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lntroduction Introduction
Methodology
Teachersoften complain that teaching materials are bland and devoid of the very topics we discuss in our daily lives. The title of this book suggests that the material covers controversialand difficult issueswhich studentsmay be reluctantto discuss. Many of the issuesare indeedcontroversialbut the materialis in no way intendedto shock.In fact, the contents closely resemblethose we find in our newspapersevery day.
It is expected that this material will be used by experienced teachers. The teachers' notes, therefore, have been kept to a minimum and comprise only short notes, the answers, and occasionalextra ideas.
1. terboossuch as swearing, talking about death and prostitution
a w i d e r c l a s sd i s c u s s i o n .
Bearingin mind the sensitivenature of many of the topics, we suggestit will usually be best to start by asking studentsto think silently about some of the questionsbefore they are asked to say anything at There are good reasonswhy general classroom all. They then work in pairs and small groups m a t e r i a l s a v o i d t o p i c s w h i c h m a y l e a d t o before the topic is opened up to the whole class. embarrassment or friction in the classroom.Many In a similar way, with the reading texts, students teachersmay be hesitant to use such materials. often work in pairs, with each reading a different However, many more experienced teachers short text, which they then report to their partner, recognise the motivational value of materials before the material is dealt with in the whole class. which more closelyreflectthe real world. During individual or pair work, monitor what is This book presents just such stimulating and happening. You may wish to help out with r e l e v a n t t o p i c s . T h r e e b r o a d c a t e g o r i e s a r e languagewhere necessary,but you can also judge covered: whetherand how the topic(s)can be openedout to It goes without saying that, as the teacher, you 2 . s e r i o u s i s s u e s s u c h a s r a c i s m a n d g e n e t i c should remain neutral throughout any discussions, engineering seekingonly to encouragestudentsto expresstheir 3. personal matters such as appearance,hygiene views. and nudity. The materiirl is not intended to form the basisof a course but a resource from which teachers can, with their students, select topics which interest them. The material should only be used with classesyou know well and where the studentsare sensitiveenough to respectand trust both you and their fellow students.Even then, you must use the material sensitively. Individual students or membersof their family or close friends may have immediate,personal,even painful, experienceof many of the topics. In some cases,you may want to checkwith an individual studentbeforeusing a particulartopic in class.It is essentialthat teachers remain alert for difficulties. If a particular issue becomestoo sensitive,the teachermust be willing to abandonthe topic and be preparedto move on to somethingcompletely different.
Studentswill often have strongly-held views and possiblyprofound personalexperienceswhich they are willing to sharewith the class.Indeed,trying to engagestudents in this way is perhaps the prime purpose of the materials.While encouragingand helping them to express their views and experiences,you must, however,never lose sight of the fact that it is a languagelessonand they must be in no way pressurised into discussing or revealingthings about themselveswith which they are in any way unhappy. A student who wishes to remain silent must have their right to do so respected. Using the internet
M o s t u n i t si o l l o w t h i s p a t r c r n :
Becausethe topics are controversial and regularly in the news, it will almost always be easy to find related material by a quick searchof the internet. Usually typing two or three key words into a search engine will be sufficient to give you contemporary examplesrelevant to the topic.
left hand page: introductory discussionand one or more short texts
Richard MacAndrew Ron Martinez
How a unit is organised
right hand page: language work discussion.
and further
The lcft hernd page usually provides the basic material for a lesson,while the right hand page providesextensionor follow-up work.
Contents 1.
Death Talking dhout deatb, funerals, home burials
2.
Nudity
3.
Politicallyincorrectjokes
.Wby 'V/earing no clothes is natural. do people get so upset about this?
Is it OK to joke about disabledpeople, religion, deatb?
4.
Tabooconversationtopics Questionsyou cdn't ask. For example: How much do you weigh/earn?
5.
lt should be banned! Bullfighting, human cloning, boxing, the Ku Klux Klan - ban them all!
6.
Not my type Bdd breath, bites his nails, thin legs- what do you auoid in a pdrtner?
7.
Sex for sale Prostitution - cdn we stoD it? Should we stctDit?
8.
Swearing Is it OK to swear? What swetr words do/could you use?
9.
Torture Does torture happen in your country? Is torture always wrong?
10. Sexualharassment rYhat's wrong with telling a colleague she has nice legs?
11. Briberyand corruption gifts,bribes,perks- is thereany difference? Rewards, 12. Designerbabies Blonde hair, blue eyes- would yow like to designyour children?
1 3 . C h i l d r e nw h o k i l l
.When a child kills someone,who is responsible- the child, the parents, society?
14. Gays and jobs Does it matter that d doctor, teacher,or tbe Prime Minister is gay?
1 5 . A n i m a lr i g h t s We eat them, we do experimentson them, we keep them as pets. Do you object?
16. Marriage- for better or for worse What's the point of marriage thesedays?
17. Nobody needs a gun Gun massacresin schools.
.Why
.Wbat's wrong with diuorce?
do people carry guns?
'Would
you euer use a gun?
18. The sale of human organs
.Would .Wbat you let doctors remoue your orgdns? about people who sell their organs?
19. AIDS .Would yowtreata frienddifferentlyif (s)hehadHIV? Whatdo you knowaboutAIDSi 20. Tellinglies How honestdre you?
21. Abortion Are you Pro-lifeor Pro-choice?
22. NationalstereotYPes
"They're lazy and'rlirhonrrt." Blind preiwdice,or is tbere some truth in stereotypes?
23. Cheatingon YourPartner
tflhat is cbeating?Just looking dt someone else,fantasising'dn e-mdil relationsbip!
24. Are you haPPYwith Your bodY?
Haueyou thoughtabout it? Cosmeticsurgeryi, ,o iongeriust/or the rich and famous'
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25. lmmigrationand racism
comingto liuein yours? Ho* io you feelaboutpeoplefrom othercountries 26. Ghangingsex
next to d trdnssexual? Transsexuals- would you feel uncomfortable if you sat
27. ls this news?
rwbat is the news for - to prouide facts or to sbock and entertain?
28. The right to die Euthanasid- who has the right to choose?
29. Old enough to be her grandfather!
.V/hynot? woman? *on with a 25-year-old A 7T-year-ild 30. Big Brother is watching!
be woftied about? Are we losing our priuacy? Haue you got anything trt
3 1 . Anxiety and depression 'What Do you get depressed?
c(tn you do about it?
32. Gay families
f*L ,lacl,andno mum.rybatis a normalfamilythesedays? 33. Begging Should we giue beggarsmoney or lock them up?
culture 34. Compensation
easymoney? More pectpleare swingthan euerbefore.Is it right or is it iust
35. Sportand money ouerpaid? Are tolt sportsprofessionals
36. Vanity Are men uainerthan women?
3 7 . Legalisingdrugs Is it time to cbangethe laws on soft drugs?
3 8 . Turning the other cheek
Do you-findit easyto forgiuepeopleor do you holdgrudges? 39. The death PenaltY Are you in fauourof it? 40. Addictions
dre you hooked on? Alcohol,nicotine,drugs, chocglate,shctpping,football.'what
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Death
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Introduction Do you find this conversation offensive? I haven't seenHarry for months. How is he? > Dead! He died just beforeChristmas. Which would you prefer to say? He passedaway just beforeChristmas. or We lost him just beforeChristmas. Do you use similar expressions in your language to avoid the words dead or died? lf so, what are they?
Discussion ln your country: 1. When someonedies,what happensto their body? a. It is buried. b.It is cremated. c. Somethingelse 2. \7here do funeralceremoniestake place? a. In a church b. At d sbrine c. Sometuhereelse 3. Who usuallyattendsfunerals? d. Only men b. Men and women c. Anyone 4. What colour do peoplewear ro signify death? a. Black b.White c. A different colowr .5.What do peopleusuallydo at funerals? a. Cry openly and expressstrong emotions. b. Keep their emotions under control. c. Try not to cry, but cry quietly if they cdnnot help it. When you die, would you prefer to be buried or cremated?
"Die,
my dear doctor? That's the last thing I shall do!" Lord PctLmerstot't
SURPRISING HONESTY AT FUNERAL Family and friends at the funeral of George Ramsbottom in Honley, West Yorkshire, were stunnedwhen his brother,Frank, stood up in the church and told everyonethat his brother would not be missed. Describing his brother as the meanestman he had ever met, he went on to list all the people who would be glad to know that Georgehad died, and gave the reasonswhy. He claimed that Georgewas a liar, a cheat,a womaniserand a drunk. "He owed money to half the people in the village; he had ruined a number of marriages; and he was often incredibly rude for no good reason. No one will be sad that he has sone." said Frank Ramsbottom. Mr Ramsbottom's unexpectedspeech was followed by complete silence. Eventually Margaret Dudley, the minister in charge of the service,stoodto say,"Let us give thanks for George'slife with our final song." She then sang on her own while everyone else stood in silence.The service ended shortlv afterwards.
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Reading Read the two articles opposite. Then choose the best answers to these two questions: 1.Why do you think nobody sangthe final song at the fur-reral
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HOME BURIAL CAUSES ANGER A family who buried a relative in their back gardenhave angeredneighbours. Residentsof a care home were shocked to seethe coffin of Daniel Stevensloweredinto a grave in ChesterfieldRoad, Maplethorpe. Staff at the Adamson care home, which overlooks the garden, want the body reburied in a cemetery. Geraldine Thomson, the manager of the home, said: "Someone sent me a letter last week to say the funeral would happen on Thursday.I thought it was ajoke. There were about 200 people in the garden for the service.When I called the police they said they couldn't do anything to stop it becauseit wasn't illegal." Maplethorpecouncil said it was not able to prevent a burial on private land as long as certainrules were followed.
Iaboos and /ssues
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Language Use the correct form of these verbs below: murder kill die .....fora 1 . I ' m j u s t g o i n g o u t s i d e .I ' m cigarette. 2. Do you want a drink? > Y e s I, c o u l d ... acupof tea. 3. What's your new boyfriend like? I'm ....t0meethim.
. . warmed up! Are 9. You look like you ill? 10.I don't just want to sit on the beachall day. I'll be bored to . . . you have similar idioms in your language? Do Do you know these idiomatic expressions? He's kicked the bucket. He'spopped his c/ogs. He'sgone to meet his maker.
4.I've been out shoppingall day. My feet are . . . . . . m e ! 5. The train doesn'tleavetill 4, so we've got nearly an hour to . . . 'Whenever you open your 6. Just keep quiet. ... theEnglish mouth,you.. language! Add the following words to these sentences: death
murder
7. When is it going to stop raining?I'm sick to of this weather! 8. Sorrv I'm so late. The traffic was . .
"'Will you pleasetakeyour
Discussion
feet
off *y bestcbair!"
Answer the questions below on your own: 1. How do you feel when the subject of death comes into the conversation? a. [Jncomfortable- I don't want to talk abowt it. b. lt dependshow other people redct. c. Fine - it's perfectly natural to talk about death. Or do you have another reaction? 2. You have to tell a close friend that a mutual friend of yours has died. You know that they were very close. How would you start the conversation? a. I'm afraid we won't be meeting Mary for lunch on Friday after all. b. Haue you heard? Mary's jwst died. c. You'd better sit dotun. I'ue got some bad news about Mary. She died last night. C)r would you say somethingelse? 3. A friend of yours (a rather unreliable one) has just died, owing you a lot of money. After the funeral his sistercomes to talk to you. Do you say: a. I was hoping to meet one of the family so I can get my money back. b. Poor George! He was such a good friend. (and forget about the money) c. I shall miss George- but not as much as the ["1000 he ctwedme! Or would you say somethingelse? 4. If the only work availablewas working with dead bodies - for example as an undertaker or a pathologist - what would you do? a. Take the job. Somebodybas to do lobs like that. It's no big deal. b. I could neuer do a iob like that.'What would my friends think? I'd rather starue. c. I'd ask for a huge salary.It would be OK if I was paid a lot. d. Pleasestop tall
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Nudity
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Nude / Naked- both words mean wearing no crothes. For exampre: He wrrscompletelynarked.Shewas standingthere,in the nude. Naturism is the activity of not wearing any clothes because you believe it is more natural or healthy. The peopfe who do this are called nudists or naturists.
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How would you react in the following situations?would you laugh, be embarrassed,cover your eyes, have a good look, or do somethingelse? l. You are warchinga football match when a nrrkeclwoman runs onto the pitch and stops the garrnc.
4. You are ar the beach with your family. A man and a woman put their towels near you, take off all their clothesand lie down to sunbathe.
2. Some ncw friends of yours have a sauna.After clinncr,they suggestyou all relax and chat in the siruna.When you are getting ready, you cliscoverthat you are expectedto be naked.
5. You are invited to dinner by some people you don't know very well. After dinner, they show you their holiday photographs.They had been to a naturist resort in the south of France.The picturesleavenothing to the imagination!
-1.Yru rrreshoppingin the main streetof your town. You notice a man walking down the street.He is not wearing any clothes,but is carrf ing a shoppingbag.
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6. Your new boyfriend/girlfriend suggestsgorng ro 'V7hen the beach. you get there, it,s a nudist beach.
Reading Answer these questions. Then read the article to find out the answers. l. How manv narlrristsdo you think there are in Britain? a. 5,000 b. 25,000 c. 50,000 2.How many official nudist beachesdo you think there are in Britain? a.10 b.50 c.100 .1.D. v..r think it is p.ssible to go on a nudist packageholiday?
EVERY BEACH SHOULDBE A NUDISTBEACH This sunrmer British naturists are spokespersonfbr BN, the British England to France, which British planningkr swirn and bathe naked Naturism magazine. "we wilr N a t u r i s m h o p e s w i l l i n c r e a s e on public beachesthroughout the def'endour members in court ... as awareness of topless and nudist collntry to draw .ttention to public long as we are satisfiecl that they beachesin many partsof the world. and official opp.sition to their have behaved reasonably a n d Britain alreadyhas I 70 clubs and l0 lit'estyle. there's been no i n d e c e n t beacheswhere naturismis ofTicially British Naturism. the leading UK behaviour." permitted and, surprisingly, the o r g a n i s a t i o nf b r n a t u r i s t s .i s n o t T h e N u c l e T o l e r a n c e C a m p a i g n , naturist lifestylc is becoming big only encouraging its members to which started quietty last business. Members of BN enjoy b a t h e n a k e d w h e r e v e rt h e y w a n t , N o v e m b e r , i s b u i l d i n g up as discounts on ferry servlces.car b u t i s a l s o p r o m i s i n g t o c l e f ' e n ds u m m e r a r r i v e s a n d B r i t a i n ' s rental and breakdown insuranccand the''in court if they iire arrestecl by 25,000 naturists arrive at beaches can enjoy f2,000 nudist Caribbean the policc. and clubs all over the UK. There c r u i s e s . S e v e r a l l a r g e t o u r "Basically. .ur view is that every wiil also be a nude cross-Channel operators, including Virgin. offer b c a c h i s a n a t u r i s t sb' e a c h , "s a i c la r e l a y s w i m f i o m t h e s o u t h o f natunstsummerpackages.
Nudity
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Taboosand /ssues
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Politicallyincorrectjokes Discussion Readthis joke about a blind person.ls it funny? A blind man and his guide dog went into a department store to do some by the tail and Christmas shopping. Atl of a sudden, the man picked up his dog"sir! Can I hellt started to swing it)round in a circle. A salesassistantshouted, "I'm "No yctu?" thanks," the blind man replied, iust looking"' joke which upset Have you ever laughed at something that other people thought was not funny or told a people? Describe the situation. ls it OK to tel jokes about anything and everything? Would any or all of the following offend you? Why? . . . . . . . .
a ioke about a physicallydisabledperson a joke that makes fun of women a ioke that makes fun of men a loke that makes fun of the elderly a ioke that ridiculesa particularreligion a ioke involving a particular country or nationality a loke making fun of lawyers a ioke that makes fun of blondes Do you know any jokes involving any of the above? ls there a particular group of people in your country who are often the object of jokes?
Language Use the correct form of these verbs to complete the jokes below: climb make drown pLtt retrdtn take call haue . . . a blonde laugh on 1.How do you Friday? > Tell her a joke on Monday. ...ablonde? 2.Howdoyou > Put a mirror on the bottom of a swimming pool. 3. What's the differencebetweena blonde and a computer? information into > You only have to . . . a computer once.
say throw
6. \fhy don't blondes get coffee breaks? > It takes too long to . . . . . . them afterwards. 'V7hat do intelligent blondes and UFOs 7. ...incommon? > You often hear about them, but you never seeone. . . . to screw 8. How many blondes does it in a light bulb? > One. Sheholds the bulb still and the world revolvesaround her.
. . . over the glass 4. Why did the blonde wirll? > Tcrseewhat was on the other side.
9. IX/hatdo you brain? > Gifted.
S.What do you do if a blonde . . . . . . . - a grenadeat you? > Pull the pin out and throw it back.
' . . if her doctor 10.What would a blonde told her that she was pregnant? > Is it mine?
. . . a blonde with half a
Did you find these jokes offensive? Do you know anybody who would? Are they blonde? it to Thi;k about a joke that you know and try to translate it into English. Write it down first and then tell a classmate. Politically incorrect iokes
Taboosand /ssues
Reading The authors would like to make it clear that none of the following jokes has been written by them. They are typical of jokes which exist in books of jokes and on joke websites.The jokes printed here are among the least offensive! As you read the jokes below, rate each one for its level of humour and level of offensiveness:
HUMOUR A: very funny OFFENSIVENESS A: verv offensive
B: a bit funny B: a little offensive
C: not funny C: not offensiveat all
loke 1 Q: How can you tell when a lawyeris lying? A : H i s l i p sa r em o v i n g .
loke 7 How do you make a cat go 'woof'?. Soak it in petrol and throw it on the fire.
foke 2 A womanwas payingfor someitemsin a - a pint of milk,a packetof bacon,a supermarket smallbagof rice and a few vegetables. The man at the checkoutsaid,"l betyou'resingle,aren'tyou?" "Well yes,I am,"the womanreplied."How did you you'rereallyveryugly,"replied know?""Because the man.
foke B There was a young man from Calcutta, Who had the most terrible stutter, H e s a i d , P a s st h e h - h a m , And the 1r-ffjam, And the b-b-b-b-b-b-butter.
foke 3 HOW TO IMPRESS A WOMAN Compliment her,cuddleher,kissher,caressher, love her,strokeher,comfort her,protecther,hug her,wine and dine her,buy giftsfor her,listento her,respecther,standby her,supporther,go to the endsof the earthfor her. HOW TO IMPRESS A MAN Arrivenaked... with beer. foke 4 How do you makea dog drink? P u ti t i n a l i q u i d i s e r . foke 5 Q: How do men sorttheirlaundry? ' F i l t h yb u t s t i l lw e a r a b l e . ' A: 'Filthy'and foke 6 Q: What hasfour legsand eightarms? A: A pit-bullterrierin a children's playground.
foke 9 A young man with a wild and multi-coloured hairstylesits next to an old man on a park bench. The old man staresat the young man. "What's the matter,old man?" saysthe young man. "Never done a n y t h i n gc r a z y i n y o u r l i f e ? "T h e o l d m a n r e p l i e s : "Yeah. When I was in the Navy, I got really drunk one night and had sex with a parrot. I thought you might be my son." loke 10 Q: How do you know when you're too fat? A: When you step on the scalesand it says 'To be continued.' foke 11 Q: If your wife comes out of the kitchen to nag you, what have you done wrong? A: Made her chain too long. foke 12 Q : W h y d o l t a l i a nm e n w e a r l o t s o f g o l d c h a i n s a r o u n dt h e i r n e c k s ? A: So they know when to stop shaving.
Match the following reactions to the relevantjokes above: a. Anybody who thinks setting fire to an animal is funny needspsychiatrichelp. They are sick! b. That's in really bad taste.Peoplewho have a speechimpedimenr can'r help it. c. I don't think you should joke about people'sappearance.It's not their fault! d.I don't get it. (I don't understandthe johe.)
Discussion Did you find any of the jokes offensive or 'sick'? Which, it any? Who would be offended by the jokes above? Consider each one with a partner. Are there any categories of jokes that you would describe as offensive that were not included above?
Taboosand /ssues
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When you fill in a form, are you h"ppy to give this information: Yottr age? Your mdrital statusl Your income? Are there any other questionsyou don't like answering?
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Conversation 1 A: Your blood pressureis absolutelyfine. Have you beeneatingnormally? B: Oh yes.The sameas normal. A: And do you take any regularexercise? B: Yes,I play squashtwice a week. A: Mm. Tell me, how much do you weigh? B: About 68 kilos. t
Gonversation2 A: B: A: B:
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'We've just moved in Hello, I'm Jean Walker. nert door. Paul Burton. Pleasedto meet you. Do you work locally? Yes, I'm a solicitor with a firm on the High Street. A solicitor.That's a good job. How much do you eirrn?
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Conversation3 A: B: A: B:
Hello. I'rn looking for a white tennis shirt. OK. Tennisshirtsare over here. As you can see,I'll need a fairly large srze. Yes, I c:rn seethat. How much do you weigh, if you don't mind me asking? Conversation4 A: Gareth,you will be delightedto hear that we wor-rldlike to offer you the job. B: Great! Thank you very much. A: \7e need tc'rtalk a bit about salaries. B: Right, yes,of course. A: Rernindme, how much do you earn at the moment? B: About {35,000 a year. A: Yes,well, we won't be able to give you more than that initirrlly, but we shor-rldbe able t<; match it. Tabooconversationtopics
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"Good
morning. I'd like to talk to you ahout the Bible."
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1.In each dialogue there is a personal question. Decide if the question is appropriate to the situation and the speakers. lf it is not appropriate,why isn't it? 2. The questionsin conversations2 and 3 do not have answers.How do you think the speaker should reply in these situations? 3. Have you ever been asked an inappropriate question? When and who by? How did you respond? Have you ever asked an inappropriate question by accident?What happened? Taboosand /ssues
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J. t Know this is a bit nosey,but ... 4 . M i n d v ( ) r r ro w n b u s i n e s s ! 5. wliv do you ask? 6. Can I ask you a personalquestion? 7. That's rrrther il personalquestion. 8 . I k n o w t h i s i s a b i t p e r s o n a l b, u t . . . 9. I'm afraid thert'sreally none of your business.
Discussion Look at the questionsbelow.Decidewho has the right to ask you these questions.lt may be a particular person, for example, a doctor, a priest, a police officer, a partner/lover.lt might be anybody or it might be nobody. Write anyone. a particular person or no one next to each question.
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How old are you?
Have you ever taken drugs?
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How much do you weigh?
Are you planning to start a family?
How tall are you?
Who did you vote for at the last election?
How much do you earn?
Have you got a criminal record?
Have you got a boy/girlfriend?
Are you gay?
Are you a virgin?
How much was your CD-player?
Are you married?
\fhat religion are you?
\rVereyour parentsmarried?
How do you feel about abortion?
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Your best friend Gouldyou say these things to your best friend? Your breirthis terrible.
I think you've had enoughto drink.
You smell nice. What is it?
You look silly in that shirt.
You need a haircut.
I think you should ring and apologise.
Your boy/girlfriend'sgot nice legs.
If you want to smoke, do it outside.
I wish you'd learn how to make coffee.
zrp) Your fly is undone. (fly = 11611.er
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Could you say the same things to your teacheror your boss? Do you have a friend you can say anything to? Are you a tactful person or are you more blunt and direct? Do you think being direct is a good or a bad thing?
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Tabooconversation topics
4
It shouldbe banned! Discussion Here is a list of some things which are banned in some countries,but are allowed in others. In pairs or small groups, discuss whether they are banned in your country and then comparewith others in your class: . toplesssunbathing . smoking insidepublic buildings . abortion pills o s m o k i n gm a r i j u a n a . sellingalcohol on electionday o parentSsmacking children lf some or all of the things above are not banned in your country, do you think they should be? Why / why not?
Reading Read these articles and answer the questions below each one with a partner: WOMAN ARRESTEDON RIO BEACH
I'OX HUNT SABOTEURS ARRESTED
A young woman was amestedyesterdaytbr using only one part of her two-part bikini. Braziliansare famous fbr their love of the beach,and wear very s m a l l b i k i n i s b u t t o p l e s s s u n b a t h i n gi s s t i l l n o t 'look the other way' allowed.Policeusedto have a policy but localauthoritieshavebegunto enforcethe controversiallaw which forbids nudity.The woman "This is Brazil - not was unrepentant afterher arrest: England.not the US. We believein fieedomand we bclieve in the right to show our bodies. This is absolutelyricliculous."
Two men and a woman were anestedby police after pulling a man off his hclrse,causinghim to breakhis arm.The incidenthappenedas the threetried to stop a fox-huntgoing aheadin the Sussexcountrysidein t h c s o u t ho f E n g l a n d .
1. ls this law sensible, in your opinion? 'look the other way' policy? 2. What is meant by a 3. "We believe in the right to show our bodies." Do you agree with her?
Severalminutes of arguing had precededthe attack when the small group anived with bells and whistles "Hunting fbxes is to confusethe dogs and horses. murder." screamedone of the group before being led away by police. 1. Do you feel sympathetic towards the offenders in this article? Why? Why not? 2. Do you have any animal sports in your country which you think should be banned?
BAR FINED FOR ALLOWING SMOKING
KU KLUX KLAN RALLY VIOLENCE
Popularbar O'Malley's was fined $1.000on Friday city order nightfbr disobeyingthe new SanFrancisct'r which prohibitssmokingin any public building.The owner plans to appeal against the fine before a "l hearingthis afiernoon. tell you. even if the fine stays.there'sno way I'm going to make my loyal customersgo outsidein the cold to smoke."he said yesterday.His customers have of'fbred a lot of support. "Has the world gone mad'?This is a barl It's a place "l fbr vices." said one regular. can't drink without smokingl"
Four members of the Ku Klux Klan brotherhood were beaten up at a public rally in which KKK "a cry fbr white freedom." memberswere calling for
1. What do you think about this law? 2. What do you think the bar owner should do? 3. What was one customer's justification for smoking in the bar? Do you agree? It shouldbanned!
Tempers began to flare when the Klan members, in traditionalwhite robes,begantheir march clressed t h r o u g h a p r e d o m i n a n t l yb l a c k n e i g h b o u r h o o d "White power!" Locals took to the streets shouting and showedtheir opposition.some using violence. Four men were anestedby the police. "We are a peaceful organisationwith the right to "It's not our speakour minds," said one Klansman. fault thesepeopleare animals." 1. Do you sympathise with the offenders? 'the right 2. The man from the KKK said they had to speak our minds'. Do you agree? 3. Should groups like the KKK be banned? Taboosand /ssues
Language Use the correct form of these verbs to complete the texts below: stgn
go on
protest dgatnst
I (1) . . . . . a protestmarch tomorrow with Greenpeaceto (2) . . . . the JapaneseGovernment's policy on whaling. \7e are trying ro ger 5,000 p e o p l e t o( 3 ) . ...a petirion,whichwe plan to hand in to the JapaneseEmbassy.This is something I feel very strongly about.
urSe ban
boycott carry out I belongto an organisationthat (4) against animals being used ro test cosmetics.We (5) . . . politiciansand consumergroups and (6) . . the generalpublic to (7) . c o m p a n i e s t h a(t8 ) .... experimentson animals. Our aim eventually is for the governmentto (9) . . . all forms of animal exploitation in the cosmeticsindustry. cdmpatgn lctbby
Discussion Have you ever been on a protest march? What for? Have you ever signed a petition? What for? Have you ever boycotted a company or its products? Which ones? Why? Do you think any of these actions make a difference?Which one is the most effective?
Newspaperlanguage Certain words are found almost exclusively in newspapers, particularly in headlines. Match the meaningson the right with the underlinedwords in the headlinesbelow: I. POLICE OIJIZ ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP
a. attempt
2. NUDISTS SEEK MORE SUPPORT
b. fight
3. MINISTER BACKS CANNABIS PLANS
c. interview
4. FASCISTPARTY IN POWER BID
d. supports
.5. NEW CALLS TO HALT FUR TRADE
e. demand
6. POLICE AND DEMONSTRATORS CLASH IN CAPITAL
f. stop
7. BOXING BAN PLEA
g. obstruct
8. GREENPEACEFOIL WHALERS
h. look for
Discussion In small groups, decide whether any of the things below should be banned.Try to persuadethe others in your group. Then take a vote for each one.
Iaboos and /ssues
bullfighting
g e n e t i c a l l ym o d i f i e d( G M )f o o d
f o x - hu n t i n g
h u m a nc l o n i n g
cockfighting
alcohol
f i s hi n g
cigarettes
whale-hunting
marijuana
shooting
prostitution
gunclubs
pornography
m i l i t a r ys e r v i c e
boxing
n u c l e a rt e s t i n g
soapoperas
b a l l r o o md a n c i n g
passports
It should be banned!
Not my type Discussion L How important is it for you to have a partner who is physicallyattractive? 2. Could you fall in love with someonewho was physicallyunattractive? 3. Have you ever beenout with someonewho had a disgusting/ embarrassinghabit?
Reading Here are two letters to the 'problem page' of a magazine.As you read them, think about this question: Hdt,e J,tttteuer nlet on),onewith the same or similar'prrtblems'? Dear Betty,
Dear Bettv. l've met thiswonderfulwoman.She's , arming t a l l ,b e a u t i f u il n , t e l l i g e nct h a man couldever nearlyeverything want.There'sonly one problem.Every time shetriesto kissme I feel like b e i n gs i c k ! thing At firstI thoughtit was a passing - that maybeshejust neededto brush herteethmore.Now I realisethatthis mustbe somekind of permanent c o n d i t i o nW . h a td o I d o n o w ?| c a n ' t g o o n h o l d i n gm y b r e a t h( a sl ' m d o i n g now)everytime sheleansoverto kiss me. lt'sgettingto the pointwhereI don'tevenlook in her directionwhen shetalksto me! Thisis not your kind of smellaveragemorning-breath t h i si s m o r el i k es o m e t h i nhsa sd i e d i n s i d eh e r ! W h a ts h o u l dI d o ? Thomas
I have one of the most thoughtful,kind, consideratemen on the planet but he h a st h i s r e a l l yd i s g u s t i n gh a b i tt h a t I can't standand I can't decide how to tellhim. B a s i c a l l yt ,h e p r o b l e m i s h e p i c k s h i s n o s e .I d o n ' t m i n d s o m u c h w h e n w e ' r e at home, alone, but when we're in public, in a nice restaurant,or worse/ at e hen we/rehaving m y p a r e n t s ' h o u sw just want to disappear.He dinner, I s t a r t sd i g g i n gi n a n d p u l l i n gt h i n g so u t and throwing them on the floor, or even worse, puttingthem in his pocket! And then afterwardswhen he wants to hold my hand or touch my face I avoid his advances- and of coursehe gets upset. I want to tell him about it becauseI don't think he realisesthat he does it, sim and I b u t l ' m a f r a i dl ' l l e m b a r r a s h d o n ' t w a n t t o l o s eh i m . I m e a n , I d o n ' t w a n t t o s o u n dl i k e l ' m h i s m o t h e r . P l e a s eh e l p . Emily
Discussion Discussthe following with a partner: that tell you how bad Thomas'sgirlfriend'sbreath is. 1. Find words and expressions 2. Did anything in the two lettersmake you laugh? 3. Which problem above did you think was worse? 4. What would you do in Thomas'sor Emily's situation? 6
Not my type
Taboosand /ssues
Sex for sale Discussion 1. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right: l. a prostitute a. someonepaid ro go out socially with other people 2. a pimp b. a house where men pay to have sex with prostitutes 3 . a r e d - l i g h rd i s r r i c r c. a person who agreesto have sex in return for money 4. a brothel d. part of a town where there are many prostitures -5. a kerb-crawler e. a man who controls prostitutesand lives off their earnings 6. an escort f. a man who drives slowly along a road looking for a se"ual liaison ls prostitution a problem where you live? ls there a red-light district in your town? Readthe informationin the box and discuss the questionsin pairs or small groups: At present,in Britain, a woman who sells sex on her own in a single property is not breaking the law. However, it is illegal for a prostitute to work, or to ask for work. in a public place. If two or more women sell sex in a single property, it is technicallya brothel, which is illegal.
o What is the law in your country? . Do you think it is too strict, too lenientor about r:ight?\fhy? o How would you feel if you found our rhar a close friend or a member of your family was working as a prostitute?
