[WORLD NEWS ★★]
CANADIAN ISLAND OFFERS REFUGE TO HATERS OF DONALD TRUMP
(P1) If the idea of Donald Trump becoming the next U.S. president is your biggest fear, then fear no more, as a Canadian island is offering you SHELTER.
(P2) Cape Breton, just off the coast of Maine, is OPENING ITS ARMS to Americans who want to leave the States if billionaire Trump wins the 2016 elections.
(P3) In fact, the island’s website even urges you not to wait that long:
(P4) “Don’t wait until Donald Trump is elected president to find somewhere else to live! Start now, that way, on election day, you just hop on a boat to start your new life in Cape Breton, where women can get any MEDICAL PROCEDURE they need, Muslim people can roam freely, and the only ‘walls’ are holding up the roofs of our extremely inexpensive houses.”
(P5) To ENTICE new residents, Cape Breton, which is about the same size as the Big Island of Hawaii, brags about regularly featuring on lists of the world’s most beautiful islands, along with its free healthcare, its open EMBRACE of diversity, friendly neighbors and “nobody has a hand gun!”
(P6) The website also TOUTS its affordable housing:
(P7) “How much would it cost for a three-bedroom lakeside home in your state? About a billion dollars? You would need to be Donald Trump to AFFORD a place like that. But in Cape Breton, we have the most affordable housing in North America!”
(P8) A search of a local REAL ESTATE site shows properties ranging from 17,900-350,000 Canadian dollars ($13,000-$255,000).
(P9) The island has a university, a festival week, and great seafood.
(P10) If this sounds too good to be true, there are a few HURDLES.
(P11) First and foremost, the immigration issue – getting residency in Canada is difficult! However, the FAQ page of Cape Breton’s website optimistically states, “The process has changed, some people say it is much less complex.”
(P12) The island is experiencing a population problem, which is why it has a need for people.
(P13) The question ‘Why are you doing this?’ is answered, “Our population is SHRINKING. A slow economy, in combination with EMIGRATION, has us on an UNSUSTAINABLE path.”
(P14) And finally, the employment issue – “It is true, unemployment is high here, but some areas are growing, and some skilled workers are in demand!”
(P15) So if you’re still TEMPTED, and if Donald Trump wins the U.S. election, the Cape Breton website can point you in the direction of both the Canadian government’s immigration page and the island’s own job board.
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SOURCE: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/18/canadian-island-offers-refuge-from-trump.html
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Do you have an opinion about Donald Trump?
- Is the city where you live now affordable, or too expensive?
- If you moved to a new place, do you think it would be easy or hard for you to find a job?
- When they RETIRE, many people move to a new place that is quieter, cheaper, warmer, or all three. Do you think that you will do that?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Open its arms
- Medical procedure
- Real estate
- FAQ
