Earlier this year CBS's programme 60 Minutes aired Volcanoes, nature's ticking time bombs. Volcanoes are found all over the world and many could spew lava and mass destruction, although we just don't know when.
This is the way reporter Scott Pelley introduced the programme.
"If you think we're living in an unstable world, well, just listen to this: only one percent of our Earth is solid rock. Most of the other 99 percent is an oozing, mass, churning beneath our feet like road tar at temperatures between 2,000 and 10,000 degrees. The Earth's crust is only 20 miles thick. When that cracks, one of the greatest forces in nature erupts. There are 1,500 active volcanoes. And, earlier this year, we first told you about three; one that caused the most recent mass disruption, another that's the biggest threat to a major city and a third, in the United States, that could wreak havoc all around the world."
You can read the transcript here.
domingo, 7 de septiembre de 2014
sábado, 6 de septiembre de 2014
Driving tests
The DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico) is the government department that is responsible for the Spanish transport network.
The DGT's official website gives prospective drivers the opportunity to prepare for the theoretical test they have to pass before being allowed to do the practical test. Learners can do online mock exams in preparation for the real exams. The practice questions are taken from the DGT's database and are exactly the same as those candidates will have to answer the day they sit the exam.
For us, as English students, the DGT's online tests give us the opportunity to develop our reading skills while getting acquainted with and revising everyday and traffic-related vocabulary.
To gain access to the tests, just click on the link here or on the picture below, and click on the link of 'Permiso B' "Consultar".
The DGT's official website gives prospective drivers the opportunity to prepare for the theoretical test they have to pass before being allowed to do the practical test. Learners can do online mock exams in preparation for the real exams. The practice questions are taken from the DGT's database and are exactly the same as those candidates will have to answer the day they sit the exam.
For us, as English students, the DGT's online tests give us the opportunity to develop our reading skills while getting acquainted with and revising everyday and traffic-related vocabulary.
To gain access to the tests, just click on the link here or on the picture below, and click on the link of 'Permiso B' "Consultar".
You will get to the page below. Just select the option "Inglés". It is not necessary to introduce your ID number or any other identificacion. Then click on "Entrar".
You will be redirected to a 30-question test which is pretty similar to the one candidates will have to do on the exam day. Just three mistakes are allowed. You can self-correct the test at any time.
viernes, 5 de septiembre de 2014
10 questions for Annie Leibovitz
Some years ago Time Magazine interviewed Annie Leibovitz for their 10 questions segment.
Self-study activity:
This is a very difficult video to understand, as Annie Leibovitz gives very long answers, changes her mind in mid-sentence, doesn't seem to be very sure about how to go on at times, keep going backwards and forward.
This is a difficult video for English students at all levels, so let's concentrate on the things we can do.
Watch the interview and note down the questions Annie Leibovitz is asked.
Then, watch the video again and try to get the gist of her answers.
Hi, we’re here with Time.com and today's 10-question victim is Annie Leibovitz. Our first question is from Francesca Viola from the Bronx, New York, and she asks what, for you, is the interest in continuing to photograph celebrity portraits during a time when too many celebrities have their photographs plastered all over the place.
I don't feel like a part of that. I feel like, you know, I feel like I came in into early place, you know, when you know, working for Rolling Stone is sort of built, you know, who, who I am and I think I’ve learned at a very young age that, you know, what I did mattered.
So it must be difficult to get your models to trust you during a shoot. Who has been the most difficult to handle?
You know, it's usually not about the person that, that's the cool part of the shoot. It is usually about… it’s the weather is bad or it’s a bad hair day, bad, you know, bad hairdresser or you know, but that that being said I, it’s something, that’s difficult subjects in entertainment, in showbiz or people have been in show business for a very long time, I think they have no sense of reality, you know, it’s just, you know, like Sammy Davis Junior or even Michael Jackson, you know that, you know when they start very young everything is pretty distorted.
But hey, you're not necessarily easy to work for and would you agree with the statement? But then if you point out that he only asked because he’s trying to understand the temperament of the very successful.
