The Reading / Listening - Retirement - Level 2

More people are choosing to spend their retirement overseas. An international lifestyle magazine looked at the most popular places to retire to. It said Greece is the best place for 2026. The magazine released its annual retirement report. This looked at things that were important for older people who wanted to spend their golden years overseas. These included the climate, the cost of living, and housing. It is the first time for Greece to be the number-one choice. Spain and Portugal were usually the most popular choices. Panama and Costa Rica were in the top-ten list for 2026.

An editor at the magazine said Greece had what people were looking for. She said it was "beautiful, welcoming, and affordable". She added that it offered a lovely lifestyle "in every sense". A Greek website found that retirees choose Greece because of its beauty. It reported that Greece has thousands of kilometres of spectacular coastline, endless sunshine, great countryside and mountains, and picturesque islands. One retiree left the USA four years ago to live in Greece. She loves the Greek attitude of taking life slowly and the "daily connection with nature".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Retirement - Level 0 Retirement - Level 1   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. spend their retirement
  2. the most popular places to
  3. The magazine released its annual
  4. things that were important for
  5. their golden
  6. the cost
  7. the first time for Greece to be the
  8. in the top-
  1. of living
  2. ten list for 2026
  3. older people
  4. retire to
  5. number-one choice
  6. overseas
  7. retirement report
  8. years

Paragraph 2

  1. An editor
  2. Greece had what people were
  3. it offered a
  4. thousands of kilometres of spectacular
  5. endless
  6. One retiree left the
  7. the Greek attitude of taking life
  8. the daily connection with
  1. USA four years ago
  2. nature
  3. coastline
  4. slowly
  5. at the magazine
  6. lovely lifestyle
  7. looking for
  8. sunshine

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

More people are (1) _________________________________________________ their retirement overseas. An international lifestyle magazine looked at the most popular (2) _________________________________________________ to. It said Greece is the best place for 2026. The magazine released its annual retirement report. This looked at things that were (3) _________________________________________________ people who wanted to spend their golden years overseas. These included the climate, the (4) _________________________________________________, and housing. It is the first time for Greece to be the (5) _________________________________________________. Spain and Portugal were usually the (6) _________________________________________________. Panama and Costa Rica were in the top-ten list for 2026.

(7) _________________________________________________ the magazine said Greece had what people were looking for. She said it was "beautiful, welcoming, and affordable". She added that it (8) _________________________________________________ lifestyle "in every sense". A Greek website found that retirees choose Greece because (9) _________________________________________________. It reported that Greece has thousands of kilometres of spectacular coastline, (10) _________________________________________________ countryside and mountains, and picturesque islands. (11) _________________________________________________ the USA four years ago to live in Greece. She loves the Greek attitude of (12) _________________________________________________ and the "daily connection with nature".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Morepeoplearechoosingtospendtheirretirementoverseas.Aninterna
tionallifestylemagazinelookedatthemostpopularplacestoretireto.Its
aidGreeceisthebestplacefor2026.Themagazinereleaseditsannualret
irementreport.Thislookedatthingsthatwereimportantforolderpeople
whowantedtospendtheirgoldenyearsoverseas.Theseincludedthecli
mate,thecostofliving,andhousing.ItisthefirsttimeforGreecetobethe
number-onechoice.SpainandPortugalwereusuallythemostpopula
rchoices.PanamaandCostaRicawereinthetop-tenlistfor2026.Anedit
oratthemagazinesaidGreecehadwhatpeoplewerelookingfor.Shesaid
itwas"beautiful,welcoming,andaffordable".Sheaddedthatitofferedal
ovelylifestyle"ineverysense".AGreekwebsitefoundthatretireeschoo
seGreecebecauseofitsbeauty.ItreportedthatGreecehasthousandsof
kilometresofspectacularcoastline,endlesssunshine,greatcountrysid
eandmountains,andpicturesqueislands.OneretireelefttheUSAfoury
earsagotoliveinGreece.ShelovestheGreekattitudeoftakinglifeslowly
andthe"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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