The Reading / Listening - Cost of Living - Level 4

The cost of living crisis is worsening. Rising energy prices have made necessities unaffordable for many people. In the UK there is a dilemma over "heating or eating". Rising energy prices mean people on low incomes or on benefits face the choice of heating their home, or eating. Many do not have enough money to boil potatoes. This situation will soon get worse. Rises in contributions to the country's health care system will start next week.

A former prime minister criticised the man responsible for Britain's finances. He said he should be more compassionate and do more about poverty. He said: "You cannot ignore the needs of parents who are having to choose between putting their heating up and feeding their children." More price rises and food shortages are coming as the war in Ukraine will see the price of wheat rise. Critics want to tax energy company profits to help the poor.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Cost of Living - Level 5 or  Cost of Living - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/23/food-bank-users-declining-potatoes-as-cooking-costs-too-high-says-iceland-boss
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60858113
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10643039/Iceland-boss-claims-food-banks-users-turning-donations-potatoes-amid-energy-price-rises.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. The cost of living crisis
  2. prices have made necessities
  3. In the UK there is a
  4. people on low incomes
  5. face
  6. heating their home or
  7. boil
  8. contributions to the country's
  1. eating
  2. dilemma
  3. the choice
  4. health care system
  5. is worsening
  6. potatoes
  7. unaffordable
  8. or on benefits

Paragraph 2

  1. the man responsible for
  2. he should be more
  3. do more
  4. You cannot ignore the needs
  5. price rises and food
  6. see the price
  7. Critics want to tax energy
  8. help the
  1. about poverty
  2. company profits
  3. shortages
  4. poor
  5. of parents
  6. compassionate
  7. of wheat rise
  8. Britain's finances

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The cost of living (1) ___________________. Rising energy prices have made necessities (2) ___________________ people. In the UK there is a (3) ___________________ or eating". Rising energy prices mean people (4) ___________________ or on benefits face the choice of heating their home, or eating. Many do not have enough money to boil potatoes. This situation will (5) ___________________. Rises in contributions to the country's health care (6) ___________________ next week.

A former prime minister (7) ___________________ responsible for Britain's finances. He said he should (8) ___________________ and do more about poverty. He said: "You cannot (9) ___________________ of parents who are having to choose between (10) ___________________ up and feeding their children." More price rises (11) ___________________ are coming as the war in Ukraine will see the price of wheat rise. Critics want to tax energy company (12) ___________________ the poor.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thecostoflivingcrisisisworsening.Risingenergypriceshavemadenece
ssitiesunaffordableformanypeople.IntheUKthereisadilemmaover"h
eatingoreating".Risingenergypricesmeanpeopleonlowincomesoron
benefitsfacethechoiceofheatingtheirhome,oreating.Manydonothav
eenoughmoneytoboilpotatoes.Thissituationwillsoongetworse.Risesi
ncontributionstothecountry'shealthcaresystemwillstartnextweek.A
formerprimeministercriticisedthemanresponsibleforBritain'sfinance
s.Hesaidheshouldbemorecompassionateanddomoreaboutpoverty.
Hesaid:"Youcannotignoretheneedsofparentswhoarehavingtochoos
ebetweenputtingtheirheatingupandfeedingtheirchildren."Moreprice
risesandfoodshortagesarecomingasthewarinUkrainewillseetheprice
ofwheatrise.Criticswanttotaxenergycompanyprofitstohelpthepoor.

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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