I've heard that too, actually that I’m not that easy to work for. The only… the only, and you know, I've been doing this, you know for a long time and it took me a long time to learn how to work with people. You know, I came from a place where I was working by myself and working with just my camera and myself and, and, you know, as I started to use, you know, assistance, some people helping me, I couldn’t understand why I couldn't see exactly what I saw at the time I exactly saw and I would be very frustrated. It took me years to learn how to work with people and I think I’m, you know, basically a nice person and then when I work, you know, you know I, I don't know who that person is. It just, it gets, you know it just gets very… it’s all in the details, you know, I mean everything becomes, you know, very, very important so…
From Paul Vegas in Hampton, Ontario, though, which is how did you deal with the whole Miley Cyrus debacle ‘cause a lot of people thought that is another… that your feeling should, you know, should’ve been different, so…
Well, I really do separate myself in some way, you know, when I go to work but you know, Miley, the Miley picture is a beautiful, strong, you know, simple picture. And we took all kinds of pictures that day and on and it turned out to be one of the strongest pictures. You know, I think, I think, you know it it's it's actually sort of innocent on some, on some level. But I feel like that you know she, she loved the pictures and she loved taken that picture and she was ready to take that, that picture I and it just, you know, her audience, you know, wasn't ready to take a picture, wasn't ready for that picture, and that the thing that I… it was just different. The picture, you know, it was really different of her. I, I've said this now and in another place but basically I I think that if there was any mistake made is probably that she shouldn’t pose for Vanity Fair. You know, that’s, that's my reason, take on it. But, you know, I think she got very nervous after they had that reaction and she sort of, you know, she backtracked in a lot of ways, and, and I felt bad for her. I think she really did enjoy the shoot. I still, you know, probably believe in the picture and think it was fine, you know, like taken out of context.
Gina Lexbrick, Houston, who asks, ‘You know as a fan and fellow photographer, she'd like to know what you see in that 'aha moment' that people talked about. Is it the subject, the composition, or something that's very exclusive to your eyes?
For example John and Yoko, you know, I only took a few frames, I mean, you knew it was good. I mean it was… you haven't seen anything like it before and it was beautiful and it had form and strength and it was simple and it told the story. If surely something is not working, you know, it just doesn't feel, you know, great. It just… and and and over the years I've learned to just say ‘Okay, we just move on’ you know, it’s just trying to… it doesn't get better, keep, keep, you know, when you're trying to work on something and I rather just come back to it, come back another day.
Have you ever been so frustrated with the photo shoot that you shut it down completely?
No, if anything, if something goes wrong with the photoshoot, you know, it’s my fault. I, I really feel it's it's up to me, is my responsibility I'm supposed to make this thing work, you know, like you know. And there's like a lot of psychology involved in it and I, you know, you have to, you know, make it work, you know, whatever is going wrong. If I don't get a good picture I don't blame my subject, I blame me.
Self-study activity:
This is a very difficult video to understand, as Annie Leibovitz gives very long answers, changes her mind in mid-sentence, doesn't seem to be very sure about how to go on at times, keep going backwards and forward.
This is a difficult video for English students at all levels, so let's concentrate on the things we can do.
Watch the interview and note down the questions Annie Leibovitz is asked.
Then, watch the video again and try to get the gist of her answers.
Hi, we’re here with Time.com and today's 10-question victim is Annie Leibovitz. Our first question is from Francesca Viola from the Bronx, New York, and she asks what, for you, is the interest in continuing to photograph celebrity portraits during a time when too many celebrities have their photographs plastered all over the place.
I don't feel like a part of that. I feel like, you know, I feel like I came in into early place, you know, when you know, working for Rolling Stone is sort of built, you know, who, who I am and I think I’ve learned at a very young age that, you know, what I did mattered.
So it must be difficult to get your models to trust you during a shoot. Who has been the most difficult to handle?
You know, it's usually not about the person that, that's the cool part of the shoot. It is usually about… it’s the weather is bad or it’s a bad hair day, bad, you know, bad hairdresser or you know, but that that being said I, it’s something, that’s difficult subjects in entertainment, in showbiz or people have been in show business for a very long time, I think they have no sense of reality, you know, it’s just, you know, like Sammy Davis Junior or even Michael Jackson, you know that, you know when they start very young everything is pretty distorted.
But hey, you're not necessarily easy to work for and would you agree with the statement? But then if you point out that he only asked because he’s trying to understand the temperament of the very successful.
