The Reading / Listening - 2020 Dubai Expo - Level 5

The 2020 Dubai Expo has finally opened with an extravagant opening ceremony. The event will run until March 2022. Big stars from the music world took part in the ceremony. These included the opera singer Andrea Bocelli, the flamboyant pianist Lang Lang and Saudi Arabian singer Mohammed Abdu. CNN commented on how impressive the ceremony was. It said: "Dubai doesn't do anything by half. The city always goes big." Reuters wrote about "the lavish ceremony of fireworks, music and messaging about the power of global collaboration for a more sustainable future".

Expo is a global event that takes place every five years. It aims to showcase solutions to big challenges faced by humanity, and to bring people together. Dubai Expo selected the theme of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". It will also focus on the sub-themes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity. It is the first Expo to be held in the Middle East. Around 25 million visitors will see exhibitions from almost 200 countries. When Dubai made its bid to host the Expo, the city's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum promised Dubai would "astonish the world".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    2020 Dubai Expo - Level 4 or  2020 Dubai Expo - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2021/10/01/night-falls-on-expo-2020-dubai-the-coolest-new-spot-in-town/
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/middle-easts-first-expo-open-dubai-under-shadow-pandemic-2021-09-20/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_2020#Themes


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. an extravagant opening
  2. The event will run
  3. Big stars
  4. the flamboyant
  5. Dubai doesn't do anything
  6. The city always goes
  7. the power of global
  8. a more sustainable
  1. from the music world
  2. big
  3. by half
  4. future
  5. until March 2022
  6. collaboration
  7. pianist
  8. ceremony

Paragraph 2

  1. Expo is a global
  2. It aims to showcase
  3. big challenges faced
  4. bring people
  5. focus on the sub-themes
  6. the first Expo to be held
  7. exhibitions from
  8. When Dubai made its bid
  1. together
  2. by humanity
  3. to host the Expo
  4. of sustainability
  5. event
  6. almost 200 countries
  7. solutions
  8. in the Middle East

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The 2020 Dubai Expo (1) ___________________ with an extravagant opening ceremony. The event (2) ___________________ March 2022. Big stars from the music world took part in the ceremony. These included the opera singer Andrea Bocelli, (3) ___________________ Lang Lang and Saudi Arabian singer Mohammed Abdu. CNN commented on how (4) ___________________ was. It said: "Dubai doesn't do anything by half. The city always goes big." Reuters wrote (5) ___________________ ceremony of fireworks, music and messaging about the (6) ___________________ collaboration for a more sustainable future.

Expo is a global event that (7) ___________________ five years. It aims to showcase solutions to big challenges (8) ___________________, and to bring people together. Dubai Expo selected the theme of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". It will (9) ___________________ the sub-themes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity. It is the first Expo to be held in the Middle East. Around 25 million visitors (10) ___________________ from almost 200 countries. When Dubai made its (11) ___________________ the Expo, the city's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum promised Dubai would "(12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

The2020DubaiExpohasfinallyopenedwithanextravagantopeningcer
emony.TheeventwillrununtilMarch2022.Bigstarsfromthemusicworl
dtookpartintheceremony.TheseincludedtheoperasingerAndreaBoce
lli,theflamboyantpianistLangLangandSaudiArabiansingerMohamme
dAbdu.CNNcommentedonhowimpressivetheceremonywas.Itsaid:"
Dubaidoesn'tdoanythingbyhalf.Thecityalwaysgoesbig."Reuterswrot
eabout"thelavishceremonyoffireworks,musicandmessagingaboutth
epowerofglobalcollaborationforamoresustainablefuture".Expoisagl
obaleventthattakesplaceeveryfiveyears.Itaimstoshowcasesolution
stobigchallengesfacedbyhumanity,andtobringpeopletogether.Duba
iExposelectedthethemeof"ConnectingMinds,CreatingtheFuture".It
willalsofocusonthesub-themesofsustainability,mobilityandopport
unity.ItisthefirstExpotobeheldintheMiddleEast.Around25millionvisit
orswillseeexhibitionsfromalmost200countries.WhenDubaimadeitsb
idtohosttheExpo,thecity'srulerSheikhMohammedbinRashidAlMakto
umpromisedDubaiwould"astonishtheworld".

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You