English

A compilation of newsTickerarticles and exercises

November, 2010

newsLetter - 2

STANDING TALL.................................................................3WISH YOU WERE HERE.......................................................5SPORTS ............................................................................7LONG AS A VAN .................................................................9WATCH .......................................................................... 11MORE FUN....................................................................... 13LONG HOT....................................................................... 15IMMENSE ........................................................................ 17HISTORICAL SALE............................................................ 19NOVEMBER...................................................................... 21SCHOOLBOY .................................................................... 23FEAST............................................................................. 25DYSLEXIA........................................................................ 27ST ANDREW .................................................................... 29SAVED! ........................................................................... 31BOTTLES ON THE ROOF .................................................... 33

CONTENTS

newsLetter - 3

STANDING TALLIf I get under six and a half hours I will be happy

The New York City marathon is scheduled to run onNovember 7. The race has been run every year since1970. It is held on the first Sunday of November.

The marathon starts on Staten Island. The coursecontinues through Brooklyn, then Queens. Runners crossManhattan, and eventually finish in Central Park.

One of the participants this year will be 43-year-oldTawera Nikau, from New Zealand.

In 2003, he lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident.But this hasn't prevented the sport legend from stayingfit.

The former rugby player is promoting "AchillesInternational". This organisation encourages people withdisabilities to take part in all kinds of events.

"We want to motivate people with all sorts ofdisabilities," he says. "Whether they are physically ormentally disabled, they can still compete with able-bodied people."

Tawera now works as a sports journalist for MaoriTelevision. "Standing Tall" tells the amazing story of hislife.

01/11/2010

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A.1. Use a map of New York City to trace thecourse of the marathon.A.2. What are these different areas of New Yorklike? Find out more!

B.1 Do you know anyone who has participated in amarathon? Make a short interview.B.2. Present your interviews in class.

C.1. Find out more about the life of Tawera Nikau.If possible, read an extract from "Standing Tall".C.2. You can see Tawera playing rugby on Youtube.

D.1. What would you do if you had an accident likeTawera? Discuss in small groups.D.2. Are sports especially important if you have adisability? Write a short text with your ideas.

EXERCISE

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WISH YOU WERE HERELondon hard hit by climate change

A striking display of photomontages can be seen at theMuseum of London, from October until March next year.The exhibition "Postcards from the Future" is part of theStory of London festival.

Two illustrators have worked with well-known views ofthe city, and transformed them in radical ways.

They have tried to imagine different impacts of climatechange and other global crises. By showing possibleeffects in a familiar setting, the emotional messagebecomes very powerful.

Different dramatic scenarios are visualised. Imagesinclude: rice paddies in Parliament Square, a shantytown around Buckingham Palace, and skating at TowerBridge.

The situations depicted in the digitally altered images areextreme, but not unlikely. This is what will happen, ifnothing is done.

So have a look at these images, and then consider for amoment. If these are not the postcards we want to besending in the future, what has to be done?

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A.1. Are there any words in the article that youdon't understand? What do you think they mean,from the context?A.2. Look up these words or expressions in adictionary.

B.1. Look at the website of Postcards from theFuture, and find out more about the ideas behindit.B.2. Is this a good way to discuss climate change?What are the advantages / disadvantages?

C.1. Choose some well-known settings in your owntown or country.C.2. In groups, try to imagine future scenarios,thinking about how climate change and otherglobal challenges could affect these places.C.3. Now work on your own Postcards from theFuture, using pictures showing these places, andthe ways they have changed.

D. Imagine that you are visiting a place shown inPostcards from the Future. Write a postcard home!

E. Listen to the song Wish you were here (PinkFloyd). Then read the lyrics!

EXERCISE

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SPORTSAnd sorts

Seuss fans will be tickled to know that a brand newmanuscript has just been discovered. All Sorts of Sportswas sold at an auction for 34,000 dollars.

The author of Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in theHat wrote a total of 44 children's books. The film basedon How the Grinch Stole Christmas has become a holidayclassic.

