The Democratic Republic of Congo possesses vast quantities of minerals such as gold, diamonds and coltan, but the work of extracting them is hard and dangerous. The battle for control of the DRC's natural resources has been at the heart of the conflicts which have ravaged the country in recent years, with fraud and corruption meaning that the majority of mineral exports are beyond government control.
Watch the video and answer the questions below. Decide if the statements are True or False.
1. Cobalt is one of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s natural resource.
a. True
b. False
2. A third of the worlds known Coltan is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
a. True
b. False
3. Workers at the quarry in Rubaya earn twice as much as the average worker.
a. True
b. False
For transcript and answers see below.
Transcript and Answers:
Every day, thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo enter narrow tunnels, like this one, to work in the mines. Rich in copper, cobalt, coltan, uranium, gold and diamonds, the country possesses an abundance of natural resources, but accessing them can be hazardous.
"Two weeks ago we found out people had died here. I don't know how many, but it was around a dozen who died, it was following the collapse of the holes where we bring out the minerals."
It's hard to confirm incidents such as that one, as the authorities are tight-lipped over any accidents. At this large quarry in Rubaya, in North Kivu, miners are digging for Coltan, a mineral used in the production of mobile phones and laptops. Two thirds of the world's known reserves are in the DRC.
"We treat the minerals; we're treating them well in order that we can take them to the market. It's coltan that we dig for here, but it's mixed with manganese."
Workers earn up to ten dollars a day, double the average, and at the market, coltan can sell for several hundred dollars per kilo. Critics sometimes call it a 'blood mineral', as for decades the Congolese army and various rebel groups have been fighting to control its trade. Currently, the majority of exports are not controlled by the state. In an effort to keep track of the country's raw materials, an official trading centre has recently been built, but it's yet to open.
"We'll try to concentrate all the trade in minerals here, but the centre's closed. As a result, there'll be lots of fraud. The minerals are scattered here and there, and there's no way to control them."
The situation is so murky that in April, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative suspended the Democratic Republic of Congo for a year. The government says it wants to clear up the minerals trade, but that will be an enormous task, in a country where these precious resources are both a blessing and a curse.
Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a
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