International Herald Tribune, 2001.)
8 Look through the questions below and share your ideas with your partners:
oWhat do you think governments should do to prevent natural disasters? What can governments do to diminish the results of disasters and solve the problems they cause for the population on the whole? What is the role of the social welfare system in this issue?
oWhat can we do as individuals to improve the environmental situation on our planet and help victims of natural disasters and disasters caused by humans?
9 Read the information given below on how to behave during an earthquake, discuss the main ideas in groups and devise your own instructions on how to behave during disasters or accidents that might happen: floods, tornados, fires, car accidents, epidemics etc. Choose any disaster suggested and develop your own plan.
What should I do during the Earthquake?
Falling objects pose the greatest danger during a major earthquake. In Canada, no house has ever collapsed during an earthquake. However, many types of objects may fall and cause damage or injuries. Of prime concern, therefore, is protection from falling objects such as framed pictures, light fixtures, plaster from ceilings or the upper part of walls, or chimneys which may fall outside or through the roof into the house.
When an earthquake occurs,
∙turn away from windows and other glass; windows may break and glass shards can fly great distances;
∙take cover under a sturdy desk, table, or door frame to prevent injury from falling debris;
∙if you are outside, try to keep to open areas well clear of buildings and power lines;
∙if you are driving, pull over and stop your vehicle, preferably in an open area.
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After an earthquake, follow emergency radio broadcasts carefully, and restrict your telephone calls to genuine emergencies.
What should I do after a strong earthquake?
Stay calm.
Help the injured, if any.
Speak calmly with family members, especially children about what has just happened, in order to relief stress.
Stay tuned to the radio and follow instructions.
Use the telephone only in an emergency.
Do not enter damaged buildings.
To prevent fire, check the chimneys or have them checked before using the furnace or fireplace. Check all gas pipes.
10 Read the information about an imaginary country. Imagine that you are a participant in a committee which is planning an aid program. Decide on your priorities and think of solutions to the problems. Discuss and share your ideas with the other members of your group; be ready to present your entire aid program before the class and to justify your decisions.
Population: 16 million
Gross National Product (GNP): $ 13,000 Unemployment: 35%
Agriculture: poor soil - some production of bananas, oranges Industry: not developed - a chemical factory in the capital
Communications: most roads – muddy; problems in the wet seasons; airport in need of repair; very few telephones
11 Express your ideas on the statements given below and back up your opinion. You should use about 120-180 words.
1.“Disasters don’t kill people, buildings do.”
2.Many lives are in danger when hastily erected buildings collapse because safety standards have been sacrificed to hopes of a quick profit. To prevent disasters of this kind, governments should play a
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greater role in setting and enforcing safety standards for building construction.
12 You are going to read an article about events that happened in the US on 11 September, 2001. Read the article carefully so that you are ready to fulfill the tasks set after the article.
First Reactions
Even before the dust of the World Trade Center settled, people began reaching out to help. Donors lined up at blood banks around the country to give blood in the hope of helping survivors (unfortunately there were few). Celebrities, aid agencies, and grade school children started fund raisers; and the money poured in - $1.2 billion and counting. So much money that it has been difficult to distribute it all. Around the country people attended memorial services, sobbing for the loss of people they did not know, and mourning their own loss of innocence. And everywhere, there were flags. American flags hung from freeway overpasses, office towers, car antennas, lapel pins, and mail boxes; they showed solidarity with the victims and represented a determination to stand firm for freedom in the face of terrorism.
But amidst all of this generosity there existed overwhelming fear. Fear of flying, fear of leaving children, fear of visiting public places, fear of another
attack. These fears resulted in vacation plans being canceled, school and work absentee rates increasing, and calls for massive security reforms. And occasionally, they resulted in an attack on an innocent American who had the “wrong” profile.
In these days following September 11, hate crimes against Muslims and Arab Americans increased dramatically. Bomb threats were made against mosques, Muslim school children were taunted, and a Sikh gas station owner, mistakenly thought to be an Arab, was shot and killed. When arrested, the gunman who killed the gas station owner declared, “I am an American,” implying that his actions were somehow justified because he was protecting his country.
The difficulty with that argument is that Muslims and Arab Americans are American too. And despite the actions of a few individuals who let their fear consume them, the majority of Americans recognize this reality.
(From: The Times, 2001.)
13 Look at the words and phrases underlined in the article and try to explain what they mean. Make up sentences using these words.
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14Share your ideas and make comments on the initial reactions of American people to the events of September 11, 2001.
15You are going to read an article that describes the reaction of the American government and officials to the events of September 11, 2001. Read the article and fill in the gaps with the appropriate word from the box. There are three words that you do not need to use.
hijackers |
volunteers |
cells |
military |
immigrants |
|||
war |
memory |
religious |
civilian |
visas |
silence |
||
freedom |
|
embassy |
rights |
wisdom |
cultural |
||
|
|
horror |
|
|
|
wreaths |
|
Struggling for balance in government reactions
The government too has struggled to balance compassion with fear. Immediately after September 11, hundreds of Middle Eastern ……1…. were arrested on visa violations and it was announced that thousands more immigrants would be questioned. The reason behind this massive dragnet – these individuals fit a profile similar to the …2…… They were Muslim, between the ages of 18 and 33, had entered the country on student ……3.., and came from nations that were known to have AL Qaeda ……4.. But initial interviews went badly and Muslim leaders and civil …… 5….. advocates screamed “racial profiling”. The FBI adopted a different approach – offering a ……6….. sensitivity training program to agents, writing to invite individuals to come in for an interview (rather than showing up unannounced at the door), and reaching out to …7……. and community leaders.
Looking beyond the country’s borders, the struggle to balance fear and compassion is all the more difficult. Americans have thought long of themselves as a generous, open, and just people – self-image that made the events of September 11 all the more difficult to understand. Why would people
hate a nation that believes in ……8…. and liberty?
So deep was the hurt that even committed pacifists called for ……9… . President Bush’s approval ratings were extremely high – 80% of Americans supported the ………10….. campaign against the Taliban.
Yet even in the midst of this anger came calls for compassion. Concern for the Afghan people led the military to drop food and clothing over …11……. areas of Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of American children responded to President Bush’s call to send their allowances to Afghan children. Millions of dollars have been pledged and ……12…… are being recruited to help the country to re-build. Of course, much of this compassion was strategic.
In the midst of tremendous pain last September, Americans took great comfort in the compassion of the international community: The Star-Spangled Banner playing at Buckingham Palace, ……13…… being laid at the American ……14……. in Beijing, a candlelight vigil in Tehran, a moment of …15……. observed across
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Europe – these gestures set an important |
(From: The Times, 2001.) |
tone in international cooperation. |
16 Answer the questions suggested:
oWhat is the reaction of the US government to the events of September 11, 2001?
oWhat tendencies in the international policy of the US have become evident?
oWhat is the reaction of the international community?
17 Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups:
oDid ‘September 11’ change you in any important way as a person?
oHow would you describe the reaction of a ‘typical American’?
oIn your opinion, what social welfare services were necessary to deal with the consequences of the attack?
oWhat preventative measures should be implemented to alleviate the possible consequences of events like those described in the text?
18 Disclose the meaning of the following phrase:
“Fear and compassion are two sides of the same coin…and both have been in abundant supply in the United States since September 11, 2001.”
19 In groups share your ideas on the statement given below:
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“Events like September 11, 2001 and Beslan September 1, 2004 have re-shaped our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.”
20 Read the article ‘Recovery from Traumatic Stress’ and fill in the gaps with the parts A, B, C, D and E. There is one part that you do not need to use.
A)Usually no other treatment is needed other than that offered by a good friend’s concern and, for a limited time, sleeping pills at night.
For all those who could be described as suffering from the symptoms of acute stress disorder, there are thousands more who may find that their general mood has been altered by the terrorists’ atrocity.
B)Others have developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of living through a time of great fear, while witnessing an event that could possibly involve death or injury to family, friends or colleagues at a time when they felt helpless because they were unable to influence the outcome.
C)The survey showed that more than 30% people were injured in the terrible disaster and most of them suffered a long post-traumatic stress.
D)They will be numbed by the event, emotionally unresponsive, indifferent to their surroundings to varying degrees and have a sense that such a ghastly event couldn’t really have happened.
E)Both medication and psychotherapy have their place in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. There is debate over the most efficient form of psychotherapy, but what is not in dispute is that the therapist needs to be sympathetic and empathetic.
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