The Reading / Listening - Pacific Ocean - Level 0

A 51-year-old French man will swim 9,000km across the Pacific Ocean. He started on Tuesday. He will swim for eight hours a day for six months. It is dangerous. There are sharks. The ocean is cold. He will be tired and lonely. He said being strong mentally was important. He will "always think about something positive."

The man trained for six years. He swam every day. He is in great shape. He is doing the swim to get people to think about climate change, and about how much plastic there is in the ocean. Doctors will check his body to see how so much exercise affects the heart. After he swam across the Atlantic in 1998, he said: "Never again."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pacific Ocean - Level 1,  Pacific Ocean - Level 2   or  Pacific Ocean - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44358680
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/05/asia/cross-pacific-swim-intl/index.html
  • https://sports.yahoo.com/swimmer-faces-sharks-massive-garbage-patch-record-pacific-033021157--spt.html


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. A 51-year-
  2. across the
  3. He started
  4. swim for eight
  5. It is
  6. The ocean
  7. being strong
  8. think about something
  1. mentally
  2. hours a day
  3. dangerous
  4. Pacific Ocean
  5. is cold
  6. old French man
  7. positive
  8. on Tuesday

Paragraph 2

  1. The man trained
  2. He swam every
  3. He is in great
  4. get people to
  5. climate
  6. how much plastic
  7. Doctors will check
  8. see how so much exercise
  1. his body
  2. shape
  3. think
  4. there is
  5. for six years
  6. affects the heart
  7. change
  8. day

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A 51-year-old French (1) ___________________ 9,000km across the Pacific Ocean. (2) ___________________ Tuesday. He will swim for eight (3) ___________________ for six months. It is dangerous. (4) ___________________. The ocean is cold. He will be tired and lonely. He (5) ___________________ mentally was important. He will "(6) ___________________ something positive."

The man (7) ___________________ years. He swam every day. He is (8) ___________________. He is doing the swim to get people to think about climate change, and (9) ___________________ plastic there is in the ocean. Doctors will (10) ___________________ to see how so much exercise (11) ___________________. After he swam across the Atlantic in 1998, he (12) ___________________

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

A51-year-oldFrenchmanwillswim9,000kmacrossthePacificOcean.H
estartedonTuesday.Hewillswimforeighthoursadayforsixmonths.Itis
dangerous.Therearesharks.Theoceaniscold.Hewillbetiredandlonely
.Hesaidbeingstrongmentallywasimportant.Hewill"alwaysthinkabou
tsomethingpositive."Themantrainedforsixyears.Heswameveryday.
Heisingreatshape.Heisdoingtheswimtogetpeopletothinkaboutclima
techange,andabouthowmuchplasticthereisintheocean.Doctorswillc
heckhisbodytoseehowsomuchexerciseaffectstheheart.Afterheswa
macrosstheAtlanticin1998,hesaid:"Neveragain."

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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