The Fight to Save the Banana!

Transcription

1 THE ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY PODCAST JAIME SELWOOD 06/11/2015 The Emotional Robot 1 of 13 FLASHBACK ENW 206: THE DEATH OF COFFEE? The Fight to Save the Banana! ENW 342 Introduction This week s English News Weekly podcast reports very worrying news for anyone out there who has a fondness for bananas! The second most grown fruit in the world (yes ENW knows it is technically a berry) is in danger of being wiped out by a powerful fungus. This is the biggest crisis to face banana-producing areas since the 1950s when Panama Disease virtually annihilated Gros Michel Banana at the time the most grown banana in the world! What is happening? Can it be stopped? English News Weekly will try to explain all HOMEPAGE FACEBOOK (c) Jaime Selwood ENW Episode 219 TECHNOLOGY TWITTER twitter.com/enwpodcast

2 Contents Pages Part 1 Warm Ups Odd-One-Out Page 1 Brainstorm Page 1 Most Grown Fruit Globally Page 1 / 2 Quiz This Week Page 2 Part 2 Before Listening / Reading Jumbled Words Page 3 True or False Page 3 Vocabulary Synonyms Page 3 Part 3 Listening / Reading The News Story 401 Words Page 4 What Do You Think...? Page 4 Part 4 After Listening / Reading Q & A Page 5 A & Q Page 5 Part 5 Extra Stuff Extra English I Page 6 7 to Chinwag Page 6 Writing Activity Page 7 And Finally. Did You Know? Page 7 TV Links Page 8 The Answers Pages 8-10 A1 This symbol = Listening activity in the podcast. A1

3 1 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 [ ] The Fight to Save the Banana! June 22 nd 2018 Warm Up 1 Odd 1 Out Look at the four words below, which word is different from the other three? Write your reason in the box underneath. Check your answer later. a) Uganda b) India c) Brazil d) Iceland My Reason Warm Up 2 Brainstorm How many different words can you connect to the word(s) in the box? Can you think of at least 10 words? Why do you think this? Fruit Warm Up 3 Most Grown Fruit in the World! Look at the list of fruit on page 2. Which are the most grown around the world? If you don t know use the Internet to help you or just guess! Fruit Tonnes Fruit Tonnes m m m m m m m m m m m m

4 2 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 Global Grown Fruits Which Fruit? A Apples D Grapes G Pears J Tangerines B Bananas E Mangoes H Pineapples K Tomatoes C Grapefruits F Oranges I Plantains L Watermelons Warm Up 4 A1 Quiz Read the questions about this week s news story. Remember if you don t know use the Internet to help or GUESS! 1: Which fruit is grown the most globally every year? a: Tomatoes b: Apples c: Bananas 2: Which country produces the most bananas per annum? a: India b: Brazil c: Indonesia 3: What is a bunch of bananas called? a: An arm b: A Hand c: A Foot 4: What is the world record for most bananas eaten in one minute? a: Six b: Eight c: Ten 5: What percentage of a human s DNA is also found in a banana? a: 40% b: 50% c: 60% 6: What type of vitamin is found in a banana? a: A b: B c: C E1: Do bananas float in water? a: E2: What is the name of the type of banana grown globally? a: E3: Which animated characters are rather fond of eating bananas? a: b: c: END OF PART 1

5 3 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 Pre-Listening / Reading 1 Jumbled Sentences The sentence below is from a paragraph in the news story. Un-jumble the words and put them into the correct order. of already has a banana. investors raised resilient up type The to start develop 8.7m Cavendish from more 2 The start-up has Pre-Listening / Reading 2 A2 True or False Read the headline of News Story ~ Will the Banana Survive? Look at the 5 statements. Guess if you think 1 5 are True or False! 1 The banana is not actually a fruit. [T] [F] 2 Brazil produces the biggest banana crop annually. [T] [F] 3 Before the 1950s the Gros Michel was the most popular banana type. [T] [F] 4 Currently there is only one main type of banana grown. [T] [F] 5 Amazingly, there is no bananas grown anywhere in Africa. [T] [F] Pre-Listening / Reading 3 Synonyms A synonym is a word with a SIMILAR meaning. Match the 10 words on the left with their synonyms on the right. All the synonyms in black are from the News Stories. 1 Deadly 6 Unable A Destitute F Assumed 2 Produced 7 Formula B Resistant G Grown 3 Fungus 8 Poorest C Calamity H Yield 4 Immune 9 Granted D Blueprint I Mucus 5 Crops 10 Havoc E Toxic J Impotent END OF PART 2