I've heard that too, actually that I’m not that easy to work for. The only… the only, and you know, I've been doing this, you know for a long time and it took me a long time to learn how to work with people. You know, I came from a place where I was working by myself and working with just my camera and myself and, and, you know, as I started to use, you know, assistance, some people helping me, I couldn’t understand why I couldn't see exactly what I saw at the time I exactly saw and I would be very frustrated. It took me years to learn how to work with people and I think I’m, you know, basically a nice person and then when I work, you know, you know I, I don't know who that person is. It just, it gets, you know it just gets very… it’s all in the details, you know, I mean everything becomes, you know, very, very important so…
From Paul Vegas in Hampton, Ontario, though, which is how did you deal with the whole Miley Cyrus debacle ‘cause a lot of people thought that is another… that your feeling should, you know, should’ve been different, so…
Well, I really do separate myself in some way, you know, when I go to work but you know, Miley, the Miley picture is a beautiful, strong, you know, simple picture. And we took all kinds of pictures that day and on and it turned out to be one of the strongest pictures. You know, I think, I think, you know it it's it's actually sort of innocent on some, on some level. But I feel like that you know she, she loved the pictures and she loved taken that picture and she was ready to take that, that picture I and it just, you know, her audience, you know, wasn't ready to take a picture, wasn't ready for that picture, and that the thing that I… it was just different. The picture, you know, it was really different of her. I, I've said this now and in another place but basically I I think that if there was any mistake made is probably that she shouldn’t pose for Vanity Fair. You know, that’s, that's my reason, take on it. But, you know, I think she got very nervous after they had that reaction and she sort of, you know, she backtracked in a lot of ways, and, and I felt bad for her. I think she really did enjoy the shoot. I still, you know, probably believe in the picture and think it was fine, you know, like taken out of context.
Gina Lexbrick, Houston, who asks, ‘You know as a fan and fellow photographer, she'd like to know what you see in that 'aha moment' that people talked about. Is it the subject, the composition, or something that's very exclusive to your eyes?
For example John and Yoko, you know, I only took a few frames, I mean, you knew it was good. I mean it was… you haven't seen anything like it before and it was beautiful and it had form and strength and it was simple and it told the story. If surely something is not working, you know, it just doesn't feel, you know, great. It just… and and and over the years I've learned to just say ‘Okay, we just move on’ you know, it’s just trying to… it doesn't get better, keep, keep, you know, when you're trying to work on something and I rather just come back to it, come back another day.
Have you ever been so frustrated with the photo shoot that you shut it down completely?
No, if anything, if something goes wrong with the photoshoot, you know, it’s my fault. I, I really feel it's it's up to me, is my responsibility I'm supposed to make this thing work, you know, like you know. And there's like a lot of psychology involved in it and I, you know, you have to, you know, make it work, you know, whatever is going wrong. If I don't get a good picture I don't blame my subject, I blame me.
jueves, 4 de septiembre de 2014
How to Catch a Bike Thief
Bike theft is a serious problem in San Francisco. Now the police are using every tool they have to deal with the problem.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 What has been the increase in bike use in San Francisco between 2006 and 2013?
2 What does '4,000' refer to?
3 What device is installed in the bait bikes?
4 What is the aim of the stickers the police are giving away to bike owners?
5 How long has the anti-theft bike unit been operating for?
To check your answers, you can read the transcript below.
This is officer Mark Friedman from the San Francisco Police Department. He has a question for thieves.
Do you feel lucky, punk, do you?
Ok, especially for bike thieves.
Is this a bait bike?
Is it?
I don’t know, is it?
From Porland to New York bikes are big. Ridership here in San Francisco nearly doubled (1) between 2006 and 2013.
If we want people to get out and ride their bikes, they have to get out and ride without fear of them getting stolen.
But bike theft is also on the rise.
In 2012 it’s an estimate over 4,000 bikes were stolen (2) out of San Francisco.
As the Head of the Department Anti Theft Bike Unit, officer Friedman is using every tool he can to catch bike thieves, from posting locking tips on Twitter to putting loaded bait bikes on the street.
Is this one a bait bike? All of our bait bikes have GPS trackers (3) and if one of those bikes gets clipped, we are going to know about it, and we’re going to come after the person that took it.
Earlier this year officer Freeman and plain clothes police locked up this bait bike. It didn’t take long to lure potential criminals.
