SESSION 9: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

SESSION 9: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

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

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

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

1.4 GAP FILL
open - encourage - ahead - opened - fears - dialogue - senior - enjoyed
ban - towers - power - against - less - worried - favour - target

SESSION 9: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 9: 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. Swiss people can now visit mosques every day of the week.
b. Swiss people will soon vote on a ban on building mosque minarets.
c. Muslim leaders in Switzerland want to talk more with Swiss people.
d. A BBC reporter said people enjoyed visiting the mosque she went to.
e. There will be no more mosques built in Switzerland after November 29.
f. The vast majority of Swiss people oppose a ban on minaret building.
g. Only four mosques in Switzerland currently have a minaret.
h. The Swiss president is afraid a ban could bring terrorism to her nation.

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1. encourage ............................ a. damage
2. ahead ................................. b. welcomed
3. invited ................................ c. building
4. dialogue .............................. d. opposed to
5. prejudices ............................ e. for
6. construction .......................... f. before
7. symbol ................................. g. discrimination
8. against ................................. h. promote
9. harm ................................... i. conversation
10. in favour of .......................... j. icon

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

1. encourage better ..................... a. to ban the building
2. three weeks ahead ................... b. have a minaret
3. whether or not ........................ c. prejudices people have
4. do away with the fears and ......... d. dialogue
5. build a .................................. e. relations
6. a plan to ban the construction ....... f. against a ban
7. most Swiss people are ................ g. community relations
8. four of these ........................... h. favour of the referendum
9. the vote will harm their nation’s .... i. of minarets
10. A vote in ............................... j. of a national vote

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

enjoyed - encourage - opened - open - fears - senior - ahead - dialogue

Muslims in Switzerland held a nationwide ____________ mosque day on November 7th. The event was to ____________ better community relations between Swiss people and their Muslim neighbours. It also comes three weeks ____________ of a national vote on whether or not to ban the building of new minarets. Over 100 mosques and Islamic religious centres across the country ____________ their doors and invited non-Muslims in. Muslim leaders said they wanted to do away with the ____________ and prejudices people have against Muslims. "We hope these meetings will build a ____________ and better understanding," said Hisham Maizar, a ____________ Muslim spokesman. BBC reporter Imogen Foulkes visited a mosque in Zurich and said the many visitors who came ____________ themselves.

against - towers - target - worried - power - ban - favour - less

Switzerland will vote on November 29th on a plan to ____________ the construction of minarets on mosques. The right-wing Swiss People's Party called the small ____________ a symbol of Islamic religious intolerance and of Muslim political ____________. However, most Swiss people are against a ban. The Wall Street Journal reported a poll in which 53 per cent of people are ____________ a ban and 34 percent for it. There are 400,000 Muslims and ____________ than 200 mosques in Switzerland. Only four of these have a minaret. Business leaders are ____________ the vote will harm their nation’s relations with Muslim countries. Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey went further. She said: "A vote in ____________ of the referendum could make Switzerland a ____________ for Islamic terrorism."

SESSION 9:TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER

SESSION 9:TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER

SWISS MUSLIMS OPEN MOSQUES TO PUBLIC

Text taken and adapted from:

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

The text:

Muslims in Switzerland held a nationwide open mosque day on November 7th. The event was to encourage better community relations between Swiss people and their Muslim neighbours. It also comes three weeks ahead of a national vote on whether or not to ban the building of new minarets. Over 100 mosques and Islamic religious centres across the country opened their doors and invited non-Muslims in. Muslim leaders said they wanted to do away with the fears and prejudices people have against Muslims. "We hope these meetings will build a dialogue and better understanding," said Hisham Maizar, a senior Muslim spokesman. BBC reporter Imogen Foulkes visited a mosque in Zurich and said the many visitors who came enjoyed themselves.

Switzerland will vote on November 29th on a plan to ban the construction of minarets on mosques. The right-wing Swiss People's Party called the small towers a symbol of Islamic religious intolerance and of Muslim political power. However, most Swiss people are against a ban. The Wall Street Journal reported a poll in which 53 per cent of people are against a ban and 34 percent for it. There are 400,000 Muslims and less than 200 mosques in Switzerland. Only four of these have a minaret. Business leaders are worried the vote will harm their nation’s relations with Muslim countries. Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey went further. She said: "A vote in favour of the referendum could make Switzerland a target for Islamic terrorism."

Swiss Muslims open mosques to public - 9th November, 2009

www.BreakingNewsEnglish.com

SESSION 8: A SONG

SESSION 8: A SONG

PETER GABRIEL & KATE BUSH: DON´T GIVE UP

Here is an oldie, hope you enjoy it as I do every time I hear it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiCRZLr9oRw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1nVscwU0pE

Have a look at the lyrics, they are really nice.

