RADIO NEWSREPORTS

MODULE 1. GLOBAL CONFLICTS AND TERRORISM

Unit1.

EU travellers face tougher US flight security

At home

1 Find in the WWW the information about the following.

a)What can be the reasons for toughening flight security measures for Europeans travelling to the USA? Speak about Al-Qaeda’s presence in Europe?

b)Why is the lady in the picture so angry? What kind of inconveniences experienced by passengers of airlines does the cartoon reflect?

2 Look at the text title and complete the sentences trying to guess what endings they might have in the text

Now European visitors may have to…

The warning from the top US official comes as… It's not unreasonable to say…

3 a). Form nouns with the meaning of the actor from these verbs

3 b). Fill in the gaps with the help of expressions above:

1.She is a legislator and former _____________ of a police TV show.

2.I stand before you in the spirit of pure public service — not as a _____________ of the status quo, but as an agent of change.

3.There are no forbidden foods on weight______________ .

4.The University management team has extensive editorial and managerial experience with traditional_________________ .

5.Ultra-sensitive to their environment and to the criticism of others, excessive

_____________may see anything -- and anyone -- as a potential threat.

6.A __________ or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, from a remote, often distant, location.

7.Of course, to Americans, the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001, is the most visible definition of terrorism and what a ________________ is.

8.President Barack Obama's profile page includes photos, events, posted items, wall posts and links to _______________ and groups.

4 a). Match the words

4 b) Write all possible combinations in the lines below.

1)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

2)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

3)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

4)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

5)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

1)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

7)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

3

8)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

9)______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

10)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

11)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

____

4 c) Find the proper answers in the answer box in the end of Unit 4 and use them to fill the gaps in the sentences below.

1)The Government insists on __________________________________carried out into the identity and background of transport personnel.

2)Travellers who qualify for visa free travel under the _________________________are eligible to transit the United States.

3)The senior United Nations ______________________________ held meetings with senior Pakistani officials in Islamabad today covering a range of critical issues in a bid to help the country better respond to the scourge.

4)The United States and its allies must pay more attention to ______________________ as they battle insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, an influential think-tank said on Wednesday.

5)The behaviour of the Afghan people is perhaps the most convincing indicator of the Taliban’s____________________________________ in southern Afghanistan

5 Translate the sentences:

1.The warning from the official comes as details emerge of a renewed al-Qaeda internet presence in Britain.

2.He hosted chat rooms for people in Europe.

3.We are obviously mindful of the Madrid bombings.

4.A lot of these statements are aspirational.

6 The verb wane means something is diminishing. Write the Russian equivalent to wane in each sentence.

The interest wanes. _______________________

Their glory is waning. _______________________

The moon is waning. ______________________

In class

Listen to the Webcast EU travellers face tougher US flight security and do the exercises.

4

1 Match the names with the positions.

2 What kind of program is visa waiver program? Who and what is it for?

5

C – Comprehension Test 1

7

B – Comprehension Test 1

Part 1

1.What inconveniencies may people travelling from Europe to America face in the near future? Why?

2. What facts urged counter terrorism officials to consider the possiblility of toughening security measures?

Part 2

Europe correspondent, Rafael Epstein reports.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Fly to the US from the Middle East and even with a visa you could face weeks of __________________________.

But if you fly there with a European passport, under the ______________________________the first time the US gets to check up on you when you land at the airport.

Now European visitors may have to ________________________before they ______________the United States. As Michael Chertoff, head of the US Department of _________________________told the BBC.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF: We've watched the rise of _______________________terrorism. We are obviously ____________the Madrid bombings, the attempted bombings in Germany, the airplane plot of 2001.

And that suggests to us that the terrorists are _____________looking to Europe both as a target and as a platform for terrorist attacks.

Part 3

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: On the same day, full details emerged of the sort of person that worries US officials.

Operating out of a small flat in West London, Moroccan born Younes Tsouli spent years becoming one of the __________________________________________ supporters of violent Islamism.

Using the online name of Irhabi 007 or Terrorist 007, he published manuals on topics like________________, he _________________________________for people in Europe, the US and Bosnia, who said they wanted to launch attacks, and he helped al-Qaeda in Iraq to distribute their internet videos to a wider audience.

Part 4

Scotland Yard's counter terrorism chief Peter Yates.

PETER YATES: He, I think it's not unreasonable to say, provided a link between core alQaeda, the heart of al-Qaeda and the wider networks that he was _______________through the internet.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: While _______________was sentenced for helping a _______________alQaeda__________________, British officials are now concerned about __________________________on a

8

website here that talked about establishing a much less formalised Al-Qaeda in the UK.

Officials say they've been looking into activity on a _______________________________internet site that urged young Muslims in Britain to kill political leaders, including PM Gordon Brown.

Part 5

As Dr Peter Neumann from Kings College in London explained to the BBC.

PETER NEUMANN: It was certainly published on a website that has some credibility amongst______________. At the same time, a lot of these statements are _____________. It doesn't mean, I think, that there is an actual structure in place. That there are

________________________operating in this country - that would surprise me very much.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Analysts say the posting could have been the equivalent of simple_________________________, a sign of al-Qaeda's ____________________ or a sign of its future___________________.

A – Comprehension Test 1

1)Why did the USA decide to undertake tougher security measures for Europeans travelling to the USA?

2)What may Europeans be asked to do before they fly to the USA?

3)What considerations make the US Department of Homeland Security suggest that Europeans can pose a threat for the USA?

4)What person has become the reason for particular concern of the US Homeland Security Department?

5)What was his on-line name? What kind of activity was he preoccupied with? 1) What was his main role as an internet al-Qaeda supporter?

7)What are British officials now concerned about?

8)What is Dr Peter Neumann’s opinion about the terrorist site?

9)What do analysts say about the credibility of the information provided by the posting on the terrorist site?

9

Unit 2.

Korean tension at dangerous levels

At home

1. Discuss the following.

a) What is the present state of relationship between South and North Korea?

Why is North Korea referred to as a rogue state in the international political discourse? What were the latest media hits concerning both countries?

b) Who are these men in the cartoon? Why is one of them saying he thinks it might be a nuclear test? Who are current leaders of both countries? When and how did they come to power?

2. Look at the text title and complete the sentences according to their possible occurrence in the text.

So worried are world powers about the potential for confrontation… The residents here are getting more nervous, because…

When North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island last month… If the South conducts this shelling…

But with a population starved of information…

10