The Reading / Listening - Level 5

The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union. Just over half of Britons voted to exit the EU in a referendum on Thursday. Currency markets were immediately affected. Britain's pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985. Britain's decision to leave is a political earthquake. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay in the EU and are now thinking about breaking from the UK. A right-wing politician in Europe congratulated the UK for leaving. He said: "It is Great Britain's independence day….The European Union as a political union has failed."

The scale of the decision was summed up by a professor of politics, who said: "This is the biggest shock to European politics since the fall of the Berlin Wall." The vote has already led Britain's leader David Cameron to resign. He was leader of the campaign to stay part of the EU. He said the country needed "fresh leadership". Less certain is what will happen to the millions of non-British EU citizens living in Britain and the Britons living in other EU countries. Others may follow the UK's lead in exiting the EU. Politicians in Holland and France said: "Now it is our turn."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 4 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-24/u-k-votes-for-brexit-in-rupture-with-european-order-bbc-says
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36615028
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sinn-fein-brexit-reaction_us_576cbc1ae4b017b379f586f9?k37j8i16oqeabgldi


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. Just over half of Britons
  2. Currency markets were immediately
  3. fell to its lowest level
  4. Britain's decision to leave is a political
  5. thinking about breaking
  6. A right-
  7. It is Great Britain's
  8. The European Union as a political
  1. wing politician
  2. earthquake
  3. union has failed
  4. affected
  5. voted to exit
  6. independence day
  7. from the UK
  8. against the dollar

Paragraph 2

  1. The scale
  2. summed
  3. This is the biggest shock
  4. since the fall
  5. leader of the campaign to stay
  6. the country needed fresh
  7. millions of non-
  8. Others may follow the UK's
  1. part of the EU
  2. to European politics
  3. leadership
  4. up by a professor
  5. British EU citizens
  6. of the decision
  7. lead in exiting
  8. of the Berlin Wall

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union. Just over half of Britons voted to exit the EU (1) ___________________ on Thursday. Currency markets were immediately affected. Britain's pound (2) ___________________ level against the dollar since 1985. Britain's decision to leave is a (3) ___________________. Scotland and Northern Ireland (4) ___________________ the EU and are now thinking about breaking from the UK. A (5) ___________________ in Europe congratulated the UK for leaving. He said: "It is Great Britain's independence day….The European Union as a political (6) ___________________."

The scale of the decision (7) ___________________ a professor of politics, who said: "This is the biggest shock to European politics (8) ___________________ Berlin Wall." The vote has already led Britain's leader David Cameron to resign. He was leader (9) ___________________ stay part of the EU. He said the (10) ___________________ leadership". Less certain is what will happen (11) ___________________ non-British EU citizens living in Britain and the Britons living in other EU countries. Others may follow the UK's (12) ___________________ EU. Politicians in Holland and France said: "Now it is our turn."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUnitedKingdomhasvotedtoleavetheEuropeanUnion.Justoverhal
fofBritonsvotedtoexittheEUinareferendumonThursday.Currencyma
rketswereimmediatelyaffected.Britain'spoundfelltoitslowestlevelag
ainstthedollarsince1985.Britain'sdecisiontoleaveisapoliticalearthqu
ake.ScotlandandNorthernIrelandvotedtostayintheEUandarenowthi
nkingaboutbreakingfromtheUK.Aright-wingpoliticianinEuropecong
ratulatedtheUKforleaving.Hesaid:"ItisGreatBritain'sindependenced
ay….TheEuropeanUnionasapoliticalunionhasfailed."Thescaleofthed
ecisionwassummedupbyaprofessorofpolitics,whosaid:"Thisisthebig
gestshocktoEuropeanpoliticssincethefalloftheBerlinWall."Thevoteh
asalreadyledBritain'sleaderDavidCamerontoresign.Hewasleaderoft
hecampaigntostaypartoftheEU.Hesaidthecountryneeded"freshlead
ership".Lesscertainiswhatwillhappentothemillionsofnon-BritishEUc
itizenslivinginBritainandtheBritonslivinginotherEUcountries.Others
mayfollowtheUK'sleadinexitingtheEU.PoliticiansinHollandandFranc
esaid:"Nowitisourturn."

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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