The Reading / Listening - Level 1

A slide has opened in downtown Los Angeles, but not in a children's park. The new Skyslide is on the outside of an office tower, 300 metres above the street. It is made of glass just 3 cm thick. It cost $3.5 million to build. The slide starts at the 70th floor and goes down 15 metres to the 69th floor. The ride takes about five seconds from top to bottom. Riders sit on a safety mat and push themselves out of a window. Only one person can slide at a time.

The tower's owner wanted to make a special attraction. She said: "We have to do something that doesn't exist anywhere else." The slide is safe enough to support a school bus. A reporter who went on the slide said: "Before you can get a really proper scream going, you're launched out onto a safety mat on an outdoor deck on the 69th floor." Tickets to get into the Skyspace area on the 70th floor are $25. A ride on the Skyslide costs an additional $8.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 2   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-skyslide-downtown-los-angeles-tourism-20160623-snap-story.html
  • http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-hawthorne-skyslide-20160621-snap-story.html
  • https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/blog/braving-the-glass-skyslide-at-the-us-bank-towers-skyspace-062316


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A slide has opened in
  2. a children's
  3. on the outside of an
  4. It is made of glass just
  5. It cost $3.5 million
  6. The slide starts
  7. push themselves out
  8. Only one person can
  1. office tower
  2. of a window
  3. to build
  4. park
  5. at the 70th floor
  6. downtown Los Angeles
  7. slide at a time
  8. 3 cm thick

Paragraph 2

  1. The tower's owner wanted to make
  2. do something that doesn't
  3. The slide is safe
  4. school
  5. A reporter who
  6. safety
  7. Tickets to get into the Skyspace area
  8. A ride on the Skyslide costs
  1. exist anywhere else
  2. on the 70th floor
  3. went on the slide
  4. an additional $8
  5. mat
  6. a special attraction
  7. bus
  8. enough

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A slide (1) ___________________ downtown Los Angeles, but not in a children's park. The new Skyslide (2) _______________ of an office tower, 300 metres (3) ___________________. It is made of glass (4) ___________________. It cost $3.5 million to build. The slide starts at the 70th floor and goes down 15 metres to the 69th floor. The ride takes about five (5) _______________ to bottom. Riders sit on a safety mat and push themselves out of a window. Only one (6) ___________________ at a time.

The tower's owner wanted to make (7) ___________________. She said: "We have to do something (8) ___________________ anywhere else." The slide is (9) ___________________ to support a school bus. A reporter who went on the slide said: "Before you can get a (10) ___________________ going, you're launched out onto a safety mat on an (11) __________________ the 69th floor." Tickets to get into the Skyspace area on the 70th floor are $25. A ride on the Skyslide (12) ___________________ $8.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AslidehasopenedindowntownLosAngeles,butnotinachildren'spark.T
henewSkyslideisontheoutsideofanofficetower,300metresabovethes
treet.Itismadeofglassjust3cmthick.Itcost$3.5milliontobuild.Theslid
estartsatthe70thfloorandgoesdown15metrestothe69thfloor.Therid
etakesaboutfivesecondsfromtoptobottom.Riderssitonasafetymatan
dpushthemselvesoutofawindow.Onlyonepersoncanslideatatime.Th
etower'sownerwantedtomakeaspecialattraction.Shesaid:"Wehavet
odosomethingthatdoesn'texistanywhereelse."Theslideissafeenoug
htosupportaschoolbus.Areporterwhowentontheslidesaid:"Beforeyo
ucangetareallyproperscreamgoing,you'relaunchedoutontoasafety
matonanoutdoordeckonthe69thfloor."TicketstogetintotheSkyspace
areaonthe70thfloorare$25.ArideontheSkyslidecostsanadditional$8.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

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

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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