Toronto mayor smoked crack cocaine (8th November, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

The beleaguered mayor of Toronto Rob Ford has finally admitted he smoked crack cocaine. After weeks of allegations from the press and denials by Mr Ford, Toronto's leader confessed in an emotional press conference yesterday. Fighting back the tears, Ford apologised to all citizens of Toronto, whom he felt he had let down. He admitted smoking the drug while he was in a "drunken stupor" and added that a one-time mistake did not make him a drug addict or an alcoholic. Mr Ford finally came clean after his own police force announced it had video of him at a Toronto drug den, apparently of him actually smoking the drug. The media had been running stories of the allegations for months but Ford continually denied them.

In spite of his confession and amid calls for his resignation, Mr Ford told reporters he would stay in office. Furthermore, he vowed to fight for a second term in office at the next election. He announced: "I was elected to do a job and that's exactly what I'm going to continue doing." He added: "I know I have to regain your trust and confidence." He tried to reassure the public that there would be no repeat occurrence of his misdemeanour. He told the packed press conference: "Folks, I have nothing left to hide. I would do anything, absolutely anything to change the past, but the past is the past and we must move forward. I want to be crystal clear. These mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://www. bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24829046
http://www. ctvnews.ca/canada/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-won-t-resign-after-admitting-he-smoked-crack-cocaine-1.1528841

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. DRUGS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about drugs. Change partners often 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.

beleaguered / mayor / Toronto / allegations / apologized / drug addict / the media / confession / the next election / trust / confidence / press conference / crystal clear

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

3. MAYOR: What can a mayor do to help a city? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

Help with …	Your ideas	Is this happening in your town?
its reputation
the environment
people's health
public services
drugs / alcohol
information technology

4. RESIGN: Students A strongly believe the mayor should resign; Students B strongly believe he doesn't have to. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. ELECTION: Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the most important thing for an election candidate at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• intelligence

• non scandals

• nice smile

• ideas

• ability to listen

• experience as a leader

• can show past successes

• hungry for change

6. DRUNKEN: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "drunken". 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.	Toronto's mayor admitted using drugs following years of allegations.	T / F
b.	The Mayor said the people of Toronto had let him down.	T / F
c.	He said he only used the drug because he was very drunk.	T / F
d.	The mayor admitted using drugs after the police videoed him doing so.	T / F
e.	The mayor said he would not resign and wanted to stay in office.	T / F
f.	He said he knew he had the trust and confidence of the people.	T / F
g.	The mayor suggested there were no more secrets about him.	T / F
h.	He couldn't promise he would repeat his mistakes.	T / F

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

1.	beleaguered	a.	promised
2.	allegations	b.	disappointed
3.	let down	c.	told the truth
4.	came clean	d.	admission
5.	media	e.	under pressure
6.	confession	f.	completely
7.	vowed	g.	misconduct
8.	regain	h.	accusations
9.	misdemeanour	i.	get back
10.	absolutely	j.	press

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

1.	The beleaguered	a.	the tears
2.	After weeks of	b.	for his resignation
3.	Fighting back	c.	clean
4.	He admitted smoking the drug while	d.	allegations from the press
5.	Mr Ford finally came	e.	be no repeat occurrence
6.	amid calls	f.	mayor of Toronto
7.	he vowed to fight	g.	clear
8.	I know I have to regain your	h.	for a second term
9.	reassure the public that there would	i.	he was in a drunken stupor
10.	I want to be crystal	j.	trust and confidence

GAP FILL

The beleaguered mayor of Toronto Rob Ford has (1) ____________ admitted he smoked crack cocaine. After (2) ____________ of allegations from the press and (3) ____________ by Mr Ford, Toronto's leader confessed in an emotional press conference yesterday. Fighting back the (4) ____________, Ford apologised to all citizens of Toronto, whom he felt he had let (5) ____________. He admitted smoking the drug while he was in a "drunken stupor" and added that a one-time mistake did not make him a drug addict or an alcoholic. Mr Ford finally came (6) ____________ after his own police force announced it had video of him at a Toronto drug den, (7) ____________ of him actually smoking the drug. The media had been (8) ____________ stories of the allegations for months but Ford continually denied them.

