Make Poverty History reading task

Reading.

1. You are going to read about two young children, a poor one from Uganda and a richer one from England. How might their life be different? Write three sentences about each of the girls.

The poor child __________________

The rich child ___________________

2. Read the texts and the statements below. Decide if the statements 1-6 are true (T) or false (F).

1. In Kay’s school there aren’t any books.

2. Kay works to get some money for herself.

3. Sarah doesn’t help home at all.

4. Both girls walk to school.

5. Sarah hasn’t got any brothers or sisters.

6. This text was written to make people sensitive to poverty.

Kay lives in Uganda. Every morning she gets up at 6 a.m., sweeps the floor, cleans her tiny house and prepares whatever breakfast she can find for her family. Then she walks four miles to school. Although Kay is an excellent pupil, there are more than 150 children in her class, and not enough books to go round, so it’s difficult to learn.

Kay is an orphan. Her parents and her uncle died from AIDS, so she has to look after her younger brother and sister, three cousins and her sick elderly grandmother. At weekends and in the evenings she works to feed her family. “I dig gardens and people give me food. If I don’t do it, we can’t eat.”

Sarah lives in England. She wakes up at 8 a.m., except at the weekends, when she likes to lie in. After breakfast which her mother prepares for her, she gets dressed and goes to school. She doesn’t do much housework apart from tidying her room, leaning up after dinner and taking her dog for a walk. Her father takes her and her close friend, Susan to school by car. Her favourite subject is Computer Studies. There is one computer for every child in her class.

Sarah is an only child in the family and she gets on very well with her parents and grandparents. She gets ₤10 pocket money every week, which she usually spends on clothes. She loves shopping.

THESE GIRLS’ LIFES SHOULDN’T BE SO DIFFERENT.

In 2005, word leaders said that they were going to MAKE POVERTY HISTORY. Because of public pressure they made some big promises – to increase aid and cancel many poor countries’ debts. But if 2005 was supposed to be the start of a global movement to end poverty, Kay didn’t see it. She and her family have to survive on just three pence per day. And there are millions of children like her. So, today we are telling our governments that Kay and children like her CAN’T WAIT. We must deliver on our promises and take decisive action against poverty. NOW.

3. Match the highlighted words from the text to their definitions.

1. someone who has no brothers or sisters

2. the children of your aunt and uncle

3. a child whose parents have died

4. not young

5. money you get from your parents to spend as you like

6. to stay in bed longer in the morning

4. Write a paragraph about the everyday life of an ordinary child in your country. Give the child a name. Use the questions to help you.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 3864