The Reading / Listening - Gulf of Mexico - Level 4

US President Donald Trump wants the Gulf of Mexico to be called the Gulf of America. President Trump said: "America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth." He added: "We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." The U.S. government said it "is proud to announce the implementation of name restorations that honor the legacy of American greatness".

The USA can use "Gulf of America" on official US maps. However, no international organization can mandate the global acceptance of name changes. Mexico's president has opposed the name change. She said the name "Gulf of Mexico" has existed for four centuries. She joked that if there were to be name changes, the USA should be called "Mexican America," as on a map from 1607. The UN says a country's territory only extends 19 km from its coastline.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Gulf of Mexico - Level 5 or  Gulf of Mexico - Level 6

Sources
  • https://theconversation.com/can-trump-just-order-new-names-for-denali-and-the-gulf-of-mexico-a-geographer-explains-who-decides-what-goes-on-the-map-248112
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/30/gulf-of-mexico-or-gulf-of-america-google-maps-and-contentious-geography
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-administration-says-gulf-america-name-change-now-official-2025-01-24/


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. called
  2. reclaim
  3. rightful
  4. respected
  5. implementation
  6. restoration
  7. legacy
  8. greatness
  1. eminence
  2. esteemed
  3. reinstatement
  4. get back
  5. effect
  6. carrying out
  7. named
  8. proper

Paragraph 2

  1. official
  2. mandate
  3. acceptance
  4. opposed
  5. existed
  6. joked
  7. map
  8. extends
  1. disagreed
  2. stretches out
  3. authorize
  4. quipped
  5. approved
  6. chart
  7. prevailed
  8. approval

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

US President Donald Trump wants the Gulf of Mexico (1) ________________________________________________ the Gulf of America. President Trump said: "America will (2) ________________________________________________ place as the greatest, most powerful, (3) ________________________________________________ on Earth." He added: "We are going to be (4) ________________________________________________ of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America." The U.S. government said it "is (5) ________________________________________________ the implementation of name restorations that honor (6) ________________________________________________ American greatness".

The USA can use "Gulf of America" (7) ________________________________________________ maps. However, no international organization can (8) ________________________________________________ acceptance of name changes. Mexico's president (9) ________________________________________________ name change. She said the name "Gulf of Mexico" has (10) ________________________________________________ centuries. She joked that if there were to be name changes, the USA should be called "Mexican America," (11) ________________________________________________ map from 1607. The UN says a country's (12) ________________________________________________ 19 km from its coastline.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

USPresidentDonaldTrumpwantstheGulfofMexicotobecalledtheGulfo
fAmerica.PresidentTrumpsaid:"Americawillreclaimitsrightfulplacea
sthegreatest,mostpowerful,mostrespectednationonEarth."Headde
d:"WearegoingtobechangingthenameoftheGulfofMexicototheGulfof
America."TheU.S.governmentsaidit"isproudtoannouncetheimplem
entationofnamerestorationsthathonorthelegacyofAmericangreatne
ss".TheUSAcanuse"GulfofAmerica"onofficialUSmaps.However,noin
ternationalorganizationcanmandatetheglobalacceptanceofnamech
anges.Mexico'spresidenthasopposedthenamechange.Shesaidthena
me"GulfofMexico"hasexistedforfourcenturies.Shejokedthatiftherew
eretobenamechanges,theUSAshouldbecalled"MexicanAmerica,"aso
namapfrom1607.TheUNsaysacountry'sterritoryonlyextends19kmfr
omitscoastline.

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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