down
denials
apparently
finally
running
tears
weeks
clean

In (9) ____________ of his confession and (10) ____________ calls for his resignation, Mr Ford told reporters he would stay in office. Furthermore, he vowed to fight for a second (11) ____________ in office at the next election. He announced: "I was elected to do a job and that's (12) ____________ what I'm going to continue doing." He added: "I know I have to (13) ____________ your trust and confidence." He tried to reassure the public that there would be no repeat (14) ____________ of his misdemeanour. He told the packed press conference: "Folks, I have nothing left to hide. I would do anything, (15) ____________ anything to change the past, but the past is the past and we must move forward. I want to be (16) ____________ clear. These mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again."

exactly
absolutely
amid
crystal
occurrence
spite
term
regain

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	The ______ of Toronto Rob Ford has finally admitted he smoked crack cocaine
	a. belly guard mayor b. believe guard mayor c. beleaguered mayor d. beguiled mayor
2)	After weeks of allegations from the ______
	a. denials and press b. pressed and denied c. denied and pressed d. press and denials
3)	______ the tears, Ford apologised to all citizens of Toronto
	a. Fight in back b. Fighting back c. Fight him back d. Fight on back
4)	Mr Ford finally ______ his own police force announced it had video of him
	a. came clean after b. went clean after c. been clean after d. gone clean after
5)	The media had been running stories of the allegations for months but Ford ______
	a. continue yearly denied them b. continuously denied them c. continually denied them d. continue always denied them
6)	In spite of his confession ______ his resignation
	a. and amidst calls for b. and amid calls for c. and among calls for d. and amongst calls for
7)	Furthermore, ______ for a second term in office at the next election
	a. he bowed to fight b. he cowed to fight c. he wowed to fight d. he vowed to fight
8)	He added: "I know I have to regain your ______."
	a. trust and confidential b. trust and confidence c. trust and confidences d. trust and confidants
9)	He tried to reassure the public that there would be no repeat occurrence ______
	a. of his miss the mean hour b. of his missed a mean hour c. of his misdemeanour d. of his missed a meaner
10)	the past is the past and we must move forward. I want to ______
	a. be crystals clear b. be crystal clear c. be kiss tell clear d. be kiss tall clear

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The beleaguered mayor of Toronto Rob Ford (1) ___________________ he smoked crack cocaine. After (2) ___________________ from the press and denials by Mr Ford, Toronto's leader confessed in an emotional press conference yesterday. (3) ___________________, Ford apologised to all citizens of Toronto, whom he felt he had let down. He admitted smoking the drug while he was in (4) ___________________ and added that a one-time mistake did not make him a drug addict or an alcoholic. Mr Ford finally came (5) ___________________ police force announced it had video of him at a Toronto drug den, apparently of him actually smoking the drug. The media had (6) ___________________ of the allegations for months but Ford continually denied them.

In spite of his confession and (7) ___________________ resignation, Mr Ford told reporters he would stay in office. Furthermore, (8) ___________________ for a second term in office at the next election. He announced: "I was elected to do a job and that's exactly what I'm going to continue doing." He added: "I know (9) ___________________ your trust and confidence." He tried to reassure the public that there would be no repeat occurrence (10) ___________________. He told the packed press conference: "Folks, I have nothing left to hide. I would do anything, absolutely anything to change the past, but (11) ___________________ and we must move forward. I want (12) ___________________. These mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again."

