6 Britain
6 Britain November 2 2022 | World and Press Some Brits are abandoning their pets as cost of living skyrockets COST OF LIVING The RSPCA said it was witnessing a spike in the number of abandoned pets. By Jennifer Hassan 1 WITH INFLATION at its highest rate in 40 years and prices of energy and food soaring, millions across Britain are having to make tough decisions to survive. For some, the cost-of-living crisis means they have little choice but to give up their pets. On Wednesday, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), a British charity dedicated to animal welfare, deemed the cost-of-living crisis “an urgent threat to pet welfare” and said it was witnessing a spike in the number of abandoned pets. 2 About 129 pets are being abandoned each day in England and Wales – up from 104 last year, the charity said, adding that the rise in pets purchased amid the coronavirus crisis last year, coupled with the current economic crisis, had exacerbated the issue. Dogs are the most abandoned pet, followed by cats, the charity said. Exotic pets such as snakes and lizards are also being surrendered to animal centers and charities, probably because the cold-blooded creatures require special heating and lighting in their enclosures. Neu! 3 Animal organizations have also expressed concern that the number of abandoned pets will increase as winter approaches and people are forced to choose between paying for heating or feeding their pets. 4 By October, many households will be paying out an estimated 80% more a year on their energy bills, the Associated Press reported, as pressure grows on the British government to do more to support those struggling amid the cost-of-living crisis. The Bank of England has warned that in- flation could peak at more than 13% this year. 5 Citing data from a U.K.-wide survey, the RSPCA noted that 78% of pet owners think the costof-living crisis would impact their animals. Another animal welfare charity, the Dogs Trust, warned that a significant decline in adopters could trigger an animal housing crisis. “The UK is fast heading towards a situation in which, due to the cost of living crisis, we’ll have a surplus of dogs whose owners need to give them up, but a deficit of people who can afford to take on a new dog,” Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust CEO, said in a statement before issuing a call for emergency fosterers. 6 But as abandonments rise, adoption numbers are falling. Those who once might have considered adopting or fostering an animal now fear they are unable to afford the re-homing process. Organizations are also worried that donations will dry up as people reassess and limit their spending. 7 The Dogs Trust, which has almost 700 dogs needing homes across 21 centers nationwide, said that in recent months it had received a record number of calls from people asking the charity to take in their dogs. Some cited the rising cost of dog food and treats, while others said they could not afford to run a household and also look after a pet. … © 2022 The Washington Post Rolle und Wandel der Monarchie in Großbritannien | Photo: Bogdan Todoran/Unsplash • Niveau B2 – C1 – C2, gymnasiale Oberstufe • Materialvielfalt: aktuelle Pressetexte, Videos, Podcasts, Infografiken, Cartoons Extra: The United Kingdom – Monarchy Themenheft in englischer Sprache 48 Seiten, DIN A4, Softcover · ¤ 16,90 | ISBN 978-3-7961-1164-8 www.sprachzeitungen.de 0 – 1 TO ABANDON“´"bœnd´n‘ s. trennen von; abgeben; s.w.u. abandonment — cost of living Lebenshaltungskosten — to skyrocket; s.w.u. to soar in die Höhe schnellen — RSPCA = Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals brit. Tierschutzorganisation — spike starker Anstieg — to give up; s.w.u. to surrender (to) “s´r"end´‘ abgeben (bei) — to dedicate h.: s. einsetzen für — animal welfare Tierwohl — to deem nennen 2 – 4 amid … h.: im Zuge der … — coupled with gekoppelt mit — current “"kør´nt‘ derzeitig — to exacerbate “Ig"zœs´beIt‘ verschärfen — lizard “"lIz´d‘ Eidechse — cold-blooded creature Kaltblüter — enclosure “In"kl´UZ´‘ Gehege; h.: Terrarium — to peak e-n Höchststand erreichen 5 – 7 to cite anführen — to trigger auslösen — surplus of “"s‰…pl´s‘ Überschuss an — deficit