Listening
Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
- bankrupt / ˈbæŋk rʌpt / (adj.) – not having enough money to pay debts or continue operating
Example:Many small stores became bankrupt during the pandemic.
- critter / ˈkrɪt ər / (n.) – a small animal or creature
Example:The abandoned old house is full of critters.
- bulging / ˈbʌl dʒɪŋ / (adj.) – full and stretched from being too full
Example:He took his bulging laundry bag to the laundry shop because he had no clean clothes left.
- ablaze / əˈbleɪz / (adj.) – on fire; burning strongly
Example:The store was set ablaze by the thieves, so the police had a hard time finding evidence.
- backlog / ˈbæk lɑːɡ / (n.) – a large number of tasks or things that need to be done, especially tasks that should already have been completed
Example:There is always a big backlog of waste that needs to be cleaned up after festivals and events.
Article
Read the text below.
There is a stink rising over the United Kingdom’s second-largest city.
Garbage has piled up for a month in Birmingham during a dispute between the city and its trash collectors. It is a sore sight for the eyes and offensive to the nose. Mountains of garbage are said to be visible from space, and people have complained of seeing rats as big as cats in the refuse.
“You can see the juice flowing out of the bags onto the road. It stinks,” Naeem Yousef said. “It’s bringing down the areas. People are saying, ‘Look at these areas, how dirty these people are.’”
Members of Unite, the union representing garbage truck workers, walked off the job on March 11 over the elimination of a job position and painful pay cuts. The council said it had made a reasonable offer, that cuts would only affect a small number of jobs, and the jobs being eliminated were unnecessary.
The Labour-run Birmingham City Council is effectively bankrupt because of a settlement over historic pay discrimination. As a result, it’s had to make significant budget cuts of 300 million pounds ($383 million) over two years and is only providing services required by law, including waste collection.
As heaps of black bags littered sidewalks, with their contents spilling out of holes chewed by critters, the city council declared a major incident to bring in additional cleanup crews and vehicles.
Photos on news sites and social media show furniture, mattresses and car bumpers illegally dumped alongside bulging trash bags. In one neighborhood, garbage sacks were set ablaze.
“Our priority is tackling the misery and disruption for residents,” Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister, said. “It is essential to protect public health by tackling the backlog of waste.”
Kevin Hollinrake, a Conservative Member of Parliament, said the situation was “a national embarrassment” and could become a public health emergency.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
- Since Birmingham is now bankrupt, it has to make budget cuts and now only offers services required by law. What do you think are the most important services a city must always provide, even if it is already bankrupt? Why? In your country, have you ever seen government services being reduced or stopped? What would you do if basic services were no longer available in your community? Discuss.
- Do you think local governments can go completely bankrupt? Why or why not? Who do you think suffers the most when a city goes bankrupt (ex. families, workers)? Why? Discuss.
Discussion B
- Residents say the trash is making their neighborhoods look bad, and they feel ashamed. Do you think people are judged by how clean or dirty their area is? Why does the appearance of a place matter so much to residents and visitors? Discuss.
- If someone visited your community for the first time, what do you think they would notice? Discuss.
