The Reading / Listening - Boris Johnson - Level 6

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has thanked his country's National Health Service for saving his life. Mr Johnson, 55, tested positive for COVID-19 on March the 27th. He self-isolated in his apartment in Downing Street, London and continued to lead the country and its response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, his symptoms persisted and his condition took a turn for the worse. On April the 5th, he was admitted to a London hospital for tests. A day later he was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit as his condition worsened. Downing Street said this was a "precautionary move". He remained conscious and was able to breathe without needing a ventilator.

Mr Johnson said the care he received from nurses, doctors and other carers was "exemplary". He said: "I can't thank them enough. I owe them my life." He is now out of intensive care and is on a recovery ward in the hospital. Downing Street said he was making "very good progress" and had been doing Sudoku puzzles and watching films in his hospital bed. His biographer Andrew Gimson said: "Boris never used to believe in illness. He neither admitted to sickness himself....He believed he was strong enough to keep going regardless of any symptoms from which he might be suffering. His strong inclination was to overwork, not to put his feet up. In the light of his experiences one hopes he will change his outlook."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Boris Johnson - Level 4  or  Boris Johnson - Level 5

Sources
  • https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnson-i-owe-doctors-and-nurses-my-life-after-coronavirus-treatment-11972103
  • https://www.theguardian.com/focus/2020/apr/11/boris-johnsons-darkest-hour-one-week-that-shook-the-nation
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/11/uk/boris-johnson-brother-max-coronavirus-intl-gbr/index.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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. NURSES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about nurses. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       thanks / health service / life / self-isolating / pandemic / symptom / hospital / breathe
       nurses / intensive care / progress / puzzles / sickness / overwork / experience / light
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. HEALTH SERVICE: Students A strongly believe a country's health service is its most important service; Students B strongly believe it isn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. THANK YOU: How much do we need to thank these people? What is the best way to thank them Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

How Much We Need to Say Thank You

How to Do That

Nurses

 

 

Police officers

 

 

Teachers

 

 

Cleaners

 

 

Parents

 

 

Friends

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. LIFE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "life". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. HOSPITALS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most important people in hospitals at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Nurses
  • Doctors
  • Surgeons
  • Anaesthetists
  • Cleaners
  • Nutritionists
  • Managers
  • Admin staff

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. self-isolated a. Special medical treatment in which a patient who is dangerously ill is kept under constant observation.
      2. pandemic b. The signs and physical and mental features of an illness or disease.
      3. symptoms c. A disease that has spread over a whole country or the world.
      4. persisted d. Aware of and responding to one's surroundings; awake.
      5. intensive care e. Put yourself in a place out of contact with other people.
      6. precautionary f. Continued to exist; be prolonged.
      7. conscious g. A measure taken in advance to stop something dangerous, unpleasant, or inconvenient from happening.

    Paragraph 2

      8. exemplary h. A person who writes an account of someone's life.
      9. owe i. A person's natural urge to act or feel in a particular way.
      10. ward j. Without paying attention to the present situation.
      11. biographer k. Have a duty to pay or repay something in return for something received.
      12. regardless l. A person's point of view or general attitude to life.
      13. inclination m. Being the very best of its kind.
      14. outlook n. A separate room in a hospital, typically one allocated to a particular type of patient.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Mr Johnson contracted COVID-19 in early April.     T / F
  2. Mr Johnson stopped leading the coronavirus task force immediately.     T / F
  3. Mr Johnson was taken to an intensive care unit a day after he had tests.  T / F
  4. Mr Johnson spent a day on a ventilator.     T / F
  5. Mr Johnson said the care he received from nurses was exemplary.     T / F
  6. Mr Johnson said he owes his life to the National Health Service.     T / F
  7. A biographer said Mr Johnson didn't use to believe in illness.     T / F
  8. A biographer said Mr Johnson liked to put his feet up.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. apartment
  2. persisted
  3. condition
  4. conscious
  5. needing
  6. exemplary
  7. owe
  8. admitted to
  9. inclination
  10. put one's feet up
  1. perfect
  2. tendency
  3. requiring
  4. be indebted to
  5. flat
  6. health
  7. acknowledged
  8. awake
  9. relax
  10. continued

