The Reading / Listening - Javier Milei - Level 2

Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, has promised to turn around the country's poor economy. Mr Milei said he would cut inflation, which is around 140 per cent. He also wants to cut Argentina's public debt. Argentina has borrowed a lot of money in the past few decades. In his first speech as president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment". He said previous governments spent too much, and so "there is no money left". He warned people that life would be tough for a few years. He said they would have to live in "austerity" to help the economy.

Javier Milei is a far-right politician. Many people say he is similar to former US President Donald Trump. During Milei's election campaign, he often carried a chainsaw. He wanted people to know he would cut spending. He said: "We know that in the short term, the situation will worsen, but then we will see the fruits of our efforts." His election victory was a surprise. He called it a turning point in Argentina's history, like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion rights and relax gun laws. However, he does not believe in climate change.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Javier Milei - Level 0 Javier Milei - Level 1   or  Javier Milei - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67678276
  • https://news.yahoo.com/finance/news/argentina-markets-want-fiscal-kick-050255712.html
  • https://www.voanews.com/a/argentine-president-milei-warns-economic-shock-unavoidable-in-maiden-speech-/7391933.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. Milei said he would
  2. He also wants to cut Argentina's
  3. in the past
  4. he said the economy needed
  5. previous governments spent
  6. there is no
  7. life would be
  8. live in "austerity"
  1. "shock treatment"
  2. too much
  3. tough for a few years
  4. public debt
  5. to help the economy
  6. few decades
  7. cut inflation
  8. money left

Paragraph 2

  1. a far-
  2. he would cut
  3. we will see the fruits
  4. His election victory was
  5. a turning point in
  6. the fall of the
  7. He has promised to limit abortion
  8. he does not believe
  1. Berlin Wall in 1989
  2. of our efforts
  3. rights
  4. in climate change
  5. a surprise
  6. spending
  7. Argentina's history
  8. right politician

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, has (1) ________________ around the country's poor economy. Mr Milei said he (2) ___________________, which is around 140 per cent. He also wants to cut Argentina's public debt. Argentina has (3) ___________________ of money in the past few decades. In his first speech as president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment". (4) ___________________ governments spent too much, and so "there is no money left". He warned people that life would (5) ___________________ a few years. He said they would have to live in "austerity" to (6) ___________________.

Javier Milei is a (7) ___________________. Many people say he is similar to former US President Donald Trump. During Milei's election campaign, he often (8) ___________________. He wanted people to know he would cut spending. He said: "We know that in (9) ___________________, the situation will worsen, but then we will see the fruits (10) ___________________." His election victory was a surprise. He called it a turning point in Argentina's history, (11) ___________________ of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion rights and (12) ___________________. However, he does not believe in climate change.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Argentina'snewpresident,JavierMilei,haspromisedtoturnaroundthe
country'spooreconomy.MrMileisaidhewouldcutinflation,whichisarou
nd140percent.HealsowantstocutArgentina'spublicdebt.Argentinah
asborrowedalotofmoneyinthepastfewdecades.Inhisfirstspeechaspr
esident,hesaidtheeconomyneeded"shocktreatment".Hesaidpreviou
sgovernmentsspenttoomuch,andso"thereisnomoneyleft".Hewarne
dpeoplethatlifewouldbetoughforafewyears.Hesaidtheywouldhaveto
livein"austerity"tohelptheeconomy.JavierMileiisafar-rightpoliticia
n.ManypeoplesayheissimilartoformerUSPresidentDonaldTrump.Du
ringMilei'selectioncampaign,heoftencarriedachainsaw.Hewantedpe
opletoknowhewouldcutspending.Hesaid:"Weknowthatintheshortte
rm,thesituationwillworsen,butthenwewillseethefruitsofourefforts."
Hiselectionvictorywasasurprise.HecalleditaturningpointinArgentina
'shistory,likethefalloftheBerlinWallin1989.Hehaspromisedtolimitab
ortionrightsandrelaxgunlaws.However,hedoesnotbelieveinclimatec
hange.

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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