The Reading / Listening - Rabbit - Level 4

The world's longest rabbit has been stolen from his home in England. Darius measures 129cm from nose to tail. Police say he was abducted late Saturday evening. They said: "It is believed the rabbit was stolen from its enclosure in the garden of the property of its owners....We are appealing for information following the theft." Darius' owner has offered a $2,750 reward. She begged for his safe return and said Darius was too old to be bred.

There has been a rise in pet thefts in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic. Darius' owner said: "Every animal is an individual that can't be replaced....[Darius] is such a loveable character." The police said this was a high-profile case as Darius was a celebrity in England. They believe the thieves have a special motive because of the commercial value of the rabbit. The UK's policing minister called animal theft a "vile crime". He promised to crack down on it.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Rabbit - Level 5 or  Rabbit - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2021/04/13/bunny-missing-england-police-say-giant-rabbit-stolen/7208440002/
  • https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/12/worlds-biggest-rabbit-stolen-from-home-in-worcestershire
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/worlds-biggest-rabbit-stolen-b1830420.html


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. Darius measures
  2. from nose
  3. he was abducted late
  4. the rabbit was stolen
  5. We are appealing
  6. Darius' owner has offered
  7. She begged for his
  8. Darius was too old
  1. for information
  2. Saturday evening
  3. safe return
  4. to tail
  5. a $2,750 reward
  6. from its enclosure
  7. to be bred
  8. 129cm

Paragraph 2

  1. There has been a rise
  2. during the coronavirus
  3. Every animal is an
  4. this was a high-
  5. because of the commercial
  6. The UK's policing
  7. a vile
  8. He promised to crack
  1. value of the rabbit
  2. individual
  3. down on it
  4. in pet thefts
  5. crime
  6. profile case
  7. minister
  8. pandemic

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The world's longest rabbit (1) ___________________ from his home in England. Darius measures 129cm from (2) ___________________. Police say he (3) ___________________ Saturday evening. They said: "It is believed the rabbit was stolen (4) ___________________ in the garden of the property of its owners....We (5) ___________________ information following the theft." Darius' owner has offered a $2,750 reward. She begged for (6) ___________________ and said Darius was too old to be bred.

There has been (7) ___________________ pet thefts in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic. Darius' owner said: "Every (8) ___________________ individual that can't be replaced....[Darius] is such (9) ___________________." The police said this was a high-profile case as Darius was a celebrity in England. They (10) ___________________ have a special motive because of the commercial (11) ___________________ rabbit. The UK's policing minister called animal theft a "vile crime". He promised to (12) ___________________ it.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theworld'slongestrabbithasbeenstolenfromhishomeinEngland.Dari
usmeasures129cmfromnosetotail.PolicesayhewasabductedlateSat
urdayevening.Theysaid:"Itisbelievedtherabbitwasstolenfromitsenc
losureinthegardenofthepropertyofitsowners....Weareappealingfori
nformationfollowingthetheft."Darius'ownerhasoffereda$2,750rewa
rd.ShebeggedforhissafereturnandsaidDariuswastoooldtobebred.Th
erehasbeenariseinpettheftsintheUKduringthecoronaviruspandemic
.Darius'ownersaid:"Everyanimalisanindividualthatcan'tbereplaced.
...[Darius]issuchaloveablecharacter."Thepolicesaidthiswasahigh-
profilecaseasDariuswasacelebrityinEngland.Theybelievethethieves
haveaspecialmotivebecauseofthecommercialvalueoftherabbit.The
UK'spolicingministercalledanimalthefta"vilecrime".Hepromisedtocr
ackdownonit.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You