Comprehension: Egypt's 'Terrace Society' Flourishes on Cairo Rooftops

On the roof of a once-grand apartment block overlooking Cairo's Tahrir Square, Shukri Mahmud's father built a humble shack high above, the din, congestion and the worst of the notorious pollution in Africa's biggest metropolis eight floors below.

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

1. The English and Greeks once owned the building where Shukri lives.
a. True
b. False

2. Shukri's father used to own one of the apartments below.
a. True
b. False

3. 65% of Cairo’s urban development is planned.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Cairo congestion is notorious. 
Africa's biggest metropolis is polluted, noisy, and densely populated. 
But you can rise above it. 
Shukri Mahmud lives and sleeps in a parallel world above Egypt's capital city. A world romanticized in the nation's literature as the 'Terrace Society.' 
He has watched generations of residents in the posh apartments below come and go. 
“This place, we didn’t choose it, we were working in it with the first English and Greek owners of this place, I was born here, I grew up here, I got married here, I had my children here, my whole life is here.”
Shukri's father was a doorkeeper for the building and was given a plot on the roof where he could build. 
Other rooftop dwellers are often poor migrants from the countryside who inhabit spaces abandoned by residents moving out to the suburbs. 
Vertical growth has boomed as the capital's population has swelled to what is now a staggering 18 million.
According to researchers, the strain has meant that as much as sixty-five per cent of Cairo's urban development is unplanned.
 “The rooftop inhabitant is very symptomatic of the housing crisis in Egypt, especially in Cairo, but we can also say that it’s an answer to this crisis, it’s an answer to this housing crisis, which is linked to the withdrawal of the state of the urban issues of the urban policies etc."
While it may be common, it certainly isn't an easy life.
 “In winter it rains down on us, and during the summer the sun is very hard, but I have to live here, it wasn’t my choice.”
For now, the perch offers a prime view of a city in the throes of political and economic turmoil.  

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. b

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Comprehension: Wearable Health and Fitness Tech Makes a Splash at CES

Wearable technology is making a big impact at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, particularly when it comes to health and fitness applications. 

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

1. It is predicted that by 2017 the market for connected health products will be worth 6 billion dollars.
a. True
b. False

2. The ‘Quantified Self ‘movement has been around for some years.
a. True
b. False

3. Doctors are already prescribing connected health technology to patients.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Who said geeks aren’t sporty? At this year’s CES technology show, health is top of the agenda… and new wearable sensors can measure your every move. 
“The sensor is in the bottom of the headphone, we monitor blood flow and we have movement sensors in the headphone we can measure heart rate and calories, speed, distance." 
The market for connected health products is growing at around 5% a year, and is forecast to be worth 6 billion dollars by 2017. It’s given rise to a new trend known as the ‘Quantified Self’ movement. Devotees try to measure, analyse and upload as much information as possible about their physical wellbeing, with a view to better health… and the measurements don’t even stop when you’re asleep. This device tracks your heart rate and movement at night to wake you up at the optimum time. 
"This part here is the sensor, and this goes under the mattress - it works silently of course, without disturbing you, and measures your sleep very accurately. It knows when you move, it monitors your breathing patterns and heartbeat." 
There are other more general health applications on display too, such as this pillbox which syncs with a smartphone app, monitoring a patient’s medicine intake. 
“When this part is put in this ‘smart pillbox’, it becomes connected. And it makes sure the patient takes the right medicine at the right time.” 
It’s not all hard work either... these sensors attach to shoes so children can use them to control video games. 
"Kids are constantly on computers and on games and on everything so if we can encourage them to do physical activities while continuing to play video games, I think it’s great." 
This year’s CES shows that connected health technology is gaining ground… but it’s likely to be some time before it’s a standard part of the doctor’s surgery. 

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. b

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Comprehension: Insects Making Eco-Friendly Buzz in Dutch Kitchens

Cecile's kitchen in Sittard in the southeastern Netherlands is buzzing with activity. 

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

1. There are already about two billion people in the world who eat insects.
a. True
b. False

2. Seppo Hensgens has written a cook book on eating insects.
a. True
b. False

3. Ecological reasons are given as one of the reasons why people are beginning to eat insects instead of meat.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

"Walnuts, almonds and mealworms. We have to put them back in the pan so they taste better."
Cecile leads a cooking workshop with a twist, inviting her students to introduce insects into traditional recipes, like this one for the Turkish desert, baklava.
"I was already looking for alternatives to meat because I want to be healthy but becoming vegetarian is a bit too difficult."
"It's got to be good. I won't eat anything I don't like even if I know it's healthier."
Today's menu is larvae burgers with a side dish of couscous grasshoppers and a chocolate mealworm dessert. 
While some may cringe at the thought of being served up insects for their dinner, around two billion people around the world would consider that a delicious meal.
And they're quickly becoming more popular… Not only are insects easy to process, but they're also nutritious, packed with proteins and minerals.
Researchers say that huge financial and environmental savings could be made by switching from meat to insects.
"If we produce beef that takes about 25 kilograms of feed for one kilogram of meat. With insects it's two to one, so it's ten times better. We got less manure, less pollution, less greenhouse gas production." 
Seppo Hensgens is the author of a book of insect-based recipes; a phenomenon he hopes will catch on.
"This is good. It really adds something, a nutty taste. Very good!"
Although globally, sales of edible insects may still lag far behind those of meat, attitudes do seem to changing, especially after recent meat scandals, as people search for alternative, cheaper, and healthier cuisines. 

Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Winter Arrives at Washington's First 'Hospital' for Wild Animals

This winter, Washington's wild animals have a new ally helping them through these difficult months. City Wildlife cares for all sorts of creatures that get into trouble in the US capital.

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

1. You can phone Washington D.C.’s animal rescue team at any time, day or night.
a. True
b. False

2. All animals are taken back to the rehab centre to check that they are healthy.
a. True
b. False

3. The turtle has been at the centre for about a month.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

 

Transcript and Answers:

Cindy Velasquez has just got her first call-out of the day; a member of Washington D.C.’s animal rescue team, she’s off to deal with an uninvited visitor in a local home. 
"We're going to 5th Street NW, to get a squirrel out of a chimney." 
Cindy’s team are on call 24 hours a day, always ready to help animals, and local residents, in distress. Today, there are no injuries to deal with, just a squirrel that’s been trapped in a bedroom since the previous day. After a 10 minute chase, Cindy finally catches him.
"That's typically what we do; we go in, remove the squirrels from the homes, or any other wildlife. He did give me a little run around, but that is usually what happens, they usually just run around the rooms because they're trying to find a way out." 
Healthy animals are released back into the wild. Those with injuries come here, to this charity rehab centre for wild animals, the first of its kind in Washington. City Wildlife can handle up to 1,500 ‘patients’ per year, and has incubators, a dispensary and an examination room. 
"This turtle actually had a degloving of this rear leg; it was brought in by DC animal care and control. It was bloody and pretty gross looking, but as you can see we've had him about four weeks, and we've been giving antibiotics and cleaning it daily, and now it looks fantastic." 
In 2013, almost 300 wild animals have been nursed back to health, with some of them set to be released back into the wild this spring. 

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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Phrasal Verbs with Answers: to hold

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

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