Listening skills practice: The Maasai and the lions - exercises

Listen to the speaker talking about the Maasai and the lions and do the exercises to practise and improve
your listening skills.
Do the preparation exercise before you listen. Then do the other exercises to check your understanding.

1. Preparation: matching
Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–e next to the numbers 1–5.

1…….. 20 a. How much does the average male lion weigh? (kilograms)

2…….. between 2 and 4 b. How many years does a lion in the wild live?

3…….. 180 c. How many cubs can a female lion have in one litter?

4…….. 12 d. What is the fastest speed a lion can run? (kilometres per hour)

5…….. 81 e. How many hours a day do lions spend resting?

2. Check your understanding: multiple choice

Circle the best answer to these questions.

1. How did the Maasai people feel about lions in the past?

a. They strongly disliked b. They were not sure how

c. They loved them.
them. they felt.

2. What is the aim of the Lion Guardians scheme?

a. To move the lions to a b. To protect the lions and c. To train local people to
different, safer area. allow experts to do research. protect the lions.

3. Why do the Lion Guardians tell local farmers where lions are?

b. So they can take their c. So they can protect their

a. So they can kill the lions.
cows to a different area. families.

4. How do other local people feel about the Lion Guardians?

b. They don’t understand c. They are annoyed by

a. They respect them.
them. them.

5. Why did Olubi Lairumbe change his mind about killing lions?

c. He learnt more about

a. He saw how dangerous b. He killed a pregnant lion
lions and realised he was
hunting lions could be. and felt very bad about it.
wrong.

6. How does Mingati Makarot know where the lions are?

 Listening skills practice: The Maasai and the lions - exercises
a. He uses special tracking b. He uses his knowledge of c. He uses information
equipment. the area and hunting skills. provided by his team.

7. How do Maasai warriors get a lion name, traditionally?

b. By having the c. By doing something

a. By killing a lion.
characteristics of a lion. brave.

8. How has the naming tradition changed?

c. Young men are given

a. Young men have to kill b. Young men can use their
special names without killing
more lions to a get a name. father’s name.
lions.

9. What do the Lion Guardians do to help people see lions as part of the community?

a. Give people photos of the b. Tell people stories about c. Give the lions Maasai
lions. the lions. names.

10. What is the key factor in the scheme's success?

a. The Maasai have b. The Maasai can influence

c. The Maasai have always
changed their culture but people from neighbouring
wanted to protect lions.
kept their identity. areas.

3. Check your understanding: gap fill

Do this exercise while you listen. Write a word or words to fill the gaps.

The Maasai people and the lions were enemies because the lions wanted to kill the tribe’s
1.
_______________.

2. Now, there is a new scheme to _______________ lions.

The aim is for local people to manage and protect lions, without any involvement from
3.
_______________.

The Lion Guardians learn a range of skills including how to manage _______________ between
4.
humans and lions.

5. In the past, lost livestock was often _______________ by carnivores.

If someone is going to carry out a lion _______________, the Lion Guardians try to persuade them
6.
not to.

7. Olubi Lairumbe has killed _______________ lions in his lifetime.

8. Olubi appeared on the Africa documentary _______________.

9. Mingati’s lion name means one who is _______________ and doesn’t lag behind.

10. Traditionally, after killing a lion, the warrior brings the lion’s mane and _______________ back
 Listening skills practice: The Maasai and the lions - exercises
home as a trophy.

After the naming tradition changed, boys who wanted to prove their bravery were given
11.
_______________ tasks.

Since the programme began in 2007, no lions have been killed in the area, compared to
12.
_______________ in the neighbouring area.

Discussion

What’s your opinion of the Lion Guardians scheme?

Is there ever any conflict between animals and humans where you live?
I think that …

Vocabulary Box Write any new words you have learnt in this lesson.
 Reading skills practice: The history of graffiti – exercises
Is graffiti a vibrant urban art form or senseless vandalism? When did graffiti first become popular? Read
this article to find out about the history of street art and hear from both sides of the debate.

Preparation
Are these ideas for or against graffiti? Circle for or against.

1. Graffiti is a way for people to express their ideas and feelings. for against

2. It is a waste of money cleaning it up. for against

3. Graffiti ruins public areas and makes children afraid to play in parks. for against

4. Graffiti makes a town look more attractive. for against

5. Why should one person decide what public property looks like? for against

6. Museums and art galleries now include graffiti in their collections. for against

7. Graffiti is art. for against

8. Graffiti is vandalism. for against

 Reading skills practice: The history of graffiti – exercises

1. Check your understanding: matching

Write the paragraph headings next to the paragraphs. One heading is not needed.

