Despite insurers’ retrenchment in California, the onus is still on them to make their claimants whole, an insurance industry watchdog says.
Read the article and decide if the sentences below are true or false:
1. Many businesses in Los Angeles have been affected by recent wildfires.
2. The state government’s insurance programme has an unlimited budget for claims.
3. Small-business owners are advised to review their insurance policies after the wildfires.
4. Crowdfunding is a guaranteed way to receive federal disaster relief.
5. The author suggests that preventing losses is more cost-effective than rebuilding after disasters.
6. Insurance companies in California have been increasing the number of new policies recently.
7. Residents are warned to be cautious of price gouging following the wildfires.
Key: 1T; 2F; 3T; 4F; 5T; 6F; 7T
Glossary
- retrenchment – (here) withdrawal, pullback
- the onus – /ˈəʊ.nəs/ – the responsibility or duty to do something
- claimant – a person who makes a claim; someone who asks to be given something which they think they are entitled to
- to scorch – to cause intense heat; to devastate
- to perish – to die, especially in an accident or by being killed, or to be destroyed
- to loom – to appear as a large shape that is not clear, especially in a frightening way
- to crest – to surge (= increase suddenly and greatly), escalate
- crowdfunding – the practice of funding a project or an activity by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, usually using the internet
- to wrangle – obtain by argument
- hold up (one’s) end (of the bargain) – to fulfill or attend to one’s obligation(s) or promise(s) as agreed; to do one’s agreed part in some arrangement
- staggering – so great, shocking or surprising that it is difficult to believe
- to curtail – to reduce or limit sth
- uptick – an increase, rise, or upward trend
- order of magnitude – the approximate size of something, especially a number
- to gouge /ˈgaʊʤ/ (US, informal)- to make (someone) pay too much money for something
Practice makes perfect
Fill in the sentence gaps with the Past Simple form of the verbs below:
tell report grow be lead note break out
The Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire both 1. ……….. on Jan. 7 and 2. …….. to more than 23,000 and 14,000 acres, respectively, destroying thousands of structures and leading to more than 100,000 evacuations throughout Los Angeles.
Several smaller fires—including the Hurst Fire and Auto Fire, which 3. …….. both still active as of Tuesday—broke out after the Palisades and Eaton fires, and 4. ………. to more evacuations.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shows the causes of all four active fires are still under investigation, leading to unanswered questions about what could have caused some of California’s most destructive wildfires.
Anonymous officials involved with the investigation into the origin of the Palisades Fire 5. ………. the Los Angeles Times it appears to have human origins, though they 6. ……….. the investigation is ongoing.
Investigators are focusing on a “crime scene” area that sits above most of Los Angeles in a neighborhood with rocky bluffs and popular hiking trails as the potential ignition site of the Palisades Fire, The New York Times 7. …………. .
Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/01/14/what-sparked-the-california-wildfires-experts-consider-power-lines-fireworks-and-arson/
Key: 1. broke out; 2. grew; 3. were; 4. led; 5. told; 6. noted; 7. reported
Fill in the sentence gaps with some of the words from the Glossary:
1. The country’s debt this year will be of the same ……………………. as it was last year.
2. ……….. is on the landlord to ensure that the property is habitable.
3. The compensation will be split between 140 …………….s.
4. Two people ………………ed in the fire.
5. The interest alone is ………….. . It will take years to pay.
6. The bank hit me with a £100 charge and two days later they ………..ed me another £50.
7. I’ve paid my share setting up this business—now it’s time for you to ………………….. .
8. The iron was too hot and …………..ed the shirt.
Key: 1. order of magnitude; 2. the onus; 3. claimants; 4. perished; 5. staggering; 6. gouged; 7. hold up your end (of the bargain); 8. scorched
Watch and revise!
Wildfires in LA_
Devastating Truths and Aid for Small Businesses
https://www.cloud.worldwideschool.pl/index.php/s/tqiM3ybAGmE7jNr
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