a helicopter? a. It is quieter. b. It is cheaper. c. It is more soothing. 3. Why was the airship grounded in Cologne for five days? a. Because it was waiting for a lift across the Channel. b. Because the weather was bad. c. Because the pilot was in East Germany. 4. Why is the modern-day airship safer than the old pre-war airships? a. Because it is only 75 metres long. b. Because it flies at only 1000 feet above the ground.

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c. Because it is filled with helium not inflammable gas.

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 3

Advanced

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A phrasal verb meaning arrange. (para 1) 2. A verb meaning to listen to someone’s conversation without them knowing that you are listening. (para 2) 3. A two-word expression meaning almost the opposite of. (para 5) 4. A two-word expression meaning business customer. (para 8) 5. A verb meaning to say that something arranged will not now take place. (para 8) 6. An adjective meaning happening too soon or before the usual time. (para 9) 7. A four-word expression meaning happening after an event or as the result of it. (para 9) 8. An adjective meaning calm, still and quiet. (para 10)

5 Prefixes Match the expressions with their definitions. 1. pre-book

a. above your head

2. pre-war

b. assistant pilot

3. pro-rata

c. old and no longer suitable for modern purposes or situations

4. co-pilot

d. calculated according to the individual situation

5. overhead



6. outdated

e. from a time before a particular war f. make a reservation in advance

6 Expressions with prepositions Fill the gaps in the phrases from the text using prepositions. 1. gliding ____________ London

5. the first time ____________ 90 years

2. glittering ____________ the sun

6. filled ____________ gas

3. eavesdrop ____________ someone

7. in the wake ____________ the accidents

4. comparable ____________

8. concern ____________ safety

7 Discussion

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by airship?

Poetry in motion: over London by airship Level 3

Advanced

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. decade 2. serene 3. soothing 4. comparable 5. conglomerate 6. landmark 7. dull 8. sway 9. grounded 10. hover

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4.

b a b c

6 Expressions with prepositions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / Poetry in motion: over London by airship / Advanced

over in on to in with of for

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3 Comprehension check

f e d b a c

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F F T F T F

5 Prefixes

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

lay out eavesdrop far from corporate client cancel premature in the wake of tranquil

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 1 1

Elementary

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

nerd

hacker

extradition

bail

appeal



trial

delay

sympathizer

fry

sophisticated

1. A ___________________ is someone who uses a computer to connect to other people’s computers illegally. 2. An ___________________ is a formal request to a court of law to change its decision. 3. To __________________ someone is an American expression meaning to kill someone using the electric chair. 4. A terrorist ___________________ is someone who supports terrorists. 5. A ___________________ is the process of examining a case in a court of law and deciding whether someone is guilty or innocent. 6. ___________________ is the process of sending a criminal back to the country where a crime was committed for a trial. 7. ___________________ is money that is given to a court as a guarantee when someone is allowed to stay out of prison until their trial. 8. If you are ___________________, you know and understand a lot about a subject. 9. If you ___________________ something, you make it late or slow it down. 10. A ____________________ is a boring person who is excessively interested in technical subjects, especially computers.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How many computers did Gary McKinnon hack into? 2. What was Gary McKinnon’s codename? 3. How much damage did he cause? 4. How much time could he spend in prison? 5. Where is the European court of human rights?

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6. When did he hack into the US government computers?

