Ballerina's Environmental Protest and Barcelona's Experiment with Live Music

SPEAKING TASK PAIR DISCUSSION

PAIR DISCUSSION 1 You are going to read a news item. You have to respond to the news and discuss it with a partner. You have 2 minutes to read the text and prepare for the discussion. The discussion should take up to 3 minutes. You are expected to: give a short summary of the text (Student A); exchange opinions with the partner about the news; comment on the events / people described in the text; relate the news item to your own experience or knowledge; summarise and conclude your discussion (Student B).

BALLERINA PERFORMS SWAN LAKE ON ICE TO SAVE NATURE Russian ballerina Ilmira Bagautdinova danced on the frozen waters in protest against a construction project which threatens a unique natural habitat. Braving freezing temperatures, Bagautdinova filmed herself as she performed after she read reports that there were plans to build a factory at the site. The dancer posted the video online, adding music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake in a nod to the swans that live in the area. "This is a unique natural and historical place where swans nest in the spring, where families spend their holiday in summer, where fishermen go out onto the ice in winter," she wrote on Facebook. Bagautdinova called on Russian people to sign an online petition calling for the area to be left in its natural state. "It was my cry from the heart to save an amazing place that has a special meaning for me." Bagautdinova said her family often visited the sandy beaches in summer and sleighed there in winter.

PAIR DISCUSSION 2 You are going to read a news item. You have to respond to the news and discuss it with a partner. You have 2 minutes to read the text and prepare for the discussion. The discussion should take up to 3 minutes. You are expected to: give a short summary of the text (Student A); exchange opinions with the partner about the news; comment on the events / people described in the text; relate the news item to your own experience or knowledge; summarise and conclude your discussion (Student B).

IN BARCELONA 5,000 FANS ATTEND A CONCERT FOR COVID TRIAL Musicians on stage and 5,000 fans dancing: live music was back in Barcelona for a clinical trial seeking pandemic-safe ways to celebrate mass events. "This is for one night only, so enjoy it," said a presenter before the gig by one of Spain's most popular bands. Ahead of the party, everyone underwent antigen tests to attend the gig which comes after a year of social distancing and very little social interaction. Behind the event is a local hospital who say that safety measures, which include a special ventilation system, make it a safer space than inside a private home. During the morning, the dance floors were transformed into makeshift hospitals with nurses carrying out antigen tests and the results back in 10 minutes. When a person tested negative, the entry pass downloaded on an app on their phone was validated. The other requirement was that they wear a mask while inside the venue. "We expect it to be completely safe. Over the next 14 days we will look at how many of the audience test positive and will report back," explained Maria Libre, a doctor at the local hospital.

PAIR DISCUSSION 3 You are going to read a news item. You have to respond to the news and discuss it with a partner. You have 2 minutes to read the text and prepare for the discussion. The discussion should take up to 3 minutes. You are expected to: give a short summary of the text (Student A); exchange opinions with the partner about the news; comment on the events / people described in the text; relate the news item to your own experience or knowledge; summarise and conclude your discussion (Student B).

TUNISIANS DEMAND ITALY TAKE BACK WASTE Dozens of Tunisian activists protested in the port city of Sousse to demand the return of nearly 300 containers of household waste illegally imported from Italy. Tunisian customs officials last summer seized 282 containers that had been shipped from Italy as plastic scrap for industrial recycling. But the containers were found to contain household waste, which is barred from import under Tunisian law. Rome had given the Italian firm that sold the refuse up until last week to retrieve the cargo, but the deadline passed without it doing so. "The affair is a crime against the Tunisian people," said Ben Ghazala, a member of the city council. "We demand that the Tunisian authorities show more determination to have the waste removed." An activist at the protest, Bin Saleh, said a further demonstration was planned in front of the Italian embassy in Tunis to demand the rubbish be sent back. The case shines a spotlight on the global trade in waste, as richer countries dump their garbage on poorer ones which, like Tunisia, are often ill-equipped to deal with it. Interpol warned last year that criminal organisations have profited from an increase in illegal waste shipments, particularly to Asia but also other parts of the world.

PAIR DISCUSSION 4 You are going to read a news item. You have to respond to the news and discuss it with a partner. You have 2 minutes to read the text and prepare for the discussion. The discussion should take up to 3 minutes. You are expected to: give a short summary of the text (Student A); exchange opinions with the partner about the news; comment on the events / people described in the text; relate the news item to your own experience or knowledge; summarise and conclude your discussion (Student B).

POLLUTION FORCES NEPAL SCHOOLS TO CLOSE Nepal ordered schools to close as choking smog enveloped the capital Kathmandu, in the first-ever shutdown of the country's education sector because of pollution. Kathmandu is currently ranked among the most polluted cities in the world, with the air quality index well above 300, the highest level of concern. The government has urged people to stay indoors and avoid burning trash. Experts say that wildfires in several parts of the country combined with stagnant atmospheric conditions have caused the thick smog to cover many districts. On Twitter, Kathmandu residents complained of "stinging eyes" and "itchiness" because of the pollution. Low visibility caused by the smog has disrupted flights at Kathmandu airport. The country's only international airport was temporarily closed as visibility dropped to 1,000 metres, according to an airport official.