The unfinished manuscript has 19 pages of typical Seussrhymes and doodles. It is about the athlete Pete, whotries a hundred different sports.

"What am I going to do today?" he wonders. "There areso many sports games to play. We could swim. I couldplay baseball, golf or catch. Or I could play a tennismatch."

And continues: "I could bowl, jump hurdles or water ski.I could blumf. Or blumf blumf blumf blumf blumf." Theword blumf could be a placeholder, of course. Thenagain, it might be a new sport?

08/11/2010

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A. Have you read any books by Seuss? What isspecial about his style?

B.1. Borrow some Seuss books from the library.B.2. First practice reading a short section aloud toeach other in pairs.B.3. Then take turns reading the texts aloud inclass. Try to find the rhythm of the text.

C. Work in teams to think of as many sports aspossible in two minutes. How many could you find?List on the whiteboard.

D. Why is the athlete called Pete? Make a list ofoccupations, and then try to find English firstnames that match them, to create a similar effect.

E.1. Some Seussisms have become part ofstandard English usage, like "every-which-where".Others are still specifically associated to Seuss,like "eleventeen". What do these words mean, doyou think?E.2. Work in teams to invent some new Seussisms.Then let the other teams guess the meaning.

F. What is a placeholder? Try writing a short textusing placeholders.

G. If blumf were a sport, what kind of sport couldit be? Have a contest for the weirdest wackiestsports. If you have time, illustrate with drawingsor collages.

EXERCISE

newsLetter - 9

LONG AS A VANAnd thick as a telephone pole

"When zoo visitors saw Fluffy, they experienced manyemotions," says the director of the Columbus Zoo andAquarium in Ohio.

"Everyone was moved by her presence," he continues."She created the connection for them, to learn more andcare more about misunderstood animals, such assnakes."

The demise of the 24-foot python has been a severeblow to her friends and faithful visitors. Named officiallyby Guinness "the longest snake in captivity", the popularreptile was loved and cherished by all. She will be sorelymissed.

Meanwhile, another slithery lady has also hit theheadlines. A captive boa constrictor has apparently givenbirth to 22 babies without a father.

The newborn babies are all females of course.Additionally, they seem to carry a peculiar geneticcharacteristic. They all had WW chromosomes, whichwas previously believed impossible.

Insects, such as termites, sometimes reproduce throughcloning. The phenomenon is extremely rare amongvertebrates though.

08/11/2010

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A.1. Write three short sentences summarising thecontent of the article in your own words.A.2. Compare with the other students in your group.Did you choose the same information? Why/why not?A.3. Now compare with the rest of the class. List thekey elements you chose on the whiteboard. Why didthey seem important? Discuss!

B. Pick some of the information you left out in exerciseA. Brainstorm in small groups to try to find contextswhere these "unimportant details" would be essential.

C.1. "long as a van" is a figure of speech called a"simile". What other kinds of simile exist? What is thedifference between a simile and a metaphor?C.2. Work in small groups making riddles using similes,like in the title of the article. Choose three things youwant your classmates to guess.C.3. Now let groups take turns reading their similesaloud, and see if the other groups can guess what theywere thinking of!

D. Why do you think the python was called Fluffy?

E. Choose a well-known animal in your town or country.(If you can't think of a famous animal, make one up!)Now imagine how this animal would be remembered.Work in small groups to write an obituary, inspired bythe article. If you like, you can make posters, andillustrate with drawings or collage. (You can also readsome real obituaries from newspapers, as inspiration).

EXERCISE

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WATCHOr be watched

You would think that a movie theatre is at least oneplace in society where you can really relax. You go thereto watch a film and simply unwind.

Here, you can express your emotions freely, withouthaving to consider how others might react. When Titanicsinks, you just go ahead, and let those tears flow!

But no, it seems Big Brother is taking over the filmindustry. And movie theatres may soon become yetanother place where any hint of emotion will beobserved, recorded and closely scrutinised.