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. Mr Johnson, 55, tested
  2. turn for
  3. he was moved to the hospital's
  4. his condition
  5. able to breathe without
  6. I owe them
  7. in a recovery
  8. making very good
  9. keep going regardless
  10. In the light of his
  1. the worse
  2. needing a ventilator
  3. progress
  4. my life
  5. experiences
  6. worsened
  7. positive for COVID-19
  8. of any symptoms
  9. intensive care unit
  10. ward in the hospital

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
persisted
move
thanked
ventilator
admitted
isolated
unit
response

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has (1) ____________ his country's National Health Service for saving his life. Mr Johnson, 55, tested positive for COVID-19 on March the 27th. He self-(2) ____________ in his apartment in Downing Street, London and continued to lead the country and its (3) ____________ to the coronavirus pandemic. However, his symptoms (4) ____________ and his condition took a turn for the worse. On April the 5th, he was (5) ____________ to a London hospital for tests. A day later he was moved to the hospital's intensive care (6) ____________ as his condition worsened. Downing Street said this was a "precautionary (7) ____________". He remained conscious and was able to breathe without needing a (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
owe
puzzles
inclination
exemplary
regardless
outlook
ward
biographer

Mr Johnson said the care he received from nurses, doctors and other carers was "(9) ____________". He said: "I can't thank them enough. I (10) ____________ them my life." He is now out of intensive care and is on a recovery (11) ____________ in the hospital. Downing Street said he was making "very good progress" and had been doing Sudoku (12) ____________ and watching films in his hospital bed. His (13) ____________ Andrew Gimson said: "Boris never used to believe in illness. He neither admitted to sickness himself....He believed he was strong enough to keep going (14) ____________ of any symptoms from which he might be suffering. His strong (15) ____________ was to overwork, not to put his feet up. In the light of his experiences one hopes he will change his (16) ____________."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  positive for COVID-19 on March the 27th. He self-______ apartment
     a.  isolated in this
     b.  isolate it in his
     c.  isolate din his
     d.  isolated in his
2)  However, his symptoms persisted and his condition took a ______ worse
     a.  turning for the
     b.  turn for the
     c.  turner for the
     d.  tern for the
3)  A day later he was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit ______ worsened
     a.  at his condition
     b.  as his condition
     c.  as this condition
     d.  as his conditional
4)  Downing Street said this was ______
     a.  a precaution airy move
     b.  a precaution airy moved
     c.  a precautionary move
     d.  a precautionary moved
5)  He remained conscious and was able to breathe without ______
     a.  needing all ventilator
     b.  needing the ventilator
     c.  needing a ventilators
     d.  needing a ventilator

6)  Mr Johnson said the care he received from nurses, doctors and other ______
     a.  carers was extemporary
     b.  carers was example really
     c.  carers was example airy
     d.  carers was exemplary
7)  He is now out of intensive care and is on ______
     a.  a recover reward
     b.  a recover rewind
     c.  a recovery wood
     d.  a recovery ward
8)  He believed he was strong enough to keep going regardless ______
     a.  of any sin tunes
     b.  of any sumptuous
     c.  of any symptoms
     d.  of any suctions
9)  His strong inclination was to overwork, not to put ______
     a.  his fee up
     b.  this feet up
     c.  this fee top
     d.  his feet up
10)  In the light of his experiences one hopes he will ______
     a.  change his outlook
     b.  change his overlook
     c.  change his cluck
     d.  change his pluck

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has thanked his country's National Health Service (1) ___________________ life. Mr Johnson, 55, tested positive for COVID-19 on March the 27th. He self-isolated in his apartment in Downing Street, London and (2) ___________________ the country and its response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, his symptoms persisted and his condition took a turn (3) ___________________. On April the 5th, he was admitted to a London hospital for tests. A day later he was moved to the hospital's (4) ___________________ as his condition worsened. Downing Street said this was (5) ___________________. He remained conscious and was able to breathe without (6) ___________________.