So, two people were interested in the bike almost immediately. At one point the lock was manipulated.
Moments later a suspect grabs the bike.
And there he goes… Oh, but look what happens next! Down goes the bike thief!
To get the bait bike message out, police are giving away these stickers that suggest that any bike could be loaded with a tracking device (4).
The whole idea is to let thieves know any bike at any time in the city of San Francisco could be one of our bait bikes, so if you steal a bike, you’d better believe we’re going to be coming for you.
And convicted bike thieves will likely end up on officer Friedman twitter feed.
I think shaming bike thieves is excellent. I’ll tweet mug shots to let people know that these people are stealing your bikes, these people are breaking into your homes. If you see these people, definitely call us because we’re going want to come talk to them.
The anti-bike theft unit is only a few months (5) into its operation, but officer Friedman says it is already making a dent.
Street level thefts in the last several weeks I know have been cut, so I’d like to think that’s attributed to the bike theft prevention programme and to the bait bike programme.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
The activity is suitable for intermediate students.
1 What has been the increase in bike use in San Francisco between 2006 and 2013?
2 What does '4,000' refer to?
3 What device is installed in the bait bikes?
4 What is the aim of the stickers the police are giving away to bike owners?
5 How long has the anti-theft bike unit been operating for?
To check your answers, you can read the transcript below.
This is officer Mark Friedman from the San Francisco Police Department. He has a question for thieves.
Do you feel lucky, punk, do you?
Ok, especially for bike thieves.
Is this a bait bike?
Is it?
I don’t know, is it?
From Porland to New York bikes are big. Ridership here in San Francisco nearly doubled (1) between 2006 and 2013.
If we want people to get out and ride their bikes, they have to get out and ride without fear of them getting stolen.
But bike theft is also on the rise.
In 2012 it’s an estimate over 4,000 bikes were stolen (2) out of San Francisco.
As the Head of the Department Anti Theft Bike Unit, officer Friedman is using every tool he can to catch bike thieves, from posting locking tips on Twitter to putting loaded bait bikes on the street.
Is this one a bait bike? All of our bait bikes have GPS trackers (3) and if one of those bikes gets clipped, we are going to know about it, and we’re going to come after the person that took it.
Earlier this year officer Freeman and plain clothes police locked up this bait bike. It didn’t take long to lure potential criminals.
So, two people were interested in the bike almost immediately. At one point the lock was manipulated.
Moments later a suspect grabs the bike.
And there he goes… Oh, but look what happens next! Down goes the bike thief!
To get the bait bike message out, police are giving away these stickers that suggest that any bike could be loaded with a tracking device (4).
The whole idea is to let thieves know any bike at any time in the city of San Francisco could be one of our bait bikes, so if you steal a bike, you’d better believe we’re going to be coming for you.
And convicted bike thieves will likely end up on officer Friedman twitter feed.
I think shaming bike thieves is excellent. I’ll tweet mug shots to let people know that these people are stealing your bikes, these people are breaking into your homes. If you see these people, definitely call us because we’re going want to come talk to them.
The anti-bike theft unit is only a few months (5) into its operation, but officer Friedman says it is already making a dent.
Street level thefts in the last several weeks I know have been cut, so I’d like to think that’s attributed to the bike theft prevention programme and to the bait bike programme.
miércoles, 3 de septiembre de 2014
Talking point: Urban tribes
This week's talking point is urban tribes. Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below so that ideas flow more easily the day you get together with your friends and you can work out vocabulary problems beforehand.
Your teenage son/daughter has taken up the Goth look. They wear black ripped clothes, have a piercing, and have dyed their hair black and purple. All their new friends are also Goths.
Decide what you, as parents, should do, if anything.
To illustrate the topic, you can watch this BBC video about the explosion of urban youth culture in Mexico city and its implications.
- Hippies, skaters, townies, preppies, goths, techies. What do you know about these urban tribes?
- What do these people do?
- What do they wear?
- What kind of music do they listen to?
- What other interests do they have?
- Where do they go and what do they do in their free time?
- What are their homes like?
- Judging from their appearance, what do you think these people believe it is important in life?
- Do you know anyone who is a member of an urban tribe or some other social group?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a member of such groups?
- How and why did these groups begin?
- 'People like to belong'. Do you agree?
- 'Your appearance shows your personality'. Do you agree?
