The debt problem

In 1985, famous pop stars from the UK and the USA gave a concert to make money for the poorest countries in Africa. The concert was called Live Aid. It was watched by millions of people around the world, who phoned in and gave 200 million dollars. It was a big success, but it did not solve the real problem. These same countries in Africa have to pay 250 million dollars every week because of their debts.

The problem began in the early 1970s. The poorest countries in the world borrowed money from banks in richer countries. They needed the money for businesses, schools and roads. However, a lot of the money was not spent on these things. About 20 per cent of it was spent on war. Some of it was stolen by people in government and their friends, who became very rich.

Soon, the poorest countries found that they could not pay the banks. They needed to borrow more money, and so their debts got larger and larger. In 1982, Mexico told the banks that it could not pay. Other countries followed. It was clear that something had to change.

During the 1980s, many of the world's poorest countries borrowed money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. They used the money to pay back the banks, but of course they were still in debt to the IMF and the World Bank. These two organizations only helped countries who agreed to follow some rules in their economies. For example, they could not use their land to grow food for their people; they had to grow coffee and tea, and sell it to richer countries to get money. Paying back debts was more important than looking after people. By 1996, 50 per cent of government spending in the world's poorest countries went to pay their debts. This meant that they had much less money for schools and hospitals. People in richer countries started to learn about the debt problem. They started organizations like 'Drop The Debt', which wants governments of richer countries to stop taking money from poorer countries.

They have had a few successes. For example, Uganda now pays less to the IMF and the World Bank.

Because of this, the number of children at primary school in Uganda has gone up by 100 per cent. But debt is still a problem in many other African countries. And it is not only an economic problem; it is a human problem too. Every day, 19,000 children die in poorer countries because their governments have to pay their debts and cannot spend money on hospitals, clean water and food.

Задайте 10 специальных вопросов к тексту

II

Поставьте глаголы в скобках Past Simple или Past Continuous

Last night I was (be) alone at home. I __________ (lie) on my bed and I __________ (watch) TV when I __________ (hear) a strange noise. The noise __________ (come) from the kitchen. I __________ (go) downstairs, __________ (pick up) a heavy vase from the table and __________ (head for) the kitchen. I __________ (open) the door very slowly. Then I __________ (see) someone. He __________ (search) in the fridge. I __________ (be) so frightened that I __________ (drop) the vase I __________ (carry) and it __________ (crash) onto the floor. The man __________ (turn) towards the door and I __________ (see) his face. It was my husband!

Из 2 колонок составьте предложения, используя when, while, and, after или because

Перeделайте предложения из активного залога в пассивный

Somebody gave me a goat for my birthday last year. They had bought it from a farm down the road. We keep it tied to a tree in our garden. My father normally looks after it, but last week his company sent him abroad on business. A few days later, our neighbour called me to the window. I hadn't tied the goat up properly. The goat was eating her washing!