The Reading / Listening - Tigray - Level 4

The U.N. has warned that Ethiopia's northern Tigray region is on the brink of famine. In addition to facing starvation, people in Tigray have to suffer additional hardships because of a military conflict. In November, the Tigray People's Liberation Front started fighting Ethiopia's army to overthrow the government. This escalated into the Tigray War. It has caused instability in the region and has increased people's suffering.

The U.N. warned the situation would worsen unless funding is increased and humanitarian access is improved. It said hundreds of thousands of people could die. It added that businesses, the economy, crops and farms have been destroyed. A farmer said: "We are eating small remains of crops...but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any aid. Almost everyone is on the verge of death....Death is knocking on our door."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Tigray - Level 5 or  Tigray - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-57397901
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tigray-ethiopia-war-un-warns-famine-could-kill-hundreds-of-thousands/
  • https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/26/over-1-7-million-people-displaced-due-to-conflict-need-urgent-assistance-in-northern-ethiopia-iom/


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. The northern
  2. In addition to facing
  3. had to endure additional
  4. military
  5. overthrow the
  6. Eritrea joined on the
  7. This escalated into
  8. It has caused instability
  1. side of Ethiopia
  2. hardships
  3. the Tigray War
  4. starvation
  5. state of Tigray
  6. in the region
  7. government
  8. conflict

Paragraph 2

  1. The situation will only keep
  2. humanitarian
  3. There is now the risk of
  4. running into the hundreds
  5. crops and farms have
  6. Nobody has given us
  7. everyone is on the verge
  8. Death is knocking on
  1. been destroyed
  2. of death
  3. of thousands
  4. our door
  5. a loss of life
  6. getting worse
  7. any aid
  8. access

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The U.N. (1) ___________________ people in Ethiopia's Tigray (2) ___________________ the brink of a famine. The northern state of Tigray is home to the Tigrayan, Irob and Kunama peoples. (3) ___________________ facing starvation, people in Tigray have had to endure additional hardships because of (4) ___________________. In November, the Tigray People's Liberation Front started fighting Ethiopia's (5) ___________________ the government. Neighbouring Eritrea joined on the side of Ethiopia. This escalated into the Tigray War. It has (6) ___________________ the region and has increased people's suffering.

The U.N. warned that: "The situation will only (7) ___________________ unless needed funding is increased and humanitarian (8) ___________________." It added: "People need to wake up. There is now the risk of a (9) ___________________ running into the (10) ___________________ or worse." It said businesses, the economy, crops and farms have been destroyed. A farmer in Tigray said: "We are eating small (11) ___________________ that we have managed to hide, but now we don't have anything. Nobody has given us any aid. Almost everyone is on the (12) ___________________....Death is knocking on our door."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheU.N.haswarnedthatpeopleinEthiopia'sTigrayregionareonthebrin
kofafamine.ThenorthernstateofTigrayishometotheTigrayan,Iroban
dKunamapeoples.Inadditiontofacingstarvation,peopleinTigrayhave
hadtoendureadditionalhardshipsbecauseofamilitaryconflict.InNove
mber,theTigrayPeople'sLiberationFrontstartedfightingEthiopia'sar
mytooverthrowthegovernment.NeighbouringEritreajoinedonthesid
eofEthiopia.ThisescalatedintotheTigrayWar.Ithascausedinstabilityi
ntheregionandhasincreasedpeople'ssuffering.TheU.N.warnedthat:"
Thesituationwillonlykeepgettingworseunlessneededfundingisincrea
sedandhumanitarianaccessisimproved."Itadded:"Peopleneedtowa
keup.Thereisnowtheriskofalossofliferunningintothehundredsofthou
sandsorworse."Itsaidbusinesses,theeconomy,cropsandfarmshaveb
eendestroyed.AfarmerinTigraysaid:"Weareeatingsmallremainsofcr
opsthatwehavemanagedtohide,butnowwedon'thaveanything.Nobo
dyhasgivenusanyaid.Almosteveryoneisonthevergeofdeath....Death
isknockingonourdoor."

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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