The Reading / Listening - Will Smith Apology - Level 2

Actor Will Smith apologized to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him at the Academy Awards show. Mr Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Mr Rock around the face. Rock was presenting the ceremony. He made a "joke" about Smith's wife, Jada. The joke was about her appearing in an imaginary movie in which the lead role has no hair. Ms Smith suffers from a hair loss condition. This makes many women feel stressed and lose confidence. In his apology, Will Smith said: "A joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally."

Soon after the slapping incident, Will Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor for the movie "King Richard". He played the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. In his acceptance speech, Mr Smith apologized to the Academy and everyone watching around the world. He apologized to Mr Rock a day later. He said: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed.…There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness." The Academy said it is "investigating" the slapping.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Will Smith Apology - Level 0 Will Smith Apology - Level 1   or  Will Smith Apology - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/28/entertainment/will-smith-apology/index.html
  • https://www.wsaw.com/2022/03/28/academy-condemns-will-smiths-actions-launches-review/
  • https://www.marketwatch.com/story/will-smith-apologizes-to-chris-rock-for-slap-i-was-out-of-line-and-i-was-wrong-01648510775


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Mr Smith walked onto
  2. Rock was presenting
  3. appearing in
  4. hair
  5. feel stressed and lose
  6. A joke about Jada's medical
  7. too much for
  8. I reacted
  1. condition
  2. loss
  3. emotionally
  4. the stage
  5. the ceremony
  6. me to bear
  7. confidence
  8. an imaginary movie

Paragraph 2

  1. Soon after the slapping
  2. He played the father
  3. his acceptance
  4. I would like to publicly
  5. I was out
  6. There is no place
  7. a world of love and
  8. it is "investigating"
  1. the slapping
  2. of line
  3. of tennis stars
  4. kindness
  5. incident
  6. speech
  7. for violence
  8. apologize

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Actor Will Smith (1) ___________________ Chris Rock for slapping him at the Academy Awards show. Mr Smith walked (2) ___________________ and slapped Mr Rock around the face. Rock was (3) ___________________. He made a "joke" about Smith's wife, Jada. The joke was about her appearing in an imaginary movie in which (4) ___________________ has no hair. Ms Smith suffers from a (5) ___________________. This makes many women feel stressed and lose confidence. In his apology, Will Smith said: "A joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for (6) ___________________, and I reacted emotionally."

Soon after (7) __________________, Will Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor for the movie "King Richard". He (8) ___________________ of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. In (9) ___________________, Mr Smith apologized to the Academy and everyone watching around the world. He apologized to Mr Rock a day later. He said: "I would like (10) ___________________ to you, Chris. I was (11) ___________________ and I was wrong. I am embarrassed....There is no place for violence in a world of (12) ___________________." The Academy said it is "investigating" the slapping.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ActorWillSmithapologizedtocomedianChrisRockforslappinghimatth
eAcademyAwardsshow.MrSmithwalkedontothestageandslappedMr
Rockaroundtheface.Rockwaspresentingtheceremony.Hemadea"jok
e"aboutSmith'swife,Jada.Thejokewasaboutherappearinginanimagi
narymovieinwhichtheleadrolehasnohair.MsSmithsuffersfromahairl
osscondition.Thismakesmanywomenfeelstressedandloseconfidenc
e.Inhisapology,WillSmithsaid:"AjokeaboutJada'smedicalconditionw
astoomuchformetobear,andIreactedemotionally."Soonaftertheslap
pingincident,WillSmithwontheOscarforBestActorforthemovie"KingR
ichard".HeplayedthefatheroftennisstarsSerenaandVenusWilliams.I
nhisacceptancespeech,MrSmithapologizedtotheAcademyandevery
onewatchingaroundtheworld.HeapologizedtoMrRockadaylater.Hes
aid:"Iwouldliketopubliclyapologizetoyou,Chris.IwasoutoflineandIw
aswrong.Iamembarrassed....Thereisnoplaceforviolenceinaworldofl
oveandkindness."TheAcademysaiditis"investigating"theslapping.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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