The Reading / Listening - Pink - Level 4

The singer Pink is involved in a beach handball sexism row. She offered to pay a fine the European Handball Federation (EHF) gave to Norway's women's team for not wearing bikini bottoms at the 2021 European Beach Handball Championships. The EHF fined the team $1,765 for wearing "improper clothing". Men were allowed to wear shorts, but the women had to wear bikinis. Pink offered to pay the fine and said the EHF should be fined "for sexism".

Norway's handball federation said bikinis were "not appropriate clothing". Male players were allowed to wear shorts 10cm above the knee; while women were expected to wear very short tops and bikini bottoms "with a close fit and cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg". Norway called the rule discriminatory and "completely ridiculous". It asked: "How many attitude changes are needed in the old-fashioned international patriarchy of sports?"

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pink - Level 5 or  Pink - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/26/sport/pink-norwegian-handball-fine-intl-scli-spt/index.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/26/pink-offers-to-pay-fines-for-norwegian-womens-beach-handball-team-sexist
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/olympics/pink-offers-to-cover-norwegian-women-s-beach-handball-team-fine-for-not-playing-in-bikinis/ar-AAMzFIL


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. The singer Pink
  2. She offered to
  3. not wearing bikini
  4. The EHF fined
  5. wearing improper
  6. Men were allowed
  7. Pink offered to pay
  8. he EHF should be
  1. clothing
  2. the fine
  3. pay a fine
  4. fined for sexism
  5. bottoms
  6. the team $1,765
  7. is involved
  8. to wear shorts

Paragraph 2

  1. not appropriate
  2. wear shorts 10cm
  3. expected to wear very
  4. an upward angle toward the
  5. Norway called the rule
  6. completely
  7. attitude
  8. the old-fashioned international
  1. top of the leg
  2. discriminatory
  3. clothing
  4. patriarchy of sports
  5. above the knee
  6. changes
  7. short tops
  8. ridiculous

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The singer Pink is involved in a beach (1) ___________________. She offered to (2) ___________________ the European Handball Federation (EHF) gave to Norway's women's team (3) ___________________ bikini bottoms at the 2021 European Beach Handball Championships. The EHF fined the team $1,765 for (4) ___________________. Men were allowed to wear shorts, but the women (5) ___________________ bikinis. Pink offered to pay the fine and said the EHF should be (6) ___________________.

Norway's handball federation said bikinis (7) ___________________ clothing". Male players were allowed to wear shorts 10cm (8) ___________________; while women were expected to wear very short tops and bikini bottoms "with a (9) ___________________ cut on an upward angle (10) ___________________ of the leg". Norway called the rule discriminatory (11) ___________________. It asked: "How many attitude changes are needed in (12) ___________________ international patriarchy of sports?"

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThesingerPinkisinvolvedinabeachhandballsexismrow.Sheofferedto
payafinetheEuropeanHandballFederation(EHF)gavetoNorway'swo
men'steamfornotwearingbikinibottomsatthe2021EuropeanBeachH
andballChampionships.TheEHFfinedtheteam$1,765forwearing"imp
roperclothing".Menwereallowedtowearshorts,butthewomenhadtow
earbikinis.PinkofferedtopaythefineandsaidtheEHFshouldbefined"for
sexism".Norway'shandballfederationsaidbikiniswere"notappropriat
eclothing".Maleplayerswereallowedtowearshorts10cmabovethekne
e;whilewomenwereexpectedtowearveryshorttopsandbikinibottoms
"withaclosefitandcutonanupwardangletowardthetopoftheleg".Norw
aycalledtherulediscriminatoryand"completelyridiculous".Itasked:"
Howmanyattitudechangesareneededintheold-fashionedinternati
onalpatriarchyofsports?"

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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