Sources of Wealth
Senior 1 · English
Sources of Wealth
Lesson 3 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
A mountain gorilla does not dig a mine or grow a crop, yet the gorillas of the Virunga mountains are among Rwanda's most valuable resources. How can an animal that is never sold earn money for a country? The school radio club put that question to a guide who has led visitors into Volcanoes National Park for twelve years. Listen for the questions the interviewer asks: many of them are in the passive.
Before you listen: Would you like to see mountain gorillas? What rules do you think visitors must follow near them?
Ngabo (school radio): Good afternoon. My guest is Madam Ingabire, a senior guide in Volcanoes National Park. Thank you for joining us.
Ingabire: It's a pleasure.
Ngabo: How are visitors prepared for a gorilla trek?
Ingabire: Every morning at seven, the visitors are welcomed at the park headquarters in Kinigi, and they are given a short briefing. They are divided into small groups of no more than eight, and each group is assigned to one gorilla family.
Ngabo: Are visitors allowed to touch the gorillas?
Ingabire: No, never. Gorillas can catch our illnesses, even a cold, so visitors are asked to stay at least seven metres away. People who are sick aren't allowed to trek at all. And the time with the gorillas is limited to one hour.
Ngabo: How are the gorilla families found in such a big forest?
Ingabire: Trackers go out very early and follow the family from where it slept the night before. They radio us, so the visitors are led straight to the right place.
Ngabo: Is a permit needed?
Ingabire: Yes. Permits are sold by the Rwanda Development Board. In 2017 the price was raised to 1,500 US dollars for each person, and at the same time the share of park income for the local communities was increased.
Ngabo: What is that money used for?
Ingabire: Some of it pays for rangers and conservation. Part of it goes to the villages around the park: schools, health centres and water tanks have been built with it. And the tourists create jobs: porters, cooks, drivers, hotel workers and craft sellers are employed because the gorillas are here. Some of our porters used to hunt in this forest. Today they protect it, because they earn their living from it.
Ngabo: So the gorillas are not the only resource?
Ingabire: Exactly. The forest is the resource, but the skill is ours: the guides, the trackers, the drivers who speak three languages. A gorilla can't welcome a visitor. People do that.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where are visitors welcomed each morning? | … |
| How many visitors can be in one group? | … |
| How close may visitors go to the gorillas? | … |
| How long can visitors stay with a gorilla family? | … |
| Who sells the permits? | … |
| Name three jobs created by gorilla tourism. | … |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where are visitors welcomed each morning? | at the park headquarters in Kinigi, at seven |
| How many visitors can be in one group? | no more than eight |
| How close may visitors go to the gorillas? | no closer than seven metres |
| How long can visitors stay with a gorilla family? | one hour |
| Who sells the permits? | the Rwanda Development Board |
| Name three jobs created by gorilla tourism. | any three: guides, trackers, porters, cooks, drivers, hotel workers, craft sellers, rangers |
| Word or phrase | Meaning | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| trek | a long, hard walk, often in mountains | The trek took three hours. |
| permit | an official paper that allows you to do something | A permit is needed for gorilla trekking. |
| briefing | a short meeting that gives instructions | Visitors are given a briefing. |
| tracker | a person who follows the signs animals leave | The trackers found the family. |
| porter | a person who carries bags for others | Porters carry the visitors' bags. |
| conservation | protecting nature | Permit money pays for conservation. |
| income | money that is earned | Tourism brings income to villages. |
| employ | give someone paid work | Hotels employ local people. |
| service | work done for others that is not a product: guiding, cooking, teaching | Tourism is a service industry. |
| host | (verb) receive guests or an event | Kigali hosts international conferences. |
Definition
Agent: the doer of the action in a passive sentence, introduced by by: Permits are sold by the Rwanda Development Board.
We include the agent only when it is new or important information. When the doer is obvious, unknown or unimportant, we leave it out: Visitors are given a briefing. (by the guides, obviously)
| Form | Pattern | Example from the interview |
|---|---|---|
| Yes-no question | Is / Are + subject + past participle? | Are visitors allowed to touch the gorillas? |
| Wh-question | Wh- + is / are + subject + past participle? | How are the gorilla families found? |
| Negative | subject + isn't / aren't + past participle | Sick people aren't allowed to trek. |
| With the agent | … + by + doer | Permits are sold by the Rwanda Development Board. |
| Step | Active: The trackers find the gorillas every morning. |
|---|---|
| 1. The object becomes the subject. | The gorillas … |
| 2. Add am, is or are to agree with it. | The gorillas are … |
| 3. Add the past participle. | The gorillas are found … |
| 4. Keep the agent and other details only if useful. | The gorillas are found (by the trackers) every morning. |
Worked example
Turn this active question into a passive question: Do hotels employ local people?
Warning
Tip
Choose the voice that keeps your topic first. If you are talking about the gorillas, start with them: The gorillas are protected by rangers. If you are talking about the rangers, stay active: Rangers protect the gorillas.
How to use the active and passive voice: 6 Minute Grammar, BBC Learning English (6 minutes). Listen for the reasons the presenters give for choosing the passive, and compare them with the tip above.
Prepare a two-minute talk called One of Rwanda's main resources. Choose tea, coffee, minerals, hydropower, tourism, conferences or people's skills. Use this plan and at least four passive sentences, including one question to the audience.
| Part | What to say |
|---|---|
| Opening | A question or a surprising fact to catch attention |
| What it is | Where it is found or produced |
| How it is used | Two or three steps, in the passive |
| Why it matters | Jobs, income, exports, protection |
| Closing | One thing listeners can do or remember |
Did you know that a meeting can be a resource? Since 2016, big international conferences have been held at the Kigali Convention Centre. When a conference is organised, delegates are flown in from all over the world. They are accommodated in hotels, they are fed in restaurants, and many are taken to see the gorillas afterwards. So hundreds of Rwandans are employed by one meeting. Is this kind of tourism talked about enough? I think it should be, because it shows that Rwanda's people and services are as valuable as its land.
You are Ngabo. Write six questions in the passive for an interview with a tea factory manager or a tin mine manager, and write the answers you expect.
1. When are the tea leaves picked? — They are picked every seven to ten days, all year.
2. How are they brought to the factory? — They are carried by lorry on the same day.
3. Are the leaves dried in the sun? — No, they aren't. They are dried with hot air.
4. How many workers are employed here? — About four hundred people are employed.
5. Where is the tea sold? — It is sold at auctions and exported.
6. Is any tea drunk in Rwanda? — Yes, it is. Some of it is packed for Rwandan shops.
Practice
Sources and credits
