PRE-READING:
Look at the title and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.
Ex: Which singers have died young?
WHILE READING:
Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress.
SKIMMING:
Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs in your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.
AMY WINEHOUSE JOINS ICONIC STARS WHO DIED AGED 27
The death of singer Amy Winehouse, after her long battle with drink and drugs, means the Londoner joins a significant number of troubled musicians to die at the age of 27.
The list of stars who have died at this early stage in their life come from a range of eras and styles but one thing they have in common is that they had a huge influence on music during their short careers.
The rock 'n' roll expression "live fast, die young" is often quoted in the cases of five other musicians who left their fans wanting more at the age of 27.
Brian Jones (1942-1969)
One of the founding members of The Rolling Stones, he was best known for his guitar and harmonica playing in the band.
He had also initially doubled up as the business manager of the group - earning more than the other members. But when Andrew Loog Oldham was appointed as manager, Jones became renowned as much for his heavy drug use as for his musical contribution to the band.
When in June 1969, the other members decided that they needed a reliable lead guitarist for their upcoming tour, the 27-year-old was replaced in the band by Mick Taylor.
Less than a month later, the star was found dead in the swimming pool at his home at Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, Sussex.
A coroner ruled his death was caused by "misadventure" and also noted that Jones's liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse.
A film, Stoned, released in 2005, claimed Jones was killed by his builder, Frank Thorogood, to whom he owed money. Mr Thorogood was also said to have made a deathbed confession in 1993. But despite a police review of the case, no further action was taken.
Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
At the height of her career, the singer was known as the Queen of Rock and Roll and the Queen of Psychedelic Soul.
Joplin's body was discovered by her road manager John Cooke at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Los Angeles.
The singer had a heavy addiction to heroin and it was claimed she would shoot up $200 worth of the drug per day.
It was the drug that eventually killed her, according to the official coroner's report.
Cooke has always maintained that Joplin died from a dose of heroin stronger than normal, as several of her dealer's other customers also overdosed that week.
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest electric guitarists in musical history, Hendrix was also well known for his sense of style.
The official post-mortem examination report stated that he had choked on his own vomit.
In 2009, Animals roadie James Wright - also known as Tappy - wrote a book claiming Hendrix had been murdered.
He suggested that Hendrix's manager Mike Jeffery had admitted that the star had been killed because he had wanted to end his management contract.
But Mr Jeffery's assistant manager later said the story was made up to boost sales of the book.
Jim Morrison (1943-1971)
The Doors frontman, who would often improvise poems while on stage, was found dead in a bathtub in a Paris flat.
No official post-mortem examination was carried out because the medic who was called to the scene claimed there was no evidence of foul play and ruled that heart failure was the cause of death.
Since then, much has been written about his death with friends of the star claiming he died of a drug overdose.
Some believed the musician, who suffered from asthma, had been suffering from a respiratory condition which led to him coughing up blood and choking on it.
Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)
The US songwriter was best known as the lead singer in grunge band Nirvana.
His heroin addiction and battle with depression was well documented.
In 1994 an electrician, who had arrived to put in a security system at Cobain's house, discovered the star's body.
A shotgun was found lying on his chest and the coroner ruled he had died from a gun wound to his head and concluded the death to be a suicide.
Conspiracy theories surrounding his death began to surface after a private investigator, employed by Cobain's wife Courtney Love, suggested it had been murder.
Word count: 726 words
SCANNING:
Match the singers to the statements. More than one answer is possible.
A Amy Winehouse B Brian Jones C Janis Joplin
D Jimi Hendrix E Jim Morrison F Kurt Cobain
Who:
1. was famous as a guitar player.
2. was the subject of claims that their death was murder.
3. made up poems while performing.
4. was found by an electrical worker.
5. died in 2011.
6. is known to have died from drugs.
7. was famous for their fashion sense as well as their music.
POST-READING:
Glossary:
Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.
