An angry Sir Paul McCartney has called for a boycott of Chinese goods and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. He has also promised never to perform in China again. His anger is because of a secretly filmed BBC documentary, which showed terrible images of cats and dogs being put in boiling water and skinned alive at a Chinese fur market. Chinese Embassy staff in London say the film is a fake. McCartney is an active animal rights campaigner. He said: “This is barbaric. It’s like something out of the Dark Ages.” He added: “This is just disgusting. It’s against every rule of humanity.”

The secretly filmed video is full of bloody and disturbing scenes of cats and dogs dying in horrible ways. The BBC cut out many scenes because they were too shocking. Sir Paul called the Chinese “uncivilized” and a “sick, sick people”. He said: “How can the host nation of the Olympics be seen allowing animals to be treated in this terrible way?” A Chinese diplomat in London said McCartney was wrong. He said: “Though cats and dogs are not endangered, we do not encourage their ill treatment.” He added: “Sir Paul should be calling for a boycott of the fashion industry using fur in the European and American markets.”

WARM-UPS

1. ANGRY WORLD: Write down the names of three countries you often get angry with. Talk to your partner(s) about why these countries make you angry. What do they need to do to reduce your anger?

2. BOYCOTT: What bad things would need to happen for you to boycott the following things? Talk about this with your partner(s). How much of a problem would it be to boycott these things?

Leather Your favorite sports team Studying English McDonald’s Buying newspapers

The Internet Listening to your favorite band School Using trains Your idea _____________________

3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Paul McCartney / China / Chinese goods / Beijing Olympics / BBC / cats / dogs / fur / rules / boiling water / endangered animals / boycotts / fashion industry

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. COMMENTS ON FUR: What do you think of these comments on fur? Talk about them with your partner(s).

1. Fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people.
2. There is no need for people to buy fur for fashion.
3. Paul McCartney is a hero for supporting the rights of cats and dogs.
4. Paul McCartney should spend more time campaigning for children’s rights.
5. People have always worn fur and always will.
6. The fur industry is booming. Anti-fur campaigners are fighting a losing battle.
7. Fashion companies have a social responsibility to avoid the use of fur.
8. Using fur is no different from using leather.

5. FUR: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with fur. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. QUICK DEBATE: Have a quick debate with your partner. Students A think China is worse for killing dogs and cats, Students B think the USA and Europe are worse for allowing the sale of fur and being the biggest markets for fur in the world.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.	Paul McCartney has been banned from the Beijing Olympics.	T / F
b.	McCartney is angry that China kills cats and dogs for their fur.	T / F
c.	China apologized for a video showing cats and dogs being killed.	T / F
d.	McCartney said the video scenes were similar to the Dark Ages.	T / F
e.	The video was filmed with the Chinese fur trade.	T / F
f.	Paul McCartney said Chinese were uncivilized and a sick people.	T / F
g.	A Chinese diplomat said cats and dogs are threatened in China.	T / F
h.	The diplomat asked McCartney to boycott fur in Western fashion.	T / F

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

a.	called for	trade
b.	boycott	pictures
c.	perform	threatened
d.	images	ban
e.	barbaric	deleted
f.	bloody	cruel
g.	cut out	urged
h.	endangered	promote
i.	encourage	gory
j.	industry	sing

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	Paul McCartney has called for	is a fake
b.	He has also promised	treatment
c.	a secretly filmed	never to perform in China again
d.	staff in London say the film	said McCartney was wrong
e.	It’s like something out of	of bloody and disturbing scenes
f.	The secretly filmed video is full	the Dark Ages
g.	The BBC cut out	a boycott of Chinese goods
h.	A Chinese diplomat in London	BBC documentary
i.	we do not encourage their ill	boycott of the fashion industry
j.	Paul should be calling for a	many scenes

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Paul McCartney's Beijing Olympics boycott

An __________ Sir Paul McCartney has called for a boycott of Chinese goods and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. He has also __________ never to perform in China again. His __________ is because of a secretly filmed BBC documentary, which showed __________ images of cats and dogs being put in boiling water and skinned __________ at a Chinese fur market. Chinese Embassy staff in London say the film is a __________. McCartney is an __________ animal rights campaigner. He said: “This is barbaric. It’s like something out of the Dark Ages.” He added: “This is just disgusting. It’s against every __________ of humanity.”		fake active promised alive angry anger rule terrible
The secretly filmed video is full of __________ and disturbing scenes of cats and dogs dying in __________ ways. The BBC cut out many scenes because they were too __________. Sir Paul called the Chinese “uncivilized” and a “sick, sick people”. He said: “How can the __________ nation of the Olympics be seen allowing animals to be treated in this terrible way?” A Chinese __________ in London said McCartney was wrong. He said: “Though cats and dogs are not __________, we do not encourage their ill __________.” He added: “Sir Paul should be calling for a boycott of the fashion industry using fur in the European and American __________.”		markets shocking bloody endangered host treatment horrible diplomat

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Paul McCartney's Beijing Olympics boycott

An angry Sir Paul McCartney has _______ ____ a boycott of Chinese goods and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. He has also promised never to _________ in China again. His anger is because of a _________ filmed BBC documentary, which showed terrible images of cats and dogs being put in boiling water and _________ alive at a Chinese fur market. Chinese Embassy staff in London say the film is a fake. McCartney is an _________ animal rights campaigner. He said: “This is barbaric. It’s like something out of the Dark Ages.” He added: “This is just disgusting. It’s _________ every rule of humanity.”

