Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
defamation
ramifications
damages
tenacity
saga
appeal
demeaned
sue
massive
writ
1.
If a decision, process or event has __________________, it affects other things in a complicated or
unexpected way.
2.
If you feel __________________, you think that people will have less respect for you than before.
3.
If a person displays __________________, they are determined and not willing to stop when they are trying to
achieve something.
4.
A __________________ is an official document that tells someone to do something or stop doing something.
5.
The money that a court orders you to pay someone because you have harmed them or their property is known
as __________________.
6.
If you __________________ someone, you make a legal claim against them, usually to get money from them
because they have done something bad to you.
7.
__________________ is the offence of writing or saying something bad about someone that is not true and
makes people have a bad opinion of them.
8.
A __________________ is a long series of events or a description of them.
9.
An __________________ is a formal request for a court of law to change its decision.
10. __________________ means very large in amount or degree.
2
Find the information
Where is the author from?
3.
How long did the author live with the bookseller’s family?
4.
How much, in total, will the author and the book’s publisher have to pay in legal fees?
5.
Where does the bookseller’s first wife live now?
6.
Where did several other family members move to?
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation / Advanced
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Who wrote the novel The Bookseller of Kabul?
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Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.
1
Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation
Advanced
Brought to book: Kabul author guilty
of ‘betraying’ a nation
3 The saga may have some way to go. For
yesterday, the rest of the Rais family revealed
the full extent of their fury over a book they say is
an insult not just to them but to the whole Afghan
culture. Now that Suraia’s case has been accepted
by the Norwegian judge, seven other members of
the family have announced that they too will sue
the author. Shah Muhammad Rais, his first wife,
his mother, his two sons and his two daughters
have already prepared their cases with the same
lawyer who secured victory for Suraia. Seierstad
and her publishers could find themselves back
in the dock in two to three months’ time, facing
further claims of up to £250,000.
4 “Suraia’s success is a green light to the other
members of my family,” said Rais. “The penalties
that my mother and my first wife will ask for will
be higher than that demanded by my second
wife because the defamation against them was
much greater. The money is not important to us,
though,” added Rais. “Seierstad has offered us
lots of money to settle this out of court. She even
offered to write a second book containing the
truth about our family and about Afghanistan but
we turned all those offers down. We want this
book to be discredited in a court of law for all to
6
All this from a book that was a massive
international, critical and commercial success.
In 2002, Seierstad contacted Rais and asked
if she could live with his family in Kabul. She
wanted, she said, to write a book about Afghan
culture and the story of one family’s experience
of surviving the tragedy of civil war.
7
The author was, said Rais, treated as an
honoured guest: given precedence at social
gatherings and taken to private family
ceremonies. “We trusted her,” he said. “We didn’t
ask for any contract. We didn’t even ask to see
her book before it was published. She was a VIP.
“The only thing I asked her to do was to open
her eyes to my family and friends, and give a
clear and clean picture of Afghan culture,” he
said. “There is so much told about our culture
that is wrong. I wanted her to show the truth.”
8
Instead, Seierstad wrote a thinly-veiled story of a
family that, according to the book’s preface, was
“based on true incidents I have participated in or
stories I have been told”. This claim, Suraia said
in her writ, was a lie. Instead, 31 members of the
Rais family and their neighbours say the author
misrepresented their lives. They say they have
been insulted and, in some cases, left feeling
“demeaned” and “violated”.
9
The writ points to inconsistencies in the book.
But most damagingly to Seierstad’s reputation as
a journalist, it gives examples of passages where
she revealed secrets about the family’s sex lives
and “forbidden loves” – sometimes using their
real names and, in one case, an actual address.
The behaviour revealed is so prohibited in
Afghan culture that several family members were
forced to emigrate: Rais’s first wife now lives in
Canada with three of her children. Several other
family members moved to Pakistan.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation / Advanced
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2 Legal experts say the ruling by Oslo district
court will transform the way in which western
journalists and authors write about people
from poor countries. Åsne Seierstad was
ordered to pay more than £26,000 in damages
to Suraia Rais, the second wife of bookseller
Shah Muhammad Rais, with whose family the
Norwegian writer lived for five months while
researching her book.
Seierstad and her Norwegian publisher,
Cappelen Damm, have also been told they must
pay legal fees, expected to be at least £63,000.
Seierstad has indicated that she intends to
appeal. Her lawyer has said the case could end
up in the European Court of Human Rights.
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1 The author of the publishing sensation The
Bookseller of Kabul was found guilty of
defamation and “negligent journalistic practices”
last week after losing a case brought by a
woman who claimed the bestseller depicted
her in a humiliating, untruthful way that left her
feeling “violated”.
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Amelia Hill
27 July, 2010
see because it is the honour of the Afghanistan
people it has insulted.”
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Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation
Level 3
Advanced
10 Seierstad was unavailable for comment but her
publisher in London, Time Warner, has pledged
its support. However, Per Danielson, the Rais’s
lawyer, says the case has wider ramifications
for the publishing world.
11 If Åsne does appeal, this case could go on for
another five years but the Rais family have
shown through their tenacity so far, that they are
not going to let this drop. “This case will definitely
be the start of a new, international trend because
it proves that people can be sued across
borders. It shows that even a poor person from
Afghanistan can stand up and pursue a case in a
different country,” Danielson said.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 27/07/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Why did Suraia Rais sue Åsne Seierstad?
a. because Seierstad wrote about the Rais family without permission
b. because Seierstad lied to the family and their neighbours
c. because Seierstad misrepresented the lives of the family and their neighbours
2.
Why could this case have ramifications for publishers?
a. because it could be the start of an international trend that allows people to sue across borders
b. because people will no longer be able to use the real names of people they write about
c. because poor people will now be able to sue rich people
3.
How, according to Rais, did the family treat Seierstad?
a. They gave her a clear and clean picture of Afghan culture.
b. They told her all the family secrets.
c. They treated her as an honoured guest and took her to private family ceremonies.
4.
Why could the case continue for another five years?
a. because hundreds of other people want to sue Seierstad
b. because it takes a long time for judges to make up their minds in defamation cases
c. because Seierstad may appeal against the judgement and this will take time
4 Find the word
an adjective meaning failing to give care or attention, especially when this causes harm or damage (para 1)
2.
a three-word expression meaning on trial (para 3)
3.
a five-word expression meaning to end a legal argument without asking a court to decide (para 4)
4.
an acronym meaning very important person (para 7)
5.
a two-word expression meaning done in a way that makes it easy to recognize what the true situation really is
(para 8)
6.
a noun meaning things that do not match other things (para 9)
7.
a three-word expression meaning not wanting to be interviewed by a journalist (para 10)
8.
a three-word expression meaning to stop talking about or pursuing something, especially because it is
embarrassing someone (para 11)
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NEWS LESSONS / Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Find the following words and phrases in the text.
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Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation
Level 3
Advanced
5 Two-word expressions
Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns and noun phrases in the right-hand column.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
reveal
turn down
insult
pay
give
have
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
precedence to
someone’s honour
ramifications
a secret
legal fees
an offer
6 Word-building
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The writ claimed there were many __________________ in the book. [CONSISTENT]
2.
It was claimed that Seierstad wrote about the family in an __________________ way. [TRUE]
3.
Seierstad was found guilty of __________________. [DEFAME]
4.
The book was a massive __________________ and commercial success. [CRITIC]
5.
The Rais family want the book to be __________________ in a court of law. [CREDIT]
7 Discussion
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Will this case make it more difficult for authors to write books about people in other countries? Why?
Why not?
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Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Åsne Seierstad
Norway
five months
at least £63,000
Canada
Pakistan
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
c
a
c
c
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
d
f
b
e
a
c
6 Word-building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
inconsistencies
untruthful
defamation
critical
discredited
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NEWS LESSONS / Brought to book: Kabul author guilty of ‘betraying’ a nation / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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2 Find the information
negligent
in the dock
settle something out of court
VIP
thinly-veiled
inconsistencies
unavailable for comment
let something drop
N
ramifications
demeaned
tenacity
writ
damages
sue
defamation
saga
appeal
massive
5
Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
1.
Where and what are the Hamptons?
a.
a Native American tribe that lives on Long Island
b.
delicious American cookies from a baker in Manhattan
c.
a beautiful part of Long Island, east of New York, where wealthy people spend their weekends and holidays
d.
an old traditional New York family that owns the New York Times newspaper
2.
Scan the first part of the article to check your answer.
2
Key words
Find the key words in the article and write them next to their meanings. The paragraph numbers are given
to help you.
1.
a long piece of land that is mostly surrounded by water, but is joined at one end to a larger area of land _________________________ (para 1)
2.
the edge of a sea, lake or large river _________________________ (para 1)
3.
a small group of people who have a lot of advantages and keep the most power and influence _________________________ (para 2)
4.
connected with the national government of a country rather than with the government of one of its member
states _________________________ (para 3)
5.
a type of nation that almost rules itself _________________________ (para 4)
6.
an area of land in the US where Native Americans live in a separate community _________________________ (para 4)
7.
making you feel very embarrassed and ashamed _________________________ (para 5)
8.
causing you to have less respect for yourself or for someone else _________________________ (para 5)
9.
in bad condition and likely to fall down _________________________ (para 7)
10. land and the buildings on it _________________________ (para 7)
11. a cactus that grows mainly in Mexico and contains the powerful illegal drug mescalin _________________________ (para 11)
12. the start of something again that quickly increases in influence, effect etc _________________________ (para 12)
13. aggressive taking of land, especially by a government or army _________________________ (para 12)
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NEWS LESSONS / Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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14. made a legal claim against someone, usually to get money from them because they have done something
bad to you _________________________ (para 12)
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Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons
Advanced
Native American tribe reclaims slice of
the Hamptons after court victory
On the reservation, some roads are dusty
and unpaved. The houses are sometimes
ramshackle. Unemployment can be a problem
for many Shinnecock members. Outside the
reservation, on the streets of Southampton,
stretch limos and black Lexuses prowl down
streets lined with shops selling Ralph Lauren
and Diane von Furstenberg. A real estate agent
on Southampton’s main street happily advertises
a local house going for $12.2 million.
8
Historically – and indeed pretty much since
Europeans first arrived in the area in the
1600s – the Shinnecock has been on the
retreat. It lost land steadily as more and more
Europeans began to farm its traditional territory,
eventually leading to an agreement in 1703
that saw it confined to a broad swath of land
around Southampton under a 1,000-year lease.
However, in 1859 the pressure of development
saw that deal scrapped by the settlers and the
Shinnecock reduced to its current tiny holding.
For years, tribal members then eked out a
living working on white farms or helping local
fishermen and whalers.
9
Now that is all set to change as a key part of
federal recognition allows the Shinnecock to do
the one thing that has changed Native American
fortunes more than anything else in the last 100
years: build a casino. Gumbs now sees real
power finally in Shinnecock hands. “We are
going after everything we are entitled to,” he
said. “I am not a big fan of Southampton. They
were happy as long as we were the good little
Indians in the corner. Well, that’s changed now.”
3 Almost four centuries since its first contact
with the white man and after a 32-year court
battle that has just ended in victory, the tiny
Shinnecock tribe has now been formally
recognized by America’s federal government.
4 The decision means that the Shinnecock,
numbering some 1,300 members, many of
whom live in deep poverty compared with
their wealthy neighbours, can apply for federal
funding to build schools, health centres and set
up their own police force. It means its tiny 750acre reservation is now a semi-sovereign nation
within the US, just like much bigger and more
famous reservations in the west.
5 In order to qualify, the Shinnecock literally had
to prove that it existed, submitting thousands of
pages of tribal records. “Why do we need federal
recognition to show we are who we are?” said
Shinnecock leader Lance Gumbs as he sat in his
office in the community centre. “It’s a humiliating,
degrading and insensitive process. Why do
Indian people have to go through that? No other
peoples are treated like that.”
6 Many believe that the lengthy and painful
process that the Shinnecock has been forced
to go through is explained by the tribe’s position
bang in the middle of the Hamptons, the string
of Long Island towns where rich New Yorkers
come to party away the summers. The difference
between Shinnecock land and the rest of the
10 It seems Shinnecock fortunes are set to be
dramatically reversed. For many tribal members
it is a chance to rescue what remains of the
tribe’s culture. Sitting in the tribal museum and
cultural centre, Winonah Warren, 71, remembers
being taken as a young girl to see a Shinnecock
medicine man. She sees the deer that she spots
in her garden as a spiritual sign.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons / Advanced
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2 But this land is not part of the Hamptons, neither
is it really part of the United States anymore.
This patch – in the middle of the playground of
Manhattan’s social elite – is proudly and fiercely
Native American country.
7
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1 From a distance the teardrop-shaped peninsula
looks just like any other bit of the famed
Hamptons shoreline. Thick woods crowd down to
the water’s edge and, through the trees, houses
and roads can be glimpsed.
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Paul Harris
11 July, 2010
Hamptons is jarring. The reservation, signalled
by a line of stalls selling cheap cigarettes, sits
side by side with the town of Southampton, heart
of the Hamptons scene.
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Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons
Level 3
Advanced
11 She practises a Native American religion in
which she takes peyote. It is about as far from
the Hamptons scene as it is possible to get.
“I love being on the reservation. Even when I
am not here, I feel that my heart is,” she said,
touching her chest.
12 Some even feel that federal recognition –
and the prospect of a casino – might be the
beginning of a wider Shinnecock resurgence.
In the white land grab of 1859 an area of land
called the Shinnecock Hills was taken. Many
Shinnecock held it to be sacred ground. It is now
full of rich houses and the famous Shinnecock
Hills golf club, with total real estate worth more
than a billion dollars. The Shinnecock has sued
to get it back.
13 For many of the Hamptons residents the
prospect no doubt seems ridiculous: a relic of
ancient history and long-forgotten wrongs. But
not so for some of the Shinnecock. Elizabeth
Haile, a 79-year-old tribal member, remembers
her grandmother telling her how the Shinnecock
Hills had been stolen.
14 Does she think the tribe will ever get them back?
“Yeah,” she said with no hesitation and then
added with a smile, “It is a prediction. Some
people never thought we would get federally
recognized.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Observer, 11/07/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best endings to the sentences according to the information in the article.
1.
The Shinnecock reservation is …
a. … part of the Hamptons.
b. … separated from the United States by the sea.
c. … in one of the wealthiest areas of the east coast of the United States.
2.
Members of the Shinnecock tribe first met the white man …
a. … 32 years ago.
b. … about 160 years ago.
c. … about 400 years ago.
3.
The federal government of the United States has declared that the reservation is …
a. … part of Manhattan.
b. … the property of the Shinnecock tribe.
c. … the ideal spot for a new casino.
4.
Over the past few hundred years, the Shinnecock tribe has been …
a. … getting smaller.
b. … growing and gaining strength.
c. … steadily losing its land
5.
Compared to the other people who live on the peninsula, the Shinnecock are …
a. … wealthy.
b. … poor.
c. … fortunate.
6.
Because of the decision, the Shinnecock are now allowed to …
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NEWS LESSONS / Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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a. … build a casino.
b. … sell peyote.
c. … use the golf course.
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Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons
Level 3
Advanced
4 Collocations
1. In the article, which words come after and collocate with federal? Write them next to the circle.
_________________
federal
_________________
_________________
2. Which words come before and collocate with process?
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
process
_________________
3. In the article, the adjectives that come before process are all negative. What positive adjectives could
go before process?
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
process
_________________
5 Discussion
What challenges do you envisage for the Shinnecock people and/or the rich New Yorkers now that the
Shinnecock has won its court case?
6 Webquest
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Using the information in the article, locate the Shinnecock reservation on Google earth or Google maps.
Look at both the street plans and the satellite view. Which of the places mentioned in the article are you
able to pinpoint on the map? What else are you able to identify?
9
Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
4 Collocations
1.
1.
2.
3.
c
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
government; funding; recognition
humiliating; degrading; insensitive; painful; lengthy
students’ own answers
peninsula
shoreline
social elite
federal
semi-sovereign
reservation
humiliating
degrading
ramshackle
real estate
peyote
resurgence
land grab
sued
3 Comprehension check
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NEWS LESSONS / Native American tribe reclaims slice of the Hamptons / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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c
c
b
c
b
a
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
10
Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
What do you know about Kosovo? Try to complete the facts below.
1.
Kosovo is …
a. … in the Middle East.
2.
b. … in the Balkans.
It has borders with …
a. … Serbia, Greece, Albania and Montenegro.
c. … Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro.
3.
b. … Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Croatia.
The capital of Kosovo is …
a. … Belgrade.
2
c. … in the former Soviet Union.
b. … Pristina.
c. … Tirana.
Key words
Write the key words from the article next to their meanings.
prohibition
violate
undermine
seceded
annulled
compromise
stalled
ramifications
bolstering
retaliatory
cradle
statehood
1.
to do something that is in opposition to a law, agreement, principle, etc _______________
2.
If a process has _______________, it has stopped making progress.
3.
the status of a place as an independent country _______________
4.
a law or rule that stops people from doing something _______________
5.
a place where something began _______________
6.
complicated or unexpected ways in which a decision, process or event affect other things _______________
7.
making something stronger or more effective _______________
8.
Officially left an organization. This word is used especially about a state or region that has chosen to become
independent and govern itself. _______________
9.
intended to do something harmful or unpleasant to someone because they have done something harmful or
unpleasant to you _______________
10. a way of solving a problem or ending an argument in which both people or groups accept that they cannot
have everything they want _______________
11. to make something or someone become gradually less effective, confident or successful _______________
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NEWS LESSONS / Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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12. stated officially that something has no legal authority _______________
11
Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules
Advanced
Kosovo’s independence is legal,
UN court rules
7
The ruling is expected to have profound
ramifications on the wider international stage,
bolstering demands for recognition by territories
as diverse as Northern Cyprus, Somaliland,
Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Abkhazia
and Transnistria.
8
The ICJ’s ruling is not, however, expected to
have an immediate impact on the situation on
the ground in Kosovo, where a small area with
a Serbian majority has itself split away around
the north of the town of Mitrovica, which has
about 100,000 residents. That deadlock has
sometimes erupted into violence, despite intense
international efforts, with Serbs and Kosovans
running their own areas.
9
Kosovo sparked sharp debate worldwide when it
seceded from Serbia in 2008, following the bloody
1998-99 war and almost a decade of international
administration. The 1998-99 war, triggered by
a brutal crackdown by Serbian forces against
Kosovo’s separatist ethnic Albanians, left about
10,000 ethnic Albanians dead before ending after
a 78-day NATO bombing campaign. Hundreds of
Serbs were also killed in retaliatory attacks.
Peter Beaumont
22 July, 2010
3 Announcing the decision, the ICJ president,
Hisashi Owada, said international
law contains no “prohibition on declarations
of independence”.
4 Although both Belgrade and Pristina had said
they were confident of a ruling in their favour,
speculation began to emerge a few hours before
today’s announcement in the Hague that the
decision – which is not legally binding – had
gone Kosovo’s way. Prior to the judgment, the
US vice-president, Joe Biden, had made it clear
that the US would not contemplate a retreat from
Kosovo’s newly independent status.
5 Key considerations that the UN’s top court
examined – arising out of dozens of submissions
by UN member states as well as by Kosovo’s
own leadership – have focused on issues of
sovereignty and how formerly large states,
such as the USSR, broke up along
administrative borders.
6
Serbia has continued to demand Kosovo be
returned to them, arguing it has been the cradle
10 Today’s ruling will reinforce Kosovo’s resistance
to any kind of renegotiation – particularly over
the status of the Serb majority areas in the north.
Kosovo’s foreign minister, Skender Hyseni, said
before the ruling that reopening negotiations
was “inconceivable”.
11 Speaking yesterday, the Serbian foreign
minister, Vuk Jeremic, had warned that even in
the event of a ruling against it, Belgrade would
not be ready to give up its claim on Kosovo.
“Serbia will not change its position regarding
Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence
and necessity of a compromise,” he said. “Our
fight for such a solution will probably be long and
difficult, but we will not give up.”
12 A US state department legal adviser, Harold
Koh, said, “Serbia seeks an opinion by this court
that would turn back time ... [and] undermine the
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules / Advanced
O
2 The long-awaited ruling – which the court took
up after a complaint to the United Nations (UN)
from Serbia – is now likely to lead to more
countries recognizing Kosovo’s independence
and move Pristina closer to entry into the UN.
At present, Kosovo’s statehood is backed by 69
countries but it requires more than 100 before it
can join the UN.
N T
O
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1 Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence
from Serbia in February 2008 did not violate
international law, the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) said today in a groundbreaking
ruling that could have far-reaching implications
for separatist movements around the world, as
well as for Belgrade’s stalled European Union
(EU) membership talks.
•P
H
Decision in favour of Kosovo’s independence
could have far-reaching implications for other
separatist movements
of their civilization and national identity since
1389, when a Christian army led by Serbian
prince Lazar lost an epic battle to invading
Ottoman forces.
CA
Level 3
12
Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules
Level 3
Advanced
progress and stability that Kosovo’s declaration
has brought to the region.” Leading the other
side of the argument is Serbia’s traditional
ally Russia, which has fought against its own
separatist movement in Chechnya. Moscow has
demanded Kosovo’s independence be annulled,
and last year was joined in its opposition by
Spain and China, each also facing major
secessionist movements.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 22/07/10
3 Comprehension check
Are these sentences true (T) or false (F) according to the information in the article? Correct any sentences
that are false.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Serbia officially complained that Kosovo’s declaration of independence was illegal according to international law.
The ICJ said that declarations of independence are legal under international law.
The ruling could mean that many disputed areas around the world will now claim legal independence.
Serbia has said it will now give up its claim on Kosovo.
The Russian government supports Kosovo’s independence.
The US believes that Kosovo’s independence has brought stability to the area.
4 Collocations
Match the words on the left to the words on the right to make strong collocations from the article. Use the
collocations to recreate and retell the main points of the article.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
far-reaching separatist legally key administrative a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
movements
considerations
implications
borders
binding
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
national profound international retaliatory legal traditional f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
ally
administration
identity
adviser
ramifications
attacks
5 Discussion
Discuss one of the following questions.
1.
Do you think that countries and areas such as Kosovo, Somaliland, Northern Cyprus and Chechnya should be
recognized as independent sovereign states?
2.
Have you or has anyone you know been to Kosovo or any other part of the Balkans? What were your/their
impressions of the area?
6 Webquest
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N 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 country fact file for Kosovo. Start with the information from the warmer exercise and add other
details such as population, ethnic background of inhabitants, language, industry, geographical features,
currency and history.
13
Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
4 Collocations
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
b
c
b
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
violate
stalled
statehood
prohibition
cradle
ramifications
bolstering
seceded
retaliatory
compromise
undermine
annulled
c
a
e
b
d
h
j
g
k
i
f
3 Comprehension check
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / Kosovo’s independence is legal, UN court rules / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
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EB LO B
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TE DE E
D •
T
T
T
F
F
T
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
14
Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
momentous
analogy
hiccup
cronyism
uplifting
marginalized
odyssey
apocalyptic
legacy
vuvuzela
1.
If someone is _______________, they are prevented from having power and influence and are made to seem
unimportant or irrelevant.
2.
An _______________ is a person’s progress from one stage of life to another.
3.
A _______________ is something positive that remains after a significant event.
4.
A ____________ is a plastic trumpet used by sports fans in South Africa.
5.
An _______________ is a comparison between two situations, processes etc that is intended to show that the
two are similar.
6.
_______________ is the practice of giving jobs and other advantages to friends, especially in politics.
7.
A _______________ is a small problem or a problem that causes a short delay.
8.
If something is described as _______________, it refers to a time when very bad things will happen or the
world will be destroyed.
9.
A _______________ event is very important because it has an effect on future events.
10. An _______________ experience makes you feel happier or more hopeful.
2
What do you know?
Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
O
NEWS LESSONS / Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale / Advanced
•P
H
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N T
O
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O DO O
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EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
The World Cup final was held in Cape Town.
Nelson Mandela is 92 years old.
Nelson Mandela did not attend the opening ceremony.
Mandela was released from prison 30 years ago.
South Africa’s first democratic election was held in 1984.
South Africa is suffering from an HIV/AIDS epidemic.
CA
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
15
Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale
Advanced
Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a
dream finale with a wave and a smile
2 Mandela, who is 92 years old, had pulled out
of the opening ceremony after the death of his
great-granddaughter in a car accident. There
had been uncertainty about his appearance last
night, with his grandson accusing FIFA of putting
“extreme pressure” on the anti-apartheid hero.
But the row was forgotten with the arrival of the
man who has become something of a saint to
millions. Mandela, in a black coat and fur hat,
rode in a golf cart across a white carpet laid on
the pitch for the tournament’s closing ceremony.
3 The match was far from a classic, won for Spain
in extra time by a goal from Andrés Iniesta. FIFA
had hoped Mandela would present the trophy,
but the honour fell instead to its president, Sepp
Blatter. That brought down the curtain on a
World Cup that, hiccups apart, was a success
which surpassed not only the expectations of the
Afro-pessimists. More than three million people
filled world class stadiums with a rare generosity
of spirit. Perceptions and prejudices about Africa
were overturned around the world.
4 South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma said, “This
has been a truly inspiring, moving and uplifting
month. Well done, South Africa.” Mandela’s wife,
Graça Machel, captured the mood, “Well done,
5
But what about tomorrow? What comes after
the greatest show on earth? The World Cup was
six years in planning and came to define the
national agenda and daily conversations from
townships to vineyards. Over the month, it has
put South Africa at the centre of global attention.
“I think there’ll be huge post-World Cup blues on
Monday,” said Danny Jordaan, the tournament’s
chief organizer, reaching the end of a personal
odyssey of 16 years. “There’ll be a great sense
of loss. It’s like you’ve had a huge party, and
then there’s the morning after.”
6
But there is a legacy. “Just 20 years ago, we
were a society divided on a racial basis by law,”
said Jordaan. “Black and white could never sit
together in stadiums, go to the same school or
play in the same football team. Within 20 years,
we saw white supporters having their faces
painted in the Ghana colours, supporting young
Africans. That’s something this World Cup has
brought: nation-building and social cohesion.
People walked tall. They were very proud of this
country. They were told over many years: you
are inferior, you cannot do these things because
of your history. So that was a psychological
barrier the nation crossed: the world is saying
this may be the best ever World Cup and this
was an African World Cup.”
7
Jordaan, President Jacob Zuma and Archbishop
Desmond Tutu have been searching for
superlatives to describe this transformative
moment. They have made comparisons with the
release of Nelson Mandela from prison 20 years
ago and the country’s first democratic election in
1994. But they may not want to push the analogy
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale / Advanced
O
1 And so the circle was complete. Nelson
Mandela, who presided over the birth of a
democratic South Africa, took centre stage
again last night at the country’s coming
of age. Wrapped against the winter cold,
Mandela smiled and waved to nearly 85,000
spectators before they together saw Spain
claim its first World Cup with victory over the
Netherlands. The fans at Soccer City stadium
in Johannesburg gave a thunderous welcome
to their living legend, with roars, applause and
blasts on their vuvuzelas. It was the dream finale
for the biggest sporting event Africa has ever
seen, a momentous chapter in the history of both
country and continent.
•P
H
David Smith in Johannesburg
11 July, 2010
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South Africa! Did you realize how enthusiastic
we can be? Did you realize how our security and
safety improved this month? The number of road
accidents, crime rates, everything dropped. We
even had courts able to solve issues in record
time. We can make it. Yes, we can!” The Sunday
Independent declared it was Africa’s greatest
moment, adding, “Cost of tournament: R40bn.
Hosting the best one: Priceless.” An advert for
bank FNB said simply, “Today this is the greatest
country in the world.”
CA
Level 3
16
Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale
Level 3
Advanced
too far. The euphoric optimism of the early
nineties was so unrealistically high that the only
way was down. Many South Africans have since
become disillusioned about political corruption
and cronyism, a chronically slow response to the
HIV/AIDS epidemic and the failure to lift millions
out of poverty.
8 But how can this feel-good factor be maintained?
Jordaan said, “In Cape Town, fans were asking,
‘Can’t you bring another World Cup? How
do we capture the World Cup atmosphere
and make that the life of South Africans on a
permanent basis?’ There is a sense of pride
and achievement. We’ll have to see how we
will ensure that pride is not the pride of 90
minutes in a World Cup but a permanent feature.
Some people say, ‘find it in the hosting of the
Olympics’, ‘find it in another big event’. I think
we must find it in addressing some of the issues
- housing, health, education, economic growth.
We have to come together to deal with some of
these issues.”
9
Not everyone shared in the World Cup
honeymoon. Some missed the games because
they had neither TVs, nor electricity. People still
died from AIDS or in poverty or at the hands of
criminals. The voices of dissent, marginalized
during the month-long tournament, are being
heard again: if we can spend billions on football
grounds, why can we not build houses for the
homeless or hospitals for the sick? They wonder
why it took FIFA, an immovable deadline and a
worldwide audience to concentrate minds.
10 South Africans are accustomed to incredible
highs and apocalyptic lows. They will go to work
after the World Cup knowing their moment in
the sun has passed and wondering with some
anxiety what awaits them in the shade. But there
will also be some lingering memories and quiet
satisfaction at what they achieved.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 11/07/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Which of these statements best describes the World Cup in South Africa?
a. It was the biggest sporting event in African history.
b. It left most people in South Africa marginalized and disillusioned.
c. It was an opportunity for Nelson Mandela to show how popular he is.
2.
What happened to the crime rate in South Africa during the World Cup?
a. It rose.
b. It fell.
c. It remained constant.
3.
How will people in South Africa feel when they look back on the World Cup?
a. They will probably have a feeling of quiet satisfaction.
b. Everyone will be suffering from a hangover.
c. People will feel angry and resentful.
4.
How does Danny Jordaan think the sense of pride can be maintained?
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NEWS LESSONS / Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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a. by hosting the Olympic Games
b. by organizing another major sporting event
c. by addressing issues such a health, housing and education
17
Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale
Level 3
Advanced
4 Find the word
Find the following words and expressions in the text.
1.
a three-word expression meaning to attract a lot of interest or attention (para 1)
2.
a three-word expression meaning the point at which something is considered to have developed completely
(para 1)
3.
a two-word phrasal verb meaning to stop being involved in an activity, event or situation (para 2)
4.
an adjective meaning extremely happy, usually for a short time only (para 7)
5.
a three-word expression meaning the feeling people have when things such as the economy are going well
(para 8)
6.
a noun meaning the beginning of a period of time when everything is pleasant and people try not to criticize
(para 9)
7.
a four-word expression meaning a period of time when you are the centre of attention and everyone looks
favourably on you (para 10)
8.
an adjective meaning lasting for a long time (para 10)
5 Verb + noun collocations
Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns in the right-hand column to make phrases from
the text.
1. make
a. pressure on someone
2. present
b. the end
3. put
c. a tournament
4. surpass
d. someone a welcome
5. address
e. comparisons
6. host
f. a trophy
7. give
g. an issue
8. reach
h. expectations
6 Word-building
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1. Mandela was given a _______________ welcome. [THUNDER]
2. There was some _______________ about whether Mandela would appear at the closing ceremony or not.
[CERTAIN]
3. The tournament surpassed the _______________ of most people. [EXPECT]
4. The optimism of the early nineties was _______________ high. [REALISTIC]
5. Many South Africans have become _______________. [ILLUSION]
6. There is a strong sense of _______________ in South Africa. [PROUD]
7 Discussion
H
NEWS LESSONS / Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
CA O
N T
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
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D •
Should a country spend millions on hosting a tournament like the World Cup or would the money be better
spent on housing, health and education? Give reasons for your choice.
18
Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
F
T
T
F
F
T
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
e
f
a
h
g
c
d
b
3 Comprehension check
6 Word-building
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
a
b
a
c
thunderous
uncertainty
expectations
unrealistically
disillusioned
pride
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / Nelson Mandela gives World Cup a dream finale / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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?
take centre stage
coming of age
pull out
euphoric
feel-good factor
honeymoon
moment in the sun
lingering
N
marginalized
odyssey
legacy
vuvuzela
analogy
cronyism
hiccup
apocalyptic
momentous
uplifting
19
Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
denounce
dossier
conspiracy
bungling
elite
sabotage
expel
hardliner
alleged
unsavoury
1.
To _______________ means to criticize someone or something severely in public.
2.
If something is described as _______________, it involves unpleasant, dishonest or immoral things that you
do not want to talk about.
3.
A _______________ is a secret plan by a group of people to do something bad or illegal.
4.
To _______________ means to force someone to leave a foreign country, especially for political reasons or for
breaking the law.
5.
A _______________ is a set of documents about a person or a situation.
6.
_______________ is doing something very badly and without success.
7.
If someone is _______________ to have done something wrong or illegal, people claim that this is true even
though it has not
yet been proved.
8.
An _______________ is a small group of people who have a lot of advantages and power.
9.
A _______________ is someone who is strict or extreme in their political views and unwilling to change them.
10. To _______________ means to deliberately prevent a plan or process from being successful.
2
What do you know?
The Russian president has never visited the United States.
3.
Relations between Washington and Moscow were better during George Bush’s presidency.
4.
Russia is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
5.
Putin used to be a KGB agent.
6.
The FSB is the successor of the KGB.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions / Advanced
O
2.
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Vladimir Putin is president of Russia.
CA
1.
N T
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EB LO B
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D •
Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers by reading the text.
20
Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions
Advanced
Russian spies row raises
diplomatic tensions
2 Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov,
questioned the timing of the arrests, three days
after Barack Obama hosted Russia’s president,
Dmitry Medvedev, on a successful US visit. “The
moment when all this was done was chosen
quite cleverly,” Lavrov said. In a statement, the
foreign ministry suggested the “groundless”
arrests were a shadowy attempt to undermine
the improvement in US-Russian relations
“announced by the US administration”. It said the
suspects were Russian citizens who had never
acted against US interests.
3 Obama declined to comment on the case
when asked during a briefing on the economy.
Later, a White House spokesman said Obama
had known of the investigation when he met
Medvedev but had been unaware any arrests
were imminent. The spokesman stressed that
the arrests were a law enforcement issue
and not driven by the president. A US justice
department official said they had been triggered
because one of the suspects was due to leave
the US. “Operational considerations were the
only factors that dictated the timing,” said the
justice spokesman.
5
A 55-page US dossier reveals in humiliating
detail the frequently amateurish bungling of
Moscow’s alleged agents, who lived in leafy
suburban homes in Boston, New York and
Washington DC. The FBI said they were urged
to adopt Americanized names to blend in
and gather information from think-tanks and
government officials. The FBI appears to have
known of the spy ring since at least 2000 and
tracked its every move, covertly observing
numerous encounters in Manhattan coffee bars,
in which the ‘agents’ would send data to their
Russian handlers via wireless from their laptops.
Often, however the technology broke down,
causing desperate pleas for Moscow to sort out
the problem.
6
The US court documents also reveal the
textbook spying methods used by the
Russians to identify their own side. In one
comic encounter, spy Anna Chapman is told
her contact will ask: “Excuse me, but haven’t
we met in California last summer?” Her reply
is: “No, I think it was the Hamptons.” Another
alleged spy, Mikhail Semenko, posted personal
photos on the Russian social networking website
Odnoklassniki. One shows him posing in front of
the White House, another in his swimming trunks
on Miami beach, a third with a blonde against
the Manhattan skyline.
4 The spy case puts Medvedev in one of the
most uncomfortable dilemmas of his two-year
presidency. He has to weigh up the Kremlin’s
response and whether to expel or even arrest
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions / Advanced
O
1 Russia and the US were facing their most
serious diplomatic crisis of the Obama era after
the Kremlin angrily denounced the arrest of
ten US-based Russian spies and said the FBI
operation was an unsavoury cold war plot. The
alleged spies are in US custody, after being
charged in court with conspiracy to act as an
agent of a foreign government. Police in Cyprus
arrested the ring’s alleged paymaster and 11th
spy, Christopher Metsos, attempting to catch a
flight to Hungary.
•P
H
Luke Harding in Moscow, Helena Smith
in Athens, and Peter Walker
30 June, 2010
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Americans living in Russia. Relations between
Washington and Moscow have improved
significantly since the semi-cold war days of
the Bush era, with both Obama and Medvedev
investing heavily in their friendship; and there
have been results: a new, if modest, START
treaty on nuclear arms reduction; a deal on
civilian nuclear cooperation; the US has backed
Russia’s long-delayed WTO application and
Russia has taken a tougher line on Iran. The
Russian foreign ministry said yesterday, “We
are counting on the American side to display
the appropriate understanding in this matter,
including taking into account the positive
character of the current stage of RussianAmerican relations.”
CA
Level 3
21
Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions
Level 3
Advanced
7
“They [the Russians] are going to have to make
a calculation,” Sam Greene, deputy head of
Moscow’s Carnegie Centre, said yesterday.
It would be unthinkable for Moscow not to
respond, he said, but it was unclear what form
this might take. None of the alleged spies
was a diplomat or consular official – making a
classic tit-for-tat expulsion unlikely. Russia might
claim to have uncovered a spy ring of its own,
possibly Russians working for US companies.
Or it could target Americans.
8
Either way, the FBI arrests appear to be further
evidence of the explosion in Russian intelligence
activity abroad over the past ten years. Since
2000, when Vladimir Putin became president,
western governments have reported a dramatic
increase in spying activity by Moscow in Europe,
the US, Africa and Latin America. Putin, a former
KGB agent in East Germany, tripled the budget
for the FSB, the KGB’s domestic successor,
which he headed until 1999. Former intelligence
officers now make up a huge proportion of
Russia’s ruling elite.
9
Hardliners on both sides are likely to welcome
the spy scandal as an opportunity to sabotage
improving US-Russian ties. Despite the recent
thaw in relations, both the US and Russia had
continued to spy on each other, Mark Urnov,
dean at the political science department at
Russia’s higher school of economics said. “This
[spy scandal] is an issue dating from previous
years. The security services can’t stop their
activities immediately. Until recently there was a
semi-cold war between US and Russia. So why
not spy?”
10 According to Urnov, Moscow was unlikely to
drop its current positive attitude to Washington.
“Of course there are some groups inside the
[Russian] political elite who would prefer to
continue with more or less cold relations. But
the dominant tendency now is to be friendly. I
don’t see any forces on both sides who could
be interested in intensifying this scandal, or
in stirring up aggravation now between
these countries.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 30/06/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
What is the official Russian view of the arrest of the ten alleged spies?
a. that it is against US interests
b. that it is an attempt to sabotage the improvement in relations between the US and Russia
c. that it is an attempt to prevent Russia from joining the WTO
2.
What is the official American view of the arrest of the 10 alleged spies?
a. that the timing of the arrests was highly significant
b. that operational factors were not involved in the arrests
c. that the arrests were made because one of the suspects was leaving the US
3.
Which of these statements is true?
a. The members of the spy ring were asked to gather information about US military activity.
b. The members of the spy ring decided to adopt American names to blend in.
c. The members of the spy ring used wireless to send data from their laptops.
4.
What is Mark Urnov’s view of the likely outcome of this affair?
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NEWS LESSONS / Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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a. He thinks relations between the two countries will become frosty.
b. He doesn’t believe the current friendly relations will be affected much by this.
c. He believes it is in the interests of the hardliners to cause trouble.
22
Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions
Level 3
Advanced
4 Find the word
Look in the text and find the following words and phrases.
1.
an adjective meaning mysterious and secret (para 2)
2.
a verb meaning to deliberately say or do things that make someone or something appear less impressive or less
important (para 2)
3.
an adjective meaning likely or certain to happen very soon (para 3)
4.
a verb meaning to make something happen (para 3)
5.
an adverb meaning secretly (para 5)
6.
a three-word adjective meaning something you do to harm someone because they have harmed you (para 7)
7.
a noun meaning an improvement in the relationship between two countries (para 9)
8.
a noun meaning violent, threatening or offensive behaviour (para 10)
5 Phrasal verbs
Match the phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings.
1.
blend in
a.
to combine together to form a whole
2.
stir up
b.
to be similar to the people around you so people do not notice you
3.
weigh up
c.
to find an answer to a problem
4.
sort out
d.
to depend on someone to do what you want or expect from them
5.
count on
e.
to actively cause trouble or problems
6.
make up
f.
to consider the good and bad aspects of something in order to reach a decision
6 Word-building
Complete the sentences by using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The Russian foreign minister has said that the arrests are _______________. [GROUND]
2.
Obama was _______________ that the arrests were imminent. [AWARE]
3.
The US supports Russia’s WTO _______________. [APPLY]
4.
Some of the activities of the alleged spies have been described as _______________. [AMATEUR]
5.
Some experts believe it would be _______________ for Russia not to respond. [THINK]
6.
The Americans believe they have _______________ a major spy ring. [COVER]
7 Discussion
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NEWS LESSONS / Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
CA O
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Does spying have a place in the 21st century? Why? Why not?
