taboos and issues

Tài liệu ngữ pháp tiếng anh "taboos and issues".

The materiirl is not intended to form the basis of a

course but a resource from which teachers can,

with their students, select topics which interest

them The material should only be used with

classes you know well and where the students are

sensitive enough to respect and trust both you and

left hand page: introductory discussion and one or

more short texts

a l l T h e y t h e n w o r k i n p a i r s a n d s m a l l g r o u p sbefore the topic is opened up to the whole class

In a similar way, with the reading texts, studentsoften work in pairs, with each reading a differentshort text, which they then report to their partner,before the material is dealt with in the whole class.During individual or pair work, monitor what is

h a p p e n i n g Y o u m a y w i s h t o h e l p o u t w i t hlanguage where necessary, but you can also judge

w h e t h e r a n d h o w t h e t o p i c ( s ) c a n b e o p e n e d o u t t o

a w i d e r c l a s s d i s c u s s i o n

It goes without saying that, as the teacher, youshould remain neutral throughout any discussions,seeking only to encourage students to express theirviews

Students will often have strongly-held views andpossibly profound personal experiences which theyare willing to share with the class Indeed, trying toengage students in this way is perhaps the prime

p u r p o s e o f t h e m a t e r i a l s W h i l e e n c o u r a g i n g a n d

h e l p i n g t h e m t o e x p r e s s t h e i r v i e w s a n dexperiences, you must, however, never lose sight ofthe fact that it is a language lesson and they must

b e i n n o w a y p r e s s u r i s e d in t o d i s c u s s i n g o rrevealing things about themselves with which theyare in any way unhappy A student who wishes toremain silent must have their right to do sorespected

U s i n g th e i n t e r n e tBecause the topics are controversial and regularly

in the news, it will almost always be easy to findrelated material by a quick search of the internet.Usually typing two or three key words into a

s e a r c h e n g i n e w i l l b e s u f f i c i e n t t o g i v e y o ucontemporary examples relevant to the topic.Richard MacAndrew

Ron Martinez

3 Politically incorrect jokes

Is it OK to joke about disabled people, religion, deatb?

4 Taboo conversation topics

Questions you cdn't ask For example: How much do you weigh /earn?

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?

rYhat's wrong with telling a colleague she has nice legs?

11 Bribery and corruption

Rewards, gifts, bribes, perks - is there any difference?

Blonde hair, blue eyes - would yow like to design your children?

1 3 C h i l d r e n w h o k i l l

.When

14 Gays and jobs

1 5 A n i m a l r i g h t s

We eat them, we do experiments on them, we keep them as pets Do you object?

16 Marriage - for better or for worse

17 Nobody needs a gun

18 The sale of human organs

21 Abortion

National stereotYPes

"They're lazy and'rlirhonrrt." Blind preiwdice, or is tbere some truth in stereotypes?

Cheating on Your Partner

Are you haPPY with Your bodY?

lmmigration and racism

Ho* io you feel about people from other countries coming to liue in yours?

Ghanging sex

ls this news?

rwbat is the news for - to prouide facts or to sbock and entertain?

The right to die

Euthanasid - who has the right to choose?

Old enough to be her grandfather!

A 7T-year-ild *on with a 25-year-old woman? .V/hy not?

Big Brother is watching!

Anxiety and depression

Gay families f*L ,lacl, and no mum rybat is a normal family these days?

Begging

Compensation culture

Sport and money

Vanity

Are men uainer than women?

Legalising drugs

Is it time to cbange the laws on soft drugs?

Turning the other cheek

Do you-find it easy to forgiue people or do you hold grudges?

The death PenaltY Are you in fauour of it?

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Do you find this conversation offensive?

I haven't seen Harry for months How is he?

> D e a d ! He died just before Christmas

Which would you prefer to say?

H e p a s s e d a w a y j u s t b e f o r e Christmas

o r W e l o s t h i m j u s t before Christmas

D o y o u use similar expressions in your language to

avoid the words dead or died? lf so, what are they?

d Only men b Men and women c Anyone

4 W h a t colour do people wear ro signify death?

a Black b W h i t e c A different colowr

5 W h a t d o p e o p l e usually do at funerals?

a Cry openly and express strong 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?

Reading

Read the two articles opposite Then choose the best

answers to these two questions:

1 W h y do you think nobody sang the final song at the

fur-reral <tf George Ramsbottom?

a Because they didn't agree with George's brotber

b Becduse they were shocked hy what had happened

2 W h a t i s Maplethorpe council going to do?

a Order the body to be re-buried in a cemetery

b l"lothing

D i s c u s s the questions below in pairs:

1 W a s F r a n k Ramsbottom right ro make the speech?

2 " Y o u should never speak ill of the dead." Do you

agree ?

3 C a n y o u b u r y someone i n t h e i r g a r d e n in your

c o u n t r y ?

4 Can you scatter their ashes wherever you like?

5 H o w w o u l d y o u feel if your nexr-door neighbours

b u r i e d t h e i r g r a n d m o r h e r i n their back garden?

up in the church and told everyone that his brother would not be missed.

Describing his brother as the meanest man

he had ever met, he went on to list all the people who would be glad to know that George had died, and gave the reasons why.

He claimed that George was a liar, a cheat, a womaniser and 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 unexpected speech was followed by complete silence Eventually Margaret Dudley, the minister in charge of the service, stood to say, "Let us give thanks for George's life with our final song." She then sang on her own while everyone else stood in silence The service ended shortlv afterwards.

HOME BURIAL CAUSES ANGER

A family who buried a relative in their back garden have angered neighbours.

Residents of a care home were shocked to see the coffin of Daniel Stevens lowered into

a grave in Chesterfield Road, Maplethorpe.

Staff at the Adamson care home, which overlooks the garden, want the body re- buried 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 because it wasn't illegal."

Maplethorpe council said it was not able to prevent a burial on private land as long as certain rules were followed.

Use the correct form of these verbs below:

die kill murder

Answer the questions below on your own:

"'Will you please take your feetoff *y best cbair!"

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 depends how other people redct

c Fine - it's perfectly natural to talk about death

O r d o y o u h a v e a n o t h e r r e a c t i o n ?

2 You have to tell a close friend that a mutual friend of yours has died You know that they werevery 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 something else?

3 A friend of yours (a rather unreliable one) has just died, owing you a lot of money After thefuneral his sister comes 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 ctwed me!

O r w o u l d y o u s a y s o m e t h i n g e l s e ?

4 If the only work available was working with dead bodies - for example as an undertaker or apathologist - what would you do?

a Take the job Somebody bas 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 Please stop tall<ing about it I feel sick

D o y o u h a v e s i m i l a r id i o m s i n y o u r l a n g u a g e ?

Do you know these idiomatic expressions?He's kicked the bucket

He's popped his c/ogs

He's gone to meet his maker

Iaboos and /ssues

Vocabulary

Nude / Naked - both words mean wearing no crothes For exampre:

H e w r r s completely n a r k e d S h e was standing there, in the nude

Naturism is the activity of not wearing any clothes because you believe it

The peopfe who do this are called nudists or naturists is more natural or healthy.

