The Reading / Listening - Penguins - Level 4

Chile has rejected a billion-dollar mining project to protect marine life. A company wanted to mine an area that is home to 80 per cent of the world's Humboldt penguin, as well as blue whales, fin whales and sea otters. The Andes Iron mining company wanted to mine millions of tons of iron and build a new port. Chile's Environment Minister said development was good, but not at the cost of the environment, health, "or to unique ecological areas in the world".

Chile's National Mining Society said this was bad news. It said the project was essential for the economic development of the country. It would have created $2.5 billion. The government said the company had not shown the full negative impact of the project and questioned the project's finances. It said basic information was missing and that compensation was too low, "meaning…the eventual impacts have not been properly taken care of".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Penguins - Level 5 or  Penguins - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41007462
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chile-hydropower-idUSKCN1B11CQ
  • http://www.nasdaq.com/article/chilean-government-rejects-controversial-25-bln-copper-and-iron-project-20170821-00566


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. Chile has rejected a billion-dollar
  2. protect marine
  3. A company wanted to mine
  4. fin whales and sea
  5. mine millions
  6. build a new
  7. not at the cost
  8. unique ecological
  1. otters
  2. of the environment
  3. life
  4. areas in the world
  5. an area
  6. of tons of iron
  7. mining project
  8. port

Paragraph 2

  1. this was bad
  2. essential for the economic
  3. It would have
  4. shown the full negative
  5. questioned the project's
  6. It said basic information
  7. compensation was too
  8. been properly taken
  1. impact of the project
  2. low
  3. news
  4. care of
  5. created $2.5 billion
  6. development
  7. was missing
  8. finances

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Chile (1) ___________________ billion-dollar mining project to protect marine life. A company wanted (2) ___________________ that is home to 80 per cent of the world's Humboldt penguin, (3) ___________________ whales, fin whales (4) ___________________. The Andes Iron mining company wanted to mine (5) ___________________ of iron and build a new port. Chile's Environment Minister said development was good, but not at (6) ___________________ environment, health, "or to unique ecological areas in the world".

Chile's National Mining Society (7) ___________________ bad news. It said the project (8) ___________________ the economic development of the country. It would have created $2.5 billion. The (9) ___________________ company had not shown the full (10) ___________________ the project and questioned the project's finances. It said basic information (11) ___________________ that compensation was too low, "meaning…the (12) ___________________ have not been properly taken care of".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Chilehasrejectedabillion-dollarminingprojecttoprotectmarinelife.Ac
ompanywantedtomineanareathatishometo80percentoftheworld'sH
umboldtpenguin,aswellasbluewhales,finwhalesandseaotters.TheAn
desIronminingcompanywantedtominemillionsoftonsofironandbuild
anewport.Chile'sEnvironmentMinistersaiddevelopmentwasgood,bu
tnotatthecostoftheenvironment,health,"ortouniqueecologicalareasi
ntheworld".Chile'sNationalMiningSocietysaidthiswasbadnews.Itsai
dtheprojectwasessentialfortheeconomicdevelopmentofthecountry.
Itwouldhavecreated$2.5billion.Thegovernmentsaidthecompanyha
dnotshownthefullnegativeimpactoftheprojectandquestionedtheproj
ect'sfinances.Itsaidbasicinformationwasmissingandthatcompensati
onwastoolow,"meaning…theeventualimpactshavenotbeenproperlyt
akencareof".

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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