SESSION 17: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

SESSION 17: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION


2.1 BRANDS: What do you think of these brands? Give them a score from 1 (terrible) to 10 (excellent) in relation to their logo, their product and their advertising:

BRAND: LOGO / PRODUCT / ADVERTISING

• Google
• McDonalds
• Nokia
• BBC
• Ferrari
• Chanel

2.2 EXPRESS YOUR OPINION:

• I strongly believe Google is the most useful website on the Internet.
• I strongly believe there are other, more useful websites than Google.

2.3 RIVALS: Which of these rivals are best?

• Google / Microsoft
• BBC /CNN
• Coca Cola / Pepsi Cola
• Master Card / Visa
• Ford / Toyota
• Nintendo / Sony
• Gucci / Chanel
• British English / American English

2.4 BRANDS DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:

a) What did you think when you read the headline?

b) What springs to mind when you hear the term 'search engine'?

c) What do you think about Google?

d) How important is Google in your life?

e) What are your favourite brands?

f) Do you always try to buy or use top brands?

g) How important is a company´s name in making it successful?

h) Do you think it´s important for international brands to sound English?

i) What do you think Google does to promote its brand name?

j) Do you think a brand can become powerful globally if it uses non-English characters in its logo (Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, etc)?

k) Are there any company names or logos you think are stupid?

l) What do you think as "EOI Almeria Conversation Club" as a name?

m) Why is a brand name important to survive tough economic times?

n) Why do you think brand value has increased, even in a recession?

o) If you were to start a company, what brand name would you decide on?

p) Do you think technology companies will always be the most powerful?

q) What do you think of the use of "Google" as a verb?

r) Would you use other company names as verbs? (Try some)

PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:

THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:

FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT.

FINAL TASK:

HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO AND THIS WAY YOU WILL COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU MUST IMPROVE WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.

Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 17, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions.
Choose one of the following topics:

1. Write a letter to Google´s head of branding. Give him / her some ideas on what he/she could do to add more value to the brand.

2. "If an item of clothing is more expensive than another it´s because it´s better quality, that´s why brands are necessary: to distinguish the good from the bad". Express your opinion.

SESSION 17: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

SESSION 17: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

1.1 TRUE/FALSE
a.T / b.F / c.T / d.T / e.F / f.T / g.F / h.F

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH
1.g / 2.e / 3.a / 4.i / 5.c / 6.d / 7.j / 8.f / 9.b / 10.h

1.3 PHRASE MATCH
1.e / 2.h / 3.a / 4.j / 5.b / 6.g / 7.d / 8.i / 9.c /10.f

1.4 GAP FILL
GETTING - WORTH - POSITION - VALUED - FOLLOWED - MAKE - VERB - COMMON

STUDY - KEY - GROWTH - RETURN - CURRENT - TOUGH - REMAINS - VALUE

SESSION 17: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 17: 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 article and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or False (F):
a. Google is the world´s most valuable brand.
b. Google is named the world´s most powerful brand for the first time.
c. McDonalds is the fifth most powerful brand in the world.
d. "To Google" is now part of the English vocabulary.
e. A report says a company´s brand name is actually not that important.
f. The report says a brand name can help a company grow in the future.
g. The report says tough times help a brand to become more important.
h. The value of brands worldwide has decreased to just under $2 trillion.


1.2 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. giant .................. a. maintained
2. firm ................... b. present
3. kept .................. c. usual
4. helped ................ d. research
5. common .............. e. company
6. study ................. f. profit
7. protect .............. g. colossus
8. return ................ h. stays
9. current ............... i. aided
10. remains ............. j. safeguard


1.3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
1. Google just keeps ..................... a. at $101.4 billion
2. The search .............................. b. everyday use
3. It valued the company ................ c. in tough times
4. Technology companies make ........ d. for any business to grow
5. it is now also a verb in ............... e. getting bigger and bigger
6. what consumers and businesses .... f.under $2 trillion
7. a brand name is key .................. g. think of brands
8. help protect ........................... h. engine giant
9. it can help to sustain companies ... i. a business from risk
10. increased to just ..................... j. up eight of the top ten


