The Reading / Listening - World Population - Level 4

The world reached a worrying demographic milestone. The US Census Bureau said the population passed 8 billion in September. However, it said this was a rough guess. The exact time could be a month or two earlier. The world population will continue to grow steadily. It grew from 6 billion to 8 billion in the past two decades. The population doubled between 1960 and 2000. The rate of growth is slowing because of falling birth rates.

The slowdown in population growth is due to lower fertility rates. The Bureau said the population would be 10.2 billion in 2060. It said: "Population growth in the future will come from larger groups of people at adult ages." It added: "Population growth is the result of fertility, mortality and migration.…[Most] of the earth's population reside in countries where fertility is around or below the replacement level."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    World Population - Level 5 or  World Population - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/11/world-population-estimated-eight-billion.html
  • https://apnews.com/article/world-population-8-billion-census-159f6eeac66bbc9800ad3ec4d9653b52
  • https://www.marketwatch.com/story/world-population-has-surpassed-8-billion-says-u-s-census-bureau-d1d2d53f


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 worrying demographic
  2. this was a
  3. The exact time could be a
  4. continue to grow
  5. in the past
  6. The population doubled
  7. The rate of growth
  8. because of falling
  1. two decades
  2. milestone
  3. birth rates
  4. rough guess
  5. month or two earlier
  6. is slowing
  7. steadily
  8. between 1960 and 2000

Paragraph 2

  1. The slowdown in population
  2. due to lower fertility
  3. the population would be
  4. larger groups of people
  5. Population growth is the result
  6. mortality and
  7. reside
  8. around or below the
  1. migration
  2. at adult ages
  3. in countries
  4. 10.2 billion in 2060
  5. rates
  6. replacement level
  7. of fertility
  8. growth

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The world (1) ___________________ demographic milestone. The US Census Bureau said (2) ___________________ 8 billion in September. However, it said this was (3) ___________________. The exact time could be a month (4) ___________________. The world population will continue to grow steadily. It grew from 6 billion to 8 billion in the (5) ___________________. The population doubled between 1960 and 2000. The rate of growth is slowing because of (6) ___________________.

The slowdown in population growth is (7) ___________________ fertility rates. The Bureau (8) ___________________ would be 10.2 billion in 2060. It said: "Population growth in the future will come from (9) ___________________ people at adult ages." It added: "Population growth is the (10) ___________________, mortality and migration.…[Most] of the earth's population (11) ___________________ where fertility is (12) ___________________ the replacement level."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theworldreachedaworryingdemographicmilestone.TheUSCensusB
ureausaidthepopulationpassed8billioninSeptember.However,itsaid
thiswasaroughguess.Theexacttimecouldbeamonthortwoearlier.The
worldpopulationwillcontinuetogrowsteadily.Itgrewfrom6billionto8b
illioninthepasttwodecades.Thepopulationdoubledbetween1960and
2000.Therateofgrowthisslowingbecauseoffallingbirthrates.Theslow
downinpopulationgrowthisduetolowerfertilityrates.TheBureausaidt
hepopulationwouldbe10.2billionin2060.Itsaid:"Populationgrowthin
thefuturewillcomefromlargergroupsofpeopleatadultages."Itadded:
"Populationgrowthistheresultoffertility,mortalityandmigration.…[M
ost]oftheearth'spopulationresideincountrieswherefertilityisaroundo
rbelowthereplacementlevel."

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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