Worries of Famine After Drought in Ethiopia

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

wipe out

Phrasal Verb

waɪp aʊt

to ruin, destroy, or get rid of

His savings were wiped out in the stock market.

The dodo bird is said to have been wiped out by people.

drought

Noun

draʊt

a period of time with no or very little rain

The drought left the land barren.

Few kinds of trees can survive a drought.

If the drought continues, the state might have to restrict the water supply.

Due to the drought, fire warnings are in place.

To us it is a blessing, as we suffer because of the droughts.

All the crops were affected by the drought.

Most of the crops died during the drought.

aid

Noun

eɪd

help; food, money, etc. sent as help to other people or countries in times of difficulty

She looked to see if anyone required her aid.

The skier was given medical aid.

Without financial aid, I won't be able to pay for college.

We have received millions of dollars in aid from your country's government.

The organization provided aid for people who have lost their homes.

famine

Noun

ˈfæmɪn

an extreme lack of food

Many people died due to the famine.

irrigation

Noun

ˌɪrəˈgeɪʃən

the supply of water to an area of land, usually for agricultural purposes

They managed to create irrigation systems and to shape the land in such way that they could use it for agriculture.

My grandpa developed a special irrigation system for his garden.

If you want your crops to survive, you need to have an irrigation system.

pattern

Noun

ˈpætərn

a regular form or sequence in the way that something happens or is done

I have a strange sleeping pattern.

Computer simulations are designed to predict weather patterns.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Worries of Famine After Drought in Ethiopia

The people of Ethiopia were nearly wiped out by famine in the early 1980s when 400,000 died.

The country’s government is seeking aid to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

In a country where 85 percent of the people are farmers, millions are in need of aid.

One million tons of wheat for the next four months will cost almost $300 million.

Getachew Redda is a government spokesman. He says the Ethiopian government will be able to manage the drought with the financial aid. But Ethiopia must help farmers by developing more wells and irrigation projects so they are not so dependent on rain.

Weather experts say the drought is caused by El Niño, an extreme weather pattern.

Government officials say projects that create long-term solutions are more important than temporary wheat distribution.

The crisis is building. Right now 8 million people are in danger of going hungry. But if the aid does not arrive soon, the United Nations estimates that number could soon double.

Exercise 3

Questions

What did Getachew Redda say about the Ethiopian government? What should it do?

How many people died in the famine in the early 1980s in Ethiopia?

How many people are in danger of going hungry?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What do you think of the drought and famine in Ethiopia?

Are there many farmers in your country?

Do you experience extreme weather in your country?

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.