The Reading / Listening - Riyadh - Level 4

Saudi Arabia will invest $23 billion to improve its capital city, Riyadh. A project will beautify the city, create thousands of jobs, boost leisure and tourism, and create "one of the world's most livable cities". A further $15 billion in private sector funding will finance business opportunities. Saudi's Crown Prince will oversee the ambitious project as part of his Vision 2030 initiative. This aims to diversify Saudi's revenue sources and not rely on oil.

Other world capitals can only dream of such huge money. Saudi will improve the quality of life for Riyadh's 5 million residents. A focus on leisure will see over 130km of cycling track, a huge new park and hundreds of art installations. Riyadh will be a greener city, with 16 times the amount of green space. It will have 7.5 million new trees and dozens of community gardens. Work on the project will begin later this year and will take around 10 years to complete.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Riyadh - Level 5 or  Riyadh - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/20/saudi-arabia-is-giving-its-capital-a-23-billion-makeover.html
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-19/saudi-king-launches-23-billion-riyadh-beautification-program
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-economy/saudi-arabia-invests-23-billion-to-improve-living-in-riyadh-idUSKCN1R01IT


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 project will
  2. boost leisure
  3. one of the world's most
  4. private
  5. finance business
  6. oversee the ambitious
  7. diversify Saudi's revenue
  8. not rely
  1. project
  2. livable cities
  3. sources
  4. and tourism
  5. beautify the city
  6. opportunities
  7. on oil
  8. sector funding

Paragraph 2

  1. dream of such
  2. A focus
  3. hundreds of art
  4. Riyadh will be
  5. 16 times the amount of
  6. dozens
  7. Work on the project will begin
  8. take around 10
  1. later this year
  2. huge money
  3. years to complete
  4. installations
  5. of community gardens
  6. on leisure
  7. green space
  8. a greener city

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Saudi Arabia will invest $23 billion (1) ___________________ capital city, Riyadh. A (2) ___________________ the city, create thousands of jobs, boost leisure and tourism, and create "one of the world's (3) ___________________". A further $15 billion in private sector funding (4) ___________________ opportunities. Saudi's Crown Prince will oversee the (5) ___________________ part of his Vision 2030 initiative. This aims to diversify Saudi's revenue sources and (6) ___________________ oil.

Other world capitals can only dream (7) ___________________ money. Saudi will improve the (8) ___________________ for Riyadh's 5 million residents. A focus on leisure will see over 130km of cycling track, (9) ___________________ park and hundreds of art installations. Riyadh will be a greener city, with 16 times (10) ___________________ green space. It will have 7.5 million new trees (11) ___________________ community gardens. Work on the project will begin later this year and (12) ___________________ 10 years to complete.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

SaudiArabiawillinvest$23billiontoimproveitscapitalcity,Riyadh.Apro
jectwillbeautifythecity,createthousandsofjobs,boostleisureandtouri
sm,andcreate"oneoftheworld'smostlivablecities".Afurther$15billion
inprivatesectorfundingwillfinancebusinessopportunities.Saudi'sCro
wnPrincewilloverseetheambitiousprojectaspartofhisVision2030initi
ative.ThisaimstodiversifySaudi'srevenuesourcesandnotrelyonoil.Ot
herworldcapitalscanonlydreamofsuchhugemoney.Saudiwillimprove
thequalityoflifeforRiyadh's5millionresidents.Afocusonleisurewillsee
over130kmofcyclingtrack,ahugenewparkandhundredsofartinstallat
ions.Riyadhwillbeagreenercity,with16timestheamountofgreenspac
e.Itwillhave7.5millionnewtreesanddozensofcommunitygardens.Wo
rkontheprojectwillbeginlaterthisyearandwilltakearound10yearstoc
omplete.

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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