4 You are ar the beach with your family A man

a n d a woman put their towels near you, take

o f f a l l their clothes and lie down to sunbathe

5 You are invited to dinner by some people youdon't know very well After dinner, they showyou their holiday photographs They had been

to a naturist resort in the south of France The

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D i s c u s s i o n

H o w would you react in the following situations? would you laugh, be embarrassed, cover your eyes,

h a v e a good look, or do something else?

l Y o u are warching a football match when a

n r r k e c l w o m a n runs onto the pitch and stops

the garrnc

2 Some ncw friends of yours have a sauna After

c l i n n c r , t h e y s u g g e s t y o u all relax and chat in

the siruna When you are getting ready, you

c l i s c o v e r t h a t y o u are expected t o b e n a k e d

- 1 Y r u rrre shopping in the main street of your

t o w n You notice a man walking down the

s t r e e t H e i s not wearing any clothes, but is

c a r r f in g a shopping bag

R e a d i n g

Answer these questions Then read the article to find out the answers

l H o w manv narlrrists d o y o u think there are in Britain?

2 H o w many official nudist beaches d o y o u think there are in Britain?

1 D v r think it is p.ssible to go on a nudist package holiday?

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EVERY BEACH SHOULD BE A NUDIST BEACH

This sunrmer British naturists are spokesperson fbr BN, the British

planning kr swirn and bathe naked Naturism magazine "we wilr

on public beaches throughout the def'end our members in court as

collntry to draw ttention to public long as we are satisfiecl that they

a n d o f f i c i a l o p p s i t i o n to their have behaved reasonably and

l i t ' e s t y l e t h e r e ' s b e e n

n o i n d e c e n t British Naturism the leading UK behaviour."

o r g a n i s a t i o n f b r n a t u r i s t s is n o t The Nucle Tolerance Campaign,

only encouraging its members to which started quietty last

b a t h e n a k e d w h e r e v e r they want, November, is building up as

b u t i s a l s o p r o m i s i n g to clef'end summer arrives and Britain's

the''in court if they iire arrestecl by 25,000 naturists arrive at beaches

the policc and clubs all over the UK There

Britain already has I 70 clubs and l0 beaches where naturism is ofTicially

p e r m i t t e d a n d , s u r p r i s i n g l y , the naturist lifestylc is becoming big business Members of BN enjoy

d i s c o u n t s o n f e r r y s e r v l c e s car rental and breakdown insurancc and can enjoy f2,000 nudist Caribbean

c r u i s e s S e v e r a l l a r g e tour operators, including Virgin offer natunst summer packages.

Taboos and /ssues

Politically incorrect jokes

D i s c u s s i o n

R e a d th i s j o k e a b o u t a b l i n d p e r s o n ls i t f u n n y ?

A blind man and his guide dog went into a department store to do some

Christmas shopping Atl of a sudden, the man picked up his dog by the tail and

started to swing it)round in a circle A sales assistant shouted, "sir! Can I hellt

yctu?" "No thanks," the blind man replied, "I'm iust looking"'

Have you ever laughed at something that other people thought was not funny or told a joke which upsetpeople? 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 physically disabled person

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 ridicules a particular religion

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?

m a k etake

climb

retrdtn

saythrow

> Pull the pin out and throw it back

\fhy don't blondes get coffee breaks?

> It takes too long to them afterwards.'V7hat

do intelligent blondes and UFOs i n c o m m o n ?

> You often hear about them, but you never

s e e o n e

8 How many blondes does it to screw

i n a l i g h t b u l b ?

> O n e S h e h o l d s t h e b u l b s t i l l a n d t h e w o r l drevolves around her

9 IX/hat do you a blonde with half a

b r a i n ?

> Gifted

1 0 W h a t w o u l d a b l o n d e ' i f h e r d o c t o rtold her that she was pregnant?

> I s i t m i n e ?Did you find these jokes offensive? Do you know anybody who would? Are they blonde?

Thi;k about a joke that you know and try to translate it into English Write it down first and then tell it to

a c l a s s m a t e

Pol itically i n corre ct iokes Taboos and /ssues

The authors would like to make it clear that none of the following jokes has been written by them Theyare typical of jokes which exist in books of jokes and on joke websites The jokes printed here are amongthe least offensive! As you read the jokes below, rate each one for its level of humour and level ofoffensiveness:

OFFENSIVENESS A: verv offensive

s u p e r m a r k e t - a pint of milk, a packet o f b a c o n , a

small bag of rice and a few vegetables The man at

t h e c h e c k o u t s a i d , " l bet you're single, a r e n ' t y o u ? "

" W e l l yes, I am," the woman replied " H o w did you

love her, stroke her, comfort her, protect her, hug

her, wine and dine her, buy gifts for her, listen to

her, respect her, stand by her, support her, go to the

ends of the earth for her

loke 7 How do you make a cat go 'woof'?.

Soak it in petrol and throw it on the fire.

foke B There was a young man from Calcutta, Who had the most terrible stutter,

H e s a i d , P a s s t h e h - h a m , And the 1r-ffjam,

And the b-b-b-b-b-b-butter.

foke 9

A y o u n g m a n w i t h a w i l d a n d m u l t i - c o l o u r e d hairstyle sits next to an old man on a park bench The old man stares at the young man "What's the matter, old man?" says the young man "Never done

A: When you step on the scales and it says 'To

b e c o n t i n u e d '

f o k e 1 1 Q: If your wife comes out of the kitchen to nag you, what have you done wrong?

A : M a d e h e r c h a i n t o o l o n g

f o k e 1 2

Q : W h y d o l t a l i a n m 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 d th e i r n e c k s ? A: So they know when to stop shaving.

Match the following reactions to the relevant jokes above:

a Anybody who thinks setting fire to an animal is funny needs psychiatric help They are sick!

b That's in really bad taste People who have a speech impedimenr can'r help it

c I d o n ' t t h i n k y o u s h o u l d jo k e about people's a p p e a r a n c e I t ' s n o t t h e i r f a u l t !

d I d o n ' t g e t i t ( I d o n ' t u n d e r s t a n d t h e j o h e )

D i s c u s s i o n

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?

Taboos and /ssues Pol iti ca I ly i n correct joke s

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B : A s o l i c i t o r T h a t ' s a g o o d j o b H o w m u c h do

you eirrn ?Conversation 3

A : H e l l o I ' r n l o o k i n g f o r a white tennis shirt

B : O K T e n n i s shirts are over here

A : Y e s , w e l l , w e w o n ' t be able to give you more

than that initirrlly, but we shor-rld be able t<;

s i t u a t i o n a n d t h e s p e a k e r s l f i t i s n o tappropriate, why isn't it?

2 T h e q u e s t i o n s in c o n v e r s a t i o n s 2 a n d 3 d o n o t

h a v e a n s w e r s H o w d o y o u t h i n k t h e s p e a k e r

s h o u l d r e p l y i n t h e s e s i t u a t i o n s ?