- 'First impressions count'. Do you agree?
Your teenage son/daughter has taken up the Goth look. They wear black ripped clothes, have a piercing, and have dyed their hair black and purple. All their new friends are also Goths.
Decide what you, as parents, should do, if anything.
To illustrate the topic, you can watch this BBC video about the explosion of urban youth culture in Mexico city and its implications.
martes, 2 de septiembre de 2014
Madrid Teacher: Prohibit the Use of Circus Animals
In this week's Madrid Teacher video, three teachers discuss the use of animals in circus.
First, watch the video through to get the gist of the conversation.
Now, watch the video more carefully and pay attention to the following features of spoken English:
So it's over to you now. What's your take on the use of animals in circuses? Do you agree with the Madrid Teachers? Get together with a friend or relative and discuss the issue. And don't forget to use some of the features of spoken English we have seen in the video.
Have you heard that, er, Bolivia, er… you know, the country from South America, have decided to join the long list of countries that have banned animals being used in circuses.
Have they?
Which I think is really good. Yeah. I think you know, as a, as a kid I used to go to the circus and it was great to see the, you know, tiger jumping through hoops with fire, and things like that. But if, you know, if you think about it, you know, those poor animals… they don’t do that in, in, in the wild, do they? You know, they don’t balance on balls.
They don’t do much of anything in the wild anymore.
Yeah but, to force, you know, in order to get an animal to do something like, you know, riding a bicycle, they get bears to ride bicycles and things like that. They’ve got to, you know, there’s a lot of mal… mistreatment going on there, you know, hitting them… they use electric prods…
Wait a second, I, I think you’ve got a bit of, er, an arcane idea of what goes on in the circus these days.
Well, you know, there’s been quite a few undercover investigations.
Have there?
Yeah, you know, they show… these animals they spend most of their lives in cages, you know, like little boxcars, and they…
That’s true.
You know, when they’re on the road, they’re travelling. You know, they can be up to twenty-four hours in a little box.
Mm-hm.
Imagine spending… it’s like… you spending the rest of your life in the, in the bathroom or something, you know.
Yeah.
But, prohibiting all of it because of the… er, crimes of a few is, is a little absurd to me. I mean this is going too far, I think. What they should do is regulate it, not prohibit it.
There seems to be a middle ground that we can, er, achieve here. I mean, if you consider the advances in human rights or animal rights that have happened in the last couple of years, if we can just… make a regulatory body that sort of, er, instills that in the circus culture… remove the cattle prods and the small boxes. I mean, you can see that there, that there are plenty of situations where man and animals get along well, and the animals… I mean, I’m sure they’re having a lot more fun playing with a ball than… scrounging for food in the tundra.
That’s a good point.
What, what are you going to do, prohibit horses?
[You could probably make…]
You could probably… you could probably argue that certain animals like, certain… that we have domesticated like horses, dogs, things like that, but, you know…
Dolphins.
Yeah, dolphins, you know…
You’ve got to close down that zoo with [a] dolphin show.
Oh, I think so, definitely. I, there’s another… oh anyway I’ll talk about that later but… you know, animals like bears and, and, and… you know, they use kangaroos for boxing and… those sort of animals, they’re… they don’t do that. They don’t… you know, bears don’t ride bikes and, I think it’s wrong. And tigers and lions. I think you can probably argue about dogs, because dogs seem to enjoy being with humans, but… I would say animals like bears and lions and tigers, keep them out of circuses.
First, watch the video through to get the gist of the conversation.
Now, watch the video more carefully and pay attention to the following features of spoken English:
- Fillers to gain thinking time or when the speaker doesn't know what to say or how to continue a sentence: er; you know
- Reacting to what we have just heard: Reply questions (Have they?; Have there?)
- Using really to give emphasis.
- Using vague language: and things like that; or something; sort of
- Showing agreement: Yeah; That’s true; That’s a good point; I think so, definitely
- Use of hedging to introduce ideas and not to sound too categorical: I think
- Using I mean to paraphrase what you have just said and make yourself clear
So it's over to you now. What's your take on the use of animals in circuses? Do you agree with the Madrid Teachers? Get together with a friend or relative and discuss the issue. And don't forget to use some of the features of spoken English we have seen in the video.
Have you heard that, er, Bolivia, er… you know, the country from South America, have decided to join the long list of countries that have banned animals being used in circuses.