6 4 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 Listening / Reading Listening Will the Banana Survive? Three Words? Help Listen / Read the news story below and then choose the correct word! 342 Will the Banana Survive? 1 This week s ENW podcast focuses on the 1: apple/grape/banana which is being threatened by a deadly fungus that could see the yellow skinned fruit disappear from produce shelves around the world. The banana, which is technically a 2: berry/herb/fruit, is the second most grown fruit globally, with around 114.3m tonnes produced each year. Yet the deadly Furasrium Wilt Fungus, or Panama Disease, could wipe all bananas across the world in less than a few months. 2 Panama Disease is so deadly that if the fungus reaches 3: North/Central/Latin America, where the majority of bananas are grown, then there would be a very strong possibility that the current type of banana could disappear. Currently the world 4: eats/consumes/munches just one single type of banana called the Cavendish, however this type of banana is proving unable to fight off the fungus and crops are dying out in record numbers. 3 The concern regarding the banana fungus is serious as this is not the first time the world has battled to save the 5: first/second/third most produced fruit in the world. Before the 1950s the world was eating a different type of banana called the Gros Michel, yet it was almost 6: engulfed/wiped-out/flattened by the same Panama Disease that threatens the Cavendish. 4 One UK-based company Tropic Bioscience from Norwich believes it has found a formula to modify the Cavendish and make it 7: protected/immune/unstopabble from Panama Disease. The start-up has already raised 8.7m to develop a more resilient type of Cavendish banana. The company s CEO, Gilad Gershon, said, We tend to take bananas for granted. A banana sold in your local supermarket and shipped to the UK costs less than an apple grown 30 8: miles/kilometres/leagues away. 5 The threat to the banana is a serious problem as the industry is worth around 26bn per year, with much of the banana crop being grown in some of the poorest areas in the world. In 9: USA/India/Brazil, which produces the largest crop of banana, the industry is worth 7.21bn per year in a country where the average salary is only 10: 1,842 / 10,842 / 25,842 6 Already the diseases have caused havoc in African banana growing countries such as Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania and 11: Angola/Pakistan/Uruguay where thousands of farms have gone bankrupt. So far, the only solution is to uproot the banana plants and then burn the roots. Unless an antidote is found soon it seems that the Cavendish banana may die out in the same manner as its predecessor. END OF PART 3 [401 Words]

7 5 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 Post-Listening / Reading 1 A3 Q & A How much can you remember from News Story? Read / Listen to the questions below and choose the correct answer. If you can t remember any answers, guess! Q1 What is the name of the most popular banana type? Q2 What is the name of the fungus that attacks banana plants? Q3 Which region of the world grows the most bananas? Q4 What is the name of the UK based start-up company? Q5 How much is the banana industry worth per annum? Q6 What is the solution to fighting Panama Disease? E1 Which part of the UK is Tropic Bioscience based in? E2 How many countries are mentioned in the news story? Post-Reading 2 A & Q How much can you remember from the news story? Read the answers below and write the correct question. There is more than one possible correct question for each one! A m? A2 1950s.? A3 8.7m? A4 1,842.? A5 4? END OF PART 4

8 6 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 English Extra I English Phrases with Fruit The English language has many phrases that use the fruit to describe a situation or event. Example: The Top banana = The highest person in a group or organisation Sour grapes = A person who complains in defeat Can you match the phrase with the correct situation? 1 The apple of one s eye 2 To go bananas 3 The top banana 4 To cherry pick 5 Sour grapes 6 Go pearshaped 7 To not give a fig. 8 To bear fruit 9 A fruitcake 10 Forbidden fruit 11 Low hanging fruit 12 A peach A Someone who is a very nice person! B A person who moans / complains in defeat. C Something that s attractive as it s banned. D Something that can be done easily. E To not worry or stress about something. F The most powerful person in an organisation. G Something or someone that is very precious. H Crazy or eccentric person. I Select the best or most desirable. J When a plan fails or goes wrong. K To become extremely angry / excited. L To achieve success with an idea / plan. 7 to Chinwag This Week s ENW Podcast ENW Podcast Topic Will the Banana Survive? Ask / Answer the questions below on this week s ENW Podcast Topic! 1 What did you think when you read this week s ENW topic? 2 What is your favourite type of fruit? Why? 3 Which type of fruit do you think you eat the most? Why? 4 What kinds of fruit do you not like to eat? Why? 5 Do you have any food allergies? What are they? What happens? 6 How many bananas do you think you eat in one month? Why? EX FREE QUESTION!

