The night-walkers of Uganda

Gold rush in Mongolia
Level 1
Elementary
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and-white story of human rights abuses and 
wealth inequality. Most ninjas make $10 to $20 
dollars a day – more than policemen or soldiers 
earn. Some become extremely rich. There are 
many stories in the town of people who found 
giant nuggets worth tens of thousands of dollars.
The Russian mining company, Altan Dornod 
Mongol, says the ninjas are organized and 
controlled by criminal bosses. “The ninjas are 
a Mongolian social problem. There are whole 
towns of them with bars and prostitutes. They 
even use their children to get gold. It’s awful,” 
said a spokeswoman. “We don’t want to abuse 
human rights, but we must protect our mine and 
our workers.”
© Guardian News & Media 2007
First published in The Guardian, 10/10/07
Gold rush in Mongolia
Level 1
Elementary
Comprehension check 1
3
Join the sentence parts.
1. Mongolian police arrest people for carrying...
a. ... turtles. 
2. Ninja turtles are...
b. ... Mongolia’s Wild West.
3. When people carry a green plastic bowl on their backs, they look like...
c. ... they are stealing.
4. The Mongolian gold rush is causing problems between...
d. ... herds of sheep and goats.
5. Some Mongolian nomads (who live on the vast plains) own... 
e. ... nomadic miners and
foreign companies.
6. There are between 30,000 to 100,000 people searching for gold in... 
f. ... cartoon characters.
7. Mongolia is known as...
g. ... very poor.
8. When the ninjas search for gold,... 
h. ... Asia’s most democratic
nation.
9. Many people in Mongolia are... 
i. ... plastic bowls.
10. The mining companies say they want to protect their...
j. ... mines and their workers.