The Reading / Listening - Coronavirus - Level 1

There could be an outbreak of a deadly new virus. The coronavirus started in Wuhan, China. It has killed 17 people and has spread to the USA, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The WHO will decide if the outbreak is a global emergency. China is telling people not to panic. The Chinese New Year is next week. Millions of people will travel across China to be with their families. Wuhan has stopped its public transport systems to help stop the spread of the virus.

The coronavirus may have come from animals in a market. The virus changed and spread to a human. It could change and spread more. The virus is catching. It passes to people through the air. A virologist said the new coronavirus is like SARS, but different. He said it has pneumonia-like symptoms, such as fever, cough and breathing problems. Fu Ning, a 36-year-old woman from Beijing, is fearful because there's no cure for the virus.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Coronavirus - Level 0,  Coronavirus - Level 2   or  Coronavirus - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-01/22/c_138726671.htm
  • https://www.npr.org/2020/01/21/798088813/coronavirus-in-china-spreads-by-human-to-human-transmission
  • https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-transmission/global-alarm-mounts-as-china-virus-deaths-hit-17-idUSKBN1ZL07C


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The world is preparing for
  2. a deadly
  3. Over 540 people
  4. It has spread
  5. the outbreak is a global
  6. China is telling people
  7. spend the holiday
  8. public
  1. transport
  2. to the USA
  3. new virus
  4. not to panic
  5. with their families
  6. a possible outbreak
  7. health emergency
  8. are in hospital

Paragraph 2

  1. The virus mutated
  2. it could mutate and
  3. It can pass
  4. in the same family
  5. pneumonia-
  6. breathing
  7. a 36-year-old
  8. there's no cure
  1. woman from Beijing
  2. and spread
  3. for the virus
  4. from person to person
  5. problems
  6. as SARS
  7. spread further
  8. like symptoms

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The world is preparing for a (1) ___________________ a deadly new virus. The coronavirus started in the Chinese city of Wuhan. It has killed 17 people. Over 540 (2) ___________________ hospital. It has spread to the USA, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The World Health Organization is (3) ___________________ the outbreak is a global health emergency. China is telling people (4) ___________________. The Chinese New Year is next week and millions of people will travel across China to (5) ___________________ with their families. Meanwhile, Wuhan has suspended its public transport systems to help (6) ___________________ of the virus.

The new coronavirus (7) ___________________ from animals in a Wuhan market. The virus (8) ___________________ to a human. There are fears it could mutate and spread further. The virus is contagious. It (9) ___________________ person to person through the air. Virologist Dr Linfa Wang said the new coronavirus is in the (10) ___________________ SARS, but it's different from SARS. He said people should look for pneumonia-like symptoms, such as (11) ___________________ breathing problems. Fu Ning, a 36-year-old woman from Beijing, said: "(12) ___________________ because there's no cure for the virus."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theworldispreparingforapossibleoutbreakofadeadlynewvirus.Theco
ronavirusstartedintheChinesecityofWuhan,Ithaskilled17people.Ov
er540peopleareinhospital.IthasspreadtotheUSA,Japan,KoreaandTh
ailand.TheWorldHealthOrganizationistodecidewhethertheoutbreaki
saglobalhealthemergency.Chinaistellingpeoplenottopanic.TheChin
eseNewYearisnextweekandmillionsofpeoplewilltravelacrossChinato
spendtheholidaywiththeirfamilies.Meanwhile,Wuhanhassuspendedi
tspublictransportsystemstohelpstopthespreadofthevirus.Thenewco
ronavirusmayhavecomefromanimalsinaWuhanmarket.Thevirusmu
tatedandspreadtoahuman.Therearefearsitcouldmutateandspreadfu
rther.Thevirusiscontagious.Itcanpassfrompersontopersonthrought
heair.VirologistDrLinfaWangsaidthenewcoronavirusisinthesamefa
milyasSARS,butit'sdifferentfromSARS.Shesaidpeopleshouldlookfor
pneumonia-likesymptoms,suchasfever,coughandbreathingprob
lems.FuNing,a36-year-oldwomanfromBeijing,said:"Ifeelfearfulbec
ausethere'snocureforthevirus."

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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