9 7 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 Writing This Week Which fruits do you like to eat / not like to eat? Why Explain your reasons! If you were going to make a fruit-based dish what would prepare? END OF PART 5 And Finally U /V/W/X/Y/Z A4 Did You Know? The End

10 8 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 Visual TV Links National Geographic (USA) 1: [01:50] Brief History of the Banana You Tube (USA) 2: [02:27] Panama Disease and Cavendish Bananas You Tube (USA) 3: [03:58] The Minions Banana Song Podcast Key A1 These activities are audio and can be listened to on the podcast. Answers Part 1 Warm Up 1-4 Warm Up 1 Odd-1-Out D Iceland Warm Up 3 World Cup Kits A / B / C are all countries that produce bananas! 1 K 2 B 3 L 4 A 5 C 6 D 7 F 8 E 9 I 10 J 11 - G 12 - H A1 Warm Up 4 Quiz 1 A 2 A 3 B 4 B 5 C 6 B E1 YES E2: CAVENDISH E3 B Answers Part 1 Warm Up 1-4 Jumbled Sentences The start-up has already raised 8.7m from investors to develop a more resilient type of Cavendish Banana A2 True or False 1 T 2 F 3 T 4 T 5 F Synonyms 1 E 2 G 3 I 4 B 5 H 6 J 7 D 8 A 9 F 10 C

11 9 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 Answers Part 3 Listening 342 Will the Banana Survive? 1 This week s ENW podcast focuses on the banana which is being threatened by a deadly fungus that could see the yellow skinned fruit disappear from produce shelves around the world. The banana, which is technically a berry, is the second most grown fruit globally, with around 114.3m tonnes produced each year. Yet the deadly Furasrium Wilt Fungus, or Panama Disease, could wipe all bananas across the world in less than a few months. 2 Panama Disease is so deadly that if the fungus reaches /Latin America, where the majority of bananas are grown, then there would be a very strong possibility that the current type of banana could disappear. Currently the world eats just one single type of banana called the Cavendish, however this type of banana is proving unable to fight off the fungus and crops are dying out in record numbers. 3 The concern regarding the banana fungus is serious as this is not the first time the world has battled to save the second most produced fruit in the world. Before the 1950s the world was eating a different type of banana called the Gros Michel, yet it was almost wiped-out by the same Panama Disease that threatens the Cavendish. 4 One UK-based company Tropic Bioscience from Norwich believes it has found a formula to modify the Cavendish and make it immune from Panama Disease. The start-up has already raised 8.7m to develop a more resilient type of Cavendish banana. The company s CEO, Gilad Gershon, said, We tend to take bananas for granted. A banana sold in your local supermarket and shipped to the UK costs less than an apple grown 30 miles away. 5 The threat to the banana is a serious problem as the industry is worth around 26bn per year, with much of the banana crop being grown in some of the poorest areas in the world. In India, which produces the largest crop of banana, the industry is worth 7.21bn per year in a country where the average salary is only 1,842 6 Already the diseases have caused havoc in African banana growing countries such as Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania and Angola where thousands of farms have gone bankrupt. So far, the only solution is to uproot the banana plants and then burn the roots. Unless an antidote is found soon it seems that the Cavendish banana may die out in the same manner as its predecessor. [401 Words] Answers Part 4 Post-Listening / Reading A3 Q & A 1 Cavendish 5 26 billion Euros 2 Furasium Wilt 6 Burn & Uproot the banana plant 3 Latin America E1 Norfolk 4 Tropic Bioscience E2 Four (4) A & Q Example Questions A1 How many tones of bananas are produced annually? A2 When did the Gros Michael banana type die out? A3 How much money has Tropic Bioscience raised to fight Panama Disease? A4 What is the average yearly salary for India? A5 How many African countries are mentioned in the news story?

12 English Extra 10 The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood G 2 K 3 F 4 I 5 B 6 J 7 E 8 L 9 B 10 C 11 D 12 - A And Finally X & Z A4 W / Y / X / V / Z / U Extra Bit This Week s ENW Images

13 Episode The English News Weekly Podcast Jaime Selwood 2018 MAIN PHOTO LINKS: