1. 1.Famous names. Can you name a famous...

Example: Argentinian sportsman?Dieqo Maradonna

1. Chinese politician?

2. black Southern African political figure?

3. Polish person who became a world religious leader?

4. Italian opera singer?

5. Irish rock-music group?

2.Correct the mistakes in these newspaper headlines.

1. Madonna to marry a French? Hollywood sensation!

2. Britains have highest tax rate in EC

3. Vietnamian refugees leave Hong Kong camps

4. POLICE ARREST DANISH ON SMUGGLING CHARGE

5. Iranian delegation meets Pakistanian President

3. World quiz.

1. What are the main ethnic groups in Malaysia?

2. Which countries, strictly speaking, are in Scandinavia?

3. What are the five countries with the highest population?

4. How many languages are there in the world?

5. Where is Kiribati?

6. Where do people speak Inuit?

7. What are the five most widely spoken languages?

Follow-up: Make sure you can describe your nationality, country, region, ethnic group, language(s), etc. in English.

SECTION 1

MAKING STEREOTYPES

Examine the definitions of the words nation, stereotype given below.

Nation is a group of people who share common history and usually a language, not always living in the same area.

Stereotype is a fixed set of ideas about what a particular type of person or thing is like, which is believed to be true in all cases.

Work in pairs or small groups and give your own explanation of the word combination national stereotypes.

Read the text.

HOW WE MAKE STEREOTYPES

A "stereotype" is a generalization about a person or a group of people. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we would need to make fair judgments about people or situations. In the absence of the "total picture", stereotypes in many cases allow us to "fill in the blanks". Our society often innocently creates stereotypes, but these stereotypes often lead to unfair discrimination and persecution when the stereotype is unfavourable.

For example, if we are walking through a park late at night and encounter three senior citizens wearing fur coats and walking with canes, we may not feel as threatened as if we were met by three high school-aged boys wearing leather jackets. Why is this so? We have made a generalization in each case. These generalizations have their roots in experiences we have had ourselves, read about in books and magazines, seen in movies or television, or have had related to us by friends and family. In many cases, these stereotypical generalizations are reasonably accurate. Yet, in virtually every case, we are resorting to prejudice by ascribing characteristics about a person based on a stereotype, without knowledge of the total facts. By stereotyping, we assume that a person or group has certain characteristics. Quite often, we have stereotypes about persons who are members of groups with which we have not had firsthand contact. Television, books, comic strips, and movies are all abundant sources of stereotyped characters. The problem begins when these stereotypes affect the success and lifestyles of individuals in a negative way when these beliefs carry no merit. Gender and race have been categories used to stereotype a person in the past and whether they are negative or positive, they continually cause a split in communities.

There are at least 3 reasons in the text why people make stereotypes. Work in small groups and list them. Add more of your own.