The Reading / Listening - Plastic Pollution - Level 0

Around 175 countries could sign a plastic pollution treaty. It will protect the future of our planet. The UN spoke about the problem. It said: "Our world is drowning in plastic. Every year, we produce 460 million tons of it. Much of this is thrown away." The UN said a treaty will help our children and our children's children.

The UN said it was important to act now. By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Microplastics are creating many new health problems. South Korea asked countries to aim for zero plastic pollution. It said: "The waste…in our oceans and rivers now [risks] the lives of future generations."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Plastic Pollution - Level 1 Plastic Pollution - Level 2   or  Plastic Pollution - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.dw.com/en/environmental-plastic-waste-pollution-oil-fossil-fuel-production-climate-change/a-70835827
  • https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1157426
  • https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/5002803-plastic-waste-oil-industry-crisis/


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. Around 175 countries
  2. protect the future
  3. The UN spoke
  4. Our world is drowning
  5. produce 460 million
  6. Much of this is thrown
  7. a treaty will
  8. our children's
  1. away
  2. about the problem
  3. children
  4. could sign
  5. in plastic
  6. help our children
  7. of our planet
  8. tons of it

Paragraph 2

  1. it was important
  2. By
  3. there could
  4. fish in the
  5. many new health
  6. aim for zero
  7. The waste in our oceans
  8. future
  1. problems
  2. generations
  3. to act now
  4. be more plastic
  5. and rivers
  6. 2050
  7. plastic pollution
  8. ocean

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Around 175 countries (1) ___________________ plastic pollution treaty. It (2) ___________________ future of our planet. The UN spoke (3) ___________________. It said: "Our world (4) ___________________ plastic. Every year, we produce 460 million tons of it. Much of this (5) __________________." The UN said a treaty will help our children and (6) ___________________.

The UN said it was important (7) ___________________. By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish (8) _________________. Microplastics (9) ___________________ new health problems. South Korea asked countries (10) ___________________ zero plastic pollution. It said: "The (11) ___________________ oceans and rivers now [risks] (12) ___________________ future generations."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Around175countriescouldsignplasticpollutiontreaty.Itwillprotectthe
futureofourplanet.TheUNspokeabouttheproblem.Itsaid:"Ourworldi
sdrowninginplastic.Everyyear,weproduce460milliontonsofit.Mucho
fthisisthrownaway."TheUNsaidatreatywillhelpourchildrenandourchi
ldren'schildren.TheUNsaiditwasimportanttoactnow.By2050,therec
ouldbemoreplasticthanfishintheocean.Microplasticsarecreatingman
ynewhealthproblems.SouthKoreaaskedcountriestoaimforzeroplasti
cpollution.Itsaid:"Thewaste…inouroceansandriversnow[risks]theliv
esoffuturegenerations."

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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