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December 12, 2009

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Tiger Woods Takes Break to Repair His Life

The Tiger Woods saga continues following more details of his string of affairs. He has just announced on his website that he is “taking a hiatus from golf” and does not know when he will return. At the same time, his sponsors are pulling back from supporting him. They are worried his now less-than-squeaky-clean image will no longer help sell their products. The global management consulting company Accenture has removed some of its images of Woods from its website. Experts believe Accenture may find it difficult to keep its “Go on, be a Tiger” slogan following revelations about Woods’ many girlfriends. It seems Nike, one of Woods’ biggest sponsors, is sticking with their man, for now.


Woods’ life and career turned upside down on November 27 when he had a minor car accident near his home. He needed hospital treatment for cuts to his face. Newspapers soon reported his wife chased the car and hit it with a golf club. The media followed this with speculation about a number of extramarital affairs Woods had. More than ten women are currently telling newspapers the story of their relationship with him. The golfing great said: "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try…After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father and person."


 
 

WARM-UPS

1. TIGER WOODS: Walk around the class and talk to other students about Tiger Woods. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

 

Tiger Woods / sagas / sponsors / clean images / consultancy companies / slogans / car accidents / hospital treatment / extramarital affairs / repairing damage / golf

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. SPONSORSHIP: What companies would be best sponsors of these people? Complete this table with your partners. Change partners and share what you heard.

Person

Best sponsor

Why?

Your country’s leader

 

 

Nelson Mandela

 

 

UN General-Secretary

 

 

US President

 

 

Madonna

 

 

You & your partner

 

 

4. SCANDAL: Students A strongly believe Tiger Woods will come back from this scandal much stronger; Students B strongly believe this is the end of Tiger.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. IMAGE: How much damage can these things cause someone’s image? Rank them and share your rankings with your partner. The worst thing at the top. Change partners and share your ratings again.

  • extramarital affairs
  • taking drugs
  • cheating to win
  • saying bad things about rivals
  • fighting in clubs and bars
  • domestic violence
  • having corrupt politicians as friends
  • a dark, secret past

6. DAMAGE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘damage’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.


 
 

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.

Tiger Woods told reporters he will take a one-year break from golf.

T / F

b.

So far, all of Woods’ sponsors are supporting him.

T / F

c.

One sponsor has removed photos of Woods on its website.

T / F

d.

Nike will end its contract with Woods in three weeks.

T / F

e.

Woods was turned upside down in a car crash.

T / F

f.

Woods hit his wife with his car because she hit him with a golf club.

T / F

g.

Tiger said it would be no problem to get things back to normal.

T / F

h.

Woods wants to see what he can do to be a better family man.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.

saga

a.

presently

2

affairs

b.

specialists

3.

experts

c.

staying

4.

revelations

d.

actions

5.

sticking

e.

guessing

6.

minor

f.

story

7.

speculation

g.

unspecified

8.

currently

h.

relationships

9.

indefinite

i.

small

10.

attention

j.

reports

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.

his string of

a.

searching

2

he is taking a hiatus

b.

clean image

3.

less-than-squeaky-

c.

their man

4.

global management

d.

down

5.

sticking with

e.

affairs

6.

turned upside

f.

affairs

7.

extramarital

g.

my attention

8.

The golfing

h.

from golf

9.

soul

i.

consulting company

10.

I need to focus

j.

great


WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The Tiger Woods saga ____________ following more details of his string of affairs. He has just ____________ on his website that he is “taking a hiatus from golf” and does not know when he will ____________. At the same time, his sponsors are pulling back from supporting him. They are worried his now less-than-squeaky-clean ____________ will no longer help sell their products. The global management consulting company Accenture has removed some of its ____________ of Woods from its website. Experts believe Accenture may find it difficult to ____________ its “Go on, be a Tiger” ____________ following revelations about Woods’ many girlfriends. It seems Nike, one of Woods’ biggest sponsors, is ____________ with their man, for now.

 

 

 

images
image
announced
slogan
continues
sticking
return
keep

Woods’ life and career turned ____________ down on November 27 when he had a ____________ car accident near his home. He needed hospital treatment for cuts to his face. Newspapers soon reported his wife chased the car and hit it with a golf club. The ____________ followed this with speculation about a ____________ of extramarital affairs Woods had. More then ten women are currently telling newspapers the story of their relationship with him. The golfing ____________ said: "It may not be possible to repair the ____________ I've done, but I want to do my best to try…After much ____________ searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my ____________ on being a better husband, father and person."

 

 

damage
media
attention
upside
great
minor
soul
number

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The Tiger Woods saga continues following more ___________________ of affairs. He has just announced on his website that he is “taking a hiatus from golf” and does ___________________ will return. At the same time, his sponsors are pulling back from supporting him. They are worried his now less-___________________ image will no longer help sell their products. The global management consulting company Accenture has removed ___________________ of Woods from its website. Experts believe Accenture may find it ___________________ its “Go on, be a Tiger” slogan following revelations about Woods’ many girlfriends. It seems Nike, one of Woods’ biggest sponsors, ___________________ man, for now.

Woods’ life and career ___________________ on November 27 when he had a minor car accident near his home. He needed ___________________ cuts to his face. Newspapers soon reported his wife chased the car and hit it with a golf club. The media followed this ___________________ a number of extramarital affairs Woods had. More then ten women ___________________ newspapers the story of their relationship with him. The golfing great said: "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try…After ___________________, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my ___________________ a better husband, father and person."


