междунардный институт рынка

факультет лингвистики

Методическое пособие для студентов

Expressing opinions

составитель: Логинова Т.А.

Самара 2008

Expressing opinions

This learner’s guide contains a number of contemporary newspaper articles, updated and adapted as topics for group discussion. This resource pack is aimed at helping students debate over controversial problems, support the given ideas or express the contrary opinion. The material provided could be applied both as classroom activity or self-education way to develop critical thinking.

resource Materials:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

http://www.careerpath.com/advice/

http://www.english.pravda.ru/

http://www.flyana.com/rage.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

http://www.observer.co.uk/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Contents

Illinois man claims largest known diamond 4

Why we're slaves to the latest fashion fads 5

World’s most beautiful girls live in Stockholm, Sweden 6

Homeless billionaire gives away his 3-billion-dollar fortune 7

Why do foreign tourists hate Russians on holidays? 8

Chinese prepare to live in hell for 2008 Summer Olympics 9

Arctic region likely to become the center of World War III 12

Five terrible atrocities against women around the world 14

Slavery continues to prosper worldwide 16

STOP THE POVERTY TO STOP THE TERRORISM 17

Questions and Tasks: 20

AIR RAGE CAUSED BY OXYGEN DEPRIVATION 20

Questions and Tasks: 22

Japan still unable to cut national suicide rate with over 33,000 deaths a year 22

Questions and Tasks: 24

CHILDREN DO IMITATE VIOLENCE THEY SEE ON TV 25

Mum to mum special: We must beat the bullies 27

What to do if your child's a bully 29

Teens’ problems: Curfew 31

Looking for love on dating websites has its own hidden dangers 33

BEST OF MATES 34

Infidelity epidemic sweeping cheating britain 35

Brothers and sisters are doing it for themselves 38

Will this man make you happy? 41

Women who dislike football are stupid 46

Pet therapy wins more popularity whereas Russia uses only leeches 48

25 Easy ways to knock years off your body 52

Top 5 scientists killed by their experiments 55

Humans may eventually conquer ocean world after David Blaine’s underwater stunt 57

Dolphins used to look like humans and lived in Atlantis 61

62

SO .. IS THERE A GOD? 63

Legends about vampires and werewolves still live today 65

The Nostradamus prophecies popular in every century 71

RAMBO'S HARDEST MISSION .. SAVING HIS 3 GIRLS FROM PERILS OF SHOWBIZ 72

Is Your Dream Job Really Out There? 74

Fed up with your job? ..get a new one! 75

NO IFS... NO BUTTS: MP'S VOTE FOR TOTAL SMOKING BAN 78

WORLD ON DRUGS 80

Truth and lies about alcoholism 82

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Illinois man claims largest known diamond

The largest diamond in the known universe has a new owner, or more correctly, its first owner. Frank Speener, a 53 year-old graphic artist and photographer from Peoria, Illinois, filed a formal declaration of legal claim with the United Nations to become the recently discovered super mineral’s first owner. While Speener filed his claim in July of 2007, he withheld news of the announcement pending an exhaustive investigation of any prior claim.

The diamond, estimated at 10 billion trillion trillion carats (that’s a one followed by 34 zeros) and measures 2,500 miles across, is actually the crystallized white dwarf star BPM 37093 located approximately 50 light years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus, next to the Southern Cross.

A white dwarf is the hot core of a star, left over after the star uses up its nuclear ﾵfuelﾧ and dies. This particular object is made mostly of carbon and is coated by a thin layer of hydrogen and helium gases. For more than four decades, astronomers have thought that the interiors of white dwarfs crystallized, but obtaining direct evidence became possible only recently.

Speener is basing his claim in part on the Outer Space Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, adopted in 1967 by 98 countries of the United Nations. Speener is quite serious about his claim. “It’s no joke,” he said, “There is nothing in the law that prohibits private ownership of any celestial body. It’s just something that’s not done everyday. I just wanted to be the first to do it.”

While Speener is the first private citizen to claim the super diamond, he is not the first to claim a celestial body. In 1980 a declaration to claim title of the moon was filed with the United Nations, United States, and Russian governments by Nevada entrepreneur/promoter Dennis Hope. According to Hope’s website over 3,000,000 people from around the world have purchased property on the moon and other extraterrestrial locations.

Speener said that the primary reason for his claim is to draw attention to the astounding number of discoveries in all fields of science, and especially astronomy and space exploration. “There is so much out there just waiting for us,” he said. “We have walked on the moon and landed vehicles on Venus, Mars, Saturn’s moon Titan, and even a comet. We have navigated deep space probes that have left our solar system, and we have looked deep into space to see the very beginnings of our universe through the Hubble telescope floating in space. How can you not be totally amazed at that?”

When asked what he intends to do with his new super gem, Speener said, “I don’t know what to do with it, but I would like find a way to use it to help people. A diamond that size could probably pay off the national debt, or, at today’s prices, at least buy a whole tank of gas.” “My friends like to joke with me saying that I have it all figured out because while everyone else is trying to figure out a way to take it with them, I already have it waiting when I get there,” Speener added. As far as what he may actually do with his claim, Speener said that he will just have to wait and see what the future holds.

Questions and Tasks:

1. Why are people so mad about space? Why don’t they improve life down on Earth before spend a bomb on space discoveries?

2. What do you think about buying celestial bodies or extraterrestrial locations? What benefits does it bring to its owner?

3. Is it possible to found a space colony where humans could live in the near future?

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