Mr Johnson said the care he received from nurses, doctors and other (1) ___________________. He said: "I can't thank them enough. I owe them my life." He is now out of intensive care and is on (2) ___________________ in the hospital. Downing Street said he was making "(3) ___________________" and had been doing Sudoku puzzles and watching films in his hospital bed. His biographer Andrew Gimson said: "Boris never used to (4) ___________________. He neither admitted to sickness himself....He believed he was strong enough to keep going regardless (5) ___________________ from which he might be suffering. His strong inclination was to overwork, not to put his feet up. In the light of his experiences one hopes he will (6) ___________________."

Comprehension questions

  1. When did Mr Johnson test positive for COVID-19?
  2. Where did Mr Johnson self-isolate?
  3. What happened to Mr Johnson's condition after symptoms persisted?
  4. When was Mr Johnson admitted to hospital for tests?
  5. What did Mr Johnson not need to breathe?
  6. What did Mr Johnson call the care he received from nurses?
  7. What did Mr Johnson say he owed those who cared for him?
  8. What kind of puzzles did Mr Johnson do in his bed?
  9. Who is Andrew Gimson?
  10. What did Mr Gimson say Boris Johnson did not want to put up?

Multiple choice quiz

1) When did Mr Johnson test positive for COVID-19?
a) 26th March
b) 29th March
c) 28th March
d) 27th March
2) Where did Mr Johnson self-isolate?
a) Piccadilly
b) Downing Street
c) Oxford Street
d) Buckingham Palace
3) What happened to Mr Johnson's condition after symptoms persisted?
a) it turned around
b) it spiralled
c) it took a turn for the worse
d) it zigzagged up and down
4) When was Mr Johnson admitted to hospital for tests?
a) April 5
b) April 6
c) April 4
d) April 2
5) What did Mr Johnson not need to breathe?
a) a mask
b) a respirator
c) a ventilator
d) space

6) What did Mr Johnson call the care he received from nurses?
a) faultless
b) exemplary
c) impeccable
d) laudable
7) What did Mr Johnson say he owed those who cared for him?
a) an apology
b) a favour
c) money
d) his life
8) What kind of puzzles did Mr Johnson do in his bed?
a) Sudoku
b) jigsaw puzzles
c) crossword puzzles
d) word puzzles
9) Who is Andrew Gimson?
a) Mr Johnson's best friend
b) a doctor
c) Mr Johnson's biographer
d) an epidemiologist
10) What did Mr Gimson say Boris Johnson did not want to put up?
a) his arms
b) his feet
c) his hands
d) his prices

Role play

Role  A – Nurses
You think nurses are the most important workers in a hospital. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their staff aren't as important. Also, tell the others who are the least important of these (and why): surgeons, managers or admin staff.

Role  B – Surgeons
You think surgeons are the most important workers in a hospital. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their staff aren't as important. Also, tell the others who are the least important of these (and why): nurses, managers or admin staff.

Role  C – Managers
You think managers are the most important workers in a hospital. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their staff aren't as important. Also, tell the others who are the least important of these (and why): surgeons, nurses or admin staff.

Role  D – Admin Staff
You think admin staff are the most important workers in a hospital. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their staff aren't as important. Also, tell the others who are the least important of these (and why): surgeons, managers or nurses.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'thank'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'nurse'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • life
    • apartment
    • turn
    • tests
    • moved
    • able
    • received
    • owe
    • ward
    • bed
    • strong
    • light

