The Reading / Listening - Oil Production - Level 5

The oil company Shell has announced it has passed its peak production of oil. Shell said that, "oil production peaked in 2019". The days of declining output have started. The fall comes a year ahead of Shell's forecasts. In 2015, the company predicted the peak demand would be in 2020. The company expects a drop of up to two per cent production per year. The announcement included news that Shell would reduce the number of its oil refineries from 14 to six. This means the loss of around 9,000 jobs, or more than 10 per cent of its workforce.

Shell is shifting its focus onto renewables and reducing its carbon footprint. It wants to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It wants to diversify into providing energy rather than extracting fossil fuels. It wants to explore green technologies such as carbon capture and electric vehicle charging stations. Shell's CEO vowed to create half a million EV charging points by 2025. He said: "We must give our customers the products and services they want - products that have the lowest environmental impact. We will...grow in markets where demand for cleaner products and services is strongest."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Oil Production - Level 4 or  Oil Production - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1131263_shell-admits-it-s-past-peak-oil-eyes-carbon-offsets-as-a-business-opportunity
  • https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-9250857/Oil-production-passed-peak-admits-Shell.html
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shell-results-idUSKBN27E119


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. declining
  2. The fall comes a year ahead
  3. peak demand would be
  4. The company expects a drop of
  5. Shell would
  6. oil
  7. the loss of
  8. more than 10 per cent of its
  1. in 2020
  2. around 9,000 jobs
  3. of Shell's forecasts
  4. workforce
  5. up to two per cent
  6. output
  7. refineries
  8. reduce the number

Paragraph 2

  1. Shell is shifting its focus onto
  2. reducing its carbon
  3. net-zero carbon
  4. It wants to
  5. extracting fossil
  6. carbon
  7. have the lowest environmental
  8. cleaner products
  1. fuels
  2. impact
  3. diversify
  4. and services
  5. capture
  6. footprint
  7. renewables
  8. emissions

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The oil company Shell has announced (1) ___________________ its peak production of oil. Shell said that, "oil production peaked in 2019". The (2) ___________________ output have started. The fall comes a (3) ___________________ Shell's forecasts. In 2015, the company predicted the peak demand would be in 2020. The company (4) ___________________ of up to two per cent production per year. The announcement included news that Shell would (5) ___________________ of its oil refineries from 14 to six. This means the loss of around 9,000 jobs, or more than 10 per cent (6) ___________________.

Shell is shifting (7) ___________________ renewables and reducing its carbon footprint. It wants to have net-zero (8) ___________________ 2050. It wants to diversify into providing energy rather than extracting fossil fuels. It (9) ___________________ green technologies such as carbon capture and electric vehicle charging stations. Shell's CEO (10) ___________________ half a million EV charging points by 2025. He said: "We must give our customers the products and (11) ___________________ - products that have the lowest environmental impact. We will...grow in markets where demand (12) ___________________ and services is strongest."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheoilcompanyShellhasannouncedithaspasseditspeakproductionof
oil.Shellsaidthat,"oilproductionpeakedin2019".Thedaysofdeclining
outputhavestarted.ThefallcomesayearaheadofShell'sforecasts.In2
015,thecompanypredictedthepeakdemandwouldbein2020.Thecom
panyexpectsadropofuptotwopercentproductionperyear.Theannoun
cementincludednewsthatShellwouldreducethenumberofitsoilrefiner
iesfrom14tosix.Thismeansthelossofaround9,000jobs,ormorethan1
0percentofitsworkforce.Shellisshiftingitsfocusontorenewablesandr
educingitscarbonfootprint.Itwantstohavenet-zerocarbonemission
sby2050.Itwantstodiversifyintoprovidingenergyratherextractingfos
silfuels.Itwantstoexploregreentechnologiessuchascarboncapturean
delectricvehiclechargingstations.Shell'sCEOvowedtocreatehalfamill
ionEVchargingpointsby2025.Hesaid:"Wemustgiveourcustomersthe
productsandservicestheywant-productsthathavethelowestenviron
mentalimpact.Wewill...growinmarketswheredemandforcleanerpro
ductsandservicesisstrongest."

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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