The Reading / Listening - Stamps - Level 4

The French Post Office (La Poste) issued a special stamp to honour the baguette – France's national bread. The stamp is covered with tiny capsules that release the smell of fresh bread. It shows a baguette decorated with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A shopkeeper who sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had a "bakery smell". The stamp had a print run of 594,000 copies. La Poste said French bakers bake six billion baguettes every year.

The baguette is close to the hearts of French people. France's president called it, "250 grams of magic and perfection". La Poste called the baguette, "the symbol of our gastronomy, the jewel of our culture". It said the bread was popular because it promises a delicious taste experience, and "it seduces with its golden crust". It added that the baguette's "toasted scent whets the appetite". The baguette was given UNESCO heritage status in 2022.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Stamps - Level 5 or  Stamps - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/may/17/french-post-office-releases-scratch-and-sniff-baguette-stamp
  • https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240517-french-post-office-celebrates-baguette-with-scented-stamp
  • https://www.laposte.fr/pp/timbre-baguette-de-pain-francaise/p/1124031


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. issued a special
  2. honour
  3. The stamp is covered
  4. release the smell
  5. a red, white, and blue
  6. it had a bakery
  7. The stamp had a print
  8. French bakers
  1. smell
  2. bake six billion
  3. of fresh bread
  4. run of 594,000 copies
  5. the baguette
  6. ribbon
  7. stamp
  8. with tiny capsules

Paragraph 2

  1. close to the hearts
  2. 250 grams
  3. the symbol of our
  4. the jewel of
  5. It said the bread was
  6. it seduces with its golden
  7. the baguette's toasted scent whets
  8. UNESCO heritage
  1. our culture
  2. the appetite
  3. status
  4. crust
  5. gastronomy
  6. of French people
  7. popular
  8. of magic

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The French Post Office (La Poste) (1) ___________________ stamp to honour the baguette - France's national bread. The stamp (2) ___________________ tiny capsules that release the smell of fresh bread. It shows a baguette (3) ___________________ red, white, and blue ribbon. (4) ___________________ sells the "scratch-and-sniff" stamp said it had (5) ___________________. The stamp had a print run of 594,000 copies. La Poste said French (6) ___________________ billion baguettes every year.

The baguette is close (7) ___________________ of French people. France's president called it, "250 grams of (8) ___________________". La Poste called the baguette, "the (9) ___________________ gastronomy, the jewel of our culture". It said the bread was popular because it (10) ___________________ taste experience, and "it seduces with its golden crust". It added that the baguette's "(11) ___________________ the appetite". The baguette was given UNESCO (12) ___________________ 2022.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheFrenchPostOffice(LaPoste)issuedaspecialstamptohonourthebag
uette-France'snationalbread.Thestampiscoveredwithtinycapsulest
hatreleasethesmelloffreshbread.Itshowsabaguettedecoratedwithar
ed,white,andblueribbon.Ashopkeeperwhosellsthe"scratch-and-sn
iff"stampsaidithada"bakerysmell".Thestamphadaprintrunof594,00
0copies.LaPostesaidFrenchbakersbakesixbillionbaguetteseveryyea
r.ThebaguetteisclosetotheheartsofFrenchpeople.France'spresident
calledit,"250gramsofmagicandperfection".LaPostecalledthebaguett
e,"thesymbolofourgastronomy,thejewelofourculture".Itsaidthebre
adwaspopularbecauseitpromisesadelicioustasteexperience,and"its
educeswithitsgoldencrust".Itaddedthatthebaguette's"toastedscent
whetstheappetite".ThebaguettewasgivenUNESCOheritagestatusin
2022.

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