The Reading / Listening - Level 2

Football fans in an English city are celebrating a fairytale win for their club. Leicester City won England's Premier League for the first time in their 132-year history. They team beat the big teams like Manchester United and Chelsea to the title. Journalists are saying it is the greatest achievement in the history of sport. Leicester were bottom of the 20-team Premier League last year. However, their style of play totally changed this year. New players and a new coach made them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the world went crazy.

Leicester were promoted to the Premier League only two years ago. They were favourites to go back down again this season. No one gave them a chance of winning the League. Last August, they were 5,000-1 against winning the title. If you had put a $1 bet on them to win, you could now collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he bet $100 on Leicester and will now get $500,000 back. Leicester's team cost less to buy than just one star in the top teams. However, two Leicester players won awards in England. It is also likely that Leicester's manager Claudio Ranieri will be world coach of the year.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 1   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/sports/soccer/leicester-city-clinches-premier-league-title.html?_r=0
  • http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/02/476498542/longshot-leicester-city-win-english-premiere-league-title
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/05/03/leicester-citys-astounding-premier-league-win-a-huge-loss-for-british-bookmakers/


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. celebrating a
  2. for the first time in their
  3. They beat
  4. the greatest achievement i
  5. bottom of the 20-
  6. a new coach made them
  7. They won the
  8. their supporters around the
  1. title on Monday night
  2. n the history of sport
  3. world went crazy
  4. team Premier League
  5. almost unbeatable
  6. the big teams
  7. fairytale win
  8. 132-year history

Paragraph 2

  1. They were favourites to go
  2. No one gave them a
  3. they were 5,000-1 against
  4. put a $1
  5. less to buy
  6. two Leicester players won
  7. It is also
  8. Ranieri will be world coach
  1. than just one star
  2. winning the title
  3. likely
  4. awards
  5. back down again
  6. of the year
  7. chance of winning
  8. bet on them to win

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Football fans in an English city (1) ___________________ a fairytale win for their club. Leicester City won England's Premier League for (2) ___________________ their 132-year history. They beat the (3) ___________________ Manchester United and Chelsea to the title. Journalists are saying it is the (4) ___________________ in the history of sport. Leicester were bottom of the 20-team Premier League last year. However, their (5) ___________________ totally changed this year. New players and a new coach made them almost unbeatable. They won the title on Monday night and their supporters around the (6) ___________________.

Leicester were (7) ___________________ Premier League only two years ago. They were favourites to (8) ___________________ again this season. No one gave them a chance of winning the League. Last August, they were 5,000-1 (9) ___________________ the title. If you had put a $1 (10) ___________________ win, you could now collect $5,000. The actor Tom Hanks said he bet $100 on Leicester and will now get $500,000 back. Leicester's team cost less to buy than (11) ___________________ the top teams. However, two Leicester players won awards in England. It is also likely that Leicester's manager Claudio Ranieri will (12) __________________ the year.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

FootballfansinanEnglishcityarecelebratingafairytalewinfortheirclub.
LeicesterCitywonEngland'sPremierLeagueforthefirsttimeintheir132
-yearhistory.TheybeatthebigteamslikeManchesterUnitedan
dChelseatothetitle.Journalistsaresayingitisthegreatestachievement
inthehistoryofsport.Leicesterwerebottomofthe20-teamPremie
rLeaguelastyear.However,theirstyleofplaytotallychangedthisyear.N
ewplayersandanewcoachmadethemalmostunbeatable.Theywonthe
titleonMondaynightandtheirsupportersaroundtheworldwentcrazy.L
eicesterwerepromotedtothePremierLeagueonlytwoyearsago.They
werefavouritestogobackdownagainthisseason.Noonegavethemach
anceofwinningtheLeague.LastAugust,theywere5,000-1againstwi
nningthetitle.Ifyouhadputa$1betonthemtowin,youcouldnowcollect
$5,000.TheactorTomHankssaidhebet$100onLeicesterandwillnowg
et$500,000back.Leicester'steamcostlesstobuythanjustonestarinth
etopteams.However,twoLeicesterplayerswonawardsinEngland.Itis
alsolikelythatLeicester'smanagerClaudioRanieriwillbeworldcoachoft
heyear.

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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