23
Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
F
F
F
F
T
T
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
c
b
5 Phrasal verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
b
e
f
c
d
a
6 Word-building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
groundless
unaware
application
amateurish
unthinkable
uncovered
O
H
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CA
NEWS LESSONS / Russian spies row raises diplomatic tensions / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
O
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D •
2 What do you know?
shadowy
undermine
imminent
trigger
covertly
tit-for-tat
thaw
aggravation
N
denounce
unsavoury
conspiracy
expel
dossier
bungling
alleged
elite
hardliner
sabotage
24
Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
These words and phrases can all be found in the article and either relate to goats or tortoises. Try to divide
them up between the two animals, then scan the article to find out if you were right.
evil
giant
survivors
lonesome
extinction
vulnerable
eradication
engineers
slaughter
plodding
thriving
invaders
new arrivals
at risk
endemic species
bachelor
goats
2
source of meat
tortoises
Key words
Find the key words in the article and write them next to their meanings. The paragraph numbers are given
to help you.
1.
the process of mating and producing young animals _______________ (title)
2.
send someone back to their own country _______________ (para 2)
3.
animals that have recently emerged from eggs _______________ (para 2)
4.
weak and easy to hurt or attack _______________ (para 5)
5.
a small number of things that are spread over a large area _______________ (para 6)
6.
very common or strongly established in a place or situation _______________ (para 6)
7.
the biggest, most important or best thing in a group _______________ (para 7)
8.
to kill animals deliberately, especially in order to stop the population from becoming too large _______________ (para 9)
9.
Something (bad) that has been got rid of completely has been _______________. (para 10)
10. the baby or babies of an animal _______________ (para 12)
11. simple past form of a verb meaning to walk with slow heavy steps _______________ (para 12)
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N T
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12. the variety of different types of plant and animal life in a particular region _______________ (para 13)
25
Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme
Advanced
6
The project’s success has helped a plan to “retortoise” another island, Pinta, with the same
species in the hope of recreating a “pre-human”
balanced ecosystem. The scattering of rocky,
volcanic islands, 600 miles west of mainland
Ecuador, are a Unesco world natural heritage
site and home to dozens of endemic species
found nowhere else. Some 95% of the territory’s
3,000 sq miles is a protected area.
7
“It’s completely amazing, one of the few places
where you can actually see evolution happening
in real time,” said Henry Nicholls, ambassador
for the Galápagos Conservation Trust. He
welcomed the recovery of Española’s giant
tortoise population. “They are a flagship species
which capture the public imagination.”
8
For much of the 20th century the archipelago
was a symbol of human destruction. After sailors
ran out of tortoises to eat, they introduced
goats to several islands. From numbering
just a handful, the new arrivals multiplied into
thousands, then tens of thousands. They
stripped vegetation and made the islands
uninhabitable for the few remaining tortoises and
other endemic species.
9
Authorities decided to cull the invaders in the
1970s with teams of marksmen, but some goats
survived, bred and perpetuated the problem until
the 1990s, when helicopters, dogs and radio
tracking devices were used.
Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent
27 June, 2010
3 Preliminary results of the survey, conducted over
ten days by 24 wardens from the Galápagos
national park authority, found that albatross,
cactus and woody vegetation had also partly
recovered, restoring the island to something
similar to what Darwin saw two centuries ago.
4 Giant tortoises (Geochelone hoodensis), whose
population had dropped to about 15 in the
1970s, are once again a common sight on the
island, said Washington Tapia, a park official who
led the survey, which used electronic devices
to track the animals. “During the expedition we
found nests, recently hatched tortoises, and
adults born on Española, which indicates that
the tortoise population is doing well.”
5 The population now numbers between 1,500 and
2,000, said Linda Cayot, a scientific adviser to
Galápagos Conservancy. “We will have a much
better idea when the survey results are compiled.”
The original population was thought to number up
to 5,000 before becoming a vulnerable source of
fresh meat for passing sailors.
10 The threat to the islands’ endemic species meant
there was little protest over the goat slaughter.
“There was little public outrage because it was
seen that the tortoises were at risk,” said Barry.
Scientists moved 15 giant tortoises – among
the last survivors of the species – from their
ruined Española habitat to a captive breeding
programme. As the goats were eradicated,
young tortoises from the breeding programme
were reintroduced to the island.
11 “Tortoises have begun to play their role as
ecosystem engineers,” said Tapia, leader of the
island survey. “We can say with certainty that
the ecological perfection of Española is being reestablished.” A similar plan to repopulate Pinta,
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme / Advanced
O
2 A survey of Española, the southernmost island,
confirmed last week that a pioneering effort to
repatriate giant tortoise hatchlings has produced
a thriving, reproducing population of more than
1,500 specimens. The project aims to turn the
clock back to before human beings almost
wiped out a species that helped to inspire
Charles Darwin’s theories on evolution and
natural selection. “It’s a great end to a sad story,”
said Johannah Barry, president of Galápagos
Conservancy, a Virginia-based organization
which partly funded the study.
N T
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1 Scientists have successfully reintroduced
giant tortoises to a Galápagos island where
the species was once very close to extinction,
raising conservation hopes for the rest of the
archipelago.
•P
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Galápagos giant tortoise saved from
extinction by breeding programme
CA
Level 3
26
Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme
Level 3
Advanced
on the northern end of the archipelago, is now
under way. However, the only surviving Pinta
tortoise is Lonesome George, who has failed to
reproduce despite decades in a captive
breeding programme.
12 Rather than wait to see if George produces
offspring over the next few decades, scientists
have decided to introduce Española tortoises –
the closest genetic match to their Pinta cousins
– to the island. The first 39 plodded on to their
new home in May. “There is continuing work on
all of the islands and the tortoise populations
continue to grow. Eventually, we hope to see
healthy populations on most of the islands,”
said Cayot.
13 Nicholls, author of a book on Lonesome
George, said the Galápagos’s most famous
bachelor may yet become a father. “There have
been so many surprises with George’s story I
wouldn’t rule it out. And time is on his side.” He
added, “When it comes to conservation of island
biodiversity, goats are pure evil. They reproduce
at an unbelievable rate and completely destroy
the native plants. The eradication of goats from
most of Galápagos is incredible. It is the most
ambitious, most successful goat eradication
campaign anywhere in the world.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Observer, 27/07/2010
3 Comprehension check
Thirty to 40 years ago …
a. … there were no giant tortoises to be found on Española.
b. … only a handful of tortoises lived on Española.
c. … passing sailors brought goats to the island of Española.
3.
The Galápagos Conservancy is partly funding a survey which aims to …
a. … restore the island to its natural state as it was more than 200 years ago.
b. … turn the islands into tourist-free areas.
c. … cull the goats on Española.
4.
A captive breeding programme has increased the numbers of giant tortoises on Española (compared to 40
years ago) …
a. … tenfold
b. … a hundredfold
c. … a thousandfold
5.
The tortoises almost became extinct because …
a. … they made an easy and tasty meal.
b. … their natural habitat was used as farmland.
c. … people hunted them for sport.
6.
Sailors introduced goats to the island …
a. … to keep the grass down.
b. … so that they would have a source of food when they next landed there.
c. … because they didn’t want them on their ships.
7.
The goats …
a. … stripped the island of its accessible vegetation leaving nothing for the tortoises.
b. … frightened off the tortoises and the albatrosses.
c. … slowly starved – those that didn’t, were shot.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme / Advanced
O
2.
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H
Española is …
a. … an island next to Galápagos.
b. … close to the coast of Ecuador.
c. … one of many small islands that make up the Galápagos archipelago.
CA
1.
N T
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EB LO B
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Choose the best answer to the questions according to the article.
27
Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme
Level 3
Advanced
4 Word stress
Write the words into the table according to their stress patterns. Then use the words to recreate and
summarize the article.
expedition
evolution
archipelago
uninhabitable
ooOoo
ooOo
biodiversity
population
organization
authorities
Galápagos
vegetation
oOoo
scientific
repatriate
pioneering
ooOooo
archipelago
oooOo
oooOoo
5 Discussion
Do you think the goat cull is justified?
What other measures do you think could be taken to save the giant tortoises from extinction?
6 Webquest
Search the internet for further information about one of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
giant tortoises
Lonesome George
Española island
Galápagos archipelago
Galápagos Conservancy
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NEWS LESSONS / Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
CA O
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O
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EB LO B
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D •
Make an information poster and present it to your class. Include images and interesting facts as well as
your own thoughts and impressions.
28
Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
tortoises: giant, lonesome, vulnerable, plodding,
source of meat, survivors, extinction, thriving, endemic
species, engineers, at risk, bachelor
goats: evil, invaders, eradication, new arrivals,
slaughter
4 Language
ooOoo
archipelago
ooOo
oOoo
expedition
Galápagos
scientific
authorities
evolution
repatriate
ooOooo
uninhabitable
population
vegetation
pioneering
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
breeding
repatriate
hatchlings
vulnerable
scattering
endemic
flagship
cull
eradicated
offspring
plodded
biodiversity
oooOo
oooOoo
organization
biodiversity
3 Comprehension check
O
H
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NEWS LESSONS / Galápagos giant tortoise saved from extinction by breeding programme / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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c
b
a
b
a
b
a
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
29
Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1.
A _______________ is a large floating object that is used to prevent oil from spreading on the surface of the
sea. (para 2)
2.
If something is _______________, it is poisonous and harmful to people, animals or the environment. (para 3)
3.
A _______________ is a tall structure fitted with equipment used for getting oil out of the ground or from under
the sea. (para 4)
4.
A _______________ is a place where things are removed from oil to make it pure. (para 4)
5.
A _______________ is an official agreement to stop an activity temporarily. (para 4)
6.
If you are _______________, you need or want something very much. (para 5)
7.
_______________ is an attitude that is too confident and relaxed because you think you can deal with
something easily even though this may not be true. (para 5)
8.
If you _______________ an oil well, you put a cover over it to stop oil escaping. (para 7)
9.
A _______________ is an occasion when oil suddenly escapes from an oil well. (para 7)
10. A _______________ is a share of the profits of a company, paid once or twice a year to the people who own
the company’s shares. (para 8)
2
What do you know?
New Orleans has been badly affected by the BP oil spill.
3.
BP is an American company.
4.
The spill is America’s greatest ever environmental disaster.
5.
The BP share price has fallen 93% since the accident happened.
6.
BP is no longer called British Petroleum.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare / Advanced
O
2.
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H
The BP oil spill took place in the Gulf of Mexico.
CA
1.
N T
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Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers by reading the text.
30
Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare
For Obama, who will make his fourth trip to the
site of America’s greatest environmental disaster
tomorrow, no other issue now so dominates his
time. Obama’s advisers hope the TV cameras
and reporters that follow his every movement
will portray him as someone in control of the
situation. They are desperate to avoid a growing
comparison between his reaction to the spill and
President George W Bush’s complacency over
Hurricane Katrina in nearby New Orleans.
6
Until now the president has largely confined
himself to attacking BP’s management, an
approach that has damaged the reputation of the
company and its share price, which has fallen
39% since the rig exploded on 20 April, killing
11 men. There is little doubt that it has been a
deliberate White House strategy to criticize BP,
not only because the company clearly has a lot
to answer for, but also because it provides a
useful political foil. The oil giant is easy to portray
as foreign even though it is a global business
with huge numbers of operations and employees
in America. Much has been made of Obama and
others referring to the firm as British Petroleum,
though it long ago dropped the word ‘British’
from its name.
7
While BP does make a convenient target, other
companies can consider themselves fortunate
not to be caught up in the crisis. Of the 126
people working on the Deepwater Horizon rig,
only eight were BP employees. The oil giant may
have a 65% share of the well, but its partner,
Anadarko, has a 25% share. The rig was owned
and operated by offshore drilling company
Transocean, which leased it to BP. Dick Cheney’s
former company, Halliburton, played a crucial role
in carrying out cement work that was supposed
to cap the well. The failed blowout preventer was
made by an American firm, Cameron. There are
a large number of potential bad guys to blame,
not just one single villain. But that argument is
unhelpful to those looking for a simple story to
explain such a catastrophic incident.
8
BP is now under pressure to cancel its dividend
until the scale of its liabilities is clear. The oil
Suzanne Goldenberg, Paul Harris,
Julia Kollewe, Anushka Asthana and
Jamie Doward
13 June, 2010
1 The anger is very noticeable in the southern
Louisiana towns where livelihoods are being
slowly choked by oil. Pickup trucks with “BP
sucks” scrawled on their panels bounce along
the roads. Locals in Plaquemines, between the
Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi, complain that
BP has been too slow in hiring fishermen to help
fight the spill, as promised.
2 “Fifty days into it and they are still trying to get
out the booms and set up their equipment,”
said Therese Creppel, who owns a seafood
restaurant. Complaints about the delays and
problems involved in filing compensation claims
dominate the airwaves of local radio stations.
Creppel has put in her own call to BP seeking
compensation, but is worried the oil company
could collapse under the financial and political
pressures it is now facing.
3 But it is not only the locals who are afraid. The
oil washing up on the shores of America’s Deep
South is proving toxic to more than the local
wildlife. Both President Barack Obama and
Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, are
finding to their cost that a crisis for a globalized
company like BP carries collateral damage. The
urgent question for both men now is of who will
be damaged more by the collision of politics
and big business that is testing the UK’s special
relationship with the US to its limit.
4 The crisis is as much about money as it is about
the environment. In Plaquemines, where rigs
and refineries line the roads, there is as much
anger at Obama for putting a moratorium on
offshore drilling as there is at BP for provoking
the six-month timeout in the first place. Almost
everybody knows someone who has worked in
the industry and people fear that the offshore
industry might move elsewhere as a result of
the crisis.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare / Advanced
O
5
•P
H
Tide of anger may turn an ecological
tragedy into a political nightmare
N T
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EB LO B
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D •
Advanced
CA
Level 3
31
Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare
Level 3
Advanced
giant’s official position remains that no decision
is likely on payouts to shareholders until closer
to 27 July, when it releases half-year figures.
But privately its executives recognize the
company will be forced to take a decision
much earlier.
9
Given what is at stake, it is no surprise that BP
is now adopting a more humble tone, promising
to “listen very carefully” to what Obama tells
its executives when they meet in Washington.
But cancelling or even cutting the dividend, the
most generous paid by a UK company and a
significant source of income for pension funds,
will bring problems for Cameron. As Lord Jones,
a government trade ambassador and former
trade minister, put it last week, “Pension fund
beneficiaries will be saying: ‘Are you standing
up for us, Mr Cameron?’”
10
But even on the right of his own party there
is discord over what Cameron should do.
“Let’s separate our interests as a democratic
nation from those of a company,” said Douglas
Carswell, Tory MP for Clacton. “This was a
major catastrophe – it was environmental
vandalism. We can’t wrap ourselves in the
flag now.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Observer, 13/06/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Why are people seeking compensation for the oil spill worried?
a. because they think BP’s response has been too slow
b. because they are afraid the company might collapse
c. because the compensation claim forms are very difficult to fill in
2.
Why are people in the region angry with Obama?
a. because they think he has been complacent
b. because he has only visited the region four times
c. because he has placed a six-month moratorium on offshore drilling
3.
Why is BP under pressure to cancel its dividend payout to shareholders?
a. because it will not make any profits this year
b. because people think the company should wait until it knows what its liabilities are
c. because pension funds want more money not less
4.
Why could BP be considered to be rather unfortunate in this crisis?
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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a. because it is not the only company responsible for the accident
b. because it is the victim of political circumstances in the United States
c. because it pays the most generous dividend paid by a UK company
32
Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare
Level 3
Advanced
4 Find the word
Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1.
a verb meaning to write something carelessly or in a hurry so that it is difficult to read (para 1)
2.
a two-word expression meaning suffering for the civilian population (para 3)
3.
a six-word expression meaning to be responsible for a lot of bad things that have happened (para 6)
4.
a noun meaning someone or something that makes another person or thing seem better or more attractive
because of the differences between them (para 6)
5.
a four-word expression meaning to become unexpectedly involved in an unpleasant situation (para 7)
6.
a two-word expression meaning likely to be lost or damaged if something fails (para 9)
7.
a three-word phrasal verb meaning to defend someone or something that is being criticized or attacked
(para 9)
8.
a five-word expression meaning to resort to excessive patriotism (para 10)
5 Verb + noun collocations
Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns and noun phrases in the right-hand column.
1.
file
a. a more humble tone
2.
seek
b. work
3.
play
c. half-year figures
4.
carry out
d. compensation
5.
release
e. a compensation claim
6.
adopt
f.
a crucial role
6 Word-building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The BP affair is a _______________ of big business and politics. [COLLIDE]
2.
The spill is America’s greatest ever _______________ disaster. [ENVIRONMENT]
3.
BP has a large number of _______________ in America. [EMPLOY]
4.
Pension fund _______________ are worried about their pensions. [BENEFIT]
5.
The oil spill is affecting _______________ in southern Louisiana. [LIVE]
6.
President Bush was accused of _______________ over Hurricane Katrina. [COMPLACENT]
7 Discussion
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NEWS LESSONS / Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
CA O
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Should private companies be allowed to drill for oil in environmentally sensitive regions? Why? Why not?
33
Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
F
T
F
T
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
b
a
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
e
d
f
b
c
a
6 Word-building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
collision
environmental
employees
beneficiaries
livelihoods
complacency
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / Tide of anger may turn an ecological tragedy into a political nightmare / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
O
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O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
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D •
2 What do you know?
scrawl
collateral damage
have a lot to answer for
foil
be caught up in
at stake
stand up for
wrap yourself in the flag
N
boom
toxic
rig
refinery
moratorium
desperate
complacency
cap
blowout
dividend
34
Acupuncture’s painkilling secret: it’s all in the twist action
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
In one minute, write down as many words as you can that are related to acupuncture.
Then quickly skim the text to find out how many of your words are mentioned.
2
Key words
Find the key words in the text and write them next to their meanings. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
1.
animal feet that are painful or uncomfortable _______________________ (two words, para 3)
2.
made something happen _______________________ (para 4)
3.
something that reduces inflammation _______________________ (para 4)
4.
having doubts about something that other people think is true or right _______________________ (para 6)
5.
to make something less painful, severe or serious _______________________ (para 7)
6.
to make a problem become worse _______________________ (para 7)
7.
a substance that is not medicine but that a patient who is taking it believes is medicine, and so gets better _______________________ (para 7)
8.
prevented something from happening or progressing normally _______________________ (para 8)
9.
nerves, for example in your skin, that send messages to your central nervous system
_______________________ (para 10)
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Acupuncture’s painkilling secret: it’s all in the twist action
Advanced
8
“The view that acupuncture has little benefit
beyond the placebo effect has really hampered
research into the technique,” said Maiken
Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University
of Rochester medical centre in New York state,
who led the study.
9
“Some people think any work in this area is
junk research, but I think that’s wrong. I was
really surprised at the arrogance of some of
my colleagues. We can benefit from what has
been learned over many thousands of years,”
Nedergaard said. “I believe we’ve found the main
mechanism by which acupuncture relieves pain.
Adenosine is a very potent anti-inflammatory
compound and most chronic pain is caused
by inflammation.”
Ian Sample, science correspondent
31 May, 2010
3 The answer, according to a team of scientists
in New York, follows an extraordinary study in
which researchers gave regular acupuncture
sessions to mice with sore paws.
4 After each half-hour session the mice felt less
discomfort in their paws because the needles
triggered the release of a natural painkiller,
the researchers say. The needles caused
tissue damage that stimulated cells to produce
adenosine, an anti-inflammatory chemical, that
was effective for up to an hour after the therapy
was over.
10 The scientists gave each mouse a sore paw by
injecting it with an inflammatory chemical. Half
of the mice lacked a gene that is needed to
make adenosine receptors, which are found on
major nerves.
11 The therapy session involved inserting a fine
needle into an acupuncture point in the knee
above each mouse’s sore foot. In keeping with
traditional practice, the needles were rotated
periodically throughout the half-hour session.
5 Modern acupuncture involves inserting fine
needles into the skin at specific points around the
body. The needles are pushed in a few millimetres
and then heated, twisted or even electrified to
produce their claimed medical effects.
12 To measure how effective the acupuncture was,
the researchers recorded how quickly each
mouse pulled its sore paw away from a small,
bristly brush. The more pain the mice were in,
the faster they pulled away.
6 Acupuncture has spread around the world since
originating in China, but conventional western
medicine has remained steadfastly sceptical.
Although there is now good evidence that
acupuncture can relieve pain, many of the other
health benefits acupuncturists claim are on
shakier ground.
13 Writing in the journal Nature Neuroscience,
Nedergaard’s team describes how acupuncture
reduced pain by two-thirds in normal mice, but
had no effect on the discomfort of mice that
lacked the adenosine receptor gene. Without
adenosine receptors, the mice were unable to
respond to the adenosine released when cells
were damaged by acupuncture needles.
7 The latest research gives doctors a sound
explanation of how sticking needles into the skin
can alleviate, rather than exacerbate, pain. The
discovery will challenge the view, widely held
among scientists, that any benefits a patient
feels after acupuncture are due purely to the
placebo effect.
14 Acupuncture had no effect in either group of
mice if the needles were not rotated, suggesting
that the tissues had to be physically damaged to
release adenosine. Nedergaard said that twisting
the needles seems to cause enough damage to
make cells release the painkilling chemical.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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2 Tradition has it that the procedure works by
improving the flow of qi along invisible energy
channels called meridians, but research published
today points to a less mystical explanation for the
painkilling claims of acupuncture.
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1 Ever since Chinese doctors first poked their
patients with sharp objects 4,000 years ago and
charged them for the pleasure, acupuncture has
been shrouded in mystery.
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This is then picked up by adenosine receptors
on nearby nerves, which react by damping
down pain. Further tests on the mice revealed
that levels of adenosine increased 24-times in
the tissues around the acupuncture needles
during and immediately after each session.
15 One of the longstanding mysteries surrounding
acupuncture is why the technique only seems to
alleviate pain if needles are inserted at specific
points. Nedergaard believes that most of these
acupuncture points are along major nerve tracks
and, as such, are parts of the body that have
plenty of adenosine receptors.
16 “There is an attitude among some researchers
that studying alternative medicine is
unfashionable,” said Nedergaard. “Because
it has not been understood completely, many
people have remained sceptical.”
17 Although the study explains how acupuncture
can alleviate pain, it does not explain the
other health benefits that some practitioners
believe the procedure can achieve. Josephine
Briggs, the director of the national centre for
complementary and alternative medicine at
the US National Institutes of Health, said, “It’s
clear that acupuncture may activate a number
of different mechanisms … It’s an interesting
contribution to our growing understanding of
acupuncture.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 31/05/2010
3 Comprehension check: Describing a process
Make notes about the experiment described in the article. Use the passive form in your notes about
the stages.
The experiment:
Purpose of the experiment:
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Conclusions of the experiment:
1.
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2.
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Acupuncture’s painkilling secret: it’s all in the twist action
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4 Language: Therapies and practitioners
Complete the table with the names of the practitioners trained in each therapy. You may use a dictionary or
the internet.
name of therapy
1.
acupuncture
2.
phytotherapy (herbalism)
3.
homeopathy
4.
massage
5.
reflexology
6.
aromatherapy
7.
hypnosis
8.
naturopathy
9.
chiropractic
name of practitioner
5 Discussion
Which of the therapies and treatments above are available in your country/area?
Does your health insurance cover the cost of any of them?
Which of the above practitioners would you consider going to?
6 Webquest
Look on the internet for acupuncturists in your area/country. What services do they offer? What are
their fees?
Watch a video and read more about acupuncture on these websites:
The British Acupuncture Council
http://www.acupuncture.org.uk/index.php
(This website includes an excellent short video introduction to acupuncture.)
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The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/
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Acupuncture’s painkilling secret: it’s all in the twist action
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KEY
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
sore paws
triggered
anti-inflammatory
sceptical
alleviate
exacerbate
placebo
hampered
receptors
rotated
Teacher’s notes
Adenosine
Adenosine plays an important role in biochemical
processes, such as energy transfer, as well as in signal
transduction. It is also an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
(www.wikipedia.com)
3 Comprehension check: Describing
a process
Purpose of the experiment: to check the painkilling
claims of acupuncture
on the discomfort of mice that lacked the adenosine
receptor gene.
2. Acupuncture had no effect in either group of mice
if the needles were not rotated. This suggested that
the tissues had to be physically damaged to
release adenosine.
4 Language: Therapies and practitioners
name of therapy
name of practitioner
1.
acupuncture
acupuncturist
2.
phytotherapy
(herbalism)
phytotherapist /
herbalist
3.
homeopathy
homeopath /
homeopathic
practitioner
4.
massage
masseur
5.
reflexology
reflexologist
6.
aromatherapy
aromatherapist
7.
hypnosis
hypnotist
8.
naturopathy
naturopath /
naturopathic
practitionerer
9.
chiropractic
chiropractor
Stage 1: Mice were given sore paws by scientists
who injected them with an inflammatory chemical.
Half the mice lacked a gene that is needed to make
adenosine receptors.
Stage 2: Fine needles were then inserted into an
acupuncture point above each mouse’s sore paw. The
needles were rotated periodically.
Stage 3: To measure how effective the acupuncture
was, the researchers recorded how quickly each mouse
pulled its sore paw away from a small, bristly brush.
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Conclusions of the experiment:
1. The scientists discovered that acupuncture reduced
pain by two-thirds in normal mice, but had no effect
39
North Korea cuts all ties with the South
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these verbs from the text. You will need to change the form of some of
the words.
escalate
expel
refrain from
sever
wrap up
suspend
deteriorate
thaw
enrage
hit back
1.
If you ____________________ at someone, you criticize them because they have criticized you.
2.
To ____________________ means to end something such as a friendship or a connection completely
and permanently.
3.
When a bad situation ____________________, it becomes much more serious.
4.
If you ____________________ someone, you force them to leave a country, especially for political reasons.
5.
If trade between two countries is ____________________, it is officially stopped for a short time.
6.
If relations between two countries ____________________, the countries become more friendly.
7.
If a situation ____________________, it becomes worse.
8.
To ____________________ means to finish something such as a meeting.
9.
To ____________________ doing something means to stop yourself doing it.
10. If you ____________________ someone, you make them extremely angry.
2
What do you know?
Pyongyang is the capital of South Korea.
3.
Seoul is the capital of North Korea.
4.
Kim Jong-il is the leader of North Korea.
5.
The Korean War took place in the 1950s.
6.
Both countries are situated on a peninsula.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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The current problems between the two Koreas began when South Korea sank a North Korean warship.
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Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
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North Korea cuts all ties with the South
Advanced
North Korea cuts all ties with
the South
added, “The North Koreans view Lee Myungbak’s lack of commitment to the policy as the
main source of conflict [that] has led to this set
of events. That view is obviously not shared in
South Korea.”
Tania Branigan in Beijing
25 May, 2010
4 Citing the Committee for the Peaceful
Reunification of Korea, KCNA said Pyongyang
would engage in no dialogue or contact while
Lee was in power; he is due to leave office
in 2013. Relations on the divided peninsula
deteriorated sharply after he became president
last year, ending his predecessor’s ‘sunshine
policy’ of free-flowing aid to the North. KCNA
described the retaliation as a response to
Seoul’s “smear campaign” – the accusation,
based on a report by an international team,
that a Northern torpedo caused the sinking of
the Cheonan in March, which killed 46 people.
Pyongyang denies any involvement.
5 Scott Snyder, director of the centre for US-Korea
policy at the Asia Foundation, in Washington,
said, “This is really the last phase of ending
this policy of engagement that had been in
place between the Koreas since 1998. There
is a level of hostility and lack of interaction that
is unprecedented in that [12-year] period.” He
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / North Korea cuts all ties with the South / Advanced
7
Several analysts have suggested that the North’s
proposal to send a team to investigate the
sinking – a suggestion the South rejected – may
have been intended as an opportunity for talks
as well as propaganda.
8
Experts said the announcement appeared to
mean Southern NGOs would no longer be able
to work in the North, bringing an end to low-level
economic and, in some cases, government links.
It also brings an end to hopes of reviving crossborder reunions between families split by the
border at the end of the 1950-53 war.
9
US secretary, Hillary Clinton, called stability on
the Korean peninsula a “shared responsibility”
of China and the US as she wrapped up two
days of strategic and economic bilateral talks
in Beijing today, adding, “No one is more
concerned about peace and stability in this
region than the Chinese.” She said she believed
her counterparts “understand the seriousness of
this situation”, citing what she called productive
and detailed conversations. But one state
counsellor, Dai Bingguo, merely repeated
China’s call for both sides to act calmly and
refrain from escalating tension.
10 Clinton will tomorrow discuss the response with
Lee as she visits Seoul, where the Chinese
premier, Wen Jiabao, is due to visit on Friday.
Lee’s office said the Russian president, Dmitry
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3 The North’s statement followed an
announcement by South Korea’s president, Lee
Myung-bak, that Seoul would suspend trade,
ban Northern ships from its waters and take
Pyongyang to the UN Security Council. He also
announced that Seoul would redesignate the
North as its “main enemy” – a term it dropped six
years ago, when relations were thawing.
Despite rising alarm at the tit-for-tat
developments, analysts believe neither side
wants military action, fearing the cost would
prove too great. But they warn there is a risk of
skirmishes, and that these could get out of hand.
Professor Hazel Smith, a North Korea expert
at Cranfield University, said, “Wars sometimes
happen by accident, or because you have
escalation and no one can control it. It’s a very
dangerous position that everyone is in. With
all the communications channels being closed
down, there is a lot of room for escalation by
default.” But she added, “At some point, they will
resume talking to each other, because there are
no other options.”
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2 The announcement leaves relations at their
worst point for years. It came as a monitoring
group in Seoul reported that the North Korean
leader, Kim Jong-il, last week ordered his military
to prepare for war in case the South attacks.
Military officials in Seoul were unable to confirm
the report, and said they had detected no
unusual troop movements.
6
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1 North Korea has hit back at Seoul by announcing
it would sever all links, escalating the stand-off
over accusations that the North sank a South
Korean warship. North Korea’s state news
agency, KCNA, also reported that Pyongyang
would expel all South Koreans from a joint
industrial zone in Kaesong, near the border.
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North Korea cuts all ties with the South
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Medvedev, had said in a telephone call he
“understands well” South Korea’s moves, and
would try to give an “appropriate signal” to
North Korea.
11 The South’s military resumed propaganda radio
broadcasts across the border this morning after
a six-year hiatus, with programmes airing news,
western music and comparisons of the political
and economic situations on the two parts of the
peninsula. The psychological warfare will enrage
the North, which has warned it will fire at any
propaganda facilities in the demilitarized zone.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 25/05/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
What was the ‘sunshine policy’?
a. another name for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea
b. South Korean aid sent to North Korea
c. a smear campaign against North Korea mounted by South Korea
2.
Why is there a danger of escalation of the conflict?
a. because both sides want military action
b. because all the communications channels have been closed down
c. because wars usually happen by accident
3.
According to Hillary Clinton, which country is most concerned about peace and stability in the region?
a. South Korea
b. China
c. the United States
4.
How will North Korea react to the resumption of propaganda radio broadcast by South Korea?
a. it will fire at propaganda facilities in South Korea
b. it will broadcast its own propaganda about the economic situation in the two countries
c. it will be extremely angry about the broadcasts
4 Find the word
a noun meaning a disagreement in which neither side can do anything to win or achieve their aim (para 1)
2.
a two-word noun meaning a series of attempts to damage someone’s reputation by telling lies about them
(para 4)
3.
a noun meaning unfriendly or threatening behaviour or feelings towards someone (para 5)
4.
a three-word adjective meaning something you do to harm someone because they have harmed you (para 6)
5.
a noun meaning an argument or a disagreement, especially a political one (para 6)
6.
a two-word expression meaning happening only because no one does anything (para 6)
7.
a noun meaning a period of time when something does not happen (para 11)
8.
a two-word noun meaning an area where no fighting between armies is allowed, usually as the result of an
official decision to end a war (para 11)
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Find the following words and phrases in the text.
42
North Korea cuts all ties with the South
Level 3
Advanced
5 Two-word expressions
Match the words in the left-hand column to those in the right-hand column to make two-word phrases from
the text.
1.
news
a. movements
2.
military
b. agency
3.
bilateral
c. responsibility
4.
psychological
d. talks
5.
troop
e. warfare
6.
shared
f.
action
6 Word-building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The _____________________ of Korea seems a distant prospect. [UNIFY]
2.
A policy of _____________________ had been in place since 1998. [ENGAGE]
3.
Propaganda broadcasts have been making _____________________ between the political and economic
situations in the two countries. [COMPARE]
4.
There is a danger of _____________________ that no one will be able to control. [ESCALATE]
5.
North Korea denies any _____________________ in the sinking of the Cheonan. [INVOLVE]
6.
China and the US held _____________________ talks in Beijing. [STRATEGY]
7 Discussion
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What will happen if the two Koreas are reunited? What kind of problems could this bring? What advantages
could it have?
43
North Korea cuts all ties with the South
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
F
F
F
T
T
T
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
b
b
c
5 Two-word expressions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
b
f
d
e
a
c
6 Word-building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
reunification
engagement
comparisons
escalation
involvement
strategic
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T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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2 What do you know?
stand-off
smear campaign
hostility
tit-for-tat
skirmish
by default
hiatus
demilitarized zone
N
hit back
sever
escalates
expel
suspended
thaw
deteriorates
wrap up
refrain from
enrage
44
Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
What do you know about the following?
Easy Rider
2
Apocalypse Now
Blue Velvet
Speed
Cool Hand Luke
Key words
Find the words from the article that match the definitions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1.
a period of time that has a particular quality or character ______________________ (para 3)
2.
became more successful and completely developed ______________________ (para 3)
3.
dangerous and violent characters in stories, plays, films, etc. ______________________ (para 3)
4.
film failures or disappointments ______________________ (para 4)
5.
said cleverly or funnily ______________________ (para 6)
6.
unable to get out of bed because you are too weak or ill ______________________ (para 6)
7.
to make someone or something seem less important compared to someone or something else ______________________ (para 8)
8.
the opposite lifestyle and way of living ______________________ (para 8)
9.
a strong man who acts in a cruel or violent way ______________________ (para 8)
10. pleasant large city ______________________ (para 9)
11. deeply, greatly and seriously ______________________ (para 10)
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12. messed up, did something badly or carelessly ______________________ (para 10)
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Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer
Advanced
Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies
from cancer
6
His private life was as variable as his professional one.
He married five times and fathered four children. One
of his marriages, to his second wife, Michelle Phillips,
a singer in the group The Mamas and the Papas,
lasted just eight days in 1970. Of the experience,
Hopper famously quipped, “Seven of those days were
pretty good. The eighth day was the bad one.” His
final marriage, to actress Victoria Duffy took place in
1996. The pair were undergoing a bitter divorce when
he died. So bitter, in fact, that a dreadfully ill Hopper
sought a restraining order against his spouse even
though he was dying and virtually bedridden.
7
Hopper’s private life was often blighted by tales of
hard-drinking and drug-taking. He confessed that he
used cocaine in order to sober himself up so he could
binge on more alcohol. His problems and lifestyle
became the stuff of Hollywood legend – or nightmare.
He once spent time on a New Mexico commune
drinking spirits, taking drugs and firing machine guns.
He was committed to a psychiatric ward in 1984 after
experiencing violent hallucinations.
8
Nothing in Hopper’s personal life could overshadow a
handful of truly great screen performances. In 1969’s
Easy Rider, which he directed, co-wrote and co-starred
in, Hopper explored the hippy counter-culture and
the reaction to the Vietnam war. He dubbed the film
his “state of the union” message and it was a roaring
critical success, paving the way for the New Hollywood
of the 1970s and directors such as Martin Scorsese
and Francis Ford Coppola. Then, in Apocalypse Now
Hopper seemed to blend reality and fiction with his
portrayal of a burned-out and insane war photographer.
Finally, Hopper’s portrayal of a sadistic brute, Frank
Booth, in David Lynch’s surreal Blue Velvet introduced
the actor to an entirely new generation of fans.
9
He was born in Dodge City, Kansas, in 1936. After the
Second World War, the Hoppers moved to the relatively
urbane metropolis of Kansas City, Missouri, where
Hopper went to Saturday art classes. But after they
moved again, to San Diego in California, Hopper was
better able to express his interest in the arts.
Paul Harris in New York
30 May, 2010
1 Dennis Hopper, the hard-living Hollywood star with
acclaimed roles in films including Apocalypse Now
and Easy Rider, died yesterday of prostate cancer. He
passed away at his home in Venice, California, at the
age of 74.
2 He was surrounded by his family and friends and died
3 Hopper’s career was one of the most long-lived in an
4 Certainly not every role Hopper took was a great one.
Especially towards the end of his career, he appeared
in many movies that did little to impress critics or
audiences. In his filmography, cinematic duds such as
Hell Ride and The Crow: Wicked Prayer sit alongside
true classics including Blue Velvet, Cool Hand Luke
and Speed. But Hopper’s wild-eyed, scenery-chewing
performances often lifted the quality of any B-movie,
reminding viewers that he was one of the most
watchable of Hollywood stars. “There are moments
that I’ve had some real brilliance, you know,” he
reflected recently. “But I think they are moments. And
sometimes, in a career, moments are enough.”
5 With a reputation as a difficult actor to work with,
Hopper had also begun working as a photographer in
the 1960s. That flowered into an alternative career that
included painting and poetry. Earlier this year he
10 He hung out with actors and actresses and eventually
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer / Advanced
won a role playing opposite James Dean in Rebel
Without a Cause. The young heart-throb, whose life
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industry which is notorious for chewing up its stars.
It began in the era of the 1950s with a role opposite
James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, flowered in art
films of the 1960s and 1970s, and then transitioned into
the modern era of the blockbuster, as he specialized
in psychotic villains. “Great actor. Great director. Great
American. Terrible loss. God bless the wild man with
the gentle soul. May he rest in peace,” wrote John
Nolte, editor-in-chief of the Big Hollywood blog. “We all
knew this was coming, but that does not lessen
the blow.”
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peacefully at around 9am local time. Hopper had been
taken ill last September with serious flu-like symptoms.
Doctors quickly discovered he had cancer which then
spread to other parts of his body.
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Easy Rider star has died peacefully at his Los
Angeles home after five decades of hard living
was on the shortlist for a show at the LA Museum of
Contemporary Art .
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Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer
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Advanced
was to be tragically cut short, left a major impression
on Hopper. Dean’s commitment to the art of acting
profoundly influenced Hopper and left him reluctant to
bend to the whims of directors – something that often
caused friction throughout his career and, more than
once, saw him written off as impossible to work with.
Aside from the drug problems, he often refused to take
a director’s advice and instructions and wanted to go
his own way. In one film, a western directed by Henry
Hathaway, Hopper botched 87 takes of a simple line
after disagreeing over how to play a scene. “Much of
Hollywood found Hopper a pain in the neck,” wrote
critic-historian David Thomson.
11
In the end, Hopper’s career spanned more than five
decades and 100 films – a huge triumph by anyone’s
standards. In March, Hopper, who received two Oscar
nominations, got his own star on Hollywood’s Walk of
Fame. During the ceremony, a frail-looking Hopper, with
a bandage on his forehead, told an audience of fans
and Hollywood industry figures: “Everything I learned in
my life, I learned from you.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 30/05/2010
3 Find the information
Use information from the text to fill in the bio-data card for Dennis Hopper.
name
born
died
nationality
profession
alternative career / hobbies
famous films
awards / recognitions
family
other
4 Fixed expressions
Find the fixed expressions which have the same or similar meanings to those below.
1.
died (2 words, para 1)
2.
may his soul and body lie quietly (3 words, para 3)
3.
make the shock any easier to deal with (3 words, para 3)
4.
the content of film-related stories (5 words, para 7)
5.
preparing the path, making it easier for those who follow (4 words, para 8)
6.
to obey someone’s wishes (5 words, para 10)
7.
do what he wants and not listen to others (4 words, para 10)
8.
difficult and problematic for others (5 words, para 10)
5 Discussion
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NEWS LESSONS / Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N T
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As part of a research project, you have been asked to watch and report on one of the films mentioned in
the text. Decide in groups which you would prefer to watch and why.
47
Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer
Level 3
Advanced
6 Film star quiz
Work in two groups. Each group should complete one set of cards with bio-data of eight film stars of your
choice. Do not include the name of the star!
nationality
nationality
famous films
famous films
awards
awards
family
family
other
other
born/died
born/died
nationality
nationality
famous films
famous films
awards
awards
family
family
other
other
born/died
born/died
nationality
nationality
famous films
famous films
awards
awards
family
family
other
other
born/died
born/died
nationality
nationality
famous films
famous films
awards
awards
family
family
other
other
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer / Advanced
H
born/died
•P
born/died
CA O
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O DO O
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Exchange cards with the other group and try to find out whose bio-data is on the cards. You may ask four
questions per card to gain further clues and information.