The secretly filmed video is full of _________ and disturbing scenes of cats and dogs dying in _________ ways. The BBC cut out many scenes because they were too shocking. Sir Paul called the Chinese “uncivilized” and a “sick, sick people”. He said: “How can the _________ nation of the Olympics be seen allowing animals to be _________ in this terrible way?” A Chinese diplomat in London said McCartney was wrong. He said: “Though cats and dogs are not endangered, we do not _________ their ill treatment.” He added: “Sir Paul should be calling for a boycott of the fashion _________ using fur in the European and American _________.”

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘fashion’ and ‘industry’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “FUR” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about the fur trade and whether the world should act against China.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

angry perform images skinned fake rule

bloody cut host diplomat ill markets

DISCUSSION

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

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Do you want to watch the BBC documentary?
3. The sale of cat fur and dog fur products is not illegal in Great Britain. What do you think of this?
4. Paul McCartney will go to Spain, where there is bull fighting. He isn’t boycotting Spain. Do you think this is strange?
5. Why do we need fashion?
6. Do you think Sir Paul should focus on human rights rather than animal rights?
7. Do you think killing animals for fur is any different from killing animals for meat?
8. Do you think Paul McCartney should apologize for saying the Chinese are “sick, sick people”?
9. Is the Chinese official correct in saying American and European consumers are more to blame for buying fur?
10. What do you think of Paul McCartney?

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

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Do you think everyone should boycott the Beijing Olympics?
4. Do you think Paul McCartney is over-reacting?
5. The Chinese government says the BBC video is not real. What do you think of this?
6. Do you think there is a difference between killing cats and dogs for fashion and killing foxes and minks for fashion?
7. What kind of people buy fur?
8. Do you think using fur is any different from using leather?
9. Do you think the International Olympic Committee should change the venue of the 2008 Olympics?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
4. What did you like talking about?
5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

CAT & DOG FUR ROLE PLAY: Should China stop killing cats and dogs?
Team up with classmates who have the same roles. Develop your roles and discuss ideas and “strategies” before the role play begins. Introduce yourself to the other role players.

Role A – SIR PAUL McCARTNEY You are very angry at what you saw in the video. You think the fur trade should be banned. It is no longer acceptable in the twentieth Century. Synthetic fur is warmer and cheaper to produce. You think fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people. THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY FUR SHOULD BE BANNED.

Role B – CHINESE EMBASSY OFFICIAL You think Paul McCartney has double standards. He wore fur when he was in the Beatles. He also took hard drugs. No one should listen to him. His rock star friends wear fur but he doesn’t boycott them. He loves America – the world’s biggest market for fur. He should stay out of world politics and stick to singing. The video is fake. THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY PAUL McCARTNEY IS WRONG.

Role C – INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHIEF You are very worried the BBC video will make people associate the Beijing Olympics with boiled cats and skinned dogs. You want to change venue unless China immediately stops killing cats and dogs. You also want China to clean up its human rights problems before the Olympics. THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY FUR SHOULD BE BANNED.

Role D – CHINESE CITIZEN You are fed up with people attacking China, especially the Western media. The USA and European countries also have many human rights problems. China doesn’t bomb other countries every few years. China doesn’t think it owns the world. The UK is a small, unimportant country. Paul McCartney owes the Chinese people a huge apology THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY THE UK AND USA ARE BAD.

Change roles and repeat the role play. Comment in groups about the differences between the two role plays.

Discuss whether or not the venue of the Beijing Olympics should be changed and whether China should apologize for scenes shown in the BBC video.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on Sir Paul McCartney’s outburst against China. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

3. FUR: Make a poster showing the different reasons for or against the use of fur. Show your posters to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all think of similar things?

4. LETTER: Write a letter to the Chinese president telling him what you think of the BBC’s allegations. Show what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all write about similar things?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. T

e. F

f. T

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	called for	urged
b.	boycott	ban
c.	perform	sing
d.	images	pictures
e.	barbaric	cruel
f.	bloody	gory
g.	cut out	deleted
h.	endangered	threatened
i.	encourage	promote
j.	industry	trade

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	Paul McCartney has called for	a boycott of Chinese goods
b.	He has also promised	never to perform in China again
c.	a secretly filmed	BBC documentary
d.	staff in London say the film	is a fake
e.	It’s like something out of	the Dark Ages
f.	The secretly filmed video is full	of bloody and disturbing scenes
g.	The BBC cut out	many scenes
h.	A Chinese diplomat in London	said McCartney was wrong
i.	we do not encourage their ill	treatment
j.	Paul should be calling for a	boycott of the fashion industry

GAP FILL:

Paul McCartney's Beijing Olympics boycott

An angry Sir Paul McCartney has called for a boycott of Chinese goods and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. He has also promised never to perform in China again. His anger is because of a secretly filmed BBC documentary, which showed terrible images of cats and dogs being put in boiling water and skinned alive at a Chinese fur market. Chinese Embassy staff in London say the film is a fake. McCartney is an active animal rights campaigner. He said: “This is barbaric. It’s like something out of the Dark Ages.” He added: “This is just disgusting. It’s against every rule of humanity.”

The secretly filmed video is full of bloody and disturbing scenes of cats and dogs dying in horrible ways. The BBC cut out many scenes because they were too shocking. Sir Paul called the Chinese “uncivilized” and a “sick, sick people”. He said: “How can the host nation of the Olympics be seen allowing animals to be treated in this terrible way?” A Chinese diplomat in London said McCartney was wrong. He said: “Though cats and dogs are not endangered, we do not encourage their ill treatment.” He added: “Sir Paul should be calling for a boycott of the fashion industry using fur in the European and American markets.”

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