The Reading / Listening - Sydney Bushfires - Level 4

Australian fire-fighters are battling the worst bushfire they have seen. They dubbed it a "mega-fire". Eight different fires combined an hour's drive north of Sydney. The gigantic blaze is endangering tens of thousands of homes in its path. It is burning across a huge swath of land and is roughly 60km wide. Officials say it is burning out of control and is too vast to contain. They said: "We cannot stop these fires. They will keep burning until conditions ease."

The spread of the fires was made worse by a long drought. It is very early for forests to be so dry. Officials said: "There's a tough couple of months ahead and we've already seen the horrific consequences of fire." Sydney is covered in choking, poisonous smoke. Residents received advice about exercising outside. They say it is "unprecedented". An official said: "People's emotions are very, very tested and frail at the moment."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sydney Bushfires - Level 5 or  Sydney Bushfires - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/australia-bushfires-combine-form-mega-fire-north-sydney-191206074513633.html
  • https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/another-tough-day-nsw-firefighters-battling-city-sized-inferno-20191207-p53hs3.html
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-07/how-rfs-are-tackling-nsw-mega-fire-bigger-than-sydney/11776874


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. They dubbed it
  2. an hour's drive
  3. endangering tens of thousands
  4. burning across a
  5. burning out
  6. too vast
  7. We cannot stop
  8. They will keep burning until
  1. these fires
  2. a "mega-fire"
  3. conditions ease
  4. of homes
  5. to contain
  6. north of Sydney
  7. of control
  8. huge swath

Paragraph 2

  1. the fires was made worse by
  2. a tough couple of months
  3. Sydney is covered in choking,
  4. Residents received
  5. exercising
  6. They say it is
  7. People's emotions are very, very
  8. frail at
  1. "unprecedented"
  2. a long drought
  3. the moment
  4. ahead
  5. tested
  6. advice
  7. outside
  8. poisonous smoke

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Australian fire-fighters are (1) ___________________ bushfire they have seen. They (2) ___________________ "mega-fire". Eight different fires combined an hour's drive north of Sydney. The (3) ___________________ endangering tens of thousands of homes (4) ___________________. It is burning across a huge swath of land (5) ___________________ 60km wide. Officials say it is burning out of control and is too vast to contain. They said: "We cannot stop these fires. They will keep burning (6) ___________________."

The spread of the fires was made worse by (7) ___________________. It is very early for forests to (8) ___________________. Officials said: "There's a tough couple of months ahead and we've already (9) ___________________ consequences of fire." Sydney is (10) ___________________, poisonous smoke. Residents received advice (11) ___________________. They say it is "unprecedented". An official said: "People's emotions are very, very tested and frail (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Australianfire-fightersarebattlingtheworstbushfiretheyhaveseen.T
heydubbedita"mega-fire".Eightdifferentfirescombinedanhour'sdriv
enorthofSydney.Thegiganticblazeisendangeringtensofthousandsof
homesinitspath.Itisburningacrossahugeswathoflandandisroughly6
0kmwide.Officialssayitisburningoutofcontrolandistoovasttocontain.
Theysaid:"Wecannotstopthesefires.Theywillkeepburninguntilcondit
ionsease."Thespreadofthefireswasmadeworsebyalongdrought.Itisv
eryearlyforforeststobesodry.Officialssaid:"There'satoughcoupleof
monthsaheadandwe'vealreadyseenthehorrificconsequencesoffire."
Sydneyiscoveredinchoking,poisonoussmoke.Residentsreceivedadv
iceaboutexercisingoutside.Theysayitis"unprecedented".Anofficialsa
id:"People'semotionsarevery,verytestedandfrailatthemoment."

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