SESSION 8: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

SESSION 8: EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION AND FINAL TASK

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION

2.1 NATIONAL DIET: do all countries eat healthily? Explain your image of this diet and say wether they are healthy or unhealthy:

• Italy
• the USA
• Japan
• Lebanon
• England
• India

2.2 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT: Express your opinion:

• I strongly believe you are what you eat (if you eat healthily, your mind will be healthy)
• I strongly believe food does not affect your brain

2.3 DEPRESSION: What can stop depression? Rate these and share your ratings with your partner: 10= would definitely stop depression; 1= would have zero impact on depression:

• food
• money
• English level
• friends
• weather
• news
• television
• work

2.4 MEDITERRANEAN FOOD 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 do you think about what you read? Was there anything surprising?
c) How would you describe your current diet?
d) Do you think people in Mediterranean countries are more laid back?
e) Do you think there’s a link between food and happiness?
f) Do you think the kind of food you eat can lead to depression?
g) Do you eat differently when you feel unhappy?
h) How healthy is your country’s national food?
i) How does the food you eat change your feelings?
j) Which country’s food do you think is healthiest?
k) What do you know about Mediterranean food?
l) How do you make your brain and heart work better?
m) Is there anything better than food to make you happier?

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 IN ORDER TO COVER THE FOUR SKILLS YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE: LISTENING, READING, SPEAKING AND WRITING.

Write a composition and leave it in the blog as a comment to Session 8, I will edit it in the blog so that everybody can learn from other people´s opinions.

Choose one of the following topics:

• Write a letter to the newspaper promoting the Mediterranean Diet with all its benefits
• We are what we eat: express your opinion

SESSION 8: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

SESSION 8: ANSWERS TO EXERCISES

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

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

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

1.4 GAP FILL
LIKELY- AUTHORS-WHOLE-EXPLAIN-MENTAL-PREVIOUS-PROTECTS-COMPLETE
TRACK-HABITS-RISK-STUCK-UNSURE-BLOOD-PERFORM-NATURAL

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. People who eat lots of Mediterranean food are generally miserable.
b. Researchers said you need to be rich to eat lots of whole grain food.
c. Those in Mediterranean countries are the most depressed Europeans.
d. The writer says live oil is needed with meals in Italy, Spain and Greece.
e. Scientists studied 10,000 people for about four years.
f. A Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of depression by 30%.
g. Scientists say the diet reduces depression because it is low in fats.
h. The authors say the diet can have a bad effect on our blood vessels.

1.2 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. follow ................. a. probable
2. published ............ b. improve
3. likely .................. c. eating
4. laid back .............. d. uncertain
5. complete .............. e. stick to
6. Keep track of ......... f. finished
7. dietary ................. g. work
8. unsure .................. h. printed
9. boost ................... i. note down
10. perform .............. j. relaxed

1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. People who follow .................. a. develop depression
2. a diet that is rich .................... b. developing depression
3. less likely to .......................... c. against depression
4. more laid back ....................... d. what they ate
5. olive oil protects ..................... e. habits
6. keep track of .......................... f. a Mediterranean diet
7. scientists observed dietary .......... g. of depression
8. a thirty per cent lower risk of ....... h. in vegetables
9. reduces the likelihood ................. i. to produce oxygen
10. increase the body’s efficiency ...... j. than other Europeans

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

mental - whole - complete - likely - previous - protects - authors - explain
People who follow a Mediterranean diet are ____________ to be happier in life. This is the conclusion of a new report published in the journal ‘Archives of General Psychiatry’. The study’s ____________ say a diet that is rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, ____________ grains and fish seems to make people less likely to develop depression. This may ____________ why people who live in Mediterranean countries are more laid back than other Europeans. There are fewer ____________ disorders in Mediterranean countries and scientists believe this could be because of the diet. The new research supports ____________ studies that suggested olive oil ____________ against depression. No Italian, Spanish or Greek meal is ____________ without olive oil.

unsure -risk - track - perform - blood - natural - habits - stuck

Researchers from Spain’s University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Clinic of the University of Navarra, Pamplona asked 10,000 people to keep ____________ of what they ate. The scientists observed dietary ____________ and instances of depression for four years. They discovered there was a thirty per cent lower ____________ of developing depression in people who ____________ to the Mediterranean diet. The research team says it is still ____________ why this diet reduces the likelihood of depression. They said the diet could boost ____________ vessel performance and increase the body’s efficiency to produce oxygen. Both these things make the brain and heart ____________ better. If our mind and body are healthier, it seems ____________ we will be happier.