Monday, 14 September 2015

Intermediate Text (B1+) - Homelessness - A story of everyday life!

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Homelessness - A Story of everyday life



There's a man who's sleeping in the park. It's the middle of the night and it's winter. He has no where to go. He's homeless.

So, why is he homeless? What went wrong in his life? Why did this once respected professor of economics lose all that he had? And, what was it that drove him onto the streets? And, how does he feel at the end of each day? Where has his dignity gone? And, who does he think of? How many doors have been shut in his face? Does someone still love him?

And, what about his nightly fear of being attacked? And, his daily battle for food? And, where does he get his small pleasures in life? Maybe from a bottle? And, his companions? Luckily or unluckily, this man is not alone with his plight. There are many more just like him. Homelessness is now the biggest urban problem we have. So, how can we help? And, is there a permanent solution?

On the surface, at least, the answers to these questions are relatively simple. We can build homes and do all sorts of things. It's mainly a question of money. But, it's the cause of the problem that's the question. And, this is no simple matter.

In fact, it's impossible. There is no single solution for the causes of homelessness. Each case is different. And this is the irony of the situation. Whatever the reason, the results are always the same. A bed on a bench in a park. Everyone's the same on the streets. And, it could happen to us all! It's all to do with circumstances!

So, before you go to your bed, just think how lucky you are. You have somewhere to sleep; there are many who haven't. And, maybe, they were once better than you!

Turn out the light and have pleasant dreams!

Vocabulary

cause – Ursache - oka
circumstances – Umstände - körülmenyek
dignity – Menschliche würde - kitünoseg
drove – (drive/drove/driven) -trieb (treiben) - hajtani
homeless – Obdachlos -häjlektalan
plight – Notlager - megiger
reason –Grunde - inditek
results – Wirkungen - eredmeny
solution – Lösung - oldas
surface – Oberfläche - felszin
whatever - was immer – akarmit
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Maggy Steiner

  Maggy Steiner had a wonderful childhood.  She went to school in Vienna, and spent her summers with her uncle and aunt and her two cousins ...