An unusual shelter for the homeless
A A few nights ago, as I was walking by Narodní Třída in the centre of
the city, which is a popular hang-out spot
for the homeless, a loud conversation caught my attention. The couple had made
themselves comfortable on the floor close to the entrance of the metro and was
fighting over a blanket, or some kind of a rug. The fight began to escalate, swear words filled the air. Then, the woman got up and screamed: "You
know what, with people like you among us, it's no wonder that City Hall wants to ship us all away overnight."
B I stopped and was tempted to
ask the woman what she was referring to. But I was already late for a meeting
and - I'm embarrassed to admit - didn't really have the courage to approach the
two. After all, this was the place where a man was recently found on the floor
with blood oozing out of his stab wounds.
But that sentence stuck in my mind
all night and it was not until I woke up the next morning that I realised what
it was all about.
C There are an estimated five to six thousand homeless people in the
capital, of whom only several hundred have access to free or cheap
accommodation. Even in winter, when charities and humanitarian organisations
try to offer a warm place for the night, many have nowhere to go. They take
refuge in train stations or heated night trams in order to battle the cold
winter months. In late January, a tent city was set up in Prague by the army for another 100-200
people. But the 3-week camp cost the city over 30,000 dollars and could only be
a temporary solution.
D Facing a barrage of
criticism from humanitarian organisations every winter, the City of Prague defends itself
with the argument that it is hard to acquire buildings for homeless shelters as
the city's districts don't want them there. But this week, City Hall announced
that it has a new plan. Its Council, on Tuesday, decided to approach the Labour
and Social Affairs Ministry with the request for a grant to acquire a ship,
which could then be reconstructed and turned into a shelter on the Vltava River
that runs through the city. The estimated 21 million crown project would offer
250 beds and a canteen with some 175 seats.
E Hopefully not all of the city's homeless are as distrusting of the
authorities as the woman I overheard the other night. If the rumour should go
around that the city's actual motive is to ship its homeless population
elsewhere, City Hall would have to take an unusual step - ask for another grant
to hold a campaign to persuade the homeless that it will be safe to use the
services of its 21 million crown "boatel".
barrage – palba
hang-out – kvartýr, skrýš
sentence – trest
stab wound – bodná rána
swear word – nadávka
to ship away – odvézt lodí
to tempt – lákat
1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.
1 Shelters in Prague
2 Fight over a blanket
3 A new plan of the City of
Prague
4 I wanted to talk to the
homeless but was afraid
5 Boatel
2) Read the article and answer the questions.
1 What is the article about?
2 Why did the homeless
fight?
3 What was the
misunderstanding of the woman over a new plan of the City of Prague?
4 What is the new plan of
the City of Prague?
5 How much does the boatel
cost?
3) Explain the following words.
1 accommodation
2 charity
3 refuge
4 shelter
5 boatel
4) Answer the following questions.
What organizations help the
homeless? Why do people become homeless? What are conditions for staying in the
boatel? What services does it offer?
Adjusted to:
1:
ReplyDelete1-C
2- A
3- D
4- B
5- E
2:
1-This article is about woman who heard an argument between two homeless people. It’s also about shelters for homeless people in Prague.
2-They fought about a blanket.
3-She thought that the city wants to ship them away with the boat.
4-The new plan of the City of Prague is about acquiring a ship, then reconstuct it and turn it into a shelter.
5- The boatel costs 21 million crowns.
3:
1 accommodation- it’s a noun. It’s a place where you can temporary stay.
2 charity- it’s a noun. It’s an organization which helps people.
3 refuge- it’s a noun. It's similar to a shelter. It's a place to stay over night.
4 shelter- it’s a noun. It’s a place where people without home can stay.
5 boatel- it’s a noun. It’s a boat on the river bank and it works as a hotel.
4:
There are a lot of organizations that help homeless people, for example The army of salvation, The Red cross.
People become homeless because of drugs, alcohol, break-up of marriage or because they lost job.
1-C
ReplyDelete2-A
3-B
4-D
5-E
2: 1.This article is about shelters for homeless people in Prague.
2. they was fighting over a blanket, or some kind of a rug.
3.she was afraid the city would take her off the ship
4. Its Council, on Tuesday, decided to approach the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry with the request for a grant to acquire a ship.
5. The Boatel costs 21 milion crowns
1 accommodation- it´s noun, is where we can stay and have a roof over our heads
2 charity- it´s a organization when helps people
3 refuge it´s a noun it is a situation where a person is safe and protected from persecution
4 shelter it is a place where people can dwell
5 boatel is´s a boat on the river where they can sleep