The Reading / Listening - Swiss Chocolate - Level 5

Switzerland is world-renowned for its quality chocolate. It has a global reputation for its premium brands. However, residents in a town near Zurich got the surprise of their lives this week. It started snowing chocolate. Locals wondered if the brown dusting was a bizarre result of climate change. All became clear after the local chocolate maker said the brown shower was because of a malfunction at its factory. The chocolate maker confirmed that a minor defect in its cooling systems allowed gusty winds to whip up chocolate dust and sprinkle it over the town.

A fine layer of light brown, milk-chocolate-flavoured dust covered the town. The company offered to pay for any cleaning services required as a result of the accident. A spokeswoman reassured people near the factory that crushed cocoa beans are harmless to health and the environment. She said engineers are working on repairing the technical hitch. The cocoa-dust incident led to a lot of jokes on social media. A Twitter user wrote: "Chocolate snowflakes falling from the sky, dreams do come true." Another tweeter posted a comment saying: "I'm dreaming of a brown Christmas."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Swiss Chocolate - Level 4 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. world-renowned for
  2. It has a global
  3. got the surprise
  4. a bizarre result of
  5. because of a malfunction
  6. a minor
  7. allowed gusty winds to whip
  8. sprinkle
  1. it over the town
  2. climate change
  3. defect
  4. its quality chocolate
  5. up chocolate dust
  6. of their lives
  7. reputation
  8. at its factory

Paragraph 2

  1. A fine
  2. The company
  3. required as a result
  4. working on repairing the
  5. led to a lot of jokes
  6. dreams do
  7. Another tweeter posted
  8. I'm dreaming of a
  1. come true
  2. brown Christmas
  3. technical hitch
  4. layer
  5. a comment
  6. offered to pay
  7. on social media
  8. of the accident

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Switzerland is world-renowned (1) ___________________ chocolate. It has (2) ___________________ for its premium brands. However, residents in a town near Zurich got the (3) ___________________ lives this week. It started snowing chocolate. Locals wondered if the brown dusting was (4) ___________________ of climate change. All became clear after the local chocolate maker said the brown shower was because of a (5) ___________________ factory. The chocolate maker confirmed that a minor defect in its cooling systems allowed gusty winds to whip up chocolate (6) ___________________ it over the town.

A (7) ___________________ light brown, milk-chocolate-flavoured dust covered the town. The company (8) ___________________ for any cleaning services required as a result of the accident. A spokeswoman (9) ___________________ the factory that crushed cocoa beans are harmless to health and the environment. She said engineers are working on repairing (10) ___________________. The cocoa-dust incident led to a lot of jokes (11) ___________________. A Twitter user wrote: "Chocolate snowflakes falling from the sky, dreams do come true." Another tweeter posted a comment saying: "I'm (12) ___________________ brown Christmas."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Switzerlandisworld-renownedforitsqualitychocolate.Ithasaglobalr
eputationforitspremiumbrands.However,residentsinatownnearZuri
chgotthesurpriseoftheirlivesthisweek.Itstartedsnowingchocolate.L
ocalswonderedifthebrowndustingwasabizarreresultofclimatechang
e.Allbecameclearafterthelocalchocolatemakersaidthebrownshower
wasbecauseofamalfunctionatitsfactory.Thechocolatemakerconfirm
edthataminordefectinitscoolingsystemsallowedgustywindstowhipu
pchocolatedustandsprinkleitoverthetown.Afinelayeroflightbrown,m
ilk-chocolate-flavoureddustcoveredthetown.Thecompanyofferedt
opayforanycleaningservicesrequiredasaresultoftheaccident.Aspoke
swomanreassuredpeoplenearthefactorythatcrushedcocoabeansare
harmlesstohealthandtheenvironment.Shesaidengineersareworking
onrepairingthetechnicalhitch.Thecocoa-dustincidentledtoalotofjo
kesonsocialmedia.ATwitteruserwrote:"Chocolatesnowflakesfallingf
romthesky,dreamsdocometrue."Anothertweeterpostedacomments
aying:"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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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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