The Reading / Listening - Stink Bugs - Level 0

Farmers worry about things like rain or pests. British farmers have a new worry - stink bugs that have arrived from China, Japan or Korea. These smelly insects damage fruit and vegetables on farms. They create a bad smell when they are in danger. They arrived in the USA 30 years ago. They are now a big problem for farmers.

Stink bugs suck out the juice from fruits and vegetables. This makes the fruit go bad. There is no risk to our health if we eat this damaged fruit. Stink bugs can eat over one hundred different types of plants. A scientist said: "With climate change and global trade, these stories are going to become more frequent."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Stink Bugs - Level 1,  Stink Bugs - Level 2   or  Stink Bugs - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2021/march/monitoring-stink-bugs-to-anticipate-the-future.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/01/uk-scientists-confirm-arrival-of-brown-marmorated-stink-bugs
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stink-bugs-invasive-species-crops-b1809209.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. Farmers worry about
  2. British farmers have
  3. stink bugs that have arrived
  4. These smelly
  5. They create a bad
  6. when they are
  7. They arrived in the USA
  8. a big problem
  1. insects damage fruit
  2. 30 years ago
  3. for farmers
  4. in danger
  5. things like rain
  6. smell
  7. a new worry
  8. from China

Paragraph 2

  1. Stink bugs suck
  2. fruits and
  3. This makes the fruit go
  4. There is no risk
  5. if we eat this
  6. one hundred different
  7. climate
  8. become more
  1. bad
  2. frequent
  3. damaged fruit
  4. out the juice
  5. change
  6. to our health
  7. types of plants
  8. vegetables

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Farmers worry about things like (1) ___________________. British farmers have (2) ___________________ - stink bugs that have arrived from China, Japan or Korea. (3) ___________________ damage fruit and vegetables on farms. They (4) ___________________ smell when they (5) ___________________. They arrived in the USA 30 years ago. They are now a (6) ___________________ farmers.

Stink bugs (7) ___________________ juice from fruits and vegetables. This makes the (8) ___________________. There is no (9) ___________________ health if we eat this damaged fruit. Stink bugs can eat over one hundred different (10) ___________________. A scientist said: "With climate change (11) ___________________, these stories are going (12) ___________________ frequent."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Farmersworryaboutthingslikerainorpests.Britishfarmershaveanew
worry-stinkbugsthathavearrivedfromChina,JapanorKorea.Thesesm
ellyinsectsdamagefruitandvegetablesonfarms.Theycreateabadsmel
lwhentheyareindanger.TheyarrivedintheUSA30yearsago.Theyaren
owabigproblemforfarmers.Stinkbugssuckoutthejuicefromfruitsand
vegetables.Thismakesthefruitgobad.Thereisnorisktoourhealthifwee
atthisdamagedfruit.Stinkbugscaneatoveronehundreddifferenttypes
ofplants.Ascientistsaid:"Withclimatechangeandglobaltrade,thesest
oriesaregoingtobecomemorefrequent."

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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