48
Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
4 Fixed expressions
They are all acclaimed American films. The connecting
factor is Dennis Hopper who starred in, appeared in,
directed or co-wrote them all.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Teacher’s note:
Dates of film release: Cool Hand Luke (1967); Easy
Rider (1969); Apocalypse Now (1979); Blue Velvet
(1986); Speed (1994)
Additional task:
Ask the students to skim-read the article to find other
film titles. Find out whether any of the students have
seen any of the films mentioned.
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
passed away
rest in peace
lessen the blow
the stuff of Hollywood legend
paving the way for
bend to the whims of
go his own way
a pain in the neck
6 Film star quiz
Teacher’s note:
Copy at least one sheet per group, more if necessary.
Information on film stars can be found on the Internet
Movie Database: www.imdb.com
Variations:
1. Students write the name of the star on the back of
the card. The cards can then be used as memory
cards, e.g. What can you remember about (name)?
2. Students can only ask closed questions to obtain further information.
3. Write bio-data for music/pop/sports stars instead of
film stars.
era
flowered
psychotic villains
cinematic duds
quipped
bedridden
overshadow
counter-culture
brute
urbane metropolis
profoundly
botched
Dennis Hopper
born
Dodge City, Kansas, in 1936
died
Venice, California, in 2010
nationality
American
profession
actor, director, scriptwriter
alternative career / hobbies
photographer, artist, poet
most famous films
Cool Hand Luke, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, Speed
awards / recognitions
two Oscar nominations (but no Oscars), star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
family
married five times, four children
other
...
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Hellraiser Dennis Hopper dies from cancer / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N
name
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3 Find the information
49
London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
mascot
maligned
cynic
cash cow
unveil
droplet
assets
anthropomorphic
controversial
baffled
1.
A _____________________ is someone who expects things not to be successful or useful.
2.
A _____________________ is an animal, person or object that is used as a symbol of a team or organization.
3.
If you are _____________________ by something, you cannot understand it.
4.
To _____________________ means to announce something officially that was previously a secret.
5.
A _____________________ is a very small drop of liquid.
6.
If an animal or an object is described as _____________________, it has human features or qualities.
7.
If something is _____________________, people say unpleasant things about it, often unfairly.
8.
_____________________ are money or property that a person or company owns.
9.
If something is described as _____________________, people disagree about it or do not approve of it.
10. A _____________________ is a product or business that earns a lot of money.
2
What do you know?
The Paralympics were founded in the UK.
3.
The 1972 Olympics were held in Moscow.
4.
Misha the Bear was the mascot of the Moscow Olympics.
5.
The Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles in 1980.
6.
The Olympic Games have never been held in Atlanta.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville / Advanced
O
2.
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The 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London.
CA
1.
N T
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Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
50
London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville
Among the designs rejected at the start of
an open pitch process were anthropomorphic
pigeons, an animated tea pot and a Big Ben
with arms and legs. Children will be encouraged
to interact with the characters, inviting them via
Facebook, Twitter and the web to visit their school
and, said Coe, inspiring them to take up different
sports. “The story itself is very rooted in the
nations and regions. Young people will be able to
decide where they go, what sports they pick up.
There is a real interactivity there, it is a language
and a flexibility that is driven by young people.”
6
The pair were introduced in an animated film that
followed their story from the Bolton steelworks
where the frame of the Olympic stadium was
made. They will become a range of up to 30 soft
toys, including versions based on celebrities and
sports stars, as well as being printed on badges,
T-shirts, mugs and more.
7
Organizers hope Wenlock and Mandeville will
rank alongside the more fondly remembered
mascots, such as Waldi the dog from the 1972
Munich Games and Misha the bear from the
1980 Moscow Olympics – rather than the muchmaligned Izzy of Atlanta 1996. “The Games
have got a few stupendous assets – the mascot,
tickets, the volunteers, the torch relay – and you
have got to really use those to bring home your
key messages,” said Locog’s chief executive,
Paul Deighton. “If you link them together, you
begin to have a really powerful story that people
will respond to.”
8
The unveiling of the bold London Olympics logo
in 2007 was controversial, with many criticizing
its graffiti-like design. Organizers, who hired
Wolff Olins at a cost of £400,000 to design
it, stood firm, arguing that it was supremely
adaptable and perfect for the digital age. But
they were forced to withdraw a launch film after
it emerged that it had the potential to cause
epileptic seizures.
9
The mascots, conceived by London design
agency Iris and costing, said Deighton, just “a
few thousand pounds”, are an important staging
post from a financial and marketing point of view.
They will pour up to £15m into the funds of the
organizing committee via dozens of licensing
deals, part of an overall licensing target of
£70m to £80m towards Locog’s £2bn
privately-raised budget.
Owen Gibson
19 May, 2010
1 In the end they were neither animal, vegetable
nor mineral. Nor, as some cynics had predicted,
did they resemble white elephants. Instead,
Wenlock and Mandeville, the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic mascots, elicited mostly
baffled reactions as to just what they were when
they were unveiled.
2 With a metallic finish, a single large eye made
out of a camera lens, a London taxi light on
their heads and the Olympic rings represented
as friendship bracelets on their wrists, they
resemble characters dreamed up for a Pixar
animation. But London 2012 organizers, for
whom the launch of the mascots marks the
start of a crucial period in which the games will
become public property, pointed to the delighted
reaction of a hall full of primary school children
at today’s launch as evidence that they would
connect with their target audience.
3 “They remind you of aliens, which is really
weird and cool,” said 10-year-old Ali. “It reminds
you of the Olympics, which is worldwide so it’s
something you’ll want to remember forever,”
added 11-year-old Zanyab as they cavorted with
the life-size mascots for the cameras.
4 The pair are based on a short story by children’s
author Michael Morpurgo that tells how they
were fashioned from droplets of the steel used
to build the Olympic stadium. They will be
crucial in raising funds and spreading messages
about the games. Wenlock, named after the
Shropshire town of Much Wenlock that helped
inspire Pierre de Coubertin to launch the modern
Olympics, and Mandeville, inspired by the
Buckinghamshire town of Stoke Mandeville,
where the Paralympics were founded, will
become very familiar in the next two years. The
chairman of the London organizing committee of
the Olympic Games (Locog), Lord Coe, said the
mascots were aimed squarely at children and
designed with the digital age in mind. He said
they had the most positive reaction in workshops
to road-test them.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville / Advanced
O
5
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London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock
and Mandeville, drips off the old block
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Advanced
CA
Level 3
51
London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville
Level 3
Advanced
10 In 1984, the Los Angeles Games ushered in the
money-spinning Olympic era. The event was
the first to use its Disney-designed mascot to
raise funds, since when they have become a
cash cow for organizers. But the story behind
the mascots is also designed to help make the
Olympics relevant to the whole nation. That
will be crucial if organizers are to maintain
support for a project that is also costing the
public £9.3bn, particularly as cuts in public
services begin to bite. After a spell of behindthe-scenes work devoted to raising £700m in
sponsorship revenues, Locog is entering a more
public phase when everything it does, from
the unveiling of the mascot to its ticket pricing
policy, will come under scrutiny.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian,19/05/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Which sentence best describes the general reaction to the Olympic mascots?
a. No-one understood what they were supposed to represent.
b. People thought they looked like white elephants.
c. Most people were puzzled and wondered what they were supposed to represent.
2.
How did a group of young schoolchildren react to the new mascots?
a. they thought they were aliens
b. they were inspired to take up different sports
c. they were very happy and reacted positively
3.
How did the mascots get their names?
a. they were named after English towns with links to the Olympic Games and Paralympics
b. they were named after Pixar animation characters
c. children suggested these names on Facebook and Twitter pages
4.
What do the organizers hope the mascots will contribute to the 2012 Olympics?
a. they will create a powerful story
b. they will help to raise up to £15m
c. they will be an important part of the ticket pricing policy
4 Find the word
a verb meaning to play, dance or have fun with someone (para 3)
3.
a two-word verb meaning to check whether something works well by trying it out (para 4)
4.
a two-word adjectival phrase meaning based on, developed from or influenced by (para 5)
5.
an adjective meaning very impressive, large or surprising (para 7)
6.
a two-word noun phrase meaning a sudden attack of a disease that makes your body shake (para 8)
7.
a two-word noun phrase meaning one of the stages reached before achieving a final aim (para 9)
8.
a two-word phrase meaning being carefully examined (para 10)
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville / Advanced
O
2.
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H
a two-word noun phrase meaning an object that is useless and may have cost a lot of money (para 1)
CA
1.
N T
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Look in the text and find the following words and phrases.
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London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville
Level 3
Advanced
5 Phrasal verbs
Match the phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings.
1.
usher in
a. have the goal of achieving something
2.
dream up
b. start doing something regularly as a habit or interest
3.
take up
c. show the truth or importance of something
4.
connect with
d. think of a new idea or plan
5.
point to
e. establish a link with
6.
aim at
f.
make an activity or process begin
6 Word building
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The London Olympics logo was _______________________ when it was unveiled. [CONTROVERSY]
2.
The ticket _______________________ policy of the organizing committee is under scrutiny. [PRICE]
3.
The mascots have a _______________________ finish. [METAL]
4.
The committee has been working to raise £700m in _______________________ revenues. [SPONSOR]
5.
The organizers have defended the logo, describing it as very _______________________. [ADAPT]
6.
Some mascots, such as Waldi the dog, are _______________________ remembered. [FOND]
7 Discussion
H
NEWS LESSONS / London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
CA O
N T
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The Olympic Games cost a lot of money to organize. Would you like to see them held in your country?
Why? Why not?
53
London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
T
F
T
F
F
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
c
c
a
b
5 Phrasal verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
f
d
b
e
c
a
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
controversial
pricing
metallic
sponsorship
adaptable
fondly
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / London Olympics 2012: Meet Wenlock and Mandeville / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
O
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D •
2 What do you know?
white elephant
cavort
road-test
rooted in
stupendous
epileptic seizure
staging post
under scrutiny
N
cynic
mascot
baffled
unveil
droplet
anthropomorphic
maligned
assets
controversial
cash cow
54
The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones
Level 3
1
1.
Advanced
Warmer
Which of these words would you expect to find in an article about a British man in his 70s? Why?
diplomat
adventurer
El Dorado
2.
tarantula
doctor
malaria
magic
pensioner
wheelchair
author
All three of these men are adventurers and explorers. Which one is real, and which two are
film characters?
Indiana Jones
Charles Brewer-Carias
Charles Muntz
Scan the article to check your answers.
2
Key words: Synonyms
Find words in the article that have the same or very similar meanings to those below. The paragraph
numbers are given to help you.
1.
poisonous ____________________ (para 1)
2.
revealing ____________________ (para 1)
3.
unbelievable ____________________ (para 2)
4.
ages ____________________ (para 3)
5.
secretly ____________________ (para 7)
6.
evil, devilish ____________________ (para 8)
7.
carry, have ____________________ (para 11)
8.
small amount ____________________ (para 11)
9.
(help) fund ____________________ (para 14)
O
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NEWS LESSONS / The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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10. starting ____________________ (para 15)
55
The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones
Advanced
The British gentleman who became
Venezuela’s Indiana Jones
8
There are suggestions the 71-year-old partly
inspired the character of Charles Muntz, the
sinister explorer in the Oscar-winning
computer-animated film Up, which is set amid
Venezuela’s Guayana highlands, where BrewerCarias has made more than 200 expeditions.
“I’ve not seen the film but apparently Charles is
an evilish character,” he says.
9
Married twice with five children, he lives in a
house he built himself high above Caracas’s
concrete sprawl. He greets visitors, including the
Guardian, by inviting them to listen to a creature
inside a wooded mound. He then clambers up
a vine, stamps and sends a shower of seeds
raining on their heads. “Got you!”. He also
challenges male visitors to match his chin-ups
on an exercise bar. On an average workout, he
does 70. “To show off, I do 100.”
Rory Carroll in Caracas
6 April, 2010
3 “This is what keeps me going: discovery,” he
said, from a home decorated with butterflies,
tarantulas and huge bugs in glass cases. “It’s
about transmitting information that has been
shielded from humans for aeons.”
4 Arguably, modernity and its rules have been
shielded from Brewer-Carias, the grandson of a
British diplomat, since he decided more than half
a century ago to explore Venezuela’s jungles
and live a life less ordinary.
5 He had trained as a dentist and ended up using
those skills to treat and study the Yekuana tribe,
whose language he speaks fluently. He also lead
expeditions of botanists and geographers.
6 The results are striking: a shelf full of books he
has written and illustrated; the discovery of the
world’s largest quartzite cave and 27 plants,
reptiles, insects and a scorpion named in his
honour; a lot of diseases including malaria; and a
record for starting fire with sticks (2.7 seconds).
7 In the process, Brewer-Carias has also earned a
reputation for seeking glory, abusing Indians and
clandestinely mining gold and uranium, charges
he strenuously denies. “Scandalous stuff.
10 In a jar on the porch is curled a small brown
snake: Bothrops venezuelensis, also known
as Venezuelan Lancehead. Highly venomous,
potentially deadly and caught just a few days
earlier in the garden. Brewer-Carias will take it to
a laboratory for the venom to be milked.
11 Last week, a species of snail he found on the
peak of Mount Chimanta was named Breure
in his honour. And recently, near his home,
he caught a frog of a type he had never seen
before. An expert has confirmed it is a new
species and will name it later this year. Only a
small fraction of the species Brewer-Carias has
discovered bear his name, he said, with a tinge
of regret.
12 The biggest prize may be yet to come: coraltype silica growing from rock in a cave amid
Venezuela’s table-top “tepuis” mountains. It
is a living organism which dates back at least
317,000 years, according to scientists and could
be over one million years old.
13 “This could be the world’s oldest living organism,”
said the explorer, his voice dropping to a dramatic
low. “This has never existed for man. But I’m
going to make it exist. It’s a kind of magic.”
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones / Advanced
O
2 If that sounds implausible it is because BrewerCarias is implausible: an explorer, naturalist,
author and adventurer who belongs in a
Victorian novel but lives on a hill overlooking
Caracas and plans, among other things, an
expedition to El Dorado.
N T
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O DO O
M W P
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1 It has been a good week for Charles BrewerCarias. He caught a highly venomous snake.
He had a snail named after him. His discovery
of a new species of frog was confirmed. And he
came a step closer to unveiling what he reckons
is the world’s oldest living organism.
•P
H
Charles Brewer-Carias, 71, is an explorer,
naturalist and author living in the jungles of
Venezuela with no intention of retiring
Uncouth smears,” he said, the English accented
with a slight Spanish lilt.
CA
Level 3
56
The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones
Level 3
Advanced
14 Brewer-Carias occupies an awkward position
in today’s Venezuela. Intruders broke into his
house back in 2003: he was shot in the shoulder
and killed one of the trio with his shotgun. He
receives no government funding and has little
regular income. He drives a battered old car
and relies on friends to pay his bills and
subsidize expeditions.
for an “honest government” before launching
an expedition to El Dorado: a real place which
spawned the legend of a city of gold.
16
15 When he located a 17th century French
shipwreck, the Venezuelan government froze
his team out of the salvage, he said. He will wait
“The name refers to a man who lived by a lake
near Manoa. I know the site very well.” he said.
“I’ve been there, picked up ceramics. I will go
back there with my son and two companions.
We have made our plans. Together we will
discover El Dorado.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 06/04/2010
3 Comprehension check
Brewer-Carias trained to …
a. … be a dentist.
b. … be a diplomat.
c. … be a naturalist.
3.
Some people say Brewer-Carias …
a. … is a British spy.
b. … shot an Indian chief.
c. … secretly mines gold.
4.
Which of the following was named after Brewer-Carias?
a. a snail
b. a frog
c. a coral-type silica
5.
Brewer-Carias is …
a. … now a frail old man.
b. … proud of his strength and agility.
c. … ill from malaria.
6.
Brewer-Carias is searching for a coral-type silica which could be …
a. … the oldest living thing on Earth.
b. … deadly poisonous.
c. … the key to El Dorado.
7.
The government of Venezuala …
a. … only allowed him to keep a small percentage of the treasures off a French shipwreck.
b. … didn’t let him salvage the 17th century shipwreck.
c. … removed his passport when he found the shipwreck.
8.
According to Brewer-Carias, El Dorado is …
a. … in Mexico.
b. … a legend.
c. … near Manoa.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones / Advanced
O
2.
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H
Charles Brewer-Carias is …
a. … a character in a Victorian novel.
b. … a British man in his 70s.
c. … based on the film character Indiana Jones.
CA
1.
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Answer the questions according to the information in the article.
57
The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones
Level 3
Advanced
4 Key facts
Write words and phrases from the text into the appropriate boxes.
work and achievements
appearance
living situation
Charles Brewer-Carias
posessions
other
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NEWS LESSONS / The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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family
58
The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones
Level 3
Advanced
5 Pictures and webquest
Using the information in the mind map, draw a picture of what you imagine Charles Brewer-Carias (and his
surroundings) looks like.
Choose one of Brewer-Carias’s quotes from the article and write it into a speech bubble on your picture,
for example:
Got you!
Then, find a photo of him on the internet (for example, at www.charlesbrewercarias.com/) and compare this
to your picture and to an image of the character Charles Muntz from Pixar’s animated film Up
(at www.pixar.wikia.com/Charles_Muntz).
Can you find any similarities?
6 Interview: Role-play
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Write six questions you think a journalist would like to ask Charles Brewer-Carias.
Work with another student. Student A is the journalist, student B is Brewer-Carias. Student B should
answer the questions using the information in the article and his imagination. Then find a new partner and
swap roles. Student B is now the journalist and student A is Brewer-Carias.
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The British gentleman who became Venezuela’s Indiana Jones
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
5 Pictures and webquest
1.
Teacher’s note: You can watch videos of the character
Charles Muntz from Pixar’s movie Up by typing ‘Charles
Muntz’ into the search field at www.youtube.com.
2.
Students’ own answers. Words that appear in the
article: diplomat; adventurer; tarantula; magic; El
Dorado; malaria; author
Charles Brewer-Carias is a real person, Indiana
Jones and Charles Muntz are film characters.
2 Key words: Synonyms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
venomous
unveiling
implausible
aeons
clandestinely
sinister
bear
tinge
subsidize
launching
3 Comprehension check
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b
a
c
a
b
a
b
c
CA
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
60
David Cameron and Nick Clegg lead coalition into power
Level 3 Advanced
1
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1.
A _______________ is a temporary union of different political parties that agree to form a government. (title)
2.
_______________ are statements accusing or criticizing someone who has accused or criticized you. (para 2)
3.
If a government is _______________, it does not change frequently. (para 3)
4.
A _______________ is a refusal to accept something such as a law or a decision. (para 3)
5.
If you feel _______________, you feel slightly afraid of something that is extremely impressive or powerful.
(para 4)
6.
A _______________ is the difference between the amount of money that a country has and the amount that it
has spent or that it owes. (para 4)
7.
A _______________ is a small and sudden problem. (para 5)
8.
_______________ is the official end to a law, system or practice. (para 6)
9.
_______________ are weaknesses in the human character. (para 7)
10. If you _______________, you state formally that you are leaving a job permanently. (para 8)
2
What do you know?
Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
1.
The UK has had a coalition government since the end of the Second World War.
2.
David Cameron is the new prime minister of the UK.
3.
The previous prime minister was Gordon Brown.
4.
Labour was in power for 30 years before the 2010 election.
5.
Barack Obama was the first world leader to call David Cameron after the election.
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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There are three main parties in the UK: the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.
The Conservatives are also known as Tories. The Liberal Democrats are often called ‘the Lib Dems’.
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David Cameron and Nick Clegg lead coalition into power
6
In the intense negotiations with the Lib Dems,
the Tories agreed to drop some of their tax plans,
while the Lib Dems accepted that spending
cuts will start this year as part of an accelerated
deficit reduction plan. Civil liberties laws will be
reviewed, including the abolition of ID cards and
a referendum will be held on changes to the
voting system.
7
Once the Lib Dem-Con deal was secured,
Gordon Brown went to the Queen to tender his
resignation. In a graceful and moving statement,
Brown told the nation he was leaving a job that
was the most important after being a father and
husband. “Only those who have held the office of
prime minister can understand the full weight of
its responsibilities and its great capacity for good,”
he said. “I’ve been privileged to learn much about
the very best in human nature, and a fair amount,
too, about its frailties, including my own.”
8
Later Brown told party workers he was resigning
immediately as party leader. He told his party,
“We know more certainly than ever before that
there is a strong progressive majority in Britain.
I wish more than I can possibly say that I could
mobilize that majority, but I could not – I have to
accept that and to take personal responsibility
for it. One thing that will not change is that I am
Labour and Labour I will always be.”
9
Even before Brown announced he was
resigning, the recriminations had started. The
Lib Dems rounded on Labour negotiators,
accusing them of not being serious in the talks,
and preferring opposition as more attractive than
the challenges of creating a coalition. Labour
politicians criticized the Lib Dems. “It is clear
from their conduct in recent days that the Lib
Patrick Wintour, political editor
12 May, 2010
1 Britain took a leap into the political unknown
last night when the Conservatives and Liberal
Democrats formed the first full coalition
government in Britain since 1945, with David
Cameron serving as the country’s 52nd prime
minister and Nick Clegg becoming his deputy.
2 The ending of Gordon Brown’s premiership and
13 years of Labour rule followed the collapse
of last-ditch efforts to form a progressive
government of Labour and the Lib Dems,
provoking bitter recriminations on both sides
over how Clegg’s party arrived at the decision
to decide to prop up a Tory government on what
will be a five-year fixed term. Cameron finally
entered Downing Street after seeing the Queen
at Buckingham Palace last night – concluding a
remarkable five-day political tug-of-war.
3 On the steps of Downing Street, Cameron,
Britain’s youngest prime minister since 1812,
said, “This is going to be hard and difficult work.
A coalition will throw up all sorts of challenges.
But I believe that together we can provide that
strong and stable government that our country
needs.” The deal with the Lib Dems, ensuring a
77-seat majority, was finally agreed after Clegg
decided he could not create a stable coalition
with Labour, partly due to a revolt inside the
parliamentary Labour Party at the concept of a
deal, as well as its likely terms. If the deal works,
it will change the shape of the Conservative
Party – and if it fails, the Lib Dems could find
themselves rubbed out as a progressive force.
4 Arriving in Downing Street at 8.40pm as prime
minister, Cameron looked overawed as he
admitted that his new government had “some
deep and pressing problems – a huge deficit,
deep social problems and a political system in
need of reform”. He said he and Clegg wanted
“to put aside party differences and work hard for
the national interest”.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / David Cameron and Nick Clegg lead coalition into power / Advanced
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With echoes of former US President John F
Kennedy, he said he wanted to build a society in
Britain “in which we do not just ask what are my
entitlements, but what are my responsibilities;
one where we don’t ask, ‘What am I owed?’, but
more, ‘What can I give?’” Clegg admitted there
may be glitches ahead, promising “we are going
to form a new kind of government”, adding that
this represented the start of the new politics he
had always believed in.
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David Cameron and Nick Clegg lead coalition into power
Level 3 Advanced
Dem leadership was dead set on a coalition with
the Tories,” one Labour politician said. “They
should have been straight about this fact rather
than playing silly games with us.”
10 Barack Obama was among the first of the world
leaders to call Cameron after the Tory leader
had entered Downing Street. In a statement,
Obama said he looked forward to meeting the
new UK prime minister: “As I told the Prime
Minister, the United States has no closer
friend and ally than the United Kingdom, and I
reiterated my deep and personal commitment
to the special relationship between our
two countries.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 12/05/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text
1.
Why is Britain said to be ‘taking a leap into the political unknown’?
a. because this is the first coalition government for 65 years
b. because no-one knows whether David Cameron will be a good prime minister
c. because the Liberal Democrats do not know what they want
2.
Why did David Cameron look ‘overawed’ as he entered Downing Street?
a. because he had never been there before
b. because he was worried about the coalition with the Liberal Democrats
c. because he has to deal with some ‘deep and pressing problems’
3.
Why did the Liberal Democrat negotiators attack Labour?
a. because they thought Labour was not serious in the negotiations
b. because they really wanted a coalition with the Conservatives
c. because they were angry that they couldn’t form a coalition with Labour
4.
Why did Labour politicians criticize the Liberal Democrats?
a. because they believed the Liberal Democrats wanted a deal with the Conservatives from the very start
b. because they believed the Liberal Democrats preferred opposition
c. because they believed the Liberal Democrats were negotiating too slowly
4 Find the word
a two-word adjective used before words like effort and attempt that means a final try to achieve something
difficult (para 2)
2.
a three-word expression meaning a situation in which two people or groups try in a very determined way to get
something they want (para 2)
3.
a noun meaning the right to receive something or do something (para 5)
4.
a noun meaning an occasion when everyone in a country can vote to make a decision about one
particular subject (para 6)
5.
an adjective meaning able or allowed to do things other people have no opportunity to do (para 7)
6.
a three-word expression meaning determined to do or to have something (para 9)
7.
an adjective meaning honest (para 9)
8.
a verb meaning to repeat something in order to emphasize it (para 10)
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Look in the text and find the following words and phrases.
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David Cameron and Nick Clegg lead coalition into power
Level 3 Advanced
5 Phrasal verbs
Match these phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings in this context.
1.
prop up
a. react angrily towards someone
2.
throw up
b. feel happy and excited about something that is going to happen
3.
rub out
c. produce something new or unexpected
4.
put aside
d. help a government or system to continue to exist
5.
round on
e. forget your differences and the fact that you disagree about some things
6.
look forward to
f. completely destroy
6 Word-building
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
Britain has taken a leap into the political _______________. [KNOW]
2.
The five-day political tug-of-war was quite _______________. [REMARK]
3.
Gordon Brown tendered his _______________. [RESIGN]
4.
Labour _______________ were accused of not being serious. [NEGOTIATE]
5.
Labour said the Lib Dem _______________ was set on a deal with the Tories. [LEAD]
7 Watch and answer
Read the phrases below then visit this web link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2010/may/11/david-cameron-prime-minister
Watch the video clip of David Cameron’s speech and complete the phrases from the speech.
1.
... a long record of dedicated _______________ service
2.
... work hard for the common good and for the _______________ interest
3.
... I believe _______________ in public service
4.
... to take difficult _______________
5.
... a government that is built on some _______________ values
8 Discussion
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Do you think coalitions provide better governments than one party that has the majority? Why? Why not?
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Level 3 Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
5 Phrasal verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
coalition
recriminations
stable
revolt
overawed
deficit
glitch
abolition
frailties
resign
2 What do you know?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
F
T
T
F
F
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
a
c
a
a
d
c
f
e
a
b
6 Word-building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
unknown
remarkable
resignation
negotiators
leadership
7 Watch and answer
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
public
national
deeply
decisions
clear
4 Find the word
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NEWS LESSONS / David Cameron and Nick Clegg lead coalition into power / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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last-ditch
tug-of-war
entitlement
referendum
privileged
dead set on
straight
reiterate
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
65
Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens?
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1.
An ____________________ is someone who studies the stars and planets using scientific equipment,
including telescopes. (para 1)
2.
If you ____________________ a radio signal, you send it through the air. (para 1)
3.
An ____________________ is a person or creature from a planet other than Earth. (para 1)
4.
A ____________________ is an extremely large group of stars and planets. (para 3)
5.
The planets of our solar system ____________________ the sun. (para 3)
6.
____________________ communication is communication between different stars. (para 3)
7.
A ____________________ is the distance that light travels in a year. (two words, para 5)
8.
A ____________________ is a period of one thousand years. (para 6)
9.
A ____________________ is a hole or space that allows gas to escape. (para 8)
10. A ____________________ is a substance in food that plants, animals and people need to grow. (para 9)
2
What do you know?
The oldest broadcast has already travelled 80 light years from Earth.
3.
It would take a thousand years for a message from a planet 1,000 light years away to reach Earth.
4.
In the early days of research, astronomers focused on finding planets like the Earth.
5.
Some single-cell Earth creatures can live in temperatures of minus 200°C.
6.
Everyone agrees that making contact with aliens would be a good thing.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens? / Advanced
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2.
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There are almost a million stars in our galaxy.
CA
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Decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
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Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens?
Advanced
Is Stephen Hawking right
about aliens?
6
There are lots of practical problems involved
in hunting for aliens, of course, chief among
them being distance. If our nearest neighbours
were life forms on the (fictional) forest moon of
Endor, 1,000 light years away, it would take a
millennium for us to receive any message they
might send. If the Endorians were watching us,
the light reaching them from Earth at this very
moment would show them our planet as it was
1,000 years ago; in Europe that means lots of
fighting between knights around castles and, in
north America, small bands of natives living on
the great plains. It is not a timescale that allows
for quick banter – and, anyway, they might not
be communicating in our direction.
7
The lack of a signal from ET has not, however,
prevented astronomers and biologists (not to
mention film-makers) coming up with a whole
range of ideas about what aliens might be like. In
the early days of SETI, astronomers focused on
the search for planets like ours – the idea being
that, since the only biology we know about is our
own, we might as well assume aliens are going
to be something like us. But there’s no reason
why that should be true. You don’t even need
to step off the Earth to find life that is radically
different from our common experience of it.
8
‘Extremophiles’ are species that can survive
in places that would quickly kill humans and
other ‘normal’ life-forms. These single-celled
creatures have been found in boiling hot vents
Alok Jha
30 April, 2010
1 The hunt for intelligent species outside Earth
may be a staple of literature and film – but it is
happening in real life, too. Space probes are
searching for planets outside our solar system,
and astronomers are carefully listening for any
messages being beamed through space. How
awe-inspiring it would be to get confirmation that
we are not alone in the universe, to finally speak
to an alien race. Wouldn’t it?
2 Well, no, according to the eminent physicist
Stephen Hawking. “If aliens visited us, the
outcome would be much as when Columbus
landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for
the Native Americans,” Hawking says. He argues
that, instead of trying to find and communicate
with life in the cosmos, humans would be better
off doing everything they can to avoid contact.
3 Hawking believes that, based on the sheer
number of planets that scientists know must
exist, we are not the only life form in the
universe. There are, after all, billions and billions
of stars in our galaxy alone, with, it is reasonable
to expect, an even greater number of planets
orbiting them. And it is not unreasonable to
expect some of that alien life to be intelligent,
and capable of interstellar communication. So,
when someone with Hawking’s knowledge of
the universe advises against contact, it’s worth
listening, isn’t it?
4 Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the
SETI Institute in California, the world’s leading
organization searching for telltale alien signals,
is not so sure. “This is an unwarranted fear,”
Shostak says. “If their interest in our planet is for
something valuable that our planet has to offer,
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens? / Advanced
O
If we were really worried about letting aliens
know we were here, Shostak says, the first
thing to do would be to shut down the BBC,
NBC, CBS and the radars at all airports. Those
broadcasts have been streaming into space for
years – the oldest is already more than 80 light
years from Earth – so it is already too late to
stop passing aliens watching every episode of
TV programmes like Big Brother.
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Stephen Hawking thinks that making contact
with aliens would be a very bad idea indeed. But
with new, massive telescopes, we humans are
stepping up the search. Have we really thought
this through?
there’s no particular reason to worry about them
now. If they’re interested in resources, they have
ways of finding rocky planets that don’t depend
on whether we broadcast or not. They could
have found us a billion years ago.”
CA
Level 3
67
Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens?
Level 3
Advanced
of water that come through the ocean floor, or
at temperatures well below the freezing point
of water. The front ends of some creatures that
live near deep-sea vents are 200°C warmer than
their back ends.
9 On Earth, life exists in water and on land but, on
a giant gas planet, for example, it might exist high
in the atmosphere, trapping nutrients from the air
swirling around it. And given that aliens may be
so out of our experience, guessing motives and
intentions if they ever got in touch seems beyond
the realms even of Hawking’s mind.
10 Paul Davies, an astrophysicist at Arizona State
University argues that alien brains, with their
different architecture, would interpret information
very differently from ours. “Lots of people
think that because they would be so wise and
knowledgeable, they would be peaceful,” adds
Stewart. “I don’t think you can assume that. I
don’t think you can put human views onto them;
that’s a dangerous way of thinking. Aliens are
alien. If they exist at all, we cannot assume
they’re like us.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 30/04/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Stephen Hawking believes …
a. … we should continue to try to make contact with aliens.
b. … we should only make contact with intelligent life forms.
c. … we should do everything we can to avoid contact with aliens.
2.
According to Seth Shostak, …
a. … TV and radio stations and radars should be shut down.
b. … TV and radio stations and radars could let aliens know we are here.
c. … TV and radio stations and radars are an effective way of contacting aliens.
3.
The biggest problem in contacting aliens is …
a. … the lack of technology.
b. … the fact that we don’t speak their language.
c. … the enormous distances involved.
4.
What are ‘extremophiles’ ?
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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a. people who like extreme sports
b. organisms that live in extreme temperatures
c. creatures with front ends and back ends that have different temperatures
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Advanced
4 Find the word
Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1.
a two-word noun meaning a vehicle containing cameras and other equipment that is sent outside the Earth’s
atmosphere to collect information (para 1)
2.
a two-word adjective meaning making you feel great respect and admiration and sometimes fear (para 1)
3.
an adjective meaning obvious (para 4)
4.
an adjective meaning not necessary (para 4)
5.
a noun meaning friendly conversation in which people tell jokes and laugh at each other (para 6)
6.
a verb meaning move quickly in circles (para 9)
7.
a four-word expression meaning outside the area of knowledge, experience or interest (para 9)
8.
an adjective meaning knowing a lot about different subjects (para 10)
5 Two-word expressions
Match the beginnings and endings to make phrases from the text.
1.
freezing
a. inspiring
2.
solar
b. year
3.
light
c. point
4.
life
d. number
5.
awe-
e. form
6.
sheer
f. system
6 Word-building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
It is ____________________ to assume that even more planets orbit the billions of stars in our galaxy. [REASON]
2.
It is not ____________________ to expect some alien life to be intelligent. [REASON]
3.
____________________ study space using scientific instruments. [ASTRONOMY]
4.
Even on Earth we can find life forms that are ____________________ different. [RADICAL]
5.
Alien brains might have a different ____________________. [ARCHITECT]
6.
Wise and ____________________ creatures may not be peaceful. [KNOW]
7 Discussion
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Do aliens exist? Should we try to make contact with them? Why? Why not?
69
Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens?
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
F
T
T
T
F
F
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
c
b
c
b
5 Two-word expressions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
c
f
b
e
a
d
6 Word-building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
reasonable
unreasonable
astronomers
radically
architecture
knowledgeable
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens? / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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2 What do you know?
space probe
awe-inspiring
telltale
unwarranted
banter
swirl
beyond the realms of
knowledgeable
N
astronomer
beam
alien
galaxy
orbit
interstellar
light year
millennium
vent
nutrient
70
Green Day spice up Broadway
Level 3
1
1.
Advanced
Warmer
Which is the odd one out? Why?
a. Mamma Mia
d. American Idiot
g. The Phantom of the Opera
2.
b. Cats
e. Tommy
h. Starlight Express
c. The Big Apple
f. The Lion King
i. Wicked
What, where or who is Broadway?
______________________________________________________
3. What, where or who is Green Day?
______________________________________________________
2
Key words
Find the key words in the article and write them into the definitions. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
1.
the belief that money and possessions are the most important aspects of human existence
____________________ (para 1)
2.
When something is ____________________, it shows life as it really is, even when it is not pleasant or
attractive. (para 2)
3.
a verb meaning to deliberately avoid a person, place or activity ____________________ (para 3)
4.
the main story of a book, film or play ____________________ (para 4)
5.
____________________ are television series about a particular group of characters who deal with situations
in a humorous way. (para 5)
6.
relating to large companies or to a particular large company ____________________ (para 5)
7.
an ordinary person ____________________ (para 6)
8.
If a subject is ____________________, you are not allowed to talk about it, know about it, etc. (para 8)
9.
a written copy of a piece of music, here: the music written for a film or play ____________________ (para 9)
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Green Day spice up Broadway / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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10. an action or event that is used as an example or reason for a following action or event
____________________ (para 10)
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Green Day spice up Broadway
Advanced
Green Day spice up Broadway with
sex, drugs and punk
6
That theme is staying true to the content of the
songs on the original 2004 Green Day album, in
a rock tradition stretching from the Beatles’ Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band through The
Wall by Pink Floyd to Ryan Adams’s 29. Green
Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong has described in an
interview how the main character is a symbolic
everyman of American youth.
7
Current major hits in New York’s theatre land
include such family favourites as Billy Elliot,
Chicago, Jersey Boys and The Lion King. Those
shows often run for years and years, bringing in
tens of thousands of audience members eager
to have a wholesome good time.
8
However, recent years have also seen a growing
sub-trend towards some musical theatre tackling
subjects that would otherwise seem out of
bounds. In 2006 Spring Awakening took a little
known German play written in 1891 that dealt
with teenage sex and turned it into a massive
rock opera hit. Indeed American Idiot director
Michael Mayer and actor John Gallagher, who
plays Jesus of Suburbia, both won Tony awards
for their work on Spring Awakening.
9
More recently 2009 also saw the rock musical
Next to Normal win a Pulitzer prize for drama
and several Tony awards, winning best score
ahead of Elton John’s Billy Elliot. The
Paul Harris
18 April, 2010
1 It does not sound like suitable material for a hit
Broadway musical. Less boy-meets-girl, more
boy-takes-drugs, boy-makes-girlfriend-pregnant
and boy-despairs-at-American-materialism. Yet
American Idiot, a stage musical based on an
album by the band Green Day, begins its run in
New York this week amid feverish anticipation that
it will match the fame and success of other rock
operas such as Tommy, The Who’s stage hit.
2 Reviews have praised the bravery of the
production in taking the group’s gritty 2004
album of the same name and turning it into
a theatrical show. Ticket sales are reflecting
a growing level of interest in what – by the
standards of modern Broadway – has been a
risky enterprise.
3 The 90-minute performance of American Idiot
shuns the usual Broadway fare of romance,
love rivalry and sing-along show tunes for a
punky, loud, guitar-based story of urban hell. The
show is based around a character called Jesus
of Suburbia who heads to the big city but falls
deeply into trouble with drugs, while his friend is
sent off to fight in Iraq. Characters bear names
like St Jimmy and Whatsername. Adding to the
alternative ‘punk’ image of the new show will be
the fact that the public will be allowed to bring
alcohol to their seats during the performance,
something that has been blamed for starting
fights in other audiences.
4 Given the nature of the plot, emotions are also
sure to run high and create headlines. “Not to
spoil anything, but by the end of the 90-minute
performance, the stage had been witness to
half a dozen chugged beers, a couple of joints,
several syringes of heroin, one drug-related
suicide, one overdose and some very realisticlooking sex,” wrote one reviewer at Spin
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Green Day spice up Broadway / Advanced
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Aside from the drugs and sex, the show –
which features mostly dancing and songs
and not much spoken dialogue – also has a
strong opinion on the American mainstream
media and consumerism. As the plot unfolds
on stage, a backdrop of TV sets broadcasts
numerous scenes from pop culture and the
news, intermixing adverts for fast food with
bloody scenes from the Iraq war and popular
TV sitcoms. The message is clearly that mass
culture has a deadening impact on young minds
and turns them effectively into zombies born only
to consume corporate products.
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American Idiot began as a music album about
pop culture and became a huge hit. Now it’s on
the New York stage
magazine after seeing the show at a trial run in
Berkeley, California, before it headed to the Big
Apple. “That’s our kind of musical!” the
reviewer added.
CA
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Green Day spice up Broadway
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show tackles the subject of a mother with
bipolar disorder and the impact her mental
illness has on her family.
10 “There has always been a place for shows with
different subject matter on Broadway. They
prove that you can take a serious issue and
tackle it with music. So there is definitely a
precedent for a show like American Idiot to be a
success and do very well,” said Dan Bacalzo, of
top Broadway website Theatremania.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Observer, 18/04/2010
3 Find the information
Answer the questions according to the information in the article.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What kind of Music does Green Day write and play?
What is American Idiot (two things)?
Where can you see American Idiot?
What can the audience do that it isn’t allowed to do at other shows?
What is the show’s message?
What can you see in the show that you don’t usually see in a show of this kind?
Why is it expected to be a hit?
4 Language: Collocations
Match the words to make word pairs from the article.
Then retell, reconstruct and summarize the contents of the article using the word pairs as prompts.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
feverish
rock
risky
urban
trial
spoken
pop
major
family
bipolar
mental
subject
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
opera
hell
dialogue
enterprise
anticipation
run
stalwarts
culture
illness
hits
matter
disorder
5 Discussion
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NEWS LESSONS / Green Day spice up Broadway / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Have you ever been to a musical?
Would you like to go to see American Idiot?
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6 Webquest
1.
