The Reading / Listening - Batteries - Level 5

We are increasingly dependent on batteries. These ubiquitous sources of energy are in everything from cars and phones, to watches and toys. However, these essential sources of power can be hazardous. A report from a U.K. environmental agency discovered that the incorrect disposal of batteries causes many fires. This costs fire services millions of dollars. The financial loss is much higher for those whose property has burnt down. A fire expert said: "These fires can be challenging…to deal with.…Everyone can do their bit…by disposing of batteries correctly."

The biggest culprits for fires starting are lithium-ion batteries. These can explode and start fires if they are crushed or they get wet. The agency told the BBC that, "more people are putting devices containing these batteries in with household waste". It said: "That causes a real problem because they have a tendency – when damaged – to explode or ignite.…They're likely to be crushed…or they might get wet.". It added: "They're in the presence of other flammable material…that can lead to quite big fires." We need to be mindful of the potential hazards of batteries.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Batteries - Level 4 or  Batteries - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63809620
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11489909/Batteries-left-discarded-electricals-start-700-fires-year-report-warns.html
  • https://www.ecowatch.com/lithium-ion-batteries-fires.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. We are increasingly dependent
  2. These ubiquitous
  3. sources of power can
  4. financial
  5. for those whose property has
  6. fires can be challenging
  7. Everyone can do their
  8. disposing of batteries
  1. bit
  2. be hazardous
  3. loss
  4. correctly
  5. on batteries
  6. sources of energy
  7. to deal with
  8. burnt down

Paragraph 2

  1. The biggest
  2. household
  3. explode
  4. They're likely to
  5. they might get
  6. the presence of other flammable
  7. that can lead to quite
  8. the potential hazards
  1. big fires
  2. or ignite
  3. of batteries
  4. wet
  5. waste
  6. culprits for fires
  7. material
  8. be crushed

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

We are (1) ___________________ batteries. These ubiquitous (2) ___________________ are in everything from cars and phones, to watches and toys. However, these (3) ___________________ power can be hazardous. A report from a U.K. environmental agency discovered that (4) ___________________ of batteries causes many fires. This costs fire services millions of dollars. The financial loss is much higher for those whose (5) ___________________ down. A fire expert said: "These fires can be challenging...to deal with....Everyone can (6) ___________________...by disposing of batteries correctly."

The (7) ___________________ fires starting are lithium-ion batteries. These can explode and start fires if they are crushed or (8) ___________________. The agency told the BBC that, "more people are putting devices containing these batteries in (9) ___________________". It said: "That causes a real problem because they (10) ___________________ - when damaged - to explode or ignite....They're likely to be crushed...or they might get wet.". It added: "They're in the presence of (11) ___________________...that can lead to quite big fires." We need to be mindful of (12) ___________________ of batteries.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Weareincreasinglydependentonbatteries.Theseubiquitoussourceso
fenergyareineverythingfromcarsandphones,towatchesandtoys.Ho
wever,theseessentialsourcesofpowercanbehazardous.Areportfrom
aU.K.environmentalagencydiscoveredthattheincorrectdisposalofba
tteriescausesmanyfires.Thiscostsfireservicesmillionsofdollars.Thefi
nanciallossismuchhigherforthosewhosepropertyhasburntdown.Afir
eexpertsaid:"Thesefirescanbechallenging...todealwith....Everyone
candotheirbit...bydisposingofbatteriescorrectly."Thebiggestculprits
forfiresstartingarelithium-ionbatteries.Thesecanexplodeandstartf
iresiftheyarecrushedortheygetwet.TheagencytoldtheBBCthat,"mor
epeopleareputtingdevicescontainingthesebatteriesinwithhousehold
waste".Itsaid:"Thatcausesarealproblembecausetheyhaveatendenc
y-whendamaged-toexplodeorignite....They'relikelytobecrushed..
.ortheymightgetwet.Itadded:"They'reinthepresenceofotherflamma
blematerial...thatcanleadtoquitebigfires."Weneedtobemindfulofthe
potentialhazardsofbatteries.

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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