The Reading / Listening - Asian Giant Hornets - Level 0

The Asian giant hornet is scary. They are from Japan and Korea but are moving to the USA. They kill around 40 people a year in Japan. They also kill honeybees. A few dozen hornets can kill 30,000 bees in a few hours. People on the west coast of the USA have to be careful of the hornets. Beekeepers are worried about their bees.

Hornets are five centimeters long. A bee breeder said: "They're like something out of a monster cartoon." The hornet's sting is very painful. A beekeeper said it is like "red-hot thumbtacks...in [your] flesh". They sting through the clothes beekeepers wear. Hornets give a warning sound before they sting. They click their jaws.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Asian Giant Hornets - Level 1,  Asian Giant Hornets - Level 2   or  Asian Giant Hornets - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/terrifying-murder-hornets-invade-us/733548
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/05/asian-giant-hornets-arrive-united-states/
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/04/murder-hornets-us-here-6-other-scary-dangerous-bugs/3076740001/


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 Asian giant hornet
  2. around 40
  3. They also
  4. A few
  5. kill 30,000 bees
  6. People on the west
  7. have to be careful of
  8. Beekeepers are worried
  1. kill honeybees
  2. in a few hours
  3. about their bees
  4. people a year
  5. is scary
  6. the hornets
  7. dozen hornets
  8. coast of the USA

Paragraph 2

  1. Hornets are five
  2. A bee
  3. a monster
  4. The hornet's sting is
  5. red-hot
  6. sting through the clothes
  7. give a warning sound
  8. They click
  1. before they sting
  2. cartoon
  3. thumbtacks
  4. their jaws
  5. breeder
  6. centimeters long
  7. beekeepers wear
  8. very painful

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Asian giant (1) ___________________. They are from Japan and Korea but (2) ___________________ the USA. They kill around 40 people a year in Japan. (3) ___________________ honeybees. A (4) ___________________ can kill 30,000 bees in a few hours. People on the (5) ___________________ the USA have to be careful of the hornets. Beekeepers are (6) ___________________ bees.

Hornets are (7) ___________________. A bee breeder said: "They're like something out of (8) ___________________." The hornet's sting (9) ___________________. A beekeeper said it is like "red-hot thumbtacks... (0) ___________________". They sting (10) ___________________ beekeepers wear. Hornets give a warning sound before they sting. They (11) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheAsiangianthornetisscary.TheyarefromJapanandKoreabutaremo
vingtotheUSA.Theykillaround40peopleayearinJapan.Theyalsokillho
neybees.Afewdozenhornetscankill30,000beesinafewhours.Peopleo
nthewestcoastoftheUSAhavetobecarefulofthehornets.Beekeepersa
reworriedabouttheirbees.Hornetsarefivecentimeterslong.Abeebree
dersaid:"They'relikesomethingoutofamonstercartoon."Thehornet's
stingisverypainful.Abeekeepersaiditislike"red-hotthumbtacks...in[
your]flesh".Theystingthroughtheclothesbeekeeperswear.Hornetsgi
veawarningsoundbeforetheysting.Theyclicktheirjaws.

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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