📖+10 XP
🎧+10 XP
✅+15 XP
Level A1 – BeginnerCEFR A1
2 min
79 words
- Vaca Muerta is a large area in Argentina.
- Many local people worry about fracking in the area.
- Fracking has grown quickly since 2015.
- Local people say they now feel more earthquakes.
- Quakes stopped when industry paused during the pandemic.
- Shale wells need much more water than normal wells.
- Officials monitor earthquakes but opinions often still differ.
- There are worries about waste and river pollution.
- Large amounts of sand are used for fracking.
- No Latin American country has banned fracking.
Difficult words
- fracking — method to get oil and gas from rock
- earthquake — sudden shaking of the groundearthquakes
- pandemic — a disease that spreads to many countries
- well — a hole in the ground for water or oilwells
- monitor — to watch or check something over time
- pollution — dirty or harmful things in water or air
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you heard of fracking?
- Have you ever felt an earthquake?
- Do you worry about river pollution near you?
Related articles
30 Apr 2026
21 Oct 2025
28 Feb 2026
12 Dec 2025
Experts call for integrated One Health surveillance linking communities
Experts urge governments to build integrated surveillance systems that link community-level data across human, animal, plant and environmental sectors. A virtual roundtable highlighted research priorities and named integrated surveillance the most urgent need.
26 Jun 2025
Lake Tana: Turning Water Hyacinth into Home Energy
Fishermen around Lake Tana faced problems from invasive water hyacinth. Researchers led by Yezbie Kassa tested small biogas systems that use the weed and animal dung to make cooking gas and fertiliser, helping some families but facing scaling challenges.