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Eighteen firefighters work at Meek Williams Station, in Chicago. Half of them are volunteers – who, by definition, do not receive salaries for their work.

The government maintains the fire station. It costs a lot. The money is used to pay the bills, to buy equipment and cover other costs. This year, due to the effects of Global Warming, the electricity bill will be very high; because they need to have the air conditioner on all day long.

The fire station has a problem on a pipe because of last year’s strong winter. The weather was extremely and it froze the plumbing system. There was a lot of damage. Now the building is in bad conditions.

Repairing the damage will cost money, but the money they have is used to pay the salary of the firefighters who are employed by the government. People are worried that a lack of money may cause a disaster. They need donations and new volunteers until the problem is solved. Can you help?

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Focus Words

air conditioner: a device for controlling the humidity, ventilation, and temperature in a building or room.

to be worried: to be anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.

bills: a printed statement of the money owed for goods or services.

building: a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory.

climate: weather conditions prevailing in an area over a long period of time.

damage: physical harm that diminishes the value or usefulness of something.

disaster: a sudden accident that causes great damage or loss of life.

donation: something that is given to a charity, especially a sum of money.

froze: the past form of the verb ‘freeze’, which means to turn liquid into ice as a result of extreme cold.

lack: the state of being without or not having enough of something.

pipe: a tube used to convey water, gas, oil, or other fluid substances.

plumbing system: a group of pipes in a building used to supply water, heating, or sanitation.

to repair: restore to a good condition to something that was damaged, faulty, or worn out.

volunteer: someone who works without being paid, especially doing work that involves helping people.

weather: the state of the atmosphere (heat, wind, rain, sunshine, dryness) at a particular place and time.

winter: the coldest of the 4 seasons of the year.