The Reading / Listening - Carspreading - Level 2

An environmental group in the UK wants to stop "carspreading". This is the problem of cars getting too wide for parking spaces. It causes traffic jams, more accidents, and more fuel consumption. The group is targeting large cars like SUVs. These are increasing in number. A news website says there are 10 times more large cars in the UK now than 20 years ago. People want higher parking fees for SUVs. This is because bigger cars take up a lot more space. The group wants to copy Paris, which tripled parking costs for SUVs and reduced the number of the large cars in Paris.

The environmental group explained that: "Drivers are struggling to park because of 'carspreading', while people walking and cycling are more at risk." It said: "More than half of new cars in the UK are too wide for urban parking spaces." It added: "People hit by larger cars when walking or cycling are far less likely to survive." SUVs use around 20 per cent more fuel than smaller cars. 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 1   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. An environmental
  2. cars getting too wide
  3. It causes traffic
  4. fuel
  5. These are increasing
  6. there are 10 times
  7. bigger cars take
  8. reduced the number of
  1. in number
  2. jams
  3. up a lot more space
  4. the large cars
  5. consumption
  6. group in the UK
  7. more large cars
  8. for parking spaces

Paragraph 2

  1. Drivers are struggling
  2. people walking and cycling
  3. More than half
  4. too wide for urban
  5. far less
  6. Not everyone agrees
  7. it was unfair to make
  8. unpleasant for people who
  1. of new cars
  2. likely to survive
  3. drive SUVs
  4. are more at risk
  5. with the group
  6. life more expensive
  7. to park
  8. parking spaces

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

An (1) _________________________________________________ the UK wants to stop "carspreading". This is the problem of cars (2) _________________________________________________ for parking spaces. It causes traffic jams, more accidents, and (3) _________________________________________________. The group is targeting large cars like SUVs. These are (4) _________________________________________________. A news website says there are 10 times more large cars in the UK now than 20 years ago. People want (5) _________________________________________________ for SUVs. This is because bigger cars take up a lot more space. The group wants to copy Paris, (6) _________________________________________________ costs for SUVs and reduced the number of the large cars in Paris.

The environmental group explained that: "Drivers (7) _________________________________________________ park because of 'carspreading', while people walking and cycling are (8) _________________________________________________." It said: "More than half of new cars in the UK are too (9) _________________________________________________ parking spaces." It added: "People hit by larger cars when walking or cycling are (10) _________________________________________________ to survive." SUVs use around 20 per cent more fuel than smaller cars. Not (11) _________________________________________________ the group. The Alliance of British Drivers said it was unfair "to make life more expensive (12) _________________________________________________ people" who drive SUVs.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AnenvironmentalgroupintheUKwantstostop"carspreading".Thisisth
eproblemofcarsgettingtoowideforparkingspaces.Itcausestrafficjam
s,moreaccidents,andmorefuelconsumption.Thegroupistargetinglar
gecarslikeSUVs.Theseareincreasinginnumber.Anewswebsitesaysth
ereare10timesmorelargecarsintheUKnowthan20yearsago.Peoplew
anthigherparkingfeesforSUVs.Thisisbecausebiggercarstakeupalot
morespace.ThegroupwantstocopyParis,whichtripledparkingcostsfo
rSUVsandreducedthenumberofthelargecarsinParis.Theenvironmen
talgroupexplainedthat:"Driversarestrugglingtoparkbecauseof'cars
preading',whilepeoplewalkingandcyclingaremoreatrisk."Itsaid:"Mo
rethanhalfofnewcarsintheUKaretoowideforurbanparkingspaces."Ita
dded:"Peoplehitbylargercarswhenwalkingorcyclingarefarlesslikelyt
osurvive."SUVsusearound20percentmorefuelthansmallercars.Note
veryoneagreeswiththegroup.TheAllianceofBritishDriverssaiditwasu
nfair"tomakelifemoreexpensiveandunpleasantforpeople"whodriveS
UVs.

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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