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Elementary

2 “I’m very disappointed and very angry, but not too surprised,” he said. “I think I might have more success in Europe than I do in my own country.” McKinnon said the British authorities had delayed his extradition by two weeks to allow him time to appeal to a higher court. After that, it could be two years before the case comes to court. “Right now I’d be quite happy with a two-year delay,” he said. “It’s better than being put on a plane and sent to the US today.” 3 He said the case had caused him terrible problems in the six years since he was arrested. His bail conditions prevented him from using the Internet, so his previous work in IT is almost impossible and employers just don’t want to hire him. “I’ve lost two jobs because of this – my bosses didn’t want to be associated with the publicity in this case,” he said. 4 Mr McKinnon hacked into 97 US military computers soon after the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon in 2001, using the codename ‘Solo’. American officials say he broke into systems belonging to the department of defence, the US armed forces and even Nasa – causing $700,000 (£354,000) damage and putting American national security in danger. 5 If he is extradited to the US, McKinnon could spend up to 70 years in prison. McKinnon’s

6 McKinnon, an unemployed IT worker from north London, has always said that he was just a ‘computer nerd’. He said he didn’t cause any damage but was just searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Between 2001 and 2002 he scanned thousands of US government computers from his bedroom. He said he was trying to find evidence for his belief that the CIA was covering up the existence of aliens. 7 He left messages on the desktops of computers he hacked into. This was a mistake that allowed the authorities to find him. “It was a bit silly,” he told a newspaper in 2005. “I suppose it means I’m not a secretive, sophisticated type of hacker.” 8 McKinnon’s lawyers have argued that he should face trial in the UK because the hacking happened in Britain. If the courts supported such a decision he would face a much shorter sentence because the UK’s computer crime laws are not as strict as the laws in America. His lawyers also argued that he was a target because his work embarrassed the US security services. 9 Computer security experts said it was unlikely US prosecutors would give up their attempts to extradite Mr McKinnon. “The US is clearly saying that anyone trying to hack into its computers and data will face the consequences,” said Graham Cluley, of IT security company Sophos. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 31/07/08

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition / Elementary

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1 A British computer nerd who broke into the Pentagon’s computer systems said he was disappointed and angry after a British court decided that he could be extradited to the United States. Gary McKinnon – who the American authorities called “the world’s most dangerous hacker” – could face trial in the US for his actions, but he has said he will continue to fight in the European courts.

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• British hacker could face 70-year jail term in US • Hope that European court will overturn Lords ruling Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent July 31, 2008

lawyer, Karen Todner, said he would now take his case to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg. “Gary McKinnon is neither a terrorist nor a terrorist sympathizer,” she said. “The British authorities could easily deal with his case. Instead, we believe that the British government did not prosecute him so that the US government could make an example of him. American officials involved in this case have said that they want to see him ‘fry’. We will make an immediate application to the European court to stop his extradition.”

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‘Bumbling nerd’ who broke into Pentagon computers loses battle against extradition

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Level 1

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 1

Elementary

3 Comprehension check Match the beginnings and endings to make sentences about the text. 1. The American authorities call Gary McKinnon “the world’s most dangerous hacker” because… 2. Mr McKinnon’s lawyers say he should face trial in the UK because… 3. Mr McKinnon says he hacked into the computers because… 4. Mr McKinnon says he is disappointed and angry but… 5. Mr McKinnon’s lawyers… 6. Mr McKinnon’s lawyers believe the British government did not prosecute him…

a. … want to stop his extradition to the United States. b. … not too surprised at the court’s decision. c. … so the Americans could make an example of him. d. … the hacking happened in Britain. e. … he hacked into 97 US military computers. f. … he wanted to find evidence of the existence of aliens.

4 Chunks Rearrange these words to make phrases from the text. Check your answers in the text. 1. year a delay two 2. in to prison up years 70 3. human the of European rights court 4. from IT an worker London unemployed north 5. a just nerd computer

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6. in not as laws America as strict the

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 1

Elementary

5 Prepositions Complete the phrases from the text using prepositions. Check your answers in the text. 1. soon ______________ the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon 2. he broke ______________ the Pentagon’s computer systems 3. prevented him ______________ using the Internet 4. associated ______________ 5. up ______________ 70 years in prison 6. searching ______________ evidence 7. covering ______________ the existence of aliens 8. give ______________ their attempts

6 Word building Complete the table using words from the text.

2.

apply

3.

exist

4.

