Comprehension: South Korea's Home of the Future

A stove that recommends recipes, wallpaper that changes colour at the touch of a finger and a table that may just be the world's largest iPod- it's not science fiction, just the first wave of futuristic homes in South Korea.

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The chip on the plate can recommend recipes.
a. True
b. False

2. The designers created the house based on what people want.
a. True
b. False

3. The bath can be filled to the depth and the temperature that you like best.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Welcome to the home of the future at least in South Korea, a place where the fridge tells you what's in it as well as the expiry dates. Where the ergonomic kitchen bench automatically adjusts to your height then detects what has been placed on it.  All thanks to one handy piece of technology central to all of this.

“I am holding this plate of food but there is a chip attached to the bottom of the plate. This chip contains all the information on the food and then after reading the information it can give the best recommendation on a recipe for cooking it.”

Then there is the entertainment room centered around the e-table, a sort of giant iPod that controls the entire room.  Swipe your mobile phone for messages, music, and photographs.  Actual pictures
then send them straight to frames on the wall then watch the entire wall change to suit the mood of the music you just selected.  This technology extends to the children's bedroom; there are even widgets, the world's flattest flat screen television, and on ballgames and language lessons.  Its creators say futuristic thinking had little to do with the design.

“This display centre is about listening to the voice of customers and about proposing future technologies and developing new technologies in such a direction as the customers actually want.”

It maybe what customers want but if you want to check your text messages in the bath or even have run itself automatically to a favorite depth and temperature you'll have to wait until 2015, that's when the future becomes the present.

Answers:

1. a
2. a
3. a

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Idioms: Pots with answers

This week 'pots' are the theme of our idioms. Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Happiness for Some in Pakistan's Gated Communities

Gated communities - offering secure living in a sometimes volatile country - are growing in popularity in Pakistan with some 100,000 people living in one of them near Rawalpindi. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.Arif’s house is worth ten times as much as it was when he bought it.
a. True
b. False

2. They’ve stopped building any more houses in Bahria town.
a. True
b. False

3. A majority of the house owners in Bahria are owned by the middle-class.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Row upon row of neat suburban houses on neat suburban streets – this is Pakistan’s biggest gated community.
Arif’s house – once on a patch of wasteland - has quadrupled in value since he bought it 10 years ago.
"The thing for middle class family, the most preferable thing for them is a sense of security so having your own house brings a lot of the security to you, for you, for your children, so it was dream of theirs."
The entrances to the town, near the capital Islamabad, are monitored carefully and guards patrol its streets. 
Closed-circuit cameras watch every inch in an attempt to prevent crime in this community.
A lifestyle that's a big draw in a country riddled with problems – like frequent power outages or ‘load-shedding’.
"The main thing is the load shedding they are no load shedding in Bahria town and they have high security alert."
"Bahria Town is a little Town and a big town as well, so it's limited and it’s secure.
With a population already 100,000 strong, the gated community is still expanding. 
You don’t need to be very wealthy to get your spot here either, as the developers are mainly targeting Pakistan’s middle classes. 
 “Bahria Town has given everybody impetus, a standard to follow. We have given everybody a standard to follow. And they try to match it, which is a good thing because the country will progress."
Just outside the walls of the compound, the bustling streets of Rawalpindi provide a stark contrast. 
For the people who live here, a life away from grime and frequent electricity blackouts is a world away. 
"It’s not like Pakistan, it like a new country it seems so good. You can get everything. It’s a very clean environment.”
A new country offering escapism, complete with its own wildlife – and even some sights from further afield.

Answers:

1. b
2. b
3. a

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Comprehension: Mandela's Homeland: a Microcosm of South Africa

It's the place that Nelson Mandela called home. The village of Qunu, where the South African leader grew up, was also the place he retired to after leaving politics.

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.Nelson Mandela used to return to the village of Qunu every December.
a. True
b. False

2. Nelson Mandela believed that young people should learn skills.
a. True
b. False

3. In the rural parts of South Africa two thirds of people earn under two dollars a day.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

"I was born free, free to run in the fields near my mother's hut, free to swim in the clear stream which ran through my village."

