Unlocking
Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. pose (v.) [pohz] – to position one’s body in a particular way, especially when being photographed
Example: The model
posed gracefully in front of the
camera.
2. drive off (idiom) [drahyv] [awf, of] – to force someone or something to go
away
Example: Policemen
drive off street beggars.
3. starvation (n.) [stahr-vey-shuhn] – the condition of being hungry for a long
period of time
Example: The dry
season has brought starvation to the
village.
4. non-lethal (adj.) [nan] [lee-thuhl] – not deadly or fatal
Example: Animals
should be controlled in a non-lethal
way.
Article
Read the text below.
An
internet businessman defended himself for hunting elephants in Zimbabwe and
shooting them to death.
Bob
Parsons, CEO of GoDaddy.com, posted an online video on his website which showed
him killing a wild elephant in Zimbabwe and posing beside the
animal lying dead on the ground. It also showed villagers rushing towards the
elephant to cut its meat for food.
Parsons
said he only wanted to help the farmers drive off wild elephants
which would often run over crops and destroy them. Killing the wild elephants
not only protected crops but also provided extra food for starved people,
Parsons claimed.
He
said that he posted the video on his website to show everyone the starvation of
poor people in Zimbabwe.
Although
killing wild elephants is not illegal in the country, Parsons’ critics said a
better solution to control them would be donating money to finance non- methods like electric fences.
Parsons
argued that his critics fail to understand the whole situation because as
animal lovers, they are only concerned about the elephant.
Parsons
has been to Zimbabwe several times and he has already killed five elephants
since he started hunting them a year ago.
Negative
comments flooded Parson’s website after the video came out. People were also
urged to boycott his internet business. Meanwhile, Parson’s staff said that
despite the controversy, Parson’s internet business remains stable.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
What do you think are some reasons
animals attack people?
·
How can we protect ourselves against
wild animals without killing or harming them?
Discussion B
·
Should people who unnecessarily hurt
or harm animals be punished by law? Why or why not?
·
Do you agree that animals have
rights, too? Why or why not?