defend

5.

sympathize

6.

extradite

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition / Elementary

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hack

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1.

noun

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

verb

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 1

Elementary

KEY 1 Key words

4 Chunks

1. hacker 2. appeal 3. fry 4. sympathizer 5. trial 6. extradition 7. bail 8. sophisticated 9. delay 10. nerd

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

3 Comprehension check 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

e d f b a c

after into from with to for up up

6 Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

hacker/hacking application existence defence sympathizer extradition

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition / Elementary

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97 ‘Solo’ $700,000 (£354,000) up to 70 years Strasbourg in 2001

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

5 Prepositions

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

2 Find the information

a two-year delay up to 70 years in prison the European court of human rights an unemployed IT worker from north London just a computer nerd not as strict as the laws in America

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 2 1

Intermediate

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. nerd

hacker

extradition

bail

bumbling

lenient

intolerable

appeal

endanger

disproportionate

1. __________________ is money that is given to a court as a guarantee when someone is allowed to stay out of prison until their trial. 2. __________________ is the process of sending a criminal back to the country where a crime was committed for a trial. 3. A ________________ is a boring person who is excessively interested in technical subjects, especially computers. 4. If something is __________________, it is impossible to bear or deal with. 5. If something is __________________, it is much bigger (or smaller) than it should be. 6. A __________________ is someone who uses a computer to connect to other people’s computers illegally. 7. If you __________________ something, you put it in a position where it might be harmed. 8. A __________________ person is one who behaves in a way that is confused an not properly organized. 9. An __________________ is a formal request to a court of law to change its decision. 10. If a law is __________________, it punishes someone less severely than it could.

2

Find the information

Look in the text and find the following information as quickly as possible. 1. How many computers did Gary McKinnon hack into? 2. How much damage did he cause? 3. How much time could he spend in prison? 4. When did he hack into the US government computers? 5. Where is the European court of human rights?

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NEWS LESSONS / ‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition / Intermediate

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6. What was Gary McKinnon’s codename?

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Intermediate

1 A British hacker who broke into the Pentagon’s computer systems said he was disappointed and angry after a British court rejected his appeal against extradition to the US. Gary McKinnon – called “the world’s most dangerous hacker” by the American authorities – could face trial in the US for his actions, but he has said he will continue fighting his case in the European courts. 2 “I’m very disappointed and very angry, but not too surprised,” he told the Guardian. “I think I might have more chance in Europe than I do in my own country.” McKinnon said the Home Office had delayed extraditing him by two weeks to allow him time to lodge a higher appeal. After that, the case could take two years to reach the courts. “Right now I’d be quite glad of a two-year delay,” he said. “It’s better than being handed over to US marshals and being put on a plane straight away.” 3 He said the case had caused him terrible problems in the six years since he was arrested. His bail conditions prevented him from using the Internet, so his previous work in IT is almost impossible and potential employers don’t want to hire him. “I’ve lost two jobs because of this – my bosses just didn’t want to be associated with the publicity,” he said. 4 The 42-year-old hacked into 97 computers belonging to the US military soon after the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon in 2001, using the codename ‘Solo’. American officials say he broke into systems belonging to the department of defence, the US armed forces and even Nasa – causing $700,000 (£354,000) damage and endangering national security. 5 If he is extradited, McKinnon faces up to 70 years in prison and his lawyers have argued that he

6 McKinnon, an unemployed IT worker from north London, has always argued that he was simply a ‘bumbling computer nerd’ who caused no damage but was just searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Between 2001 and 2002 he scanned thousands of US government computers from his bedroom, looking for ways to get inside their networks in order to find evidence for his belief that the existence of aliens had been covered up by the CIA. 7 He left messages on the desktops of computers he had hacked into, a mistake that allowed the authorities to find him. “It got a bit silly,” he told the Guardian in 2005. “I suppose it means I’m not a secretive, sophisticated type of hacker.” 8 McKinnon’s lawyers have argued that he should face trial in the UK because the hacking took place in Britain. If the courts supported such a decision it would mean he would face a much smaller sentence under the UK’s more lenient computer crime laws. The defence argued he was being unfairly targeted because his work embarrassed the US security services. 9 They also argued that an attempt by US prosecutors to make a deal with McKinnon – in which he would be offered a six-month sentence for his co-operation – was unfair interference in