Machine Vision Lab wants to monitor the reaction of theaudience to different scenes, by filming them in thedark, while they watch.

The idea is that the industry can use this information toidentify selling features. Surveillance cameras will beused to obtain 3D footage of the public.

The scheme is criticised by Privacy International, ahuman rights organisation. People should not participatewithout their explicit and informed consent.

08/11/2010

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A.1. First, just listen to the article once. Writesome key words as you listen.A.2. In pairs, take turns explaining the content toyour partner, using your own words.A.3. Listen again. Is there anything you missed thefirst time around? Is there anything you didn'tunderstand?A.4. Now read the article.

B.1. How many expressions in the passive can youfind in the article?B.2. How could you express this in the activevoice? Are there different possibilities? Discuss!

C.1. Which sentences that are now in the activevoice could you change into the passive voice?C.2. Which expressions can not be changed intothe passive voice?C.3. What is the difference between theexpressions that can be expressed in the passiveand those that can't? Show this on thewhiteboard!

D. Make a survey among your classmates. Havethey seen Titanic? How did they feel about thefilm? Did anyone cry? Why / why not?

E. What famous book does the idea of Big Brothercome from? What is this book about? Read thebook at home, then discuss in class.

EXERCISE

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MORE FUNAt 36,000 ft

No-one quite knows who started it or why. But someonedid. As passengers of flight CO1905 from Phoenix startedtheir descent, a fully-fledged pillow fight broke out.

Pillows and an occasional blanket were flying back andforth. Flight attendants struggled to handle the situationgracefully.

Passengers who were not actually participating in the funwere busy recording the action on their phones.Gleefully chanting "Throw them all into first!" - a good-natured reflection of the age-old antagonism betweencoach and first class.

"Yes, we drank champagne from 5am to 11pm," saysone passenger. "Yes, we had amazing experiences."

But participants also managed to raise 12,000 dollars forcharity. A raffle was held, and a silent auction for seatsin the Lufthansa simulator.

The flight from Phoenix to Everett in Washington statehad been chartered by the Star Mega Do. This is anevent especially organized for frequent flyers.

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A. Work in pairs. One is a journalist and the other iA.1. Where is Phoenix? Where is Washingtonstate?A.2. Plot the plane's trajectory on a map of the US.A.3. How far is this flight? How long do you think itwould take?

B. Each write three questions to the text. Thentake turns to ask and answer. The student who hasjust answered a question can choose which personto ask next.

C.1. How would you react to this situation if youwere a flight attendant? Why? Discuss in groups.C.2. This was a special chartered flight. Would thesituation have been different on a regular flight?

D. What kind of person is likely to be a frequentflyer? What does their life look like generally? Is itimportant to let off steam sometimes? Write ashort text with your ideas.

E.1. Watch footage from flight CO1905 onYouTube.E.2. Watch the 1897 "seminary girls" pillow fightby Thomas Edison.

EXERCISE

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LONG HOTJourney

A novel approach to saving energy is being explored by ateam of researchers at the University of Rhode Island.

Instead of painting surfaces black to absorb heat, theyare looking at gigantic black surfaces that already exist:our roads.

"We have mile after mile of asphalt pavement aroundthe country," says Professor Lee, the head of thisproject. In summer the asphalt heats up. So thequestion is: how could this energy be utilised?

One approach is to place water pipes beneath theasphalt. The hot water could be employed directly orusing heat-pumps. Steam could be generated, and usedto turn a turbine in a power plant.

Another possibility is to use solar cells. The newgeneration of solar cells are very flexible, explains theprofessor.

They can be installed so that regardless of the angle ofthe sun, it will be shining on the cells and generatingelectricity. Photovoltaic cells could be embedded in theroadway.

Finally, the thermo-electric effect caused by differencesin temperature could be exploited.

15/11/2010

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A.1. Why is the passive voice used?A.2. What difference in meaning is here indicatedby using 'can' and 'could', respectively?