Nelson Mandela was born free here, amid the green hills of the Transkei, in 1918.
And though he came to realise that his freedom, as a black man under apartheid, was just an illusion, his love for his home region never left him.
One of the first things he did after getting out of prison in 1990 was build a home in Qunu, the village where he grew up.
Locals like Nozolile remember seeing him around the village.

"He is a loving person. He doesn't care if you have dirty hands coming from the fields. He will still greet you."

It was Mandela's custom, for years, to return to Qunu in South Africa’s Eastern Cape every December.
After missing the company of children during his long years in prison, he liked the chance to play Father Christmas.

"I know Tata Mandela is a person who loves children. Every Christmas, he would call us and give us toys, things for school, uniforms, shirts, books..."

After his health deteriorated, he gradually withdrew from public life.
When he was still in power, he used to warn them that they wouldn't be getting any special treatment just because one of their own had become president.

"He said to us, 'Yes, I am back, my brothers, but whatever I do cannot start here in this village, now that I'm president.  I want the whole country to know that a person is just a human being. People must be educated so that they could become president too.' "

Despite its famous resident, Qunu has remained a traditional village.
The only sign of something special is the village museum, which runs social and artistic projects for local people.

"One of his greatest passions is the development of the youth through their being given education or skills, rather than being given grants and stuff, but given skills, so that they can earn their own living."

In rural South Africa, two in three black people live on less than two dollars a day and Qunu's no exception.

It's not just the home of the country's greatest hero, it’s a living symbol of the challenges still left to overcome.

Answers:

1. a
2. a
3. a

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Phrasal Verbs with Answers: to hit

This week,'to hit' is the verb used to make our phrasal verbs. Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Riding High with Ivory Coast's Elephant Bikers

The iconic Harley-Davidson motorbike is typically associated with road trips across America, but bikers in the West African nation of Ivory Coast are also embracing the free spirit that comes with life on the open road.

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.The Ivory Coast Elephant Bikers started fifty years ago.
a. True
b. False

2. The Bikers are very careful when they ride through villages.
a. True
b. False

3. According to Raïssa N’gom the villagers are not very welcoming.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Miriam and Margaret have Alzheimer's and struggle to remember what happened last week let alone ten minutes ago.
But when they hear a few lines from a poem learnt decades ago at school, the memories come flooding back.

 “We did talk a certain amount of poetry at home always. I think my aunts knew that when I was small, and my mother you know, they all knew it, and so I can't remember life without it.”

For four years, the organisation 'Kissing it Better' has used poetry as a means of fighting memory loss.  Young people from local schools, here in Stratford-upon-Avon in central England, visit the elderly in nursing homes, giving poetry recitals and singing songs. 

 “When they’re feeling sad or lonely or they can’t connect very easily, if somebody says a poem that they knew so well 60-70 years ago, they suddenly smile because they found something that they remember and when they have that memory, along with it comes the school days, the war time, the family, the countryside.  So it’s that important anchor in what is a very bewildering world if you have dementia.”

And these recitals don't just benefit those on the receiving end.

“I feel like I can give something to the community, and they've given stuff to us and I want to give it back to them, and I hope, in a few years' time, when I'm old, people will come and visit me, and read to me, and sing to me!”

Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of Shakespeare, and even former actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company take part reciting sonnets by the Bard.

 “You get something back from them, you see that glimmer in their eye and it’s wonderful when suddenly they join in with a line.”

Experts say that the use of poetry cannot cure Alzheimer's, but there's no doubt it brings sufferers comfort and with it confidence from a bygone era. 

Answers:

1. b
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Poetry Provides Gateway to Past for Alzheimer Sufferers

Alzheimer's sufferers find it difficult to recall recent events and so can easily feel isolated and lonely, but one association in Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK is using poetry and song to recover long-buried memories.

