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Hillary Clinton World's Most Admired Woman (28th December, 2010)


 

The most admired woman in the world is Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to the annual USA Today-Gallup poll. America’s Secretary of State scooped the award for the ninth year in a row. US President Barack Obama was the most admired man for the third straight year. Sarah Palin came in second place and Oprah Winfrey in third. Ms Clinton has been in the most admired woman top ten 15 times since 1992. She first appeared after husband Bill Clinton became president. President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle came fourth in the recent poll. Unsurprisingly, only three non-American women made the top ten. These were Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The yearly survey asked people what man and woman, living anywhere in the world, they most admired. It is always dominated by Americans. It is surprising that President Obama still came top, considering his slump in his approval ratings and the poor state of the US economy. His lead has slipped compared to previous years. In 2008 he led the list with 32 per cent, in 2009 30 per cent and this year 22 per cent. The other top three places for men were taken by former US presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The only non-American males in the poll were former South African president Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict XVI. It would be interesting to see how the poll might change if it was given to citizens from all over the world.


WARM-UPS

1. ADMIRED PEOPLE: Walk around the class and talk to other students about admired people. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

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

 

admired / annual / award / poll / top ten / in a row / non-American women / former / yearly survey / dominated / considering / approval ratings / previous years / citizens

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. MOST ADMIRED: Who have you most admired this year? Complete this table and share your answers with your partner(s). Change partners and share again.

 

Who?

Why?

Friend

 

 

Family member

 

 

Politician

 

 

Celebrity

 

 

World leader

 

 

Child

 

 

4. POLITICIANS: Students A strongly believe politicians deserve to be admired; Students B strongly believe the opposite.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. VIRTUES: Rank these virtues and share your rankings with your partner. Put the ones you most admire at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

  • looks
  • intelligence
  • sense of humour
  • honesty
  • leadership skills
  • fashion sense
  • knowledge of technology
  • creativity

6. POLL: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘poll’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.


 
 

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

a.

Hillary Clinton won an award for the ninth consecutive year.

T / F

b.

Barack Obama won a similar award for the fifth straight year.

T / F

c.

Ms Clinton hasn’t been out of the top ten for a decade and a half.

T / F

d.

The British Queen came fourth in the poll of most admired women.

T / F

e.

The survey was on people residing in the USA only.

T / F

f.

Barack Obama got more votes this year than in previous years.

T / F

g.

The top three most admired men are current or former US presidents.

T / F

h.

The current pope was listed in the top ten.

T / F

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

1.

admired

a.

consecutively

2

annual

b.

popularity

3.

in a row

c.

ex-

4.

appeared

d.

poll

5.

former

e.

respected

6.

survey

f.

controlled

7.

dominated

g.

dropped

8.

approval

h.

alter

9.

slipped

i.

yearly

10.

change

j.

showed up

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.

according to the annual

a.

over the world

2

for the ninth year

b.

made the top ten

3.

been in the most admired woman top

c.

leader

4.

only three non-American women

d.

in a row

5.

pro-democracy

e.

to previous years

6.

It is always dominated

f.

American males in the poll

7.

his slump in his

g.

USA Today-Gallup poll

8.

His lead has slipped compared

h.

ten 15 times

9.

The only non-

i.

by Americans

10.

citizens from all

j.

approval ratings

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The most admired woman in the world is Hillary Rodham Clinton, ____________ to the annual USA Today-Gallup poll. America’s Secretary of State ____________ the award for the ninth year in a ____________. US President Barack Obama was the most admired man for the third straight year. Sarah Palin came in second ____________ and Oprah Winfrey in third. Ms Clinton has been in the most admired woman top ten 15 times since 1992. She first ____________ after husband Bill Clinton became president. President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle ____________ fourth in the ____________ poll. Unsurprisingly, only three non-American women made the top ten. These were Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and ____________ prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

 

 

place
recent
row
came
according
former
scooped
appeared

The ____________ survey asked people what man and woman, living ____________ in the world, they most admired. It is always dominated by Americans. It is ____________ that President Obama still came top, considering his slump in his approval ____________ and the poor state of the US economy. His lead has ____________ compared to previous years. In 2008 he led the ____________ with 32 per cent, in 2009 30 per cent and this year 22 per cent. The other top three places for men were taken by former US presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The only non-American ____________ in the poll were former South African president Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict XVI. It would be interesting to see how the poll might ____________ if it was given to citizens from all over the world.

 

 

list
ratings
anywhere
change
slipped
yearly
males
surprising

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The most admired _____________________ Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to the annual USA Today-Gallup poll. America’s Secretary of State scooped the award for _____________________. US President Barack Obama was the most admired man _______________________. Sarah Palin came in second place and Oprah Winfrey in third. Ms Clinton has been in the most admired woman _____________________ 1992. She first appeared after husband Bill Clinton became president. President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle ________________________ poll. Unsurprisingly, only three non-American women made the top ten. These were Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and Myanmar’s _____________________ Aung San Suu Kyi.

The yearly survey asked people what man and woman, living anywhere in the world, they most admired. It _______________________ Americans. It is surprising that President Obama still came top, _____________________ in his approval ratings _____________________ the US economy. His lead has slipped compared to previous years. In 2008 he led the list with 32 per cent, in 2009 30 per cent and this year 22 per cent. The other top three places for men _____________________ US presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The only _____________________ in the poll were former South African president Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict XVI. It would be interesting to see how the poll might change if _____________________ from all over the world.


