A compilation of newsTicker 1 articles
with Exercises
MARCH 2006
s
Content
POOP POWER
San Francisco sniffing it out
4
New 007 bashed
6
Changing muddled measurements
8
BOND BOYCOTT
BRITONS DREAD METRICS
FORMER BEATLE VISITS CANADA
McCartney speaks for the seals
10
New sea patrol
12
Biography led Blair to politics
14
Mountaineers called in
16
Canadian Mounties in mourning
18
Vesuvius blast could be devastating
20
PENTAGON INVESTS IN SHARKS
INSPIRED BY TROTSKY
ACROPOLIS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
TRIBUTE TO A POLICE HORSE
NAPLES’ FUTURE
WORLD’S YOUNGEST BILLIONAIRE
Hind Hariri
22
Ancient war goddess
24
Killed in boating accident
26
Controls are working
28
Seeks ‚ransom‘ for files
30
Jessica Simpson for disfigured children
32
STATUES FOUND IN EGYPT
LUNA THE ORCA
MAD COW DISEASE IN US
NEW COMPUTER VIRUS
STARLET SEEKS SMILES
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POOP POWER
San Francisco sniffing it out
an Francisco, the well known
S
‚flower power‘ US city might
become famous for its innovative
investigations of ‚poop power‘.
ity officials have instructed
C
the trash-handling company,
Norcal, to come up with a system
to turn pet waste into methane
gas. This gas could then be used to
heat homes and generate electricity.
A boxer dog
tatistics show that 3.8 percent of the city‘s residential
S
garbage consists of cat and dog poop and other animal
waste, and San Francisco wants to put it to good use.
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orcal‘s last study resulted in the 1996 program
that collects food scraps from restaurants and
composts them to use as fertilizer for vineyards
and farms. This successful program is now used in
other cities and is being eyed by other countries.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Listen to the article carefully and complete the
statements below in your own words.
1. San Francisco will be known for.....?
2. Norcal is going to.....?
3. Pet waste can eventually be used to.....?
4. Almost 4 percent.......?
5. Norcal’s last study uses....?
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
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BOND BOYCOTT
New 007 bashed
A
new website was opened for James
Bond fans who oppose the new
choice for the 007 role. The furious
fans are asking others to boycott
the next movie in protest of Daniel
Craig, the new Bond superspy.
T
he website urges fans to stay away
from ‚Casino Royale‘ that stars
Daniel Craig as the suave and debonair
Daniel Craig
James Bond. They claim that Craig, a short,
blond actor known for his roles as the bad
guy, can not pull off playing the smooth secret agent.
They also question Barbara Broccoli‘s decision to fire
the popular Pierce Brosnan and replace him with Craig.
asino Royale, a 100-million-dollar production,
C
is the 21st film in the Bond series and
will be released on November 17th.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
1. Based on the title and subtitle, what do you think
this article is about?
2. What happens during a boycott? How would a
boycott affect the movie?
3. Find out how many former 007s there were. What
are their names? Who made the most James Bond
movies?
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-03
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BRITONS DREAD METRICS
Changing muddled measurements
F
amiliarity with pints, miles and
pounds makes Britain more than
hesitant to make the move towards the
metric system used throughout Europe.
1965, the country began promoting
Ibutna program
to convert to metrics,
it was short lived. Today Britons
use several different measuring
systems. The issue of updating
Britain‘s mixed up method of
measuring weights, distances and
other units has been a controversial
subject for the last 40 years.
His Royal Highness
Prince Charles
samples a pint
ritons buy petrol in liters but calculate fuel
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consumption in gallons. Fruits and vegetables
are bought in pounds, distance is measured
by miles and some drinks by pints.
he goal of the UK Metric Association (UKMA) is
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for Britain to be completely metric by the time
London hosts the Olympics Games in 2012.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Answer the statements with either True or False.
Make all false statements true.
1. The British are eager to use metrics.
2. Britain uses one standard measuring system.
3. In Britain, distance is measured by stones.
4. Over 40 years ago, the country started to use
metrics.
5. Pints are used to measure weight.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
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FORMER BEATLE VISITS CANADA
McCartney speaks for the seals
S
ir Paul McCartney and
his wife Heather Mills
McCartney will visit Canada
to bring attention to
Canada‘s annual seal hunt.
he couple is known
T
for their animal rights
work and they have vowed
to make life difficult
Paul (L) and Heather McCartney
for the Canadian PM
if the hunts continue.
