The Reading / Listening - Pink - Level 5

The singer Pink has got involved in a beach handball sexism row. She offered to pay the fine given to Norway's women's team after they refused to wear bikini bottoms at the 2021 European Beach Handball Championships. The European Handball Federation (EHF) fined the team $1,765 for not following the rules and for wearing "improper clothing". Male competitors were allowed to wear shorts, but the women were required to wear bikinis. Pink took to Twitter and offered to pay the fine. She added that the EHF should be fined "for sexism".

Norway's handball federation said bikinis were "not appropriate clothing for...playing in the sand". The team's request to wear shorts was turned down. Male players were allowed to wear shirts and shorts no longer than 10cm above the knee; while women were expected to wear very short tops and bikini bottoms "with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg". Norway called the dress rule discriminatory, antiquated and "completely ridiculous". It questioned: "How many attitude changes are needed in the old-fashioned international patriarchy of sports?"

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pink - Level 4 or  Pink - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/26/sport/pink-norwegian-handball-fine-intl-scli-spt/index.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/26/pink-offers-to-pay-fines-for-norwegian-womens-beach-handball-team-sexist
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/olympics/pink-offers-to-cover-norwegian-women-s-beach-handball-team-fine-for-not-playing-in-bikinis/ar-AAMzFIL


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The singer Pink has got
  2. a beach handball sexism
  3. She offered to pay the
  4. they refused to
  5. not following
  6. wearing improper
  7. Male competitors were allowed
  8. the EHF should be fined
  1. wear bikini bottoms
  2. row
  3. clothing
  4. for sexism
  5. to wear shorts
  6. fine
  7. involved
  8. the rules

Paragraph 2

  1. not appropriate
  2. The team's request to wear shorts
  3. no longer than 10cm
  4. expected to wear very
  5. an upward angle toward
  6. Norway called the dress
  7. antiquated and completely
  8. the old-fashioned international
  1. ridiculous
  2. short tops
  3. patriarchy of sports
  4. the top of the leg
  5. clothing
  6. was turned down
  7. rule discriminatory
  8. above the knee

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The singer Pink has (1) ___________________ a beach handball sexism row. She offered to pay the fine given to Norway's women's team after they (2) ___________________ bikini bottoms at the 2021 European Beach Handball Championships. The European Handball Federation (EHF) (3) ___________________ $1,765 for not following the rules and for (4) __________________. Male competitors were allowed to wear shorts, but the women were (5) ___________________ bikinis. Pink took to Twitter and offered to pay the fine. She added that the EHF should be (6) ___________________.

Norway's handball federation said bikinis were "(7) ___________________ for...playing in the sand". The team's request to wear shorts (8) ___________________. Male players were allowed to wear shirts and (9) ___________________ than 10cm above the knee; while women (10) ___________________ wear very short tops and bikini bottoms "with a close fit and cut on (11) ___________________ toward the top of the leg". Norway called the dress rule discriminatory, antiquated and "completely ridiculous". It questioned: "How many attitude changes are needed in the old-fashioned international (12) ___________________?"

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThesingerPinkhasgotinvolvedinabeachhandballsexismrow.Sheoffer
edtopaythefinegiventoNorway'swomen'steamaftertheyrefusedtow
earbikinibottomsatthe2021EuropeanBeachHandballChampionships
.TheEuropeanHandballFederation(EHF)finedtheteam$1,765fornotf
ollowingtherulesandforwearing"improperclothing".Malecompetitor
swereallowedtowearshorts,butthewomenwererequiredtowearbikini
s.PinktooktoTwitterandofferedtopaythefine.SheaddedthattheEHFs
houldbefined"forsexism".Norway'shandballfederationsaidbikiniswe
re"notappropriateclothingfor...playinginthesand".Theteam'sreques
ttowearshortswasturneddown.Maleplayerswereallowedtowearshirt
sandshortsnolongerthan10cmabovetheknee;whilewomenwereexp
ectedtowearveryshorttopsandbikinibottoms"withaclosefitandcuton
anupwardangletowardthetopoftheleg".Norwaycalledthedressruledi
scriminatory,antiquatedand"completelyridiculous".Itquestioned:"H
owmanyattitudechangesareneededintheold-fashionedinternational
patriarchyofsports?"

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You