The story
The world’s population has officially reached 8 billion.
The growth is partly because of developments in health, nutrition and medicine.
It’s taken just 11 years to go from 7 to 8 billion, but growth in many countries is actually slowing.
Many are concerned the expanding population is destroying the planet.
Key words and phrases
peak
can’t get any higher or better
• Ticket sales for the concert have peaked. Fewer people are buying them now.
• We expect the prices of holidays to peak in the summer.
poses
causes or creates something that is usually negative
• Drunk drivers pose a threat to other road users.
• This political scandal will pose big problems for the government.
shape
influence
• Moving to new countries as a child shaped my love for travel.
• Her dad’s attitude shaped her approach to hard work.
0:00 – Introduction
0:23 – Story
1:09 – Headline 1: The Telegraph: World population hits eight billion – as experts predict when it will peak
3:29 – Headline 2: CNN: Global population hits 8 billion as growth poses more challenges for the planet
5:01 – Headline 3: The Conversation: As the 8 billionth person is born,
here’s how Africa will shape the future of the planet’s population
6:40 – Language summary
For a quiz and downloads, check out our website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview-2022/unit-1/session-45