The Reading / Listening - Scorpions - Level 1

Scorpions stung 500 people in Egypt. Heavy rain brought hundreds of scorpions into the streets and people's homes this week. Many people went to hospital. Doctors gave them injections and the people went home. Some people were in pain, had fever and were vomiting. Hospitals are on alert for more people with stings. A weather expert said farmers should be careful in their fields. He also asked people to be careful of snakes.

People are worried because the scorpions are dangerous. They are Arabian fat-tailed scorpions. Their nickname is "man-killer". Their venom can kill a human in an hour. The scorpions live in the mountains. The weather expert said people should wear proper shoes. He said scorpion numbers would go down after the rainwater dried up. Less than one per cent of the world's scorpion species are deadly.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Scorpions - Level 0 Scorpions - Level 2   or  Scorpions - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/16/more-than-500-stung-by-scorpions-flushed-out-by-storms-in-egypt
  • https://www.egyptindependent.com/egypt-warns-aswan-residents-of-scorpions-and-snakes/
  • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/deadly-scorpions-kill-three-injure-25465378


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. Scorpions stung 500
  2. heavy
  3. Doctors gave them
  4. Some people were
  5. Hospitals are on
  6. a weather
  7. farmers should be careful in
  8. be careful
  1. in pain
  2. expert
  3. people in Egypt
  4. injections
  5. of snakes
  6. alert
  7. rain
  8. their fields

Paragraph 2

  1. People are
  2. the scorpions are
  3. They are Arabian fat-
  4. Their nickname is "
  5. Their venom can
  6. people should wear
  7. after the rainwater
  8. the world's scorpion
  1. tailed scorpions
  2. dried up
  3. species
  4. dangerous
  5. worried
  6. man-killer"
  7. proper shoes
  8. kill a human

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scorpions stung 500 people in Egypt. (1) ___________________ hundreds of scorpions (2) ___________________ and people's homes this week. Many people (3) ___________________. Doctors gave them injections and the people went home. Some people were in pain, (4) ___________________ were vomiting. Hospitals are (5) ___________________ more people with stings. A weather expert said farmers should be careful in their fields. He also asked people to be (6) ___________________.

People are worried because the (7) ___________________. They are Arabian fat-tailed scorpions. Their nickname (8) ___________________. Their venom can (9) ___________________ in an hour. The scorpions live in the mountains. The (10) ___________________ people should wear proper shoes. He said scorpion numbers would go down after the (11) ___________________. Less than one per cent of the world's scorpion (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scorpionsstung500peopleinEgypt.Heavyrainbroughthundredsofsco
rpionsintothestreetsandpeople'shomesthisweek.Manypeoplewentt
ohospital.Doctorsgavetheminjectionsandthepeoplewenthome.Som
epeoplewereinpain,hadfeverandwerevomiting.Hospitalsareonalertf
ormorepeoplewithstings.Aweatherexpertsaidfarmersshouldbecaref
ulintheirfields.Healsoaskedpeopletobecarefulofsnakes.Peoplearew
orriedbecausethescorpionsaredangerous.TheyareArabianfat-tail
edscorpions.Theirnicknameis"man-killer".Theirvenomcankillahum
aninanhour.Thescorpionsliveinthemountains.Theweatherexpertsai
dpeopleshouldwearpropershoes.Hesaidscorpionnumberswouldgod
ownaftertherainwaterdriedup.Lessthanonepercentoftheworld'sscor
pionspeciesaredeadly.

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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