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.The organization, ‘Kissing it Better’, has been reading poetry to Alzheimer sufferers for four years.
a. True
b. False

2. All the volunteers from ‘Kissing it Better’ were former actors from the ‘Royal Shakespeare Company’.
a. True
b. False

3. Experts believe that poetry can be a part of a cure for Alzheimer’s.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Miriam and Margaret have Alzheimer's and struggle to remember what happened last week let alone ten minutes ago.
But when they hear a few lines from a poem learnt decades ago at school, the memories come flooding back.

 “We did talk a certain amount of poetry at home always. I think my aunts knew that when I was small, and my mother you know, they all knew it, and so I can't remember life without it.”

For four years, the organisation 'Kissing it Better' has used poetry as a means of fighting memory loss.  Young people from local schools, here in Stratford-upon-Avon in central England, visit the elderly in nursing homes, giving poetry recitals and singing songs. 

 “When they’re feeling sad or lonely or they can’t connect very easily, if somebody says a poem that they knew so well 60-70 years ago, they suddenly smile because they found something that they remember and when they have that memory, along with it comes the school days, the war time, the family, the countryside.  So it’s that important anchor in what is a very bewildering world if you have dementia.”

And these recitals don't just benefit those on the receiving end.

“I feel like I can give something to the community, and they've given stuff to us and I want to give it back to them, and I hope, in a few years' time, when I'm old, people will come and visit me, and read to me, and sing to me!”

Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of Shakespeare, and even former actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company take part reciting sonnets by the Bard.

 “You get something back from them, you see that glimmer in their eye and it’s wonderful when suddenly they join in with a line.”

Experts say that the use of poetry cannot cure Alzheimer's, but there's no doubt it brings sufferers comfort and with it confidence from a bygone era. 

Answers:

1. a
2. b
3. b

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Idioms: Birds with answers

This week 'birds' are the theme of our idioms. Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Toxic Mafia Dumps Sow Panic in Italy 'Triangle of Death'

Anger is boiling over near Naples after revelations about toxic mafia dumps blamed for rising cancer rates that have prompted accusations the state is ignoring a vast public health crisis. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The mafia took over the toxic waste disposal business about forty years ago.
a. True
b. False

2. There are more people with allergies than before.
a. True
b. False

3. All the farmers knew that they had been growing crops on toxic waste.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Asbestos, industrial-strength glue and paint stripper. 
You can find it all, and worse, dumped in the so-called "triangle of death" between Naples and Caserta in southern Italy. 

"Right there, everything has been burned, there is even asbestos."

Environmental agencies say millions of tonnes of toxic rubbish have been burnt or buried in fields growing crops for decades by the mafia - which took over the toxic waste disposal business some 30 years ago.
In this area, also dubbed the "Land of Fires", the cancer rate has risen 40 percent in women and 47 percent in men. 

"It's not just that the number of tumours has gone up, but also the number of allergies, deformities as well. I have three patients who have had to have abortions, young women, the foetuses were seriously deformed."

Back in 1997 a local mafia informant from the Casalesi clan even confessed to parliament that they had secretly dumped waste in fields, wells and lakes.  But 16 years later, little has been done. 
And a number of mothers feel they are paying the price. They have all lost a child to cancer and say the toxic rubbish is to blame. 

"No-one has the courage to tell us, with the facts in hand, 'we have killed your children, we assume responsibity and are ready to intervene to save tomorrow's children, those who still breathe this poison and eat this crap'."

Caivano's priest Maurizio Patriciello has been a strong support for women like Tina, and his frustrations are clear to see.

"We do not expect anything good of the Camorra, on the contrary. We live in a State which has a duty to protect its citizens, and it has failed to do so."

Over the past few weeks, dozens of polluted fields have been seized from farmers, some of whom had no idea they had been growing crops on top of toxic waste.
Growing media attention to the garbage crisis has also seen police intervene at reducing  the number of rubbish piles set on fire. 
But locals fear that despite the crackdown the mafia will simply find a way to stay in business, possibly by launching into a new sector: the lucrative clean-up business.