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition / Intermediate

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Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent July 31, 2008

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

• British hacker could face 70-year jail term in US • Hope that European court will overturn Lords ruling

could even be given ‘enemy combatant’ status, the same category applied to terrorist suspects interned at Guantánamo Bay. McKinnon’s lawyer, Karen Todner, said her client had now used up all his options in the UK and would take his case to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg. “Gary McKinnon is neither a terrorist nor a terrorist sympathizer,” she said. “His case could have been properly dealt with by our own authorities. Instead, we believe that the British government did not prosecute him to enable the US government to make an example of him. American officials involved in this case have said that they want to see him ‘fry’. If he is extradited, he faces disproportionate and intolerable consequences and we will be making an immediate application to the European court to prevent his extradition.”

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‘Bumbling nerd’ who broke into Pentagon computers loses battle against extradition

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Level 2

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 2

Intermediate

British legal procedures. That argument was rejected by the court, which said that allowing his appeal would “endanger the extradition process”. In a written judgment the court said: “The difference between the American system and our own is not perhaps as great as Mr McKinnon’s argument suggests.”

attempts to extradite Mr McKinnon. “The US is clearly saying that anyone trying to hack into its computers and data will face the consequences,” said Graham Cluley, of IT security company Sophos. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 31/07/08

10 Computer security experts said it was unlikely US prosecutors would give up their

3 Comprehension check Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the text? 1. Gary McKinnon hacked into US government computers to steal military secrets. 2. Mr McKinnon believed the CIA was hiding information about the existence of aliens. 3. He was very careful not to leave any traces on the computers he hacked into. 4. His lawyers believe the trial should be in the UK because the crime was committed there. 5. They believe the US government wants to make an example of him. 6. The court believed that the extradition process would not be endangered if they allowed Mr McKinnon’s appeal.

4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and expressions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A verb meaning to formally make something such as a claim or a complaint. (para 2) 2. A verb meaning to put someone in prison without officially accusing them of a crime. (para 5) 3. A two-word expression meaning someone who approves of and supports terrorists. (para 5) 4. A verb meaning (in American English) to kill someone as a punishment using the electric chair. (para 5) 5. An adjective meaning relating to things that exist on planets other than Earth. (para 6) 6. A phrasal verb meaning to hide the truth about something. (para 6) 7. A verb meaning to try to attack someone. (para 8)

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8. A four-word expression meaning reach an agreement with. (para 9)

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 2

Intermediate

5 Phrasal verbs Complete the phrasal verbs from the text using these particles.

into

up

with

over

into

up

1. hack __________________ 2. break __________________ 3. cover __________________ 4. give __________________ 5. hand __________________ 6. deal __________________

6 Word building Complete the table with words from the text.

verb 1

extradite

2

appeal

3

apply

4

exist

5

defend

6

prosecute

7

argue

8

employ

noun

7 Discussion

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NEWS LESSONS / ‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition / Intermediate

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Should hacking be classified as a crime?

