Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. urge
    • ex. The teacher urged the students to study hard for the coming exam.
  2. join forces
    • ex. The two companies are joining forces to create a new product together.
  3. a petition
    • ex. The petition to clean the dirty lake gathered hundreds of signatures in just a few days.
  4. influential
    • ex. He is an influential leader, respected by many people for his strong opinions and ideas.
  5. dedicated
    • ex. Jared is a dedicated employee who never misses a day of work.

Article

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

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K-pop fans around the world are starting to use their large online community to support environmental causes. They are fighting against business deals related to coal power, urging K-pop idols to reduce waste, and raising awareness about climate issues. Kpop4Planet is an environmental group started by K-pop fans Nurul Sarifah and Dayeon Lee in 2021. And recently, other environmental organizations have begun joining forces with them.

In 2021, the environmental group Korea Beyond Coal and Kpop4Planet started a petition. Their goal is to raise awareness about a coal power plant near Maengbang Beach, a popular location for K-pop group BTS’s photo sessions. Their petition gathered thousands of signatures from fans.

K-pop fans are very influential because of their ability to quickly organize a large group of dedicated people. “We want to show the power and influence that the K-pop fans can have … we believe that if we gather all together, we can make better social impacts and maybe change our society in more sustainable ways,” said Lee. “And, of course, love K-pop together.”

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Influence of K-pop Fans

  • K-pop fans are using their huge online community to promote environmental causes. What advantages do you think they have that can help in solving issues in the environment (ex. they are many, they have dedicated members)? Discuss.
  • Other environmental organizations are joining forces with Kpop4Planet, an environmental group started by K-pop fans. Why do you think they’re doing so (ex. because of K-pop’s influence, because K-pop is popular)? Discuss.
  • Dayeon Lee said the group believes it can make better social impacts together and love K-pop at the same time. How do you feel about fan groups that support good causes (ex. I like them, I admire them)? Discuss.

Raising Awareness

  • Why do you think people or groups raise awareness about different issues in our society (ex. because they want a lot of people to help with the issue)? Discuss.
  • In your country, what environmental or social issue do you think needs more attention? Discuss.
  • Do you think starting a petition is an effective way to solve issues in society? Why or why not? Discuss.