Unit 12: Moving and migration
Present perfect with 'for' and 'since'
Select a unit
- 1 Nice to meet you!
- 2 What to wear
- 3 Like this, like that
- 4 The daily grind
- 5 Christmas every day
- 6 Great achievers
- 7 The Titanic
- 8 Travel
- 9 The big wedding
- 10 Sunny's job hunt
- 11 The bucket list
- 12 Moving and migration
- 13 Welcome to BBC Broadcasting House
- 14 New Year, New Project
- 15 From Handel to Hendrix
- 16 What's the weather like?
- 17 The Digital Revolution
- 18 A detective story
- 19 A place to live
- 20 The Cult of Celebrity
- 21 Welcome to your new job
- 22 Beyond the planets
- 23 Great expectations!
- 24 Eco-tourism
- 25 Moving house
- 26 It must be love
- 27 Job hunting success... and failure
- 28 Speeding into the future
- 29 Lost arts
- 30 Tales of survival
Session 4
Have you ever moved to another country for work? In this session we'll hear the stories of some people who did just that. You'll read an article and listen to a news report. Listen out for the present perfect with for and since.
Activity 2
News Report
Mushrooms are the business for Burmese migrant
We've heard a lot about moving around in this unit, but migration is an issue in many places. And migrants face challenges all the time.
In News Report this time we hear about Than Wai Aung, a migrant from Burma who has moved to Thailand - we'll hear about his difficulties but also his successes.
As you listen to News Report, you'll hear some examples of the grammar we've been looking at in the unit. Try to listen to the audio on its own if you can - but, if you are finding it difficult, there is a transcript to help you.
Listen to the audio
Every day, Than Wai Aung sprays water on hundreds of plastic bags, which are filled with wood. Mushrooms grow on the damp wood, and every two or three days Than collects several kilos of mushrooms to sell.
Than is from Yangon (also called Rangoon), in Myanmar, but he has lived in Thailand for nearly 20 years. He is 45 years old now, and has three children.
"There was nothing for me in Myanmar, no opportunities," he says.
First he came to live near Ratchaburi, a town in western Thailand. He worked on building sites, and then he had the idea for his business.
"We used to buy mushrooms to use in our cooking," he remembers, "and I thought, 'Why not grow them?'"
Learning to grow the mushrooms was difficult. And when he sold his mushrooms in his local area, the price was very low. But he did not give up. Instead, he decided to move to Bangkok.
Thailand's economy started to grow rapidly in the 1980s. Since then, millions of people have come to Thailand from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and other countries, to find jobs. Life is difficult for these migrant workers, and success stories are very rare. But Than is doing well in Bangkok. He grows his mushrooms in sheds, he delivers them to his customers on his motorbike, and he earns between $16 and $32 per day.
And he is still ambitious. "I want to be rich," he says. "Rich enough to buy a car!"
Download
You can download News Report on our Unit 12 Downloads page.
Vocabulary
spray
spread very small drops of liquid through the air
several
some; more than two
opportunity
chance to do something which you want to do
building site
a piece of land where a building is being constructed
local
in or near the place where you are
give up
quit; stop trying
economy
the system of trade and industry, which can create wealth
rapidly
quickly
migrant
someone who travels from one country or area to another, for a long period
do well
be successful
shed
(here) a large, simple building, normally for making or storing something
deliver
take things (especially goods or letters) to the people who need them
ambitious
determined to achieve goals
Related story
This report is based on an original BBC News story.
End of Session 4
That's it for Session 4! Join us again in the next session for the second episode of our drama, Frankenstein. And in this episode, Frankenstein will give life to the creature! There will also be our weekly quiz, so you can test all the language you've learned in this unit. See you there!
Session Vocabulary
spray
spread very small drops of liquid through the airseveral
some; more than twoopportunity
chance to do something which you want to dobuilding site
a piece of land where a building is being constructedlocal
in or near the place where you aregive up
quit; stop tryingeconomy
the system of trade and industry, which can create wealthrapidly
quicklymigrant
someone who travels from one country or area to another, for a long perioddo well
be successfulshed
(here) a large, simple building, normally for making or storing somethingdeliver
take things (especially goods or letters) to the people who need themambitious
determined to achieve goals