The names of three characters from American Idiot are mentioned in the article. What are they?
a. ____________________
2.
b. ____________________
c. ____________________
Now find out which musicals these characters come from:
a. Donna and Sophie: _____________________________________
d. Rafiki and Simba: _____________________________________
e. Glinda and Elphaba:
_____________________________________
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Green Day spice up Broadway / Advanced
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_____________________________________
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b. Macavity and Old Deuteronomy: _____________________________________
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Green Day spice up Broadway
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KEY
2.
3.
c. The Big Apple is the odd one out because all
the others are titles of musicals. The Big Apple is a
name given to New York.
b. Broadway is an area in New York in which
around 40 theatres are situated.
c. Green Day is an American rock/punk band.
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
materialism
gritty
shun
plot
sitcoms
corporate
everyman
out of bounds
score
precedent
3 Find the information
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
punk / rock / guitar-based music
an album and a musical
in New York, on Broadway
They can take alcoholic drinks to their seats during
the performance.
“… mass culture has a deadening impact on young
minds and turns them effectively into zombies born
only to consume corporate products.”
people drinking beer, taking drugs and having sex
Because shows with different subject matter have
always had a place/been popular on Broadway.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
e
a
d
b
f
c
h
j
g
l
i
k
6 Webquest
1.
a.
b.
c.
(in no particular order)
Jesus of Suburbia
St Jimmy
Whatsername
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Mamma Mia
Cats
The Phantom of the Opera
The Lion King
Wicked
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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1.
4 Language: Collocations
N
1 Warmer
75
Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing?
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
bar code
convergence
geek
launch
tag
chronicle
embed
monetize
grant
ceramics
1.
A _______________ is someone who is boring, especially because they seem to be interested only in
computers. (para 2)
2.
If you _______________ a product or service, you start selling it to the public. (para 2)
3.
If you _______________ something, you fix an electronic identification number to it so that you can follow it
and know where it is. (para 2)
4.
_______________ is a situation in which people or things gradually become the same or very similar. (para 3)
5.
A _______________ is a set of printed lines on a product’s label that tells a computer information about it such
as its price. (para 3)
6.
If you _______________ something, you fix it firmly in a surface or object. (para 4)
7.
_______________ is the process of making objects from clay by baking it at a very high temperature so that it
becomes hard. (para 4)
8.
A _______________ is an amount of money that the government or an organization gives you for a specific
purpose and does not ask you to pay back. (para 5)
9.
To _______________ means to earn money from something, especially from something on the internet.
(para 7)
10. If you _______________ things or events you make a record of them. (para 10)
2
Paragraph headings
Fill in the table to put the paragraph headings in the correct order.
Mobile phones and bar codes
3.
This could be really big
4.
Want to know your great-grandfather’s opinion?
5.
The British reluctance to take risks
6.
Remember that pleasant evening
7.
Objects could have memories too
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing? / Advanced
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If bowls could talk
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1.
paragraph number
CA
paragraph heading
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Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing?
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5
Dr Andrew Hudson-Smith, senior research fellow
at UCL’s highly-rated Centre for Advanced Spatial
Analysis, told a conference at UCL this week that
he first got the idea when he was at an event
where one of the artists kept banging annoyingly
on a bowl and someone said, “Wouldn’t it be nice
if the bowl could talk?” Why not, he thought. They
got a grant and a team of his colleagues has
been beavering away ever since.
6
When I talked to delegates afterwards, there
were clearly mixed feelings ranging from strong
support to a feeling it was all a bit crazy and
people wondered why they got a grant for
doing this sort of thing. My reaction was rather
different. I thought I was looking at something
that could – repeat: could – be really big. If it was
happening at a university in the US, researchers
would already be thinking how they could turn it
into the ‘Facebook of things’. For heaven’s sake,
why shouldn’t a big company grow out of UCL
and its collaborators? It is not that they have
invented anything new, it is simply – as so often
happens – that they have put it together in an
interesting way. Which means they have to act
fast before someone else moves in.
7
Unlike the early days of Facebook and Twitter,
there are obvious ways to monetize the
project. Insurance companies, not to mention
auctioneers, would die to have all this data
tagged and, once objects are chronicled, it
would be easy to link to a website if you wanted
to buy something similar. There are obvious
problems, as Dr Hudson-Smith pointed out.
Would it increase theft (because burglars might
know where things are) or would it reduce it if
objects had embedded tags that were difficult to
remove? But then, that’s us (the British) all over:
always looking for a reason not to do something
rather than leaping at the opportunity.
2 Every object in the world could, in theory, hold
memories of its own history and even ‘talk’ to
other objects. How is this possible? For years
geeks have been talking about the “internet of
things” in which products such as a light bulb
could have their own unique web address. More
recently the phrase “geography of things” has
been discussed but somehow has never got
anywhere near real-life experiences. Until now.
A group centred on University College London
(UCL) has launched a website called tales of
things (http://talesofthings.com/) to turn it all
into reality. One of their immediate plans is to
tag every object in an Oxfam shop to see what
happens to them and to deposit a number of
tagged books in public places. But that’s only
the beginning.
3 All this is possible because of the convergence
of two technologies – the mobile phone and
the new generation of 2D bar codes. Last year
I wrote about the revolutionary prospects for
the bar code but I didn’t expect it to happen
so quickly. Smartphones such as the iPhone,
Google’s Android range and Nokia can now scan
a bar code automatically. You don’t have to press
a button; you just point the scanning application
at a bar code and it takes you to a website giving
details about the product.
4 So, if you wanted to, you could attach
photographs from your Flickr account to a wine
glass to remind you of a pleasant evening or tag
your car so memories are preserved for you and
could, if you so wished, be left there for future
owners. Initially objects would be tagged with
stickers but soon they could be embedded
using ceramics.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 15/04/10
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing? / Advanced
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1 If you came across an old book on your
bookshelf, would you like to know what your
great-grandfather thought about it? If the answer
to this is ‘No’, then read no further. If the answer
is ‘Yes’, then welcome to the next revolutionary
thing on the web: the ‘geography of things’.
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Victor Keegan
15 April, 2010
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Bar codes without barriers – is this the
web’s next big thing?
CA
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Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing?
Level 3
Advanced
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
What does the author mean by the ‘geography of things’?
a. knowing where things are located
b. every object having its own unique web address
c. depositing tagged books in public places
2.
How will the ‘geography of things’ work?
a. through using websites that give details of products
b. by combining the new generation of bar codes and mobile phone technology
c. by attaching photographs from Flickr to your wine glass
3.
How did Dr Andrew Hudson-Smith first get the idea?
a. He got a grant to research this area.
b. Someone suggested that it would be nice if a bowl could talk.
c. He watched someone tagging objects using ceramics.
4.
What would happen to theft if this system was introduced?
a. It would increase.
b. It would be reduced.
c. It might increase or it might be reduced.
4 Find the word
Look in the text and find the following words and expressions.
an adverb meaning at first (para 4)
3.
a two-word phrasal verb meaning to work very hard at something (para 5)
4.
a three-word expression used to show that you are annoyed or impatient with someone (para 6)
5.
a noun meaning someone whose job it is to sell things at a public occasion where things are sold to the people
who offer the most money for them (para 7)
6.
a three-word expression meaning to want something very much (para 7)
7.
a four-word expression used for saying that a type of behaviour is typical of someone (para 7)
8.
a two-word phrasal verb meaning to accept something quickly and in an enthusiastic way (para 7)
•P
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NEWS LESSONS / Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing? / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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1.
a verb meaning to put or leave something somewhere (para 2)
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Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing?
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5 Phrasal verbs
Fill the gaps in the sentences using the correct form of these phrasal verbs from the text.
beaver away
move in
come across
leap at
turn into
1.
The other day I _________________ a word I had never seen before.
2.
The exhibition was _________________ by a group of young artists.
3.
They spent the whole weekend _________________ at the project.
4.
She _________________ the chance to study under such a famous musician.
5.
As law and order began to break down, criminal gangs started to _________________.
6.
What started out as a pleasant holiday quickly _________________ a nightmare.
put together
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using an appropriate form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The writer has written about the _________________ prospects for the bar code. [REVOLUTION]
2.
The artist was banging _________________ on a bowl. [ANNOY]
3.
The idea could become a reality as a result of the _________________ of two technologies. [CONVERGE]
4.
Some smartphones can scan bar codes _________________. [AUTOMATIC]
5.
You simply point the scanning _________________ at the bar code. [APPLY]
6.
The idea is to have _________________ tags that cannot be removed. [EMBED]
7 Discussion
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NEWS LESSONS / Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing? / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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What do you think of this potential new technology? What are the advantages and disadvantages of
tagging all the items we use with a readable bar code?
79
Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing?
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
paragraph 5
paragraph 3
paragraph 6
paragaph 1
paragraph 7
paragraph 4
paragragh 2
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
b
b
c
5 Phrasal verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
came across
put together
beavering away
leapt at
move in
turned into
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
revolutionary
annoyingly
convergence
automatically
application
embedded
O
H
•P
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NEWS LESSONS / Bar codes without barriers – is this the web’s next big thing? / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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2 Paragraph headings
8.
deposit
initially
beaver away
for heaven’s sake
auctioneer
die to have
that’s us all over (Note: us can be replaced with
other pronouns or noun phrases)
leap at
N
geek
launch
tag
convergence
bar code
embed
ceramics
grant
monetize
chronicle
80
Poland mourns as body of president returns home
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
condolences
twist
wreath
respects
mourner
fathom
coffin
friction
atrocity
commemorate
1.
If you pay your last _______________ to someone, you attend their funeral or some other event marking their
death. (para 1)
2.
A _______________ is a long box in which a dead person is buried. (para 1)
3.
A _______________ is a circle of flowers that you place on a grave to show you are remembering a dead
person. (para 3)
4.
A _______________ is someone who attends a funeral, especially a friend or relative of the dead person.
(para 4)
5.
A book of _______________ is a book in which you write a message to show you are sorry that someone has
died. (para 4)
6.
If you say you can’t _______________ something, it means you can’t understand it because it is complicated
or mysterious. (para 4)
7.
An _______________ is a cruel and violent act, often in a war. (para 5)
8.
If there is a _______________ in a situation or a story, there is a sudden and unexpected change in it. (para 5)
9.
If there is _______________ between two countries, they disagree strongly over a particular issue. (para 6)
10. If you _______________ something, you show that you remember an important person or event by having a
special ceremony. (para 6)
2
What do you know?
The capital of Poland is Warsaw.
2.
The Katyn massacre, in which 15,000 Polish officers were killed, took place at the end of the First World War.
3.
Smolensk airport is in Poland.
4.
Tupolev planes are Russian.
5.
Lech Kaczynski became president of Poland in 1995.
6.
Both President Kaczynski and his twin brother, Jaroslaw, were killed in the crash.
•P
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NEWS LESSONS / Poland mourns as body of president returns home / Advanced
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then read the text to check your answers.
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Poland mourns as body of President
Lech Kaczynski returns home
2 Russian officials said 97 people died, including
eight crew members, after the president’s
Tupolev plane hit trees on its approach to
Smolensk airport in thick fog. There were no
survivors. Russian TV showed pictures of the
upended wing and smouldering fuselage. Small
fires burned in woods shrouded in fog. Rescuers
found several unidentified bodies and the plane’s
black box.
3 The bodies of the victims were taken to Moscow
by helicopter for identification. Relatives flew to
the Russian capital later in the day. Jaroslaw
Kaczynski visited the crash site, with TV
pictures showing him kneeling and praying. The
Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, also flew
to Smolensk from Warsaw where he met his
Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and placed
a wreath.
4 Across Poland bells were rung at a slow
and mournful pace. People sought comfort
in churches and laid candles at national
monuments and government buildings.
Mourners queued in their hundreds to sign
books of condolences. “I can’t fathom this, it
reminds me of when the pope died, five years
ago this month,” said Zofia, recalling the death of
Pope John Paul II on 5 April, 2005.
5 Kaczynski was flying to Smolensk to attend
the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, in
which Soviet secret police killed 15,000 Polish
6
The subject of Katyn has for decades been
a source of unresolved friction between
Moscow and Warsaw, with successive Soviet
governments falsely blaming the Nazis for the
massacre. Recently, there have been signs that
the tensions were easing. A week before the
crash, Putin became the first Russian or Soviet
leader to join Polish officials in commemorating
the massacre’s anniversary when he met Tusk
in Katyn.
7
“We still cannot fully understand the scope of
this tragedy and what it means for us in the
future. Nothing like this has ever happened in
Poland,” said foreign ministry spokesman, Piotr
Paszkowski. “We can assume with great certainty
that all persons on board have been killed.”
8
Russian officials said that the airport, 270 miles
west of Moscow, had been closed because of
thick fog. They advised the pilot to land instead
in Moscow or Minsk but he continued with
the original flight plan, making three abortive
attempts to land at Smolensk’s Severny military
airport. On the fourth attempt, the Russianbuilt airliner crashed. According to witnesses,
Kaczynski’s plane was between 500 and 700
metres from the runway and about 20 metres
from the ground when it ploughed into the trees.
“The Polish presidential plane did not make it
to the runway while landing. Tentative findings
indicate that it hit the treetops and fell apart,”
said Smolensk’s governor, Sergei Anufriev.
9
World leaders paid tribute to Kaczynski, who
was elected in 2005 after defeating Tusk in
a presidential vote. He and his twin brother,
Jaroslaw, a former prime minister now in
opposition, emerged from Poland’s anticommunist Solidarity movement. They have
dominated Polish politics for the last decade,
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Poland mourns as body of president returns home / Advanced
O
1 Thousands of people lined the streets of Warsaw
to pay their last respects as the body of the
Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, was flown
back to the country. The flag-draped coffin was
met by Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw,
and his daughter, Marta, at Warsaw airport.
Crowds stood in silence along the route to the
presidential palace where the body was taken.
Poland held a two-minute silence earlier to mark
the death of the president, his wife and dozens
of officials in a plane crash in western Russia.
•P
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Luke Harding in Moscow
11 April, 2010
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officers in one of the most notorious atrocities of
the Second World War. In a tragic twist, family
members of the Katyn victims were on board the
president’s plane. There was no suspicion of foul
play but the extraordinary timing and location of
the disaster, together with Kaczynski’s known
antipathy towards the Kremlin, are likely to fuel
conspiracy theories on both sides.
CA
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espousing a national conservative – and often
anti-Russian – ideology. Kaczynski leaves a
daughter, Marta, and two granddaughters.
10 Polish officials have long discussed replacing
the planes that carry the country’s leaders
but said they lacked the money to do so. The
presidential Tu-154 that crashed was 26 years
old. It was overhauled in December in Russia,
with Russian experts insisting that it was
airworthy and blaming pilot error and
bad weather.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 11/04/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text
1.
Why was the Polish president flying to Russia?
a. to meet Vladimir Putin
b. to attend a ceremony commemorating the Katyn massacre
c. to attend a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II
2.
Why did the plane crash?
a. because it was sent to the wrong airport
b. because the runway was too short
c. because it hit some trees as it was attempting to land
3.
What was the ‘tragic twist’ mentioned in the text?
a. that relatives of those who died at Katyn were on the plane
b. that the plane should have landed in Moscow or Minsk
c. that the president of Poland was on board the plane
4.
Why has the subject of the Katyn massacre caused friction between Poland and Russia?
a. because it was probably carried out by the Nazis
b. because the Russians were reluctant to admit their role in it
c. because it happened on Russian soil
4 Find the word
Look in the text and find these words and expressions.
a two-word expression meaning the idea that a group of people secretly worked together to cause a
particular event (para 5)
5.
an adjective meaning not finished and therefore not successful (para 8)
6.
a phrasal verb meaning to crash into something with great force (para 8)
7.
an adjective meaning not definite or not certain (para 8)
8.
a verb meaning to give your support to an idea, principle or belief (para 9)
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Poland mourns as body of president returns home / Advanced
O
4.
•P
H
an adjective meaning famous for something bad (para 5)
CA
3.
N 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 verb meaning to burn slowly, producing smoke but no flames (para 2)
2. a two-word expression meaning covered in (para 2)
83
Poland mourns as body of president returns home
Level 3
Advanced
5 Vocabulary
Match the terms related to aircraft and air travel with the definitions.
1.
fuselage
a.
a mistake made by a pilot that causes an accident
2.
airworthy
b.
the path a plane follows when it is preparing to land
3.
pilot error
c.
a piece of equipment in a plane that records details of a flight
4.
overhaul
d.
in good condition and safe to fly
5.
black box
e.
the main part of an aircraft that the wings are fixed to
6.
approach
f.
to take apart and repair a machine to make it work better
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The body was taken to the _______________ palace. [PRESIDENT]
2.
Rescuers found a number of _______________ bodies. [IDENTIFY]
3.
The bodies were taken to Moscow for _______________. [IDENTIFY]
4.
First _______________ indicate the plane hit trees before it crashed. [FIND]
5.
There is no _______________ of foul play. [SUSPECT]
7 Discussion
Do you believe in conspiracy theories? Why? Why not?
H
NEWS LESSONS / Poland mourns as body of president returns home / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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 •
84
Poland mourns as body of president returns home
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
respects
coffin
wreath
mourner
condolences
fathom
atrocity
twist
friction
commemorate
2 What do you know?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
F
T
F
F
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
a
b
smoulder
shrouded in
notorious
conspiracy theory
abortive
plough into
tentative
espouse
5 Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
e
d
a
f
c
b
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
presidential
unidentified
identification
findings
suspicion
Teacher’s notes
O
H
N
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / Poland mourns as body of president returns home / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
Find out what has happened in Poland since the crash.
Who succeeded Lech Kaczynski as president? Have
relations with Russia improved? What was the exact
cause of the crash?
85
I’m not the Messiah, says food activist
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
What are the differences between the terms below? Write your ideas in the notebook.
a. a sect ……………………..
........................…...................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
c. a religion ……………........
..................................………..
........................…...................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
b. a cult ……………………...
.......................…....................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
2
Key words
Write the words from the article next to their definitions. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
gobbledygook
snowballing
disavowal
1.
a religious leader who some people believe is sent by God to save the world ____________________ (title)
2.
another word for nonsense ____________________ (para 4)
3.
not known about or not well known ____________________ (para 4)
4.
statements about future events made by someone with religious or magic powers ____________________
(para 5)
5.
developing quickly and becoming very big or serious ____________________ (para 6)
6.
in a very clear and definite way ____________________ (para 6)
7.
a statement in which you say firmly that you have no connection with someone or something
____________________ (para 7)
8.
a situation that is strange because it has features or qualities that do not normally exist together or that
contradict each other ____________________ (para 7)
9.
people within an institution or organization who work together to produce new ideas on a particular subject,
especially in social, economic and political areas ____________________ (para 9)
10. someone who has been born again as a different person, animal or thing after their death
____________________ (para 16)
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / I’m not the Messiah, says food activist / Advanced
O
paradox
reincarnation
N T
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
prophecies
the Messiah
•P
H
categorically
obscure
CA
think tank
86
I’m not the Messiah, says food activist
Advanced
I’m not the Messiah, says food activist
– but his many worshippers do not
believe him
7
Instead of settling the issue, however, his denial
merely fanned the flames for some believers.
They said that this disavowal, too, had been
prophesied. It seemed like there was nothing to
convince them. “It’s the kind of paradox that’s
inescapable,” Patel said, with a grim humour.
8
There are many elements of his life that tick
the prophetic checklist of his worshippers: a
flight from India to the UK as a child, growing
up in London, a slight stutter and appearances
on TV. But it is his work that puts him most
directly in the frame and causes him the most
anguish – the very things the followers of Share
International believe will indicate that their new
Messiah has arrived.
9
Patel’s career – spent at Oxford University, the
London School of Economics (LSE), the World
Bank and with think tank Food First – has been
spent trying to understand the inequalities and
problems caused by free market economics,
particularly as it relates to the developing world.
Bobbie Johnson
19 March, 2010
3 Shortly after his appearance on the show, things
took a strange turn. Over the course of a couple
of days, cryptic messages started filling his
inbox. “I started getting emails saying, ‘Have you
heard of Benjamin Creme?’ and ‘Are you the
world teacher?’” he said. “Then all of a sudden it
wasn’t just random internet folk but also friends
saying, ‘Have you seen this?’”
4 What he had written off as gobbledygook
suddenly turned into something altogether more
bizarre: members of an obscure religious group
had decided that Patel – a food activist who
grew up in a corner shop in Golders Green,
north-west London – was, in fact, the Messiah.
5 Their reasoning? Patel’s background and work
coincidentally matched a series of prophecies
made by an 87-year-old Scottish mystic called
Benjamin Creme, the leader of a little-known
religious group known as Share International.
Because he matched the profile, hundreds of
people around the world believed that Patel was
the living embodiment of a figure they called
Maitreya, the Christ or “the world teacher”. His
job? To save the world, and everyone on it.
6 What started as an oddity kept snowballing
until suddenly, in the middle of his book tour,
Patel was inundated by questions, messages of
support and even threats. The influx was
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / I’m not the Messiah, says food activist / Advanced
10 His first book, Stuffed and Starved, rips through
the problems in global food production and
examines how the free market has worked to
keep millions hungry. The Value of Nothing,
meanwhile, draws on the economic collapse to
look at how we might fix the system and improve
life for billions of people around the globe.
11 While his goal appears to match Share
International’s vision of worldwide harmony, he
says the underlying assumptions it makes are
wrong – and possibly even dangerous. “What I’m
arguing in the book is precisely the opposite of
the Maitreya: what we need is various kinds of
rebellion and transformations about how private
property works,” he said.
12 Patel rejects the entire notion of saviours. If
there is one thing he has learned from his work
as an activist in countries such as Zimbabwe
and South Africa, it is that there are no easy
answers. “People are very ready to abdicate
responsibility and have it placed on to someone
else’s shoulders,” he said. “You saw that with
Obama most spectacularly but whenever there’s
O
2 The London-born author, 37, thought his
appearance on comedy talk show The Colbert
Report went well enough: the host made a few
jokes, Patel talked a little about his work and
then, job done, he went back to his home in
San Francisco.
N 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 trouble started when London-born author,
Raj Patel, appeared on American TV to promote
his latest book, an analysis of the financial crisis
called The Value of Nothing.
•P
H
Members of religious group believe
London-born author has come to save
the world
so heavy, in fact, that he put up a statement
on his website categorically stating that he
was not Maitreya.
CA
Level 3
87
I’m not the Messiah, says food activist
Level 3
Advanced
going to be someone who’s just going to fix it
for you, it’s a very attractive story.”
13 Share International is an offshoot of the
Victorian Theosophy movement founded by
Madame Blavatsky that developed a belief
system out of a combination of various
religions, spiritualism and metaphysics.
14 Benjamin Creme, who joined a UFO cult in
the 1950s, before starting Share International,
says that Maitreya represents a group of
beings from Venus called the Space Brothers.
This 18m-year-old saviour, he says, has
been resting somewhere in the Himalayas for
2,000 years and – as a figure who combines
messianism for Christians, Buddhists, Hindus,
Jews and Muslims alike – is due to return any
time now, uniting humanity and making life
better for everybody on earth.
15
Adding to the confusion is the fact that Creme
refuses to categorically state whether or not
he believes that Patel and Maitreya are one
and the same. He suggests that it is not up
to him to rule either way, instead blaming
media coverage, rather than his own mystical
predictions, for making people “hysterical”.
16
There have been similar cases in the past,
including Steve Cooper, an unemployed man
from south London, who was identified by a
Hindu sect as the reincarnation of a goddess
and now lives in a temple in Gujurat with many
followers. Unlike some who have the greatness
thrust upon them, though, Patel’s greatest hope
is that Share International will leave him alone
so that he can get back to normal life.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 19/03/10
3 Find the information
Why did Raj Patel appear on an American TV talk show? __________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
What has he done in his career so far?_________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
What was his first book about? _______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
Who is Benjamin Creme? ___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
Who do Share International think Raj Patel is and why? ___________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
6.
What do they believe he will do? _____________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
7.
What does Raj Patel say about Share International’s assumptions concerning worldwide harmony?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
•P
H
NEWS LESSONS / I’m not the Messiah, says food activist / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
O
1.
N T
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
Answer the questions according to the information in the article.
88
I’m not the Messiah, says food activist
Level 3
4
Advanced
Language: Phrases and expressions
Find these phrases and expressions in the article.
1.
a two-word phrase that means information for someone given in code ______________________________
(para 3)
2.
a three-word phrase that means anybody on the worldwide web ______________________________ (para 3)
3.
a three-word phrase that means
______________________________ (para 7)
4.
a two-word phrase that means to give up duties or obligations ______________________________ (para 12)
5.
a two-word phrase that means to bring people (mankind) together ______________________________
(para 14)
5 Discussion
H
NEWS LESSONS / I’m not the Messiah, says food activist / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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 •
Paragraph 16 mentions people who have greatness thrust upon them. What advantages and disadvantages
in life do you think people who unintentionally become publicly known might encounter? Consider families
of politicians, film stars, company bosses, etc.
89
I’m not the Messiah, says food activist
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
3 Find the information
a.
1.
2.
4.
5.
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
the Messiah
gobbledygook
obscure
prophecies
snowballing
categorically
disavowal
paradox
think tank
reincarnation
6.
7.
4 Language: Phrases and expressions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
cryptic messages
random internet folk
fan the flames
abdicate responsibility
unite humanity
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / I’m not the Messiah, says food activist / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
c.
3.
to talk about his new book
He has been trying to understand the inequalities
and problems caused by free market economics,
particularly as it relates to the developing world.
His first book is about the problems in global food
production and examines how the free market has
worked to keep millions hungry.
He is an 87-year-old Scottish mystic and the leader
of a little-known religious group known as Share
International.
They believe that he is the living embodiment of
Maitreya, the Christ or “the world teacher”. This
is because he matches the profile prophesied by
Benjamin Creme.
save the world, and everyone on it
that its assumptions are wrong and possibly even
dangerous and that what he is arguing in the book
is precisely the opposite of the Maitreya
N
b.
a religious group whose beliefs are different from the beliefs of an established religion, usually in a way that most people do not approve of
a religious group, especially one with beliefs that most people consider strange or dangerous
a system of beliefs in a god or gods that has its own ceremonies
and traditions
90
World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
merge
sprawl
urbanization
egalitarian
migration
segregation
rural
ghetto
disparity
dysfunctional
1.
If two cities __________________, they combine to form a bigger city. (para 1)
2.
__________________ is the process by which towns and cities grow bigger and more and more people go to
live in them. (para 3)
3.
__________________ is the process of moving to another place or country. (para 5)
4.
__________________ means relating to the countryside, or in the countryside. (para 5)
5.
__________________ is a part of a city that starts to spread into the countryside in a way that is ugly and not
carefully planned. (para 5)
6.
If something is described as __________________, it does not work or function normally. (para 6)
7.
If there is a __________________ between two things, there is a difference between them. (para 7)
8.
An __________________ system is one in which everyone has an equal status and equal opportunities.
(para 8)
9.
__________________ is the policy of keeping people from different groups, especially different races,
separate from each other. (para 9)
10. A __________________ is an area of a city where people of a particular type live, usually in poor conditions.
(para 9)
2
What do you know?
Less than half the world’s population currently lives in cities.
3.
The top 25 cities in the world account for half the world’s wealth.
4.
The population of Los Angeles is increasing faster than its area is expanding.
5.
Johannesburg is the least equal city in the world.
6.
New York is more equal than Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’ / Advanced
O
2.
•P
H
The largest mega-city in the world is in China.
CA
1.
N T
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the text. Correct any false
statements and check your answers in the text.
91
World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’
Advanced
UN report: World’s biggest cities
merging into ‘mega-regions’
3 The UN said that urbanization is now
‘unstoppable’. Anna Tibaijuka, outgoing director
of UN-Habitat, said, “Just over half the world
now lives in cities but by 2050, over 70% of the
people in the world will be urban dwellers. By
then, only 14% of people in rich countries will
live outside cities, and 33% in poor countries.”
4 The development of mega-regions is regarded
as generally positive, said the report’s co-author,
Eduardo Lopez Moreno. “Mega-regions, rather
than countries, are now driving wealth. Research
shows that the world’s largest 40 mega-regions
cover only a tiny fraction of the habitable surface
of our planet and are home to fewer than 18%
of the world’s population but account for 66%
of all economic activity and about 85% of
technological and scientific innovation,” said
Moreno. “The top 25 cities in the world account
for more than half of the world’s wealth,” he
6
“Cities like Los Angeles grew 45% in numbers
between 1975 and 1990, but tripled their surface
area in the same time. This sprawl is now
increasingly happening in developing countries
as real estate developers promote the image
of a ‘world-class lifestyle’ outside the traditional
city,” say the authors. Urban sprawl, they say, is
the symptom of a divided, dysfunctional city. “It
is not only wasteful, it adds to transport costs,
increases energy consumption, requires
more resources and causes the loss of
prime farmland.”
7
“The more unequal cities become, the higher the
risk that economic disparities will result in social
and political tension. The likelihood of urban
unrest in unequal cities is high. The cities that
are prospering the most are generally those that
are reducing inequalities,” said Moreno.
8
In a sample survey of world cities, the UN
found the most unequal were in South Africa.
Johannesburg was the least equal in the
world, only marginally ahead of East London,
Bloemfontein and Pretoria. Latin American, Asian
and African cities were generally more equal, but
mainly because they were uniformly poor, with a
high level of slums and little sanitation. Some of
the most the most egalitarian cities were found
to be Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh.
9
The US emerged as one of the most unequal
societies with cities like New York, Chicago
and Washington less equal than places like
Brazzaville in Congo-Brazzaville, Managua in
Nicaragua and Davao City in the Philippines.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’ / Advanced
O
2 The largest of these, says the report – launched
today at the World Urban Forum in Rio de
Janeiro – is the Hong Kong-ShenhzenGuangzhou region in China, home to about 120
million people. Other mega-regions have formed
in Japan and Brazil and are developing in India,
West Africa and elsewhere. The trend helped
the world pass a tipping point in the last year,
with more than half the world’s people now living
in cities.
The migration to cities, while making economic
sense, is affecting the rural economy too. “Most
of the wealth in rural areas already comes from
people in urban areas sending money back,”
Moreno said. The growth of mega-regions and
cities is also leading to unprecedented urban
sprawl, new slums, unbalanced development
and income inequalities as more and more
people move to satellite or dormitory cities.
N 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 mega-cities are merging to form
vast ‘mega-regions’ which may stretch hundreds
of kilometres across countries and be home to
more than 100 million people, according to a
major new UN report. The phenomenon of the
so-called ‘endless city’ could be one of the most
significant developments – and problems – in
the way people live and economies grow in the
next 50 years, says UN-Habitat, the agency for
human settlements, which identifies the trend of
developing mega-regions in its biannual State of
World Cities report.
5
•P
H
John Vidal, environment editor
22 March, 2010
added. “And the five largest cities in India
and China now account for 50% of those
countries’ wealth.”
CA
Level 3
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World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’
Level 3
Advanced
“The marginalization and segregation of specific
groups in the US creates a city within a city. The
richest 1% of households now earn more than 72
times the average income of the poorest 20% of
the population. In the ‘other America’, poor black
families are clustered in ghettos lacking access
to quality education, secure tenure, lucrative
work and political power,” says the report.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 22/03/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Which of these sentences is not true, according to the text?
a. The process of urbanization cannot be stopped.
b. Migration to cities has no effect on the rural economy.
c. Eighty-five per cent of technological and scientific innovation originates in the world’s 40 largest mega-regions.
2.
The world’s 40 largest mega-regions ...
a. ... cover most of the habitable surface of the planet.
b. ... cover 66% of the habitable surface of the planet.
c. ... cover just a very small part of the habitable surface of the planet.
3.
Why are Latin American, Asian and African cities more equal than those in other parts of the world?
a. Because most people living in them are poor.
b. Because they are smaller and don’t suffer from urban sprawl.
c. Because there are marginalized groups and segregation in those cities.
4.
What is the main problem large urban areas face?
a. dysfunctional transport systems
b. social and political tension as a result of economic differences
c. the growth of satellite and dormitory cities
4 Find the word
Look in the text and find the following words and phrases. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1. an adjective meaning happening twice a year (para 1)
2. a two-word noun meaning the critical point in an evolving situation that leads to a new and irreversible situation
(para 2)
3.
a two-word noun meaning someone who lives in a city (para 3)
4.
an adjective meaning never having happened or existed before (para 5)
5.
a verb meaning to be successful, especially by making a lot of money (para 7)
6. an adverb meaning by only a very small amount (para 8)
7. a noun meaning the process of preventing people from having power or influence (para 9)
O
NEWS LESSONS / World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’ / Advanced
•P
H
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N 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 verb meaning to form a small, close group (para 9)
CA
8.
93
World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’
Level 3
Advanced
5 Two-word expressions
Match the words in the left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make two-word
expressions from the text.
1.
urban
a.
region
2.
satellite
b.
developer
3.
real estate
c.
income
4.
energy
d.
sprawl
5.
mega
e.
consumption
6.
average
f.
city
6 Word building
Complete the sentences by filling the gaps using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of
each sentence.
1.
The growth of mega-regions is leading to __________________ development. [BALANCE]
2.
It is also leading to income __________________. [EQUAL]
3.
Urban sprawl is described as being __________________. [WASTE]
4.
The __________________ of urban unrest in unequal cities is high. [LIKELY]
5.
Some African and Latin American cities are more equal because they are __________________ poor.
[UNIFORM]
6.
The process of urbanization is now regarded as __________________. [STOP]
7 Discussion
H
NEWS LESSONS / World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’ / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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 solutions are there to the problem of urbanization and the social and economic problems that come
with it?
94
World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
merge
urbanization
migration
rural
sprawl
dysfunctional
disparity
egalitarian
segregation
ghetto
2 What do you know?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
T
F
T
F
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
a
b
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
biannual
tipping point
urban dweller
unprecedented
prosper
marginally
marginalization
cluster
5 Two-word expressions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
d
f
b
e
a
c
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
unbalanced
inequalities
wasteful
likelihood
uniformly
unstoppable
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’ / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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.
10.
4 Find the word
N
1 Key words
95
Is John Lewis the best company in Britain to work for?
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
retailer
placate
throng
downturn
eager
bonus
trust
venerable
subsidy
resilient
1.
A _______________ is extra money that you are paid in addition to your salary. (para 1)
2.
A _______________ is a person or company that sells goods directly to the public for their own use. (para 1)
3.
A _______________ is a large crowd of people. (para 2)
4.
If you are _______________, you are very keen to do something or are very enthusiastic about something that
will happen. (para 3)
5.
A _______________ is an organization that manages money or property on behalf of someone else. (para 4)
6.
If someone or something is described as _______________, they are old and respected. (para 4)
7.
If you _______________ someone, you stop them being angry by giving them what they want. (para 4)
8.
A _______________ is an amount of money paid by an organization to reduce the cost of a product or service.
(para 6)
9.
A _______________ is a reduction in economic or business activity. (para 9)
10. A _______________ company is one that is able to become strong again after experiencing problems. (para 9)
2
Find the information
Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.
1. What is the largest percentage bonus John Lewis employees have received in the last ten years or so?
2. How much has John Lewis’s profit increased by over the past year?
3. Who owns John Lewis?
4. How much do employee-owned companies contribute to the British economy?
5. What percentage discount do John Lewis employees and their families get on John Lewis products?
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6. How long has John Lewis been in business?
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Is John Lewis the best company in Britain to work for?
But what’s it like to work for an outfit run like
this? Well, it’s worth noting that there are some
partners who weren’t at work when the 2010
bonus was announced. They were off staying at
one of the five holiday centres the partnership
owns and runs for the benefit of its employees.
6
Besides the bonus, John Lewis partners also
have a rare and near-priceless, non-contributory
final salary pension scheme. They and a named
other (husband, girlfriend, mother, whoever)
get 25% off most John Lewis products. There
are half-price theatre and concert tickets and
subsidies for whatever educational or leisure
course they want to follow.
7
It’s not easy to find an unhappy John Lewis
partner, despite the fact that they stay with
the company twice as long as the industry
average. That’s partly, says Wenn at the
Oxford Street store, “because if you’re unhappy
about something, you have a responsibility
to do something about it.” What does that
responsibility mean? “We ask not only that you
do your day job, but that you play an active role
as an owner,” says Patrick Lewis (no relation),
a partnership board member. “That you engage
with your colleagues and work with them in
thinking through what will make the business
successful.”
8
Another factor in the firm’s success is that it
believes good service can only come from
people who like people, who are happy
discussing their needs and who want to help.
What counts in recruitment, says Beth, who
works in floor-coverings and furnishings, is
behaviour. “You can train anyone to do things,”
she says. “But nobody can teach someone how
to be.”
9
In any event, the net result of these rights and
responsibilities is employees who think and feel
rather differently about their work than most.
The point, though, is how this different way of
thinking and feeling about work translates. John
Lewis, we’ve seen, does more than all right.
Employee-owned companies currently contribute
some £25bn to the British economy. Research
indicates that employee-owned businesses also
create jobs faster; are significantly more resilient
in an economic downturn; and deliver far better
customer satisfaction.
Jon Henley
16 March, 2010
1 It’s just before opening time on bonus day at
John Lewis and, boy, are we excited. Up and
down the country, the 69,000 people who work
for the nation’s favourite retailer are gathered,
impatient. They are waiting for a specially
chosen staff member (“partner” in John Lewisspeak) to open an envelope and read out
a number.
2 The number will be a percentage. Over the last
decade or so, it has ranged from 9% to 22%. It’s
the percentage of their salary that each John
Lewis employee, from executive chairman to
checkout operative, takes home as that year’s
bonus. If the number is 8%, they’re looking at an
extra month’s pay; 16% is two months’ pay. So
what’s in the envelope is pretty important. Frank
d’Souza from furniture tears open the envelope
as the assembled throng counts down. He holds
the card triumphantly high: 15%. “Magic,” cries
Lee Bowra from the childrenswear department.
3 In the depths of what everyone keeps telling
us is the deepest financial and economic crisis
since the Second World War, John Lewis plainly
has not done badly (operating profit up 20%).
That’s partly because it stocks goods of a
certain quality and sells them to a certain kind
of customer with a certain standard of service.
If a product is on sale in one of its stores, you
know you can trust it. Plus you can be sure you’ll
be served by someone who really knows what
they’re talking about and, most unusually of all,
is eager to help.
4 Unlike other high-street names (unlike most
companies, in fact), John Lewis is owned by
a trust on behalf of its employees, each of
whom has a say in its running and a share in
its profits. This is Britain’s largest and most
venerable example of worker co-ownership. Its
stated purpose is not the making of shedloads
of short-term profit to placate a bunch of remote
and greedy shareholders, but “the happiness
of all its members, through their worthwhile and
satisfying employment in a successful business”
(that’s from the partnership’s constitution).
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Is John Lewis the best company in
Britain to work for?
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Is John Lewis the best company in Britain to work for?
Level 3
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10 So why isn’t every company organized this
way? Partly, as Patrick Lewis points out,
because it’s not easy. “We’re a commercial
organization,” he says. “We have to make a
‘sufficient profit’ to sustain and develop the
business. That sets the bar quite high for the
commercial success we need. On top of that,
we distribute a share of the profits in the form
of a bonus, and also in other ways, that will
benefit our members collectively.”
circle” working: look after the partners and the
partners look after the customers, who look
after the profit. “It’s a culture and a way of
working,” he says. “You can’t do it overnight,
and it won’t be right for everyone. But it’s worth
trying.” And if we’re really talking, as perhaps
we are, about where capitalism should go next
– about what exactly a good company is, and
what it should do – there are worse models to
look at than John Lewis.
11
© Guardian News & Media 2010
Of course, as Patrick Lewis notes, John
Lewis has had 80 years to get its “virtuous
First published in The Guardian, 16/03/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Which of these statements best describes how John Lewis is run?
a. It is run as a collective by its employees.
b. It is managed by a trust that operates in the interests of its employees.
c. It is run as a non-profit-making organization.
2.
Why has John Lewis been successful during the recession?
a. Because it has reduced its prices.
b. Because it is owned and managed by its employees.
c. Because it sells quality products with quality service to a specific kind of customer.
3.
How long, on average, do employees stay with John Lewis?
a. twice as long as in other companies in the same sector
b. two years
c. almost as long as the industry average
4.
Why aren’t all companies organized in the same way as John Lewis?
a. Because the John Lewis business model is only suitable for commercial organizations.
b. Because the John Lewis business model is politically sensitive.
c. Because it isn’t easy to make a profit and develop the business.
4 Find the word
Find the following words and phrases in the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
a four-word expression meaning in the most severe part of an unpleasant situation (para 3)
4.
a four-word expression meaning to give your opinion and be involved in a discussion about something (para 4)
5.
an informal expression meaning a lot of something (para 4)
6.
a three-word expression meaning whatever happens or has happened (para 9)
7.
a four-word expression meaning to establish ambitious targets (para 10)
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8. a two-word expression meaning a process in which a good action or event produces a good result that also
causes the process to continue so that more good results follow (para 11)
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1. an interjection used to express a strong reaction, especially admiration or excitement (para 1)
2. an adverb used to show that you are very pleased about a victory or a success (para 2)
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Is John Lewis the best company in Britain to work for?
