Meet Carlos Barrios, who swims through human excrement, toxic waste, and rotting cadavers to keep Mexico's wastewater where it belongs.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
They’re the bowels of one of the world’s largest and most polluted cities, where (1) ... runs rampant and the stench is sickening. Human excrement, toxic waste, rotting cadavers… all flowing right beneath the sidewalk. The sewers of Mexico City are as (2) ... as any on earth. But this man, Carlos Barrios, has just given up a comfortable desk job for the opportunity to swim in them. It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and Carlos is pulling a dead dog out of the sewer. He’s making sure that the waste water of Mexico City stays where it belongs.
We pull up all the things you can imagine. You can see chairs, cars, all kind of wastes. Anything you like, it’s in the (3) ... .
Located in a massive basin, Mexico City is a crowded, industrial colossus. Its sewer lines (4) ... for thousands of miles, some following channels (5) ... by the Aztecs. The sewers are severely overtaxed. Not only must they accommodate run-off from the mountains, but also the waste from the toilets and (6) ... of 19 million people. The slightest blockage can send sewage flowing into the streets and subways, or worse, into the homes of thousands.
At age 45, Carlos decided to leave his job as an accountant to join the team that keeps these sewers (7) ... .
I had worked for the city about 24 years. When I get bored with the office job, the opportunity came for me to (8) ... and I took it. It was a great change for me. I changed my life completely.
Back at the base, the team receives an emergency call. The Alculco Pumping Plant has a mysterious blockage and it needs to be cleared immediately. Once again, the dirty job falls to Carlos.
Be calm and careful. If anything happens, don’t (9) ... . I will be the one to make decisions. We will be very safe. It is Carlos’s life, so we will be careful.
Carlos has no idea what to expect. Julio’s team alone has hauled out more than a dozen (10) ... , most of them murder victims. Alone in this dark, claustrophobic environment, Carlos must remain calm and focused. Confusion can mean death. Carlos tries not to think about the (11) ... of bacteria he’s swimming in, including tetanus, typhoid and cholera. His suit protects him, but it isn’t armor. A sharp (12) ... could wreak havoc.
If the suit is cut and you cut your skin also, you have to get to the hospital because of the environment. It’s very contaminated.
After a half-hour search, Carlos locates the obstruction.
There is a metallic object. I’m going to touch it to see what it is. Roger.
The obstruction turns out to be a (13) ... .... from an old sewage pump. Once they’ve located it, the team makes swift work of the problem. It’s been a successful mission for Carlos. But before he can undress, he must be washed and scrubbed down with a disinfectant. In his new job, Carlos has found a renewed sense of purpose.
I feel like I be someone who makes people live better.
With infinite amounts of sewage to tend to, Carlos has got plenty to keep him busy in the (14) ... of Mexico City.
Key:
1 disease 2 disgusting 3 drains 4 stretch 5 dug 6 sinks 7 flowing 8 dive 9 despair 10 corpses 11 soup12 puncture 13 rusty wheel 14 bowels