of “"defIsIt‘ Mangel an — CEO = chief executive officer “Æ-Ig"zekjetIv‘ Geschäftsführer(in) — to issue a call for ... e-n Aufruf nach mehr … veröffentlichen — emergency fosterer Notbetreuer(in) — re-homing process Aufnahme in ein neues Zuhause — to dry up ausbleiben — to reassess “Æri…´"ses‘ überdenken — treat Leckerli Don’t be ‘squeamish’ about drinking reused wastewater, U.K. official says WATER SHORTAGE | Photo: Nicolas Ruiz/Unsplash By Rachel Pannett 1 PEOPLE NEEDto become “less squeamish” about drinking water that is derived from wastewater, the head of Britain’s Environment Agency says, as a way to tackle water shortages and increasingly severe droughts. The idea of recycling wastewater for human consumption – once the realm of dystopian sci-fi films – is gaining traction globally as climate change intensifies droughts. 2 “Part of the solution will be to reprocess the water that results from sewage treatment and turn it back into drinking water – perfectly safe and healthy, but not something many people fancy,” James Bevan wrote in Britain’s ‘Sunday Times’ newspaper, as the country swelters through a record-breaking hot and dry summer. … 3 Water officials in London faced backlash in 2013 when they first proposed introducing recycled toilet waste into the city’s tap water to avoid looming water shortages. Now, many parts of the United Kingdom are grappling with low water supplies in reservoirs and rivers, following months of record-low rainfall and unprecedented high temperatures. The government officially declared a drought across swaths of England this month. 4 “We need to remember where it comes from: when we turn on the tap, what comes out started in a river, lake, or aquifer. The more we take, the more we drain those sources and put stress on nature and wildlife,” Bevan wrote. Bevan acknowledged that recycling wastewater for drinking could be “unpopular,” but he said people need to change the way they think about water. 5 Britain’s water companies have been under the spotlight lately amid water leakages and sewage dumps that have polluted waterways, killing fish in the toxic waste and eroding trust in water regulators. 6 Proponents of recycled drinking water say it goes through a stringent process before it reaches household taps. First, it is treated at a waste treatment plant, before being passed through coarse and fine screens to filter out debris. It then goes through a process known as reverse osmosis, water experts say, to remove pathogens, viruses, and bacteria. In the final step, the water is disinfected using ultraviolet light. 7 In Singapore, a craft brewing company announced in July that it was working with the national water agency to produce a beer made entirely from recycled wastewater – to help raise awareness of environmental issues. … © 2022 The Washington Post 0 – 1 SQUEAMISH“"skwi…mIS‘ zimperlich — reused h.: wiederaufbereitet — wastewater Abwasser — (water) official Mitarbeiter(in) der (Wasser-) Behörde — to derive s.th. from … “dI"raIv‘ etw. aus … gewinnen — to tackle bewältigen — drought “draUt‘ Dürre(periode) — realm “relm‘ Spezialgebiet — to gain traction (fig) an Bedeutung gewinnen 2 – 3 to reprocess wiederaufbereiten — sewage treatment “"su…IdZ‘ Abwasseraufbereitung — s.o. fancies s.th. jdm. gefällt etw. — to swelter schmoren — toilet waste Toilettenabwasser — looming drohend — to grapple with kämpfen mit — unprecedented “øn"presIdentId‘ bislang ungekannt — swaths “swÅTs‘ weite Teile 4 – 5 aquifer “"œkwIf´‘ Grundwasserleiter — to drain leeren — to acknowledge “´k"nÅlIdZ‘ einräumen — amid “´"mId‘ angesichts — water leakage “"li… kIdZ‘ Wasserleck(s) — sewage dump Abwasserentsorgung in Gewässern — waterway Gewässer — to erode “I"r´Ud‘ untergraben — water regulator “"regj´leIt´‘ Wasseraufsichtsbehörde 6 – 7 proponent “pr´"p´Un´nt‘ Befürworter(in) — stringent “"strIndZ´nt‘ streng — waste treatment plant Kläranlage — coarse “kO…s‘ grob — screen Sieb — debris “"deIbri…‘ Rückstände — reverse osmosis “Åz"m´UsIs‘ Umkehrosmose — pathogen “"pœT´dZ´n‘ Krankheitserreger — craft brewing company Kleinbrauerei — to raise awareness of “´"we´n´s‘ sensibilisieren für