Level 3
Advanced
5 Verb + noun collocations
Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns or noun phrases in the right-hand column.
1. do
a.
a discount
2. play
b.
a profit
3. make c.
a business
4. follow
d.
a job
5. run
e.
a course
6. get
f.
a role
6
Word building
Complete the sentences by filling the gaps with the correct form of the word in brackets.
1. The employee held the card over his head ________________. [TRIUMPH]
2. John Lewis has a non-________________ final pension scheme. [CONTRIBUTE]
3. Some people say that John Lewis employees feel ________________ about their work. [DIFFERENCE]
4. John Lewis distributes its profits in ways that benefit its employees ________________. [COLLECT]
5. The company provides subsidies for ________________ courses. [EDUCATE]
6. John Lewis employees have a say in the ________________ of the company. [RUN]
7 Discussion
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What do you think of the John Lewis model? Is it good for employees of the company? Why? Why not?
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Is John Lewis the best company in Britain to work for?
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
22%
20%
a trust (on behalf of its employees)
£25bn
25%
80 years
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
a
c
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
d
f
b
e
c
a
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
triumphantly
contributory
differently
collectively
educational
running
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2 Find the information
boy
triumphantly
in the depths of
have a say in
shedloads
in any event
set the bar high
virtuous circle
N
bonus
retailer
throng
eager
trust
venerable
placate
subsidy
downturn
resilient
100
The richest person in the world
Level 3
1
1.
Warmer
Who is the richest person in the world?
a.
b.
c.
d.
2
Advanced
2.
Slim Shady
Slim Pickings
Carlos Slim
Bill Gates
What line of business is he in?
a.
b.
c.
d.
computer software
mobile phones
oil
steel
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. Then find the words in the article to see how they are used
in context.
conglomerate
lucrative
tycoon
upsurge
prosper
entrepreneurs
monopolist
magnate
commodities
affluent
1.
people who use money to start new businesses and make business deals ________________________
2.
a person who is head of a business that has complete control of the product or service it provides because it is
the only company that provides it ________________________
3.
to be successful, especially by making a lot of money ________________________
4.
a successful and important person with a lot of power in a particular industry ________________________
5.
a sudden increase in something ________________________
6.
used about a place where people have a lot of money ________________________
7.
bringing a lot of money ________________________
8.
a large business organization formed when several different businesses join together
________________________
9.
things that can be bought and sold, especially basic food products or fuel ________________________
10. a rich and powerful person who is involved in business or industry ________________________
Extra question: Which three of these words have very similar meanings?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
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Discuss the differences between the following: a magnate, a tycoon, a monopolist, an entrepreneur.
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The richest person in the world
Advanced
7
Asia’s richest man, Indian, Mukesh Ambani,
became the fourth-richest person on the planet
with $29bn, as his textiles-to-petrol Reliance
Industries empire prospered. Pakistan also
produced its first billionaire, banking magnate
Mian Muhammad Mansha, and the number of
Chinese billionaires leapt by 27 to 64.
8
Among those enjoying an upsurge in fortunes
was Robin Li, founder of the Chinese internet
search engine, Baidu, whose wealth reached
$3.5bn as his company prospered on Google’s
abrupt withdrawal from China, due to censorship
concerns. Another Chinese tycoon, property
magnate Wu Yajun, has emerged as the world’s
richest self-made woman with $3.9bn from
her Longfor Properties empire, which includes
apartments, town houses, luxury villas and
commercial property across China.
9
The upsurge in the number of super-rich
individuals from less affluent nations went
beyond Asia. The number of billionaires from
Russia almost doubled from 32 to 62. The owner
of the London newspaper, Evening Standard,
Alexander Lebedev, re-entered the ranks with
$2bn, after threatening to sue Forbes a year ago
for claiming that losses in the financial crisis had
stripped him of his billionaire status. And Alisher
Usmanov enjoyed a lucrative year at his metals
conglomerate with his net worth surging from
$1.7bn to $7.2bn.
Andrew Clark in New York
10 March, 2010
3 In third place was the legendary Nebraskabased investor Warren Buffett with $47bn.
Britain’s top entrant into the global rich list, the
Duke of Westminster, could only muster 45th
position as his vast landownings gave him a net
worth of $12bn.
4 Below the top few individuals, however, the lower
ranks of Forbes’ closely watched annual list
showed a substantial change in the distribution
of wealth. The number of billionaires from Asian
and Australasian nations leapt from 130 to
234 last year, with the net worth of the region’s
super-rich doubling from $357bn to $729bn.
5 “Asia is leading the comeback,” said Forbes’
editor-in-chief, Steve Forbes. “There are
remarkable changes taking place in the
global economy.”
6 He pointed out that as the number of billionaires
in the world swelled from 793 to 1,011, the
proportion of Americans dropped from 45% to
40%: “The US still dominates but it’s not doing
as well as the rest of the world in coming back
from the financial crisis.”
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The richest person in the world / Advanced
10 Turkey saw its number of billionaires swell
from 12 to 28. And from South America, a
commodities tycoon, Eike Batista, became the
first Brazilian to make the world’s top ten for
wealth. Batista, 52, a college dropout who made
his fortune from gold, oil and diamonds is ranked
eighth in the world with $27bn.
11 Economists say that a rapid rise in super-wealthy
individuals from the developing world reflects
the pace of globalization. But it also points to a
widening in inequality between the ‘haves’ and
the ‘have nots’ in poorer parts of the world.
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2 Today, Slim, the titan of mobile phones in
Mexico, criticized as a ruthless monopolist, was
crowned as the richest person in the world by
American business magazine, Forbes, which
calculated his net worth at $53.5bn (£35.7bn).
Bolstered by a surge in the share price of his
America Movil empire, Slim’s wealth edged
ahead of the $53bn fortune amassed by the
Microsoft boss Bill Gates, making the portly
cigar-smoking 70-year-old the first non-American
to hold the top spot since 1994.
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1 The old order is under threat at the world’s
billionaires club. Traditionally dominated by
Americans and Europeans, the top ranks of
the world’s richest people have been infiltrated
by scores of ultra-rich entrepreneurs from the
developing world – capped by the Mexican
telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim.
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Forbes rich list topped by Mexican
mobile phone titan Carlos Slim
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102
The richest person in the world
Level 3
Advanced
12 In British terms, little changed among the
ranks of the super-rich. Behind the Duke of
Westminster came property developers David
and Simon Reuben, the clothing store chain
Topshop’s boss Sir Philip Green and Virgin
supremo Sir Richard Branson. Two new British
names joined the billionaires’ club – financier
Alan Howard, who runs the hedge fund Brevan
Howard, and China-based property developer
Xiu Li Hawken of Renhe Commercial Holdings,
who holds British citizenship.
13 For the newly crowned richest person on the
planet, topping the rich list cements a rapid rise
to global fame. However, he is only top thanks
to the generosity of a rival – if Bill Gates had
not chosen to hand a huge chunk of his wealth
to his Gates Foundation to fight disease in the
developing world, the software supremo would
be worth as much as $80bn.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 10/03/10
3 Find the information
Bill Gates
Eike Batista
Carlos Slim
Wu Yajun
Warren Buffett
Duke of Westminster
Alisher Usmanov
Mukesh Ambani
Robin Li
Put these people into the table according to their wealth (richest first), then add their net worth, their type
of business and their nationality.
Scan the article to find the information you need to complete the table.
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type of business
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worth (in US dollars)
CA
name
103
The richest person in the world
Level 3
Advanced
4 Language: Question-building
1.
Match the words to make collocations (word pairs) from the article.
1.
net a.
status
2.
developing b.
developers
3.
share c.
crisis
4.
annual d.
worth
5.
financial e.
fame
6.
billionaire f.
world
7.
hedge g.
price
8.
global h.
list
9.
property i.
fund
2.
5
Is it possible to match the words differently to make new (strong) collocations?
Discussion
You have 50,000 US dollars to invest in a company with the aim of making as much money as possible
from your investment.
Which kind of company will you invest it in and why?
6
Webquest
Go to http://www.forbes.com/lists/
What other lists can you find on the website?
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Choose one and give a two-minute presentation about it.
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Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
4 Language: Collocations
1.
2.
1.
c
b
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
entrepreneurs
monopolist
prosper
magnate
upsurge
affluent
lucrative
conglomerate
commodities
tycoon
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
d
f
g
h
c
a
i
e
b
2.
Possible answers:
global crisis
financial world
annual price
worth (in US dollars)
type of business
nationality
Carlos Slim
53.5 bn
mobile phones
Mexican
Bill Gates
53 bn
Microsoft
American
Warren Buffett
47 bn
investor
American
Mukesh Ambani
29 bn
textiles to petrol
Indian
Eike Batista
27 bn
gold, oil and diamonds
Brazilian
Duke of Westminster
12 bn
landowner
British
Alisher Usmanov
7.2 bn
metals
Russian
Wu Yajun
3.9 bn
property
Chinese
Robin Li
3.5 bn
internet search engine
Chinese
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N
name
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3 Find the information
105
Oscars 2010: underdog The Hurt Locker beats Avatar
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using the words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
contender
nominee
underdog
masterly
snubbed
glitz
razzmatazz
nail-biter
harrowing
disparity
1.
If a competition is described as a ____________, it is very exciting and the outcome is in doubt until the very
end. (para 1)
2.
A ____________ is someone who competes with others for a prize or a job. (para 1)
3.
If there is a ____________ between two things, there is a difference between them. (para 1)
4.
An ____________ is a person or team that seems least likely to win a competition. (para 2)
5.
If a performance is described as ____________, it is done in an extremely skilful and clever way. (para 5)
6.
If something is described as ____________, it is extremely worrying, upsetting or frightening. (para 7)
7.
If you are ____________, you are ignored and feel insulted as a result. (para 8)
8.
____________ is a special quality that makes something seem very exciting and attractive although it has no
real value. (para 9)
9.
____________ is a lot of lively and noisy activity that is intended to be impressive and exciting. (para 9)
10. A ____________ is someone who has been officially suggested for a position or prize. (para 9)
2
What do you know?
Avatar won more Oscars than any other film this year.
3.
Jeff Bridges won the Oscar for best actor.
4.
Helen Mirren won the Oscar for best actress.
5.
Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds was nominated for eight awards.
6.
Oscar winners’ acceptance speeches could not be more than 30 seconds long.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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Before this year, no woman had ever won the Oscar for best director.
CA
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Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
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Oscars 2010: underdog Hurt Locker
trounces Avatar
3 “It’s the moment of a lifetime,” she said after
being handed the best director prize by Barbra
Streisand, who had herself been the first woman
to win a directing Golden Globe, for Yentl in
1984. Bigelow dedicated the award to the people
of Jordan, where the film was shot, and to the
“women and men in the military who risk their
lives on a daily basis – may they come home
safe”. In her speech accepting the best picture
award, presented by Tom Hanks, Bigelow
extended this to all servicemen and women
around the world. The film also took Oscars for
original screenplay, film editing, sound editing
and sound mixing.
4 Best actor went, predictably, to Jeff Bridges
for his role as a washed-up country singer in
Crazy Heart. The star looked comfortable as he
ambled onstage and his standing ovation was
affectionate and deserved. The reception given
to Sandra Bullock, who won the best actress
award for her role in The Blind Side, felt slightly
less so. Despite British presence in the category,
6
Also unsurprisingly, the best supporting actress
award went to Mo’Nique, who plays an abusive
mother in Precious. On the red carpet outside the
Kodak Theatre, she had been as relaxed about
the possibility of a victory as only the favourite
could be, “A win is when someone says [their] life
is different because of Precious,” she said.
7
It wasn’t the harrowing film’s only honour of
the evening – there was a surprise in the best
adapted screenplay category when Geoffrey
Fletcher won it in front of An Education’s Nick
Hornby and Armando Iannucci’s In the Loop
team. No one was more surprised, it seemed,
than Fletcher himself, who struggled through
his 45-second address, choked with emotion. “I
wrote that speech for him,” boasted host Steve
Martin directly afterwards.
8
It was a disappointing night for the Brits,
especially in the light of last year’s Slumdog
Millionaire triumph. There was nothing for Colin
Firth, Mulligan, Mirren, Hornby or Iannucci. Also
snubbed were the critics’ favourites The White
Ribbon and A Prophet, which lost out to the
Argentinian film The Secret in Their Eyes. But
then, when it comes to best foreign language
film, the Academy has a history of singing to its
own tune.
9
And, while the ceremony itself began with a
song-and-dance number by TV’s Neil Patrick
Harris and a group of dancers full of glitz, the
evening was short of real razzmatazz. Though
winners’ acceptance speeches were limited to
45 seconds, it was still a long evening, perhaps
a product of the Academy’s decision to increase
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Oscars 2010: underdog The Hurt Locker beats Avatar / Advanced
O
2 But, in the end, the underdog momentum
gathered by The Hurt Locker was just too much
for even the mighty Avatar to withstand, despite
a possible lawsuit in the offing over the film’s
authorship. The film took six awards, including
both best director – making Bigelow the first
woman ever to win the award – and best picture,
collecting them in such swift succession that
Bigelow was left literally breathless.
As expected, the best supporting actor
award went to Christoph Waltz, who has so
far won every award going in the category
for his masterly performance in Inglourious
Basterds. But it must have been a blow to
Quentin Tarantino that this was the only one
of the film’s eight nominations that bore fruit
(James Cameron’s Avatar – nominated in nine
categories – did at least go home with three: for
art direction, cinematography and visual effects).
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1 For once, the Oscars were a genuine nail-biter.
Right through to the final reel, it was too close to
call between the David and Goliath of this year’s
contenders: Avatar, James Cameron’s 3D space
opera, and The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow’s
low-budget drama about a squad of US bomb
disposal experts working in Iraq. The fact that
Bigelow and Cameron were once married merely
heightened the drama, as did the huge disparity
in their box-office takes (with over $2.6bn, Avatar
is the biggest film of all time; The Hurt Locker
has just topped $21m).
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Catherine Shoard
8 March, 2010
including Carey Mulligan for An Education and
Helen Mirren for The Last Station, it was a
relatively weak year.
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Oscars 2010: underdog The Hurt Locker beats Avatar
Level 3
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the number of best picture nominees from five to
ten. This meant much of the ceremony’s running
time was devoted to stars introducing clips from
the contenders and, after their opening routine
was complete, surprisingly little time was left to
the two hosts.
10 In awarding the first-ever best director Oscar to
a woman, and the first screenwriting award to
an African-American, this was a night of genuine
progress and optimism for Hollywood. But the
revolution has rarely felt so predictable.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 08/03/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
What possible problem does the film The Hurt Locker face?
a. It has only taken $21m at the box office.
b. It faces a lawsuit over its authorship.
c. It faces a claim for compensation from actors who risked their lives when filming it.
2.
Why was the sense of drama heightened at this year’s Oscar ceremony?
a. Because everyone expected Avatar to win.
b. Because the directors of Avatar and The Hurt Locker used to be husband and wife.
c. Because there was a lot of glitz this time.
3.
Who did Kathryn Bigelow dedicate her award to?
a. the men and women who helped her make the film
b. people serving in the military around the world
c. her ex-husband
4.
Why was it such a long evening?
a. Because there were ten nominees for best picture instead of the usual five.
b. Because all the winners had 45 seconds to make their acceptance speeches.
c. Because the two hosts spent a lot of time cracking jokes.
4
Find the word
Find the words and phrases in the text.
a three-word expression meaning happening very soon after each other (para 2)
4.
a two-word adjective used to describe someone who will never be popular or successful again (para 4)
5.
a verb meaning to walk in a slow, relaxed way (para 4)
6.
a two-word expression meaning a situation where the people in the audience stand and clap to show how
much they enjoyed something (para 4)
7.
a two-word expression meaning to have a successful result (para 5)
8.
a three-word expression meaning so sad, angry or excited that you find it difficult to speak (para 7)
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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a three-word expression meaning likely to happen very soon (para 2)
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1. a four-word expression used to describe a situation when no one knows who the winner will be because the
contenders are equally as good as each other (para 1)
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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
phrases from the text.
1.
risk
a.
time to something
2.
shoot
b.
an award
3.
win
c.
a speech
4.
bear
d.
one’s life
5.
write
e.
fruit
6.
devote
f.
a film
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
The best actor award was won, ____________, by Jeff Bridges. [PREDICT]
2.
The drama was ____________ by the fact that Bigelow and Cameron used to be married. [HEIGHT]
3.
It was a ____________ weak year for the Brits. [RELATIVE]
4.
Mo’Nique won the best ____________ actress award. [SUPPORT]
5.
The awards followed each other so quickly that Bigelow was left ____________. [BREATH]
6.
____________, the best supporting actor award went to Christoph Waltz. [SURPRISE]
7
Discussion
“The Oscars are a complete waste of time and money. They are just an excuse for so-called stars to
show off.”
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Do you agree with this statement? Why? Why not?
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KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
T
F
T
F
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
b
b
a
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
d
f
b
e
c
a
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
predictably
heightened
relatively
supporting
breathless
unsurprisingly
O
H
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NEWS LESSONS / Oscars 2010: underdog The Hurt Locker beats Avatar / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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2 What do you know?
too close to call
in the offing
in swift succession
washed-up
amble
standing ovation
bear fruit
choked with emotion
N
nail-biter
contender
disparity
underdog
masterly
harrowing
snubbed
glitz
razzmatazz
nominee
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The Pei master
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
1.
How many architects can you name?
2.
What do you know about the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France?
2
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps.
side with
lobby
controversy
idiosyncrasy
mature
detractor
cliff dwelling
shrine
the ancients
commission
1.
people who lived very long ago _______________
3.
a religious place built to remember someone _______________
4.
a place to live which is the steep side of an area of high land _______________
5.
a request for someone such as an artist or writer to produce a piece of work for someone in exchange for
payment _______________
6.
The _______________ work of an artist, writer, etc. is produced when they are no longer young and have
developed their skill to a high level.
7.
the area just inside the entrance to a hotel, theatre, or other large building _______________
8.
to agree with a particular person or group and support them in an argument _______________
9.
a disagreement, especially about a public policy or a moral issue that a lot of people have strong feelings
about _______________
10. someone who publicly criticizes someone or something _______________
11. an unusual or strange way of behaving, particular to one person _______________
3
Find the information
Scan the article to find the answers to the questions.
1.
Where and when was I. M. Pei born?
2.
Which country did he become a citizen of and why?
3.
What gave him his early and most important inspiration?
4.
What did he write an article against and where was the article published?
5.
What does he say about architecture and the speed of modern life?
6.
Name buildings Pei designed in:
a. the USA.
b. China.
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c. France.
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The Pei master
2 Impeccably mannered and quietly spoken, Pei,
now 92, has walked an architectural tightrope
for half a century. Marrying ancient and modern,
he has created buildings as influential as the
trapezoid-shaped east wing of Washington’s
National Gallery of Art, as ambitious as the Bank
of China’s soaring headquarters in Hong Kong
and as controversial as the Louvre Pyramid
in Paris. He has won pretty much every prize
his profession has to offer; last month he was
presented with the prestigious royal gold medal
for architecture, a gift of the Queen, presented
by the Royal Institute for British Architects. “A
wonderful honour,” he says, “for someone who
hasn’t really built here.”
3 Born in Canton, south-east China, in 1917, Pei is
the son of a banker and an artistic mother, who
would take him to see dreamy Chinese gardens
and mountainside shrines. “These have always
been the most important inspiration to me as
an architect,” says Pei. “I have never forgotten
those gardens: wonderful marriages of
man-made and natural design.”
6
Pei was 50 when the labs opened; architecture,
as he says, shouldn’t be hurried. “As a young
man, of course, I had been looking for something
new, even revolutionary. But, after some years,
I began to think differently. I became interested
in a modern architecture that made connections
to place, history and nature. Modern architecture
needed to be part of an evolutionary, not a
revolutionary, process.”
7
Pei went from strength to strength with
commissions for Washington’s National Gallery
of Art and the John F. Kennedy Presidential
Library and Museum in Boston. The former
exhibits the powerful, elemental forms that
characterize his mature work; the mere fact
of being commissioned for the latter shows
Pei’s standing in his adopted country. His most
charismatic work, though, was commissioned far
from America. Twenty years ago, Pei unveiled
two of his finest buildings: the Bank of China
Tower in Hong Kong and the underground
lobbies of the Louvre in Paris capped with his
famous (some might say infamous) pyramid.
8
The tower is one of the most exciting and
elegant of all recent skyscrapers. Intended as
a symbol of the new, ultra-capitalist People’s
Republic, the building was a special one for the
architect. His father had worked for the Bank
of China long before it was taken into state
control, while Pei had long sided with Chinese
nationalists rather than Mao’s communists.
Shortly before the opening of the tower, Pei
wrote a powerful editorial for the New York
Times condemning the Tiananmen Square
massacre of 1989, which he saw as a sign that
the image China wanted to project to the world
– partly through his cool, modern tower – was
drastically out of step with the reality of life for
the country’s people.
9
The Louvre Pyramid stirred even deeper
emotions and huge controversy. Commissioned
4 Pei studied under Walter Gropius and Marcel
Breuer in the US. His intention had been to
return to China, but war broke out and he stayed
on to become a US citizen, setting up his own
practice in 1960.
5 Pei’s reputation was made with the opening, in
1967, of his bold laboratories for the National
Centre for Atmospheric Research in Colorado.
Clad in local stone that goes from pink to
rose-red to ruddy brown with the passing sun,
these geometric labs look and feel like an
extension of the Rocky Mountains; yet they
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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1 “It is good to learn from the ancients,” says I. M.
Pei with a smile. “I’m a bit of an ancient myself.
They had a lot of time to think about architecture
and landscape. Today, we rush everything, but
architecture is slow, and the landscapes it sits
in even slower. It needs the time our political
systems won’t allow.”
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Jonathan Glancey
28 February, 2010
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are defiantly man-made. Pei had looked for
inspiration locally. “I visited the nearby Indian
pueblos,” he says, referring to the 13th-century
Native American cliff dwellings, “and absorbed
their forms and structure.”
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as one of President Mitterrand’s grands projets
in 1985, this ingenious structure – at once
ethereal and crystalline, ancient and modern
– has slowly won over most of its detractors.
The tip of an architectural iceberg, it forms
the entrance to the cavernous Pei-designed
lobbies below. “I hoped the controversy would
die down quickly,” says Pei. “Perhaps I was a
little optimistic. But, you know, the choice of the
pyramid was not some personal idiosyncrasy.
Paris is a city of pyramids, from the time when
Napoleon [after whom the court the pyramid
rises from is named] became fascinated by
Egyptian architecture, after his military campaign
along the Nile.”
“You know, the first decent building I did with my
own practice was a chapel in Taiwan.” This was
the Luce Memorial Chapel. Designed in 1954
and completed nine years later, it’s a stunning,
tent-like concrete structure with overlapping
roofs that look like stylized leaves falling from the
canopy of some sacred grove.
11 “I think I must be coming full circle,” says Pei.
Perhaps he is. From a Christian chapel in Taiwan
to a Shinto temple in Japan, via some of the
most impressive and – albeit unintentionally –
controversial buildings of the past 50 years,
Pei has met the challenges of architecture at
all levels.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
10 Today, steering well away from controversy, Pei
is working quietly on a Shinto temple in Kyoto.
First published in The Guardian, 28/02/10
4 Language: Adjectives
What are these adjectives used to describe in the article? Add them to the appropriate word circles below.
influential
revolutionary
ambitious
artistic
exciting
bold
stunning
controversial
evolutionary
modern
elegant
ingenious
ancient
cavernous
people
Find other adjectives in the article and add them to the word circles (make new word circles
if necessary).
3.
Use some of the adjectives in sentences of your own.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The Pei master / Advanced
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architecture
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buildings
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Discussion
Describe and discuss buildings which you particularly like (or dislike):
1.
2.
6
in your town.
around the world.
Webquest
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Research the internet to find images of the buildings and structures mentioned in the article.
Refer back to the adjectives that were used to describe them. Do the buildings look as you had imagined
them to look when you were reading the article?
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Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
3 Find the information
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
(possible answers)
Mies van der Rohr, Le Corbusier, Sir Norman Foster, Frank Lloyd Wright, James Stirling,
Antonio Gaudi, I. M. Pei, etc.
Teacher’s notes:
A list plus biographical details of famous architects
(including Ieoh Ming Pei) can be found on
http://architect.architecture.sk/
5.
6.
Amongst other things, students may mention that the
Louvre Pyramid features in the novel and film, The Da
Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. More information can be
found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre_Pyramid
Canton, south-east China, in 1917
the USA, because war broke out in China
Chinese gardens and mountainside shrines
the Tiananmen Square massacre, in the New
York Times
“Today, we rush everything, but architecture is slow,
and the landscapes it sits in even slower. It needs
the time our political systems won’t allow.”
the USA: the National Centre for Atmospheric
Research in Colorado, the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, the John F. Kennedy Presidential
Library and Museum in Boston
China: the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong
France: the Louvre Pyramid in Paris
4 Language: Adjectives
the ancients
shrine
cliff dwelling
commission
mature
lobby
side with
controversy
detractor
idiosyncrasy
buildings:
influential, ambitious, exciting, bold, stunning, controversial, modern, elegant, ingenious, ancient, cavernous
architecture:
revolutionary, evolutionary
people:
artistic
O
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T
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
N
2 Key words
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How doctors helped man in ‘vegetative state’ communicate
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using the words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1.
traumatic
vegetative
spatial
inert
stunning
neurology
cognitive
misdiagnosis
intact
scan
A _______________ injury is a very serious one.
2. A person in a _______________ state shows no sign of brain activity.
3. _______________ awareness is an ability to understand size, shape, position and depth, and the relation of
objects to each other in space.
4. A _______________ is a medical test that uses special equipment to produce a picture of the inside of your body.
5. A _______________ is an incorrect assessment of what illness someone has.
6. If something is _______________, it is not harmed, damaged or lacking any parts as a result of something that
has happened.
7. A _______________ process is one that is connected with recognizing and understanding things.
8. _______________ means not moving at all.
9. _______________ is the study of the nervous system and the diseases that affect it.
10. If something is described as _______________, it is extremely surprising or impressive.
2
What do you know?
Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
1. Scientists have discovered a way to communicate with some patients classified as in a ‘vegetative state’.
2. Thinking of playing tennis creates activity in the part of the brain governing spatial awareness.
3. Thinking of wandering from room to room in your house is a motor activity.
4. Almost three quarters of patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state are later found to be able to communicate in some way.
5. To answer the doctors’ questions, the patient has to be able to understand instructions and have a
functioning memory.
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6. Some computerized devices are now powered by thought waves.
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Think tennis for yes, home for no: how
doctors helped man in ‘vegetative state’
6
The British and Belgian teams studied 23
patients classified as in a ‘vegetative state’ and
found that four were able to generate thoughts of
tennis or their homes and create mind patterns
that could be read by an fMRI (functional
magnetic resonance imaging) scanner –
although only one was asked specific questions.
Owen said that misdiagnosis of vegetative
state was fairly common: in about 40% of
cases people are later found to be able to
communicate in some way. He said he believed
that the patients who responded in the study
were probably “perfectly consciously aware”,
although he knew others would disagree. “To be
able to do what we have asked, you have got to
be able to understand instructions, you have to
have a functioning memory to remember what
tennis is and you have to have your attention
intact. I can’t think of what cognitive functions
they haven’t got if they can do this,” he said.
7
When it was suggested that to be conscious but
trapped in an inert body might be a worse fate
than to know nothing, Owen said, “On the plus
side we are making enormous advances. Things
have changed so much in the last few years.”
Owen was speaking from Austria, where he had
travelled for a conference on the latest in brainoperated technology – computerized devices
powered by thought – which is attracting interest,
including from the games industry. “Perhaps
some of these patients could benefit from some
of these activities,” he said. In the meantime,
doctors will at least be able to ask patients if they
are experiencing pain.
8
The paper, published in the New England
Journal of Medicine, generated immediate
excitement. “These findings have broad
implications, not just for concerns about the
2 They devised a technique to enable the man,
now 29, to answer ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to simple
questions through the use of a high tech
scanner, monitoring his brain activity. To answer
‘yes’, he was told to think of playing tennis, a
motor activity. To answer ‘no’, he was told to
think of wandering from room to room in his
home, visualizing everything he would expect to
see there, creating activity in the part of the brain
governing spatial awareness.
3 His doctors were amazed when the patient gave
the correct answers to a series of questions
about his family. The experiment will fuel the
controversy of when a patient should have life
support removed. It also raises the prospect of
some form of communication with those who
have been shut off from life, perhaps for years.
4 “We were astonished when we saw the results
of the patient’s scan and that he was able to
correctly answer the questions that were asked
by simply changing his thoughts,” said Dr
Adrian Owen, assistant director of the Medical
Research Council’s cognition and brain sciences
unit at Cambridge University. “Not only did
these scans tell us that the patient was not in a
vegetative state but, more importantly, for the
first time in five years it provided the patient
with a way of communicating his thoughts to
the outside world.” Dr Steven Laureys, from the
University of Liège in Belgium and co-author of
the paper on the patient, said, “It’s early days but
in the future we hope to develop this technique
to allow some patients to express their feelings
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / How doctors helped man in ‘vegetative state’ communicate / Advanced
O
The patient has not been identified but his family
was said to have been happy with the outcome.
“That’s not unusual,” said Owen. “The worst thing
in this sort of situation is not knowing.” He said that
as many as one in five patients in a ‘vegetative
state’ may have a fully functioning mind.
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1 For seven years the man lay in a hospital
bed, showing no signs of consciousness
since sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a
car accident. His doctors were convinced he
was in a vegetative state. Until now. To the
astonishment of his medical team, the patient
has been able to communicate with the outside
world after scientists worked out, in effect, a way
to read his thoughts.
5
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Sarah Boseley
3 February, 2010
and thoughts, control their environment and
increase their quality of life.”
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accurate assessment of vast numbers of
patients in custodial care situations but in the
context of any clinical encounter where we
currently rely on behavioural assessment alone
to identify consciousness,” said Dr Nicholas D.
Schiff, associate professor of neurology and
neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College
in New York.
9 He called for urgent efforts to identify and
help such patients. “The most important
question left unanswered by these findings is
what mechanism accounts for the stunning
dissociation of behaviour and integrative brain
function. I think we can be sure that as the
biological answers underlying this question
become clearer, this will have a profound impact
across medicine.”
10 Professor Chris Frith, of University College
London, said Owen and his colleagues had
opened the way to communicating with patients
in a ‘vegetative state’. “It is difficult to imagine
a worse experience than to be a functioning
mind trapped in a body over which you have
absolutely no control,” he said. “Obviously, more
technical development is required but we now
have the distinct possibility that, in the future,
thanks to Owen and colleagues’ work we will be
able to detect cases of other patients who are
conscious and what’s more, we will be able to
communicate with them.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 03/02/2010
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
How did the doctors manage to communicate with the patient?
a. They asked him to play tennis and wander from room to room in his home.
b. They used a scanner to produce images of his brain.
c. They monitored his reactions to instructions using a brain scanner.
2.
What are the potential benefits of this technique for patients thought to be in a vegetative state?
a. They will regain consciousness.
b. They will be able to express their feelings, control their environment and improve their quality of life.
c. They will be able to talk to their doctors.
3.
How did the doctors react when the patient was able to answer their questions.
a. They were astonished.
b. They were cautious.
c. They were delighted.
4.
What key question remains unanswered after this research?
a. How patients in a vegetative state answer questions.
b. What mechanism is the cause of the dissociation between behaviour and brain function.
c. How long it will take before this technique becomes a widely applied medical procedure.
O
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Level 3
4
Advanced
Find the word
Find the words and phrases in the text.
1. a two-word expression used to give a summary of what you think the situation really is (para 1)
2. a noun meaning a disagreement about a moral issue that a lot of people have strong feelings about (para 3)
3. a noun meaning the final result of a process (para 5)
4. a four-word expression meaning the advantages are (para 7)
5. a noun meaning possible effects or results (para 8)
6. an adjective meaning relating to the legal right to take care of someone, especially a child (para 8)
7. an adjective meaning very great (para 9)
8. a four-word expression meaning to make it possible for something to happen (para 10)
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 expressions from the text.
1. experience
a.
the prospect
2. sustain
b.
controversy
3. raise
c.
one’s thoughts
4. devise
d.
pain
5. communicate
e.
excitement
6. generate
f.
an impact
7. have
g.
an injury
8. fuel
h.
a technique
6
Word building
Complete the sentences by filling the gaps with the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of
each sentence.
1. One in five patients in a ‘vegetative state’ may have a fully _______________ mind. [FUNCTION]
2. The accurate _______________ of patients in a ‘vegetative state’ is extremely important. [ASSESS]
3. More technical _______________ is required. [DEVELOP]
4. To the _______________ of the medical team, the patient was able to communicate. [ASTONISH]
5. More _______________, it provided the patient with a way of communicating his thoughts. [IMPORTANT]
6. In the future, some _______________ devices may be powered by thought. [COMPUTER]
7
Discussion
H
NEWS LESSONS / How doctors helped man in ‘vegetative state’ communicate / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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 •
In the light of the results of this experiment, is it ever right to switch off the life support of a patient in a
vegetative state? Why? Why not?
119
How doctors helped man in ‘vegetative state’ communicate
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
F
F
T
F
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
d
g
a
h
c
e
f
b
3 Comprehension check
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
c
b
a
b
functioning
assessment
development
astonishment
importantly
computerized
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / How doctors helped man in ‘vegetative state’ communicate / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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?
in effect
controversy
outcome
on the plus side
implications
custodial care
profound
open the way to
N
traumatic
vegetative
spatial
scan
misdiagnosis
intact
cognitive
inert
neurology
stunning
120
South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you.
transition
euphoria
bitter-sweet
squalid
rife
warder
veteran
mundane
tarnished
astounded
1.
A period of ____________ is the process of changing from one situation, form or state to another. (para 1)
2.
If you are ____________, you are extremely surprised and shocked. (para 3)
3.
A ____________ is someone whose job is to guard prisoners in a prison. (para 3)
4.
A ____________ occasion is one on which you feel happiness and sadness at the same time. (para 4)
5.
____________ is a feeling of great happiness that usually lasts for a short time only. (para 4)
6.
If something is described as ____________, people have a worse opinion of it than they did before. (para 4)
7.
If something bad or unpleasant is ____________, there is a lot of it. (para 5)
8.
A place that is ____________ is dirty and unpleasant. (para 5)
9.
A ____________ is someone who was in the armed forces, especially during a war. (para 7)
10. If something is described as ____________, it is ordinary and not interesting or exciting, especially because it
happens too regularly. (para 10)
2
What do you know?
He spent more than 30 years in prison.
3.
Mandela was South Africa’s first black president.
4.
South Africa is not a democracy.
5.
Jacob Zuma is the third president in the post-apartheid age in South Africa.
6.
South Africa is the first African country to host the football World Cup.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced
O
2.
•P
H
Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990.
CA
1.
N T
O
FR BE C
O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
121
South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Advanced
South Africa celebrates 20 years of
freedom for Nelson Mandela
5
Optimists say South Africa is a stable democracy
with a strong liberal constitution, has the
continent’s biggest economy, is about to become
the first African nation to host the football World
Cup, and has witnessed a healing of race
relations unthinkable in the 80s. Pessimists
argue it is the most unequal society in the world,
with about one in four people unemployed,
violent crime and political corruption rife and
the majority of black people living in squalid
townships or settlements little different from two
decades ago.
6
Professor Jonathan Jansen, the first black rector
of the historically white Free State university,
said, “It’s going to take a Mandela II if we’re
going to claw our way out of this moral crisis.
Race relations are on a knife-edge. The modern
state is founded on a spirit of reconciliation,
but the longer the inequalities exist, the more
desperate people become and the greater the
risk of a crack in race relations.”
7
Some veterans of the struggle have a profound
sense of disappointment. Professor Willie
Esterhuyse, an Afrikaner academic who liaised
between de Klerk’s government and the ANC
in the run-up to the end of apartheid, said,
“Mandela captured the hopes of whites and
blacks. But that hope did not really materialize
because the problems were too big. The
socioeconomic issues were just ghastly to deal
with in a 10- or 20-year timespan. When the
management of these problems didn’t make the
grade, they worsened.”
8
He added, “We should be thankful on this
anniversary but I don’t think we should rejoice
too much. There’s no way we can say it’s all
2 Mandela himself was not present, but made a
rare public appearance in parliament later the
same day to hear the fourth post-apartheid
president, Jacob Zuma, deliver a state of the
nation address. The prison where Mandela spent
his last months in captivity was yesterday named
a memorial site by South Africa’s National
Heritage Council.
3 Mandela’s release followed years of political
pressure against apartheid. President F. W. de
Klerk signalled it was imminent in a dramatic
address to parliament on 2 February, 1990.
Nine days later, Mandela walked through the
prison gates holding his wife Winnie’s hand
with his right fist raised. A huge crowd awaited
him. “I was astounded and a little bit alarmed,”
he recalled later. “I truly had not expected such
a scene. At most, I had imagined there would
be several dozen people, mainly the warders
and their families. But this proved to be only the
beginning.” The Mandelas climbed into a silver
Toyota Cressida and were driven to the centre of
Cape Town to address a huge crowd outside city
hall. Mandela pulled out his speech and realized
he had forgotten his glasses, but Winnie gave
him hers.
4 The 20th anniversary of South Africa’s equivalent
of the fall of the Berlin Wall has focused a debate
on whether the promise of that euphoric day has
been fulfilled. Andrew Feinstein, a former African
National Congress MP who resigned in protest
over alleged government corruption, said, “My
overwhelming sense when I look at South
Africa today is just how far we as the ANC and
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced
O
1 Thousands of people gathered near Cape
Town in South Africa to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release. It was
the centrepiece of commemorations to mark
the moment that Mandela emerged after 27
years behind bars, ushering in a transition from
apartheid to multiracial democracy and his rise
to become the country’s first black president.
•P
H
David Smith in Johannesburg
11 February, 2010
N T
O
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O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
South Africa have fallen from the heady days
of Mandela’s years in office. It was an inspiring
example of occupying the moral high ground.
That’s now gone and I suppose I look at it with
a sense of sadness. This anniversary is
bitter-sweet. When one looks at the personal
morality of the current leadership, the level of
corruption, the delays in meaningful delivery
of basic services, you feel the euphoria of the
triumph over apartheid does feel tarnished.”
CA
Level 3
122
South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 3
Advanced
wonderful songs. We can reflect on what we’ve
achieved but then let’s see if we can fix the
problems we’ve created, because we’ve created
some really serious political problems.”
9 Whereas Mandela remains a quasi-saint to
most South Africans, Zuma is facing the biggest
crisis of his presidency after being forced to
apologize for an adulterous relationship in
which he fathered his 20th child. But the fact
that sex scandals dominate the headlines could
suggest that the country bears an increasing
resemblance to its western counterparts.
10 Frans Cronje, deputy director of the South
African Institute of Race Relations, said, “We’ve
all realized to a lesser or greater extent that
South Africa is in fact just another normal
society. Its problems are increasingly mundane.
International attention has gone to other issues:
the Middle East and, from time to time, other
crises like Haiti. South Africans have been left to
get on with it.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 11/02/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
What is the optimistic view of South Africa?
a. It has a strong, liberal government.
b. It is a racially harmonious society.
c. It is a stable country with the biggest economy in Africa.
2.
What is the pessimistic view of South Africa?
a. Most people are unemployed.
b. It is the most unequal society in the world.
c. It is the most violent country in the world.
3.
What do most South Africans think of Nelson Mandela?
a. He is almost a saint.
b. He is responsible for the problems of the country today.
c. He no longer occupies the moral high ground.
4.
How is South Africa “just another normal society”?
a. Sex scandals dominate the newspaper headlines.
b. The country bears an increasing resemblance to its western counterparts.
c. Its problems are increasingly mundane. 4
Find the word
an adjective meaning much larger, stronger or more important than anything else in a situation (para 4)
3.
an adjective meaning very exciting and making you feel you can achieve anything you want (para 4)
4.
an adjective meaning impossible to imagine (para 5)
5.
a five-word expression meaning to reach a particular place, state or situation as a result of great effort or
despite great difficulties or opposition (para 6)
6.
a four-word expression meaning in a situation where success and failure are equally likely (para 6)
7.
a noun meaning a new and friendly relationship with someone you argued with or fought with (para 6)
8.
an adjective meaning shocking in a way that frightens or upsets you (para 7)
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced
O
2.
•P
H
a two-word phrasal verb used mainly in journalism meaning to make a process or activity begin (para 1)
CA
1.
N 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 following words and phrases in the text.
