The Reading / Listening - Banknotes - Level 1

People in the UK are angry that banknote pictures will change. The Bank of England is replacing historical figures like WWII leader Sir Winston Churchill with wildlife. More than 26,000 people took part in a vote. Nature was the most popular theme. An expert on sustainability said: "This is a powerful reminder of how deeply people feel connected to…British wildlife.…It's a beautiful opportunity to put biodiversity in our hands."

The Bank said images of wildlife were more secure and would make banknotes more difficult to fake. However, politicians are unhappy about removing historical figures. The Conservative Party called it "silly". It said: "Removing Churchill from banknotes is erasing our history." Another leader said: "I can't think of a worse time to do this with a war…in Europe." Churchill's granddaughter had no problem with an animal replacing her grandfather.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Banknotes - Level 0 Banknotes - Level 2   or  Banknotes - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/11/putting-biodiversity-in-our-hands-british-wildlife-will-soon-be-celebrated-on-banknotes
  • https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-official-warns-labour-over-183244760.html
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy03zy1lr8go


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. People in the
  2. banknote pictures will
  3. replacing historical
  4. WWII leader
  5. 26,000 people took
  6. Nature was the most
  7. a powerful reminder of how
  8. put biodiversity in our
  1. change
  2. UK are angry
  3. hands
  4. part in a vote
  5. figures
  6. deeply people feel
  7. Sir Winston Churchill
  8. popular theme

Paragraph 2

  1. images of wildlife were more
  2. make banknotes more difficult
  3. politicians
  4. removing historical
  5. banknotes is erasing
  6. I can't think of a worse
  7. Churchill's granddaughter had
  8. an animal replacing her
  1. time to do this
  2. figures
  3. grandfather
  4. to fake
  5. no problem
  6. secure
  7. our history
  8. are unhappy

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People in the UK (1) ________________________________________________ banknote pictures will change. The Bank of England (2) _________________________________________________ figures like WWII leader Sir Winston Churchill with wildlife. More than 26,000 people (3) _________________________________________________ a vote. Nature was the (4) _________________________________________________. An expert on sustainability said: "This is a powerful reminder of how deeply (5) _______________________________________________ to...British wildlife....It's a beautiful opportunity to put biodiversity (6) _________________________________________________."

The Bank said (7) _________________________________________________ were more secure and would make banknotes (8) _________________________________________________ fake. However, politicians (9) _________________________________________________ removing historical figures. The Conservative Party called it "silly". It said: "Removing Churchill from banknotes (10) _______________________________________________ history." Another leader said: "I can't think of a (11) _________________________________________________ do this with a war...in Europe." Churchill's granddaughter had no problem (12) _________________________________________________ replacing her grandfather.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PeopleintheUKareangrythatbanknotepictureswillchange.TheBankof
EnglandisreplacinghistoricalfigureslikeWWIIleaderSirWinstonChurc
hillwithwildlife.Morethan26,000peopletookpartinavote.Naturewast
hemostpopulartheme.Anexpertonsustainabilitysaid:"Thisisapowerf
ulreminderofhowdeeplypeoplefeelconnectedto...Britishwildlife....It'
sabeautifulopportunitytoputbiodiversityinourhands."TheBanksaidi
magesofwildlifeweremoresecureandwouldmakebanknotesmorediffi
culttofake.However,politiciansareunhappyaboutremovinghistorical
figures.TheConservativePartycalledit"silly".Itsaid:"RemovingChurc
hillfrombanknotesiserasingourhistory."Anotherleadersaid:"Ican'tth
inkofaworsetimetodothiswithawar...inEurope."Churchill'sgranddau
ghterhadnoproblemwithananimalreplacinghergrandfather.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You