During the hunt, thousands of harp seals
are brutally slaughtered for their skins.
n the past two years, animal rights defenders
Ioutraged
have strongly campaigned to stop the seal hunt,
by Canada‘s increased hunt quotas.
Canadian authorities raised the quota to 319,517
seals in 2005. Canada defends the higher numbers
due to a large population of over 5.9 million seals.
famous objectors are Brigitte Bardot, the Dalai
Other
Lama and actors Kim Bassinger and Juliette Binoche.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the questions.
1. Find out more about harp seals....
-what do they look like?
-what are their skins used for?
-what kind of habitat do they live in?
2. Do you think the seals should be hunted? Why or
why not?
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-08
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PENTAGON INVESTS IN SHARKS
New sea patrol
T
he Pentagon is funding new
research that will turn sharks
into spies. Researchers are working
to create brain implants that can
control sharks, so they can move
undetected through the ocean while
gathering important information.
A nurse shark at
an aquarium
ccording to the report
A
in the New Scientist,
researchers are experimenting with implanting
electrodes into animals‘ brains. The animals are
then stimulated to respond in a specific way.
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he report said the Pentagon wants to take advantage
of sharks‘ navigation skills, their sensibility to
electrical charges and their heightened sense of
smell and put them to work for the government.
he Pentagon believes that by guiding the
T
sharks‘ movements by remote control, they
could change them into stealthy spies ‚capable
of following vessels without being spotted.‘
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the questions.
1. Why does the government want to use sharks as
their new spies? Why not some other kind of animal?
2. How will the government control the sharks?
3. What kind of missions do you think the sharks will
perform? Explain.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-09
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INSPIRED BY TROTSKY
Biography led Blair to politics
B
ritish Prime Minister Tony Blair
said that he became interested
in a political career after reading a
Leon Trotsky biography. Blair talked
about being inspired by books and
their importance as he launched the
country‘s World Book Day initiative.
lair said that although there were
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people who helped get him started
in politics, it was the biography
of Trotsky by Isaac Deutscher that
really impressed him. Leon Trotsky
was one of the architects of the
Russian Revolution and one of
the top Communist theorists.
Lev Davidovitch
Bronstein, better
known as Leon
Trotsky
lair admits reading is an important part of
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his family‘s life. He enjoys reading to his 5year-old son every night before bed.
W
orld Book Day is a worldwide
celebration that promotes books and
reading for the young and old alike.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Look at the article below and fill in the blanks with
the correct form of the verb in parenthesis.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair __________
(to say) that he became interested in a political
career after __________ (to read) a Leon Trotsky
biography. Blair talked about being inspired by books
and their importance as he __________ (to launch)
the country’s World Book Day initiative.
Blair said that although there were people who helped
get him ___________ (to start) in politics, it ___
_______ (to be) the biography of Trotsky by Isaac
Deutscher that really __________ (to impress) him.
Leon Trotsky was one of the architects of the Russian
Revolution and one of the top Communist theorists.
Blair __________ (to admit) reading is an important
part of his family’s life. He __________ (to enjoy)
reading to his 5-year-old son every night before bed.
World Book Day __________ (to be)a worldwide
celebration that __________ (to promote) books
and reading for the young and old alike.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
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ACROPOLIS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Mountaineers called in
A
rchaeologists working
on restoring the Greek
monument, the Acropolis, have
called in mountaineers to help.
wo Greek mountaineers,
T
Michalis Styllas and Vassilis
Naxakis, were enlisted to climb
The Parthenon atop the
Acropolis in Athens
down the Acropolis‘s 18meter (59-foot) southern wall
in order to place electrode sensors. These sensors
scan the 2,300-year-old walls to assess any water
or erosion damages. The readings will guide the
archaeologists as to how proceed with the restorations.
tyllas was part of a Greek team that placed the flag
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of the Athens 2004 Olympics at the summit of Mount
Everest in May 2004. He told NET state television that
it was tricky trying to place the electrodes properly,
and that he is ‚really curious to see the results.“
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1. What are the archaeologists doing to the
Acropolis?
2. Why did they need the mountaineers’ assistance?
3. What do the sensors do? Why are they useful?
4. Do you think it’s important to restore ancient
ruins? Why or why not?
