Comprehension: Children Risk Their Lives for Gold in Burkina Faso

Between half a million and 700,000 adolescents and younger children are caught up in the mining sector in Burkina Faso, according to the UN Children's Fund (Unicef.) 

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

1.The village of Nosbin is compared to the American Wild West.
a. True
b. False

2.The children earn about 7 or 8 euros per day.
a. True
b. False

3. The government has brought 21 thousand children out of the mines.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Around a hundred kilometres from Burkina Faso's capital Ougadougou lies a scene akin to the American Wild West. 

In the village of Nobsin, hundreds of diggers search for gold, a crucial source of income to the impoverished west African country.

But behind the glitter of precious metal lies a sad reality - that the majority of the miners are children. 

Aged between 5 and 18, every day they lower themselves into rough-hewn tunnels to seek their fortune. 

"When I grow up I'm going to use my money to build myself a house. I don't go to school, and I don't wish to go to school. I think I can earn more from gold-panning."

According to UNICEF, as many as 700 thousand children and adolescents work in 600 illegal mines across Burkina Faso, which officially produce one tonne of gold compared to 32 tonnes from industrial mines. 

And for many of the children, who earn between seven and eight euros a day, the work is their only chance of survival. 

"I've been at this gold-washing site for three years. I look for gold to pay for lessons, for motorbikes, for cars. I didn't go to school quite simply because no-one put me in school. Anyone who comes here knows that it's a hard job. It's because we don't have anything else to do that we stay here. The work is tough."

So tough that it can kill. In early December, a tunnel collapse at an illegal mine left fourteen people dead in the west of the country. 
NGO's have spoken out about the danger faced by the minors, who work more than ten hours a day close to toxic stocks of cyanide and mercury. 

"We noticed that a number of children who work on the sites are employed in work which is dangerous for them - physically dangerous - but it can be the case, in fact it is often the case, that the children work underground in the galleries."

Over the past three years, NGO's have brought 21 thousand children out of the mines. And the government has promised to form an agency to oversee safety. 
But in one of the world's poorest countries, many thousands of children will continue to be drawn to the gold rush, no matter what the risks. 

Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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Comprehension: Myanmar Band Rocks Austin SXSW Festival

Their first album was almost scuppered by US sanctions, but Myanmar indie rockers Side Effect have played the gig of their dreams in America, playing at the South by South West music festival. 

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

1.This is the first time the band has tried to raise money.
a. True
b. False

2.The band is the first band from Myanmar to play at the South By South West music festival.
a. True
b. False

3. The drummer doesn’t have a drum kit at home.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

From isolation, into the limelight.
Two years ago, this Myanmar rock band fell victim to their country’s then-pariah status, when their attempts to raise money for their album fell foul of US sanctions.
Now they're heading to America to be the first band from Myanmar to play one of the world’s biggest festivals — following their dreams with the help of donations from fans around the world.
"It been very difficult for us to be able to go to South By South West music festival because, like, first of all money is the major problem because we don't have any money. But you know we were raising money on a crowd funding campaign called Pledge Music but we only got 50 percent.”
Side Effect had to grapple with everything from censored lyrics to tight restrictions on live gigs under Myanmar’s former junta.
They have long struggled with funding, and their drummer Tser Htoo practices at home on piles of books because he can’t afford a kit.
But the festival in Austin, Texas is a revelation.
 “There’s so much love in the air - I mean like the people, I mean, I think because of the music you know — all the people are here because they love music.  Whenever I tell someone that ‘Oh we are a band from Burma’, their like ‘Oh really?’ they are really interested.”
The band get a packed house to play to.
 “We never thought we would be playing in South By South West one day — this is incredible”
A few of Austin’s Myanmar ex-pats have even come to cheer them on.
 “Just simple. Very happy. Just very emotionally happy.” 
Competing for music industry attention against some of the most dynamic new bands around — this is their best shot to show the world what they can do.

Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

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Comprehension: No More Carriage Rides in NY's Central Park?

New York's new mayor has ignited a firestorm by announcing plans to nix one of the city's century-old traditions -- the horse-drawn carriages in Central Park -- calling them inhumane.

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

1.There have been horse-drawn carriages in Central Park for 150 years.
a. True
b. False

2.There are 170 horses working in New York City.
a. True
b. False

3. The horses are entitled to 5 weeks vacation by law.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

For 150 years the same sound has resonated through New York's Central Park.
Christina Hansen has driven a horse-drawn carriage for years. But today her job is in jeopardy. New York City is home to 68 coaches, with 170 full-time drivers and more than 200 horses...but recently elected Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to get rid of them. To Christina they’re an iconic symbol of New York in danger of disappearing.
"You know, especially people in our carriages they're like 'you can't get rid of this, this is New York, this is Central Park, it's like getting rid of the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Everybody knows the central park carriages."
Behind this initiative is an organization called NYClass, which wants to replace the horse-drawn vehicles with electric replicas of vintage cars. The lobbying group gave 1.3 million dollars to mayoral candidates opposed to the tourist attraction, including Bill de Blasio. NYClass says working conditions for the horses are unacceptable.  
"These horses are working in Midtown traffic with their noses up against a tailpipe, and it is just not a safe environment to have a 1200 pound horse that will tend to spook if they hear a construction noise, a car backfires. They run the risk of being hit by SUVs and taxis."
New York’s stables also say they're concerned for the animals’ rights. Conor McHugh owns one of the city’s four barns. Here horses have individual stalls with water buckets they can refill themselves, but Conor says it’s the veterinary care that stands out.  
"If you're a working horse and you become a carriage horse, you are entitled by law to numerous things, among them five weeks vacation, veterinary check-ups, regardless of your health condition, you have to still see a veterinarian twice a year."
The Mayor’s proposal would eliminate the carriages in the next three years, but it still requires approval from the city council. For now, these mobile landmarks can still be seen, and heard, in Central Park.

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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