[WORLD NEWS ★★]
MISSING MINERS IN VENEZUELA WERE MASSACRED
(P1) Searchers in southeastern Venezuela have recovered the bodies of 17 people belonging to a group of over 20 missing MINERS believed to have been killed by a GANG seeking control over a WILDCAT GOLD CLAIM, government officials said.
(P2) Police investigating the MASSACRE made the GRISLY discovery in Tumeremo, an area of JUNGLE in Bolivar state near where the miners disappeared a week ago.
(P3) The massacre last week shocked Venezuelans who are ACCUSTOMED to MORBID tales of violence in a country with one of the world’s highest murder rates and WIDESPREAD IMPUNITY.
(P4) The CIRCUMSTANCES behind the massacre remain unclear. The government stated that 21 people were killed by a criminal gang led by an Ecuadorian. But OPPOSITION politicians and relatives put the number at 28 and say that local officials were involved, a claim the government denies.
(P5) One person linked to the gang’s RINGLEADER has already been TAKEN INTO CUSTODY and several more arrests are expected soon.
(P6) Family members greeted all the news with RESIGNATION mixed with ANGUISH.
(P7) “This is very painful news for us,” said Yosleida Montilla, a mother of three of the disappeared miners.
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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.
- Valuable substances that are usually mined or drilled include gold, silver, diamonds, and oil. Are any of these found in your country.
- Mining is among the most dangerous jobs. Why?
- Are criminal or youth gangs a problem in your country or city?
- Do you usually believe what the government says, or do you sometimes not believe it?
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.
- Wildcat claim
- Take into custody