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 2

Intermediate

KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. bail 2. extradition 3. nerd 4. intolerable 5. disproportionate 6. hacker 7. endanger 8. bumbling 9. appeal 10. lenient

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 Find the information

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

F T F T T F

6 Word building 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

extradition appeal application existence defence prosecutor argument employer

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2008 NEWS LESSONS / ‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition / Intermediate

H

3 Comprehension check

into into up up over with

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97 $700,000 (£354,000) up to 70 years in 2001 Strasbourg ‘Solo’

5 Phrasal verbs

CA O N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D •

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

lodge intern terrorist sympathizer fry extraterrestrial cover up target make a deal with

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Level 3 1

Advanced

Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.

hacker

extradition

naive

bail

disproportionate



nerd

lenient

appellant

contention

intolerable

1. If something is ___________________, it is much bigger (or smaller) than it should be. 2. If something is ___________________, it is impossible to bear or deal with. 3. If a law is ___________________, it punishes someone less severely than it could. 4. A ___________________ person is one who lacks experience of life and tends to believe things too easily. 5. An ___________________ is someone who appeals against the decision of a court of law. 6. ___________________ is money that is given to a court as a guarantee when someone is allowed to stay out of prison until their trial. 7. ___________________ is the process of sending a criminal back to the country where a crime was committed for a trial. 8. A ___________________ is an opinion or statement that something is true. 9. A ___________________ is someone who uses a computer to connect to other people’s computers illegally. 10. A ____________ is a boring person who is excessively interested in technical subjects, especially computers.

2

What do you know?

Decide whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F). Then check your answers in the text. 1. The Pentagon is the home of the US government’s department of defence. 2. The European court of human rights is in Brussels. 3. The attacks on the Word Trade Centre and the Pentagon took place in 2002. 4. The UK has much tougher computer crime laws than the USA. 5. One UK pound is worth approximately two US dollars.

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6. Terrorist suspects held at Guantanamo Bay are known as ‘enemy combatants’.

‘Bumbling nerd’ loses battle against extradition Advanced

2 “I’m very disappointed and very angry, but not too surprised,” he told the Guardian. “It might be naive of me but, perversely, I think I might have more chance in Europe than I do in my own country.” McKinnon said the Home Office had delayed extraditing him by two weeks to allow him time to lodge a higher appeal. After that, the case could take two years to reach the courts. “Right now I’d be quite glad of a two-year delay,” he said. “It’s better than being handed over to US marshals and being put on a plane straight away.” He said the case had proved devastating in the six years since he was arrested. With his bail conditions barring him from using the Internet, his previous work in IT is near-impossible, while potential employers are scared off. “I’ve lost two jobs because of this – my bosses just didn’t want to be associated with the publicity,” he said.

5 McKinnon, an unemployed IT worker from north London, has consistently argued that he was merely a ‘bumbling computer nerd’ who caused no damage but was merely searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Between 2001 and 2002 he scanned thousands of US government computers from his bedroom, looking for loopholes which would help him get inside their networks in order to prove his contention that the existence of aliens had been covered up by the CIA.

3 The 42-year-old hacked into 97 computers belonging to the US military shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon in 2001, using the codename ‘Solo’. American officials claim he infiltrated systems belonging to the department of defence, the US armed forces and even Nasa – causing $700,000 (£354,000) damage and threatening national security.

7 McKinnon’s lawyers have argued that he should face trial in the UK as the hacking raids were conducted in Britain. If the courts supported such a decision it would mean he would face a much smaller sentence under the UK’s more lenient computer crime laws. The defence argued he was being unfairly targeted because his work embarrassed the US security services.

4 If extradited, McKinnon faces up to 70 years in prison and his lawyers have argued that he could even be given ‘enemy combatant’ status,

8 They also argued that an attempt by US prosecutors to make a deal with McKinnon – in which he would be offered a six-month sentence

6 He left messages on the desktops of computers he had hacked into, a mistake that allowed the authorities to trace him. “It got a bit silly,” he told the Guardian in 2005. “I suppose it means I’m not a secretive, sophisticated, checking-myselfevery-step-of-the-way type of hacker.”

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1 A British hacker who broke into the Pentagon’s computer systems said he was disappointed and angry after the House of Lords yesterday dismissed his appeal against extradition to the US. Gary McKinnon – called “the world’s most dangerous hacker” by the American authorities – could face trial in the US for his actions, but vowed to continue fighting his case in the European courts.

