The Reading / Listening - Venice - Level 1

Venice is a top tourist destination. Around 20 million visitors a year can visit. This causes problems such as cruise-ship pollution and overcrowding. The city is planning to charge tourists to visit Venice's historical centre from the summer of 2022. An Italian newspaper said this could be as much as $11. There might also be a limit on the number of visitors who can enter the city centre each day. Tourists may need to book their visit before they go.

People have talked for years about the city's problems. Environmentalists worried about damage to marine life. Heritage lovers want to protect the city's squares from tourists. Italy said there is a "concrete risk" of UNESCO adding Venice to its list of World Heritage in Danger sites. However, a hotel worker says Venice needs cruise ships because tourists "spend big". A city worker worries a tourist fee will turn Venice into a "theme park".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Venice - Level 0 Venice - Level 2   or  Venice - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-21/venice-to-charge-tourists-for-entry-from-summer-2022-la-stampa
  • https://www.wsj.com/articles/venice-is-open-for-tourists-but-not-cruise-ships-11629550801
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9916547/Venice-plans-charge-tourists-10-euros-require-book.html


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. Venice is a top tourist
  2. This causes
  3. The city is planning to
  4. from the
  5. this could be as
  6. a limit on
  7. visitors who can enter the
  8. book their visit
  1. city centre
  2. summer of 2022
  3. before they go
  4. problems
  5. the number
  6. charge tourists
  7. destination
  8. much as $11

Paragraph 2

  1. talked for years
  2. damage to marine
  3. protect the city's
  4. a concrete
  5. UNESCO adding Venice
  6. a hotel worker says Venice needs
  7. tourists spend
  8. turn Venice into a
  1. cruise ships
  2. risk
  3. big
  4. to its list
  5. about the city's problems
  6. theme park
  7. squares from tourists
  8. life

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Venice is a (1) ___________________. Around 20 million visitors a year can visit. This causes (2) ___________________ cruise-ship pollution and overcrowding. The city (3) _________________ charge tourists to visit Venice's historical centre from the summer of 2022. An Italian newspaper said this (4) __________________ much as $11. There might also (5) ___________________ on the number of visitors who can enter the city centre each day. Tourists may need to book (6) ___________________ they go.

People have (7) ___________________ about the city's problems. Environmentalists worried about (8) ___________________ life. Heritage (9) ___________________ protect the city's squares from tourists. Italy said there is a "concrete risk" of UNESCO adding Venice to (10) ___________________ World Heritage in Danger sites. However, a hotel worker says Venice needs cruise ships because (11) ___________________. A city worker worries a tourist fee will turn Venice (12) ___________________ park.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Veniceisatoptouristdestination.Around20millionvisitorsayearcanvis
it.Thiscausesproblemssuchascruise-shippollutionandovercrowding.
ThecityisplanningtochargetouriststovisitVenice'shistoricalcentrefro
mthesummerof2022.AnItaliannewspapersaidthiscouldbeasmuchas
$11.Theremightalsobealimitonthenumberofvisitorswhocanenterthe
citycentreeachday.Touristsmayneedtobooktheirvisitbeforetheygo.
Peoplehavetalkedforyearsaboutthecity'sproblems.Environmentalis
tsworriedaboutdamagetomarinelife.Heritageloverswanttoprotectth
ecity'ssquaresfromtourists.Italysaidthereisa"concreterisk"ofUNESC
OaddingVenicetoitslistofWorldHeritageinDangersites.However,aho
telworkersaysVeniceneedscruiseshipsbecausetourists"spendbig".A
cityworkerworriesatouristfeewillturnVeniceintoa"themepark".

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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