Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Something tragic happened at the Cincinnati Zoo on May 28, 2016. A three-year-old boy fell into the gorilla pit. Zoo workers then killed a gorilla to save the boy. This event rattled many people, who then started asking questions. How can we stop these kinds of accidents? Are zoos safe? Was it wrong to kill Harambe, the gorilla?
There are two main points of view in this issue. The activists for animal rights think that it is horrible that an animal was killed. They think this is an example of bad parenting, and that the child’s mother should be in trouble for not watching him more carefully. On the other hand, most parents think a child’s life is more important than an animal’s life.
Andy and Marni are talking about what happened to Harambe. Listen to this English lesson to find out what they think.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Andy_H: Hey Marni! Have you heard of Harambe?
Marni: Is that the gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo that was killed?
Andy_H: It is, it was, yes. It’s really a tragic story. It’s interesting because it’s brought up so many different points of view that people have about animal rights and also about parenting. Harambe was a gorilla and a child fell into the gorilla pit. Harambe was actually shot dead in order to save the child…
Marni: Right.
Andy_H: ...and this has rattled animal rights activists who are upset that a gorilla got killed because of, quote unquote, bad parenting.
Marni: Well, I think it is tragic that he died, but I am a parent myself, and so the other side of me thinks, yeah, if that was my kid that fell in there, I’d do whatever it takes to get him out. I can understand the parenting view and accidents do happen.
Andy_H: And that’s the thing with this issue. Is it more of an animal rights issue or more of a parenting issue? It’s really a hard topic that has brought a lot of people who are usually in confrontation together.
Marni: Well, maybe there’s something to be said for that.
Andy_H: Let’s hope.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Andy asks Marni if she heard about what happened to Harambe. Marni is not quite sure what happened at the Cincinnati Zoo, so Andy tells her the story of the little boy who fell into the gorilla pit. He thinks Harambe’s death is tragic but interesting because now people have such strong points of view about the issue.
Marni understands that this issue is about both animal rights and parenting. Marni herself feels rattled because she is a parent. She knows that sometimes accidents happen even when parents are good parents. She hopes that parents and activists will be able to learn something from each other in this confrontation. Andy agrees with her.
What do you think about this story? Do you agree with the parents or with the animal rights activists?
Comments
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