The Reading / Listening - Army Recruits - Level 1

Americans will soon be able to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Australia needs more people to join its army. The government hopes that getting people from other countries will solve this problem. The ADF needs around 4,400 workers. Only Americans who are also permanent residents in Australia can apply. Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, said it was possible that in the future, people from more countries could join.

Mr Marles said Australia is growing the ADF "because it is essential to meet the nation's security challenges through the next decade and beyond". The Defence Ministry said: "Recruiting from a wider pool of people will help ensure [the ADF] reflects the full diversity of Australia." The opposition party disagreed with the policy. It said it showed the government has failed. It said: "We should be seeing more Australians with the confidence to sign up."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Army Recruits - Level 0 Army Recruits - Level 2   or  Army Recruits - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2024-06-04/adf-opens-its-ranks-non-citizens
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22v0wg8v3o
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-04/foreign-citizen-australian-defence-force-recruitment-opened/103931146


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. Australia needs more people
  2. getting people from
  3. solve this
  4. The ADF needs around
  5. permanent
  6. Richard Marles said it was
  7. in the
  8. people from more countries
  1. residents in Australia
  2. could join
  3. other countries
  4. future
  5. to join its army
  6. 4,400 workers
  7. possible
  8. problem

Paragraph 2

  1. meet the nation's security
  2. through the next decade
  3. the ADF reflects
  4. The opposition
  5. disagreed
  6. it showed the government
  7. We should be seeing
  8. the confidence
  1. more
  2. challenges
  3. to sign up
  4. with the policy
  5. the full diversity
  6. and beyond
  7. has failed
  8. party

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Americans will soon be (1) ___________________ the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Australia (2) ___________________ to join its army. The government hopes that getting people from other countries will (3) ___________________. The ADF needs around 4,400 workers. Only Americans (4) ___________________ permanent residents in Australia can apply. Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, said (5) ___________________ that in the future, people from more (6) ___________________.

Mr Marles said Australia (7) ___________________ ADF "because it is (8) ___________________ the nation's security challenges through the next (9) ___________________". The Defence Ministry said: "Recruiting from (10) ___________________ of people will help ensure [the ADF] reflects the full diversity of Australia." The opposition party (11) ___________________ policy. It said it showed the government has failed. It said: "We should be seeing more Australians with (12) __________________ sign up."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AmericanswillsoonbeabletojointheAustralianDefenceForce(ADF).A
ustralianeedsmorepeopletojoinitsarmy.Thegovernmenthopesthatg
ettingpeoplefromothercountrieswillsolvethisproblem.TheADFneeds
around4,400workers.OnlyAmericanswhoarealsopermanentresiden
tsinAustraliacanapply.Australia'sDefenceMinister,RichardMarles,sa
iditwaspossiblethatinthefuture,peoplefrommorecountriescouldjoin.
MrMarlessaidAustraliaisgrowingtheADF"becauseitisessentialtomeet
thenation'ssecuritychallengesthroughthenextdecadeandbeyond".T
heDefenceMinistrysaid:"Recruitingfromawiderpoolofpeoplewillhelp
ensure[theADF]reflectsthefulldiversityofAustralia."Theoppositionp
artydisagreedwiththepolicy.Itsaiditshowedthegovernmenthasfailed
.Itsaid:"WeshouldbeseeingmoreAustralianswiththeconfidencetosig
nup."

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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