Word Power Match the following words with their meanings on the right. 1. crackdown 2. vigil 3. embarrassment 4. lobby 5. supplement a. a time when people stay awake, usually at night, in order to keep watch or pray b. to add something in order to improve something or make it more complete c. shame; guilt d. repressive or brutal action e. to try to influence a politician or government to support or oppose a law/policy Fill in the blanks with the words you have learned. 6. The women's group is planning to ________________ the government for more financial support for single mothers. 7. His drunken behaviour at the bar has caused great ________________ to his family. 8. The parents of the seriously ill girl kept a round-the-clock ________________ at her bedside. 9. I want to find a part-time job to ________________ my family's income. 10. The military government's ________________ on protesters was severely criticised by the international community. Language Focus The use of past perfect tense The past perfect tense is often used when we are relating two events which happened in the past. The past perfect tense should be used for the event which happened first. Below is an example from the passage. Yau Shing-mu, undersecretary for transport and housing, said he had attended the vigil in the past ... (Mr Yau attended the vigil before he talked to the press) Fill in the blanks below with simple past or past perfect tense. 11. He ________________ (finished) his homework before his mother ________________ (arrive) home. His mother praised him for his hard work. 12. I ________________ (ask) for the teacher's approval before I ________________ (go) to the toilet. 13. His alarm clock ________________ (go) off many times, but he ________________(refuse) to wake up. Think About 1. Will you be taking part in any June 4 commemorative activities today? Why? 2. Are there any special commemorative activities at your school? 3. Is there any difference in the June 4 commemorative activities before and after the handover? Discuss with your classmates and teachers. Web Links More information about the June Fourth Incident can be found at the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China http://www.alliance.org.hk/ http://youth.alliance.org.hk/ Answers 1. d, 2. a, 3. c, 4. e, 5. b, 6. lobby, 7. embarrassment, 8. vigil, 9. supplement, 10. crackdown, 11. had finished; arrived, 12. had asked; went, 13. had gone; refused
