The Reading / Listening - Trade Tariffs - Level 0

The value of Asia's stock markets has fallen. It is the biggest fall in decades. Shanghai's market was down nearly 8%. Japan's fell 7.8%. An analyst called it a "bloodbath". Stock prices fell after the USA announced trade tariffs on April the 2nd. President Trump said that was the day "we began to make America wealthy again".

A Chinese newspaper said China has had "eight years of trade wars with the US". It said China would beat "US tariff bullying". China could put its own tariffs on the USA. Japan will ask the USA to reduce the tariffs. President Trump said the tariffs were like medicine. He said they would fix things.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Trade Tariffs - Level 1 Trade Tariffs - Level 2   or  Trade Tariffs - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/06/trump-says-he-doesnt-want-stocks-to-go-down-but-sometimes-you-have-to-take-medicine.html
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c934qzd094wo
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/06/business/japan-nikkei-plunges-hnk-intl/index.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. It is the biggest fall
  2. Shanghai's market was down
  3. An analyst called it
  4. Stock prices
  5. after the USA announced
  6. on April
  7. that was the day
  8. make America
  1. the 2nd
  2. in decades
  3. wealthy again
  4. a "bloodbath"
  5. nearly 8%
  6. we began
  7. trade tariffs
  8. fell

Paragraph 2

  1. a Chinese
  2. eight years of trade wars
  3. It said China would beat
  4. China could put its own tariffs
  5. Japan will
  6. reduce
  7. the tariffs were like
  8. they would fix
  1. things
  2. ask the USA
  3. with the US
  4. medicine
  5. "US tariff bullying"
  6. on the USA
  7. newspaper
  8. the tariffs

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ________________________________________________ Asia's stock markets has fallen. It is the (2) ________________________________________________ decades. Shanghai's market was down nearly 8%. Japan's fell 7.8%. An (3) ________________________________________________ a "bloodbath". Stock prices (4) ________________________________________________ USA announced trade tariffs on April the 2nd. President Trump said (5) ________________________________________________ day "we began to make (6) ________________________________________________".

A (7) ________________________________________________ China has had "eight years (8) ________________________________________________ with the US". It said China (9) ________________________________________________ tariff bullying". China could (10) ________________________________________________ tariffs on the USA. Japan will ask the USA to (11) ________________________________________________. President Trump said the tariffs were like medicine. He said they (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ThevalueofAsia'sstockmarketshasfallen.Itisthebiggestfallindecades
.Shanghai'smarketwasdownnearly8%.Japan'sfell7.8%.Ananalystc
alledita"bloodbath".StockpricesfellaftertheUSAannouncedtradetarif
fsonAprilthe2nd.PresidentTrumpsaidthatwastheday"webegantoma
keAmericawealthyagain".AChinesenewspapersaidChinahashad"eig
htyearsoftradewarswiththeUS".ItsaidChinawouldbeat"UStariffbully
ing".ChinacouldputitsowntariffsontheUSA.JapanwillasktheUSAtore
ducethetariffs.PresidentTrumpsaidthetariffswerelikemedicine.Hesa
idtheywouldfixthings.

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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