Have they?
Which I think is really good. Yeah. I think you know, as a, as a kid I used to go to the circus and it was great to see the, you know, tiger jumping through hoops with fire, and things like that. But if, you know, if you think about it, you know, those poor animals… they don’t do that in, in, in the wild, do they? You know, they don’t balance on balls.
They don’t do much of anything in the wild anymore.
Yeah but, to force, you know, in order to get an animal to do something like, you know, riding a bicycle, they get bears to ride bicycles and things like that. They’ve got to, you know, there’s a lot of mal… mistreatment going on there, you know, hitting them… they use electric prods…
Wait a second, I, I think you’ve got a bit of, er, an arcane idea of what goes on in the circus these days.
Well, you know, there’s been quite a few undercover investigations.
Have there?
Yeah, you know, they show… these animals they spend most of their lives in cages, you know, like little boxcars, and they…
That’s true.
You know, when they’re on the road, they’re travelling. You know, they can be up to twenty-four hours in a little box.
Mm-hm.
Imagine spending… it’s like… you spending the rest of your life in the, in the bathroom or something, you know.
Yeah.
But, prohibiting all of it because of the… er, crimes of a few is, is a little absurd to me. I mean this is going too far, I think. What they should do is regulate it, not prohibit it.
There seems to be a middle ground that we can, er, achieve here. I mean, if you consider the advances in human rights or animal rights that have happened in the last couple of years, if we can just… make a regulatory body that sort of, er, instills that in the circus culture… remove the cattle prods and the small boxes. I mean, you can see that there, that there are plenty of situations where man and animals get along well, and the animals… I mean, I’m sure they’re having a lot more fun playing with a ball than… scrounging for food in the tundra.
That’s a good point.
What, what are you going to do, prohibit horses?
[You could probably make…]
You could probably… you could probably argue that certain animals like, certain… that we have domesticated like horses, dogs, things like that, but, you know…
Dolphins.
Yeah, dolphins, you know…
You’ve got to close down that zoo with [a] dolphin show.
Oh, I think so, definitely. I, there’s another… oh anyway I’ll talk about that later but… you know, animals like bears and, and, and… you know, they use kangaroos for boxing and… those sort of animals, they’re… they don’t do that. They don’t… you know, bears don’t ride bikes and, I think it’s wrong. And tigers and lions. I think you can probably argue about dogs, because dogs seem to enjoy being with humans, but… I would say animals like bears and lions and tigers, keep them out of circuses.
lunes, 1 de septiembre de 2014
Ireland mulls Aran Islands salmon farm plan
Controversial plans to build a huge salmon farm off the west coast of Ireland are being considered by the government in Dublin.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and say whether the statements below are true or false.
The activity is suitable for intermediate 2 students.
1 The Aran Islands have been chosen as the site for the farm because of the protection they offer.
2 The Aran Islands are quite close to the main Irish islands.
3 People who oppose the plan fear the farm will scare visitors off.
4 The salmon industry in Ireland is on a par with the Scandinavian countries.
5 Most of the Irish fish is eaten in Asia.
6 Locals fear the fish farm will be harmful to the wildlife in the area.
7 Forty per cent of salmon return to the ocean after spawning.
Europe’s western edge, and it’s in these waters where an Irish state agency wants to build the country’s biggest salmon farm. The location’s been chosen for the shelter offered by the remote Aran Islands from the open Atlantic beyond. Ireland is in deep economic water, in recession five years after a banking crisis sent the country’s economy on the rocks.
Less than a thousand people live on the remote Irish-speaking islands, with money against the plan to harvest a new bounty from the sea fearing it will change the islands forever.
People come out here for the peace and quiet, for our clean waters, for our beautiful beach. If that’s filthy, if that’s polluted they won’t be coming here, they’ll be going elsewhere.
There’s already salmon farming in Ireland, but on a smaller scale compared to countries like Norway and Scotland. The government in Dublin wants to develop it from the 85 million € is worth today, hoping more jobs and money will flow from the waters around Ireland’s coast.
90% of the fish here are destined for dinner tables in Switzerland and Germany, but with huge growing demand in India and China, those behind the salmon farm project off the Aran Islands say that it’s a huge opportunity for Ireland.
