The Reading / Listening - Swiss Chocolate - Level 4

Switzerland is famous for its quality chocolate brands. However, residents in a town near Zurich got a big surprise this week. It started snowing chocolate. Locals wondered if this was a bizarre result of climate change. The local chocolate maker said the brown "snow" was because of a minor defect in cooling systems at its factory. Cocoa dust escaped and strong winds whipped up the chocolate and sprinkled it over the town.

A thin layer of light brown dust covered the town. The company offered to pay for any cleaning because of the accident. A spokeswoman said crushed cocoa beans are harmless to health and the environment. She said engineers were fixing the technical problem. This incident led to many jokes on social media. One wrote: "Chocolate snowflakes falling from the sky, dreams do come true." Another said: "I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Swiss Chocolate - Level 5 or  Swiss Chocolate - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/lindt-spruengli-chocolate-snow-switzerland-221326509.html
  • https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/snowing-chocolate-seen-in-olten-switzerland-after-lindt-factory-malfunction
  • https://interestingengineering.com/chocolate-snow-blankets-swiss-town-after-local-factory-mishap


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. famous for its quality
  2. residents in a
  3. a bizarre result
  4. a minor
  5. cooling
  6. Cocoa dust
  7. strong winds whipped
  8. sprinkled it
  1. over the town
  2. systems
  3. chocolate brands
  4. up the chocolate
  5. of climate change
  6. defect
  7. escaped
  8. town near Zurich

Paragraph 2

  1. A thin layer
  2. The company offered
  3. crushed
  4. harmless to
  5. engineers were fixing the
  6. Chocolate snowflakes
  7. dreams do
  8. dreaming of a
  1. come true
  2. health
  3. brown Christmas
  4. falling from the sky
  5. cocoa beans
  6. of light brown dust
  7. to pay
  8. technical problem

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Switzerland is famous (1) ___________________ chocolate brands. However, (2) ___________________ town near Zurich got a big surprise this week. It started snowing chocolate. (3) ___________________ this was a (4) ___________________ climate change. The local chocolate maker said the brown "snow" was because of (5) ___________________ in cooling systems at its factory. Cocoa dust escaped and strong winds whipped up the chocolate and (6) ___________________ the town.

A (7) ___________________ light brown dust covered the town. The company (8) ___________________ for any cleaning because (9) ___________________. A spokeswoman said crushed cocoa beans are harmless to health and the environment. She said (10) ___________________ the technical problem. This incident led to many (11) ___________________ media. One wrote: "Chocolate snowflakes falling from the sky, dreams (12) ___________________." Another said: "I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Switzerlandisfamousforitsqualitychocolatebrands.However,residen
tsinatownnearZurichgotabigsurprisethisweek.Itstartedsnowingcho
colate.Localswonderedifthiswasabizarreresultofclimatechange.Thel
ocalchocolatemakersaidthebrown"snow"wasbecauseofaminordefec
tincoolingsystemsatitsfactory.Cocoadustescapedandstrongwindsw
hippedupthechocolateandsprinkleditoverthetown.Athinlayeroflight
browndustcoveredthetown.Thecompanyofferedtopayforanycleanin
gbecauseoftheaccident.Aspokeswomansaidcrushedcocoabeansare
harmlesstohealthandtheenvironment.Shesaidengineerswerefixingt
hetechnicalproblem.Thisincidentledtomanyjokesonsocialmedia.On
ewrote:"Chocolatesnowflakesfallingfromthesky,dreamsdocometru
e."Anothersaid:"I'mdreamingofabrownChristmas."

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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