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

FOLLOWED - VERB - WORTH - VALUED - COMMON - GETTING - POSITION - MAKE

Google just keeps __________ bigger and bigger. The search engine giant is not only the world´s biggest brand, it is also the first brand __________ $100 billion. A report from the market research firm Millward Brown shows Google has kept its __________ as the world´s most powerful brand. It __________ the company at $101.4 billion. This is 25 per cent higher than its biggest rival Microsoft, which is the second most valuable brand. The "Top 100 Most Powerful Brands" report lists Coca Cola at number three, __________ by IBM and McDonalds. Technology companies __________ up eight of the top ten. Google´s brand is helped because it is now also a __________ in everyday use. It is very __________ to hear people say "Google it" when they want some information.

GROWTH - REMAINS - KEY - CURRENT - VALUE - STUDY - RETURN - TOUGH

The report is the world´s largest __________ of what consumers and businesses think of brands. It says a brand name is __________ for any business to grow. "A strong brand can help protect a business from risk, and position it for future __________," it says. The authors believe a strong brand name is "the ultimate __________ on investment". Joanna Seddon, chief executive of Millward Brown, told reporters: "In the __________ [economic] environment, brand has become even more important because it can help to sustain companies in __________ times." Her report says brand value has grown, even though the recession: "The value of brands __________ strong...the total __________ of the top 100 most valuable brands has increased to just under $2 million.

SESSION 17: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY

SESSION 17: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY

GOOGLE FIRST 100 BILLION DOLLAR BRAND

Text taken and adapted from:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

THE ARTICLE:

Google just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The search engine giant is not only the world´s biggest brand, it is also the first brand worth $100 billion. A report from the market research firm Millward Brown shows Google has kept its position as the world´s most powerful brand. It valued the company at $101.4 billion. This is 25 per cent higher than its biggest rival Microsoft, which is the second most valuable brand. The "Top 100 Most Powerful Brands" report lists Coca Cola at number three, followed by IBM and McDonalds. Technology companies make up eight of the top ten. Google´s brand is helped because it is now also a verb in everyday use. It is very common to hear people say "Google it" when they want some information.

The report is the world´s largest study of what consumers and businesses think of brands. It says a brand name is key for any business to grow. "A strong brand can help protect a business from risk, and position it for future growth," it says. The authors believe a strong brand name is "the ultimate return on investment". Joanna Seddon, chief executive of Millward Brown, told reporters: "In the current [economic] environment, brand has become even more important because it can help to sustain companies in tough times." Her report says brand value has grown, even through the recession: "The value of brands remains strong...the total value of the top 100 most valuable brands has increased to just under $2 trillion."

Google first 100 billion dollar brand - 1st May, 2009

www.BreakingNewsEnglish.com

SESSION 16: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

SESSION 16: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION

2.1 HUMAN RIGHTS: Are these human rights respected in your country? Can you think of countries or parts of the world where they are not?

• a fair trial
• freedom of expression
• education
• religious practice
• work
• life

2.2 EXPRESS YOUR OPINION:

- I strongly believe capital punishment is never acceptable.

- I strongly believe capital punishment should be a part of all criminal justice systems.

DEATH PENALTY/JAILS DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:

a. What springs to mind when you hear the term 'death penalty'?

b. What do you think about capital punishment?

c. What do you think about the woman in the article?

d. Do you think the British government should do more to help?

e. Does Samantha becoming pregnant in prison change her situation?

f. What can we do about the world´s inhumane prisons?

g. What does "Nothing that happens in that prison is voluntary" mean?

h. What do you think Laotian prisons are like?

i. Do you know of a jail with a good reputation? What are prisons in your country like?

j. How can we rid prisons of guards who abuse prisoners?

k. Do you think Samantha will receive a fair trial?

l. Why do you think Laos has decided to put Samantha on trial before she has a chance to get a lawyer?

m. If Laos executes Samantha, are they also murdering her unborn child?

n. What would you do if you were mistakenly imprisoned?

o. Is the death penalty state-sponsored murder?

p. Do you think there are some extreme situations when the death penalty is OK?

PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:

THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:
FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.

SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.

THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT.

FINAL TASK:

HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO AND THIS WAY YOU WILL COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU MUST IMPROVE WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.

Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 16, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions.

Choose one of the following topics:

1. Are you for or against the Death Penalty. Express your opinion.

2. What purpose and function should prisons fulfil in our current society?

SESSION 16: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

SESSION 16: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

1.1 TRUE/FALSE
a.T / b.T / c.F / d.F / e.T / f.F / g.T / h.F

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH
1.d / 2.f / 3.g / 4.a / 5.j / 6.e / 7.c / 8.i / 9.h / 10.b

1.3 PHRASE MATCH
1.g / 2.e / 3.i / 4.h / 5.c / 6.b / 7.f / 8.j / 9.a /10.d

1.4 GAP FILL
BATTLE - SINCE - CHARGES - DENIES - MISTAKE - TRIAL - RECEIVE - CONCERNED

WORRIED - WHILE - VOLUNTARY - REPUTATION - FACE - CONCERNS - OPPOSED - AWARE

SESSION 16: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 16: 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 article and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or False (F):
a. A British woman might be executed by the government in Laos.
b. The woman was arrested on suspicion of trafficking drugs.
c. The woman´s trial will be in couple of months´ time.
d. The British government has sent a team of lawyers to see the woman.
e. Activists are concerned about how the woman got pregnant.
f. Prisoners in Laos volunteer to do most things while they are in jail.
g. The woman will be shot to death if she is found guilty.
h. Britain´s government refuses to talk to the Laotian government.

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. the death penalty ....... a. get
2. prison ...................... b. conscious
3. accused of ................ c. starting
4. receive .................... d. capital punishment
5. concerned ................. e. asked
6. questioned ................ f. jail
7. sparking .................... g. charged with
8. reputation ................. h. serious
9. grave ....................... i. image
10. aware ..................... j. worried

1.3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
1. fighting a battle ............. a. of the death penalty
2. prison ......................... b. conscious
3. accused of .................... c. starting
4. receive ........................ d. capital punishment
5. concerned ..................... e. asked
6. questioned .................... f. jail
7. sparking ........................ g. charged with
8. reputation ..................... h. serious
9. grave ........................... i. image
10. aware ......................... j. worried

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

TRIAL - CHARGES - MISTAKE - SINCE - CONCERNED - BATTLE - DENIES - RECEIVE

British human rights lawyers are fighting a __________ against time to save a Briton from the death penalty in Laos. Samantha Orobator, 20, has been in a Laotian prison __________ August last year. She was arrested at the international airport in Laos on drugs __________. She is accused of being in possession of 680g of heroin. Ms Orobator __________ any knowledge of the drugs. She claims Laotian officials have made a terrible __________ and mistook her for a drug trafficker. The court in Laos has suddenly decided Samantha´s __________ will be next week. If she is found guilty, she will __________ the death penalty. The British government is very __________ a they now have almost no time to help Samantha with a lawyer.

CONCERNS - WHILE - REPUTATION - AWARE - WORRIED - FACE - VOLUNTARY - OPPOSED

Human rights campaigners are very __________ about Samantha. They have questioned how she became pregnant __________in prison, sparking fears she was raped. British lawyer Clive Stafford Smith said: "Nothing that happens in that prison is __________." The jail has a very bad __________ and many prisoners complain of shocking abuse. Mr. Smith said: "If convicted next week, Samantha would __________ death by firing squad. Samantha is severely distressed, and [we have] grave __________ for her health and that of her unborn child." British Foreign Minister Bill Rammell said: "The British government is __________ to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances. We have made the Laos authorities __________ of this at the highest levels."

