Reading. The following text tells about Natasha who was exposed to racist behaviour at her school

The following text tells about Natasha who was exposed to racist behaviour at her school. The text is divided into several parts. Read the text bit by bit and answer the questions after each of the parts.

Natasha’s story

Fourteen-year-old Natasha was the only mixed-race pupil in her school of over 1,000 pupils. “She used to be a happy-go-lucky person,” says her mother, Karen. That was until a fifteen-year-old boy decided he didn’t like the colour of her skin.

It started with names. “He would call me things like ‘gorilla’,” Natasha says. She told her mum and her teacher. The school, in Lincoln in central England, told the 15-year-old boy to stop. But that didn’t make things better – it made them worse. For the next seven months, the boy taunted Natasha. He shouted things like “Go back to your own country – you don’t belong here.”

? Why do you think the boy was calling Natasha racist names?

Natasha tried to ignore the boy. Her friends didn’t dare say anything. “They didn’t want the boy to start picking on them,” says Natasha. She didn’t say anything to her mother or the school again – she was afraid he would attack her physically.

? Why didn’t Natasha’s friends do anything?

What do you think about that?

But the longer the bullying continued, the more depressed Natasha became. She started spending a lot of time in her room. She stopped eating properly. She fell behind with her schoolwork. Her mother just thought it was typical teenage behaviour.

? What is ‘typical teenage’ behaviour?

Last January, Natasha decided enough was enough. She tried to kill herself by taking an overdose of tablets. Natasha was taken hospital immediately and the nurses were able to save her. Months later, Natasha and her family moved to another part of the country.

? Do you think Natasha’s family was right to move?

The boy was sent to court. He was charged*with racial harassment. This is the first time a child (he is under 16) has been prosecuted for racial abuse in the UK. What was his punishment? Ten hours of community service and a fine of £.500. His parents paid the fine. Natasha was disappointed when she heard the news, “Is that it?” she said. “That’s pants!*. He hasn’t paid the price for what he has put me through.”

? Do you think the punishment was fair?

What do you think is the best way to punish racist behaviour?