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This article deals with the progress which has been made since the last
G8 summit at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2005.
It was printed very recently in perhaps the best known British national
newspaper, The Times. The article takes the form of an interview between
Devika Bhat and Bob Geldof the famous Irish singer, who became involved
in political activism on behalf of poor countries as far back as 1981.
It is significant that the interview should be conducted by Devika Bhat,
since her name indicates that she probably comes from India, one of the
poorest Third World countries. Essentially the article is a criticism
by Bob Geldof and the organisation, DATA, of the progress that has been
made on decisions taken at the G8 summit over the past year.
This article, “Geldof says …” is taken from the Times,
a famous British newspaper. It was published on the 30th June 2006, one
year after the Live8 concerts and the G8 summit at Gleneagles. The author
introduces the subject showing Geldof’s anger at/over/about the
failed pledges of the richest countries to help Africa. “Progress
has been painfully slow,” he says.
Economic help is not enough to treat/combat AIDS. So far the only significant
help has been the cancellation of debts by the richest countries. The
pressure group, Data, hopes that aid to poor countries will not only
continue but increase.
Treat this as an “explication de texte”. Look for the main
ideas and see what sections there are in the text. Then summarise the
ideas in each section. Again, when there are references to people and
places, consider what they mean for the text. Usually any message has
an “agenda” – it is intended to change your opinion
about something. Who says something is often an indication of what the
agenda is. In newspaper articles it is common for opposing views to be
presented. The Geldof article is one-sided. It is basically a criticism
of government efforts. The one-sidedness is off-set by the panel in the
middle, which actually says what has been achieved. It is not all bad.
- Background: G8, Live8, DATA
- Findings of report by DATA
- Geldof’s reaction
- Bobo’s reaction
- General comment by author of article
- Comment by Jamie Drummond (DATA)
- Comment by Hilary Benn (International Development Secretary)
In the case of all countries less money is being given than promised.
Can you think of any reasons for this? In any case, the amount
of money being donated is significant, so is Geldof right to be so
critical? Also, money alone solves no problems. It is what happens
to the money that really counts. We are given no information about
this, so we cannot really judge whether aid is effective or not.
My own reaction to this article is: “Geldof would say that, wouldn’t
he?”. I find it hard to take this article seriously.
To cotton on to something – to realise
People in Brittany are beginning to cotton on to the fact that they are
facing an invasion by the British.
Inland Revenue (IR) is the body which deals with taxes in Great Britain
The tax on petrol is about 80%. The Government has a vested interest
in not finding more environmentally friendly forms of energy because
of the revenue it receives from the sale of petrol.
The damage done to the environment is offset by the increased use of
vegetable oils in combustion engines. Counterbalanced by/ compensated
for by
The problem with giving money to charities is that it can be siphoned
off for projects which do not directly help the people charities are
in fact supposed to help.
A buzz word – specialised vocabularies are developed to talk about
different areas of life. Certain words come into vogue. If you use them,
you impress the person you are speaking to. These words are buzz words.
Some buzz words: proactive, synergy, literacy strategy, value added,
political agenda, democratic right …
Tesco has cornered 30% of the high street retail market. The next biggest
company has only 16%.
A loyalty card
If people work together proactively, there is synergy between them.
They spark off one another. (synergy = the product of the total effort
is greater than the sum of its parts). 2+2 = 5
There are, for sake of argument, two types of English:
English you can translate directly into French and idiomatic English
where you may have to work hard to find a good French translation.
If you want to improve you English style, work on idiomatic
English. Learn expressions and what they mean. Practise them in sentences
of your own. Try to incorporate them into any written tasks you have
during this course.
Short idiomatic expressions worked into your writing can
make an enormous difference to the quality of your work.
§1 To fall short of
To make a pledge/promise/commitment to do s.th.
To alleviate poverty = lessen
To alleviate someone of their money = take away
§2 promises on debt = regarding
to meet a promise = to keep a promise
also: to honour a promise/debt
to fulfil = to complete
§3 painfully slow (idiom) = very slowly, so slowly
it hurts
a half-pace = at half speed
off track = opposite of “on target”
(a track through a forest – piste)
to achieve a deal = to reach/complete a deal
§4 aid = help in the form of money, goods and services
to disclose = to reveal/show
§5 to break a promise
to set in = to take hold, to start
to implement = to carry out, to complete (effectuer)
to let up = to relax, to stop
to bang on about something (vulg.) = to carry on talking about something
§6 his comments were echoed = repeated
to co-found – to found with someone else
§7
§8 to cancel – annuller
§9 to tackle a problem
§10 to shuffle cards – to mix
to shuffle along – move slowly dragging one’s feet
to halt = to stop
§11 in regard to / with regard to
Do not use the definite article when referring generally to things.
When talking about past events which have a particular reference to current
events, consider using the present perfect.
Do not use ‘whose’ to refer to things, even though some English
people do this.
Do not use possessive ‘s’ for things: the leg of the table
/ dad’s
new car
Consider turning the possessive into an adjective: the leg of the table/the
table leg
If there are references to people and places in the text, explain who
and what they represent. Sometimes the information is given in the
text. Or you may be able to use your general knowledge of British culture.
You gain marks by doing this.
The introduction can be shorter than above and should start
with a general statement about the theme of the text, followed by a very
short, general summary.
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