The Reading / Listening - Clothes Repair - Level 4

We unnecessarily throw away millions of tons of clothes every year. A lot of these are nearly new. France has come up with a scheme for people to wear their clothes longer. It will pay a "repair bonus" for taking clothes and shoes to be repaired at workshops or cobblers. People will get up to $27 of the cost of repairs. The scheme is run by the eco-organization Refashion. It hopes to help the environment.

France throws away 700,000 tons of clothing every year. Furthermore, the world's fashion industry creates 8-10 per cent of carbon emissions. The rise of fast fashion has worsened this. Fast fashion is buying cheap clothes to wear a few times. It uses a lot of synthetic materials which harm the environment. Refashion wants people to cut the amount of clothing they buy, and to donate unwanted clothes to charity for recycling.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Clothes Repair - Level 5 or  Clothes Repair - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230712-france-to-pay-bonus-for-shoe-clothes-repairs-to-cut-waste-1
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/12/stitch-in-time-france-to-help-pay-for-clothes-to-be-mended-to-cut-waste
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion


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. throw away millions
  2. A lot of these are
  3. France has come
  4. wear their clothes
  5. pay a repair
  6. taking clothes and shoes
  7. the cost
  8. help
  1. the environment
  2. bonus
  3. nearly new
  4. to be repaired
  5. up with a scheme
  6. of repairs
  7. of tons
  8. longer

Paragraph 2

  1. the world's fashion
  2. carbon
  3. The rise of fast fashion has
  4. buying cheap clothes to wear
  5. It uses a lot of synthetic
  6. harm the
  7. cut the
  8. donate unwanted clothes
  1. emissions
  2. amount of clothing
  3. a few times
  4. to charity
  5. industry
  6. worsened this
  7. environment
  8. materials

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

We unnecessarily (1) ___________________ of tons of clothes every year. A lot of this is nearly new. France has come up (2) ___________________ for people to wear their clothes longer. It will pay (3) ___________________ for taking clothes and shoes to (4) ___________________ workshops or cobblers. People will get up to $27 of the cost of repairs. The scheme (5) ___________________ the eco-organization Refashion. It (6) ___________________ the environment.

France throws away 700,000 tons (1) ___________________ year. Furthermore, the world's (2) ___________________ 8-10 per cent of carbon emissions. The rise of fast fashion (3) ___________________. Fast fashion is buying cheap clothes to (4) ___________________ times. It uses a lot of synthetic materials which harm the environment. Refashion wants people to (5) ___________________ of clothing they buy, and to donate unwanted clothes to (6) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Weunnecessarilythrowawaymillionsoftonsofclotheseveryyear.Alot
ofthisisnearlynew.Francehascomeupwithaschemeforpeopletoweart
heirclotheslonger.Itwillpaya"repairbonus"fortakingclothesandshoe
stoberepairedatworkshopsorcobblers.Peoplewillgetupto$27oftheco
stofrepairs.Theschemeisrunbytheeco-organizationRefashion.Ithop
estohelptheenvironment.Francethrowsaway700,000tonsofclothing
everyyear.Furthermore,theworld'sfashionindustrycreates8-10perc
entofcarbonemissions.Theriseoffastfashionhasworsenedthis.Fastfa
shionisbuyingcheapclothestowearafewtimes.Itusesalotofsynthetic
materialswhichharmtheenvironment.Refashionwantspeopletocutth
eamountofclothingtheybuy,andtodonateunwantedclothestocharityf
orrecycling.

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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