Evidence N 2 WATER PUMP
A simple water pump is helping to improve the lives of poor families in several
Asian and African countries.
The treadle pump is based on a design developed in the nineteen seventies by
Norwegian engineer Gunnar Barnes. It can be made locally. A group based in the
United States, IDE, International Development Enterprises, has created programs
in different countries.
The program in India won an Ashden Award in two thousand six for using local
sources of energy to improve quality of life. Last year the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation awarded IDE twenty-seven million dollars. The money is to be used to
expand small irrigation projects to the other half of India's twenty-eight states.
The treadle pump is easy to build from bamboo or other wood and two metal
cylinders with pistons. The pistons go up and down as a person stands on lever
devices -- treadles -- and uses a natural walking motion.
How many hours a day the pump needs to be operated depends on the season
and how much water is needed for crops. It could be two hours a day. It could be
seven hours a day.
Small children sometimes stand with their parents on the treadles. Everyone in the
family can take turns operating the pump.
The Acumen Fund is a nonprofit group that invests in business projects to fight
poverty. It studied the effects of treadle pumps in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh has three treadle pump manufacturers and more than seventy-three
thousand pumps.
Acumen reported that families using them ate more vegetables, because they were
able to grow more to eat and to sell. Many of these families also drank more milk,
because they bought a cow with their added earnings. Men with treadle pumps
often no longer have to leave the farm to seek extra work in cities.
The pumps can also improve education. Farmers often use their extra earnings to
buy books for their children or to pay for schooling.
A farmer in Zambia said he hoped to have enough money in three years to buy a
diesel-powered pump. Then he could grow more crops over a larger area.
But the world economic crisis has had an effect on some farmers. IDE executive
director Zenia Tata says some who were able to buy diesel pumps now do not
have enough money to buy fuel. So they are using their treadle pumps again.
And thats the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Karen Leggett.
Transcripts, MP3s and archives of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. Im
Steve Ember.
1) Quin fue el que diseo la bomba de agua de pedales?
2) Cules son los materiales que se necesitan para construir la bomba de
pedales?
3) Cul es el fondo que invierte proyectos empresariales sin fines de lucro?
4) Porque las personas que fueron capaces de comprar la bomba disel ahora
usa la bomba de pedal?
5) Qu ventajas trajo para las familias pobres la bomba de pedal?
1)
2)
3)
4)
Who did design the pomp of water?
Which are the materials needs for build the pomp of water?
Which is the bottom invert in project business without end of profit?
Why the persons were able of buy the pomp diesel now use the pomp of
pedal?
5) What advantage brought for the families poor the pomp of pedal?
ANSWERS:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Was the engineer Gunnar Barnes.
With bamboo or other wood and two metal cylinders with pistons.
It is The Acumen Fund.
Because not have money for fuel.
Have much income and not necessary work out of town.
Evidence N3
a) There were seven apple
b) There are three apples
c) There are three apples left
d) There are four apples missing
QUESTION
How many apples are there?
RTA/: there are three apples.
How many apples were there?
RTA/: there were seven apples.
How many apples are there left?
RTA/: there are three apples left
How many apples are there missing?
RTA/: There are four apples missing.
