The Reading / Listening - Age Differences - Level 4

People in the UK are angry at a TV channel over a show called Age Gap Love. People said it normalises grooming. One show followed the relationship of man who was 44 when his partner was 16. He was a friend of the 16-year-old's mother. He became friendly with the daughter when she was a child. After this show, the channel got a lot of complaints. People were angry at the show for "making this concept seem normal".

The couple are now married with two children. The man, 47, said he worried about what people thought of the age gap. His wife, 19, said: "The age doesn't really bother me. It never has done. I don't see him as an old man...or anything like that. He's just sensitive - like a big teddy bear." She said she always wanted a family and he was "the perfect man". Life was not easy for the couple. When they first started dating, they got a lot of abuse. They had to move.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Age Differences - Level 5 or  Age Differences - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/age-gap-love-accused-normalising-16213965
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/9166705/viewers-blast-channel-5-normalising-grooming-age-gap-love/
  • https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/tv/viewers-criticise-channel-5s-age-16341922


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. People in the UK are
  2. People said it normalises
  3. One show followed
  4. a friend of the 16-year-
  5. He became friendly
  6. when she
  7. got a lot of
  8. making this concept
  1. was a child
  2. old's mother
  3. seem normal
  4. the relationship
  5. complaints
  6. angry
  7. grooming
  8. with the daughter

Paragraph 2

  1. married with
  2. what people thought of the age
  3. The age doesn't really
  4. like a big teddy
  5. he was
  6. When they first started
  7. they got a lot
  8. They had to
  1. "the perfect man"
  2. bear
  3. of abuse
  4. gap
  5. move
  6. two children
  7. bother me
  8. dating

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People in the UK (1) ___________________ a TV channel over a show called Age Gap Love. People said it normalises grooming. One (2) ___________________ relationship of man who was 44 when his partner was 16. He (3) ___________________ of the 16-year-old's mother. He became friendly (4) ___________________ when she was a child. After this show, the channel got a (5) ___________________. People were angry at the show for "making this (6) ___________________".

The couple are (7) ___________________ two children. The man, 47, said he worried about what people thought of (8) ___________________. His wife, 19, said: "The age doesn't (9) ___________________. It never has done. I don't see him as an old man...or anything like that. (10) ___________________ - like a big teddy bear." She said she always wanted a family and he was "(11) ___________________". Life was not easy for the couple. When they first started dating, they (12) ___________________ of abuse. They had to move.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PeopleintheUKareangryataTVchanneloverashowcalledAgeGapLove
.Peoplesaiditnormalisesgrooming.Oneshowfollowedtherelationship
ofmanwhowas44whenhispartnerwas16.Hewasafriendofthe16-yea
r-old'smother.Hebecamefriendlywiththedaughterwhenshewasachi
ld.Afterthisshow,thechannelgotalotofcomplaints.Peoplewereangry
attheshowfor"makingthisconceptseemnormal".Thecouplearenowm
arriedwithtwochildren.Theman,47,saidheworriedaboutwhatpeoplet
houghtoftheagegap.Hiswife,19,said:"Theagedoesn'treallybotherm
e.Itneverhasdone.Idon'tseehimasanoldman...oranythinglikethat.H
e'sjustsensitive-likeabigteddybear."Shesaidshealwayswantedafa
milyandhewas"theperfectman".Lifewasnoteasyforthecouple.Whent
heyfirststarteddating,theygotalotofabuse.Theyhadtomove.

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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