3 Have you ever been asked an inappropriate

q u e s t i o n ? When and who by? How did yourespond? Have you ever asked an inappropriate

q u e s t i o n by accident? What happened?

a J a

a-

i- Mark the expressions below in the following way:

O if they are polite ways of asking personal questions

E R if they are ways of responding to personal questions

be nobody Write anyone a particular person or no one next to each question

Y o u n e e d a h a i r c u t I t h i n k y o u s h o u l d r i n g a n d a p o l o g i s e Your boy/girlfriend's got nice legs If you want to smoke, do it outside

I wish you'd learn how to make coffee Your fly is undone (fly = 11611.er zrp)

C o u l d y o u s a y t h e s a m e t h i n g s t o y o u r t e a c h e r o r y o u r b o s s ?

Do you have a friend you can say anything to?

Are you a tactful person or are you more blunt and direct?

D o y o u t h i n k b e i n g d i r e c t is a g o o d o r a b a d t h i n g ?

Taboos and /ssues Taboo conversation topics 4

Read these articles and answer the questions

WOMAN ARRESTED ON RIO BEACH

A young woman was amested yesterday tbr using

only one part of her two-part bikini Brazilians are

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 g i s s t i l l n o t

allowed Police used to have a 'look the other way'

policy but local authorities have begun to enforce the

controversial law which forbids nudity The woman

was unrepentant after her arrest: "This is Brazil - not

England not the US We believe in fieedom and we

bclieve in the right to show our bodies This is

absolutely ricliculous."

1 l s t h i s l a w s e n s i b l e , i n y o u r o p i n i o n ?

2 What is meant by a 'look the other way' policy?

3 " W e believe in the right to show our bodies."

Do you agree with her?

BAR FINED FOR ALLOWING SMOKING

Popular bar O'Malley's was fined $1.000 on Friday

night fbr disobeying the new San Francisct'r city order

which prohibits smoking in any public building The

owner plans to appeal against the fine before a

hearing this afiernoon "l tell you even if the fine

stays there's no way I'm going to make my loyal

customers go outside in 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

fbr vices." said one regular "l can't drink without

n o t b a n n e d i n y o u r c o u n t r y , d o y o u t h i n k t h e y s h o u l d b e ?

below each one with a partner:

I'OX HUNT SABOTEURS ARRESTED Two men and a woman were anested by police after pulling a man off his hclrse, causing him to break his arm The incident happened as the three tried to stop

a fox-hunt going ahead in the Sussex countryside in

t h c s o u t h o f E n g l a n d Several minutes of arguing had preceded the attack when the small group anived with bells and whistles

to confuse the dogs and horses "Hunting fbxes is murder." screamed one 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

w h i c h y o u t h i n k s h o u l d b e b a n n e d ?

KU KLUX KLAN RALLY VIOLENCE Four members of the Ku Klux Klan brotherhood were beaten up at a public rally in which KKK members were calling for "a cry fbr white freedom." Tempers began to flare when the Klan members, clressed in traditional white robes, began their march

t h r o u g h a p r e d o m i n a n t l y b l a c k n e i g h b o u r h o o d shouting "White power!" Locals took to the streets and showed their opposition some using violence Four men were anested by the police.

"We are a peaceful organisation with the right to speak our minds," said one Klansman "It's not our fault these people are animals."

1 Do you sympathise with the offenders?

2 The man from the KKK said they had 'the right

t o s p e a k o u r m i n d s ' D o y o u a g r e e ?

3 S h o u l d g r o u p s l i k e t h e K K K b e b a n n e d ?

It should banned! Taboos and /ssues

L a n g u a g e

Use the correct form of these verbs to complete

the texts below:

stgn go on protest dgatnst I b e l o n g to an organisation t h a t ( 4 )

against animals being used ro test cosmetics We( 5 ) p o l i t i c i a n s a n d c o n s u m e r g r o u p s

a n d ( 6 ) t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c to (7)

c o m p a n i e s t h a t ( 8 ) e x p e r i m e n t s o nanimals Our aim eventually is for the

government to (9) all forms of animalexploitation in the cosmetics industry

cdmpatgn lctbby

boycottcarry out

D i s c u s s i o n

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?

Newspaper language

Certain words are found almost exclusively in newspapers, particularly in headlines Match the

m e a n i n g s on the right with the underlined w o r d s i n t h e h e a d l i n e s b e l o w :

I ( 1 ) a p r o t e s t march

tomorrow with Greenpeace to (2)

the Japanese Government'spolicy on whaling \7e are trying ro ger 5,000

p e o p l e t o ( 3 ) a p e t i r i o n , w h i c h w e

plan to hand in to the Japanese Embassy This is

something I feel very strongly about

I POLICE OIJIZ ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP

2 NUDISTS SEEK MORE SUPPORT

3 MINISTER BACKS CANNABIS PLANS

4 FASCIST PARTY IN POWER BID

.5 NEW CALLS TO HALT FUR TRADE

6 POLICE AND DEMONSTRATORS CLASH IN CAPITAL

7 BOXING BAN PLEA

8 GREENPEACE FOIL WHALERS

D i s c u s s i o n

I n s m a l l g r o u p s , decide whether any of the things below should be banned Try to persuade the others

in your group Then take a vote for each one

m a r i j u a n aprostitution

p o r n o g r a p h y

b o x i n g

s o a p o p e r a spassports

( G M ) fo o d

Iaboos and /ssues It should be banned!

time she tries to kiss me I feel like

b e i n g s i c k !

At first I thought it was a passing thing

her teeth more Now I realise that this

must be some kind of permanent

c o n d i t i o n W h a t d o I d o n o w ? | c a n ' t

g o o n h o l d i n g m y b r e a t h ( a s l ' m d o i n g

me lt's getting to the point where I

Sex for sale

a someone paid ro go out socially with other people

b a house where men pay to have sex with prostitutes

c a person who agrees to have sex in return for money

d part of a town where there are many prostitures

e a man who controls prostitutes and lives off their earnings

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?

R e a d th e information in the box and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups:

Read the two articles to see if these statements are correct:

1 T h e p o l i c e officer would like to have srricter laws on prostitution

2 T h e local councillor would like to relax the laws on prostitution

Should we legalise brothels?

w o m e n m o r e c o n t r o l over their lives _ their

h e a l t h , th e i r s a f e t y a n d their finances From the

p o l i c e p o i n t 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 n o n t h e s t r e e t s a n d a r e d u c t i o n

i n r e l a t e d c r i m e s u c h a s d r u g d e a l i n g The current

I a w s a r e c o n t p l e t e l y impractical lt,s time thev

w e r e c h a n g e d "

Helen Maddocks, senior police officer

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

technically a brothel, which is illegal

o What is the law in your country?

