The Reading / Listening - Gossip - Level 0

Pope Francis said gossip is worse than COVID. He said the devil is the "biggest gossiper" who lies a lot. He said gossip is dangerous. He called it, "a plague worse than COVID. He asked people to "make a big effort" to not gossip. He said: "If something goes wrong, pray, but never gossip."

In 2016, the Pope told people not to "fuel the terrorism of gossip". He said if people wanted to "drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue". Two years later he talked about gossip again. He said gossip is deadly "because the tongue kills, like a knife". A woman agreed. She said gossips were just "busybodies".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Gossip - Level 1,  Gossip - Level 2   or  Gossip - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-declares-gossiping-is-a-plague-worse-than-covid/
  • https://www.inforum.com/entertainment/television/6650375-Pope-says-gossiping-is-a-worse-plague-than-coronavirus
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/06/europe/pope-gossip-coronavirus-intl-scli/index.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Pope Francis said gossip
  2. the devil is the biggest
  3. lies a
  4. He said gossip is
  5. a plague worse
  6. He asked people to make
  7. If something goes
  8. pray, but
  1. than COVID
  2. lot
  3. wrong
  4. is worse
  5. a big effort
  6. gossiper
  7. never gossip
  8. dangerous

Paragraph 2

  1. fuel the terrorism
  2. drop a gossip
  3. bite your
  4. Two years
  5. he talked about gossip
  6. He said gossip is
  7. the tongue kills, like a
  8. gossips were just
  1. knife
  2. of gossip
  3. again
  4. busybodies
  5. deadly
  6. tongue
  7. later
  8. bomb

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Pope Francis said (1) ___________________ than COVID. He said (2) ___________________ the "biggest gossiper" who (3) ___________________. He said gossip is dangerous. He called it, "a (4) ___________________ COVID. He asked people to "make (5) ___________________ " to not gossip. He said: "If something (6) ___________________, but never gossip."

In 2016, the Pope told people (7) ___________________ the terrorism of gossip". He (8) ___________________ wanted to "drop a gossip bomb, (9) ___________________". Two years later he talked (10) ___________________. He said gossip is deadly "because (11) ___________________, like a knife". A woman agreed. She said (12) ___________________ "busybodies".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PopeFrancissaidgossipisworsethanCOVID.Hesaidthedevilisthe"bigg
estgossiper"wholiesalot.Hesaidgossipisdangerous.Hecalledit,"apla
gueworsethanCOVID.Heaskedpeopleto"makeabigeffort"tonotgossi
p.Hesaid:"Ifsomethinggoeswrong,pray,butnevergossip."In2016,th
ePopetoldpeoplenotto"fueltheterrorismofgossip".Hesaidifpeoplewa
ntedto"dropagossipbomb,biteyourtongue".Twoyearslaterhetalkeda
boutgossipagain.Hesaidgossipisdeadly"becausethetonguekills,like
aknife".Awomanagreed.Shesaidgossipswerejust"busybodies".

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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