The Reading / Listening - Level 2

There are food shortages in Venezuela. People cannot buy basic goods. Too many people buy too much of something when they see it in the stores. It's like panic buying. The president will start a new system to stop people buying too much. Shoppers will have to scan their fingerprints when they buy food at stores and supermarkets. This is so people buy an equal share of food. The president did not say when the new system would start. People close to him say it could be January. No one knows how much food people can buy or what happens if they buy too much.

There are many reasons for the food shortages. The government says smugglers are buying cheap food and reselling it in Colombia for up to four times their original price. Another reason is that the government controls food prices. Food companies say they cannot make a profit, so they do not produce much. A final reason is the weakness of Venezuela's currency. This makes it expensive to import food from other countries. Critics say the fingerprinting takes away people's privacy. They say the economy needs to change and that the government needs to have less control.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 1   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2014/08/22/venezuela-wants-to-fingerprint-grocery-shoppers-to-control-how-much-food-by/
  • http://www.biometricupdate.com/201408/venezuela-government-looking-to-biometrics-to-prevent-food-smuggling
  • http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2349150&CategoryId=10717


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.

There are food

a.

fingerprints

2.

panic

b.

to him

3.

a new

c.

say when

4.

scan their

d.

shortages in Venezuela

5.

people buy an equal

e.

buying

6.

The president did not

f.

buy too much

7.

People close

g.

system

8.

what happens if they

h.

share of food



MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.

There are many

a.

currency

2.

smugglers are buying

b.

their original price

3.

for up to four times

c.

import food

4.

the government controls

d.

cheap food

5.

they cannot make a

e.

privacy

6.

the weakness of Venezuela's

f.

reasons

7.

expensive to

g.

profit

8.

fingerprinting takes away people's

h.

food prices

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

There (1) ___________________ in Venezuela. People cannot buy basic goods. Too many people buy too much of something when they see it in the stores. It's (2) ___________________. The president will (3) ___________________ to stop people buying too much. Shoppers will have to (4) ___________________ when they buy food at stores and supermarkets. This is so (5) ___________________ share of food. The president did not say when the new system would start. People close to him say it could be January. No (6) ___________________ food people can buy or what happens if they buy too much.

There are many reasons for (7) ___________________. The government says smugglers are buying cheap food and reselling it in Colombia for up to four times (8) ___________________. Another reason is that the government (9) ___________________. Food companies say they cannot make a profit, so they do not produce much. A (10) ___________________ weakness of Venezuela's currency. This makes it (11) ___________________ food from other countries. Critics say the fingerprinting takes away people's privacy. They say the economy needs to change and that the government needs to (12) ___________________.

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

TherearefoodshortagesinVenezuela.Peoplecannotbuybasicgoods.Too
manypeoplebuytoomuchofsomethingwhentheyseeitinthestores.It'slikep
anicbuying.Thepresidentwillstartanewsystemtostoppeoplebuyingtoomu
ch.Shopperswillhavetoscantheirfingerprintswhentheybuyfoodatstoresa
ndsupermarkets.Thisissopeoplebuyanequalshareoffood.Thepresidentd
idnotsaywhenthenewsystemwouldstart.PeopleclosetohimsayitcouldbeJ
anuary.Nooneknowshowmuchfoodpeoplecanbuyorwhathappensiftheyb
uytoomuch.Therearemanyreasonsforthefoodshortages.Thegovernmen
tsayssmugglersarebuyingcheapfoodandresellingitinColombiaforuptofo
urtimestheiroriginalprice.Anotherreasonisthatthegovernmentcontrolsfo
odprices.Foodcompaniessaytheycannotmakeaprofit,sotheydonotprodu
cemuch.AfinalreasonistheweaknessofVenezuela'scurrency.Thismakesi
texpensivetoimportfoodfromothercountries.Criticssaythefingerprintingt
akesawaypeople'sprivacy.Theysaytheeconomyneedstochangeandthatth
egovernmentneedstohavelesscontrol.

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________

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Student B: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about food shortages 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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