B. Make a list of technical and scientific termsused in the article on the whiteboard. Do youunderstand all of these terms?

C.1. Which different solutions are suggestsuggested in the article? List keywords on thewhiteboard.C.2. Explain these solutions in your own words.

D.1. Let different groups find out more about: heatpumps, conventional turbines, the new generationof solar cells, the thermo-electric effect.D.2. Present the information to the class, usingcharts and pictures.

E.1. Work in groups, to brainstorm about ways youcould harvest energy at your own school.E.2. Select one of the ideas that came up. Howcould you make this idea work in practice?E.3. Make an exhibition at the school with yourdifferent projects.

EXERCISE

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IMMENSEPsychological pressure

The agonies of the Pakistan cricket team seem nowherenear ending. After all the latest scandals, the team isagain facing allegations of game-fixing.

Star player Zulqarnain Haider recently fled from Dubai toLondon. He had received death threats, because herefused to fix matches. "If your family is threatened, youwould think like me."

In Dubai, a man had asked Zulqarnain to fix a matchagainst South Africa. The man had said: "If you workwith us, we will give you a lot of money. If not, and yougo back home, we will kill you and your family."

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper explains that he is a goodcitizen, and that he does not wish to cheat his country."I performed well, despite serious life threats."

In the Test match against England this summer, thecricketer scored 88 runs in the second innings.

Former captain Imran Khan regrets Haider's decision.Such incidents tend to spread the notion that players arelinked with bookmakers.

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A.1. Cricket scandals have earned Pakistan a lot ofnegative media coverage lately. What have youheard about these scandals?A.2. Is game-fixing special for Pakistan, or is it awidespread problem? Why?

B. Imran Khan feels that the media attention is notdoing the game any good. Should these scandalsbe exposed? What are the negative effects of toomuch media coverage? In which ways can themedia be beneficial? Discuss!

C. Did Haider make the right choice in fleeing toEngland? What were his options? Discuss ingroups.

D.1. Is Haider's choice good for Pakistan? How doyou think his friends and family feel?D.2. In pairs, write and perform a dialoguebetween Haider and a Pakistani journalist.

E.1. What do you think it felt like playing the matchagainst South Africa under death threats? What isHaider's character like?E.2. Imagine you are Haider, and write a letter toyour family, explaining what has happened.

EXERCISE

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HISTORICAL SALEStory of the Grail

World famous auction house Sotheby's will soon beselling a unique manuscript. The Rochefoucauld Grail isbelieved to be the oldest existing manuscript telling th elegends of King Arthur.

The manuscript comprises three volumes, and 107exquisite illustrations. The gothic illuminations are trulyexceptional. These miniatures vividly depict the bloodand gore of knighthood, as well as chivalry and mysticalevents.

"The scenes often have a riotous energy," says DrBolton. They stretch "beyond the boundaries of thepicture frames," with "figures tumbling out of theminiatures onto the blank page, as they fall or scrambleto escape their enemies."

The text is written on vellum. This is made from cowhide.

The book was produced around 1315, for the Baron deRochefoucauld. The well-known stories about the Knightsof the Round Table were immensely popular in medievaltimes.

The auction house expects the manuscript to fetch up totwo million pounds.

15/11/2010

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A.1. Did you understand all the words in thisarticle? Write a list of words you didn'tunderstand.A.2. Compare with the others in your group.A.3. Look these words up. Then reread the text.A.4. Did difficult words prevent you fromunderstanding the content of the article?Why/why not? Were any words especiallyimportant for understanding the content? Discuss!

B. What do you know about King Arthur and theknights of the round table? Does the legend havean author?

C.1. Several films have been based on thesestories. Watch one of the films, without subtitles.C.2. Several books and poems have been writtenon this theme. Which do you know about? Letdifferent groups look at different texts, and thendiscuss together.

