The Reading / Listening - Level 4

A weed is a big problem in the small Australian town of Wangaratta, Victoria. The weed is called "hairy panic" and it is burying homes and buildings in the town. Hairy panic is a grass that grows everywhere in Australia. The dead grass gathers in large bundles, which are blown across the land. There is a lot of it in the town. It is piled as high as the roof with some houses, so people cannot reach their homes. It looks like a scene from a horror movie.

Many residents have left town until the weed has gone. They are tired of spending hours a day clearing piles of dead grass from their gardens. It is a battle to fight through the weeds to get into their home. One resident said the weed was "mentally draining". Another resident said it was difficult to find his car in the morning. However, he called it, "a first-world problem". He said: "We don't put it on the scale of any of the famine or poverty going on in the world."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 5 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-35600546
  • http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-18/giant-tumbleweeds-invade-wangaratta/7181600
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/12162443/Australian-town-Wangaratta-in-Victoria-blanketed-by-hairy-panic-tumbleweed.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.

The weed is called "hairy panic" and it

a.

as the roof

2.

a grass that grows

b.

gathers in large bundles

3.

The dead grass

c.

everywhere

4.

blown across

d.

their homes

5.

There is a lot of

e.

is burying homes

6.

It is piled as high

f.

a horror movie

7.

people cannot reach

g.

the land

8.

a scene from

h.

it in the town



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PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.

Many residents have

a.

hours a day

2.

They are tired of spending

b.

scale

3.

clearing piles

c.

draining

4.

a battle to fight

d.

on in the world

5.

mentally

e.

through the weeds

6.

a first-

f.

left town

7.

put it on the

g.

world problem

8.

famine or poverty going

h.

of dead grass

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

A weed is a big (1) ___________________ small Australian town of Wangaratta, Victoria. The weed is called "hairy panic" (2) ___________________ homes and buildings in the town. Hairy panic is a grass that (3) ___________________ in Australia. The dead grass gathers in large bundles, which are (4) ___________________ the land. There is a lot of it in the town. It is (5) ___________________ the roof with some houses, so people cannot reach their homes. It looks (6) ___________________ from a horror movie.

Many residents (7) ___________________ until the weed has gone. They are tired of spending hours a day (8) ___________________ dead grass from their gardens. It is a (9) ___________________ through the weeds to get into their home. One resident said the weed was "(10) ___________________". Another resident said it was difficult to find his car in the morning. However, he called it, "(11) ___________________". He said: "We don't put it (12) ___________________ any of the famine or poverty going on in the world."

PANIC SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about panic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________

 



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Student B: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________

FREE WRITING

Write about panic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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