Introducing Subject Developing English Competencies 3 Kelas 12 Achmad Doddy Achmad Sugeng Effendi 2009

104 Developing English Competencies f or Grade XII of Language Programme Answer these questions. Reading In this section, you will learn how to: • read texts and information related to debates and presentations; • read some debate topics and presentations; • identify meanings in debates and presentations. 1. Have you ever read an article about animal experimentation? 2. What do you know about it? 3. What is your opinion on the matter? 4. Have you ever talked over the issue with others? 5. What are their views on that matter? Now, read the following text and then answer the questions that follow. Animal Rights Every year about seventeen million animals are used in laboratory experiment. But in many countries today, a dif À cult question is being asked: Do we have the right to use animal this way? The case for using animals in research The use of animals in medical research has many practical benefits. Animal research has enabled researcher to develop treatments for many diseases, such as heart diseases and depression. It would not have been possible to develop vaccines for diseases like smallpox and polio without animal research. Every drug anyone takes today was tried À rst on animals. Drugs for treating cancer, as well as anticancer radiation therapies, were À rst tested on animals. Future medical research is dependent on the use of animals. Which is more important: the life of a rat or that of a three-year-old child? Medical research is also an excellent way of using unwanted animals. Last year, over twelve million animals had to be killed in animal shelters because nobody wanted them as pets. Activity 1 Activity 2 Source : http:www.freewebs.comanimalrights 105 Let ’ s Have a Debat e Read the text again and note the different arguments in the following table. The case against using animals in research The fact that humans bene À t cannot be used to justify using animals in research any more than it can be used to justify experimenting on other humans. Animals suffer a lot during these experiments. They are forced to live in small cages, and they may be unable to move. Questions: 1. Which of the argument is more convincing, the case for or against the use animals in medical research? 2. What is your opinion on using animals for research? Give your reasons. Much of the research that is carried out is unnecessary anyway. Animals have the same rights as humans do to be able to move freely and not to have pain or fear forced on them. Researchers must À nd other ways of doing their research, using cell culture and computer modelling. There should be no animals in research laboratories at all. Taken from Interchange, 2004 1. How many people are involved in the survey? 2. How many people agree with animal experimentation? 3. What is the percentage of people who do not agree with animal experimentation? 4. Conduct a survey in your class about this and present the results in a chart. Englishclub. com Are you concerned about animal exploitation? Just visit the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. For further informations, browse at www.peta.org. Total 100=50 respondents Not Sure 7 Work in pairs and study the following chart. Then answer the questions that follow. The following is the result of a survey on the case of using animals for medical research or experimentation. Negative Argument Af À rmative Argument Activity 3 Activity 4