The Reading / Listening - Europe's Floods - Level 5

Germany's leader Angela Merkel expressed fears about climate change after the devastation from the severe flooding in Europe. Ms Merkel said she was horrified by the destruction across swathes of Europe. She visited the hardest-hit areas in Germany and listened to accounts of the disaster from local residents. She said: "It's shocking. I can pretty much say that the German language does not have words to describe the destruction." Ms Merkel said the world had to escalate efforts to tackle the climate crisis. She said: "We have to be faster in the fight against climate change."

Torrential rains caused many rivers to swell and overflow last week. Many burst their banks and caused flash floods in adjacent areas. Floodwaters washed away houses, roads and bridges across Germany, Belgium and other countries. The death toll is now 190, with many people missing. Towns are covered in debris and some areas are beyond recognition. Ms Merkel described this as being "surreal". The premier of one flood-stricken state said the clean-up operation would take "years". He questioned Germany's preparedness for floods and the effectiveness of flood defences.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Europe's Floods - Level 4 or  Europe's Floods - Level 6

Sources
  • https://news.yahoo.com/merkel-visit-flood-zone-western-051016535.html
  • https://www.politico.eu/article/merkel-pledges-stronger-post-flood-focus-on-climate-protection/
  • https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/reuters/-it-s-terrifying---merkel-shaken-as-flood-deaths-rise-to-188-in-europe/46796240


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. Merkel expressed fears
  2. devastation from the severe
  3. she was horrified by
  4. across swathes
  5. She visited the hardest-
  6. I can pretty
  7. escalate efforts to tackle
  8. the fight
  1. of Europe
  2. the climate crisis
  3. much say that
  4. against climate change
  5. flooding
  6. hit areas
  7. about climate change
  8. the destruction

Paragraph 2

  1. Torrential rains caused many rivers
  2. Many burst their
  3. death
  4. some areas are beyond
  5. The premier of one flood-
  6. the clean-up
  7. Germany's preparedness
  8. the effectiveness of flood
  1. banks
  2. defences
  3. recognition
  4. for floods
  5. to swell
  6. toll
  7. operation
  8. stricken state

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Germany's leader Angela Merkel (1) ___________________ climate change after the devastation from (2) ___________________ in Europe. Ms Merkel said she (3) ___________________ the destruction across swathes of Europe. She visited the hardest-hit areas in Germany and listened to accounts of the (4) ___________________ residents. She said: "It's shocking. I can (5) ___________________ that the German language does not have words to describe the destruction." Ms Merkel said the world had to escalate (6) ___________________ the climate crisis. She said: "We have to be faster in the fight against climate change."

Torrential rains caused many rivers to (7) ___________________ last week. Many (8) ___________________ and caused flash floods in adjacent areas. Floodwaters washed away houses, roads and bridges across Germany, Belgium and other countries. The (9) ___________________ now 190, with many people missing. Towns are covered (10) ___________________ some areas are beyond recognition. Ms Merkel described this (11) ___________________. The premier of one flood-stricken state said the clean-up operation would take "years". He questioned Germany's (12) ___________________ and the effectiveness of flood defences.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Germany'sleaderAngelaMerkelexpressedfearsaboutclimatechange
afterthedevastationfromtheseverefloodinginEurope.MsMerkelsaids
hewashorrifiedbythedestructionacrossswathesofEurope.Shevisited
thehardest-hitareasinGermanyandlistenedtoaccountsofthedisast
erfromlocalresidents.Shesaid:"It'sshocking.Icanprettymuchsaytha
ttheGermanlanguagedoesnothavewordstodescribethedestruction."
MsMerkelsaidtheworldhadtoescalateeffortstotackletheclimatecrisis.
Shesaid:"Wehavetobefasterinthefightagainstclimatechange."Torre
ntialrainscausedmanyriverstoswellandoverflowlastweek.Manyburst
theirbanksandcausedflashfloodsinadjacentareas.Floodwaterswash
edawayhouses,roadsandbridgesacrossGermany,Belgiumandotherc
ountries.Thedeathtollisnow190,withmanypeoplemissing.Townsare
coveredindebrisandsomeareasarebeyondrecognition.MsMerkeldes
cribedthisasbeing"surreal".Thepremierofoneflood-strickenstatesa
idtheclean-upoperationwouldtake"years".HequestionedGerman
y'spreparednessforfloodsandtheeffectivenessofflooddefences.

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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