The Reading / Listening - Queen's Platinum Jubilee - Level 5

The UK Queen marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday with a reception for her local village. Queen Elizabeth II, 95, came to the British throne on February the 6th 1952 after the death of her father King George VI. She will mark the 70-year anniversary as queen at her country estate. One person at the reception said the Queen was in "sparkling" form. She added: "Seventy years on the throne shows the Queen has been a moving example to absolutely everyone in all walks of life. She has been constant, compassionate and stoic … everything that makes a perfect human being."

The Queen was on safari in Kenya 70 years ago when news came of her father's death. She immediately became Queen at the age of 25. She is Britain's longest serving monarch. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. Elizabeth has been a part of UK life for almost a century. She has seen 14 UK Prime Ministers come and go. She has also owned more than 30 corgis … her favourite dog. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a symbol of stability as the United Kingdom navigated an age of uncertainty".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Queen's Platinum Jubilee - Level 4 or  Queen's Platinum Jubilee - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.royal.uk/platinumjubilee
  • https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/queen-elizabeth-marks-70-years-throne
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10462325/Everything-need-know-Queen-Elizabeth-IIs-Platinum-Jubilee.html


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. a reception for
  2. the British
  3. mark the 70-year anniversary
  4. the Queen was in "sparkling"
  5. a moving example to
  6. in all walks
  7. She has been
  8. everything that makes a perfect
  1. constant
  2. form
  3. her local village
  4. human being
  5. of life
  6. throne
  7. absolutely everyone
  8. as queen

Paragraph 2

  1. The Queen was on
  2. She is Britain's longest
  3. a part of UK life for
  4. She has seen 14 UK Prime Ministers
  5. She has also owned
  6. the Queen has had an
  7. a symbol of
  8. an age
  1. unprecedented reign
  2. safari in Kenya
  3. more than 30 corgis
  4. of uncertainty
  5. almost a century
  6. stability
  7. serving monarch
  8. come and go

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UK Queen marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday with a (1) ___________________ local village. Queen Elizabeth II, 95, came to the British throne on February the 6th 1952 after the death of her father King George VI. She (2) ___________________ 70-year anniversary as queen at her country estate. One person (3) ___________________ said the Queen was in "sparkling" form. She added: "Seventy years on the throne shows the Queen has been (4) ___________________ to absolutely everyone in all (5) ___________________. She has been constant, compassionate and stoic - everything that makes a (6) ___________________."

The Queen was (7) ___________________ Kenya 70 years ago when news came of her father's death. She immediately became Queen at the age of 25. She is Britain's (8) ___________________. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen for 63 years. Elizabeth has been a part of UK life for (9) ___________________. She has seen 14 UK Prime Ministers come and go. She has also owned more (10) ___________________ - her favourite dog. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made her a (11) ___________________ as the United Kingdom (12) ___________________ of uncertainty".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUKQueenmarkedherplatinumjubileeonSaturdaywithareceptionf
orherlocalvillage.QueenElizabethII,95,cametotheBritishthroneonFe
bruarythe6th1952afterthedeathofherfatherKingGeorgeVI.Shewillm
arkthe70-yearanniversaryasqueenathercountryestate.Oneperson
atthereceptionsaidtheQueenwasin"sparkling"form.Sheadded:"Sev
entyyearsonthethroneshowstheQueenhasbeenamovingexampletoa
bsolutelyeveryoneinallwalksoflife.Shehasbeenconstant,compassio
nateandstoic-everythingthatmakesaperfecthumanbeing."TheQuee
nwasonsafariinKenya70yearsagowhennewscameofherfather'sdeat
h.SheimmediatelybecameQueenattheageof25.SheisBritain'slonges
tservingmonarch.Thepreviousrecord-holder,QueenVictoria,wasQu
eenfor63years.ElizabethhasbeenapartofUKlifeforalmostacentury.S
hehasseen14UKPrimeMinisterscomeandgo.Shehasalsoownedmore
than30corgis-herfavouritedog.FoxNewswrotethattheQueenhash
ad,"anunprecedentedreignthathasmadeherasymbolofstabilityasthe
UnitedKingdomnavigatedanageofuncertainty".

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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