Indian couple escape jail for kissing

BEFORE READING

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

1.	escaped	a.	doing
2	obscenity	b.	demonstration
3.	affection	c.	abusing
4.	taboo	d.	avoided
5.	expression	e.	top
6.	extremely	f.	love
7.	maximum	g.	started
8.	committing	h.	immorality
9.	sparked	i.	very
10.	insulting	j.	unmentionable

A married Indian couple have escaped punishment for kissing in public. The 28-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife were arrested by Delhi police in June 2013. The police charged them with obscenity in a public place. Public displays of affection are largely taboo in India. The police officers said the couple were “sitting in an off-putting position near a railway station and kissing, which caused passersby to feel bad". However, in court, the judge decided the young couple’s kiss did not break the law and that they did nothing wrong. Judge Muralidhar said "an expression of love by a young married couple" was not illegal. In addition, he said he wondered how anyone could find a simple kiss to be obscene.


It is extremely rare to see couples kissing in public in India. It is acceptable and common for young couples to hold hands in public places. Anything more romantic than this simple act could mean three months in prison. This is the maximum punishment for committing an “obscene act” in India. Many Indians, especially older, more conservative ones, think kissing in public is immoral. The Hollywood superstar Richard Gere sparked a storm of protest in 2007 when he kissed Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty in public. Gere and Shetty were at an AIDS awareness event in Delhi. Gere playfully kissed Shetty on the hand and face. India’s media received thousands of calls and letters asking for the arrest of Gere for insulting Indian culture.

COMPREHENSION

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

a.	A prison official set a couple free after they kissed in public.	T / F
b.	Publicly displaying affection in India is a cultural no-no.	T / F
c.	Police officers said people felt bad because of a couple kissing in public.	T / F
d.	A court judge in India said kissing in public was not against the law.	T / F
e.	It is perfectly acceptable in India for couples to hold hands.	T / F
f.	People can go to prison for three months in India for kissing in public.	T / F
g.	Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty kissed actor Richard Gere on the face.	T / F
h.	Many Indians wanted Richard Gere arrested for kissing in public.	T / F

Newly-crowned Miss America suffers racist abuse (19th September, 2013)

BEFORE READING 

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

1.	torrent	a.	spoiling
2	descent	b.	appalling
3.	pageant	c.	origin
4.	picked	d.	broke out
5.	following	e.	flood
6.	shocking	f.	welcomed
7.	barely	g.	chose
8.	erupted	h.	practising
9.	marring	i.	hardly
10.	embraced	j.	contest

America's newly-crowned beauty queen Nina Davuluri has been the subject of a torrent of racist abuse. She is the first woman of Indian descent to be crowned Miss America, but was greeted with a deluge of insults after she won the pageant on Sunday night. Many people left messages on Twitter questioning why a "non-American" had become Miss America. Many tweeters misidentified her as an Arab, while others said she looked like a terrorist. One tweeter said: "Well they just picked a Muslim for Miss America. That must've made Obama happy. Maybe he had a vote." Ms Davuluri was born in New York and grew up in Oklahoma and Michigan. She was raised following the Hindu faith.


The media in India has been full of stories on the "shocking tweets". The Times of India wrote: "The tiara had barely been placed on her head and the customary tears of joy had just emerged when racist taunts erupted on social media, marring the moment of triumph for the first ever Miss America of Indian origin." Ms Davuluri brushed aside the negative comments and said she was not bothered what a minority of people thought. She said: "I have to rise above that. I always viewed myself as first and foremost American." She added: "I'm so happy this organization has embraced diversity." She added: "I'm thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America."

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Beauty queens racially abused the new Miss America at a pageant.	T / F
b.	The new Miss America was born in Mumbay, India.	T / F
c.	On Twitter, people asked why a foreigner was now Miss America.	T / F
d.	Ms Davuluri grew up practicing the Islamic religion.	T / F
e.	The Indian press published many stories about the abuse.	T / F
f.	A newspaper said the abuse began before the winner's tears had dried.	T / F
g.	Ms Davuluri took the negative comments to heart.	T / F
h.	Ms Davuluri is happy kids get to see a different kind of Miss America.	T / F

Blobfish are the ugliest animals (17th September, 2013)

Most people do not know what a blobfish is. It is the world's ugliest animal. It is also the new mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society (UAPS). The UAPS asked 11 celebrities and comedians to make a short video on what they thought was the ugliest creature on Earth. Thousands of people voted to decide the winner. UAPS president Simon Watt said he didn't want to use a cute animal as the society's mascot. He wanted people to know that not-so-cute animals are also in danger. Mr Watt said: "We've needed an ugly face for endangered animals for a long time…For too long the cute and fluffy animals have taken the limelight." He thinks the blobfish will make people remember the uglier animals.