    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 - Boris Johnson

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'nurse'?
    3. What do you know about Boris Johnson?
    4. What do you think of a world leading getting COVID-19?
    5. How is your leader dealing with COVID-19?
    6. How good is your country's health service?
    7. What do you think of nurses in hospitals right now?
    8. What do you know about the symptoms of COVID-19?
    9. What can you do to stay safe in this pandemic?
    10. What advice do you have for nurses?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'leader'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What work does a nurse do?
    5. Do you have what it takes to be a nurse?
    6. How strong are you in fighting disease?
    7. What three adjectives best describe nurses?
    8. Should governments increase spending on health after the pandemic?
    9. Will your outlook change after the pandemic is over?
    10. What questions would you like to ask nurses on the front line?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has thanked his country's National Health Service for (1) ____ his life. Mr Johnson, 55, tested positive for COVID-19 on March the 27th. He (2) ____-isolated in his apartment in Downing Street, London and continued to lead the country and its (3) ____ to the coronavirus pandemic. However, his symptoms persisted and his condition took a (4) ____ for the worse. On April the 5th, he was admitted to a London hospital for tests. A day later he was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit (5) ____ his condition worsened. Downing Street said this was a "precautionary move". He remained conscious and was able to (6) ____ without needing a ventilator.

    Mr Johnson said the care he received from nurses, doctors and other carers was "(7) ____". He said: "I can't thank them enough. I owe them my life." He is now out of intensive care and is on a recovery (8) ____ in the hospital. Downing Street said he was making "very good progress" and had been doing Sudoku puzzles and watching films in his hospital bed. His (9) ____ Andrew Gimson said: "Boris never used to believe in illness. He (10) ____ admitted to sickness himself....He believed he was strong enough to keep going regardless (11) ____ any symptoms from which he might be suffering. His strong inclination was to overwork, not to put his feet up. In the (12) ____ of his experiences one hopes he will change his outlook."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     saving     (b)     saver     (c)     saves     (d)     saved    
    2. (a)     semi     (b)     auto     (c)     self     (d)     pre    
    3. (a)     respond     (b)     responder     (c)     response     (d)     responsive    
    4. (a)     diversion     (b)     route     (c)     spiral     (d)     turn    
    5. (a)     was     (b)     has     (c)     as     (d)     ease    
    6. (a)     breathy     (b)     breathe     (c)     breathless     (d)     breath    
    7. (a)     compulsive     (b)     exemplary     (c)     reclusive     (d)     ardent    
    8. (a)     mall     (b)     ward     (c)     crevice     (d)     atrium    
    9. (a)     cartographer     (b)     graphics     (c)     biographer     (d)     biologist    
    10. (a)     non     (b)     ne'er     (c)     nor     (d)     neither    
    11. (a)     on     (b)     as     (c)     to     (d)     of    
    12. (a)     dark     (b)     shade     (c)     dazzle     (d)     light

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. He self-ildaoest in his apartment
    2. his omstpysm persisted
    3. eniisntev care unit
    4. this was a cyapnrtrieoua move
    5. He remained cosncsoui
    6. breathe without needing a vteotnirla

    Paragraph 2

    1. ...and other carers was earmplyex
    2. on a oycrveer ward
    3. His erihaorgbp Andrew Gimson
    4. He neither eatimddt to sickness himself
    5. keep going lrgdsersae
    6. His strong clntioinian was to overwork

    Put the text back together

    (...)  to the hospital's intensive care unit as his condition worsened. Downing Street said this was a "precautionary
    (...)  overwork, not to put his feet up. In the light of his experiences one hopes he will change his outlook."
    (...)  move". He remained conscious and was able to breathe without needing a ventilator.
    (...)  puzzles and watching films in his hospital bed. His biographer Andrew Gimson said: "Boris never used to believe
    (...)  in illness. He neither admitted to sickness himself....He believed he was strong enough to keep going regardless
    (...)  to the coronavirus pandemic. However, his symptoms persisted and his condition took a turn for the
    (...)  ward in the hospital. Downing Street said he was making "very good progress" and had been doing Sudoku
    (  1  ) The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has thanked his country's National Health Service for saving
    (...)  of any symptoms from which he might be suffering. His strong inclination was to
    (...)  apartment in Downing Street, London and continued to lead the country and its response
    (...)  enough. I owe them my life." He is now out of intensive care and is on a recovery
    (...)  Mr Johnson said the care he received from nurses, doctors and other carers was "exemplary". He said: "I can't thank them
    (...)  worse. On April the 5th, he was admitted to a London hospital for tests. A day later he was moved
    (...)  his life. Mr Johnson, 55, tested positive for COVID-19 on March the 27th. He self-isolated in his

