The Reading / Listening - Tonga Tsunami - Level 1

Tonga is cleaning up after it was hit by a tsunami and covered in volcanic ash. The undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts say it was the world's biggest eruption in 30 years. It sent tsunami waves to Japan. It also destroyed large parts of Tonga. Ash is making it difficult for normal life to return. A lot of the work cannot go ahead until the ash has gone. It buried buildings and is blocking many of the country's roads.

Tonga called the disasters a one-of-a-kind event. They have badly affected life on the island. The volcano cut Tonga's underwater Internet cable. Engineers are trying to fix this. It is difficult to fly aid into the country because of damage to the airport. Tonga shut its borders in 2020 to keep COVID-19 out. It was "covid-free" before the tsunami. It now fears international aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" into the country.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Tonga Tsunami - Level 0 Tonga Tsunami - Level 2   or  Tonga Tsunami - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/18/asia/tonga-volcano-tsunami-damage-intl-hnk/index.html
  • https://www.the-sun.com/news/4482496/shocking-before-after-satellite-photos-tonga-tsunamis-devastation/
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/world/australia/tonga-volcano-covid.html


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. Tonga is cleaning
  2. it was hit
  3. covered in volcanic
  4. The undersea volcano erupted
  5. the world's biggest eruption
  6. It sent tsunami waves
  7. A lot of the work cannot
  8. It buried
  1. to Japan
  2. on Saturday
  3. buildings
  4. by a tsunami
  5. go ahead
  6. up
  7. in 30 years
  8. ash

Paragraph 2

  1. a one-of-a-kind
  2. They have badly affected
  3. The volcano cut Tonga's underwater
  4. Engineers are trying
  5. difficult to fly aid
  6. Tonga shut its
  7. It was "covid-free"
  8. international aid
  1. borders
  2. to fix this
  3. workers
  4. life
  5. before the tsunami
  6. Internet cable
  7. into the country
  8. event

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Tonga is (1) ___________________ it was hit by a tsunami and covered (2) ___________________. The undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. Experts say it was the world's (3) ___________________ 30 years. It sent tsunami waves to Japan. It also destroyed (4) ___________________ Tonga. Ash is making it difficult for normal life to return. A lot of the work cannot (5) ___________________ the ash has gone. It buried buildings and is blocking (6) ___________________ country's roads.

Tonga called the disasters a one-of-(7)-___________________. They have badly (8) ___________________ the island. The volcano cut Tonga's underwater Internet cable. Engineers are trying to fix this. It (9) ___________________ fly aid into the country because (10) ___________________ the airport. Tonga shut its borders in 2020 to keep COVID-19 out. It was "covid- (11) ___________________ tsunami. It now fears international aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Tongaiscleaningupafteritwashitbyatsunamiandcoveredinvolcanicas
h.TheunderseavolcanoeruptedonSaturday.Expertssayitwastheworl
d'sbiggesteruptionin30years.ItsenttsunamiwavestoJapan.Italsode
stroyedlargepartsofTonga.Ashismakingitdifficultfornormallifetoretu
rn.Alotoftheworkcannotgoaheaduntiltheashhasgone.Itburiedbuildi
ngsandisblockingmanyofthecountry'sroads.Tongacalledthedisaster
saone-of-a-kindevent.Theyhavebadlyaffectedlifeontheisland.Thev
olcanocutTonga'sunderwaterInternetcable.Engineersaretryingtofix
this.Itisdifficulttoflyaidintothecountrybecauseofdamagetotheairpor
t.Tongashutitsbordersin2020tokeepCOVID-19out.Itwas"covid-fr
ee"beforethetsunami.Itnowfearsinternationalaidworkerscouldbring
a"tsunamiofCOVID-19"intothecountry.

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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