The Reading / Listening - Grain Deal - Level 4

Ukraine and Russia signed a deal to allow exports of Ukrainian grain to restart. This should ease a world shortage of wheat. Millions of people are at risk of hunger. The invasion of Ukraine resulted in a rise in food prices. Tons of grain are sitting at Ukrainian ports. The grain deal could cut food prices. Russia's Defence Minister and Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister signed the deal at a ceremony in Istanbul. Turkey's President Erdogan helped broker it.

The deal took two months to negotiate and will last for 120 days. Ukraine said any Russian provocation would endanger the deal. This already happened after Russian forces attacked the port of Odesa within 24 hours of the deal. Russia said the deal might mean the export of Russian agricultural products and fertiliser. The US said more exports were needed, "to prevent the world's most vulnerable from sliding into deeper food insecurity and malnutrition.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Grain Deal - Level 5 or  Grain Deal - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62268070
  • https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2351992/ukraine-and-russia-sign-landmark-grain-deal
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/22/middleeast/grain-shortage-mideast-africa-mime-intl-cmd/index.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. Ukraine and Russia signed
  2. allow exports of Ukrainian grain
  3. ease a world shortage
  4. people are at risk
  5. a rise in
  6. ons of grain are sitting
  7. at a ceremony
  8. President Erdogan helped
  1. at Ukrainian ports
  2. in Istanbul
  3. of hunger
  4. broker it
  5. of wheat
  6. a deal
  7. food prices
  8. to restart

Paragraph 2

  1. The deal took two months
  2. last
  3. provocation would endanger
  4. forces attacked
  5. within 24 hours
  6. agricultural
  7. the world's most
  8. deeper food insecurity
  1. the port of Odesa
  2. vulnerable
  3. products
  4. the deal
  5. and malnutrition
  6. of the deal
  7. to negotiate
  8. for 120 days

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ukraine and Russia signed a deal (1) ___________________ of Ukrainian grain to restart. (2) ___________________ a world shortage of wheat. Millions of people are at (3) ___________________. The invasion of Ukraine (4) ___________________ rise in food prices. Tons of grain are sitting at Ukrainian ports. The grain (5) ___________________ food prices. Russia's Defence Minister and Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister signed the deal at (6) ___________________ Istanbul. Turkey's President Erdogan helped broker it.

The deal took two months to negotiate and (7) ___________________ 120 days. Ukraine said any Russian provocation (8) ___________________ deal. This already happened after Russian forces (9) ___________________ of Odesa within 24 hours of the deal. Russia said the deal might mean (10) ___________________ Russian agricultural products and fertiliser. The US said more exports were needed, "(11) ___________________ world's most vulnerable from sliding into (12) ___________________ and malnutrition."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

UkraineandRussiasignedadealtoallowexportsofUkrainiangraintores
tart.Thisshouldeaseaworldshortageofwheat.Millionsofpeopleareatri
skofhunger.TheinvasionofUkraineresultedinariseinfoodprices.Tons
ofgrainaresittingatUkrainianports.Thegraindealcouldcutfoodprices.
Russia'sDefenceMinisterandUkraine'sInfrastructureMinistersignedt
hedealataceremonyinIstanbul.Turkey'sPresidentErdoganhelpedbro
kerit.Thedealtooktwomonthstonegotiateandwilllastfor120days.Ukr
ainesaidanyRussianprovocationwouldendangerthedeal.Thisalready
happenedafterRussianforcesattackedtheportofOdesawithin24hour
softhedeal.RussiasaidthedealmightmeantheexportofRussianagricul
turalproductsandfertiliser.TheUSsaidmoreexportswereneeded,"topr
eventtheworld'smostvulnerablefromslidingintodeeperfoodinsecurit
yandmalnutrition."

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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