Let's

consider
Today there are a lot of homeless people mainly in big cities. Most of them are people who have lost their jobs, due to the economic
crisis. They can no longer afford to pay for a home. And without a home they can't apply for a job. Even worse, sometimes a vast
majority of them are young people who have run away from home for various reasons. These people face very big problems since they
are forced to sleep on benches, sidewalks etc... They rely mostly on charity for food or shelter. What is your opinion on this subject?
Why do you think young people run away from home? What can be done to help the homeless?
Here are some problems homeless people have to cope
with: 1. Listen to the song and highlight the correct
 Hunger (no food – no money to buy anything – some may be forced to steal – propositions.
rely on charities) 2. Answer the following questions.
 Shelter - protection (nowhere to sleep – no warm clothes or blankets, thus they a. Where does the scene take place?
are exposed to bad weather conditions) b. Which season of the year is it probably ? Quote the
 Health (no healthcare – diseases, no clean water to wash) text.
 Marginalization (rejected by the society - considered as a burden or parasites. c. Which part of the day? Why?
 Loneliness. d. How many characters are there in the song and who
 The vicious circle of without a job you can't find a home, and without a home you are they?
can't find a job. e. What’s the woman’s situation?
f. What's the man's probable situation?
Think of possible causes. Why can some people become g. How would you define the man? (adjectives)
h. What's the author's opinion?
homeless? i. What would you do if you were in the man's position?
j. Do you agree with the author or not?
3. Which of these adjectives could you use to
describe the man in the song? Explain your
choice.
happy / indifferent / pretentious / ill-at-ease /
scornful / hypocritical / kind / sympathetic / nice.
She calls/talks/shouts out to the man on the street deals with 4. Right or Wrong ? Justify your answer.
"sir, can you tell/speak/help me? homelessness a. The woman in the street doesn’t need help.
It's cold and I've nowhere to stay/sleep/go
b. She doesn’t know where to sleep.
Is there somewhere you can tell/say/phone me?" c. The man stops to help her.
He goes/talks/walks on, doesn't look back d. He can’t hear her.
He pretends he can’t feel/hear/see her e. He isn’t embarrassed to be there.
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street/town/city f. The woman is quite happy.
Seems angry/embarrassed/puzzled to be there g. She hurt her feet.
Chorus h. She is able to walk.
i. She always stays at the same place.
Oh, think once/twice/three times j. It's actually very hot.
cos it's another day for you and me in world/hell/paradise 5. Match the words with their definition.
Oh, think once/twice/three times a. to whistle 1. A local swelling of the skin
cos it's another day for you. You and me in paradise b. to cross 2. because
X2 c. to seem 3. go to the other side of the road
She calls out to the man in the car /on the street / in the town d. twice 4. God
He can see she´s been crying/lying/running e. to call out 5. The underside of a shoe or boot
She's got blisters on the soles/souls/sales of her feet f. a blister 6. to appear
She can’t see/walk/talk but she's trying g. the sole 7. to be adapted
h. Lord 8. to make a clear musical sound
X2 i. the lines 9. To say in a loud voice
Oh, lord, is there nothing more somebody/anybody/nobody can do ? j. ‘cos 10. two times
Oh, lord, there must be anything/something/nothing you can say. k. to fit 11. wrinkles
You can tell from the lines/wrinkles/scars on her face
You can see that she´s been there/here/their a b c d e f g h i j k
Probably been moved on from every place
'cos she didn't fit in there

6. Tick off when correct ?

a. The man in the street b. The man decides to c. The woman in the street d. The woman is
is give the beggar has
 a pedestrian.  money.  excited.
 Phil Collins.  change.  nowhere to sleep.  happy.
 a homeless person.  nothing.  anywhere to sleep.  sad.
 somewhere to sleep.

e. The pedestrian doesn’t
look back because
 he's too busy.
 he can’t see her.
 he does as if he
can’t hear her.
f. She seemingly has
 lines on her feet.
 blisters on her face.
 blisters on her feet.
g. She is moved on from every h. The author (Phil Collins)
place because
 people are allowed to  understands the man.
beg in the street.
 is shocked by the
 people are not allowed situation.
to beg in the street.
 wanted to make a nice
 it’s not forbidden to beg
in the street.
song.
7. Combine the next elements to make as many correct sentences as possible describing
the situation in the song.
miserable
across the street
indifferent
look shabby clothes
The beggar walk well-off
The pedestrian wear poor
ask for help
with difficulty
without looking back
embarrassed

8. Speaking or Writing
Do you understand the reaction of the man in the song ?
Use the following structures to express your opinions or standpoints.
1. Personally, I think that ….
2. I think it is true/absurd/stupid ….
3. I think the author is right/wrong/not objective ….
4. I totally agree with ….
5. I don’t agree with ….
6. I fully disagree with ….
7. I’m convinced that such a situation is absolutely unacceptable ….
8. My point of view is that the government should ….
9. The government, or may we should ….
10. According to me ….

