The Reading / Listening - Plastic Pollution - Level 1

Around 175 countries could sign a treaty to limit plastic pollution. The nations have been meeting in South Korea. The U.N. Environment Program said the treaty will protect the future of the planet. The U.N. Secretary-General spoke about the problem. He said: "Our world is drowning in plastic pollution. Every year, we produce 460 million tons of plastic, much of which is quickly thrown away." The U.N. said a treaty will help future generations.

The U.N said it was important to act now. It said by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Microplastics are creating many new health problems. The president of South Korea asked countries to follow a path to zero plastic pollution. He added: "The waste…in our oceans and rivers now [risks] the lives of future generations." He asked governments, "to open a new historic chapter by [signing] a treaty on plastic pollution".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Plastic Pollution - Level 0 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 could
  2. limit plastic
  3. nations have been meeting in
  4. protect the future
  5. Our world is drowning
  6. we produce 460 million
  7. quickly thrown
  8. help future
  1. generations
  2. South Korea
  3. away
  4. tons of plastic
  5. of the planet
  6. sign a treaty
  7. in plastic pollution
  8. pollution

Paragraph 2

  1. it was important
  2. there could be more
  3. Microplastics are creating many
  4. follow a path to zero
  5. The waste in our oceans
  6. risks the lives of future
  7. open a new historic
  8. signing a treaty
  1. new health problems
  2. chapter
  3. plastic pollution
  4. generations
  5. on plastic pollution
  6. to act now
  7. and rivers
  8. plastic than fish

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Around 175 countries could (1) ___________________ to limit plastic pollution. The nations (2) ___________________ in South Korea. The U.N. Environment Program said the treaty will protect (3) ___________________ the planet. The U.N. Secretary-General spoke about the problem. He said: "Our (4) ___________________ in plastic pollution. Every year, we produce 460 million tons of plastic, (5) ___________________ is quickly thrown away." The U.N. said a (6) ___________________ future generations.

The U.N said it was important (7) ___________________. It said by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish (8) ___________________. Microplastics are creating many new health problems. The president of South Korea (9) ___________________ follow a path to zero plastic pollution. He added: "The (10) ___________________ oceans and rivers now [risks] the (11) ___________________ generations." He asked governments, "to open a new (12) ___________________ [signing] a treaty on plastic pollution".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Around175countriescouldsignatreatytolimitplasticpollution.Thenati
onshavebeenmeetinginSouthKorea.TheU.N.EnvironmentPrograms
aidthetreatywillprotectthefutureoftheplanet.TheU.N.Secretary-Ge
neralspokeabouttheproblem.Hesaid:"Ourworldisdrowninginplastic
pollution.Everyyear,weproduce460milliontonsofplastic,muchofwhic
hisquicklythrownaway.TheU.N.saidatreatywillhelpfuturegeneration
s.TheU.Nsaiditwasimportanttoactnow.Itsaidby2050,therecouldbe
moreplasticthanfishintheocean.Microplasticsarecreatingmanynewh
ealthproblems.ThepresidentofSouthKoreaaskedcountriestofollowa
pathtozeroplasticpollution.Headded:"Thewaste…inouroceansandriv
ersnow[risks]thelivesoffuturegenerations."Heaskedgovernments,"
toopenanewhistoricchapterby[signing]atreatyonplasticpollution".

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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