D. The legend of King Arthur was popular in theMiddle Ages. Would readers in those days haveseen the stories in the same light as we see themtoday? What made the stories interesting in thosedays? What makes them interesting today? Are westill waiting for Arthur and Merlin to save us?

EXERCISE

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NOVEMBERBut romance is in the air

Just three decades ago, another marriage set the heartsof the British public aflutter. In July 1981, the Prince ofWales married Lady Di, in St Paul's cathedral. Theirstormy marriage fuelled imagination for years.

Now, William is ready to take the leap. Last week, theengagement was officially announced.

Future bride is long-standing girlfriend Kate Middleton.William has already gone up to Balmoral, to get hisgrandmother's blessing.

The wedding venue may be Westminster Abbey,although this is not yet certain. This is where Elizabethmarried Philip, and where Diana's funeral was held.

The date is also hazy. Most likely, the ceremony will takeplace in spring or early summer.

Apparently, it was during a vacation in Kenya, thatWilliam proposed. He gave Kate his mother'sengagement ring.

"This was my way of making sure that my mother didn'tmiss out on today," he said.

22/11/2010

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A.1. What do you know about the life and death ofDiana Spencer?A.2. Watch video footage on YouTube from Diana'swedding in 1981. Then watch footage from thefuneral. What was the atmosphere like?A.3. Write a short text, describing the feeling andatmosphere in these videos.

B. Does Diana's fate affect William's marriagetoday? Discuss!

C.1. What do you know about William and Kate'sromance?C.2. When did they meet? What did they study?C.3. What kind of career has Kate had? Is she wellprepared to be a princess and future queen?

D. What are the advantages with belonging to theroyal family? What are the disadvantages?Discuss!

E. Is it right to spend the taxpayers' money on anexpensive wedding, at a time when thegovernment is making drastic cuts in publicspending? Think of arguments for and against.Organise a debate in class.

EXERCISE

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SCHOOLBOYOn top of the world

The youngest Indian to ever scale Mt Everest is about topublish the amazing story of his exploit.

In May, this spring, 16-year-old Arjun Vajpai from Delhiclimbed the legendary peak. He then started working onthe book, together with well-known author Anu Kumar.

Arjun attends 12th grade at Ryan International School,in Noida. Besides mountaineering, he enjoys karate andtaekwondo.

"On top of the world: My Everest adventure" shares hisexperience. He hopes it will allow him to raise funds foran expedition to the Poles, but also inspire others.

The book is about having a "seemingly impossibledream, and daring to chase it".

The expedition in May was part of a campaign to cleanthe mountain from debris left by generations ofmountaineering. The climbers managed to bring down5,000 kg of garbage.

"Take care of nature, and nature will take care of you,"says Arjun.

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A. Climbing Mt Everest needs a lot of preparation.How can you prepare an exploit like this? Find outmore!

B. Is it right for teen-agers to expose themselvesto such risks? Discuss in groups!

C.1. Find a blog (for instance Jordan Romero) orbook that gives a day-by-day account of an Everestexpedition. Take turns reading the daily entriesaloud in class.

C.2. Find books about Everest at the library, andcompare the different books in class.C.3. Look at photos and video footage fromEverest.

D.1. Why did earlier generations of mountaineersleave garbage on the mountain?D.2. Are there other sports that destroy nature likethis?D.3. Why are mountaineers now trying to clean upMt Everest? Discuss!

E.1. Work in groups to think of an area that youcould clean up in your locality. Plan a clean-up day.E.2. Afterwards, discuss the results in class! Whatkinds of litter did you find?

EXERCISE

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FEASTOf gratitude

Every year towards the end of November, the samequestion arises: what shall we serve for Thanksgiving?

This is not just about getting hold of a turkey - anyturkey. Not to mention the diverse issues of frozen orfree-range. (Or the impossible equation of fitting theanimal into a modern oven!)

Set aside the intricate problem of uniting friends andfamily, of various ages, from all over the country - allaround the same table.Finding food which is low-fat, low-carb, no-sugar,organic, non-dairy and still tasty. Preparing a meal thatcan be enjoyed by teen-age vegan niece and toothlessgrandpa alike.

