The Reading / Listening - Croissant - Level 2

People are afraid of strange things, like peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. The latest thing to cause fear for people in Poland is a croissant. The crescent-shaped flaky pastry scared some residents in the city of Krakow. They mistook a croissant for a dangerous animal. They called for help to get the "animal" removed from a tree opposite their apartment. They were so worried that they kept their windows closed for a few days. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote that a woman called them to report the unidentified "predator" sitting in the tree.

Animal welfare officers asked the residents to describe the animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird; another said it was a lizard. One officer explained what happened. He said he went to the apartment where the residents lived to check the strange animal. 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 a laughing attack". He said it was better to be safe than sorry and to report any sightings of strange animals.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Croissant - Level 0 Croissant - Level 1   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
  2. the roof of
  3. The latest thing
  4. The crescent-shaped
  5. They called
  6. a tree opposite
  7. closed for
  8. report the unidentified
  1. predator
  2. for help
  3. a few of days
  4. of strange things
  5. flaky pastry
  6. your mouth
  7. their apartment
  8. to cause fear

Paragraph 2

  1. One resident mistook the croissant
  2. the apartment where the
  3. a brown creature sitting
  4. shining
  5. The poor little
  6. almost swept
  7. it was better to
  8. report any sightings
  1. off his feet
  2. on a branch
  3. of strange animals
  4. guy
  5. for a bird
  6. be safe than sorry
  7. residents lived
  8. in the sun

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People (1) ___________________ strange things, like peanut butter sticking to the (2) ___________________ mouth. The latest thing to cause fear for people in Poland is a croissant. The crescent-shaped flaky pastry (3) ___________________ in the city of Krakow. (4) ___________________ croissant for a dangerous animal. They called for help to get the "animal" removed from (5) ___________________ their apartment. They were so worried that they kept their windows closed for (6) ___________________. The Krakow Animal Welfare Society wrote that a woman called them to report the unidentified "predator" sitting in the tree.

Animal welfare officers asked the residents (7) ___________________ animal. One resident mistook the croissant for a bird; another said it was a lizard. One officer (8) ___________________. He said he went to the apartment where the residents lived to check the strange animal. He said he saw a "brown creature sitting (9) ___________________," and that its "brown coat (10) ___________________ the sun". He added: "The poor little guy had no legs or head." When he saw the croissant, he was "almost (11) ___________________ feet by a laughing attack". He said it was better to be (12) ___________________ and to report any sightings of strange animals.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Peopleareafraidofstrangethings,likepeanutbutterstickingtotheroofo
fyourmouth.ThelatestthingtocausefearforpeopleinPolandisacroissa
nt.Thecrescent-shapedflakypastryscaredsomeresidentsinthecityo
fKrakow.Theymistookacroissantforadangerousanimal.Theycalledfo
rhelptogetthe"animal"removedfromatreeoppositetheirapartment.T
heyweresoworriedthattheykepttheirwindowsclosedforafewdays.T
heKrakowAnimalWelfareSocietywrotethatawomancalledthemtorep
orttheunidentified"predator"sittinginthetree.Animalwelfareofficers
askedtheresidentstodescribetheanimal.Oneresidentmistookthecroi
ssantforabird;anothersaiditwasalizard.Oneofficerexplainedwhatha
ppened.Hesaidhewenttotheapartmentwheretheresidentslivedtoche
ckthestrangeanimal.Hesaidhesawa"browncreaturesittingonabranc
h,"andthatits"browncoatwasshininginthesun".Headded:"Thepoorlit
tleguyhadnolegsorhead."Whenhesawthecroissant,hewas"almostsw
eptoffhisfeetbyalaughingattack".Hesaiditwasbettertobesafethanso
rryandtoreportanysightingsofstrangeanimals.

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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