Please read the following text very carefully.
Germany’s deep well of hate
The violence taking place in Germany is sickening. The funeral of
three Turkish victims of neo-Nazi murders in Moelin was hardly over, when
the news arrived of a young girl whose reputation for being friendly to
foreigners was reason enough for a bunch of thugs to carve a swastika on
her face with a knife. A week before, a man was burnt alive because his
killers thought he was Jewish.
This type of viciousness is not confined to Germany. French are
murdering Arabs, Italians assault Africans, British molest “Pakis”, and
so on and so forth.
I suspect there is not one sociological or political explanation
for the racialist rage sweeping Europe. It is no doubt encouraged by economic
malaise and by politicians inclined to blame our problems on the immigrants.
German politicians, including Chancellor Kohl, have been culpable in this
respect. It was Kohl who said that “we are not an immigrant country”, even
though Germany, like all European countries, has absorbed immigrants for
centuries.
Violence against foreigners may be worse in Germany than elsewhere,
or it may be that it is more often amplified in the press.
One reason why extremism tends to flourish in Germany is the deep
well of hate in that society. Too many Germans do not just hate foreigners,
they hate other Germans as well. The burden of history has much to do with
this.
German’s laws on immigration, in any case, are as tribal as can
be. Someone born of German stock ( a father in the Waffen SS will do )
in Silesia or Rumenia is automatically eligible for German citizenship.
The son or daughter of a Turk, born and bred in Berlin, speaking nothing
but German, is not. In other words, claiming political asylum is the only
possible way a person whose veins don’t run with German blood can immigrate.
Tightening the asylum laws, without changing the rules on immigration,
is not the way to contain the tribal extremists. On the contrary, it strenghtens
their cause, for it affirms the tribal basis of the German state.
in The Spectator, December 1992
A. What do the following words refer to?
1. his ( line 4 )
2. this ( line 14 )
3. it ( line 19 )
B. Say whether these statements are true or false according
to the text you’ve just read. Justify your choice with sentences from the
text.
1. The violence in Germany is not a serious matter.
2. A girl was murdered, because she liked foreigners.
3. Germans are the only racists in Europe.
4. Politicians may also be blamed for the attacks on immigrants.
5. History has much to do with the German hate against others.
6. German’s laws on immigration are very just/ fair.
C. Answer the following questions. Use your own words as
much as possible.
1. Why can politicians also be blamed for this “racialist rage”
?
2. In what way are the German laws on immigration unfair and
a reason for tribal extremists to strenghten their cause?
II
A. Choose the most appropriate word(s) (a, b or c ) to complete
the gaps.
1. “ We are not an immigrant country” is a ____________
dangerous line to preach in a confused Europe, threatened by wars, awash
with refugees and in economic disarray.
a) particularely
b) particularly
c) particular
2. The son or daughter of a Turk, ____________ is born and
bred in Berlin, is not eligible for German citizenship.
a) which
b) who
c) whom
3. The German hatred of other Germans ____________ itself in
recent years through the treatment of West Germans against their fellow
citizens in the East.
a) has showed
b) have shown
c) had shown
4. Jockey T-shirts appeared in West Berlin shops, ____________
“ Please can we have our wall back again.”
a) saying
b) said
c) to say
5. Many of the neo-Nazis in the eastern half of Germany are
____________ of privileged Communist Party members.
a) childs
b) childrens
c) children
6. These descendants hate the liberal Federal Republic ____________
it makes them feel like unwanted losers.
a) so that
b) because
c) while
7. So, they reach back to the Germany of ____________ grandfathers.
a) its
b) they’re
c) their
8. They reach back to the tribal symbols of a purer, stronger,
____________ Germany.
a) heroicer
b) more heroic
c) more heroicer
B. Rewrite the sentences below starting them as suggested.
Do not change their meaning.
1. Kohl said “ we are not an immigrant country.”
It was Kohl who said __________________________________________________________________
2. Economic malaise and politicians, inclined to blame our
problems on the immigrants, are encouraging the racialist rage sweeping
Europe.
The racialist rage sweeping Europe _______________________________________________________
3. A young girl was murdered for being friendly to foreigners.
If __________________________________________________________________________________
III
Write 100 - 150 words on ONE of the following topics, either
A or B .
A. Refer to situations around you - or situations you’ve heard
about - in which you think basic human rights and freedoms are not being
sufficiently promoted or protected. Give your opinion on them.
B. Imagine you’re one of the many immigrants living in Germany.
Write a letter home mentioning what is happening to you and expressing
your feelings about it.
