Subway and Bus Blasts in London Kill at Least 37

Bomb explosions tore through three subway trains and a red-painted double-decker bus in a coordinated (1) _________ attack during London's morning rush hour on Thursday, killing at least 37 people, wounding about 700 and leaving the city stunned and bloodied but oddly stoic. The entire subway network was closed as (2) ___________ workers went deep below ground to look for the dead and wounded. Police officers in yellow slickers sealed off streets, and bus services were halted.

There were several theories about the strategy and methodology of the (3) _________, including the possibility that the devices in the subway were set off by timers. A group describing itself as being affiliated with Al Qaeda took (4) __________ for the attacks on a Web site, but the police said they were unable to confirm the authenticity of the claim. The group, the Secret Orgnization of Al Qaeda in Europe, said the attacks had been undertaken to avenge British involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The attacks were the worst in British memory since World War II. Since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, the police here have been rehearsing emergency procedures and seemed to be following pre-arranged measures, urging people to stay where they were, tune into television, radio or Web site and avoid central London. British officials have been forecasting a major terror (5) _______ on London, particularly since Britain sided with the United States in the war in Iraq.

The (6) _______ spread worries across Europe, particularly in those lands that are seen as allies of the United States - Spain until last year, Italy and others. Immediately after the attacks, the United States raised its terror alert level from elevated to high for mass transit systems, and European nations also increased mass transit (7) __________ precautions.

Ex. 10. Work in pairs or in small groups. Discuss the following issues:

1. Terrorism: political, religious and psychological roots.

2. Terrorism: conviction to faith or fight for oil and power?

3. Terrorism as par of nationalism and fundamentalism

4. Case studies: the Red Brigade in Italy, Irish extremists, Palestinian Shahids, Chechen militants, etc.

Unit 5. Global Issues

Key vocabulary

Give equivalents in your mothertongue to the following English words and phrases:

Acid rain

aid package; to funnel development aid into

burning of fossil fuels

calamity Syn.: disaster; on a calamitous scale

to chlorinate wells

climate change

destitute and disease-ridden region

devastation

emergency response team

emissions of greenhouse gases

to enforce the peace

environmental sustainability

global catastrophe

to impose quotas on emissions

nuclear nonproliferation

outbreaks of cholera

pollute; pollution; pollutant

to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases

relief agencies

to restore safe water supplies

sewage

shortages of safe drinking water

waste

water-purification tablets; water chlorination program

Ex. 1. Speak on the following:

1. Independent sovereign states: the main actors in the international system.

2. The best methods of maintaining order: balance of power, diplomacy, and the formation of alliances.

3. The role of international institutions in the international system.

Ex. 2. Before reading the newspaper article below discuss in pairs what you think