SESSION 8: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 8: 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. German and French leaders are arguing over nuclear waste.

b. The biggest anti-nuclear rally in history took place over the weekend.
c. Officials had to change the route of a train carrying nuclear waste.
d. Germany needs the nuclear waste to produce electricity.
e. Germany’s leader made an unpopular decision regarding power plants.
f. Seventeen of Germany’s nuclear power plants are 12 years old.
g. More than 50,000 people met at a rally to protest against Merkel.
h. A protestor said she will ignore the people.

1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. protests ............. a. large
2. transporting ........ b. trouble
3. took part ........... c. hot
4. disruption .......... d. participated
5. eventually .......... e. shocked
6. controversial ....... f. demonstrations
7. likelihood ........... g. desire
8. considerable ........ h. finally
9. horrified ............ i. shipping
10.will .................. j. chance

1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):

1. Large protests took .......................... a. power plants working
2. Tens of thousands of ......................... b. of 11 train cars

3. people who had chained themselves ...... c. border
4. reroute the convoy ........................... d. protesters took part
5. crossed the French-German ................. e. of the people
6. a controversial ................................ f. place in Germany
7. keep her country’s 17 nuclear .............. g. of nuclear power
8. increase the likelihood ...................... h. issue
9. extending the lifespan ....................... i. to the railway
10.They've ignored the will .................... j. of accidents


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

EARLY - DISRUPTION - PART - REROUTE - TOOK - PROVIDE - CHAINED - SERIOUS
Large protests ____________ place in Germany and France over the weekend over the transporting of nuclear waste between the two countries. Tens of thousands of protesters took ____________ in one of the biggest anti-nuclear rallies in years. Police in France had to cut free people who had ____________ themselves to the railway track on which the spent nuclear fuel would pass. The protestors caused a lot of ____________ to the shipment, the first in two years. Authorities had to secretly ____________ the convoy of 11 train cars to prevent those protesting causing a ____________ accident. The 154 tons of waste eventually crossed the French-German border and arrived in the town of Dannenberg ____________ Sunday morning. It will be used by Germany’s nuclear power agency to ____________ the country with electricity.

CROWD - LIKELIHOOD - TENSION - HORRIFIED - ISSUE - WILL - PLANTS - ACTIVISTS
The shipments of nuclear waste have been a controversial ____________ over the past decade. There was extra ____________ in Germany this year because of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to keep her country’s 17 nuclear power ____________ working for 12 years longer than was planned. Many fear this will increase the ____________ of accidents. There is considerable public opposition to her plans in Germany. Over 50,000 ____________ rallied in Dannenberg. A Green Party leader, Juergen Trittin, told the huge ____________: "Merkel provoked society by extending the lifespan of nuclear power and this is the people's answer." Protestor Elke Hinrichsmeyr, 71, said: "We're ____________ that this government wants to extend the use of nuclear power. They've ignored the ____________ of the people."