Art or vandalism? Increasing exposure and attention The future of graffiti

Famous graffiti artists Not just a modern phenomenon

1. paragraph 1 ______________________________

2. paragraph 2 ______________________________

3. paragraph 3 ______________________________

4. paragraph 4 ______________________________

5. not needed ______________________________

2. Check your understanding: multiple choice

Circle the best answer to these questions.

1. Why was the seventies an important decade in the history of graffiti?

a. That was when modern graffiti first appeared.
b. That was when modern graffiti first became really popular.
c. That was when graffiti first reached New York.

2. What is a 'masterpiece' in graffiti?

a. A really high-quality piece of graffiti.
b. A work of graffiti showing the artist's name.
c. A full piece of graffiti, like those seen on subway trains.

3. What was the main motivation for the first taggers?

a. Showing which streets belonged to which gangs.
b. Creating a strong visual identity for their 'crew'.
c. Sending coded messages to other gangs.

4. Who coined the phrase 'graffiti'?

a. New York gangs who had a lot of Italian immigrant members.
b. A newspaper and an author.
c. The man who was the mayor of New York in the late seventies.

5. How did things change after the first war on graffiti?

a. It was considered a more serious crime.
b. Graffiti artists had to find different places to paint.
c. New York looked a lot cleaner.
 Reading skills practice: The history of graffiti – exercises

6. What does New York city councillor Peter Vallone say about graffiti?
a. Graffiti can be good for cities as long as it is tasteful and conveys positive messages.
b. Graffiti can be beautiful if it is done by a skilled artist.
c. Graffiti is a crime if the artist does not have permission.

7. What do the Berlin-based group Reclaim Your City say about graffiti?
a. Involving young people in graffiti stops them getting involved with serious crime.
b. Graffiti helps the public to own the streets and take control away from advertisers.
c. Graffiti actually increases the value of property by making the area more attractive.

8. What is the author's final point?

a. Graffiti has now become mainstream and can make artists a lot of money.
b. Graffiti is not a good way to become a respected artist.
c. Some of the most popular graffiti artists end up being exploited by the art world.

3. Check your vocabulary: gap fill

Complete the gaps with a noun from the box.

spray paints stencil property springboard

vandal taggers crews canvas

1. People who graffiti their names are called ______________.

2. Graffiti is usually done with ______________.

3. Taggers originally worked in groups called ______________.

4. A piece of heavy fabric on which a painting can be created is called a ______________.

5. Something that someone owns is called their ______________.

A person who deliberately destroys or damages someone else's property is called a

6.
______________.

If something helps to start an activity or process, we say it is a ______________ to doing

7.
something.

A piece of plastic, cardboard or other material with a design cut into it to reproduce that pattern is
8.
called a ______________.

Discussion

What do you think about graffiti? Is it art or vandalism?

 Reading skills practice: Your digital footprint – exercises
Every time you do anything on the internet you leave a trail behind you, in the same way you leave a
footprint when you walk on sand or mud. Do you know how to take care of your digital footprint? Here are
some tips.

Preparation
Match the words with similar meanings and write a–h next to the numbers 1–8.

1…….. suitable a. a track

2…….. a trail b. to show

3…….. details c. to leave

4…….. to abandon d. complicated

5…….. to reveal e. a purpose

6…….. a function f. information

7…….. complex g. an employer

8…….. a recruiter h. appropriate

Reading skills practice: Your digital footprint – exercises
 Reading skills practice: Your digital footprint – exercises

1. Check your understanding: multiple choice

Circle the best answer to these questions.

1. When you go online, you …

a. can choose what information is recorded about you.
b. leave a trail showing where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing.
c. send information to recruiters.

2. If people search for information about you, they can find your …
a. bookmarked websites.
b. passwords.
c. digital footprint.

3. Someone could pretend to be you if you don’t log off when …

a. abandoning a site.
b. posting a comment.
c. sharing a photo.

4. You should make your passwords difficult to guess by …

a. using all capital letters.
b. making them complex.
c. including a symbol.

5. If a user reports inappropriate content, …

a. web managers usually react immediately.
b. recruiters often respond.
c. other users want to read what they’ve said.

6. You should report abusive remarks on the internet …

a. if you think they are really serious.
b. in all cases.
c. if you can find the contact and have time.

7. To remember your favourite websites, you can use the …

a. browser.
b. bookmark function.
c. mobile device.

8. Think carefully before …

a. sharing your favourite website online.
b. sharing your comments online.
c. sharing personal information online.
 Reading skills practice: Your digital footprint – exercises

2. Check your understanding: grouping

Write the tips in the correct group.

write your password in a

use a picture instead of use the history button to forget to erase your
place where you can find
a photo of yourself. find a favourite website. browser history.
it easily.

keep quiet about use your name when

use punctuation marks log off when you leave a
inappropriate content you post comments
in your password. website.
that you come across. online.

