The Reading / Listening - Allergies - Level 4

Not everyone likes the joys of spring. Many people love looking at flowering blossoms, but others hate it. This is because pollen from flowers bring allergies like hay fever. Scientists have warned hay fever sufferers that spring arrived up to four weeks early. The symptoms of pollen is already causing misery. To make things worse, the hay fever season will be longer. The scientists said this was not surprising, "given the trajectory our planet is on".

Meteorologists are blaming climate change. A U.S. weather tracker said the winter's average temperature was 2.7 degrees warmer than the 20th century average. A meteorologist said climate change is resulting in earlier and longer flowering seasons, causing more pollen. She called pollen "the enemy" of allergy sufferers. Pollen can also trigger asthma attacks and worsen mold allergies. Acting on climate change will help people's health.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Allergies - Level 5 or  Allergies - Level 6

Sources
  • https://news.yahoo.com/allergy-season-starts-earlier-now-thanks-to-climate-change-171913889.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/15/allergy-season-starting-earlier-global-heating-climate-change
  • https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/03/15/AccuWeather-spring-allergy-forecast/5691678903505/


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. everyone likes the joys
  2. flowering
  3. allergies like
  4. pollen is already causing
  5. To make things
  6. the hay fever season
  7. The scientists said this was
  8. the trajectory our
  1. worse
  2. planet is on
  3. blossoms
  4. misery
  5. hay fever
  6. not surprising
  7. of spring
  8. will be longer

Paragraph 2

  1. Meteorologists are blaming
  2. A U.S. weather
  3. the winter's average
  4. warmer than the 20th century
  5. longer flowering
  6. She called pollen "the enemy"
  7. Pollen can also trigger asthma
  8. Acting
  1. average
  2. attacks
  3. tracker
  4. of allergy sufferers
  5. temperature
  6. on climate change
  7. climate change
  8. seasons

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Not everyone likes the (1) ___________________. Many people love looking (2) ___________________, but others hate it. This is because pollen from flowers (3) ___________________ hay fever. Scientists have warned hay fever sufferers that spring arrived up to four weeks early. The (4) ___________________ is already causing misery. To make things worse, the (5) ___________________ will be longer. The scientists said this was not surprising, "(6) ___________________ our planet is on".

Meteorologists are blaming climate change. A U.S. (7) ___________________ the winter's average temperature was 2.7 degrees warmer than the (8) ___________________. A meteorologist said climate change is (9) ___________________ and longer flowering seasons, causing more pollen. She called pollen the (10) ___________________ sufferers. Pollen can also trigger asthma (11) __________________ mold allergies. (12) __________________ change will help people's health.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Noteveryonelikesthejoysofspring.Manypeoplelovelookingatflowerin
gblossoms,butothershateit.Thisisbecausepollenfromflowersbringall
ergieslikehayfever.Scientistshavewarnedhayfeversufferersthatspri
ngarriveduptofourweeksearly.Thesymptomsofpollenisalreadycausi
ngmisery.Tomakethingsworse,thehayfeverseasonwillbelonger.The
scientistssaidthiswasnotsurprising,"giventhetrajectoryourplanetiso
n".Meteorologistsareblamingclimatechange.AU.S.weathertrackers
aidthewinter'saveragetemperaturewas2.7degreeswarmerthanthe2
0thcenturyaverage.Ameteorologistsaidclimatechangeisresultingine
arlierandlongerfloweringseasons,causingmorepollen.Shecalledpoll
en"theenemy"ofallergysufferers.Pollencanalsotriggerasthmaattack
sandworsenmoldallergies.Actingonclimatechangewillhelppeople'sh
ealth.

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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