英语听力精选进阶版 14510（在线收听）

BBC Learning English 

Video Words in the News 

30 July 2014 

Water ATMs 

Transcript: 

No, it's not an ATM, but a machine selling clean drinking water. 

It's part of a project launched by the city government in the Indian capital, Delhi. 

People use pre-paid cards to fill containers for a small fee. The water comes from a local, low-cost treatment plant. 

The scheme may be changing the lives of these residents, but for millions across the country without access to clean water, more initiatives will be needed. 

Vocabulary: 

drinking water 

water that is safe to drink 

pre-paid (also: prepaid) 

already paid for 

treatment 

(here) a process in which something is cleaned and/or prepared for use 

access 

(here) the opportunity to use or have something 

initiatives 

new plans or projects 

Exercise: 

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from news reports. 

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly. 

drinking water / pre-paid / treatment / access / initiatives 

1. York City Council is applying for government grants to make the housing energy and water efficient and to pay for green transport _________. 

2. There is no need for cash. The shop accepts World Food Programme (WFP) food vouchers and will soon switch to _________ debit cards. 

3. Perth can now get half of its _________ from the ocean, although conservationists worry that the process is expensive and energy hungry. 

4. Jersey's sewage _________ plant needs to be replaced at the cost of ￡75m, according to the council of ministers. 

5. In Wales, more than 90% of homes now have _________ to organic recycling facilities. 

Answers: 

1. York City Council is applying for government grants to make the housing energy and water efficient and to pay for green transport initiatives. 

2. There is no need for cash. The shop accepts World Food Programme (WFP) food vouchers and will soon switch to pre-paid debit cards. 

3. Perth can now get half of its drinking water from the ocean, although conservationists worry that the process is expensive and energy hungry. 

4. Jersey's sewage treatment plant needs to be replaced at the cost of ￡75m, according to the council of ministers. 

5. In Wales, more than 90% of homes now have access to organic recycling facilities.