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Baltimore's Arabbers Keep Horse-Cart Vending Alive

Baltimore's arabbers, traditional fruit and vegetable sellers who hawk their produce on colourful horse-drawn carts, are the last horse-cart vendors in the United States. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.  BJ has been arabbing for 25 years.
a. True
b. False

2. The fruit and vegetables are locally grown.
a. True
b. False

3. Daniel Van Allen hopes that there will be another four wagons on the streets next year.
a. True
b. False


For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Mixed with the sounds of daily life, Baltimore’s streets ring with this distinctive melody.

It's the traditional call of arabbers , that's the name for fruit and vegetable vendors that sell their produce on horse-drawn carts.

At only 25, BJ has been arabbing most of his life.  He starts his day by loading his cart with local, freshly-bought produce carefully arranged by colour. 

"I got cabbage, I got collard greens, I got string beans…"

With veteran Lawlaw by his side, the men head off on what could be an 11-mile walk.

"When we finish, that's when we get on the horse. The work aint done till - that's when you know when it’s done - when we get on that ride and we coming home."

First stop: regular customers' homes, mostly seniors who can't walk to the market.
But they're happy to sell to anyone who wants to buy, offering their goods door to door and even to passing cars.

"It's convenient, they come to you. You don't have to go out and get it."

Though the origin of the word is unclear, arabbing has been around for centuries but in recent years it has struggled to stay alive.  Stables have been shut down for building code violations and animal rights activists claim claimed the horses are poorly treated.  With arabbing on the edge, Daniel Van Allen decided to set up a preservation society:

"We've gone, in the past few years, from one to two wagons after one of the stables was shut down for urban renewal and back up to eight wagons out on the street, and hopefully we'll have four more wagons out on the street next year."

That's welcome news for BJ, who says his love for the job has kept him out of trouble.

"Oh I'm going to keep on going until I can't walk no more.  We're gonna be around, we ain't going nowhere.  It's been around over a hundred years, this [expletive] ain't going nowhere."

In an age where more people are getting goods home-delivered, this centuries-old trade seems on the road to a revival.

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

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Phrasal Verbs with Answers: to hang

This week,'to hang' is the verb used to make our phrasal verbs. Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Aboriginal Festival Brings Desert Culture to Wider Community

Aboriginal groups from across Central Australia meet for the inaugural Mbantua festival to share desert indigenous culture with the broader Australian community.

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.  One of the ways the old Aboriginal stories are being expressed is through song.

a. True

b. False

2. Arrernte is in Alice Springs.

a. True

b. False

3. The young Aboriginals are not interested in their history.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

 

Transcript and Answers:

Revealing the tales of days gone by through song and dance, indigenous groups from across Australia’s desert centre have come to share with one another on the sacred grounds of the Arrernte people in Alice Springs.  From dreaming, or creation stories, to the effects of European arrival:

"Everything you see at this festival is lensed through the eyes of desert people and the history that informs those people.”                              

It’s a rare chance for the different aboriginal nations here to join with non-indigenous Australians, in appreciating every facet of this ancient culture.

"There’s a lot of good tucker...you need to get this one too!"

They might be using billycans instead of wooden bowls, but the activities are helping keep alive traditions which might otherwise be slipping.  Foreign tourists, too, are sampling traditional desert foods and getting hands-on with the local arts and crafts.

"I think I will call it Alice."

It’s also engaging indigenous youth in their heritage.  While, in its openness, it’s presenting an alternative picture of a national story which can look very different for black and white Australians.

"I guess the sharing of those personal stories helps to enlighten everyone as to what it actually is and then, maybe through that, develop a new story of whatever that’s going to look like for Australia."

"That’s what we’re trying to do with this festival bring non-indigenous people to us, share our culture with them, and our history, in the hope that they feel like that part of the nation’s history is part of their own identity."

As night falls, in this small pocket in the heart of Australia, people have been brought closer together - at least for a few days.

Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Largest Ever Thermal Solar Plant Set to Open in California

The largest solar thermal plant in the world, a Google-backed project in the California desert, is set to go online at the end of the year. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The thermal plant in California has the highest concentration of sunlight in the world.

a. True

b. False

2. The technology at the thermal plant is different from solar panels seen on roofs of houses.

a. True

b. False

3. Lisa Belenky is against the idea of solar energy because it disrupts the environment.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:
On the side of a California highway, a field of mirrors shimmers like a mirage. These white-hot, radiating structures make up the largest solar thermal plant ever built.
“This is actually one of the highest concentrations of sunlight in the world, out here in Ivanpah."
Regular household mirrors, called heliostats, track the sun using satellite technology. Boilers atop three towers absorb the reflected heat.
“That boiler can reach temperatures in excess of 500 degrees celsius for that steam.”
Steam, which then drives electric turbines to create energy. This technology is different from the solar cells seen on rooftops because it can even work at night. 
"We can store the sun's thermal energy in the form of molten salt. So we can produce electricity even when the sun goes down. There’s a lot of interest in concentrating solar power around the globe in environments where you have lots of sun such as China, South Africa, the Middle East, North Africa."
But here in California's vast Mojave desert, solar isn't the only thing growing.
“Well this is the amaranth and they’re coming right up through this other bush.”
The Google-backed Ivanpah Solar Project competes with this desert's lush landscape. BrightSource Energy, the company behind it, has already spent more than 50 million dollars to relocate the endangered Desert Tortoise. 
"Even though the desert seems big, when you start cutting it up, and fragmenting it, it can really affect how the species and the animals and the plants, both, are able to survive in the long run."
And while environmentalists generally support the idea of large solar plants, many want habitats like this one to stay intact.
"We should be reusing areas that have already been disturbed: old mining sites for example, either on homes, on businesses, you can on parking lots."
But Brightsource has already presold energy to parts of southern California and they plan to flip the switch at the end of the year. 

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Rock Cravings for Pregnant Women in Kenya

Pregnant women often have unusual cravings and in Kenya it's not unusual to crave, and eat, soft stones known as "odowa". 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Ann Njeri, the first woman interviewed, still craves ‘odawa’ even though she is no longer pregnant.

a. True

b. False

2. A study by Britain’s Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, along Kenya’s coast in 1998, found that 50% of women ate rocks or dirt during pregnancy.

a. True

b. False

3. Doctor Odawa, the obstetrician, doesn’t think the rocks will hurt the women.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Pregnant women are known for their unusual cravings from midnight demands for pickles to new found adoration for Tabasco sauce and here in Kenya it’s not unusual to crave and eat soft stones known as "odowa".

“I started eating these stones when I was one month pregnant up until I delivered. Then I stopped eating them, but when I see them I still get the cravings.”

And there’s nowhere better to satisfy this craving than Nairobi’s Githurai market where traders who specialize in odawa can be found among the fruit sellers and fishmongers.

Joseph Kaara has been selling the stones for ten years charging just over 10$ for 100kg sack.

“I sell them mostly to the pregnant women.  When I ask them why they eat them, they tell me it’s because they lack calcium.”

Doctors say that craving stones, or soil known as pica, may be an indication of a deficiency of vital minerals like iron or calcium.  While others blame a cultural trend passed down through friends and relatives.  Figures on how many women are affected are hard to come by but a study by Britain’s Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, along Kenya’s coast in 1998, found that one in two women ate rocks or dirt during pregnancy.

But Doctor Odawa an obstetrician at International Medical Consultants says the habit can be dangerous for women causing parasitic infestations, anemia, intestinal complications and malnourishment.

“It may not be very healthy because what we think is that these people eat these substances sometimes to fill their tummies, and it does fill them, in place of what should be of nutritional value. So at the end of the day they may actually end up being malnourished.”

It seems that the next time the craving hits, women would be better off giving up the rocks and choosing carrots or fruit to crunch on.

Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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Idioms: Teeth with answers

This week 'teeth' are the theme of our idioms. Do you know what they mean?

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Comprehension: Pakistani Snooker Champion Aiming to Go Pro Next Year

Mohammad Asif, Pakistan's World Amateur Snooker Champion, is training hard to defend his title in the hope of turning professional next year.


Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Asif practises over 10 hours a day to get better at snooker.
a. True
b. False

2. Asif became world champion in Bulgaria.
a. True
b. False

3. Asif’s lifestyle has improved since he became world snooker champion.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Asif spends up to ten hours a day honing his skills here in Pakistan’s Punjab province.  He’s the reigning world amateur snooker champion. The game’s been his passion since he was 17.

“Snooker is a kind of game where there is a lot of joy in pulling off technical shots. You have to beat opponents by yourself, whereas in cricket, you need teamwork.”

Asif took the title a year ago in Bulgaria.  He came home a hero, to a country that doesn’t have too many world titles.

“He’s a champion and he’s from our city, Faisalabad, so he is number one for us. His performances are very good; he has beaten the world’s best players and proven that Pakistan is not behind anyone.”

He’s become a legend in his modest Faisalabad neighbourhood.  The last time Pakistan produced a snooker world champion was in 1994.

"Since becoming a champion, the special love and joy of people, and their prayers, stay with me. Wherever I go, thanks to God, I get love from the people; everyone is caring and praying for me."

His success hasn’t enabled Asif to improve his lifestyle though. Despite the trophies and official photos, the country’s leaders still haven’t made good on promises they made to him a year ago.

"The government policy is that whoever wins a world championship is offered 10 million rupees, but so far I haven’t received anything. We’ve discussed it many times and they are saying that God willing it will be cleared soon."

But Asif isn’t waiting idly for the money. He’s training hard to defend his title at the next world championship in November.  And the Pakistani star hopes to turn professional next year.

Answers:

1. b
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Detroit's World-Class Art Collection Threatened By Bankruptcy

Following Detroit's declaration of bankruptcy, its emergency manager said some of the Detroit Institute of Arts' world-class collection may have to be sold. 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. The Detroit Institute of Art has a small subsidy from the city.
a. True
b. False

2. The Detroit Institute of Art has a huge collection of 20th century art.
a. True
b. False

3. A majority of Detroiters want to sell the art to raise funds.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

These enormous murals are at the heart of the Detroit Institute of Arts.  Painted by Diego Rivera in the 1930s, they capture the energy and drive of the industry that had made the city great.  Eighty years on, public access to this artwork, and to the rest of the museum’s collection, is threatened by Detroit’s bankruptcy.

The city’s emergency manager has ordered thousands of pictures bought with city money to be valued.  Selling them could raise billions of dollars to help pay off Detroit’s debts.  Gallery officials argue the non-profit that runs the Institute is already saving the city money:

“We don’t use city dollars for anything. We get city water and lights and we pay them for those, so the city really does not pay for this institution at all at this point, which means we keep this institution open for the city of Detroit, and we save them 31 million dollars a year, which is our annual operating budget.”

Fuelled by donations first from local press barons, then from car industry magnates, the museum has built a world-class collection. Highlights include a rare work by Flemish master Bruegel the Elder; the first paintings by both Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse ever to be purchased by a US public gallery; and a virtual who’s who when it comes to 20th century art.

One key move that’s kept the gallery afloat more recently is a property tax to support it that residents of three nearby counties agreed to pay. But if some of the art is auctioned, that revenue stream could also be threatened:

“Two of those counties have said if we sell art they will stop the property tax. That represents about two-thirds of our annual operating budget. If they stop that tax, we will be sent into a death spiral.”

Detroit’s creditors argue the art is an asset which should be sold to raise funds for more practical purposes, such as funding city workers’ pensions. At City Hall recently, some of those whose pensions could be affected by the bankruptcy were still keen to safeguard the gallery.

“It’s a great place; Detroit needs to keep it if they can. I’m not in favour of liquidating the assets.”

“I think they should protect our art. Leave it alone. Mess with something else.”

A survey carried out by a local newspaper found 78% of Detroiters feel the same but with the fate of the gallery undecided, supporters of a sale,- who say they want to put people before Picassos’, may yet win the argument.

Answers:

1. b
2. a
3. b

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