Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. poultry
    • ex. He avoids eating poultry as well as eggs.
  2. slaughter
    • ex. After the cows are slaughtered, the meat is brought to the market.
  3. a flock
    • ex. I saw a flock of birds flying south.
  4. migratory
    • ex. Salmon are migratory fish. They travel from freshwater rivers to the ocean.
  5. devastate
    • ex. The storm’s heavy rain and strong winds devastated the city.

Article

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

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In December, Sunrise Farms’ chickens had bird flu. Following the government rules, the poultry farm had to slaughter its whole flock of chickens. This was to prevent the disease from moving to other farms in Sonoma County, San Francisco. Experts say that ducks, geese, and migratory birds carry the virus without getting sick and pass it on to other birds, such as chickens and turkeys.

Officials of Sonoma County have announced a state of emergency as the virus has devastated poultry farms. In the past months, almost a dozen commercial farms had to slaughter more than 1 million birds to control the virus. This hurt farmers, workers, and their customers. The decrease in local hens increased the egg prices in San Francisco. It also resulted in low egg supply. Furthermore, turkey and chicken prices increased.

Bird flu has been around for many years. However, in early 2022 the virus made officials decide to slaughter nearly 82 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens, in 47 American states. California poultry farms are now following strict steps to stop the spread of the disease. California officials advised farmers to keep their flocks indoors until July.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Bird Flu

  • In your opinion, is bird flu a huge concern in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, does the government give enough information to help people understand bird flu? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Would you visit or travel to countries that have known cases of bird flu? Why or why not? Discuss.

Poultry Farms and Farmers

  • Do you think poultry farming would be a good business? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think are the knowledge and skills needed to become a good poultry farmer? Why? Discuss.
  • How is the government helping farmers devastated by bird flu in your country (ex. replacing their slaughtered chickens, giving them free medicine and vitamins for their farm animals)? Discuss.