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	Who made allegations about Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine?
2.	Where did Mr Ford make his confession?
3.	What did he feel he had done to Toronto's citizens?
4.	In what condition was Mr Ford in when he smoked the cocaine?
5.	Where was Mr Ford in the video the police took of him?
6.	What were there calls for Mr Ford to do?
7.	What did the mayor vow to do?
8.	What does Mr Ford have to get back?
9.	What would Mr Ford do to change the past?
10.	How much clarity does Mr Ford want to provide?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	Who made allegations about Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine?	6.	What were there calls for Mr Ford to do?
	a) a drug dealer b) his political opponents c) the press d) an unnamed colleague		a) keep quiet b) resign c) join a rehab clinic d) campaign against drugs
2.	Where did Mr Ford make his confession?	7.	What did the mayor vow to do?
	a) at a press conference b) at a rehabilitation centre c) Montreal d) at his house		a) rid Toronto of crack cocaine b) become clean c) lose weight d) fight for re-election
3.	What did he feel he had done to Toronto's citizens?	8.	What does Mr Ford have to get back?
	a) gave them up b) let them down c) looked them over d) turned them on		a) his glory days b) public trust c) his money d) his family and friends
4.	In what condition was Mr Ford in when he smoked the cocaine?	9.	What would Mr Ford do to change the past?
	a) a stupendous one b) he was very stupid c) he was in perfect condition d) he was in a drunken stupor		a) give his right hand b) absolutely anything c) pay a lot of money d) 1,000 hours of community service
5.	Where was Mr Ford in the video the police took of him?	10.	How much clarity does Mr Ford want to provide?
	a) in his office b) at home c) at a drug den d) in Montreal		a) he wants to be crystal clear b) about 90% c) like a chandelier d) see-through

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Using drugs

You think using drugs is the worst thing a mayor can do. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): stealing public money, being racist or being in a sex scandal.

Role B – Stealing public money

You think stealing public money is the worst thing a mayor can do. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): using drugs, being racist or being in a sex scandal.

Role C – Being racist

You think being racist is the worst thing a mayor can do. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): stealing public money, using drugs or being in a sex scandal.

Role D – Sex scandal

You think being in a sex scandal is the worst thing a mayor can do. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their things. Also, tell the others which is the least damaging of these (and why): stealing public money, being racist or using drugs.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'trust' and 'confidence'.

trust

confidence

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:

finally
yesterday
while
addict
clean
running

spite
second
continue
regain
repeat
ever

DRUGS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about drugs 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.

DRUGS / MAYOR 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 word 'cocaine'?
c)	What do you think about what you read?
d)	What is worse, the mayor taking drugs or telling the public he didn't?
e)	What's the mayor of your town like?
f)	Is being in a "drunken stupor" an excuse for using cocaine?
g)	Should mayors ever get in a "drunken stupor"?
h)	What message does a mayor using drugs give to people?
i)	What should Mr Ford do to make amends?
j)	Should Mr Ford be arrested?

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

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

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	What do you think of his decision to not resign?
c)	Do you think people will vote to re-elect him?
d)	What can he do to repair his reputation and regain trust?
e)	What would happen to a mayor in your country if he/she used cocaine?
f)	Will people believe he has "nothing left to hide"?
g)	What message should Mr Ford tell people about drugs?
h)	What will Ford's political opponents do about him?
i)	Is Mr Ford being responsible?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Rob Ford?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

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

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

The (1) ____ mayor of Toronto Rob Ford has finally admitted he smoked crack cocaine. After weeks of allegations from the press and (2) ____ by Mr Ford, Toronto's leader confessed in an emotional press conference yesterday. Fighting (3) ____ the tears, Ford apologised to all citizens of Toronto, whom he felt he had let down. He admitted smoking the drug while he was in a "drunken (4) ____" and added that a one-time mistake did not (5) ____ him a drug addict or an alcoholic. Mr Ford finally came clean after his own police force announced it had video of him at a Toronto drug den, apparently of him actually smoking the drug. The media had been (6) ____ stories of the allegations for months but Ford continually denied them.

