Vocabulary

 

liaise	burden	in general
earn	injustice	water treatment
corn	plant (2)	environment
plan	manage	related (2)
justice	unstable	worry (worried)
lack	respect	treatment
globe	engineer	architecture
waste	hard hit	globalization
aware	issue (3)	with regard to
end up	bear (2)	bear the burden
abuse	favorite	consequence
stable	mean (2)	abuse of power
public	show (2)	exercise control
project	draw up	leisure time
pasta	as long as	heavy (2)
unlike	light (2)	spend/spent/spent
leisure	Latin (2)	I’d love to
tortilla	lifestyle

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 
Hello my name is Hortensia. I live in Mexico City. I was born in Atzacoalco and I’m 33 years old.

What do you do for a living?

I’m an environmental engineer. I manage projects related to the environment and water treatment plant. I draw up plans and liaise with workers. I earn between 13,000 and 14,000 Mexican pesos a month. That’s about 800 euros.

What worries your?

Injustice. The lack of respect shown to the poor. In general, world hunger and pollution. And the pollution of rivers. I’m worried about waste. The lack of public awareness with regard to environmental issues.

What does globalization mean to you?

Some countries end up bearing the burden of some of the consequences of globalization, such as abuse of power and unstable economies. Latin American countries including Mexico are hard hit.

At the moment, globalization isn’t that good. It’s just a way of exercising control.

What’s your favorite food?

Mexican food! Corn. Great big tortillas. Anything Mexican. But I also like good Italian pasta. I like a lot of different food, as long as it isn’t too heavy.

How do you spend your leisure time?

I enjoy going to the gym. I like swimming and hiking.

What country would you like to visit?

I’d love to visit Germany and Europe in general because of the lifestyle. It’s a different world there, an old world: the architecture, the people. Everything is so unlike Latin America.

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Questions

Mexico. Who is this person? What’s her name? How old is she? Is she from South America?

Latin America. Hortensia is biochemist. Is this correct or incorrect? What is her occupation, job or profession? What does she do for a living?

South America. Does she reveal what her salary is? Does she say what her salary is? What is her salary? How much does she earn? Her salary is . . . . She earns . . . . .

Central America. Hortensia worries about her finances. She worries about money. Is this right or wrong?

Guatemala. Does she feel positive or negative about globalization? Does she think globalization is good or bad? Give examples.

Honduras. What are her favorite foods? Her favorite foods are . . . . .

Costa Rica. Hortensia likes to watch TV and surf the internet. True or false? What are her hobbies? How does Hortensia spend her free time?

Panama. She would like to visit California and Texas because it’s very exciting there. Is this right or wrong?
 
 
 
Cuba. Is pollution a major concern (serious problem) where you live?

Colombia. Do you feel there is much inequality and injustice in the world?

Venezuela. Are you from Mexico? Do you live in Mexico? Have you ever been to Mexico?

Peru. Have you met or seen anyone from Mexico? Who were they? What were they doing?

Ecuador. Describe the climate and geography of Mexico.

Brazil. Describe the economy of Mexico. What does it produce, import and export?

Bolivia. Does Mexico have any problems or challenges?

Chile. What is the food of Mexico like? Describe Mexican cuisine.

Argentina. What are some tourists attractions (cultural, historical, natural)?

Paraguay. What comes to mind when you think of Mexico? What do you associate with Mexico?