THE CHAIN OF HOPE
The children who are cared for by the Chain of Hope come from countries which
are stricken by poverty or torn by conflict. They are children who have been injured by a
mine or an exploding shell, who have been born with deformities, who have caught
diseases or who suffer from the after-effects of injuries. A very simple operation can often
save them. But there is usually no prospect of such surgery in their own countries, owing
to the lack of specialized expertise and technical resources.
"Faced with this terrible fact," says Professor Alain Deloche, a heart surgeon, "a
simple idea took root: to bring these children to France, to provide them with operations,
and then send them home, cured, to their families."
To achieve this, continues Professor Deloche, "one simply needs to bring into action
a series of links in a chain of skills, asking people with all types of expertise to join in.
This project has a powerful appeal. Everyone can participate and become a link in the
chain."
And so, well-known surgeons, the most highly skilled in their fields, operate free of
charge in their hospitals throughout France.
Similarly, ambulances provide the children with free transport, and the airlines Air
France and UTA offer complimentary tickets. At the end of the chain, one finds a network
of families who take the children in free of charge during their recovery.
(From the United Nations' monthly magazine Refugees)
E X E R C I S E 1: Find words or phrases in the passage which mean the same as:
COLUMN A COLUMN B
a) suffering very badly from being poor (phrase)
b) divided because of war (phrase)
c) physical abnormality
d) expectation; hope
e) become established (phrase)
f) healed
g) succeed in
h) only; merely
i) put into operation (phrase)
j) connection
k) take part
I) greatly
m) without payment (phrase)
n) given out of kindness; free
o) connected system
44 ELS
E X E R C I S E 2: Choose the correct answer according to the passage.
1. "The Chain of Hope" is an organization
A) formed as a result of the appeals of surgeons from under-developed countries
B) which operates throughout the world with surgeons well-known in their fields
C) which deals with the health problems of poor children in France
D) in which every member of society can take part
E) which is trying to improve the quality of health services in poverty-stricken countries
2. The children
A) are cared for voluntarily by families after the operation until they are well enough to be sent
back home
B) are operated on by the Chain of Hope, because they come from poor families not able to
afford such operations
C) are adopted by French families after the operation if they have no family in their own
countries to return to
D) are chosen especially from countries where there is a war going on
E) are brought to France by Air France or UTA on reduced fares
3. We can conclude from the passage that
A) the speaker Professor Alain Deloche complains about not receiving sufficient support from
the community
B) the aim of the organization in the long term is to spread its works to other developed
countries as well
C) the children operated on in France are those whose own countries lack the requirements for
such operations
D) one has to possess some kind of expertise to become a link in the chain
E) the organization tries to build hospitals throughout France where the most skilled surgeons
will perform their operations
E X E R C I S E 3: Complete the sentences by selecting words from Column B in EXERCISE 1.
1. The film "The Elephant Man" was a true story based on a man who suffered most of his life
because of his physical
2. A lot more money needs to be spent before the rail can be considered
truly efficient.
3. The Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges are the road between
the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
4. The entrance into mosques in Istanbul is for tourists; however,
donations towards the upkeep are often given.
5. Many highly educated people have nö of employment due to the
current economic crisis.
ELS • 45