In spite of his confession and (7) ____ calls for his resignation, Mr Ford told reporters he would stay in office. Furthermore, he (8) ____ to fight for a second term in office at the next election. He announced: "I was elected to do a job and that's exactly what I'm going to continue doing." He added: "I know I have to regain your trust and (9) ____." He tried to reassure the public that there would be no repeat (10) ____ of his misdemeanour. He told the packed press conference: "Folks, I have nothing (11) ____ to hide. I would do anything, absolutely anything to change the past, but the past is the (12) ____ and we must move forward. I want to be crystal clear. These mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again."

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

1.	(a)	beleaguered	(b)	beguiled	(c)	bemoaned	(d)	bemused
2.	(a)	denies	(b)	denizens	(c)	denials	(d)	denigrates
3.	(a)	on	(b)	salty	(c)	back	(d)	streaming
4.	(a)	stupefy	(b)	stupid	(c)	stupendous	(d)	stupor
5.	(a)	make	(b)	have	(c)	create	(d)	do
6.	(a)	pacing	(b)	running	(c)	managing	(d)	fleeing
7.	(a)	dame	(b)	maid	(c)	dime	(d)	amid
8.	(a)	wowed	(b)	vowed	(c)	bowed	(d)	cowed
9.	(a)	confidants	(b)	confident	(c)	confidence	(d)	confidential
10.	(a)	frequency	(b)	matter	(c)	affair	(d)	occurrence
11.	(a)	around	(b)	things	(c)	remain	(d)	left
12.	(a)	memory	(b)	past	(c)	history	(d)	previous

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	The gaeelueebrd mayor of Toronto
2.	After weeks of nailoetlags from the press
3.	snfoeecsd in an emotional press conference
4.	a drug addict or an aciclholo
5.	… taarlepnyp of him actually smoking
6.	Ford aylltcniuno denied them
Paragraph 2
7.	amid calls for his anirneosigt
8.	a second term in fefico
9.	I was cetldee to do a job
10.	trust and nefdcnoice
11.	there would be no repeat cocerucren
12.	I want to be alsrcty clear

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	press conference yesterday. Fighting back the tears, Ford apologised to all citizens of Toronto, whom he felt he had let
( )	elected to do a job and that's exactly what I'm going to continue doing." He added: "I know I have to regain
( )	In spite of his confession and amid calls for his resignation, Mr Ford told reporters he would stay in
( )	office. Furthermore, he vowed to fight for a second term in office at the next election. He announced: "I was
( )	smoking the drug. The media had been running stories of the allegations for months but Ford continually denied them.
( )	hide. I would do anything, absolutely anything to change the past, but the past is the past and we must
( )	time mistake did not make him a drug addict or an alcoholic. Mr Ford finally came
( )	your trust and confidence." He tried to reassure the public that there would be no repeat occurrence of his
( )	misdemeanour. He told the packed press conference: "Folks, I have nothing left to
( 1 )	The beleaguered mayor of Toronto Rob Ford has finally admitted he smoked crack cocaine. After weeks
( )	of allegations from the press and denials by Mr Ford, Toronto's leader confessed in an emotional
( )	down. He admitted smoking the drug while he was in a "drunken stupor" and added that a one-
( )	clean after his own police force announced it had video of him at a Toronto drug den, apparently of him actually
( )	move forward. I want to be crystal clear. These mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again."

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	allegations press of the denials weeks from and After.
2.	an in Confessed yesterday conference press emotional.
3.	stupor Smoking the drug while he was in a drunken.
4.	announced video His force had him police it of own.
5.	running the The been of had stories allegations media.
6.	for term He fight second office to a in vowed.
7.	doing I'm going That's to exactly continue what.
8.	I have to regain your trust and confidence I know.
9.	absolutely anything, do would I past the change to anything.
10.	ever , ever, happen again These mistakes will never.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

The beleaguered mayor of Toronto Rob Ford has finally admission / admitted he smoked crack cocaine. After weeks of alleges / allegations from the press and denials by Mr Ford, Toronto's leader confessed in an emotional press conference yesterday. Fighting / Fought back the tears, Ford apologised to all / every citizens of Toronto, whom he felt he had let up / down. He admitted smoking the drug while he was in / on a "drunken stupor" and added that a one-time mistakenly / mistake did not make him a drug addict or an alcoholic. Mr Ford finally came fresh / clean after his own police force announced it had video of him at a Toronto drug pen / den, apparently of him actually smoking the drug. The media had been ruining / running stories of the allegations for months but Ford continually denied them.

