Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
in the
News
Lead-in
Discuss these questions with a small group.
1. Are you interested in the news? If yes, what kinds of media do you normally
follow?
2. Are internet/TV news channels popular with your friends? If so, what do/dont
they appreciate in these reports? How about you?
1
Sample News
Lonely planets
1. Reading
Japanese astronomers claim to have found
'planets' which don't go round a star. Writing in
the magazine 'Nature' they say they have found
ten Jupiter-sized objects which they could not
connect to any solar system. Neil Bowdler
reports for the BBC:
Artist's impression of
2. Main Ideas
Work with a partner. Take out the main ideas in the piece of news above.
a) (use key words and phrases)______________________________________________
c) _____________________________________________________________________
d) _____________________________________________________________________
3. Key Vocabulary
Explain the following vocabulary items; why are they important for the
piece above?
gas giants
large planets which don't have a solid surface
rogue
unconventional, not normal
came into being
were formed, created
cast-outs
objects that have been thrown away
ejected from
thrown out of
gravitational forces
the natural attraction that pulls objects in space together
interplanetary collisions
crashes between planets
Strictly speaking
being accurate
the remains of
what is left of
orbs
round-shaped objects
B.
1. Reading
Spain is to change its clothing sizes for
women. This is part of a Government decision
to prevent eating disorders in young girls and
women. This report from Pascal Harter:
2. Main Ideas
Work with a partner. Take out the main ideas in the piece of news above.
a) (use key words and phrases)______________________________________________
b) _____________________________________________________________________
c) _____________________________________________________________________
4
3. Key Vocabulary
Explain the following vocabulary items; why are they important for the
piece above?
a source of
a reason for (something)
customers and shop assistants alike
used after referring to two groups of people to show that both groups
are included
changing rooms
rooms where you can try on clothes before deciding whether to buy
them
an armful of
lots of, many
fit
here, be the right size
bowed to Government pressure
agreed to do something (usually, unwillingly)
try to fit them
attempt to make clothes that are available in the same sizes as the
female Spanish population
manikins (mannequin)
a model of the human body used in shops to display clothes
eating disorders
illnesses in which people eat too much or too little food
signed up
agreed to participate in something
C.
1. Reading
A new monument celebrating books has been
launched in Buenos Aires. The Tower of Babel
was created by artist Marta Minujin, who is
well-known for creating works made from
plastic. The tower includes books in more than
50 languages. Daniel Schweimler reports:
This is simply an audio and visual celebration of
the book - any books, all books, in whichever
language you like. Works by Jane Austen, Dickens,
Henry Blake, Ernest Hemingway, Cervantes,
Vargas Llosa, Tolstoy and the Argentina's own
favourites, Borges and Sabato, line the walls of this
tower, each wrapped in plastic for its own
protection.
The United Nations has designated the city as the 2011 World Book capital.
This book tower is 25 metres high and lined with 30,000 donations from more than
50 embassies. It'll be dismantled at the end of the month and the books will form
the beginning of a multi-lingual library.
The Buenos Aires Book Fair, one of the biggest in the world, has just ended,
recording more visitors than ever before. The city boasts hundreds of bookshops
and some cafes even supply works by Argentina's most renowned literary icon,
Jorge Luis Borges, to read over coffee. Buenos Aires is a city that loves its books
and now it has a tower to prove it.
Daniel Schweimler, BBC News, Buenos Aires
source: http://www.france24.com/en/20110516-tower-babel-entirely-books-argentina
2. Main Ideas
Work with a partner. Take out the main ideas in the piece of news above.
d) (use key words and phrases)______________________________________________
e) _____________________________________________________________________
f) _____________________________________________________________________
3. Key Vocabulary
Explain the following vocabulary items; why are they important for the
piece above?
line
has designated
II. Practice
1. Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these
sentences from news reports. Note that you may have to change the
form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.
springs to mind / high tide / draws / designed / floodgates
1. At the weekly papal audience which __________ pilgrims from many countries, a
priest read a summary of the Pope's address in Arabic for the first time, joining other
briefs in French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Czech, Polish,
Hungarian and Russian.
2. A system of nine dams called the Vltava Cascade was found to be dangerously full,
and the __________ were opened at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Monday night.
3. The sea defence gates on Weston-super-Mare's seafront were closed during
__________ at the weekend. Strong onshore winds were forecast which, coupled with a
tidal surge, led to the precaution being taken.
4. Some of the rules were __________ to keep the young men in check, with advice on
"not gadding and gossiping from chamber to chamber", or "picking your nose" in the
company of tutors, a habit Duport regarded as "uncouth and unseemly".
5. If you had to list prerequisites for being a bomb disposal officer, then courage would
go without saying. Patience, ingenuity and an ability to keep a cool head under pressure
also __________.
2. Work in a small group. Look at the title below and at the vocabulary
which follows.
Protecting Venice
3. Discuss and then write the main ideas of the piece of news Protecting
Venice. (use key words and phrases below)
4. Watch these videos to get more information, and write a full report.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24510314
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24509476