I find it extremely
absolutely incredible
I think it is totally amazing
completely strange that people …
I believe it is somewhat surprising
a little bit normal
I am fully/absolutely convinced it is slightly

9. Homelessness is unfortunately omnipresent in the

our world, and particularly in the rich countries. Look
at the picture of this homeless man and complete the
text with the words from the list below.

nowadays can arrived many some call because must travel

better so prays pipe thinks

.................. people .................. him "Blanket Man" ..................

he always carries a blanket with him. He is a Maori and lives in
the city of Wellington in New Zealand. But he doesn't live in a
house. He lives on the .................. . He doesn't wear ..................
clothes, just a cloth around his waist, and he often sits on the
pavement and .................. to the Maori sun god Ra. He first
.................. in Wellington in 2001. He .................. the people in
Wellington are "very nice", and says, "They treat me ..................
than other people." In 2002, the police arrested him for smoking
a .................. in a shopping mall. .................. a lot of people
.................. around the city with him. Their idea is this: the
streets of the city are everyone's, .................. they ..................
travel freely. One of the politicians in Wellington doesn't agree.
"They .................. go." he says.
the most chances to get any money?
Now, consider all the pictures in this
document and say which beggar has

Justify.

compare
10. compare thethe pedestrian
pedestrian in in Phil
Phil Collin's
Collin's song
song with
with thethe pedestrian
pedestrian in the
in the aboveabove.
picture picture.
WhereIt isdoes
clearthe
that
scene take
place?theHowsituation is different.
many characters areWhich
there? adjectives apply
Do you think the to theis pedestrian
man in her
going to give Philany
Collin’s
money? song?
WhatWhich
would you do?
adjectives
It is clear that the correspond
situation isbetter to theWhich
different. pedestrian in the apply
adjectives picture ? to the pedestrian in Phil Collin’s song? Which
best
adjectives correspond better to the pedestrian in the picture ?
happy / attracted / indifferent / pretentious / ill-at-ease / scornful / hypocritical / kind /
happy / attracted / / nice
sympathetic / surprised
indifferent / astonished
/ pretentious / interested
/ ill-at-ease / miserable
/ scornful / well-off / / kind
/ hypocritical looking back
/ sympathetic /
nice / surprised / astonished / interested / miserable / well-off / looking back
10. Why do you think did the Spanish beggar dressed up in the Virgin Mary ? Was that a clever idea ?
11. Why do you think did the Spanish beggar dress up in the Virgin Mary ? Was that a clever idea ?
 Connectors or linking words : on the plus side / for example / what is more / all in all /
however / for one thing / particularly / last of all / in conclusion / I think that / in spite of /
another point is that / all things considered / to sum up / one disadvantage is that /
moreover / for instance / especially / finally

1. Write a paragraph giving your opinion about this situation.

We are unfortunately all confronted more and more with this
problem in our society.

Write about 200 words. Appropriate linking words or connectors have to be

used. Underline them.

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Teacher's extras and Key + link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFluKXQfiw

Up to 100 million people are homeless worldwide, of which 20 million to 40 million are
adrift in major urban centers. The largest numbers are in developing countries.

Many factors can contribute or cause someone becoming homeless.

Automobile related – Broken down car, no insurance, tickets, etc.
Divorce - Divorce often leaves one of the spouses homeless. Most often it’s the father, but sometimes it’s the mother and children.
Domestic Violence – Abused women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness.
Drug and Alcohol related problems – Rates of alcohol and drug abuse are often high.
Illness - For families and individuals struggling to pay the rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into
homelessness.
Job loss – No income, no rent.
Lack of affordable housing - The lack of affordable housing has led to higher rent costs and these absorb an important part of
income.
Low wages – Declining wages have put housing out of reach for many workers.
Mental Illness – Approximately 20-25% of single adult people experiencing homelessness suffer from some form of severe and
persistent mental illness.
Natural Disaster/Fire – Situations where due to chance a fire, tornado, flood or hurricane renders housing inhabitable.
Physical Disabilities – Disabled individuals may be unable to work or find appropriate employment.
Poverty
Severe Depression – Can make it impossible for an individual to maintain a stable life.

i. The man in the j. The man decides to k. The woman in the l. The woman is
street is give the beggar street has
 Phil Collins.  nothing.  nowhere to sleep.  sad.

m. The pedestrian
doesn’t look back
because
 he does as if he
can’t hear her.
n. She seemingly has o. She is moved on from p. The author (Phil
every place because Collins)
 blisters on her  people are not  is shocked by the
feet. allowed to beg in the situation.
street.

Some people call him "Blanket Man" because he always carries a blanket with him. He is a Maori and lives in the city
of Wellington, New Zealand. But he doesn't live in a house. He lives on the streets. He doesn't wear many clothes,
just a cloth around his waist, and he often sits on the pavement and prays to the Maori sun god Ra. He first arrived in
Wellington in 2001. He thinks the people in Wellington are "very nice", and says, "They treat me better than other
people." In 2002, the police arrested him for smoking a pipe in a shopping mall. Nowadays a lot of people travel
around the city with him. Their idea is this: the streets of the city are everyone's, so they can travel freely. One of the
politicians in Wellington doesn't agree. "They must go." he says.