The Reading / Listening - 2020 - Level 1

At the start of 2020, people thought it would be a great year. Few knew it would be a rollercoaster ride and that the world would change. The biggest news in 2020 was COVID-19. Many people died, economies suffered, there were lockdowns and people wore masks. The death of George Floyd in the USA started the Black Lives Matter movement and global protests. In November, Joe Biden was voted as the President-elect of the USA.

People will have different memories of 2020. A man said he would never forget the explosion in Beirut in August. He thanked God none of his family was hurt. He was sad his city was damaged. A UK nurse said the news of the vaccines for COVID-19 made her happy. A woman in Japan was sad that the Tokyo Olympics were postponed. She is happy they will go ahead in 2021. She said 2021 would be a good year.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    2020 - Level 0 2020 - Level 2   or  2020 - Level 3

Sources
    BreakingNewsEnglish.com


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. Few knew it would be a rollercoaster
  2. The biggest news in 2020
  3. economies
  4. there were
  5. people wore
  6. started the Black Lives Matter
  7. global
  8. voted as the President-
  1. masks
  2. protests
  3. was COVID-19
  4. elect of the USA
  5. lockdowns
  6. ride
  7. movement
  8. suffered

Paragraph 2

  1. People will have different
  2. he would never forget the
  3. none of his family was
  4. news of the vaccines
  5. A woman in Japan
  6. the Tokyo Olympics were
  7. She is happy they will go
  8. She said 2021 would
  1. postponed
  2. memories of 2020
  3. be a good year
  4. explosion
  5. ahead in 2021
  6. hurt
  7. was sad
  8. for COVID-19

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

At (1) ___________________ 2020, people thought it would be a great year. Few (2) ___________________ be a rollercoaster ride and that the (3) ___________________. The biggest news in 2020 was COVID-19. Many people died, economies suffered, (4) ___________________ and people wore masks. The death of George Floyd in the USA started the Black Lives Matter movement (5) ___________________. In November, Joe Biden was (6) ___________________ President-elect of the USA.

People will have different memories of 2020. A man said he (7) ___________________ the explosion in Beirut in August. He thanked God (8) ___________________ family was hurt. He was (9) ___________________ was damaged. A UK nurse (10) ___________________ of the vaccines for COVID-19 made her happy. A woman in Japan (11) ___________________ the Tokyo Olympics were postponed. She is happy they will (12) ___________________ 2021. She said 2021 would be a good year.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Atthestartof2020,peoplethoughtitwouldbeagreatyear.Fewknewitw
ouldbearollercoasterrideandthattheworldwouldchange.Thebiggest
newsin2020wasCOVID-19.Manypeopledied,economiessuffered,th
erewerelockdownsandpeopleworemasks.ThedeathofGeorgeFloydin
theUSAstartedtheBlackLivesMattermovementandglobalprotests.In
November,JoeBidenwasvotedasthePresident-electoftheUSA.Peopl
ewillhavedifferentmemoriesof2020.Amansaidhewouldneverforgett
heexplosioninBeirutinAugust.HethankedGodnoneofhisfamilywashu
rt.Hewassadhiscitywasdamaged.AUKnursesaidthenewsofthevaccin
esforCOVID-19madeherhappy.AwomaninJapanwassadthattheTok
yoOlympicswerepostponed.Sheishappytheywillgoaheadin2021.Sh
esaid2021wouldbeagoodyear.

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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