Problems in Venezuela

[World News ★★]

(P1) Across Venezuela, food riots and looting are a daily practice and a big problem for the government. Venezuelans stand in lines for food for hours, but when they get to the end, sometimes there is nothing left.

(P2) Oil markets finance the supermarkets, but the oil prices collapsed under the current president Maduro and there is no money for food. People must turn to the black market where products, like milk or sugar, are 10 times more expensive.

(P3) Last month, there were 641 protests and more than 160 of them were about food. Venezuela’s angry streets are a bigger problem for Maduro than his political opposition.

WORDS: 105

SOURCE: http://www.newsinlevels.com/products/problems-in-venezuela-level-2/

VOCABULARY: riots, looting, collapsed, protests, opposition

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.

1. Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
2. Do you think it’s right that people are rioting and looting? Why or why not?
3. Is there a black market in your country? If so, what do people sell?
4. What would you do if there was no food left when it was your turn?

READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

1. The riots are not happening in all over Venezuela. (T or F)
2. What happened to the prices of oil?
3. Milk and bread are 10 times higher in price. (T or F)
4. Which is more of a problem for Venezuela’s president, angry people in the streets rioting or the people against him?

EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:

What do the following expressions or phrases mean?

• Daily practice (P1)
• Nothing left (P1)
• Black market (P2)
• 10 times more expensive (P2)
• Angry streets (p3)

Image Source: By No machine-readable author provided. Linsensuppe assumed (based on copyright claims). – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3419676