Ex.2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.
landmarks / the ivory trade / elephants / tusks / stamps / signatures / solutions / agreements / deadlocks / things at stake / beasts / conservation / trafficking
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
Ex.3. PRODUCTS:In pairs / groups, talk about what you think of the following
examples of trade in animals:
a crocodile skin handbag
an elephant foot stool
a fox fur coat
rhino horn medicine
ivory bracelets
panda bear rugs
honey
beef
Ex.4. ANIMAL TRADING:In pairs / groups, talk about how far you agree with
these opinions on trading in animals and animal products:
a. Trading in animals is no different from farming and killing animals.
b. There is little difference between using leather from cows and snake skin.
c. Traditional Chinese medicine should be exempt from international
regulations.
d. Big profits and the commercial demand for animals will ensure their
survival.
e. People caught selling endangered species should get 30 years in prison.
f. People will never stop buying fur coats or ivory bracelets.
g. The answer is to breed the animals and legalize the sale of their products.
h. A polar bear rug looks absolutely beautiful.
Ex.5. I’M AN ELEPHANT:Imagine you are an African elephant. Hunters want to kill you and your friends to cut off your tusks and sell them to China and Japan Walk around the class and talk to the other “elephants” about your life and the threat from poachers. Do you have any friends in captivity?
Ex.6. ELEPHANT:Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “elephant”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
Ex.7. QUICK DEBATE:Students A think poachers and traders in exotic species should receive life in prison. Students B think poachers and traders in exotic species should receive heavy fines. Change partners often. Share your findings.
Ex.8. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
a.
The UN agreed on an ivory trading ban for the rest of this century.
T / F
b.
Up to 20,000 elephants are illegally killed every year.
T / F
c.
The UN OK’ d the sale of stockpiled ivory to Japan.
T / F
d.
CITES, a conservation group, is depressed about the UN’s actions.
T / F
e.
Talks over an ivory ban had gone nowhere for the past 18 years.
T / F
f.
There are fewer than 250,000 elephants in the wild today.
T / F
g.
China is angry that it cannot buy any of the stockpiled ivory.
T / F
h.
Border patrols will watch to see if ivory is smuggled into China.
T / F
Ex.8. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
a.
landmark
threatened
b.
stem
angry
c.
surge
milestone
d.
endangered
stalemate
e.
marks
increase
f.
deadlock
illegal
g.
majestic
halt
h.
illicit
smuggling
i.
up in arms
signals
j.
trafficking
magnificent
Ex.10. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article
(sometimes more than one combination is possible):
a.
approve a landmark
of stockpiles of ivory
b.
stem a
the century
c.
a one-off sale
an 18-year deadlock
d.
personal stamps that are used in place
nine-year ban
e.
good news for the elephants and the
majestic beasts left
f.
The agreement ends
surge in poaching
g.
There are only half a million of the
arms over the agreement
h.
increases in hunting since the turn of
people who live alongside them
i.
China is up in
ivory reaches China
j.
see if the trafficking of
of written signatures
Ex.11. GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.