Shouldwe legalisebrothels? Read the two articles to see if these statements are correct: 1.The police officer would like to have srricterlaws on prostitution. 2. The local councillorwould like to relax the laws on prostitution. "lt's ridiculous to try and eliminate a practice w h i c h h a s b e e n g o i n g o n s i n c e t h e b e g i n n i n go f c i v i l i s a t i o n .T h e r e a l w a y s h a s b e e n , a n d a r w a y s w i l l b e , a d e m a n d f o r p r o s t i t u t e sy. o u c a n , t s t o p r t b y m a k i n g i t i l l e g a l .T h e p r o b l e m s w e h a v e a r e b e c a u s ep r o s t i t u t i o ni s n o t r e g u l a t e d T . he women i n v o l v e da r e a t r i s ko f b o t h p h y s i c a la n d e m o t i o n a l a b u s ef r o m t h e p i m p s w h o , e m p l o y , t h e m .T h e i r w o r k i n g c o n d i t i o n sa r e o f t e n p o o r a n d t h e r e a r e c o n s i d e r a b l eh e a l t h r i s k s .L e g a l i s i n gi t w o u l d g i v e women more control over their lives _ their h e a l t h , t h e i r s a f e t y a n d t h e i r f i n a n c e s .F r o m t h e police point of view, it would also mean ress o b v i o u s p r o s t i t u t i o no n t h e s t r e e t sa n d a r e d u c t i o n i n r e l a t e dc r i m e s u c h a s d r u g d e a l i n g .T h e c u r r e n t Iaws are contpletely impractical.lt,s time thev were changed." Helen Maddocks, senior police officer
"This
i s n o t a p r a c t i c a li s s u ea t a l l , i t ' s a m o r a t o n e a n d l ' m d e a d a g a i n s ta n y c h a n g ei n t h e l a w . I n f a c t , I think the laws should be tougher.I agree we s h o u l d b e c o n c e r n e da b o u t t h e h e a l t ha n d s a f e t yo f the women, but the plain fact is, sexfor money is wrong. Sex should not be for sale.The laws we h a v ea r e n o t j u s t f o r s t a t i n gw h a t i s a l l o w e d a n d n o t allowed, but also to show us what is good and w h a t i s b a d . L e g a l i s i n gp r o s t i t u t i o n c r e a t e s t h e i m p r e s s i o nt h a t i t i s a g o o d t h i n g . l t ' s a s i g n o f g r e a t m o r a l w e a k n e s si n o u r s o c i e t y .P r o s t i t u t i o nm a y D e t h e ' o l d e s t p r o f e s s i o n ' ,b u t t h a t d o e s n ' t m e a n t r s h o u l d b e e n c o u r a g e dt o c o n t i n u e . " Janet Boyce, local government councillor
Spend two minutesthinking about these questions,then discuss them with a partner: l.Which argumentis closerto your own opinion?Underlinethe statementsyou agree with. 2. Are you surprisedat the police officer's attitude? why? / \7hy not? 3. Do you agreethat prostitutionis a 'sign of great moral weaknessin our society'? 7
Sexfor sale
Taboosand /ssues
Language1
Language2
Look at this extract from the text:
Divide these expressions with /aw into three groups: 1. What the governmentor the police do. 2. What offenders or criminals do. 3. What good citizens do.
This is not a practical issueat all, it's a tnoral one. Discuss with a partner. ls prostitution: a practicalissueor a moral issue? a complicatedissueor a straightforwardissue? l n i m o o r t i - r ni ts s u eo r r n o n - i s s u e ? Which verb does not collocate with issue.'
avoid complicate address discuss
I I I I
a. tighten the law b. break the law c. defy the law d. obey the law e. observethe law f. relax the law
the issue
do tackle resolve
g. comply with the law h. enforce the law
Which issues is your government addressing at the moment? Which issues is it avoiding? Which issues do you want your government to tackle?
i. ignore the law j. abide by the law k. changethe law l. disobeythe law
Discussion What would you say in reply to these people? Discuss with a partner.
I can earn {,1000 a week as 'lbat's d prostitute. about four times ds much as I would get doing a different iob. So why should I stop?
Lots of girls are fctrcedinto prostittttion. Often they are illegal imnrigrants. They can't go to the police becausethey dre not in the atuntry legally.
"I believe that sex is one of the most beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy." Steue Martin, actor
Prostitution is a problem causedby men. There aren't any prostitutes for women. It's men who credtethe problem dnd men wbo mdke tbe laws.
Taboosand /ssues
I don't belieuetbdt sleeping with a prostitute is being unfaithful to my uife. lt's only sex- nothing else. Marriage is abont loue.
lf someone wants to accept my money to haue sex with me, what's thc prohlem? It's their life and tbeir body. It's my money and it's none of your business!
It's the only way dirty old m e n c d n g e t s c x ,P r o s t i l u l i o t r is for sad, sad 1teo1tle.Tbe women are sdd and the men dre euen sadder. I'd ban it!
Sex for sa/e
Swearing "When angry, count to a hundred; when very angry, swear." Mark Twctin
Discussion
What would you say?
Work in pairs and compare your answers to the following questions:
Would you swear in the following situations?What would you say?
1. How oftcn do you swear? 2. What swearwords do you use most often? 3. Are there irny swear words you would never u s e ?W h y ? 4.In what situationswould you try to avoid swearing? -5.Are you ever offended,upsetor annoyedwhen other peopleswear?
1. You take some milk out of the fridge, but drop it on the floor. 2. You are carrying two pints of beer in a bar. Someonebumps into you and you spill the beer down your trousers. 3. You miss the bus to work by a few seconds. 4. Somebodydrivesinto the back of your brand new car. 5. Your ohone bill is double the normal amount.
Reading Read the articles below. Tick (/) the true sentences. l. Marth:r Johnsonwas sackedfrom her job. 2. Mr Slaterfeelsthat he has to swear at work. 3.lohn Ashford was arrestedfor swearing. 4. He is going to jail for 90 days.
PARTOF HIS PERSONATITY A salesexecutive has taken her ex-bossto an industrialcourt c l a i m i n gt h a t h i s s w e a r i n gf o r c e d her to quit her job. For over six m o n t h sM a r t h aJ o h n s o n 4, 3 , p u t u p w i t h t h e f o u l l a n g u a g eo f J a c k S l a t e r ,m a n a g i n g d i r e c t o r o f a transport company, and his deputy, Darren Wiggins. Both m e n s w e a rc o n t i n u a l l yt,h e c o u r t wastold.
something about the awful language.At leastnow I am in a place where peopleshow respect for each other."
Mr Slatertold the court that bad language was part of his p e r s o n a l i t ya n d a l s o c o m m o n i n t h e t r a n s p o r tb u s i n e s s ." l c a n ' t s t o p s w e a r i n g , "h e s a i d ." l ' m t h e fucking boss.My workers would all think I was fucking soft if I Y e s t e r d a y M s J o h n s o n o f stoppedswearing." W o r t hi n g , S u s s e x , w h o h a s D u r i n gt h e h e a r i n gt h e j u d g e h a d r e c e n t l yt a k e nu p a n e w j o b , s a i d : to warn Mr Slater severaltimes " l h a d a r e a l l yw o n d e r f u jl o b w i t h a b o u t h i s l a n g u a g e .T h e c a s e t h e c o m p a n yb u t I j u s t h a d t o d o continuestomorrow.
A BIG SPLASH T h e b a d l a n g u a g eu s e d b y J o h n Ashford as he fell out of his sailing boat into a river in M i c h i g a nh a s l a n d e dh i m i n b i g trouble. He appeared in court '1OO-year-old state for breaking a law which forbids swearing in front of women and children. F a m i l i e sw e r e p i c n i c k i n gn e a r b y w h e n t h e a c c i d e n th a p p e n e d . His defence team argued that standards over the years have changed and that it is now p e r f e c t l ya c c e p t a b l et o s w e a r i n e x t r e m e c i r c u m s t a n c e ss, u c h a s falling into a river. Mr Ashford, who faces up to 90 d a y s i n j a i l a n d a $ 1 0 0 f i n e ,w a s caught by two sheriff'sdeputies. T h e y w e r e f i s h i n gf r o m t h e s i d e of the riverwhen he fell in.
Discussion Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss these questions about the texts above. Do yolr think Martha Johnson was over-reacting?If so, what do you think she should have done? Do you think Mr Ashford should be in court? If not, what do you think should have happened? 8
Swearing
Taboosand /ssues
Language Look at the sentence below from the second text: It is now perfectly dcceptdbleto swear in extreme ctrcumstances. fn these sentences one of the words in italics is wrong. Cross it out. 1. Swearingin certainsituationsis completely una ccep tab Ie/ r u de/ inapp r op r i at e. 2.1 foLrndhis languagedeeply upsetting/ off ensiue/ o bscene/ sh o ckin g. 3. Using that kind of languageis perfectly acceptable/OK/goodin some situations. 4. Somewords that people use are actually uery
Now make true sentences using some of the expressions from examples 1 - 4. 1. Most peopleI know find swearing. . . . 2.My mother I father thinks swearing is . . . . 3. There are one or two words which I find . . . . 4. Swearingat someonein a public place is . . . . 5.I think it is . . . . to swearwhen you are really annoyedabout something. 6.If the Prime Minister swore on TV, I would findit.... Work in pairs and compare your answers.
funny/rude/terrible.
Discussion Discuss the statements below. Do you agree or not? Why? l. Swearingcan lre creafiveand expressive. 2.lt's r-rseful to be able to swear in English. 3.lt's difficult to know how to use Englishswearwords. 4. You can sound silly if you swearin English. 5. Peoplewho swear a lot are just uneducated. 6. Children should be taught that swearingis wrong. 'JesusChrist'. 7. You can upset people by saying 8. Peopleshouldn'tuse swearwords in the street.
"Er . . . mind if we swear?"
Language
Discussion
The list below shows that swear words vary in strength. Different people of different ages find some words more offensive than others. Here is a rough guide to some of the most common English swear words and expressions:
Which of the words and expressions opposite have you used or would you use? Are you offended when people use religious words as swear words? Do you know of anybody who has got into trouble by swearing? Most English swear words are connected with sex or the body. ls this the same in your language?
Weaker
Stronger
Damn! Blast! Hell! Bloody hell! It was bloody awful! Crap! It was really crap! Bullshit! He's a real dickhead.
He's a real shit. Shit! Pissoff! Bastard! Bitch! Bollocks! He's a total wanker! He's a stupid prick. He's an arsehole!
Taboo-strength:Fuck off! Religiousswear words can offend much more than words connected with sex, body parts or bodily functions. Using God, Jesus Christ or Christ Almighty will greatly offend some people. Taboosand/ssues
Avoidingswearwords Native speakers often avoid swearing by using other similar-soundingwords. What do you think the following examplesavoid? 1. He told me to F off! 2.It's flipping cold, isn't it? 3. Not bleedinglikely! 4. Oh, sugar! 5. P off! 6. He's a real B! Swearing
Torture Discussion Work in pairs.What do you think the answersare to these questions? ln 1996 there were 171 countriesin the world: 1.ln how many countriesdid peoplein prison or policecustodysuffertorture or ill-treatment? a.21 b.67 c.124? 2. In how many countries did people die as a result of torture or inhuman prison conditions? a. 16 b.46 c.82? Find out the answersfrom your teacherand then discuss these questions: 1.Do the figuressurpriseor shock you or are they what you would expect? 2. Do you think the figures would be better or worse for this year? Or about the same? 3.ln which countrieswould you expectto find torture happening? 4. Whrrt rrbout your own country?
Reading Read the articles through quickly and answer the questions below: Which countries are mentioned in connection with torture? Do any of the articlessurpriseyou?'Which?Why? CASSIDY ATTACKS PINOCHET In Chile in 1915,Dr Sheila Cassidy was beaten, stripped and given electric shocks all over her body, forcing her to give the name of a priest who had asked her for help. She was later releasedas a result of protestsfrom Britain. Yesterdayshe spoke out following the arrest of General Pinochet, the 84-year-old "I ex-dictator of Chile. think imprisonmentfor the rest of his life would be appropriate.I know he is an old man and he is fragile, but so were the pregnantwomen who were rapedand tortured," she said.
US POLICE UNDER FIRE A recent Human Rights Watch report, examining policing in 14 of America's biggest cities, contains some shocking statistics.Following 11,000 civil rights complaints against the police last year, only 29 police officers were punished.Crime in New York has halved since 1993, but complaints about police abuse arc upby 50Vo. In one case,a suspectwas chokedto death when arrested by a police officer in 1994. The officer was cleared of manslaughter,but the case exposed the police to widespread criticism.
FRANCE GUILTY OF TORTURE France became the first European country convicted of torture when the European Court of Human Rights found it guilty of torturing a suspected drug dealer during questioning.The man was beatenin an effort to obtain more information about his suppliers. The court described his treatment at the hands 'of of five police officers as being a particularly cruel and serious 'torture' under the nature' making it European Convention on Human Rights.
Readthe articlesagain and answerthese questions: 1. Why was SheilaCassidytortured? 2. What was 'shocking' about the Human Rights \Watchreport? 3. What information did the French oolice want?
Discussion Discussthese questionsin small groups: 'torture'? 1. Do you think that the conduct of the US police might sometimesactually be 'torture'? 2. How would you define 3. Do you feel that any of the casesof torture mentioned above might in any way be justified? 4. Do yon think the police in your country torture suspectsand known criminals? Tofture
Taboosand /ssues
Language1
Language2
Put the words in italics in the right order to make prepositionalphrases.
Complete the article below using the phrases from the previous exercise.
1. Shewas later released n r ( ) t c s t sf r o m B r i t a i n .(of as result a) 2 . I t h i n k i m p r i s o n m e n .t . . his life would be appropriate. (of rest the for) 3. A suspectwas choked to death . a police officer. (with interuiew in an) 4. The man was beaten obtain more information about his suppliers. (to an effort in) . . five .5.His treatment 'of particularly cruel and police officers was a seriousnature'. (of the hands at)
LIFE FOR THE TORTURE TWO The trial of Justin Mathers and Gary Barstow, both accusedof murder and torture, finished today at Brigham Crown Court. (1) . . . the six-week trial, the iury had heard evidenceof some of the most horrible crimes ever described in a courtroom. They had also seenphotographs thesetwo men. of injuries suffered (2) . . . Both men were found guilty. The judge passed "(3) ....... the s e n t e n ciem m e d i a t e l ys ,a y i n g : horror of your crimes,I have no hesitationin your lives. sendingyou to prison (4) . . . (5) . . . . your actions,five peoplewere permanently injured and sevenwere killed. Two men and three women lost their partnersl a dozen
..firmevidence, 6.... he was releasedfrom prison. (of the in absence) children lost their parents. 7.The governmenthad no choicebut to arrest him. . . . . w h a t h e w a s w r i t i n ga b o u t them in the foreign press,but they lived to regret their actions. (of in uiew)
the police' you After your arrest, (6) . . . said that you had enjoyed committing theseawful give you a crimes. Therefore, (7) . . . punishment that matchesthe awfulnessof what . . . any remorse you have done, and, (8) from you, I sentenceyou to life imprisonment."
' ll'::'r'r:"1 ::::il:' ;:i i:;;!;:"0;l'i"o
"No-one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degradingtreatmentor punishment." Article 5. United Nations. 1984.
Discussion Work in small groups. Look at the situations below. Discuss how much force, if any, it is acceptablefor the police or army to use in each situation in order to get what they want. 1. The police arrest someonefor a bank robbery. They are absolutelycertain they have the personresponsible,and he alreadyhas a
3. The police catch a member of a terrorist organisation.He knows the names of other membersof the organisation.He also has
criminal record, but at the moment they have no evidence.They need a confession.They
information about where they have storesof arms and explosives.This information will save
only have four hours to get one before he must
lives.
be released. 2. A child has beenkidnapped.The kidnappers are threateningto kill the child if their demandsare not met. The police catch one of the kidnapperswho knows where the child is being held. She refusesto tell the police.
4. Your country is at war. You capture a highranking enemy soldier who has considerable knowledge of the enemy plans. This information would certainly savethe lives of many of your soldiersand possiblyshortenthe war.
Would your response to situation 2 be the same if the child was yours or a friend's? Taboosand /ssues
Sexualharassment Discussion Discussthese questionsin pairs or small groups: l. Do you think work is a good placero find a parrncr?Why / why not? 2.ln a work setting,what body parts of a colleaguewould it be oK ro touch in your country? Tick all the OK parrs: hand frrce back stomach
arnl shoulder hair bottom
3. \X/hatwould happenif you did touch the parts of the body that you did not tick?
Reading Make sure you know what these words and expressions mean before you read the article: suggestiuephotos sexy cdlendars fl irt sue dressedseductiuely chat up
FRENCH
FLIRT
AT WORK
The engineering workshops at a well-known engine-maker based in Paris seem as clean and innocent as a church these days. The nude photographs and sexy calendars that used to be on some of the walls have been taken down or thrown away. For that, the men in the department mostly have one of their female colleaguesto thank. Brigitte Janin, an aerodynamicsengineer, said she started arguing against the suggestive photographs from the
moment shejoined the company 13 years ago. "It was being done just to provoke women," said Janin, 37. o'When I said we didn't like it, they laughed at me." The company finally changed their policy when they agreed that the pictures could be a form of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment at work is a relatively new issue in France. French law now allows women to sue for sexual harassment,but it is limited to harassmentby a superior of a subordinate. Typically, many casesdo not make it to court. "It usually goes this way: the
woman complains about her boss, and then she's fired," said one lawyer specialising in workplace harassment. Then she sues, and money, if awarded,is usually little or sometimes nothing at all. "Judges will say it's because the woman is dressedtoo seductivelv." he added. "Here we don't care about sexual harassment." declared another lawyer who, despite his bravado, asked that his name not be published. "Being macho is seen as a good thing in the office. Chatting up beautiful women is natural."
Read the text again and correct the statements below: l. Seruitlharassmentonly appliesin casesof advancesfrom a subordinateto a superior. 2. Usuirlly erwoman is fired after she goes to court. 3. Manv judgesblame a woman's behaviour.
Discussion How far do you agreewith Brigitte Janin about the photos? \X/hy? Do you think that a woman who dressesseductivelyshould be preparedfor unwanted sexual advrrnces? Give an exampleof 'seductivedress'. Can nren be serr.rally harassedby women? Have .vor-r ever bcen in a difficult situation of this kind at work or college? 10
Sexualharassment
Taboosand /ssues
lr -
Language
=
Complete these sentences with the correct preposition:
E
Ef
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ot
up
obout oJ
tn
.lor betw'een
with
| . Thcre irre larvyerswho specialise. . . . . sexualharassmentcases. sexualharassmentis a waste . . . . . time. 2. Trying to sue 3 . I f y o u c o n r p l a i n y, o u j u s t g e t l a u g h e d 4. If yoLrflirt . . . . . the men in the office, you're asking for trouble.
-
-5.My bossthinks hc can chat . . . . . all the women in the office. 6. (iomplaining . . . . . the sexualadvancesof your bosstakesa lot of courage.
FI E
T.Yor.rcanpaycomplimentstoafemalecolleaguebutthereisafineline.....beingfriendlyand being overfarniliirr.
-t
FT E
Fr FI
Discussion
FI E
Work in pairs or small groups. Decide if the scenarios below describea situationof sexual harassment.Should anything be done about each situation?lf so, what?
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I
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F Fr F FT
F F F F
E F F F F
F
TH€9E, FruE MAKtENb
1. Brian l,ake often comesin to work with "\il7ow,I love your hair," he compliments. often saysto the women in the office, or "Nice skirt." Somewomen have noticedthat he sometimesstaresat their breastswhen he talks to them. ?. SusanBellfordgivesthe guys massages in the "She'sgot good hands," office during breaks. they often say.A couple of the married men don't seemtotally comfortable with it and one gay man doesn'tseemto like it at all, 'make any waves.' blrt acceptsit s0 as not to rouchesbottoms - men'sand 3.Jilrnes.|ohnson
people '';il most would where women's.
smilc' wink or give a pat on the back, James "It's my way.of givesa pat on the bottom. . being friendly," he says' what's interestingis that the men :lnd women in the office seem "Jamesis to respectthat. James,"saysone "He's just a playful guy. He i;;', worran. mean rrnyrhingby it."
4. Kenpatricktellsdirty jokesin theofrice.
"The peoplein the office love it," he says with a smile. Not everybody,it seems.Some of the women have been seenleaving the "Hey, have office as soon as he starts saying, you heard the one about the ..."
5'Jennifer Stewarthas a sexy body a'd is
t-Trt',:t;t"tffi:::X\nTJilffi:: ..why should I be ashamedof what God's ..I given me?,,sheargues. don,t think it ir"k", anyone feeLuncomfortable. I haven'r n.nra a single complaint from any of the men in the office!" 6. Bill Swansoncalls all the men in the office
,ffj:;,::#t
all thewomen I,X:;.T'calls
7. Shelly Layman is very tactile. She always puts her hand on the arm of the person she's talking to and always makes a point of making direct eye contact.
Are you a tactile person? Do you touch people a lot? Has anyone ever objected to you touching them? How can you tell when someone does not want to be touched?
Taboosand /ssues
Sexualharassment
10
L -
Briberyand corruption Language Match the words on the left to the definitions on the right: 1. a gift 2. a reward 3. a tip 4. a bribe 5. a perk 6. hospitalitv 7. a favour 8. influence
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
friendly and generoustreatment and entertainmentof guests a benefit receivedas part of the arrangementswith your employer somethinggiven willingly without payment a helpful act the ability to obtain favourable treatment from someone somethinggiven or receivedfor doing somethinggood a small sum of money given to someonefor their services somethinggiven or offered in return for some, often dishonest,help
Now work in pairs. Match the 8 words above to one of the following situations. lf you think more than one answer is possible, discuss the differences. 1. Your boss is retiring. The employeesgive her some beautiful gold earrings at her leaving party. 2. You visit a foreign company to discussa new contract. They pay for a S-starhotel and your expenses. 3. You want to build an extensionto your house, but you need permissionfrom the local council. You give money to one of the local councillors to make sure you get permission. 4. Your salesmanager increasesyour businessby 200% in a year. You give him a new BM\X/. 5. After paying the salon, you give a little extra money to the hairdresserwho cut your hair. 6. You get a free lunch in the staff canteenevery day. 7. You use your friendship with a member of the government to make sure that you get a particular governmentcontract. 8. You won't be home in time to pick up your suit from the dry cleaner's.You ask a friend to get it.
Reading
4 1 I
4
q
Readthe articlesbelow and answerthis question: All three articlesinvolve briberv. Do thev also involve corruption?
a {
MATCH-FIXING IS NORMAL According to a former club manager, bribery in Russia's top football leaguesis so shamelessand obvious that referees are known to ask for more money in the middle of games. The managerof a St Petersburgclub "I've never during the nineties said: met a referee who didn't take money. It's uselessto play if you have no money." Apparently, there are three ways to success.You can bribe the other team, you can bribe the referee,or you can bribe the teams that play your rivals. If you can afford to do all three, the championship will be yours.
11
Bribery and corruption
.SACKS OF CASH' BRIBED BUS DRIVER SACKED A bus driver from Bournemouth has The political bribery trial of the been sackedfor taking his bus on an former Indian Prime Minister, PV unauthorised route. Brian Jeffries Narasimha Rao, started today with altered the route of the number 22 evidence from an MP that he service after a passengeroffered him r e c e i v e d f o u r m i l l i o n r u p e e s f2O to drop him off outside his (f70,000) in two sacks as payment house"which involved a two-minute for supporting Mr Rao in a vote in diversion.No bus stopswere missed, Parliament. He did not accuse Mr but one passengerwas obviously Rao directly, but named other displeasedand reported the incident ministers in Mr Rao's government anonymously to the bus company. who had organisedthe deal. "I Mr Jeffriessaid, can't believethey sackedme. I wasjust doing someone a favour. Nobody was delayed or inconvenienced.Whoever it was who reported me needsto get a life."
Taboosand /ssues
Discussion
Language
Read the articles again and decide which answer is best:
Use the 8 nouns from the first exercise in these sentences:
1.ln the Russianfootball leagueyou can bribe: a. referees. b. refereesand other tedms. 2 The man reported the bus driver because a. he missedhis stop. b. he just thought it shouldn't happen. The Indian MP receivedthe money from 3. a. colleaguesof Mr Rao. b. Mr Rao himself. Answer these questions in groups:
She'soffering a . 1.Her cat'sdisappeared. person who finds it. to the ? I'd like some help 2. Could you do me a . piano. moving this 3 . H e u s e dh i s . . . . . . t o m a k e s u r et h a t h i s d a u g h t e rg o t i n t o u n i v e r s i t y . 4. The pay is poor but they offer good . - a company car and free health care. 5. The food was nothing specialand the service was awful, so I didn't leave a 6.I have a feelingthey want us to enjoy their . and then give them the contract. T.Three more politicianshave beenaccusedof . from businessmenin return for taking political influence. 8.I hope you will acceptthis . . . . . . from all of us for your excellentserviceover the years.
1.Do you think a crime has beencommitted in any of the three articles? 2.Can you imagineany of thesethings happening in your country? on the bus, would you 3.If you were a passenger have reported the driver or laughed and done nothing?
Discussion Work in groups. What would you do in these situations? Choose a response or suggest an alternative. 1.A police officer stops you for speeding.She asks to seeyour driving licence.Would you ... a. just giue her your driuing licence? b. put some money in your driuing licenceand giue it to her? 2. At the end of your driving test the examiner tells you that you have failed. Would you ... a. just feel disappointedand get out of the car? b. get out your wallet and ask how much it would cost to pdss? 3. Your company is trying to win an important and lucrative government contract. The minister in chargetells you that the contract is almost certainly yours and that he and his wife love spending their holidays in the Pacific.Would you ... d. do nothing and wait for a decision on who gets the contract? b. orgdnise a free two-week holiday in Fiii for the minister and his wife? 4. Your daughter wants to go to university but she did not passthe entranceexam. Would you ... a. ask the admissionsofficer how much it would cost to get her in? b. tell your daughter to re-take the exam and stop going out euery night? 5. You are a witness in a seriouscriminal case.A friend of the defendantoffers you a large sum of money to changeyour evidence.Would you ... a. refuseto cooperdteand then tell the police what had happened? h. take the money and do tuhat he asked? 6. You arrive at your favourite restaurantto find it is fully booked. Would you ... a. giue the head waiter LL0 and ask him to find you d table? b. just go somewhereelse? 7. A colleague at work who you are not attracted to offers to take you to your favourite opera (or similar) after dinner at an expensiverestaurant- all expensespaid. Would you ... a. feel tempted but sdy no? b. pretend suddenly to like the person and say yes? Do you know anyone who has been involved in a bribery situation like one of these? Spend two minutes deciding how you can bribe your teacher to make your life easier! Taboosand /ssues
Bribery and corruption
11
Designerbabies Discussion 'designed' you. lf you had been them, what would lmagine that before you were born your parents had you have changed?Think about these questions: Which one aspectof your appearancewould you change? would you change? Which one aspectof your character/personality How do you think your life might have been different? Are you pleasedyolrr parents did not designyou or do you wish they had? Compareyour answers in pairs or small groups.
Reading Readthrough the articleand answer this question: Why do the Jones want a baby girl?
NEW LAWSMAY ALLOW CHOICEOF BABY'SSEX l i m a n d D e b b i e l o n e s( n o t t h e i r r e a l n a m e s ) , whose daughter was killed in a tragic domestic accident last year, plan to use the n e w B r i t i s hh u m a n r i g h t s l a w s t o w i n t h e legal right to choosethe sex of their baby.
reasonsfor wanting a girl go beyond just w a n t i n g t o r e p l a c eh e r . O u r f a m i l y d o e s n ' t feel completeany more. I adore our sonsbut w e w o u l d l i k e a n o t h e rg i r l . "
C e n d e r s e l e c t i o ni s o n l y p o s s i b l ei n B r i t a i n f o r m e d i c a lr a t h e rt h a n s o c i a l ,p s y c h o l o g i c a l o r p h y s i c a lr e a s o n sP. r o - l i f ec a m p a i g n e r s a y that if the Jonesare allowed to choosethe sex of their baby, it could lead to babies The Jones,who have four sons, say that the ' f e m a l e d i m e n s i o n ' h a s d i s a p p e a r e df r o m b e c o m i n g c o n s u m e r i t e m s . A s p o k e s m a n s a i d :" W e a r e t o t a l l yo p p o s e dt o e n g i n e e r i n g their family since the death of Jasmine. " W o r d s c a n n o t d e s c r i b ew h a t i t f e e l sl i k e t o t h e n u m b e r s a n d g , e n d e r so f p e o p l e i n society.That leadsonly to disaster." losethe little girl we had wanted for so long. W e k n o w a n o t h e rg i r l w o n ' t r e p l a c eJ a s m i n e , T h e J o n e s ' l a w y e r s w i l l b e b a s i n g t h e i r but we want the chance lo Iry," said Jim a r g u m e n t so n n e w h u m a n r i g h t sl e g i s l a t i o n . "What we're hoping to do with the use A r t i c l e s i x g u a r a n t e e se v e r y o n e a ' f a i r Jones. o f t e c h n o l o g yi s c r e a t et h e f e m a l ed i m e n s i o n h e a r i n g 'f r o m p u b l i c a u t h o r i t i e sa n d A r t i c l e again. We have psychologists'reports and e i g h t p r o t e c t s t h e r i g h t o f e v e r y o n e t o 'resDectfor familv life'. doctors'reoortswhich confirm that our
Read the article again. Mark the following sentencestrue (T) or false (F): 1.The.|onesfeel they need a baby girl to make their family completeagain. 2. At the moment in Britain it is not possibleto choosethe sex of your baby. 3. New laws on human rights may allow the Jonesto choosethe sex of their baby.
