The Reading / Listening - UNESCO - Level 1

The USA and Israel quit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The two countries pulled out on New Year's Eve. It is the second time the U.S. has pulled out of UNESCO. It quit in 1984 for seven years over relations with the Soviet Union. The USA and Israel say UNESCO is biased against Israel. The USA said: "UNESCO is among the most corrupt and politically biased UN agencies."

The U.S. co-founded UNESCO after World War II to build peace. It is famous for its World Heritage program. This protects cultural sites and traditions. It improves education for girls, promotes understanding of the Holocaust, and defends the press. The U.S. will follow UNESCO as a non-member state. Israel said it, "will not be a member of an organization whose goal is to deliberately act against us".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    UNESCO - Level 0,  UNESCO - Level 2   or  UNESCO - Level 3

Sources
  • https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/us-israel-exit-cultural-agency-claiming-bias-60103564
  • https://nypost.com/2019/01/01/us-and-israel-officially-leave-un-cultural-agency-claiming-bias/
  • https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-israel-official-quit-un-agency-unesco-claiming-anti-israeli-bias


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. The two countries pulled
  2. on New Year's
  3. It is the second time the
  4. It quit
  5. relations with
  6. UNESCO is biased
  7. UNESCO is among the most
  8. politically biased
  1. the Soviet Union
  2. corrupt
  3. Eve
  4. UN agencies
  5. U.S. has pulled out
  6. in 1984
  7. out
  8. against Israel

Paragraph 2

  1. famous for its World
  2. This protects cultural sites
  3. It improves education
  4. promotes understanding
  5. defends
  6. follow UNESCO as a non-
  7. a member of
  8. deliberately act
  1. an organization
  2. of the Holocaust
  3. member state
  4. against us
  5. and traditions
  6. for girls
  7. Heritage program
  8. the press

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The USA and (1) ___________________ United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The two countries (2) ___________________ New Year's Eve. It is the second time the U.S. has pulled out of UNESCO. (3) ___________________ 1984 for seven years (4) ___________________ the Soviet Union. The USA and Israel say UNESCO is biased against Israel. The USA said: "UNESCO is (5) ___________________ corrupt and politically (6) ___________________."

The U.S. co-founded UNESCO (7) ___________________ II to build peace. It is (8) ___________________ World Heritage program. This protects cultural (9) ___________________. It improves education for girls, promotes understanding of the Holocaust, and (10) ___________________. The U.S. will follow UNESCO as a non-member state. Israel said it, "will not (11) ___________________ of an organization whose goal is to deliberately (12) ___________________ ".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUSAandIsraelquittheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCul
turalOrganization(UNESCO).ThetwocountriespulledoutonNewYear'
sEve.ItisthesecondtimetheU.S.haspulledoutofUNESCO.Itquitin198
4forsevenyearsoverrelationswiththeSovietUnion.TheUSAandIsrael
sayUNESCOisbiasedagainstIsrael.TheUSAsaid:"UNESCOisamongth
emostcorruptandpoliticallybiasedUNagencies."TheU.S.co-founde
dUNESCOafterWorldWarIItobuildpeace.ItisfamousforitsWorldHerit
ageprogram.Thisprotectsculturalsitesandtraditions.Itimproveseduc
ationforgirls,promotesunderstandingoftheHolocaust,anddefendsth
epress.TheU.S.willfollowUNESCOasanon-memberstate.Israelsaid
it,"willnotbeamemberofanorganizationwhosegoalistodeliberatelyac
tagainstus".

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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