Going under
Level 1 Elementary
1 Pre-reading A: Predicting the content
Read the headline and the sub-heading below. What do you think the article is going to be about?
" Umbrellas breaking in the rain?
" Rainwater filling houses and streets?
" Tourists staying away because of the rain?
Going under
Everyone knows that it often rains in Britain. We often have week upon
week of rain. So why have a few heavy showers caused so much damage
here this summer?
Aida Edemariam reports
July 24, 2007
2 Pre-reading B: Key words
Match these keywords from the text with the meanings below.
disaster floods results run-off
drainage sewers ploughs absorb
1. ____________ removing liquids from something
2. ____________ water from rivers filling the land
3. ____________ a very bad accident or serious damage
4. ____________ a system of pipes underground to carry waste water away
5. ____________ things that happen because something else happened
6. ____________ take in liquid a little at a time
7. ____________ too much water that cannot go down into the ground
8. ____________ digs up the land in lines, using machines
Now read the article, check the words in context, and see if your answer to Question 1 was correct.
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Going under
Level 1 Elementary
lucky that the Victorians built the systems as big as
Going under
they did. Especially in London, they thought the city
Everyone knows that it often rains in Britain. We
would get bigger, and that has protected London
often have week upon week of rain. So why have
until now. But London s population is now four
a few heavy showers caused so much damage
times as big  and last Friday, the sewers couldn t
here this summer?
handle so much water.
Aida Edemariam reports
 Our sewers are not designed to have so much
6
July 24, 2007
water flowing through them, says Nicola Savage,
a spokeswoman for Thames Water. And they are
1 People trying to take a train to or from the
not designed for the way we use them nowadays.
southwest of England this weekend could think
 We each, personally, use much more water than
they had accidentally walked into a disaster movie.
ever before. Also, the public often use the sewers
Some trains never arrived, and the people who
as a rubbish bin, Savage adds.  People put things
had to watch their homes and businesses go under
like babies nappies down the toilet. And also, we
water couldn t believe that such a short rainstorm
need to encourage people not to pour fat and oil
could cause so much damage.
down the sink. The sewers were never designed to
I can understand their surprise, because this
2
handle this kind of thing.
country is famous for its wetness. Rain is our
7 Saul is also investigating how farmers can control
national weather. Snow can cause us problems,
the flow of water off land. If Farmers plough across
yes, and very hot weather, like last summer,
hills, not down them, there will be less runoff. And
causes difficulties, too  but rain? With our wide
carefully placed trees can help stop flooding. Also,
experience, surely we should lead the world in rain
the more animals walk over a piece of land, the
management.
harder the ground becomes, and the less water it
Unfortunately not. Thousands of people had
3
can absorb. Then, plants can t grow well, and there
to leave their homes over the weekend, and
won t be enough food. And if farm animals get no
thousands more are still trapped inside their
drinking water for 48 hours, thousands will die, and
houses. Some towns in the south had floods of up
meat will cost more.
to five metres. In the north of England, some people
8 Scientists are also investigating how each of us can
still can t go home after last month s floods, which
help reduce a problem that, in fact, we have helped
killed 8 people. Everyone is asking how such short
create: by extending our houses, paving driveways,
rainstorms  just one hour in London, slightly longer
and building car parks. All this takes away soft
in other places  could have such terrible results.
ground that could absorb water, and adds to the
In fact, the answer is partly because it all happened
4
runoff into drains and rivers. And we should collect
so quickly. Brize Norton in Oxfordshire had
any water that runs off the house instead of letting it
121.2mm of rain between midnight Thursday and
go into the sewerage system. We can use rainwater
5pm Friday  a sixth of what it would expect for the
to flush toilets or run washing machines. Every little
whole year. South Yorkshire got a month s worth of
helps.
rain on June 25. It has been raining for weeks now,
For although this month s weather in Britain has
9
 and the ground is very wet, so immediately you get
been very unusual, that may happen more, and
rainfall, you get runoff , explains professor Adrian
more often, as our climate changes. Today people
Saul, of Sheffield University.
in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are having to
It isn t just that the ground cannot absorb so much
5
leave their houses. Tomorrow, next month, next
so fast  drainage systems get too full, too.  When
year  who knows?
you design a system you have to plan for possible
dangers, and generally the plans are good enough
© Guardian News & Media 2007
to protect our communities, says Saul.  It s very
First published in The Guardian, 24/07/07
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007
NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Elementary
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Going under
Level 1 Elementary
3 Scanning for information
First, read the text quickly to find the words and numbers in the box below. Underline them in the text.
five metres eight people 121.2mm 5pm Friday June 25
Adrian Saul the Victorians four times Nicola Savage 48 hours
Now, read the text again, and use the information from the box to complete the sentences below.
1. _____________ built the sewers in London.
2. The rain stopped in Oxfordshire at _____________.
3. _____________ were killed in floods last month in the north of England.
4. _____________ is a professor at Sheffield University.
5. Farm animals may die if they can t drink water for _____________.
6. _____________ of rain fell in five hours in Brize Norton.
7. _____________ gave some information from Thames Water.
8. In South Yorkshire, on _____________, it rained as much in one day as it usually rains in a month.
9. Flood water was _____________ deep in some towns in the south.
10. There are _____________ as many people living in London now as when the London sewers were built.
4 Vocabulary development
Find words in the text that mean the following. Paragraph numbers are given to help you.
1. ____________  kept somewhere, like a prisoner (para 3)
2. ____________  to think and plan how to build something (para 5)
3. ____________  succeed in working with (para 5)
4. ____________  special pieces of soft material for babies to wear because they can t use the toilet (para 6)
5. ____________  covering (the ground) with hard material like concrete or bricks (para 8)
6. ____________  to wash away with a lot of water (para 8)
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Going under
Level 1 Elementary
5 Language development: Prepositions
Choose prepositions from the box to go with the words below.
on
like for over in
1. ______ the weekend
2. ______ the south
3. ______ June 25
4. raining ______ weeks
5. plan ______ possible dangers
6. Especially ______ London
7. designed ______
8. things ______ babies nappies
Now scan the text quickly to see if you were right.
Pronunciation: Syllable stress
6
The 3-syllable words in the box all come from the article.
disaster businesses management terrible
professor possible protected nowadays encourage
carefully scientists extending rainwater unusual
Which syllable is stressed? Put them in the right column. The first 2 are done for you.
0 o o o 0 o
disaster
businesses
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007
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Going under
Level 1 Elementary
KEY
2 Pre-reading B: Key words 5 Language development: Prepostions
1. drainage 1. over the weekend
2. floods 2. in the south
3. disaster 3. on June 25
4. sewers 4. raining for weeks
5. results 5. plan for possible dangers
6. absorb 6. Especially in London
7. run-off 7. designed for
8. ploughs 8. things like babies nappies
3 Scanning for information 6. Pronunciation: Syllable stress
1. the Victorians
0 o o o 0 o
2. 5pm Friday
3. eight people businesses disaster
4. Adrian Saul
management professor
5. 48 hours
terrible protected
6. 121.2mm
possible encourage
7. Nicola Savage
nowadays extending
8. June 25
carefully unusual
9. five metres
scientists
10. four times
rainwater
4 Vocabulary development
1. trapped
2. design
3. handle
4. nappies
5. paving
6. flush
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007
NEWS LESSONS / Going under / Elementary
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