Do you think it is too strict, too lenient or aboutr:ight? \fhy?

o How would you feel if you found our rhar a closefriend or a member of your family was working as

t h e w o m e n , b u t t h e p l a i n f a c t i s , sex for money is

w r o n g S e x s h o u l d n o t b e f o r sale The laws we

S p e n d two minutes thinking about these questions, then discuss them with a partner:

l W h i c h argument is closer to your own opinion? Underline the statements y o u agree

2 Are you surprised at the police officer's attitude? why? / \7hy not?

3 D o y o u agree that prostitution is a 'sign of great moral weakness i n o u r society'?

Language 1

Look at this extract from the text:

This is not a practical issue at all,

it's a tnoral one

Discuss with a partner ls prostitution:

What would you say in reply to these people? Discuss with a partner

"I believe that sex is one of themost beautiful, natural, wholesome things that money can buy."

Steue Martin, actor

Language 2

D i v i d e t h e s e e x p r e s s i o n s w i t h / a w i n t o t h r e e

g r o u p s :

1 W h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t o r t h e p o l i c e d o

2 What offenders or criminals do

3 What good citizens do

a tighten the law

b break the law

c defy the law

d o b e y t h e l a w

e observe the law

f relax the law

g comply with the law

h enforce the law

i ignore the law

j abide by the law

k change the law

l d i s o b e y th e l a w

I can earn {,1000 a week as

d prostitute 'lbat's about four times ds much as I would get doing a different iob So why should I stop?

I don't belieue tbdt sleeping with a prostitute is being unfaithful to my uife lt's only sex - nothing else.

Marriage is abont loue.

Lots of girls are fctrced into

prostittttion Often they are

illegal imnrigrants They can't

go to the police because they

dre not in the atuntry legally.

Prostitution is a problem caused by men There aren't any prostitutes for women.

It's men who credte the problem dnd men wbo mdke tbe laws.

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!

Read the articles below Tick (/) the true sentences.

l M a r t h : r Johnson was sacked from her job

1 You take some milk out of the fridge, butdrop it on the floor

2 You are carrying two pints of beer in a bar.Someone bumps into you and you spill the beerdown your trousers

3 You miss the bus to work by a few seconds

4 S o m e b o d y d r i v e s in t o t h e b a c k o f y o u r b r a n dnew car

l a w w h i c h f o r b i d s s w e a r i n g i n

f r o n t o f w o m e n a n d c h i l d r e n

F a m i l i e s w e r e p i c n i c k i n g n e a r b y

w h e n t h e a c c i d e n t h a p p e n e d His defence team argued that standards over the years have

T h e y w e r e f i s h i n g fr o m t h e s i d e

o f t h e r i v e r w h e n h e f e l l i n

PART OF HIS PERSONATITY

A sales executive has taken her

Mr Slater told the court that bad

l a n g u a g e w a s p a r t o f h i s

p e r s o n a l i t y a 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 t b u s i n e s s " l can'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

a l l t h i n k I w a s f u c k i n g s o f t i f I stopped swearing."

D u r i n g th e h e a r i n g t h e ju d g e h a d

to warn Mr Slater several times

a b o u t h i s l a n g u a g e T h e c a s e continues tomorrow.

D i s c u s s i o n

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?

D o y o u t h i n k M r A s h f o r d s h o u l d b e i n c o u r t ? I f n o t , w h a t d o y o u t h i n k s h o u l d h a v e h a p p e n e d ?

Look at the sentence below from the second text:

It is now perfectly dcceptdble to swear in

2.1 foLrnd his language deeply upsetting/

off e n s iu e / o b s cene / s h o c kin g

3 U s i n g th a t k i n d o f l a n g u a g e i s p e r f e c t l y

acceptable/OK/good in some situations

4 Some words that people use are actually uery

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

Taboo-strength: Fuck off!

Religious swear 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

Taboos and /ssues

Now make true sentences using some of theexpressions from examples 1 - 4

1 M o s t p e o p l e I k n o w f i n d s w e a r i n g 2.My mother I father thinks swearing is

3 There are one or two words which I find

"Er mind if we swear?"

Avoiding swear words

Native speakers often avoid swearing by using

Read the articles through quickly and answer the questions below:

Which countries are mentioned in connection with torture?

D o a n y o f t h e a r t i c l e s s u r p r i s e y o u ? ' W h i c h ? W h y ?

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 released as a result of

protests from Britain Yesterday she

spoke out following the arrest of

General Pinochet, the 84-year-old

ex-dictator of Chile "I think

imprisonment for the rest of his life

would be appropriate I know he is

an old man and he is fragile, but so

were the pregnant women who were

raped and 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 suspect was choked to 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 beaten in

an effort to obtain more information about his suppliers The court described his treatment at the hands

of five police officers as being 'of

a particularly cruel and serious nature' making it 'torture' under the European Convention on Human Rights.

R e a d th e a r t i c l e s a g a i n a n d a n s w e r th e s e q u e s t i o n s :

1 W h y w a s S h e i l a C a s s i d y t o r t u r e d ?

2 What was 'shocking' about the Human Rights \Watch report?

3 What information did the French oolice want?

(to an effort in)

.5 His treatment five

police officers was 'of a particularly cruel and

serious nature' (of the hands at)

6 f i r m e v i d e n c e ,

he was released from prison (of the in absence)

7 T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a d n o c h o i c e b u t t o a r r e s t

h i m w h a t h e w a s w r i t i n g a b o u t

them in the foreign press, but they lived to

regret their actions (of in uiew)

' ll' ::'r'r:"1 ::::il:'

;:i i:;;!;:"0;l'i"o

1 The police arrest someone for a bank robbery

They are absolutely certain they have the

p e r s o n re s p o n s i b l e , a n d h e a l r e a d y h a s a

criminal record, but at the moment they have

no evidence They need a confession They

only have four hours to get one before he must

b e r e l e a s e d

2 A c h i l d h a s b e e n k i d n a p p e d T h e k i d n a p p e r s

are threatening to kill the child if their

d e m a n d s a r e n o t m e t T h e p o l i c e c a t c h o n e o f

the kidnappers who knows where the child is

being held She refuses to tell the police

t o d a y a t B r i g h a m C r o w n C o u r t ( 1 ) the six-week trial, the iury had heard evidence ofsome of the most horrible crimes ever described

in a courtroom They had also seen photographs

of injuries suffered (2) these two men.Both men were found guilty The judge passed

s e n t e n c e i m m e d i a t e l y , s a y i n g : " ( 3 ) t h e

h o r r o r o f y o u r c r i m e s , I h a v e n o h e s i t a t i o n i n

s e n d i n g y o u t o p r i s o n ( 4 ) y o u r l i v e s ( 5 ) y o u r a c t i o n s , f i v e p e o p l e w e r epermanently injured and seven were killed Twomen and three women lost their partnersl a dozenchildren lost their parents

After your arrest, (6) the police' yousaid that you had enjoyed committing these awfulcrimes Therefore, (7) give you apunishment that matches the awfulness of what

y o u h a v e d o n e , a n d , ( 8 ) a n y r e m o r s efrom you, I sentence you to life imprisonment."