Discussion Discussthis question in pairs or small groups: \Why not? Do .vonthink the Jonesshould be allowed to chooseto have a baby girl? Why? 12
Designerbabies
Taboosand /ssues
F =
Language
-l
{
Look at these sentences from the article. Notice the expressions with rghf;
=
Jim and Debbie Jonesplan to win the legal right to choosethe sex of their baby. Article eig,htprotects the right of everyoneto'respect for family life'. Cross out the word in italics which does not collocate with right:
:t = =' =
:T =t
1.You can hdue, win, protect, demand, build, defend, challengethe right to choose' 2.It's a(n) legal, moral, straight, automatic, basic nght. Look at the sentences below. Mark them in the following way: tl if you agree X if you disagree ? it you partly agree and partly disagree 1. An unborn child has rights.Those rights must be protected. 2. \X/edon'r have the right to interferewith a child's future personality and appearance. 3. Deciding the ser of your child will be a basic right in fifty years' time. 4. \7e should have the automatic right to chooseparticular genesfor our own babies. Compareyour answers in pairs or small groups.
= =
=r Fr
F F F F F
F
tr
F ts ts
F F F F rt
Discussion Work in pairs or small groups. ln each of the following situationssomeone is explainingwhat genetic selectionthey want to make and why. Decidewhetheryou think they should be allowedto do what they want. 1. There is a history of red hair in my family. I have red hair and I was badly teasedat school.I would like to make sure my child does not have red hair.
5. The male membersof my family often suffer from a rare and unpleasantbone disease. I would therefore like to make sure I have a baby girl.
2.My four-year-olddaughter,my only child, has a fatal blood disease.Shewill die before she is 12 unlesswe can find a match for a bone
6.I feel there is too much violenceand aggression in the world. I would like to make sure my child is a calm and gentleperson.
' f,:lf1l'*j:*:;i::'J,fl:'j:"1,:: ;::H:'""Hl". [xTi:.,.;il]'li[JJ;:il; Tii:'.
3.ln my family there is a history of a fatal disease that affectsthe nervous system.I want to make sure that my baby is not likely to get this disease. 4.I'm a universityprofessorand my husbandis a doctor. We'd like to make sure our babv is intelligent.
eyesand be about medium height when she grows up. 8.I suffer from a geneticdiseasewhich I inherited from my mother. My children have a one in five chanceof having the samegene. Before I start a family, I want to have treatment to make sure I do not passon this gene.
"We will still have sex for pleasure,of course, but we will view our children as too damn important to leave it to a random meetingof sperm and egg." Greg Stock, UCLA professor of procreation
Are you fascinated or horrified by this topic?
Taboosand /ssues
Designerbabies
12
v-
Childrenwho kill Discussion 1.In your country,at what age is someoneconsideredan adult? 2. Until that age, do children who commit crimes get specialtreatment, or do they get the same penaltiesadults get? 3.At what age doesa child know right from wrong? 5 yearsold, 10 yearsold? 15 yearsold?
Reading Readthe article.Then answer this question:What is the latest 'trend' in Americancriminaljustice?
THIRTEEN.YEAR.OLDGETSLIFE Thirteen-year-old Peter Barton (not his real name) was playing with a little girl of 6. Claiming that he was pretending to be a professional wrestler, Peter punched, kicked and stamped his 6-year-old playmate to death. Her liver was severely damaged.Her skull was fractured.Medical experts compared the injuries to a fall from the top of a house.Peter was tried in court as an adult and sentencedto life in prison with the possibility of parolewhen he is 38. Peter is one of many children in the latest trend in criminal justice: if you are old enoughto kill, you are old enough to face adult penalties.That is what the Supreme Courts of California, Florida and Texasare saying - and the trend is spreadingfast
acrossthe United States. "What we're dealing with is a new kind of childhood criminal. They're starting youngerand they know what they're doing. They won't think twice about killing," said Florida State District Attorney Adam Emmitt. The State of Florida alone registered312 homicidescommitted so far this year by minors. Most of those homicideswere gun-related. The trend has children'srights activistsin a rage.Lisa Weston,a member of one group which is trying to prevent children being "No one understands tried as adults said, why Peter did what he did - not even Peter."PeterBarton beeinshis life sentence on Monday.
Trueor false? Read the article again and mark these sentences true (T) or false (F): 1. Peterwill be releasedwhen he is 38 yearsold. 2. Not all stateshave such harsh laws. 3. Adam lrmrnitt thinks the problem is worse now than it was before. 4. Lisa Westonthinks children should be treated differentlv from adults.
Discussion l.Peter claimedhe was pretendingto be a professionalwrestler.Could he be telling the truth? 2.ls it really possiblethat a 13-year-oldboy could maliciouslyand intentionallykill a young girl? 3. Are children the same as they have always been or are they really different thesedays? 4. Has anything like this happenedin your country?
13
Children who kill
Taboosand /ssues
=
Language
:fl
Ghoose the correct ending for each sentence:
=
1. What we're dealing 2 . ' W h a tw e ' r e t a l k i n g
a. at is a steady increasein the number of child crimes. b. with is a new kind of childhood criminal.
3. What we're looking 4. What we're saying 5 . W h a t w e ' r es e e i n g
c. here is a trend that shows no sign of slowing. d. about is the future of our country. e. is that children must start to take full responsibilityfor their actions.
fl =
=t
Work with a partner. Circle the vocabulary item that does not belong in each group. Check any words you don't know in your dictionary.
=
6. law1,er,evidence,defendant,judge 7. murder,fine, assault,manslaughter
=fl t'l
-
:e
8. adult, minor, infant, adolescent 9. witness,crirninal,suspect,offender 10.parole,release,sentence) pardon
I
Discussion
=e =r
Discuss the following situations in small groups. Decide what should happen to the people in each situation.Should they go to prison - an adult prison or a young offender'sinstitution?How long for? Or should somethingelse happen?
E
I
F
r
rF rF F F b I
F
rF
F F
1. Sean,9, brings a gun to school.He shows it to his friends and says, "Nobody messeswith me o r I u s et h i s ! " 2. Two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, come to school with two semi-automaticguns and begin shootingpeopleat random. They shoot 5 of their classmates dead and criticallywound another 12. The 16-year-oldcommits suicide before he is captured, the younger boy is caughtand arrested. 3. l7-year-oldBobby fatally stabsa shop owner in the town centre in an attempted robbery. The shop owner tried to phone the police during the robbery and Bobby panicked.
4. A l4-year-old boy shoots another 14-year-old member of a rival gang. "I had to do it so that they would let me be in their g2flg," he says. The victim did not die. 5. A 16-year-oldshootshis father dead after the father has a violent confrontation with the "He got boy's mother. what he deserved,"says "My mother has put the boy. up with enough abusealready." 6. A 6-year-oldboy gets so angry with his younger brother that he sits on him until he stops breathing, shouting "I hate you, I hate you." The brother dies.The 6-year-oldtold his parents he had had enough of his brother.
Discussyour conclusionswith anothergroup. Discussthe following as a class: 1.\X/hena child kills, who do you think is most responsible? The parents?Society?The child? \What 2. Are there any obvious ways to prevent such horrors? are they? 3. If you feel your country's situation is very different from or better than the one in the US, can 1'ouexplain why? 'What 4. \flhat is the worst story of child killers you rememberreading about in the newspapers? makesit the worst?
F
F F F ft
Iaboos and /ssues
Children who kill
13
Gaysand jobs Discussion Discuss these questions with a partner: 1. Are there any well-known gay peoplein your country in the following areas: the military TV politics the law sPort the cbttrch 2. Arc there more gay peoplein someprofessionsthan in others?Which ones?Why do You think that is?
Reading Read the articles below and answer these questions: 1. Which article is about someonestartinga job? What's the problem? 2. Which one is about someoneleavinga job? Why is the personleaving?
SECONDOFFICER RESIGNS
ANGER OVER LESBIAN MAYOR
Another senior naval officer resigned last night as a result of the Government's decision to allow homosexualsto join the armed fbrces. CommanderJamesMacDonald,43. who fought in the war in Bosnitr. said of the Government's decision: "There are many good military reasons why homosexualsshould not be allowed into the armed fbrces. The Government. however, has chosen to make a decisionfor political and legal reasons." Commander MacDonald's resignation came a day after BrigtrdierHoward Jones,47,askedto retire early "l fbr similar reasons.Brigadier Jones said: have no personalproblem with homosexuals,but I do believe strongly from both a moral and a military point of view that there is no place for them in the army. The Government has reached its decision fbr no good military reason."
JanisHewitt will be ready fbr some strong opposition when she becomesmayor of the small Welsh town of Llanforclnext week. She announcedyesterdaythat her lesbianpartnerwill be mayoress. Ms Hewitt points out that she has never made any secret of her relationshipand she sees no reason to "We have been together for 20 start doing so now. "and we have never hidden the fact. years," she said, It really shouldn't be a problem. There are more important issues,ltke getting a better life for people." Gareth James, chairman of the local Conservatives, "This has come as quite a shock." disagreesstrongly. "It degradesthe position of mayor. It he said angrily. is not the sort of thing we associatewith this town. Things like this don't happenhere."
Trueor false? Read the articles again and decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F): 1. Both officers feel there are military reasonswhy gays should not be allowed in the armed forces. 2. BrigadierJoneshas a personaldislike of homosexuals. 3.Janis Hewitt's lesbianrelationshiphas beena secretfor 20 years. 4. Garcth Jamesis unhappywith the idea of JanisHewitt's partner being the mayoress.
Discussion Discussthese questionsin small groups: 1.Do you think it is OK ro have gay peoplein the armed forces?Vhy?'$7hy not? What's the situation in your own country? 2. ShouldJanisHewitt be allowed to chooseher lesbianpartner as mayoress?Would it be a problen-r in any way? Could this happenin your country? 14
Gays and jobs
Taboosand /ssues
Language 1. Look through the articlesagain and underlineallthe expressionswith the word'reason'. 2. One of the following patternsis wrong. Which one? a. I b. I c. I d.I c. I
seeno scc no scc no seeno seeno
reasonto worry about it. reasonnot to employ her. reasonwhy he shouldn'twork here. reasonof changingmy mind. reilson for getting upset about it.
3. Put these expressionsinto the sentencesbelow: the rettl rcdson
some redson
onc good rcdson
no reason
l . l c r r n ' tt h i n k o f . . w h y w e s h o u l d n ' tg i v e h i m t h e j o b . H e ' s t h e i d e a lc a n d i d a t e . 2. Nobody knows . . why he decidedto resign,but there are lots of rumours around. Yor-r 3. can't sirck someonefor . . . If you do, you'll be breaking thc law. 4. For . . he thinks gayscan't do the job properly,but he can't explain why. 4. Deletethe word or phrasewhich does not fit this sentence: Sl-rehad tcr lcave her job for personal,financial, medical, powerful, a number of reasons.
Discussion Discussthese questionsin pairs: l. Do you think that there are any jobs which homosexualsshould not be allowed to do? Consiclerthcsc: teacher ltriest lturse TV prasenter
child minder politician doctor police officer
2. Do you tliink peopleshould have to declare thcir sexualitywhen applying for any of those iobs?If so, which ones? 3. Think of three reasonswhy an employer might not cmploy someonewho is gay. Are any of thesegood reasons? 4. Would you employ a gay person?Why? \7hy not? 5. Can you think of any jobs which a gay person would be better at than someonewho was straight(heterosexual) ? 6. Have you ever worked with someonewho 'Was was gay? their sexual orientation a oroblern?
Taboosand /ssues
Gays and jobs
14
t h
F
Animalrights
J
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Discussion Work in pairs. List all the differentthings that humans do with animals.For example:
e
I. We eat them.
ai
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7. 8.
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Do you object to any of these uses?
Reading
-) '1
Read quickly through the texts below. Decide where you might find each one.
-1 -1
-1 J
FARM CLOSES Protestershave finally fbrced Shamrock Monkey Farm near Henfield.WestSussexto close. Monkeysfrom the fhrm, set up i n t h e 1 9 5 0 ' sw . e r e u s e di n t h e development of the polio vaccineand until recentlywere still beingusedfor researchinto other diseases.Animal rights leaderJustin Hodge said: "It's abouttime the farm closed.We strongly object to places like this and completelydisapprove of what they've been doing here."
WARNING Tigers are dangerous. Do not climb over the rail. Do not feed.
The World-Famous Rafferty's Circus Rafferty'sCircuswill be at ProspectPark T u e sJ u l y 1 7 t h- S a tJ u l y2 1 s r T i c k e t so n s a l en o w * f 7 . 5 O a n d f 1 0 Clowns, PerformingDogs,Terrythe TigerTamer J u m b ot h e A m a z i n gC o u n t i n gE l e p h a n t T h e F a m o u sH o r s e so f H i n d u s t a na n d m u c h m u c h m o r e .
Animal rights
lf g 1 IF I
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4 -1 Remove all packaging from the meat. Place on a baking tray in the centre of a pre-heated oven at 200eC or Gas Mark 6 for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
For Sale Six blackand white SpringerSpanielpuppies 4 male,2 female,f300 each Must go to good homes Cafl 01235-783936 - Mrs Rogers
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SEA TURTLES The sea turtle is a valuable catch for poachers and illegal traders. A l m o s ta l l o f i t c a n b e s o l d r n d u s e d .T h e m e a ri s a m u c h s o u g h t - a f t e r delicacy,the shell is made into jewellery and the body oil is used to make cosmetics.In Mexico alone,thousandsare killed eachyear and exported to Japan. Three species of sea turtle are now close to extinction.
ln your opinion, which texts refer to the mistreatmentof animals? Which one do you feel most strongly about? rc
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Language Look at this sentence from the first text: ".\X/e strongly object to places like this and completely disapproueof what they'ue been doing here." Decide whether the expressions below express an objection (O) or no objection (N): 7. I think it's awful. 1. I think that's fine. 8. It's outrageous. 2 . I t ' s q u i t eO K t o . . . 9. There'snothing wrong with ... 3 . I e r n ' t s e y I r p p r o v eo f . . . 10. It seemscompletelywrong to me. 4. I stronglydisapproveof ... I l . I ' v e g o t n o o b i e c t i r t nt o . . . .5.I wish peoplewouldn't ... 12. It doesn'tbother me. 6. I've got no problcm with ... Use the expressionsabove to talk about the list you made at the beginning of the lesson.For example: I strongly disdpproueof circuses. It's quite OK to keep rabbits in yctur gttrden.
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Look at these patterns: I't,egot rto prcthlemtuith zoos as long as the dnimals are treated u,ell. There'snotbing Lurongwith people hauing pets prouided they know how to look dfter tbem. Write two sentences of your own using these patterns.
Discussion Answer these questionsin small groups: L Do y<;r,r eat meat? If not, why not? 2.lf so, do yor-ror would you eat any of the following? rabhit dng ueal ltorsemeat hedgehog squirrel seagull rnonkel
pate de foie gras alligator
3. Do you htrve a pet? \i7hat kind? How much freedom does it have?Wcruld it be happier in a different environment? 'What about keepingbirds in a cage? 4.ls it ever C)K to keep animalsin a cage? 5 . l s i t O K t o h a v et h e s ea n i m a l sa s p e t s ? a mctnkeY a rabbit Ltl)orrot
tropical fish
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6. Do you wear leathershoes?Do you own anything madefrom animalfur? Is therean ethical difference? 7. Reaclthe opinion below. How far do you agreeor disagreewith it? "Let's get this straight. Animals haue no rights at all. I don't medn we should be cruel to them fctr no redson. I eat animals. I wear dnimals. I depend on drugs tuhich haue been testedon them. I medn, if testingmedicineson animals helps to saue human liues, I think that's fine. And I'ue got no problems with testing cosmeticson them either. I mean, if I use an aftershaueor d deodorant, I want to know that it's safe. l'd rather a rabbit went blind - not me!"
Iaboos and /ssues
Animal rights
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Marriage- for betteror for worse
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Discussion Work in pairs. Discuss the quotationsbelow.What do you think they mean? Which ones do you agree with? Which do you disagreewith? Which do you find amusing? Love conquersall things. Virgil Love is blind. Engli.shproverlt Marry in haste.Repentat leisure. English prutverlt
the When a girl marries,sheexchanges attentionof many men for the inattention of one. H eLen Rov'Iond. Anter icctnw'r il er Marriageis like a dull meal wrth the dessertat the beginning. Henri, Comtede Toulouse-Lautrec
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Readthese two opinions about divorce.Which one do you agreewith more?
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fulia Casper- gettingdivorcedfor the sakeof the children T h eo n l y s u r p r i s i nt gh i n ga b o u td i v o r c ei s t h a t it doesn'thappenmoreoften.What people wantfrom a marriagemay be the samewhen theyget married,but, aswe all know,people c a nc h a n g e . What he wantsmay be very differentfrom what shewantsfive yearsdown the line.Very often,men havethe attitudeof, "Shelooks afterme and sheis therewhen I want her;but I havemy own life."Women,on the other h a n d ,t h i n k ," H e i s m y b e s tf r i e n d ;I w a n th i m my emotionsand my to sharemy interests, beginsto feel life."One or bothof the partners lives,which trapped.Theystartto live separate resultsin tension,arguments and battles, which thenalsohasa negative effecton the childrenif thereareany.So,what is the point of stayingtogether?lt's betterfor childrento g r o wu p i n a r e l a x e dl ,o v i n ge n v i r o n m e nwti t h homewith one parentthan in a tension-filled both oarents. Of courseit'sbetterto avoidsplittingup - it hurtseveryone, especially the children- but if a marriageis over,it's bestto acceptthe situationand moveon beforemoreharmis done.
SueHardcastle- stayingtogetherfor the sake of the children Toomanypeopleseedivorceas the easyway out. I admitthat in somecasesit may be - for example,if your partnerwas necessary y o u .C e t t i n g p h y s i c a l loyr m e n t a l l ya b u s i n g the lastoption. divorcedshouldbe absolutely It'snot justa lifestylechoice. Partof the problemis that peopleseemto h a v ea n i m p o s s i b liyd e a l i s t ivci e w o f m a r r i a g e . to Theyexpectlove,romanceand excitement f i l l t h e i rl i v e sa l l t h et i m e .B u tt h e f a c ti s , marriedlife is not alwaysperfectloveand and Therewill be arguments harmony. lt is boringat timesand, disagreements. e s p e c i a l lwy h e nc h i l d r e nc o m ea l o n g ,i t c a n be hardwork! You'vegot to be willingto make work. lt is this the effortto makea relationship effortwhich makesmarriagea rich and ng experience. satisfyi And what exampleis it to childrenif you doesit give? decideto splitup?What message "Whenthingsgetdifficult,you can just quit." It'sno surprise that peoplewhoseparents How divorceoftenget divorcedthemselves. possibility of a can theybelievein the permanent if the peopletheymost relationship trustedcouldn'tdo it?
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Marriaoe - for better or for worse
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Who believeswhat? Mark the sentences below with 'S' if they are what Sue says and 'J' if they are what Julia says: 1. Peoplcexpecttoo much from marriage. 2. Children can experiencenegativethings in a baclmarriage. 3. Children whose parentssplit up can find it difficult to trlrst other peoplelater in life. 4. Living with one parent can be betterthan living with both. -5.You shouldn'tgive up just becausea relationshipis difficult. Do you agree or disagree with the statements above?
"If
the police stdrt dsking questions,I sball iust say that yctu packed your things one night and left me."
Language Complete the text below with the correct form of these words: last
crsntest
sign
break
split up
breakdown
work
. . a contract beforethey get married In rhe USA couplessometimes(1) . 'prenuptialagreement',which puts in writing what will happento their callcd a . It doesn'tsurpriseme that if the marriage(2) . money and possessions long. Beforeit has even started,the some of thesemarriagesdon't (3) . . . huppy cor-rplearc already planning what to do when the marriage doesn't (4) . . . . And, of course,a prenuptialagreementonly works if both partnersare reasonable.But what happensif one persondoesn'twant to (5) . . . . . . the divorce?Or what happensif someone and (6) '$fell, what it really means is lots of work the contract? rries ro (7) . . . - and money - for the lawyers! Do you think prenuptialagreementsare a good idea?Would you have one?
Discussion Work in pairs or small groups. Discussthese questions: l.What experiencedo you have of divorce?Your own? Your parents?Other family members?Friends? 2. Can divorceever really be amicable? 3. Researchshows that the children of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves. Vhy do yolr think this is the case? 4. How easydo you think it should be to get a divorce?Which of theseare you in favour of? a. diuorce on demand - wbeneuerone pdrty wants it. b. wttit frtr a year to see if the couple cdn get bdck together again. c. t'omltulsory counsellingfor six months before a decisionis taken. .5.What do you think are sr.ritablereasonsfor getting divorced? Consider these: '\Ye'ue He's been unfaithful to me. iust grown dpdrt. He hits me. Life is so boring. I uant my freedom back. She doesn't sleep with me any more. 'We just hatte nothing m common. I just married the wrong person. It's ds simple as that!
Taboosand /ssues
Marriaqe - for better or for worse
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Nobodyneedsa gun Discussion
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In Britain it is illegalto have a gun without a ticence. Followingthe Dunblanemassacrein sco'and in 1996'when a madmankilledalmost an entireclass primary of school childrenand their teacher,the laws on gun possession have become very strict. The same is not true in the United states, where many more atrocitiesinvolvingguns' such as the columbine incidentdescribedbelow,have taken place. anything like Dunblane or columbine happenedin your l' !" country? 2. Cirn you rememberany similar incidentsin the news? Read the slogan of the united states National Rifle Association (NRA),which has a lot of political influencein the US.
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3. What do you think abouran organisation that has this as its slogan? gr-rns Ieg:rlin your c,runtry? Are thcy easyto get? 1. 1.. -5.Do yolr or doesanyoneyou know own a gun?\7hy? IJfhy not?
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on April 20' 1999,two teenage boys at columbine High school near Denver,colorado, usA, shot over 30 fellow students,killing 12 of thlm -.before takinitheir -"or"on"own rives.The following point of view was posted on an interactivewebsite a few days later by from Britain. Read the text, then answer the questions below.
What is it going to take for America to get the protecting innocent people! Ordinary citizens argue message? How many more young lives are we going that they shouldbe free to arm and defendthemselves to seewasted?How can the pro_gunlobby in the US in accordancewith the .SecondAmendment'. Def.end still have such a powerful voice? After the Dunblane themselves against who? The country isn't under massacrehere in 1996,gun control laws, which were attack! The civil war endedover 200 yearsagol already strict, were tightened further. There was a Most people in Britain have never seenor handleda nationwide amnesty on handguns. Many who had - even our police don't carry them _ real gun but in guns, for whateverreason,gave them up. Thev were America you can buy one on a Saturday afternoon sick of what guns were capable of. people even shoppingtrip. What has happenedto a country that it questioned whether shooting should remain an can carry on with one massacreafter anotherand do Olympic sport. Dunblane shocked the whole nation nothing? We're supposed to be .cousins' but the and the effect remainsto this day. family resemblanceis not very strong any more. I But in the US, politicians are more worried about don't recognisetheir culture.A country that can't ban upsetting the pro-gun groups and losing votes than gunshas lost its head,and its soul.
Discussion Answer these questions with a partner: I' what is the over:rll tone of the article -.ang9! sarcasm,sympathy,somethingelse? 2.lf you were an American,wourd you take off..r.. at this article? 3' could someonefrom your country write a similar articlewith very similar argumenrs? 4' How doesthe writer comparethe Dunblane massacreto the Columbinemassacre? 5' D. y.r-rthink the wrirer has ever beento the united States? 6' could the r'vriterapply any of his or her criricisms ro countriesother than the United States? Nobodyneeds a gun
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THE COLUMBINE MASSACRE
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Use these words to completethe opinionson guns and gun laws below:
Look at this sentence from the text:
wedpon illegal
outlauted liues
in self-defence
1. I think guns shor-rld be made 2 . I f g r - r nws e r e . . . , t h e n only criminals would have them. 3. Guns don't take . . . . Peopledo. 4. Anything can be usedas a lethal A gun is simply one of them. 5 . 1 t h i n k s o m e o n ei s o n l y j u s t i f i e di n u s i n ga g u n Circle the opinions above that are most similar to your own. Do your classmatesagree?
People euen questionedwhether shooting showld remain an Olympic sport. Even is used to emphasisea point you are adding. Use the correct ending for each sentence below: 1. Anybody can buy a gun 2. Someteenagerscarry guns around 3 . 1 w o u l d n ' t u s ea g u n 4. Hardly anybody carriesa gun in Britarn5.I think guns should be bannedcompletelya. they euen take them to school. b. euen toy ones. c. euen kids can buy them. d. euen if I was attacked. e. not euen the police.
Discussion Guns and you 1. In which of the following situationswould y o u u s ea g u n ? a. To defend myself against an intruder in my house. b. In self-defenceagainst an attacker on the street. c. To hunt animals. d. For sport on a firing range.
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2. Do you know where you could buy a gun if you walntedone? "Gun
control? Ouer my dead body!"
Guns and films Answer thesequestionsin pairs or small groups: a. (iroups who want to ban guns say that it is impossibleto think of three films in which a gun never appears.Can you prove them wrong? b. Why do you think guns are so prominent in films? c. f)o you think that gun-violencein films has a direct effect on gun-relatedcrime? G u n sa n d k i d s Is it OK for children to play with toy guns?Did you do this when you were younger? Wor.rldyou let your children play with toy guns? ls it all bad news? Do guns have any positiveroles in society?Use the expressions below to help you expressyour ideas. If we didn't haue guns, we wouldn't haue ... It's becduseof guns that we ... r[/e baue guns to thank fo, ... ['m not in fauour of guns, but I must admit ...
Taboosand /ssues
Nobody needs a gun
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The saleof humanorgans
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Discussion
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Underwhat circumstanceswould you allow an organ to be removedfrom your body? Tick the ones you agreewith:
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Donorcard I request that after my death: A. any part of my body may be used for the treatment of others! or B . m y k i d n e y sf c o r n e a s! h e a r t! t u n g s! l i v e r! pancreasI be used for transplantation Signature . . Date.
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Remember to tell someone close to you that you want to be an organ donor. Their agreement is important if the time ever comes.
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Reading Readthis articleabout debt collectionin Japan. Does the same thing
happen in other countries?
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JAPANESEURGEDTO SELLEYESTO PAYDEBTS
The phone calls fiom the debt to small businesses who are Yamazaki,a small businessowner in collector got increasingry more experiencing financial difficulties Tokyo and also a recently-threatened threatening. First, the standard and who cannotraisemoney in "Maybe other borrower. in the western pressure:"You have to come up with ways. Their methods give a whole world this is different."And indeedit the money.Sell your housequickly ... new meaning to the idiomatrc is. The United States,for example, "It'll sell your clothes and all your expression, costyou an arm and outnumbersorgandonationsin Japan belongingsif necessary."But then: a leg!" by 20 to l. "Sell a kidney.You have two. don't Aggressiue debt collection has Fortunately for Mr Mamoto, he you? Many of our oolo^*:t: :ntt uti"oy, u""n an unpleasanraspecrof found the legal help he neededbefore haveone. you can ger $2g,000for a tt" ilurin"r, world but this new having to resofi to selling off partsof kidney. You can get $9.500 for an developmenthascausedoutrage.The his body. He filed the first criminal eyeball," said the debt collector. on ,ul" of body organs is especially complaint against one of the largest taperecordingsof the calls. sensitivein Japan,where people are loan shark companies in Japan, a By this time, the personreceivingthe often reluctant to even ailow tire companycharginginterestratesof 30 calls, Mr Mamoto, a retired donation of an organ after death for to 40 per cent.National televisionhas metalworker,was so frightened that medical purposes. broadcast the recorded telephone when he heard dogs barking, he .,we believe that our bodies are threats repeatedly in an attempt to thoughtit was debt collectorscoming sacred.i would never allow anyone make Japanesecitizens aware of the after him, his lawyer said. to take anytirlngaway from my body ruthlessworld of debt collection. These'shokoloan'firms lend money - dead or alive," said Mr Hiroshi
Readthe text again and answerthese questions:
Discussion l'The c'lebtcollectorgave pricesfor certainorgans.Where was he possibly geting those figurcsfrom? 7.I)o you think peoplewho oblect ro organ donation are beins seliish? The sale of human organs
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1' ln the telcphonethreatsthat were made, what did the debt collector say that shows there have bec'r other victims of thesethreats? ?. How did Mr Mamoro get proof of thesethreats? 3. Accorcli'g tr the article,lvhy are there so few organ donors in Japan? 4. Wliich idionraticexpressionin the article means;very sxpgnslys'2
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Remember this idiomatic expression from the Now put the expressions from the exercise article,meaningthat somethingis very expensive: opposite into the sentencesbelow: It'll cost )tou Ltndrm dnd a leg! 1 . I h a dt o t h i n k .... before Lots of expressions in English have the word 'and' I decidedto becomc an organ donor. in the middle.For example:sa/f and pepper.There 2. lt's amazingthat this is still a controversial are two things to know about these expressions: issuein this . . |. The order neverchanges- you neversay 'cost 3. It's a complicatedissue.Therc'sno simple rr leg ar-rcl an arm.' answer.It's not 'and' 2. Thc words beforear-rdafter are almost 4. Maybe some day peoplewill changetheir rtlwrrvsthe sanreword class- 'arm' and 'leg' attitude towards organ donation - we'll just are both nouns. have to Match the words below. The first one has been 5.In somecountriespeoplewho are willing to done for you as an example. donatetheir organsare l. sick a. and age 6. Theseare . . ethicalquestions,not wait b. and hard medicalquestions. black c. and far between 7. Finding an organ donor usedto be more leaps d. and bounds difficult, but the situation has improved by in this clay e. and white few f. and foremost 8 . Peopleare . . of being fi rst g. and tired around oushed bv debt collectors. think krng h. and see
Discussion Answer these questions in pairs or small groups: l. Do you think one day doctors will be shoppingfor organson the internet? Is there rrnythir-rg wrong with selling organs? 2. Would yor-rmind having your body cur up for thc sakeof scienceafter you die? Woulcl vou plrt a limit on what they can take? .1.What woulcl vou tell a personwho is consideringl'recorning an organ donor? What wor-rldyou say to encollrageor cliscourage her/him?
"This
is the wctrstpart of the job - hauing to clear up dfter a Rugby International!"
4. How do ,voufeel abor-rtusing animal organsin human beings?How about r-rsing a monkey'sheart? Wotrlclyou like the eyesof a pig? .5.N'lanypeopledon't have the time or just can't be botheredto get an organ donor card. Some countrieswant a new systemwhere doctors automaticallyhave permissionto take your organs urrlcssvou havc il card which saysthat you are not an organ donor. A systemlike this one could simplify:rnd speedthings up at hospitalsand savelives.'Wouldyou be in favour of a systemlike this?
Taboosand /ssues
The sale of human organs
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Work in pairs. Answer the questions below:
How much do you know about HIV? 1. HtV infectioncanbe passed on by which of the followingmeans: a. b. c. d.
heterosexualsexual intercourse homosexualsexualintercourse kissing u s i n gi n f e c t e di n j e c t i o ne q u i p m e n t
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2. Mark the following true (T) or false (F): a . A I D S a n d H I V a r e t h e s a m et h i n e . b . A n H I V t e s lw i l l s h o w i m m e d i a r e l yi f someoneis infectedwith HlV. c . C u r r e n tt r e a t m e n ct a n e l i m i n a t et h e H I V infectionin some people.
