The Reading / Listening - Glitter - Level 4

Scientists want to highlight the damage glitter does to our environment. They want a worldwide ban on the shiny plastic that decorates everything around us. Scientists say glitter is a micro-plastic and should be banned. A lot of glitter ends up in the world's oceans. Fish cannot digest glitter. It does not break down so it stays in the food chain. A professor found that plastic was discovered in about one-third of the fish caught around the United Kingdom.

Micro-plastics are less than five millimeters long. A professor told a newspaper: "I think all glitter should be banned because it's a micro-plastic." Another professor was worried after his daughters got some shower gel with glitter in it. He said it would, "escape down the plughole and…enter the environment". A cosmetics company will no longer use plastic glitter. It said: "We've avoided micro-plastics by switching to synthetic and mineral glitter."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Glitter - Level 5 or  Glitter - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.smh.com.au/environment/ban-the-glitter-scientists-calling-for-an-end-to-microplastics-20171202-gzxek1.html
  • https://globalcosmeticsnews.com/north-america/5415/environmental-scientists-call-for-glitter-ban-following-new-study
  • https://www.livescience.com/61060-global-glitter-ban.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. highlight the damage
  2. the shiny plastic that
  3. A lot of glitter ends
  4. Fish cannot
  5. It does not break
  6. it stays in the food
  7. plastic was
  8. one-third of the fish
  1. down
  2. digest glitter
  3. caught
  4. decorates everything
  5. discovered
  6. glitter does
  7. up in the world's oceans
  8. chain

Paragraph 2

  1. Micro-plastics are less than
  2. all glitter should
  3. Another professor was
  4. shower gel with
  5. escape down
  6. A cosmetics company will no longer
  7. We've
  8. switching to synthetic
  1. use plastic glitter
  2. glitter in it
  3. and mineral glitter
  4. worried
  5. five millimeters long
  6. avoided micro-plastics
  7. be banned
  8. the plughole

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists (1) ___________________ the damage glitter does to our environment. They want a worldwide ban on the shiny (2) ___________________ everything around us. Scientists say glitter is a micro-plastic and (3) ___________________. A lot of glitter ends up in the world's oceans. Fish (4) ___________________ glitter. It does not break down so it stays in (5) ___________________. A professor found that plastic was discovered in about one-third of the (6) ___________________ the United Kingdom.

Micro-plastics (1) ___________________ five millimeters long. A professor told a newspaper: "I think all glitter (2) ___________________ because it's a micro-plastic." Another professor was (3) ___________________ daughters got some (4) ___________________ glitter in it. He said it would, "escape down (5) ___________________ enter the environment". A cosmetics company will no longer use plastic glitter. It said: "We've avoided micro-plastics by (6) ___________________ and mineral glitter."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistswanttohighlightthedamageglitterdoestoourenvironment.
Theywantaworldwidebanontheshinyplasticthatdecorateseverything
aroundus.Scientistssayglitterisamicro-plasticandshouldbebanne
d.Alotofglitterendsupintheworld'soceans.Fishcannotdigestglitter.It
doesnotbreakdownsoitstaysinthefoodchain.Aprofessorfoundthatpla
sticwasdiscoveredinaboutone-thirdofthefishcaughtaroundtheUnite
dKingdom.Micro-plasticsarelessthanfivemillimeterslong.Aprofessor
toldanewspaper:"Ithinkallglittershouldbebannedbecauseit'samicro
-plastic."Anotherprofessorwasworriedafterhisdaughtersgotsomesh
owergelwithglitterinit.Hesaiditwould,"escapedowntheplugholeand
…entertheenvironment".Acosmeticscompanywillnolongeruseplastic
glitter.Itsaid:"We'veavoidedmicroplasticsbyswitchingtosynthetican
dmineralglitter."

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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