Australia mayor seeks ‘ugly’ women

BEFORE READING

1. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	remote	a.	hurt
2	outrage	b.	press
3.	offended	c.	furious
4.	proposed	d.	swears
5.	proceed	e.	isolated
6.	up in arms	f.	fury
7.	offensive	g.	romancing
8.	wining and dining	h.	go
9.	insists	i.	suggested
10.	media	j.	insulting

The mayor of a remote Australian town has caused outrage among women across Australia. John Molony, the mayor of Mt. Isa, a mining town in the Australian Outback, has offended women by making sexist comments. He called on women who were “ugly ducklings” to come to his town to make its male citizens happy. Mt. Isa has a population of almost 25,000 and men outnumber women by a ratio of five to one. Mr. Molony proposed making the numbers more equal by saying: “If there are five [men] to every girl, we should find out where there are beauty-disadvantaged women and ask them to proceed to Mount Isa.” He stated that “not so attractive” women were happy in his town because of a recent or upcoming date.


Many of Mt. Isa’s female residents are up in arms at their mayor’s comments. Patricia O’Callaghan from the Chamber of Commerce said Molony’s remarks were offensive and that "there are a lot of women who are furious”. Many women have hit back. Healthcare worker Catherine Willett said: "To be honest, there just aren't top quality men here….They are too busy drinking beer to notice the women and all they do is whistle or yell as you go past.” Anna Warrick, an occupational therapist, added: "The guys don't make much of an effort with the girls. There isn't much wining and dining going on.” Molony has refused to apologize, saying his comments were “twisted and warped” by the media. He insists he respects women.

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	An Australian mayor wants to meet and date women who aren’t pretty.	T / F
b.	The mayor’s comments have upset many women in his town.	T / F
c.	There are five times more women than men in the mayor’s town.	T / F
d.	The mayor suggested women come to his town to find a boyfriend.	T / F
e.	Several women hit the mayor on his back.	T / F
f.	One woman said the town’s men were too interested in beer.	T / F
g.	A female resident said the town’s men rarely wined and dined women.	T / F
h.	The mayor has apologized for his comments.	T / F