Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a resident
    • ex. I’m a resident of the United States. I live in Boston.
  2. a faucet
    • ex. I turned on the faucet and washed my hands.
  3. a liquid
    • ex. In summer, I try to drink a lot of liquids like water and tea.
  4. confiscate
    • ex. My son used his smartphone in class, so his teacher confiscated it for the day.
  5. a well
    • ex. I need to get water from the well.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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When residents in an apartment building in Kerala, India, turned on their faucets, a bad-smelling brown liquid came out. They later discovered that the liquid was actually alcohol. Local officials had confiscated old beer, brandy, and rum from a nearby bar. Instead of properly throwing away the 6,000 liters of alcohol, though, the officials just put it in a hole in the ground. The liquid leaked and entered a local well, which was connected to the apartment in Kerala.

Because their water was mixed with alcohol, residents could not drink it. They also couldn’t use it to take a shower or bath. Because of this, children in the apartment couldn’t go to school, and adults in the apartment couldn’t go to work.

After the residents reported the problem, officials began to clean the well, but they said it may take over a month to fully clean. Officials also began delivering about 5,000 liters of water to the residents every day. However, many families say that it’s not enough, and they want the officials who caused the problem to be punished.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Water

  • Until local officials can fix the well, what else should local officials do to help the residents get enough water? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think the water from faucets in your area is safe to drink? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think water for everyday living will ever run out? Why or why not? Discuss.

Throwing Things Away

  • Instead of putting the alcohol in a hole in the ground, what should the local officials have done with the alcohol? Why? Discuss.
  • What should the punishment be for the local officials who did not throw away the alcohol properly? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think your country's system for throwing away things is effective? Why or why not? Discuss.