The Reading / Listening - Newspapers - Level 4

Lebanon's English-language newspaper was published on Thursday without any news. It had largely blank pages. The front page simply said "Lebanon". The inside pages had headlines about the country's problems. The back page had a photo of a cedar tree with the caption: "Wake up before it's too late." The newspaper said it had, "refrained from publishing news articles" to protest against the country's worsening economy and political situation.

Speaking about the protest, the editor-in-chief said: "The aim is to ring the alarm bells about all the challenges that our country is facing." She called on "politicians and everyone to pull together". Some of the headlines in the paper highlighted a government deadlock, pollution, public debt, unemployment and illegal weapons flooding the country. The editor-in-chief said: "It's enough that people take notice of these problems and think."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Newspapers - Level 5 or  Newspapers - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/lebanon-daily-star-publishes-edition-protest-national-crisis-190808095602980.html
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/middleeast/lebanon-newspaper-intl/index.html
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/lebanon-newspaper-goes-black-raise-alarm-over-political-115046432.html


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. published
  2. It had largely
  3. The front
  4. The inside pages had
  5. a photo of a cedar
  6. Wake up before
  7. refrained from publishing
  8. the country's worsening
  1. page
  2. news articles
  3. blank pages
  4. economy
  5. on Thursday
  6. tree
  7. headlines
  8. it's too late

Paragraph 2

  1. the editor-
  2. The aim is to ring the
  3. challenges that our
  4. everyone to pull
  5. Some of the headlines
  6. illegal
  7. flooding
  8. take notice
  1. together
  2. weapons
  3. alarm bells
  4. of these problems
  5. the country
  6. in-chief
  7. in the paper
  8. country is facing

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Lebanon's English-language newspaper (1) ___________________ Thursday without any news. It (2) ___________________ pages. The front page simply said "Lebanon". The inside (3) ___________________ about the country's problems. The (4) ___________________ a photo of a cedar tree with the caption: "Wake up (5) ___________________ late." The newspaper said it had, "refrained from publishing news articles" to protest against the country's (6) ___________________ political situation.

Speaking (7) ___________________, the editor-in-chief said: "The aim is to ring the alarm bells about (8) ___________________ that our country is facing." She called on "politicians and everyone (9) ___________________". Some of the headlines in the (10) ___________________ government deadlock, pollution, public debt, unemployment (11) ___________________ flooding the country. The editor-in-chief said: "It's enough that people take notice of (12) ___________________ think."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Lebanon'sEnglish-languagenewspaperwaspublishedonThursdaywit
houtanynews.Ithadlargelyblankpages.Thefrontpagesimplysaid"Leb
anon".Theinsidepageshadheadlinesaboutthecountry'sproblems.Th
ebackpagehadaphotoofacedartreewiththecaption:"Wakeupbeforeit
'stoolate."Thenewspapersaidithad,"refrainedfrompublishingnewsar
ticles"toprotestagainstthecountry'sworseningeconomyandpoliticals
ituation.Speakingabouttheprotest,theeditor-in-chiefsaid:"Theaim
istoringthealarmbellsaboutallthechallengesthatourcountryisfacing.
"Shecalledon"politiciansandeveryonetopulltogether".Someofthehe
adlinesinthepaperhighlightedagovernmentdeadlock,pollution,publi
cdebt,unemploymentandillegalweaponsfloodingthecountry.Theedit
or-in-chiefsaid:"It'senoughthatpeopletakenoticeoftheseproblem
sandthink."

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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