3 The police catch a member of a terroristorganisation He knows the names of othermembers of the organisation He also hasinformation about where they have stores of

a r m s a n d e x p l o s i v e s T h i s i n f o r m a t i o n w i l l s a v e

l i v e s

4 Your country is at war You capture a ranking enemy soldier who has considerableknowledge of the enemy plans This

high-information would certainly save the lives of

m a n y o f y o u r s o l d i e r s a n d p o s s i b l y s h o r t e n th ewar

"No-one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel,

Would your response to situation 2 be the same if the child was yours or a friend's?

Taboos and /ssues

Sexual harassment

D i s c u s s i o n

D i s c u s s these questions in pairs or small groups:

l D o y o u think work is a good place ro find a parrncr? Why / why not?

2 l n a work setting, w h a t b o d y p a r t s of a colleague w o u l d i t b e oK ro touch in your country?

arnl

s h o u l d e r

h a i rbottom

3 \ X / h a t w o u l d h a p p e n if you did touch the parts of the body that you did not tick?

suggestiue photosdressed seductiuely

sexy cdlendars chat up

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.

a good thing in the office Chatting

up beautiful women is natural."

FRENCH FLIRT AT WORK moment she joined the company 13

years ago "It was being done just The engineering workshops at a to provoke women," said Janin, 37.

well-known engine-maker based in o'When I said we didn't like it, they

Paris seem as clean and innocent as laughed at me." The company

a church these days The nude finally changed their policy when

photographs and sexy calendars they agreed that the pictures could

that used to be on some of the walls be a form of sexual harassment.

have been taken down or thrown Sexual harassment at work is a

away relatively new issue in France.

For that, the men in the department French law now allows women to

mostly have one of their female sue for sexual harassment, but it is

colleagues to thank Brigitte Janin, limited to harassment by a superior

an aerodynamics engineer, said she of a subordinate Typically, many

started arguing against the cases do not make it to court.

suggestive photographs from the "It usually goes this way: the

Read the text again and correct the statements below:

l S e r u i t l harassment o n l y a p p l i e s i n c a s e s o f a d v a n c e s f r o m a subordinate t o a s u p e r i o r

2 Usuirlly er woman is fired after she goes to court

3 M a n v j u d g e s blame a woman's behaviour

D i s c u s s i o n

How far do you agree with Brigitte Janin about the photos? \X/hy?

D o y o u think that a woman who dresses s e d u c t i v e l y s h o u l d b e p r e p a r e d f o r u n w a n t e d sexual

a d v r r n c e s ? G i v e a n e x a m p l e of 'seductive d r e s s '

C a n n r e n be serr.rally h a r a s s e d b y w o m e n ?

Have vor-r ever bcen in a difficult situation of this kind at work or college?

10 Sexual harassment Taboos and /ssues

t n

with

.lorbetw'een

ir"k", anyone feeL uncomfortable I haven'rthat the men :lnd women in the office seem

n.nra a single complaint from any of the

t o r e s p e c t t h a t " J a m e s is J a m e s , " s a y s o n e

w o r r a n " H e ' s just a playful guy He i;;', m e n i n t h e o f f i c e ! "

m e a n r r n y r h i n g b y i t " 6 B i l l S w a n s o n c a l l s a l l t h e m e n i n t h e o f f i c e

" T h e people in the office love it," he sayswith a smile Not everybody, it seems Some 7 Shelly Layman is very tactile She always

of the women have been seen leaving the puts her hand on the arm of the person she'soffice as soon as he starts saying, "Hey, have talking to and always makes a point of

y o u h e a r d th e o n e a b o u t t h e " m a k i n g d i r e c t e y e c o n t a c t 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?

FruE TH€9E,

MAKtENb

Taboos and /ssues Sexual harassment 1 0

Bribery and corruption

Language

Match the words on the left to the definitions on the right:

4 1 I

a friendly and generous treatment and entertainment of guests

b a benefit received as part of the arrangements with your employer

c something given willingly without payment

d a helpful act

e the ability to obtain favourable treatment from someone

f something given or received for doing something good

g a small sum of money given to someone for their services

h something given or offered in return for some, often dishonest, helpNow 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 employees give her some beautiful gold earrings at her leaving party

2 You visit a foreign company to discuss a new contract They pay for a S-star hotel and your expenses

3 You want to build an extension to your house, but you need permission from the local council You

give money to one of the local councillors to make sure you get permission

4 Your sales manager increases your business by 200% in a year You give him a new BM\X/

5 After paying the salon, you give a little extra money to the hairdresser who cut your hair

6 You get a free lunch in the staff canteen every day

7 You use your friendship with a member of the government to make sure that you get a particular

According to a former club manager,

bribery in Russia's top football

leagues is so shameless and obvious

that referees are known to ask for

more money in the middle of games.

The manager of a St Petersburg club

during the nineties said: "I've never

met a referee who didn't take money.

It's useless to 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.

BRIBED BUS DRIVER SACKED

A bus driver from Bournemouth has been sacked for taking his bus on an unauthorised route Brian Jeffries altered the route of the number 22 service after a passenger offered him f2O to drop him off outside his house" which involved a two-minute diversion No bus stops were missed, but one passenger was obviously displeased and reported the incident anonymously to the bus company.

Mr Jeffries said, "I can't believe they sacked me I was just doing someone

a favour Nobody was delayed or inconvenienced Whoever it was who reported me needs to get a life."

.SACKS OF CASH' The political bribery trial of the former Indian Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao, started today with evidence from an MP that he

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 (f70,000) in two sacks as payment for supporting Mr Rao in a vote in Parliament He did not accuse Mr Rao directly, but named other ministers in Mr Rao's government who had organised the deal.

11 Bribery and corruption Taboos and /ssues

D i s c u s s i o n Language

Read the articles again and decide which answer Use the 8 nouns from the first exercise in these

1 l n t h e R u s s i a n f o o t b a l l l e a g u e y o u c a n b r i b e : 1 H e r c a t ' s d i s a p p e a r e d S h e ' s o f f e r i n g a

a referees to the person who finds it

b referees and other tedms

2 The man reported the bus driver because

a he missed his stop

b he just thought it shouldn't happen

3 The Indian MP received the money from

4 The pay is poor but they offer good

- a company car and free health care

b Mr Rao himself 5 The food was nothing special and the serviceAnswer these questions in groups: was awful, so I didn't leave a

1 D o y o u t h i n k a c r i m e h a s b e e n c o m m i t t e d in 6 I h a v e a f e e l i n g th e y w a n t u s t o e n j o y t h e i rany of the three articles? and then give them the contract.

a just giue her your driuing licence?

b put some money in your driuing licence and 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 disappointed and 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 incharge tells you that the contract is almost certainly yours and that he and his wife love spendingtheir 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 pass the entrance exam Would you

a ask the admissions officer 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 serious criminal case A friend of the defendant offers you a large sum ofmoney to change your evidence Would you

a refuse to cooperdte and then tell the police what had happened?

h take the money and do tuhat he asked?

6 You arrive at your favourite restaurant to find it is fully booked Would you

a giue the head waiter LL0 and ask him to find you d table?

b just go somewhere else?

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 expensive restaurant - all expenses paid 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!

Taboos and /ssues Bribery and corruption 11

Designer babies

D i s c u s s i o n

lmagine that before you were born your parents had 'designed' you lf you had been them, what would

y o u have changed? Think about these questions:

W h i c h o n e a s p e c t o f y o u r a p p e a r a n c e w o u l d y o u c h a n g e ?

W h i c h o n e a s p e c t o f y o u r c h a r a c t e r / p e r s o n a l i t y w o u l d y o u

How do you think your life might have been different?

Are you pleased yolrr parents did not design you or do you

NEW LAWS MAY ALLOW

D o von think the Jones should be allowed to choose to have a baby girl? Why? \ W h y not?

12 Designer babies Taboos and /ssues

Look at these sentences from the article Notice the expressions with rghf;

Jim and Debbie Jones plan to win the legal right to choose the sex of their baby

Article eig,ht protects the right of everyone to'respect for family life'

Cross out the word in italics which does not collocate with right:

1.You can hdue, win, protect, demand, build, defend, challenge the 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 A n u n b o r n c h i l d h a s r i g h t s T h o s e r i g h t s m u s t b e p r o t e c t e d

2 \X/e don'r have the right to interfere with 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 choose particular genes for our own babies

C o m p a r e y o u r a n s w e r s in p a i r s o r s m a l l g r o u p s

Discussion

W o r k i n p a i r s o r s m a l l g r o u p s ln e a c h o f t h e f o l l o w i n g s i t u a t i o n s s o m e o n e is e x p l a i n i n g w h a t g e n e t i c

s e l e c t i o n t h e y w a n t t o m a k e a n d w h y D e c i d e w h e t h e r y o u t h i n k t h e y s h o u l d b e a l l o w e d to d o w h a t t h e ywant

1 T h e r e is a h i s t o r y o f r e d h a i r i n m y f a m i l y

I h a v e r e d h a i r a n d I w a s b a d l y t e a s e d a t

s c h o o l I w o u l d l i k e t o m a k e s u r e m y c h i l ddoes not have red hair

2 M y f o u r - y e a r - o l d d a u g h t e r , m y o n l y c h i l d , h a s 6 I f e e l th e r e is t o o m u c h v i o l e n c e a n d a g g r e s s i o n

a fatal blood disease She will die before she in the world I would like to make sure my

i s 1 2 u n l e s s w e c a n f i n d a m a t c h f o r a b o n e c h i l d i s a c a l m a n d g e n t l e p e r s o n

[xTi:.,.;il]'li[JJ;:il; ;::H:'""Hl" ' f,:lf1l'*j:*:;i::'J,fl:'j:"1,:: Tii:'.

3.ln my family there is a history of a fatal disease eyes and be about medium height when she

that affects the nervous system I want to make grows up

sure that my baby is not likely to get this

Greg Stock, UCLA professor of procreation

Are you fascinated or horrified by this topic?

Taboos and /ssues Designer babies 12

Children who kill

R e a d th e a r t i c l e T h e n a n s w e r th i s q u e s t i o n : W h a t i s t h e l a t e s t ' t r e n d ' in American criminal justice?

THIRTEEN.YEAR.OLD GETS LIFE

Thirteen-year-old Peter Barton (not his realname) was playing with a little girl of 6

Claiming that he was pretending to be aprofessional wrestler, Peter punched,kicked and stamped his 6-year-oldplaymate to death Her liver was severelydamaged Her skull was fractured Medicalexperts compared the injuries to a fall fromthe top of a house Peter was tried in court

as an adult and sentenced to life in prisonwith the possibility of parole when he is 38

Peter is one of many children in the latesttrend in criminal justice: if you are oldenough to kill, you are old enough to faceadult penalties That is what the SupremeCourts of California, Florida and Texas aresaying - and the trend is spreading fast

across the United States

"What we're dealing with is a new kind ofchildhood criminal They're startingyounger and they know what they're doing

They won't think twice about killing," saidFlorida State District Attorney AdamEmmitt The State of Florida aloneregistered 312 homicides committed so farthis year by minors Most of thosehomicides were gun-related

The trend has children's rights activists in arage Lisa Weston, a member of one groupwhich is trying to prevent children beingtried as adults said, "No one understandswhy Peter did what he did - not evenPeter." Peter Barton beeins his life sentence

3 Adam lrmrnitt thinks the problem is worse now than it was before

4 Lisa Weston thinks children should be treated differentlv from adults

Ghoose the correct ending for each sentence:

a at is a steady increase in the number of child crimes

b with is a new kind of childhood criminal

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 r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e i r a c t i o n s

i n e a c h g r o u p C h e c k a n y w o r d sWork with a partner Circle the vocabulary item that does not belong

y o u don't know in your dictionary

6 law1,er, evidence, defendant, judge

D i s c u s s t h e f o l l o w i n g situations in small groups Decide what should happen to the people in each

s i t u a t i o n S h o u l d t h e y g o t o p r i s o n - a n a d u l t p r i s o n o r a y o u n g offender's institution? How long for?

1 S e a n , 9 , brings a gun to school He shows it to

his friends and says, "Nobody messes with me

in the town centre in an attempted robbery

The shop owner tried to phone the police

d u r i n g t h e r o b b e r y a n d B o b b y p a n i c k e d

D i s c u s s y o u r conclusions with another group

4 A l4-year-old boy shoots another 14-year-old

m e m b e r o f a r i v a l g a n g " I had to do it so that

t h e y w o u l d l e t m e b e i n t h e i r g 2 f l g , " h e s a y s

T h e v i c t i m d i d n o t d i e

5 A 1 6 - y e a r - o l d s h o o t s h i s f a t h e r d e a d a f t e r t h efather has a violent confrontation with theboy's mother "He got what he deserved," saysthe boy "My mother has put up with enough

a b u s e a l r e a d y "

6 A 6-year-old boy gets so angry with hisyounger brother that he sits on him until hestops breathing, shouting "I hate you, I hate

y o u " T h e b r o t h e r d i e s T h e 6 - y e a r - o l d t o l d h i sparents he had had enough of his brother

D i s c u s s th e f o l l o w i n g as a class:

1 \ X / h e n a c h i l d k i l l s , w h o d o y o u think is most responsible? T h e p a r e n t s ? S o c i e t y ? T h e c h i l d ?

2 Are there any obvious ways to prevent such horrors? \What are they?

3 If you feel your country's situation is very different from or better than the one in the US, can

Gays and jobs

SECOND OFFICER RESIGNS

Another senior naval officer resigned last night as a

r e s u l t o f t h e G o v e r n m e n t ' s d e c i s i o n t o a l l o w

homosexuals to join the armed fbrces.

Commander James MacDonald,43 who fought in the

war in Bosnitr said of the Government's decision:

"There

are many good military reasons why

homosexuals should not be allowed into the armed

fbrces The Government however, has chosen to

make a decision for political and legal reasons."

Commander MacDonald's resignation came a day

after Brigtrdier Howard Jones,47, asked to retire early

fbr similar reasons Brigadier Jones said: "l have no

personal problem 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."

ANGER OVER LESBIAN MAYOR

Janis Hewitt will be ready fbr some strong opposition when she becomes mayor of the small Welsh town of Llanforcl next week She announced yesterday that herlesbian partner will be mayoress.

Ms Hewitt points out that she has never made any secret of her relationship and she sees no reason to start doing so now "We have been together for 20 years," she said, "and we have never hidden the fact.

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, disagrees strongly "This has come as quite a shock."

he said angrily "It degrades the position of mayor It

is not the sort of thing we associate with this town Things like this don't happen here."

True or false?

Read the articles again and decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F):

1 Both officers feel there are military reasons why gays should not be allowed in the armed forces.

d o c t o rpolice officer

Taboos and /ssues Gays and jobs 1 4

4 IF 4

J

rd I q

d -_l J

Protesters have finally fbrced

Shamrock Monkey Farm near

Henfield West Sussex to close.

Monkeys from the fhrm, set up

i n t h e 1 9 5 0 ' s w e r e u s e d in t h e

d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e p o l i o

vaccine and until recently were

still being used for research into

other diseases Animal rights

leader Justin Hodge said: "It's

about time the farm closed We

strongly object to places like

this and completely disapprove

or until golden brown.

Serve immediately.

For SaleSix black and white

S p r i n g e r S p a n i e l p u p p i e s

4 male, 2 female, f300 eachMust go to good homesCaf l 01235-783 936 - Mrs Rogers

The World-Famous Rafferty's Circus

A l m o s t a l l o f i t c a n b e s o l d rn d u s e d T h e m e a r is a m u c h s o u g h t - a f t e rdelicacy, the shell is made into jewellery and the body oil is used to

m a k e c o s m e t i c s I n M e x i c o alone, thousands a r e k i l l e d e a c h y e a r andexported to Japan Three species of sea turtle are now close toextinction

ln your opinion, which texts refer to the mistreatment of animals? Which one do you feel most strongly

a b o u t ?

r c Animal rights Taboos and /ssues

Look at this sentence from the first text:

".\X/e

strongly object to places like this and completely

disapproue of what they'ue been doing here."

Decide whether the expressions below express an objection (O) or no objection (N):

I strongly disdpproue of circuses

It's quite OK to keep rabbits in yctur

gttrden

Look at these patterns:

I't,e got rto prcthlem tuith zoos

as long as the dnimals are treated

u,ell

There's notbing Lurong with people

hauing pets prouided they know how

to look dfter tbem

Write two sentences of your own using

ltorsemeat ueal dng rabhit pate de foie gras

rnonkel seagull squirrel hedgehog alligator

3 Do you htrve a pet? \i7hat kind? How much freedom does it have? Wcruld it be happier in a different

made from animal fur? Is there an ethical

7 Reacl the opinion below How far do you agree or disagree with 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 tested on them I medn, if testing medicines on animals helps to

saue human liues, I think that's fine And I'ue got no problems with testing

cosmetics on them either I mean, if I use an aftershaue or d deodorant, I want

to know that it's safe l'd rather a rabbit went blind - not me!"

I

Iaboos and /ssues Animal rights 1 5

Marriage - for better or for worse

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c a n c h a n g e

often, men have the attitude of, "She looks

h a n d , t h i n k , " H e is my best friend; I want him

life." One or both of the partners begins to feel

trapped They start to live separate lives, which

results in tension, arguments and battles,

children if there are any So, what is the point

of staying together? lt's better for children to

g r o w u p i n a r e l a x e d , l o v i n g e n v i r o n m e n t w i t h

both oarents

Of course it's better to avoid splitting up - it

hurts everyone, especially the children - but if

a marriage is over, it's best to accept the

Henri, Comte de Toulouse-Lautrec

of the children

necessary - for example, if your partner was

p h y s i c a l l y o r m e n t a l l y a b u s i n g y o u C e t t i n g

It's not just a lifestyle choice

Part of the problem is that people seem to

h a v e a n i m p o s s i b l y i d e a l i s t i c v i e w o f m a r r i a g e

f i l l t h e i r li v e s a l l t h e ti m e B u t th e fa c t is ,married life is not always perfect love and

disagreements lt is boring at times and,

e s p e c i a l l y w h e n c h i l d r e n c o m e a l o n g , i t c a n

the effort to make a relationship work lt is this

"When things get difficult, you can just quit."

can they believe in the possibility of a

trusted couldn't do it?

16 Marriaoe - for better or for worse Taboos and /ssues

Who believes what?

Mark the sentences below with 'S' if they are what

Do you agree or disagree with the

statements above? "If

the police stdrt dsking questions, I sball iust saythat 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 break down work

rries ro (7) the contract? '$fell, what it really means is lots of work

- and money - for the lawyers!

a diuorce on demand - wbeneuer one pdrty wants it

b wttit frtr a year to see if the couple cdn get bdck together again

c t'omltulsory counselling for six months before a decision is taken.

.5 What do you think are sr.ritable reasons for getting divorced? Consider these:

He's been unfaithful to me

Life is so boring

'\Ye'ue iust grown dpdrt

He hits me

She doesn't sleep with me any more I uant my freedom back

'We

just hatte nothing m common I just married the wrong person It's ds simple as that!

Taboos and /ssues Marriaqe - for better or for worse 16

Nobody needs a gun

Discussion

I n B r i t a i n it is illegal to have a gun without a ticence Following the Dunblane m a s s a c r e in sco'and in

1 9 9 6 ' w h e n a madman killed almost an entire class of primary school children and their teacher, t h e l a w s

on gun possession have become very strict The same is not true in the United states, where many more

a t r o c i t i e s i n v o l v i n g guns' such as the columbine incident described below, have taken place

l ' ! " a n y t h i n g like Dunblane or columbine happened in your country?

2 Cirn you remember any similar incidents in the news?

Read the slogan of the united states National Rifle Association (NRA), which has a lot of political

i n f l u e n c e in the US

I

t

I I

I

II

I

N

1 1 gr-rns Ieg:rl in your c,runtry? Are thcy easy

Reading

on April 20' 1999, two teenage boys at columbine High school near Denver, colorado, usA, shot over

3 0 f e l l o w students, killing 12 of thlm -.before takinitheir own rives The following point o f v i e w was

posted on an interactive website a few days later by -"or"on" from Britain Read the text, then answer

the questions below

h a s this as its slogan?

to get?

\7hy? IJfhy not?

a

InI

l

THE COLUMBINE MASSACRE

What is it going to take for America to get the

message? How many more young lives are we going

to see wasted? How can the pro_gun lobby in the US

still have such a powerful voice? After the Dunblane

massacre here in 1996, gun control laws, which were

already strict, were tightened further There was a

nationwide amnesty on handguns Many who had

guns, for whatever reason, gave them up Thev were

sick of what guns were capable of people even

questioned whether shooting should remain an

Olympic sport Dunblane shocked the whole nation

and the effect remains to this day.

