The Reading / Listening - Debt - Level 0

People have a lot of debt. They use credit cards too much. People have loans for food. Students have big loans. South Korea is doing something to cancel the debts of 1.6 million poorer people. Its National Happiness Fund will help people to make a fresh start in life. It will help people who cannot repay debts of less than $9,000.

The National Happiness Fund started in 2013. It was to help Korea's poorest people and make them more equal. There is still a big problem. Richer people have most of the debt in South Korea. The government wants to stop them from losing all their money. Many families have "a mountain of debt". This could be a big problem.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Debt - Level 1,  Debt - Level 2   or  Debt - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42177172
  • http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Ec_detail.htm?No=132027&id=Ec
  • http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2017/11/137_239633.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. They use credit cards
  2. People have loans
  3. South Korea is doing
  4. cancel the
  5. 1.6 million
  6. Its National Happiness Fund will help
  7. make a fresh
  8. people who cannot repay
  1. for food
  2. start in life
  3. poorer people
  4. debts
  5. too much
  6. debts
  7. people
  8. something

Paragraph 2

  1. The National Happiness Fund
  2. help Korea's poorest
  3. make them more
  4. There is still
  5. Richer people have most
  6. stop them from losing
  7. have a mountain
  8. This could be a big
  1. all their money
  2. of debt
  3. people
  4. problem
  5. started in 2013
  6. a big problem
  7. equal
  8. of the debt

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People (1) ___________________ of debt. They use credit cards too much. People (2) ___________________ food. Students have big loans. South Korea (3) ___________________ to cancel the debts of 1.6 (4) ___________________. Its National Happiness Fund will help people to (5) ___________________ start in life. It will help people who cannot (6) ___________________ less than $9,000.

The National Happiness Fund (7) ___________________. It was to help Korea's poorest people and make (8) ___________________. There is still a big problem. Richer people have (9) ___________________ debt in South Korea. The government (10) ___________________ them from losing all their money. Many families (11) ___________________ of debt". This could be (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Peoplehavealotofdebt.Theyusecreditcardstoomuch.Peoplehaveloa
nsforfood.Studentshavebigloans.SouthKoreaisdoingsomethingtoca
ncelthedebtsof1.6millionpoorerpeople.ItsNationalHappinessFundw
illhelppeopletomakeafreshstartinlife.Itwillhelppeoplewhocannotrep
aydebtsoflessthan$9,000.TheNationalHappinessFundstartedin201
3.ItwastohelpKorea'spoorestpeopleandmakethemmoreequal.Ther
eisstillabigproblem.RicherpeoplehavemostofthedebtinSouthKorea.
Thegovernmentwantstostopthemfromlosingalltheirmoney.Manyfa
milieshave"amountainofdebt".Thiscouldbeabigproblem.

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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