News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 1

December 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

Pow! Comic-book heroes fight against corruption

Family drama ... the opening scenes from Pat Mills’s story about political corruption in Iran

c When I was a child, my favourite comic book hero

Before reading was …
1 Complete the sentences below. Then work with a
partner. Compare and explain your answers.
a I sometimes/often/never read comic books d When I was younger, my favourite comic book bad-
because … die was …

b I sometimes/often/never look at comic strips in e A typical comic book story usually involves …
newspapers because …

≥2
News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 2
2 The article is about a new collection of comic stories
published in the UK. Look at the headline, picture
and ­caption of the article. Underline the words that
you think might describe the new ­collection.
political, serious, light-hearted, trivial, ­subversive, inter-
national, childish, ­provocative, hilarious, powerful
.
Article
Pow! Comic-book heroes fight
against corruption
1 Earlier this year Dawa Steven Sherpa was resting
at Everest base camp when he and his compan-
ions heard something buzzing. “What is that?”
asked the young Nepali. They searched and
found a big black house fly, something unimagi-
nable just a few years ago when no insect could
have survived at 5,360 metres.
2 “It’s happened twice this year – the Himalayas
are warming up and changing fast,” says Dawa,
who has climbed Everest twice as well as two
8,000 metre peaks in Tibet.
3 “What I do is climb. And what we see is the Hima-
layan glaciers melting. It’s not a seasonal thing
any more. It’s rapid. It’s so apparent,” he said.
4 “Look at the walls and slopes of the Khumbu
glacier [which flows 3km down from an icefall on
the southern flanks of Everest].
5 “You can see a clear line where the black rock
becomes white. That’s where it’s been exposed
to the sun. That means metres of thick ice have
melted in just a few decades.”
6 All three generations of Dawa’s ­family testify to
major climate change taking place today. “Grand-
father used to take yaks to a place called Gokio,
which was on the other side of the Ngozumba
­glacier, ­Nepal’s longest. He could walk them over
the ice but now the whole thing has melted,” he
said.
7 He lists some of the physical changes he has seen
and their ­effects on ­local communities. “The per-
manent ice above our village now melts at about
5,500 metres, but it used to be 3,750 metres.
Our village is seeing prolonged droughts. They
December 2009
used to last a few months. Now we can go seven
months without rain.”
8 Dawa, 25, is a WWF ambassador on climate
change and runs major expeditions into the
­Himalayas, ­climbing with his friend Apa Sherpa,
who has climbed Everest 19 times – the world
record.
9 Everest is changing, he says. “Apa says there was
running water on the surface of the South col
[a saddle at 7,920 metres between Everest and
Lhotse mountain] this year,” said Dawa. “Also
the summit is getting smaller. You used to be able
to get 50 people on the ridge to it. Now there’s
room for 18 people at most.”
John Vidal
Glossary
yak (noun) an animal of the cow family, with long horns
and long hair
wasteland (noun) a desolate area of land without
plants
prolonged (adjective) continuing for a long time
saddle (noun) a ridge connecting two mountain peaks
While reading
1 Read the article. Put yes [Y] or no [N] next to these
sentences. Underline the information in the text.
Global warming on Everest …
a has allowed flies to appear at higher levels.
b is occurring relatively slowly.
c has a seasonal effect on the ice.
d is clearly making the glaciers melt.
e has only been noticed by younger Nepalis.
f has affected the people in local communities.
g has increased the size of the summit.
2 Read again. Answer the questions.
a What would have been difficult to ­imagine only a
few years ago?
≥3
 News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 3

December 2009

the base form. Find the vertical word and learn the
Nepali name for Everest.

b What two examples of changes to ­glaciers does Dawa

Steven Sherpa give?

c What negative effect has global ­warming had on the

local communities?

d What is Dawa Steven Sherpa’s role? b

a c not covered; open to the air etc.(5)

b obvious; easy to see (3)
c d period of no rain (7)
d to be a sign that something is going to happen
e
(headline)
e Who does Dawa Steven Sherpa work with? Why is e the most times something has ever been done (8)
this man famous? f f become hotter (two words) (2)
g large and important (8)
g

h h to say you believe something because you have

­evidence (6)
i i when something becomes different eg the climate (6)
j 10 years (5)
j
2 Look at the structures in the sentences below.
f How many people can you now get on the summit? ­Comment on their use.
Example: Dawa Steven Sherpa was ­resting at Everest
base camp when he heard something buzzing.
Past continuous, past simple – used here to describe
a longer ongoing activity ­interrupted by a shorter
one.
a … the Himalayas are warming up … (2)
After reading
1 Find words from the article to match the definitions.
Paragraph numbers are in brackets. Put verbs in ≥4
 News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 4
b Grandfather used to take yaks to a place called
Gokio … (6)
c He could walk them over the ice … (6)
d The whole thing has melted … (6)
e The permanent ice … now melts at 5,500 metres. (7)
December 2009
Activity
Writing a short report about a local ­aspect of climate
change
a Think of an example of how climate change has
­affected the environment, weather etc in your region.
b Find out more information about it and make notes.
c Plan the report. Divide it into three main paragraphs:
Introduction – including dramatic signs of recent
changes.
How the environment was in the past.
Specific details of the ongoing changes.
d Look back at After reading exercise 2. ­Which
­structures might you use in the ­different paragraphs?
e Write a rough then final version then swap it with
­another person in the class.
Answers
Before reading
1 location: between Tibet/Nepal; height: 8,850m; climate: harsh with tempera-
tures often below -20 °C and strong winds; history: first climbers to definitely
reach the summit, Hillary and Tenzing, 1953.
2 Flank – side of mountain; glacier – frozen river in a valley; ice fall – steep part of
a glacier, like a frozen waterfall; saddle – ridge between two peaks; peak – pointed
top of mountain; permanent ice – ice high up that never melts; slope – incline on
the side; summit – highest point.
3 a Flies. b Global warming. c Dawa ­Steven Sherpa.
While reading
1aYbNcNdYeNfYgN
2 a That an insect could have survived at 5,360m.
b He cites the exposed rocks on the Khumbu glacier and the disappearance of
part of the Ngozumba glacier.
c There are prolonged droughts.
e Present simple to express a fact.
finished action with a present result.
c “Could” past of can to talk about past possibility. d Present perfect to describe a
past habit that is now finished.
2 a Present continuous to describe a changing situation. b “Used to” to talk about a
i change j decade
1 a exposed b apparent c drought ­d ­herald e record f warm up g major h testify
After reading
f 18.
e Apa Sherpa. Holds world record for climbing Everest.
d He’s a WWF climate change ambassador.