World and Press | November 2 2022 Queen’s death leaves U.K. grappling with its sense of national identity Britain 7 SOCIETY The monarch’s death is leaving many in this stoic country anxious and unmoored. A woman cries amid flowers left for the queen at a memorial in London. By Mark Landler 1 NO SOONERhad the long-anticipated news broken – Queen Elizabeth II was dead – than Britain activated Operation London Bridge, the painstakingly choreographed funeral plan that guides the country through the rituals of tribute and mourning that culminate with her burial ten days later. 2 But the plan, with its metronomic precision, masks something far messier: a rupture to the national psyche. The queen’s death last week, at 96, is a genuinely traumatic event, leaving many in this stoic country anxious and unmoored. As they come to terms with the loss of a figure who embodied Britain, they are unsure of their nation’s identity, its economic and social well-being, or even its role in the world. To some, it almost seems as if London Bridge is down. 3 Such trauma was not wholly unexpected: Elizabeth reigned for 70 years, making her the only monarch that most Britons ever knew. Yet the anxiety runs even deeper, scholars and commentators say, a reflection not only of the queen’s long shadow but also of the unsettled country she leaves behind. 4 From Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic to the serial scandals that recently drove Prime Minister Boris Johnson from office, the end of the second Elizabethan age has been a time of unending turmoil for Britain. 5 In just the two months since Johnson announced he would step down, inflation has soared, a recession looms, and household energy bills have almost doubled. Almost lost in the worldwide outpouring after the queen’s death was that the new prime minister, Liz Truss, three days on the job, rolled out an emergency plan to cap energy prices at a likely cost of more than 0 billion. 6 “It all feeds into a sense of uncertainty and insecurity, which was already there because of Brexit and then COVID and now a new, very inexperienced prime minister,” said Timothy Procession that carried Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey on September 14, 2022. | Photos: Picture Alliance/AP Garton Ash, a professor of European studies at the University of Oxford. The queen, he said, was the rock, “and then the rock is removed.” 7 Not just the rock, but the rhythm of British daily life: Her image is printed on pound notes and postage stamps, her royal monogram – E.R. for Elizabeth Regina – emblazoned on flags and red postal boxes across the land. At the formal proclamation of her son, Charles, as king Saturday, the void left by the queen was palpable. Her empty throne, bearing the initials E.R., loomed before an assembly of the new monarch; his heir, Prince William; the archbishop of Canterbury; and the prime minister and her six living predecessors. 8 For older Britons especially, the loss is “deep and personal and almost familial,” said Johnson, paying tribute to the queen in Parliament on Friday, four days after she accepted his resignation in one of her last acts. “Perhaps it is partly that she has always been there, a changeless human reference point in British life,” he said. “The person who, all the surveys say, appears most often in our dreams. So unvarying in her polestar radiance that we have perhaps been lulled into thinking that she might be in some way eternal.” 9 Beyond the queen’s constancy, Johnson and others said, was her immense global stature. She was a living link to World War II, after which Winston Churchill helped draw the map of the postwar world, seated around a Yalta conference table with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Josef Stalin. 10 Johnson and Truss have harked back to that role with their robust support for Ukraine. But Britain these days is less a major power at the center of global decision-making than a midsize one cheering from the sidelines. It is fitting that the last Briton to receive a state funeral – until the queen’s, set for Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey – was Churchill in 1965. 11 “My own personal reflection is that there is probably never going to be an occasion in which another British figure is so mourned globally,” Garton Ash of Oxford said. “It is in some way a last moment of British greatness.” 