The Reading / Listening - Autumn Leaves - Level 4

The changing colour of autumn leaves is a spectacular event in forests worldwide. The colours form a colourful canvas that ends summer. In the USA, the leaves have been affected by drought. This has dulled the colours of the leaves. Much of America's northwest has had weather that did not produce colourful leaves. The traditional autumnal beauty spots of Massachusetts and New Hampshire are experiencing duller colours.

A forest and ecology professor explained why this year has been so bad. He said there were several factors, including mild drought, warm days and cool nights. He said the colours came two weeks earlier than normal, "and will probably go by fast and furiously". The weather created "physiological stress for the trees". The professor warned: "The stress is not a good thing and may be a harbinger of things to come with climate change."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Autumn Leaves - Level 5 or  Autumn Leaves - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/03/weather/drought-hindering-fall-foliage-saturday/index.html
  • https://www.slashgear.com/the-severe-drought-gripping-much-the-nation-is-impacting-fall-foliage-03640942/
  • https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/10/02/new-england-fall-foliage-peak-weekend-drives-wbz-forecast/


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 changing colour
  2. a spectacular
  3. The colours form a
  4. leaves have been affected
  5. This has dulled
  6. America's
  7. produce colourful
  8. traditional autumnal beauty
  1. spots
  2. colourful canvas
  3. the colours
  4. northwest
  5. of autumn leaves
  6. leaves
  7. event
  8. by drought

Paragraph 2

  1. A forest and
  2. why this year has
  3. He said there
  4. mild
  5. the colours came two weeks
  6. go by fast and
  7. physiological
  8. a harbinger of
  1. were several factors
  2. stress
  3. things to come
  4. earlier than normal
  5. furiously
  6. ecology professor
  7. drought
  8. been so bad

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The (1) ___________________ autumn leaves is a spectacular event in forests worldwide. The colours form (2) ___________________ that ends summer. In the USA, the leaves have been (3) ___________________. This has (4) ___________________ of the leaves. Much of America's northwest has had weather that did not produce colourful leaves. The traditional (5) ___________________ of Massachusetts and New Hampshire are (6) ___________________.

A (7) ___________________ professor explained why this year has been so bad. He said there (8) ___________________, including mild drought, warm days and cool nights. He said the colours came two weeks earlier than normal, "and will probably go (9) ___________________ furiously". The weather created "physiological (10) ___________________ trees". The professor warned: "The stress is not a good thing and may be (11) ___________________ things to (12) ___________________ change."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thechangingcolourofautumnleavesisaspectaculareventinforestswo
rldwide.Thecoloursformacolourfulcanvasthatendssummer.IntheUS
A,theleaveshavebeenaffectedbydrought.Thishasdulledthecoloursof
theleaves.MuchofAmerica'snorthwesthashadweatherthatdidnotpro
ducecolourfulleaves.ThetraditionalautumnalbeautyspotsofMassach
usettsandNewHampshireareexperiencingdullercolours.Aforestande
cologyprofessorexplainedwhythisyearhasbeensobad.Hesaidtherew
ereseveralfactors,includingmilddrought,warmdaysandcoolnights.H
esaidthecolourscametwoweeksearlierthannormal,"andwillprobably
gobyfastandfuriously".Theweathercreated"physiologicalstressforth
etrees".Theprofessorwarned:"Thestressisnotagoodthingandmaybe
aharbingerofthingstocomewithclimatechange."

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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