News Exercise #103

Posted on Posted in News Exercise


1) Can you complete this comment made by reporter Mohamed Yehia?
There are ___________________________________________________ that has been __________________________________________________________. The push factors are that ______________________________________________, there is (are) ______________________________, there is ________________________________, and people ____________________________________; they cannot go back to their countries, and ____________________________________________.

2) What are the reasons that so many refugees decided on Germany as their goal?
Three were mentioned (though the third is not specific to Germany, I think).

3) According to Mr Juncker, what is it “time for”, and what is it “not time for”? By the way, there was one key word I couldn’t catch, at 2:07. It sounds like “bolts”, but that doesn’t make sense. “Votes” maybe?

Answers:
1)
There are several factors combined together to cause this huge wave of migration that has been described by some as being the biggest wave of people movement since World War II. The push factors are that the refugee camps in the neighbouring countries are becoming over-saturated, there is (are) no jobs, there is no prospect of having a normal life in these areas, and people see it as a temporary situation; they cannot go back to their countries, and they’re seeing people making this trip successfully.

2)
Three were mentioned:
1. German Chancellor Merkel announced that any migrants arriving in Germany would have their asylum claims assessed in Germany, as opposed to the EU rules that state that they must be assessed in the first European country that the refugee enters.
2. They may have seen on television other refugees being welcomed “with open arms” in Germany.
3. Many Syrians believe that their country is in a perpetual state of war; that it will never end.

3)
He said, “The numbers are impressive. For some, they are frightening. But now is not the time for fright; it is a time for ???? determined, concerted actions by the European Union, by its member states, by its institutions.