123
South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 3
5
Advanced
Verb + noun collocations
Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns or noun phrases in the right-hand column.
1.
occupy
a.
a resemblance to
2.
fulfil
b.
the moral high ground
3.
host
c.
a promise
4.
deal with
d.
the grade
5.
make
e.
issues
6.
bear
f.
a sporting event
6
Word building
Complete the sentences by filling the gaps with the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of
each sentence.
1.
There have been delays in the ____________ delivery of basic services. [MEAN]
2.
The healing of race relations that has occurred in South Africa was ____________ in the 1980s. [THINK]
3.
The modern state is founded on a spirit of ____________. [RECONCILE]
4.
Some of the problems have ____________. [WORSE]
5.
President Zuma has apologized for an ____________ relationship. [ADULTERY]
6.
South Africa bears an increasing ____________ to its western counterparts. [RESEMBLE]
7
Discussion
H
NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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 you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of South Africa? Why?
124
South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
T
F
F
T
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
c
b
a
c
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
b
c
f
e
d
a
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
meaningful
unthinkable
reconciliation
worsened
adulterous
resemblance
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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?
usher in
overwhelming
heady
unthinkable
claw your way out of
on a knife-edge
reconciliation
ghastly
N
transition
astounded
warder
bitter-sweet
euphoria
tarnished
rife
squalid
veteran
mundane
125
Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3
1
a.
Advanced
Warmer
Name as many fast food outlets as you can in one minute. Please write your answers inside the burger.
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
b.
How many of these restaurants sell burgers and fries?
c.
How many of them sell salads and other healthy options?
2
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
outlets
sceptical
fertile
emerging
diversified
philosophy
opting for
diners
suing
franchisees
1.
___________________ are people or companies that have the license to sell a particular type of goods or
services. (para 1)
2.
A ___________________ is a system of beliefs that influences someone’s decisions and behaviour. (para 1)
3.
___________________ are people who are eating a meal at a restaurant. (para 3)
4.
When you are ___________________ something, you are making a choice or decision from a range of
possibilities. (para 4)
5.
When you are ___________________ someone, you are making a legal claim against them, usually to get
money from them because they have done something bad to you. (para 4)
6.
If a company has ___________________, it has developed new products or activities in addition to the ones
already provided. (para 5)
7.
___________________ are shops or places where a particular product is sold. (para 5)
8.
Someone who is ___________________ has doubts about something that other people think is true or right.
(para 8)
9.
A ___________________ market is one that is able to produce good results. (para 8)
O
•P
H
NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N T
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O DO O
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EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
10. An ___________________ market is one that is just beginning or starting to become noticed. (para 10)
126
Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Advanced
Burger King sales fall again
7
The picture is better in Britain, which has been
among the few bright spots for Burger King.
Faced with weak sales back in 2006, Burger
King invested $3m to “fortify” its UK operation
and a marketing push has since paid off. A
spokesman said new products such as Angus
Burgers and the spiced-up Angry Whopper have
played well, “Comparable sales trends have
been favourable even amidst these difficult
economic times as consumers continue to seek
our quality affordable food offerings.”
8
But on Wall Street, Burger King has been losing
support from investors since a profits warning
last April. “There’s a lot of discontent, a lot of
sceptical investors out there,” said Steve West,
a restaurants analyst, who points out that the US
ought to be a fertile market. “Americans, at the
peak of the boom in 2006, spent almost half of
their food dollars in restaurants. We’re lazy, we
don’t know how to cook. We eat out a lot.”
9
In an effort to improve sales, Burger King has
used a grinning, crowned character called ‘the
King’ in its adverts. But the Wall Street Journal
remarked this week that while some people
found this “cool”, others thought it “creepy”.
1 The world’s second-largest hamburger chain,
Burger King, is struggling to control a seemingly
unstoppable erosion in sales and is under fire
over an unimaginative menu, conflicts with
franchisees and a ‘narrow philosophy’ of sticking
to flame-grilled meat sandwiches and fries.
4 Faced with tough economic conditions, Burger
King has opted for value. In Britain, it offers
cheeseburger meals for £1.99 while in the US
it has been selling double cheeseburgers for
$1 each – a strategy that has infuriated Burger
King franchisees who are suing the corporation
for forcing them to sell burgers at a loss.
The National Franchisee Association, which
represents 80% of the firm’s 850 US restaurant
owners, accused it of forcing price cuts ‘down
the system’s throat’.
5 And while McDonald’s has diversified into
salads, paninis and cappuccinos in the hope of
satisfying so-called ‘soccer moms’, the Burger
King menu remains firmly rooted in burgers,
fries and fizzy drinks. Rather than broadening
its customer base, Burger King has focused
on squeezing more out of the chain’s so-called
‘superfans’ who visit outlets more than nine
times each month.
6 “Burger King has adopted a narrow philosophy
while McDonald’s is going after everyone,” says
Ron Paul, president of a food industry consultancy,
Technomic. “I don’t think they’ve been as strong at
10 Burger King is also introducing a bold ‘industrial
look’ for its stores with corrugated metal, brick,
wood and concrete, flame chandeliers and
liquid crystal menus. As part of an effort to
tap emerging markets, the first Burger King in
Russia opened last month.
11 In a few locations, such as Miami’s South Beach,
Burger King has gone into the bar business by
offering beer alongside burgers. And it has made
some modest moves to provide healthier items
– Burger King added apple chunks to its US
children’s menu last year and introduced chicken
with lower sodium. But critics say these moves
are coming too late.
12 “Burger King aren’t really doing anything wrong,”
says Paul. “It’s more a matter that McDonald’s,
in particular, seems to be doing everything right.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 04/02/10
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
O
3 Its customers, particularly in the US, tend to
come from poorer economic groups, including
a large proportion of black or Hispanic diners,
who have been hit particularly badly by
unemployment. Burger King’s shares have
slumped by 19% over the last year, while
McDonald’s stock has surged by 12%.
N 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 While its larger rival, McDonald’s, has prospered
from families ‘trading down’ in the recession,
Burger King has been floundering. For the third
consecutive quarter, like-for-like sales in Burger
King’s 12,078 restaurants were down with a drop
of 2% globally and 3.3% in North America.
•P
H
Andrew Clark in New York
4 February, 2010
launching new products. They haven’t been able
to break into the breakfast market – McDonald’s,
kind of, owns the breakfast space.”
CA
Level 3
127
Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3
Advanced
3 Comprehension check
Choose the correct answer according to the information in the article.
1.
Burger King’s sales have ...
a. … fallen more in Europe than in the USA.
b. … fallen more in the USA than in Europe.
c. … fallen in Europe but remained steady in the USA.
2.
In the USA, many people who dine in fast food restaurants ...
a. … are unemployed.
b. … come from poorer economic groups.
c. … are immigrants.
3.
Burger King has been concentrating its sales drives on ...
a. … ‘soccer moms’.
b. … blacks and Hispanics.
c. … ‘superfans’.
4.
Burger King franchisees are angry because ...
a. … Burger King’s low prices are forcing them to sell burgers at a loss.
b. … McDonalds is forcing them out of the market.
c. … they have lost sales due to the recession.
5.
In Britain, Burger King has ...
a. … increased prices in an attempt to go up-market.
b. … broken into the breakfast market.
c. … launched new successful products.
6.
Burger King’s crowned character ‘the King’ has been ...
a. … a moderate success.
b. … scaring children away from restaurants.
c. … removed from its marketing campaigns.
4
Language: Opposites
Find words in the article that have the opposite meaning to those in the table.
+
-
positive
negative
prosper
slump
worse
dark
strong
unfavourable
unaffordable
loss
O
•P
H
NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
CA
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
N T
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D •
right
128
Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3
5
Advanced
Planning and presentation
You have been asked to suggest new products for Burger King in order to improve sales and increase
their customer base. Write your notes in the table below and then present your results, plus ideas for a
marketing concept, to the class.
product name
target customers
ingredients
packaging
price
1
2
3
4
6
Webquest
Compare Burger King’s ‘the King’ character with McDonald’s ‘Ronald McDonald’ character.
http://www.bk.com/en/us/company-info/index.html
http://www.ronald.com/
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd.html
H
NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
•P
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
CA O
N T
O
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O DO O
M W P
W N IA
EB LO B
SI A L
TE DE E
D •
What can you find out about the two companies’ business philosophies from their websites?
129
Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing?
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
2 Key words
franchisees
philosophy
diners
opting for
suing
diversified
outlets
sceptical
fertile
emerging
3 Comprehension check
-
negative
prosper
flounder
surge
slump
better
worse
bright
dark
strong
weak
favourable
unfavourable
affordable
unaffordable
profit
loss
right
wrong
b
b
c
a
c
a
O
H
•P
CA
NEWS LESSONS / Is Burger King’s fast food philosophy failing? / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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.
+
positive
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
4 Language: Opposites
130
The boy who paints like an old master
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Write the words from the text into the gaps. The paragraph numbers will help you find the right words.
1.
A ___________________ is a stick of colour used for making drawings. (para 1)
2.
An ___________________ painting is one that is very expressive. The word is normally used to describe
someone’s language as being clear and effective. (para 1)
3.
If children are described as ___________________, they behave in a more developed way than one would
expect for their age. (para 4)
4.
A ___________________ is a child who is extremely skilful at something that usually only adults can do. (two
words, para 4)
5.
___________________ people are extremely determined to get what they want, even if it annoys other
people. (para 4)
6.
An ___________________ is someone who buys and sells works of art. (two words, para 4)
7.
A ___________________ person lacks experience of life and tends to believe things too easily. (para 7)
8.
A ___________________ is someone who always wants things to be done perfectly. (para 8)
9.
If you feel ___________________, you are annoyed and impatient because you are prevented from achieving
something. (para 8)
10. ___________________ is the material on which artists paint with oil paints. (para 8)
2
Find the information
How old is he?
3.
How quickly did his second exhibition of paintings sell out?
4.
How many people are on the waiting list to buy one of his paintings?
5.
How old was Kieron when he started painting?
6.
What does he want to be when he is older?
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The boy who paints like an old master / Advanced
O
2.
•P
H
What is Kieron Williamson very good at?
CA
1.
N T
O
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EB LO B
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D •
Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.
131
The boy who paints like an old master
Advanced
The boy who paints like an old master
occupation. Surrounded by paintings and, like
any small boy, probably influenced by his dad,
Kieron decided to take up drawing. Now, father
and son are learning about art together.
Patrick Barkham
29 December, 2009
4 From Jan Lievens to Millais, there have been
plenty of precocious geniuses in the art world.
Excitable press coverage has compared Kieron
to Picasso, who painted his first painting aged
eight, although Kieron says he would prefer to
be like Monet or Edward Seago. These days,
however, we are often suspicious of child
prodigies. We wonder whether their pushy
parents have put them under pressure. People
who don’t know the Williamsons might think
Kieron is being cleverly marketed, particularly
when they hear that Keith is now an art dealer.
5 The truth is far more innocent. Two years ago, a
serious accident had forced Keith to stop work
and turn his hobby – collecting art – into an
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The boy who paints like an old master / Advanced
7
Garner, a professional artist, has taught more
than 1,000 adults over the last few decades and
says that Kieron is head and shoulders above
everyone. “He doesn’t say very much, he doesn’t
ask very much, he just looks. He’s a very visual
learner. If I do a picture with most students, they
will copy it but Kieron is different. He will copy
it and then he will make it his own,” he says. “It
might be a bit naive at the moment but there’s a
lovely freshness about what he does.”
8
Keith and Michelle are extremely proud and
protective of their son. They insist that Kieron
only paints when he wants to. He does about
six paintings a week. He’s a bit of a perfectionist
and gets really frustrated if it doesn’t work out.
He punched a hole in the canvas once.
9
What do his school friends think? Are they
impressed? “Yep.” A few moments later, Kieron
pauses. “I am also top of the class in maths,
English, geography and science,” he says,
carefully rubbing the sky in his picture. What
does he think about people spending so much
money on his paintings? “Really good.” Would
he like to be a professional painter? “Yep.” So he
doesn’t want to be a footballer when he is older?
“I want to be a footballer and a painter.”
10 What would his parents say if Kieron told them
he was not going to paint any more? “It’s entirely
his choice,” says Michelle. “We don’t know
what’s around the corner. Kieron might decide
to put his boxes away and football might take
over. We’re feeling slightly under pressure at the
moment because so many people want Kieron’s
work but I’m inclined to tell them to wait, really.”
O
3 Kieron lives with his dad, Keith, his mum and
Billie-Jo, his little sister, in a small flat. When
I arrive on a Saturday afternoon, Kieron and
Keith are out. When Kieron returns in football
socks and shorts, I assume he has been playing
football. But no, he has been replenishing his
stock of paints.
At first, Kieron’s art was pretty much like any
other five-year-old’s. But he quickly progressed
and was soon asking questions that his parents
couldn’t answer. “Kieron wanted to know the
technicalities of art and how to put a painting
together,” says Michelle. Local artists offered
him some tips and he has had lessons with his
favourite, Tony Garner.
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2 This month, Kieron’s second exhibition in a
gallery in his home town of Holt, Norfolk, sold
out in 14 minutes. The sale of 16 new paintings
earned £18,200. There are now 680 people on a
waiting list for a Kieron original. Art lovers have
driven from London to buy his work. Agents buzz
around the town. People offer to buy his school
books. The starting price for a simple pastel
picture like the one Kieron is sketching? £900.
6
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1 Kieron Williamson kneels on the wooden bench
in his small kitchen, takes a pastel from the box
by his side and rubs it on to a piece of paper.
“Have you got a picture in your head of what
you’re going to do?” asks his mother, Michelle.
Kieron nods. “A snow scene.” Like many great
artists, small boys are not often renowned for
their loquaciousness. While Kieron is a very
normal seven-year-old who uses his words
sparingly, what slowly emerges on the
small rectangle of paper in his kitchen is
extraordinarily eloquent.
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11 I doubt many artists could paint or draw while
answering questions and being photographed
but Kieron carries on. When he finishes, we lean
over to look. “Not bad. That’s nice,” says Keith. I
would love one of his pictures but, I tell Kieron, he
is already too expensive for me. “I can price one
down for you,” he says, as quick as a flash. No,
no, I couldn’t, I say, worried I would be exploiting
a little boy who is eager to please. I thank him
for his time and hand him my business card. And
Kieron goes into his bedroom, comes out with his
business card and says thank you back.
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 29/12/09
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Why are people often suspicious of child prodigies?
a. Because they think that their work has been done by someone else.
b. Because they believe they have been pressurized by pushy parents.
c. Because they think their work is often of poor quality.
2.
Why did Kieron decide to take up painting?
a. Because he had suffered a serious accident and had to stay in his flat.
b. Because he was surrounded by paintings and was probably influenced by his father.
c. Because he wanted to make some money.
3.
How does Kieron compare with the more than 1,000 adults that Tony Garner has worked with?
a. He is much better than any of them.
b. He is as good as some adults.
c. He is almost as good as the adult painters.
4.
What would his parents do if he told them he wanted to stop painting?
a. They would try to change his mind.
b. They would encourage him to be a professional footballer.
c. They would leave the choice to him.
4 Find the word
Find the following words and expressions in the text.
1.
an adjective meaning well-known for (para 1)
2.
a noun meaning a tendency to talk a lot (para 1)
3.
a four-word expression meaning not to say very much (para 1)
4.
a two-word phrasal verb meaning to move around quickly and busily (para 2)
a five-word expression meaning very quickly; instantly (para 11)
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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an adjective meaning feeling that you want to do something (para 10)
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5. a verb meaning to bring something back to its previous level by replacing what has been used (para 3)
6. a five-word expression meaning much better than everyone else (para 7)
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5 Words followed by prepositions
Complete the expressions from the text using prepositions.
1.
proud _______
2.
suspicious _______
3.
surrounded _______
4.
protective _______
5. influenced _______
6. renowned _______
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1.
Kieron’s pictures are ___________________ expressive. [EXTRAORDINARY]
2.
Like most young children, he uses his words ___________________. [SPARE]
3.
There has been a lot of press ___________________. [COVER]
4.
Kieron’s paintings have been admired for their ___________________. [FRESH]
5.
Kieron is a bit of a ___________________. [PERFECT]
6.
Any decision about the future will be ___________________ his choice. [ENTIRE]
7 Discussion
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Is it right for parents to encourage talented children to develop their skills? Why? Why not?
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KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
painting
seven
in 14 minutes
680
five
a footballer and a painter
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
b
a
c
5 Words followed by prepositions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
of
of
by
of
by
for
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
extraordinarily
sparingly
coverage
freshness
perfectionist
entirely
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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2 Find the information
renowned
loquaciousness
use your words sparingly
buzz around
replenish
head and shoulders above everyone
inclined
as quick as a flash
N
pastel
eloquent
precocious
child prodigy
pushy
art dealer
naive
perfectionist
frustrated
canvas
135
The wolves at my door
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
Add at least eight more adjectives that you associate with the word ‘wolf’ onto the word wheel.
wolf
Compare your word wheel with those of other students. How similar were the words you both wrote?
2
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
postmortem
culls
swathe
encroach
abstract
moral code
predator
dwellers
gene pool
rural
legislation
permit
pander to
1.
acts of killing animals deliberately, especially in order to stop the population from becoming too large
___________________________ (subtitle)
2.
___________________________ ideas exist as thoughts in the mind, and are not related to physical objects
or real events and actions. (subtitle)
3.
relating to the countryside or in the countryside; the opposite of urban ___________________________ (para 2)
4.
to cover more land gradually, to get nearer to something slowly ___________________________ (para 2)
5.
a law or a set of laws ___________________________ (para 3)
6.
A ___________________________ describes a large area of land. (para 3)
7.
A ___________________________ is an official document that gives you permission to do something. (para 4)
8.
A ___________________________ is a medical examination of a dead body to find out why the person or
animal died. (para 5)
9.
A ___________________________ is an animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals. (para 6)
10. A ___________________________ describes the total of all the cells that carry information about the qualities
passed to a living thing from its parents, within a group of animals or plants. (para 7)
11. When you ___________________________ someone, you do or say what someone wants in order to please
them, even though you know it is not right. (para 8)
12. A ___________________________ is an accepted set of rules relating to the way we think someone should
behave. (para 9)
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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13. ___________________________ are people who live in a particular type of place. (para 11)
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6
The rural enthusiasm for the hunt is easy to
understand. While it is no longer the case that
the majority of Swedes living in the countryside
are farmers, it is only a matter of a generation or
two at most. And for farmers, or indeed anyone
else with domestic animals or small children,
wolves are a natural enemy. With recorded wolf
killings of sheep and dogs having risen sharply
in recent years, frustration at what many see as
exaggerated levels of protection has similarly
grown. Furthermore, given that the present
generation of wolves has never known man as
a predator, contemporary Swedish wolves are
attracted to rather than frightened by signs of
human habitation.
7
The government decided that restricting the
national wolf population to a manageable
total of around 210 would limit the frustration
of their human neighbours, thus ensuring the
animals’ safety. Furthermore, given that the
current population is descended from what is
thought to be just three individuals brought
over from Finland, the gene pool is not what
it might be. Heart and kidney disease is
increasingly common and a cull would increase
the effectiveness of the government’s plans to
introduce 20 new wolves over the next
four years.
8
It’s a nice argument, but the socialist press are
not buying it, suggesting the government is
simply pandering to the rising bloodlust of the
hunting and farming community (the Center
party, traditionally popular with farmers, is
currently a key part of the governing centreright coalition). Calls are being made for the
resignation of environment minister and Center
party MP Anders Carlgren.
It’s easy to be moralistic about the Swedish wolf
culls – but it’s a different matter when the wolves
cease to be merely abstract
Guy Dammann
10 January, 2010
1 We don’t like newcomers much in our village.
Truth be told, we’re relative newcomers
ourselves. But that no longer seems important
now a new family has moved in. Unkempt,
smelly and downright antisocial, everybody
seems to want them gone – everybody, that is,
except a nice, tree-hugging friend who thinks
they are romantic. The newcomers are wolves,
you see.
2 The wolves I grew up with were romantic in a
literal sense: they existed only in fairy tales and
songs. But since I’ve been in rural Sweden,
wolves have been encroaching on reality. Three
of them seem to have made their den a stone’s
throw away from the churchyard.
3 It seems to me that Swedes hate uncertainty
but love to hunt. For both these reasons the
native wolf population died out completely in the
late 1960s. But in 1974 the government placed
wolves under strict protection. Killing them
without direct evidence of an immediate threat
to the life of humans and domesticated animals
became punishable by prison sentences similar
to those for manslaughter. It was an excellent
piece of legislation, for the wolves. By the end
of last year there were thought to be over 240
wolves in Sweden, most of them to be found in
the vast swathes of woodland sweeping through
the middle of the country.
4 Last year the environment ministry decided to
organize the first cull in nearly half a century.
A total of 27 wolves were to be shot between
2 January and 15 February and some 12,000
permits were issued to hunters wishing
to participate.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The wolves at my door / Advanced
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Usually slow, for a brief two days the pace of
Swedish country life quickened inordinately. In
many places the quota was reached in a few
hours. Nationally, 28 wolves were recorded shot
by 5 January. The hunters could keep the skins,
the bodies were to be gathered and transported
to Stockholm for postmortem.
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This article is a comment by Guy Dammann, who talks4of his own experience with wolves in a Swedish
village. He writes from his own point of view.
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9 So who is right? In ways that remind us of
Britain’s fox-hunting debates, opinion is divided
sharply between urban and rural communities,
but shouldn’t we be able to appeal to a higher
moral code when it comes to such cases?
that certain animals, which we once thought of
as being in simple competition with us, are in
fact our partners within a more complex ecology.
12
But perspective is an important part of moral
awareness. Linzey tries to balance perspectives,
not to do away with them altogether. So while
we may be right to identify with wolves in the
abstract, identifying with them in the flesh is a
rather different matter. The people in our village
are currently more intrigued and alarmed than
frightened by their new neighbour. But without
culls of this nature, the fear of wolves preserved
in fairy tales will once again become quite real.
There’s a rumour that our new neighbours are
now a family of two. I, for one, am glad.
10 According to the Reverend Andrew Linzey,
whose book, Why Animal Suffering Matters, was
published last summer, it is absolutely wrong
to inflict suffering on an animal unless it is for
its own good. He believes that when we say
we should treat others in the same way that we
would like them to treat us, we should include
animals among these others.
11 In this sense, the question of the conflicting
perspective of rural vs. urban dwellers is
irrelevant. The need to preserve the wolf species
is connected with the more general recognition
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Observer, 10/01/10
3 Comprehension check
According to the information in the article, chose the correct endings to the sentences.
The current population of wolves in the wild in
Sweden is approximately ...
a. … 27.
b. … 200.
c. … 12,000.
3.
Wolves were reintroduced into Sweden after their
population died out due to …
a. … illness and disease.
b. … over-hunting.
c. … deforestation.
4.
After 1974, people found guilty of killing a wolf for
no good reason could expect to …
a. … go to prison for the same amount of time as someone who killed another person.
b. … be deported.
c. … pay a large fine.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / The wolves at my door / Advanced
a. … wolves have been coming into towns
and cities.
b. … the current population of wolves has a lot of hereditary diseases.
c. … hunting wolves is a tradition in Scandinavia.
6.
Many left-wing people in Sweden think their
government …
a. … is giving in to hunters’ wish to kill.
b. … should get rid of all wolves in the wild.
c. … should do more to protect farm animals and pets from wolves.
7.
Reverend Andrew Linzey says …
a. … we should treat all creatures in the way we would like to be treated.
b. … some animal suffering is normal.
c. … it is morally acceptable to kill wolves.
O
2.
According to the Swedish government, the recent
cull is justifiable because …
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a. … Great Britain.
b. … Stockholm.
c. … a Swedish village.
5.
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The author lives in ...
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1.
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4 Opinion
The author of the article writes from his own point of view, which he makes clear by using personal pronouns such
as I and we. Although he gives both sides of the story, he has his own opinion which is implied in the two final
sentences. Can you tell what his opinion is?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Language: Expressions
Find expressions in the text that mean:
1.
to be honest / in fact / actually: ______________________________ (three words, para 1)
2.
a short distance / a short way from here: ______________________________ (four words, para 2)
3.
not as good as it could be / substandard: ______________________________ (five words, para 7)
4.
not believing something / sceptical: ______________________________ (three words, para 8)
5.
has individual beneficial results / has positive effects for that person or animal:
______________________________ (four words, para 10)
6 Debate
Make notes about your position (A or B) and then debate the topic in class.
the reintroduction of wolves into Sweden
A: for
B: against
We believe that reintroducing wolves into the wild in
Sweden is the right thing to do because …
We believe that reintroducing wolves into the wild in
Sweden is the wrong thing to do because …
7 Webquest
Research what has happened in other areas where wild animals have been reintroduced into the countryside.
Was the programme successful? Were there any problems? What were the greatest challenges?
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Some examples of reintroduction projects of native animals dealt include:
• beavers in Scotland
• wolves in Oregon, USA
• the lynx in Switzerland
• griffon vultures in central France
• the African wild dog in Namibia etc.
139
The wolves at my door
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
2 Key words
5 Language: Expressions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
c
b
b
a
b
a
a
4 Opinion
The author is glad that there are now only two wolves
instead of three. This means that he is in favour of the
culling.
6 Teacher’s notes
Teaching and learning strategy:
Holding a class debate
A classroom debate can be a stimulating way to use
language. However, in order to keep things under
control and to avoid tempers flying, it is important to set
the stages clearly.
Stage 1: Choose a moderator. This can be the teacher
or a strong and confident student.
Stage 2: Divide the class into two groups and give each
half their topic or position.
Stage 3: Allow the groups ten minutes’ discussion
time to work together and develop their position and
arguments in support of their position.
Stage 4: Each group should delegate one member to
make an opening statement. These speakers should
clearly and briefly state their groups’ position.
Stage 5: Set a time limit on the actual debate. The
moderator should keep control throughout and no one
is allowed to speak without the moderator allowing him
to do so.
Stage 6: The debate ends with closing statements from
both sides.
Stage 7: Ask for class feedback from all the participants
and the moderator.
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3 Comprehension check
truth be told
a stone’s throw away
not what it might be
not buying it
for its own good
N
cull
abstract
rural
encroach
legislation
swathe
permit
postmortem
predator
gene pool
pander to
moral code
dwellers
140
Race bias in Britain’s workplaces
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
Where do you think these women come from?
Nazia Mahmood
__________________
Mariam Namagembe
__________________
Alison Taylor
__________________
2
Key words
Find the key words in the article and write them into the sentences below. The paragraph number is given
to help you.
1.
_______________________ is an attitude that you have that makes you treat someone in a way that is unfair
or different from the way you treat other people because of their origins, skin colour, language, etc.
(2 words, title)
2.
When you take on _______________________, you pretend to be someone else. (2 words, subtitle)
3.
_______________________ is unfair treatment of someone because of their religion, race, or other personal
features. (para 1)
4.
_______________________ are people competing for a job. (para 3)
5.
Another word for honest and sincere. _______________________ (para 6)
6.
The _______________________ refers to the industries and services, for example schools and hospitals, that
are supported by tax money and controlled by the government of a country. (2 words, para 7)
7.
An _______________________ is a group of people with the same culture and traditions who live in a place
where most people have a different culture and different traditions. (2 words, para 9)
8.
Something that is done according to a careful plan and in a thorough way is done _______________________. (para 9)
9.
Remarks or behaviour intended to make someone or something seem silly by making fun of them in an unkind
way. _______________________ (para 12)
10. Another way of saying extremely worrying. _______________________ (2 words, para 12)
11. An organization that looks after the interests of small businesses and shops. _______________________ (3
words, para 13)
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Race bias in Britain’s workplaces
All the job vacancies were in the private, public
and voluntary sectors and were based in
Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds,
London and Manchester. The report concludes
that there was no plausible explanation for the
difference in treatment found between white
British and ethnic minority applicants other than
racial discrimination.
7
It found that public sector employers were less
likely to have discriminated on the grounds
of race than those in the private sector. The
research is also understood to have found that
larger employers were less likely to discriminate
than small employers.
8
Researchers have refused to release the names
of the guilty employers, but it is expected that
they will be contacted to let them know they had
been targeted.
9
The report has been welcomed by senior
race advisers as evidence of discrimination
in the job market. Iqbal Wahhab, chair of the
Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, said: “The
evidence of the report is unquestionable – we
live in a society where racial discrimination
systematically occurs and mostly goes
unchallenged.” Wahhab said that the employers
should not be named, but instead persuaded
to change.
10
The findings echo the experience of black and
Asian jobseekers contacted this weekend.
James Nkwacha, 28, a physics graduate whose
family are from Nigeria, said he has applied
for 60 jobs this year but had only two replies.
“The jobs are within my range. I am qualified
for them. But for some reason I have been
overlooked,” he said.
11
Navdeep Sethia, 24, an unemployed
architecture graduate from Chalk Farm, central
London, has submitted more than 400 job
applications, but has only heard back from
40 employers and has had fewer than 20
interviews. “I personally feel that my foreignsounding name makes a lot of difference.
Employers see my name and that is enough for
them to put my application aside,” he said.
12
Peter Luff, a Conservative politician praised the
Government employees create false
identities to send CVs to hundreds
of employers in operation to uncover
discrimination
Rajeev Syal, investigations editor
18 October, 2009
1
A government operation targeting hundreds
of employers across Britain has uncovered
widespread racial discrimination against
workers with African and Asian names.
2
Researchers sent nearly 3,000 job applications
under false identities in an attempt to discover
if employers were discriminating against
jobseekers with foreign names. Using names
recognizably from three different communities
– Nazia Mahmood, Mariam Namagembe and
Alison Taylor – false identities were created with
similar experience and qualifications. Every
false applicant had British education and work
histories.
3
4
5
They found that an applicant who appeared to
be white would send nine applications before
receiving a positive response of either an
invitation to an interview or an encouraging
telephone call. Minority candidates with the
same qualifications and experience had to
send 16 applications before receiving a similar
response.
The alarming results have prompted Jim Knight,
the employment minister, to consider barring
certain companies from applying for government
contracts. “We suspected there was a problem.
This uncovers the shocking scale of it,” he said.
“Candidates with an Asian or African name face
real discrimination and this has exposed the fact
that companies are missing out on real talent.”
Researchers sent three different applications
for 987 vacancies between November 2008
and May 2009. Nine occupations were chosen,
ranging from highly qualified positions such as
accountants and IT technicians to less wellpaid positions such as care workers and sales
assistants.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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Undercover job hunters reveal huge
race bias in Britain’s workplaces
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survey as a worthwhile exercise – as long as
the companies that have been targeted were
not exposed to public ridicule. “The conclusions
are deeply disturbing and indicate the
probability of significant discrimination which will
have to be analyzed closely once the full report
is released this week,” he said. “I think this was
a good exercise by the government, and was
worth the money.”
13 Abigail Morris, from the British Chambers of
Commerce, said the research was flawed.
“There are limitations to the results. The
researchers only used nine occupations, and
I am not sure that the number of replies they
received is a representative sample. We are
concerned that the results will allow people to
say that most employers are racist, whereas
they prove no such thing.”
14 Morris also questioned whether the government
should be involved in using an operation to
uncover racism in the middle of a recession
and whether it was worth the money. “Business
is struggling with the worst recession for a
generation. Is this really the time to be wasting
government resources and the time of hardpressed companies with fake CVs?” she asked.
Additional reporting by Sakshi Ojha
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 18/10/09
3 Comprehension check
Look back over the article to find the answers to these questions. Make notes and then compare your
answers in class.
1. How many false identities did the British government employees create for the operation?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. In which ways were the identities similar; in which ways were they different?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. How did the responses the false applicants receive differ?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the British Employment Minister considering doing as a result of the operation?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. In the article find examples of public sector jobs and private sector jobs.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
6. What do Iqbal Wahhab, Peter Luff, and Abigail Morris say about the operation?
_________________________________________________________________________________
O
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4 Language
Complete the table with words from the article.
verb
noun
apply
qualify
respond
invite
limit
submission
graduate
occupation
creation
discriminate
5 Discussion
•
Do you know anyone who has experienced racial discrimination?
•
What other kinds of discrimination can you think of?
•
Apart from when applying for a job, in what other situations are people likely to encounter discrimination (in your country or in other countries you have visited)?
6 Webquest
Look up the poem ‘And you calling me coloured?’ on the internet and answer the questions below.
What is it about?
What do the colours signify?
Who wrote it and why?
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Compare your answers in class. Does everyone have the same answers?
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KEY
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
race bias
false identities
discrimination
candidates
plausible
public sector
ethnic minority
systematically
ridicule
deeply disturbing
Chambers of Commerce
flawed
4 Language
verb
noun
apply
application
qualify
qualification
respond
response
invite
invitation
limit
limitations
submit
submission
graduate
graduate
occupy
occupation
create
creation
discriminate
discrimination
3 Comprehension check
Some possible answers and notes:
3.
4.
5.
6.
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Race bias in Britain’s workplaces / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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2.
Nazia Mahmood, Mariam Namagembe and Alison
Taylor.
They had similar experience and qualifications
work histories and a British education; their names
and perceived race were different.
An applicant who appeared to be white would
send nine applications before receiving a positive
response of either an invitation to an interview or
an encouraging telephone call. Minority candidates
with the same qualifications and experience had
to send 16 applications before receiving a similar
response.
Barring certain companies from obtaining
(profitable) government contracts.
Public sector jobs: care worker; private sector jobs:
IT technician, accountant.
Iqbal Wahhab: the employers should not be named,
but instead persuaded to change.
Peter Luff: the conclusions are deeply disturbing and indicate the probability of significant discrimination.
Abigail Morris: the operation was a waste of public
money – especially during a recession.
N
1.
145
Workers of the world, relax! Chávez takes over Hilton
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
dilapidated
assets
landmark
dump
rip-off
decree
subsidizes
needy
hub
1.
A ____________ is a famous building or object that you can see and recognize easily.
2.
A ____________ person is one who does not have enough money, food, clothing, etc.
3.
If a place or a building is described as a ____________, it is at the centre of a lot of activity.
4.
A ____________ is a situation where you are cheated by being charged too much for goods or services.
5.
If a government ____________ land or buildings, it takes them over for its own use without paying for them.
6.
____________ are the money and/or property that a company owns.
7.
A ____________ is an official order or decision made by a government or by a leader.
8.
If a place is described as a ____________, it is dirty or unpleasant.
9.
If a building is ____________, it is old and in a bad condition.
10. If a government ____________ a company or an organization, it pays some of the costs of its goods or
services so these can be offered to people at a lower price.
2
What do you know?
2.
The leader of Venezuela is Hugo Chávez.
3.
Bogotá is the capital city.
4.
The tourist playground of Venezuela is Margarita Island.
5.
The capital city of Nicaragua is Managua.
6.
The government-owned Alba Hotel in Caracas is extremely popular with foreign tourists.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Workers of the world, relax! Chávez takes over Hilton / Advanced
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The government of Venezuela is right-wing.
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Decide whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
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expropriates
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Workers of the world, relax! Chávez takes over Hilton
Two years after it became a political as well as
geographic landmark, the Caracas Alba draws
mixed reviews. Managers say it blends socialist
values with business savvy and top-notch
service. Critics say it is a dump in which
nothing works.
7
There are some striking changes. Gone are
the American and European managers and
well-heeled foreign guests who used to snap
up jewellery and cosmetics in the shops.
Red-clad government officials and Cuban
delegations have largely taken their place.
“Business is dead. All we’ll sell is chewing
gum and antibiotics,” said one store owner
sadly. The Italian restaurant now serves more
Caribbean food such as chicken in coconut
sauce and cachapa, a corn-based pancake.
The gift shop offers a range of ceramic Chávez
mugs and sculptures ranging from $20 to $240.
The bookshop which sold glossy magazines
and Dan Brown novels has been replaced
by a culture ministry outlet offering political
tracts such as Transition Towards Socialism
and Venezuela: a Revolution Sui Generis. The
titles are all subsidized, with some costing the
equivalent of just 50p. “The problem is people
buy the books and sell them on for profit,” said
Nicola Castilla, the bookshop clerk. “It’s not
easy developing a socialist conscience.”
8
Top floors offer superb views of downtown
Caracas, the Ávila mountain and hillside slums
but the hotel’s surrounding district, a hub of
theatres and museums, has become dilapidated
and crime-ridden. Many middle-class
Venezuelans who used to visit now go only
when participating in opposition marches. As
they pass the Alba they chant “out”, apparently
directed at the Cubans.
9
Managers say the 400 staff – who were retained
from the Hilton era – reflect socialist values by
doing voluntary work such as rubbish collection
on their days off. The hotel says it does its bit by
giving staff generous benefits not stipulated in
their contracts, such as paying for babysitters,
and by hosting poor children and hospital patients.
A basic room costs $286 a night but discounts
Socialist hotel empire grows as Venezuelan
president seizes second property
Rory Carroll in Caracas
22 October, 2009
1
A portrait of the president greets you at
reception, the managers support socialism,
the guests wear red T-shirts and the decor
promotes Latin American solidarity: welcome
to Hotel Chávez. What used to be the Caracas
Hilton today towers over Venezuela’s capital
as a bold symbol of Hugo Chávez’s leftist
revolution, a 36-storey, state-run declaration
of intent.
2
The government took it over from the US hotel
chain two years ago as part of a move towards
greater state control of the economy. Renamed
Alba – “dawn” in Spanish and also the acronym
of Chávez’s regional alliance, the Bolivarian
Alternative for the Americas – the hotel hosts
summits which condemn US imperialism and
chart a brighter, leftist future.“We are the first
socialist hotel but hopefully not the last,” said
Katiuska Camaripano, its general manager.
3
Last week it acquired a sister: the government
seized the Hilton on Margarita Island,
Venezuela’s tourist playground. Chávez had
been angered during a meeting of African
leaders he hosted at the hotel. “The owners
tried to impose conditions on the revolutionary
government. No way. So I said, ‘Let’s
expropriate it.’ And now it’s been expropriated.”
4
5
A presidential decree transferred its assets,
including 280 rooms, 210 suites, shops,
restaurants and a casino to the tourism ministry.
A Hilton spokeswoman said the chain was
“evaluating” the government’s action.
The state’s Margarita acquisition may also be
renamed Alba, consolidating the brand name.
Venezuela has also partly funded a small
Alba hotel in Managua, capital of its leftist
ally Nicaragua, said Camaripano. “It would be
wonderful if we became part of a socialist chain.”
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Workers of the world, relax! Chávez takes over Hilton / Advanced
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6
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Workers of the world, relax! Chávez
takes over Hilton
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Level 3
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are offered to the needy, said Rayneth Oleaga,
a spokesman for the government agency that
administers the hotel. “It is for the people. It is
accessible to all.”
10 The hotel has 900 rooms but under Hilton
management only 545 were in service, a
number the Alba has increased to 782. Last
year’s 90% occupancy rate owed much to
government delegations, said Camaripano.
Occupancy this year has fallen to 65% but the
hotel still makes a profit. “We are getting a lot of
ordinary tourists as well as official delegations.”
11 Travel agents dispute that. Venezuela’s capital
has a shortage of hotel rooms but foreign
tourists often refuse to stay in the Alba, citing
bad service, credit card rip-offs, musty smells,
tatty furniture and overpriced food. Online
reviews have dwindled but the few that are
posted tend to be scathing. “I would never under
any circumstances go back there, even if it were
free,” said one former guest on tripadviser.com.
“It reminded me of hotels behind the iron curtain
in the 60s, very depressing. I was glad to leave.”
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 22/10/09
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1. What made Hugo Chávez decide to expropriate the Hilton hotel on Margarita Island?
a. He wanted to form a chain of socialist hotels.
b. He was angry at the hotel’s owners’ attempts to impose conditions on the revolutionary government.
c. He wanted to show that he condemns US imperialism.
2. What has the reaction of the Hilton hotels group been to the expropriation of their hotel on Margarita Island?
a. They have welcomed the decision.
b. They have strongly criticized the decision.
c. They are in the process of considering how to react.
3. How has the Caracas Alba hotel changed?
a. Most of the foreign visitors have gone.
b. The gift shop has become more expensive.
c. The Italian restaurant now only serves Caribbean food.
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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4. How have foreign visitors described the Caracas Alba hotel?
a. They say it blends socialist values with business savvy and top-notch service.
b. They say they would only stay there if it was free.
c. They say it has poor service, it smells musty and the food is very expensive
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Level 3
Advanced
4 Find the word
Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1. A noun meaning the style of decoration and furniture in a building (para 1) ______________
2. An informal noun meaning the ability to understand and judge people and situations well (para 6) ______________
3. A two-word adjective meaning very high in quality (para 6) ______________
4. A two-word adjective meaning rich (para 7) ______________
5. A two-word phrasal verb meaning to buy something as soon as you see it (para 7) ______________
6. An adjective meaning smelling unpleasant and not fresh (para 11) ______________
7. An adjective meaning old and in a bad condition (para 11) ______________
8. An adjective meaning criticizing something in an extremely strong way (para 11) ______________
5 Verb + noun collocations
Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns and noun phrases in the right-hand column.