Blobfish live in the seas and oceans near Australia and New Zealand. They stay largely on the seabed or ocean floor between 600 to 1,200 metres deep. They can grow up to 30 centimetres long. They have very large heads, small bodies and thin tails. Their name comes from the fact that they look like a large blob of jelly. This is because they have no muscles. They float in the water and swallow things that swim past them, like small crabs and shellfish. Even though humans do not eat blobfish (they are inedible), fishermen accidentally kill thousands each year. They are caught in the nets of fishing boats. Scientists are worried that this will put the blobfish on the list of endangered animals.

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	The blobfish is the mascot of a group that helps animals.	T / F
b.	Eleven scientists made a video about blobfish.	T / F
c.	Millions of people voted to decide which animal was ugliest.	T / F
d.	A president said the blobfish will help people to not forget ugly animals.	T / F
e.	Blobfish usually swim near the surface of seas and oceans.	T / F
f.	The biggest blobfish ever found was 3 centimetres long.	T / F
g.	Blobfish have big heads and thin tails.	T / F
h.	Scientists are worried that the blobfish is in danger.	T / F

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

1.	preservation	a.	uneatable
2	celebrities	b.	soft
3.	creature	c.	famous people
4.	cute	d.	at risk
5.	fluffy	e.	protection
6.	largely	f.	eat
7.	swallow	g.	adorable
8.	inedible	h.	trapped
9.	caught	i.	animal
10.	endangered	j.	mainly

A third of kids get no bedtime story (15th September, 2013)

It seems the age-old tradition of children getting a bedtime story before sleeping is on the wane in Britain. A new study reveals that around a third of parents do not read bedtime stories to their children. The study, from British online retailer Littlewoods.com, also found that up to 50 per cent of children would prefer to watch TV or play computer games than be read a story. Researchers further discovered that a paltry five per cent of British under-sevens do not even own a book. Parents came up with a myriad of reasons why they did not read to their little ones. Thirteen per cent of parents blamed a lack of time, nine per cent said they are just "too stressed", while others said their children were simply not interested.

Littlewoods has teamed up with British pop star Natasha Hamilton to try and reverse this trend. They have launched a bedtime story writing competition for children under seven. Ms Hamilton, 31, told reporters: "I'm really excited to see all the different story ideas and can't wait to see what the kids come up with. Choosing a winner's not going to be easy." She spoke about her own joy as a mother in reading bedtime stories, saying: "As a mum of three, I know just how enjoyable reading bedtime stories to my kids is." A spokesman from Littlewoods.com said: "We appreciate how important it is for parents and kids to spend quality time together, and bedtime stories are a great way to do just this."

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Reading bedtime stories to kids is relatively new in Britain.	T / F
b.	The article is based on a study from a major publisher.	T / F
c.	Around 5% of British kids do not own a book.	T / F
d.	Just under 10% of parents said they were too stressed to read to kids.	T / F
e.	A pop star is helping to encourage kids' interest in bedtime stories.	T / F
f.	There is a writing competition for children over the age of seven.	T / F
g.	The pop star has two children of her own.	T / F
h.	A website said bedtime stories mean quality time for parents and kids.	T / F

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

1.	age-old	a.	collaborated
2	on the wane	b.	shows
3.	reveals	c.	delight
4.	paltry	d.	put it down to
5.	blamed	e.	direction
6.	teamed up	f.	declining
7.	trend	g.	produce
8.	come up with	h.	well-established
9.	joy	i.	know
10.	appreciate	j.	insignificant

Cleopatra’s Eye Make-Up Had Health Benefits

The heavy eye make-up used by ancient Egyptians may have been good for the eyes. This is according to a study by French scientists published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. The researchers found that the lead in the cosmetics helped fight off bacteria that cause eye infections. It did this by stimulating the cells in the immune system. The scientists, from the Louvre Museum and the CNRS research institute, analyzed the lead salts found in the make-up. Lead is usually a risk to health but the low levels in the make-up had health benefits. Lead researcher Philippe Walter said: “We knew ancient Greeks and Romans noted the make-up had medicinal properties, but we wanted to determine exactly how."

The make-up used by the ancient Egyptians helped darken the eyes and make them look sexier. It sometimes took many weeks to make the special mixture. The most famous “model” for the cosmetics was the Queen of Egypt Cleopatra. She used eye make-up to try to win the heart of the emperor Mark Anthony. The story of their love was made famous by the Shakespeare play ‘Anthony and Cleopatra’. Fashion has changed little in the past 2,000 years. Women and men spend a fortune every year on making their eyes look more attractive. There is a multi-billion-dollar industry based on mascara, eyeliner, eye moisturizer and false eyelashes.

