The Reading / Listening - Manuka Honey - Level 2

Manuka honey is famous for its quality. European honey bees drink the nectar of the manuka tree to make it. This tree grows in New Zealand and in some parts of Australia. For over a decade, these two countries have battled over manuka honey. New Zealand wanted to trademark it, so only New Zealand beekeepers could use the word "manuka". However, Australia said it also produced the honey. The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand decided that no one could trademark the word "manuka". This means Australian beekeepers can use the word.

The word "manuka" is from the Maori language. New Zealand said because of this, no other country could use the word for honey. New Zealand's manuka beekeepers said the trademark decision was disappointing. They will continue to fight to protect their honey. In Australia, the manuka tree is called the "tea tree". Australia's beekeepers said they were "delighted" with the decision. They said: "Our product has a long history of being [known] as manuka honey. It is produced like the NZ product is, and it also offers the [health benefits] that consumers value so highly."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Manuka Honey - Level 0 Manuka Honey - Level 1   or  Manuka Honey - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/22/new-zealand-loses-fight-over-manuka-honey-trademark
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-21/new-zealand-honey-producers-fail-to-secure-manuka-trade-mark
  • https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/132106630/battle-for-nz-to-have-trademark-rights-for-mnuka-honey-unsuccessful


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. famous
  2. drink
  3. parts
  4. decade
  5. battled
  6. produced
  7. decided
  8. use
  1. concluded
  2. 10 years
  3. consume
  4. fought
  5. apply
  6. well known
  7. made
  8. areas

Paragraph 2

  1. country
  2. disappointing
  3. protect
  4. delighted
  5. history
  6. consumers
  7. value
  8. highly
  1. appreciate
  2. background
  3. greatly
  4. safeguard
  5. nation
  6. saddening
  7. customers
  8. very pleased

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Manuka honey is famous (1) ___________________. European honey bees drink (2) ___________________ the manuka tree to make it. This tree grows in New Zealand and in some parts of Australia. For (3) ___________________, these two countries have battled over manuka honey. New Zealand wanted (4) ___________________, so only New Zealand beekeepers could use the word "manuka". However, Australia said it also (5) ___________________. The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand decided that no one could trademark the word "manuka". This means Australian beekeepers (6) ___________________ word.

The word "manuka" is from the Maori language. New Zealand said (7) ___________________, no other country could use the word for honey. New Zealand's manuka beekeepers said the trademark (8) ___________________. They will continue to (9) ___________________ their honey. In Australia, the manuka tree is called the "tea tree". Australia's beekeepers said they were "delighted" with the decision. They said: "Our product has (10) ___________________ of being [known] as manuka honey. It (11) ___________________ the NZ product is, and it also offers the [health benefits] that consumers (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Manukahoneyisfamousforitsquality.Europeanhoneybeesdrinkthene
ctarofthemanukatreetomakeit.ThistreegrowsinNewZealandandinso
mepartsofAustralia.Foroveradecade,thesetwocountrieshavebattled
overmanukahoney.NewZealandwantedtotrademarkit,soonlyNewZ
ealandbeekeeperscouldusetheword"manuka".However,Australiasa
iditalsoproducedthehoney.TheIntellectualPropertyOfficeofNewZeal
anddecidedthatnoonecouldtrademarktheword"manuka".Thismean
sAustralianbeekeeperscanusetheword.Theword"manuka"isfromthe
Maorilanguage.NewZealandsaidbecauseofthis,noothercountrycoul
dusethewordforhoney.NewZealand'smanukabeekeeperssaidthetra
demarkdecisionwasdisappointing.Theywillcontinuetofighttoprotect
theirhoney.InAustralia,themanukatreeiscalledthe"teatree".Australi
a'sbeekeeperssaidtheywere"delighted"withthedecision.Theysaid:"
Ourproducthasalonghistoryofbeing[known]asmanukahoney.Itispro
ducedliketheNZproductis,anditalsooffersthe[healthbenefits]thatco
nsumersvaluesohighly."

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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