Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. an invasion
    • ex. I love sci-fi movies about alien invasions.
  2. a statement
    • ex. The politician hasn’t released a statement about the accident yet.
  3. a lack of empathy
    • ex. I’m worried about the lack of empathy on the internet. There are so many negative comments.
  4. appeal
    • ex. We don’t agree with the decision, so we’re going to appeal it.
  5. interference
    • ex. Teachers say that interference from parents is increasing. One father tried to change his daughter’s B to an A!

Article

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

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The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the UK’s main tennis organization, has been fined £820,000 (about ¥137 million) for banning male Russian and Belarusian players. This is actually the second fine that it’s received for the ban. About six months earlier, the LTA was fined £620,000 (about ¥104 million) for banning female Russian and Belarusian players.

According to the LTA, the ban was a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and it was very disappointed by the fines. In a statement, the LTA said that it was surprised by the “lack of empathy for the situation in Ukraine.” Michelle Donelan, the UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, agreed with the LTA. She explained that the fines were sending the wrong message to the international community. Currently, the LTA is appealing both fines.

However, not everyone supports the LTA’s ban. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, criticized the British government’s “interference” and said that politics should not influence sports. In non-LTA events, Russian and Belarusian tennis players may participate as individual athletes, but they’re not allowed to play under their national flags.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Banning Athletes

  • Do you agree with the LTA's ban on Russian and Belarusian players? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In some cases, players may participate as individual athletes, but they're not allowed to play under their national flag. What do you think about this (ex. it's a good idea, it's meaningless)? Why? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, what are some good reasons to ban athletes (ex. they cheated, they did something illegal)? Why? Discuss.

The War in Ukraine

  • Do you think that the war in Ukraine will end soon? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think the international community should do more to help the situation? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think the war in Ukraine has affected your life in any way? Why or why not? Discuss.