The Reading / Listening - Grain Deal - Level 5

Ukraine and Russia have signed a deal to allow exports of grain to resume from Ukraine's ports. This should ease a world shortage of wheat that has left millions of people at risk of hunger. Russia's invasion of Ukraine resulted in a global rise in food prices. Millions of tons of grain are waiting for export at Ukrainian ports. The grain deal should ease the pressure on food prices. Russia's Defence Minister and Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister signed the deal at a ceremony in Istanbul. Turkey's President Erdogan helped to broker the agreement.

The deal took two months to negotiate. It will last for 120 days. Ukraine warned that any Russian provocation could put the deal in danger. This has already been tested after Russian forces attacked the Black Sea port of Odesa within 24 hours of the deal starting. Russia's Defence Minister said the deal might mean the export of products from Russia, especially agricultural products and fertiliser, from Russian ports. 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 4 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. allow exports of grain
  2. ease a
  3. millions of people at
  4. a global rise
  5. waiting for export
  6. ease the pressure
  7. signed the deal at a
  8. broker the
  1. world shortage
  2. in food prices
  3. agreement
  4. at Ukrainian ports
  5. ceremony in Istanbul
  6. risk of hunger
  7. on food prices
  8. to resume

Paragraph 2

  1. The deal took two months
  2. It will last
  3. provocation could put the deal
  4. forces attacked the
  5. within 24 hours of
  6. agricultural products and
  7. the world's most
  8. food insecurity and
  1. in danger
  2. the deal starting
  3. malnutrition
  4. fertiliser
  5. vulnerable
  6. Black Sea port
  7. for 120 days
  8. to negotiate

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ukraine and Russia have (1) ___________________ to allow exports of grain to resume from Ukraine's ports. This should (2) ___________________ shortage of wheat that has left millions of people at risk of hunger. Russia's invasion of Ukraine resulted in a (3) ___________________ food prices. Millions of tons of grain are waiting for export at Ukrainian ports. The grain (4) ___________________ the pressure on food prices. Russia's Defence Minister and Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister signed the deal (5) ___________________ in Istanbul. Turkey's President Erdogan helped to (6) ___________________.

The deal took two (7) ___________________. It will last for 120 days. Ukraine warned that any Russian provocation could put the (8) ___________________. This has already been tested after Russian (9) ___________________ Black Sea port of Odesa within 24 hours of the deal starting. Russia's Defence Minister said the deal might mean the (10) ___________________ from Russia, especially agricultural products and fertiliser, from Russian ports. The US said more exports were needed, "to prevent the (11) ___________________ from sliding into deeper (12) ___________________ malnutrition."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

UkraineandRussiahavesignedadealtoallowexportsofgraintoresumef
romUkraine'sports.Thisshouldeaseaworldshortageofwheatthathasl
eftmillionsofpeopleatriskofhunger.Russia'sinvasionofUkraineresult
edinaglobalriseinfoodprices.Millionsoftonsofgrainarewaitingforexpo
rtatUkrainianports.Thegraindealshouldeasethepressureonfoodpric
es.Russia'sDefenceMinisterandUkraine'sInfrastructureMinistersign
edthedealataceremonyinIstanbul.Turkey'sPresidentErdoganhelped
tobrokertheagreement.Thedealtooktwomonthstonegotiate.Itwilllas
tfor120days.UkrainewarnedthatanyRussianprovocationcouldputth
edealindanger.ThishasalreadybeentestedafterRussianforcesattack
edtheBlackSeaportofOdesawithin24hoursofthedealstarting.Russia
'sDefenceMinistersaidthedealmightmeantheexportofproductsfrom
Russia,especiallyagriculturalproductsandfertiliser,fromRussianport
s.TheUSsaidmoreexportswereneeded,"topreventtheworld'smostvu
lnerablefromslidingintodeeperfoodinsecurityandmalnutrition."

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