The Reading / Listening - Cutting the Grass - Level 2

A UK charity called Plantlife is asking people not to cut their grass. It is part of a project called "No Mow May". When spring arrives, gardeners mow their lawn. The charity wants to help flowers grow wild and insects to breed. It hopes to promote biodiversity. Plantlife is also asking people to count the types of wild flowers in their garden. Plantlife says not cutting the grass leaves a habitat that will help "bees, butterflies, wildlife and us". Bees are an important part of nature because they pollinate flowers. Cutting the grass means there are fewer flowers for bees to work their natural magic.

Plantlife said garden lawns can be "biodiversity hotspots". Last year, it found over 250 species of plants on people's lawns, including wild strawberry and wild garlic. Plantlife wants people to value wild lawns more. People could get a nice surprise if they did not cut their grass. One gardener spoke about the joy of wild gardens. He said people care too much about having a neat garden. He believes not mowing the lawn lets people "reconnect with the natural world". Plantlife agreed. It said a wild garden "makes you feel like you're somewhere tropical instead of your own garden".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Cutting the Grass - Level 0 Cutting the Grass - Level 1   or  Cutting the Grass - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61264905
  • https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/no-mow-may-county-council-joins-in-biodiversity-initiative-9252289/
  • https://nomowmay.plantlife.org.uk/what-is-no-mow-may/


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. asking people not to
  2. When spring
  3. insects to
  4. bees, butterflies,
  5. Bees are an important part
  6. they pollinate
  7. Cutting the grass means there
  8. work their natural
  1. are fewer flowers
  2. breed
  3. magic
  4. cut their grass
  5. flowers
  6. wildlife and us
  7. arrives
  8. of nature

Paragraph 2

  1. biodiversity
  2. it found over
  3. plants on people's
  4. Plantlife wants people to
  5. People could get a
  6. the joy
  7. reconnect with the
  8. feel like you're somewhere
  1. value wild lawns
  2. tropical
  3. hotspots
  4. of wild gardens
  5. 250 species
  6. nice surprise
  7. lawns
  8. natural world

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A UK charity called Plantlife is (1) ___________________ to cut their grass. It is part of (2) ___________________ "No Mow May". When spring arrives, gardeners mow their lawn. The charity wants to help flowers grow wild and (3) ___________________. It hopes to promote biodiversity. Plantlife is also asking people to count the types (4) ___________________ in their garden. Plantlife says not cutting the grass leaves a habitat that will help "bees, butterflies, wildlife and us". Bees are an important (5) ___________________ because they pollinate flowers. Cutting the grass means there are fewer flowers for bees to work (6) ___________________.

Plantlife said garden lawns can (7) ___________________. Last year, it found over 250 (8) ___________________ on people's lawns, including wild strawberry and wild garlic. Plantlife wants (9) ___________________ wild lawns more. People could get a nice surprise if they did not cut their grass. One gardener spoke about the (10) ___________________ gardens. He said people care too much about having a neat garden. He believes not mowing the lawn lets people "(11) ___________________ natural world". Plantlife agreed. It said a wild garden "makes you feel like you're somewhere (12) ___________________ your own garden".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AUKcharitycalledPlantlifeisaskingpeoplenottocuttheirgrass.Itispart
ofaprojectcalled"NoMowMay".Whenspringarrives,gardenersmowth
eirlawn.Thecharitywantstohelpflowersgrowwildandinsectstobreed.I
thopestopromotebiodiversity.Plantlifeisalsoaskingpeopletocountth
etypesofwildflowersintheirgarden.Plantlifesaysnotcuttingthegrassl
eavesahabitatthatwillhelp"bees,butterflies,wildlifeandus".Beesarea
nimportantpartofnaturebecausetheypollinateflowers.Cuttingthegra
ssmeanstherearefewerflowersforbeestoworktheirnaturalmagic.Pla
ntlifesaidgardenlawnscanbe"biodiversityhotspots".Lastyear,itfound
over250speciesofplantsonpeople'slawns,includingwildstrawberrya
ndwildgarlic.Plantlifewantspeopletovaluewildlawnsmore.Peoplecou
ldgetanicesurpriseiftheydidnotcuttheirgrass.Onegardenerspokeabo
utthejoyofwildgardens.Hesaidpeoplecaretoomuchabouthavinganea
tgarden.Hebelievesnotmowingthelawnletspeople"reconnectwiththe
naturalworld".Plantlifeagreed.Itsaidawildgarden"makesyoufeellike
you'resomewheretropicalinsteadofyourowngarden".

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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