No, the real challenge is putting together a menu whichspells Tradition, yet provides that little extra"something". Showing that you genuinely care.

So where do we start? Deviled eggs with gherkins. Hamand turkey. Mashed potatoes. Gravy and stuffing?Sweet potatoes, squash and cornbread. Vanilla ice-cream or pumpkin pie?

22/11/2010

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A.1. When is Thanksgiving celebrated in the US?What about Canada?A.2. Which foods would have been part of theoriginal Thanksgiving meal? Why?

B.1. Do all Americans feel strongly aboutThanksgiving? Do all Americans have positiveassociations to the same foods do you think? Howdoes a national holiday work when everybody hasdifferent ethnic backgrounds?B.2. Why are some Americans concerned aboutlimiting fat and cooking without a lot of carbs? Isthis a typically American problem?

C. Is it easy to gather the whole family for theholidays nowadays? Why/ why not? What effectdoes this have on society?

D. Work in groups. Find out more about each of theitems on the menu suggested in the article. Leteach group make a presentation, which explainswhat these foods mean to Americans today.

E.1. Find recipes for pumpkin pie and the otheritems on the menu.E.2. How do you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius?What about measures like a "cup"?E.3. If possible, prepare a Thanksgiving meal thatyou can share in class. Make decorations forThanksgiving and decorate the classroom!

EXERCISE

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DYSLEXIAKey to genius?

Dyslexia, more frequently known as "word blindness", isgenerally considered a disadvantage. Children withdyslexia have problems learning to read and write.Spelling can be a daunting hurdle.

The problem affects roughly a tenth of all pupils.Fortunately, dyslexic children are no longer believed tobe "stupid". Still, they have to work much harder thantheir peers to get through school.

But there may be a silver lining to this cloud. Whilereading remains an ordeal, it seems dyslexics havebetter developed spatial awareness.

Dr Brunswick has conducted experiments on spatialperception at Middlesex University.

She explains that dyslexics often work out problems by"thinking and doing", instead of speaking. This may beone of the reasons why dyslexics succeed in the Arts andwhy they tend to be more creative.

Famous people suffering from dyslexia include: LeonardoDa Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Edison, and MichaelFaraday.

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A.1. What do you know about dyslexia?A.2. Why is dyslexia a problem at school?

B.1. Work in small groups. Jumble (or exchange)some of the letters in each word in a short writtentext (each group should pick a different text forthis exercise).Then exchange the "jumbled" texts between thegroups, and try to read. What does it feel like?B.2. Should one particular talent (such as theability to spell and identify written words quickly)be allowed to determine a person's future?Discuss!

C. What if another type of talent (like tightropewalking, or the ability to identify ediblemushrooms) were equally important at school?(work in groups for the following exercise)C.1. Choose a talent among all the different thingshuman beings can do.C.2. Imagine a society where this talent played acentral role.C.3. How would you adapt at school if you did nothave this particular talent?C.4. Write a short story based on this scenario.

D. Dr Brunswick suggests one reason whydyslexics might be more creative. Can you think ofother reasons? List on the whiteboard!

E. Which strategies and study techniques can helpdyslexics succeed at school? Find out more!

EXERCISE

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ST ANDREWNational holiday on Tuesday

Many Scottish tourist attractions could be visited for freeover the week-end, in honour of St Andrew's Day. Andobviously, a lot of partying has been going on, all overthe country!

The government has launched a poster competition forschoolchildren. The theme was Scotland's food anddrink. Winning contributions can be seen at the Scottishparliament.

Although Scotland's national holiday is now officially abank holiday, many people do not get a day off work.

And though you will see the Scottish flag in many placeson November 30th, the British Army stubbornly refusesto lower the Union Jack.

This year, the most popular story about St Andrew's is,of course, the royal engagement. Because William andKate first met, when studying at that university.