    Put the words in the right order

    1. country's   the   coronavirus   to   Lead   his   pandemic   .   response
    2. took   for   turn   the   His   worse   .   a   condition
    3. tests   .   was   for   hospital   admitted   to   He   a
    4. the   hospital's   care   intensive   to   unit   .   Moved
    5. a   breathe   He   was   without   able   to   ventilator   .
    6. was   he   received   The   exemplary   .   nurses   care   from
    7. intensive   out   unit   .   of   now   care   He's   the
    8. regardless   .   strong   He   to   keep   enough   going   was
    9. be   symptoms   might   Any   he   suffering   .   from   which
    10. change   he   will   One   hopes   outlook   .   his

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has pleased / thanked his country's National Health Service for safe / saving his life. Mr Johnson, 55, tested / testing positive for COVID-19 on March the 27th. He self-isolated in / on his apartment in Downing Street, London and continued to lead the country and its respond / response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, his symptoms / symptomatic persisted and his condition took a turn for the / a worse. On April the 5th, he was admitted to a London hospital for tests. A day later he was moved to the hospital's intensive carer / care unit as his condition worsened. Downing Street said this was a "precautionary move". He remained consciously / conscious and was able to breathe without needing a ventilator / ventilation.

    Mr Johnson said the care he receives / received from nurses, doctors and other carers was "exemplary". He said: "I can't thank them plenty / enough. I owe them my life." He is now out of intensive care and is on a recover / recovery ward in the hospital. Downing Street said he was making "very good progress" and had been done / doing Sudoku puzzles and watching films in his hospital bed. His autobiographer / biographer Andrew Gimson said: "Boris never used to believe in / on illness. He neither admitted to sickness himself....He believed he was strength / strong enough to keep going regardless of any symptomatic / symptoms from which he might be suffering. His strong inclination was to overwork / overtime, not to put his feet up. In the light of his experiences one hopes he will change / chance his outlook."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    T h_ P r_m_ M_n_s t_r _f t h_ U n_t_d K_n g d_m , B_r_s J_h n s_n , h_s t h_n k_d h_s c__ n t r y ' s N_t__ n_l H__ l t h S_r v_c_ f_r s_v_n g h_s l_f_. M r J_h n s_n , 5 5 , t_s t_d p_s_t_v_ f_r C O V I D - 1 9 _n M_r c h t h_ 2 7 t h . H_ s_l f -_s_l_t_d _n h_s _p_r t m_n t _n D_w n_n g S t r__ t , L_n d_n _n d c_n t_n__ d t_ l__ d t h_ c__ n t r y _n d _t s r_s p_n s_ t_ t h_ c_r_n_v_r_s p_n d_m_c . H_w_v_r , h_s s y m p t_m s p_r s_s t_d _n d h_s c_n d_t__ n t__ k _ t_r n f_r t h_ w_r s_. O n A p r_l t h_ 5 t h , h_ w_s _d m_t t_d t_ _ L_n d_n h_s p_t_l f_r t_s t s . A d_y l_t_r h_ w_s m_v_d t_ t h_ h_s p_t_l ' s _n t_n s_v_ c_r_ _n_t _s h_s c_n d_t__ n w_r s_n_d . D_w n_n g S t r__ t s__ d t h_s w_s _ " p r_c__ t__ n_r y m_v_" . H_ r_m__ n_d c_n s c___s _n d w_s _b l_ t_ b r__ t h_ w_t h__ t n__ d_n g _ v_n t_l_t_r .

