The Reading / Listening - 2020 Dubai Expo - Level 4

The 2020 Dubai Expo finally opened. It will run until March 2022. Famous singers took part in an amazing opening ceremony. These included the opera singer Andrea Bocelli, the pianist Lang Lang and Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu. CNN was impressed. It said: "Dubai doesn't do anything by half. The city always goes big." Reuters wrote about "lavish" fireworks, music, and messages about the power of global collaboration and a sustainable future.

Expo takes place every five years. It showcases solutions to challenges faced by humanity. The Dubai Expo theme is "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". It will also focus on sustainability, mobility and opportunity. It is the first Expo to be held in the Middle East. Around 25 million visitors will see exhibits from almost 200 countries. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum promised it would "astonish the world".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    2020 Dubai Expo - Level 5 or  2020 Dubai Expo - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2021/10/01/night-falls-on-expo-2020-dubai-the-coolest-new-spot-in-town/
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/middle-easts-first-expo-open-dubai-under-shadow-pandemic-2021-09-20/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_2020#Themes


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. It will run
  2. Famous singers
  3. opera
  4. CNN was
  5. Dubai doesn't do anything
  6. The city always
  7. the power of global
  8. a sustainable
  1. by half
  2. collaboration
  3. impressed
  4. future
  5. goes big
  6. took part
  7. until March 2022
  8. singer

Paragraph 2

  1. Expo takes place every
  2. It showcases
  3. challenges faced
  4. It will also focus
  5. mobility
  6. the first Expo to be held
  7. exhibits from almost
  8. it would astonish
  1. in the Middle East
  2. by humanity
  3. the world
  4. and opportunity
  5. five years
  6. on sustainability
  7. solutions
  8. 200 countries

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The 2020 Dubai Expo finally opened. It (1) ___________________ March 2022. Famous singers (2) ___________________ an amazing opening ceremony. These (3) ___________________ singer Andrea Bocelli, the pianist Lang Lang and Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu. CNN was impressed. It said: "Dubai doesn't do (4) ___________________. The city always goes big." Reuters (5) ___________________ fireworks, music, and messages about the power of global collaboration and (6) ___________________.

Expo takes place every five years. (7) ___________________ to challenges (8) ___________________. The Dubai Expo theme is "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". It will (9) ___________________ sustainability, mobility and opportunity. It is the first Expo to (10) ___________________ the Middle East. Around 25 million visitors will (11) ___________________ almost 200 countries. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum promised it would "(12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

The2020DubaiExpofinallyopened.ItwillrununtilMarch2022.Famous
singerstookpartinanamazingopeningceremony.Theseincludedtheo
perasingerAndreaBocelli,thepianistLangLangandSaudisingerMoha
mmedAbdu.CNNwasimpressed.Itsaid:"Dubaidoesn'tdoanythingby
half.Thecityalwaysgoesbig."Reuterswroteabout"lavish"fireworks,m
usic,andmessagesaboutthepowerofglobalcollaborationandasustain
ablefuture.Expotakesplaceeveryfiveyears.Itshowcasessolutionstoc
hallengesfacedbyhumanity.TheDubaiExpothemeis"ConnectingMind
s,CreatingtheFuture".Itwillalsofocusonsustainability,mobilityandop
portunity.ItisthefirstExpotobeheldintheMiddleEast.Around25million
visitorswillseeexhibitsfromalmost200countries.Dubai'srulerSheikh
MohammedbinRashidAlMaktoumpromiseditwould"astonishtheworl
d".

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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