The Reading / Listening - Mouse Plague - Level 1

Millions of mice are causing a lot of damage in Australia. The country has its worst mouse plague in decades because of a big wheat harvest last year. The mice are a big headache for farmers. The animals have caused problems for a prison west of Sydney. It has moved 200 staff and 420 prisoners to other jails in the area because of health and safety reasons. It will take 10 days to clean the prison and repair electric cables.

Mice have damaged many buildings. Their droppings are a health hazard. In addition, they have damaged electrical wires. This is a danger to buildings and humans. A prisons spokesperson said: "The health, safety and wellbeing of staff and inmates is our number one priority, so it's important for us to...carry out the vital repair work....We need to...ensure the site is thoroughly cleaned and...repaired." He will look at ways to stop future plagues.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Mouse Plague - Level 0 Mouse Plague - Level 2   or  Mouse Plague - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7307607/nsw-jail-evacuated-because-of-mice-plague/
  • https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/everywhere-s-bad-farmers-eye-long-campaign-against-mouse-plague-20210607-p57yor.html
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-06-23/bromadiolone-mouse-plague-poison-rejected-for-use/100218864


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. its worst mouse plague
  2. a big wheat harvest
  3. The mice are a big headache
  4. a prison west
  5. It has moved 200 staff
  6. health and safety
  7. It will take 10 days to
  8. repair electric
  1. and 420 prisoners
  2. for farmers
  3. cables
  4. in decades
  5. clean the prison
  6. last year
  7. reasons
  8. of Sydney

Paragraph 2

  1. Mice have damaged many
  2. Their droppings are a health
  3. they have damaged electrical
  4. our number one
  5. carry out the vital
  6. thoroughly
  7. He will look
  8. stop future
  1. at ways
  2. wires
  3. plagues
  4. buildings
  5. cleaned
  6. priority
  7. repair work
  8. hazard

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Millions of mice are causing a (1) ___________________ in Australia. The country has its worst mouse (2) ___________________ because of a big wheat harvest last year. The mice are a (3) ___________________ farmers. The animals have caused problems for a (4) ___________________ Sydney. It has moved 200 staff (5) ___________________ to other jails in the area because of health and safety reasons. It will take 10 days to clean the prison and (6) ___________________.

Mice have damaged many buildings. Their (7) ___________________ health hazard. In addition, they have (8) ___________________. This is a danger to buildings and humans. A prisons spokesperson said: "The health, safety and (9) ___________________ and inmates is our number one priority, so it's important for us to...carry out the (10) ___________________....We need to...ensure the (11) ___________________ cleaned and...repaired." He will look at (12) ___________________ future plagues.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

MillionsofmicearecausingalotofdamageinAustralia.Thecountryhasit
sworstmouseplagueindecadesbecauseofabigwheatharvestlastyear.
Themiceareabigheadacheforfarmers.Theanimalshavecausedproble
msforaprisonwestofSydney.Ithasmoved200staffand420prisonersto
otherjailsintheareabecauseofhealthandsafetyreasons.Itwilltake10d
aystocleantheprisonandrepairelectriccables.Micehavedamagedma
nybuildings.Theirdroppingsareahealthhazard.Inaddition,theyhaved
amagedelectricalwires.Thisisadangertobuildingsandhumans.Apriso
nsspokespersonsaid:"Thehealth,safetyandwellbeingofstaffandinma
tesisournumberonepriority,soit'simportantforusto...carryoutthevit
alrepairwork....Weneedto...ensurethesiteisthoroughlycleanedand..
.repaired."Hewilllookatwaystostopfutureplagues.

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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