Discuss these questions in your pairs or groups:
- How many uses can you think of for fresh water?
- Is fresh water a valuable commodity?
- Why might there be conflicts over fresh water?
- Which weather conditions could disrupt the supply of fresh water?
Before listening, think about this question:
Why would low levels of water in the Mississippi river be a problem? What might the effects be?
Before listening, check that you understand the meaning of these words:
| Word | Part of speech | Word | Part of speech |
| aquatic | adjective | implication | noun |
| historic | adjective | ecosystem | noun |
| artery | noun | commodity | noun |
| barge | noun | shut down | phrasal verb |
| drought | noun | grain | noun |
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