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-13
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TRIBUTE TO A POLICE HORSE
Canadian Mounties in mourning
A
police horse that recently died in
the line of duty in Toronto was
mourned at his funeral by nearly
1,500 people from North America.
he memorial service, broadcast
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on Canadian television, was
attended by police officers
Canadian mounted police
and government officials,
including the city‘s mayor and police chief.
rigadier, a Belgian cross only seven years old,
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was hurt by a hit and run driver who fled the
scene. Because the injuries were so serious, the
horse had to be put down. Constable Kevin Bradfield
was also hurt and suffered from neck and back
injuries after Brigadier threw him to the ground.
a touching, tear-filled eulogy, Bradfield said that
In‚being
in the saddle will never be the same.‘
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article below and see if you can find the
grammar and spelling mistakes. (Hint: 8 mistakes
A police hoarse that recently died in the line of duty
in Toronto was mourning at his funeral by nearly
1,500 people from North America.
The memorial service, broadcast on Canadian
television, was attended by police officers and
government officials, included the city’s mayor and
police chef.
Brigadier, a Belgian cross only seven years old, is
hurt by a hit and run driver who fled the scene.
Because the injurys were so serious, the horse had
to be put down. Constable Kevin Bradfield was also
hurt and suffered from neck and back injuries after
Brigadier throwed him to the ground.
In a touching, tear-filled eulogy, Bradfield say that
‘being in the saddle will never be the same.’
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-14
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NAPLES’ FUTURE
Vesuvius blast could be devastating
T
he Italian city of
Naples could suffer a
worse fate than Pompeii
did in 79 AD if Mount
Vesuvius erupts again.
S and Italian
U
researchers
have concluded that
there was a massive
eruption from Vesuvius
Ruins of an ancient Pompeii temple
about 3,780 years ago,
which covered a 25-kilometer (15-mile) radius.
A
team of specialists focused on the recent discovery
of prehistoric villages at Nola, close to Vesuvius.
The site was full of clues as to what happened the day
of the eruption. Researchers said that everyday life was
‚frozen‘. Footprints of thousands of people and animals
were also found, signaling an attempt to escape.
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esearchers said that Naples should remember
the catastrophe and use it as a reference of
what could happen in the worst case scenario.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the questions.
1. Where exactly is Mount Vesuvius?
2. What happened over 3500 years ago?
3. How did the scientists know that the people in the
village tried to get away?
4. What did the researchers mean when they said
“everyday life was frozen”? How do you imagine the
scene?
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
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WORLD’S YOUNGEST BILLIONAIRE
Hind Hariri
H
ind Hariri, daughter of slain
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri, made Forbes Magazine‘s
wealthiest people list this year, after
receiving her father‘s inheritance.
ariri, 22, is now worth 1.4
H
billion dollars. She ranked
number 562 among 793 people
Hind Hariri
on Forbes‘ list. Hind‘s mother
Nazek and brother Fahd also made the list with
fortunes of 1.7 billion and 2.7 billion respectively.
afiq Hariri was assassinated in a car bomb last
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year in Beirut and left his fortune of over 16.7
billion dollars to his widow and five children.
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he late Prime Minister was the son of a farm hand
and moved his way up to become one of the world‘s
wealthiest men. His enterprises include banking, media,
real estate and construction companies all over the world.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the questions below.
1. How long does it take to spend 1.4 billion dollars?
Set up a budget for yourself and figure out how much
you could spend each year for 50 years.
2. If you had Hariri’s money, name some things you
would buy for yourself.
3. Now decide how much money you would donate to
charity. What charities would you like to support and
why?
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-17
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STATUES FOUND IN EGYPT
Ancient war goddess
S
eventeen statues of the lionheaded goddess Sekhmet have
been discovered in an ancient
temple in Luxor, Egypt.
German team of archeologists
A
unearthed the statues while working
on restoring the 18th dynasty (1580-
1314 BC) temple of pharaoh Amenhotep
III. The black granite statues, once
black granite statues
intact, measure between 1.7 and
found in Luxor
1.8 meters. They show Sekhmet on
a throne holding the Ankh, a hieroglyphic sign which
meant life to the ancient Egyptians. The pharaoh‘s name
was also found inscribed on the sides of the throne.
haraoh Amenhotep III had many statues of
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Sekhmet. The goddess Sekhmet was associated
with war and retribution, but apart from her
destructive side, she could cure illnesses. Some
theories explain that the pharaoh hoped the goddess
could cure his dental and health problems.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the questions.
1. What are hieroglyphics and what were they used
for?
2. Who was Sekhmet? Why was Sekhmet considered
important?
3. Why did the the pharaoh have statues of
Sekhmet?
