Thousands of naked cyclists took part in a worldwide protest against gas-guzzling cars on June 11 in the 2005 World Naked Bike Ride*. Organizers said: “over 50 cities across the world [would] experience the naked joy of the world’s largest naked protest against oil dependency and car culture in the history of humanity.”

In London, hundreds of mostly naked and male protesters cycled past the British Houses of Parliament, the U.S. Embassy and other famous sights. They were protesting against the West’s overuse of cars. Complete nudity was not a prerequisite to participate in the rides, people were asked simply to “just go as bare as you dare”.

Organizers also wanted to encourage pedal power and greater use of bicycles. Their website stated: “It is time to stop indecent exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power…of our bodies.” They said that by lessening our almost insatiable thirst for oil and our obsession with cars, we could reduce pollution.

One protester pointed out that: “It’s a protest against oil dependency and car culture, and the overuse of cars for unnecessary reasons. There is too much pollution. It stinks in London, and we use too much fossil fuel.” Other banners read: “Oil is not a bare necessity but a crude obsession.”

WARM-UPS

1. NAKED BIKE RIDE: Would you like to participate in the World Naked Bike Ride to help save the planet? Would you take part in any worthy event that required you to strip naked along with hundreds of others? In pairs / groups, talk about for which of the following you would consider taking off your clothes:

1. World Naked Bike Ride (in your town)
2. World Naked Bike Ride (in another country)
3. Playboy/Playgirl magazine for $1,000,000
4. As a model for an art class
5. A calendar to be sold for charity
6. A public bath
7. A nudist beach
8. Other

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

Nudity / cyclists / protests / The 2005 World Naked Bike Ride / oil dependency / car culture / bicycles / obsession with cars / pollution / smelly cities

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

3. NAKED: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “naked”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

4. NAKED BIKER OPINIONS: Talk with your partner(s) about how much you agree with these opinions.

1. The World Naked Bike Ride is a silly idea.
2. I think it is offensive to see naked people on their bicycles in public streets.
3. It seems a clean, fun way to highlight an important issue.
4. The World Naked Bike Ride will have zero impact on pollution.
5. Anyone who rides a bicycle in the streets naked should be arrested. It’s indecent.
6. I think world leaders should join in and get naked. That would get amazing publicity.
7. Bicycles are too much hassle. Cars are cool and comfortable.
8. Cars should be banned in all city centers.
9. You have to face the facts – oil makes our world go round.
10. No one wants to ride a bicycle in a city – it’s too dangerous.

5. OIL DEPENDENCY: In pairs / groups, talk about the things we can do to use less oil and save energy in our everyday lives. Change partners and compare the things you talked about with your first partner(s).

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Protesters rode bicycles that had no brakes or gears.	T / F
b.	It was the biggest ever naked protest against our reliance on oil.	T / F
c.	Most of the naked cyclists were women.	T / F
d.	Organizers insisted on complete nudity to participate in the protest.	T / F
e.	Organizers were pushing the use of pedal power.	T / F
f.	The world has an almost insatiable thirst for oil.	T / F
g.	A protester said we needed to make more use of our cars.	T / F
h.	London always has a fresh, pleasant smell.	T / F

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

a.	guzzling	gases
b.	joy	make bold
c.	dependency	basic
d.	prerequisite	devouring
e.	dare	reliance
f.	indecent	unquenchable
g.	emissions	condition
h.	insatiable	unrefined
i.	bare	bliss
j.	crude	vulgar

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	worldwide	to participate
b.	experience the	oil dependency and car culture
c.	protest against	necessity
d.	complete	naked joy of
e.	not a prerequisite	power
f.	pedal	exposure
g.	indecent	fuel
h.	automobile	protest
i.	fossil	nudity
j.	bare	emissions

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the correct spaces.

World naked bike ride against oil use

Thousands of naked cyclists took part in a worldwide protest against gas-______ cars on June 11 in the 2005 World Naked Bike Ride*. Organizers said: “over 50 cities across the world [would] experience the ______ joy of the world’s largest naked protest against oil dependency and ______ culture in the history of ______.”		overuse naked dare mostly guzzling humanity prerequisite car
In London, hundreds of ______ naked and male protesters cycled past the British Houses of Parliament, the U.S. Embassy and other famous sights. They were protesting against the West’s ______ of cars. Complete nudity was not a ______ to participate in the rides, people were asked simply to “just go as bare as you ______”.
Organizers also wanted to encourage ______ power and greater use of bicycles. Their website stated: “It is time to stop ______ exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power…of our bodies.” They said that by lessening our almost ______ thirst for oil and our ______ with cars, we could reduce pollution.		obsession insatiable obsession pedal fossil bare indecent overuse
One protester pointed out that: “It’s a protest against oil dependency and car culture, and the ______ of cars for unnecessary reasons. There is too much pollution. It stinks in London, and we use too much ______ fuel.” Other banners read: “Oil is not a ______ necessity but a crude ______.” *http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/

AFTER READING / LISTENING

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

• 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 gap fill. 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. STUDENT CYCLING or NUDITY SURVEY: In pairs / groups write down questions about cycling or nudity.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

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

worldwide joy humanity male overuse dare

pedal exposure insatiable pointed out stinks obsession

 DISCUSSION

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

1. What was your initial reaction to this headline?
2. What adjective(s) describe your feelings about this story?
3. What are your thoughts on the naked cyclists?
4. Do you admire them?
5. Would you buy a gas-guzzler?
6. Do you think riding a bicycle in public without clothes is immoral?
7. Would you get naked in public to protest against something?
8. Have you ever protested in the streets?
9. How is the pollution / smell in your town?
10. Would you get behind a worldwide campaign to replace cars with bicycles in cities and large towns?

