The Reading / Listening - Nuclear Annihilation - Level 2

These are troubling times. We have the COVID-19 pandemic, a global cost of living crisis, and a changing climate. The U.N. has warned of another danger – nuclear annihilation. The UN's Antonio Guterres warned that one small mistake could lead to a nuclear war. He said international tensions were "reaching new highs". He said Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, and the Middle East were possible flashpoints. He said we are "lucky" so far to have avoided nuclear conflict. However, he said luck was neither a strategy nor a shield to stop global tensions "boiling over into nuclear conflict".

Guterres painted a worrying picture. He said the world is in danger at a level not seen in decades. He warned that: "Humanity is just one misunderstanding…away from nuclear annihilation." Guterres was speaking at a conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He said now was the time to get the Treaty to "help the worrying world around us". He added: "Eliminating nuclear weapons is the only guarantee that they will never be used." There are almost 13,000 nuclear weapons around the world. The risks of nuclear proliferation are growing."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Nuclear Annihilation - Level 0 Nuclear Annihilation - Level 1   or  Nuclear Annihilation - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-62381425
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/02/world-one-miscalculation-away-from-nuclear-annihilation-un-chief-says
  • https://www.dw.com/en/guterres-warns-of-nuclear-annihilation-at-conference-over-nuclear-nonproliferation-treaty/a-62675732


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. These are troubling
  2. a global cost of
  3. one small mistake could lead
  4. He said we are "lucky"
  5. avoided nuclear
  6. luck was neither a strategy
  7. stop global
  8. boiling over
  1. so far
  2. tensions
  3. conflict
  4. into nuclear conflict
  5. to a nuclear war
  6. times
  7. nor a shield
  8. living crisis

Paragraph 2

  1. Guterres painted a worrying
  2. a level not seen
  3. one misunderstanding
  4. Guterres was speaking
  5. He said now was
  6. the worrying
  7. Eliminating nuclear weapons is
  8. nuclear
  1. the time
  2. away
  3. proliferation
  4. the only guarantee
  5. at a conference
  6. picture
  7. world
  8. in decades

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

These (1) ___________________. We have the COVID-19 pandemic, a global cost of living crisis, and                                     (2) ___________________. The U.N. has warned of another danger - nuclear annihilation. The UN's Antonio Guterres warned that one small (3) ___________________ to a nuclear war. He said international tensions were "reaching new highs". He said Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, and (4) ___________________ were possible flashpoints. He said we are (5) ___________________ to have avoided nuclear conflict. However, he said luck was neither a strategy nor a shield to stop global tensions                                   "(6) ___________________ nuclear conflict".

Guterres (7) ___________________ picture. He said the world is in danger at a level not (8) ___________________. He warned that: "Humanity is just one misunderstanding...away from nuclear annihilation." Guterres was speaking (9) ___________________ for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He said now was the time to get the Treaty to "help (10) ___________________ around us". He added: "Eliminating nuclear weapons (11) ___________________ guarantee that they will never be used." There are almost 13,000 nuclear weapons around the world. The (12) ___________________ proliferation are growing."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thesearetroublingtimes.WehavetheCOVID-19pandemic,aglobalco
stoflivingcrisis,andachangingclimate.TheU.N.haswarnedofanotherd
anger-nuclearannihilation.TheUN'sAntonioGuterreswarnedthato
nesmallmistakecouldleadtoanuclearwar.Hesaidinternationaltensio
nswere"reachingnewhighs".HesaidUkraine,theKoreanpeninsula,an
dtheMiddleEastwerepossibleflashpoints.Hesaidweare"lucky"sofarto
haveavoidednuclearconflict.However,hesaidluckwasneitherastrate
gynorashieldtostopglobaltensions"boilingoverintonuclearconflict".
Guterrespaintedaworryingpicture.Hesaidtheworldisindangeratalev
elnotseenindecades.Hewarnedthat:"Humanityisjustonemisunderst
anding...awayfromnuclearannihilation."Guterreswasspeakingataco
nferencefortheNuclearNon-ProliferationTreaty.Hesaidnowwastheti
metogettheTreatyto"helptheworryingworldaroundus".Headded:"Eli
minatingnuclearweaponsistheonlyguaranteethattheywillneverbeus
ed."Therearealmost13,000nuclearweaponsaroundtheworld.Theris
ksofnuclearproliferationaregrowing."

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