Waiting for the future

1)
Hundreds of children from twenty-one primary and secondary schools in England
have created an anthology of original poems, called Waiting for the future. The
poems talk about the problems of child poverty and bad living conditions. Around
three and half million children in the UK are living in poverty despite the fact that it
is one of the richest countries in the world. These children’s families can’t afford to
buy food or warm clothes. Their homes are so dilapidated that they often become ill.
Some children are even homeless.
2)
In the book, the children have given their opinions and described their emotions
through their poems. Some of the writers have actually experienced the effects of
poverty themselves. Others just want to express their feelings about the injustice of
poverty. Two charities have collaborated to publish the book. They want to make
people aware of the consequences of living in poverty. They also want the
government to do more about the problem. The footballer, Rio Ferdinand, has also
helped with the project.
3)
Yesterday, six of the young poets read out their poems in the Houses of Parliament
and politicians discussed the issue. The number of children in the UK living in
poverty has risen slightly over the last few years, so there is still a lot to do. The
Prime Minister has promised to end child poverty forever. He wants to do this by
2020. You can help the campaign by ordering a book today.

A. Find words in the text which mean:

1 a collection of poetry …………………………….

2 to have enough money to do something ……………………………
3 in very bad condition …………………….
4 has increased ……………………………
5 a little……………………………….

B. Answer the questions.

1 Are the children all the same age? How do you know?

2 Why is it surprising that there is child poverty in the UK?

3 Why are poor children often unwell?

4 Why have the charities produced the book?

5 Has the government already solved the problem of child poverty? How do you
know?
Suggested answers:

A.
1 anthology
2 afford
3 dilapidated
4 has risen
5 slightly

B.
1 No, they aren’t. Some are at primary school and others are at secondary school.
2 It’s surprising that there is child poverty in the UK because it is one of the
richest countries in the world.
3 Poor children often live in dilapidated houses and some don’t have warm food,
clothes, or even a home.
4 They want to people to know about the problems of living in poverty and they
want the government to do more.
5 No, because the number of children living in poverty has risen slightly.