4. What other Egyptian god and goddesses are you
familiar with? Share one with the class.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-20
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LUNA THE ORCA
Killed in boating accident
L
una, a killer whale, popular among
tourists was killed in an accident when
it was hit by a tugboat propeller off
Vancouver Island on Canada‘s Pacific coast.
T
A killer whale
he seven-year-old whale first came
to the region five years ago. He would seek out
companionship by playfully pushing passing boats
and sea planes. Many tourists would feed Luna and
hold their children close to him to get pictures.
ormally, killer whales travel in pods and it was
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rare that Luna had separated from his group. After
several boating accidents, Canadian and US authorities
decided to reunite Luna with his pod. But the government
backed down when the native peoples of that region
objected and allowed them to shepherd Luna.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and complete the activities.
1. Where do killer whales usually live? Do they like
cold water or warm water?
2. Do these whales travel much? If so where do they
travel?
3. How big do they get? What do they eat?
4. What is a mammal? Define it.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-21
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MAD COW DISEASE IN US
Controls are working
A
third case of mad cow disease
has been discovered in the US.
Authorities say the situation is not
getting worse, but rather it shows that
the strict beef controls are successful
in detecting diseased cows.
T
he latest infected cow was found
in Alabama. This is the third
confirmed case in the US since
Quarantined
2003. The early detection has
dairy cows
taken the infected meat out of
circulation and prevented it from
entering both human and animal food supplies.
ad cow disease, or bovine spongiform
M
encephalopathy (BSE), is a progressive, fatal
disease. It attacks the central nervous system and
causes its sufferers to lose motor control. Some
scientists believe the human variant of the disease
is caused by eating beef contaminated with BSE.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1. How do you expect people to react after reading
this article? What do you think they will do?
2. Have the recent diseases, such as bird flu, mad
cow, etc, made you and your family change your
eating habits? Explain.
3. Do you follow a healthy diet? As a class, talk
about good nutrition and why it’s important to eat
wisely.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-22
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NEW COMPUTER VIRUS
Seeks ‚ransom‘ for files
A
new
computer
virus is
„kidnapping“
files and
holding them
for „ransom“.
In order to get
them back, the
masterminds
behind the
crime are
demanding
300 dollars.
Holdup in cyberspace
T
he security firm LURHQ recently discovered
the Trojan „ransomware“. Users whose
computers have the bug are informed that their
files are being held and will not give the decrypted
information back until their demands are met.
nother security firm, Sophos has reported that this
A
latest virus is „bold as brass“. They recommend that
companies use a backup system to ensure they don‘t
lose their files in case of an „attack“. This way companies
won‘t be subjected to meeting the criminals‘ demands.
Sophos and LURHQ have discovered the
Together,
password, which is a code disguised as a file.
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Read the article and answer the following questions.
1. What usually happens to your computer when it
has a “normal” virus? Explain.
2. What makes this type of virus different from other
viruses?
3. How do you protect your computer from viruses?
How do you usually solve the problem when your
computer is “infected”?
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
3-23
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STARLET SEEKS SMILES
Jessica Simpson for disfigured children
A
merica‘s starlet Jessica Simpson
visited the US Congress to make an
appeal for a charity organization that
helps children with facial deformities.
he movie actress and pop-singer
T
is currently serving as the youth
ambassador for Operation Smile,
a non-profit group that provides
surgery for children who suffer from
disfiguring diseases. Simpson lobbied
on the children‘s behalf in Congress.
statement to
Isaidntheathat
press, Simpson
working with the program has been an eye-
Jessica Simpson
opening and rewarding experience. She said it „changed
my life and changed my perspective“. She added that
it was truly amazing to see how the children were
transformed after their operations, and said; „this
is what life is about, to walk through it smiling.“
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS
Exercise
Listen to or read the article and fill in the blanks with
the correct word.
America’s starlet Jessica Simpson __________ the
US Congress to make an appeal for a __________
organization that helps children with __________
deformities.
The movie actress and pop-singer is currently _____
_____ as the youth ambassador for Operation Smile,
a non-profit group that provides __________ for
children who suffer from disfiguring __________.
Simpson __________ on the children’s behalf in
Congress.
In a statement to the press, Simpson said that
working with the program has been an eye-opening
and __________ experience. She said it “changed
my life and changed my __________”. She added
that it was truly amazing to see how the children
were __________ after their operations, and said;
“this is what life is about, to walk through it ______
____.”
© LOESCHER EDITORE & IPS