The Reading / Listening - Siege of Paris - Level 0

French farmers are angry because it is becoming more difficult to live. They are blocking roads around Paris. Energy and food are more expensive. The French government is not protecting farmers from cheaper food coming from Eastern Europe. Farmers are also angry because they have more paperwork.

Farmers' tractors stopped traffic going in and out of Paris. One farmer said: "We've come to defend French agriculture." Another farmer said: "Parisians are going to be hungry." Farmers had messages that said: "The end of us would mean famine for you." A farmers union said the government must find an answer.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Siege of Paris - Level 1 Siege of Paris - Level 2   or  Siege of Paris - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.foxnews.com/world/protesting-french-farmers-plan-siege-capital-paris-rejecting-government-concessions
  • https://thehill.com/policy/international/4436517-french-farmers-blockade-paris-in-heated-protest/
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/29/french-farmers-block-major-motorways-around-paris-as-dispute-escalates


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. French farmers
  2. it is becoming more
  3. They are blocking
  4. Energy and food
  5. The French
  6. protecting
  7. cheaper food coming
  8. they have more
  1. from Eastern Europe
  2. roads around Paris
  3. paperwork
  4. farmers
  5. difficult to live
  6. are more expensive
  7. government
  8. are angry

Paragraph 2

  1. Farmers' tractors stopped
  2. going in
  3. We've come to defend
  4. Parisians are going
  5. farmers
  6. The end of us would mean famine
  7. A farmers
  8. the government must find
  1. to be hungry
  2. for you
  3. an answer
  4. traffic
  5. union
  6. French agriculture
  7. had messages
  8. and out of Paris

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

French (1) ___________________ because it is becoming more (2) ___________________. They are blocking roads around Paris. Energy and (3) ___________________ expensive. The French government (4) ___________________ farmers from cheaper (5) ___________________ Eastern Europe. Farmers are also angry because they (6) ___________________.

Farmers' (7) ___________________ going in and out of Paris. One farmer said: "We've (8) ___________________ French agriculture." Another farmer said: "Parisians (9) ___________________ be hungry." Farmers had messages that said: "The (10) ___________________ would mean (11) ___________________." A farmers union said the government must (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Frenchfarmersareangrybecauseitisbecomingmoredifficulttolive.The
yareblockingroadsaroundParis.Energyandfoodaremoreexpensive.T
heFrenchgovernmentisnotprotectingfarmersfromcheaperfoodcomi
ngfromEasternEurope.Farmersarealsoangrybecausetheyhavemore
paperwork.Farmers'tractorsstoppedtrafficgoinginandoutofParis.On
efarmersaid:"We'vecometodefendFrenchagriculture."Anotherfarm
ersaid:"Parisiansaregoingtobehungry."Farmershadmessagesthats
aid:"Theendofuswouldmeanfamineforyou."Afarmersunionsaidtheg
overnmentmustfindananswer.

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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