Next Activity:
Try the same text at a reading speed of 200 words per minute.
This is the text (if you need help).
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.
Back to the siege of Paris lesson.