Find out the correct answers from your teacher. Note: Although you mdy still hear the term AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome) it is nr.t longer ttsed widely by doctors. Tbey prefey tcttalk'of uir-rroge' or,aduanced Hlv infection,. Before effectiue treatments, someone with FiIv almost cert;inty-drlrrtoprd.AlDs. This is no longer the case.
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Reading Answer these questions with a partner. Then read the information below to find the answers: 1. Which area of the world is mosr affected by HIV? 2. Is there a cure for HIV? 3. Are more men or more women affected by HIV? 4. Which age group is mosr affected bv HIV? 1. HIV in the world There were 33.4 million people i n f e c t e dw i t h H I V a r o u n d t h e w o r l d r n 1 9 9 9 :2 2 . 5 m i l l i o n i n s u b _ S a h a r a n Afric:i,6.7 million in South and S o u t h - e a sAt s i a , i . 4 m i l l i o n i n L a t i n A m e r i c aa n d 0 . 2 m i l l i o n i n t h e U S A . T h e r ea r e a b o u t 9 , 0 0 0 n e w i n f e c t i o n s each day - 90"k of these in d e v e l o p i n g c o u n t r i e s .M o r e t h a n l 4 million people have alreadydied of t h e d i s e a s e i,n c l u d i n g2 . 5 m i l l i o n i n 19 9 8 . 2. Treatment Although there is no actual cure, drugs are now available which suppress thc progress ol HIV i n f e c t i o na n d m a n y s u f f e r e r sc a n l i v e r e l a t i v e l yl o n g a n d h e a l t h y l i v e s . F o r most people with HlV, however, recent advances in treatment will h a v e l i t t l e i n r p a c t .T h e h i g h c o s t of d e v e l o p i n ga n d p r o d u c i n g n e w d r u g s a n d t h e l a c k o f a v a i l a b l em o n e y f o r h e a l t h c a r ei n m a n y c o u n t r i e sm a k e i t
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u n l i k e l yt h a tn e w t r e a t m e n twsi l l e v e r b e w i d e l ya v a i l a b l e i n t h ed e v e l o p i n g world.
5. Obstacles S o m e t i m e s ,f o r r e l i g i o u s ,c u l t u r a l o r e c o n o m t c r e a s o n s /i t c a n b e d i f f i c u l t 3. Who is most affected? for people to use concJoms and T h r o u g h o ut th e w o r l d ,r o u g h l ye q u a l protect themselvesand their partners. n u m b e r so f m e n a n d w o m e n a r e A woman who is economically infected. But HIV mostly affects oependent on a man may find it y o u n g a d u l t sa n d p e o p l e i n e a r l y impossible to ask for slter ser. m i d d l e a g e . T h e s ea r e t h e p e o p l e Women are most commonly infected w h o r a i s et h e c h i l d r e n ,s u p p o r t h e through unprotected sex with their elderly and build a country,s husbands or long term partners. economy.The loss of such people Some governmentsdo not accept that h a s h a d a n d w i l l c o n t i n u et o h a v ea HIV is a problem for them at all. A seriouseffect on the economiesof few national leaders even rleny that s o m ec o u n t r i e sp, a r t i c u l a r l iyn s o m e s o m e b e h a v i o u rh a p p e n s ,s u c n a s s e x areasof Africa. b e t w e e n m e n o r d r u g i n j e c t i n g .T h i s 4. Stoppingthe epidemic c a n m a k e i t p a r t i c u l a r l yd i f f i c u l t f o r We could slow down the worlcjwide people in those countries to be aware HIV epidemicif everyonehad good of and avoid the risks. We must information about preventing continue to fight prejudice and i n f e c t i o n ,a l o n g w i t h s u p p o r tf r o m increase understanding.Together we s o c i e t yt o h e l p t h e m a c t o n t h i s can make a difference. information.Furthermore, each new Adapted fron ,lJnderstanc!ing HtV generationof gay men needsto be infection and AtDS,, Terrence madeawareof the risksof HlV. Higgins Trust
AIDS Taboosand /ssues
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Discussion Read the text again more carefully and answer these questions: l. Why do most people not receivenew rreatmentsfor HIV? 2. How does the spread of HIV affect a country's economy? 3. What would help to slow down the spreadof HIV infection? 4. What factorscan be unhelpful in preventingthe spreadof HIV? Discussthe following questionsin pairs or small groups: .5.What is done in your country to help prevent the spread of HIV? 6. Do you think more could be done?If so, what? 7. What is the attitude of most people towards HIV sufferers? 8. How could the large drug companiesdo more to help?
Language1
Language2
Read through the text again and find the verbs which go with the following nouns and noun phrases.The first one has been done for you.
Complete the summary below with the correct form of words from the previous exercise:
l.
mdke
2. 3. 4. 5. 7. 8. 9. 10.
little impact (para 2) new drugs (2) new drugs (2) a seriouseffect on (3) infection (4) aware of the risks (4) the risks (5) prejudice(5) understanding(5) a difference(5)
Now match the adverbs on the left with the adjectiveson the right: 1 1 .w i d e l y 1 2 .r o u g h l y 13. economically 14. most commonly 15. particularly
a. b. c. d. e.
dependenton difficult equal numbers available infected
Although researchscientistshave (1) . . . . and (2) . . many new drugs to fight the HIV infection. at the moment these treatmentsare only widely (3) in developedcountries.In developingcountries infection rest on efforts to (4) ( 5 ). . . . . . u n d e r s t a n d i n g tohf e diseaseand encouragingpeopleto (6) the risks of unprotectedsex. The number of deathsamong young people has, in some c o u n t r i e s( 7 , )... ..aseriouseffect on the national economy.It is vital therefore to continueto (8) . prejudice people and continueto (9) aware of the risks of HIV infection.
Discussion Discussthese questionsin pairs: l. Do you know anyonewith HIV? 2.lf a friend of yours or a member of your family was infectedwith HIV, would you treat them differently from the way you do now? How far do you agree or disagree with the following? 1. HIV starteclbecauseof homosexuality.
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2. Too much money is spent on researchinto HIV. Cancer researchis more important.
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3. Developedcountriesonly care about their own HIV infectedpopulation.They are doing nothing to help the developingworld.
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4.lt is irresponsible of the Roman Catholic church to say that peopleshould not use condoms.
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Discussion Work in pairs.Choose one of the subjectsbelow to talk about for two minutes.During the discussiontry to tell one lie to your partner.At the end of the discussion,tell your partnerwhat you think he or she has lied about. holidays
schools
work
sport
trauel
a hobhy
ls it possibleto go through tife onty teiling the truth?
Reading Read the article quickly. Decide whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F). 1. Lord Archer wenr ro schoolat WellingtonCollege. 2. At one tirne he lost a lot of money. 3. He wils involvedwith a Drostitute.
ARCHER GOES Jeffrey Archer pulled out yesterday from the election to become mayor of London after admitting that he had persuadeda friend to lie for him in court in 1986. He could now face criminal
but various investment mistakes over a number of years meant he lost it all and was left with huge debts. Resigning from Parliament, he started writing to pay back what he owed. His novels became best-sellersand have earned him as much
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as f50 million over the years.
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political career the rumour spread that he had attendedthe famous Berkshire school, Wellington
He returned to politics in 1985, but was forced to resign a year later following storiesthat he had sent f20OO to a prostitute, Monica Coghlan. Some
ct
College. In fact, he had studied at the far more ordinary Wellington School in Somerset.It was also
newspaperssuggestedin their reports that Archer had had sex with Ms Coghlan. He took legal action
widely believed that he had studied for an MA at Oxford University. In reality, he took part of a postgraduatediploma course - a course for which
and won libel damagesof f500000. Jeffrey Archer became Lord Archer in 1992 but questions over his financial dealings continue to
he was not qualified. Elected to Parliamentin 1969, he was said to be the youngestMP ever. Not true.
this day and his ability to exaggeratesimple facts seemsnot to have diminished.So. will he survive
There is no doubting his ability ro make money.By 1914 he had already made a fbrtune in business,
this latest scandal?Only time will rell, but Archer has a reputation for being able to bounce back.
charges. This is, of course,not the first time that Archer has been economical with the truth. Early in his
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l. Why did Archer resignin I974? 2 . ' W h y d i d h e r e s i g ni n 1 9 8 6 ? 3. Why did he tilke somenewspapersro courr? 4.Why did hc deciclenor ro srarndas Mayor of London?
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Discussion
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1. Should peoplcwho have beencaughttelling a lie be bannedfrom holding public office? 2. Arc there :rny pr-rblicfiguresin your country who have conrinuedin public life despitequesrions rrbouttheir pirst?Who? What are they supposedto have done?
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Tellinglies
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Readthe articleagain and answer these questions:
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Taboosand /ssues
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Discussion Answer these questions on your own first. Then compare your answers with a partner. Haveyou ever lied about any of the following? 1. Your qualificationsin a job application 2. To your parentsabout somethingimportant 3. Your agc 4. When a friend asked to borrow some money frorn you -5.When being interviewed by the police 6. When you were late for work or school 7. When giving someoneyour addressor phone number 8. When you were going through customs 9. On an incometax form 10.Your salary
Language
Tellthe truth!
Look at this sentence from the text:
Work in pairs.Discusswhat you would do in these situations:
Tbis is, of course,not the first time that Archer hds been economical with the truth. Being economical with the truth is another way of saying lying. Below are some more ways of talking about lying and dishonesty.Put the missing words back into the expressionsbelow: rnstLter teeth inch
lie
pack ltg
a. He's lying through his b.l told him a little white c. I don't trust him an . d. Just give me a straight e. He's pulling your . f. He told us a whole . . . . of lies. Now use the correct form of the verbs from the expressionsin these sentences: 1. Jack told n-rehe'd had dinner with Tony Blair. > And you believedhim? I think he was . your leg. 2.1 askedhim three times if he'd borrowed my \rValkmanand he wouldn't . me a straight answer. 3.I'm sureJim stole my wallet. He sayshe never came in the room but I think he's . . . . . . thror-rghhis teeth. 4. There'ssomething a bit strangeabout the new boss. > I know I don't . him an inch. .5.I'vcjust found out that Kathy hasn't beenvery honest.She's. me a whole pack of lies.
1. It is a beautiful sunny day and some of your friends, who are on holiday, have decidedto go for a picnic. They ask you to go. Do you: a. call your boss and say you are ill? b, call your boss and ask for the day off? c. tell your friends you haue to go to work? Or would you do something else? 2. When leaving a car park, you accidentally bump into the car parked next to yours and damage it slightly. Do you: a. leauea note of apology on the windscreen with your name and address? b. wait for the other driuer to come back? c. leauetbe car parl
6. ['m basicallya very honestperson,but I supposeI . . . . . . a little white lie from time to time.
Taboosand /ssues
Tellinglies
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Abortion
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Languageand discussion
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Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right: I . foetus a. in favour of a woman's right to have an abortion 2. expecting b. a baby before it is born 3. pro-life c. againstabortion 4. pro-choicc d. pregnant
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What is the legal position in your country regarding abortion?
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Before you read the text, which of the following is closest to your own view of abortion? a. I :rm deeply,morally against it. b.l don't seeanything wrong with it. c. I don'r feel strongly either way. d.I think it dependson individual circumstances.
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Do you know of any countrieswhere abortion is illegal?
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Reading
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As you read about this young woman's experience,try to answer this question: \X/asher decision a positiue one or one she regrets?
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Why I had an abortion The reasonI had an abortionwas becauseI knew I was far too youngto havea baby- it wasthe wrongstageof life.I could havetaken careof a babybecause teenagers do it all the time.But basically, I didn'twant a baby. I wantedto wait until I was marriedso that my husbandand I couldgiveour babyall the love and careit needed.I don'tthink I was ready for all the responsibilities of motherhood. Therewereso manyotherthingsgoingon in my life at the time.lt wouldn'thavebeenfair
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to the babyif I couldn'tbe therefor it. There was alsoa chancemy boyfriendand I would breakup and the babywould grow up without a father.And it wasn'tfair on my motherwho would havehad to helpbringthe child up. I alsohad big plansto go awayto university to trainas a nurse.I knewthatwould be virtually impossible with a babv.I listenedto mv heart and afterlotsand lotsof soul-searching, I knew abortionwasthe rightanswerfor me. (Fifteen-year-old gi rl)
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Discussion
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Do you think the girl acted responsibly?Why / Why not? Here is the opinion of a retired British doctor. She worked as a doctor both while abortion was illegal and for about 30 years after it was legalised. "Before abortion was made legal, all my colleaguesand r were m fauour of it, but ouer the yedrs my uiews haue-changed.I think it showld still be legal, but young girls today are using it as anotber form of contraception.That is wrong and it was neuer the intention of the reformers that this sbould happen." How do you react to the doctor's view? How do doctors in your country feel about this issue?
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Aborlion
Taboosand /ssues
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Language Look at the text again and match the reasons the girl gives for having the abortion: l.lwasfar
a. without a father.
2. I wanted to wait
b. plans to go away to university.
3. I don't think I was ready
c. too young.
4. There were so many other things
d. going on in my life.
-5.It woulcln'thave been
e. until I was married.
6. It was the wrong
f. fair to the baby.
7. Thc baby would grow up
g. for all the responsibilities.
8. It wasn't fair
h. stageof life.
9. I also had big
i. on my mother.
Work in pairs. Do you think any of the above reasons are good ones for having an abortion?
What about the father? Readthis short article.Do you think the man has a right to do what he has done?
A FATHER'SRIGHTS A man has successfullymanagedto prevent because only one doctor was consulted his tbrmer girlfriend from having an aborlion instead of two, and other checks on the - at leastfbr the time being.The clinic where physical and psychological state of the the operationwas due to take place agreed woman had not taken place.Mr Curtis took yesterdaythat they would not continuewith the legal action becausehe is opposed to the procedureuntil further medicalenquiries abortion. His victory is only temporary, hadtakenplace.StephenCurtis,24, took legal however, as there is nothing to stop the action against the clinic, saying that the
woman going to anotherclinic. He hopesto
terminationwas againsttheAbortionAct rules be ableto persuadeher to changeher mind.
Discussion Work in pairs or small groups and decide whether you agree or disagree with the statements below: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
It should be the woman's right to choose.Ultimately, it's her body and so it's her decision alone. If you're mature enough to make a baby, then you're mature enough to take care of it. A baby is still a personeven beforeit is trorn. Abortion is for the irresponsible. I believeall life is sacredand so abortion is a criminal acr ro me. With so many other options, like adoption, I don't seewhy an abortion is ever necessary. I don't agreewith late-term abortions, but I think the so-called'morning-after pill' is basically OK. I don't believein abortion laws - it's usuallymen who make them. If abortion is illegal,it only meansmore backstreetabortionswill happenand that is dangerous for thc women concerned. 10. Abortion is wrong and should be stoppedat all costs,including bombing the clinicsif necessary. One doctor from an abortion clinic was shot last month. He got what he deserved. Finally,here are some arguments put forward by the Prolife Alliance in the UK: Your life in your mother's womb started dt conception. Your heart started to beat 3 weeks after conception. Your hrain waues could be detected at .\ weeks. Your organs were all formed dt 10 weeks. Your hearing wds perfect dt 76 weeks. Ouer 180,000 abortions are performed in Britain each year.Abortion is the most common surgical operation in the UK. 97o/"are of heabhy babies.90"/oare for social rather than medical reasons. What is your reaction to these arguments?
Taboosand /ssues
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Nationalstereotypes "Heavenis where the police are British,the cooks are French,the mechanics are German,the lovers are ltalianand it's all organisedby the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French,the lovers are Swiss, and it's all organisedby the ltalians."
Discussion Discuss in pairs or small groups: 1.Did you find the joke above amusing?If you did, is it becauseof what you know about these nationalitiespersonally,or what you know of their reputations? 2. Would you like to charnge the joke in someway? Can you improve it by changingsomc of rhe nationalitiesor some of the jobs? 3. Do you hirvetourists from other countrieswhere you live?\7hich nationalities?What are they like?
Reading Readthis articleand underlineanythingthat surprisesyou or that you think is not fair.
BRAZILIANS VOTED BEST TOURISTS,GERMANSWORST In a recent survey conductedby the American Board of Tourism, professionals in various areas of the tourism industry have rated Brazilians as the world's best tourists. The survey gave points for things like 'politeness,''willingness to understandand speak English' and'cultural sensitivity.'Peopleworking in jobs ranging from taxi-drivers to hotel receptionists and airline flight attendants almost unanimously rated the Braziliansas being 'friendly'and 'polite.' The opposite seemed true of the Germans. "The Germans just don't seem to get it," said one
The best tippers are the Japanese,according to the survey. A travel agent representativeexplains: "The Japaneseare afraid of 'losing face'. They'll do what they think is expectedof them in the country they're visiting, so they're usually extremely polite. They rate very high in the cultural sensitivity category." The French scoredextremely low in the 'willingness to understand and speak English' category. "It's amazing. They can be so rude and snobby," said a
manager of a hotel chain, based in New Orleans. "They're rude and impatient yet they expect service
ticket agent at Chicago O'Hare International "You Airyort. try to explain things to them and they answer you back in French. Not only that, they smoke too much - even where it's not allowed -
with a smile. They travel outside Germany yet want to have things just like at home. Plus, they never
and they're generally messy, leaving cigarettes and other rubbish on the floor. It's unbelievable." A
tip."
summary of the Board's survey is given below:
Friendliestnationalities:
l. Brazilians 2. Japanese 3. Koreans 4. Canadians 5. Portuguese
Most polite:
Willingnessto understand and speakEnglish:
1. Japanese
l. Brazilians 2. Dutch
Most culturallysensitive: l.
Brazilians
2. Brazllians 3. British 4. Spanish
3. Swiss 4. Hungarians
4. Egyptians
5. Koreans
5. Poles
5. Koreans
2. Japanese 3. Romanians
Discusswith your partnerwhat you underlinedin the text. 22
Nationalstereotypes
Taboosand /ssues
True or false? Read the text again and mark the statements below true (T) or false (F): l. Peopleall over the world think Braziliansare the besttourists. 2. The Jirpaneseare often afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing when travelling. 3. The Frenchilre generallynot very happy to speakEnglish. 4. The Gcrmans wanr to get a real feel for the local lifestylewhen they travel. -5.Thc Germans are happy to show their appreciationfor good service. 6. The French don't seemto be very tidy when they travel. lf your nationalityis not mentionedin the four categoriesin the survey,do you think it should be?
Language
Discussion
The article describesthe Braziliansas 'polite'and the Germans as 'rude.' Below are some more words from the article and some other ones to describe character. Match the words on the left with their oppositeson the right:
Work in pairs or small groups. Which nationalities do you think are being describedbelow? 1. They're always in big groups. 2. They talk too loud.
L politc
e.quiet
3. The men xre womanisers.
2. friendly
b. mean
4. They're good dancers.
3. loud
c. rude
5. They smoke too much.
4. generous
d. unfriendly
6. They're all fat.
5. open-minded
e. messy
7. They think they're the best.
6. ticly
f. intolerant
8. They're violent peoplc,I think.
Do the same with these: 7. honest
g. impatient
8. gentle
h. warm
9. patient
i. boring
10. fun
j. dishonest
1l . e x c i t a b l e
k. aggressive
12. distant
l. calm
How do you think people from other countries see people from your country? Would they use any of the adjectives above?
Taboosand /ssues
9. They're so mean. They cor.rntevery penny. 10. They talk with their hands. I l . T h e y ' r eb a d d r i v e r s . 12. They're all rich. 13. They always want things done their way. 14. The women are beautiful. 15. They're all blonde-hairedand blue-eyed. Do you think your discussionwould have offended people from any of the countries you have been talking about? Do you mind if your country is talked about in the same way?
Nationalstereotypes
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Cheatingon your partner Discussion Work in pairs or small groups. Which of the following do you considerto be cheating? 1. Your partner flirting with another person. 2. Your partner having fantasiesabout a friend of yours. 3. Your partner having fantasiesabout a celebrity. 4. Your partner kissing another person after a few drinks at a party. -5.Your partner going to bed with another person after a fcw drinks at a party. 6. Your partner frequentlyhaving coffeewith another personand sharingintimate thoughtsand dreamswith this person. What do you think of internet chatrooms? Are they just fantasy or are they part reality?
Reading Readthe articleand answer this question: tMould you stdy with your husband/wife/partner if this happened to you?
CYBER-CHEATS BEWARE Soon after getting the computer, Jennifer'shusband,
" l w a s d e v a s t a t e d ,s" h e a d m i t s ." l n e v e r i m a g i n e dm y
Simon, (not their real names) started using the
h u s b a n dw o u l d e v e r c h e a t o n m e . "
i n t e r n e tn i g h t l y .A t f i r s t ,s h e d i d n ' t w o r r y . B u t s o o n h e
B u t i s ' c y b e r - c h e a t i n gs' t i l l c h e a t i n g ?
was spending more and more time in the home o f f i c e ,s i t t i n ga t h i s c o m p u t e r l o n g i n t o t h e n i g h t . H e
"Yes, definitely," says one marriage guidance c o u n s e l l o r ." F r o m a p s y c h o l o g i c a lp o i n t o f v i e w , i t
stopped coming to bed with her and sometimes
d o e s n ' t m a t t e r i f i t w a s r e a l o r i m a g i n e d- i n b o t h
would even sleep on the office sofa.A few times sne
casesthe marriage has been damaged in the same
e v e n c a u g h th i m s n e a k i n gs i l e n t l yo u t o f t h e i r b e d i n
way."
the middle of the night to go to the office computer.
N o t a l l p r o f e s s i o n a lisn t h e f i e l d o f f a m i l y p s y c h o l o g y a g r e e . " l t ' s r i d i c u l o u s a n d d a n g e r o u st o t r y a n d
A t f i r s t s h e t h o u g h t h e w a s s i m p l y a d d i c t e dt o t h e internet or
even
browsing through on-line
p o r n o g r a p h yB . u t w h e n S i m o n s t a r t e dt u r n i n g d o w n s e x ,J e n n i f e rg o t s u s p i c i o u s . "He'd never not wanted to have sex before," says "Thatwas new a t h i n g .A n d I d i d n ' t t h i n k i t Jennifer. w a s b e c a u s eh e w a s u p a l l n i g h t v i s i t i n gn e w s s i t e s . I k n e w s o m e t h i n gw a s w r o n g . "
images of attractivepeople by the media on a daily b a s i s .l t ' s i m o o s s i b l en o t t o f a n t a s i s eT. h e i n t e r n e ti s a place for people to carry out those fantasiesin a safe and unharmful way. lf, as a result, there is a c r i s i si n t h e m a r r i a g ef o l l o w i n g a n e p i s o d eo f i n t e r n e t i n f i d e l i t y t, h e n i t i s o n l y a s y m p t o mo f s o m e t h i n gt h a t
With suspicionson full alert she started going
w a s a l r e a d y w r o n g i n t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p ,a n d n o t
through Simon's drawers and trouser pockets. She
necessarilya direct result of the cyber affair."
found nothing. Then she went to the computer,
This is, of course, of no comfort to Jennifer,who is f i l i n g f o r d i v o r c e ." l a c t u a l l ys a w t h e i n t i m a t et h i n g s
looked through his files and found the answer:
23
monitor the thoughts and fantasiesof your partner," warns one psychologist."We are bombarded with
S i m o n w a s h a v i n g a n e - m a i l a f f a i rw i t h a w o m a n i n
he wrote to her. He really hurt me and I know that I
another part of the country.
w i l l n e v e rb e a b l e t o t r u s th i m a s a i n . "
Cheatingon your parTner
Taboosand /ssues
True or false? Read the text again and mark the following statementstrue (T) or false (F): l.Jennifer got suspiciousbecauseSimon startedcoming home late. 2. Jenr-rifer discoveredSimon's internet affair by accident. 3. Psychologistsagreethat an internet affair is damaging to any relationship. 4. Jenniferand Simon are divorcing. 5.Jenniferknows what Simon and his lover'said'to eachother. Did Simon cheat on Jennifer?Discussthis question in small groups. Then take a class vote.
Language ln English we often use expressions to describe serious or taboo matters in an indirect way. These expressionsare called 'euphemisms.'lnthe text below,underlinethe five euphemismsthat really mean to have sex with someone. "l've always been more or lessfaithful to my girlfriend. OK, OK, once I had a one-night stand with a girl at the office. But we were both drunk. I'm not the kind of guy to sleeparound. I mean, kissinganotherpersonis one thing, but actually going to bed with them is another story. I don't know how I could look myself in the mirror knowing I had been intimate with another woman. The same goes for my girlfriend. If I knew she had been with another man, I couldn't let the relationship go on. A very important trust would have been broken." you lf are a man, do you have a similar view to the man above? you lf are a woman, would you be happy to have this man as your partner or not? Give your reasons.
Discussion You and your partner,Chris, live together.One night you come home and find the following accidentally left on the computer: <>I really love chattingwith you. <> Me too. When are you going to send me your picture? <>I'll have to scanone. I'm not very photogenic. <> It doesn't matter. I like you for you. You make me feel special. <>Yeah,you make me feel special,too. I had a dream about you last night. <>You did? What about? <>Hmmm. I think I'd better not say. What would you do next? a. sit down at the computer and seeif there are more e-mails like this? b. confront your partner straightaway? 'the silent treatment' until they ask what is wrong? c. give them d. pack your bagsand leave? e. have a good laugh about it and tell your partner to grow up? Or would you do somethingelse? Does this e-mail interactiontell you anything about the state of your relationshipwith Chris? What about the state of this internet relationship? (How serious is it? How long has it probably been going on?)
Taboosand /ssues
Cheatingon your paftner
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Are you happywith your body? Discussion You bump into a woman friend in town. You knew she was thinking of having breast implants and you can see that she has obviously had the operation.What do you say to her? rl. Nothing. It's too embarrassing. b. "\7ow. Those look great! How much did they cost?" c. "Wow. I'n"rsurprisedyou can stand up straight!" d. Somethingelse. ls plastic surgery popular in your country? ls it expensive? Do you think peoplewho have plasticsurgery are too concernedabout their looks?
Reading Readthrough the articleand answerthis question: Is there tt similar trend in your country? YOUNGER PLASTIC SURGERY PATIENTS Surgeonsat clinics specialisingin plasticsurgery are reporting increasingly younger patients, according to a report releasedrecently by the National Association of Plastic Surgery in the United States. "They want to look like the people they see in films or the models they see in magazines.It's becoming an obsession,"said one doctor in a beautyclinic in California."Last week we had a woman in here who, at 30, said she was looking too old and wanted a facelift. I told her to come back and seeme in 15 years." The averageage for patientsundergoingplastic surgeryover the last year was 32, down from 34 just the year before.In Englandrecently,a 15year-oldgirl was in the news for announcingthat her parents were going to pay for breast enlargementsas her 16th birthday present.
Her mother said, "If it makes her happy and gives her more chance of successin life, then what is the problem?" Though women still dominate the plastic surgery scene, men are growing increasingly concerned with their physical appearanceand are doing something about it. According to the report,men now make tp 39Vaof all surgeriesperformed - that's an increaseof nearly 20Vofrom last year. One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he got his liposuction - removal of excess fat - after pressurefrom his wife. "She's a very athleticwoman and, well,I enjoy a good steak." Liposuction tops the list of plastic surgery performed on men, followed by hair implants and breastreduction.For women the top order is still breastenlargement,followed by liposuction and facelifts.
Readthrough the articleagain and answer these questions: l. Why 2. Why 3. Why 4. Whv
arc younger peopleturning to plasticsurgery? did the cloctorrefuseplasticsurgeryto one patienr? is plasticsurgerynow more popular with men? c-lidthc man have liposuction?
Discussion Do you think the number of men who want plastic surgery will eventuallyequal, or even surpass, the number of women? Read again what the mother of the 1S-year-old girl said. Do you agreewith her? 24
Are you happy with your body?
Taboosand /ssues
Language Match these types of plastic surgery solutions to the problems below: rhinoplasty (nosejob) breast enlargement bair impldnt uaricoseuein remctudl 1. "This thing on my faceis an atrocity.I'm surprisedbirds don't sit on it or that lightning doesn'tstrike it in thunderstorms." 2. "1 hirtethem. I can't wear shortsor a bikini becausethey stick olrt, especiallyon the back of my tl-righs. They're the ugliestthings I've ever seenand they'regettingworse everyyear bccauscI havc bad circulation." 3.
"l
startedrecedingreally badly at the age of 23. My wife saysshe doesn'tmind, but I hate it. I meirn,I'm not completelybald or anything, but I constantlywear hats and baseballcaps beciruscI'm so self-conscious about it. I could ncvcr wcar a wlg.
facelift tummy tuck
The boys at school 4. "l hate being flat-chested. 'ironing-board'. Imagine! usedto call me I think I have a pretty face but I don't feel confident about myself from the chin down. I would like to feel good about wearing a tight sweateror a low-cut dress." 5.
"l usedto have such a youthful, vibrantlooking face.Now my skin just sags.I think I look twice my age."
6. "No matter what I do, my belly sticksout. I think it has somethingto do with my posturc. If I could just get a flat stomach,I wouldn't feel so bad about looking at myselfsidewaysin the mirror."
Which of the above treatments are most popular in your country? Are there any other ones that were not mentioned? lf you had the problems above and plenty of money, would you have the surgery? Tell your partner what you would do for each problem.
Discussion ln a survey of 37,500girls aged 12 to 15, more than half listed appearanceas their biggestworry. What do you think is the reason for this? ls it a worrying statistic? Are you happy with your size and weight? ls there a part of your body that you would like to change (i.e.make smaller,make bigger)? Here is an alternativepoint of view from a culture where people take a different view of size: " l m u s t e a t s o l ' l l b e f a t a n d p e o p l ew o n ' t l a u g ha t m y f i g u r e , "e x p l a i n so n e o f t h e " N o b o d y w i l l m a r r ym e i f w o m e n i n a f a t t e n i n gr o o m i n C a l a b a rS , o u t h e r nN i g e r i a . I don't get fatter."Women come from all over Nigeriato put on extra poundsat these "They will fatteningrooms. "We can make any woman obese," boaststhe owner. g e t a h u s b a n da f t e rt h e i r s t a yh e r e ,n o p r o b l e m . "T h e w o m e n e a t a l l d a y a n d a v o i d m o v i n gs o t h e y d o n ' t b u r n o f f a n y c a l o r i e s ". l t ' s a b i t t i r i n g e a t i n ga l l t h e t i m e , b u t I k n o w w h e n l c o m e o u t l w i l l b e a t t r a c t i v eh, e a l t h va n d b e a u t i f u l , "s a i dt h e w o m a n we spoketo. you Do think it will be fashionableto be fat one day?
Taboosand /ssues
Are you happy with your body?
lmmigrationand racism Discussion Discussthese questionsin small groups: 1. What different ethnic groups are there in your town / regloni 2. \Whereh:rvethey come from and why? 3. Does your country offer help to refugees? If so, are you happy that your taxes help to support them?
Reading Read the article and decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F): 1. The villagersdon't mind that the refugeesare living nearby. 2. t-ittle Hurling was the only placethe refugeescould go.