SESSION 16: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 20TH MAY

SESSION 16: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 20TH MAY

PREGNANT BRITON FACES DEATH PENALTY

Text taken and adapted from:
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

THE ARTICLE:

British human rights lawyers are fighting a battle against time to save a Briton from the death penalty in Laos. Samantha Orobator, 20, has been in a Laotian prison since August last year. She was arrested at the international airport in Laos on drugs charges. She is accused of being in possession of 680g of heroin. Ms Orobator denies any knowledge of the drugs. She claims Laotian officials have made a terrible mistake and mistook her for a drug trafficker. The court in Laos has suddenly decided Samantha´s trial will be next week. If she is found guilty, she will receive the death penalty. The British government is very concerned as they now have almost no time to help Samantha with a lawyer.

Human rights campaigners are very worried about Samantha. They have questioned how she became pregnant while in prison, sparking fears she was raped. British lawyer Clive Stafford Smith said: "Nothing that happens in that prison is voluntary." The jail has a very bad reputation and many prisoners complain of shocking abuse. Mr. Smith said: "If convicted next week, Samantha would face death by firing squad. Samantha is severely distressed, and [we have] grave concerns for her health and that of her unborn child." British Foreign Minister Bill Rammell said: "The British government is opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances. We have made the Laos authorities aware of this at the highest levels."

"Pregnant Briton faces death penalty" - 4th May, 2009
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

KEY TO A BIT OF GRAMMAR: MAKE vs DO

KEY TO A BIT OF GRAMMAR: MAKE vs DO

1. DO

2. MAKE

3. DO

4. DO

A BIT OF GRAMMAR: MAKE vs DO

A BIT OF GRAMMAR: MAKE vs DO

1. CAN YOU WORK OUT THE RULE? LOOK AT THE EXAMPLES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. THEN CHECK YOUR ANSWERS IN THE KEY.

• Can you do the shopping?
• Make a copy of this letter.
• Dad makes wonderful omelettes.
• Do something!
• Could you do the ironing and the washing up?
• He likes doing nothing.
• I love making model aeroplanes.
• I must do the accounts.
• I want time to do some reading.
• Once my father and I made a boat.
• Shall I make a cake?
• She´s always making crazy plans.
• He did something really funny.
• Time to do some work.
• We did a lot of walking and swimming.
• What shall we do now?

1. Do we use do or make to talk about work?

2. Which do we use to talk about building and creating things?

3. Which do we use when we don´t say exactly what the activity is?

4. Which do we use before determiner+ing form, to talk about longer or repeated activities (mostly jobs and hobbies)?

2. LEARN THESE FIXED EXPRESSIONS:

DO: good, harm, business, one´s best, (someone) a favour, one´s hair, one´s duty, 100mph/kph.

MAKE: an attempt, an effort, an offer, an excuse, a suggestion, a decision, an exception, enquiries, a phone call, a mistake, a fuss, a noise, arrangements, a journey, progress, money, a profit, a fortune, love, a bed, a fire, war, peace.

SOME EXAMPLES:

THINGS WE MAKE:

- make a mistake (an error)

• HE MADE A FEW MISTAKES IN THE EXAM.

- make a meal (prepare and cook something to eat)

• I HAD TO MAKE MY OWN DINNER LAST NIGHT.

- make money (become rich)

• HE MADE A LOT OF MONEY WHEN HE WORKED IN AMERICA

- make friends

• IT´S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO MAKE FRIENDS IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY.

- make a decision

• WE CAN HAVE THE RED ONES OR THE GREEN ONES, BUT WE MUST MAKE A DECISION BEFORE 6 p.m.

- make a noise

• I CAN´T WORK WHEN THE CHILDREN MAKE A LOT OF NOISE.

- make progress (improve)

• HER ENGLISH IS GOOD NOW, SHE HAS MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS.

THINGS WE DO:

- do homework

• I FORGOT TO DO MY ENGLISH HOMEWORK LAST NIGHT.

- do the housework (cleaning)

• MY MOTHER DOES ALL THE HOUSEWORK IN OUR HOUSE.

- do subjects (study subjects)

• DID YOU DO ENGLISH AT SCHOOL?

- do a course

• I DID A ONE-WEEK COURSE IN WORD PROCESSING.

- do the shopping (buy food)

• I ALWAYS DO THE SHOPPING AT WEEKENDS

- do research (detailed study in one subject)

• HE´S DOING RESEARCH IN PHYSICS AT ROME UNIVERSITY.

- do someone a favour (do something to help someone)

• I DON´T HAVE ANY COFFEE. COULD YOU DO ME A FAVOUR AND LEND ME SOME?

- do something/anything/nothing

• I DIDN´T DO ANYTHING LAST NIGHT. THAT BOY HAS DONE NOTHING ALL DAY.

SESSION 15: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

SESSION 15: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION

2.1 EXPRESS YOUR OPINION:
- I strongly believe all borders should close when there are flu pandemics.
- I strongly believe closing borders is useless.

2.2 HEALTH PROBLEMS: How do you deal with health problems? State your remedy or cure and your experiences:

• flu
• headache / migraine
• toothache
• stress
• sleeplessness
• stomach ache

2.3 PREVENTION: Rank these things in order of which is best to stop swine flu from spreading:

• close the borders
• educate people on TV / the Web
• have a hand-washing campaign
• kill all pigs
• everyone wears a mask
• ban pork products
• have a flu jab (injection)
• stay at home until it´s over

2.4 SWINE FLU DISCUSSION: Here are some questions you can try asking yourself before you come to our discussion on Wednesday:

a. What did you think when you read the headline?

b. Did you llike reading this article?

c. What springs to mind when you hear the word 'flu'?

d. What do you know about swine flu?

e. Why do you think this disease has never been seen before?

f. How worried are you that swine flu might spread to your area?

g. Do you think swine flu will become a pandemic?

h. How do health organizations prepare for a pandemic?

i. Why do you think it´s difficult to predict the seriousness of this disease?

j. What´s your country doing about swine flu?

k. Do you think countries should close their borders?

l. What do you remember about recent outbreaks such as bird flu and SARS?

m. What do you think authorities should do at airports?

n. How might swine flu affect the world´s economy?

o. Would you cancel your travel plans?

p. What do people need to do to be ready for a possible outbreak?

q. What would you do if swine flu hit your town?

PREPARING A DISCUSSION IS FUNDAMENTAL:

THIS MUST BE DONE IN TWO DIRECTIONS:

FIRST, YOU NEED TO LEARN NEW VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO USE FOR THE DISCUSSION.
SECONDLY, YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE TOPIC BY LOOKING UP INFORMATION IN THE INTERNET, BOOKS, ENCYCLOPAEDIAS.
THIS WAY YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT.

FINAL TASK:

HERE IS ONE FINAL TASK THAT YOU MAY DO AND THIS WAY YOU WILL COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU MUST IMPROVE WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.

Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 15, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions.

Express your opinion on one of the following topics:

• Does the pharmaceutical industry benefit from pandemics such as the Swine Flu and how.
• How strong are the pharmaceutical companies in the World Economy considering that stocks and shares of these companies have increased considerably with the Swine Flu.

SESSION 15: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

SESSION 15: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

1.1 TRUE/FALSE
a.T / b.F / c.F / d.F / e.F / f.T / g.F / h.T

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH
1.g / 2.d / 3.j / 4.a / 5.c / 6.i / 7.e / 8.f / 9.h / 10.b

1.3 PHRASE MATCH
1.c / 2.f / 3.i / 4.b / 5.h / 6.j / 7.a / 8.g / 9.d /10.e

1.4 GAP FILL
WARNED - FAR - FEARS - CASES - AWAY - OFFICIALS - UNDERSTAND - IDEA

PREPARING - VACCINE - SERIOUS - TIME - TAKING - VIA - ESPECIALLY - TRAVEL

SESSION 15: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 15: 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 article and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or False (F):
a. People believe more people will die because of swine flu.
b. So far, people have died in Mexico and several other countries.
c. A U.S. health expert believes the USA will escape the disease.
d. The official completely ruled out the possibility of American deaths.
e. Swine flu is a virus that first appeared in the last century.
f. A doctor said it was difficult to guess if swine flu will be a big problem.
g. Many countries have taken precautions by closing their borders.
h. A lot of people who wanted to travel have cancelled their plans.


