1. A solar kit called the Ravi is becoming increasingly popular in Africa as an alternative to kerosene for lighting homes, with 14-11% of households in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi having electricity access. 2. The UK charity SolarAid has been working in Africa for two years to eliminate the need for kerosene by replacing it with solar power from affordable Ravi kits, which can pay for themselves in a few months. 3. One salesperson, Ramona, managed to pay her daughter's school fees last year by selling Ravi kits door-to-door, and hopes to set up a village shop this year to sell more.

1. QUIZ 1 TENSE REVISION
1
Complete the sentences by using Simple Present, Present Continuous, Simple Past,
Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous of the verbs in parentheses.
Solar Lighting May Lead to the End of Kerosene in Africa
A simple but effective solar kit is changing the ways many
Africans light their homes. 14% of households in Kenya have electricity,
in Tanzania only 11% do, and in Malawi just 7%, so most homes use
kerosene fuel for lighting. However, a solar energy revolution began in
these countries when SolarAid (1) ____________________ (introduce) the “Ravi”. These
days, this mini solar power kit (2) ____________________ (become) more and more popular
due to its many advantages over kerosene.
Bob, a corn farmer and father of four, bought a Ravi last month. He (3)
___________________ (spend) most of his income on fuel for his three kerosene lamps until
he got the solar kit. When he bought the kit, he (4) _____________________ (throw) the
lamps away. They reduced his budget for food, gave his family bronchitis and required a half-
day trip every week to buy fuel.
The UK charity SolarAid (5) _____________________ (work) in Africa for the last
two years. They say that they (6) _____________________ (aim) to eliminate the need for
kerosene for people like Bob and his family by replacing it with solar electricity. To
accomplish this, SolarAid has developed the Ravi, which (7) _____________________
(have) a simple design and can pay for itself in two or three months. The Ravi contains a 1.8-
watt solar photovoltaic panel, which can convert daylight into electricity. When it is charged,
the light lasts six hours. It also comes with a mobile phone charger.
SolarAid is not trying to make a profit on the kits. Instead, they (8)
_____________________ (prefer) to give the profit to local salespeople who are part of the
‘Sunny Money’ network. The money that these people make pays for school fees, which are
about $80 a term. One salesperson, Ramona Omukhobero, says, “I (9)
_____________________ (manage) to pay my daughter’s school fees last year by selling
Ravi kits, which was a big accomplishment for me. This year I hope to make more money. Up
till now, I (10) _____________________ (sell) Ravi kits by going door to door, but houses
are very far apart. This year I hope to set up a shop in our village center.” Because of hard-
working, innovative salespeople like Ramona, it looks like SolarAid will meet its goal of
selling 1 million Ravi kits by January 2012.
Answer Key: 1. introduced 2. is becoming 3. spent/used to spend 4. threw 5.has been
working/has worked 6. aim/are aiming 7. has 8. prefer 9. managed 10. have been
selling/have sold