Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. stumble upon
    • ex. We stumbled upon an amazing restaurant last night.
  2. break down
    • ex. Ben’s car broke down, so he had to push it off the road.
  3. abandoned
    • ex. People say there are ghosts in the abandoned house.
  4. an eviction notice
    • ex. Mandy received an eviction notice last week, so she’s looking for a new apartment.
  5. keep to (oneself)
    • ex. Harry keeps to himself a lot; he almost never talks to his classmates.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A man who lived alone on an island has finally left after 32 years. In 1989, Mauro Morandi stumbled upon the island of Budelli in Italy. He was sailing to the South Pacific when his boat broke down, and he decided to stay on Budelli because it was so beautiful. Morandi lived in an abandoned house and became the island’s caretaker. He kept the island’s beaches clean and taught tourists about it.

In 2016, the Italian government became the owner of Budelli. It wanted to change the island into a center for environmental education and asked Morandi to leave, but Morandi said no. After years of fighting with local officials and receiving several eviction notices, the 81-year-old finally left the island earlier this year.

Morandi moved to a small apartment on La Maddalena, a nearby island. He says that despite moving, his life will stay the same. He wants to continue keeping to himself and watching the sea. Morandi hopes that another person can protect Budelli as well as he did for 32 years.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Living Alone

  • Would you like to live alone on an island like Morandi? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it's possible to live alone but not be lonely? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • During the Covid-19 situation, do you think it's better to live alone or live with other people? Why? Discuss.

Mauro Morandi

  • Do you think it was right for the Italian government to ask Morandi to leave Budelli? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine you're in Morandi's situation. Will you fight the government for many years too, or will you leave the island immediately? Why? Discuss.
  • Morandi decided to live on Budelli because it was so beautiful. Why did you decide to live in your area (ex. for work, you were born there)? Discuss.