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘upside’ and ‘down’.

upside

down

 

 

 

  • Share your findings with your partners.
  • Make questions using the words you found.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

  • Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

  • saga
  • string
  • pulling
  • images
  • difficult
  • sponsors
  • upside
  • cuts
  • media
  • great
  • soul
  • better

STUDENT TIGER WOODS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Tiger Woods in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

  • Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

TIGER WOODS DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)

What did you think when you read the headline?

b)

What springs to mind when you hear the name ‘Tiger Woods’?

c)

What do you think of the Tiger Woods saga?

d)

Has your opinion of Tiger Woods changed?

e)

What do you think of people who have a string of affairs?

f)

Do you think Tiger Woods’ supporters should stick with him?

g)

Do you think it’s important for sports stars to have a squeaky-clean image?

h)

Why is the “Go on, be a Tiger” slogan not a good idea right now?

i)

Why is the world so interested in this story?

j)

How much will this scandal damage Tiger?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)

Did you like reading this article?

b)

Has anything in your life ever turned upside down?

c)

Have you ever needed hospital treatment?

d)

What do you think the real story is of Tiger’s car crash?

e)

Do you think Tiger’s wife should forgive him and stay with him?

f)

Do you think Tiger’s girlfriends should tell their story to the papers?

g)

How important are role models for young people?

h)

Do you think Tiger can repair the damage?

i)

When was the last time you did any soul searching?

j)

What questions would you like to ask Tiger Woods?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

The Tiger Woods saga continues (1) ____ more details of his (2) ____ of affairs. He has just announced on his website that he is “taking a hiatus from golf” and does not know when he will return. At the same time, his sponsors are pulling back (3) ____ supporting him. They are worried his now (4) ____ -than-squeaky-clean image will no longer help sell their products. The global management consulting company Accenture has removed some of its images of Woods from its website. Experts believe Accenture may (5) ____ it difficult to keep its “Go on, be a Tiger” slogan following revelations about Woods’ many girlfriends. It seems Nike, one of Woods’ biggest sponsors, is (6) ____ with their man, for now.

Woods’ life and career turned upside (7) ____ on November 27 when he had a minor car accident near his home. He needed hospital (8) ____ for cuts to his face. Newspapers soon reported his wife chased the car and hit it with a golf club. The media followed this with speculation about a (9) ____ of extramarital affairs Woods had. More then ten women are currently telling newspapers the story of their relationship with him. The golfing (10) ____ said: "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try…After much (11) ____ searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my (12) ____ on being a better husband, father and person."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

following

(b)

follow

(c)

follows

(d)

followed

2.

(a)

rope

(b)

wool

(c)

string

(d)

cotton

3.

(a)

for

(b)

far

(c)

of

(d)

from

4.

(a)

low

(b)

less

(c)

small

(d)

fewer

5.

(a)

take

(b)

have

(c)

do

(d)

find

6.

(a)

stick

(b)

stickler

(c)

sticking

(d)

sticker

7.

(a)

over

(b)

down

(c)

up

(d)

on

8.

(a)

treatment

(b)

treats

(c)

treated

(d)

treating

9.

(a)

number

(b)

numeral

(c)

numerical

(d)

numeracy

10.

(a)

grate

(b)

good

(c)

great

(d)

well

11.

(a)

sole

(b)

sale

(c)

seal

(d)

soul

12.

(a)

attentive

(b)

attention

(c)

attends

(d)

attendance

WRITING

Write about Tiger Woods for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Tiger Woods. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. TIGER WOODS: Make a poster about Tiger Woods and his life. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. DAMAGE: Write a magazine article about how to limit the damage Tiger Woods has done to his life. Include imaginary interviews with Tiger and his wife.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Tiger Woods. Ask him three questions about the scandal. Give him three pieces of advice on what he can do to repair the damage. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

F

c.

T

d.

F

e.

F

f.

F

g.

F

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

saga

a.

story

2

affairs

b.

relationships

3.

experts

c.

specialists

4.

revelations

d.

reports

5.

sticking

e.

staying

6.

minor

f.

small

7.

speculation

g.

guessing

8.

currently

h.

presently

9.

indefinite

i.

unspecified

10.

attention

j.

actions

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

his string of

a.

affairs

2

he is taking a hiatus

b.

from golf

3.

less-than-squeaky-

c.

clean image

4.

global management

d.

consulting company

5.

sticking with

e.

their man

6.

turned upside

f.

down

7.

extramarital

g.

affairs

8.

The golfing

h.

great

9.

soul

i.

searching

10.

I need to focus

j.

my attention

GAP FILL:

Tiger Woods takes break to repair his life

The Tiger Woods saga continues following more details of his string of affairs. He has just announced on his website that he is “taking a hiatus from golf” and does not know when he will return. At the same time, his sponsors are pulling back from supporting him. They are worried his now less-than-squeaky-clean image will no longer help sell their products. The global management consulting company Accenture has removed some of its images of Woods from its website. Experts believe Accenture may find it difficult to keep its “Go on, be a Tiger” slogan following revelations about Woods’ many girlfriends. It seems Nike, one of Woods’ biggest sponsors, is sticking with their man, for now.

Woods’ life and career turned upside down on November 27 when he had a minor car accident near his home. He needed hospital treatment for cuts to his face. Newspapers soon reported his wife chased the car and hit it with a golf club. The media followed this with speculation about a number of extramarital affairs Woods had. More then ten women are currently telling newspapers the story of their relationship with him. The golfing great said: "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try…After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father and person."

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - a

2 - c

3 - d

4 - b

5 - d

6 - c

7 - b

8 - a

9 -a

10 - c

11 - d

12 - b

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