1. impose
a. a range of products
2. transfer
b. a profit
3. offer
c. voluntary work
4. do
d. an online review
5. make
e. conditions
6. post
f.
assets
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using an appropriate form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1. The Hilton hotel on Margarita Island is the Venezuelan government’s latest ____________________. [ACQUIRE]
2. Some of the changes have been particularly ____________________. [STRIKE]
3. The government agency that administers the hotel says it is ____________________ to everyone. [ACCESS]
4. The hotel’s ____________________ rate has fallen to 65%. [OCCUPY]
5. Venezuela is governed by a ____________________ government. [REVOLUTION]
6. The chants of opposition demonstrators are ____________________ directed at the Cubans. [APPEAR]
7 Discussion
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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Should governments take over businesses run by international companies like Hilton? Why? Why not?
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Workers of the world, relax! Chávez takes over Hilton
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Key words
5 Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
landmark
needy
hub
rip-off
expropriates
assets
decree
dump
dilapidated
subsidizes
2 What do you know?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
F
T
F
T
T
F
e
f
a
c
b
d
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
acquisition
striking
accessible
occupancy
revolutionary
apparently
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
a
c
4 Find the word
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Workers of the world, relax! Chávez takes over Hilton / Advanced
T
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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decor
savvy
top-notch
well-heeled
snap up
musty
tatty
scathing
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
150
Why did Andre Agassi hate tennis?
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
kudos
horrendous
absorbing
anti-climax
intolerable
podium
perfectionist
coda
autobiography
1.
An _____________________ is a book about your life that you write yourself.
2.
An _____________________ is something that is not as exciting as you expected it to be so that you feel
disappointed.
3.
If something is _____________________, it is so entertaining that you give it all your attention.
4.
If something is _____________________, it is so much or so large that it shocks or upsets you.
5.
An _____________________ situation is one that you find impossible to accept or deal with.
6.
In sport, a _____________________ is a small raised area where athletes stand to receive their medals.
7.
A _____________________ is the final part of a piece of writing that acts as a summary.
8.
_____________________ is the mental and physical condition of having no energy left after a period of very
hard work.
9.
A _____________________ is someone who always wants things to be done perfectly.
10. _____________________ is the praise and respect you get from other people because of something you have
achieved.
2
What do you know?
2.
Agassi married the actor Brooke Shields.
3.
The 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London.
4.
The 2004 Olympic Games were held in Beijing.
5.
Professional tennis players are on tour for more than 30 weeks a year.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Why did Andre Agassi hate tennis? / Advanced
O
Tennis star Andre Agassi played his last tournament in 1996.
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1.
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Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
CA
burnout
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Why did Andre Agassi hate tennis?
Advanced
Why did Andre Agassi hate tennis?
2 “It becomes more than a job, it takes over your
life,” says former British tennis professional Barry
Cowan. “If you’re at the top of tennis, you’re
on tour 30-plus weeks of the year – and when
you’re doing that, everything revolves around
tennis. That’s the main reason for burnout
among tennis players in their 20s. It’s something
you’ve done since you were six years old, and
there’s a sense that if you stop giving 100% you
are doomed to failure, and that is unacceptable.
No wonder so many players hate their sport –
the surprise is that so few admit it.”
6
Pendleton’s pleasure-free drive to win is almost
a defining characteristic of the greatest sports
stars. “People say the pressure on top stars
such as Andy Murray is unbelievable,” says
Cowan, “but I feel the pressure is from the
stars themselves. They expect the best and if
they don’t deliver, it is horrible for them. With
a sport like tennis, where at any tournament
there can be only one winner, there are going
to be a lot of perfectionists having to deal with
disappointment. You need to be incredibly
mentally strong.”
7
Former professional footballer Stuart James
agrees: “Lots of players I know would travel
to the ground hoping the game would be
cancelled,” he says. “Fans say: ‘You’ve got
it good, you’re on hundreds of thousands of
pounds a week, so how can you complain?’ –
but most football players think the fans don’t
really understand what their lives are like.” A
terrible fear of failure is one reason the life of the
sports star can be rather less than the realization
of a beautiful dream. But there are others:
horrendous training schedules, endless travel,
foul fans, boredom and lack of privacy.
8
Agassi’s autobiography reveals that he took
crystal meth in 1997, when suffering a lack of
form and worrying about his impending marriage
to actor Brooke Shields. “There is a moment
of regret followed by vast sadness,” he writes
of the drug-taking experience. “Then comes a
tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every
negative thought in my head. I’ve never felt
so alive, so hopeful – and I’ve never felt such
energy.”
3 And despite all the kudos, money and silverware,
there’s a reason it’s the top players who suffer
most – because they’re the ones playing the
most tennis, as they don’t get knocked out in the
first or second round. So they have the least free
time, the most mental stress and suffer the
most physically.
4 Agassi’s apparent hatred for his sport is
far from exclusive to tennis. British cyclists
Chris Boardman, the former Olympic pursuit
champion, and Tour de France star David Millar
have both admitted to not really liking cycling. “In
Boardman’s case,” says William Fotheringham
of The Guardian, “he liked the winning not the
cycling itself, and he drove himself to win.”
5 That need to win can become a miserable
addiction. Track cyclist Victoria Pendleton gave
an insight into this after winning gold at the
2008 Olympics in Beijing. “I was an emotional
wreck beforehand,” she admitted. “I worried
that I would be the one person who let the team
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Why did Andre Agassi hate tennis? / Advanced
9
As this passage implies, mental stress isn’t the
only major reason sports stars suffer more than
the rest of us are generally prepared to admit. In
O
1 “I play tennis for a living even though I hate
tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion and
always have.” So writes Andre Agassi in his new
autobiography. It is 2006 and one of the world’s
most famous sports stars has just woken up in
a New York hotel room, ready to play his last
tournament. But why would a great sportsman
hate his sport? Why wouldn’t he love everything
about it and all it brings to his life – travel,
glamour, money, mass adoration?
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Stuart Jeffries
29 October, 2009
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down. So winning was just a relief. And even
that felt like a complete anti-climax. It was very
surreal on the podium and as soon as I stepped
off it I thought ‘What on earth am I going to do
now?’ I soon worked out that the only thing I
could do was to get another gold medal. I need
one. If 2012 goes to plan, winning the Olympics
in London, I might finally feel I’ve achieved the
ultimate for me.”
CA
Level 3
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Why did Andre Agassi hate tennis?
Level 3
10
11
Advanced
his autobiography, Agassi describes the sheer
difficulty of getting out bed one morning towards
the end of his tennis career. “I’m a young man,
relatively speaking. Thirty-six. But I wake as
if ninety-six. After two decades of sprinting,
stopping on a dime, jumping high and landing
hard, my body no longer feels like my body.
Consequently, my mind no longer feels like
my mind.”
The former England football manager Graham
Taylor takes an unsympathetic view of Agassi’s
revelations. “I’m not certain writing about how
he doesn’t like playing tennis is a good idea.
We’re all human beings, but generally speaking
I have not got a lot of time for those people who
complain about playing professional sport for
a living.”
12
There is a horrible coda to this story of sporting
misery. The historian David Frith wrote that
cricket has a suicide rate that exceeds the
national average and estimated that more than
one in 150 professional cricketers have taken
their own lives, among them the former England
player David Bairstow, who killed himself in
1998. Why? Frith concluded that cricket is an
all-consuming endlessly absorbing sport and,
after retirement, the thought of life without cricket
is intolerable.
The mental and physical pain of playing sport
and being at the top of your game may be bad
enough, but the existential horror of realizing at
the end of your career that you are no longer
part of that world is surely worse. Perhaps,
unlike Agassi, these players didn’t hate their
chosen sport. More likely, they loved it too much.
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 29/10/09
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1. Andre Agassi suffered from …
a. … a mental illness
b. … drug addiction
c. … mental and physical stress
2. Victoria Pendleton’s solution to her feeling of anti-climax after winning gold at Beijing was …
a. … to quit the sport completely.
b. … to plan to do it all over again at the next Olympics.
c. … to write her autobiography.
3. Why did Andre Agassi say he took crystal meth?
a. Because he wanted to experience a moment of regret followed by vast sadness.
b. Because his form was poor and he was worried about his marriage.
c. Because he hated tennis with a passion.
4. Why, according to the historian, do so many cricketers commit suicide?
a. Because they live for the sport and when they retire they find life intolerable.
b. Because of the mental and physical pain of playing the sport.
O
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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c. Because of the endless travel and lack of privacy.
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Advanced
4 Find the word
Find the following words and expressions in the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1. a three-word expression meaning to be eliminated from a competition (para 3)
2. a two-word expression meaning someone who is in a bad state emotionally (para 5)
3. an adjective meaning so strange that you cannot believe it is real (para 5)
4. an adjective meaning very unpleasant (para 7)
5. an adjective meaning happening soon (para 8)
6. an adjective meaning extreme or absolute (para 9)
7. a noun (usually in the plural) meaning surprising pieces of information (para 10)
8. an adjective meaning relating to human existence and experience (para 12)
5 Phrasal verbs
Match the phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings.
1. to let someone down
a. to realize
2. to step off b. to manage
3. to work out
c. to take control of something
4. to sweep away
d. to get down from a stage
5. to deal with
e. to completely remove something
6. to take over
f.
to disappoint someone because you don’t do what you were expected
to do
6 Word building
Complete the sentences by filling the gaps with an appropriate form of the word in brackets at the end of
each sentence.
1. Failure is _________________ to most professional sportspeople. [ACCEPT]
2. The need to win is a form of _________________. [ADDICT]
3. The pressure on the top sporting stars is _________________. [BELIEVE]
4. Many stars suffer from a lack of _________________. [PRIVATE]
5. The football manager has an _________________ view of Agassi’s revelations. [SYMPATHY]
6. For many, the thought of life without sport after _________________ is unbearable. [RETIRE]
7 Discussion
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Do you agree with the football manager who says he doesn’t have a lot of time for people who complain
about playing professional sport for a living? Why? Why not?
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Why did Andre Agassi hate tennis?
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KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
F
T
T
F
T
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
c
b
b
a
5 Phrasal verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
f
d
a
e
b
c
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
unacceptable
addiction
unbelievable
privacy
unsympathetic
retirement / retiring
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2 What do you know?
get knocked out
emotional wreck
surreal
foul
impending
sheer
revelations
existential
N
autobiography
anti-climax
absorbing
horrendous
intolerable
podium
coda
burnout
perfectionist
kudos
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Warmer
a. Have you seen any of these films?
Spider-Man 2
□
□
Slumdog Millionaire □
Ice Age 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Star Trek (2009)
□
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
□
□
Shrek 2
□
b. Which of the films above is the ‘odd one out’ (i.e. different to the others) and why?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2
Key words
Find the key words in the article and write them into the sentences below.
1.
a verb which describes how well a film did _________________________ (para 1)
2.
a verb which describes how badly a film did _________________________ (para 1)
3.
A film _________________________ is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and
trademarks of an original work of fiction, such as a film or a series of books, e.g. Harry Potter, James Bond.
(para 1)
4.
two inexact methods of measuring things based on experience and feeling _________________________
(para 2)
5.
When somebody is _________________________ they are involved in a project. (para 3)
6.
to earn a particular amount of money before taxes or costs have been taken out
_________________________ (para 3)
7.
to fail financially and lose all your money _________________________ (para 4)
8.
a film without a sequel or an ongoing storyline _________________________ (para 6)
9.
Something that makes a large amount of money is _________________________. (para 7)
10. the process of becoming successful or popular again _________________________ (para 9)
11. a four-word phrase meaning a good reputation based on what has happened before
_________________________ (para 9)
12. a phrase meaning to make someone very angry _________________________ (para 11)
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13. a new blended word made up of two known words to describe the unwanted growth in the number of sequels.
_________________________ (para 11)
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The formula for a hit film sequel
7
“Movies like the Twilight sequel New Moon
are highly lucrative and relatively safe bets
if key parameters, such as original cast, are
maintained,” explains Hennig-Thurau. Star
continuity is where Basic Instinct 2 went wrong
– no Michael Douglas. “The time difference
between the two films was very, very long and
actor continuity was halved in that you only had
(a much older) Sharon Stone.”
8
On the whole, however, sequels do well and
often outperform the original. That is especially
true now studios are presenting films as a
franchise with a narrative woven throughout
several instalments. “We are not really talking
about sequels any more. We are talking about
films that are conceived of as longer plays than
one film. You are saying to the audience: ‘This is
a story, you have got to stick with it’,” says David
Hancock, head of film and cinema at media
research company Screen Digest. Underlining
that audience loyalty, Hancock notes that in
the US last year, just 4.2% of releases were
franchise films but they accounted for 20.6% of
box office takings.
9
The revival of the Star Trek franchise this
summer saw JJ Abrams’s new film gross £21
million in UK cinemas, which is more than double
the return of any of the previous 10 Star Trek
feature films. “There is clearly a public appetite
for new stories taking favourite characters on
new adventures and from an industry point
of view, there is less risk in investing in the
production and release of a film which has a
proven track record,” says Mark Batey, chief
executive of the Film Distributors’ Association.
1 Ever wondered why Spider-Man 2 triumphed
and Basic Instinct 2 bombed? Now a group
of academics have come up with a formula to
predict the fortunes of a film sequel.
3 Based on factors such as whether key stars are
still on board, how long it has been since the last
film and how that performed, the researchers
now say they can calculate what producers can
expect to gross relative to a film in the same
genre that is not a sequel.
5 With follow-up films enjoying widespread
box office success and strong DVD sales,
financial investors and film companies compete
aggressively to acquire sequel rights. The
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was
recently sold for $60 million (£36 million). “I want
this industry to recognize that it is not as different
to other sectors as it thinks it is. What we are
talking about here is brand extension,” says
Hennig-Thurau.
6 The research, which will be published in the
Journal of Marketing this month, examined
data from all 101 movie sequels released in
North American cinemas between 1998 and
2006 and a sample of stand-alone films with
similar characteristics. According to the formula,
upcoming sequel The Twilight Saga: New Moon
should be expected to return $34 million more for
the producers in its US run than a comparable
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / The formula for a hit film sequel / Advanced
10 For film producers fighting poor DVD sales,
sequels bring an added benefit. Hennig-Thurau’s
research showed that DVD sales of the original
movie often peak when a sequel hits the cinema
screens. Once that sequel is out on DVD it also
has a good chance of strong sales.
11 DVD charts and cinema rankings containing
sequels such as Shrek the Third, Transformers
2 and Ice Age 3 have, of course, incited the
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4 “It is the industry of dreams, an industry of
illusions, and lots of people go bust. The idea
here is to put some more analytical thinking into
the process,” says Professor Thorsten HennigThurau, of Cass Business School in London.
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2 Hollywood has long known a follow-up is a
fairly safe bet and franchises from Pirates of the
Caribbean to Star Wars have dominated cinema
schedules for years. But, until now, decisions
about what to invest in a film sequel or how
much to pay for the rights to a franchise have
been based on some simple rules of thumb and
gut feeling.
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Katie Allen
8 November, 2009
vampire/ teen romance movie with the same
characteristics that is not a sequel.
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wrath of film critics worried about a lack of
creativity. Cinema-goers have also complained
of “sequelitis”. Such criticism may have been
justified in the days when making a sequel was
a relatively lazy process but sequels are now
produced in a more thoughtful manner.
12 The Film Distributors’ Association is keen to
argue that sequel mania does still leave room
for original stories. Slumdog Millionaire is one
of the top films of 2009 while The Full Monty
remains one of the most successful British films
ever released. “With 500 films released in UK
cinemas each year, the blockbuster sequels tend
to do well but there’s plenty of other choice for
film fans during the year,” says Batey.
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Observer, 08/11/09
3 Comprehension check
Write answers to these questions based on the information in the article.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What qualities does a film sequel need to make it success?
What attracts the public (movie-goers) to watch sequels?
What effect do sequels have on DVD sales?
What did the researchers compare in order to come to their conclusions?
How is the film industry described?
Is this the end for original stories and stand-alone films?
4 Language: Vocabulary fields
Find words and phrases from the article that relate to ‘film’ and ‘finance’ and write them in the correct ovals
below. Write words that relate to both subjects in the central field.
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5 Discussion
Do you like to watch sequels? Why / Why not?
Are there any stand-alone films that do not have a sequel but that you would like to have a sequel?
6 Webquest
a. Choose one of the films mentioned in the article and find the official trailer for it on the internet using
these websites:
http://movies.yahoo.com/trailers/
http://www.apple.com/trailers/
You could also visit the film’s official website and/or YouTube.
Explain to your class what the film is about (as you understand it from watching the trailer).
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b. Find a chart of the current top 20 films in your country. How many of these are sequels?
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KEY
1 Warmer
b.
Slumdog Millionaire is the odd one out as it is
not a sequel and is not likely to have a sequel in
the future.
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
triumphed
bombed
franchise
rule of thumb; gut feeling
on board
gross
go bust
stand-alone film
highly lucrative
revival
a proven track record
incite the wrath of
sequelitis
4 Language: Vocabulary fields
1.
2.
3.
(some suggested answers)
Film: blockbuster, ranking, actor, sequel, cinema, audience, instalments, movies, critics, stars, features, screen
Finance: calculate, gross, fortunes, go bust, return,
lucrative, invest, pay
Both: triumph, bomb, sales, franchise,
box office success
3 Comprehension check
3.
4.
5.
6.
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2.
star continuity, a short time between the original
and the sequel, and the success of the first film
The public have an appetite for new stories taking
favourite characters on new adventures and/or
continuing storylines.
DVD sales of the original movie often peak when a
sequel hits the cinema screens. Once that sequel
is out on DVD it also has a good chance of strong
sales.
The researchers examined data from all 101 movie
sequels released in North American cinemas
between 1998 and 2006 and a sample of standalone films with similar characteristics.
the industry of dreams and illusions
No, the recent success of Slumdog Millionaire
proves that stand-alone films can still be
successful.
N
1.
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Texas has doubts over death row
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Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using the correct form of these key words from the text.
capital punishment
moratorium
abolish
exonerate
conviction
judiciary
verdict
execute
overturn
condemned
1.
A _______________________ is an official judgement made in a court.
2.
If a decision is _______________________, a court decides officially that it is wrong and changes it.
3.
If someone is _______________________, it is stated or proved officially that they are not to blame for
something.
4.
A _______________________ is an official agreement to stop an activity temporarily.
5.
A _______________________ prisoner is one who is waiting to be killed.
6.
In some parts of the US, prisoners are _______________________ by lethal injection or in the electric chair.
7.
_______________________ is another term for the death penalty.
8.
To _______________________ a law, system or practice means to get rid of it officially.
9.
The _______________________ is the part of government that consists of all the judges and courts in a
country.
10. A _______________________ is a decision by a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime.
2
Find the information
How many death sentences are passed per year in the US?
2.
When did the state of Illinois declare a moratorium on the death sentence?
3.
What proportion of prisoners executed in the US this year will be executed in Texas?
4.
How many death sentences have been overturned across the US with the growth in the use of DNA forensic
evidence?
5.
How many people have been exonerated in Dallas county?
6.
When did the state of New Mexico abolish the death penalty?
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161
Texas has doubts over death row
A fortnight ago, a man sentenced to death
and another sentenced to life in prison for the
murder of four teenagers in 1991 were cleared
after sophisticated forensic tests from the
crime scene did not match either man. Other
prisoners are also being released after DNA
evidence. In Dallas county alone, 24 people
have been exonerated and the new district
attorney has created a conviction integrity unit
to examine other suspected miscarriages of
justice. Recent attention has focused on a high
profile case which may become the first officially
acknowledged miscarriage of justice which led to
a man being executed.
7
The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has been
accused of rigging a commission examining the
evidence against Cameron Todd Willingham who
was executed in 2004 for the murder of his three
young daughters in an arson attack on his home.
Perry abruptly replaced the chairman of the
Texas Forensic Science Commission as it was
about to hold hearings into a report by its own
expert, who described the conviction as based
on “junk science”. The new chairman called off
the hearing.
8
Other states have moved swiftly to address
concerns about potential miscarriages of justice.
After the release of four men in New Mexico,
the governor abolished the death penalty in the
state earlier this year, saying: “I do not have
confidence in the criminal justice system as it
currently operates to be the final arbiter when it
comes to who lives and who dies for their crime.”
Six years ago, the governor of Illinois declared a
moratorium on the death penalty after realizing
that the state had freed more men from death
row than it had executed since 1976.
9
Death penalty supporters in Texas claim the
numerous appeal processes protect against a
wrongful conviction. “No one who’s involved in
criminal prosecution has ever claimed they are
absolutely perfect,” said Dudley Sharp, founder
of a Texas victims rights group, Justice For All.
“But with the death penalty in the United States
you have a system that protects innocence to a
greater degree than a life sentence ever could.”
Chris McGreal
15 November, 2009
1 Even in Texas they are having their doubts. The
state that executes more people than any other
by far – it will account for half the prisoners
sent to the death chamber in the US this year
– is seeing its once rock-solid faith in capital
punishment shaken by overturned convictions,
judicial scandals and growing evidence that at
least one innocent man has been executed.
2 The growth of DNA forensic evidence has seen
nearly 140 death row convictions overturned
across the US, prompting abolition and
moratoriums in other states that Texas has so
far resisted. But the public mood is swinging in
the conservative state, which often seems to
have an Old Testament view of justice. A former
governor, Mark White – previously a strong
supporter of the death penalty – has joined
those calling for a reconsideration of capital
punishment because of the risk of executing an
innocent person.
3 The number of death sentences passed by
juries in Texas has fallen sharply in recent years,
reflecting a retreat from capital punishment in
many parts of America after DNA evidence led to
the release of scores of condemned prisoners.
The number of death sentences passed annually
in the US has dropped by about 60% in the past
decade, to around 100.
4 “In Texas we have seen a constant stream of
individual cases that really destroy public faith
and integrity in our criminal justice system,” said
Steve Hall, former chief of staff to the Texas
attorney general for eight years, who is now an
anti-death-penalty activist.
5 “You are seeing that scepticism reflected in a
lot of different ways. You are seeing juries more
reluctant to issue death sentences. You are also
seeing a different approach by district attorneys.
Some are breaking with the past culture of
seeking the death penalty whenever they can.”
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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Texas accounts for half of executions
in US but now has doubts over
death row
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10 But Hall says the highly politicized judicial
system in Texas, with elected prosecutors and
judges, is part of the problem. “One of the
problems with having an elected judiciary is that
you end up with judges who have to become
good politicians. That means appealing to the
voters. The presiding judge on the court of
criminal appeals, Sharon Keller, ran as a proprosecution judge. That was her phrase,”
he said.
11 Keller – known as Sharon Killer to her critics
because of her enthusiasm for the death
penalty – is at the centre of a controversy that
has further undermined confidence in the death
penalty, after she refused to keep a court office
open after 5pm to allow a last-minute appeal
for a stay of execution while the supreme
court decided on another case that affected
all executions in Texas. The convict, Michael
Richard, was executed hours later. Keller is now
awaiting a verdict from the State Commission on
Judicial Conduct on charges of dereliction
of duty.
12 Earlier this year, Keller turned down an appeal
from a man on the brink of execution, despite
revelations that the judge and prosecutor at his
trial had been having an affair.
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 15/11/09
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1. What is the main reason for the abolition of the death penalty and the moratoriums on it in some US states?
a. the public mood
b. the large number of convictions overturned as a result of DNA forensic evidence
c. the belief that a large number of innocent people have been executed
2. Why did the state of Illinois declare a moratorium on the death penalty?
a. because the state governor realized that over the previous 27 years more men had been freed from death
row than had been executed
b. because the governor had no confidence in the criminal justice system
c. because the governor was worried about possible miscarriages of justice
3. Why do anti-death-penalty activists like Steve Hall believe that an elected judiciary is part of the problem?
a. because no system of criminal prosecution is perfect
b. because people have a lot of problems deciding which judges to elect
c. because elected judges have to appeal to the voters and Texas voters support the death penalty
4. Why is Sharon Keller facing charges at the State Commission on Judicial Conduct?
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a. because she supports the death penalty and is known as Sharon Killer
b. because she turned down an appeal from a man who was about to be executed
c. because she refused to keep a court office open after 5pm to allow a last-minute appeal
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4 Find the word
Look in the text and find the following words and expressions.
1. A two-word adjective meaning firm and not likely to change. _______________ (para 1)
2. A noun in its plural form meaning a large number of people. _______________ (para 3)
3. An adjective meaning unwilling. _______________ (para 5)
4. A three-word experience meaning a situation in which a court of law punishes someone for a crime they did not
commit. _______________ (para 6)
5. A verb meaning to influence something in a dishonest way in order to produce a favourable result. _______________ (para 7)
6. A noun meaning the illegal use of fire to destroy a house, building or property. _______________ (para 7)
7. A three-word expression meaning an order given by a judge to delay the carrying out of a death penalty. _______________ (para 11)
8. A three-word expression meaning a serious failure to do the things you are responsible for in your job. _______________ (para 11)
5 Language: Phrasal verbs
Match these phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings.
1. call for
a. to cancel
2. break with
b. to reject
3. focus on
c. to state publicly that something must happen
4. end up (with)
d. to disagree with a tradition and start doing things in a different way
5. call off
e. to concentrate on something and pay particular attention to it
6. turn down
f.
to be in a particular situation after something has happened
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1. Many people in Texas are calling for a _______________ of capital punishment. [CONSIDER]
2. There is a growing _______________ to pass death sentences. [RELUCTANT]
3. The judicial system in Texas is highly _______________. [POLITICS]
4. Sharon Keller has been criticized for her _______________ to keep a court office open after 5pm. [REFUSE]
5. There is an increasing use of DNA forensic _______________. [EVIDENT]
6. A _______________ is a meeting of a court of law or an official organization to find out the facts about
something. [HEAR]
7 Discussion
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What are the arguments for and against the use of the death penalty?
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KEY
1 Key words
5 Language: Phrasal verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
verdict
overturned
exonerated
moratorium
condemned
executed
capital punishment
abolish
judiciary
conviction
2 Find the information
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
around 100
six years ago (2003)
half (50%)
nearly 140
24
earlier this year (2009)
c
d
e
f
a
b
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
reconsideration
reluctance
politicized
refusal
evidence
hearing
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
a
c
c
4 Find the word
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rock-solid
scores
reluctant
miscarriage of justice
rig
arson
stay of execution
dereliction of duty
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
165
Climate change in Russia’s Arctic tundra
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
tundra
permafrost
swamp
wilderness
landslide
catastrophic
indigenous
itinerant
unmistakeable
impenetrable
1.
The _______________ people of a particular place have lived there for a very long time before other people
came to live there.
2.
A _______________ situation or event causes a lot of damage or makes a lot of people suffer.
3.
A _______________ is a heavy fall of earth and rocks down the side of a mountain or steep slope.
4.
A _______________ is an area of land covered by water where trees and plants grow.
5.
_______________ people or animals travel from place to place frequently.
6.
If a place is described as _______________, it is impossible to get into or get through it.
7.
_______________ is a large flat area of land without trees in very cold northern parts of the world.
8.
A _______________ is an area of land where people do not live or grow crops and where there are
no buildings.
9.
_______________ is ground that stays permanently frozen.
10. If something is described as _______________, it is very easy to recognize.
2
What do you know?
There are no polar bears in Russia.
3.
Reindeer give birth to their young in October.
4.
Global warming is happening at a faster rate in Russia than in other parts of the world.
5.
Temperatures of -50oC have been recorded in the Arctic regions of Russia.
6.
It is impossible to build railways on permafrost.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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Russia is the world’s biggest country by geographical area.
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Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
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Climate change in Russia’s Arctic
tundra: ‘Our reindeer go hungry.
There isn’t enough pasture’
6
2 But this remote region of north-west Siberia is
now under heavy threat from global warming.
Traditionally the Nenets travel across the frozen
River Ob in November and set up camp in the
southern forests around Nadym. These days,
though, this annual winter pilgrimage is delayed.
Last year the Nenets, together with many
thousands of reindeer, had to wait until late
December when the ice was finally thick enough
to cross.
“It’s an indication of the global warming process,
like the opening of the Arctic waters for shipping
this summer,” says Vladimir Tchouprov,
Greenpeace Russia’s energy unit head. The
melting of Russia’s permafrost could have
catastrophic results for the world, Tchouprov
says, by releasing billions of tonnes of carbon
dioxide and the potent greenhouse gas methane
that were previously trapped in frozen soil.
7
3 “Our reindeer were hungry. There wasn’t enough
pasture,” Jakov Japtik, a Nenets reindeer herder,
said. “The snow is melting sooner, quicker and
faster than before. In spring it’s difficult for the
reindeer to pull the sledges. They get tired,”
Japtik said, speaking in his camp 25 kilometres
from Yar-Sale, the capital of Russia’s Arctic
Yamal-Nenets district.
Russia – the world’s biggest country by
geographical area – is already warming at
one-and-a-half times the rate of other parts of
the world. If global temperatures do go up by the
4°C many scientists fear, the impact on Russia
would be disastrous. Much of Russia’s northern
region would be turned into impenetrable
swamp. Houses in several Arctic towns are
already badly subsiding.
8
Many Russians, however, are sceptical that
climate change exists. Others rationalize that it
might bring benefits to one of the world’s coldest
countries, freeing up a melting Arctic for oil and
gas exploration and extending the country’s brief
growing season. Russia’s scientific community
seems sceptical of global warming and the
Kremlin doesn’t appear to regard the issue as
a major domestic problem; public awareness of
climate change in Russia is lower than in any
other European country.
9
Western politicians, however, point out that it is
in Russia’s interests to take action on climate
change and to push for ambitious targets at
December’s Copenhagen summit. “There is
5,000 miles of railway track built on permafrost.
It could crumble as a result of melting,” Ed
Miliband, the UK secretary of state for climate
change, pointed out during a recent visit
to Moscow.
4 Herders say that the peninsula’s weather is
increasingly unpredictable – with unseasonal
snowstorms when the reindeer give birth in
May, and milder longer autumns. In winter,
temperatures used to go down to -50°C. Now
they are typically -30°C, according to Japtik.
“Obviously we prefer -30°C. But the changes
aren’t good for the reindeer and ultimately what
is good for the reindeer is good for us,” he said,
setting off on his sled to round up his itinerant
reindeer herd.
5 Here in one of the most remote parts of the
planet there are clear signs the environment is
under strain. Last year the Nenets arrived at a
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Climate change in Russia’s Arctic tundra / Advanced
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1 It is one of the world’s last great wildernesses, a
435-mile-long peninsula of lakes and squelching
tundra stretching deep into the Arctic Ocean. For
1,000 years the indigenous Nenets people have
migrated along the Yamal peninsula. In summer
they wander northwards, taking their reindeer
with them. In winter they return southwards.
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regular summer camping spot and discovered
that half of their lake had disappeared. It had
drained away after a landslide. While landslides
can occur naturally, scientists say there is
unmistakable evidence that Yamal’s ancient
permafrost is melting. The Nenets report other
curious changes – fewer mosquitoes and a
puzzling increase in gadflies.
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10 However, even Russians working in the Arctic
are unconvinced that their country faces a
serious climate-change problem. “It’s rubbish. It’s
invented. People who spend too long sitting at
home have made up climate change,” Alexander
Chikmaryov, who runs a remote weather station
on the Yamal peninsula, said. A small community
of Nenets hunters live nearby; otherwise there’s
nobody for a hundred kilometres. The weather
here is, not surprisingly, bitterly cold; the sea
freezes for nine months of the year.
11 In fact, Chikmaryov’s own data suggests that
global warming is a real problem here too. In
2008 the ice was 164cm thick; this year it is
117cm. Winter temperatures have gone up too
– from lows of -50°C in 1914, when the station
was founded, to -40°C today. Every year large
chunks of the coast fall into the sea. And there
are other unnatural signs. On 15th August a
large polar bear started rooting through the
station’s rubbish bin. “It was 7pm. The bear
was enormous. We set off a flare. It ran off,”
she recalled. Polar bear sightings are becoming
increasingly common – with the bears coming
south from their far-northern habitat in search
of food.
12 Back on the tundra Japitik was rounding up his
reindeer. “I’ve lived all of my life in the tundra,”
he said. “The reindeer for us are everything –
food, transport and accommodation. The only
thing I hope is that we will be able to carry on
with this life.”
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 15/11/09
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Why would the melting of Russia’s permafrost have catastrophic results for the world?
a. Because the 5,000 miles of railway track built on it would be destroyed.
b. Because it would release billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
c. Because it would be an indication of the global warming process.
2.
Why is the rise in temperature from -50°C to -30°C a bad thing for the Nenets herders?
a. Because it isn’t good for their reindeer and what is good for their reindeer is good for them.
b. Because they can’t cross frozen rivers when the temperature rises to -30°C.
c. Because there are unseasonal snowstorms when the reindeer give birth.
3.
What will happen to Russia’s northern region if global temperatures rise by 4°C?
a. It will turn into impenetrable swamp.
b. There will be so many mosquitoes that people won’t be able to live there.
c. The growing season will be longer.
4.
What do many Russians think about climate change?
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a. They are very worried about it and regard it as a major domestic problem.
b. They believe it will be a good thing for their country.
c. They do not believe that climate change exists.
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4 Find the word
Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1. an adjective meaning far away from other cities, towns or people (para 2)
2. a noun meaning a visit to a place that is important to you (para 2)
3. two different words both meaning a vehicle that you sit on to travel over snow (para 3/para 4)
4. a two-word expression meaning under pressure (para 5)
5. a verb referring to buildings meaning to become damaged as a result of the land sinking (para 7)
6. a two-word expression meaning extremely cold (para 10)
7. a noun meaning a bright light or flame that burns brightly and is used as a signal in the dark (para 11)
8. a noun meaning the type of place that an animal normally lives in (para 11)
5 Phrasal verbs
Match the phrasal verbs from the text with their meanings.
1.
set up
a. flow out of somewhere
2.
round up
b. make something available
3.
drain away c. people search through something with their hands; animals search by pushing with
their nose
4.
free up
d. tell someone something
5.
push for
e. cause something to operate or make it explode
6.
set off
f.
7.
point out
g. try hard to achieve something
8.
root through
h. bring animals together in one place for a particular purpose
build a structure or put it in a particular place
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1. The weather is becoming increasingly ____________ in some parts of the world. [PREDICT]
2. Global warming could have a ____________ impact on Russia. [DISASTER]
3. Warmer temperatures could free up Russia’s Arctic regions for oil and gas ____________. [EXPLORE]
4. Many politicians are hoping for ____________ targets at the Copenhagen summit. [AMBITION]
5. Many Russians are ____________ that there is a serious climate-change problem. [CONVINCE]
6. ____________ of polar bears are becoming increasingly common. [SIGHT]
7 Discussion
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What practical measures should be undertaken to combat climate change?
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KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
F
T
T
F
5 Phrasal verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
f
h
a
b
g
e
d
c
3 Comprehension check
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
b
a
a
c
unpredictable
disastrous
exploration
ambitious
unconvinced
Sightings
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T
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2 What do you know?
remote
pilgrimage
sledge; sled
under strain
subside
bitterly cold
flare
habitat
N
indigenous
catastrophic
landslide
swamp
Itinerant
impenetrable
Tundra
wilderness
Permafrost
unmistakeable
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1
Advanced
Warmer
Write six things that you associate with Wikipedia and then compare your notes with a partner’s.
Wikipedia
2
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps and then decide if they are verbs, nouns or adjective.
censor comprise file (suit) jurisdiction sue court of appeal privacy
pending
suppress
abide by
perpetrator
infringe
cite
1.
When you ____________________ someone, you make a legal claim against them, usually to get money.
2.
____________________ means to limit or reduce someone’s legal rights or freedom.
3.
____________________ is the freedom to do things without other people watching you or knowing what you
are doing.
4.
When you ____________________, you make an official complaint at a court.
5.
When you ____________________ something, you remove parts of it for moral, religious or political reasons.
6.
When you ____________________ something, you follow a rule, decision or instruction.
7.
A ____________________ is a country or area in which a particular legal system operates.
8.
Someone who commits a crime is its ____________________.
9.
____________________ means to be, form or make up something.
10. When you ____________________ something, you mention it as an example, explanation or proof of
something else.
11. When you ____________________ information you stop it from being published or publicly discussed.
12. The ____________________ is a place where you can go to officially ask for a judgement to be reconsidered
or changed.
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13. Something that is ____________________ is waiting to be dealt with, settled, or completed.
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6
Jennifer Granick, a lawyer for the Electronic
Frontier Foundation, an online civil liberties
group, said that a foreign power should not
be able to censor publications in the United
States, regardless of whether doing so suits the
country’s domestic law. “If all publications have
to abide by the censorship laws of any and
every jurisdiction just because they are
accessible over the global internet, then we will
not be able to believe what we read, whether
about Falun Gong (censored by China), the
Thai king (censored under lèse majesté*) or
German murders.”
7
Floyd Abrams, a prominent First Amendment
lawyer who has represented the New York
Times, told the paper that every judge on the US
Supreme Court would agree that the Wikipedia
article “is protected by the First Amendment”. But
Germany’s courts have come up with a different
balance between the right to privacy and the
public’s right to know, Abrams said.
8
The German law springs from a decision of
Germany’s highest court in 1973, which has led
to publications there referring to people whose
convictions are ‘spent’ as, for example, “the
perpetrator” or “Mr L”.
9
But the German duo may discover that their
attempts to remove their names from the
electronic record has precisely the opposite
result – a phenomenon known online as the
“Streisand effect”, after the singer, whose
attempts to remove pictures of her beach house
from online records outraged people, who then
copied the pictures and distributed them over
the internet.
Charles Arthur
13 November, 2009
1 Two German men who killed an actor in
1990 are suing the charity behind the online
encyclopaedia Wikipedia. They claim that
Wikipedia including details of their crimes
infringes their right to privacy.
4 German editors of Wikipedia, which is available
in multiple languages around the world, have
already removed the killers’ names from the
German-language version about the victim,
Walter Sedlmayr. But Stopp has also filed
suit in German courts to demand that the
Wikimedia Foundation, which funds and runs
Wikipedia, remove their names from the
English-language article.
5 In fact, Wikipedia administrators – the unpaid
group that helps oversee the running of the site
– have been discussing the challenge for more
than a year. But there is deep disagreement
about whether the individuals’ Germandetermined right to privacy overrides the US
First Amendment.
10 Michael Godwin, the general counsel of the
Wikimedia Foundation, said the foundation
“doesn’t edit content at all, unless we get a court
order … if our German editors have chosen to
remove the names of the murderers from their
article on Walter Sedlmayr, we support them
in that choice.” But, he added: “The Englishlanguage editors have chosen to include the
names of the killers, and we support them in
that choice.”
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Wikipedia sued by German killers in privacy claim / Advanced
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3 The two men, who cannot be named here
because The Guardian is available in Germany,
became infamous for the killing, for which they
were sentenced to life in prison in 1993. They
were released from prison in 2007 and 2008. But
Alexander Stopp, the lawyer for the two men,
said that Germany’s courts allow a criminal’s
name to be withheld in news reports once they
have served a prison term and a set period has
expired. “They should be able to go on and be
resocialized,” Stopp told the New York Times. “A
criminal has a right to privacy, too, and a right to
be left alone.”
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2 The case has become an instant online cause
célèbre because on the one side is the US’s
First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of
speech, and on the other side German privacy
and criminal laws, which say that after a certain
period a crime is ‘spent’ and cannot be referred
to. The UK has similar rules on the reporting of
lesser crimes.
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11 Wikipedia, as one of the top-ranking sites for
information from many searches, is often a key
source of information about events or people.
It has more than 12m articles, including 3m
in English, but has just 30 staff – and Godwin
comprises its entire legal staff.
foundation a letter regarding the other man,
whose case against Wikimedia is pending.
“The German courts, including several courts of
appeals, have held that our client’s name and
likeness cannot be used any more in publication
regarding Sedlmayr’s death,” he wrote.
12 The killers’ lawyer contacted Wikimedia about
both men, citing cases since 2006 that had
suppressed publication of their names in
Germany. He has won a default judgment
against Wikimedia for one of the men in
a German court, and last month sent the
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 13/11/09
* Lèse majesté (French, from the Latin laesa
maiestas, “injured majesty”) is an offense
against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or
against a state.
3 Language: Legal collocations
Look back over the article to find the answers to these questions. Make notes and then compare your
answers in class.
1. What is the ‘First Amendment’?
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. What does it mean if a crime is ‘spent’?
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. What were the men convicted of?
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. What were they sentenced to?
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. How long did they spend in prison?
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. What type of organization is Wikipedia?