ASYLUM SEEKERS provided accommodationfor
seekers.They are afraid that
There was trouble yesterday them. But Little Hurling is if they returnhome,they will in the village of Little not the placethey shouldbe. be killed or persecuted.After H u r l i n g i n K e n t a s 1 5 0 It would be betterif they were the terrible time they have had in their own country,they Kosovar refugeesarrived to in a largetown or city." stay in the Hurling Business Amanda Parker-White, 52, needsomepeaceand quietto the village help them recover." Centre just outside the leader of "Thereis no "Unfortunately, village. Local people,upset committee,said: there was no that no one had spoken to entertainment here, no them before sending the cinema,no library, and only refugeesthere, held a protest one small village shop. The point is: what are these meetingin the villagehall. "We are a tolerant group of peoplegoing to do?" peoplein Little Hurling," said Basil Lloga, a spokesmanfor Major Ronald Smythe, who the refugees,said:"I am sure has lived in the village for 25 the villagers are not "We years. are happy that the discriminatingagainst these government has offered people. Most of them have
time to talk to the villagers", said Kim Thompson of the government'sRefugeeAction Group. "We only found out the refugeeswere arriving this morning and there was nowhereelse for them to go. We very much hope the villagerswill welcome them and accept them into the
assistance to thesepeopleand come hereas genuineasylum community." Readthe articleagain and answerthese questions: 1.Vhy do the villagersthink Little Hurling is nor a good place for refugees? 2. Why might it be a good place for refugees,according to Basil Lloga? 3. Why did nobody talk to the villagersfirst?
Discussion 1. Do you think the villagersare being honest about their reasonsfor wanting the refugeeselsewhere? If not, what do you think the real reasonsare? 2. How do you think the villagersin a small village in your country would react i{ 150 refugeeswere sentto live nearby? 3. How would you personallyreact? lmmigration and racism
Taboosand /ssues
Ir
F
Language1
Language2
lFf.f
Match the words on the left with the words on the right:
fH
a. migrants 1 asylr"rm b. immigrants 2. border c. controls 3. cconotnic d. officials 4. illegal e. seekers -5. irnmigration Complete this text with expressions from the exerciseabove: Folkrwing the discoveryof fifty (6) . . . . . . in the back of a lorry at Calais thc government has ordered stricter ,vesterday, and has at (7) . secr.rrity . . . . t o b e w a r n e d ( .8.). "Sfe ilre very willing to help genuine vigilant. ....,"saida ( 9 ). . . "but thesepeopleare just govcrnmentministeq
Now look at this sentence from the text: The point is: wbat are tbesepeople going to do? Look at these other expressions with point. Decide if you would use them to agree (A)' to disagree (D) or to partially agree (P).
ltr
IF FI 'F H rF hl
-
FI ts Ll F rl Fr bf F hl
+. Fl
l . Y e s ,I s e ey o u r p o i n t . 2.I takeyour point but ... 3 . I a g r e eu p t o e p o i n t . 4. That's a good point. 5. No, you're missingthe point. 6. That's not the point. 7.I can't seeyour point at all. 8 . T h a r ' se x a c t l yt h e p o i n t .
...\we
( 1 0. ).
cannot allolv just anyone into the country'"
F
rf +r Fl
-
Ll
Discussion Work in pairs. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the points of view below? The expressions in Language2 may be helPful.
H
E F
-t lF FI
I dctn't see tt,hy my taxes should supl)ort people irctttrotber countries. I'll nerer gct anl,thing from t h e i r c o u n t r y ,u i l l I ?
'We shctuld be proud that sct many lteople would like to liue in our country.
I don't mind the refugees. Tbey really need helP, but I don't seewby we sh
FF-
Frr F.
l-
A lot ctf these refugeesare Muslims. Wouldn't it be hetter if tbel' u'snY7. t Muslim country where they u'oLrldfeel more at home?
i.-
l-
fF. -
l-
Asylum seekersdre asylum seekers.They are desPerate women, men and children. You neuer know - ue could be in their situaticttt one day.
ll-
fF t-
E 1-
E
E F It
There dren't enctttghiobs f'We ,tr lotdl pcoltlc;s i/ ls. cttrt'thdt,epeople front otber corrntriestaking our jobs.
Iaboos and /ssues
Wdre already doing enougb in this country. \X/hycan't other countries dct more?
V/e haue lots of menidl johs that no one udnts to do. We need immigrants to come and do this w
lmmigrationand racism
25
Changingsex Languageand discussion Put words from the list into the diagram below, according to whether you think these charactertraits are predominantly male, or female, or both male and female. Use a dictionary if necessary. rttl,sterious rlct'iotts
pttssionate emotional straightforward
reckless logical sympathetic
practical reliable louing
senslttue talkatiue efficient
agSressrue maniltulatiue intuitiue
Talk about your choices in small groups. For example: "women tend to be more sensitiye than men.,, (Notice 'tend to' makes your statement less definite.)
Reading Readthe articlebelow and answer these questions: l. Why warsLisirJonesbannedfrom the pub? 2. \fill shego back to the pub now? LANDLORD PAYS OUT OVER TRANSSEXUAL BAN The British pub landlord has who hasbeenliving as a f-emale come for." After the ban. Jones alwayshad the right to choose for the last lg months,haclnever took the landlord to court on who he servesdrinksto. But that gone to the Jacob'swell as a t h e grounds of sexual right may haveendedyesterday man but startedgoing recentry d i s c r i m i n a t i o n . M r Woodhead whenDavidWoodheid,landlordwith a triend. settledout of court, paying Jones of the Jacob's Well pub in Afier her first appearance.f 1 0 0 0 c o m p e n s a t i o na n d g i v i n g Honley,WestYorkshire,decided customers began to feel her a letter of apology and an to removehis ban on customer uncomfortable about sharing invitation to return to the pub. Lisa Jones rather than face a conversations with her. women Yesterday Ms Jones said the courtcaseandchargeso1'sexual customersin particular were decision was "brilliant" but she discliminltion. Mr Woodhead had banned Ms Jones.a transsexual,becauseshe
unhappy that she was using the laclies'toilet. Although living as
made his regular customersfeel uncomfortableas they sat at the
a woman, she has not had a sex changeoperation. Mr wooclheadsaid, "l had to do
bar of his small village pub. 43year-old Ms Jones. a 182-
something. My job is ro make sure that the majority of the
c c ' n t i m e t r e - t a l lf a t h e r o f t w o ,
c u s t o m e r se n i o y w h a t t h e v h a v e
Changing sex
would not be returning to the pub. "l know I'm tall," shesaid, "and my voice is not as feminine as it should be. but I hadn't done anything to upset the regulars. I ' v e n e v e rf ' e l ts o i n s u l t e d . "
Taboosand /ssues
Trueor false? Mark these sentences true (T) or false (F): 1. Lisa Joneshas beengoing to the Jacob's'Wellsinceshewas 18. 2. Ms.Jonesmade both the men and women customersfeel uncomfortable. 3. Ms -forrescloesnot sound like a woman.
Discussion Discussthese questionsin pairs or groups:
'Sfhy l. Was the landlord right to ban Lisa Jones?Why? not? 2.lf you were a regularcustomer,how would you have felt about Ms Jonesbeing in the pub? 3. Do l.or.rthink it makesany differencethat Ms Joneshas not had a sex changeoperation?
Language The words below will help you in the discussion that follows. You can use them to describe how you might feel or react in a particularsituation.Check any words you do not know in your dictionary. plcased unbarrdssed concerned
ttnconcerned
shocked angty
understanding awkuard intrigued
supportiue
sympathetic
uncomfortable
upset
indignant
worried
Discussion Work in pairs.Discusshow you would feel and what you would do in the following situations.The words above may help you. l. A closefriend is about to get married.You have met their fianc6(e)and like them very much. A week before the wedding your friend tclls you (s)heis actuallymarrying a trirnssexual. ('\Wtuld it make any difference if your friend is ct tndn marrying a transsexudlwoman or a ruonlon marrying d trdnssexualman?)
4. You have been out a few times with a member of the opposite sex. You have seena couple of films together and been out for drinks a few times. You get on very well and find this person quite attractive. You go out for dinner togetherone eveningand (s)hetells you that (s)heis transsexual.
2. You are sitting in a bar at a table on your own. A woman comesand sits at the sametable and ,volrstart chatting. After a while you notice that shc has very big hands,rather a deepvoice and obviouslyshaves.
5. You have offered an important iob in your company to a well-qualified woman who performed very well at interview. She accepts "Perhaps the job and at the sametime she says: I should tell you that until three years ago I was a man."
.1.One of your friends is having a party. She rings yolr up and tells you that all the men have to clressas woffren ar-rdall the women have to dressits men.
6. Your best friend suddenlytells you that (s)heis going to have a sex changeoperation.This is a completesurpriseas your friend has never told you of any worries about gender identity.
Transsexuality,gender and sex: Although the terms are often consideredinterchangeal:le,gender and -ssrc firc very diffcrent things. Sex is physical;gender is a part of your identity. A transsexualis someone whosc phvsicalser is in oppositionto their genderidentity so, for example,someonewho has a male body can say "l feel I am a woman". A common treatmentfor this condition is to changethe person's ph;-sicalser by an operationand hormone treatment.
Taboosand /ssues
Changingsex
i
ls this news?
! I I I
I
Discussion
I I
Look at two people's opinions on television news. which person do you most agree with? "The public has a right to know what's happening.I think they should nor cur our anyrhing.pcople arrcmature enoughto take in the reality of what happensin the world everyday.,, "TV news sometimesseemsmore like a show.They want a bigger audienceso they shgw shockingor provocirtiveimages.TV news shor-rldreport rhe news, not try io shock people.,, Can you think of a recentexampleof somethingsensational appearingon the news?
Reading Readthe letterand answer this question: Does the wrirer have a point or is (s)heberngroo sensitive?
TO THE PRODUCER(S) AT CHANNET S Dear Sirs, I must saythat I was shockedand outragedby your broadcast of the imagesof the Concordecrashlast week. was it really necessaryto show the plane actually going down?Thiswas prime-timetelevision.Did it not occur to you ih"t thereare children watching at B o'clock in the evening?My 7-year-oldlittle girl didn,t sleepfor three nights!The imagesstill hauntme now as they will for a long time, I am sure.How dare you traumatisepeople,sliveslike that! I am a responsibleparent who believesthat it is the job of news agenciesto report the newswithout showingunnecessarily sensational or graphicimagessimplyto attract viewers.The terrible thingsthat happenin the world are not meant to be usedas entertainmentnor to increaseyour ratings. Youcan be surethat I will no longerbe watchingyour television newsbroadcastand I will be encouraging all my friendsand rerativesto boycottit too. Yoursfaithfully, ChrisHale
Discussion t' which one of the factors below do you think most motivated the parent to write the letter? The time of the brctadcast. The fact that tbe images showed people dying. The fact that children were watchins. The fact that the images *rr, ,rrrrrrrory. Tbe srspicion that tbe images were used to imltroue the station,s rd tr 110 < 2. would the sirmefactor have motivated you to write a lerter? 3. Do you agreewith the parent?\fhylwhy not? 4. Do yo, think a lemerlike this one would have any effect on the producers of the news programmc? 5. Do yor-rthink the parent who wrore the letter is a father or a mother?Why? 27
ls thisnews?
Taboosand /ssues
Discussion Work in groups of three or four. You are a team of news editors at a national television station. The news programme is broadcast during prime time when children will be watching. Look at today's possible stories and decide together whether the images should be broadcast or not. lf they cannot be broadcast at prime time, could they be shown in the late news, or should the film clips be censoredcompletely? 1. Protest:imagesof protestersand activists beatenby police. being excessively . 2. Fashionshow: hot fashiondesigner,Roberto Nudo, shows his new line of transparent eveningwear - most of the models' bodies can be seen- almost as if they were wearing norhing.
7. Specialreport on drinking and driving: film clips of the sceneof seriousaccidentscaused by drunken drivers, including imagesof dead bodiesand familiesof the victims.
3. Report on violence in films: examplesof violent scenesfrom current blockbuster movies which have been criticised for having roo much violence.
9. Middle East conflict: child shot dead when caught in crossfirebetweenIsraeli and Palestiniansoldiers- pictures of the dead child being carried by his father and mother.
4. Suicide:a relatively unknown politician commits suicide by shooting himself in the head - all caught on film. 5. War: fighting breaks out in a sensitiveregion of the world, graphic imagesof casualtieson both sides. 6. Prison riot: a riot eruptsin a large overcrowded prison; imagesinclude the d e c e p i t a t i o no f t h r e ei n m a t e s .
8. Bank robbery caught on film: policeman shot dead.The camerashows a pool of blood on the floor of the bank next to the body.
10.Freakweather:a large wave dragsten people into the sea- caught on home-video. 11.Report on the safetyof the meat trade: scenesshowing pigs, cows and sheepbeing slaughteredin abattoirs. 12.Ice hockey: a player is left blind in one eye after an attack by another player.The slowmotion camera shows exactly how it happenedin graphic detail.
Reportyour decisionsto the class.
Language Completethese expressions with words from above: bypolice a. excessively... politician b. arelatively... ...out c. fighting of theworld d. asensitive... ...prison e. alarge f. ........ clins
g. h. i. j. k. l.
shot caught in . . . freak the meat . . . . in one eye left ..detail in.
Discussion Which countries today have censorship of the press and television? Why? Has your country ever had censorship? When? Why? Do you think the internetwill make censorshipa thing of the past?
Taboosand /ssues
ls thisnews?
27
The right to die
I tI
Discussion
I
Work in pairs. Match these words to the definitions below: st,ticide
murder
manslaughter
euthanasia
l T h e painlesskilling of a patient who is suffering from an incurabreand painful disease. 2. Thc action of killing oneselfdeliberately. 3 . T h c illegal,deliberatekilling of a human being. 4. The crime of killing a personillegallybur nor intentionally. Which of these are crimes in your country? Do you agree with the law as it is at the moment?
Reading In pairs or small groups' read the following situations and .l . Alan Jonesa , g e d 7 8 , h a d a s e c o n ds t r o k et h r e e w e e k s a g o . H e h a s s e v e r eb r a i n d a m a g ea n d h i s c o n d i t i o n i s g e t t i n gw o r s e .A t t h e r e q u e s to f h i s d a u g h t e ra , n u r s es t o p sg i v i n g h i m o x y g e n u n t i l his h e . - r rstt o p s .T h e n u r s et h e n s t a r t sg i v i n g o x y g e n a g a i n . P e o p l et h i n k t h a t M r J o n e sd i e c Jn a t u r a l l y . L ; r t e rM , r j o n e s ' d a u g h t e rt e l l s a f r i e n d w h a t h a p p e n e d .T h e f r i e n c li s m a r r i e dt o a p o l i c e officer. A s a r e s u l t ,t h e p o l i c e c h a r g et h e n u r s ew i t h m u r d e r .
Do you feel that the nurse has committed a crime? Do you feel that the daughter has committed a crime? What punishments,if any, should be given? 2 . E i g h t y - s e v e n - y e a r - oAl ldi c e W e l l e r b r o k e her hip a y e a r a g o . S h e w a s t a k e n t o h o s p i t a lw h e r e , during a n o p e r a t t o nt o r e p a i r h e r h i p , h e r h e a r ts t o p p e d . A l t h o u g h r e s u s c i t a t e ds,h e h a d s e v e r eb r a i n damage a n d t h e d o c t o r sf e l t t h a t s h e h a d l o s t c o n s c r o u s n e s s t o t a l l y a n d p e r m a n e n t l yT. h e y t h e r e f o r ew i s h e d to s w i t c h o t Th e r l i f e - s u p p o rm t a c h i n e .M r s W e l l e r , s f a n r i l y ,h o w e v e r ,o b j e c t e c sl t r o n g l y s, a y i n gt h a t she w a s e x t r e m e l yr e l i g i o u sa n d f e l t t h a t o n l y C o d hacj t h e r i g h tt o r a k e l i f e a w a y . What do you think the doctors should do? Do you think Mrs Weller,s family have the right to keepher alive?
discuss the questionsbelow each one:
3. Antonia james, aged24, sufferedsevere,irreversible b r a i n d a m a g e i n a r o a d a c c i d e n ts i x w e e k s a g o a n c l h a s n o t r e g a i n e dc o n s c i o u s n e s sS.h e i s b r e a t h i n go n h e r o w n b u t b e i n g f e d t h r o u g ha t u b e . H e r p a r e n t s f e e l t h a t A n t o n i a ' se x i s t e n c ei s n o m o r e t h a n a l i v i n g n i g h t m a r e .T h e y w a n t t h e d o c t o r t o s t o p f e e d i n gh e r s o t h a t s h e w i l l d i e a n d t h e y c a n b u r y h e r .T h e d o c t o r r e f u s e ss, a y i n gt h a t f o o d a n d f l u i d s a r e n o r 'medical t r e a t m e n t , b u t h e b a s i c n e c e s s i t i eosf l i f e . Who do you feel is right - the doctor or the parents? Who should make this decision - Antonia,s parents? The doctors? A court of law? 4 . M i k e O ' B r i e n ,a g e d 5 8 , h a st e r m i n a lc a n c e r .H e is n o l o n g e ra b l e t o l i v e a n o r m a l l i f e a n d i s o f t e n i n g r e a tp a i n . H e h a s a l w a y s s a i d t h a t w h e n t h i s h a p p e n e d ,h e w o u l d t a k e h i s o w n l i f e . H o w e v e r ,n e i s n o w s o w e a k t h a t h e c a n n o t o p e n t h e b o t t l e so f p i l l s h e w a n t s t o t a k e . H i s s o n o p e n st h e b o t t l e for h i m . M i k e t a k e st h e p i l l s a n d d i e s p e a c e f u l l yT. h e d o c t o r i s s u r p r i s e da t M i k e , ss u d d e nd e a t h , r e a l i s e s w h a t h a s h a p p e n e da n d i n f o r m st h e p o l i c e . T h e p o l i c e a r r e s t h e s o n f o r h e l p i n g h i s f a t h e rt o commit s ui ci d e . ls the doctor right to inform the police? ls the son guilty of committing a crime?
Discussion with a partner considereachpatient in the situations above.what would you wanr to happento you? Would yolr wanr to die if you had a similar condition? Now consic'ler the family membersin each situation.rfould you have done the samerhing? 28
Therightto die
Taboosand/ssues
I
1
I
I
I
Life and death Look at these phrases from the texts: He is no longer able to live a normal life, The doctor is surprisedat Mike's sudden death. Add /ife or death to the following words. Five can use both. 1. a busy 10. a varied 2. an exciting 11. a sudden .1.a horrible 12. a tragic 4. instant 13. a long -5.a natural 14. a hard peaceful 6. a 15. an unexpected 7. a prematurc 16. a rewarding 8. a full 17. a slow 9. a lor-rely 18. a violent Look again at the 5 expressions which take both life and death. Discuss the difference in meaning between them. For example, a horrible life and a horrible death.
Discussion Discussthe following questionsin pairs or small groups: 1. A man has beenin prison for murder for 30 ycars :rnd will remain there for the rest of his life. Hc refusesto eat and saysthat he wants to die. Should he be allowed to die? 2. The wife of a close friend has died recently. Your friend has been terribly upset sinceher deiltl-r.In a conversationwith him you begin to suspectthat he is thinking of taking his own life. \7hat would you do? 3. A closefriend is in hospitalsufferingfrom an incurablediseaseand in a lot of pain. He asks you to bring him in somepills from his home so that he can end his life with dignity. \ilhat would you do?
4. A woman terrorist was found guilty of planting a bomb which killed 20 people.Shehas been sent to prison for 20 years. She now refusesto eat and saysthat she is not guilty. Should she be allowed to die or should she be kept alive? 5. You are staying in a hotel with a rooftop swimming pool. You go up to the pool one morning and find a woman standing on top of the wall around the outside of the building, about to jump off. What would you do? 6. You are 85. You are starting to suffer from seniledementia.You watched your father die a horrible death from the same thing. Are you going to suffer in the sameway or ... ?
Discussion Work in pairs or small groups. Read the text and discuss the questionsbelow: In British law, a personhas the right to refusetreatment,providedhe or she is fully competentto make that decision.If a patient is not able to ask for or refusetreatment (because,for example,they are unconscious)then a doctor can decide not to give treatment.If a doctor decidesto do this. it is sood medical oracticeto consult the p a t i e n t 'rse l a t i v e s . 1. Do you feel these laws are reasonable? 2. Are they the same in your country? Four types of euthanasia Suicide:killing yourself. In the UK it is illegal to help someonecommit suicide. Voluntary euthanasia:when someoneasks to die. They may not be able to commit suicide so they need help or thev may not be able to ask to die, but they have left instructions. Involuntary euthanasia:This is when someonehas not actually asked to die. However, they are killed so that thev do not have to suffer any more. Non-voluntary euthanasia:killing someonewho is not able to ask to live or die. For exarnple,they nrieht be in a long-ternrcoma.
Iaboos and /ssues
The right to die
Old enoughto be her grandfather! Discussion Which of these relationshipsdo you think are OK? Discuss in small groups: 1. A 25-year-oldrnan with a 4O-year-oldwoman. 2. A 17-year-oldman with a 4O-year-oldwoman. 3. A 40-year-oldman with a 17-year-oldwoman. 4. An 80-year-oldman with an 18-year-oldwoman. Do you know anyone in a relationshipwith a much older or younger person? Can you think of any famous people in a relationshiplike this?
Reading Read this letter to 'Beth's advice column' in a magazine. Decide what advice you would give before reading the reply. bera. Be,tk, l'm aotliag to a,t/" l* ry a&tice et n7lf,J/roz'a raalt aek/auaahlp. /l4r/ lFll"er tt 58 fr.,ut oU at4/ /4e/td i-d tt4arr,tbl a fi4l*tt uro.lna*t o/ al 'l/ai't nen'wt ru1 a'te@la i4 dpuarL@ t/tc,*t.ne! W S/.,p a (f/r loo re /""tt. tez,*tt l4? to le /4aff4 rrriJ/. lfrt |f"f/"")r /oel, l^J t'ru d"r,wl/,al alp'd. i-tJ "nil" /r"t" 1p4t/n raurztT. 147 lFJJ"rrLtt a uz1 utee/J/4r/tr.,- aa/ t dot4'l f/"irr./" /n cc,a 4pp/4a,utdllh,r.l twttnn 4"alf,f tt. I cc,n'l i,or,ttl,/ah/4 rlJ ilra ""rA do ry ,"af/rJr4q.M4aJ d/4auld t lo?
4
eure'taed Su Now read the reply. Do you agree with the advice? Seat eue'zneX, 8u' 'l/au a/.nr/d aeeUtl frr? k 1* /r..ln4tl lorr r/n/, /pl/r"rL. J/n /r*t o c/'ta't"p a/ a ncrn 1+ "t il llid. "rotnr,n a /44il,uq /ti.t ttta]rp l/* /tal
{
1
*1trffiffi-ffi*ffiiltp4'4't
1 q
tz4alltuhl o/ a awrc,n kicp /4er r.?". ,4rA fn,f t4of h ilrir"/. "1,b ^ ,7n.n'tlzqz*athet' /tal opte ll/n o on rr rn"rolten al l/* la,44r/,?.7rr/ atuwliat lptt a/4/,1nr:n2ttote il4.r4jr,ltl /ph l/r.tt *t",r.rtaot"ne ol dd4'Lt ora/ a.aprtnttota ilnf t1u.rtt.lpt/r"r, /,nt i,n /"tL lr/p.
{
Iq
BeJh Who do you side with - the son or the father?
I
Trueor false?
I
a
Write true (T) or false (F) after each statement below:
d
1. The marriageis a fairly new one. 2. The son has evidencethat his father's wife is after his money. 3. Beth is in favour of giving the marriage a chance. 4. Beth is generallyagainstmarriagesin which one personis much older than the other.
'l '1
hf I
,1
A
29
OId enough to be her grandfather!
Iaboos and /ssues
rf I
a
Language1
Language2
There are many different types of relationship. Which of the following collocations could you use to describe the relationshipyou read about earlier?
Look at this sentence from the second letter:
| . r t c r t s u l lr e l : t r i o n s h i p ?. rrn ertramarital relatior-rship 3. a br-rsiness rclationship 4. ir doomed relationship -5.a platonic relationship 6. a romrrnticrelationship 7 . I s c r u r r lr c l i r r i o r r s h i p 8. a love-haterelationship Match three of the expressions above with the following meanings: rr.a relationshipbetweena married man and somconenot his wife b. a relatiorrshipwith no future, which is going nowhere c. a closerclationshipbetweentwo friends,which is not sexurrl
Just becauseshe'syoung, it doesn't mean they hdue nothing rn common. Match the two halves of these sentences: 1. Just becausehe'srich, 2.Just becauseshe didn't go to university, h e ' sg o t a n i c ec a r . 3 . J u s rb e c a u s e 4. Just becausehe's70, 5.Just becauseyou don't like her, 6. Just becauseher last husbanddied in very s u s p i c i o ucsi r c u n t s t a r t c e s , a. it doesn'tmean he'srich. b. it doesn'tmean he'stoo old to get married. c. it doesn'tmean she'safter his money. d. it doesn'tmean she'slessintelligent. e. it doesn'tmean the samething will happento your dad. f. it doesn'tmean you have to be unpleasantto her.
Discussion Discuss the following question in pairs: Would you be concerned if one of your parents re-married somebody twenty years younger? Use the expressions below to help you. Well, it wor.rldbe OK as long as ... I'n-rtotally agirinst... I'm all for ... I t h i n k i t a l l d e p e n d so n . . . Now work in pairs or small groups and discuss your answersto the following:
1 . A t w h a t a g e d o y o u c o n s i d e rs o m e o n ei s o l d e n o u g h t o : begin going out with a boyfriend / girlfriend? have sex? g,etmarried? have children? A t w h a t a g e a r e p e o p l e t o o o l d f o r t h e a c t i v i t i e sa b o v e , i n y o u r o p i n i o n ? 2 . l s i t g e n e r a l l yb e t t e ri f p e o p l e g o o u t w i t h p e o p l e o f a s i m i l a r a g e ?W h y ? W h y n o t ? 3 . W h a t a d v a n t a g e sc a n t h e r e b e f o r a y o u n g m a n t o h a v e a r e l a t i o n s h i pw i t h a n o l d e r w o m a n ? Any disadvantages? W h a t a d v a n t a g e sc a n t h e r e b e f o r a y o u n g e rw o m a n t o s e e a n o l d e r m a n ?A n y d i s a d v a n t a g e s ? 4 . L o o k a t t h i s p e r s o n a la d v e r t i s e m e nftr o m a n e w s p a p e r : L o o k i n gf o r f u n ? H i , l ' m 2 4 y e a r so l d , 5 ' 1 O " , 1 1 5 l b s . l ' m a m o d e l , v e r y f i t , e x c e l l e n tb o d y a n d v e r y s e n s u a l l. ' m l o o k i n g f o r a m a n , p r e f e r a b l ya M U C H o l d e r m a n w h o c a n h e l p m e feed my expensive tastes.lf you know how to take care of me, I know how to be very grateful. Box no.5497. W h a t d o y o u t h i n k a b o u t a w o m a n w h o p l a c e sa n a d v e r t i s e m e nlti k e t h i s o n e ? W h a t d o y o u t h i n k a b o u t a m a n w h o a n s w e r st h i s k i n d o f a d v e r t i s e m e n t ?
Taboosand /ssues
OId enough to be her grandfather!
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Big Brotherls watching! Discussion Do you think that your employerhas the right to ask about your privatelife? Tick (/) the questionsyou think it is OK for an employerto ask: What is your ntaritdl stdtus? Do you haue children? r\lbat is the highest leuel of formal education you haue achieued? rYhat is your religion? Haue you euer seruedin the military? Are yotr a member of a political party? Do you suffer from any physical disabilities? Do yott haue any seriousdiseases? Hdue you euer been in prison? Haue you euer been conuicted of a serious traffic offence? Are 1,ouhomosexual? Hat,e you euer used drugs such as cannabis?
Reading The article below describes some issues about privacy in the United States.ls your country similar? Better or worse? In what ways?
Shhh...Someonemightbe listening! E v e r f i n d y o u r s e l fw a t c h i n g ,t h e c l o c k a t w o r k ? B e c a r e f u l ,i t n r a yb e w a t c h i n gy o u . A r e c e n ts u r v e yb y t h e A n r e r i c a nM a n a g e m e nAt s s o c i a t i o n r e v e a l st h a t 3 2 p e r cent of major US firms record and keep track of e m p l o y e e s ' c o m m u n i c a t iaonndsa c t i v i t i ews h i l eo n t h e j o b . T o d a y ' sh i g h - t e c hm i n i a t u r ec a m e r a sf,o r e x a m p l e , n r a k ei t e a s yt o k e e pa n e y e o n y o u . "Youcan put them in a fan, a smoke d e t e c t o ra, l i g h t s w i t c h ,y o u c a n p u t t h e m a l m o s ta n y w h e r e , "s a i d o n e privatei nvestig,ator. W h a t ' st h e b e n e f i t ?" l t k e e p sp e o p l eh o n e s t , "s a i d t h e d i r e c t o ro f s e c u r i t ya t a l a r g er e t a i l e ri n L o s A n g e l e s . " A n d i f a c o m p a n yf i n d s e m p l o y e e sc h e a t i n go n t h e m . r n dt h e y t a k e a c t i o n ,t h e y e n d u p s a v i n gm o n e y . " A n d i t d o e s n ' t s t o p a t v i d e o c a m e r a s .M o n i t o r i n g e n r p l o y e e s ' r . r soef t h e i n t e r n e ta n d e - m a i l i s n o w c o m m o n p r a c t i c e .A c o m p a n y r e c e n t l ys a c k e dm o r e t h a n 2 0 e m p l o y e e sf o r s e n d i n g e - m a i l s w h i c h t h e
c o m p a n yc a l l e d" i n a p p r o p r i a taen d o f f e n s i v e . " T h e f a c t i s , o u r p e r s o n a pl r i v a c y i s d c c r c a s i n ga l l t h e t i m e . C r e d i t r a t i n g ,c o m p a n i e s k e e p t a b s o n y o u r p e r s o n afli n a n c i a h l i s t o r yf r o m t h e d a y y o u g e ty o u r f i r s t credit card.Anyone who has ever usedthe internet k n o w s t h a t t h e i r s u r f i n g h a b i t s a r e c o n s t a n t l yb e i n g traced by'cookies'. Even where you are at any p a r t i c u l a tri m e w i l l s o o n b e e a s yt o f i n d o u t . A l r e a d y , e m p l o y e es e c u r i t yc a r d sr e c o r dw h e n p e o p l ee n t e ra n c J l e a v eb u i l d i n g s .D i s c o u n ts u p e r m a r k ept r o g r a m st r a c k what people buy, where and when. Cell phones, h a n d h e l dd e v i c e s ,e v e n c a r n a v i g a t i o ns y s t e m sw i l l s o o n h a v e d e t a i l e dt r a c k i n ga b i l i t i e s ,i f t h c y d o n o t a l r e a d yh a v et h e m . " l t a l l s e e m sl i k e a n i n f r i n g e m e notf o u r p r i v a c y , "s a i da r e p r e s e n t a t i vo ef t h e A m e r i c a nR i g h tt o P r i v a c yL e a g u e . " B u t i n a w a y ,w e a r et h e o n e sw h o o p e nt h e d o o r sa n c l I e t t h e s ep e o p l ei n . "
1. What is the writer's attitude towards decreasing personal privacy? a. irngry b. warning c. enthusiastic d. neutral 2. What is the expression used in the last paragraphthat means privacy is not respected? 3. Look at the text again and find words and expressions that mean 'to monitor'.
