The Reading / Listening - Auto Insurance - Level 4

Rising car insurance costs are adding to inflationary pressures. Costs are rising at their fastest ever rates. They are a huge 22.2 per cent higher than this time last year. No other category of spending has increased like car insurance. The average cost of car insurance in the US is over $2,300 per year. Rising prices are affecting the lowest paid most. Insurance is a huge burden for people struggling to survive in the cost of living crisis.

An industry analyst said the biggest factor for costlier insurance was the number of new cars. He said: "If you [wreck] your car, the replacement cost is really high." He said technology in modern cars is expensive to repair and replace. A new battery in an electric car can cost up to $20,000. Even a simple fender bender could damage sensors and cameras. One factor that is increasing labour costs is a shortage of car mechanics.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Auto Insurance - Level 5 or  Auto Insurance - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/auto-insurance-premiums-are-Skyrocketing-whats-blame
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/11/why-car-insurance-costs-are-Skyrocketing-leading-to-higher-inflation.html
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-12/cheap-auto-insurance-is-a-thing-of-the-past-here-are-5-reasons


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Rising car
  2. adding to inflationary
  3. costs are rising at their fastest
  4. No other category
  5. affecting the lowest
  6. Insurance is a huge
  7. people struggling
  8. the cost
  1. burden
  2. of living crisis
  3. paid most
  4. pressures
  5. to survive
  6. ever rates
  7. of spending
  8. insurance costs

Paragraph 2

  1. industry
  2. the biggest factor for costlier
  3. If you wreck
  4. expensive to repair
  5. a simple fender
  6. damage sensors
  7. increasing labour
  8. a shortage of
  1. costs
  2. your car
  3. car mechanics
  4. insurance
  5. analyst
  6. and replace
  7. bender
  8. and cameras

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Rising car insurance (1) ___________________ to inflationary pressures. Costs are rising at their (2) ___________________. They are a huge 22.2 per cent higher than this (3) ___________________. No other category of spending has increased like car insurance. (4) ______________ of car insurance in the US is over $2,300 per year. Rising prices are affecting the lowest paid most. Insurance is (5) ___________________ for people struggling to survive in the (6) ___________________ crisis.

An industry analyst said the biggest (7) ___________________ insurance was the number of new cars. He said: "If (8) _______________ car, the replacement cost (9) ___________________." He said technology in modern cars is expensive to (10) ___________________. A new battery in an electric car can cost up to $20,000. Even a simple (11) ___________________ damage sensors and cameras. One factor that is increasing labour costs is a (12) ___________________ mechanics.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Risingcarinsurancecostsareaddingtoinflationarypressures.Costsare
risingattheirfastesteverrates.Theyareahuge22.2percenthigherthan
thistimelastyear.Noothercategoryofspendinghasincreasedlikecarin
surance.TheaveragecostofcarinsuranceintheUSisover$2,300perye
ar.Risingpricesareaffectingthelowestpaidmost.Insuranceisahugebu
rdenforpeoplestrugglingtosurviveinthecostoflivingcrisis.Anindustry
analystsaidthebiggestfactorforcostlierinsurancewasthenumberofne
wcars.Hesaid:"Ifyou[wreck]yourcar,thereplacementcostisreallyhig
h."Hesaidtechnologyinmoderncarsisexpensivetorepairandreplace.
Anewbatteryinanelectriccarcancostupto$20,000.Evenasimplefende
rbendercoulddamagesensorsandcameras.Onefactorthatisincreasin
glabourcostsisashortageofcarmechanics.

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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