Learning English by watching documentaries: Part 2

Background information

Salmon and avocados are popular but there’s a dark side to that trend. A lot of salmon raised on fishfarms are treated with antibiotics which can cause health problems. Avocado production uses a lot of water, which is bad for the environment.

Salmon are usually found in the oceans of the northern hemisphere — but they also grow well in fishfarms off the coast of Chile. In the 1980s, salmon was considered a luxury, but now it’s become trendy. Avocados have also become more popular — especially with vegans, vegetarians, and hip young people in big cities. But the mass production of salmon and avocados is causing a lot of problems. Salmon produced on fishfarms in Chile are given massive amounts of antibiotics. Norway, by comparison, has all but eliminated the use of them. Environmental protection laws are tougher in Norway than they are in Chile. Salmon are predatory fish — but in Chile, they are fed largely on soya bean meal. The soya beans are imported from Brazil, where they are grown on huge farms. A lot of forest in Brazil has been converted to agriculture. Also, the soy pellets that are fed to salmon in Chile have been treated with harmful substances that are banned in the EU and the US. Mexico is the world’s leading producer of avocados. José Gonzalez has been working in the avocado business for 35 years, and it’s made him a wealthy man. But it’s also changed his life dramatically, for the worse. Gonzalez has been threatened by criminals. His son was kidnapped — and now, when Gonzalez visits his plantations, he travels with armed bodyguards. Organised crime gangs are trying to take over the avocado business, particularly in the state of Michoacán. Cartels are fighting each other for access to this “green gold”. Violence is common, up to and including murder. Globalisation and the boom in food production have now spread to Latin America, and it often has serious consequences. People and the environment are being exploited — simply to provide food for those who live in the northern hemisphere.

Fill in the gaps to complete the sentences.

1. Avocados and salmon are in ... in Europe right now.

2. Avocados are a ... crop that provides jobs to thousands of people.

3. Those (Mexican farmers) who ... to pay up were killed or simply disappeared.

4. These people have ... their farm equipment for weapons.

5. Chile is the worldʼs ... exporter of salmon.

6. Until recently, the local economy was focused on the ... of shellfish like mussels, ... and sea snails.

7. A major source of ... in Chile is salmon feed.

8. Still, the salmon industry has brought some ... to the town.

9. Much of the salmon feed is made of ... and rapeseed.

10. A lot of the trees have been cut down, often illegally, to ... for avocado farms.

11. An increasing number of the ... who work at the salmon farms suffer from the ... sickness.

12. She (Paola) believes the ... could have been prevented.