1.2 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. warned ....................... a. deaths
2. so far ......................... b. potential
3. death toll .................... c. serious
4. fatalities ..................... d. to date
5. severe ....................... e. very
6. pandemic .................... f. through
7. extremely .................... g. cautioned
8. via ............................ h. particularly
9. especially .................... i. outbreak
10. would-be ................... j. number of dead


1.3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
1. swine flu may cause ................. a. the virus is
2. There are fears that this death .... b. in the USA
3. Countries as far away ............... c. more deaths
4. there could be fatalities ............ d. the world´s economy
5. people need to be ready ........... e. canceling their travel plans
6. there is not yet a vaccine .......... f. toll will rise
7. predict how serious ................. g. precautions
8. Many countries are taking ........... h. for the idea
9. The outbreak could be bad for ..... i. as New Zealand
10. Many would-be travelers are ...... j. against it


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


AWAY - FEARS - IDEA - WARNED - CASES - UNDERSTAND - FAR - OFFICIALS

Health officials from aroundthe world have __________ that swine flu may cause more deaths. Nearly 150 people have died so __________ in Mexico. There are __________ that this death toll will rise, and that people will start dying in other countries. There are already 2,000 reported __________ of the virus in Mexico. Countries as far __________ as New Zealand, Spain, Canada and Scotland have also reported outbreaks. U.S. health __________ have warned American citizens that there could be fatalities in the USA. Dr. Richard Besser of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters: ¨From what we __________ in Mexico, I think people need to be ready for the __________ that we could see more severe cases in this country and possibly deaths.¨

VIA - SERIOUS - TRAVEL - PREPARING - TAKING - VACCINE - ESPECIALLY - TIME

Health organizations everywhere are __________ for a pandemic. Scientists say the virus has not yet a __________ against it. Dr. Besser warned it was not easy to predict how __________ the virus is. He explained: ¨Outbreaks of infectious diseases are extremely unpredictable and variable, and so over __________, what we say about this and what we learn will change.¨ Many countries are __________ precautions to prevent swine flu crossing their borders. However, it is almost impossible to stop the virus entering a country __________ airplane or ship passengers. The outbreak could be bad for the world´s economy, __________ the airline industry. Many would-be travellers are canceling their __________ plans and staying at home.

SESSION 15: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 6TH MAY

SESSION 15: TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 6TH MAY

SWINE FLU DEATHS EXPECTED TO RISE

Text taken and adapted from:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

THE ARTICLE:

Health officials from around the world have warned that swine flu may cause more deaths. Nearly 150 people have died so far in Mexico. There are fears that this death toll will rise, and that people will start dying in other countries. There are already around 2,000 reported cases of the virus in Mexico. Countries as far away as New Zealand, Spain, Canada and Scotland have also reported outbreaks. U.S. health officials have warned American citizens that there could be fatalities in the USA. Dr. Richard Besser of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters: "From what we understand in Mexico, I think people need to be ready for the idea that we could see more severe cases in this country and possibly deaths."

Health organizations everywhere are preparing for a pandemic. Scientists say the virus has not been seen before. This means there is not yet a vaccine against it. Dr. Besser warned it was not easy to predict how serious the virus is. He explained: "Outbreaks of infectious diseases are extremely unpredictable and variable, and so over time, what we say about this and what we learn will change." Many countries are taking precautions to prevent swine flu crossing the borders. However, it is almost impossible to stop the virus entering a country via airplane or ship passengers. The outbreak could be bad for the world´s economy, especially the airline industry. Many would-be travellers are canceling their travel plans and staying at home.

"Swine flu deaths expected to rise" - 28th April, 2009

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/