A decade in review
On September 11th 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorists _________(destroy)
the Twin Towers in New York City, _________ (kill) more than 3000
people and _________ (prompt) the American government and its
allies ___________ (launch) a global “war on terror” that
____________________ (still / go on) today.

In November 2008 the Americans _________ (elect) Barack Obama
44th President of the United States. Ever since, the first black
president of the world?s most powerful nation ___________ (be)
under intense pressure. He ______________ (promise) to put an
end to the war in Iraq, give all Americans medical coverage and
promote strong environmental laws.

__________ (he /succeed)?

The European currency _______

____ (become) the only French
currency on January 1st 2002. Today 16 EU countries __________
(make) the switch. Eight more __________________ (do) it by 2014.
The United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden ________ (be) the only
EU countries left with a national currency
Today the Euro _______ (be) the 2nd most used currency in the
world after the dollar.

December 26th 2004: gigantic waves sometimes more than 10
meters high ________ (bring) destruction to the coasts of Indonesia,
Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia, _______ (kill) more than
220 000 people and _________ (cause) more than a million
_________ (lose) their home and possessions. Because the
Tsunami _______ (hit) in places where many tourists ______
_______________ (vacation) over the Christmas holidays, it
__________ (become) an unprecedented global event.

The financial crisis _____ (hit) the stock markets in August 2007,
________ (cause) the banking system __________ (collapse) all
over the world. The global economic crisis that __________ (follow)
________ (not / be) over yet.

Michael Jackson _______ (die) unexpectedly on June 25th 2009.
Millions all over the world __________ (mourn) the “King of Pop”, an
artist who _________ (sell) more than 750,000,000 records over his
career.

American President George W. Bush ___________ (announce) the
invasion of Irak in March 2003. The war ____________ (not / end)
with the arrest of Saddam Hussein and the fall of his regime . Today
the Americans and their allies _____________ (still /fight) a war that
__________ (cost) more than 100 000 lives.

According to a United Nations survey, the population of the world
________ (reach) 6 billion in 2000. Ten years later, there _______
(be) 6.7 billion of us. There _______ (be /“possibly”) 9 billion in 2050.
In the last decade demography ____________ (become) a major
concern, along with global warming, migrations, growing inequalities
and food shortages.

Although the first Harry Potter book ___________ (published) in
1997, success _________ (hit) really big in 2001, when the film
adaptation ___________ (release).
420,000,000 copies of the novels _______________(sell) all over the
world, translated into 67 languages.
After the Bible, Mao?s “Little Red Book” and the Koran, it _________
(be/“possibly”) the 4th best selling book of all times!

The first iPod _________ (launch) by Apple in 2001. Since then,
more than 220, 000, 000 iPods _________________ (sell) all over
the world, __________ (make) it the most popular digital audio
player on the market. Since the invention of the iPod and its
alternatives, it ______________ (become) normal to carry around
thousands of songs and hours of video. Only 10 years ago, it _____
(be) unthinkable!

Homework: Your turn now!
Think about 3 events from the 2000-2010 decade that you think were important.
Write about them (30 to 50 words each), and illustrate them with a picture.