Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in
today’s article.
1. kindergarten (n.) [kin-der-gahr-tn, -dn] – a class for young children aged 4 to 6
Example: My four-year old
daughter will start kindergarten next year.
2. break out (idiom) [breyk] [out] – to begin or happen suddenly
Example: The protest broke
out without warning.
3. get through (idiom) [get] [throo] – to be able to succeed or overcome a difficult situation
Example: We were able to get
through the hard test because we studied well.
4. paramedic (n.) [par-uh-med-ik] – a trained person who to give temporary
aid to an injured person, especially if a doctor is not present
Example: Paramedics helped
the injured man before the doctor arrived.
5. drill (n) [dril] – an exercise which is repeatedly done
Example: Vocabulary drills
help students remember words.
Article
Read the text below.
A 33-year old kindergarten teacher
from Monterrey , Northern Mexico was recently awarded for showing remarkable
courage while protecting her students
during a violent gang war which happened
a few blocks from their school.
Rivera Alanis instructed
her students, ages 5 to 6, to lay on the floor with their heads down and to
remain in that position. After what seemed like less than a minute the
gunfire broke out. To further distract her
students from the loud firing sounds she started to sing a popular children
song which was about ‘the sky raining with sweets'. She took a video using her
mobile phone while all these were happening.
Alanis posted the video
on her Twitter account and the person who saw it posted the video on YouTube.
Alanis admitted she got
terrified at that time, but her students helped her get through the
situation. She said her young students inspire everyone in their community to
persist even in the face of constant danger.
Paramedics later confirmed that the series of gunfire
came from a gang who killed five people at a taxi stand.
Monterrey has always been
exposed to violence related to drugs. For over four years, 35,000 people have
died because of gang wars related to drugs. Several schools in North Mexico
have conducted drills in
order to train teacher and students how to act when violence breaks out.
Viewpoint
Discussion
Enjoy
a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
How
should teachers treat their young students?
·
Should
teachers act like parents to their young students? Why or why not?
Discussion B
·
Why
do you think gang wars exist?
·
Are
you aware of any gang war that happened or is happening in your country?
