The Reading / Listening - COVID-19 Vaccine - Level 1

This year has been full of bad news because of COVID-19. Now, there is good news. There is a breakthrough in the fight against the virus. Scientists from drug companies in the USA and Germany have developed a vaccine against COVID-19. It has a 90 per cent success rate and no serious side effects. The head of the USA's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said: "The results are really quite good, I mean extraordinary."

Health experts say it will be months before people can get the vaccine. It must be stored at -80º Celsius. One of the drug companies said: "Today is a great day for science and humanity....We are reaching this [important time]...when the world needs it most." He said infection rates were rising, hospitals were at full capacity and economies are struggling. He said we were a "significant step closer to help...end...this global health crisis".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    COVID-19 Vaccine - Level 0 COVID-19 Vaccine - Level 2   or  COVID-19 Vaccine - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-11-10/editorial-a-ray-of-hope-for-the-pandemics-end-in-2021
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03166-8
  • https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-announce-vaccine-candidate-against


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. This year has been full
  2. Now, there is
  3. a breakthrough in the fight
  4. drug
  5. developed a
  6. It has a 90 per cent
  7. no serious side
  8. The results are really
  1. vaccine
  2. companies
  3. quite good
  4. effects
  5. good news
  6. of bad news
  7. success rate
  8. against the virus

Paragraph 2

  1. health
  2. it will be
  3. a great day for science
  4. when the world needs
  5. hospitals were at full
  6. economies are
  7. a significant step
  8. end this global
  1. closer
  2. capacity
  3. health crisis
  4. and humanity
  5. experts
  6. it most
  7. months
  8. struggling

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

This year has (1) ___________________ bad news because of COVID-19. Now, there is good news. There is a breakthrough in the (2) ___________________ virus. Scientists from drug companies in the USA and Germany (3) ___________________ vaccine against COVID-19. It has a 90 per cent success rate and no (4) ___________________. The head of the USA's National Institute of Allergy (5) ___________________ said: "The results are (6) ___________________, I mean extraordinary."

Health experts say it will (7) ___________________ people can get the vaccine. It must (8) ___________________ -80º Celsius. One of the drug companies said: "Today is a great (9) ___________________ and humanity....We are reaching this [important time]...when the world (10) ___________________." He said infection rates were rising, hospitals were (11) ___________________ and economies are struggling. He said we were a "significant step closer to help...end...this (12) ___________________ ".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThisyearhasbeenfullofbadnewsbecauseofCOVID-19.Now,thereisg
oodnews.Thereisabreakthroughinthefightagainstthevirus.Scientist
sfromdrugcompaniesintheUSAandGermanyhavedevelopedavaccin
eagainstCOVID-19.Ithasa90percentsuccessrateandnoseriousside
effects.TheheadoftheUSA'sNationalInstituteofAllergyandInfectious
Diseasessaid:"Theresultsarereallyquitegood,Imeanextraordinary."
Healthexpertssayitwillbemonthsbeforepeoplecangetthevaccine.Itm
ustbestoredat-80ºCelsius.Oneofthedrugcompaniessaid:"Todayisa
greatdayforscienceandhumanity....Wearereachingthis[importantti
me]...whentheworldneedsitmost."Hesaidinfectionrateswererising,
hospitalswereatfullcapacityandeconomiesarestruggling.Hesaidwew
erea"significantstepclosertohelp...end...thisglobalhealthcrisis".

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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