Breaking News English

        

1. TRAIN DRIVERS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about train drivers. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

public / underground trains / delighted / pay rise / national average / willing / strikes / members / public sector / minimum / discounts / unacceptable / rewarded / paid

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. SALARIES: What should these people get a year and why? You have a budget of $500,000. Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

	Salary ($)	Why?
Train driver
Nurse
Soldier
Police officer
Teacher
Investment banker

4. UNIONS: Students A strongly believe unions are essential; Students B strongly believe they aren’t.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. STRIKE: Would you go on strike? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the biggest reason for going on strike at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

Poor pay Huge management bonuses Dangerous working conditions To defend the firing of a colleague

To protest against government cuts To protest against job closures To support a national general strike Other _______________________

6. SALARY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘salary’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	All train drivers in the U.K. now get a $86,000 a year salary.	T / F
b.	Train driver union bosses are unhappy with a 5% pay rise.	T / F
c.	The train drivers’ pay rise is twice that of the average U.K. worker.	T / F
d.	Unions say they will not go on strike in the near future.	T / F
e.	A union leader believed the pay offer was one of the best around.	T / F
f.	Train drivers get at least 29 days paid holiday a year.	T / F
g.	Train drivers also get free travel on Eurostar trains to Europe.	T / F
h.	U.K. soldiers and police officers are paid more than train drivers.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	expressed	a.	pleased
2	anger	b.	offensive
3.	delighted	c.	interruption
4.	deal	d.	inside
5.	disruption	e.	voiced
6.	offer	f.	outrage
7.	within	g.	proposal
8.	rewarded	h.	much
9.	insulting	i.	agreement
10.	far	j.	paid

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	The British public have expressed	a.	almost anything
2	delighted their members have	b.	on travel
3.	A new four-year deal	c.	such a good offer
4.	willing to pay	d.	their anger
5.	no need for strikes in	e.	action
6.	I doubt you will find a	f.	less
7.	In addition	g.	the coming years
8.	discounts	h.	to the increased salary
9.	the threat of strike	i.	was struck
10.	teachers are paid far	j.	better offer

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The British public have (1) ____________ their anger over an announcement that drivers of London’s underground trains will  (2) ____________ be on £50,000 ($86,000) a year. Union bosses, however, were (3) ____________ their members have such a good offer from the railway bosses. A new four-year deal was    (4) ____________ between London Underground and the unions that will see all 18,500 Tube workers get a five per cent pay rise this year, which is (5) ____________ the national average. Rail bosses were accused of giving in to blackmail ahead of the London Olympics in 2012. Critics (6) ____________ London Underground is willing to pay almost anything to avoid the (7) ____________ of strikes and disruption. Rail unions said there was no need for strikes in the (8) ____________ years.		double delighted coming threat expressed soon claim struck
Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT rail union, told his members: “I (9) ____________ you will find a better offer than this anywhere else in the public sector.” In (10) ____________ to the increased salary, Tube workers will receive a minimum of 29 days holiday, free travel (11) ____________ London for themselves and one family member and (12) ____________ on travel within Britain and the Eurostar trains to Europe. Emma Boon of the Tax Payers’ Alliance, said of the (13) ____________: “It’s unacceptable that the threat of strike action during the Olympics is being so handsomely (14) ____________ This is insulting to commuters.” Other Britons compared the salaries to those of other public (15) ____________ workers. Police officers, nurses, soldiers and teachers are paid (16) ____________ less than subway train drivers.		deal sector addition far doubt rewarded within discounts

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The British public have __________________________ an announcement that drivers of London’s underground trains will soon be on £50,000 ($86,000) a year. Union bosses, however, __________________________ have __________________________ the railway bosses. A new four-year deal was struck between London Underground and the unions that will see all 18,500 Tube workers __________________________ rise this year, which is double the national average. Rail bosses were accused of giving in to __________________________ London Olympics in 2012. Critics claim London Underground is willing to pay almost anything to avoid the threat of strikes and disruption. Rail unions said there __________________________ in the coming years.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT rail union, told his members: “I __________________________ offer than this anywhere else in the public sector.” In __________________________ salary, Tube workers will receive a minimum of 29 days holiday, free travel within London for themselves and one family __________________________ travel within Britain and the Eurostar trains to Europe. Emma Boon of the Tax Payers’ Alliance, said of the deal: “It’s __________________________ of strike action during the Olympics is being so handsomely rewarded. This is insulting to commuters.” Other Britons __________________________ those of other public sector workers. Police officers, nurses, soldiers and teachers __________________________ subway train drivers.