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• British hacker could face 70-year jail term in US • Hope that European court will overturn Lords ruling Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent July 31, 2008

the same category applied to terrorist suspects interned at Guantánamo Bay. McKinnon’s lawyer, Karen Todner, said her client had now exhausted his options in the UK and would be taking his case to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg. “Gary McKinnon is neither a terrorist nor a terrorist sympathizer,” she said. “His case could have been properly dealt with by our own prosecuting authorities. Instead, we believe that the British government declined to prosecute him to enable the US government to make an example of him. American officials involved in this case have stated that they want to see him ‘fry’. The consequences he faces if extradited are both disproportionate and intolerable and we will be making an immediate application to the European court to prevent his removal.”

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‘Bumbling nerd’ who broke into Pentagon computers loses battle against extradition

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for his co-operation – constituted an unfair derailment of British legal procedures. That contention was rejected by the law lords, who said that granting the appeal would “endanger the integrity of the extradition process”. In the written judgment they said: “The difference between the American system and our own is not perhaps so stark as the appellant’s argument suggests.” 9

US is making a clear stand that anyone making any attempts to compromise its computers and data will face the consequences,” said Graham Cluley, of IT security company Sophos. © Guardian News & Media 2008 First published in The Guardian, 31/07/08

Computer security experts said it was unlikely US prosecutors would give up their pursuit. “The

3 Comprehension check Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. Gary McKinnon hacked into thousands of US government computers… a. ... in order to show how easy it was to do so. b. ... in order to prove the CIA was hiding evidence about the existence of aliens. c. ... in order to protest about the treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. 2. Mr McKinnon’s lawyers believe that… a. ... the US government wants to make an example of him. b. ... the European courts will be fairer than the British ones. c. ... his appeal will endanger the integrity of the extradition process. 3. Mr McKinnon describes himself as… a. ... a thoroughly professional computer expert. b. ... a clumsy amateur. c. ... an enemy combatant. 4. Why do Mr McKinnon’s lawyers argue that he should be tried in Britain? a. Because they believe he will receive a more lenient sentence. b. Because the actual offences were committed in Britain.

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c. Because they believe he will not receive a fair trial in the USA.

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4 Find the word Look in the text and find the following words and phrases. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. A verb meaning to promise that you will do something. (para 1) 2. An adjective meaning causing a lot of harm or damage. (para 2) 3. A verb meaning to officially say that someone must not do something. (para 2) 4. A verb meaning (in American English) to kill someone as a punishment using the electric chair. (para 4) 5. An adjective meaning behaving in a way that is confused an not properly organized. (para 5) 6. A phrasal verb meaning to hide the truth about something. (para 5) 7. A noun meaning the prevention of something from continuing in the way it was planned. (para 8) 8. An adjective meaning extreme and obvious. (para 8)

5 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns and noun phrases in the right-hand column to make collocations from the text. 1. face

a. damage

2. lodge

b. national security

3. dismiss

c. all one’s options

4. threaten

d. an appeal

5. exhaust

e. the consequences

6. make

f. a message

7. cause

g. an application

8. leave

h. an appeal

6 Phrasal verbs Complete the phrasal verbs from the text using these particles. into

up

with

over

off

1. scare __________________

4. give __________________

2. deal __________________

5. hand __________________

3. cover __________________

6. break __________________

up

7 Discussion

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Do you think hackers like Gary McKinnon should be prosecuted? Why? Why not?

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KEY 1 Key words

4 Find the word

1. disproportionate 2. intolerable 3. lenient 4. naive 5. appellant 6. bail 7. extradition 8. contention 9. hacker 10. nerd

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

e d/h d/h b c g a f

3 Comprehension check

6 Phrasal verbs

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

off with up up over into

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b a b b

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

vow devastating bar fry bumbling cover up derailment stark