The Reading / Listening - Retirement - Level 1

Many people want to retire overseas. An international lifestyle magazine looked at the most popular places. Greece was the best place they found for 2026. The magazine looked at things that were important for older people who wanted to retire overseas. These included the climate, the cost of living, and housing. It is the first time for Greece to be the number-one choice. Panama and Costa Rica are also in the top-ten list for 2026.

Greece has what people are looking for. It is "beautiful, welcoming, and affordable". A Greek website found that people choose Greece because of its beauty. Greece has a spectacular coastline, lots of sunshine, great countryside and mountains, and paradise islands. An American woman who moved to Greece four years ago loves the Greek way of taking life slowly. She also loves the "daily connection with nature".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Retirement - Level 0 Retirement - Level 2   or  Retirement - Level 3

Sources
  • https://greekreporter.com/2025/12/01/greece-named-world-number-one-retirement-destination/
  • https://www.newsweek.com/greece-worlds-top-retirement-destination-how-americans-can-move-there-11124134
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/01/travel/worlds-best-retirement-destinations-2026


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. Many people want to retire
  2. looked at the most popular
  3. things that were important for
  4. These included
  5. the cost
  6. It is the first
  7. be the number-
  8. in the top-ten
  1. one choice
  2. of living
  3. the climate
  4. overseas
  5. places
  6. list for 2026
  7. time for Greece
  8. older people

Paragraph 2

  1. Greece has what people
  2. It is beautiful, welcoming,
  3. people choose Greece because
  4. Greece has a spectacular
  5. lots
  6. An American woman who
  7. the Greek way of taking
  8. the daily connection
  1. of its beauty
  2. life slowly
  3. coastline
  4. with nature
  5. are looking for
  6. of sunshine
  7. moved to Greece
  8. and affordable

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Many people want (1) _________________________________________________. An international lifestyle magazine looked at the (2) _________________________________________________. Greece was the best place they found for 2026. The magazine (3) _________________________________________________ that were important for (4) _________________________________________________ wanted to retire overseas. These included the climate, the cost of living, and housing. It is the (5) _________________________________________________ Greece to be the number-one choice. Panama and Costa Rica are also in the (6) _________________________________________________ for 2026.

Greece has what people (7) _________________________________________________. It is "beautiful, welcoming, and affordable". A Greek website found that people choose Greece because (8) _________________________________________________. Greece has a spectacular coastline, (9) _________________________________________________, great countryside and mountains, (10) _________________________________________________. An American woman who moved to Greece four years ago loves the Greek way of (11) _________________________________________________. She also loves the "(12) _________________________________________________ nature".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Manypeoplewanttoretireoverseas.Aninternationallifestylemagazine
lookedatthemostpopularplaces.Greecewasthebestplacetheyfoundf
or2026.Themagazinelookedatthingsthatwereimportantforolderpeo
plewhowantedtoretireoverseas.Theseincludedtheclimate,thecostofl
iving,andhousing.ItisthefirsttimeforGreecetobethenumber-onecho
ice.PanamaandCostaRicaarealsointhetop-tenlistfor2026.Greeceh
aswhatpeoplearelookingfor.Itis"beautiful,welcoming,andaffordab
le".AGreekwebsitefoundthatpeoplechooseGreecebecauseofitsbeau
ty.Greecehasaspectacularcoastline,lotsofsunshine,greatcountrysid
eandmountains,andparadiseislands.AnAmericanwomanwhomoved
toGreecefouryearsagolovestheGreekwayoftakinglifeslowly.Shealso
lovesthe"dailyconnectionwithnature".

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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