The Reading / Listening - Scorpions - Level 2

Scorpions stung over 500 people in Egypt. Heavy rain forced hundreds of scorpions into the streets and people's homes earlier this week. Many people had to go to hospital. Doctors gave them anti-venom injections. The people went home after having the jab. Those stung by the scorpions had severe pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea. Hospitals are now on alert, just in case more people are stung. A weather expert said farmers in the area should be careful, especially in their fields. He asked people to be careful of snakes, which were also seen after the rain.

People are worried because the scorpions are very dangerous. They are Arabian fat-tailed scorpions. Their nickname is "man-killer". They are among the most dangerous scorpions in the world. Their venom is very poisonous and can kill a human in an hour. The scorpions live in the mountains. They rarely come into contact with humans. The weather expert said people should wear proper footwear when they went outside. He said the scorpion numbers would go down after the rainwater dried up. Less than one per cent of the world's scorpion species are deadly.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Scorpions - Level 0 Scorpions - Level 1   or  Scorpions - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/16/more-than-500-stung-by-scorpions-flushed-out-by-storms-in-egypt
  • https://www.egyptindependent.com/egypt-warns-aswan-residents-of-scorpions-and-snakes/
  • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/deadly-scorpions-kill-three-injure-25465378


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. heavy
  2. forced hundreds of scorpions
  3. earlier this
  4. Many people had to
  5. Doctors gave them anti-
  6. severe
  7. Hospitals are now on
  8. He asked people to
  1. alert
  2. week
  3. venom injections
  4. be careful of snakes
  5. rain
  6. go to hospital
  7. into the streets
  8. pain

Paragraph 2

  1. the scorpions are
  2. They are Arabian fat-
  3. Their nickname is
  4. They are among the
  5. Their venom is very
  6. They rarely come into contact
  7. people should wear proper
  8. after the rainwater
  1. "man-killer"
  2. poisonous
  3. footwear
  4. tailed scorpions
  5. with humans
  6. very dangerous
  7. dried up
  8. most dangerous

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scorpions stung over 500 people in Egypt. (1) ___________________ hundreds of scorpions into the streets and people's homes (2) ___________________. Many people had to go to hospital. Doctors gave them (3) ___________________. The people went home after having the jab. Those stung by the scorpions (4) ___________________, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea. Hospitals are now on alert, just in case more people are stung. A weather expert said farmers (5) ___________________ should be careful, especially in their fields. He asked people to be careful of snakes, which were (6) ___________________ the rain.

People (7) ___________________ the scorpions are very dangerous. They are Arabian fat-tailed scorpions. Their nickname is "man-killer". They are (8) ___________________ dangerous scorpions in the world. Their venom is (9) ___________________ can kill a human in an hour. The scorpions live in the mountains. They rarely (10) ___________________ with humans. The weather expert said people should (11) ___________________ when they went outside. He said the scorpion numbers would go down after the rainwater dried up. Less than one per cent of the world's scorpion (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scorpionsstungover500peopleinEgypt.Heavyrainforcedhundredsof
scorpionsintothestreetsandpeople'shomesearlierthisweek.Manype
oplehadtogotohospital.Doctorsgavethemanti-venominjections.The
peoplewenthomeafterhavingthejab.Thosestungbythescorpionshad
severepain,fever,vomitinganddiarrhoea.Hospitalsarenowonalert,ju
stincasemorepeoplearestung.Aweatherexpertsaidfarmersinthearea
shouldbecareful,especiallyintheirfields.Heaskedpeopletobecarefulo
fsnakes,whichwerealsoseenaftertherain.Peopleareworriedbecauset
hescorpionsareverydangerous.TheyareArabianfat-tailedscorpio
ns.Theirnicknameis"man-killer".Theyareamongthemostdangerou
sscorpionsintheworld.Theirvenomisverypoisonousandcankillahuma
ninanhour.Thescorpionsliveinthemountains.Theyrarelycomeintoco
ntactwithhumans.Theweatherexpertsaidpeopleshouldwearproperf
ootwearwhentheywentoutside.Hesaidthescorpionnumberswouldgo
downaftertherainwaterdriedup.Lessthanonepercentoftheworld'ssc
orpionspeciesaredeadly.

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