12 For all of the trappings of power, the queen projected influence not through political or military muscle but through an abiding duty to country. Her wartime service and her dignified stewardship contrasted with Britain’s often-fractious politics, not to mention the foreign strongmen she sometimes had to entertain. She was, some said, a pioneer in the exercise of what later became known as “soft power.” 13 “I cannot lead you into battle,” the queen said in 1957. “I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else. I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands, and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.” 14 In the parks and squares around Buckingham Palace, where crowds gathered Saturday, people spoke of her loss in political and personal terms. “She meant reliability and stability,” said Kate Nattrass, 59, a health recruiter from Christchurch, New Zealand, which is a member of the Commonwealth. But the queen did so at the cost of great personal sacrifice. “In many ways, she was a woman robbed of being able to be herself,” Nattrass said. “She probably missed a lot of her own family because of that.” 15 Callum Taylor, 27, an actor from the northwest English town of Preston, traveled to London to leave yellow roses at the palace gates. He said he had heard yellow was one of Elizabeth’s favorite colors. Taylor admitted he was not sure of his information but added, “I think we all felt we knew her.” © 2022 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 0 – 1 TO GRAPPLEwith s.th. mit etw. kämpfen — stoic “"st´UIk‘ stoisch; gleichmütig — anxious “"œNkS´s‘ besorgt — unmoored; s.w.u. unsettled ohne Halt; unsicher — long-anticipated “œn"tIsIpeItId‘ seit Langem erwartet — painstakingly “"peInzÆteIkINli‘ sorgfältig — to choreograph “"kÅri´grA…f‘ (fig) bis ins kleinste Detail planen — tribute Ehrung — mourning “"mO… nIN‘ Trauer — to culminate “"kølmIneIt‘ gipfeln — burial “"beri´l‘ Beisetzung 2 – 3 metronomic fein getaktet — precision “prI"sIZ´n‘ Präzision — messy verwirrend; schwierig — rupture “"røptS´‘ Riss — psyche “"saIki‘ — genuinely “"dZenjuInli‘ wirklich — to come to terms with s.th. etw. verarbeiten — to embody verkörpern — wholly “"h´Ulli‘ völlig — to reign “reIn‘ herrschen — anxiety “œN"zaI´ti‘ Sorge — scholar “"skÅl´‘ Experte(-in) 4 – 6 serial scandals Skandalserie — to drive s.o. from office h.: jdn. das Amt kosten — turmoil “"t‰…mOIl‘ Turbulenzen — to step down zurücktreten — to soar sprunghaft ansteigen — to loom s. abzeichnen; s.w.u. dominierend stehen — outpouring h.: Anteilnahme — to roll out einführen — to cap deckeln — billion Milliarde — to feed into (fig) weiter steigern — uncertainty “øn"s‰…t´nti‘ Ungewissheit — insecurity Unsicherheit 7 postage stamp “"p´UstIdZ‘ Briefmarke — to be emblazoned on s.th. “Im"bleIz´nd‘ auf etw. prangen — proclamation Ausrufung — void Lücke — palpable “"pœlp´b´l‘ (fig) mit Händen zu greifen — to bear tragen — initials “I"nIS´lz‘ Initialen — assembly Versammlung — heir “e´‘ Erbe — archbishop “ÆA… tS"bIS´p‘ Erzbischof — predecessor “"pri…dIÆses´‘ Vorgänger(in) 8 – 9 familial “f´"mIli´l‘ familiär — to pay tribute to s.o. jdn. würdigen — resignation “ÆrezIg"neIS´n‘ Rücktritt(sgesuch) — reference point Bezugspunkt — survey Umfrage — unvarying “øn"ve´riIN‘ beständig — polestar radiance “"reIdi´ns‘ strahlender Glanz des Polarsterns — to lull s.o. into doing jdn. in der falschen Sicherheit wiegen, dass … — eternal ewig — constancy “"kÅnst´nsi‘ Beständigkeit — stature “"stœtS´‘ Format 10 – 12 to hark back to s.th. auf etw. zurückgreifen — decisionmaking Beschlussfassung — from the sidelines (fig) am Spielfeldrand — fitting passend — trappings of power Insignien der Macht — to project “-"-‘ vermitteln — muscle (fig) Stärke — abiding “´"baIdIN‘ dauerhaft — dignified “"dIgnIfaId‘ würdevoll — stewardship Führung — fractious “"frœkS´s‘ zänkisch — strongman Machthaber 13 – 15 to administer “´d"mInIst´‘ zuteilwerden lassen — devotion Hingabe — reliability “rIÆlaI´"bIl´ti‘ Verlässlichkeit — health recruiter Personalvermittler(in) fürs Gesundheitswesen — sacrifice “"sœkrIfaIs‘ Opfer
