The Reading / Listening - Biodiversity Loss - Level 0

Australia is famous for its amazing creatures and plants. However, scientists have reported a "shocking" loss of nature. The government has a depressing report about this. It says there is a decrease in biodiversity. A lot of natural habitat has been lost, and there is more pollution. Climate change is damaging Australia's nature.

Australia makes its report every five years. Each report is worse than the ones before. A nature group said the government is not taking action. It said: "The environment is getting worse and worse." Australia has lost more than 100 species of mammals. The report is like a red alert. It shows how we are damaging nature.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Biodiversity Loss - Level 1 Biodiversity Loss - Level 2   or  Biodiversity Loss - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/19/australia-reveals-shocking-decline-in-its-unique-environment
  • https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/australian-environmental-report-tallies-lost-land-species-87049325
  • https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/australia-more-willing-to-catalogue-destruction-of-natural-heritage-than-to-preserve-it-20220718-p5b2id.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. famous for its amazing creatures
  2. a "shocking" loss
  3. a depressing
  4. a decrease
  5. A lot of natural habitat
  6. there is more
  7. climate
  8. damaging Australia's
  1. report
  2. nature
  3. has been lost
  4. and plants
  5. change
  6. in biodiversity
  7. pollution
  8. of nature

Paragraph 2

  1. Australia makes its report
  2. worse than the ones
  3. a nature
  4. the government is not
  5. The environment is getting worse
  6. 100 species
  7. The report is like a red
  8. how we are damaging
  1. of mammals
  2. taking action
  3. nature
  4. every five years
  5. group
  6. alert
  7. and worse
  8. before

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Australia (1) ___________________ for its amazing creatures and plants. However, scientists (2) ___________________ "shocking" loss of nature. The government has a depressing report about this. It (3) ___________________ a decrease in biodiversity. A (4) ___________________ habitat has been lost, and (5) ___________________ pollution. Climate (6) ___________________ Australia's nature.

Australia (7) ___________________ every five years. Each report is worse than (8) ___________________. A nature group said the government (9) ___________________ action. It said: "The environment is (10) ___________________ worse." Australia has lost more than (11) ___________________ mammals. The report is like a red alert. It shows how (12) ___________________ nature.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Australiaisfamousforitsamazingcreaturesandplants.However,scient
istshavereporteda"shocking"lossofnature.Thegovernmenthasadepr
essingreportaboutthis.Itsaysthereisadecreaseinbiodiversity.Alotof
naturalhabitathasbeenlost,andthereismorepollution.Climatechang
eisdamagingAustralia'snature.Australiamakesitsreporteveryfiveye
ars.Eachreportisworsethantheonesbefore.Anaturegroupsaidthegov
ernmentisnottakingaction.Itsaid:"Theenvironmentisgettingworsea
ndworse."Australiahaslostmorethan100speciesofmammals.Therep
ortislikearedalert.Itshowshowwearedamagingnature.

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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