SESSION 3:EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 3: 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: Read the article and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
a. Japan´s civil service will be 50 percent female by 2020.
b. New equality laws are to stem the tide of a shrinking workforce.
c. There are five times more female managers in America than in Japan.
d. Japan´s government will not consider the idea of paternity leave.
e. Japan´s firms hide female workers´ addresses to prevent harassment.
f. A mentor system will start to encourage female entrepeneurs.
g. Japan´s Prime Minister wants to create a gender-equality society.
h. Japan ranks next to last in a UN index comparing gender equality.

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms with words from the article:
1. endorsed ....................a. trails
2. cater for ....................b. decrees
3. stem the tide ..............c. persuade
4. directives ..................d. poor
5. entice .......................e. curtail
6. strengthen ..................f. potential
7. mentor ......................g. approved
8. would-be ...................h. reinforce
9. lags ..........................i. coach
10. lowly .......................j. help

1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
1. endorsed a set ...............a. demands of raising children
2. stem the tide .................b. to take paternity leave
3. cope with the ................c. support female entrepreneurs
4. entice ..........................d. institutionalized inequalities
5. urge male civil servants .... e. 43rd among 80 countries
6. measures to address ......... f. of a shrinking workforce
7. the drive to .................. g. individuality and abilities
8. a mentor system to aid ..... h. of measures
9. fully exercising their ........ i. would-be businesswomen
10. It ranks a lowly ............. j. back to work...

1.4 WRONG WORD: Delete the incorrect or least likely word from each pair in italics:

The Japanese government has endorsed/enclosed a set of measures that aims to increase the number of women in top-level government posts to 30 percent from the current/currant 21.5 percent by 2020. The ambitious plans also cater/canter for working mothers as the government attempts to stem the pride/tide of a shrinking workforce. Further plans aim to help more women into management. Only nine percent of managers in Japan are female, compared/complementary with 46 percent in the U.S. The new directors/directives will allow full-time female civil servants to work shorter hours to cope with the demands of elevating/raising children. They recommend companies retrench/rehire women after their maternity leave ends to entice back to work a portion/proposition of the two thirds of mothers who leave the workforce permanently following childbirth. The government will also urge male civil servants to take maternity/paternity leave.

The new targets commiserate/consolidate on the Gender Equality Basic Plan, which was introduced in 2000. They include many measures to telephone/address institutionalized inequalities, discrimination and harassment. One of the local/focal points is the drive to support female entrepreneurs/interpreters by making available more information regarding business start-ups and introducing a mental/mentor system to aid would-be businesswomen. Prime Minister Koizumi said he wanted "to recreate/create a gender-equality society in which men and women can have dreams and expectations by fully working out/exercising their individuality and abilities". Japan logs/lags behind many industrialized nations in gender equality. It ranks a slowly/lowly 43rd among/humungous 80 countries in the 2005 United Nations Gender Empowerment Measure Index.