The Reading / Listening - Afghanistan - Level 2

The G20 is a group of 19 countries plus the European Union. It has just met to talk about Afghanistan. Leaders of the G20 promised to help Afghanistan's economy. Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, the economy has almost collapsed. Germany's leader said it was important to help Afghanistan. She said if the country's economy collapsed, no one could give aid to the country. She added: "To look on as 40 million people [slip] into chaos because there's no financial system must not be the goal of the international community."

The G20 leaders will talk to the Taliban about humanitarian aid. Italy's prime minister is the current leader of the G20. He said: "It is very hard to see how you can help people in Afghanistan without...the Taliban." The EU will increase the aid it gives to $1.15 billion. The IMF and World Bank will also provide aid but they did not say how much. The Taliban said: "The international community needs to start cooperating with us." It said the aid would help to stop insecurity in the country. It said it would also help the Taliban to "engage positively with the world".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Afghanistan - Level 0 Afghanistan - Level 1   or  Afghanistan - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58887808
  • https://www.arabnews.com/node/1946211/world
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/12/afghanistan-at-make-or-break-point-says-un-as-g20-ministers-meet


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 group
  2. It has just
  3. Leaders of the G20 promised
  4. Since the Taliban took
  5. the economy has almost
  6. no one could give
  7. slip into
  8. financial
  1. collapsed
  2. to help
  3. system
  4. chaos
  5. over
  6. of 19 countries
  7. aid
  8. met to talk

Paragraph 2

  1. talk to the Taliban about
  2. the current leader
  3. The EU will increase
  4. they did not say how
  5. The international
  6. stop insecurity in
  7. It said it would also
  8. engage positively
  1. the country
  2. the aid it gives
  3. help the Taliban
  4. community
  5. humanitarian aid
  6. with the world
  7. of the G20
  8. much

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The G20 is (1) ___________________ 19 countries plus the European Union. It has just (2) ___________________ about Afghanistan. Leaders of the G20 promised to help Afghanistan's economy. Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, the (3) ___________________ collapsed. Germany's leader said it was (4) ___________________ Afghanistan. She said if the country's economy collapsed, no one could give aid to the country. She added: "To look on as 40 million people (5) ___________________ because there's no financial system must not be (6) ___________________ the international community."

The G20 leaders will talk to the Taliban about humanitarian aid. Italy's prime minister is (7) ___________________ of the G20. He said: "It (8) ___________________ to see how you can help people in Afghanistan without...the Taliban." The EU will (9) ___________________ it gives to $1.15 billion. The IMF and World Bank will also provide aid but they did not (10) ___________________. The Taliban said: "The international community needs to start cooperating with us." It said the aid would (11) ___________________ insecurity in the country. It said it would also help the Taliban to "(12) ___________________ the world".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheG20isagroupof19countriesplustheEuropeanUnion.Ithasjustmet
totalkaboutAfghanistan.LeadersoftheG20promisedtohelpAfghanist
an'seconomy.SincetheTalibantookoverAfghanistaninAugust,theeco
nomyhasalmostcollapsed.Germany'sleadersaiditwasimportanttohe
lpAfghanistan.Shesaidifthecountry'seconomycollapsed,noonecould
giveaidtothecountry.Sheadded:"Tolookonas40millionpeople[slip]in
tochaosbecausethere'snofinancialsystemmustnotbethegoaloftheint
ernationalcommunity."TheG20leaderswilltalktotheTalibanabouthu
manitarianaid.Italy'sprimeministeristhecurrentleaderoftheG20.Hes
aid:"ItisveryhardtoseehowyoucanhelppeopleinAfghanistanwithout.
..theTaliban."TheEUwillincreasetheaiditgivesto$1.15billion.TheIMF
andWorldBankwillalsoprovideaidbuttheydidnotsayhowmuch.TheTal
ibansaid:"Theinternationalcommunityneedstostartcooperatingwith
us."Itsaidtheaidwouldhelptostopinsecurityinthecountry.Itsaiditwou
ldalsohelptheTalibanto"engagepositivelywiththeworld".

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You