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News Lesson
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Introduction
Our News Pack lessons are designed to help you improve all aspects of your English through the pleasure of reading short news articles.
There are 7 parts:
- The Main Article from a trusted news source
- Key Lexical Definitions to enrich your vocabulary and help understanding
- The Listening Section for intensive aural training, with slow and fast versions
- The Pronunciation Workshop to help your listening and speaking skills
- The 3 Quick Questions quiz for basic comprehension
- The 6 of the Best exercise to teach and practise important structures
- The 9 Lives of English test to consolidate and check what you have learnt
You can study in many different ways…
Instructions
1) Just look at the pictures and read the article and try to understand
2) Do the quick vocabulary definitions exercise and check new words in your dictionary
3) Click the yellow ‘Translate‘ button (below, right) to help you understand
4) Listen to the ‘slow’ version of the text and repeat
5) Listen to the ‘normal’ version and repeat again with good pronunciation
6) You can do Steps 4 and 5 before Step 1 if you want
7) Use the ‘Pronunciation Workshop‘ to develop excellent pronunciation
8) Do the ‘3 Quick Questions‘ test to test your understanding
9) Study the ‘6 of the Best‘ Exercise to improve your grammar and vocabulary
10) Finish with the ‘9 Lives of English‘ exercise to really test what you have learnt
11) Click on ‘Mobile Phone’ link if you are having problems viewing the exercises
12) Repeat any or all of the above sections regularly to revise and rememeber what you have learnt
13) And most important: Have fun learning English!
Culture ~ Pamplona Bull Run
Sab’s Introduction!
Listen FIRST, then Click HERE to read 😉
Hi There, it’s Sab here, with another news article lesson.
And this as about a crazy festival in Spain called the ‘running of the bulls’ festival, or the San Fermin festival, where people run in the streets, with bulls – very very dangerous – and try not to get hurt!
As well as that, there’s a lot of other things which happen, traditional ceremonies, as well as just one big party.
You can see a lot of people having a great time and there are some fantastic photographs AND I’ve done a little video for you too!
OK, that’s it, so have fun with this lesson. It’s a big lesson, there’s lots of vocabulary to learn. Do all the exercises. Do them again and again, if you want to.
Read without listening, listen without reading, read and listen at the same time – everything you can to make your English better and better.
That’s it, see you next time, bye bye!
1) See The Article
WHAT TO DO: Read the article quickly and try to understand in general.
Revellers soaked in wine as party marks start of Pamplona bull runs
Thousands of revellers doused each other with wine on Monday to celebrate the start of the famed San Fermin running of the bulls festival.
The festival started with the traditional launching of a fireworks rocket — known as the Chupinazo — from the town hall balcony. The heaving crowd packed the Pamplona square down below, jumping and screaming “Viva San Fermin!”*
Most in the crowd waved red neckerchiefs, which along with white shirts and trousers, form the traditional festival clothing.
(Watch Sab commenting on some crazy Pamplona pics
and video – Click ‘CC‘ for subtitles!)
The Chupinazo takes place a day before the first of eight 8am bull runs in this northern Spanish city.
Thousands of people at the festival test their speed and bravery by racing ahead of six fighting bulls along a 930-yard (850-metre) course from a holding pen to the city’s bull ring.
The bulls are then killed by professional matadors in bullfights each afternoon.
Pamplona’s streets are stained with bulls’ blood.
~ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals**
The nine-day, street-partying fiesta was immortalised in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises and attracts thousands of foreign tourists.
Earlier, more than 100 semi-naked*** activists covered in blood red paint launched a protest outside the entrance to the Pamplona bull ring.
Source: Yahoo News Digest
*San Fermin Festival (event) ~ This hugely popular festival is held in honour of Saint Fermin, the local patron saint. One legend says he died by being dragged through the street followed by angry bulls, hence the tradition.
**People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (animal rights organisation) ~ A lot of people do not like bullfighting and protest against it. Like many questionable traditions today, it is deeply rooted in the culture of the people and therefore very difficult to change.
***semi-naked (adjective) ~ Semi-naked usually means that women are showing their breasts. Some activists do this to try to attract attention to the killing of the bulls. Unfortunately, a lot of female festival revellers also show their breasts as part of the party, and it is hard to keep abreast of who’s supporting what! 😉
2) Remember and Match
WHAT TO DO: Click in the boxes and complete the lines from the article.
3) Vocabulary Definitions
WHAT TO DO: Click on the boxes and choose the correct definition.
4) @=> LISTEN <=@
WHAT TO DO: Listen carefully and repeat with good intonation.
Slow Version
Fast Version
5) Mixed Up Sentences
WHAT TO DO: Click on the sentence chunks in the correct order.
6) Pronunciation Workshop
WHAT TO DO: Listen and repeat after the slow and fast versions.
revellers doused each other with wine
The heaving crowd packed the Pamplona square
traditional festival clothing
the first of eight 8am bull runs
Thousands of people at the festival
killed by professional matadors
nine-day, street-partying fiesta
thousands of foreign tourists
100 semi-naked activists
7) Quick Test ~ So Easy! 😀
3 Quick Questions
WHAT TO DO: Choose the correct answer, A, B or C.
8) Mini Quiz ~ Let’s Go!! 😛
6 of the Best…
WHAT TO DO: Click in the box and choose the correct word.
9) Grand Finale ~ Yes You Can!!! 😈
9 Lives of English!
WHAT TO DO: Click in the box and write the correct word.
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