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

secretary

state

 

 

 

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

  • according
  • scooped
  • straight
  • appeared
  • only
  • leader
  • asked
  • still
  • slipped
  • list
  • non-
  • all over

STUDENT ADMIRED PEOPLE SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about admired people in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

  • Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

ADMIRED PEOPLE DISCUSSION

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

a)

What did you think when you read the headline?

b)

What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘admired’?

c)

Who do you most admire?

d)

What do you think people admire about you?

e)

What do you think of Hillary Clinton being voted the world’s most admired woman?

f)

What do you think of Barack Obama being voted the world’s most admired man?

g)

Are you surprised politicians won the awards for most admired man and woman?

h)

Who do you think should have won the awards?

i)

What do you think of awards like this?

j)

What do you admire most about politicians?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

a)

Did you like reading this article?

b)

What would you consider in voting for your most admired person?

c)

What other Americans do you admire?

d)

Do you think Clinton and Obama will win again next year?

e)

Why do you think George W. Bush is still in the list?

f)

Why do you think so many Americans were on the lists?

g)

How would the awards have been different if everyone in the world had a vote?

h)

Who would you vote for from your country?

i)

What prize would you like most?

j)

What questions would you like to ask Hillary Clinton?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

The most admired woman in the world is Hillary Rodham Clinton, according (1) ____ the annual USA Today-Gallup poll. America’s Secretary of State (2) ____ the award for the ninth year in a row. US President Barack Obama was the most admired man for the third (3) ____ year. Sarah Palin came in second place and Oprah Winfrey in third. Ms Clinton has been in the most admired woman top ten 15 times since 1992. She first appeared after husband Bill Clinton became president. President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle (4) ____ fourth in the recent poll. Unsurprisingly, only three (5) ____-American women made the top ten. These were Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and Myanmar’s (6) ____-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The (7) ____ survey asked people what man and woman, living anywhere in the world, they most admired. It is always (8) ____ by Americans. It is surprising that President Obama still came top, considering his (9) ____ in his approval ratings and the poor state of the US economy. His lead has (10) ____ compared to previous years. In 2008 he led the list with 32 per cent, in 2009 30 per cent and this year 22 per cent. The other top three places for men were (11) ____ by former US presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The only non-American males in the poll were former South African president Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict XVI. It would be interesting to see how the poll (12) ____ change if it was given to citizens from all over the world.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

at

(b)

on

(c)

to

(d)

of

2.

(a)

scoops

(b)

scooped

(c)

scoop

(d)

scooping

3.

(a)

straight

(b)

level

(c)

line

(d)

long

4.

(a)

went

(b)

arrived

(c)

traveled

(d)

came

5.

(a)

no

(b)

not

(c)

non

(d)

no-no

6.

(a)

op

(b)

for

(c)

pro

(d)

up

7.

(a)

year

(b)

yearly

(c)

years

(d)

yearn

8.

(a)

dominated

(b)

dominant

(c)

dominate

(d)

dominates

9.

(a)

dump

(b)

slump

(c)

trump

(d)

hump

10.

(a)

slipped

(b)

slapped

(c)

slopped

(d)

sloped

11.

(a)

topped

(b)

told

(c)

tailed

(d)

taken

12.

(a)

will

(b)

can

(c)

should

(d)

might

WRITING

Write about admired people for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 out more about a famous person you admire. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. ADMIRED PEOPLE: Make a poster about the people you most admire in the world. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. HILLARY CLINTON: Write a magazine article about Hillary Clinton. Include imaginary interviews with someone who thinks she is someone to be admired and someone who thinks she isn’t.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Hillary Clinton. Ask her three questions about her award. Give her three suggestions on how she can change the world. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

T

b.

F

c.

T

d.

F

e.

F

f.

F

g.

T

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

admired

a.

respected

2

annual

b.

yearly

3.

in a row

c.

consecutively

4.

appeared

d.

showed up

5.

former

e.

ex-

6.

survey

f.

poll

7.

dominated

g.

controlled

8.

approval

h.

popularity

9.

slipped

i.

dropped

10.

change

j.

alter

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

according to the annual

a.

USA Today-Gallup poll

2

for the ninth year

b.

in a row

3.

been in the most admired woman top

c.

ten 15 times

4.

only three non-American women

d.

made the top ten

5.

pro-democracy

e.

leader

6.

It is always dominated

f.

by Americans

7.

his slump in his

g.

approval ratings

8.

His lead has slipped compared

h.

to previous years

9.

The only non-

i.

American males in the poll

10.

citizens from all

j.

over the world

GAP FILL:

Hillary Clinton world’s most admired woman

The most admired woman in the world is Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to the annual USA Today-Gallup poll. America’s Secretary of State scooped the award for the ninth year in a row. US President Barack Obama was the most admired man for the third straight year. Sarah Palin came in second place and Oprah Winfrey in third. Ms Clinton has been in the most admired woman top ten 15 times since 1992. She first appeared after husband Bill Clinton became president. President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle came fourth in the recent poll. Unsurprisingly, only three non-American women made the top ten. These were Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The yearly survey asked people what man and woman, living anywhere in the world, they most admired. It is always dominated by Americans. It is surprising that President Obama still came top, considering his slump in his approval ratings and the poor state of the US economy. His lead has slipped compared to previous years. In 2008 he led the list with 32 per cent, in 2009 30 per cent and this year 22 per cent. The other top three places for men were taken by former US presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The only non-American males in the poll were former South African president Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict XVI. It would be interesting to see how the poll might change if it was given to citizens from all over the world.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - c

2 - b

3 - a

4 - d

5 - c

6 - c

7 - b

8 - a

9 - b

10 - a

11 - d

12 - d

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