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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Facebook Gorilla
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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Gorilla joins Facebook and Twitter (September 28, 2009)

A gorilla has a new Facebook, Twitter and MySpace account. He didn’t sign up for them himself, of course. The new social networker is called Muhozi. He’s one of only 340 mountain gorillas living in Uganda. It is part of a Ugandan Wildlife Authority campaign to help protect the country’s mountain gorillas. The organization hopes to raise money to fight poachers. Many local hunters kill the apes for their meat. They also sell their body parts. Visitors to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter can donate a minimum of one dollar to be Muhozi’s friend.

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Gorillas are very precious animals. We must do everything we can to save them. It will be a crime if they all die out. Uganda’s gorilla-friend campaign is a great way to teach people. Hopefully, it will raise awareness of how rare gorillas are. Using new social media tools like Facebook and Twitter should get more people to care. One dollar isn’t a lot. I know people who pay nearly ten dollars for a cup of coffee. I think donating some money to save the gorillas is a wonderful thing to do. It’s better than having a coffee.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	MySpace	a.	networker
2	social	b.	parts
3.	Ugandan Wildlife	c.	gorillas
4.	mountain	d.	account
5.	sell their body	e.	one dollar
6.	a minimum of	f.	Authority

Paragraph 2

1.	very precious	a.	all die
2	a crime if they	b.	tools
3.	raise	c.	the gorillas
4.	social media	d.	some money
5.	donating	e.	animals
6.	save	f.	awareness

LISTENING GAP FILL

A __________________ Facebook, Twitter and MySpace account. He didn’t __________________ himself, of course. The new social networker is called Muhozi. He’s one of only 340 mountain gorillas living in Uganda. __________________ Ugandan Wildlife Authority campaign to help protect the country’s mountain gorillas. The organization hopes __________________ fight poachers. Many local hunters kill the apes for their meat. They __________________ parts. Visitors to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter can donate __________________ dollar to be Muhozi’s friend.

Gorillas are __________________. We must do everything we can to save them. It will be a crime if __________________. Uganda’s gorilla-friend campaign __________________ teach people. Hopefully, it will raise awareness of __________________ are. Using new social media tools like Facebook and Twitter should get more people to care. One __________________. I know people who pay nearly ten dollars for a cup of coffee. I think donating some __________________ the gorillas __________________ to do. It’s better than having a coffee.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A gorilla has a new Facebook, Twitter and MySpace (1) ____. He didn’t sign up for them himself, of (2) ____. The new social networker is called Muhozi. He’s one of only 340 mountain gorillas living in Uganda. It is part of a Ugandan Wildlife Authority campaign (3) ____ help protect the country’s mountain gorillas. The organization hopes to (4) ____ money to fight poachers. Many local hunters kill the apes for their meat. They also sell their body parts. Visitors to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter can donate a (5) ____ of one dollar to be Muhozi’s friend.

Gorillas are very (6) ____ animals. We must do everything we can to save them. It will be a crime if they all die (7) ____. Uganda’s gorilla-friend campaign is a great way to teach people. Hopefully, it will raise awareness of how (8) ____ gorillas are. Using new social media tools like Facebook and Twitter should get more people to (9) ____. One dollar isn’t a lot. I know people who pay nearly ten dollars for a cup of coffee. I think donating some money to save the gorillas is a wonderful thing to (10) ____. It’s better than having a coffee.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	accounting	(b)	accountant	(c)	account
2.	(a)	course	(b)	coarse	(c)	courses
3.	(a)	to	(b)	for	(c)	at
4.	(a)	up	(b)	heighten	(c)	raise
5.	(a)	small	(b)	minimum	(c)	lower
6.	(a)	precious	(b)	previous	(c)	species
7.	(a)	up	(b)	out	(c)	on
8.	(a)	rarely	(b)	really	(c)	rare
9.	(a)	care	(b)	careful	(c)	cared
10.	(a)	have	(b)	do	(c)	be

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	MySpace uaconct
2.	social rwonteekr
3.	nnuamoti gorillas
4.	aseir money
5.	tehsrnu kill the apes
6.	donate a mmiunmi of one dollar
Paragraph 2
7.	very oeipcrsu animals
8.	It will be a icmer
9.	gorilla-friend niamagcp
10.	social daime tools
11.	One rlldao isn’t a lot
12.	a wdurfnleo thing

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	some money to save the gorillas is a wonderful thing to do. It’s better than having a coffee.
( )	meat. They also sell their body parts. Visitors to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter can donate a minimum of one dollar to be Muhozi’s friend.
( )	course. The new social networker is called Muhozi. He’s one of only 340 mountain gorillas living in
( )	out. Uganda’s gorilla-friend campaign is a great way to teach people. Hopefully, it will raise awareness
( )	care. One dollar isn’t a lot. I know people who pay nearly ten dollars for a cup of coffee. I think donating
( 1 )	A gorilla has a new Facebook, Twitter and MySpace account. He didn’t sign up for them himself, of
( )	Gorillas are very precious animals. We must do everything we can to save them. It will be a crime if they all die
( )	gorillas. The organization hopes to raise money to fight poachers. Many local hunters kill the apes for their
( )	Uganda. It is part of a Ugandan Wildlife Authority campaign to help protect the country’s mountain
( )	of how rare gorillas are. Using new social media tools like Facebook and Twitter should get more people to

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	sign didn’t He himself them for up.
2.	He’s gorillas mountain 340 only of one.
3.	fight to money raise poachers.
4.	body also their parts They sell.
5.	one a of dollar donate minimum.
6.	are Gorillas animals precious very.
7.	be a crime if they all die out It will.
8.	rare how of awareness raise are gorillas.
9.	coffee of cup a for dollars ten nearly pay who people.
10.	a better having coffee It’s than.

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.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about gorillas for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

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 about gorillas. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about gorillas. Include imaginary interviews with some gorillas in Uganda. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. 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.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a gorilla. Ask him/her three questions about being a gorilla. Give him/her three of your opinions on people. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Facebook Gorilla (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)