The Reading / Listening - Level 2

Police in Sudan arrested the world's most wanted people smuggler, Mered Medhanie, 35, from the East African country of Eritrea. His nickname is 'The General' because of the way he plans people smuggling. Police say Mered's actions caused hundreds of migrant deaths. Migrants are people trying to go to Europe for a better life. At least 359 migrants died when their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea in 2013. Police found Mered in a secret hideout in Sudan's capital city Khartoum. They worked closely with Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) and intelligence services.

Mered is now in Italy, where he could get a long prison sentence. He controlled a big organisation that smuggled thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East to Europe. He charged people up to $5,500 each for the high-risk journey in dangerous boats. The NCA said Mered was a high-level human trafficker who did not care about people's lives. A spokesperson said: "Medhanie is a prolific people smuggler [who disregards] human life." Italian police said Mered wanted to make a huge amount of money from his activities and then move to Sweden, where his wife lives.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 1   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/08/worlds-most-wanted-people-smuggler-arrested-in-joint-british-ope/
  • http://news.sky.com/story/1708610/people-smuggler-the-general-arrested-in-sudan
  • http://www.thelocal.it/20160608/migrant-smuggling-boss-extradited-to-italy


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. Police
  2. arrested the world's most
  3. His nickname
  4. hundreds of migrant
  5. trying to go to Europe
  6. Police found Mered in
  7. Sudan's capital
  8. intelligence
  1. a secret hideout
  2. city Khartoum
  3. services
  4. for a better life
  5. in Sudan
  6. deaths
  7. wanted people smuggler
  8. is 'The General'

Paragraph 2

  1. he could get a long
  2. He controlled a big
  3. He charged people up
  4. high-
  5. a high-
  6. did not care about
  7. make a huge
  8. move to Sweden,
  1. organisation
  2. level human trafficker
  3. where his wife lives
  4. prison sentence
  5. amount of money
  6. to $5,500 each
  7. people's lives
  8. risk journey

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Police in Sudan arrested the (1) ___________________ people smuggler, Mered Medhanie, 35, from the East African country of Eritrea. (2) ___________________ 'The General' because of the way he plans people smuggling. Police say Mered's actions caused hundreds (3) ___________________. Migrants are people trying to go to Europe (4) ___________________. At least 359 migrants died when their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea in 2013. Police found Mered in (5) ___________________ in Sudan's capital city Khartoum. They worked closely with Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) and (6) ___________________.

Mered is now in Italy, where he could (7) ___________________ sentence. He controlled a big organisation (8) _________________ thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East to Europe. He (9) ___________________ up to $5,500 each for the high-risk journey in dangerous boats. The NCA said Mered was a high-level human trafficker (10) ___________________ about people's lives. A spokesperson said: "Medhanie is a prolific people smuggler [who disregards] human life." Italian police said Mered wanted to make (11) ___________________ of money from his activities (12) ___________________ to Sweden, where his wife lives.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PoliceinSudanarrestedtheworld'smostwantedpeoplesmuggler,Mere
dMedhanie,35,fromtheEastAfricancountryofEritrea.Hisnicknameis'
TheGeneral'becauseofthewayheplanspeoplesmuggling.PolicesayM
ered'sactionscausedhundredsofmigrantdeaths.Migrantsarepeoplet
ryingtogotoEuropeforabetterlife.Atleast359migrantsdiedwhentheir
boatsankintheMediterraneanSeain2013.PolicefoundMeredinasecret
hideoutinSudan'scapitalcityKhartoum.TheyworkedcloselywithBritai
n'sNationalCrimeAgency(NCA)andintelligenceservices.Meredisnow
inItaly,wherehecouldgetalongprisonsentence.Hecontrolledabigorg
anisationthatsmuggledthousandsofmigrantsfromAfricaandtheMiddl
eEasttoEurope.Hechargedpeopleupto$5,500eachforthehigh-riskjo
urneyindangerousboats.TheNCAsaidMeredwasahigh-levelhuma
ntraffickerwhodidnotcareaboutpeople'slives.Aspokespersonsaid:"
Medhanieisaprolificpeoplesmuggler[whodisregards]humanlife."Ital
ianpolicesaidMeredwantedtomakeahugeamountofmoneyfromhisac
tivitiesandthenmovetoSweden,wherehiswifelives.

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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