Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. an outbreak
    • ex. There was a flu outbreak in our school last winter. Many students got sick.
  2. swine fever
    • ex. Hundreds of pigs on our farm died because of swine fever last year.
  3. slaughter
    • ex. The farmer decided to slaughter some of the cows for food.
  4. ban
    • ex. The city bans smoking in public parks.
  5. a delicacy
    • ex. I ate Peking Duck in Beijing. It’s a traditional Chinese delicacy.

Article

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

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In Italy, an outbreak of disease is threatening the pig meat industry. On Giovanni Airoli’s farm, a pig was found to have African swine fever. Within a week, all 6,200 pigs on his farm were slaughtered to stop the disease. Italy’s pig meat industry is worth 20 billion euros (about ¥3.2 trillion). Since the swine fever first appeared in Italy in January 2022, nearly 120,000 pigs have been killed.

Airoli said the outbreak still happened even though farmers like him followed all the steps needed to keep their farms safe. In early September, there were 24 new outbreaks, mostly in Lombardy. The affected area is about 4,500 square kilometers and includes parts of Piedmont and Emilia Romagna, known for its famous Parma prosciutto, a type of Italian ham.

Italian farming group Coldiretti says that the industry has lost about 500 million euros (about ¥81 billion) because it cannot sell pig meat to other countries. Twelve countries, including China and Mexico, have banned Italian pig meat delicacies. Italian farmers are now taking extra steps to prevent the disease in their pigs.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Delicacies

  • What is a delicacy in your country? Discuss.
  • When do people in your country usually eat delicacies? Discuss.
  • How cheap or expensive are the delicacies from your country? Discuss.

Animal Disease Outbreaks

  • Giovanni Airoli’s pigs were slaughtered to stop the African swine fever. Do you think this action was a good or a bad idea? Why? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, what would be the long-term impact of swine fever on Italy’s economy (ex. pig meat industry will suffer)? Discuss.
  • Has a similar outbreak happened to farms in your country before? Discuss.