But in the US, politicians are more worried about

upsetting the pro-gun groups and losing votes than

protecting innocent people! Ordinary citizens argue that they should be free to arm and defend themselves

in accordance with the Second Amendment' Def.end themselves against who? The country isn't under attack! The civil war ended over 200 years agol Most people in Britain have never seen or handled a real gun - even our police don't carry them _ but in America you can buy one on a Saturday afternoon shopping trip What has happened to a country that it can carry on with one massacre after another and do nothing? We're supposed to be cousins' but the family resemblance is not very strong any more I don't recognise their culture A country that can't ban guns has lost its head, and its soul.

D i s c u s s i o n

Answer these questions with a partner:

I' what is the over:rll tone of the article -.ang9! sarcasm, sympathy, something else?

2 l f y o u were an American, wourd you take off r at this article?

3 ' c o u l d someone f r o m your country write a similar article with very similar argumenrs?

4 ' H o w does the writer compare the Dunblane massacre t o t h e Columbine massacre?

5 ' D y r - r think the wrirer has ever been to the united States?

6 ' c o u l d the r'vriter a p p l y any of his or her criricisms r o c o u n t r i e s o t h e r than the United States?

17 Nobody needs a gun

Taboos and /ssues

Look at this sentence from the text:

People euen questioned whether shootingshowld remain an Olympic sport

E v e n is u s e d t o e m p h a s i s e a p o i n t y o u a r e a d d i n g Use the correct ending for each sentence below:

-a 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

a (iroups who want to ban guns say that it is impossible to think of three films

in which a gun never appears Can you prove them wrong?

b W h y d o y o u t h i n k g u n s a r e s o p r o m i n e n t in f i l m s ?

c f)o you think that gun-violence in films has a direct effect on gun-related crime?

G u n s a 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.rld you let your children play with toy guns?

ls it all bad news?

D o g u n s h a v e a n y p o s i t i v e ro l e s in s o c i e t y ? U s e t h e e x p r e s s i o n s b e l o w t o h e l p y o u e x p r e s s y o u r i d e a s

If we didn't haue guns, we wouldn't haue

It's becduse of guns that we

r[/e baue guns to thank fo,

[ ' m n o t i n fauour of guns, but I must admit

The sale of humanorgans

Discussion

U n d e r what circumstances w o u l d y o u allow an organ to be removed from your body? Tick the ones you

a g r e e with:

rr li I necdecl :rn operirtron

b A f t e r death, for general medical purposes

c T < r c l o n l t c an organ to a close relative

cl T<r cionate au organ to a close friend

c T o h e l p rurvonc i n n e e d

f To nrake monev

g Nevcr

M a n y p e o p l e carry an organ donor card, which allows

doctors to take parts of their bodies if they are killed

Do you carry one? lf not, why not?

Reading

R e a d this article about debt collection in Japan Does the same thing happen in other countries?

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 s f c o r n e a s ! h e a r t ! t u n g s ! l i v e r !pancreas I be used for transplantation

S i g n a t u r e D a t e

In the event of my death if possible, contact:

T e | : Remember to tell someone close to you that you want to be an organ donor Their agreement is important if the time ever comes.

Yamazaki, a small business owner inTokyo and also a recently-threatened borrower "Maybe in the western world this is different." And indeed it

is The United States, for example, outnumbers organ donations in Japan

b y 2 0 t o l Fortunately for Mr Mamoto, he found the legal help he needed before having to resofi to selling off parts of his body He filed the first criminal complaint against one of the largest loan shark companies in Japan, a company charging interest rates of 30

to 40 per cent National television has broadcast the recorded telephone threats repeatedly in an attempt to make Japanese citizens aware of the ruthless world of debt collection.

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I

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I

The phone calls fiom the debt to small businesses who are

collector got increasingry more experiencing financial difficulties

threatening First, the standard and who cannot raise money in other

pressure: "You have to come up with ways Their methods give a whole

the money Sell your house quickly new meaning to the idiomatrc

sell your clothes and all your expression, "It'll

cost you an arm and belongings if necessary." But then: a leg!"

"Sell

a kidney You have two don't Aggressiue debt collection has

you? Many of our oolo^*:t:

:ntt uti"oy, u""n an unpleasanr aspecr of have one you can ger $2g,000 for a tt" ilurin"r, world but this new

kidney You can get $9.500 for an developmenthascausedoutrage.The

eyeball," said the debt collector on ,ul" of body organs is especially

tape recordings of the calls sensitive in Japan, where people are

By this time, the person receiving the often reluctant to even ailow tire

calls, Mr Mamoto, a retired donation of an organ after death for

metalworker, was so frightened that medical purposes.

when he heard dogs barking, he ,we believe that our bodies are

thought it was debt collectors coming sacred

i would never allow anyone after him, his lawyer said to take anytirlng away from my body

These 'shoko loan'firms lend money - dead or alive," said Mr Hiroshi

R e a d the text again and answer these questions:

1 ' ln the telcphone t h r e a t s that were made, what did the debt collector say that shows there have bec'r

o t h e r victims of these threats?

? How did Mr Mamoro get proof of these threats?

3 A c c o r c l i ' g tr the article, lvhy are there so few organ donors in Japan?

4 Wliich idionratic expression i n t h e article means ;very sxpgnslys'2

D i s c u s s i o n

l ' T h e c'lebt c o l l e c t o r g a v e prices for certain organs Where was he possibly geting those figurcs from?

7 I ) o you think people who oblect ro organ donation are beins seliish?

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18 The sale of human organs Taboos

and /ssues

L a n g u a g e 1

R e m e m b e r this idiomatic expression from the

a r t i c l e , m e a n i n g th a t something is very expensive:

It'll cost )tou Ltn drm dnd a leg!

Lots of expressions in English have the word 'and'

i n t h e m i d d l e F o r example: sa/f and pepper T h e r e

a r e t w o t h i n g s t o k n o w about these expressions:

| T h e order never changes - you never say 'cost

I decided to becomc an organ donor

2 l t ' s a m a z i n g that this is still a controversial

i s s u e i n t h i s

3 I t ' s a c o m p l i c a t e d i s s u e T h e r c ' s n o s i m p l eanswer It's not

4 M a y b e s o m e d a y p e o p l e will change their

a t t i t u d e to w a r d s o r g a n d o n a t i o n - w e ' l l j u s thave to

5 I n s o m e c o u n t r i e s p e o p l e who are willing to

is the wctrst part of the job - hauing

to clear up dfter a Rugby International!"

4 H o w do ,vou feel abor-rt u s i n g a n i m a l organs in human beings? H o w a b o u t r - r s i n g a m o n k e y ' s h e a r t ?

W o t r l c l y o u l i k e the eyes of a pig?

5 N ' l a n y p e o p l e don't have the time or just can't be bothered to get an organ donor card Some

c o u n t r i e s w a n t a n e w s y s t e m w h e r e d o c t o r s automatically h a v e p e r m i s s i o n t o t a k e y o u r o r g a n surrlcss vou havc il card which says that you are not an organ donor A system like this one could

s i m p l i f y : r n d s p e e d t h i n g s u p a t h o s p i t a l s a n d s a v e li v e s ' W o u l d y o u be in favour of a system l i k e

t h i s ?

Taboos and /ssues The sale of human organs 18