The Reading / Listening - Level 4

The UK voted to leave the European Union in a referendum on Thursday. It is a political earthquake. Currency markets were affected. Britain's pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU. They are thinking about breaking from the UK. A right-wing politician in Europe said: "It is Great Britain's independence day….The European Union as a political union has failed."

A politics professor summed up the scale of the exit. He said: "This is the biggest shock to European politics since the fall of the Berlin Wall." Britain's leader David Cameron has resigned. He said the country needed "fresh leadership". The millions of non-British EU citizens living in Britain and the Britons living in other EU countries are less certain about their future. Some politicians in Holland and France also want to leave the EU. They said: "Now it is our turn."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 5 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-24/u-k-votes-for-brexit-in-rupture-with-european-order-bbc-says
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36615028
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sinn-fein-brexit-reaction_us_576cbc1ae4b017b379f586f9?k37j8i16oqeabgldi


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. voted to leave the European Union
  2. It is a political
  3. Currency markets
  4. fell to its lowest level
  5. Northern Ireland voted
  6. A right-
  7. It is Great Britain's
  8. The European Union as a political
  1. to stay
  2. independence day
  3. in a referendum
  4. union has failed
  5. earthquake
  6. against the dollar
  7. were affected
  8. wing politician

Paragraph 2

  1. A politics
  2. summed
  3. This is the biggest shock
  4. since the fall
  5. the country needed fresh
  6. millions of non-
  7. less certain
  8. Now it is our
  1. to European politics
  2. about their future
  3. leadership
  4. up the scale of the exit
  5. British EU citizens
  6. turn
  7. of the Berlin Wall
  8. professor

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UK voted to leave the European Union (1) ___________________ on Thursday. It is a political earthquake. (2) ___________________ were affected. Britain's pound (3) ___________________ level against the dollar since 1985. Scotland and Northern Ireland (4) ___________________ the EU. They are thinking about (5) ___________________ UK. A right-wing politician in Europe said: "It is Great Britain's independence day….The European Union as a political (6) ___________________."

A politics professor summed up the (7) ___________________. He said: "This is the biggest shock to European politics (8) ___________________ the Berlin Wall." Britain's leader David Cameron has resigned. He said the country needed "(9) ___________________". The millions of non-British EU citizens living in Britain and the Britons (10) ___________________ EU countries (11) ___________________ their future. Some politicians in Holland and France also want to leave the EU. They said: "(12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUKvotedtoleavetheEuropeanUnioninareferendumonThursday.It
isapoliticalearthquake.Currencymarketswereaffected.Britain'spoun
dfelltoitslowestlevelagainstthedollarsince1985.ScotlandandNorther
nIrelandvotedtostayintheEU.Theyarethinkingaboutbreakingfromth
eUK.Aright-wingpoliticianinEuropesaid:"ItisGreatBritain'sindepend
enceday….TheEuropeanUnionasapoliticalunionhasfailed."Apoliticsp
rofessorsummedupthescaleoftheexit.Hesaid:"Thisisthebiggestshoc
ktoEuropeanpoliticssincethefalloftheBerlinWall."Britain'sleaderDavi
dCameronhasresigned.Hesaidthecountryneeded"freshleadership".
Themillionsofnon-BritishEUcitizenslivinginBritainandtheBritonslivin
ginotherEUcountriesarelesscertainabouttheirfuture.Somepolitician
sinHollandandFrancealsowanttoleavetheEU.Theysaid:"Nowitisourt
urn."

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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