The Reading / Listening - Chocolate Theft - Level 4

Shops in the UK are taking extreme action to stop shoplifters from stealing chocolate. Stores are locking chocolate in plastic boxes. Customers must ask a member of staff to unlock the box. One supermarket said it is using "boxes on products which are regularly targeted" by thieves. Another store said chocolate theft was a "massive issue" and costs thousands of pounds a week. It said some shoplifters "literally swipe the whole shelf" of chocolate.

Chocolate is the latest target of criminal gangs. A store association said "prolific offenders" are stealing chocolate and selling it on the black market. Only alcohol is stolen more often. Another association said chocolate was now a "high-value" target, so stores are installing anti-theft devices. There were more than 5.5 million reported incidents of shoplifting in the UK last year. Sadly, there are 1,600 violent attacks against shop workers every day.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Chocolate Theft - Level 5 or  Chocolate Theft - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15587441/Now-chocolate-bars-locked-shops-stop-thieves-stealing-order.html
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/shoplifting-chocolate-theft-dairy-milk-b2926378.html
  • https://www.aol.com/articles/chocolate-kept-anti-theft-boxes-103944140.html


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. Shops in the UK are going
  2. stop shoplifters from
  3. locking chocolate bars in
  4. Customers must ask a
  5. regularly targeted
  6. chocolate theft was a massive
  7. thousands of pounds
  8. literally swipe the whole
  1. stealing chocolate
  2. issue
  3. by thieves
  4. shelf of chocolate
  5. plastic security boxes
  6. in a week
  7. member of staff
  8. to extreme lengths

Paragraph 2

  1. Chocolate is the latest target
  2. chocolate is being stolen by prolific
  3. sold on the black
  4. only alcohol was stolen
  5. Chocolate is now
  6. retailers have installed anti-
  7. 5.5 million reported incidents
  8. violent attacks against
  1. a target
  2. shop workers
  3. more often
  4. theft devices
  5. of criminal gangs
  6. market
  7. offenders
  8. of shoplifting

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Shops in the UK are going to (1) ________________________________________________ stop shoplifters from stealing chocolate. Stores are locking chocolate (2) ________________________________________________ security boxes. Customers must ask a member of staff (3) ________________________________________________ box if they want to buy one. One leading supermarket said it has begun using "boxes on products which are regularly (4) ________________________________________________. Another popular store, the Co-op, said chocolate theft was (5) ________________________________________________. It said: "In a particular shop, one individual could cost us thousands of pounds in a week." It added that some shoplifters "literally (6) ________________________________________________ shelf" of chocolate.

Chocolate is the latest target (7) ________________________________________________. A convenience store association said chocolate is being stolen (8) ________________________________________________ and then sold on the black market. A spokesman said only (9) ________________________________________________ more often in 2025. Another association said: "Chocolate is now a target, deemed to be 'high value,' so retailers have installed (10) ________________________________________________." There were more than 5.5 million reported incidents of shoplifting in the UK last year. In London, only five per cent of these (11) ________________________________________________ the courts. Sadly, there are 1,600 (12) ________________________________________________ shop workers every day.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ShopsintheUKaregoingtoextremelengthstostopshopliftersfromsteal
ingchocolate.Storesarelockingchocolatebarsinplasticsecurityboxes.
Customersmustaskamemberofstafftounlocktheboxiftheywanttobuy
one.Oneleadingsupermarketsaidithasbegunusing"boxesonproduct
swhichareregularlytargeted"bythieves.Anotherpopularstore,theCo-
op,saidchocolatetheftwasa"massiveissue".Itsaid:"Inaparticularsho
p,oneindividualcouldcostusthousandsofpoundsinaweek."Itaddedth
atsomeshoplifters"literallyswipethewholeshelf"ofchocolate.Chocola
teisthelatesttargetofcriminalgangs.Aconveniencestoreassociations
aidchocolateisbeingstolenby"prolificoffenders"andthensoldonthebl
ackmarket.Aspokesmansaidonlyalcoholwasstolenmoreoftenin2025
.Anotherassociationsaid:"Chocolateisnowatarget,deemedtobe'high
value,'soretailershaveinstalledanti-theftdevices."Thereweremoret
han5.5millionreportedincidentsofshopliftingintheUKlastyear.InLon
don,onlyfivepercentoftheseendedupinthecourts.Sadly,thereare1,6
00violentattacksagainstshopworkerseveryday.

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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