• Iconic (adj): relating to or of the nature of an icon (Mang tính biểu tượng)
• Troubled (adj): worried and anxious (Có nhiều vấn đề trong cuộc sống, lo lắng, bồn chồn, âu lo)
• Era (n): period of time (Thời kỳ)
• Founding member (n): a person who starts an organization, a club, or a team (Thành viên sáng lập)
• Harmonica (n): a small rectangular wind instrument with a row of metal reeds along its length, held against the lips and moved from side to side to produce different notes by blowing or sucking (Kèn harmonica)
• Upcoming (adj): about to happen (Sắp tới, sắp diễn ra)
• Tour (n): a journey made by performers or a sports team, in which they perform or play in several different places (Chuyến đi biểu diễn)
• Death by misadventure (n): death caused by a person accidentally while performing a legal act without negligence or intent to harm (Điều bất hạnh, rủi ro)
• Liver (n): the organ inside your body that cleans your blood (Lá gan)
• To enlarge (v): to make or become larger or more extensive (Trướng lên, làm cho to ra)
• (Drug/alcohol) abuse (n): the improper use of something (Việc lạm dụng)
• Road manager (n): the organizer and supervisor of a musician's tour (Ông bầu tổ chức biểu diễn)
• To inject (v): to put a drug into someone's body by using a special needle (Tiêm chích)
• Coroner (n): an official whose job is to discover the cause of someone's death, especially when it is sudden or unusual (Điều tra viên (về những cái chết bất thường))
• Dose (n): a measured amount of medicine (Liều (thuốc))
• Overdose (n): too much of a drug taken at one time (Quá liều)
• Post-mortem (examination) (n): an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death (Khám nghiệm tử thi)
• Roadie (n): a person employed by a touring band of musicians to set up and maintain equipment (Nhân viên phụ trách hậu cần)
• To boost (sales): to help or encourage (sales) to increase or improve (Thúc đẩy (việc bán hàng))
• Heart failure (n): severe failure of the heart to function properly, especially as a cause of death (Chứng suy tim)
• Asthma (n): an illness that makes it difficult to breathe (Bệnh hen suyễn)
• Grunge (n): a style of rock music characterized by a raucous guitar sound and lazy vocal delivery (Một loại nhạc rock)
• Security system (n): the things you install in a building to keep someone or something safe from danger or crime (Hệ thống báo động)
• Shotgun (n): a long gun, used especially for shooting animals and birds (Súng săn)
Phrasal verbs
• Come from: belong to (Đến từ, thuộc (các tầng lớp))
• Double up: have another function/ task as well as the main one (Kiêm nhiệm, giữ thêm vai trò)
• Make up: invent a story or an excuse (Bịa ra, thêu dệt)
• Cough up: force (something, especially blood) out of the lungs or throat by coughing (Ho ra, khạc ra (máu))
• Put in: present or submit something formally (Đưa vào, gắn vào)
• Shoot up: (informal) inject oneself (or someone else) with a narcotic drug (Chích (ma túy))
Idioms and expressions
• Live fast, die young (expression): sống nhanh, chết sớm
• Make a deathbed confession: the last things people say (especially a secret or something bad they have done) when they are dying or died (Thú tội trước khi chết)
• Foul play (n): criminal or violent behaviour, in particular when resulting in another's death (Hành vi tội ác, bạo lực)
Grammar:
Phrasal verbs can be transitive (take an object) or intransitive (no direct object).
I got up at 6 am this morning (Get up is intransitive. There is no object).
I‘ll pick you up at 7. (Pick up is transitive. The object is you).
Some can be used both ways.
The plane took off from the main runway. (Intransitive – leave the ground) After the interview, I took off my tie and relaxed. (Transitive – remove clothing)
Look at the phrasal verbs in bold in the article. Are they being used as transitive or intransitive verbs? Put them into two groups.
Transitive |
Intransitive |
|
|
Reporting verbs review:
In Is Bin Laden really Dead? we looked at how to report what people say. Let’s review this area.
Look at the following reporting verbs and expressions. Find them in the article. Then match them to the situations when we use them.
quoted claimed according to (always) maintained ruled noted
stated suggested admitted be well documented
Word or expression |
Meaning |
1. quote |
to report the decision of a court in a case |
2. suggest |
to mention something, because it is important |
3. be well-documented |
to say the same thing over a long period, even though others disagree |
4. rule |
to report the exact words of someone, often a saying or memorable expression |
5. according to |
to accept that something negative is true |
6. maintain |
there is a lot written about the topic with evidence; the idea is widely accepted |
7. claim |
to say or write something clearly and officially |
8. note |
to propose a theory or explanation for something, without all the evidence |
9. state |
to say that something is true although it has not been proved |
10.admit |
to introduce some information from an authoritative document or person |
For more help on this area, look at the grammar lesson on Reporting Verbs.
Discussion:
Find a study friend. Talk about the following:
• Do you know Amy Winehouse or her music? What do you think about Amy, her music and the news of her death?
• What do you think about the celebrity lifestyle? What are its benefits and what are its dangers?
• Why do so many celebrities seem to have trouble with scandals and drugs?
• Drugs are a problem for many young people in Vietnam. What problems does it cause in society? How can we solve these problems?
Write a paragraph about one of the topics above.
Answers:
Matching
Who:
1. was famous as a guitar player. B D
2. was the subject of claims that their death was murder. B D F
3. made up poems while performing. E
4. was found by an electrical worker. F
5. died in 2011. A
6. is known to have died from drugs. C
7. was famous for their fashion sense as well as their music. D
Grammar transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs
Transitive |
Intransitive |
come from shoot up make up carry out cough up put in |
double up
|
(Note: make up and carry out are used in the passive in the article)
Note that shoot up can also be used as an intransitive verb: e.g. She was shooting up every day.
Reporting verbs
Word or expression |
Meaning |
1. quote |
to report the exact words of someone, often a saying or memorable expression |
2. suggest |
to propose a theory or explanation for something, without all the evidence |
3. be well-documented |
there is a lot written about the topic with evidence; the idea is widely accepted |
4. rule |
to report the decision of a court in a case |
5. according to |
to introduce some information from an authoritative document or person |
6. maintain |
to say the same thing over a long period, even though others disagree |
7. claim |
to say that something is true although it has not been proved |
8. note |
to mention something, because it is important |
9. state |
to say or write something clearly and officially |
10.admit |
to accept that something negative is true. |
This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).