The Reading / Listening - Afghanistan - Level 0

The Taliban now control a capital city in Afghanistan for the first time since 2001. They beat Afghan soldiers in the city of Zaranj. This will help Taliban fighters in other provinces. The Taliban said: "This is just the beginning. Other provinces will fall into our hands." The Taliban may soon fight for the nation's capital Kabul.

Western countries spent 20 years training the Afghan army. However, the Taliban never gave up fighting. The USA and UK are pulling their soldiers out. The United Nations says the fighting has entered "a new, deadlier phase". It warned that the country was heading for disaster.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Afghanistan - Level 1,  Afghanistan - Level 2   or  Afghanistan - Level 3

Sources
  • https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/06/asia/afghanistan-taliban-zaranj-nimroz-intl/index.html
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58119886
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/6/taliban-capture-afghan-provincial-capital-zaranj-nimruz


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. The Taliban now control a
  2. for the first time
  3. Taliban
  4. This is just the
  5. other
  6. fall into our
  7. The Taliban may soon
  8. the nation's
  1. capital Kabul
  2. capital city
  3. provinces
  4. fight
  5. beginning
  6. since 2001
  7. hands
  8. fighters

Paragraph 2

  1. Western
  2. training the Afghan
  3. the Taliban never gave
  4. The USA
  5. pulling their
  6. United
  7. a new, deadlier
  8. heading for
  1. and UK
  2. countries
  3. disaster
  4. Nations
  5. up fighting
  6. phase
  7. army
  8. soldiers out

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Taliban now (1) ___________________ city in Afghanistan for the first time since 2001. They beat Afghan soldiers (2) ___________________ of Zaranj. This will help Taliban fighters (3) ___________________. The Taliban said: "This (4) ___________________ beginning. Other provinces will fall (5) ___________________." The Taliban may soon (6) ___________________ nation's capital Kabul.

Western (7) ___________________ years training the Afghan army. However, the Taliban (8) ___________________ fighting. The USA and UK (9) ___________________ soldiers out. The United Nations (10) ___________________ has entered "a new, deadlier phase". (11) ___________________ the country was (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheTalibannowcontrolacapitalcityinAfghanistanforthefirsttimesince
2001.TheybeatAfghansoldiersinthecityofZaranj.ThiswillhelpTaliban
fightersinotherprovinces.TheTalibansaid:"Thisisjustthebeginning.O
therprovinceswillfallintoourhands."TheTalibanmaysoonfightforthen
ation'scapitalKabul.Westerncountriesspent20yearstrainingtheAfgh
anarmy.However,theTalibannevergaveupfighting.TheUSAandUKar
epullingtheirsoldiersout.TheUnitedNationssaysthefightinghasenter
ed"anew,deadlierphase".Itwarnedthatthecountrywasheadingfordis
aster.

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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