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Lithuania Plans Blonde Vacation Island (3rd October, 2010)

A company from Lithuania plans to set up a vacation island in the Maldives where all the staff have blonde hair. The company is called Olialia (pronounced “ooh-la-la”). It believes the idea of having all blonde employees will bring in many tourists. An Olialia spokesman said even the pilots who fly to the island must be blonde. Olialia is already quite big in Lithuania. It has branched out into 75 different areas, including music, food and computer software. The company is part of a blonde craze that is sweeping Lithuania.

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Many people are saying the idea is a racist one. It means local people in the Maldives cannot work on the island because of the colour of their hair. Others say Olialia is sending out the wrong image about blonde women. They think the company wants to attract men to the island who really like blondes. The company told the BBC that: "Our girls are very smart and they have degrees. All of them want to do something with their lives. They have lots of business ideas." It did not say what happens when blonde employees start going grey.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	set up a vacation	a.	hair
2	the staff have blonde	b.	out
3.	pronounced	c.	sweeping Lithuania
4.	the pilots who	d.	island in the Maldives
5.	branched	e.	“ooh-la-la”
6.	a blonde craze that is	f.	fly to the island

Paragraph 2

1.	the idea is	a.	to the island
2	sending out the	b.	a racist one
3.	attract men	c.	their lives
4.	Our girls are very	d.	grey
5.	do something with	e.	smart
6.	start going	f.	wrong image

LISTENING GAP FILL

A company from Lithuania __________________ vacation island in the Maldives __________________ have blonde hair. The company is called Olialia (pronounced “ooh-la-la”). It __________________ having all blonde employees will bring in many tourists. An Olialia spokesman said __________________ fly to the island must be blonde. Olialia is already quite big in Lithuania. It __________________ into 75 different areas, including music, food and computer software. The company is __________________ craze that is sweeping Lithuania.

Many people are __________________ a racist one. It means local people in the Maldives cannot __________________ because of the colour of their hair. Others say Olialia is sending out __________________ about blonde women. They think the company __________________ men to the island who really like blondes. The company told the BBC that: "Our girls are very smart and __________________. All of them want to do something with their lives. They have lots of business ideas." It did not say __________________ blonde employees start going grey.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A company from Lithuania plans to set (1) ____ a vacation island in the Maldives where all the staff have blonde hair. The company is called Olialia ((2) ____ “ooh-la-la”). It believes the idea of having (3) ____ blonde employees will bring in many (4) ____. An Olialia spokesman said even the pilots who fly to the island must be blonde. Olialia is already quite big in Lithuania. It has branched (5) ____ into 75 different areas, including music, food and computer software. The company is part of a blonde (6) ____ that is sweeping Lithuania.

Many people are saying (7) ____ idea is a racist one. It means (8) ____ people in the Maldives cannot work on the island because of the colour of their hair. Others say Olialia is sending out the wrong image (9) ____ blonde women. They think the company wants to (10) ____ men to the island who really like blondes. The company told the BBC that: "Our girls are very smart and they have (11) ____. All of them want to do something with their lives. They have lots of business ideas." It did not say what happens when blonde employees start (12) ____ grey.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	in	(b)	down	(c)	up
2.	(a)	pronounced	(b)	pronunciation	(c)	pronounces
3.	(a)	every	(b)	all	(c)	a
4.	(a)	tourists	(b)	touristy	(c)	tourism
5.	(a)	in	(b)	up	(c)	out
6.	(a)	crazy	(b)	craze	(c)	craziness
7.	(a)	the	(b)	an	(c)	a
8.	(a)	locally	(b)	locals	(c)	local
9.	(a)	about	(b)	abroad	(c)	above
10.	(a)	attractive	(b)	attraction	(c)	attract
11.	(a)	temperatures	(b)	degrees	(c)	fevers
12	(a)	coming	(b)	going	(c)	arriving

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	A pnmyaoc from Lithuaniaand
2.	enocronpud “ooh-la-la”
3.	all blonde elsmyepeo
4.	bring in many outtirss
5.	already ueqit big
6.	a blonde aczre
Paragraph 2
7.	alloc people
8.	the looruc of their hair
9.	the wrong igema
10.	taartct men
11.	lots of business dsiae
12.	start onggi grey

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( 1 )	A company from Lithuania plans to set up a vacation island in the Maldives where all the staff have blonde
( )	already quite big in Lithuania. It has branched out into 75 different areas, including music, food and
( )	computer software. The company is part of a blonde craze that is sweeping Lithuania.
( )	hair. The company is called Olialia (pronounced “ooh-la-la”). It believes the idea of having all blonde employees will
( )	bring in many tourists. An Olialia spokesman said even the pilots who fly to the island must be blonde. Olialia is
( )	lives. They have lots of business ideas." It did not say what happens when blonde employees start going grey.
( )	blonde women. They think the company wants to attract men to the island who really like blondes. The company
( )	told the BBC that: "Our girls are very smart and they have degrees. All of them want to do something with their
( )	Many people are saying the idea is a racist one. It means local people in the Maldives cannot work on the
( )	island because of the colour of their hair. Others say Olialia is sending out the wrong image about

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	in up the a Maldives vacation island Set.
2.	bring All in blonde many employees tourists will.
3.	who fly to the island must be blonde The pilots.
4.	out into It 75 has different branched areas.
5.	is that craze blonde A Lithuania sweeping.
6.	saying racist is People one the are a idea.
7.	in people Local work cannot Maldives the.
8.	image wrong the out sending is Olialia.
9.	want to do something with their lives All of them.
10.	going start employees Blonde grey.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about being blonde for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. BEING BLONDE: Search the Internet and find more information about being blonde. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about this blonde vacation island. Include imaginary interviews with local people. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to the owner of Olialia. Ask him/her three questions about this island. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Blonde Vacation Island (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)