The Reading / Listening - Croissant - Level 1

People are afraid of things like peanut butter sticking to your mouth. The latest thing to cause fear in Poland is a croissant. The crescent-shaped pastry scared some people in Krakow. They mistook a croissant for an animal. They wanted help to get the "animal" removed from a tree. They were so worried they kept their windows closed for a few days. An animal welfare society said a woman called them to report the strange "animal" in the tree.

Residents told the society about the animal. One said it was a bird; another said it was a lizard. A welfare officer went to the residents' apartment. He said he saw a "brown creature sitting on a branch," and that its "brown coat was shining in the sun". He added: "The poor little guy had no legs or head." When he saw the croissant, he was "almost swept off his feet by laughing". He said it was better to be safe than sorry and to report any strange animals.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Croissant - Level 0 Croissant - Level 2   or  Croissant - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/croissant-in-a-tree-brings-fear-to-polish-city/ar-BB1fH4hW
  • https://www.euronews.com/2021/04/16/mystery-animal-sighting-in-krakow-ends-up-being-a-croissant
  • https://www.newsweek.com/mysterious-animal-stuck-tree-revealed-croissant-during-rescue-1583902


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. People are afraid of things
  2. The latest thing
  3. The crescent-
  4. They mistook a croissant
  5. They wanted help to get
  6. They were so
  7. they kept their windows
  8. for a few
  1. days
  2. shaped pastry
  3. worried
  4. the animal removed
  5. like peanut butter
  6. closed
  7. to cause fear
  8. for an animal

Paragraph 2

  1. Residents told the society
  2. another said it
  3. went to the residents'
  4. a brown creature sitting
  5. shining
  6. The poor little guy had
  7. he was almost swept
  8. it was better to be
  1. no legs or head
  2. apartment
  3. safe than sorry
  4. about the animal
  5. off his feet
  6. in the sun
  7. was a lizard
  8. on a branch

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People are afraid (1) ___________________ peanut butter sticking to your mouth. The latest (2) ___________________ fear in Poland is a croissant. The crescent-shaped (3) ___________________ people in Krakow. They mistook a croissant for an animal. They wanted (4) ___________________ the "animal" removed from a tree. They were so worried they kept their windows closed for (5) ___________________. An animal welfare society said a woman called them to report the strange "animal" (6) ___________________.

Residents told the society (7) ___________________. One said it was a bird; another (8) ___________________ a lizard. A welfare officer went to the residents' apartment. He said he saw a "brown creature sitting (9) ___________________," and that its "brown coat was shining in the sun". He added: "The (10) ___________________ had no legs or head." When he saw the croissant, he was "almost swept (11) ___________________ by laughing". He said it was better to be (12) ___________________ and to report any strange animals.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Peopleareafraidofthingslikepeanutbutterstickingtoyourmouth.Thel
atestthingtocausefearinPolandisacroissant.Thecrescent-shapedpa
stryscaredsomepeopleinKrakow.Theymistookacroissantforananim
al.Theywantedhelptogetthe"animal"removedfromatree.Theyweres
oworriedtheykepttheirwindowsclosedforafewdays.Ananimalwelfa
resocietysaidawomancalledthemtoreportthestrange"animal"inthetr
ee.Residentstoldthesocietyabouttheanimal.Onesaiditwasabird;ano
thersaiditwasalizard.Awelfareofficerwenttotheresidents'apartment.
Hesaidhesawa"browncreaturesittingonabranch,"andthatits"brownc
oatwasshininginthesun".Headded:"Thepoorlittleguyhadnolegsorhe
ad."Whenhesawthecroissant,hewas"almostsweptoffhisfeetbylaughi
ng".Hesaiditwasbettertobesafethansorryandtoreportanystrangeani
mals.

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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