Homeless Population Down in America, But ‘Spreading’ Worldwide

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

spread

Verb

sprɛd

to affect or make something affect, be known by, or be used by more and more people

Telephone networks have spread throughout the world.

The cold virus spreads easily.

The news of her marriage spread quickly through the office.

They spread the designs across the entire conference table.

Information spreads faster in the modern world.

The gossip spread very fast.

Gossip spreads really fast.

spread out

Phrasal Verb

spred aʊt

to separate from other people in a group, to cover a larger area

Let’s spread out. That way we’ll have a better chance of finding my dog.

homeless

Adjective

ˈhoʊmləs

having no home

Hundreds of people were left homeless by the earthquake.

estimate

Verb

ˈɛstəˌmeɪt

to form an idea of the cost, size, value etc. of something, but without calculating it exactly

She tried to estimate the value of her ring.

He estimated that he would need five more hours to finish.

I was asked to estimate the cost of the project.

I can't estimate the value of your home without more information.

individual

Noun

ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒuːəl

a person considered separately rather than as part of a group

She's an individual with a unique sense of style.

I'm the type of individual who has never liked schoolwork.

Household refers to all individuals who live in the same dwelling.

There are some individuals in this office who are not working hard enough.

What we need now is an energetic, poised individual to handle the front desk.

progress

Noun

ˈprɑːgrɛs

the process of improving or developing, or of getting nearer to achieving or completing something

Repair work is in progress.

She is making good progress with her recovery.

I'm still waiting to hear a progress update.

Some researchers doubt that scientific progress these days has changed our living in a good way.

The information gained from each mission is applied to the next, and the progress often seems very slow.

Exercise 2

Article

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Homeless Population Down in America, But ‘Spreading’ Worldwide

The number of people in the United States without a home is down from one year ago.

The total is nearly 550,000, about 3 percent lower than in 2015. The number comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The information comes after the United Nations (UN) reported that homelessness is “spreading” worldwide.

The UN last produced a study on the world’s homeless population 11 years ago. At that time, it estimated the total at 100 million.

But the UN said the number is likely much higher today. It estimates 100 million children alone are now without a home.

In its report, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development measured homelessness on a single night. In January 2016, thousands of volunteers spread out across the country. They counted a total of 549,922 homeless individuals. That is down 14 percent from six years ago.

However, despite some progress in the United States, UN officials say homelessness is now a problem in all countries, rich and poor.

For instance, in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, 250,000 people do not have a place to stay. In India, the homeless population is estimated at 78 million. Indonesia’s homeless population is 3 million, while in Nigeria that number is as high as 24 million.