Man in Austria
arrested for farting
Why do you think the police were angry
about this man’s actions?
What are some things a person can be
arrested or punished by police in public places in your country?
A man in Austria has
been punished by police for a very unusual thing. His "crime" was
"farting loudly in front of police officers.” The man was sitting
on a bench. The Police Department said when they got near him the man looked at
the officers. Then he intentionally released a very loud fart in the vicinity of the officers.The police gave the man a fine for 500 euros.
The offense was for "violating public decency." It was also for
making, an unnecessary loud noise.
If the man does not pay
the fine within five days, he could go to prison for five days. A spokesperson
said the man had been doing other annoying things before he farted. The
police officers who issued the fine said the man was misbehaving. They
said he had been doing things in a way that would annoy other people. The man
only had one thing on his mind when he stood up in front of police
officers. And that was to fart at them.
Try to guess the meaning of the words in
bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right.
Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of
these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different
meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.
The answers are below the table.
farting | A | 1 | To plan to do something which is not an accident or mistake, not
random |
intentionally | B | 2 | To release wind from the bottom/bum/ass |
vicinity | C | 3 | To break a rule or law |
violating | D | 4 | bothering, doing things that make others feel uncomfortable |
decency | E | 5 | What someone is thinking about |
annoying | F | 6 | Naughty, bad actions |
misbehaving | G | 7 | Good manners, not rude |
on a person’s mind | H | 8 | Nearby, very close |
A=2, B=1, C=8, D=3, E=7, F=4, G=6, H=5
Some example sentences using the new
words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help
you understand better.
The children laughed
when their father farted.
My intention is
to do well in this exam.
We will meet you in 5
minutes. We are in the vicinity of City Hall.
It is a violation
to drive fast.
In this church women
must be decent. They must wear long pants and a hat.
Birds making loud noises
early morning are annoying.
It is hard to teach when
the children are misbehaving.
He is busy. He has a lot
on his mind these days.
Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the
words/phrases in your answer.
Why do you think that farting
is funny for some people?
If you were a teacher,
how would you feel if a student intentionally farted in class? What would you do?
What is bad behavior to
do in the vicinity of other people on the subway or bus in your home city?
What are some violations
in public places in your country?
What laws should we have
about decent behavior?
What things are annoying
for you in public places?
What misbehavior in
public places do you think people should be punished for?
What is on your mind these
days?