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News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

July 2009
Level ≥ Advanced
Style ≥ Individual or group activities
Welcome to the Guardian Weekly’s special news-based materials to support learners and teachers of
English. Each month, the Guardian Weekly newspaper selects topical news articles that can be used to
practise English language skills. The materials are graded for two levels: Advanced and Lower Intermediate.
These worksheets can be downloaded free from guardianweekly.co.uk/learningenglish/. You can also
find more advice for teachers and learners on the site
Materials prepared by Janet Hardy-Gould

Recession-hit dance island fights to lure clubbers back

Feel the beat ... Basement Jaxx open Ibiza’s summer clubbing season Manel Gomez

2 Verbs and expressions from the article. Complete


Before reading the definitions.
1 Work in small groups and discuss the questions downgrade, flock, gather, lure, tackle, take someone
below. for granted
a Is there anywhere in your country that is famous for a If people somewhere, they
its nightlife? go there in large numbers.
b Do you ever go to nightclubs? b If you try to a problem or
c How much do you think it costs to go into a night- situation, you make a big effort to deal with it.
club in your country? c If people somewhere, they
come together in one place to form a group.
d If you a person to a place,
you persuade them to come by offering a reward.
e If you decide to , you ≥2
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

July 2009

choose to do something cheaper or at a lower level. 5 The expected drop in tourism on Ibiza – esti-
f If you , you don’t recognise mated to be around 10% this summer – is more
their true value because you are used to them. likely to come from a dip in family holidays,
rather than clubbers staying at home, according
3 Look at the headline, photo and caption of the arti- to Danny Whittle, brand manager for super club
cle. Work with a partner. Decide if these sentences Pacha.
are true (T) or false (F). Which words in the headline
6 The club has so far remained unscathed, seeing
or caption helped you find the answers?
record numbers last year and VIP ticket sales up
a The article is about nightclubs on the island of
Ibiza. 15% in 2009, as the rich and famous downgrade
b ] More and more people have started going to the from more expensive resorts on the French Rivi-
island. era, he said.
c The nightclub industry is doing well in the current 7 “People talk about the death of Ibiza but we are
economic situation. seeing twice as many people coming through the
doors now than in the peak in 1996.”
8 With entry to the island’s most famous clubs
Article costing up to $70, some venues have responded
to the new economic climate with sweeteners
Recession-hit dance island such as free bus transfers, discounts on pre-
fights to lure clubbers back booked tickets and drinks
offers.
1 For decades the Spanish island of Ibiza has been 9 Nick DeCosemo, editor of dance music magazine
a byword for unbridled hedonism, a place where Mixmag, welcomed the move towards a less
thousands of clubbers flock every summer for expensive experience. “Clubs are having to get
a never-ending dance party. But last year its their act together and not take their punters for
most notorious club Manumission – with its per- granted. A little bit of competition for the average
forming dwarves, fire-eaters and trapeze artists clubber has to be a good thing,” he said.
– closed its doors for the last time. For some it Alexandra Topping
marked the end of an era, and with the world in
the grip of recession and many holidaymakers
expected to stay at home this year, the Mediter-
ranean isle faces testing times.
2 So it is fitting that dance music moguls, promot- Glossary
ers and up-and-coming DJs gathered on the is-
land recently to discuss the future of electronic unbridled (adjective) not controlled
hedonism (noun) the belief that pleasure is the most
music, at the grandly named International Music
important thing in life
Summit (IMS).
notorious (adjective) famous or well-known for some-
3 Ben Turner, one of the founding partners of IMS, thing bad
said the gathering was a way for the industry to unscathed (adjective) not hurt or affected by
go “back to business” and tackle its challenges something
head on. sweetener (noun) something given to somebody in
4 Although the dance music heyday of the late order to persuade them to do something
1990s is long gone, the genre is in a healthy state
to ride out the storm, Turner said. “There was a
time that we thought we were going to take over
the world … now electronic music is back where
it is most comfortable, just under the main-
stream.”
≥3
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

July 2009

While reading e
popular?
was dance music at its most

1 Read the first four paragraphs. Use the words below


to complete the questions, then find the answers.
what, when, where, who, why
a used to flock to Ibiza every
summer? Why?

2 Read the rest of the article from paragraph five.


Complete the sentences.
a Tourist numbers are expected to fall by …

b was the closure of


Manumission so significant?
b The fall in visitors will probably come from …

c Up to now, the Pacha club has been …

d Some rich people are going to Ibiza instead of …


c are many tourists
expected to do this year? Why?

e At Pacha there are double the number of clubbers


compared to …

f Clubs want to attract customers by offering things


like …

d did music promoters go


recently? What did they discuss?
g Nick DeCosemo is pleased that clubbing will
become a …

≥4
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

July 2009

After reading Activity — discussion


1 What do these words from the article mean?
a It is fitting that dance music moguls … (paragraph 2) The state of the economy
How do you think the difficult economic climate …
a has affected your country in the past year?
b will affect your country in the year
to come?
b … promoters and up-and-coming DJs … (paragraph 2) Work with a partner and make notes about the areas
below. Use vocabulary from After reading exercise
two.
unemployment
business failures
c Although the dance music heyday … is long gone. inflation
(paragraph 4) government spending
housing market
income from tourism
Share your ideas as a class.

d … seeing record numbers last year … (paragraph 6)

e Clubs are having to get their act together …


(paragraph 9)

2 Vocabulary – economic problems


Complete the summary with the
words below.
climate, discounts, drop, grip, healthy, numbers,
punters, responding, testing
The holiday island of Ibiza faces
(a) times with an estimated
10% (b) in tourist numbers
due to the global economic i discounts
(c) . With many of the world’s
2 a testing b drop c climate d grip e numbers f healthy g responding h punters
was at its most popular d the highest ever e become more organised
largest economies in the (d) 1 a appropriate b likely to be popular and successful in the future c time when it
of recession, people are simply choosing to stay at After reading
experience.
home this summer. resorts on the French Riviera. e 1996. f free bus transfers etc. g less expensive
2 a by around 10%. b a dip in family holidays. c unscathed. d more expensive
Although there will be a dip in visitor
1990s.
d Where – To Ibiza. To discuss the future of electronic music. e When – In the late
(e) this year, experts believe of an era. c What – They are expected to stay at home. Because of the recession.
that the island’s tourist industry is still in a fairly – Because it was the most notorious club on Ibiza and its closure marked the end
1 a Who – Thousands of clubbers. To go to the never-ending dance party.b Why
(f) state. Many of Ibiza’s night- While reading
clubs are (g) to the new eco- 3aTbFcF
nomic challenges by offering sweeteners to their
2 a flock b tackle c gather d lure e downgrade f take someone for granted
Before reading
(h) in the form of
(i) on tickets or free bus Answers
transfers.

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