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A. What is St Andrew's Day? What do you know aboutSt Andrew?

B.1. Do you know any typical Scottish food or drink?

B.2 Look at the winning posters onhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/engageforeducation/sets/72157625465746712/

B.3. Describe the posters, what are they about?

C.1. What does the Scottish flag look like? What is itcalled? What does the Union Jack stand for?

C.2. Should the Brittish army lower the Union Jack outof respect for Scotland’s national holiday? What do youthink? Discuss!

D. Who are William and Kate?

E. Make your own posters for St Andrew's Day!

EXERCISE

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SAVED!Thank you very much for stopping

Amazingly, three teenage boys survived alone on a boatin the Pacific for 50 days. All they had to eat was somecoconuts, and a seagull they managed to catch.

They drank rainwater which they were able to collect ona tarpaulin. But for the last two days, the teens hadstarted drinking seawater, since it hadn't rained. Thiscould have been fatal.

Two of the boys were 15, while the youngest was only14. They came from the atoll of Atafu. It lies in a groupof islands that belongs to New Zealand.

The boys were found northeast of Fiji. Their boat haddrifted 800 miles. It was certainly a lucky coincidencethat they were found. Normally the tuna boat thatrescued them didn't use that route.

When the village learned that the boys were alive,everyone was hugging each other. People were cryingand yelling and singing songs.

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A.1. How far is 800 miles in kilometres?A.2. Look at a map of the area. Where is NewZealand? Where is the atoll of Atafu? Where is Fiji?

B.1. How could the boys survive?B.2. What dangers did they face, drifting in thePacific like this?B.3. Why is drinking sea water bad for you? Findout more!

C.1. Brainstorm in groups about what you could doin a situation like this.C.2. Find out more about people who survivedunder similar conditions. What was important?

D.1. Imagine that you are one of the boys. Write ashort text, telling about your feelings during theweeks at sea.D.2. Imagine that you are a relative or a friend.What were you thinking when the boys were lostat sea? How do you feel now? Describe reactions inthe village!

E. What are the odds against running across a tunaboat in the area where the boys were drifting?How close to the boys' boat would you have to beto see them? Work in groups and try to make anestimate!

EXERCISE

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BOTTLES ON THE ROOFWhen the sun shines

Approximately half a million people are crowded togetherin Nairobi's slums. Housing is makeshift, at best. Sewagenon-existent.

A major problem here is water. People stand in longqueues to buy water from private kiosks connected withthe municipal water pipes. Water sold by water trucks ispricey. The poorest therefore resort to the pollutedNgong River.

But even tap water is contaminated. Fuel is also scarceand expensive, and people don't have the money forboiling water. When children get sick from waterbornediseases, families can't afford to take them to hospital.

This is why solar water purification is so important.Plastic bottles are left in the sun, and the ultra-violetrays help make the water safe to drink. The method isknown as SODIS.

Kaltuma Tahir is a mother of six, and puts her heart andsoul into this campaign. She goes door-to-door in theslums, showing people how to clean their water.

When the sun is shining, you leave it in bottles on theroof for six hours. But when it rains, you need anothermethod, she says.

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A.1. Listen to the article, and select some keyexpressions.A.2. In pairs, compare which key words youselected. Does it make a difference in how youunderstood the meaning?A.3. Orally, summarise the article in your ownwords.A.4. Now, read the article.

B.1. Which options do the residents have to makethe drinking water safe for their children? List onthe whiteboard.B.2. What are the pros and cons?

C.1. Which waterborne pathogens do you knowabout? Find out more!C.2. How do these diseases affect public health in acountry like Kenya?C.3. Would the effect be the same in a Europeancountry? Why / why not? Discuss!

D.1. Brainstorm in groups, to find ways ofimproving the situation!D.2. Select some of your ideas, and present to theclass!

E. Find out more about the slums of Nairobi. Workin small groups to make an exhibition on the waterissue in Kibera.

EXERCISE