Audio taken from the podcast ‘Study 4 English with Tom Hollett‘
Video available on my Youtube channel here ‘Tom Hollett‘
1. Before you listen, add the preposition that goes with each group of verbs
for / from / in / on / of / to / with
| wait prepare apologise ask | rely concentrate agree depend | recover suffer prevent protect save | agree deal provide | listen refer allow | believe succeed | approve smell die |
2. Before you listen, fill in the missing prepositions in the text.
Unvaxxed England Players Depend ______ Changes To Entry Rules For The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
The England football squad are waiting ______ changes to Qatar’s entry rules. England manager Gareth Southgate wants every player available to prepare ______ the first game together, but he may not be able to rely ______ five players who refused the covid-19 vaccine. If the rules don’t change, these players will miss five days of preparations while in quarantine, unless they can show they have recovered ______ the virus in the last nine months.
Not everyone will approve _______ players saying ‘no’ to the injection, but Southgate won’t ask them to apologise ______ anything. He understands that not all the players agree ______ him, despite doctors providing them ______ a lot of information.
Southgate’s view
The England manager told reporters “Look, everybody knows where I stand on the subject. To move out of a pandemic, the only way was a vaccination programme and I think that was essential.”
Why did some players say ‘no’?
Southgate commented “At their age they are more open to some of these conspiracy theories because they are reading social media more.” Southgate could be right, although he may undervalue the intelligence of his players. Here are a few possible reasons that he didn’t mention.
‘Safe and Effective’?
The players might think the injection is not safe because of the growing number of vaccine injuries that people report suffering ______. They might not think it’s effective because it won’t protect them ______ catching the virus or giving it to others.
Medical Studies and Propaganda
It’s also possible that the players listened ______ doctors who have contradicted government scientists. These doctors often refer ______ recent medical studies to make their arguments. The players may also feel that the pressure to get vaccinated has the smell ______ propaganda. So they might not fully trust and believe ______ the statistics about the number of people who died ______covid.
The Right to Privacy
Southgate didn’t respond ______ questions about the vaccination status of individual players. Journalists already know who the unvaccinated players are but are prevented ______ publishing their names because of medical privacy laws.
Allowed to Arrive Early
Southgate wants a solution that saves his squad _______ disruption. To succeed ______ the tournament, the team needs to concentrate ______ football rather than medical issues.
One solution could be for unvaccinated players to come five days before the rest of the squad so that they deal ______ the quarantine before their teammates arrive. This will only be possible if the players ask their clubs ______ permission, but their clubs might not allow them ______ go early. Whatever happens, Southgate needs to unite his players and tell them ‘We don’t have to agree ______ every medical issue to win the world cup’.
3. Listen to the audio to check your answers
4. Do the crossword
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