As a government agency, we’re not going to make any profits from this. No individual involved in promoting the project is going to get paid a penny extra or a penny less as a result. So we’re in this to… to help bring about the recovery of Ireland.
The economic crisis hit remote rural areas hard. Unemployment has sent money packing to emigrate, so the prospect of new jobs that salmon farming might bring is welcomed by some.
I have people coming down here and… looking for work. Their parents have come down here after and asked me ‘have I any job that will give their son a reason to get out of bed in the morning?’ I think that is very sad and I think them people deserve a chance.
In the heart of the capital of the west of Ireland lies one of the country’s top wild salmon fisheries. Fish return to spawn, migrating from the seas for the proposed fish farm will lie. Scientist here fear the farm will bring huge numbers of lice and parasites, which will devastate the wild fish stocks.
Well, for every hundred small salmon, juvenile salmon that leave, you would expect about five per cent back, so that’s five in a hundred. And we have researched that show that if the farm was built and had the impact that we’ve seen previously in other experiments we’ve done, you could lose forty per cent of those returning fish.
Those behind the scheme to double the size of Ireland’s salmon farming industries say it won’t damage the environment. It will be for the Irish government to choose between the conflicting scientific arguments and what the future is to be for Galway Bay and its communities.
Diarmad Fleming BBC News the Aran Islands.
Key:
1T 2F 3T 4F 5F 6F 7F
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and say whether the statements below are true or false.
The activity is suitable for intermediate 2 students.
1 The Aran Islands have been chosen as the site for the farm because of the protection they offer.
2 The Aran Islands are quite close to the main Irish islands.
3 People who oppose the plan fear the farm will scare visitors off.
4 The salmon industry in Ireland is on a par with the Scandinavian countries.
5 Most of the Irish fish is eaten in Asia.
6 Locals fear the fish farm will be harmful to the wildlife in the area.
7 Forty per cent of salmon return to the ocean after spawning.
Europe’s western edge, and it’s in these waters where an Irish state agency wants to build the country’s biggest salmon farm. The location’s been chosen for the shelter offered by the remote Aran Islands from the open Atlantic beyond. Ireland is in deep economic water, in recession five years after a banking crisis sent the country’s economy on the rocks.
Less than a thousand people live on the remote Irish-speaking islands, with money against the plan to harvest a new bounty from the sea fearing it will change the islands forever.
People come out here for the peace and quiet, for our clean waters, for our beautiful beach. If that’s filthy, if that’s polluted they won’t be coming here, they’ll be going elsewhere.
There’s already salmon farming in Ireland, but on a smaller scale compared to countries like Norway and Scotland. The government in Dublin wants to develop it from the 85 million € is worth today, hoping more jobs and money will flow from the waters around Ireland’s coast.
90% of the fish here are destined for dinner tables in Switzerland and Germany, but with huge growing demand in India and China, those behind the salmon farm project off the Aran Islands say that it’s a huge opportunity for Ireland.
As a government agency, we’re not going to make any profits from this. No individual involved in promoting the project is going to get paid a penny extra or a penny less as a result. So we’re in this to… to help bring about the recovery of Ireland.
The economic crisis hit remote rural areas hard. Unemployment has sent money packing to emigrate, so the prospect of new jobs that salmon farming might bring is welcomed by some.
I have people coming down here and… looking for work. Their parents have come down here after and asked me ‘have I any job that will give their son a reason to get out of bed in the morning?’ I think that is very sad and I think them people deserve a chance.
In the heart of the capital of the west of Ireland lies one of the country’s top wild salmon fisheries. Fish return to spawn, migrating from the seas for the proposed fish farm will lie. Scientist here fear the farm will bring huge numbers of lice and parasites, which will devastate the wild fish stocks.
Well, for every hundred small salmon, juvenile salmon that leave, you would expect about five per cent back, so that’s five in a hundred. And we have researched that show that if the farm was built and had the impact that we’ve seen previously in other experiments we’ve done, you could lose forty per cent of those returning fish.
Those behind the scheme to double the size of Ireland’s salmon farming industries say it won’t damage the environment. It will be for the Irish government to choose between the conflicting scientific arguments and what the future is to be for Galway Bay and its communities.
Diarmad Fleming BBC News the Aran Islands.
Key:
1T 2F 3T 4F 5F 6F 7F
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