In spite of his confession and amid / anon calls for his resignation, Mr Ford told reporters he would stay in / at office. Furthermore, he vowed to fight for a second term / semester in office at the next election. He announced: "I was elected / electing to do a job and that's exactly what I'm going to continue doing." He added: "I know I have to regain your trusty / trust and confidence." He tried to reassure the public that there would be no / not repeat occurrence of his misdemeanour. He told the packing / packed press conference: "Folks, I have nothing left to unhide / hide. I would do anything, absolutely anything to change the past, but the past / passed is the past and we must move forward. I want to be crystal / diamond clear. These mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again."

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Th_ b_l__g__r_d m_y_r _f T_r_nt_ R_b F_rd h_s f_n_lly _dm_tt_d h_ sm_k_d cr_ck c_c__n_. _ft_r w__ks _f _ll_g_t__ns fr_m th_ pr_ss _nd d_n__ls by Mr F_rd, T_r_nt_'s l__d_r c_nf_ss_d _n _n _m_t__n_l pr_ss c_nf_r_nc_ y_st_rd_y. F_ght_ng b_ck th_ t__rs, F_rd _p_l_g_s_d t_ _ll c_t_z_ns _f T_r_nt_, wh_m h_ f_lt h_ h_d l_t d_wn. H_ _dm_tt_d sm_k_ng th_ dr_g wh_l_ h_ w_s _n _ "dr_nk_n st_p_r" _nd _dd_d th_t _ _n_-t_m_ m_st_k_ d_d n_t m_k_ h_m _ dr_g _dd_ct _r _n _lc_h_l_c. Mr F_rd f_n_lly c_m_ cl__n _ft_r h_s _wn p_l_c_ f_rc_ _nn__nc_d _t h_d v_d__ _f h_m _t _ T_r_nt_ dr_g d_n, _pp_r_ntly _f h_m _ct__lly sm_k_ng th_ dr_g. Th_ m_d__ h_d b__n r_nn_ng st_r__s _f th_ _ll_g_t__ns f_r m_nths b_t F_rd c_nt_n__lly d_n__d th_m.

_n sp_t_ _f h_s c_nf_ss__n _nd _m_d c_lls f_r h_s r_s_gn_t__n, Mr F_rd t_ld r_p_rt_rs h_ w__ld st_y _n _ff_c_. F_rth_rm_r_, h_ v_w_d t_ f_ght f_r _ s_c_nd t_rm _n _ff_c_ _t th_ n_xt _l_ct__n. H_ _nn__nc_d: "_ w_s _l_ct_d t_ d_ _ j_b _nd th_t's _x_ctly wh_t _'m g__ng t_ c_nt_n__ d__ng." H_ _dd_d: "_ kn_w _ h_v_ t_ r_g__n y__r tr_st _nd c_nf_d_nc_." H_ tr__d t_ r__ss_r_ th_ p_bl_c th_t th_r_ w__ld b_ n_ r_p__t _cc_rr_nc_ _f h_s m_sd_m__n__r. H_ t_ld th_ p_ck_d pr_ss c_nf_r_nc_: "F_lks, _ h_v_ n_th_ng l_ft t_ h_d_. _ w__ld d_ _nyth_ng, _bs_l_t_ly _nyth_ng t_ ch_ng_ th_ p_st, b_t th_ p_st _s th_ p_st _nd w_ m_st m_v_ f_rw_rd. _ w_nt t_ b_ cryst_l cl__r. Th_s_ m_st_k_s w_ll n_v_r, _v_r, _v_r h_pp_n _g__n."