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

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. Are you interested in news of environmental protests?
3. Have you heard about the World Naked Bike Ride before?
4. Is naked cycling an effective form of protesting?
5. Do you think the World Naked Bike Ride protest will have any impact on levels of oil consumption or pollution?
6. When would you go by bicycle instead of going by car?
7. Is it safe to ride a bicycle through city streets?
8. Are you confident governments / industry can find an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels?
9. Would you like to participate in the World Naked Bike Ride 2006?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

NAKED BIKE RIDE ROLE PLAY: This role play is to discuss whether or not riding a bicycle on public streets without clothes is immoral and indecent. Team up with classmates who have the same role as you and develop your ideas and “strategies”.

Introduce yourself to the other role players before the role play begins.

Role A – No Nudity You are shocked at public nudity. You believe it is a sin against God. It corrupts young minds. It is offensive. You cannot accept that people would bare their bodies in busy cities. You think other forms of protest would be more effective and attract more publicity.

Role B – It’s My Body You are a naturist. You are proud of the body nature gave you. You don’t understand why people hide their bodies with uncomfortable clothes. Fashion is a waste of time and money. You think being naked with nature is life’s greatest pleasure. You hate puritans who tell you to cover up.

Role C – Naked Bike Ride Organizer You are the organizer of the World Naked Bike Ride. You believe any form of peaceful protest that saves the planet is OK. You think the naked body amid traffic emissions is a powerful symbol to reduce pollution. Pedal power under our own steam is better than polluting fossil fuels.

Role D – The Real Protestors You are the leader of a radical protest group. You believe gas stations should be sabotaged and cars targeted for attack. You think naked bike riding is a silly idea, and totally ineffective. It just gives real protestors a bad image. Tell them to put their clothes on and join your group.

Role E – No Idea You have no idea what to think. You love arguing. Agree with everything the person on your right says and disagree with the person on your right.

Change roles and repeat the role play. Comment in groups about the differences between the two role plays.

Talk about whether you agreed with what you said in your roles.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

World naked bike ride against oil use

Thousands of naked cyclists took part in a worldwide protest _______ ___-___________ ____ on June 11 in the 2005 World Naked Bike Ride*. Organizers said: “over 50 cities across the world [would] _____________ ___ _____ ____ of the world’s largest naked protest against ___ ___________ ___ ___ ______ in the history of humanity.”

In London, hundreds of ______ _____ ___ ____ protesters cycled past the British Houses of Parliament, the U.S. Embassy and other famous sights. They were protesting against ___ ______ ________ __ cars. Complete nudity was ___ __ __________ __ participate in the rides, people were asked simply to “just go __ _____ __ ____ _____”.

Organizers also wanted to encourage pedal power and greater use of bicycles. Their website stated: “It is time to stop ________ ________ __ automobile emissions and to celebrate the power…of our bodies.” They said that by lessening our _______ __________ _______ for oil and our obsession with cars, we could reduce pollution.

One protester pointed out that: “It’s a protest against oil dependency and car culture, and ___ ________ __ _____ for unnecessary reasons. There is too much pollution. It stinks in London, and we use too much fossil fuel.” Other banners read: “Oil is not __ ____ ___________ but
__ _______ __________.”

*http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/

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 more information on the 2005 World Naked Bike Ride. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. OIL DEPENDENCY: Write a fact sheet with ideas on what we can do to save energy every day. Focus on our habits, from cleaning our teeth in the morning to reading in bed at night. Try out these ideas for one week. Show your ideas to your classmates in your next lesson and report on your trial energy saving week. Did you have similar ideas?

4. A LETTER: Write a letter to the organizers of the World Naked Bike Ride. Tell them exactly what you think of their idea. Read your letter to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar opinions?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. F

e. T

f. T

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	guzzling	devouring
b.	joy	bliss
c.	dependency	reliance
d.	prerequisite	condition
e.	dare	make bold
f.	indecent	vulgar
g.	emissions	gases
h.	insatiable	unquenchable
i.	bare	basic
j.	crude	unrefined

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	worldwide	protest
b.	experience the	naked joy of
c.	protest against	oil dependency and car culture
d.	complete	nudity
e.	not a prerequisite	to participate
f.	pedal	power
g.	indecent	exposure
h.	automobile	emissions
i.	fossil	fuel
j.	bare	necessity

GAP FILL:

World naked bike ride against oil use

Thousands of naked cyclists took part in a worldwide protest against gas-guzzling cars on June 11 in the 2005 World Naked Bike Ride*. Organizers said: “over 50 cities across the world [would] experience the naked joy of the world’s largest naked protest against oil dependency and car culture in the history of humanity.”

In London, hundreds of mostly naked and male protesters cycled past the British Houses of Parliament, the U.S. Embassy and other famous sights. They were protesting against the West’s overuse of cars. Complete nudity was not a prerequisite to participate in the rides, people were asked simply to “just go as bare as you dare”.

Organizers also wanted to encourage pedal power and greater use of bicycles. Their website stated: “It is time to stop indecent exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power…of our bodies.” They said that by lessening our almost insatiable thirst for oil and our obsession with cars, we could reduce pollution.

One protester pointed out that: “It’s a protest against oil dependency and car culture, and the overuse of cars for unnecessary reasons. There is too much pollution. It stinks in London, and we use too much fossil fuel.” Other banners read: “Oil is not a bare necessity but a crude obsession.”

*http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/

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