The Reading / Listening - Year of the Snake - Level 4

Millions of people in China are returning to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year. Airports and railway stations are full of travellers making the annual trek home. This year is the Year of the Snake in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. It begins on the 29th of January. Overseas travel is popular this year. A travel agency said "bookings for outbound flights and holiday packages…had doubled from last year". The most popular destinations are in Asia.

China's New Year sees the world's biggest yearly movement of people. High-speed trains mean the number of people on the move has skyrocketed. Journeys are expected to hit record highs. The first New Year holiday began in China 3,500 years ago. Back then, far fewer people left their hometown. With the growth of China's economy, billions of people have moved for work. The subsequent annual exodus has been a boon for the economy.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Year of the Snake - Level 5 or  Year of the Snake - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-readies-lunar-new-year-amid-worries-about-economy-2025-01-24/
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/lifestyle/chinas-lunar-travel-rush-kicks-103144154.html
  • https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2025/01/23/lunar-new-year-chinese-2025-year-of-the-snake.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. returning
  2. railway stations are
  3. making the annual trek
  4. the 12-year Chinese zodiac
  5. Overseas
  6. bookings for outbound
  7. holiday packages had doubled
  8. The most popular destinations
  1. travel
  2. from last year
  3. to their hometowns
  4. are in Asia
  5. full of travellers
  6. cycle
  7. flights
  8. home

Paragraph 2

  1. the world's biggest yearly movement
  2. the number of people on the move
  3. Journeys are expected to hit
  4. Back then, far
  5. the growth of
  6. billions of people have moved for
  7. The subsequent annual
  8. a boon
  1. work
  2. record highs
  3. for the economy
  4. China's economy
  5. of people
  6. exodus
  7. has skyrocketed
  8. fewer people left

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Millions of people in China (1) ________________________________________________ their hometowns for the Lunar New Year. Airports and railway stations are full of travellers making (2) ________________________________________________ home. This year is the Year of the Snake in the 12-year (3) ________________________________________________. It begins on the 29th of January. Overseas (4) ________________________________________________ this year. A travel agency said "bookings for outbound flights (5) ________________________________________________…had doubled from last year". The most (6) ________________________________________________ in Asia.

China's New Year sees the world's biggest (7) ________________________________________________ people. High-speed trains mean the number of people (8) ________________________________________________ has skyrocketed. Journeys are expected to (9) ________________________________________________. The first New Year holiday began in China 3,500 years ago. Back then, (10) ________________________________________________ left their hometown. With the growth of China's economy, billions of people have (11) ________________________________________________. The subsequent annual exodus has been (12) ________________________________________________ the economy.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

MillionsofpeopleinChinaarereturningtotheirhometownsfortheLunar
NewYear.Airportsandrailwaystationsarefulloftravellersmakingthea
nnualtrekhome.ThisyearistheYearoftheSnakeinthe12-yearChines
ezodiaccycle.Itbeginsonthe29thofJanuary.Overseastravelispopular
thisyear.Atravelagencythat"bookingsforoutboundflightsandholiday
packages…haddoubledfromlastyear".Themostpopulardestinationsa
reinAsia.China'sNewYearseestheworld'sbiggestyearlymovementof
people.High-speedtrainsmeanthenumberofpeopleonthemovehass
kyrocketed.Journeysareexpectedtohitrecordhighs.ThefirstNewYear
holidaybeganinChina3,500yearsago.Backthen,farfewerpeopleleftth
eirhometown.WiththegrowthofChina'seconomy,billionsofpeoplehav
emovedforwork.Thesubsequentannualexodushasbeenaboonforthe
economy.

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