The Reading / Listening - Cow Burps - Level 1

New Zealand wants to start a tax to help the environment. The tax is on sheep, cows and other animals. These create a lot of methane when they burp or fart. Methane is a damaging greenhouse gas. The new "burp tax" would start in 2025. New Zealand has over 20,000 farms, 26 million sheep and 4 million cows. New Zealand's climate change minister said: "There is no question that we need to cut the amount of methane we are putting into the atmosphere."

Farming makes up 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gasses. This comes from animals burping and farting, animal waste, clearing land and transporting animals. Farmers will have to change how they farm. Cows may have to eat seaweed instead of grass and wear masks. This will lower emissions. Farmers will also plant more trees. New Zealand's farmers support the government. They want to do their bit for the environment.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Cow Burps - Level 0 Cow Burps - Level 2   or  Cow Burps - Level 3

Sources
  • https://news.yahoo.com/new-zealand-considers-taxing-cow-and-sheep-burps-to-combat-climate-change-184504518.html
  • https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/government-in-race-against-time-to-price-farm-emissions-by-2025/FSV7YDFQVOJBLCR2XCAML73XSA/
  • https://www.totallyveganbuzz.com/environment/new-zealand-tax-burps-of-cows-sheep-climate-crisis/


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. New Zealand wants to
  2. help the
  3. The tax
  4. These create a lot of
  5. when they burp
  6. Methane is a damaging
  7. There is no question
  8. cut the amount
  1. is on sheep
  2. or fart
  3. of methane
  4. environment
  5. that we need to
  6. methane
  7. greenhouse gas
  8. start a tax

Paragraph 2

  1. 14.5 per cent of global
  2. clearing
  3. Farmers will have to change
  4. eat seaweed instead
  5. This will lower
  6. Farmers will also
  7. farmers support
  8. do their bit
  1. plant more trees
  2. of grass
  3. for the environment
  4. land
  5. how they farm
  6. the government
  7. emissions
  8. greenhouse gasses

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

New Zealand (1) ___________________ a tax to help the environment. The (2) ___________________ sheep, cows and other animals. These (3) ___________________ of methane when they burp or fart. Methane is a damaging greenhouse gas. The new "burp tax" (4) ___________________ 2025. New Zealand has over 20,000 farms, 26 million sheep and 4 million cows. New Zealand's (5) ___________________ said: "There is no question that we need to (6) ___________________ of methane we are putting into the atmosphere."

Farming makes up 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gasses. This (7) ___________________ burping and farting, animal waste, (8) ___________________ transporting animals. Farmers will have to change (9) ___________________. Cows may have to eat seaweed instead of grass (10) ___________________. This will lower emissions. Farmers will also (11) ___________________. New Zealand's farmers support the government. They want to (12) ___________________ for the environment.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

NewZealandwantstostartataxtohelptheenvironment.Thetaxisonshe
ep,cowsandotheranimals.Thesecreatealotofmethanewhentheyburp
orfart.Methaneisadamaginggreenhousegas.Thenew"burptax"woul
dstartin2025.NewZealandhasover20,000farms,26millionsheepand
4millioncows.NewZealand'sclimatechangeministersaid:"Thereisno
questionthatweneedtocuttheamountofmethaneweareputtingintoth
eatmosphere."Farmingmakesup14.5percentofglobalgreenhousega
sses.Thiscomesfromanimalsburpingandfarting,animalwaste,clearin
glandandtransportinganimals.Farmerswillhavetochangehowtheyfa
rm.Cowsmayhavetoeatseaweedinsteadofgrassandwearmasks.This
willloweremissions.Farmerswillalsoplantmoretrees.NewZealand'sfa
rmerssupportthegovernment.Theywanttodotheirbitfortheenvironm
ent.

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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