The Reading / Listening - Koalas - Level 4

The cuddly koala is in danger. This lovable animal is now an endangered species. The Australian Koala Foundation believes there are as few as 43,000 left in the wild. Their numbers have been falling due to disease, loss of habitat, bushfires, and other threats. The World Wildlife Fund said: "Koalas have gone from no listing to vulnerable to endangered within a decade." It added that koalas risk "sliding toward extinction". It wanted laws to protect them.

The koala is important for Australia's culture, zoos and economy. Wikipedia says the koala "benefited the national tourism industry by over an estimated billion Australian dollars in 1998". However, efforts to protect the koala have not worked. Australia said there were "many pressures on the koala," and that it is "vulnerable to climate change and to disease". It said recent bushfires that killed thousands of the animals were "a tipping point".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Koalas - Level 5 or  Koalas - Level 6

Sources
  • https://nypost.com/2022/02/11/koala-declared-endangered-as-disease-lost-habitat-take-toll/
  • https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7616380/koalas-endangered-listing-a-national-failure-act-environment-minister-says/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala


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. The cuddly koala is
  2. numbers have been falling due
  3. loss
  4. other
  5. Koalas have gone from no listing to
  6. within a
  7. koalas risk sliding
  8. He wanted laws to protect
  1. decade
  2. of habitat
  3. toward extinction
  4. in danger
  5. them
  6. threats
  7. vulnerable
  8. to disease

Paragraph 2

  1. The koala is important for
  2. the national tourism
  3. an estimated billion
  4. efforts to protect
  5. there were many pressures
  6. t is vulnerable to
  7. recent bushfires that
  8. a tipping
  1. on the koala
  2. Australian dollars
  3. point
  4. industry
  5. killed thousands
  6. the koala
  7. climate change
  8. Australia's culture

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The cuddly koala (1) ___________________. This lovable animal is now an endangered species. The Australian Koala Foundation believes there are (2) ___________________ 43,000 left in the wild. Their numbers have been (3) ___________________ disease, loss of habitat, bushfires, and other threats. The World Wildlife Fund said: "Koalas (4) ___________________ no listing to vulnerable to endangered within a decade." (5) ___________________ koalas risk "sliding toward extinction". It wanted laws (6) ___________________.

The koala (7) ___________________ Australia's culture, zoos and economy. Wikipedia says the koala "benefited (8) __________________ industry by (9) ___________________ billion Australian dollars in 1998". However, (10) ___________________ the koala have not worked. Australia said there were "(11) ___________________ the koala," and that it is "vulnerable to climate change and to disease". It said (12) ___________________ killed thousands of the animals were "a tipping point".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thecuddlykoalaisindanger.Thislovableanimalisnowanendangereds
pecies.TheAustralianKoalaFoundationbelievesthereareasfewas43,0
00leftinthewild.Theirnumbershavebeenfallingduetodisease,lossofh
abitat,bushfires,andotherthreats.TheWorldWildlifeFundsaid:"Koala
shavegonefromnolistingtovulnerabletoendangeredwithinadecade."
Itaddedthatkoalasrisk"slidingtowardextinction".Itwantedlawstop
rotectthem.ThekoalaisimportantforAustralia'sculture,zoosandecon
omy.Wikipediasaysthekoala"benefitedthenationaltourismindustryb
yoveranestimatedbillionAustraliandollarsin1998".However,effortst
oprotectthekoalahavenotworked.Australiasaidtherewere"manypre
ssuresonthekoala,"andthatitis"vulnerabletoclimatechangeandtodis
ease".Itsaidrecentbushfiresthatkilledthousandsoftheanimalswere"
atippingpoint".

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