Good Luck!
Your teacher Dina.
Recycling
I
Read the following text very carefully:
Waste matters
The secret of recycling is a load of rubbish!
Every year, the average family in Europe chucks out over a tonne
of rubbish. Once it’s thrown into the dustbin, most of us don’t give it
a second thought - after all, it’s only rubbish isn’t it? Or is it?
You may not want it but over half of what is carted off by the dustbin
lorry can be recycled. Unfortunately, right now just a twentieth of household
waste is being recycled - that means we could recycle around 10 times as
much of our rubbish as we do at the moment.
Cover up:
When rubbish is taken away by the dustbin lorry, most of it is dumped
on tips which are then covered over with soil - leaving the rubbish to
be broken by nature. This takes a long time and can result in explosive
gases being produced. In some places these explosive gases are collected
to provide energy for heating, but not all of our rubbish decomposes easily.
Some plastics are expected to survive for at least another 400 years.
A much better alternative is to cut down on waste in the first place,
then reuse the waste we do produce. After all, recycling uses less energy
so it can often save money. And the more we recycle, the less space we
need to dispose of our rubbish. Simple!
Precious metals:
The largest proportion of our rubbish is paper and card, which is
ideally suited to recycling, but when it comes to energy savings, metals
are the winners by a mile.
Man has reused metal ever since he first discovered iron. Nowadays,
over 40 per cent of steel is made from recycled metal. In our household
rubbish, most of the unwanted metal comes in the form of cans. In fact,
if the 16 billion cans that we use every day were placed end to end they
would stretch to the moon and back - twice!
Cans are made from either aluminium or steel. Aluminium requires
huge amounts of energy to produce it from scratch, but recycling uses 95
per cent less energy - and that saves masses of money. That’s why manufacturers
are so keen to recycle your used aluminium cans.
Almost anything can be made out of recycled materials - from tissue
paper, wellington boots and garden furniture, to a new BMW car which is
84 per cent recycled! However, it’s no good recycling rubbish if no one
uses the finished products.
So, next time you’re shopping, keep a look out for the various recycling
logos on product labels. It certainly won’t be a waste of your time !
A. Say whether these statements are true or false according
to the text. Justify your choice with quotations from the text.
1. Only less than half of what is taken away by the dustbin
lorry can be recycled.
2. Today we recycle more than half of our household waste.
3. Explosive gases can be the result of rubbish broken by
nature.
4. Recycling is always an expensive procedure.
5. Recycling aluminium cans requires huge amounts of energy.
6. A lot of things can be made out of recycled materials,
like a BMW car, for instance.
B. What do the following words refer to?
1. it ( line 2 )
2. it ( line 20 )
3. it ( line 25 )
C. Answer the following questions. Use your own words as
far as possible.
1. How important is recycling? State your reasons.
2. What is still today people’s attitude towards recycling?
What can be done to convince people to recycle more?
II ( ver alternativa para este grupo no fim do mesmo)
A. Choose the most appropriate word ( a, b or c) to complete
the gaps.
1. When I spoke to Emma she still __________ her driving test.
a) didn’t pass
b) hadn’t passed
c) wasn’t passing
2. While I __________ at the bus stop I saw a terrible accident.
a) stood
b) have stood
c) was standing
3. I __________ to get through for the last half-hour, but
the line’s been engaged.
a) try
b) am trying
c) have been trying
4. If he attended class more often he __________ more.
a) learns
b) would have learned
c) would learn
5. Carol can’t __________ with listening to music.
a) put down
b) put up
c) put in
6. Would you mind __________ on my foot?
a) not standing
b) not to stand
c) stand not
7. All the members objected __________ the chairman’s suggestion.
a) at
b) to
c) on
8. Bob is used to __________ his own food.
a) growing
b) grow
c) not grow
9. He took a medicine __________ to recover.
a) so as
b) because
c) so that
10. They went on an excursion to the mountains, __________
it was raining hard.
a) though
b) despite
c) in spite of
B. Rewrite the following statements in such a way that they
mean exactly the same as the sentence above.
1. Cans are made from either aluminium or steel.
Either _______________________________________________________________________________
2. “Man has reused metal ever since he first discovered iron.
Today, over 40% of steel is made from recycled metal”, said the author
of the text.
The author of the text said ______________________________________________________________
3. Manufacturers are very keen to recycle our aluminium cans,
because in that way they save a lot of money.
If they _______________________________________________________________________________
Alternativa:
A. Word - Formation ; Complete this chart.