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A study by Egyptians found their ancient make-up was healthy.	T / F
b.	The chemical lead can reduce eye infections when used in cosmetics.	T / F
c.	Low levels of lead makes the body’s immune system fight bacteria.	T / F
d.	Ancient Greeks used make-up but ancient Romans didn’t.	T / F
e.	Ancient Egyptians sometimes spent weeks making make-up.	T / F
f.	The Egyptian queen Cleopatra used to be a make-up model.	T / F
g.	Shakespeare wrote a well-known play called ‘Cleopatra and Anthony’.	T / F
h.	The eye make-up industry is worth millions of dollars.	T / F

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

1.	make-up	a.	keep away
2	study	b.	more desirable
3.	fight off	c.	attempt
4.	analyzed	d.	beautiful
5.	exactly	e.	report
6.	sexier	f.	lots of money
7.	try	g.	investigated
8.	a fortune	h.	cosmetics
9.	attractive	i.	artificial
10.	false	j.	precisely

Taiwan Bans Find-A-Foreign-Bride Firms

Taiwan is getting tough on mail order brides. Starting from August 1, 2013, there is a ban on companies that arrange international marriages. Taiwan’s Immigration Agency says it wants to stamp out the practice of Taiwanese men choosing Chinese or South-East Asian brides online. Companies can no longer take Taiwanese men on blind-date tours of Asian countries to select a bride. All Taiwanese men hoping to marry a foreign woman must now apply to an approved government agency. These organizations cannot charge a matchmaking fee. The only money that can now change hands is for airfares and hotels for overseas visits. Companies that attempt to charge for arranging marriages will be fined up to $US 30,000.


The new regulations are part of Taiwan’s new Immigration Act. The island nation wants to reduce the number of fraudulent marriages. The previous laws meant many women entered the country after marrying Taiwanese men, only to work as prostitutes. There were many other crimes such as insurance scams. The number of foreign brides arriving in Taiwan has increased dramatically. Immigration officials report that around 420,000 foreign spouses, mainly brides, entered Taiwan in the first half of 2009. This figure compares with 410,000 for the whole of 2008. Taiwan’s men are finding it hard to find a Taiwanese bride. Many women are putting their career ahead of marriage, marrying at a later age, or not marrying at all.

COMPREHENSION

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

a.	Taiwan has stopped companies finding foreign brides for Taiwan’s men.	T / F
b.	Companies used to take men on tours to meet potential wives.	T / F
c.	It is no longer possible for Taiwanese men to marry a foreign woman.	T / F
d.	There is a monetary fine for companies who charge matchmaking fees.	T / F
e.	Taiwan wants to reduce the number of international marriages.	T / F
f.	There were many cases of foreign brides ending up as criminals.	T / F
g.	There were more foreign grooms than brides in the first half of 2009.	T / F
h.	Taiwanese women are getting married much younger these days.	T / F

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

1.	getting tough	a.	authorized
2	stamp out	b.	considerably
3.	select	c.	illegal
4.	approved	d.	stop
5.	attempt	e.	laws
6.	regulations	f.	clamping down
7.	fraudulent	g.	before
8.	scams	h.	try
9.	dramatically	i.	choose
10.	ahead of	j.	frauds

source: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

Rent-A-Friend Agencies Growing in Japan

There are many new ways of making friends in today’s world. The best known of these is meeting new pals online. The Japanese are doing things a little differently. There is a growth in rent-a-friend agencies. The only catch is that the friends you meet will not become your true friends. You simply rent one when you need one for a specific occasion. The friends for rent are professional fakers. They will pretend to be anyone you want them to be. They serve a very useful purpose in Japan, where it’s very important to keep up social appearances. If you do not have a best man for your wedding or you need a rich aunt to seal a business deal, rent-a-friend agencies will provide you with the perfect impersonator.

Britain’s Guardian newspaper reports on Ryuichi Ichinokawa, the owner of the “I want to cheer you up” agency. He has been the best man at weddings, making jokes about happy couples he did not know, and has acted as the uncle of students at school sports days. The Guardian says: “He dutifully cheered them on, recorded their efforts on his handheld video camera and joined in the adult-and-child races.” Ichinokawa charges just over $150 as a rental charge, but says there are extra fees for singing at a karaoke party or making a speech at a wedding. Ryuichi says he plans everything in detail so he doesn’t embarrass his client. He boasts: "In three and a half years I've never once been caught out."

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Most Japanese people rent their friends.	T / F
b.	Friends from rent-a-friend agencies usually become lifelong friends.	T / F
c.	The friends you rent will pretend to be anyone you ask them to be.	T / F
d.	People rent friends in Japan to maintain their public image.	T / F
e.	The owner of a friend-rental agency often knows the bride at weddings.	T / F
f.	The owner cheered for children he never knew at a school sports day.	T / F
g.	You have to pay extra for your rented friend to sing or make a speech.	T / F
h.	The agency owner said he was found out as a fake just three times.	T / F

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

1.	ways	a.	costs
2	pals	b.	ideal
3.	catch	c.	brides and grooms
4.	purpose	d.	disadvantage
5.	perfect	e.	shame
6.	happy couples	f.	methods
7.	fees	g.	function
8.	detail	h.	brags
9.	embarrass	i.	friends
10.	boasts	j.	accuracy

source: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0909/090922-rent-a-friend.html