The Reading / Listening - Alcatraz - Level 2

Donald Trump wants to reopen the famous prison Alcatraz. The prison is an island in San Francisco Bay. It was in use between 1934 and 1963. Prisoners who stayed there included the gangster Al Capone. Officially, no one ever escaped alive from the prison. In 1973, Alcatraz opened to the public. It became a tourist attraction. President Trump wants it to return to keeping dangerous criminals. He said Alcatraz was a symbol of law and order. He added: "America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders."

The USA's head of border control likes the idea of reopening Alcatraz. He said it could be "an option for significant public safety threats". However, some people think it should not become a prison again. A former head of the Federal Bureau of Prisons disagreed with the idea. He said: "It's not realistic to think you can repair it. You'd have to tear it up and start over." He said some buildings were "literally falling apart". He pointed out some of the problems. He said: "There are no security upgrades. No cameras. No fencing. You can't run a prison [like that]."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Alcatraz - Level 0 Alcatraz - Level 1   or  Alcatraz - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly5d9yzr7wo
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/05/us/trump-alcatraz-prison-history-hnk
  • https://www.npr.org/2025/05/05/nx-s1-5387239/trump-alcatraz-reopen


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. The prison is an island in
  2. Prisoners who stayed there included
  3. no one ever escaped alive
  4. It became a tourist
  5. return to keeping dangerous
  6. He said Alcatraz was a symbol
  7. America has been
  8. repeat criminal
  1. of law and order
  2. from the prison
  3. offenders
  4. criminals
  5. San Francisco Bay
  6. plagued
  7. the gangster Al Capone
  8. attraction

Paragraph 2

  1. The USA's head of border control
  2. an option for significant public
  3. some people think it should not
  4. It's not realistic to think you
  5. You'd have to tear it up
  6. some buildings were literally falling
  7. There are no security
  8. You can't run a prison
  1. and start over
  2. become a prison
  3. upgrades
  4. safety threats
  5. like that
  6. can repair it
  7. apart
  8. likes the idea

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Donald Trump wants to reopen (1) _________________________________________________ Alcatraz. The prison is an island in San Francisco Bay. It was (2) _________________________________________________ 1934 and 1963. Prisoners who stayed there (3) _________________________________________________ Al Capone. Officially, no one ever escaped alive from the prison. In 1973, Alcatraz opened to the public. It became (4) _________________________________________________. President Trump wants it to return to keeping dangerous criminals. He said Alcatraz was a (5) _________________________________________________ and order. He added: "America has been plagued by vicious, violent, (6) _________________________________________________ offenders."

The USA's head of (7) _________________________________________________ the idea of reopening Alcatraz. He said it could be "(8) _________________________________________________ significant public safety threats". However, some people think it should not become a prison again. A (9) _________________________________________________ the Federal Bureau of Prisons disagreed with the idea. He said: "It's not (10) _________________________________________________ you can repair it. You'd have to tear it up and start over." He said some buildings were "literally falling apart". He (11) _________________________________________________ of the problems. He said: "There are no security upgrades. No cameras. No fencing. You (12) _________________________________________________ prison [like that]."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

DonaldTrumpwantstoreopenthefamousprisonAlcatraz.Theprisonisa nislandinSanFranciscoBay.Itwasinusebetween1934and1963.Prison erswhostayedthereincludedthegangsterAlCapone.Officially,noonee verescapedalivefromtheprison.In1973,Alcatrazopenedtothepublic. Itbecameatouristattraction.PresidentTrumpwantsittoreturntokeepi ngdangerouscriminals.HesaidAlcatrazwasasymboloflawandorder.H eadded:"Americahasbeenplaguedbyvicious,violent,andrepeatcrimi naloffenders."TheUSA'sheadofbordercontrollikestheideaofreopenin gAlcatraz.Hesaiditcouldbe"anoptionforsignificantpublicsafetythreat s".However,somepeoplethinkitshouldnotbecomeaprisonagain.Afor merheadoftheFederalBureauofPrisonsdisagreedwiththeidea.Hesaid :"It'snotrealistictothinkyoucanrepairit.You'dhavetotearitupandstar tover."Hesaidsomebuildingswere"literallyfallingapart".Hepointedou tsomeoftheproblems.Hesaid:"Therearenosecurityupgrades.Nocam e
ras.Nofencing.Youcan'trunaprison[likethat]."

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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