_________________________________________________________________________________
6. Why is the men’s lawyer suing Wikipedia?
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4 Language: Homonyms
A homonym is a word that is spelled the same or pronounced the same as another word but has a different
meaning. Match the common meaning of each word in the first column with the meaning that word has in
the article.
word
common meaning
meaning in article
a suit
to put a document into
a container with other
documents
a claim or complaint that
someone makes in a
court of law
right
a set of clothes made
from the same cloth,
usually a jacket with
trousers or a skirt
a punishment given by a
judge, usually involving
a period of time that a
person must spend in
prison
life
a group of words, usually
including a subject and
a verb, that express a
statement, question, or
instruction
to come from a particular
place or situation
to file
the period of time from
someone’s birth until
their death
something that you are
morally or legally allowed
to do or have
to spring
a direction, the opposite
of left
a punishment in which
someone is sent to
prison for many years
a sentence
to jump or move in a
particular direction,
quickly and with a lot
of energy
to take official action,
for example to make an
official complaint
What other homonyms can you think of?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Discussion
•
•
•
Had you heard about the Sedlmayr murder before you read the article?
Will you now look up the names of the perpetrators?
Which do you think is more important: the killers’ right to privacy or the public’s right to know?
6 Webquest
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Look up ‘Streisand Effect’ on the internet. What other examples of The Streisand Effect can you find?
Choose one, research it further and summarize it to your class
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KEY
sue v
infringe v
privacy n
file (suit) v
censor v
abide by v
jurisdiction n
perpetrator n
comprise v
cite v
suppress v
court of appeal n
pending adj
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
word
a suit
right
life
to file
to spring
a sentence
Possible answers:
Part of the US constitution which guarantees the
right to freedom of speech.
After a criminal has served a prison term and a
set period of time has expired then a crime is
considered ‘spent’.
Murder (killing an actor).
Life imprisonment.
14 and 15 years respectively.
A charity or a foundation.
Because in Germany certain details of ‘spent’
crimes may not be printed in the media (in contrast
to in the USA) as it is considered that this may stop
the perpetrator being resocialized and integrated
into society.
common meaning
a set of clothes made
from the same cloth,
usually a jacket with
trousers or a skirt
a direction, the opposite
of left
meaning in article
a claim or complaint
that someone makes in
a court of law
the period of time from
someone’s birth until
their death
to put a document into
a container with other
documents
to jump or move in a
particular direction,
quickly and with a lot of
energy
a group of words,
usually including a
subject and a verb, that
express a statement,
question, or instruction
a punishment in which
someone is sent to
prison for many years
something that you
are morally or legally
allowed to do or have
to take official action,
for example to make an
official complaint
to come from a
particular place or
situation
a punishment given
by a judge, usually
involving a period of
time that a person must
spend in prison
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
4 Language: Homonyms
N
2 Key words
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Key words
Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the article. The paragraph numbers are given to
help you
chant
jeer
banner
catwalk
stigma
initiative
pariah
sought after
ethical
biodegradable
1.
A _______________ is a wide piece of cloth with a message on it, often stretched between two poles. (para 2)
2.
A _______________ is a word or phrase that people keep shouting or singing. (para 2)
3.
If you _______________ at someone, you shout or laugh at them in an unkind way that shows you have no
respect for them. (para 3)
4.
The _______________ is the raised area at a fashion show that the models walk along. (para 4)
5.
If something is described as _______________, it is morally right. (para 4)
6.
If something is _______________, it is wanted by many people but is not easy to get. (para 5)
7.
A _______________ is a feeling that something is wrong or embarrassing in some way. (para 6)
8.
An _______________ is an important action that is intended to solve a problem. (para 7)
9.
A _______________ is a person that other people dislike and avoid. (para 10)
10. A _______________ material is one that can be broken into very small parts by bacteria so it is not harmful to
the environment. (para 11)
2
What do you know?
Supermodel Naomi Campbell is part of an advertising campaign for a company that sells fur.
3.
Fur sales worldwide are continuing to fall.
4.
PETA stands for ‘People for Ethical Trade in Animals’.
5.
Madonna and Kate Moss have both worn fur in public.
6.
Fur farming is not permitted in the United Kingdom.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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Harrods is the only department store in the UK that sells fur.
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Decide whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
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Would you rather go naked?
Not any longer
2 Escorted by police, the crowd marched to
several top clothing stores, stopping outside
Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Joseph and Gucci. If it
had not been for the banners and the chants
and the drum beats, they could have been on a
guided tourist walk of London’s best shops. But
these were no ordinary shoppers. These were
members of the Coalition to Abolish the Fur
Trade, who were out to target the specific shops
that continue to sell clothes made from fur.
6
Where once celebrities were wary of walking
out in a fur-trimmed jacket for fear of being
covered in red paint by animal rights activists,
now there seems to be no such stigma. Keira
Knightley recently attended an awards ceremony
in a lambskin coat and Jennifer Lopez has
worn mink and chinchilla at red-carpet events
over the years. Madonna, Eva Longoria, Linda
Evangelista, Kate Moss and Lindsay Lohan have
all worn fur in public.
7
“Fur has never been more popular,” says a
spokesman for Origin Assured, an initiative
developed by the International Fur Trade
Federation that states that it sources “ethical” fur.
“From 1998 to 2008 there has been year-on-year
growth in global sales for fur. People now are
more comfortable showing their love of fur. The
younger generation seems to be saying, ‘We’ll
make up our own minds’, and part of that has its
core in the rise of hip-hop culture – we’ve just
heard that Rihanna’s new album cover is going
to feature her in a white fur coat. It’s also to do
with the fact that young designers are featuring
fur in their collections.”
8
The change in public opinion is reflected in the
figures. In 2007, fur sales worldwide totalled
£10bn, up 11% on the previous year, with nine
years of continuous growth. Last year, the fur
trade contributed £13bn to the global economy
and, although fur farming was banned in
Britain in 2003, the UK’s fur trade turnover is
about £400-500m a year. In the 15 years since
PETA’s original “I’d rather go naked than wear
fur” ad campaign, Britain seems to have gone
from a nation that equates fur with inexcusable
animal cruelty to one that views it merely as an
occasional fashion statement.
9
As a measure of just how much attitudes
have changed, one need only look at the five
supermodels featured in that first campaign.
3 When they reached Harrods, one of the few
department stores in the UK that still stock real
fur, the crowd started to chant and jeer. But their
sentiments were perhaps best expressed by one
woman, wrapped up against the cold in a hat
and coat, who carried a handwritten sign that
read simply, “The Devil Wears Fur”.
4 Six months before the Knightsbridge protest,
the catwalks of New York, London and Milan
fashion weeks were filled with animal skins of
all description. Fur coats made an appearance
at Versace, Alexander McQueen and Jean
Paul Gaultier, amongst others. In London, Issa
showed fur for the first time – ironically, the
star on their catwalk was Naomi Campbell,
who in 1994 appeared alongside her fellow
supermodels in an advertisment for PETA
(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
claiming she would “rather go naked than wear
fur”. Now Campbell fronts a campaign for the
luxury furrier Dennis Basso.
5 The November issue of French Vogue included a
12-page story featuring the Brazilian supermodel
Raquel Zimmermann wearing fur, and the trend
has been enthusiastically embraced by the
British high street. Several shoe chains have in
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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1 On a grey autumn day in London last month,
a few hundred protesters took to the streets
around Knightsbridge with home-made banners
and loudspeakers. Some of them had their faces
half-obscured by scarves. Others came with their
children, holding their hands tightly.
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22 November, 2009
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the recent past stocked boots lined with rabbit
fur. And while real fur still remains beyond the
price range of the average customer, the look of
fur has become increasingly sought after. The
Spanish high-street retailer Zara, meanwhile,
has received criticism for trimming some items
with real rabbit fur.
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From a line-up that included Naomi Campbell,
Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Claudia
Schiffer and Elle Macpherson, only Turlington
has stayed true to her word. All the others have,
at one time or another, chosen to promote or
wear real fur in the intervening years.
10 Fur used to be the mark of a social pariah.
Yet now we barely blink an eyelid when Kate
Moss is photographed popping to the shops in
sealskin boots. What has driven this change
in attitude? How has fur become fashionable?
And most importantly, do we care about whether
the wearing of fur is ethically defensible, or has
it simply become another trend, like shoulder
pads, whose desirability is determined only by
how quickly it dates?
11 So, is the anti-fur movement losing the
argument? The fur trade promotes its products
by inviting leading designers on all-expenses
paid trips and providing them with free samples
of top-quality furs. Those who argue in favour
of fur also insist that it is natural, renewable,
biodegradable and energy efficient in
comparison to the synthetic versions. The rising
popularity of vintage fashion has had a big
impact on changing attitudes towards fur among
the younger generation. But the president of
PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, insists that the fight will
go on, “If you stop seeing animals as handbags,
hamburgers or amusements, if you see them as
fellow animals and you know that they feel joy
and pain and all the same things we feel, how
can you kill them for fur?”
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Observer, 22/11/09
3 Comprehension check
How has the supermodel Christy Turlington ‘stayed true to her word’?
a. She appeared in an anti-fur campaign in 1994 and has not worn or promoted fur since.
b. She says that fur is simply another trend that will quickly date.
c. She is not afraid to speak the truth about fur.
3.
Why were celebrities once reluctant to appear in public wearing fur?
a. Because they thought they might lose lucrative contracts as a result.
b. Because they were afraid of being attacked by animal rights activists.
c. Because it was morally unacceptable to do so.
4.
What has happened to the anti-fur movement?
a. It has given up its protests as a result of changes in public opinion.
b. It has changed its name from PETA to CAFT.
c. It is still campaigning against the killing of animals for fur.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Would you rather go naked? Not any longer / Advanced
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2.
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Which of these statements best reflects the situation of the fur industry?
a. Most people continue to believe that is morally unacceptable to wear fur.
b. Attitudes are changing and fur is becoming more popular again.
c. Synthetic fur has almost completely replaced real fur worldwide.
CA
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Choose the best answer according to the text.
178
Would you rather go naked? Not any longer
Level 3
Advanced
4 Find the word
Look in the text and find the following words and expressions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
a two-word adjective meaning partly covered (para 1)
a two-word expression meaning aiming to (para 2)
a verb meaning to completely accept something (para 5)
an adjective meaning careful or nervous about someone or something because you think they might cause
a problem (para 6)
a noun meaning the value of the goods and services that a company sells in a particular period of time (para 8)
an adjective meaning impossible to forgive (para 8)
a four-word expression meaning not to show any reaction to something strange or shocking (para 10)
an adjective meaning old but kept in a good condition because it is interesting or attractive (para 11)
5 Verbs
Fill the gaps in the phrases with these verbs from the text.
receive
contribute
attend
feature
make
have
argue
take
1. _______________ to the streets in protest
2. _______________ an appearance
3. _______________ criticism
4. _______________ an awards ceremony
5. _______________ to the global economy
6. _______________ in an advertising campaign
7. _______________ in favour of something
8. _______________ a big impact on something
6 Word building
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1. The __________________ of a particular trend is determined by how quickly it dates. [DESIRE]
2. Supporters of fur argue that it is __________________. [RENEW]
3. Retailers in Britain have embraced the new trend for fur __________________. [ENTHUSIASM]
4. The look of fur is becoming __________________ sought after. [INCREASE]
5. There have been nine years of __________________ growth in fur sales. [CONTINUE]
6. People are asking whether the wearing of fur is ethically __________________. [DEFEND]
7 Discussion
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Is it right to wear fur? Why? Why not?
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KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
F
T
F
F
T
T
5 Verbs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
take
make
receive
attend
feature
contribute
argue
have
3 Comprehension check
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
b
a
b
c
desirability
renewable
enthusiastically
increasingly
continuous
defensible
O
H
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T
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2 What do you know?
half-obscured
out to
embrace
wary
turnover
inexcusable
barely blink an eyelid
vintage
N
banner
chant
jeer
catwalk
ethical
sought after
stigma
initiative
pariah
biodegradable
180
Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
What do you consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of these sports?
advantages
disadvantages
horse-riding
gymnastics
boxing
Say which of the sports you consider to be the most dangerous and why.
Then scan the article to find out what it says about the three sports.
2
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. The paragraph numbers are given to help you find the
right words.
1.
the start of something again that quickly increases in influence, effect, etc. ______________________ (para 1)
2.
to be very popular in a particular place or group ______________________ (three words, para 2)
3.
refused to accept that something might be true or important ______________________ (para 2)
4.
a division or part of a country that elects a representative to a parliament ______________________ (para 5)
5.
the feeling that you are as important as other people and that you deserve to be treated well
______________________ (para 5)
6.
separating someone from the (bad) person or thing that holds and influences them ______________________
(para 5)
7.
how well someone does in formal education ______________________ (two words, para 8)
8.
the second person in charge of a college or university ______________________ (two words, para 8)
9.
problems or difficulties ______________________ (para 8)
10. beginning to understand ______________________ (two words, para 9)
11. easy to get to; available ______________________ (para 11)
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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12. attractive and interesting ______________________ (para 11)
181
Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs
Advanced
7
“It has become so popular in schools, quite
simply, because it works,” said Rebecca Gibson,
head of development at the Amateur Boxing
Association of England, who said the sport had
benefited from the success of fighters such as
Amir Khan and a jump in funding from £50,000
in 2005 to £4.7m this year.
8
One school that has become convinced of
the sport’s benefits is the Harris academy in
Merton, south London. “It has had an impact on
everything here from behaviour and attendance
to academic achievement,” said Gregg Morrison,
the assistant principal with responsibility for
sport. “It has been one of the best things we
have done in terms of helping individual pupils
and has been particularly successful for those
with behavioural or self-esteem issues, who are
traditionally very hard to reach.”
9
Former Ghanaian boxing champion, Isola Akay,
said, “It is really amazing how many youngsters
have wanted to come and box in the last few
years. We have 300 people who come here
each week and there are queues of boys and
girls at the side each night waiting for a chance
to join in. I have known for years what boxing
can offer people and it seems others are now
catching on.”
Matthew Taylor and Owen Gibson
15 November, 2009
2 The number of schools with boxing on the
curriculum has jumped from 20 in 2005 to 1,931
in 2009 and the sport has become the toast
of politicians and education experts who once
dismissed it as too violent.
4 But she said boxing’s safety record had
improved and it was now ranked 75th by the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
on its list of the most dangerous sports, behind
rollerblading, gymnastics and horse-riding.
5 “It reaches young people that other sports can’t
reach,” added Jowell. “In my own constituency,
it’s probably the number one sport that young
people want to do. It gives them self-esteem, it
gets rid of aggression, yet at the same time is a
highly disciplined sport. We know it can be a way
of disengaging kids from gangs, carrying knives,
from low-level crime and high-level antisocial
behaviour.”
6 According to the latest national school sport
survey, boxing is now available in 34% of
secondary schools in England. The same
survey showed that 5% of primary and 26% of
secondary schools have a formal link with an
accredited amateur boxing club.
10 Women’s boxing, which will be included in the
London Olympics for the first time in 2012, is one
of the sport’s biggest growth areas. According
to a survey on sport in England, 37,000 women
are now regular participants. The number of
registered female boxers in the UK has risen
from 50 in 2005 to more than 642 in 2009.
Rebecca Gibson, head of development at the
Amateur Boxing Association of England, said in
the past year the biggest increase in registered
boxers had been among girls aged between 11
and 17.
11 “Girls are in a position where they want more
choices and as sport becomes more accessible,
boxing is appealing to more of them,” Gibson
said. “They want something different and that
is what boxing offers. Many women find it an
empowering activity.”
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs / Advanced
O
3 “Twelve years ago I considered boxing almost
too dangerous to be considered as a mainstream
sport,” said Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister.
“I was public health minister and the British
Medical Association quite regularly at that time
called for boxing to be banned.”
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1 Boxing is undergoing a big resurgence, with tens
of thousands of people taking part in schools
and gyms across the country each week. The
number of people registered with amateur clubs
in England has nearly tripled since 2005, and the
sport is likely to get a further boost from David
Haye recently winning a world heavyweight title.
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Off the ropes and back into the ring –
boxing makes unlikely comeback in
schools and clubs
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Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs
Level 3
Advanced
12 Lesley Sackey, 27, from London started boxing
three years ago and now represents England.
She is one of a handful of women hoping for a
place on the 2012 women’s Olympic team. “A
few years ago, a friend of my dad’s suggested
it as a way to keep fit. It was a shock to my
system at first because it is incredibly hard
training but now I have definitely got the bug,”
she said. Sackey trains six days a week and
recently attended a selection camp for the
women’s Olympic team. “It is just so exciting to
be involved at this level,” and the whole thing
feels like an amazing opportunity, she said. “It is
a huge commitment but I wouldn’t change it.”
© Guardian News & Media 2009
First published in The Guardian, 15/11/2009
3 Find the information
Write your answers to the questions in note form.
1. Name three boxers mentioned in the article.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Who is Tessa Jowell and how has her opinion of boxing changed?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Name at least three benefits of boxing.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Why are schools in favour of putting boxing onto their curriculum?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Why are so many women taking up boxing?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
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6. Who is Lesley Sackey and what does she hope to do?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
183
Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs
Level 3
Advanced
4 Language: Graphs
1. Scan the article to find the figures and then put the information into the bar charts to show:
a. the number of registered female boxers
b. the number of British schools that have boxing on their curriculum
20001
1800
0.9
1600
0.8
1400
0.7
1200
0.6
…………………
…………………
1000
0.5
800
0.4
600
0.3
400
0.2
200
0.1
00
2005
2009
………………
2. Now use the following language to explain your bar chart:
per cent
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs / Advanced
rocketed
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increased
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jumped
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Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs
Level 3
Advanced
5 Discussion: What is your opinion?
Tick the statement you most agree with.
¨
¨
¨
¨
Boxing is violent and dangerous.
Boxing teaches discipline and is good for self-esteem.
Boxing is an exciting sport for both men and women.
Boxing should be banned.
Talk with other students who have chosen a different statement to you and say why you chose the
statement that you did.
6 Webquest
Your 15-year-old daughter / granddaughter / sister / neighbour wants to take up boxing. Research the
internet to find a club near you (or in a town of your choice) and look for the following information:
•membership fee
•whether personal trainers are available
•
age restrictions
•
opening times
•
competitions
•
other useful information
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Compare your results with other students and decide which club you will recommend.
185
Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs
Level 3
Advanced
KEY
1 Warmer
Boxing is “… now ranked 75th by the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Accidents on its list of the most
dangerous sports, behind rollerblading, gymnastics and
horse-riding.” (para 4)
4 Language: Graphs
2000
1500
registered
women's
female boxers
boxing
1000
2 Key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
resurgence
the toast of
dismissed
constituency
self-esteem
disengaging
academic achievement
assistant principal
issues
catching on
accessible
appealing
British schools
boxing
on
that have
school
boxing on their
curriculum
curriculums
500
0
2005 2009
3 Find the information
6.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009
NEWS LESSONS / Boxing makes an unlikely comeback in schools and clubs / Advanced
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4.
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3.
David Haye, Amir Khan, Isola Akay
She is the British government’s Olympics minister.
She used to dislike boxing and wanted to have
it banned. Now that boxing’s safety record has
improved she sees it as a positive way to reach
youngsters.
It provides self-esteem, discipline and allows
people to get rid of their aggression.
Boxing has had a positive impact on attendance
and academic achievement. It has helped pupils
with behavioural and self-esteem issues.
Many women find boxing to be an
empowering activity.
She is a 27-year-old woman from London who
hopes to represent England in the women’s boxing
event at the next Olympic Games.
CA
1.
2.
186
Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate
Level 3
1
Advanced
Warmer
Answer these questions and then talk about your answers in class.
Do you have a mobile phone?
Did you have a mobile phone five / 10 / 15 years ago?
Do you know anyone between the ages of 18 and 60 who does not have a mobile phone?
How many people in your class do you think have more than one mobile phone?
How many mobile phones are there in your household?
2
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. The paragraph numbers and the numbers of letters will help
you find the right words.
1.
Something that is _______________ is easy to carry or move, so that you can use it in different places.
(eight letters, para 3)
2.
_______________ are tall metal structures used for broadcasting radio and television, and telephone signals.
(five letters, para 3)
3.
started selling a new product or service to the public _______________ (eight letters, para 3)
4.
the possibility to develop or achieve something in the future _______________ (nine letters, para 3)
5.
calculated how big something would become in the future using information that was available at the time
_______________ (nine letters, para 4)
6.
A _______________ is a sudden increase in the popularity of something. (four letters, para 7)
7.
in a very important or basic way _______________ (13 letters, para 8)
8.
paying some of the cost of goods or services so that they can be sold to other people at a lower price
_______________ (11 letters, para 8)
9.
to get back money that you have invested or lost _______________ (six letters, para 8)
10. new and unusual things _______________ (nine letters, para 10)
11. had a legal agreement in which money was paid so they could use a building, land or equipment belonging to
them for a specific period of time _______________ (six letters, para 10)
12. a situation in which one person or thing has more influence or power than any other _______________
(nine letters, para 11)
13. very famous and well known, and believed to represent a particular idea _______________
(six letters, para 12)
14. happening or existing as the final result of a process or situation _______________ (11 letters, para 13)
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
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15. machines or pieces of equipment that do particular things _______________ (seven letters, para 15)
187
Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate
Advanced
In just 25 years, the mobile phone has
transformed the way we communicate
was [mobile communications] were not for
the mass market,” according to Mike Short,
chief technology officer of Cellnet’s successor,
Telefonica O2 Europe, who was with BT when
Cellnet was founded. “That was also the view
in Racal Vodafone. Some of us who were more
active in the day-to-day business, certainly from
1986 to 1987 onwards, could see a much bigger
potential than that but we never expected it
would be as large as it has become.”
Richard Wray
1 January, 2010
4 “We projected there would only be about a
million ever sold and we would get about 35%
of the market and BT projected there would be
about half a million and they would get about
80% of the market,” remembers Sir Christopher
Gent, former Vodafone chief executive, who was
at St Katherine’s Dock a quarter of a century
ago. “In the first year, we sold about 15,000 to
20,000 phones. The hand portable Motorola
was about £3,000 but most of the phones we
sold were car phones from companies such as
Panasonic and Nokia.”
5 Hardly anyone believed there would come a day
when mobile phones were so popular that there
would be more phones in the UK than there are
people. “Within both BT and Securicor, the view
7
The boom was a consequence of increased
competition – which pushed prices lower and
created innovations in the way that mobiles were
sold, which helped put them within the reach
of the mass market – and the move to digital
technology.
8
In 1986, Vodafone overtook Cellnet, and BT
was so annoyed that they did something which
was to fundamentally change the way that
mobile phones were sold in the UK. “Once we
had got market share advantage over Cellnet
they were desperate to get it back and they
started subsidizing handsets and bringing
down the price of phones,” Sir Christopher
recalls. Ever since then, the mobile phone
networks have subsidized the price of a phone,
hoping to recoup its cost over the lifetime of a
customer’s contract. Cellnet also changed its
prices, reducing its monthly access charge – the
equivalent of line rental – and relying instead on
actual call charges. It also introduced local
call tariffs.
9
But there was still a fundamental block to mobile
phones going mass market: not enough capacity.
“But when digital came along, that really opened
up the market,” said Sir Christopher.
10 When the government introduced more
competition, companies started cutting prices
to attract more customers, leading to some of
the cut-throat competition in the market today.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate / Advanced
O
3 At the time, mobile phones were barely portable,
weighing almost a kilogram, costing several
thousand pounds and, in some cases, provided
little more than 20 minutes talktime. The
networks themselves were small; Vodafone had
just a dozen masts covering London and the
area west of London, while Cellnet launched with
a single mast, stuck on the BT Tower. Neither
company had any idea of the huge potential
of wireless communications and the dramatic
impact that mobile phones would have on
society over the next quarter century.
For the first decade the predictions that mobile
communications would not be mass market
seemed correct. But in 1999 one mobile phone
was sold in the UK every four seconds, and by
2004, there were more mobile phones in the UK
than people.
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2 Later that morning, comedian Ernie Wise made a
very public mobile phone call from St Katherine’s
Dock, east London, to announce that Vodafone
was now open for business. A few days later, its
sole rival, Cellnet, a joint venture between BT
and Securicor, was also up and running.
6
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1 In the early hours of New Year’s Day, 1985,
Michael Harrison phoned his father, Sir Ernest,
to wish him a happy new year. There may
appear to be nothing remarkable about this but
Sir Ernest was chairman of Racal Electronics,
the owner of Vodafone, and his son was making
the first-ever mobile phone call in the UK.
CA
Level 3
188
Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate
Level 3
Advanced
The campaign, “The future’s bright, the future’s
Orange” , created by Wolff Olins, and the
introduction of such novelties as per second and
itemized billing helped give Orange a strong
position in the market. When it launched in 1999,
Virgin Mobile – the world’s first “virtual operator”
that leased network space from rivals – had a
big success with the idea of pre-pay phones.
11 The way that handsets themselves were
marketed was also changing and it was
Finland’s Nokia, which had been fighting hard
with Motorola and Ericsson for dominance of
the market, who made the leap from phones as
technology to phones as fashion items with the
Nokia 3210 device.
12 “The Nokia 3210 is iconic because it is the first
phone that deliberately did not display any sort
of external aerial,” explains Linge. “In the late
1990s Nokia realized that the mobile phone was
a fashion item: so it introduced interchangeable
covers allowing you to customize and
personalize your handset.”
13 Having seen mobile phone penetration soar
above 100% in 2004, the industry has spent the
later part of the past decade trying to persuade
people to do more with their phones than just
call and text, culminating in the fight between the
iPhone and a succession of touch screen rivals –
including Google’s Nexus One.
14 John Cunliffe, chief technology officer at
Ericsson in north-west Europe, believes the
next wave of growth for mobile telephony will
come not from persuading more people to get
a phone – because many already have one –
but connecting machines to wireless networks.
Everything from vehicle fleets and smart electric
and water meters to people’s fridge freezers will
one day be able to communicate.
15 “At the moment there are 4.5 billion devices
worldwide; at Ericsson we see this reaching 50
billion devices by 2020,” reckons Cunliffe. “This
is all about machine-to-machine communication,
touching all aspects of our lives.”
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 01/01/10
3 Comprehension: Find the information
Write your answers to the questions in note form.
1. When was the first-ever mobile phone call in the UK made, who made it, and who did he call?
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. Who were the first two mobile phone providers in the UK? Who did they belong to at that time?
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. What did BT and Vodafone project the future sales of mobile phones would be 25 years ago?
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. In 1985, which kind of mobile phone was most often sold and which companies produced these phones?
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. Which two factors brought about a significant boom in the sales of mobile phones?
_________________________________________________________________________________
6. What did providers Orange and Virgin introduce to make them stand out from their competitors?
_________________________________________________________________________________
7. What two features did Nokia introduce to make their handsets become iconic?
_________________________________________________________________________________
8. According to the chief technology officer at Ericsson, what will be an important future development in mobile telephony?
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Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate
Level 3
Advanced
4 Language: Collocations
1. Match the words in mobile phone A with the words in mobile phone B to make collocations from
the article.
A
1. network 2. joint 3. mass 4. cut-throat 5. local call 6. pre-pay 7. fashion 8. itemized 9. market 10. wireless
B
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
tariff
item
phones
space
market
share
billing
competition
network
venture
2. Check your answers by finding the word pairs in the article. Look at how they were used in the context
of the text and then write example sentences of your own for five of the collocations.
a. ________________________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________________________________________
d. ________________________________________________________________________________
e. ________________________________________________________________________________
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Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate
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5 Discussion
Compare the mobile phone you have now to the very first one you had.
What additional features does your current phone have?
How has the design changed?
What else is different?
What do you think mobile phones will be able to do in the future?
6 Webquest
Search the Internet for information about Google’s Nexus One phone.
When was it launched?
What can you do with it?
What is likely to be its main competitor?
Is it already available in your country?
If so, how much does it cost?
Would you consider buying one?
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KEY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
On New Year’s Day, 1985, Michael Harrison phoned
his father Sir Ernest. Sir Ernest was chairman of
Racal Electronics, the owner of Vodafone.
Vodafone, which was owned by Racal
Electronics, and Cellnet, a joint venture between
BT and Securicor
Vodafone projected there would only be about a
million ever sold and they would get about 35% of
the market and BT projected there would be about
half a million sold and they would get about 80% of
the market.
Most of the phones sold were car phones from
companies such as Panasonic and Nokia.
Increased competition and the move to
digital technology
Orange introduced novelties such as per second
and itemized billing. Virgin Mobile – the world’s first
“virtual operator” – had a big success with the idea
of pre-pay phones.
Nokia realized that the mobile phone could be a
fashion item and changed the look of the phone
by hiding the aerial and offering interchangeable
covers for the handsets.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
d
j
e
h
a
c
b
g
f
i
Teacher’s notes
If your students own smart phones or iPods they
may be interested to know that there are many free
downloads or ‘apps’ available which will help them learn
and revise English via their handsets. These include
podcasts, vocabulary trainers, language games and
dictionaries. One way to find the latest is by going to
www.apple.com and to the iTunes store and typing in
words such as ‘English’ or ‘vocabulary trainer’
or ‘dictionary’.
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Mobile phones have transformed the way we communicate / Advanced
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3 Comprehension: Find the information
4 Language: Collocations
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portable
Masts
launched
potential
projected
boom
fundamentally
subsidizing
recoup
novelties
leased
dominance
iconic
culminating
devices
“The next wave of growth for mobile telephony will
come ... from ... connecting machines to wireless
networks. Everything from vehicle fleets and
smart electric and water meters to people’s fridge
freezers will one day be able to communicate.”
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
8.
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2 Key words
192
Dubai unveils world’s tallest building
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. The paragraph numbers will help you choose the right words.
inauguration
predicament
defiance
disdain
bail-out
landmark slump
robust
triumphalism
brash
1. An _______________ is a ceremony to introduce something new and important. (para 1)
2. _______________ is the refusal to obey a person or rule. (para 1)
3. A _______________ is financial help given to a person, organization or government that is having problems.
(para 2)
4. If prices or values _______________, they are suddenly reduced to a much lower level. (para 2)
5. _______________ is the attitude or behaviour of someone who shows they are very proud of their own victory
or success. (para 3)
6. A _______________ is a famous building that you can see and recognize easily. (para 4)
7. A _______________ is a difficult or unpleasant situation that is not easy to get out of. (para 4)
8. If something is _______________, it is very strong. (para 8)
9. _______________ is the feeling that someone or something is not important and does not deserve any respect. (para 9)
10. If something is _______________, it is big, bright or colourful in a way that is not attractive. (para 9)
2
What do you know?
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.
1. The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is in Dubai.
2. The previous tallest building in the world was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
3. The Burj Khalifa is higher than the 629m KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, USA.
4. There is a swimming pool on top of the Burj Khalifa, on the 169th floor.
5. The Burj Khalifa cost more than £1bn.
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Dubai unveils world’s tallest building / Advanced
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6. You can see the sunset twice from the Burj Khalifa.
193
Dubai unveils world’s tallest building
Advanced
The world’s biggest water fountain burst into
life as a digital presentation listed the £925m
building’s achievements, which include the
highest occupied floor in the world – at 160
storeys – and the highest swimming pool, 260m
in the air on floor 76. There are plans for a
mosque on floor 158, which would become the
world’s highest place of worship, though the
world’s highest bar will be a few floors down.
The building is so tall you can see the sunset
twice from it – once at the base and again after a
60-second lift ride to the viewing platform.
6
The Burj’s developers had tried to use its
inauguration to put a brave face on Dubai’s
financial crisis. “Crises come and go, and cities
move on,” said Mohammed Alabbar, chairman
of the tower’s developer. “You have to move
on. Because if you stop taking decisions, you
stop growing.”
7
About 90% of the space in the building is
understood to be sold, but the value of many
apartments is thought to have fallen by 50%
from the market’s high point. The Indian
entrepreneur Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty owns
one of the highest addresses on floor 100. He
spent $13m buying the whole floor several years
ago to turn the property into guest houses for
friends and family. “You can see everything as if
you are on the top of the world,” he told a local
paper. “I had no fear when I was up there. Even
reaching my apartment takes less than a minute
in the elevator.”
8
The developer said it is confident in the safety of
the tower. It has air-conditioned, pressurized and
fire-resistant refuge floors at 25 storey intervals
and its reinforced concrete structure make it
stronger than steel-frame skyscrapers. “It’s a
lot more robust,” said Greg Sang, the project
director. “A plane won’t be able to cut through
the Burj like it did through the steel columns of
the World Trade Center.” Ken Shuttleworth, a
leading UK architect, said building a very tall,
thin building is the least economical method of
constructing a tall building. “Do you really need
Robert Booth and John Hughes
4 January, 2010
1 The inauguration of the tallest building on
Earth was supposed to be a show of defiance
by Dubai’s rulers after a property crash which
threatened to destroy the Gulf emirate’s
reputation as a global economic power. But
the spectacular ceremony, which revealed the
building’s 828m height for the first time, became
rather embarrassing when the decision was
revealed to name it Burj Khalifa, after the ruler.
Sheikh Khalifa, who is also the president of
the United Arab Emirates, of rival but much
richer emirate Abu Dhabi came to the rescue
when Dubai’s finances descended into crisis
last autumn.
2 As fireworks exploded up and down the 169
storeys, the move led to speculation that the
transfer of the naming rights may have been the
price paid when Sheikh Khalifa approved direct
and indirect bail-outs totalling $25bn last year as
Dubai’s debt problems deepened and property
values slumped.
3 The concession is likely to decrease Dubai’s
feeling of triumphalism in dwarfing the previous
tallest building in the world, the 508m tower 101
in Taipei, and the 629m KVLY-TV mast in North
Dakota, the tallest manmade structure of any
kind. The state-owned developer’s pride was
such that the 124th-floor public viewing platform
is inscribed with the words: “I am the heart of
the city and its people, the marker that defines
Dubai’s shining dream.”
4 One observer said naming the structure after the
leader of Dubai’s main rival in the UAE would
be like naming a new landmark in Glasgow
after London. An Abu Dhabi newspaper said it
was “a name to reflect greatness”. A crowd of
thousands watched the inauguration ceremony
led by Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai,
and attended by Sheikh Khalifa, who has in
recent months emphasized the close relationship
between the emirates. As a result of the city
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Dubai unveils world’s tallest building / Advanced
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state’s financial predicament, the festivities were
subdued by Dubai standards, but still dazzling.
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Dubai unveils world’s tallest building
with a nod to huge bailout by rival
Abu Dhabi
CA
Level 3
194
Dubai unveils world’s tallest building
Level 3
Advanced
to build high in a desert?” he said. “You only
build high when there is so much pressure on
land that you have no choice. It can’t make any
sense financially, so it is being done for status, to
create a landmark on the horizon.”
9 Dubai’s neighbours looked at the inauguration
of the Burj with a blend of disdain, amusement
and a little jealous admiration. By completing
the tallest building in the world, Dubai’s leaders
claim to have created “a living wonder” and are
confident that they have re-established their
international reputation after last year’s financial
shock. But other parts of the Arab world are less
impressed by this brash display. The sheikhs
of Abu Dhabi, the neighbouring and richer
emirate which had to bail out Dubai with $15bn
and whose ruler is honoured in the building’s
name, are said to be amused by the “brash
style” of their neighbour, but also concerned that
spending almost £1bn on a tower shows poor
economic planning.
10
By contrast, Abu Dhabi is trying to build a zerocarbon city called Masdar, which is low-rise and
based on a traditional Arab walled city. Some
elements in Saudi Arabia are understood to
consider the scale of the tower to be excessive.
And they are particularly concerned at the
plans for a mosque on the 158th floor. Others
have taken the tower’s construction as a
challenge and an even taller building is planned
in Saudi Arabia.
© Guardian News & Media 2010
First published in The Guardian, 04/01/10
3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text.
1.
Why was the building named Burj Khalifa?
a. Because the Burj Khalifa is in Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Khalifa is the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
b. Because Abu Dhabi helped Dubai when it had financial problems.
c. Because Sheikh Khalifa had the original idea to build such a building.
2.
Why were the celebrations a little quieter than usual?
a. Because of the dispute over the name of the building.
b. Because of the slump in property values.
c. Because of Dubai’s current financial problems.
3.
What was the reaction of Dubai’s neighbours to the inauguration of the Burj Khalifa?
a. They were jealous.
b. They were very amused by the whole thing.
c. They reacted with a mixture of emotions.
4.
What do Dubai’s leaders hope the Burj Khalifa will achieve?
a. They hope it will help to restore Dubai’s international reputation.
b. They hope it will bring a sharp increase in the number of tourists visiting their country.
c. They hope it will make their neighbours jealous.
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Dubai unveils world’s tallest building
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4 Find the word
Find the following words and phrases in the text.
1.
a noun meaning something you give or allow to someone in order to reach an agreement (para 3)
2.
a verb meaning to make something seem small or unimportant (para 3)
3.
an adjective meaning not very loud or bright (para 4)
4.
an adjective meaning extremely impressive (para 4)
5.
a five-word expression meaning to try to hide the fact that you are feeling upset or disappointed (para 6)
6.
a noun meaning someone who uses money to start businesses and make business deals (para 7)
7.
a noun meaning a high position that makes others respect and admire you (para 8)
8.
a two-word expression meaning only having a few levels (para 10)
5 Language: Verb + noun collocations
Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns and noun phrases in the right-hand column to
make expressions from the text.
1.
construct
a. to the rescue
2.
attend
b. achievements
3.
(re-)establish
c. a building
4.
list
d. a decision
5.
come
e. a reputation
6.
take
f.
a ceremony
6 Word building
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
1. Some regard the building of the Burj Khalifa as a show of _______________. [DEFY]
2. The building contains _______________ safety refuges every 25 floors. [PRESSURE]
3. One critic has argued that it doesn’t make any sense _______________ to build a tall building in the desert.
[FINANCE]
4. Many of Dubai’s neighbours looked on in _______________. [AMUSE]
5. Some argue that the scale of the building is _______________. [EXCEED]
6. Facts and figures were shown in a digital _______________. [PRESENT]
7 Discussion
Is it a good idea to spend nearly one billion pounds building the tallest building in the world? Why?
Why not?
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Dubai unveils world’s tallest building
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KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
T
F
T
F
F
T
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
c
a
5 Language: Verb + noun collocations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
c
f
e
b
a
d
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
defiance
pressurized
financially
amusement
excessive
presentation
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NEWS LESSONS / Dubai unveils world’s tallest building / Advanced
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2 What do you know?
concession
dwarf
subdued
dazzling
put a brave face on
entrepreneur
status
low-rise
N
inauguration
defiance
bail-out
slump
triumphalism
landmark
predicament
robust
disdain
brash
197
Britain’s new addicts: women who gamble online
Level 3
1
Advanced
Key words
Write the words from the article into the gaps. The paragraph numbers will help you choose the right words.
addiction
betting shop
compulsive
fade away
gambling
distress
abusive
traumatic
panicky
trance
1.
If someone is feeling ________________, they feel very nervous or worried. (para 1)
2.
An ________________ is a strong need to spend as much time as possible doing a particular activity. (para 2)
3.
________________ is an activity in which you risk money in the hope of winning more money. (para 2)
4.
A ________________ is a place where you can bet money on something, for example the results of a horse
race. (para 3)
5.
________________ behaviour is impossible to control and can be harmful. (para 5)
6.
A ________________ is a state in which you are awake but not really conscious of where you are because
you are thinking about something else. (para 5)
7.
If something ________________, it disappears slowly. (para 5)
8.
________________ is a feeling that you have when you are very unhappy, worried or upset. (para 8)
9.
A ________________ experience makes you feel very upset, afraid or shocked. (para 8)
10. In an ________________ relationship, one of the partners is treated in a cruel or violent way. (para 8)
2
Find the information
According to Gamblers Anonymous, how many problem gamblers are there in the UK?
3.
What percentage of gambling addicts are female?
4.
How much does the gambling industry pay into UK gambling treatment programmes?
5.
How many gambling websites are there?
6.
What is the typical age profile of women who gamble online?
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010
NEWS LESSONS / Britain’s new addicts: women who gamble online / Advanced
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How much did Kath lose within the first two weeks of gambling?
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Look in the text and find this information as quickly as possible.
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Britain’s new addicts: women who gamble online
Level 3
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KEY
1 Key words
4 Find the word
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
£1,700
600,000
25% (a quarter)
£3.6m
around 2,000
25-34
3 Comprehension check
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
b
a
5 Language: Expressions
with prepositions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
from
on
on
across
of
of
about
against
6 Word building
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
embarrassment
compulsive
recovery
abusive
temptation
suicidal
O
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NEWS LESSONS / Britain’s new addicts: women who gamble online / Advanced
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2 Find the information
the crunch
cold turkey
numb
snap out of it
endure
across the social spectrum
shut out
safeguard
N
panicky
addiction
gambling
betting shop
compulsive
trance
fades away
distress
traumatic
abusive
199