The Reading / Listening - UNESCO - Level 2

The USA and Israel have quit UNESCO. This is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The two countries pulled out at the stroke of midnight at the New Year. It is the second time the U.S. has pulled out of UNESCO. The first time was in 1984 over relations with the Soviet Union. It re-joined in 2003. The current withdrawal is because both nations say UNESCO is biased against Israel. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said: "UNESCO is among the most corrupt and politically biased UN agencies....The U.S. withdrawal from this cesspool became official."

The U.S. co-founded UNESCO after World War II to build peace through international cooperation in education, the sciences and culture. It is famous for its World Heritage program, which protects cultural sites and traditions. It also improves education for girls, promotes understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust, and defends freedom of the press. The U.S. will follow UNESCO as a non-member state. The Israeli envoy to the United Nations Danny Danon said his country, "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 1   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 USA and Israel have
  2. The two countries pulled
  3. at the stroke of
  4. It is the second time the U.S.
  5. The first time was
  6. The U.S. ambassador
  7. among the most
  8. politically biased
  1. corrupt
  2. midnight
  3. in 1984
  4. to the United Nations
  5. quit UNESCO
  6. UN agencies
  7. has pulled out
  8. out

Paragraph 2

  1. build peace through international
  2. protects cultural sites
  3. the horrors of the
  4. defends freedom
  5. follow UNESCO as a non-
  6. The Israeli envoy to
  7. be a member of
  8. deliberately act
  1. an organization
  2. Holocaust
  3. against us
  4. cooperation
  5. and traditions
  6. member state
  7. of the press
  8. the United Nations

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The USA and Israel (1) ___________________. This is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The two countries pulled out (2) ___________________ of midnight at the New Year. It is the second time the U.S. has pulled out of UNESCO. The first (3) ___________________ 1984 over relations with the Soviet Union. It re-joined in 2003. The current withdrawal is because (4) ___________________ UNESCO is biased against Israel. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said: "UNESCO is among (5) ___________________ and politically biased UN agencies....The U.S. (6) ___________________ cesspool became official."

The U.S. co-founded UNESCO after World War II (7) ___________________ through international cooperation in education, the sciences and culture. It (8) ___________________ its World Heritage program, which protects (9) ___________________ traditions. It also improves education for girls, promotes understanding of (10) ___________________ the Holocaust, and defends freedom of the press. The U.S. will follow UNESCO as a non-member state. The Israeli (11) ___________________ United Nations Danny Danon said his country, "will not be a member of an organization whose goal is to deliberately (12) _________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUSAandIsraelhavequitUNESCO.ThisistheUnitedNationsEducatio
nal,ScientificandCulturalOrganization.Thetwocountriespulledoutatt
hestrokeofmidnightattheNewYear.ItisthesecondtimetheU.S.haspull
edoutofUNESCO.Thefirsttimewasin1984overrelationswiththeSoviet
Union.Itre-joinedin2003.Thecurrentwithdrawalisbecausebothnati
onssayUNESCOisbiasedagainstIsrael.TheU.S.ambassadortotheUnit
edNationssaid:"UNESCOisamongthemostcorruptandpoliticallybiase
dUNagencies....TheU.S.withdrawalfromthiscesspoolbecameofficial.
"TheU.S.co-foundedUNESCOafterWorldWarIItobuildpeacethroughi
nternationalcooperationineducation,thesciencesandculture.Itisfam
ousforitsWorldHeritageprogram,whichprotectsculturalsitesandtradi
tions.Italsoimproveseducationforgirls,promotesunderstandingofth
ehorrorsoftheHolocaust,anddefendsfreedomofthepress.TheU.S.will
followUNESCOasanon-memberstate.TheIsraelienvoytotheUnitedN
ationsDannyDanonsaidhiscountry,"willnotbeamemberofanorganiza
tionwhosegoalistodeliberatelyactagainstus".

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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