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Discussion l.Monitoring peopleis good because"lt keepspeoplehonest." Do you agree? 2. Would your employerget more work from you if you knew they were watching you? 30
Big Brotheris watching!
Taboosand /ssues
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Language Look again at the last sentence of the article: "Btrt in it way, we ore the ones who oTtenthe doors and let theselteople in." This statementexpressesthe ideathat our privatelives are'inside'.We also talk about informationabout 'private' our private lives 'getting out'. Read the text below and underline more expressionsthat have the inside'and'information getting out' ideas. We rarely find out what goes on behind closed doors in politicians'lives, but news laotout last weekendthat a senatorhas beenhaving a two-year affair with her pLrblicrelations manager.Despite efforts to keep the pressout of her private "lt's t-totthe life, the senator'saffair leakedout through severalreliablesources. "I press'sjob to pry into the livesof public figures,"said the senator. feelexposed rrndviolated." Now that the relationshipis out in the open,the senatorhas made "My husband hasn't been a saint, either." no effort to deny the affair, but added, inside information and photographsby unconfirmed Some soon-to-be-released sourcesdo seemto support that claim. Now complete these expressions from the text: l.behincl ... doors 2. news got . . 3 . k c e pt h e p r e s so u t o f h e r . . . . . . . l i f e
4. the affair leaked . . . . . . 5. out in the .informatton 6....
Privacyand you Work in pairs or small groups and discuss what you would do in the following situations:
find your mother'sdiary. 1. Youaccidentally Do you: a. open it and readeverypage? b . j u s tl o o kf o r s o m ei n t e r e s t i nbgi t s ? c. feeltemptedbut put it back?
5. You own a shop and you suspectan employee has been stealing cash from the till. Do you: a . i n s t a l al h i d d e nc a m e r a ? b . a s k h i m / h e ri f t h e y h a v e a n y f i n a n c i a l oroblems? c . c o n f r o n th i m / h e rd i r e c t l y ?
2. You suspectyour partneris cheatingon you. Do you: a . g o t h r o u g hh i s / h edr r a w e r sa n d p e r s o n a l 6. You suspectyour son might be using drugs. Do you: t h i n g sf o r e v i d e n c e ? a. talkto one of hisfriends? b . d e c i d et o i g n o r ey o u rs u s p i c i o nasn d b . g o t h r o u g hh i s b e l o n g i n g s ? t r u s th i m / h e r ? c . g i v e h i m a t a l k a b o u tt h e h o r r i b l et h i n g s r irectly? c . c o n f r o nht i m / h e d 3. A neighbourin the apartmentbuilding acrossfrom you alwaysgetsundressedin full view of the window.Do you: a. lookthe otherway? b . p h o n et h e p o l i c e ? c . b u y a b i g g e rl e n sf o r y o u rc a m e r a ?
t h a t d r u g sc a n d o t o y o u ? 7. You catch a colleague having sex in the office with your boss. Do you: a. report it to the proper authorities? b . a s k y o u r c o l l e a g u ew h a t i t w a s l i k e ? c . s a y n o t h i n ga n d h o p e t o c a t c ht h e m again?
4. You are usingyour boss'scomputerand Do you: B. You see a friend going into a lap-dancing you seea file called'salaries'. club one lunchtime. Do you: ignore it? a. feeltemptedbut a. askhim if hiswife knows? b . p r i n tt h ew h o l ed o c u m e ntto r e a dl a t e r ? b . j u s t p r e t e n dy o u d i d n ' t s e e h i m ? c . .c h a n g ey o u rs a l a r ya n dt e l l y o u rb o s s y o u rp a yw a sw r o n gl a s tm o n t h ? c . f o l l o wh i m i n ?
Taboosand /ssues
Big Brotheris watching!
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Anxietyand depression
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Discussion Read this information and discuss the questions below with a partner: A recent medical survey in Britain revealed that 25,r/o of the population saw no hope for the future and one in ten felt that life was not worth living. Many teenagerswere excessivelyworried about their weight and general appearance. Approxim ately 25"/" claimed they suffer from anxiety over their studies. 1. Are you surprisedby thesestatistics? 2. Are you basicallyhappy with your life? 3. When is the happiestyou have ever been? 4. What is happiness?
Reading Read through the article and answer this question - What exacfly is this man's problem? ' s t u p i d ' a n d' i n c o m p e t e n t ' . When I was married I thought I was I s h u tm y miserablebecauseof my wife. So, we got f r i e n d so u t a n d I b e c a m eg e n e r a l l yu s e l e s s . d i v o r c e d ,a n d t h e n I t h o u g h tt h i n g sw o u l d SometimesI would go out to do a bit of change.But I was still depressedsomehow. s h o p p i n ga n d I w o u l d s e e h a p p y c o u p l e s F r i e n d su s e dt o i n v i t em e o u t , a n d t h o u g h I w a l k i n g a r o u n d- s o m eo f t h e m w i t h h a d n o t h i n ge l s eg o i n go n , l ' d t e l l t h e m t h a t c h i l d r e n- a n d t h e n I w o u l d f e e l e v e n I w a s b u s y o r t h a t I h a d o t h e r p l a n s ,b u t l , d worse.And so I thought,"That'sit! l'm just stay at home and watch TV or vegetate. lonely. I need girlfriend." a And so I got on S o , t h e n I b l a m e d i t o n m y j o b . I u s e dt o the internetto try and meet people.And I f a n t a s i sa e b o u t j u s t l e a v i n gt h e p l a c e .I did. And for a few weeks I actuallythought startedtaking days off sick. My performance I was gettingbetter.But it got worse. w e n t d o w n h i l l . B u t I c o u l d n ' tq u i t . I w a s I startedthinking about old age and death. s c a r e d .I w o u l d w a k e u p i n t h e m i d d l e o f And prettysoon the thingsthat used to t h e n i g h t ,j u s t l y i n g t h e r e- t h i n k i n g . make me happy,things like nice weather Then a job opportunitycame up at a and a call from a friend,startedto seem differentcompany,and for a few months m o r e l i k e i r r i t a t i o n sL. i f e b e g a nf e e l i n g I actuallythought I was gettingbetter.But pretty pointless.I think I was on the verge then it came back- with a vengeance. o f g i v i n gu p o n i t a l l w h e n I m e t J u d y . I startedcrying - literallycrying - for no The advice Judy gave me changedmy life r e a s o na t a l l , s o m e t i m e si n t h e m i d d l e o f for the better,and probablyforever.I can't t h e d a y . I s t a r t e dc a l l i n gm y s e l fn a m e sl i k e believethe differenceit has made. Read the article again and discuss these questions with a partner: 1. What seemedto be the man'sproblem? 2.'What aspecrsof the man'slife did this problem affect? 3. Have you or anyoneyou know ever felt like him? 4. Who is Judy and what do you think she said to him? 5.'What advicewould you have given him? 31
Anxietyanddepression
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Taboosand /ssues
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Discussion
Complete the sentences below with these words:
Some mental conditions are controversial, with some experts saying the problem is all in the mind. Are the following conditions real?
usual under
take hartl
low top
down weather
l . T h i n g sa r e j u s t g e t t i n gm e . . . . 2. He's not his . self at all. -1.I'm feelinga bit under the . . at the moment. 4 . I ' m f e e l i n ga b i t . getting on . . . . of me. 5. Things are 6.I'm finclinglife . . . . . . at the moment. 7.I'm . a lot of pressure. muchmore. 8 . I ' m n o t s u r eI c a n . Which sentence above is usually used to talk about physical rather than emotional or psychologicalhealth? Do any of these sentencesapply to you or anyone you know at the moment?
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome perntanenttirednesscausedby stress SeasonalAffective Disorder depressioncaused by long, dark winters Post-traumaticstressdisorder persistentemotional problems after being inuolued in a traumatic incident Road rage getting angry and possibly uiolent becausertf the stressof mctderndriuing conditions Mid-life crisis a sudden crisis of confidence suffered by men around the age of 45
Reading Readthese ten tips on how to be happy.Which do you think are genuinelyhelpful?
HAPPYHABITS Tenprovenwaysto increaseyour happiness Most peopleare unhappybecausethey chooseto be. All they haveto do is changetheir mindsand learnsomenew habitsand their liveswill changefor ever.Here are ten habits of happypeople.Try them and experiencethe resultsfor yourself. . Act huppy- even if you don't feel it. A smilingface will get more smilesfrom others. . Enioythe moment.Happinessis not producedby greatthingshappening,but by recognisingall the little positivethingsthat happeneveryday. . Takecontrol of your time. Happy peoplefeel in control of their lives.Setyourself realisticgoalsfor the day. . Takeregularexercise.Get your body producingthosedepression-busting chemicals. o Cet rest.We all needtime on our own and enoughsleep maketime to re-charge your batteries. . Sing.Peoplewho singare happier.lt's the peoplewho haveto listento them who are unhappy.Be a singer. o Get a pet. Strokinga cat or patting a dog hastherapeuticeffects,calminganxiety. o Feedyour soul.Studiesshow that activelyreligiouspeopleare happier.They cope betterwith crisesand are part of a supportive,acceptingcommunity. . Prioritisecloserelationships. Spendingtime in open communicationwith loved ones stopsisolationand independence. . Get out of town. Spenda few hoursa week in the countryside.Smellthe freshair, touch the flowersand hug a tree.
Discussion Discusswith a partneror as a class: 1. Is this seriousadviceor just light-hearted? 'changeyour mind'? 2. Do you agreethat to be happy you just needto Are any unhelpful? 3. Coulclthe tips above help someonewho is seriouslydepressed? 4. Have yoLrever had to help a friend who was depressed? Taboosand /ssues
Anxietyand depression
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Gayfamilies Discussion
Reading
What legal rights do gays have in your country? l. Can they get married? 2. Can they inherit from a partner? .1.Can they adopt children? 4. (lan they get a morrgageon a house together?
Read the article below and choose the best headline.
A few months ago millionaire couple Tony Barlow and Barrie Drewitt shocked many people when they became the first gay couple to father children. The couple had twin girls, Aspen and Saffron, using eggs donated by a woman who wished to help the men have their own family. Adoption agencies in Britain had decided the couple were unsuitable parents, but the men went to the United States where they had more success.They had no problem finding a surrogate mother and the girls were born in Los Angeles the following year. After complex legal arguments,
US ALLO\TS ADOPTION BY C;AYS GAY FATHERS FACE DISCRIMINATION OUTRAGE AS GAYS PLAN THIRD CHILD
the US Supreme Court ruled that the men could be named as the parents on the twins' birth certificates. When the children were brought back to Britain, the men faced further legal difficulties as the British authorities refused to grant automatic entry rights to the twins. Despite all these problems, the men have now provoked further outrage from those who claim to defend traditional family values as they have announced that they intend to have a third child. The men currently have 24 embryos which were frozen before the birth of their twin daushters.
and although they have fallen out with the suffogate mother who caried the twins, they have now found another woman who has agreed to carry a child for them. "We adore having children," Mr Drewitt said yesterday, "and if it turns out to be twins again it will be even more wonderful. The new baby will be a biological brother or sister to Aspen and Saffron. The only difference will be the sunogate mother." In contrast, an official church spokesman said, "We would still argue that the best place for children to grow up would be within a traditional family context."
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Read the article again and mark these sentences true (T), false (F) or don't know (?): 1. Barrie and Tony couldn'r adopt a child in Britain. 2. The British authorities did not want ro let the men back in the counrry. 3. Barrie and Tony and the twins live with the twins' mother. 4. Not everyoneis happy about Barrie and Tony's plans.
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1. How clo you feel about Barrie and Tony being parents? 2' Do you agreethat'the bestplace for childrento grow up is within a traditional family conrext,? 3. What is a rraditionalfamily? Is it the sameas 20 yearsa o? 4. Do yolr agreewith the followinq statements? There ttre good and batl p Ltren ts. C)dt, p arents Llrett't itu t ottldt i callt, had - or good.
Ttuctwrnnen could raise a family but n()t tuto men. They would be useless without d womdn.
A lot of people grout Ltlt in a singlc-parent famill' - two pdrents must be better than that!
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Language Match these differentkinds of familieswith the definitionson the right: a. They want to be successful. 1. irn afflr"rentfamily b. Only one parent lives with the children. 2. a closefamil,v They have a lot of money. c. family 3. a clvsfr.rnctionarl d. They have strong relationships' 4. a single-parentf:rmily e. They have a certainamount of power' .5. a talenteclfarnily f . They have a lot of personalproblems. 6. iur averagcfamily g. They're all good at something. 7 . tn influentialfamily h. There'snothing specialabout them. U . a n a m b i t i o u sf a r n i l y Would you use any of the expressions above to describe your family? Do any of the expressions above describe the family you read about earlier? Do you five with your immediatefamily or do you also live with members of your extended family? (grandparents,aunts, uncles,cousins etc.)
Discussion Readthe articleand underlineanythingyou think is a good argumentfor or against gay marriages.
L E T ' SG E TM A R R I E D ! "We have a mortgagetogether,we have .r cat together, we're no different from t h e n e i g h b o u r s ,s o w h y c a n ' t w e g e t married?" one gay man told reporters outside the Vermont courtroom in the U n i t e d S t a t e s .A l a r g e g r o u p o f g a y couoles were at the court to hear whether the statewould changethe law a n d a l l o w s a m e - s e xm a r r i a g e s .M a n y expressedtheir frustrationat not being "We want to get allowed marital status. marriedfor the same reasonas everyone e l s e- w e ' r e i n l o v e , "
A w o m a n c a m p a i g n efro r g a y r i g h t ss a i d , "Why do peoplewant to stopgay people getting married?lt makes no difference to them, but it makes a huge difference to a gay couple who want to make a publiccommitment." A s p o k e s w o m a nf o r a t r a d i t i o n a fl a m i l y "lf organisationsaid, we startto re-define w h a t a m a r r i a g ei s , w h e r e d o Y o u d r a w t h e l i n e ?W h y n o t s a y t w o m e n a n d a woman can get married,or threewomen perhaps?"
Discuss the following views of same-sex marriages.Which views are closest to your own? 'Why not? If two peoplewant to make a lifetime commitmentto each other,they l. (lav rnarriage? should be allowed to. 2.lt cloesn'tmilrter that they'regay.They've beentogetherfor 15 years.They should have exactlythe srrmerights as :I normal couple.What is normal anyway? .3.Marriage betweena man and a woman is natural. If marriagestopsbeing natural, where will it all end? If two men can marry, why not three or four? 4. Marriage is for the procreationof children.Gay partnerscan't have children so they shouldn't be allolveclto get married. -5.I clon'tcarc if they want to get married or not. I just wish it wasn't all over the newspapers. 6. I ckrn'tbclievein marriageenyway,so it's not really an issuefor me.
Taboosand /ssues
Gay families
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Begging Discussion Do you give money to beggars? Explain why, or why not, to a partner.
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Read through the comments below on an internet discussion site and decide which opinion is closest to your own.
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What's your opinion of beggars?
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we invited people from around the world to let their voices be heard on the subject:
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Edilson Gomes Teixeira,Brazil ln my city, Sao Paulo,we have lots of childrenwho ask for money on the s t r e e t s o' f c o u r s e ,l f e e l t e r r i b l ef o r t h e m , b u t l t h i n k t h a t g i v i n gt h e m m o n e y does them no good. Usuallythey are really begging for an adult - even their mother or father - just so that they can buy arugs or something like that. I don't know ... it,scomplicated.
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Ana Martin Fong Schmidt, USA I come from San Francisco,California,where you can't walk two blocksany more without running into a homeressperson askingyou for money.They,re filthy peoplewho sleep and urinatein my doorway. I used to give money, but not any more. I supposeI've becomesort of numb to it all. t riean, what is my 50 cents going to do to herp someone?rt'sthe Government,s proni"n1,no, mine. Atsuko Fujimori, Japan We have a place in my city,Tokyo,called "shinjuko Station.,,I think this place is an embarrassmentto Japanesesociety.There are hundredsof homeless people living in cardboardboxes.The Government doesn'tcare about them and neitherdo many people in Japan. But I do. I take them food and clothes and someti.mesgive money. Many of my friends think I am crazy.I think rm normal and they are crazY.I cannot sleepwell at night if I know ihere is someoneelse who has no placeto sleep. James Foster, UK l'm fed up with beggarsand fed up with do-gooders who want to help them. I don't give money and nobody should. lt on"lv encouragesthem to beg even more' And these people all seem to have dogs and smoke.Why should I give my hard-earnedcash to feed their pets and s--moking habit?people living on the streetsare there becausethey want to bel
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Readthrough the commentsagain and answer
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these questions: l.who saysthat living'n the streersand begging is basicailya crroice? 2. Who blamesbeggingon drugs? -l' who sa,vsrhar the problem ii one rhar cannor be solvedby individuals? 4. \Xlhofcelsashamedof the problem? JJ
Begging
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Poem
Language
Read this poem about being homeless, then discuss the questionsbelow:
Write in a -/ess word from the poem with the definitionsbelow: 1. No money - . .
Homeless,but not speechless I am homeless Penniless S o I a s kf o r y o u r p e n n i e s Countless
2.Ignorant=.... 3.Many=.... 4. Unable to protect/defendyourself = . 5.No care or feelingfor others =. . . . 6. Anonymous,unknown = . T . W i t h o u t p u r p o s e= . . . . 8.'Without value = 9. It won't hurt =
A r e t h e t i m e sw h e n I f e e l Pointless
Discussion
Useless
Would you give money or help in these situations?
Po w e r l e ss
1. A woman knocks at your door collecting money for homelesspeople. She has an official ID badge.How much would you give her? 2. A little boy offers to clean your shoesin the street for 20 pence.
to do anything to/for/about/with t h e s e h e a rtl e ss s e e - m e -n o ts who areclueless to my f a c e l e sse xi ste n ce Onepenny Y o u r c ha ri ty is shameless My life... w o r t h l ess M y j o u r n e y. . . r e c k l e ss D o n ' t w o rry: M y p a s s i n gw i l l b e painless.
Discussion 1. What doesthe title mean? 2. What does the writer mean by Yowr charity is shameless? 3. Explain the last line: My passingwill be painless. 4. What is done in your country to help homeless people? -5.Why are so many peoplehomeless? Taboos and /ssues
3. A woman holding a baby asks you for money on the street.She is crying. 'borrow' 4. A rather dirty-looking person asks to 50 pence for the bus. 5. You meet someoneon holiday in a Third 'World country and after chatting' you realise that with iust a couple of your traveller's cheques,you could pay for their child to go to university and have the chanceof a completely different life. 6. You're in a restaurant and a woman comes in with flowers and asks if you want to buy one for your boyfriend / girlfriend. 7. You're at some traffic lights and someone washesyour windscreen,then asks for some money. 8. You receivea pack of Christmas cards through the post from a charity for the blind. There is no obligation to pay for the cards - you can keep them for free - but you are invited to send a donation.
Discussion Write your own view on beggars in the same style as the internet comments you read earlier. Pass your comment to anotherclassmate.Then: 1. Read and seeif you agreeor disagreewith the comment that has been passedto you. 2. Discussit with anotherclassmate(not the writer of the comment). 3. Discussthe commentsas a class. Begging
33
Compensation culture Discussion l ' Is it conrmon to sue doctors,hospitals, or newspapersin your country? ?' Have voll or anyoneyou kn.w eie. rr..l ,n-an'" or beensued?what wirs thc
outcome?
Reading A few years ago a woman suffered severe b.url: from a cup of coffee served at a fast food restaurant and she sued' Read what happened and decide who yori side with - the woman or the fast food restaurant?
HOT COFFEE VICTIMGETS$ENN
A woman has been awardeda total of armost 3 m i l l i o n d o l l a r si n d a m a g e s a , f t e rc l a i m i n g that the coffee she was served at a US fast food restaurantand then spilled on herself was too hot. The woman was in the passengerseat of her g r a n d s o n ' cs a r w h e n s h e w a s s e r v e d a cuo of coffeeat the drive-throughwindow of a local fast food outlet. According to reports, after receivingthe food order,the grandsonmoved his car forward and stoppedfor a moment so t h a t h i s g r a n d m o t h e rc o u l d a d d c r e a m and sugar to her coffee. She placed the cup between her knees and tried to remove the p l a s t i cl i d f r o m t h e c u p . A s s h e d i d so, tne e n t t r e c o n t e n t so f t h e c u p s p i l l e d o n t o ner l a p , l e a v i n gh e r s e v e r e l yb u r n e da n d n e e d i n g hospitaltreatment.
n company representativeexplained that coffee is kept at a particular temperature D e c a u s ec u s t o m e r s n a t u r a l l y w a n t t h e i r coffee served hot. He pointed out that customersbuy coffeeon their way to worK or h o m e , i n t e n d i n gt o c o n s u m e i t t h e r e , n o t while in the car. One commentator couldn,t believe the woman won her case. ,,Theworld has g,one m a _ dl .f y o u c a n g e t $ 3 m i l l i o n f o r s p i l l i n gh o t coffee on yourself,then it,s only a matter of l i m e b e f o r ew e g e t t h e h e a d l i n e s : WOMAN CETS PRECNANT AND SUES CONDOM COMpANy or M A N W I T H B A D H A I R C U TS U E SF O R E M O T I O N A LD A M A C E S . "
Discussion Tell your partner who you side with - the woman or the fast food chain. Explain why. Take a class vote on the case. who do you think was resptnsible for the injuries?
Are you sure? Most peopte think the woman was at fault for her injuries and that the amount of money she received was ridiculous. Here are a few more facts about the case. First read the facts: The wonrrrn sufferedthird degreeburns over6o/nof her body in very sensitiveareas. she was in hospital for eight days' Shespilledthioffee while she ,"r, ,i i-g ii, pa.k"d car rrying ro remove the cup,slid.
li:;:'.ffiffXrff
it moving. sheiriedtosertre r-,...rr.?,r c,rcourt rn,.gzo,ooo [lJi'.';.'.'was
Thc' restaurirntknew of the problem' They. had already receivedhundredsof complaints. They kr-rewthat clrirlkscrrnburn at temperaturesover 60 de.grees, but'they maintaineda policy to keep their c.ffee.i-10 degrceshigher.Thc chain makes over a milrln iollars n doy in coffee sales. Haveyou changedyour mind? Hold a class debate.Dividethe class into two groups: those who are on the woman's side and those who side with the restaurantchain. 34
Compensation culture
a
I a I a
a a
Taboosand/ssues
a
f
F
d
!e
Language
=r
Complete the text below with the correct form of these verbs:
=
F F
F F F F F F
E
sttc
appeal
award
wtn
settle
take
Ifyouhrrveanacciclentatworkbecausetheworkplaceisnotsafe,youcan(1)........for nearly f40,000 after fatllingdown a badly-lit negligerrce. C)newoman was recently(2) . . . t h e c o m p a n yt o c o u r t . c o m p e n s a t i oa nn d ( 4 ) . . . s r a i r c a s cS. h ek n e w s h ec o u l d ( 3 ) . . . . . out of court, but the woman wasn't interested.She (6) Tl-recornprrnytried to (-5). hcr case,br-rtthe company are going to (7)
. . . againstthe decision.
Discussion Look at the situationsbelow in small groups. Decideif they are legitimateor just a waste of time. 'emotional 1.A -19-year-olcl actressis suing for 'too old' c'listress' aftcr being told that she was to plarvthe pirrt of Juliet in Shakespeare's Rorneottntl .[uliet. wants $50,000 to pay for his 2. A br-rrglar hospital bills. In attemptingto break into a clothing store,he fell through the roof, broke both his lcgsand was left immobile. He was f o r r n dt h c f o l l o w i n gm o r n i n g i n s e v e r ep a i n . He clairnsthe store is to blame for havrnqa 'fault-vroof'. -1.A mr-rr-r tripped and fell on a pavement because it was uneven.He broke his wrist and is suing thc local conncil for negligence. 4. A woman openeda bag of saladand found a live frog inside. Sheis suing the supermarket 'severetrauma.' beciruseshe suffered the airline she -5.A flight attendantis suir-rg workcd for for r-rnfairdismissal.Shewas sackcclbecauseshe hacl becometoo fat.
6. A woman is suing her health alrthority because the sterilisationoperationthey performedthe "Of course previousyear had obviouslyfailed. "but this is not I love my new baby," she said, what I had plannedfor my life." 7. A woman who ran over and critically injured a pedestrianis suing the car manufacturer' claiming that the brand new car's horn did not work and thereforeshe was unableto warn the passingpedestrian. 8. A vegetarianwants $1 million in damagesfronr a local restaurant.Sheaskedfor the 'vegetarian'lasagneand halfway through her meal discoveredthat there were bits of ground beef in the sauce. 9. A father is suing his son for $25,000 - the estimatedvalue of the family's car. lt seemsthat the son, aged 19, borrowed his father'snew car without askingfor permission.He then crashed it. The son was unhurt, but the car was a total write-off.
Discussion Which of the following best sums up your attitudeto compensation? l. I'nr torirlly againstit. It jr"rstencouragespeopleto sue for the slightestthing. 2. I crrn'tget worked up about it. It doesn'tbother me. It's neveraffectedme. .1.I'm ell for it! The more peoplecan screwout of big companiesthe better! I wish a waiter would snill somecoffeeon me!
Taboos and/ssues
culture 34 Compensation
Sport and money Discussion Match these sportsmen and sportswomen to their sports: t. Michael Schumacher a. athletics 2. Tiger rVoods b. tennis .3.David Beckham c. Formula One 4. Vcnus \Williams d. football -5.Marion Jones e. golf All of these professionalsare multi-millionnairesas a result of salaries,prize money,sponsorship and endorsements. ' who clo vou think is paid the mosr?why? \7ho is paid the reast?\7hy? . Are they paid roo much, in your opinion? o Hrw much do the top sportsmenand women get paid in your country? o wh. is .ne .f the highestpaid? Do you think (s)he deservesrhat salaiv?
Reading Read this father's view and decide which sport he is talking about. Can his criticism apply to sports in general?
I M M O R A LE A R N I N G S ? W h a t i n t h e w o r l d i s h a p p e n i n gt o professionalsport?When I was a kid, it cost $ 5 t o g e t a d e c e n ts e a ta t t h e s t a d i u m ,a n o my dad would buy me a hot dog and h i n r s e l ;f r b e e rw h i c h w o u l d b r i n s t h e t o t a t c o s tt o a b o u t $ 1 0 . LastSaturdayI took my little boy to see the Ciants play. After the parking,tickets, refreshments and souvenirs,I walked out of t h e r ew i t h $ 7 5 l e s si n m y p o c k e t .J u s ta s k m e h o w s o o n l ' l l b e g o i n gb a c k ! B u t i t g o t m e t h i n k i n g :w h y a m I p a y i n gs o much to watch a group of men throw a ball a r o u n d ?A n d t h e n I r e a l i s e dI: w a s p a y i n g
BillySlater'salary$ : 3 5 0 , 0 0 0a y e a r .A n d Matt Jerrold'ssalary:$500,000 a year.Oh, and how could I forgetSal lbarra'snew c o n t r a c t- $ 3 m i l l i o n o v e r t h e n e x t t h r e e years. Where is the perspectivehere?What are o u r p r i o r i t i e sa s a s o c i e t y ?T h e r ea r e 3 5 , 0 0 0 h o m e l e s si n t h i s c i t y w h o d o n ' t h a v e a r o o f over their heads,clothesto keep them warm or food to fill their stomachs.And we are paying thesemen 6- and 7-figure salariesto keep ourselvesentertained! Something'sgone wronu.
Look back at the article and answer these questions with a partner: 1. what things did the man have to pay for at the basebailgame? 2.Why ckreshe say ".fustask me how soon I'll be going back',? 3. What does he mean when he saysthat he'spaying the players'salaries?Do you agree? 4. Why does he start ralking about homelesspeople?
Discussion 1'Do vou birsicallyagreewith the man or does he have an old-fashioned,nostalgicview of sport? 2.I)o vou go to live sport events?What is the most erpensivesportseventyou have beento? \Was it rvorth it? -1.Have voLrever paid to watch a big sports event on pay-TV? If so, how much did you pay?
Sporland money
Taboosand /ssues
Language Readthis text and underlineall the expressionswith 'worth':
A UK FOOTBALL MATCH Going to see my football team is not cheap the cheapestseat is [20 - but I think it's worth it. Usually you get your money's worth especially with our new centre forward, Rivaldo. Apparently, he's on f,4 million a year, but he's such a brilliant player, I think he's worth every penny. Recently, I took my whole family to see a game. There are some guys who sell tickets illegally outside the stadium - they're called ticket touts - and you can get into trouble if you buy from them. Normally, I would have said that it's more trouble than it's worth. but
Now completethe expressionswith one word: l.l. . . i t ' sw o r t h i t . 2. You €letyour . . . worth. 3. He's worth everv . 4. It's rnore . . . than it's worth.
since I'd brought my whole family, which was going to be very expensive,I thought it was worth a try. So, I went up to one of theseguys and negotiated four fantastic seats for {80 quite a bargain for such an important game and such great seats.They were actually worth around f120. When we tried to get into the stadium, we were told that our tickets were forgeries! {80 down the drain! You can imagine how we felt! So, we went back home to watch the game on TV. My advice is never buy from a ticket tout. It's not worth the risk.
5.I thoueht it was worth a , . . . 6. They were actually worth 7. It's not worth the . .
. . . f1,20.
How do you say these in your language? W h a t d o y o u t h i n k ' € 8 0d o w n t h e d r a i n ' m e a n s ?
Discussion The average professional footballer in the Premier League in England earns €400,000a year * around €7,600a week. He trains, on average,for three hours a day and plays one or two games a week for 10 months of the year. This means he earns around f520 per hour. So, after one training session, he is €1500richer. For the very top players, multiply all these figures by 6 or 7. People argue that the following reasons justify the salaries.Which do you think are good reasons? l.lt's rr short career- 18 yearsmaxirrrumthen yon're finishedas far as playing is concerned.
4.It requiresa very high level of skill, which They only a very few peoplepossess. should be rewardedfor that.
2.Top playerscan't go out partying and eatingand drinking whateverthey want. They have to look after themselvesand be highl)' disciplined.They have a severely restrictedsocial life for maybe zo y.nrr. '
-5.JuliaRobertsgets $4 million to make a film, so why shouldn'ttop footballersget similar pay? They are just like film stars.
3. Yor-rrcarecr could end at any time through injury.
6' Top.players are high profile superstarswh
Moreissues 1. The men's Wimbledontennis championwins €477,500.The women's championgets f430,000.What is the reason for this? Women nearly always get less than men in sport. Why is this? 2. Some peoplethink that money has ruinedsport. Peopleused to play for the glory of winning. Now they are open to bribery and corruption. What would you do about it?