    M r J_h n s_n s__ d t h_ c_r_ h_ r_c__ v_d f r_m n_r s_s , d_c t_r s _n d _t h_r c_r_r s w_s "_x_m p l_r y " . H_ s__ d : " I c_n ' t t h_n k t h_m _n__ g h . I _w_ t h_m m y l_f_. " H_ _s n_w __ t _f _n t_n s_v_ c_r_ _n d _s _n _ r_c_v_r w_r d _n t h_ h_s p_t_l . D_w n_n g S t r__ t s__ d h_ w_s m_k_n g " v_r y g__ d p r_g r_s s " _n d h_d b__ n d__ n g S_d_k_ p_z z l_s _n d w_t c h_n g f_l m s _n h_s h_s p_t_l b_d . H_s b__ g r_p h_r A n d r_w G_m s_n s__ d : " B_r_s n_v_r _s_d t_ b_l__ v_ _n _l l n_s s . H_ n__ t h_r _d m_t t_d t_ s_c k n_s s h_m s_l f . . . . H_ b_l__ v_d h_ w_s s t r_n g _n__ g h t_ k__ p g__ n g r_g_r d l_s s _f _n y s y m p t_m s f r_m w h_c h h_ m_g h t b_ s_f f_r_n g . H_s s t r_n g _n c l_n_t__ n w_s t_ _v_r w_r k , n_t t_ p_t h_s f__ t _p . I n t h_ l_g h t _f h_s _x p_r__ n c_s _n_ h_p_s h_ w_l l c h_n g_ h_s __ t l__ k . "

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the prime minister of the united kingdom boris johnson has thanked his countrys national health service for saving his life mr johnson 55 tested positive for covid19 on march the 27th he selfisolated in his apartment in downing street london and continued to lead the country and its response to the coronavirus pandemic however his symptoms persisted and his condition took a turn for the worse on april the 5th he was admitted to a london hospital for tests a day later he was moved to the hospitals intensive care unit as his condition worsened downing street said this was a precautionary move he remained conscious and was able to breathe without needing a ventilator

    mr johnson said the care he received from nurses doctors and other carers was exemplary he said i cant thank them enough i owe them my life he is now out of intensive care and is on a recovery ward in the hospital downing street said he was making very good progress and had been doing sudoku puzzles and watching films in his hospital bed his biographer andrew gimson said boris never used to believe in illness he neither admitted to sickness himselfhe believed he was strong enough to keep going regardless of any symptoms from which he might be suffering his strong inclination was to overwork not to put his feet up in the light of his experiences one hopes he will change his outlook

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    ThePrimeMinisteroftheUnitedKingdom,BorisJohnson,hasthankedhi
    scountry'sNationalHealthServiceforsavinghislife.MrJohnson,55,test
    edpositiveforCOVID-19onMarchthe27th.Heself-isolatedinhisapart
    mentinDowningStreet,Londonandcontinuedtoleadthecountryandits
    responsetothecoronaviruspandemic.However,hissymptomspersist
    edandhisconditiontookaturnfortheworse.OnAprilthe5th,hewasadmi
    ttedtoaLondonhospitalfortests.Adaylaterhewasmovedtothehospital
    'sintensivecareunitashisconditionworsened.DowningStreetsaidthis
    wasa"precautionarymove".Heremainedconsciousandwasabletobre
    athewithoutneedingaventilator.MrJohnsonsaidthecarehereceivedfr
    omnurses,doctorsandothercarerswas"exemplary".Hesaid:"Ican'tth
    ankthemenough.Iowethemmylife."Heisnowoutofintensivecareandi
    sonarecoverywardinthehospital.DowningStreetsaidhewasmaking"v
    erygoodprogress"andhadbeendoingSudokupuzzlesandwatchingfil
    msinhishospitalbed.HisbiographerAndrewGimsonsaid:"Borisneveru
    sedtobelieveinillness.Heneitheradmittedtosicknesshimself....Hebeli
    evedhewasstrongenoughtokeepgoingregardlessofanysymptomsfro
    mwhichhemightbesuffering.Hisstronginclinationwastooverwork,no
    ttoputhisfeetup.Inthelightofhisexperiencesonehopeshewillchangeh
    isoutlook."

    Free writing

    Write about Boris Johnson for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Nurses are the biggest heroes in our society. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. NURSES: Make a poster about nurses. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. HUGE SALARY INCREASE: Write a magazine article about nurses and care staff being given a huge salary increase. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on nurses. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on how we can thank our nurses and care workers. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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