The Reading / Listening - Timber Shortage - Level 4

A global timber shortage is causing problems for the housing industry. It has caused a sharp rise in the price of new houses. In some countries, the price of timber has gone up by 25 per cent. One reason for this is because people have been reforming their homes during lockdown. DIY stores say home projects have created "extraordinary demand". They said suppliers were "working around the clock" but are "struggling to keep up".

A major reason for the timber shortage is climate change. In addition, an increase in wildfires is destroying forests. Many have been completely burnt to the ground. The warmer weather has also increased the number of pests that damage or kill trees. Sweden is a major supplier of timber wood. It has its lowest timber stocks for 20 years. The UK is "committed to trebling tree planting rates". A builder joked that he didn't have time for those trees to grow.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Timber Shortage - Level 5 or  Timber Shortage - Level 6

Sources
  • https://indaily.com.au/news/2021/07/27/timber-shortage-threatens-to-send-builders-to-the-wall/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57920510
  • https://www.natlawreview.com/article/pandemic-demand-causes-unprecedented-building-supply-shortage


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. A global timber shortage is
  2. the housing
  3. a sharp rise in the
  4. the price of timber
  5. people have been reforming
  6. projects have created extraordinary
  7. working around
  8. struggling to
  1. the clock
  2. price of new houses
  3. their homes
  4. keep up
  5. has gone up
  6. industry
  7. demand
  8. causing problems

Paragraph 2

  1. A major reason for the
  2. an increase in wildfires
  3. completely burnt
  4. increased the number
  5. Sweden is a major supplier
  6. It has its lowest timber stocks
  7. committed to trebling
  8. he didn't have time for
  1. for 20 years
  2. to the ground
  3. those trees to grow
  4. is destroying forests
  5. timber shortage
  6. tree planting rates
  7. of pests
  8. of timber wood

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A global timber (1) ___________________ problems for the housing industry. It has caused a (2) ___________________ the price of new houses. In some countries, the (3) ___________________ has gone up by 25 per cent. One reason for this is because people have been reforming their (4) ___________________. DIY stores say home projects have created "extraordinary demand". (5) ___________________ were "working around the clock" but are "(6) ___________________ up".

A major reason for the timber (7) ___________________ change. In addition, an (8) ___________________ is destroying forests. Many have been (9) ___________________ the ground. The warmer weather has also increased the (10) ___________________ that damage or kill trees. Sweden is a major supplier of timber wood. It has its (11) ___________________ for 20 years. The UK is "committed to trebling tree planting rates". A builder joked that he didn't have time (12) ___________________ to grow.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Aglobaltimbershortageiscausingproblemsforthehousingindustry.It
hascausedasharpriseinthepriceofnewhouses.Insomecountries,thep
riceoftimberhasgoneupby25percent.Onereasonforthisisbecausepe
oplehavebeenreformingtheirhomesduringlockdown.DIYstoressayh
omeprojectshavecreated"extraordinarydemand".Theysaidsupplier
swere"workingaroundtheclock"butare"strugglingtokeepup".Amajor
reasonforthetimbershortageisclimatechange.Inaddition,anincrease
inwildfiresisdestroyingforests.Manyhavebeencompletelyburnttothe
ground.Thewarmerweatherhasalsoincreasedthenumberofpeststhat
damageorkilltrees.Swedenisamajorsupplieroftimberwood.Ithasitsl
owesttimberstocksfor20years.TheUKis"committedtotreblingtreepla
ntingrates".Abuilderjokedthathedidn'thavetimeforthosetreestogro
w.

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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