The Reading / Listening - Tonga Tsunami - Level 0

Tonga is cleaning up after the tsunami and volcano. The undersea volcano erupted on Saturday. It sent tsunami waves to Japan. It also destroyed large parts of Tonga. A lot of the cleanup work cannot start because of the ash. It buried buildings and is blocking many roads.

Tonga called the disasters a one-of-a-kind event. The volcano cut Tonga's Internet cable. Engineers are trying to fix this. It is difficult to get aid into the country because of damage to the airport. Tonga shut its borders in 2020 to keep COVID-19 out. It is worried that aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" into the country.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Tonga Tsunami - Level 1 Tonga Tsunami - Level 2   or  Tonga Tsunami - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/18/asia/tonga-volcano-tsunami-damage-intl-hnk/index.html
  • https://www.the-sun.com/news/4482496/shocking-before-after-satellite-photos-tonga-tsunamis-devastation/
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/world/australia/tonga-volcano-covid.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. Tonga is cleaning
  2. The undersea volcano erupted
  3. It sent tsunami
  4. It also destroyed large
  5. A lot of the cleanup work
  6. because of the
  7. It buried
  8. blocking many
  1. can't start
  2. waves to Japan
  3. ash
  4. on Saturday
  5. roads
  6. up
  7. parts of Tonga
  8. buildings

Paragraph 2

  1. a one-of-a-kind
  2. The volcano cut Tonga's Internet
  3. Engineers are
  4. fix
  5. It is difficult to get aid
  6. damage to the
  7. Tonga shut
  8. bring a tsunami of COVID-19
  1. into the country
  2. this
  3. cable
  4. into the country
  5. its borders
  6. event
  7. airport
  8. trying

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Tonga (1) ___________________ after the tsunami and volcano. The undersea (2) ___________________ Saturday. It sent (3) ___________________ Japan. It also destroyed (4) ________________ Tonga. A lot of (5) ___________________ cannot start because of the ash. It buried buildings (6) ___________________ many roads.

Tonga called the (7) ___________________ -of-a-kind event. The volcano cut Tonga's Internet cable. Engineers (8) ___________________ fix this. It is difficult (9) ___________________ into the country because of damage to the airport. Tonga (10) ___________________ in 2020 to keep COVID-19 out. It (11) ___________________ aid workers could bring a "tsunami of COVID-19" (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Tongaiscleaningupafterthetsunamiandvolcano.Theunderseavolcan
oeruptedonSaturday.ItsenttsunamiwavestoJapan.Italsodestroyedl
argepartsofTonga.Alotofthecleanupworkcannotstartbecauseofthea
sh.Itburiedbuildingsandisblockingmanyroads.Tongacalledthedisast
ersaone-of-a-kindevent.ThevolcanocutTonga'sInternetcable.Engin
eersaretryingtofixthis.Itisdifficulttogetaidintothecountrybecauseof
damagetotheairport.Tongashutitsbordersin2020tokeepCOVID-
19out.Itisworriedthataidworkerscouldbringa"tsunamiofCOVID-
19"intothecountry.

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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