Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a lawmaker
    • ex. Several lawmakers have agreed to support a ban on plastic straws.
  2. a patrol
    • ex. The security guard was fired because he slept during his patrol.
  3. a cop
    • ex. My son wants to become a cop because he likes helping people.
  4. interfere
    • ex. I try not to interfere with other parents’ decisions.
  5. unethical
    • ex. Some people feel that it’s unethical for doctors to accept gifts.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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One California lawmaker wants to ban police from playing loud, copyrighted music during their patrols. Santa Ana City Council member Jonathan Ryan Hernandez says that cops were playing Disney songs late at night in his neighborhood while they investigated a report of a stolen car. Hernandez and others repeatedly asked the police officers to turn off the loud music because people were trying to sleep.

The police officers explained to Hernandez that they play Disney music during their patrols because YouTube usually takes down videos with copyrighted music, and Disney is famous for being strict about copyrights. In recent years, more and more Americans have started to record their interactions with cops. According to US law, people may record the police if they don’t interfere with the officers’ work.

Hernandez said that the police officers’ use of copyrighted music was unethical. He explained that if cops are doing their job correctly, they shouldn’t worry about being recorded. The Santa Ana Police Department said that it was investigating the incident in Hernandez’s neighborhood.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Police

  • In your opinion, why are more and more Americans starting to record their interactions with police? Discuss.
  • Do you think that it’s okay to record the police? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In the US, some people want to take money from police departments and give it to other services (ex. mental health counselors, homeless shelters). Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not? Discuss.

Copyrights

  • Do you agree that the police officers' use of copyrighted music was unethical? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Disney is famous for being strict about copyrights. In your opinion, should Disney allow people to use its songs in their YouTube videos? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In many countries, copyrights continue for at least 50 years after the creator's death. Do you think this is reasonable? Why or why not? Discuss.