Union Electricians Welcome Data Center Boom Despite Community Opposition

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What happens as companies build more facilities?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Electricians lose their jobs
   2. Electricians receive more work and overtime
   3. Communities immediately approve projects
   4. Businesses reduce digital services
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Electricians receive more work and overtime

   The construction produces plentiful work and substantial overtime for electricians.

   According to NPR, union electricians are receiving plenty of work and significant amounts of overtime as companies build more facilities to support data-related services.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can additional hours provide for electricians?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Steady employment
   2. Local political authority
   3. Reduced construction costs
   4. More community control
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Steady employment

   Additional hours can increase employment and provide greater economic opportunity.

   More construction activity can provide steady employment and allow electricians to work additional hours.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Who wants to stop many new data centers?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Union members
   2. Data center companies
   3. Many communities
   4. Digital service users
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Many communities

   Local residents and groups are attempting to prevent these projects.

   Many communities are trying to block the construction of new data centers.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What may projects offering electricians work become part of?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. International trade agreements
   2. Difficult local debates
   3. Technical training programs
   4. National election campaigns
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Difficult local debates

   They may become involved in difficult debates within local communities.

   Their efforts mean that projects offering work to electricians can become part of difficult local debates.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What two interests must unions consider?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Tourism and transportation
   2. Technology and agriculture
   3. Workers and connected communities
   4. Businesses and international governments
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Workers and connected communities

   Unions must consider members’ economic gains and communities’ concerns.

   Their members can gain directly from construction, while the communities connected to those projects may seek to prevent them.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the situation involve beyond technical planning?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Only electrical engineering
   2. Only private investment
   3. Addressing conflicting interests
   4. Replacing skilled workers
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Addressing conflicting interests

   The recording emphasizes social and economic negotiation alongside technical decisions.

   This tension suggests that the future of data center growth will involve more than technical planning or business investment.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What simultaneous result does the report emphasize?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Economic decline and political unity
   2. Opportunity and resistance
   3. Technical failure and reduced demand
   4. Community support and less employment
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Opportunity and resistance

   Data center expansion can generate jobs while provoking opposition simultaneously.

   The conflict illustrates how one industry’s expansion can produce both opportunity and resistance at the same time.

What to review next

Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.

Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?

The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.