The Reading / Listening - Champs-Elysees - Level 1

The mayor of Paris has big plans to change the city's famous street the Champs-Elysees. She wants to turn it into an "extraordinary garden". The Champs-Elysees is in the heart of Paris. People say it is, "the most beautiful avenue in the world". However, many people think it looks old. They want it to look more modern. The mayor wants to cut the number of car lanes to make more room for shoppers and tourists. She wants more trees to make it greener.

The Champs-Elysees was very elegant. There were showrooms full of luxury cars, and designer fashion stores. Many rich people shopped there. Today, it is like other streets in the world, with international chain stores, fast food restaurants and coffee shops. The mayor said: "We will redo [one area] before the Olympic Games, then the full length of the avenue afterwards. It will be an extraordinary garden." The project will cost $305 million.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Champs-Elysees - Level 0 Champs-Elysees - Level 2   or  Champs-Elysees - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paris-mayor-pushes-ahead-with-plan-to-give-champs-elysees-a-305-million-green-makeover/
  • https://www.thelocal.fr/20210111/green-light-for-paris-famous-champs-elysee-to-be-turned-into-garden
  • https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pariss-champs-elysees-garden-renovation-1936162


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. big plans to change the city's
  2. in the heart
  3. the most beautiful avenue
  4. They want it to look
  5. The mayor wants to cut the
  6. make
  7. shoppers and
  8. She wants more trees to
  1. in the world
  2. tourists
  3. of Paris
  4. make it greener
  5. more modern
  6. famous street
  7. more room
  8. number of car lanes

Paragraph 2

  1. The Champs-Elysees was very
  2. showrooms full
  3. Many rich people
  4. it is like other streets in
  5. international chain
  6. We will redo
  7. the full length
  8. The project will cost
  1. of luxury cars
  2. $305 million
  3. the world
  4. one area
  5. of the avenue
  6. elegant
  7. shopped there
  8. stores

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The mayor of Paris (1) ___________________ to change the city's famous street the Champs-Elysees. She (2) ___________________ it into an "extraordinary garden". The Champs-Elysees is in (3) ___________________ Paris. People say it is, "the most beautiful avenue in the world". However, many people think (4) ___________________. They want it to look more modern. The mayor wants to (5) ___________________ of car lanes to make more room for (6) ___________________. She wants more trees to make it greener.

The Champs-Elysees (7) ___________________. There were showrooms (8) ___________________ cars, and designer fashion stores. Many rich people shopped there. Today, it (9) ___________________ streets in the world, with international chain stores, fast food restaurants (10) ___________________. The mayor said: "We will (11) ___________________ before the Olympic Games, then the (12) ___________________ the avenue afterwards. It will be an extraordinary garden." The project will cost $305 million.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThemayorofParishasbigplanstochangethecity'sfamousstreettheCha
mps-Elysees.Shewantstoturnitintoan"extraordinarygarden".TheC
hamps-ElyseesisintheheartofParis.Peoplesayitis,"themostbeautif
ulavenueintheworld".However,manypeoplethinkitlooksold.Theywa
ntittolookmoremodern.Themayorwantstocutthenumberofcarlanest
omakemoreroomforshoppersandtourists.Shewantsmoretreestoma
keitgreener.TheChamps-Elyseeswasveryelegant.Therewereshowro
omsfullofluxurycars,anddesignerfashionstores.Manyrichpeoplesho
ppedthere.Today,itislikeotherstreetsintheworld,withinternationalc
hainstores,fastfoodrestaurantsandcoffeeshops.Themayorsaid:"We
willredo[onearea]beforetheOlympicGames,thenthefulllengthofthea
venueafterwards.Itwillbeanextraordinarygarden."Theprojectwillco
st$305million.

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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