South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela Level 3

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Key words

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. transition warder 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. euphoria veteran bitter-sweet mundane squalid tarnished rife astounded

A period of ____________ is the process of changing from one situation, form or state to another. (para 1) If you are ____________, you are extremely surprised and shocked. (para 3) A ____________ is someone whose job is to guard prisoners in a prison. (para 3) A ____________ occasion is one on which you feel happiness and sadness at the same time. (para 4) ____________ is a feeling of great happiness that usually lasts for a short time only. (para 4) If something is described as ____________, people have a worse opinion of it than they did before. (para 4) If something bad or unpleasant is ____________, there is a lot of it. (para 5) A place that is ____________ is dirty and unpleasant. (para 5) A ____________ is someone who was in the armed forces, especially during a war. (para 7)

10. If something is described as ____________, it is ordinary and not interesting or exciting, especially because it happens too regularly. (para 10)

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

What do you know?

Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. He spent more than 30 years in prison. Mandela was South Africas first black president. South Africa is not a democracy. Jacob Zuma is the third president in the post-apartheid age in South Africa. South Africa is the first African country to host the football World Cup.

Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Then check your answers in the text.

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South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela Level 3 Advanced
South Africa have fallen from the heady days of Mandelas years in office. It was an inspiring example of occupying the moral high ground. Thats now gone and I suppose I look at it with a sense of sadness. This anniversary is bitter-sweet. When one looks at the personal morality of the current leadership, the level of corruption, the delays in meaningful delivery of basic services, you feel the euphoria of the triumph over apartheid does feel tarnished. 5 Optimists say South Africa is a stable democracy with a strong liberal constitution, has the continents biggest economy, is about to become the first African nation to host the football World Cup, and has witnessed a healing of race relations unthinkable in the 80s. Pessimists argue it is the most unequal society in the world, with about one in four people unemployed, violent crime and political corruption rife and the majority of black people living in squalid townships or settlements little different from two decades ago. Professor Jonathan Jansen, the first black rector of the historically white Free State university, said, Its going to take a Mandela II if were going to claw our way out of this moral crisis. Race relations are on a knife-edge. The modern state is founded on a spirit of reconciliation, but the longer the inequalities exist, the more desperate people become and the greater the risk of a crack in race relations. Some veterans of the struggle have a profound sense of disappointment. Professor Willie Esterhuyse, an Afrikaner academic who liaised between de Klerks government and the ANC in the run-up to the end of apartheid, said, Mandela captured the hopes of whites and blacks. But that hope did not really materialize because the problems were too big. The socioeconomic issues were just ghastly to deal with in a 10- or 20-year timespan. When the management of these problems didnt make the grade, they worsened. He added, We should be thankful on this anniversary but I dont think we should rejoice too much. Theres no way we can say its all

South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela

David Smith in Johannesburg 11 February, 2010 1 Thousands of people gathered near Cape Town in South Africa to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandelas release. It was the centrepiece of commemorations to mark the moment that Mandela emerged after 27 years behind bars, ushering in a transition from apartheid to multiracial democracy and his rise to become the countrys first black president. 2 Mandela himself was not present, but made a rare public appearance in parliament later the same day to hear the fourth post-apartheid president, Jacob Zuma, deliver a state of the nation address. The prison where Mandela spent his last months in captivity was yesterday named a memorial site by South Africas National Heritage Council. 3 Mandelas release followed years of political pressure against apartheid. President F. W. de Klerk signalled it was imminent in a dramatic address to parliament on 2 February, 1990. Nine days later, Mandela walked through the prison gates holding his wife Winnies hand with his right fist raised. A huge crowd awaited him. I was astounded and a little bit alarmed, he recalled later. I truly had not expected such a scene. At most, I had imagined there would be several dozen people, mainly the warders and their families. But this proved to be only the beginning. The Mandelas climbed into a silver Toyota Cressida and were driven to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge crowd outside city hall. Mandela pulled out his speech and realized he had forgotten his glasses, but Winnie gave him hers. 4 The 20th anniversary of South Africas equivalent of the fall of the Berlin Wall has focused a debate on whether the promise of that euphoric day has been fulfilled. Andrew Feinstein, a former African National Congress MP who resigned in protest over alleged government corruption, said, My overwhelming sense when I look at South Africa today is just how far we as the ANC and
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NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced

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South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela Level 3 Advanced
10 Frans Cronje, deputy director of the South African Institute of Race Relations, said, Weve all realized to a lesser or greater extent that South Africa is in fact just another normal society. Its problems are increasingly mundane. International attention has gone to other issues: the Middle East and, from time to time, other crises like Haiti. South Africans have been left to get on with it.
Guardian News & Media 2010 First published in The Guardian, 11/02/10

wonderful songs. We can reflect on what weve achieved but then lets see if we can fix the problems weve created, because weve created some really serious political problems. 9 Whereas Mandela remains a quasi-saint to most South Africans, Zuma is facing the biggest crisis of his presidency after being forced to apologize for an adulterous relationship in which he fathered his 20th child. But the fact that sex scandals dominate the headlines could suggest that the country bears an increasing resemblance to its western counterparts.

3 Comprehension check
Choose the best answer according to the text. 1. What is the optimistic view of South Africa? a. It has a strong, liberal government. b. It is a racially harmonious society. c. It is a stable country with the biggest economy in Africa. 2. What is the pessimistic view of South Africa? a. Most people are unemployed. b. It is the most unequal society in the world. c. It is the most violent country in the world. 3. What do most South Africans think of Nelson Mandela? a. He is almost a saint. b. He is responsible for the problems of the country today. c. He no longer occupies the moral high ground. 4. How is South Africa just another normal society? a. Sex scandals dominate the newspaper headlines. b. The country bears an increasing resemblance to its western counterparts. c. Its problems are increasingly mundane.

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Find the word

a two-word phrasal verb used mainly in journalism meaning to make a process or activity begin (para 1) an adjective meaning much larger, stronger or more important than anything else in a situation (para 4) an adjective meaning very exciting and making you feel you can achieve anything you want (para 4) an adjective meaning impossible to imagine (para 5) a five-word expression meaning to reach a particular place, state or situation as a result of great effort or despite great difficulties or opposition (para 6) a four-word expression meaning in a situation where success and failure are equally likely (para 6) a noun meaning a new and friendly relationship with someone you argued with or fought with (para 6)
N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

Find the following words and phrases in the text.

an adjective meaning shocking in a way that frightens or upsets you (para 7)

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South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela Level 3

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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Verb + noun collocations

occupy fulfil host deal with make bear a. b. c. d. e. f. a resemblance to the moral high ground a promise the grade issues a sporting event

Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns or noun phrases in the right-hand column.

Word building

Complete the sentences by filling the gaps with the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. There have been delays in the ____________ delivery of basic services. [MEAN] The healing of race relations that has occurred in South Africa was ____________ in the 1980s. [THINK] The modern state is founded on a spirit of ____________. [RECONCILE] Some of the problems have ____________. [WORSE] President Zuma has apologized for an ____________ relationship. [ADULTERY] South Africa bears an increasing ____________ to its western counterparts. [RESEMBLE]

Discussion

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of South Africa? Why?

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2010 NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced

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South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela Level 3 KEY
1 Key words
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. transition astounded warder bitter-sweet euphoria tarnished rife squalid veteran mundane

Advanced
4 Find the word
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. usher in overwhelming heady unthinkable claw your way out of on a knife-edge reconciliation ghastly

5 Verb + noun collocations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. b c f e d a

2 What do you know?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. T F T F F T

6 Word building
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. meaningful unthinkable reconciliation worsened adulterous resemblance

3 Comprehension check
1. 2. 3. 4. c b a c

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NEWS LESSONS / South Africa celebrates 20 years of freedom for Nelson Mandela / Advanced

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D