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E S L L E S S O N P L A N! AUGUST 2008

CURSE OF THE FUWA

Language Function: Vocabulary/Topic:
S T U D E N T W O R K S H E E T!

discussing issues; reading comprehension Beijing Olympic Games, sport, China, superstitions
INTERMEDIATE

focus on talking
activity 1. Ask and answer the following questions.
Would you consider yourself a sporty person? Do you think you do enough physical exercise? If not, why don!t you? Do you know where your nearest swimming pool is? When was the last time you spent at least 15 minutes doing physical exercise? Did you love sport when you were growing up? What sports did you use to play? Physical exercise can make you tter and less obese. Can you think of other advantages of doing a sport? Which sport do you think would t your current lifestyle best. Why? What can be done in your country to attract more people to sport? Will the 2008 Olympic Games encourage you to take up a sport?

Do you agree with people who say that there is nothing as great as the feeling you get after a hard training session?

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Curse of the Fuwa !

INTERMEDIATE

focus on vocabulary: sport

activity 2. ! Match the sports and places.

track

pool

course

eld

pitch

court

activity 3. ! Match each word from the box with its explanation. athletes spectators fans team supporters

1. people who have a strong interest in a particular sport 2. people who wish success for a particular sports team or sports person 3. people who form one side in a competitive game or sport 4. people who watch a game, show, or other event 5. people who are very good at sports or physical exercise

Beijing Olympic Games Trivia Question

What is the official slogan of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games?

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Curse of the Fuwa !

INTERMEDIATE

focus on reading: comprehension

activity 4. ! Read the text below to find out which disasters the Fuwa mascots are blamed for.

Beibei is responsible for:

Jingjing is responsible for: Huanhuan is responsible for: Yingying is responsible for: Nini is responsible for:

Bad Luck Fuwa

August 2008

They are cute, they are cuddly and .... they seem, at least to the Chinese, extremely dangerous. Designed to promote friendship and peace, the five official Olympic mascots, known as Fuwa, or 'good luck dolls' have now acquired a far more sinister reputation. After a series of calamities that have befallen China this year, many Chinese believe that the Fuwa are not as innocuous as mascots from any other Olympic Games. The rumours about the ill-starred mascots are spreading across China very quickly. Chatrooms are alive with talk denouncing the infamous five despite the efforts of government censors to delete online references to the "Curse of the Fuwa". Panda Jingjing has been framed for the earthquake that devastated Sichuan Province because the animal is native to Sichuan. The fiery red doll, Huanhuan, is supposedly behind the protests that dogged the Olympic torch relay's progress around the world. Yingying, the Tibetan antelope, is of course the culprit behind the riots that sparked worldwide condemnation of China and its human
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rights record. Nini, a swallow who looks like a kite, has been tied to a deadly train crash in Weifang, known as 'kite city'. Beibei, the fish, was initally culpable for the worst floods for 50 years that forced over 1.6 million people to evacuate their homes. 'I am in Shenzen', wrote one terrified blogger. 'There is heavy rain for two days and no sign it will stop ... now the curse of the final 'fish' has been proved correct. What shall we do?" But now a new link has been identified: the tonnes of toxic blue-green algae that has swamped the Olympic sailing course in Qingdao. It may sound fanciful, but for all its rampant modernisation, China remains a deeply superstitious country. Fortune tellers continue to thrive and thousands of couples decided to have children in the year of the Golden Pig, thought to be an especially lucky year to be born in. Leaving nothing to chance, the Olympic Games Opening ceremony will kick off at 8 minutes past 8 p.m. on the 8th month of 2008. Eight is a lucky number in China.
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Curse of the Fuwa !

INTERMEDIATE

focus on vocabulary
activity 5. " Find these words and phrases in the article on page 3 13. deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad ................................................................................... 14. very simple, usually small plants that grow in or near water and do not have ordinary leaves or roots ................................................................................... 15. to cover a place ................................................................................... 16. not realistic ................................................................................... 17. (of something bad) getting worse quickly and in an uncontrolled way ................................................................................... 18. believing in things which are not based on human reason or scientic knowledge, but which are connected with old ideas about magic, etc. ................................................................................... 19. to develop or be successful ................................................................................... 20. start ................................................................................... 1. making you want to put your arms around it and hold it ................................................................................... 2. making you feel that something bad or evil might happen ................................................................................... 3. a serious accident or bad event causing damage or suffering ................................................................................... 4. completely harmless ................................................................................... 5. to criticize something or someone strongly and publicly ................................................................................... 6. famous for something considered bad ................................................................................... 7. to make a person seem to be guilty by producing facts or information which are not true ................................................................................... 8. to cause difculties ................................................................................... 9. someone who has done something wrong ................................................................................... 10. to cause the start of something ................................................................................... 11. the act of criticizing something or someone, usually for moral reasons ................................................................................... 12. an object consisting of a frame covered with plastic, paper or cloth that is own in the air at the end of a long string ........................................................................................
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Beijing Olympic Games Trivia Question

How many days will the 2008 Olympic Games last?