Words

in the
News

Building Academic Writing Skills

Lead-in
Discuss these questions with a small group.
1. Are you interested in the news? If yes, what kinds of media do you normally
follow?
2. Are internet/TV news channels popular with your friends? If so, what do/dont
they appreciate in these reports? How about you?
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Building Academic Writing Skills

One-Minute World News

I.
A.

Sample News
Lonely planets

1. Reading
Japanese astronomers claim to have found
'planets' which don't go round a star. Writing in
the magazine 'Nature' they say they have found
ten Jupiter-sized objects which they could not
connect to any solar system. Neil Bowdler
reports for the BBC:
Artist's impression of

The researchers claim to have found ten dark gas giants

one of the 'floating
floating at the heart of our Milky Way without any nearby
planets'
star to illuminate them.
Astronomers have long suspected such rogue planets existed, but this is the first evidence, and
the Japanese team believe there could be as many out there as there are stars, a finding likely to
shock many.
How they came into being is unclear. One theory is that they may be cast-outs, forgotten worlds
ejected from infant solar systems by gravitational forces or interplanetary collisions.
Strictly speaking, the objects aren't even planets, as by definition planets orbit a star or the
remains of one. But should the researchers have their calculations right, then strange dark orbs
which look very much like planets are out there, far far from any shining star.
Neil Bowdler, BBC News
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13416431

Building Academic Writing Skills

2. Main Ideas
Work with a partner. Take out the main ideas in the piece of news above.
a) (use key words and phrases)______________________________________________
c) _____________________________________________________________________
d) _____________________________________________________________________

3. Key Vocabulary
Explain the following vocabulary items; why are they important for the
piece above?
gas giants
large planets which don't have a solid surface
rogue
unconventional, not normal
came into being
were formed, created
cast-outs
objects that have been thrown away
ejected from
thrown out of
gravitational forces
the natural attraction that pulls objects in space together
interplanetary collisions
crashes between planets
Strictly speaking
being accurate
the remains of
what is left of
orbs
round-shaped objects

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B.

Spain resizes clothes for women

1. Reading
Spain is to change its clothing sizes for
women. This is part of a Government decision
to prevent eating disorders in young girls and
women. This report from Pascal Harter:

It's a source of frustration for customers and shop

assistants alike that in Spain women tend to go into the
changing rooms with an armful of different sizes never
knowing which one will fit this time or whether any will
fit at all.

Mannequins are likely

to be made in more
realistic sizes

But by 2008 those days could be over. Spain's biggest

fashion retailers have bowed to Government pressure to
standardise their sizes and reflect the real size of Spain's growing population. For the first
time ever the National Consumer Institute will measure Spanish females -- more than eight
thousand of them to be exact -- between the ages of twelve and seventy. Spanish fashion
houses will then try to fit them, rather than the other way round.
They've also agreed to decorate their shop windows with slightly bigger manikins. The
Ministry of Health described the current ones as unreal dolls of alien dimensions which it
sees as directly encouraging eating disorders such as anorexia. The move is likely to affect
women and girls all over the world as international brands such as Mango and Zara have
signed up to the agreement.
Pascal Harter, BBC, Barcelona
source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6300793.stm

2. Main Ideas
Work with a partner. Take out the main ideas in the piece of news above.
a) (use key words and phrases)______________________________________________
b) _____________________________________________________________________
c) _____________________________________________________________________
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Building Academic Writing Skills

3. Key Vocabulary
Explain the following vocabulary items; why are they important for the
piece above?
a source of
a reason for (something)
customers and shop assistants alike
used after referring to two groups of people to show that both groups
are included
changing rooms
rooms where you can try on clothes before deciding whether to buy
them
an armful of
lots of, many
fit
here, be the right size
bowed to Government pressure
agreed to do something (usually, unwillingly)
try to fit them
attempt to make clothes that are available in the same sizes as the
female Spanish population
manikins (mannequin)
a model of the human body used in shops to display clothes
eating disorders
illnesses in which people eat too much or too little food
signed up
agreed to participate in something

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C.

