The Reading / Listening - Carspreading - Level 1

An environmental group wants to stop "carspreading". This is when cars get too wide for parking spaces. It causes traffic jams and more accidents. The group is targeting cars like SUVs. These are increasing in number. There are 10 times more large cars in the UK now than 20 years ago. People want higher parking fees for SUVs because they take up more space. The group wants to copy Paris, which tripled parking costs for SUVs. That reduced their number.

The environmental group said: "Drivers are struggling to park because of 'carspreading', while people walking and cycling are more at risk." More than half of new cars in the UK are too wide to park. In addition, people hit by SUVs are more likely to die. Not everyone agrees with the group. The Alliance of British Drivers said it was unfair "to make life more expensive and unpleasant for people" who drive SUVs.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Carspreading - Level 0 Carspreading - Level 2   or  Carspreading - Level 3

Sources


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. cars get too wide for
  2. It causes traffic
  3. The group is targeting cars
  4. There are 10 times more large
  5. they take
  6. The group wants to
  7. tripled parking
  8. That reduced their
  1. cars in the UK now
  2. up more space
  3. number
  4. jams
  5. costs for SUVs
  6. parking spaces
  7. like SUVs
  8. copy Paris

Paragraph 2

  1. environmental
  2. Drivers are struggling
  3. people walking
  4. more at
  5. More than half of new
  6. people hit by SUVs are more
  7. Not everyone agrees
  8. make life more
  1. risk
  2. and cycling
  3. with the group
  4. likely to die
  5. group
  6. expensive
  7. to park
  8. cars in the UK

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

An environmental (1) _________________________________________________ stop "carspreading". This is when cars get (2) _________________________________________________ parking spaces. It causes traffic jams and more accidents. The group (3) _________________________________________________ like SUVs. These are increasing in number. There are 10 (4) _________________________________________________ cars in the UK now than 20 years ago. People want higher parking fees for SUVs because they (5) _________________________________________________ space. The group wants to copy Paris, which tripled parking costs for SUVs. (6) _________________________________________________ number.

The environmental group said: "Drivers (7) _________________________________________________ park because of 'carspreading', while people walking and cycling are (8) _________________________________________________." More than half of new cars in the UK are (9) _________________________________________________ park. In addition, people hit by SUVs are more (10) _________________________________________________. Not everyone agrees with the group. The Alliance of British Drivers said (11) _________________________________________________ "to make life more expensive and unpleasant for (12) _________________________________________________ SUVs.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anenvironmentalgroupwantstostop"carspreading".Thisiswhencars
gettoowideforparkingspaces.Itcausestrafficjamsandmoreaccidents
.ThegroupistargetingcarslikeSUVs.Theseareincreasinginnumber.Th
ereare10timesmorelargecarsintheUKnowthan20yearsago.Peoplew
anthigherparkingfeesforSUVsbecausetheytakeupmorespace.Thegr
oupwantstocopyParis,whichtripledparkingcostsforSUVs.Thatreduce
dtheirnumber.Theenvironmentalgroupsaid:"Driversarestrugglingto
parkbecauseof'carspreading',whilepeoplewalkingandcyclingaremor
eatrisk."MorethanhalfofnewcarsintheUKaretoowidetopark.Inadditi
on,peoplehitbySUVsaremorelikelytodie.Noteveryoneagreeswiththe
group.TheAllianceofBritishDriverssaiditwasunfair"tomakelifemoree
xpensiveandunpleasantforpeople"whodriveSUVs.

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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