English2Go.net – THE TOTAL NEWS WORKSHEET 16 November 2004 Page 6

Discuss

War Zone Tactics

Hostage taking is a common tactic used by insurgents in war zones and has been happening a lot in Iraq in recent months. The tactic of kidnappers in Iraq has been to issue an ultimatum - either meet certain demands or the hostage will be killed. The demands are usually for countries to withdraw troops from Iraq or to release Iraqi prisoners from jail. And now with television and the internet often broadcasting images of the hostage, there is a lot of pressure on governments to give in to the demands of terrorists.

Ø  When people are taken hostage in Iraq, are the demands of the hostage takers being met?

Ø  Do you think governments should give in to the demands of terrorists in order to save a hostage’s life?

School Swipe Card

A high tech student swipe card has been introduced at some schools around Australia to give teachers a record of where students are and to try and stop students from wagging school.

wagging school = to be absent from school without permission from the school or parents

Ø  Did you ever wag school? What did you use to do when you wagged school? Were you ever caught?

How GPS Works

The Global Positioning System, usually called GPS, is a satellite navigation system used for determining a person's precise location almost anywhere on Earth.

Ø  Do you know who originally designed the GPS system and for what purpose?

Ø  How does the system work?

Ø  What are some of the things GPS systems are used for now?

School Holidays

There's only about a month to go before the end of the school year. TTN finds out from various students some of the things they like to get up to in the holidays.

Ø  Have you made any plans for the Christmas break? What are you going to do?

AFL Draft Camp

A talented group of young Aussie Rules footballers are taking part in an AFL draft camp ahead of this Saturday's AFL national draft. At the camp, the players are tested on things like vertical leap, agility and running ability with the results monitored closely by the coaches of all the AFL clubs.

draft = a method of distributing the rights to unsigned players among professional sports teams

Ø  Have you ever watched an AFL game?

Ø  What sports are played nationally in your home country? What is your favourite sport? Do you play any sports regularly now?

War Zone Tactics

Hostage taking is a common tactic used by insurgents in war zones and has been happening a lot in Iraq in recent months. The tactic of kidnappers in Iraq has been to issue an ultimatum - either meet certain demands or the hostage will be killed. The demands are usually for countries to withdraw troops from Iraq or to release Iraqi prisoners from jail. And now with television and the internet often broadcasting images of the hostage, there is a lot of pressure on governments to give in to the demands of terrorists.

Before you listen, match the vocabulary with the definition

·  an insurgent D
·  a hostage ___
·  to kidnap ___
·  tactic ___
·  ransom ___
·  to release ___
·  to negotiate ___ / A / to take somebody away by force and hold him or her prisoner, usually for ransom
B / a sum of money demanded or paid for the release of somebody who is being held
C / to attempt to come to an agreement on something through discussion and compromise
D / somebody who rebels against authority or leadership
E / a method used or a course of action followed in order to achieve an immediate or short-term goal
F / to set free a person who is imprisoned
G / somebody held prisoner by a person or group, for example, a criminal or a terrorist organization, until certain demands are met or money is handed over

B. Listen to the report and answer the following questions

1.  Who are some of the people being taken hostage in Iraq?

·  Aid workers

2.  In most cases, what has happened to the hostages in Iraq?

a. The kidnappers’ demands have been met b. The hostages have been killed

3.  What happened to Australian journalist John Martinkus who was taken hostage?

a. He was killed b. He was released

4.  Which country’s government agreed to the demands of a group of hostage takers and withdrew its troops from Iraq to save the life of one of its citizens? a. Philippines b. Japan

5.  Is the Australian Government willing to pay ransoms or give in to the demands of terrorists?

a. Yes b. No

6.  In which South American country are people often kidnapped for money? a. Colombia b. Argentina

7.  In Beslan recently, how many people were held hostage by gunmen wanting independence for Chechnya? a. 150 b. 1500

8.  In Lebanon, how long was hostage negotiator Terry Waite held for after trying to convince Islamic fundamentalist terrorists to release other hostages? a. Almost 5 months b. Almost 5 years

9.  If there is a hostage situation in Australia, who is responsible for dealing with the incident?

a. State police b. The Australian Federal Police

10.  In a hostage situation, what is the first priority? a. To negotiate b. To use force

Reading Inquiry

The Federal Government has announced there will be a national inquiry into the way that reading is taught in classrooms. The inquiry will also look at how well teachers understand reading skills.

