News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

September 2009
Level ≥ Advanced
Style ≥ Individual or group activities
Welcome to the Guardian Weekly’s special news-based materials to support learners and teachers of
English. Each month, the Guardian Weekly newspaper selects topical news articles that can be used to
practise English language skills. The materials are graded for two levels: Advanced and Lower Intermediate.
These worksheets can be downloaded free from guardianweekly.co.uk/learningenglish/. You can also
find more advice for teachers and learners on the site
Materials prepared by Janet Hardy-Gould

Alexandria library serves up wrong food for thought

Fast food fiction? Bibliotheca Alexandrina The Travel Library/Rex Features

2 Match these adjective and noun collocations.

Before reading a secret 1 criticism
1 Look at the headline, photo and caption of the b multinational 2 plan
article. Complete the paragraph below with words c harsh 3 scandal
from the headline or caption. d brand 4 corporation
The article is about a modern e corruption 5 consumerism
(a) called the f brash 6 name
(b) Work with a partner. Look at these collocations
which has been built in the ancient Egyptian city of and the information in exercise one. What can you
(c) . However, some people predict about the content of the article?
are unhappy about plans for a new
(d) area in the building.
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News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

September 2009

6 “I don’t know why everything promising, every-

Article thing good, in this country must be destroyed
Alexandria library serves up by the government … with their greed and coop-
eration with the businessmen,” said Zeinobia, a
wrong food for thought prominent blogger. Ismail Alexandrani, behind
a 5,000-strong Facebook group vowing “cultural
1 It was meant to be the library that recaptured the
resistance” to the food court, wrote: “This is
glories of Alexandria, providing a new home for
about money, money, money.”
the world’s knowledge almost 2,000 years after
its predecessor was burned to the ground. But
7 The controversy is only the latest in a series of
whereas the old Egyptian library offered a rich
disputes to hit the Bibliotheca. The library’s
diet of philosophy and history to the greatest
building costs have been criticised as a misuse of
thinkers of its age, including Euclid, Archimedes
resources in a country with widespread poverty.
and Herophilus, the modern Bibliotheca Alexan-
The library has also struggled to build up its
drina is attracting harsh criticism for serving up
collection of books due to a lack of funds.
very different fare.
Jack Shenker, Alexandria
2 A row has erupted over the decision to build a
food court at the heart of Egypt’s self-proclaimed
“window on the world”, with critics accusing the
Bibliotheca’s trustees of selling out the library’s
venerable legacy for short-term profit. Among
the charges levelled at the $220m Bibliotheca,
which opened seven years ago, is the accusa- Glossary
tion that secret plans are being hatched to allow
burger chain McDonald’s to open a branch inside food for thought (expression) an idea that makes you
the complex, and that the library is putting brash think carefully
consumerism ahead of serious scholarship. fare (noun) food
trustee (noun) a member of a group that controls the
3 Library authorities have denied the claims, in- financial affairs of a charity or other organisation
venerable (adjective) when something is respected
sisting the food area is needed for the annual in-
because it is old
flux of 800,000 visitors.
influx (noun) the sudden arrival of large numbers of
people, money or goods etc
4 Six companies have got licences to open stores in
the food area and the library insists McDonald’s
is not among them. Sharif Riad, PR director, said
the court was sensitively designed with no logos
visible.

5 But in a country that has seen the presence of

multinational corporations proliferate in recent
years the library’s assurances have left many un-
convinced. Commentators link the invasion of
brand names into Egypt’s most sacred cultural
institution with broader ties between capitalists
and politicians and the ensuing corruption
scandals.
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News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

September 2009

While reading f Zeinobia has accused the government of …

1 Read the article. Decide if these sentences are
true (T) or false (F). Underline where you find the
information in the text.
a The ancient library in Alexandria no longer exists.
g The costly library is controversial because Egypt
b The new library was built more than five years
suffers from …
ago.
c There are definite plans for a McDonald’s in the
library.
d Visitors will see brand logos in the food court.
e Critics see the food court as part of wider political
problems.
f There is an online protest group against the food After reading
court. 1 Complete the table below with abstract nouns and
g The library has successfully built up its book verbs.
collection. Verb Noun
invade (a)
2 Read the article again. Complete the sentences with
words from the article. (b) accusation
a The old library was used by scholars such as …
assure (c)

(d) criticism
b Critics think brash consumerism has replaced the
co-operate (e)
tradition of …
(f) proliferation

resist (g)
c The authorities say the food court is essential
for the … (h) destruction

corrupt (i)
Look back at how the nouns and verbs are used in
the context of the article. Where is the stress in these
d At present there are plans for six companies to … words? Check with a dictionary.

2 Complete the sentences with words from exercise 1.

You may need to change the form of the verbs.
a The government has been
e There have been corruption scandals because of for working too closely with big corporations.
links between … b There have been worrying reports of
among top politicians.
c The spokesman gave a firm
that there would be no vis-
ible logos in the library.
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News-based English language activities from the global newspaper Page 

September 2009

d Bloggers want to stop the food court and they have d The uniqueness of a cultural institution could be
started a campaign of . destroyed by the presence of multinational restaurants
e In recent years fast food restaurants have begun to and shops.
in many large cities.
f Some critics have the
trustees of bringing consumerism into the Bibliotheca.
g There is positive between
groups who are raising money for the library.

Activity — discussion e It is pure snobbery to say that certain restaurants

Decide if you agree [A] or disagree [D] with the state- shouldn’t be allowed in libraries or museums.
ments below. Discuss your ideas in small groups.
Use the space provided for making notes
a Sacred cultural institutions should never open
shops or cafes within their walls.

For more images and information on

Bibliotheca Alexandrina go to bibalex.org

b Visitor attractions need to have places for people

to eat and shop in order to survive financially.

g cooperation
d resistance e proliferate f accused
2 a criticised b corruption c assurance
h destroy i corruption
1 a invasion b accuse c assurance d criticise e cooperation f proliferate g resistance
After reading

g widespread poverty.
c Most tourists see shops and cafes as an essential f greed and cooperation with businessmen.
part of their visitor experience. e capitalists and politicians.
d open stores in the food area.
c annual influx of 800,000 visitors.
b serious scholarship.
2 a Euclid, Archimedes and Herophilus.
1aTbTcFdFeTfTgF
While reading

2a2b4c1d6e3f5
c Alexandria d food
1 a library b Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Before reading

Answers