The Reading / Listening - Bravery - Level 4

A rat got an award for bravery. The brave rodent is called Magawa. He got a gold medal for his seven years of sniffing out landmines in Cambodia. He was given the award by an animal charity. It explained why Magawa was recognised for his courage. It wrote: "[We] seek to honour the incredible contribution [animals] make to our lives. Magawa's dedication, skill and bravery are an extraordinary example of this and deserve the highest possible recognition."

Rats are the creatures best suited to safely detect landmines. They are light and can smell well. In his seven years of work, Magawa found 39 landmines and 28 unexploded devices. He helped to clear an area the size of 20 soccer pitches. He is the most successful rat in the history of landmine detection. The charity said: "This is the very first time in our 77-year history of honouring animals that we have presented a medal to a rat."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Bravery - Level 5 or  Bravery - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/rat-awarded-medal-for-sniffing-out-dozens-of-landmines/ar-BB19qqSr
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/09/25/rat-magawa-gets-pdsa-gold-medal-detecting-landmines-cambodia/3528457001/
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12763506/rat-sniffed-out-boms-animal-george-cross/


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. The brave
  2. seven years of sniffing
  3. given the award by
  4. Magawa was recognised
  5. honour the incredible
  6. dedication, skill
  7. an extraordinary example
  8. deserve the highest
  1. and bravery
  2. an animal charity
  3. possible recognition
  4. rodent
  5. for his courage
  6. of this
  7. contribution
  8. out landmines

Paragraph 2

  1. Rats are the creatures
  2. safely detect
  3. They are light and can
  4. 39 landmines and 28
  5. an area the size
  6. landmine
  7. in our
  8. honouring
  1. unexploded devices
  2. animals
  3. of 20 soccer pitches
  4. best suited
  5. 77-year history
  6. landmines
  7. detection
  8. smell well

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A rat (1) ___________________ for bravery. The brave rodent is called Magawa. He got a gold medal for his seven years (2) ___________________ landmines in Cambodia. He was given the award by (3) ___________________. It explained why Magawa was recognised (4) ___________________. It wrote: "[We] seek to honour the incredible contribution [animals] make (5) ___________________. Magawa's dedication, skill and bravery are an extraordinary example of this and (6) ___________________ possible recognition."

Rats are the creatures (7) ___________________ safely detect landmines. They are light and (8) ___________________. In his seven years of work, Magawa found 39 landmines and 28 unexploded devices. He helped to (9) ___________________ the size of 20 soccer pitches. He is the most successful rat in (10) ___________________ landmine detection. The charity said: "This is the very (11) ___________________ our 77-year history of honouring animals that we have (12) ___________________ to a rat."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Aratgotanawardforbravery.ThebraverodentiscalledMagawa.Hegota
goldmedalforhissevenyearsofsniffingoutlandminesinCambodia.He
wasgiventheawardbyananimalcharity.ItexplainedwhyMagawawasr
ecognisedforhiscourage.Itwrote:"[We]seektohonourtheincrediblec
ontribution[animals]maketoourlives.Magawa'sdedication,skillandb
raveryareanextraordinaryexampleofthisanddeservethehighestposs
iblerecognition."Ratsarethecreaturesbestsuitedtosafelydetectland
mines.Theyarelightandcansmellwell.Inhissevenyearsofwork,Maga
wafound39landminesand28unexplodeddevices.Hehelpedtoclearan
areathesizeof20soccerpitches.Heisthemostsuccessfulratinthehistor
yoflandminedetection.Thecharitysaid:"Thisistheveryfirsttimeinour
77yearhistoryofhonouringanimalsthatwehavepresentedamedaltoara
t."

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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