The Reading / Listening - Sydney Opera House - Level 4

People in Australia are angry over plans to use the Sydney Opera House as a "billboard". They signed a petition to stop an advertisement for the world's richest horse race being projected onto the white sails of the Opera House. Australia's Prime Minister supports the Opera House being used for the advert. He said no one was painting an ad. and that it was, "lights flashing up there for a brief moment of time" He said he didn't understand people's anger.

A former Opera House chief said advertising on the world-famous site was "offensive". He found it "extraordinary" that politicians decided that the ad was in the interests of Sydney or Australia. He said the ad would ruin the artistic look of the iconic building. The son of the architect who helped complete the Opera House said: "My father would have been sickened by it....He would not have condoned advertising on the building."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sydney Opera House - Level 5 or  Sydney Opera House - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/08/former-sydney-opera-house-boss-offensive-ad-horse-race
  • https://www.9news.com.au/2018/10/08/13/30/opera-house-sails-racing-everest-row
  • https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/major-protest-planned-against-plans-to-advertise-on-sydney-opera-house/news-story/5bb028bb1e27387b89bde144d02ed0de


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. People in Australia
  2. They signed a
  3. the world's richest
  4. the white sails of
  5. no one was painting
  6. lights
  7. for a brief moment
  8. he didn't understand people's
  1. an ad
  2. of time
  3. the Opera House
  4. anger
  5. petition
  6. are angry
  7. flashing
  8. horse race

Paragraph 2

  1. A former Opera House
  2. the world-
  3. He found it
  4. in the interests
  5. the artistic look of the iconic
  6. The son
  7. My father would have been
  8. He would not have condoned
  1. of the architect
  2. advertising
  3. sickened by it
  4. "extraordinary"
  5. of Sydney
  6. chief
  7. building
  8. famous site

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People in Australia (1) ___________________ plans to use the Sydney Opera House as a "billboard". They (2) ___________________ to stop an advertisement for the world's richest (3) ___________________ projected onto the white sails of the Opera House. Australia's Prime Minister supports the Opera House being (4) ___________________ advert. He said no one was painting an ad and that it was, "(5) ___________________ there for a brief moment of time" He said he didn't (6) ___________________.

A former Opera House chief said advertising on the (7) ___________________ was "offensive". He found it "extraordinary" that politicians decided that the ad was (8) ___________________ of Sydney or Australia. He said the ad would (9) ___________________ look of the iconic building. The son of the architect (10) ___________________ the Opera House said: "My father would have (11) ___________________ it....He would not have condoned advertising (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PeopleinAustraliaareangryoverplanstousetheSydneyOperaHouseas
a"billboard".Theysignedapetitiontostopanadvertisementfortheworl
d'srichesthorseracebeingprojectedontothewhitesailsoftheOperaHo
use.Australia'sPrimeMinistersupportstheOperaHousebeingusedfort
headvert.Hesaidnoonewaspaintinganad.andthatitwas,"lightsflashin
gupthereforabriefmomentoftime"Hesaidhedidn'tunderstandpeople'
sanger.AformerOperaHousechiefsaidadvertisingontheworld-famo
ussitewas"offensive".Hefoundit"extraordinary"thatpoliticiansdecid
edthattheadwasintheinterestsofSydneyorAustralia.Hesaidtheadwo
uldruintheartisticlookoftheiconicbuilding.Thesonofthearchitectwho
helpedcompletetheOperaHousesaid:"Myfatherwouldhavebeensicke
nedbyit....Hewouldnothavecondonedadvertisingonthebuilding."

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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