The Reading / Listening - Hurricane Irma - Level 5

A record-breaking hurricane is causing death and destruction in the Caribbean. On Thursday, Hurricane Irma devastated Caribbean islands, including Barbuda and St. Martin. The Prime Minister of Barbuda said about 95 per cent of the buildings on the island had been damaged. He said: "It's absolute devastation. The island is literally under water….Barbuda is barely habitable." A government official for St Martin said: "There is massive destruction. We'll [focus] our first efforts so that in the next hours, people can get access to food and drinking water."

Hurricane Irma is a category 5 storm – the strongest on the 1-5 scale. It is the strongest ever hurricane recorded east of the Caribbean Sea. Irma has had wind speeds close to 300kph for more than 24 hours. This is the longest period ever recorded. Hurricane Irma is over 1,200km wide. It is likely to be a Category 4 when it hits Florida on Saturday morning. Florida officials have already ordered people to evacuate the southern part of the state. Residents there are getting ready for winds of up to 300kph. There will also be massive and damaging storm surges.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Hurricane Irma - Level 4 or  Hurricane Irma - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.wired.com/story/hurricane-irma-a-practically-impossible-storm/
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41182991
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/world/americas/hurricane-irma-caribbean.html


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. A record-
  2. Hurricane Irma devastated
  3. buildings on the island had
  4. The island is literally
  5. Barbuda is barely
  6. A government
  7. There is massive
  8. people can get access
  1. habitable
  2. been damaged
  3. to food
  4. breaking hurricane
  5. destruction
  6. Caribbean islands
  7. under water
  8. official

Paragraph 2

  1. Hurricane Irma is a category
  2. the strongest on the
  3. It is the strongest ever
  4. Irma has had wind speeds
  5. This is the longest period
  6. Hurricane Irma is
  7. ordered people to
  8. massive and damaging
  1. evacuate
  2. close to 300kph
  3. 1-5 scale
  4. storm surges
  5. over 1,200km wide
  6. 5 storm
  7. hurricane recorded
  8. ever recorded

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A record-breaking hurricane (1) ___________________ and destruction in the Caribbean. On Thursday, Hurricane Irma (2) ___________________ islands, including Barbuda and St. Martin. The Prime Minister of Barbuda said about 95 per cent of the (3) ___________________ island had been damaged. He said: "(4) ___________________ devastation. The island is literally under water….Barbuda (5) ___________________." A government official for St Martin said: "There is massive destruction. We'll [focus] our first efforts so that in the next hours, people (6) ___________________ to food and drinking water."

Hurricane Irma is a (7) ___________________ – the strongest on the 1-5 scale. It is the strongest ever hurricane (8) ___________________ the Caribbean Sea. Irma has had wind speeds close to 300kph for more than 24 hours. This is the longest (9) ___________________. Hurricane Irma is over 1,200km wide. It (10) ___________________ a Category 4 when it hits Florida on Saturday morning. Florida (11) ___________________ ordered people to evacuate the southern part of the state. Residents there are getting ready (12) ___________________ to 300kph. There will also be massive and damaging storm surges.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Arecord-breakinghurricaneiscausingdeathanddestructionintheCar
ibbean.OnThursday,HurricaneIrmadevastatedCaribbeanislands,inc
ludingBarbudaandSt.Martin.ThePrimeMinisterofBarbudasaidabout9
5percentofthebuildingsontheislandhadbeendamaged.Hesaid:"It'sa
bsolutedevastation.Theislandisliterallyunderwater….Barbudaisbare
lyhabitable."AgovernmentofficialforStMartinsaid:"Thereismassived
estruction.We'll[focus]ourfirsteffortssothatinthenexthours,people
angetaccesstofoodanddrinkingwater."HurricaneIrmaisacategory5s
torm–thestrongestonthe1-5scale.Itisthestrongesteverhurricanere
cordedeastoftheCaribbeanSea.Irmahashadwindspeedscloseto300k
phformorethan24hours.Thisisthelongestperiodeverrecorded.Hurric
aneIrmaisover1,200kmwide.ItislikelytobeaCategory4whenithitsFlo
ridaonSaturdaymorning.Floridaofficialshavealreadyorderedpeoplet
oevacuatethesouthernpartofthestate.Residentstherearegettingrea
dyforwindsofupto300kph.Therewillalsobemassiveanddamagingstor
msurges.

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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