The Reading / Listening - Fast Fashion - Level 2

Environmentalists are worrying about how fast fashion affects the environment. Fast fashion is producing lots of clothes at a low cost. They are put in shops quickly to create a high demand. Companies make 100 billion items of clothing every year. This will grow by 60 per cent by 2030. Fast fashion is having a negative effect on the environment. Many clothes end up in landfills and are not recycled. In addition, the chemicals used to make the clothes cause problems. These damage the health of people working in clothes factories, including children who make many of the clothes.

The way people buy clothes is adding to the problem. People used to go to stores and try clothes on. People took time before they bought clothes. They also wore them for longer. Today, people buy cheap clothes and if they don't like them, they take them back. This is creating a throwaway society. Some people buy clothes and never wear them. The German company Deutsche Welle wrote: "Every year in Europe, four million tons of clothing ends up in the trash. Less than one per cent of this is recycled." It seems the fashion industry is not so sustainable.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Fast Fashion - Level 0 Fast Fashion - Level 1   or  Fast Fashion - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.dw.com/en/fast-fashion-the-shady-world-of-cheap-clothing/a-60351403
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-04/charities-spending-millions-cleaning-up-fast-fashion-graveyard/10328758
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-60249712


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. Environmentalists are
  2. how fast fashion affects
  3. producing lots of clothes
  4. create a high
  5. 100 billion items
  6. having a negative effect
  7. Many clothes end
  8. These damage the health
  1. of clothing
  2. demand
  3. up in landfills
  4. the environment
  5. on the environment
  6. worrying
  7. of people
  8. at a low cost

Paragraph 2

  1. People used to
  2. They also wore them
  3. they take them
  4. This is creating a throwaway
  5. Some people buy clothes and
  6. tons of clothing ends
  7. Less than one per cent of
  8. the fashion industry
  1. back
  2. this is recycled
  3. never wear them
  4. for longer
  5. is not so sustainable
  6. society
  7. go to stores
  8. up in the trash

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Environmentalists are worrying (1) ___________________ fashion affects the environment. Fast fashion (2) ___________________ of clothes at a low cost. They are put in shops quickly to create a high demand. Companies make 100 (3) ___________________ clothing every year. This will grow by 60 per cent by 2030. Fast fashion is having a (4) ___________________ the environment. Many clothes end up in landfills and are not recycled. In addition, the chemicals used to make the (5) ___________________. These damage the health of people working in clothes factories, (6) ___________________ make many of the clothes.

The way people buy clothes (7) ___________________ the problem. People used to go to stores and try clothes on. People (8) ___________________ they bought clothes. They also wore them for longer. Today, people buy (9) ___________________ if they don't like them, they take them back. This is creating a throwaway society. Some people buy clothes (10) ___________________ them. The German company Deutsche Welle wrote: "Every year in Europe, four million tons of (11) ___________________ in the trash. Less than one per cent of this is recycled." It seems the fashion industry is (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Environmentalistsareworryingabouthowfastfashionaffectstheenvir
onment.Fastfashionisproducinglotsofclothesatalowcost.Theyareput
inshopsquicklytocreateahighdemand.Companiesmake100billionite
msofclothingeveryyear.Thiswillgrowby60percentby2030.Fastfashio
nishavinganegativeeffectontheenvironment.Manyclothesendupinla
ndfillsandarenotrecycled.Inaddition,thechemicalsusedtomakethecl
othescauseproblems.Thesedamagethehealthofpeopleworkinginclot
hesfactories,includingchildrenwhomakemanyoftheclothes.Theway
peoplebuyclothesisaddingtotheproblem.Peopleusedtogotostore
sandtryclotheson.Peopletooktimebeforetheyboughtclothes.Theyals
oworethemforlonger.Today,peoplebuycheapclothesandiftheydon'tli
kethem,theytakethemback.Thisiscreatingathrowawaysociety.Som
epeoplebuyclothesandneverwearthem.TheGermancompanyDeutsc
heWellewrote:"EveryyearinEurope,fourmilliontonsofclothingendsu
pinthetrash.Lessthanonepercentofthisisrecycled."Itseemsthefashio
nindustryisnotsosustainable.

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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