III. Vocabulary exercises

I. Explain the meanings of the following collocations in your own words:

1. a dragnet;

2. a hideout;

3. reconnaissance vehicle;

4. ransom;

5. to sail abreast;

6. to woo;

7. notoriety

2. Find English equivalents to the following Russian ones:

1. самолет-разведчик;

2. островной курорт;

3. боевики;

4. получить выкуп;

5. находиться в плену;

6. раскинуть сети;

7. заложник.

3. Give Russian equivalents of the following English ones:

1. to launch manhunt for kidnappers;

2. on alert;

3. to gain notoriety;

4. to spread a dragnet;

5. to revive-a sluggish economy;

6. to damage investor confidence;

7. to rescue hostages.

4. Fill in the blanks with the right words in the correct forms: to woo, to receive ransom, captivity, to abduct, on alert, a hideout, to rescue.

1. On Monday gunmen ... several tourists and staff members of a resort.

2. Military forces in the neighboring Malaysia were put ... ... .

3. There is growing evidence that the guerrilla group has ... ... of up to $1 million for some hostages.

4. Several hostages are still in ... .

5. Kidnappings prevent the government from ... foreign investors.

6. The islands are known as ... of several guerrilla groups.

7. A wide dragnet was spread across the coast by the military to... hostages.

IV. Grammar Exercises.

In the sentences: “The Americans have been identified as missionaries”, and “The Burnhams have been based in the Philippines for about 15 years” the Passive Voice is used. It is quite common for news reporting. Rewrite the following sentences in the Passive Voice:

1. They launched a massive manhunt involving lots of boats and craft.

2. The reconnaissance plane saw three suspicious craft near the island.

3. The military have spread a dragnet across a wide strip of the South China Sea.

4. The government has made it clear there'll be no ransom paid to the kidnappers.

5. We will not allow a repeat of last year.

6. They abducted 20 hostages, including some journalists.

7. Philippine officials usually call them a group of bandits.

V. Rendering. Use the outline below and render the article:

1. The Philippine military have launched a massive manhunt for kidnappers of 20 people at a beach resort.

2. Growing evidence of a splinter group of Abu Sayyaf separatist movement being involved.

3. Hostage taking by the separatists prevents foreign investors from bringing capital into the country.

4. The Philippine government is determined to go all out with the separatists and not to pay any ransom.

VI. Role-play.

Imagine that you are a reporter. Your newspaper sends you to Manila to interview the Philippine President at a press conference. Prepare some questions and work as a group.

UNIT IV NATURAL DISASTERS, ACCIDENTS

I. Pre-reading task:

Study the vocabulary on the topic.

1. cyclones, hurricanes;

2. to hit,(to rip through) -about a hurricane , a cyclone;

3. torrential rains;

4. to trigger (cause) landslides, avalanches;

5. flood waters (floods) wash away ;

6. a huge tidal wave;

7. to cope with the consequences;

8. to give early warning;

9. to begin rescue operations;

10. to create cyclone shelters;

11. earthquakes;

12. an earthquake up to ... points on the Richter scale;

13. to bring about an overwhelming destruction;

14. to resettle (evacuate) people;

15. to rennovate the damaged buildings;

16. swaying high-rise buildings falling apart;

17. water lines are down, electricity is off;

18. nuclear disasters;

19. to receive (to be exposed) to a high dose of radiation;

20. to return to normal -about radiation levels;

21. level ... crisis (on a scale of 7) of nuclear accidents;

22. clean-up workers;

23. to shut down a nuclear plant;

24. ... km exclusion zone;

25. protection against pervasive radiation;

26. to deliver on much-hyped benefits package;

27. accidents;

28. to jump the red light;

29. a head-on crush;

30. a rail (train) crash (collision);

31. to get derailed;

32. casualties;

33. no sign of survivors;

34. to put out (extinguish) the fire ;

35. a mid-air explosion , to collide in mid-air;

36. to crash (slam) into a hillside;

37. to cause engine failure;

38. human error;

39. design flaws (manufacturer's fault);

40. to carry extra weight;

41. to recover a black box recorder.

2. Discuss the following points using the above listed vocabulary:

1. What natural disasters is the territory of Russia most prone to?

2. How can you account for the increased number of accidents we hear about of late?

3. Have you ever witnessed any kind of a natural disaster or an accident?

4. Does there exist a special force to carry out rescue operations in this country?

5. How well are people in your locality prepared to face different disasters and accidents?

6. What accidents (disasters) to your mind reap the highest death toll?