Reader 4B (copy)

The great reversal

standard of living

Degree of wealth

to plummet

To drop

to cope with

To deal with sth difficult, to work together

to make up for

To earn extra money to compensate a loss

impoverished

Made poor

bad harvest

Failure of the crop

coping mechanisms

Ways to help each other

calamity

Event causing great damage, disaster

to strike

To damage, to hit forcibly

to collapse

To drop/fall down

The World Bank

Development organization on the financial plan

remittances

Sum of money sent

to imperil

To harm, to destroy

stunning

impressive

to subsist on

Manage to stay alive

to slip into

To gradually start to be in a bad situation

penury

Extreme poverty

to pin down

To define/predict precisely

to wipe out

To eliminate

to impose

To force an unwelcome decision

circumstances

conditions

the well-off

People in a wealthy situation (noun)

taxpayers

People who pay taxes

to estimate

To predict roughly

adjustments

Small alterations

tales of woe

Bad stories

excruciating

intensely

working-class

Employed unskilled/semi-skilled

overnight

Instantly/very quickly

health-care systems

Systems that deliver health-care

to reckon

Predict, calculate

interruptions

interventions

excess

Amount more than necessary

harmful

Causing damage

cost-benefit analysis

Make up the balance between advantages/benefits and disadvantages/costs

to curb

To restrain

outreach work

Work to help disadvantaged members of the community

to avert

To prevent

astounding

Surprisingly, notable

subject to

Conditional upon, depend on, based on

unsustainable

Not able to be maintained

safety net

Safeguard against poverty

breadwinners

People who earn money

to jump

To move upwards

to hold up

To delay

severe

Bad, undesirable

to wither

To become dry (plant)

to devour

To eat/destroy completely

slums

Overcrowded urban street full of shit and disease

subsistence farmers

Farmers who raise livestock for own use

to top up

To add earnings, + income

rations

Fixed amounts of commodities in times of shortage

suffering

State of undergoing bad situations

city-dwellers

Inhabitant of a city

to struggle

To make forceful efforts, to wrestle

requirement

Necessary condition

destitute

extremely poor and lacking the means to provide for oneself

destitute

extremely poor and lacking the means to provide for oneself

unpaid leave

To be sent off from work, not receiving a salary

instalment

Sum of money to pay spread over a period of time

assets

Valuable things (such as land, motorbikes)

livestock

Farm animals

productive assets

Valuable things usable for business

to cut back on

To reduce

malnutrition

Lack of proper nutrition, lack of eating

lifeline

Escape from a difficult situation

one-off

Only happening once

social spending

Expenses with social purposes

handouts

Gift of money

scattershot

Sth that has no organized plan, random, no purpose behind

the neediest

People who need the necessities of life the most

spokesperson

Representative of government

aid

help

inadequate

Lacking the quality required

incompetent

Not having the necessary skills

disorganised

Not properly planned

delays

a period of time by which something is late or postponed.

queues

People awaiting

steered to

Sent to

relief cash

Amount of money set up to provide aid for people in need

constituency

Group of voters in a specified area

government revenues

the money the government raises from taxes, asset income, and transfer receipts

to shred

To cut in spendings

government spending

Money spent by the public sector

to prompt

To cause action

to loosen

To make less strict

extension

prolongation

binary

Having two parts/options

precautions

Measures/restrictions

to freeze

Holding up the economy

the elderly

Older persons

compulsory

obligatory

outbreaks

Sudden occurrences

community workers

Someone who works for the benefit of the community

debt relief

Remission of debts

to foster

Encourage the development of

wartime

Period of war

spillover effects

events in one nation can have an impact on the economies of other nations

aid-workers

Humanitarian workers

public servants

Government employees