★★☆More than 700 Crushed to Death Near Mecca

2015年09月25日 ★★☆, In the News, VOA, World.

*Teachers will divide the article into 2-3 paragraphs to help you understand and check the pronunciation of the difficult words.

Vocabulary

*Read the words carefully.

  1. stampede /stæmˈpiːd/(n.)

    2. an event in which a large group of frightened or excited animals or people run together in a wild and uncontrolled way to escape from something

  2. pilgrimage/ˈpɪlgrəmɪʤ/(n.)

    3. a trip to a holy place

  3. Hajj /ˈhæʤ/ (n.)

    4. a visit to Mecca that is a religious duty for Muslims

  4. construction /kənˈstrʌkʃən/ (n.)

    5. related to the development or repair of buildings or other structures

  5. crane /ˈkreɪn/ (n.)

    6. a big machine with a long arm that is used by builders for lifting and moving heavy things

    Article

    More than 700 Crushed to Death Near Mecca

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    (1) More than 700 people were crushed to death Thursday near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in a stampede.

    (2) More than 800 others were injured. The victims were part of the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, which began Tuesday.

    (3) Saudi officials say the stampede happened in Mina, about five kilometers from Mecca. Hajj pilgrims go to Mina to throw rocks at three stone walls that represent evil. It is the final part of the Hajj ritual before the yearly Eid al-Adha religious observance. The pilgrims also spend the night at Mina. The area has more than 160,000 tents for the visitors.

    (4) The Saudi Arabian civil defense department reported the number of dead and injured on the social media website Twitter.

    (5) There have been several deadly stampedes at the Hajj during the past 25 years. Huge numbers of people gather for the five-day-long event. This year, 2 million pilgrims are taking part. All Muslims are required to go on the Hajj at least once, if they are able.

    (6) Last year, Saudi Arabia reduced the number of pilgrims because of concerns about safety.

    (7) The worst Hajj stampede happened 25 years ago inside a tunnel in Mina. More than 1,400 people were killed. Stampedes in three other years — 1994, 2004 and 2006 — each killed more than 200 people.

    (8) Earlier this month, a construction crane collapsed during Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Workers had been expanding the mosque. More than 100 people were killed and more than 200 others injured. Officials said high winds during a rainstorm caused the crane to collapse. The machine had reportedly been operating at the construction project for three or four years.

    (9) The Grand Mosque is Islam’s holiest site. It is among the largest religious centers in the world and has millions of visitors every year.

    Discussion

    *Let’s talk about the article base on the questions below

    1. Please share your thoughts about the disaster.
    2. What information do you know about Muslim Culture? Are there any Muslims in your country?
    3. What holiday celebration in your country that gathers a lot of people?

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