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C'mon, Come Together

Date: Sep 19 2005

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans on August 29, 2005. Katrina caused over $200 billion in damage and displaced over 1 million people, making Katrina the most expensive and destructive natural disaster in U.S. history.
Americans across the nation came together to support those who were affected by the hurricane. In cities and towns across the United States, people donated canned goods, blankets, clothing, toiletries and money to the relief effort. Many cities have offered to take in those who have been evacuated from the Big Easy, the nickname for New Orleans, providing them with food, shelter and access to local schools.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

John

Dave

John: So, Dave, have you done your part to help out with Katrina?

Dave: Ah, you know, I’ve thought about giving some money or sending some food down to New Orleans, but I haven’t yet.

John: Yeah, well, I donated a little bit, and then I challenged some other business owners to donate as well. So, hopefully they’ve done the same.

Dave: What do you mean, you “challenged them?”

John: Ah, well, I think we’re gonna give a certain percentage of our profit this quarter to, ah, to the Red Cross to help out. And so I challenged some other business owners to do the same thing.

Dave: Oh, that’s great.

John: Yeah, so I haven’t…you know, I don’t know yet if they’ve sent checks but I’m thinking they have.

Dave: Yeah, the donations from across the country have just been immense. Even 90 countries have given money or supplies to the U.S.

John: Right, everyone’s trying to show a little bit of goodwill, which is nice.

Dave: Yeah, it’s nice when people come together after natural disasters.

John: For sure.

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Discussion

Natural disasters often cause people to come together to work for the common good. After Hurricane Katrina, millions of Americans donated generous amounts of money and volunteered for the relief effort. In addition to domestic aid, over 90 countries around the world chipped in, donating nearly $1 billion to the United States. Among these countries were Germany and Italy, which sent food; Canada and Singapore, which provided airplanes and helicopters; and Greece, which sent two cruise ships to shelter evacuees. When people and nations work together toward a common goal, amazing things can be accomplished.