Zzzzz

The Reading / Listening - Level 4

A USA court has told a tobacco company to pay a woman $23.6 billion in damages. Cynthia Robinson started fighting the company in 2008. Her husband died of lung cancer in 1996. He started smoking when he was 13 and died in 1996. Mrs Robinson said the company should have told her husband that smoking is addictive and can kill. Tobacco companies knew in the 1950s that smoking could kill. Her husband could not quit and was smoking the day he died.

The tobacco company's lawyer said the amount was crazily high. He added that it would not be allowed by the law. He said: "This verdict goes far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness." The woman's lawyer said jurors looked at the company's aggressive marketing aimed at young people. He said the company lied to the U.S. Congress, the public, and smokers. He said the company tried to blame the smoker. He called the jury's decision "courageous".

Try the same news story at these levels:

Level 5 or Level 6

Sources

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/19/us/florida-tobacco-verdict/
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/20/usa-tobacco-award-idINL2N0PV00D20140720
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/fla-jury-slams-rj-reynolds-with-236b-in-damages/2014/07/19/c3b1d54e-0fa3-11e4-b0dd-edc009ac1f9d_story.html

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.	pay a woman $23.6 billion	a.	smoking could kill
2.	Her husband died of lung	b.	quit
3.	smoking is	c.	day he died
4.	companies knew in the 1950s that	d.	addictive
5.	Her husband could not	e.	in damages
6.	smoking the	f.	cancer

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.	the amount was	a.	by the law
2.	it would not be allowed	b.	marketing
3.	beyond the realm of reasonableness	c.	to the U.S. Congress
4.	the company's aggressive	d.	decision "courageous"
5.	He said the company lied	e.	crazily high
6.	He called the jury's	f.	and fairness

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

A USA (1) ___________________ tobacco company to pay a woman $23.6 billion in damages. Cynthia Robinson (2) ___________________ company in 2008. Her husband died (3) ___________________ 1996. He started smoking when he was 13 and died in 1996. Mrs Robinson said the company should have told her husband that (4) ___________________ can kill. Tobacco companies (5) ___________________ that smoking could kill. Her husband (6) ___________________ was smoking the day he died.

The tobacco company's lawyer said the (7) ___________________ high. He added that it would not be (8) ___________________. He said: "This verdict goes far (9) ___________________ of reasonableness and fairness." The woman's (10) ___________________ looked at the company's aggressive marketing aimed at young people. He said the company lied to the U.S. Congress, the (11) ___________________. He said the company tried to blame the smoker. He called the (12) ___________________ .

SMOKING SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about smoking in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Student B: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

FREE WRITING

Write about smoking for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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Zzzzz (22nd July, 2014)

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