The Reading / Listening - UK Geography - Level 4

A UK government transport report was found to contain geographical mistakes. The "Network North" report was made after the government scrapped a project called HS2. This was a high-speed rail link connecting the north of England to the south. The report seems to relocate Manchester. It also promised to upgrade a road on the south coast of England. In addition, it vowed to build a tram to Manchester airport. The airport tram opened in 2014.

Critics are shocked at the end of HS2. It was announced by the ruling party in 2012 to "level up" the north. Abandoning it is a U-turn. A year ago, the government was committed to HS2. Now, the government is leaving the north of England with a century-old railway. The High Speed Rail Group said: "Every other major European country has managed to build a high-speed rail network, recognizing it's a vital part of a modern society and economy."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    UK Geography - Level 5 or  UK Geography - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/05/ten-problems-with-rishi-sunaks-network-north-announcement
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/05/economy/hs2-railway-uk-economy/index.html
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hs2-london-euston-sadiq-khan-b2425623.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. contain geographical
  2. the government scrapped a
  3. a high-speed rail
  4. connecting
  5. The report seems to relocate
  6. upgrade a road
  7. it vowed to
  8. The airport tram
  1. build a tram
  2. the north of England
  3. Manchester
  4. opened in 2014
  5. mistakes
  6. project called HS2
  7. on the south coast
  8. link

Paragraph 2

  1. Critics are
  2. It was announced
  3. level up
  4. Abandoning it is
  5. the government was committed
  6. Every other major European country
  7. recognizing it's a vital
  8. a modern society
  1. has managed to
  2. the north
  3. and economy
  4. to HS2
  5. shocked
  6. by the ruling party
  7. a U-turn
  8. part

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A UK government transport report was (1) ___________________ geographical mistakes. The "Network North" report was made after the government (2) ___________________ called HS2. This was a high-speed rail (3) ___________________ north of England to the south. The report seems to relocate Manchester. It also (4) ___________________ a road on the (5) ___________________ England. In addition, it vowed to build a tram to Manchester airport. The (6) ___________________ in 2014.

Critics are shocked at the end of HS2. It was announced by (7) ___________________ in 2012 to "level up" the north. Abandoning it is a U-turn. A year ago, the government (8) ___________________ HS2. Now, the government is (9) ___________________ of England with a century-old railway. The High Speed Rail Group said: "(10) ___________________ European country has managed to build a high-speed rail network, recognizing it's (11) ___________________ of a modern (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AUKgovernmenttransportreportwasfoundtocontaingeographicalmi
stakes.The"NetworkNorth"reportwasmadeafterthegovernmentscra
ppedaprojectcalledHS2.Thiswasahigh-speedraillinkconnectingth
enorthofEnglandtothesouth.ThereportseemstorelocateManchester.
ItalsopromisedtoupgradearoadonthesouthcoastofEngland.Inadditi
on,itvowedtobuildatramtoManchesterairport.Theairporttramopene
din2014.CriticsareshockedattheendofHS2.Itwasannouncedbytheru
lingpartyin2012to"levelup"thenorth.AbandoningitisaU-turn.Ayeara
go,thegovernmentwascommittedtoHS2.Now,thegovernmentisleavi
ngthenorthofEnglandwithacentury-oldrailway.TheHighSpeedRailG
roupsaid:"EveryothermajorEuropeancountryhasmanagedtobuildah
igh-speedrailnetwork,recognizingit'savitalpartofamodernsocietya
ndeconomy."

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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