The Reading / Listening - Allergies - Level 5

Not everyone looks forward to the joys of spring. Many people take delight in looking at flower buds revealing their delicate blossoms, but others hate this. This is because pollen from the plants bring allergies like hay fever. Scientists in the USA warned hay fever sufferers that spring has arrived up to four weeks early. The pollen that causes so many symptoms is already causing misery. To make things worse, the warmer weather will make the hay fever season longer. The scientists said the longer hay fever season was not surprising, "given the trajectory our planet is on".

Meteorologists are blaming climate change for the warmer weather. A U.S. weather tracker reported that the winter's average temperature was 2.7 degrees warmer than the 20th century average. Meteorologist Lauren Casey told CNN that climate change is resulting in earlier and longer seasons for plants. This is causing more pollen. She called pollen "the enemy" of people who suffer from allergies. She said pollen can trigger asthma attacks and worsen mold allergies. Another scientist said: "Acting on climate change really does matter for people's health."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Allergies - Level 4 or  Allergies - Level 6

Sources
  • https://news.yahoo.com/allergy-season-starts-earlier-now-thanks-to-climate-change-171913889.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/15/allergy-season-starting-earlier-global-heating-climate-change
  • https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/03/15/AccuWeather-spring-allergy-forecast/5691678903505/


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. everyone looks forward to the joys
  2. people take delight in
  3. revealing their delicate
  4. allergies like
  5. spring has arrived up
  6. already causing
  7. To make things
  8. the trajectory our planet
  1. to four weeks early
  2. blossoms
  3. is on
  4. misery
  5. of spring
  6. worse
  7. looking at flower buds
  8. hay fever

Paragraph 2

  1. Meteorologists are
  2. A U.S. weather
  3. winter's average
  4. warmer than the 20th
  5. resulting in earlier and
  6. She called pollen
  7. pollen can trigger
  8. worsen mold
  1. "the enemy"
  2. century average
  3. allergies
  4. tracker
  5. asthma attacks
  6. blaming climate change
  7. longer seasons
  8. temperature

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Not everyone looks forward to the (1) ___________________. Many people take delight in looking (2) ___________________ revealing their delicate blossoms, but others hate this. This is because pollen from the plants bring (3) ___________________ fever. Scientists in the USA warned hay (4) ___________________ spring has arrived up to four weeks early. The pollen that causes so many symptoms is (5) ___________________. To make things worse, the warmer weather will make the hay fever season longer. The scientists said the longer hay fever season was not surprising, "given the (6) ___________________ is on".

Meteorologists are blaming climate change for the warmer weather. A U.S. (7) ___________________ that the winter's average temperature was 2.7 degrees warmer than the (8) ___________________. Meteorologist Lauren Casey told CNN that climate change is resulting in earlier and longer seasons for plants. This is causing more pollen. She called (9) ___________________ of people who suffer from allergies. She said (10) ___________________ asthma attacks and (11) ___________________. Another scientist said: "Acting on climate change (12) ___________________ for people's health."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Noteveryonelooksforwardtothejoysofspring.Manypeopletakedeligh
tinlookingatflowerbudsrevealingtheirdelicateblossoms,butothersha
tethis.Thisisbecausepollenfromtheplantsbringallergieslikehayfever.
ScientistsintheUSAwarnedhayfeversufferersthatspringhasarrivedu
ptofourweeksearly.Thepollenthatcausessomanysymptomsisalread
ycausingmisery.Tomakethingsworse,thewarmerweatherwillmaket
hehayfeverseasonlonger.Thescientistssaidthelongerhayfeverseaso
nwasnotsurprising,"giventhetrajectoryourplanetison".Meteorologis
tsareblamingclimatechangeforthewarmerweather.AU.S.weathertra
ckerreportedthatthewinter'saveragetemperaturewas2.7degreeswa
rmerthanthe20thcenturyaverage.MeteorologistLaurenCaseytoldCN
Nthatclimatechangeisresultinginearlierandlongerseasonsforplants.
Thisiscausingmorepollen.Shecalledpollen"theenemy"ofpeoplewhos
ufferfromallergies.Shesaidpollencantriggerasthmaattacksandwors
enmoldallergies.Anotherscientistsaid:"Actingonclimatechangereall
ydoesmatterforpeople'shealth."

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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