2019: GOOD NEWS (Reading/Speaking activity)

Enough of All the Bad News. 

Here Are Some Things That Prove 2019 Was an Excellent Year

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  - The Netherlands planted the roofs of 316 bus stops with flowers, especially for bees.

• - The humpback whale population, which was on the verge of extinction in the 50s of the last century, has been recovered almost completely. There used to be only 450 of them, now their population is somewhere near 25,000.

• - NASA satellites have recorded that the world is much greener now than 20 years ago.

• - The Vet Friends Foundation organization finds owners among lonely war veterans for old homeless dogs and covers all the medical expenses for the animals themselves. Both the vets and the dogs become happier.
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  - Norway decided to not drill oil wells in the Lofoten Islands (the oil reserves there are estimated at approximately $60 billion) in order to preserve the local ecosystem.
• - Daytime disco-parties are arranged in Seoul, South Korea for people over 65, to help them cope with dementia and loneliness.
• - 20 African countries are taking part in the construction of the Great Green Wall in order to stop the desertification of Africa. About 32 million hectares of land have already been restored. After the completion of the wall, the barrier of trees and plants will stretch for 5,000 miles, occupy 100 million hectares, and be visible from space.
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  - Tribal ruler Theresa Kachindamoto has managed to terminate with the marriages of 3,500 child brides and help the girls finish their schooling.
• - You can pay subway fare with plastic bottles in Rome — one ride costs 30 bottles. Within the first month after the start of this program, about 100,000 bottles were collected.
• - The European Parliament introduced an amendment to the European Union law that prohibits the selling and manufacturing of disposable plastic items.
• - California has passed a law against animal cruelty, which prohibits the sale and purchase of natural fur products.
• - The government of Costa Rica has launched a campaign banning selfies with wild animals.
• - Unusual canal cruises have become popular in Amsterdam: not only can tourists enjoy sightseeing, but they can also collect trash from the water with hoop-like nets. About 146,000 plastic bottles have already been collected.
• - The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded for the study of the reaction of body cells to the amount of oxygen they are exposed to. This is a revolution in oncology: instead of chemotherapy, which affects the whole body, it will be possible to affect only the tumor cells, depriving them of oxygen, and hence of the possibility to grow.
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  - Scientists have created food for cats that stops their fur from triggering an allergic reaction in humans.
• - The Netherlands became the first country in the world without stray dogs.
• - In 2019, 40 countries banned using wild animals in circuses.
• Which one is your favourite?
• What was the greatest event in your life in 2019?                                                                       https://brightside.me/
• Vocabulary
• roof 
• on the verge of 
• drill
•  cope with 
• fare
• amendment
• disposable
• depriving
• pass a law
•  hence
• triggering
• stray (dog)