EV factory in Brazil closed because of ‘slavery conditions’
Listen to the story (New Zealand accent)
A new factory for BYD, a big car company from China, stopped being built in Brazil. Some workers lived in very poor conditions.
More than 160 workers were rescued in Bahia, Brazil. The building company they worked for was not nice. It kept the workers' passports and money.
BYD stopped working with that building company. BYD wants to follow all the rules in Brazil.
The factory was planned to open in 2025. It was BYD's first car factory outside of Asia.
The workers lived in four places. In one place, workers slept on beds without mattresses. Also, many workers shared one bathroom.
BYD moved the workers to hotels.
BYD is a very big carmaker. It sold more cars than Tesla at the end of 2023. BYD is growing in Brazil.
Vocabulary14 words
- Factory
- plant; a building where things are made or built
- Build
- construct; put up; set up; to make something by putting bricks or other materials together
- Poor conditions
- bad situation; not good shape/state
- Rescue
- to save someone or something from danger; to help or free someone
- Building company
- A business that builds/makes buildings and/or homes
- Keep
- hold onto something and not let it go;
- Passport
- A small book that shows what country you are from. You need it to travel to other countries
- Follow a rule
- Do what the rule says; To do what the guideline or instruction says
- Rule
- A guideline or regulation; sometimes a law; A guide that tells us what we should or shouldn’t do
- Planned
- scheduled; decided in advance
- Mattress
- A soft pad on a bed that you sleep on
- Share
- to have or use something at the same time as someone else; to divide food, money, goods, etc. and give some of it to someone else; to have something and let someone else use it
- Bathroom
- a room for showering, bathing; a room with a shower/bathtub, sink and/or toilet
- Car maker
- A company that builds or makes cars
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A new _____ for BYD, a big car company from China, stopped being built in Brazil. Some _____ lived in very poor conditions.
_____ than 160 workers were rescued in Bahia, _____. The building company they worked for was _____ nice. It kept the workers' _____ and money.
BYD stopped working with _____ building company. BYD wants to follow all the _____ in Brazil.
The factory was planned to open in _____. It was BYD's first car factory outside of _____.
The workers lived in _____ places. In one place, workers slept on beds _____ mattresses. Also, many workers shared _____ bathroom.
BYD moved the _____ to hotels.
BYD is a very big _____ maker. It sold more cars than Tesla at the end of _____. BYD is growing in Brazil.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think it's important for companies to make sure their workers have good living conditions?
- What should BYD do to fix this problem in Brazil?
- Have you ever heard of BYD cars? Are they available in your country? What do you think about them?
- What do you think about electric cars (EVs)?
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