The Reading / Listening - Humanitarian Crisis - Level 5

The U.N. has warned the world is facing its biggest humanitarian crisis since 1945. It issued a plea for all nations to help avoid "a catastrophe". U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, said over 20 million people face the threat of starvation in Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. He stressed there was an urgent need for, "accelerated global efforts to support U.N. humanitarian action on the ground". He added: "We stand at a critical point in history. Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the U.N."

The U.N. warned of misery for millions in the affected countries. It said: "Without collective…global efforts…people risk starving to death." It warned of disease, of children with stunted growth, of "lost futures, mass displacements and reversed development gains". The El Niño weather phenomenon has brought little rain, but a lot of the problems are man made. Conflicts are displacing many people. There are reports of aid convoys being attacked. Mr O'Brien said: "It is possible to avert this crisis, to avert these famines…these looming human catastrophes. It is all preventable."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Humanitarian Crisis - Level 4 or  Humanitarian Crisis - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39238808
  • http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56339#.WMPIwIWFic0
  • http://allafrica.com/stories/201703100256.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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. It issued a plea
  2. help avoid a
  3. 20 million people face the
  4. He stressed there was an urgent
  5. accelerated
  6. humanitarian action on
  7. We stand at a critical
  8. since the creation
  1. the ground
  2. need
  3. for all nations
  4. of the U.N.
  5. threat of starvation
  6. point in history
  7. global efforts
  8. catastrophe

Paragraph 2

  1. The U.N. warned of misery
  2. people risk starving
  3. children with stunted
  4. a lot of the problems
  5. There are reports of aid
  6. It is possible to
  7. looming human
  8. It is all
  1. are man made
  2. catastrophes
  3. convoys being attacked
  4. preventable
  5. growth
  6. for millions
  7. to death
  8. avert this crisis

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The U.N. has warned the world (1) ___________________ biggest humanitarian crisis since 1945. It (2) ___________________ for all nations to help (3) __________________. U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, said over 20 million people face the (4) ___________________ Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. He stressed there (5) ___________________ need for, "accelerated global efforts to support U.N. humanitarian action on the ground". He added: "We (6) ___________________ point in history. Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the U.N."

The U.N. (7) ___________________ for millions in the affected countries. It said: "Without collective… (8) ___________________ people risk starving to death." It (9) ___________________, of children with stunted growth, of "lost futures, mass displacements and reversed development gains". The El Niño weather phenomenon has brought little rain, (10) ___________________ problems are man made. Conflicts are displacing many people. There are (11) ___________________ being attacked. Mr O'Brien said: "It is possible to avert this crisis, to avert these famines…these looming human catastrophes. (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheU.N.haswarnedtheworldisfacingitsbiggesthumanitariancrisissin
ce1945.Itissuedapleaforallnationstohelpavoid"acatastrophe".U.N.E
mergencyReliefCoordinator,StephenO’Brien,saidover20millionpeo
plefacethethreatofstarvationinKenya,Nigeria,Somalia,SouthSudan
andYemen.Hestressedtherewasanurgentneedfor,"acceleratedglob
aleffortstosupportU.N.humanitarianactionontheground".Headded:"
Westandatacriticalpointinhistory.Alreadyatthebeginningoftheyearw
earefacingthelargesthumanitariancrisissincethecreationoftheU.N."
TheU.N.warnedofmiseryformillionsintheaffectedcountries.Itsaid:"
Withoutcollective…globalefforts…peopleriskstarvingtodeath."Itwar
nedofdisease,ofchildrenwithstuntedgrowth,of"lostfutures,massdisp
lacementsandreverseddevelopmentgains".TheElNiñoweatherphen
omenonhasbroughtlittlerain,butalotoftheproblemsaremanmade.Co
nflictsaredisplacingmanypeople.Therearereportsofaidconvoysbeing
attacked.MrO'Briensaid:"Itispossibletoavertthiscrisis,toavertthesef
amines…theseloominghumancatastrophes.Itisallpreventable."

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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