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Monday, 5 October 2015

Another school shooting in the USA (2)

Another school shooting in the USA (2)
(Level: intermediate / B1 to B2 / **)


Umpqua Community College
Photo credit: www.irishtimes.com
A gunman killed nine people on 1st October 2015 at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. 
But what is known about the killer?

You are now going to watch a BBC report.



Roseburg, Oregon
Map credit: www.epodunk.com

Before watching:

The following words could be useful:

grief: deep sadness caused by someone's death     douleur / chagrin / affliction  
to find... tough: to find... very difficult (to deal with...)       trouver... trop dur  
a shootout: a fight involving firearms until someone gets killed     fusillade / échange de coups de feu  
bereaved: sad because a family member has died      endeuillé / éploré
stunned: shocked / particularly amazed        stupéfait / abasourdi  
to bear the scars of...: to live with emotional damage caused by past events that cannot be forgotten    connaître les affres de ...  / porter les stigmates de ...  
weary with sorrow: extremely sad         se fondre en larmes  



While watching:

Answer the following question:

What do we know about the shooter?





You can also watch the report on the BBC website by clicking HERE









When you are finished, you can check your answers:

- Homme de 26 ans d'origine anglaise
- Nom: Chris Harper Mercer
- Il semble qu'il soutenait l'IRA.
- Abattu par la police dans la fusillade.
- Il vivait chez sa mère à proximité de l'école.
- Il aurait demandé aux gens de se lever s'ils étaient chrétiens pour leur dire qu'ils allaient rejoindre Dieu et ensuite il a tiré...
- ...








Sunday, 4 October 2015

Another school shooting in the USA (1)

Another school shooting in the USA (1)
Level: intermediate / B1 / ** 



Photo credit: www.mirror.co.uk


A mass shooting took place on 1st October 2015 at Umpqua Community College (*)  in Roseburg in Oregon killing 9 people and injuring at least 7 more. 

(*) A Community College in the USA is a post-secondary school (junior school or technical college) which provides academic, vocational and professional education.


Roseburg, Oregon
Map credit: epodunk.com

You are going to watch a BBC report focusing on that latest tragedy.


Before watching:


The following notes could be useful:

Since Newtown: the reporter refers to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took place on 14th December 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot his mother first at their Newtown home before killing 20 children and 6 schoolteachers at the school. He then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. 




While watching:


Answer the following question:

  • What do the following figures refer to?  

       294 / 21 / 55  / 1 / 4





You can also watch the report on the BBC website by clicking HERE










When you are finished, you can check your answers:

294: le nombre de tueries de masse jusqu'à présent (rien que pour cette année) aux Etats-Unis.
21: le nombre de tueries perpétrées dans des écoles et universités aux Etats-Unis depuis les événements de Newtown (décembre 2012)
55: le nombre de tueries dans les écoles américaines entre 1991 et 2013.
1: un cas de tuerie (dans une école) au Royaume-Uni.