4 NEWS J TEASER j CD THE FIRST BLACK SCHOOL IN TORONTO: Toronto, Canada is widely considered one of the most successful multicultural cities in the world. Many groups of people from different races and cultures call Toronto home - it is estimated that close to 50 % of the city's 5.5 million inhabitants were born outside North America. However, this year, the Toronto District School Board took a bold step by approving the first ever publicly funded afro-centric school. The term "afro-centric" simply means that the curriculum will be taught more from the point of view of the black community and their collective historical experience. So what is the big deal? Well, many Torontonians, including a large part of the local black community, voiced their negative opinions about the idea. Many argue that such a school should be completely privately funded and not funded by tax money; others say that creating a separate school type for a specific interest group could lead to other requests by other interest groups. However, those who are in favour of the school argue that the Catholic school board has also been receiving public tax money for years. They also say that there is nothing to stop non-blacks from attending the school; the only point is that non-black students will receive an afro-centric education. Loreen Small, the mother of a 15-year-old black boy who was shot to death in his Toronto school in May 2007, believes that the approval of the afro-centric school is actually a step backward for society. She told BBC News, "Martin Luther £ * King and so many of our fathers fought to come together so black and white can be together, for us to sit in the front of the bus together. What we're doing is all segregating each other. We should be one." Jeff Gulley (Canada) Listen to a recording to J learn about one of the best multicultural places in Toronto, Kensington Market (Task - 8T, p. I) ILTICULTURAUSM IN CANADA 4ost newcomers to Canada settle in the major urban areas of Toronto, mcouver and Montreal. Since the 1990s, almost all of Canada's imigrants have come from Asia. Asians have a long history in inada mainly coinciding with the building of the Canadian National lilway. Many Canadian cities, and Toronto is no exception, have "China Town". Some Asians live their entire lives in such areas without ver learning either English or French, Canada's two official languages. Toronto also has a "Portuguese street" and Spadina Avenue, one of he prominent streets in Toronto where European specialities are sold, is mainly Polish. There is also a large Jamaican community. After the American Civil War ended in 1865, the African-Americans of the South were still not allowed to do the things that white people could do. For example, there were separate seating sections for the blacks and the whites on the buses. In 1955, Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 -1968), a leader of the American civil rights movement, led the black boycott of segregated bus lines. It lasted for 381 days and resulted in the victory ensuring the black passengers were allowed to sit anywhere they wanted. 1. Shouldspecialinterestgroups like the black community be allowed to create their own schools and curricula using public tax money? 2. Do you agree with Loreen Small when she says that creating the school will actually help segregate the blacks from the other races and cultures? VOCABULARY to consider [kan'sido] - povazovat to estimate festimert] - odhadovat District School Board took a bold step by approving the first... - schválením první... okresní školní rada učinila smělý krok publicly funded ['pAblikli fAndid] - financované 2 veřejných zdrojů collective historical experience [ks'lektiv hi'stt>nk(3)l ik'spranons] - společné historické zkušenosti voiced opinions [voist a'prnjanz] - vyslovilo názory funded by tax money [taeks] - financovaná prostřednictvím daní interest group - zájmová skupina to be In favour of [Teivs] - být nakloněn (čemu) fought to come together - bojovali za to, aby se mohli sblížit, usmířit CAPTION to coincide [koum'sard] spadat(časově) GLOSSARY curriculum (pi. curricula or curriculums)-the group of subjects studied in a school or a college Bridge Ol - 2008/09 SPORT THE PARALYMPIC GAMES UNITED IN SPORT The spirit of Summer Olympics is not over in Beijing. There is another series of games taking place from September 6 -17. Athletes will be competing in some of the same sports and at the same venues. However, there are two big differences. The athletes in the Beijing Paralympic Games have disabilities and most of the world won't be watching. "ONE WORLD ONE DREAM" The slogan for this year's Paralympics,"One World One Dream," sums up very well why disabled athletes compete, Sport and the spirit of competition are rooted in all of us, therefore we are of one world. The health benefits of sport are evident and it allows people with disabilities not only the chance to rehabilitate, but to join people without disabilities in the spirit of the games. Being together or accepted by others is a dream everyone shares. Furthermore, sport teaches independence and creates public awareness of people with a handicap. ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES Who can participate in the Paralympics? Officially anyone who has a physical or intellectual disability or is visually impaired can compete. The physical disability category is subdivided Into four groups: athletes with spinal injuries, those missing arms and legs, people with diseases of the nervous system and people with irregular body development. HISTORY OF THE PARALYMPIC MOVEMENT Sports for athletes with disabilities have existed for over a hundred years. After World War II programs were needed to help wounded soldiers adjust to their new disabilities. In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition for World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries in Stoke Mandeville Do you think the Paralympics are a good idea? Why or why not? Would you like to see the Paralympics televised? Why or why not? Do you think sponsors should pay or donate more money to games that help people with disabilities? Do you think public awareness of the Paralympics should be increased? How can this be done? Hospital, England. Four years later, competitors from the Netherlands joined the games and an international movement was born,The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome in 1960 and up to 400 athletes from 23 countries participated, DISCIPLINES Originally, only athletes in wheelchairs participated in the Paralympic Games. Gradually, as the Paralympic movement developed, athletes with other kinds of disabilities joined in and more sports were added. The XIII Summer Paralympic games will be host to 20 sports such as archery, athletics, cycling, judo, rowing, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and others. Some games have been specifically invented for the disabled. The Czech Republic will be represented at the games as well. 56 Czech athletes will be competing in the Paralympics In Beijing. Let's keep ourfingers crossed for them and remember all the special athletes who not only struggle so hard in their daily lives but have achieved so much in the world of sport as well. Justin Osswald (USA) VOCABULARY: venue ['vcnju;] - místo disability [disa'bikti] - handicap to root-zakořenit evident - zřejmý, jasný public awareness ['pAblrk a'wemis] - povědomí veřejnosti visually impaired - zrakově postižený spinal injury ['spam{3)l 'indgari] -zranění páteře wounded ['wuindid] - raněný toadjustto [3'd3Ast] -zvyknoutsina spinal cord ['spam(3)l ko:d] - miclia archery ['aitjsri] - lukostřelba rowing ['raum] - veslování to ENVIRONMENT www AUDIO TEACHERS' FILE Bridge 01 - 2008/00 ARE mm I Plastics, rubber-like materials produced from petroleum, have modernized our life in many ways. Just look around and count how many plastic things surround you: a keyboard, a toothbrush, a Barbie doll. We benefit from their light weight, easily cleaned surfaces, and durability. But the side-effect is that we cannot dispose of them. Plastics don't break down as natural products do and stay in landfill sites for thousands of years. What is more, if burnt at low temperatures, they release toxic fumes. THE EVER-PRESENT PLASTIC BAG The plastic shopping bag is the most common object made from plastic. This plastic container is ideal for carrying shopping and serves as a convenient form of advertising for shops, which place their logo on them. However, the truth is that most supermarket plastic bags complete only one shopping trip before they are thrown away. In Britain 13 billion plastic bags are given away each year and 8 billion are disposed of in landfill sites. Where do the other 5 billion go? A huge number of bags blow around our cities, towns, villages and countryside, while others end up in the sea. They are often mistaken for jellyfish and swallowed by turtles, whales, large fish and sea birds. Many of these animals eventually die because their digestive system gets blocked. Also very worrying is that microscopic pieces of plastic, the raw material of the plastics industry, regularly get into the sea. They are then eaten by animals and passed along the marine food chain. In this way the concentrated chemicals can end up on our dinner plate. THE PLASTIC LEGACY A striking example of this excessive use of plastic can be seen on the surface of the Pacific. For years plastic items have been thrown into the sea from