The Reading / Listening - Siege of Paris - Level 2

Farmers in France are angry. They are blocking roads around the capital city of Paris. There are many reasons for their anger. It is becoming more difficult to live. Inflation is increasing because of high energy prices. The Ukraine War is causing higher prices, especially for fertilizer. Farmers are also angry because the government is not protecting them from cheaper food coming from Eastern Europe. Finally, they are very angry with European Union climate decisions, which are adding to paperwork and the costs of doing business.

The farmers blocked highways around Paris. Their tractors stopped traffic going in and out of the city. They also dumped smelly animal waste outside government offices. One farmer told the AP news agency: "We've come to defend French agriculture. We go from crisis to crisis." Another farmer said: "Parisians are going to be hungry. The goal is to starve Parisians." Farmers carried messages that said: "No food without farmers" and "The end of us would mean famine for you." A farmers union said it is pressuring the government to 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 1   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
  4. the government is not
  5. cheaper
  6. coming from
  7. decisions that are adding
  8. the costs of doing
  1. Eastern Europe
  2. business
  3. around Paris
  4. to paperwork
  5. difficult to live
  6. food
  7. angry
  8. protecting them

Paragraph 2

  1. The farmers blocked highways
  2. traffic going in
  3. animal
  4. We've come to defend
  5. We go from
  6. The goal is to
  7. The end of us would mean
  8. a way out
  1. French agriculture
  2. starve Parisians
  3. around Paris
  4. famine for you
  5. waste
  6. crisis to crisis
  7. of the crisis
  8. and out of the city

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Farmers in France are angry. They (1) ___________________ around the capital city of Paris. There are many reasons (2) ___________________. It is becoming more difficult to live. Inflation is increasing because of (3) ___________________. The Ukraine War is (4) ___________________, especially for fertilizer. Farmers are also angry because the government is not protecting them from (5) ___________________ from Eastern Europe. Finally, they are very angry with European Union climate decisions, which are adding to paperwork and the (6) ___________________ business.

The (7) ___________________ around Paris. Their tractors stopped traffic going in and out of the city. They also (8) ___________________ waste outside government offices. One farmer told the AP news agency: "We've (9) ___________________ French agriculture. We go from (10) ___________________." Another farmer said: "Parisians are going to be hungry. The goal is to starve Parisians." Farmers carried messages that said: "No food without farmers" and "The end of us would mean (11) ___________________." A farmers union said it is pressuring the government to find a solution and a (12) ___________________ the crisis.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

FarmersinFranceareangry.Theyareblockingroadsaroundthecapitalc
ityofParis.Therearemanyreasonsfortheiranger.Itisbecomingmoredi
fficulttolive.Inflationisincreasingbecauseofhighenergyprices.TheUk
raineWariscausinghigherprices,especiallyforfertilizer.Farmersareal
soangrybecausethegovernmentisnotprotectingthemfromcheaperfo
odcomingfromEasternEurope.Finally,theyareveryangrywithEurope
anUnionclimatedecisions,whichareaddingtopaperworkandthecosts
ofdoingbusiness.ThefarmersblockedhighwaysaroundParis.Theirtra
ctorsstoppedtrafficgoinginandoutofthecity.Theyalsodumpedsmelly
animalwasteoutsidegovernmentoffices.OnefarmertoldtheAPnewsa
gency:"We'vecometodefendFrenchagriculture.Wegofromcrisistocri
sis."Anotherfarmersaid:"Parisiansaregoingtobehungry.Thegoalisto
starveParisians."Farmerscarriedmessagesthatsaid:"Nofoodwithout
farmers"and"Theendofuswouldmeanfamineforyou."Afarmersunion
saiditispressuringthegovernmenttofindasolutionandawayoutofthec
risis.

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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