Taboosand /ssues
Sportand money
-
Vanity Discussion In your experience,are the following statementstrue or not? | . Men rrremore intcrestedin their appcarancethan women. 2.\Wornentalk to their friendsabour how they krok. Men don'r. -1.W
Reading Read the first part of the article and underlineall the differentthings that men do to make themselves 'beautiful':
MEN'S BEAUTY IS BIG BUSINESS If you think the world of face creams, beautiful fingernails and silky-smooth legs is exclusivelyfemale,think again.As sales of
men's health and fashion magazines continue to grow at a huge rate, more and more men are queueing up at health spas and gyms for complete make-overs- "Lots of men are no longer embarrassedto use products or services that make them look and feel better.,'said
one enthusiasticbeauty consultant.Body hair removal, manicures,pedicures,teeth whitening and liposuction,to namejust a few, are all now in high demand.Modern man is even plucking his eyebrows to complete the well-groomed experience. So, what is the explanation for this? Why are men spending more on pampering their bodies than on CD collections and DVDs?
Compare what you underlined with a partner. Do you know what all those things are? what is your explanationfor men's growing interestin theiiappearance? Now read the second part of the articleto see if it gives the same explanation: According to some, the explanation is quite simple. Twenty years ago, the only beautiful role models in the media were wonten. Now, magazinecovers displaying half-dressedmale models with six-packs, tans and perfect hair, have persuadedmen they are missingout on something.Inother words. it's just clever advertising. Others offer a more profbund explanation. As traditional roles between men and women at home and at work become less distinct, men are looking for new ways to expresseither their masculinityor their
Vanitv
new-found feminine side. The masculineexpressionleads to joining a gym and building muscle, the feminine expression leads to moisturising creams and beautiful nails. Thesedays it seemsto be a combination of both. You could argue that the modern man is quite simply confusedI So, are men just victims of the advertising industry, or are they trying to re-invent themselves?Or is it just that women have beenright all along - men are vainer?Now they have the proof. Whar do you think /
Taboosand /ssues
F
I
, t F t
I t I I
+ t
a :t
L a n g u a g e1
:l
Explainwhat the following mean:
:l !t
it
F
F F F F F FI
F F
F E F F
1. Mer-rare queueingup tlt heirlth spas rrnclgyms ... 2. ... pantltering therr bodies ... 3. Male moclclswith sir-pacfts... 4. As trac'litirxralrolcs betweenrnen rrrrclwomen becrnnelessdistinct -5.joining :,rllyrn and building muscle 6. merr are trying to re-inuent themselues
Discussion Do you think men hirvea 'feminineside'? 'ciiscovering' it? Do ,vouthink more rren are 'masculincsic'le'? l)o women needtcl discovertheir
"Yrtnr
X-ray shows a tbin mon struggling to get out."
ge 2 Langua Two of the expressions below mean that you are not looking after yourself properly.Which ones? tudtcb whdt yr.ttteat tttkc regular exercise utork out at the gynt
put on weight stalt in shdlte use body lotions
let yourself go l)dmper yourself take pride in your appe(trdnce
Now complete the text below with the correct form of verbs from the expressions above. Can you do it without looking back at the expressions? himselfgo a bit. He (2) Sincernv brother reached40 he (1) . . . (3) . . what he eats and start a lot of weight. I've told him he'sgot to start . . . pride in your looking after himself.I think it's important to (4) . . . r e g u l : r r e r c r c i saen d I w. a n t t o ( 5 ) . . . i n s h a p e s oI ( 6 ) appearance ( U ) (7)... . . . m y s e l of c c a s i o n a l l y -hl a v ea m a s s a g e a t t h c g y m .I a l s o legs bod,vlotions or shaver-r-ry once a month, for erarnple. Br-rtI do not (9) . . . or anvthins like that. I mean.there are lirnits!
Vanitysurvey Readthe following questions.You get 1 point for each 'yes'answer.Decidein the class how many answersmean: 1 dm extremel.yuain - . . . ltoints I am uain = . . . points I dnt norrnol - . . . points
'yes'
1 . D o y o u s t o p a n d l o o k a t y o u r s e l fi n s h o p w i n d o w s ? ' so r e t h a n o n c e a m o n t h ? 2 . D o y o u g o t o t h e h a i r d r e s s e rm 3 . H a v e y o u e v e rd y e d y o u r h a i r ? 4 . D o y o u u s e h a i r g e l o r a s i m i l a rp r o d u c t ? , 5 . H a v e y o u e v e r h a d a m a n i c u r eo r a p e d i c u r e ? 6 . D o y o u u s ea h a n d c r e a m ? 7 . Do you use any face creams? B . H a v e y o u e v e r u s e dm a k e - u p ? 9. Do you pluckyour eyebrows? 1 0 . H a v e y o u e v e r s h a v e da p a r to f y o u r b o d y - o t h e rt h a n y o u r f a c , e ? 11. Do vou use exoensivedeodorantor after-shave? 12. Do you work out at the gym or in your bedroom? 1 3 . W o u l d y o u c o n s i d e rh a v i n ga n y s o r to f c o s m e t i cs u r g e r y ? 1 4 . D o y o u b u y f a s h i o nm a g a z i n e so r h e a l t ha n d f i t n e s sm a g a z i n e s ? 1 5 . l s a n y p a r t o f y o u r b o d y p i e r c e d- n i p p l e s ?n a v e l ?n o s e ?o t h e r ? Work in pairs asking each other the questions.How many points did you score? Taboosand /ssues
Vanity
Legatisingdrugs Discussion l. Makc a list of all the illegaldrugs that you
know:
2. Which of those are soft clrugs
and u 3.which orthe;;,*, inyour li,,n,.JI'fiTri,;!"("i',,
4. Dr yru know differeni names f;;;. same drug? -5.Do you know what rhe following _."r,
rgerousare they?
rril a joint
:;'"::!i',, ::;Y,'l;'o:,r,)','l')ii!,"'" , *,,^::::("' ,'::,""0 7Are, r,".",nf J,* J:ff;:i*il::Tj:iiT-;;j:'i"T:T:,i:; l,'#fi Ti*: *;ir, Reading As you read through the articfe
think of
rf you taereon the panet, *.,;:"r::;.;:,:;:::.,:;::"*,
conctusion?
GRASS IS GOOD FOR YOU A panel of doctors,economists, there who are wandering parentsand police officers around proved that legal in the dark.streetsat substances such night trying to buv as United Srates has decided nicotine and alcohol are rhat marijuanafor pain far reliei,.. said more drugsshouldbe madelegal. addictive and harmful. Their one of the doctors "Marijuana on the panel. conclusionstook into account "They should actually does some be able to gei wnai good. factors of crime, medicine The same cannotbe said of and they need without entering the cigarettes evenprisonspace. and alcohol.,, criminal underworld. "We have a prison population On other substances,the of The effectiveness panel of marijuanaon agreed over l0 million in this that drugs such as heroin country. going Many of thoseare in jail rhrough and cocaine did l:1i""1: for drug_ chemotherapy not serve the has long Ueln community relatedcrime, suchas the saleJr known by in the same way the medicalp.of"rrion, possession of illegalsubstances,,, marijuanacould. but argued but political conservatives that sarctan officer of the still keepingthose substances Chicago raise opposition. illesal One senator meanl Police Force. Because moneyfor criminalr.,,W. of new, spoke out against the panel,s tough laws, currently don't have peopleshootingeach 3 out of 5 conclusions...I can sympathise other. peoplein prisonarethere over tequila or controlling because with.the patients, but the iact is, prostitutes of drug-related crimes, with Marlboros,,,saij which marijuana is addictive and means little space is ..Keeping o1 left for harmful and tle panel. we don,t want that orugs 1_ll.l:. violent criminals, the illegal ones the k i n d allows peopleto do of thing in o u r rilegalthinss.'. yuftic. would really like to see communities," he said. rocKed awav. The pun"'i will shortly ,l".panel disagreed. be But there were more They presenting :1 its findings to the reasons argued that, although mariiuana government. for legalising drugs. r,": admirtedly u po,"niiully ::tr"d "There are cancer patients out addictivesubstance,research has J/
!
I
i a
a
., I
a
t
I'l
I I 1 I a t5
-l
I
J :
t_-1
Legalisingdrugs Taboosand /ssues
J
:l
-, -]
I
Discussion What were some of the reasons for legalisingdrugs mentionedin the article? Tick those which mentionedin the article: 1. Drr"rgs can help peoplewho are ill. 2. Drugs keep cr:iminalsin br-rsiness. 3. Making drugs legal meansthat they can be taxed, and that meansrevenuefor the government. 4. Drug-traffickingis not as seriousas violent crime, accordingro many people. -5.l.egalisingdrr.rgscould make the lob of law enforcementofficers much easier. 6. Alcohol and cigarettesare more addictiveand more harmful and are alreadylegal. How many of those six points do you agree with?
Language Use the following words to complete the sentences below: immediate heneficial
long-term damaging
legal designer
illegal addictiue
l.Ciigarettesmoking is more . . . to your health than smoking marijuanaor cannabis. 2. Nicotine is more . . . than marijuana. 3. Mariiuana can have very . . . effectson cancerpatients,helpingthem through chemotherapy. 4. The . . . effectsof smoking dope are well-known - feelingextremelycarefreeand relared.The . . . effectsilre lessclear. -5.Horv can it be . . . for a l6-year-old to buy and smoke cigaretteswhen at the sametirre it is . . . for a 2l-year-old to buy and smoke marijuana? It's crazy! 6. One of the biggestdangerstoday is the so-called. . . drugs which young peopleuse at discosand parties.
Discussion Do you agreewith the following opinions? Discussthem in small groups:
t . Gettinghigh on a joint is less dangerousthan gettingdrunk. 1
z.
People who smoke dope change their personalityover time. They becomeirresponsible,unreliableand ruin their lives.
-). Thedrug laws in our country are 1
alreadytoo relaxed.Theyshould be far stricter.Fine people for a first offenceand then send them to prison if they re-offend.lt's the only way. 4 . Experimentingwith drugs is OK. You
just need to know when to stop.
5. Soft drugs lead to hard drugs.Just don't even think of starting! 6 . More people die from alcohol-related
problems or accidentsthan drugrelated problems. StatisticalIy, drugs are saferthan alcohol. 7. All recreationaldrugsshould be made
legal for adults.That would immediatelystop relatedcrime. B. Somecountriesin the Far Easthave the right idea - executeall drug dealers.Thatwould soon stoa the drugs trade.
Have you ever tried drugs? Do you know anyone who has? Which ones? Do you know where to get drugs in your town? What problems have you seen in your community caused by drugs? What would be the effect of legalisingdrugs? Taketwo minutesto think of three implications.Then tell your group what you have thought of.
Iaboos and /ssues
Legalising drugs
37
Turningthe other cheek Discussion Discusswith your class: l. Do you ea:lll forgive people,or do you hold grudges?
3 5;ll,l't;"J"Ii:l]:-,ru:::': r.,.,o-.?r'iJi,,r,,, rhev - ro '" 'r"( you? ' did
personwho: chearecr rhem.ut,f ,";;-;;;:;'r"t", "'. physic_ally assaultedth"_j spreadrumollrs about them? sfole from them? wrts unfaithful to them? (had sex with someone else) 4. Woulci you forgive the person in rhe situations above? r . . . .
Reading Read through the first
part of this articre and answer
the question befow: A HUC IN EXCHANGE FOR A BEATING?
;;:?l#lilJ'Jil'll;,1!rfilrgp:"", 33,waspured rrom histruck andbadry bearen scenewas."rshi;;;l;t,tn" 1992raceriotsin Lur,tng"i"r.
j:t"JJ'i:i'^U;,**u###ii l,i;l;t*;klitrl'l Jti fi::"''r"r',1fl liilit/,n:n:i:#lr:nr;il* ^""".1Tii,",5,?,:iti[1if *il#ij#lfr was rescueci ou,:f"';::it ,-.J;;Y"l:"j,::'[il;,o,"::"u in" iirr,o,eandviorent
Whatdo you think should happento the attackers? continuereadingand answe,ir," qu""tions berow:
*",.]t',|, i;ffi :1L:"1;
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D e n n y w a s J e f tw i t h permant o n v s i c a ld e f o r m ' . , " ; r e c o v e rn , riracutousli;;;; h a n d i c a p sb u t h e d i d 1|"t eventually 11,
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Discussion 1. Why clo you think Denny forgavehis attackers? 2. Do yoLrthink forgiving them did any good? ac'lmirehis act of forgiveness? -1.Do ,vor.r 4. WoLrldyou have forgiven thc men if they had ctrnc the samething to you?
Language Match the words on the left with those on the right to make whole expressionsabout forgiveness: a. grudge l. forgive arrcl b. cheek 2. wrlter urrdcrthe c. forget 3. turn the other d. shoulder 4. br-rrythc e. hatchet -5.holcl e f. bridge 6.got a chip on his
Now use the expressionsin these sentences: 7. I always forgivepeople.I'm not the sort of personto... 8. We usedto be bitter enemiesbut that's all .. ..now. 9. If possible,the best policy is . . . . If you can't forget, at least try to forgive. 1 0 . I t h i n k I n e e dt o g o a n d t a l k t o S a l l ya n d 'We . can't keePignoring e a c ho t h e r l i k e t h i s . 1 1 . I f s o m e o n eh u r t s o r i n s u l t sy o u , y o u r i n s t i n c t is to get revenge.The harder opti
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In small groups, decide if you would forgive the people involvedin the situationsbelow:
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Discussion 1. Your father tells you, when you are 30, that you are adopted. 2. Yor.rfincl out that your partner of 15 years has been sleepingwith your best friend. 3. You cirtch your mother reading your diary. 4. You lenclyor-rrcar to a colleagueat work who damagesit beyond repair. -5. Yor-rrpartner slapsyou in the face in the heat of a seriousargument. 6. Yor-rrbrother/sist:' forgets your birthday. 7. You're in hospitalfollowing a major operationand your best friend doesn'tvisit you. 8. You find or.rtthat a good friend of yours has been revealingyour intimate secretsto others. 9. A strangerin a bar spills a cold beer on your new shirt and just laughs. 10. While making love, your partner calls you by someoneelse'sname. ln Americawhen a criminal is found guilty,the victim is allowedto make a speech in court addressing the criminal.Do you think this is a good thing? Why? lf you were a victim, what sort of speech would you give?
Quotations Which of the following quotationsis your favourite?Why? A l w a y sf o r g i v ey o u r e n e m i e s- n o t h i n g a n n o y st h e m s o m u c n . Oscar Wilde An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The Bible "l can forgive,but I cannot forget" is only "l a n o t h e rw a y o f s a y i n g c a n n o tf o r g i v e " . H.W. Beecher,American clergyman
"l W h e n a m a n s a y s c a n n o tf o r g i v e , "h e i s "l l y i n g .W h a t h e m e a n si s , w i l l n o t forgive." Anonymous The stupid neitherforgive nor forget;the naive forgiveand forget;the wise forgive but do not forget. Thomas Szaz, American psychiatrist
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Iaboos and /ssues
Turningthe other cheek
The deathpenalty Discussion
-a-.:il,lil n, ".,r, jlo),:r, " :: li.J,":,, ",,r, jl:"1 t,,.,wharofrencesi How,is-ir,#.i.aour: Work in pairs. Disc
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Reading Read the text below
penat,y : l:,iTi"',',t herore rt,e tffi"ii"iiT:n7'n,o,, a,,ack? My sisterwas walking home from work yearsago wf two her una,tili to steal hur'"J,:l'"-men,stopped
saythatif youexecure a murderer ,l:,T:l^*Ole you becomea murder". vor^utf, t--uianr,,,noa
anaihei stabbed n",.,1.lfl3.f,"r?l"rl""'irted
tak" ,om"oil, riru, yo,, lnn l;;: i: I uou ro'nJ'"'iiu'?"i:t"'::?T li:il;"H;'" u",,n"",il t"%:Hi::?J,:'"i"J t changeJ.s,:meone,
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easyto be liberaland ro say tharlu, lr:,lY t iian,i ;;1,;;" punishmenr. Butnor.now.il;;;;r:""..::;Tl that
the police..caught my were eye witnesse.s; ,iriui,r"killers:there iflur"- *u, forensic evidence.I th< guvs should die for whafthey did T^*: iT* only I ney not took her life,they changedthe liv
sister didn'thavethe luxury of sayinggoodbye.
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tnrnkso. Life imprisonrnent is meals,readingand televisi"" a iifetimeof hot _ ,a',n"'an*Ouy"r, expense. Thatis not a suitabf" pr"irnr"nt for a murderer. Butdeathis.
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How do you feel about the writer,s views: . surprisccl ? . shocked? . synrpatheric?
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penalty'Add other arguments of your own. Are you basicallv - i n favour of or against punishment? capital 39
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v ict cor.r cornpensate irnprison punish abolish
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Harold Spearsreturned home a free man yesterday.He was lucky to be alive. He had been (1) . . . of murder in 1998 and sentencedttr . . . by lethal injection.Beforethe be (2) sentencecould be carried out, the US state he ... the death l i v e d i n p a s s e da n e w l a w ( 3 ) (4) was therefore penalty.Mr Spears' . . . . Two months later reducedto life (5) . . . new evidenceemerged.Mr Spearswas found to be innocent!He was freed on appealand will receive$250,000 in (6) .
Discussion Work in small groups. Read these texts and discuss the questionsbelow each one.
The TimothyMcVeighCase M o r e t h a n 1 0 0 0 s u r v i v o r so f t h e OklahomaCity bombing in the U n i t e d S t a t e sw e r e a s k e d i f t h e y wanted to witnessthe executionof TimothyMcVeighby lethal injection at TerreHauteFederalPrison,lndiana. The deathchamberat the prisonhas but over only eightseatsfor witnesses, 2 0 0 o f h i s v i c t i m sa n d t h e i rf a m i l i e s watchedhis executionby live video link. 1. Do you feel it is right that the survivorsof a terroristact should be invited to watch the convicted terroristbeing executed? 2. Do you think an executionlike thisshould be televised- then anyone who wantedto watch it would have the opportunity? Shouldthe programmebe shown around the world on satelliteTV? 3. Public hangingwas abolishedin Britainin 1868and the death penalty for murder was abolished in 1969.ls this evidenceof a more humaneand civilisedsocietyor of cowardIy, Ieft-wi ng Ii beralism?
The SaudiSituation
.I,100 saidit knewof morethan Amnestylnternational peopleexecutedin SaudiArabiain the past20 years/ with the currentaveragestandingat two public everyweek.A swordis usedand as manyas beheadings threeblows may be requiredto cut the headoff. 1. What is your reactionto this information? 2. Do you think somemethodsof executionare more acceptablethan others?If so, which? 3. "lf someoneis being executedfor a particularly horrendousmurder,their deathshould be as painful and humiliatingas possible." How do you feelabout thisstatement?
The Caseof PatrickNicholls PatrickNicholls,jailedfor life 23 yearsagofor the familyfriend,was freed murderof a74-year-old yesterdayby the Courtof Appeal.The court thatthe evidenceusedto convictMr acknowledged N i c h o l l sw a s u n r e l i a b laen dt h a tt h e i n j u r i e s u f f e r ebdy causedby a fall. were,in all probability, the 7A-year-old 1. How do vou think Mr Nichollsfeelsnow? 2. How can the statecompensatehim for 23 yearsof wrongfuI i mprisonment? 3. Have therebeenany caseslike thisin your country reCentlY? 4. WouldMr Nichollshavebeenexecutedin vour country?
Some countries give relatives of the victim a choice of what should happen to the murderer: they can 'blood money' from the murderer as agree to the murderer being executed, or they can ask for compensationfor the loss of their loved one and the murderergoes to prison.What do you think about this? Taboosand /ssues
The death penalty
Addictions Discussion work in pairs' List at least 5 different things that people can become addicted to. choose one from your list and discuss the possible results of this addiction. work in pairs.Ask each other questionsfrom one of the questionnaires:
D R I N KA N D Y O U 1 . D o y o u d r i n ka l c o h o el v e r yd a y ? 2. How muchdo you drinka week? 3. Do you evergetdrunk?How often? 4. Do you needa drinkto relax? 5. Do you drinkwith otherpeopleor on your own? 6. Do you regularlyget a cravingfor a drink?(= a verystrong desire) 7 . D o y o u t h i n ki t , sa h a b i to r a n a d d i c t i o n ?
SMOKINGAND YOU 1. Do you smoke?Cigarettes? Cigars? A pipe? 2. How manydo you smokea day? 3. Do you smoketo relax? 4.Do you feernervousif you haven,thad a smoke for a rongtime? 5. Do you getstrongcravings? 6. Do you wish you couldstopsmoking? 7 . C o u l dy o u g i v ei t u p e a s i l y ? .
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work in pairs' studentA read extract 1, student B read extract 2. Then report the contents to each other. Extract I Slowly, the drink began to take over and things got worse. His behaviour was becoming unpredictable.He tells of one incident in a club on a Sunday afternoon when a fight broke out and he and some friends were involved. Minutes later he was outsidebeing questionedby police and then spent severalhours at the police station.He was releasedwithout chargebut, in spite of that shock, rhe next day he was banging on the door of his local pub five minutesbefore opening time, craving his first drink of the day. Then it dawnedon him. What kind of person stands outside a pub every day desperatefbr a drink,/ Only someonewith a drink problem. He was a well_known sportsmanperhaps, but secretly he was a l o n e l yd . e s p e r a tael c o h oi lc . 40
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Extract 2
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One day, he arrived for training in a bad state.It was to be the big turning point. The first personhe saw was SteveJacobs. "I've got a drink problem ancl I need to go to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous," he blurted out. At lastl He'd said it! Tony Adams, respected captainof Arsenal and an Eneland internationalw . inner of six maio, t r o p h i e si n E n g l i s hf o o t b a l l ,w a , a s k i n c f o r h e l p f o r r h e f i r s r r i m e i n h i s l i l ' e .H e finally admitted that he had a problem that was too powerfulto faceon his own. Almost immediately,a ray of hope came to him. Despitethe messhe was in. if he could devote the same enthusiasmand energyto keepingoffalcohol as he had to playingfootball,then he had a chance.
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Discussion Now read the texts again and choose the best answers below: 1.ln a. b. c.
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the club one Sundayafternoon thc lvritcr's iriends startcda fight' the writer startecla fight. it is not clear rvho stirrtedthe fight.
2. The writer rr. kncw hc cor-rldstop drinking by himself. b. eskcdsomeoncto hclp him stop drinking. c. met sonreonefrom AlcohcllicsAnonymous. Why do you think that such a successfulsports person becamean alcoholic?
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Use these words to completethe sentences:
Use the correct form of these expressions to completethe sentencesbelow:
ttdLlictit,e ttddict dtldictat! tttldictirtrt
alcobrtlic ttlcohol tlcrtbolism
to numbcr of peoplcare . 1. A sLrrprisitrg grunbling. 2. Hc checkeclinto rr clitricto try to get over his clrr.rg. .i.l'vc never met anyonewho is actuallya drug 4. Uoth heroit-tanclcrack cocaineare ertremely . substirnces. when he .5.Shc rerliseclhe w:rs an . . strrrtcdclrinkingat breakfasttime. (r.The problem got so bad he startedhiding . . . irroltnclthe house. . is a daily process.[t 7. Overcotning. . rrerlnssavitrs'n(t'to drink everyday for the rest of vottr life.
seekltrofessionalh elP get with drawal sYmPtoms kick the habit haue a drink Droblem tuke dn orrrdo* 1.I think my boss You can smell alcohol on his brcath first thing in the morning. 2. Shedied after accidentallY of sleepingpills. 3. A lot of peoplewant to give up smoking,but it's very difficult to . ' . 4. When he wasn't able to get hold of any drugs for a few davs. he started to . . '
.5.When he realisedhe was addictedto alcohol. hedecidedto.....
Discussion Discussthese questionsin Pairs: l. What is the differcncebetweena habit and an addiction? 2. t-ook irgrrinirr the list you made earlier.Are sometypes of addiction more sociallyacceptablcthan othcrs?If so, which typesand why do you think this is so? -1.Arc the following addictionsreally possible?Are they dangerousin any way? M1, son's nldictetl to footboll! lt's like a drug to hint.
I'm a shopaholic! I cdn't resist buying cktthes.
I'm d chocaholic! I can't liue a day withctut it.
4. Do ,vouiecl that there are certaintypes of personalitywho are more likely to becomeaddicts? .5.What woulcl vou clo if you for-rndout that a colleaguehad a seriousaddiction problem, but was ckringr-rothingrrbotrtit? Iaboosand /ssues
Addictions
40
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Unit by unit notes 1 Death Bc aware that a discussionof death at any rlme rs capableof triggeringpowerful emorions. Reading Put the s.tudentsin pairs. Each member of the pair reac'lsa different text, then reports the contents of the texrs to each other. They then w.rk rhrorrg,hthe questionsrug"rh"r. ' A n s w e r s :1 . p r o b a b l yb . 2 b . StLrdents could look at the discussionquestions in prilirsancj rhen report back to ttr. .t]rr. Language l. dying 2. murder 3. dying 4. killing .t. kill 6. murder 7. death S. murder 9. death 10.death The three idiomatic expressions all mean: .He,s dead.' Discussany similar ."pr.rri.r* ir_,tt,. stuclenfs'own Ianguage(s). Thc carroon introducesthe related and cJrrngerous area of suicide. See:rlsoUnits 28. 39.
2 Nudity Discussion Ask students if they have ever experienced a n y t h i n gl i k e t h e s i r u a r i o n si n 1 _ 6 . Reading lb 2a 3 Ir is possible. Discussion t l . t f c c l . c v e r yb c r c h s h o u l db e a naturisr ,'. Dench.z. I hc.ywill defendthem in court if they have behavedreasonably. 3. A ;u;. cross-Channel relay swim. 4. Discountson ferry services,car rental and breakdown ir.rsurance, irnd nudist Caribbean.ruir.r. Language I . p o s s i b l y2 . b a s i c a l l y3 . i d e a l l y 4. realistically5. surprisingly 6. obviously 7._Surprisingly8. Basically"9. Ideally-1 0 . r e a l i s t i c a l l y1 : | .O b v i o u s l y 12.possiblv
3 Pofiticallyincorrectjokes Be rvarnedrhat although this ls not a sertous .i;s1e',it is potentiallyone of the units most likcly to offend. Language l. rnake 2. drown 3. put 4. climb 5. throws 6. rerrain 7. have g. take 9. c a l l 10.say
You could put the studentsin pairs and grve jokes 1-5 ro one srudenr and e_t0 to the other. \X/henthey have completed rhem, ger srudenrsro tell the jokes to each other. Reading Pre-teachany vocabularystudents rnight need. Ncrte:a pit-bull terrier is a parricularly fierce breed of dog.'Woof is the word *. u* ,,, describea dog's bark - it is also the sound of something bursting into flames. Follow-up There are lots of websitesdedicated jokes to of this kind. You could ask studentsro searchfor more jokes on specificsubjectson the web.
4 Tabooconversationtopics Different cultures seedifferent subjects as taboo. You can exploit this with a multi_lingual class. Reading Get studentsto read the conversations and work out the peopleand situationson their own and then compare their answersln palrs. Discussion In Britain it is not ,the done thins, to ask people how much they earn .r, h.r* -uJh they weigh. Possiblereplies to the questionsin conversations 2 and 3 are:, Conversation2: Nor ds much as I,d lika; Solicitors aren't as uell paicl as you think, you know; Oh! I get by; I don't thiik that,s any of your business. Conversation3: That's a rather Dersonal question; More than I should: li na1, look a lct b.ut it's all muscle,you know; I donlt knctut_ I daren't get on the scalesthese tlays. The cartoon This gives you the opportunity to ask studer-rts if religion is a taboo topic among their friends. Language 1Q 2R 3Q 4R 5R 6Q 7R 8Q eR You could now return to conversations 2 and 3 and ask studentsto.readthem in pairs, inserting some of the expressionsfrom this exercrse. Your best friend To finish off, put srudentsin pairs and ask them to chooseone of the statementsand write a short dialoguearound it. They can then read their dialoguesro the class.
Unitby unit notes Taboosand /ssues
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5 lt shouldbe banned! This unit coversa lvidc variety of topics.If, on one f
6 Not my type T'[risunit looks at ph,vsicalattraction- but at which repel rather habits arnclchirracteristics to check the list migl-rt want You tlrrrn rrttrrrct. on thc seconclpage fttr artythingpotentially or
Reading F-achnrerlber of a pair rcadsa differentletter. Thev therrrcport the lettersto eachother before working throtrghthe discussionquestions. Discussion l.l fcat likc being sick;this rnust be sttmekind of'ltcrnttnent conditictn;I can't go on bolding nry brcttth: I t*tn't et'en look in her direction tt'ben sbc tttlks to me; This is not your duerdge ntrtrrring-breathkintl of smell - this is more like sornctbingbrts tlied inside her. The cartoon the cartoon: bestclescribes Which rrcljective iurtrtt,,oiicnsit,c,childish, racist, mdle cb,tttt,i rti st,stttPi di Iaboosand /ssues
Follow-up Ask studentsto write a letter basedon those they read earlier,either fr
7 Sex for sale Discussion lc 2c 3d 4b 5f 6a Note that the term escort is often used as a itttl t'. euphemismf|
I Swearing Pleasenote this unit not only discusses swearing,it also containsactual swearwords' Reading Studentscould work in pairs ar-rdread one text each,then report to each other beforeworking through the questionstogether. Answers:2 and 3 are true. 4 It's a possibility. Language You should crossout the following: 1. rude 2. obscene 3. eood 4. terrible Unit by unit notes
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Discussion It is very diificulr for studentsto appreciate the exirct force of sll
irisapprop,.,"* *;I: lT:,:,[1il:":l-Hffi
pollrf oLltthat if they decide,., ur.-r*"nr words, rhey ru,r a high risk of _;;;ri,, *rnn* rrnclsounding either very silly or ve_ryoffensive. Avoiding swear words f u c k 2 . F l i p p i n g= fuckine rI . ti ,' r=t e c r l r r-r gh,l o o d ) . 4. suglr = shit -i. P = piss 6. B = batstard
9 Torture Discussion Accorclingto Amnesry Inter:national:1. At least 124countries).
Ar t"rrt +e
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securiry
involved
or ill_treatingtheir .irir"rrr.t
Reading The counrriesirre: Chile,
the
USA and France. l. Sothatshewor-rtd ;h;",-'l-Jo} i pri.r, si"; who hadaskeci herforn"lp. 2. i;fl*'p,rti." .fficerswerepunisrr"a in ,iiuj.;';j ,;" number of conrplaints.
3. In abor-rtwho suppliedrh; :ir;."rormatron Discussion Ciivestirdentsa few minutes to think abour thesecluestions alone beforethey discuss rhem. Language1
l. rrsa resultof 2. f<.tr the restof 3. rn an inrerviewwith 4. lr.r "n .ffort ,"' ,. l, the hands
rheabsence r>f7. in"i;",.; 8.byrhe liirl;l,, Language2 l. by the enclof 2.,ar the hands of 3. rn view rrhe rest of 5. as " l"lrr, "i 6. in an utrervlew with 7. in an effort to S. in tlr" absenceclf Extra activity Ask studentsif they have ever seenor cxpe.'encedheavy_handed police acii,"rr.t, ,h. use .t rear gas,rubber bullers";J;;;.. cr.lnnonsacceptilble for crowd .o.,r.o'il S e ea l s o U n i t 3 9 .