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

the beleaguered mayor of toronto rob ford has finally admitted he smoked crack cocaine after weeks of allegations from the press and denials by mr ford toronto's leader confessed in an emotional press conference yesterday fighting back the tears ford apologised to all citizens of toronto whom he felt he had let down he admitted smoking the drug while he was in a "drunken stupor" and added that a one-time mistake did not make him a drug addict or an alcoholic mr ford finally came clean after his own police force announced it had video of him at a toronto drug den apparently of him actually smoking the drug the media had been running stories of the allegations for months but ford continually denied them

in spite of his confession and amid calls for his resignation mr ford told reporters he would stay in office furthermore he vowed to fight for a second term in office at the next election he announced "i was elected to do a job and that's exactly what i'm going to continue doing" he added "i know i have to regain your trust and confidence" he tried to reassure the public that there would be no repeat occurrence of his misdemeanour he told the packed press conference "folks i have nothing left to hide i would do anything absolutely anything to change the past but the past is the past and we must move forward i want to be crystal clear these mistakes will never ever ever happen again"

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

ThebeleagueredmayorofTorontoRobFordhasfinallyadmittedhesmokedcrackc
ocaine.AfterweeksofallegationsfromthepressanddenialsbyMrFord,Toronto'sl
eaderconfessedinanemotionalpressconferenceyesterday.Fightingbackthete
ars,FordapologisedtoallcitizensofToronto,whomhefelthehadletdown.Headmi
ttedsmokingthedrugwhilehewasina"drunkenstupor"andaddedthataone-
timemistakedidnotmakehimadrugaddictoranalcoholic.MrFordfinallycamecle
anafterhisownpoliceforceannouncedithadvideoofhimataTorontodrugden,ap
parentlyofhimactuallysmokingthedrug.Themediahadbeenrunningstoriesofth
eallegationsformonthsbutFordcontinuallydeniedthem.Inspiteofhisconfessio
nandamidcallsforhisresignation,MrFordtoldreportershewouldstayinoffice.Fu
rthermore,hevowedtofightforasecondterminofficeatthenextelection.Heanno
unced:"Iwaselectedtodoajobandthat'sexactlywhatI'mgoingtocontinuedoing
."Headded:"IknowIhavetoregainyourtrustandconfidence."Hetriedtoreassur
ethepublicthattherewouldbenorepeatoccurrenceofhismisdemeanour.Hetold
thepackedpressconference:"Folks,Ihavenothinglefttohide.Iwoulddoanythin
g,absolutelyanythingtochangethepast,butthepastisthepastandwemustmove
forward.Iwanttobecrystalclear.Thesemistakeswillnever,ever,everhappenag
ain."

FREE WRITING

Write about drugs for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Any public official known to use drugs, even once, should be fired. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 Rob Ford. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. DRUGS: Make a poster about drugs. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. RESIGNATION: Write a magazine article about Rob Ford and whether he should resign. Include imaginary interviews with people who think he should and people he think he should be allowed to stay in office.

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. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to Rob Ford. Ask him three questions about drugs. Give him three pieces of advice on what he should do from now. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

F

c

T

d

T

e

T

f

F

g

T

h

F

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	beleaguered	a.	under pressure
2.	allegations	b.	accusations
3.	let down	c.	disappointed
4.	came clean	d.	told the truth
5.	media	e.	press
6.	confession	f.	admission
7.	vowed	g.	promised
8.	regain	h.	get back
9.	misdemeanour	i.	misconduct
10.	absolutely	j.	completely

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	The press
2.	At a press conference
3.	Let them down
4.	A drunken stupor
5.	At a Toronto drug den
6.	Resign
7.	Fight for a second term in office
8.	Public trust and confidence
9.	(Absolutely) anything
10.	He wants to be crystal clear

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

c

2.

a

3.

b

4.

d

5.

c

6.

b

7.

d

8.

b

9.

b

10.

a

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Toronto mayor smoked crack cocaine (8th November, 2014)

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