Speed Reading — Extinction Rebellion - Level 6 — 500 wpm 

Now do this put-the-text-back-together activity.

This is the text (if you need help).

The police in London have arrested more than 1,000 protestors in the past week. Many of central London's busiest areas have been brought to a standstill as tens of thousands of demonstrators staged peaceful protests on bridges, landmarks and traffic intersections. The protestors are part of the newly formed Extinction Rebellion. This is a movement focused on bringing the UK government to declare climate change as a global emergency and to pass laws to considerably reduce the UK's carbon footprint. Campaigners have three key demands: for the government to "tell the truth about climate change"; to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025; and to create a citizens' assembly to oversee progress.

The Swedish teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg met leaders of the UK's main political parties on Tuesday. The 16-year-old is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. She is attributed with starting the global school protests in which students have been striking for a greener planet. She told politicians that the future of all the world's children had been "sold so that a small number of people can make unimaginable amounts of money". She added: "You don't listen to the science because you are only interested in the answers that will allow you to carry on as if nothing has happened." One protestor said: "I support Extinction Rebellion. Civil disobedience is important to show this is an emergency."

Comprehension questions
  1. Which areas of London were brought to a standstill?
  2. How many demonstrators were there?
  3. What do protestors want the government to declare climate change as?
  4. How many key demands do the protestors have?
  5. What kind of assembly are the protestors asking for?
  6. Who did a 16-year-old activist talk to?
  7. What have school students gone on strike for?
  8. How much money did an activist say a small number of people make?
  9. What did an activist say politicians do not listen to?
  10. What did a protestor say about civil disobedience?

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