The Reading / Listening - Los Angeles Fires - Level 0

Landlords in Los Angeles are profiting from the wildfires. Tens of thousands of people need a house. However, some landlords increased their rents by thousands of dollars. Some rents doubled. Making money in a crisis is called price gouging. California introduced a law against price-gouging law last week.

The wildfires shocked America. Many of LA's most exclusive areas have gone. Actress Paris Hilton lost her house. She wrote: "It feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces." Beyonce's mother also lost her house. She wrote: "It was my favourite place. Now it is gone." Many people say climate change caused the fires.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Los Angeles Fires - Level 1 Los Angeles Fires - Level 2   or  Los Angeles Fires - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.newsweek.com/la-renters-pride-gouging-los-angeles-wildfires-2013645
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/los-angeles-wildfire-evacuees-price-gouging-predatory-businesses-landlords/
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/hundreds-of-la-landlords-hike-rents-to-capitalize-on-desperate-fire-evacuees-202317417.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. Landlords
  2. profiting from
  3. Tens
  4. some landlords increased their
  5. Some rents
  6. Making money
  7. California introduced a
  8. a law against price-
  1. law
  2. gouging
  3. doubled
  4. the wildfires
  5. in a crisis
  6. of thousands of people
  7. rents
  8. in Los Angeles

Paragraph 2

  1. The wildfires
  2. Many of LA's most exclusive areas
  3. Actress Paris Hilton lost
  4. It feels like my heart
  5. into a million
  6. It was my
  7. Now it is
  8. climate change caused the
  1. pieces
  2. her house
  3. gone
  4. have gone
  5. favourite place
  6. has shattered
  7. fires
  8. shocked America

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Landlords in Los Angeles (1) ________________________________________________ the wildfires. (2) ________________________________________________ of people need a house. However, (3) ________________________________________________ their rents by thousands of dollars. (4) ________________________________________________. Making money in a (5) ________________________________________________ price gouging. California introduced a law against price-(6) ________________________________________________.

(7) ________________________________________________ America. Many of LA's most exclusive (8) ________________________________________________. Actress Paris Hilton lost her house. She wrote: "It feels (9) ________________________________________________ has shattered into (10) ________________________________________________." Beyonce's mother also (11) ________________________________________________. She wrote: "It was my favourite place. Now it is gone." Many people say climate change (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

LandlordsinLosAngelesareprofitingfromthewildfires.Tensofthousan
dsofpeopleneedahouse.However,somelandlordsincreasedtheirrent
sbythousandsofdollars.Somerentsdoubled.Makingmoneyinacrisisis
calledpricegouging.Californiaintroducedalawagainstprice-gougingl
awlastweek.ThewildfiresshockedAmerica.ManyofLA'smostexclusiv
eareashavegone.ActressParisHiltonlostherhouse.Shewrote:"Itfeels
likemyhearthasshatteredintoamillionpieces."Beyonce'smotheralsol
ostherhouse.Shewrote:"Itwasmyfavouriteplace.Nowitisgone."Man
ypeoplesayclimatechangecausedthefires.

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