The Reading / Listening - Italy Drought - Level 4

Europe is experiencing water shortages. A region in Italy has its worst drought for 70 years. This is because of almost no rainfall in the past four months and less snow in winter. The water level of Italy's largest river, the Po, is three metres lower than average. This has fully exposed a World War II shipwreck. If it doesn't rain soon, there'll be a serious water shortage. This will mean water rationing. Farmers will have problems finding water for irrigation.

The River Po gets much of its water from a lake in the Alps. The lake has had its lowest water levels since 1946. High temperatures are making things worse. A farmer from a rural town near Milan said she is expecting a "disastrous" and "catastrophic" year. She added: "We believe that there will be a drop in wheat productivity by at least 20 per cent." The Po Valley will see a 30 to 40% fall in fruit and vegetable production.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Italy Drought - Level 5 or  Italy Drought - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/po-river-italy-dries-up-exposes-1943-shipwreck-zibello/
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/15/italy-drought-po-valley-ration-water
  • https://www.euronews.com/2022/06/17/crops-and-drinking-water-threatened-in-italys-po-valley-amid-worst-drought-in-70-years


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. its worst drought
  2. in the
  3. three metres lower than
  4. exposed a World War II
  5. there'll be a serious water
  6. This will mean water
  7. Farmers will
  8. finding water for
  1. irrigation
  2. average
  3. shortage
  4. past four months
  5. have problems
  6. for 70 years
  7. rationing
  8. shipwreck

Paragraph 2

  1. The River Po gets much of its
  2. its lowest water levels
  3. High
  4. making things
  5. A farmer from a rural
  6. a disastrous and
  7. a 30 to 40%
  8. fruit and vegetable
  1. temperatures
  2. catastrophic year
  3. town
  4. production
  5. fall
  6. water from a lake
  7. worse
  8. since 1946

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Europe (1) ___________________ shortages. A region in Italy has its (2) ___________________ 70 years. This is because of almost no rainfall in the past four months and (3) ___________________ winter. The water level of Italy's largest river, the Po, is three metres (4) ___________________. This has fully exposed a World War II shipwreck. If it doesn't rain soon, there'll be a (5) ___________________. This will mean water rationing. Farmers will have problems finding (6) ___________________.

The River Po gets (7) ___________________ water from a lake in the Alps. The lake has had its lowest (8) ___________________ 1946. High temperatures are (9) ___________________. A farmer from a rural town near Milan said she is (10) ___________________ and "catastrophic" year. She added: "We believe that there will be (11) ___________________ wheat productivity by at least 20 per cent." The Po Valley will see a 30 to 40% (12) ___________________ and vegetable production.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Europeisexperiencingwatershortages.AregioninItalyhasitsworstdro
ughtfor70years.Thisisbecauseofalmostnorainfallinthepastfourmont
hsandlesssnowinwinter.ThewaterlevelofItaly'slargestriver,thePo,is
threemetreslowerthanaverage.ThishasfullyexposedaWorldWarIIshi
pwreck.Ifitdoesn'trainsoon,there'llbeaseriouswatershortage.Thiswi
llmeanwaterrationing.Farmerswillhaveproblemsfindingwaterforirri
gation.TheRiverPogetsmuchofitswaterfromalakeintheAlps.Thelake
hashaditslowestwaterlevelssince1946.Hightemperaturesaremakin
gthingsworse.AfarmerfromaruraltownnearMilansaidsheisexpecting
a"disastrous"and"catastrophic"year.Sheadded:"Webelievethatther
ewillbeadropinwheatproductivitybyatleast20percent."ThePoValley
willseea30to40%fallinfruitandvegetableproduction.

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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