The Reading / Listening - Nagorno-Karabakh - Level 1

There is fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It could lead to a bigger conflict. It is over a border region called Nagorno-Karabakh. Many in the world say it is part of Azerbaijan but it has a majority Armenian population. Civilians and soldiers died in the clashes. Armenia said Azerbaijan started the conflict by launching missiles into the region. Azerbaijan said it launched missiles to "ensure the safety of the population"

Tensions started between the two countries after the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994. The current clashes are the worst fighting in many years. A journalist said the fighting was, "a very serious escalation". Turkey said it would back Azerbaijan. Russia gave its backing to Armenia. It called for a ceasefire and urgent talks. Iran, which shares a border with Azerbaijan and Armenia, offered to arrange peace talks.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Nagorno-Karabakh - Level 0 Nagorno-Karabakh - Level 2   or  Nagorno-Karabakh - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54314341
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/27/europe/armenia-azerbaijan-tensions-nagorno-karabakh-intl/index.html
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/27/heavy-fighting-erupts-in-disputed-nagorno-karabakh-region


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. It could lead to a bigger
  2. It is over a border
  3. it has a majority Armenian
  4. Civilians and
  5. Armenia said Azerbaijan
  6. launching missiles into
  7. Azerbaijan said it launched
  8. ensure the safety
  1. started the conflict
  2. missiles
  3. conflict
  4. of the population
  5. population
  6. soldiers died
  7. region
  8. the region

Paragraph 2

  1. the worst fighting
  2. the fighting was a very
  3. Turkey said it would
  4. Russia gave its backing
  5. It called for a
  6. urgent
  7. shares a
  8. offered to arrange
  1. ceasefire
  2. back Azerbaijan
  3. peace talks
  4. serious escalation
  5. border
  6. to Armenia
  7. in many years
  8. talks

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There (1) ___________________ Armenia and Azerbaijan. It could lead to a bigger conflict. It is over (2) ___________________ called Nagorno-Karabakh. Many in the world say (3) ___________________ of Azerbaijan but it has a majority Armenian population. Civilians and soldiers (4) ___________________ clashes. Armenia said Azerbaijan started (5) ___________________ launching missiles into the region. Azerbaijan said it launched missiles to "ensure (6) ___________________ the population".

Tensions (7) ___________________ two countries after the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994. The (8) ___________________ the worst fighting in many years. A journalist said the fighting was, "(9) ___________________ escalation". Turkey said it would back Azerbaijan. Russia (10) ___________________ to Armenia. It called for a ceasefire (11) ___________________. Iran, which shares a border with Azerbaijan and Armenia, offered to (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThereisfightingbetweenArmeniaandAzerbaijan.Itcouldleadtoabigge
rconflict.ItisoveraborderregioncalledNagorno-Karabakh.Manyinth
eworldsayitispartofAzerbaijanbutithasamajorityArmenianpopulatio
n.Civiliansandsoldiersdiedintheclashes.ArmeniasaidAzerbaijanstart
edtheconflictbylaunchingmissilesintotheregion.Azerbaijansaiditlau
nchedmissilesto"ensurethesafetyofthepopulation".Tensionsstarted
betweenthetwocountriesaftertheNagorno-KarabakhWarin1994.Th
ecurrentclashesaretheworstfightinginmanyyears.Ajournalistsaidth
efightingwas,"averyseriousescalation".TurkeysaiditwouldbackAzer
baijan.RussiagaveitsbackingtoArmenia.Itcalledforaceasefireandurg
enttalks.Iran,whichsharesaborderwithAzerbaijanandArmenia,offer
edtoarrangepeacetalks.

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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