The Reading / Listening - Rivers - Level 0

Humans have damaged most of the world's rivers. Researchers looked at over 2,500 rivers, but none in the Arctic and Antarctica. Humans have seriously damaged biodiversity in over half of rivers in the past 200 years. Reasons include new species of fish in rivers, pollution, dams and climate change.

The worst rivers are near big cities in Europe and America. These rivers have a lot of factories near them. The least-affected rivers are in Africa and Australia. This is because there are fewer factories in Africa and smaller populations around rivers in Australia. Rivers in rich nations are very different to how they were 200 years ago.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Rivers - Level 1,  Rivers - Level 2   or  Rivers - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/18/very-few-of-worlds-rivers-undamaged-by-humanity-study-finds
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/2268348-humans-have-severely-affected-fish-biodiversity-in-half-of-all-rivers
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-18/human-caused-climate-change-threatens-a-quarter-of-freshwater-fish


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. Humans have
  2. Researchers looked at
  3. none in the
  4. seriously damaged
  5. in over half
  6. in the past
  7. new species of fish
  8. climate
  1. biodiversity
  2. in rivers
  3. over 2,500 rivers
  4. change
  5. Arctic
  6. of rivers
  7. 200 years
  8. damaged most

Paragraph 2

  1. The worst rivers are
  2. These rivers have a
  3. The least-affected rivers
  4. there are fewer factories in
  5. smaller populations
  6. Rivers in rich
  7. very different to how
  8. 200 years
  1. Africa
  2. nations
  3. ago
  4. lot of factories
  5. they were
  6. near big cities
  7. around rivers
  8. are in Africa

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Humans have damaged (1) ___________________ world's rivers. Researchers (2) ___________________ 2,500 rivers, (3) ___________________ the Arctic and Antarctica. Humans have seriously damaged biodiversity in (4) ___________________ rivers in the (5) ___________________. Reasons include new species of fish in rivers, pollution, (6) ___________________ change.

The (7) ___________________ near big cities in Europe and America. These rivers (8) ___________________ of factories near them. The least-affected (9) ___________________ Africa and Australia. This is because (10) ___________________ factories in Africa and smaller populations (11) ___________________ Australia. Rivers in rich nations are very different to how they were (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Humanshavedamagedmostoftheworld'srivers.Researcherslookedat
over2,500rivers,butnoneintheArcticandAntarctica.Humanshaveseri
ouslydamagedbiodiversityinoverhalfofriversinthepast200years.Rea
sonsincludenewspeciesoffishinrivers,pollution,damsandclimatecha
nge.TheworstriversarenearbigcitiesinEuropeandAmerica.Theserive
rshavealotoffactoriesnearthem.Theleast-affectedriversareinAfrica
andAustralia.ThisisbecausetherearefewerfactoriesinAfricaandsmall
erpopulationsaroundriversinAustralia.Riversinrichnationsareverydi
fferenttohowtheywere200yearsago.

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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