1. Banning Pit Bulls
Mini-Debates
1. In October, 2004, the province of Ontario, Canada announced that it
would ban pit bull dogs. When the law passed it became illegal to
own, buy, sell, breed, or import this kind of dog.
2. The law allowed people who currently owned pit bulls to keep
their dogs, but only under very strict rules. These dogs had to be
muzzled and on leashes. New ownership was completely banned
throughout the province. The law will also placed severe
restrictions and penalties on irresponsible owners of all breeds.
Dog owners who break the new law may have to pay fines of
$10,000 or spend up to six months in jail.
3. A number of very serious pit bull attacks in Ontario caused the
government to take this action. In one situation a man was attacked
by two pit bulls and it was necessary for the police to fire over a
dozen bullets before the attack stopped. According to Michael
Bryant, the Attorney General of Ontario, the man was “practically
eaten alive from the ankles up”. In another recent case, a three year
old child needed over 200 stitches to close the wounds he suffered
in a pit bull attack.
4. Before reaching its decision to ban pit bulls, the Ontario
government spent several months meeting with different groups on
opposite sides of the debate. Since the government made its
announcement, there has been mixed reaction among the people of
Ontario. Many people were delighted with the law. However, pit
bull owners as well as many other dog owners were not happy. They
believed that the problem was not the breed of dog. They say that
dogs only become vicious when they have irresponsible owners.
5. While Ontario was the first province in Canada to ban pit bulls,
some cities had already done so. In 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba
became the first Canadian city to ban pit bulls. According to a
Winnipeg city official, the number of pit bull attacks decreased from
29 in 1989 to zero the following year. There are similar bans in
France, Britain, and Germany.
6. According to some studies that were done in the United States, pit
bulls make up only one to three percent of the overall dog population,
but they cause more than fifty percent of all serious dog attacks.
Banning Pit bulls DISCUSS IT
Work with a partner or in small groups.
Discuss the following questions.
1. Should dogs be allowed to run freely
(without a leash) in public parks?
2. If a dog attacks someone, do you think the
dog owner should be punished?
3. If a dog attacks someone, do you think the
dog should be destroyed?
4. Do you think that any breed of dog can
become vicious if it is not properly cared
for?
5. Do you think that it should be against the
law to own any kind of dangerous pet? (ex.
snakes, spiders, etc.)
6. Do you think that letter carriers should have
to deliver the mail to a home if there is a
dangerous dog present?
WRITE IT ✍
Choose one of the questions above and write
a paragraph stating your own opinion.
2. Chernobyl
1. On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear accident in history took place
at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Pripyat, Ukraine.
2. A large cloud of poisonous radioactive elements was released into
the air when one of the plant’s nuclear reactors exploded and started a
huge fire. The plant was only two miles (about 3.22 kilometers) away
from Pripyat, and its 45,000 residents were evacuated within 24 hours,
never to return. Another 85,000 people living within 18 miles (about 29
kilometers) of Chernobyl were relocated in the next month. Over the
years, as many as 350,000 people have left their homes due to high
radiation levels. Today, it is a ghost town that is being taken over by
surrounding forests.
3. The wind carried the radioactive cloud over large parts of Europe,
as far away as Scandinavia and England. Over 55,000 square miles
(about 142,449 square kilometers) were contaminated, but 70% of
the radiation settled on nearby Belarus, which has since suffered
hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.
4. Some scientists estimate that more than 200,000 people have
died since 1986 as a result of the accident, and another 100,000
deaths from cancer may occur in the coming years. Others think
that these numbers are much smaller.
5. Over five million people still live in contaminated areas, and their
health may be at risk from eating contaminated food, such as fish
from the rivers, mushrooms and berries from the forests, and meat
or milk from cattle and sheep that graze on the land. Several European
countries will not accept food products grown in these areas. Many
workers have moved away, and life is difficult for those left behind.
Some even believe that the accident contributed to the collapse
of the Soviet Union.
6. April 26, 2006, marked the 20th anniversary of the disaster.
Ceremonies were held in Ukraine to remember its victims and
to bring attention to survivors who continue to be affected by it.
In 2010, workers from 27 countries began building a new structure
over the damaged reactor to prevent further contamination.
7. One positive outcome of this disaster is that the safety of nuclear
power plants has vastly improved. Many nations now have
strict safeguards and codes in place to prevent similar accidents.
Unfortunately, a similar accident occurred in Japan in 2011 after
an earthquake triggered a tsunami. Has the Fukushima nuclear
disaster brought about even more safety regulations?
The Exclusion Zone:
Experts estimate
that it will take over
300 years before
this disaster site is
inhabitable again.
3. 1. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol is an international
agreement that deals with global warming. Global
warming is caused by an increase in greenhouse
gases in the earth’s atmosphere.
2. Greenhouse gases are produced by the industrial
activities of developed nations, mainly from
burning oil, gas, and coal. When these gases
collect in the atmosphere, they trap heat
near the earth’s surface and cause the global
temperature to rise. This increase in temperature
can produce changes in wind patterns and
precipitation. These changes can lead to severe
weather such as droughts, floods, or powerful
hurricanes that can have devastating social
and economic consequences.
3. The Kyoto Protocol was created to encourage
countries to reduce the amount of greenhouse
gases they produce and to become more energy
efficient and socially responsible. To be legally
binding, the protocol had to be signed by 55
countries that produced 55% of the industrialized
world’s greenhouse gases in 1990.
4. Several countries, including Canada, Japan, and
the European Union, signed the protocol, but there
was concern that the required numbers to make
it legally binding would not be reached. However,
Russia’s decision to sign the protocol in September
2004 ensured it would take effect. In return, the
European Union pledged to support Russia’s
application to join the World Trade Organization.
Russia’s signature was crucial because both
the United States and Australia refused to ratify
the protocol.
5. In February 2005, 30 industrialized countries
started to limit or reduce their greenhouse
emissions to meet the scientific targets set out for
them by the protocol. The goal was to reduce
greenhouse gases by 5% by 2012. Countries that
had not produced significant amounts of
greenhouse gases in the past, including India and
China, would be expected to participate in the
protocol as they become more industrialized.
6. While Canada was one of the first to sign the
protocol, its greenhouse gas emissions rose
significantly. In 2011, prior to the expiry of Kyoto,
Canada pulled out of its commitment. In 2012,
Australia, the European Union, and several
developing nations agreed to work toward a
replacement treaty. The proposed goal was to
prevent global temperatures from ever rising
more than two degrees Celsius. However, Canada,
the US, Japan, and Russia refused to sign on to
Kyoto’s extension.
The Kyoto Protocol