1.  According to new research, what proportion of children in year nine are behind in national reading skills? …………………………

2.  What is the ‘phonics’ system of teaching children how to read? Words are broken down into ………

3.  What is a ‘whole language’ approach? It looks at how to …………………………………

School Swipe Card

A high tech student swipe card has been introduced at some schools around Australia to give teachers a record of where students are and to try and stop students from wagging school.

wagging school = to be absent from school without permission from the school or parents

A. Before you listen to the report, match the sentence halves about how the swipe card system works

a.  Students swipe their card at the front office every time they…
b.  The computer brings up their photo and details and teachers watch on to…
c.  Then students pick from a list of things, like arriving at school, going home sick or leaving for the day, and press…
d.  The machine prints a receipt which is an official record of… / make sure it's really them.
what students are up to.
enter or leave the school grounds.
the corresponding number.

True or False

1.  Students never have to queue up to use the swipe card. T / F

2.  Most businesses around Australia also use swipe cards. T / F

3.  The number of students absent from the school has fallen. T / F

4.  Teachers check the attendance log once a week. T / F

5.  If a student is caught absent without an excuse, their parents are called immediately. T / F

6.  No students try and cheat the system. T / F

Global News

Choose the correct answers

The President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, is dead.

·  In which country did Arafat spend his final days in a military hospital? a. France b. Germany

·  Where was the funeral service held? a. Syria b. Egypt

·  Did Israel approve his burial in the West Bank? a. Yes b. No

Back home, a five year old girl saves her 14 week old baby sister from a possible dingo attack.

·  Where was the baby when the dingo appeared? a. In a tent b. In a hotel room

·  What did her parents do when they saw the dingo? a. They shot it b. They chased it away

And from New Zealand, a dolphin water toy flips, spins, dives and rolls just like a real mammal.

·  How fast can the toy travel? a. 15 kilometres / hour b. 50 kilometres / hour

How GPS Works

The Global Positioning System, usually called GPS, is a satellite navigation system used for determining a person's precise location almost anywhere on Earth.

Complete each sentence with no more than 3 words

1.  GPS can determine a person's precise location almost anywhere on Earth within a ……………………

2.  The GPS system was designed by the …………………………………

3.  The system can be used for our own navigation and safety at sea and in the air and to navigate through the bush and now …………………………………

4.  Using digital roadmaps installed from a CD, an in-car display tells the driver where they are and the best route to …………………………………

5.  Drivers can actually key in a particular site they want to visit and the GPS will direct them on the best way of …………………………………

6.  If your family is travelling to areas in Australia not yet covered by the GPS, you can still get instructions from websites and have a navigator in your car read them …………………………………

7.  If your car happens to be stolen, the technology can notify the owner by phone or email to help them …………………………………

School Holidays

There's only about a month to go before the end of the school year. TTN finds out from various students some of the things they like to get up to in the holidays.

Before you listen, tick the activities you think students like to do in their holidays. When you hear the report, check if those things are mentioned.

surfing / ü
doing homework
going to the movies
shopping
cleaning the house
snowboarding
camping
travelling to Paris

Showbiz

Complete the gaps with no more than 2 words

If you're on the lookout for a movie in the holidays, here's one that opens in Australia on Boxing Day - The Incredibles. Mr Incredible used to be one of the world's biggest superheroes who comes out of retirement to save (1)………………………………… Together with his superhero wife, Elastigirl, their children and his friend Frozone, they battle evil and defeat (2)………………………… The movie has been in production for almost 3 years with artists and animators using state of the art (3)…………………………

And English soccer star David Beckham will make his movie debut in a movie about (4)……………………… The trilogy will tell the story of a young soccer player in (5)………………………………who joins Newcastle United. The England Captain says he hopes it will give a (6)……………………………….to kids around the world.

Play Space Poll Results

Last week, TTN reported about making our cities more child-friendly and asked you to vote in their on-line poll. The question was:

Do you have enough play space around your home?

Yes / … %
No / … %

Tongue Twister

Can you say the following sentence quickly? The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.

AFL Draft Camp

A talented group of young Aussie Rules footballers are taking part in an AFL draft camp ahead of this Saturday's AFL national draft. At the camp, the players are tested on things like vertical leap, agility and running ability with the results monitored closely by the coaches of all the AFL clubs.

draft = a method of distributing the rights to unsigned players among professional sports teams

1.  What is a reaction test designed to find out? How quickly the person ………………………

2.  How many schoolboy players are at the camp? ………………………

3.  How many days of tests do they have to complete? ………………………

4.  How many testers and observers also attend the camp? ………………………

5.  Why are players also interviewed? To see if they have goals and ………………………

6.  Which clubs get first pick of the players taking part in the draft?

Clubs which …………………………………………

7.  What percentage of players attending the draft camp will be signed by AFL clubs? ……………………

Space Race Winner

The winners of the first privately manned rocket into space have been awarded a huge cash-prize for their design.

1.  How much money did the American team win? ………………………

2.  How much did it actually cost them to win the competition? ………………………

3.  What did they have to do to win? Be the first team to get into space twice within …………………