The Reading / Listening - Poonami - Level 2

Beaches in England closed because water companies put raw sewage into the sea. The UK warned holidaymakers to avoid dozens of beaches. Some of the beaches were popular with tourists, surfers and swimmers. People risked getting diseases if they went into the water. Water companies advised people to keep their mouth closed in the sea. A resident near a beach said she saw things she didn't want to see floating in the water. She said: "It's filthy…and it stinks." She added the sewage was easy to see and smell. She called it a "poonami".

People in England are angry with the water companies. England sold its water to private companies. The CEOs are getting million-dollar bonuses while dangerous raw sewage is polluting the environment. Water companies have pumped raw sewage into Britain's seas for more than nine million hours since 2016. In 2016, the European Union said England's beaches were among the cleanest in Europe; now they are among the dirtiest. One woman said clean water was a human right and not for profits. She said water company CEOs cared more about their bonuses than the environment.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Poonami - Level 0 Poonami - Level 1   or  Poonami - Level 3

Sources
  • https://news.sky.com/story/huge-increase-in-raw-sewage-released-into-uk-waterways-and-sea-data-reveals-12677730
  • https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/do-not-swim-at-22-beaches-in-england-after-sewage-discharge-environment-agency/
  • https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1658177/MP-Labour-environment-agency-sewage-dumps-sea-GB-News-vn


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. The UK warned
  2. the beaches were
  3. People risked getting
  4. companies advised people to keep
  5. A resident near a
  6. floating in the
  7. It's filthy and it
  8. the sewage was easy to
  1. their mouth closed
  2. stinks
  3. popular with tourists
  4. see and smell
  5. diseases
  6. beach
  7. holidaymakers
  8. water

Paragraph 2

  1. People in England are angry with
  2. England sold its water to private
  3. The CEOs are getting million-
  4. raw sewage is polluting the
  5. for more than nine million
  6. England's beaches were among the
  7. clean water was
  8. CEOs cared more
  1. cleanest in Europe
  2. environment
  3. about their bonuses
  4. companies
  5. a human right
  6. the water companies
  7. hours since 2016
  8. dollar bonuses

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Beaches in England (1) ___________________ companies put raw sewage into the sea. The UK warned holidaymakers (2) ___________________ of beaches. Some of the beaches were popular with tourists, surfers and swimmers. People (3) ___________________ if they went into the water. Water companies advised people to keep their (4) ___________________ the sea. A resident near a beach said she saw things she didn't want to (5) ___________________ the water. She said: "It's filthy...and it stinks." She added the (6) ___________________ to see and smell. She called it a "poonami".

People in England (7) ___________________ the water companies. England sold its water to private companies. The CEOs are getting million-dollar bonuses while dangerous raw (8) ___________________ the environment. Water companies have pumped raw sewage into Britain's seas for more than (9) ___________________ since 2016. In 2016, the European Union said England's beaches were among the cleanest in Europe; now they are (10) ___________________. One woman said clean water was a human right and (11) ___________________. She said water company CEOs cared more about (12) ___________________ the environment.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

BeachesinEnglandclosedbecausewatercompaniesputrawsewageint
othesea.TheUKwarnedholidaymakerstoavoiddozensofbeaches.S
omeofthebeacheswerepopularwithtourists,surfersandswimmers.Pe
opleriskedgettingdiseasesiftheywentintothewater.Watercompanies
advisedpeopletokeeptheirmouthclosedinthesea.Aresidentnearabea
chsaidshesawthingsshedidn'twanttoseefloatinginthewater.Shesaid
:"It'sfilthy...anditstinks."Sheaddedthesewagewaseasytoseeandsm
ell.Shecalledita"poonami".PeopleinEnglandareangrywiththewaterc
ompanies.Englandsolditswatertoprivatecompanies.TheCEOsareget
tingmillion-dollarbonuseswhiledangerousrawsewageispollutingth
eenvironment.WatercompanieshavepumpedrawsewageintoBritain'
sseasformorethanninemillionhourssince2016.In2016,theEuropean
UnionsaidEngland'sbeacheswereamongthecleanestinEurope;nowth
eyareamongthedirtiest.Onewomansaidcleanwaterwasahumanright
andnotforprofits.ShesaidwatercompanyCEOscaredmoreabouttheir
bonusesthantheenvironment.

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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