The Reading / Listening - Siege of Paris - Level 1

French farmers are angry. They are blocking roads around Paris. Their anger is because it is becoming more difficult to live. Energy, food and fertilizer are becoming more expensive. Farmers are also angry because the government is not protecting them from cheaper food coming from Eastern Europe. Finally, they are angry with European Union climate decisions that are adding to paperwork and the costs of doing business.

Farmers' tractors stopped traffic going in and out of Paris. They also piled smelly animal waste outside government offices. One farmer said: "We've come to defend French agriculture." Another farmer said: "Parisians are going to be hungry. The goal is to starve Parisians." Farmers carried messages that said: "The end of us would mean famine for you." A farmers union said the government must find a solution and a way out of the crisis.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Siege of Paris - Level 0 Siege of Paris - Level 2   or  Siege of Paris - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.foxnews.com/world/protesting-french-farmers-plan-siege-capital-paris-rejecting-government-concessions
  • https://thehill.com/policy/international/4436517-french-farmers-blockade-paris-in-heated-protest/
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/29/french-farmers-block-major-motorways-around-paris-as-dispute-escalates


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. French farmers are
  2. They are blocking roads
  3. it is becoming more difficult
  4. food and fertilizer are becoming
  5. the government is not protecting
  6. cheaper food coming
  7. climate
  8. the costs of doing
  1. them
  2. more expensive
  3. decisions
  4. angry
  5. business
  6. around Paris
  7. to live
  8. from Eastern Europe

Paragraph 2

  1. tractors stopped traffic going in
  2. animal
  3. We've come to defend
  4. Parisians are going
  5. The goal is to
  6. The end of us would mean famine
  7. the government must find
  8. a way out
  1. starve Parisians
  2. a solution
  3. and out of Paris
  4. of the crisis
  5. waste
  6. to be hungry
  7. for you
  8. French agriculture

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

French (1) ___________________. They are blocking roads around Paris. (2) ___________________ because it is becoming more difficult to live. Energy, (3) ___________________ are becoming more expensive. Farmers are also angry because the government (4) ___________________ them from cheaper food coming from Eastern Europe. Finally, they are angry with European Union (5) ___________________ are adding to paperwork and the costs (6) ___________________.

Farmers' tractors stopped (7) ___________________ and out of Paris. They also (8) ___________________ waste outside government offices. One farmer said: "We've (9) ___________________ French agriculture." Another farmer said: "Parisians are going (10) ___________________. The goal is to starve Parisians." Farmers carried messages that said: "The end of us (11) ___________________ for you." A farmers union said the government must find a solution and way out (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Frenchfarmersareangry.TheyareblockingroadsaroundParis.Theiran
gerisbecauseitisbecomingmoredifficulttolive.Energy,foodandfertiliz
erarebecomingmoreexpensive.Farmersarealsoangrybecausethego
vernmentisnotprotectingthemfromcheaperfoodcomingfromEastern
Europe.Finally,theyareangrywithEuropeanUnionclimatedecisionsth
atareaddingtopaperworkandthecostsofdoingbusiness.Farmers'trac
torsstoppedtrafficgoinginandoutofParis.Theyalsopiledsmellyanimal
wasteoutsidegovernmentoffices.Onefarmersaid:"We'vecometodef
endFrenchagriculture."Anotherfarmersaid:"Parisiansaregoingtobe
hungry.ThegoalistostarveParisians."Farmerscarriedmessagesthats
aid:"Theendofuswouldmeanfamineforyou."Afarmersunionsaidtheg
overnmentmustfindasolutionandwayoutofthecrisis.

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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