 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘pay’ and ‘rise’.

pay

rise

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

expressed soon 18,500 double willing coming

doubt public within threat commuters teachers

STUDENT SALARIES SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about salaries in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

SALARIES DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘salary’?
c)	What do you think of train drivers getting $86,000 a year?
d)	What do you think of investment bankers earning 100 times more than train drivers?
e)	Why do you think the British public is angry that working class people can earn so much?
f)	Should the train drivers union have accepted a pay rise in line with other British workers?
g)	Do you think train drivers really have the power to blackmail bosses?
h)	Who earns their salary more, train drivers of top football players?
i)	Why does the media pick on train drivers when sports stars and actors get paid hundreds of times more (for doing jobs they love)?
j)	Should all companies pay their workers more and shareholders less?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	What’s the lowest salary you’d work for and why?
c)	Do you like trade unions / labor unions?
d)	Where would salaries and working conditions be without unions?
e)	Is it right that bankers get multi-million-dollar bonuses?
f)	Is it right the average salary of a soccer player is 10 times higher than the salary of a president or prime minister?
g)	Do you think commuters are insulted by train drivers being well paid?
h)	Would you drive a train for $86,000 a year?
i)	Should train drivers earn more than soldiers, teachers and nurses?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Emma Boon of the Tax Payers’ Alliance?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

The British public have expressed their anger (1) ____ an announcement that drivers of London’s underground trains will soon be (2) ____ £50,000 ($86,000) a year. Union bosses, however, were delighted their members have such a good offer from the railway bosses. A new four-year deal was (3) ____ between London Underground and the unions that will see all 18,500 Tube workers get a five per cent pay rise this year, which is double the (4) ____ average. Rail bosses were accused of giving in to blackmail (5) ____ of the London Olympics in 2012. Critics claim London Underground is willing to pay almost anything to avoid the threat of strikes and disruption. Rail unions said there was no need for strikes in the (6) ____ years.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT rail union, (7) ____ his members: “I doubt you will find a better offer than this anywhere else in the public sector.” In addition to the increased salary, Tube workers will receive a (8) ____ of 29 days holiday, free travel within London for themselves and one family member and discounts on travel within Britain and the Eurostar trains to Europe. Emma Boon of the Tax Payers’ Alliance, said of the deal: “It’s unacceptable that the (9) ____ of strike action during the Olympics is being so (10) ____ rewarded. This is (11) ____ to commuters.” Other Britons compared the salaries to those of other public sector workers. Police officers, nurses, soldiers and teachers are paid (12) ____ less than subway train drivers.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	by	(b)	and	(c)	so	(d)	over
2.	(a)	a	(b)	pay	(c)	on	(d)	salary
3.	(a)	stricken	(b)	struck	(c)	stuck	(d)	stocked
4.	(a)	national	(b)	nation	(c)	nationality	(d)	nations
5.	(a)	forward	(b)	before	(c)	ahead	(d)	prepare
6.	(a)	arriving	(b)	going	(c)	departing	(d)	coming
7.	(a)	said	(b)	told	(c)	spoke	(d)	asked
8.	(a)	minimum	(b)	least	(c)	lower	(d)	bottom
9.	(a)	treat	(b)	threat	(c)	thwart	(d)	throat
10.	(a)	handsome	(b)	handed	(c)	handsomely	(d)	handedly
11.	(a)	insulting	(b)	insult	(c)	insults	(d)	insulted
12.	(a)	for	(b)	of	(c)	from	(d)	far

 
 

WRITING

Write about salaries for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about salaries. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. SALARIES: Make a poster about salaries. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. PUBLIC WORKERS: Write a magazine article about public workers and the salary they should receive. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a salary expert. Ask him/her three questions about train driver salaries. Give him/her three of your opinions on public sector pay . Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

 

 
 

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

F

c.

T

d.

T

e.

T

f.

T

g.

F

h.

F

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	expressed	a.	voiced
2	anger	b.	outrage
3.	delighted	c.	pleased
4.	deal	d.	agreement
5.	disruption	e.	interruption
6.	offer	f.	proposal
7.	within	g.	inside
8.	rewarded	h.	paid
9.	insulting	i.	offensive
10.	far	j.	much

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	The British public have expressed	a.	their anger
2	delighted their members have	b.	such a good offer
3.	A new four-year deal	c.	was struck
4.	willing to pay	d.	almost anything
5.	no need for strikes in	e.	the coming years
6.	I doubt you will find a	f.	better offer
7.	In addition	g.	to the increased salary
8.	discounts	h.	on travel
9.	the threat of strike	i.	action
10.	teachers are paid far	j.	less

GAP FILL:

Anger at $86,000 train driver salaries

The British public have (1) expressed their anger over an announcement that drivers of London’s underground trains will (2) soon be on £50,000 ($86,000) a year. Union bosses, however, were (3) delighted their members have such a good offer from the railway bosses. A new four-year deal was (4) struck between London Underground and the unions that will see all 18,500 Tube workers get a five per cent pay rise this year, which is (5) double the national average. Rail bosses were accused of giving in to blackmail ahead of the London Olympics in 2012. Critics (6) claim London Underground is willing to pay almost anything to avoid the (7) threat of strikes and disruption. Rail unions said there was no need for strikes in the (8) coming years.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT rail union, told his members: “I (9) doubt you will find a better offer than this anywhere else in the public sector.” In (10) addition to the increased salary, Tube workers will receive a minimum of 29 days holiday, free travel (11) within London for themselves and one family member and (12) discounts on travel within Britain and the Eurostar trains to Europe. Emma Boon of the Tax Payers’ Alliance, said of the (13) deal: “It’s unacceptable that the threat of strike action during the Olympics is being so handsomely (14) rewarded. This is insulting to commuters.” Other Britons compared the salaries to those of other public (15) sector workers. Police officers, nurses, soldiers and teachers are paid (16) far less than subway train drivers.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - c

3 - b

4 - a

5 - c

6 - d

7 - b

8 - a

9 - b

10 -c

11 - a

12 - d

Back to the top