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.