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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes - East Africa Drought
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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10 million starving in Horn of Africa (10th July, 2011)

A humanitarian crisis is developing in the Horn of Africa and the world seems to be just watching. Up to 10 million people in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia are starving because of a severe drought. A lack of rain means they have no food. At the Dadaab refugee camp in east Kenya, 1,000 people arrive each day. Some are close to death when they arrive. They receive some food and very basic medical care. The camp director predicts as many as half a million refugees will come. He asked the world to help before a bigger disaster happens.

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One aid worker believes the world doesn’t care, telling the BBC: “We were supposed to have an early warning system but what is the point of warning the rest of world when it doesn't listen?” Another aid worker has to try and stop mothers letting their younger children die to give food to the older ones. "Some families had already prepared children for death and we had to…tell them: ‘No, this is not possible, this child is still alive and he can make it…It's hard but sometimes we win,” he said.

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Medicins Sans Frontieres

http://www.savethechildren.org

http://www.worldvision.org

http://www.islamic-relief.com

PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	A humanitarian crisis is	a.	be just watching
2	the world seems to	b.	medical care
3.	A lack of rain means	c.	each day
4.	1,000 people arrive	d.	they have no food
5.	Some are close	e.	developing
6.	very basic	f.	to death

Paragraph 2

1.	One aid worker believes the	a.	the point…
2	an early warning	b.	for death
3.	what is	c.	world doesn’t care
4.	letting their younger	d.	system
5.	prepared children	e.	is still alive
6.	this child	f.	children die

LISTENING GAP FILL

A humanitarian __________________ in the Horn of Africa and the world seems to __________________. Up to 10 million people in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia __________________ of a severe drought. __________________ means they have no food. At the Dadaab refugee camp in east Kenya, 1,000 people arrive each day. Some are close to death when they arrive. They receive some food and very __________________. The camp director predicts as many as half a million refugees will come. He asked the world to help __________________ disaster happens.

One aid worker believes the __________________, telling the BBC: “We were supposed __________________ warning system but what is the point of warning __________________ when it doesn't listen?” Another aid worker has to try and stop mothers letting their younger children die __________________ the older ones. "Some families had __________________ children for death and we had to…tell them: ‘No, this is not possible, this child is still alive and he can make it…It's __________________ we win,” he said.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A humanitarian (1) ____ is developing in the Horn of Africa and the world (2) ____ to be just watching. Up to 10 million people in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia are starving because of a severe drought. A (3) ____ of rain means they have no food. At the Dadaab refugee camp in east Kenya, 1,000 people arrive each day. Some are (4) ____ to death when they arrive. They receive some food and very basic medical care. The camp director predicts as many (5) ____ half a million refugees will come. He asked the world to help before a bigger (6) ____ happens.

One aid worker believes the world doesn’t (7) ____, telling the BBC: “We were supposed to have an (8) ____ warning system but what is the point (9) ____ warning the rest of the world when it doesn't listen?” Another aid worker has to try and stop mothers (10) ____ their younger children die to give food to the older ones. "Some families had already prepared children for (11) ____ and we had to…tell them: ‘No, this is not possible, this child is (12) ____ alive and he can make it…It's hard but sometimes we win,” he said.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	critics	(b)	crisis	(c)	criss cross
2.	(a)	seems	(b)	sees	(c)	views
3.	(a)	lack	(b)	pack	(c)	back
4.	(a)	closing	(b)	closely	(c)	close
5.	(a)	was	(b)	as	(c)	has
6.	(a)	disasters	(b)	disastrous	(c)	disaster
7.	(a)	carefully	(b)	care	(c)	careless
8.	(a)	fast	(b)	early	(c)	before
9.	(a)	for	(b)	as	(c)	of
10.	(a)	letting	(b)	lets	(c)	let
11.	(a)	die	(b)	dead	(c)	death
12	(a)	still	(b)	move	(c)	be

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	A humanitarian isisrc
2.	a severe uhortdg
3.	eueefgr camp
4.	Some are close to haetd
5.	half a iiollmn
6.	before a bigger etssirad happens
Paragraph 2
7.	aid wroekr
8.	an early warning ysemts
9.	already ardeprep children
10.	this is not isbopels
11.	still eivla
12.	but emtmessoi we win

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	be just watching. Up to 10 million people in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia are starving because
( )	Kenya, 1,000 people arrive each day. Some are close to death when they
( )	One aid worker believes the world doesn’t care, telling the BBC: “We were
( )	of a severe drought. A lack of rain means they have no food. At the Dadaab refugee camp in east
( )	arrive. They receive some food and very basic medical care. The camp director predicts as many as half
( )	prepared children for death and we had to…tell them: ‘No, this is not possible, this child
( 1 )	A humanitarian crisis is developing in the Horn of Africa and the world seems to
( )	is still alive and he can make it…It's hard but sometimes we win,” he said.
( )	supposed to have an early warning system but what is the point of warning the rest
( )	a million refugees will come. He asked the world to help before a bigger disaster happens.
( )	of the world when it doesn't listen?” Another aid worker has to try and stop mothers letting
( )	their younger children die to give food to the older ones. "Some families had already

WORD JUMBLE

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	developing is crisis humanitarian A.
2.	watching just be to seems world The.
3.	death Some when are they close arrive to.
4.	as million come many a will As half refugees.
5.	Help a disaster before bigger happens.
6.	worker care believes the One world aid doesn’t.
7.	We to early supposed an system were have warning.
8.	younger their letting mothers Stop die children.
9.	is child This alive still.
10.	hard sometimes win It's but we.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about drought for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. DROUGHT: Search the Internet and find more information about drought. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about drought. Include imaginary interviews with aid workers and people living in areas affected by drought. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to the head of the United Nations. Ask him three questions about the drought in the Horn of Africa. Give him three of your opinions on how to help the people. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes - East Africa Drought (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)