Do … Don’t …

Discussion

How do you take care of your digital footprint?

 Writing skills practice: A magazine article – exercises
Look at the article and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

Preparation
Do you know how to write a magazine article? Circle True or False for these sentences.

1. An article should always be written using formal language. True False

2. You should use paragraphs when writing an article. True False

3. Don’t express your opinion in an article. True False

4. Your article should have a catchy title. True False

5. You should ask the reader questions in your article. True False
 Writing skills practice: A magazine article – exercises

1. Check your understanding: multiple choice

Circle the best option to complete these sentences.

The writer thinks a person's school life is never really happy / is the happiest time in their life / can
1.
be made miserable by bullying .

2. Bullying is common / rare / happening everywhere , in the writer’s experience.

3. The writer's friend was bullied at school / online / at school and online .

4. The boy who was being bullied had a very strange / funny / bad experience.

5. The writer thinks students / teachers / parents could do more about this problem.

6. Students / Teachers / Parents can also support people who are being bullied.

2. Check your writing: word 2 word – questions

Write the words in the correct order to make questions.

1. is What exactly bullying?

…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..
2. do Why like behave bullies this?

…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..
3. the bullying? are What consequences of

…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..
4. a you tell teacher or Should parent?

…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..
5. stop can What do bullying? to people

…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………..
 Writing skills practice: A magazine article – exercises

3. Check your writing: gap fill – opinion adverbs

Complete the gaps with a word from the box.

Personally Unfortunately Surprisingly Obviously Basically

1. _______________, bullying is quite common in many schools.

2. _______________, there are three types of bullying: physical, verbal and social.

3. _______________, people who are being bullied often feel really upset by it.

4. _______________, research shows that teachers only notice one in twenty-five bullying incidents.

5. _______________, I think teachers could do more to stop bullying.

Discussion

How serious a problem is bullying where you live?

What can be done to stop bullying in schools?
 Writing skills practice: A for and against essay – exercises
Look at the essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

Preparation
Complete the tips for writing a for and against essay with a word from the box.

disagree formal plan reasons opinions

1. You should give your _______________ on the topic.

2. Always give _______________ for your opinions.

3. You can agree, _______________ or discuss both sides of the statement.

4. The register used in an essay is usually quite _______________.

5. You need to _______________ your essay carefully before you start writing.
Writing skills practice: A for and against essay – exercises
 Writing skills practice: A for and against essay – exercises

1. Check your writing: grouping – ideas

Here are some ideas for a new essay entitled ‘Is it acceptable to keep animals in zoos?’ Circle whether
each point answers Yes or No to the question.

Zoos educate the public and give children the chance to see animals they
1. Yes No
could never normally see.

2. Animals in zoos often suffer from stress and boredom. Yes No

Sometimes animals escape from their enclosures, which is dangerous for

3. Yes No
humans.

4. Zoos protect animals by bringing them into a safe environment. Yes No

Bigger zoos have lots of space and make sure the animals have everything
5. Yes No
they need to be healthy and happy.

6. It is not right to imprison an animal, just for the entertainment of humans. Yes No

Unwanted animals from zoos are sometimes sold to circuses, hunting parks
7. Yes No
and even for meat.

Many zoos help endangered species to find a mate and breed. They would
8. Yes No
not have this help in the wild.
 Writing skills practice: A for and against essay – exercises

2. Check your writing: gap fill – useful phrases

Fill the gaps in the essay with the correct word or phrase from the box.

Another drawback is One advantage of Personally In addition

On the other hand There is no doubt positive aspect of To conclude

1
__________________________ that the subject of keeping animals in zoos creates a lot
of debate. Some people say zoos are traditional family entertainment and good for animals.
Others say keeping animals in zoos is cruel and inhumane.

2
__________________________ zoos is that they give people the chance to see and learn
about animals. This makes people more likely to want to look after animals and protect
their natural habitats. Another 3__________________________ zoos is that they help to
protect endangered species by offering them a safe place to live.
4
__________________________, zoos help to find mates for endangered species. For
example, many pandas would not find a mate to breed with if they were on their own in the
wild.

5
__________________________, there are many arguments against keeping animals in
zoos. Firstly, zoo animals often suffer from stress and boredom when they are not in their
natural habitat. Secondly, unwanted animals are sometimes sold to circuses, hunting parks
or for meat. 6__________________________ that animals sometimes escape from their
enclosures, which is dangerous for humans.

7
__________________________, there are strong arguments for and against keeping
animals in zoos. 8__________________________, I think it is acceptable to keep animals
in zoos, as long as they have enough space and are properly looked after.

Discussion

What's your opinion? Do you think the internet is bad for young people?
Do you think it is acceptable to keep animals in zoos?