SESSION 1: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 1: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES. THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:

1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION

1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

1.1 TRUE/FALSE. look at the text and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
a. Finland´s president Ahtisaari is the Nobel Peace Prize winner for 2008.

b. Ahtisaari has worked for over 30 years bringing peace to the world.

c. The Nobel Prize committee said Ahtisaari was true to the Nobel spirit.
d. A former colleague of Ahtisaari said he had no sense of humour.

e. Ahtisaari was one of 197 nominees to win the prize.

f. Ahtisaari has never represented the United Nations during his work.

g. Ahtisaari´s reputation is one of a man who never quits.

h. Ahtisaari is angry the world is not doing enough to stop conflicts.

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH. Match the following synonyms with words from the article:

1. former ................................. a. shame

2. several ................................. b. willpower

3. resolve ................................. c. good name

4. fraternity .............................. d. a number of

5. determination ......................... e. ambassador

6. nominees ............................... f. friendship

7. envoy ................................... g. ex-

8. reputation .............................. h. attempt

9. disgrace ................................ i. candidates

10. effort .................................. j. sort out

1.3 PHRASE MATCH. Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible:

1. Mr Ahtisaari has worked tirelessly to .............. a. together

2. He has successfully brought conflicting sides ..... b. nations

3. An outstanding international mediator ............ c. pleased and grateful

4. Fraternity between ................................... d. a list of 197 nominees

5. Ahtisaari combines charm and good humor ....... e. end conflicts

6.Selected from .......................................... f. mediator

7. He said he was very .................................. g. missions

8. He has led humanitarian ............................. h. to become frozen

9. Every conflict .......................................... i. with an iron determination

10. We have allowed so many conflicts ................ j. can be solved

1.4 GAP FILL. Put the words into the gaps in the text:

DESCRIBED - EFFORTS - MORE - BROUGHT - IRON - CONFLICTS - SPIRIT - ZONES

The former president of Finland Martti Ahtisaari has won the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. He won it "for his important __________, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international __________." Mr Ahtisaari has worked tirelessly to end conflicts in many of the world's danger __________. He has successfully __________ conflicting sides together to bring peace to Namibia, the Aceh province of Indonesia, Northern Ireland and in Kosovo. A spokesman for Norway's Nobel Committee __________ Ahtisaari as "an outstanding international mediator." He added Ahtisaari has "contributed to a __________ peaceful world and to 'fraternity between nations' in Alfred Nobel's __________." Ex-colleague Gareth Evans said Mr. Ahtisaari "combines charm and good humor with an __________ determination."

GIVING - SOCIETY - DISPUTES - GRATEFUL - FROZEN - ENVOY - SELECTED - DISGRACE

Mr. Ahtisaari was __________ from a list of 197 nominees for the Peace Prize. He said he was "very pleased and __________" for it. "I hope this will bring positive attention to Finland and that it tells about our __________ and what is important to us," he said. Ahtisaari´s work as a Finnish diplomat, a United Nations __________ and an international mediator has taken him all over the world. He has led humanitarian missions, and helped resolve difficult ethnic, racial and religious __________. He built up a reputation for bringing enemies together and never __________ up. Ahtisaari told the Nobel Foundation: "Every conflict can be solved. I think it´s a __________ for the international community that we have allowed so many conflicts to become __________, and we are not making a serious effort to solve them."