ships and oil rigs, or simply washed down rivers to the sea. It is estimated that there are Bridge 01 - 2008/09 100 million tons of plastic waste floating in an area twice the size of the United States in the Pacific Ocean. This area, known as "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch", consists of two huge areas of rubbish on either side of Hawaii. The currents in each area move very slowly, accumulating the plastic litter in the centre. There, among other things, you can find gloves, shoes, kayaks, lego blocks, carrier bags, syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes. When this collection comes close to Hawaii, the beaches are covered with plastic litter. ALTERNATIVES What can people do to stop this endless plastic pollution? As for plastic bags, the answer is simple, use an alternative. Before the rise of plastics, people normally used paper bags to package fresh fruit and smaller items in shops. Hessian or hemp bags were also used to carry heavier items. These were made from natural plant fibres and break down quickly like paper when discarded. In this time of growing environmental awareness, Hessian bags and fabric bags are making a comeback in Britain and generally around the world. They sell for between £1 and £4 but can be used over and over again. Cotton bags are similarly popular and cornstarch is also being used in bag manufacture. THE FUTURE Plastics are here to stay; too many essential things exist because of plastics to simply stop using them altogether. However, to avoid "plastic pollution" we must not use plastic bags where there is a cost-effective alternative. So when you go shopping next time, don't forget to bring your fabric bag, and don't use a plastic bag everytime you buy something. If you must use a plastic bag, try either to reuse it or recycle it. Nigel Haward (Great Britain) /■ - ■ Expensive litter Imagine you drop a candy wrapper on the ground and immediately a police officer confronts you and fines you £50. If you refuse to pay, you will be asked to do community work. This is not a scene from an ecological thriller but reality in Glasgow and many other cities. Students in Glasgow are facing very high lines as part of the city's clean-up campaign. These students, aged 12 to 16, will be watched by law enforcement officers monitoring schools. But what 12-year-old comes to school with £50? Glasgow City Council plans to send the bill for students' anti-social behaviour home along with a letter to their parents. A spokesman for the council hopes that the number of fines issued will be very low. A similar measure has just been introduced in Prague. Starting 1st July 2008 you might get up to a 30,000 CZK fine for littering in the city; on the spot the fine amounts to 1,000 CZK. Spitting out chewing gum or throwing a cigarette away might become very expensive. We are yet to see if these eco-lessons will make our cities cleaner. Hana Skrdlova (Canada) Politicians support the plastic cause too, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, has declared that supermarkets must reduce the number of "one-use" plastic bags or he will introduce a charge per a bag next spring. • Are people concerned about the use of plastics in your country? • Are fabric bags becoming common? • What kind of bag do you use when you go shopping? • Does your supermarket give out free plastic bags? VOCABULARY petroleum (petrol) [pi'trsolram] - ropa durability [djirara'brliti] - odolnost, trvanlivost to dispose of sth [di'spsuz] -zbavit se něčeho to break down ['brerk daun] - rozložit se landfill site ['laaidfil sait] - skládka odpadů release toxic fumes [ri'lns 'tnksik fju:mz] - uvolňují se jedovaté plyny jellyfish ['d3ghftj] - medúza digestive system [dťdsEstiv 'sistom] - trávicí soustava marine food chain - mořský potravní řetězec excessive [ik'sesrv] - nadměrný oil fig [oil rig] - ropná plošina it is estimated that ['estimeitidl - odhaduje se, že patch [přEtfJ - místo, skvrna current [kAr(3jnt] - proud syringe [si'nn(d)3] - stříkačka Hessian ['hesran] -pytlovina hemp - konopný plant fibre [plamt Taiba] - rostlinné vlákno to discard [diskaid] - zahodit growing environmental awareness ['grsuiij m.vairsn'mentl a'wEims] - rostoucí povědomí o životním prostředí fabric ['fabrik] - látkový cotton ['kot(3)n] - bavlněný cornstarch ['koaistcntf] - kukuřičný škrob cost-effectlve - cenově přístupný LANGUAGE POINT English has many expressions related to waste and things we no longer need: rubbish (BrE) x garbage/ trash (AmE) are most common informal expressions. Litter describes things lying on the streets. Refuse is a rather formal word for rubbish or waste. Dustman (BrE)x garbage man (AmE) both referto people who co fleet wa ste from dustbins (BrE)x garbage cans (AmE).