Satire: Witty language to convey insults or scorn. It's a way of criticising people or ideas in a humorous way, or a piece of writing or play which uses this style.
A while ago I posted a lesson based on a satirical article about Facebook. Here's another one, for your amusement, about illegal downloading! Read the article and try and complete the gaps with the correct words. Right, I’m off to listen to Spotify...
Lesson by Caroline Devane
Compass - a device for finding direction which has a needle which can move easily and that always points to magnetic north.
Risk - the possibility of something bad happening.
Downloading - copying or moving programs or information into a computer's memory, especially from the Internet.
Pocket - a small bag for carrying things in, which is made of cloth and sewn into the inside or onto the outside of a piece of clothing.
Victimless - In a victimless crime no one suffers directly, sometimes because the people affected by the crime have agreed to take part in it.
Commissioned -To have formally chosen someone to do a special piece of work.
Executives - People in high positions, especially in business, who make decisions and put them into action.
A new survey has shown that illegal downloading in the UK is growing, with around 7.7 million people preferring to get their music for free rather than _1_ having some of their money accidentally end up in the hands of someone like Simon Cowell.
The British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) _2_ research based on internet users' habits, with BPI boss Geoff Taylor telling reporters, "These downloaders are parasites taking the ice-cold Cristal from our mouths. It's disgusting."
The news has been met with little surprise by anyone with functioning ears and a reasonably accurate moral _3_ .
One music fan told us, "How can I, in good conscience, pay money for some music when I know full well that some of that money might ultimately end up supporting someone like Bono?"
"It's a risk I'm simply not prepared to take."
Another told us, "Given the choice between paying for something, or getting the same thing completely free, is not much of a choice at all. Is it?"
"People talk about it being a crime - at least technically - but taking money from the _4_ of someone like Simon Cowell is about as close to a _5_ crime as it's possible to get, surely?"
Music industry spokesperson said, "We had hoped that by now people would have gone off the idea of getting stuff for free, and would be willing give us money for stuff that they could get for free elsewhere."
"Especially in these trying times where it has become increasingly difficult for music industry _6_ to maintain a truly opulent lifestyle."
"I guess that despite the millions we've spent on anti-piracy advertising, people have finally realised that illegally _7_ a U2 album is about as far from stealing a car as it’s possible to get."
Which Key Words are needed in the 7 spaces?
