The Reading / Listening - Auschwitz - Level 4

A website is being criticized for selling items with images of Auschwitz - the Nazi concentration camp. The site apologized for selling skirts and other products and is taking "immediate action to remove" them. The Auschwitz Memorial Museum called this "disturbing and disrespectful". It questioned the acceptability of using such images. It called Auschwitz, "a place of enormous human tragedy where over 1.1 million people were murdered."

Over 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz in German-occupied Poland during World War II. Around 1.1 million of them were killed. Over 90% were Jews. Poles, Romani and Russian prisoners of war also died, mostly in the gas chambers. Others died of starvation, hard labor and disease. The site said it, "takes a strong stance against...the atrocities committed". A Twitter user said it was, "disrespectful to the memories of those murdered by the Nazis".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Auschwitz - Level 5 or  Auschwitz - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.snopes.com/ap/2019/05/08/auschwitz-museum-protests-camp-photos-on-skirts-and-pillows/
  • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/shop-selling-disturbing-auschwitz-miniskirts-15013468
  • https://www.thejc.com/news/world/website-removes-auschwitz-themed-skirts-and-cushions-after-outcry-1.483879


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 website is
  2. selling items with images
  3. the Nazi concentration
  4. The site apologized
  5. taking immediate
  6. It questioned the acceptability of
  7. a place of enormous human
  8. over 1.1 million people
  1. using such images
  2. for selling skirts
  3. were murdered
  4. camp
  5. being criticized
  6. tragedy
  7. of Auschwitz
  8. action

Paragraph 2

  1. Over 1.3 million people were
  2. in German-
  3. during
  4. Around 1.1 million of
  5. prisoners of
  6. gas
  7. starvation, hard
  8. disrespectful to
  1. the memories
  2. World War II
  3. war
  4. chambers
  5. sent to Auschwitz
  6. labor and disease
  7. occupied Poland
  8. them were killed

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A website (1) ___________________ for selling items (2) ___________________ Auschwitz - the Nazi concentration camp. The site apologized for selling skirts (3) ___________________ and is taking "immediate action to remove" them. The Auschwitz Memorial Museum (4) ___________________ and disrespectful". It questioned the acceptability of (5) ___________________. It called Auschwitz, "a place of enormous (6) ___________________ over 1.1 million people were murdered."

Over 1.3 million people (7) ___________________ Auschwitz in German-occupied Poland during World War II. Around 1.1 million of (8) ___________________. Over 90% were Jews. Poles, Romani and Russian (9) ___________________ also died, mostly in the gas chambers. Others died of starvation, (10) ___________________ disease. The site said it, "takes a (11) ___________________...the atrocities committed". A Twitter user said it was, "disrespectful to the (12) ___________________ murdered by the Nazis".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AwebsiteisbeingcriticizedforsellingitemswithimagesofAuschwitz-t
heNaziconcentrationcamp.Thesiteapologizedforsellingskirtsandoth
erproductsandistaking"immediateactiontoremove"them.TheAusch
witzMemorialMuseumcalledthis"disturbinganddisrespectful".Itques
tionedtheacceptabilityofusingsuchimages.ItcalledAuschwitz,"aplac
eofenormoushumantragedywhereover1.1millionpeopleweremurde
red."Over1.3millionpeopleweresenttoAuschwitzinGerman-occup
iedPolandduringWorldWarII.Around1.1millionofthemwerekilled.Ov
er90%wereJews.Poles,RomaniandRussianprisonersofwaralsodied,
mostlyinthegaschambers.Othersdiedofstarvation,hardlaboranddise
ase.Thesitesaidit,"takesastrongstanceagainst...theatrocitiescommi
tted".ATwitterusersaiditwas,"disrespectfultothememoriesofthosem
urderedbytheNazis".

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You