The Reading / Listening - The Klitschko Brothers - Level 4

Two ex-boxing world champions have vowed to take up arms to help defend their capital Kyiv. They are Vitali Klitschko, 50, and his brother Wladimir, 45, both Ukrainian. Vitali is Kyiv's mayor. He was world heavyweight champion for a decade. He said: "I don't have any choice.…I'll be fighting. It's already a bloody war." Wladimir tweeted: "Destruction and death come upon us.…We will defend ourselves with all our might and fight for freedom and democracy."

The brothers have joined their fellow citizens in defending their city. Authorities have given 18,000 rifles to residents to defend themselves. The two brothers have critisised Russia's President Putin. Yahoo Sports wrote: "There is an immense amount of bravery required to slip between the ropes and fight another man who has trained for months to defeat you. That's child's play compared to the fight the Klitschkos face today."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    The Klitschko Brothers - Level 5 or  The Klitschko Brothers - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/two-ukrainian-brothers-former-world-boxing-champs-ready-to-fight-russian-troops/ar-AAUjZiB
  • https://sports.yahoo.com/vitali-klitschko-an-outspoken-putin-critic-may-have-signed-his-own-death-warrant-145626700.html
  • https://www.boxinginsider.com/headlines/vitali-klitschko-shown-fully-engaged-in-military-defense-of-ukraine/


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. vowed to take
  2. defend their
  3. heavyweight champion
  4. I don't have any
  5. It's already
  6. Destruction and death
  7. defend ourselves with
  8. fight for freedom
  1. come upon us
  2. for a decade
  3. and democracy
  4. up arms
  5. capital Kyiv
  6. all our might
  7. a bloody war
  8. choice

Paragraph 2

  1. The brothers have joined
  2. Authorities have given 18,000
  3. an immense amount
  4. slip between the
  5. fight another
  6. trained for
  7. child's
  8. the fight the Klitschkos
  1. man
  2. play
  3. months
  4. of bravery
  5. face today
  6. ropes
  7. their fellow citizens
  8. rifles to residents

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Two ex-boxing world champions (1) ___________________ take up arms to help (2) ___________________ Kyiv. They are Vitali Klitschko, 50, and his brother Wladimir, 45, both Ukrainian. Vitali is Kyiv's mayor. He was world heavyweight champion (3) ___________________. He said: "I don't have any choice....I'll be fighting. It's already (4) ___________________." Wladimir tweeted: "Destruction and death (5) ___________________....We will defend ourselves with all our (6) ___________________ for freedom and democracy."

The brothers have joined (7) ___________________ in defending their city. Authorities have given 18,000 (8) ___________________ to defend themselves. The two (9) ___________________ critisised Russia's President Putin. Yahoo Sports wrote: "There is (10) ___________________ of bravery required (11) ___________________ the ropes and fight another man who has trained for months to defeat you. (12) ___________________ compared to the fight the Klitschkos face today."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Twoex-boxingworldchampionshavevowedtotakeuparmstohelpde
fendtheircapitalKyiv.TheyareVitaliKlitschko,50,andhisbrotherWladi
mir,45,bothUkrainian.VitaliisKyiv'smayor.Hewasworldheavyweight
championforadecade.Hesaid:"Idon'thaveanychoice....I'llbefighting
.It'salreadyabloodywar."Wladimirtweeted:"Destructionanddeathco
meuponus....Wewilldefendourselveswithallourmightandfightforfree
domanddemocracy."Thebrothershavejoinedtheirfellowcitizensindef
endingtheircity.Authoritieshavegiven18,000riflestoresidentstodefe
ndthemselves.ThetwobrothershavecritisisedRussia'sPresidentPutin
.YahooSportswrote:"Thereisanimmenseamountofbraveryrequiredt
oslipbetweentheropesandfightanothermanwhohastrainedformonth
stodefeatyou.That'schild'splaycomparedtothefighttheKlitschkosfac
etoday."

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