Name K EY T ERMS These are key terms from this week s rap. Each word or phrase connects to the week s news in a significant way. Complete the chart below by desrcibing how each term relates to the news. Term Curiosity rover How it Relates to the Week s News Example: A rover on Mars has discovered more potential for past life on the planet. CIA s work Philippines developing countries Duke and Duchess Beyonce and Hov animal rights case World Food Summit Eric Garner page 1
GENERAL VOCABULARY Some words from the lyrics are used to describe a specific news story, but you can also use them in lots of other places and contexts. Learning these words and their meanings will help you expand your vocabulary. Guess what the meaning of the word is based on how it s used in the rap, and then compare it with the actual definition. When you re done, use each of the words in a sentence that doesn t have anything to do with The Week in Rap. Word In Lyrics Guess Meaning Actual Meaning verdict A verdict was dropped in an animal rights case plummet There s hundreds of millions hungry, we need that number to plummet overtly Finally from Brooklyn to Berkley, Students are out protesting overtly trace That s another Week in Rap, and we re gone without a trace Word Sentence verdict plummet overtly trace page 2
Q&A Read the info boxes from this week s Week in Rap and answer the questions. To read more about each story, follow the link to the newspaper article in the info box on flocabulary.com. The Curiosity rover found stronger evidence that Mars may once have had the right conditions for life. The rover, a robotic explorer, found that large lakes, deltas and rivers may have existed on the planet for tens of millions of years. Scientists say water is just one of the elements necessary for life. Life also needs an energy source and five basic elements: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorous and nitrogen. Scientists are still trying to find evidence of these elements on Mars. But the discovery suggests that up to 4 billion years ago, Mars might have been similar to a young Earth with a blue sky, clouds, mountains, lakes and rivers. Why are scientists so curious about whether or not there was life on Mars? Following 9/11, and during the Iraq War, there were reports that the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, used torture techniques to interrogate terrorism suspects. Now, because of a 500-page report from the Senate, we know more details about what exactly happened. The CIA s treatment of prisoners was more brutal and invasive than what the public originally thought. Former President George W. Bush authorized the torture techniques after 9/11. Even though this new information outraged some people, it is unlikely that the CIA will be criminally charged. President Obama suggested that the country move on and not bring up the past. Do you agree with President Obama, or do you think the people behind the torture program should face criminal charges? page 3
Q&A While Typhoon Hagupit was ravaging the Philippines, government officials attended a United Nations climate change meeting in Peru. They say the devastating typhoon which is simply a different name for a hurricane is just the latest sign that climate change has been costing the country a tremendous amount of lives and money. Scientists say the Philippines is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Climate change can cause sea levels to rise and typhoons to become even stronger. The Philippines is one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. They are pledging to reduce their own carbon emissions and calling on every other country to do the same. How might developed countries and developing countries combat climate change differently? Prince William and Princess Catherine of British royalty visited New York for the first time. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent three days in the nation s largest city. They attended a Brooklyn Nets game where they met Jay-Z and Beyonce. Because the Nets were playing the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James met Prince William and Princess Catherine as well. The couple, who are second in line to the British throne, spent the last of their three days in New York sightseeing. They visited the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the 9/11 Memorial. Why do you think people in the US are so fascinated by British royalty? page 4
Q&A THE WEEK IN RAP 12.12.14 A New York appeals court ruled that a chimpanzee doesn t have the same rights as a human. The Nonhuman Rights Project argued that Tommy, a caged former entertainment chimp, deserved basic human rights because a chimp s characteristics are similar to humans. The group wanted to release Tommy into a sanctuary, and a declaration of legal personhood would make that easier. (Tommy currently lives in a small shed.) However, the judges said that a person is legally defined as any being whom the law regards as capable of rights and duties. Chimpanzees can t bear legal duties, hold societal responsibilities or be held legally accountable for their actions. The group said it would appeal the ruling. However, Tommy s owner said he approved. Do you think chimpanzees deserve human rights? The number of hungry people in Latin America and the Caribbean has fallen by half in the last 20 years. In fact, it is the only region that might meet the United Nations 2009 goal of reducing the world s hungry by half before 2015. Over the last 20 years, the number of hungry people in the region fell from 68.5 million to 37 million. They need to feed 2.75 million more people before the end of next year to meet the goal. Feeding that many people isn t a simple task though. Laws need to be set up to further protect the poor, to encourage family farmers to produce more food, and to protect the quality of food. What obstacles might get in the way of reaching this goal? page 5
Q&A THE WEEK IN RAP 12.12.14 In July of this year, a police officer arrested Eric Garner for selling loose cigarettes. Garner nonviolently resisted arrest, and the police officer put him in a chokehold, which is against New York Police Department policy. Garner repeatedly said, I can t breathe. He passed out on the sidewalk and was later pronounced dead. On December 3, a grand jury decided not to charge the police officer responsible for Garner s death. This news came just weeks after the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown was also not charged. Across the country, people protested racial profiling and police brutality. In New York, the department of education banned students from leaving school to protest. But students at a Manhattan school left early to participate in a protest march anyway. What do you think are the protestors goals? page 6
Name The Week in Map Write the number of the story below next to the correct location. ➀ Guantanamo Bay, one of the prison camps where the CIA used secretive torture practices, is in this country. ➁ The Duke and Duchess visited this city. ➂ This is one of the countries successfully fighting hunger. ➃ This island country is being hit hard by climate change and pushing developing nations to cut emissions. ➄ Protests over the Eric Garner decision were staged from Brooklyn to this city. page 7