10 Sexualharassment Look for cllrrcnt cases fo acld to this unit. Reading harassrnenrin France is limited to ,1::t*:", r-r.rassrnenr by a sLrperi.rof a ,";;;;;;;,..
2. Usually a woma.n is fired, then she goes rc) courr. 3..Many judges blame ,lr.l-r".y ,fr. woman dresses. Language l. in 2. for,of 3. at 4. wirh 5. up 6. abour 7. between Ask studentsif rhey agreewith scnrcnce4. Foltowing
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Discussion Students can discuss the situations in pairsor smallgroupsbeforeo f""db"lk ,.rr",i'rv,rf-t ,fr. wholectass.Ask srudents ri,;;;il; 'srruarions rhemof a personal.rp.r,.r,.". :.Tild Ask the classif they find ,h; .:".,;'uff"r.,riu.. Follow-up Ask students to find a caseof fernale_ro_male harassment on fhe web beforefhe next lesson.
11 Briberyand corruption Language 1c 2f 39 4h 5b 5a 7d ge
r,hospiratity lpurrir.,ty a bribe)
: fl|{t^ JI . a brthe 4. a rewa
7. infruenceg. n fru:rXrJ'
a tip 6' a perk
A s k s r u d e n r si f r h e y h r v c e v e r h e e ng i v c n a rip. a reward or a bri
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Reading Studentscould work in groups of three. Each member of the sro.up reads a different article.
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Language 1. reward 2. favour 3. influence 4. perks .''' 5. rip 5. hospitalitv 7. bribes g. oii Discussion Make sure studentsare aware that they can suggestalternativeresponses in eachsituation. You could also ask eachgroLrpto rhink of a . n o r h ebr r i b e r ys i r u a t i o n / dilemma to plrr ro the other groups. Seealso Unit 20.
Unitby unit notes Taboosand /ssues
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12 Designerbabies irt rvhich geneticsciencets Clivcn tl-respeec'l looks set to be at the cieveloping, this sr-rb;ect forcfront of ethical clcbirtefor somc years to conre.Studcrrtsmay have strong views on the cxtent to r,vhichwc should interfcre with naturc rrnclthe possibleeffectsof such interference, wl-rethcrbcneficiirlor otherwise. Reading babv girl becausetheir only The -|oneswant e-r diecl ancl the,vfeel that their family claughter 'ir lacks fcmrrleclimension'. IT 2F3T Discussion (,ive str-rclents two or three minutesto think abolrt this alone beiore pr-rttingthem in small lirollps to sharctheir views.You could then take rr clrrssvote irnclhold a classdebate. Language Yrrr.rshcrulclcross olrt: build and straight. Discussion You coulcl ask str-rdents to give more examples geneticengineeringto people might use of how 'crcrlte'peoplein thc future. Notc thc quote at the bottom of the page.Ask stuclentsto crplain what the professormeans and ask whcther they agreewith his prediction.
1 3 C h i l d r e nw h o k i l l Cirsesof chilclrcncommitting brutal and horrific nrurclersin both the UK and the US prompted this unit, which rrrisesthe questionsof why thcscthings happenanciwl-ratshould be done irbout thc perpetrators. Discussion You could rrlsodiscr-rss the age at which people cilu vote, join the army, have sex legally,smoke, bu.valcohol,get married anclget a driving licencc. Reading Answers:The latesttrend is to treat child killers "if as thouglr the,vlvcrc adr"rlts: you are old enoughto kill, you are old enoughto face adult penalties." True or false? lF - hc nra.vget pirrolc 2T 3T 4T Language I b 2cl .la 4e -5c 6. evidencc(the othersare people) 7. fine (a plrnishment,not i-lcrime) 8. adult (the others rrreirll voufrgpeople) 9. witness(the othersall Taboosand /ssues
have negativeconnotations) 10. setltence(the others are all to do with beine freecl) Follow-up Studentschooseone of thc four final discussiorl questionsanc'lwritc their response. S e ea l s oU n i t s 1 7 , 3 8 , 3 9 .
14 Gaysand jobs Over the past 20 or 30 yearsattitudes(and laws) in many countriestowards gays havc becomeconsiderablymore liberal. Howeveq tt.t some areasof life, there is still considerable prejudice.In somecountrieshomosexuality remainsa taboo subiectand homosexualacts may even be illegal.Peopleoftcn havc strong feelingsabout gay issues. Reading 1. The secondarticle.The problem is that thc mayor wants her lesbianpartner to be the mayoress.2. The first article.The personis leaving the navy becausehe feelsthat the (iovernmentshould not allow gaysto join the armed forces. True or false? 7T 2F 3F 4T Language 1. good military reasons,political and legal reasons,for similar reasons,for no good military reason,she seesno reasonto ..., 'l 2. d is wrong. seeno reasoltto changetny mind' is correct English. 3. 1. one good reason 2. the real reason 3. no reason 4. some reason. 4. powerful does not fit. The cartoon You may have to explain what a fete is and a ' 'guess the weigbt of the caAe competitior-r.
15 Animalrights The subjectof animal rights can provokc strong feelings,as evidencedby the activiticsof the Animal LiberationFront in the UK, an organisationwhich takes forceful,direct actiotr organisationsand individualsir-rvolved agair-rst in using animalsin scientificcxperimcnts. Discussion Possibleuses:We keep them as pets,use their skin and fur for clothes,test medicitresancl cosmcticson them, farm thern for meat or
r Reading (clockw.ise fronr top left, ending in the rniddle)_ a.l.lc\t.spaper article;an aclvertisenrent for a a ,rcwspaperor on a biltboard); an ::1.:::-,(lf ectvcrtlsclncnt filr puppies(in a newspaper' rrr a sh'tr'rrvincl.*,sonle
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il::i:li:r', r.ricc irr rrzoo;a1,:ii,;l';J::,:l*: lahcl,rnf,r,,i-p.l-il*,,r* Language tN 2N 3() 4() 5() 6N 7() 8() eN l0o llN l2N Discussion N
" cjisc'ssio' ;,,-,;.',;:,;:'ilil l.lj;::]'n 16 Marriage
Alrnost ccrtainlysomeone in the classwill be se'pararecl or hilve parents,_h., hru."r.i_,nrnr..t ()r.c\,'cltrlrc separating at the moment. ObvioLrslr,,,rhi.s topic l-an [.,eu"r1, frr^fr-,t f,r, nranv preople. Discussion Yrlu coulclrrskstucients for other sayingsrhat t h e l ' k n o w .r b o u t l o v c a n d relationships. Who befieveswhat?
rs 2.1.ts 4.1rs
Language l. sign r. brc.akscbrvn 3. Iast 4. work .I. split up 6. colttcsts 7. break Discussion YoLrcoulcluse onc of thesepoints as the basis firr e firllow_upr writing r"rki S c ca l s o L ] n i t s2 . 1 ,2 9 . 32.
17 Nobody needs a gun Thcrc Arc nlrrnvwebsites connectedwith both D u n b l a r r ea n c lC l o l
i' r<,e,.j.:.h;,i;I'll,i:: *:'j Jlff enan,es ,:r brrckgroLrncl
infonnation or if studelrtsto clo sonrcreseitrch.,nr-'_,rr, y,r,,r. Reading T h i r i s i l l ) ( , r . \ ( )t ln( as opposedtc_r .._+.._r.. an \ ( ) \ ' ( ) un r r g.)plnron h rw a n r r o r e i l c il t a l o t r dw h i l e -..llil.. sruclcnts rerlcl,fo help enhance the ef-fect,rf sontc()lre crplressingthcir view. Discussion ( l i r t ' s ft r t l e n t 5 i l f ( , u . ll.llnLltes to irnswer the (r'estrol.ls ar.re befi
Answers: r. a,,g"., ;::i,l[.:il :i:';:li::T'
and despair. 4. After the Dunblanc r.)rassacrc, l.)y: rvc.retrghtenccl. Norhirrg i"pp.n".l il" :rtter Clolumbinc. Language1 I . illegal 2. ouflarvecj .1.lives 4. weapon .!. in self-defence Language2 lc 2a 3d 4e 5tr Discussion If time is short, put.students_ in snrallgroups and let thenrchoosewhich sct of quesrionlthey want to discuss.Tl is vcry p,wcrful. see ars, Units 5, , j, ;;.t"t'"
18 The safeof humanorgans This unir looks at organ transplants:rnclsome of the r:elirted moral and cthical irrl,*.'if " member of the class.has ""), .ii;..:;;,'.'ln',ri.".t experienceof transnlan,r,_ah"u ,""u'ir.'*if ling t
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Extra activity In the UK,peoplegivc bkr'cl vollrntarily,witlr.ut paymeut, but in some countriesblood cionors are paid for their contributionr. d;;r',r,ryone in classgivc blood? Arc they,pnid?i, ;;is rieht? Folfow-up Asl
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This unit ainrsfo be inforrnirtive as well as provoking cliscussion. As thc ".ri.]t" ,fr, gun.l information is the hesr way of prcventingAIDS - much of rhe blame for rhe .,r"r"-r"i"g sprread of AIDS can be amributed ,,, ,*".rr,r..1",r.1i
Unit by unit notes Taboosand /ssues
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A discussionon AIDS may rarse prcjr"rdice. issuesrclrted to malc homttsexuality,morality rrnd scnrrrlfrcecloln.You needto considerthis whether to Llsethis r:nit. lvhcrr clecic'ling
reputationsfor lying. If so, which arc thc worst?
Discussion 1. a, b rrrtclcl rrreall possibleways of passingon HIV infection. 2. Thev are all farlse.
that when discussingab
Reading l . S u b - S a h a r aAr rf r i c a 2 . N o . 3 . R o u g h l ye q u a l numbcrsof mcn and women. 4. Young adults anclpcopleir-rearl.vmiddlc age
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Discussion | . Thc treatmentsare roo expensive.2. It kills the pcoplewho raiscthe children,support the elclerlvar-rdbuild the country'seconomy. 3. (loocl information about how to prevent irrfection.4. The clifficultyof using condoms; i-rwot.rtrln'sclcpendencyon her husband; the that there is a dcnial of sorlc governl-nents prclblerrr. Language1 2. clevelop3. producc 4. have -5.prevent 6. bc rr-radc7. arvoicl8. fight f . increase 1 0 .m r r k c l l c l I Z c 1 3 a l 4 e 1 5 b Language2 3. available l. clevckrped2. prodr-rcecl 4. prevcnt -5.increasing 6. avoid 7. had tl. fight 9. nrirke
2 0 T e l l i n gl i e s Discussion After the trrsk,ask studentswhether their partuer wrrs goocl irt l-vingor not. Reading IF 2T 3T in 1974 to start writing, in order 1. Hc resignecl to pay off his debts. 2. He resignedin 1986 over storicsrtbout sendingd2000 to a prostitute. .1.Becausethey allegedthat he slept witl-ra prostitute. 4. Becirusehe admittcd pcrsuaclingrr frietrdto lie for him. Language rr. teeth b. lie c. inch d. answer e. leg f. pack l. pulling 2. give 3. lying 4. trust 5. told 6. tcll Tell the truth! [.et studentswork through the questionnairein prrirsbeiore comparinganswersas a class. Extra activity Prrtthis list on the board: Lawyers,estate politicians, second-handcdr salesmen, Ltgents, tltc police. Ask the cl:rssif anv of them have Iaboosand /ssues
S e ea l s oU n i t s 1 1 . 2 3 .
21 Abortion
Languageand discussion lb 2d 3c 4a At thc end of this discussiortscction,students are askedoutright for their victr,'on irbortton. Do not pressstudentsto give thcir views if they prefcr not to. Reading Shefeelsher decisionwes e positivconc. Language \c 2e 39 4d 5f 6h 7a 8i 9b What about the father? This short readingtext prornptsthc often forgotten question of the father's rights towards Discussit in srnallgroups or a pre€inancy. briefly as a whole class. Discussion Ask studentsfirst to divide the 10 views int
22 Nationalstereotypes This unit is a relativelylight-heartedlook at but it can, of course,still national stereotypes offend. To take discussionto a deeperlevel, however,you might wish the classttl cratlline the effcctsof stereotyping.ls it nothing morc than a subtleform of racism?Does it have ir negativeeffect?If so, what is that effect?Or is it really no more than a little harmlessfun? Discussion If some studentscreatetheir own versiot-tof thc ;oke, ask them to read it alor-rdto the clalss. True or false? 1F - the surveywas conductedin Ar-nerica2T 3T 4F - they want to havc things just likc at home 5F - thcy ncver leavea tiP 6T Language Ic 2d 3a 4b 5f 6e 7i 8k 99 10i 111 12h Discussion Emphasisethere are no right answershere and try to keep the discussionlight-heartcd. Unit by unit notes
F Foflow-up Ask stuclentsto write a clescriptionof their own
25 lmmigrationand racism
Theyrray wanrro explode somc ]_l.l]ll,i"]ltt: nrvths!lf rhcv
This is a highlv sensitive urrit.Thc issucsrhat it ririseshave beer_r the flirshpointfor nors, terrorisrnanclevertrvars. Usc rvith cautlonl Reading lF 2T l. Therc rs nothing firr thern ro do _ no entertainmcnt,n() cinerna, ctc. 2. Bccrruse the refr-rgees need tt"t'" pctrceanclquiet. 3. There was no ,,r.,ra.
olriectto national sfereorypng, rrskthenr ro wrire erplaining why, with "'' rr.ft.rr'ller. t. pt,rs,rrrrl' a*p.r;ln,_...'' SccrrlsoUnit 2-i.
23 Cheatingon your partner True or false? lF tF .tt- 4T tT
Language1 1e 2c 3a 4b .jcl 5. illegal immigranrs
Language lttd tt orta ni,qbt sfuntl,, sleep arotmtl, gontg to bctl u,it/t lsonteoncl, tteert intirrtttte tuitb (Ltn ()t b cr t Lt{)| | tttfi ), b,r r r rrui't i" (u'ri"7tI r' rr r r, Discussion
7. borderconrrolss. ;nr,.,rig.rii,r,i,,rri.inr,
9. asylurnseckers 10.
cconilnic rnigrants Ask if srudentshave reacl any reporrsof illegal immigrantsdying on their j,r,,rniyr. - "'' " If so, ask whose fault the cleaths *.r".
pairsor smallsroLrps ro srarrrhe ,l,T: :::U:lr1in clrscussron. Then
involv" th. wh,rl" class.y,ru c-ruld tr1' ancl get sruclenrs ," ;r;.: ,i,r'r".",lr" .lreing Iine ialls [-,ctr,v.]c,r fri."jr:'r".f ;rr, 'chcaring'.
Language2 lA 2P 3p 44 5D 6D 7D 8A or l) (clepending on rhe conrexr)
S e er r l s oU n i r s 1 6 ,2 0 .
Folfow-up Ask studentsto search thc wcb for information on immigrantsor racisrn in thcir homc rown.
24 Are you happywith your body? Closnrctic surgcryis on the increase anclpeople ilre strtrtln.qto have it rrt an increasinglyy.rung", age.,Thisunit prronr;.rts haIf_serio.,r'Jir.urriun on rhe ropic irnci is unrikery ,,, ,,ri.',...]bur, as illwrlvs,be scnsitive. Bring sonrepicturesto class_ thin supermodels, nrusclynren fr.m health "r,ngnrin;r,iiverw"ight peoprle, balclnrenetc. Discussion Vru coulclfinclout rvhefhe r anyonein classhas haclplasticsurgeryn,knn*r-"iri"""'rf-', n"r. Reading l. Thcy rv:lnrro look like the peoplethey see in fil's a'cl
rnrguzines. 2. He ,ildh;
ri," _", r(x) )'oun.q.-1.Thev are becoming'inc;asingly c-.'ce'ecl with their physrcal "p;;;;;... 4. Ilecrruse his wife wanred hint to. Language l . r h i n o p l a s f v( n o s c i o b ) Z . v a r i c o s ev e r n rcrrovrrl 3. hair inrplant +. t,.""rr .nl,i.r"nl"n, -i. facclifr 5. runrnrvruck Discussion T l r c t t ' r r . r l r o u tr h c f r r t r e n i n g r ( ) o m si s conrplcrell.rrureirnd is he.e'ibr - ir", ""f,fr."sl-t str
cle.rsma).'v,r.r r r,,dir.ur, rrrJii",ri' u.r,,.rn. i
SecrrlsoLJnits6, .16.
fii.;::i:ifi J?, ::i:L:[i]i:[,'ff;.;'", n.,,
responsetO it, either agreeing or clisagrecrng. Seeirlso lJnit 22.
26 Changingsex Peoplewho changetheir sex can arolrsesrrong feclingsin others;mosr peoplewill have little or no experienceol understanding of the problcm.
l,
,rl1t bea goodicleer ro f,,"f;,r-rfr. i,",,
f,,, Iooking at rhc informarion l]ox at ,h.lbnrru_ of the secondpage in ,,..1., ,,, .1",,;;: rerrs gender and sex, ancl to erplain *hu ,,rrr.,.preople feel that a sex chang" ,rp.r"u,r,r',r'n-.rra.r.
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Languageand discussion Say the words for studenfs to repcat ancl get them to rnark the stress.
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Reading 1. Becausethe regular cusfoners felt r-rncomfortable. 2. No. True or false? lF - she srarrcdgoing recenrlv. 2T 3T Language The purposeof this activity is ro give studenfsir wide range of w.rds ro deicribe il,; ;h." would react ir.rrhe siturrrio,rs in rhe i.ffr*i"* discussion.Say the words f.r, ,tud.nir"ri, ----"" " ,.p"", irnclget them to nlark the stress-
Unitby unit notes Taboosand /ssues
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Discussion (ict stuclcntsto cliscr.rss the situationsin pairs or srrrrrllgrotrps.
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27 ls this news?
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Discussion Ask studcntslvhrrt thcir prcferredTV channelis for nelvs reporting ancl whv. Is tl-rerea Inorc 'sensi.ttiotrrtI' reports? c[rirttttcIfor ne'nvs Language rr. l)crrteub. unknort'n c. breaks d. rcgton e. ovcrcrowded f. filrl g. clead h. crossfirc i. r.verrthcrj. tracle k. blincl l. graphic Follow-up Write rr similrrrlctter to the one about thc Cbncorcledisastcr,cornplainingabout one of the tr,vclvcncws iteurson the secondpage.Pclintout thev can Llscfrorn the to stucicntsthe langr-rage lctter: Cor.rcorcle I LutttL'ritit\{lo srll' ... \Vitsi/ rcLtll\ nccessLlrlto ... Did it rtot
28 The right to die
t!
In sot-ueclrtssesstlrclelttsma,vhirve direct erpcrienceof fricnclsor relativeswho, as a rcsult of rrge,illnessor accident,have bcerlin ,.r lvherethe patient'sright to die has situetior.r For thescclassmembersthe beenconsiclcrec'I. to1'ricurrrvbe particularll'emotiveand npsetting'
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Discussion 2. sLricicle-1.mltrclcr 1. cuthrrtrrrsirr ,{. rnanslrrughter
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Rcfcr to thc bor rrt thc hottom of the scctlnd of tvpcs of euthanasia. page ior clefinitiorrs
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Reading rrt lf 1'ouplrtt to hrrverr whole classdiscl-tssirln thc cnd, rrllocatcfive minr-rtesfor each text so tl-rrrttl-regroups finish at thc sametime. Life and death 1.life 2. life -i. life/cleath4. cleath -5.death 6. life/clceth7. cleath 8. life 9. life/death 1 0 . l i f e l l . c l e i r t h l 2 . l i f e / c l e a t h1 3 . l i f e 1 4 .l i f c l . 5 . c l c e t h1 6 . l i f e l T . d e i r t h I [J.life/clcath Follow-up A s k s t r r . l c t t tts,r w r i t . l-50words on thcir vtew of euthrttrrrsirr. SecirlsoLInit l . Iaboosand /ssues
29 Old enoughto be her g randfather! Discussion rheir Searchthc web for famous couplcsusir-rg names,ttnd ltren4ttidl agreementor prcttttpti,tl contrdct. Reading You or a studentcould read the first letter alor-rcl to the class.Another studentcan rcrrclthe rcply. True or false? IT 2F 3T 4F Language1 7 probably apply to the rclationshipirr 6 ar-rcl the letters.Somepeoplemay think that 4 appliesbecauseof the age differcncc.(lvrrics might feel that 3 applies! a2 b4 c.5 Language2 lc 2d 3a 4b -5f 6e Discussion (extra activitY) Get studentsto write their own personal on a pieceof paper and stick advertisemcnts for everyoncto read. board them on the
30 Big Brotheris watching! This r-rnitis about privacv and the cxtent to which employerscan keep an eye or-rtheir workers and obtain irrformationabout thcm. which asks how It finisheswith a questitlrlnaire much you respectothers' privacy. Reading A 'cookie' is a filc placedon voLlrcompltter l'rv a Web scrveras a sort of ID. 1b or d 2. dn infringement of our ltriuacy 3. it nmy be utatchingyott, keep trdck of, keep an e)teon you, keep tabs on, lteing traced by, rccrtrd, track. Language PRIVATE - INSIDE: behind closeddoors, keep the pressout rtf her priuate life, insidc inforntation INFORMATION C;ETTING OUT: neursg,ot ctut, the affair leoked out, I feel exltosed,out in tbe open, soon-to-be-released 1. closed 2. or-rt 3. private 4. out -5.open 6. inside in thcir l)o studentshave sirnilarerprcssiot'ts own language? Privacy and you After the classhas discussedthe situationstn pairs or small groups,go through the situations Unit by unit notes
fIrs lr clrtssitncl seewhr; would do what: ,.In nurnber one, who would reird everypage?" etc.
31 Anxietyand depression We clo nor normally admit to being cleeply urrhaprp_v or depressed. This unit erplores the tl[roo of actuallr.admitting that yuu are not as happrl,rls voLl wclr.rlcl likc to be. Discussion Itcacltlic information irbout the surveyalor-rcj. Stuclcntsr'utswertl-requcstionsin pairs. Reading You nrishr wanr ro read this aloud while stuclcntsfollow. l. [Je rvassuffcringfrom depression.2. His nrarrirlec,his job, slcep,his sociallife _ his r,vl-rolc lifc, in firct. euestion 3 is irbout stuclents'or.vnerperiences. euestior-r4 is contpl(]tcgr_rcsswork. Language l. c'lorvn2. uslral -1.weather 4. low 5. top 6. harcl 7. under 8. take Senrence 3 is usuallv useclro trrlk irbout phvsicalhealth. Discussion Ask studcntsif thcy have had any experience of rrnyoi theseconclitions- either their own. or sourc()nethcy' knclrv. Reading If there is anv irdvicewhich srudentsthink is not helpfLrl,crrnthey add their own, better advice? Whirt rtbout rnedicationfrom the cioctor?
32 Gay families Ovcr the past 20 rtr .30vearsattitudes(and lan,s)in ntilnv countriestowards gayshave beconrcconsiclerably more libcral. Howevcr, ir.rsonreirrerrs
Discussion After studentshave discusscdtheir views in or small groups,perhitpstake a classvote 1-rairs on whether they think gavs should have rhe legal right ro rnarrv. Seealso Ur-rit16.
33 Begging Discussion tncourage studentsto tell cach other about anv experiences they have had with beggars. Discussion l. James2. Edilson 3. Ana 4. Atsuk
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34 Compensation culture Suingfor compensationis commonplarce in the US and on the increasein rhe UK. ioLr could supplementthis unit with rccentcasesfrom the press.Alternativcly, ask studentsto find .l case on the web, searchrngrvith words like szc, damages and contpensatton. Reading The last paragraphrefersro two absurd, potentialcompensarionclaims.Ask studentsif they think they could happen. Language 1. sue 2. awarded 3. get 4. took .5.settle 6. won 7. appeal
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Extra activity to usetheir f trst for iun, rtskstttclents to cornpletetheseheacllines: inrrrginrrtiot'rs sttt'lc'tt'l)(t Ittr ... T t ' l t l t t r s / / ( ' - i- i / / / ( / ( ' / t s l r t r . . . I)og sllcs ()tt'ttcr irtr ...
.\/l,ir'llls
Ou'rtt,rslrcs,/og ior ... C.hild suespLtrettts for ... srtr'cltilrl [,,r ... /'.n't'rtl-s
35 Sportand money
Language2 Put on u,eight and let )'rntrselfgt ilre tl-reocld
Discussion lc 2c .ld 4b .5e
L has let 2. has put orl 3. r'vatchirlg4. takc -5.stay 6. take 7. rvork out ti. palllper. 9. ltse
l\lichacl Schutrrtcheris paiclthe most, followcd Willirrrnsand.fones. bv Tigcr 'Woocls,Beckhrrttr,
Vanity survey put the If it would not causecmbarrassmcltt, rcsultsof the sLlrvey(namcsof stuclentsand points scorccl)orr displav in thc clrrss.
Reading Tl-rcsport is Americrttriootball. l. Pirrking,tickcts,rcfreshmentsanclsollvenlrs. ?. Becrluse hc thought it was very expensiveancl ,,von't lre going back. 3. The tnoney he pays he to scc rr grure prrvsthe large salariesthat the plirvcrsgct. If the plaversgot a more reirsrlnable srrlrrrv,he lvoulcl pl1' lessto secthe game. 4 . l l c e r r r r s t ' l ri cet ' l si t i s u r o t t g t o n e ) sportspcopleso rnr.rclrntottev r'vhenthere arc houtclcss;leoplcotl the streets. Language l. think ?. rnone)"s -1.pcnrtv 4. trouble .5.trv 6. rtrouncl 7. risk ir corrplete waste L80 tltnt,n tltc tlr,tirt = [t 'uvi-ts of dfl0. More issues Thc rncrt rrrc prricltnttrc becaltsethey are on court for longcr,ttftcrtdouble the time of thc wol-nen.Thc tnetrlrlsoirttractmore sponstlrship nlonc\'.
tr
36 Vanity
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be potentiallvvery enlbarrassing This unit cor.rlcl so Llservith caution! in certrritrclirsses, rtttdlvomen'shealth and Bring sortrcnrcr-l's t
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Language1 I . lots of men irrc startitrgto go to hcalth spils and gyms 2. pa,vingLtgreat clealof (unnecessar.v) attentionto their bodics 3. strot-tg s t o m a c hm u s c l e s( t h a t l o o k l i k e t h e and visible top of a sir-parckof Lreercans) 4. beconreless clearlyclefinedas to rvhat is male anclrvhat is fen-rale-5.working out, gettingbiggcr rnttsclcs 6. give thetrselvesL1new rolc in lifc
Discussion You uright wiutt to orgrrnisestudentsinto samethe statemcntsiirst. Then, if ser pirirsto cliscrtss so rnir thent possiblc, )'otl have a rnaleanclir the santestatements. fenr,rleclisctrssing Reading Tlrings thrrt nten clo: golilg n healtb spttsdnd g1,r//-s, botlt, brtir rcntot,tll,ntonicures,pedicures, tcctb tt'ltitening,liposrtctittn,plucking e)'ebrcxus. and/ssues Taboos
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The cartoon Thc cartoon could open Lrpthe topic of obesit,v: why people get fat; why it's OK tor ;-'rrnln to bc ovcrweight,but not for a woman etc. Is it trttc that insideevery fat persontherc is a thirr one to get ottt? strr-rgglirrg Seealso Unit 24.
3 7 L e g a l i s i n gd r u g s Rcmemberyou lnay have stttdcntswho havc experience(legalor illegal)of rccreational You rnay also have studcntswho have drr,rgs. direct or indirect erperience
a n a c l d i c t = s o l r l c o n c w h o r l e e d st o t a k e . r t l r u t l b e c o m c a d c l i c t e c l= t h e p r o c e s s o i b e c t l t t t i t l g . t t l addict c l v e r c l o s e= a d a n g e r t ) t l s a l n o L l l l t o f . t d r t t g corne off clrugs= brcak the addictiorl
Discussion The following reasonsare m e n t i o n e c7l .: 2 , 4 . 6 . Language L d e m r r g i r r g2 . a d d i c t i v e 3. beneficial 4. immediate,long-ternl i . l e g a l ,i l l e g a l 6. clesigner Unit by unit notes
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Follow-up Stuclents could useall or some of the eight strrtements in the last discr-rssion as the basisfor thcir own written opinion on legalisingdrugs.
Language2 1. convicted 2. erecuted .3.abolishing 4 . p u n i s h m e r r5t . i m p r i s o r r m c r r r 6. compensation
S c cr l s o U n i t s 5 . 4 0 .
Discussion After thc classhas discussecl the texts and questionsin small grollps, hirvea classfecdback sessionto shareideasirnd ooinions.
38 Turningthe othercheek Frlrgivcness can be as shockingas other,more obvious,trrbootopics.Obviously,stLldents should not bc erpectedto revealanything about thcnrselves thrrt they do not wish to. Reading l. Thc irssrrultwas filmed and shown on TV. 2. He wrrsir truck driver. 3. They served4 years of thcir lO-yearsentences.4. No. Many people were outraged. .5.No. They showed no relnorsc. Language lc 2f 3b 4e -5a 6d 7. hold a grudge 8. water unclertl-rebriclge 9. forgive and forget | 0. bLrr,v the hatchet 1 l. turn the other cheek 12. got e chitr-r on his shor-rlder S c ca l s o L h r i t3 9 .
39 The death penalty This is rrn errrotivcsubjectwhich peopleoften h r r v es t r o n go p i r r i o n so n . Reading I . ( S ) h ed i d n ' t b e l i e v ei n i t . 2 . ( S ) h et h i n k s t h a t rlurc'lererscleservcthe death penalty. A possiblcfollow-up questionis to ask the studentswl-retherthev think the writer is a man or ir womrll.r, rtncl rvhy. The cartoon You rray hrrveto explilin the double meaningof get a shock Ask studentswhich adjectivebest clcscribcsthe cirrtoon: sicA,sttrltid, hilarious, brilliant. Is the cartoon anti-American? Language1 c r e e t r t i o r rc.o n v i c t i o n c. o m p e n s a t i o n . irlprisonmcnt, pLlnishment, abolition
Follow-up Ask studentsto write ir short pieccgiving their views on capital punishrnent. S e ea l s oU n i t s 1 3 , 2 8 , 3 8 .
40 Addictions Discussion You could start the lessor-r by writing on the board: Euerybody'saddicted to something ar-rd ask studentsif they agree. Possibleaddictions:smoking,alcohol,gambling, drugs,work, shopping,stealing,lying, chocolate,ser. Reading After studentshave reported to each other, givc them timc to read their partner'stext. Tony Adermsovercamehis addiction,returncd football careerand has to a highly successful becomesomethingof an examplefor people who want to overcomeaddictions. Discussion lc 2b Do this in pairs. Give studentsa fcw minutes to discussthe last c1r-rcstion before discussingit as a class. Ask studentsif they know of :rny other sports peoplewith addictior-r problems. Language1 1. addicted 2. addiction 3. addict 4. addictivc .5.alcoholic 6. alcohol 7. alcoholisrn Language2 t has a drink problem 2. taking an overdose 3. kick the habit 4. get withdrawal symptonrs 5. seekprofessionalhelp S e ea l s oU n i t 3 7 .
I Unit by unit notes
Taboosand /ssues