Argentina builds a tower of books

1. Reading
A new monument celebrating books has been
launched in Buenos Aires. The Tower of Babel
was created by artist Marta Minujin, who is
well-known for creating works made from
plastic. The tower includes books in more than
50 languages. Daniel Schweimler reports:
This is simply an audio and visual celebration of
the book - any books, all books, in whichever
language you like. Works by Jane Austen, Dickens,
Henry Blake, Ernest Hemingway, Cervantes,
Vargas Llosa, Tolstoy and the Argentina's own
favourites, Borges and Sabato, line the walls of this
tower, each wrapped in plastic for its own
protection.

Artist Marta Minujin

created
the
tower,
which is 25 metres
high

The United Nations has designated the city as the 2011 World Book capital.
This book tower is 25 metres high and lined with 30,000 donations from more than
50 embassies. It'll be dismantled at the end of the month and the books will form
the beginning of a multi-lingual library.
The Buenos Aires Book Fair, one of the biggest in the world, has just ended,
recording more visitors than ever before. The city boasts hundreds of bookshops
and some cafes even supply works by Argentina's most renowned literary icon,
Jorge Luis Borges, to read over coffee. Buenos Aires is a city that loves its books
and now it has a tower to prove it.
Daniel Schweimler, BBC News, Buenos Aires
source: http://www.france24.com/en/20110516-tower-babel-entirely-books-argentina

Building Academic Writing Skills

2. Main Ideas
Work with a partner. Take out the main ideas in the piece of news above.
d) (use key words and phrases)______________________________________________
e) _____________________________________________________________________
f) _____________________________________________________________________

3. Key Vocabulary
Explain the following vocabulary items; why are they important for the
piece above?
line
has designated

book tower oss

has , tall structure which is partly built from books
embassies
dismantled
taken apart
a multi-lingual library
collection of books, printed in various different languages
recording
taking note of (information)
boasts
contains or possesses
works
here, published books
over coffee
while drinking coffee
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Building Academic Writing Skills

II. Practice
1. Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these
sentences from news reports. Note that you may have to change the
form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.
springs to mind / high tide / draws / designed / floodgates

1. At the weekly papal audience which __________ pilgrims from many countries, a
priest read a summary of the Pope's address in Arabic for the first time, joining other
briefs in French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Czech, Polish,
Hungarian and Russian.
2. A system of nine dams called the Vltava Cascade was found to be dangerously full,
and the __________ were opened at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Monday night.
3. The sea defence gates on Weston-super-Mare's seafront were closed during
__________ at the weekend. Strong onshore winds were forecast which, coupled with a
tidal surge, led to the precaution being taken.
4. Some of the rules were __________ to keep the young men in check, with advice on
"not gadding and gossiping from chamber to chamber", or "picking your nose" in the
company of tutors, a habit Duport regarded as "uncouth and unseemly".
5. If you had to list prerequisites for being a bomb disposal officer, then courage would
go without saying. Patience, ingenuity and an ability to keep a cool head under pressure
also __________.

2. Work in a small group. Look at the title below and at the vocabulary
which follows.

Protecting Venice

springs to mind arrives as a sudden thought

high tides when the sea or a river is at its highest level
draws attracts
designed created for a specific purpose
floodgates gates that can be opened or closed to control the flow of water
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Building Academic Writing Skills

3. Discuss and then write the main ideas of the piece of news Protecting
Venice. (use key words and phrases below)

Venice/water/springs to mind arrives as a sudden thought

high tides/serious harm when the sea or a river is at its highest level
draws /visitors attracts
designed/to protect created for a specific purpose
floodgates/Venice lagoon gates that can be opened or closed to control the flow of
water

4. Watch these videos to get more information, and write a full report.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24510314
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24509476