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Back to This Month's News | Monthly News Archives		 Dateline: 1 April 2007

Story #1

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #1: Cricket Coach Murdered at World Cup
Hours after his was eliminated from Cricket's World Cup in Jamaica, Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer was found murdered in his hotel room. Pathology reports stated that Woolmer, , was strangled to death. Despite criticism, the ICC allowed the tournament to continue as planned. Prior to the crime, Pakistan was shockingly defeated by , sparking violence in Karachi, where fans images of Woolmer and the team captain. As part of the investigation the Jamaican police collected DNA samples from all members of the Pakistani team. Video footage from the hotel where Woolmer was staying may be to solving this crime.

Comprehension Questions: Story #1

  1. Who was killed in this story?
  2. What happened just before this murder?
  3. What clues are being used to help in the investigation?
Discussion Question:
The International Cricket Council decided that the World Cup should continue, despite this murder. Do you think this was a good decision? Why or why not?

Story #2

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #2: Polar Bear Cub Achieves Celebrity Status
Knut, a polar bear cub born at the this past December has become a celebrity for animal lovers around the world. The three-month-old cub has been in constant care by since his brother died after their mother rejected the pair. An animal rights activist accused the zoo of violating the bear's rights this , suggesting that it shouldn't have interfered with nature. The Berlin Zoo announced that they have no intention of putting the cub to sleep. The story has created for polar bears, an endangered species due to global warming.

Comprehension Questions: Story #2

  1. What happened after Knut was born?
  2. How was this cub able to survive?
  3. Why might some people call this story a "blessing in disguise"?
Discussion Question: In the wild when cubs are rejected by their mothers they die. Do you think the zoo was right by choosing to bottle feed and care for this cub, or do you think the staff should have stepped back and let "nature take its course"?

Story #3

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #3: Greenpeace Applauds Final Harry Potter Book
Scholastic, the American publisher for J.K. Rowling's series, made an announcement that pleased Greenpeace this month. The publisher stated that forest friendly paper will be used for the final Potter installment, which to Rowling's previous volume will run over 700 pages. The American publisher promised that paper for the printing will contain a minimum of 30% post consumer waste fibers, and that a deluxe version made from 100% recyclable materials will also be available. In 2005, Greenpeace urged American buyers the sixth Potter book from Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, which used and recyclable paper.

Comprehension Questions: Story #3

  1. What group was happy about this announcement?
  2. What can consumers buy in the US if they want to show their concern for the environment?
  3. What does this story imply about the reason for Scholastic's decision?
Discussion Question: Canadian publisher, Raincoast books, used 100 percent recylable materials to publish the previous Harry Potter book. Greenpeace suggested that Scholastic could have saved over 200 000 mature trees by choosing the same route. Do you think consumers should be required to buy the deluxe environmentally friendly version? Or do you think Scholastic should commit to the same standards as the Canadian publisher?

Story #4

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #4: Iran seizes 15 UK Marines
15 British marines and sailors were seized in the Persian Gulf by the Iranian Navy this March. Iran the arrest, saying that the marines were trespassing in Iranian waters. Britain claims that their troops were in Iraqi territorial waters, an Indian ship suspected of smuggling cars when they were surrounded by Iranian Navy vessels. Iran has released and video footage of the prisoners apologizing and confessing for wrongfully entering Iranian waters. The waters in question have been the subject of a for many years. Prime Minister Tony Blair criticized the tactics and demanded the prisoners be released .

Comprehension Questions: Story #4

  1. According to the Iranian government, why were the marines arrested?
  2. How did the British defend their position?
  3. What did Iran release to the media after taking the marines prisoner?
Discussion Question: The seizure of these British marines and sailors occurred on the eve before the UN vote to impose further sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Iran has accused the British military of entering their waters in order to create timely conflict. What do you think really happened?

ANSWER CHECK

Story #1

Story #1: Cricket Coach Murdered at World Cup
Hours after his team was eliminated from Cricket's World Cup in Jamaica, Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer was found murdered in his hotel room. Pathology reports stated that Woolmer, 58, was strangled to death. Despite criticism, the ICC allowed the tournament to continue as planned. Prior to the crime, Pakistan was shockingly defeated by Ireland, sparking violence in Karachi, where fans burned images of Woolmer and the team captain. As part of the investigation the Jamaican police collected DNA samples from all members of the Pakistani team. Video footage from the hotel where Woolmer was staying may be key to solving this crime.

Comprehension Answers: Story #1

  1. Bob Woolmer, the coach of Pakistan's national cricket team was killed.
  2. Pakistan was eliminated from the World Cup tournament by Ireland, just before the murder.
  3. DNA samples and video footage are being used in this investigation.

Story #2

Story #2:Polar Bear Cub Achieves Celebrity Status
Knut, a polar bear cub born at the Berlin Zoo this past December has become a celebrity for animal lovers around the world. The three-month-old cub has been in constant care by zookeepers since his brother died after their mother rejected the pair. An animal rights activist accused the zoo of violating the bear's rights this month, suggesting that it shouldn't have interfered with nature. The Berlin Zoo announced that they have no intention of putting the bottle fed cub to sleep. The story has created global awareness for polar bears, an endangered species due to global warming.

Comprehension Answers: Story #2

  1. After Knut was born his mother abandoned him and his brother died.
  2. Knut is being bottle fed and cared for by zookeepers.
  3. Because of this story, more people are now aware of the fact that polar bears are an endangered species.

Story #3

Story #3: Greenpeace Applauds Final Harry Potter Book
Scholastic, the American publisher for J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, made an announcement that pleased Greenpeace this month. The publisher stated that forest friendly paper will be used for the final Potter installment, which similar to Rowling's previous volume will run over 700 pages. The American publisher promised that paper for the printing will contain a minimum of 30% post consumer waste fibers, and stated that a deluxe version made from 100% recyclable materials will also be available. In 2005, Greenpeace urged American buyers to purchase the sixth Potter book from Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, which used forest friendly and recyclable paper.

Comprehension Answers: Story #3

  1. Greenpeace was happy that the American publisher made this announcement.
  2. Americans will be able to purchase a more expensive version of the book that is printed on 100% recylable materials.
  3. This story suggests that Scholastic does not want to lose any book sales to the Canadian publisher.

Story #4

Story #4: Iran seizes 15 UK Marines
15 British marines and sailors were seized in the Persian Gulf by the Iranian Navy this March. Iran defended the arrest, saying that the marines were trespassing in Iranian waters. Britain claims that their troops were in Iraqi territorial waters, inspecting an Indian ship suspected of smuggling cars when they were surrounded by Iranian Navy vessels. Iran has released letters and video footage of the prisoners apologizing and confessing for wrongfully entering Iranian waters. The waters in question have been the subject of a border dispute for many years. Prime Minister Tony Blair criticized the tactics and demanded the prisoners be released unharmed.

Comprehension Answers: Story #4

  1. According to the Iranian Navy the British troops were arrested for going into Iranian territorial waters.
  2. Britain claims the marines and sailors were in Iraqi territory at the time of the seizure.
  3. Iran released taped and written confessions from the British prisoners in which they admitted they were in Iranian waters.