The Reading / Listening - Javier Milei - Level 3

Argentina has a new president. His name is Javier Milei. He was a surprise winner of the country's election in November. Mr Milei has promised to turn around Argentina's poor economy. In particular, he said he would cut inflation, which is currently around 140 per cent. He also wants to slash the public debt. Argentina has borrowed a lot of money in the past few decades. Mr Milei wants to start repaying it. In his first speech as president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment" to recover. He said previous governments had spent too much and that "there is no money left". He warned Argentinians that life would be tough for a few years. He said people would have to live in "austerity" to help the economy.

Javier Milei is different from any politician Argentina has seen before. He is a far-right politician. Many people say he is similar to former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. During Milei's election campaign, he was often seen with a chainsaw. He wanted people to know he would make many spending cuts to the economy. He called his election victory a turning point in Argentina's history, like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion rights and relax gun laws. He has also upset environmentalists because he does not believe in climate change. He said: "We know that in the short term, the situation will worsen, but then we will see the fruits of our efforts."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Javier Milei - Level 0,  Javier Milei - Level 1   or  Javier Milei - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67678276
  • https://news.yahoo.com/finance/news/argentina-markets-want-fiscal-kick-050255712.html
  • https://www.voanews.com/a/argentine-president-milei-warns-economic-shock-unavoidable-in-maiden-speech-/7391933.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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. PRESIDENTS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about presidents. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       president / surprise / winner / economy / inflation / debt / shock treatment / austerity
       politician / far right / election / campaign / victory / rights / gun laws / fruits / efforts
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. PRESIDENT: Students A strongly believe being president is the best job in the world; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. ECONOMY: What is your country's economy like for these things? How would you make them better? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What It's Like

Improvements

Inflation

 

 

Tax

 

 

Unemployment

 

 

Laws

 

 

Wages

 

 

Growth

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. SURPRISE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "surprise". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. JOBS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • President
  • CEO
  • Team coach
  • Rock star
  • Influencer
  • Army general
  • Astronaut
  • Scientist

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. election a. Difficult times because of government actions to cut public spending.
      2. promised b. An event where people choose their next leader.
      3. inflation c. The money a person, company or government must pay back to someone else.
      4. slash d. Told someone that they will definitely do something or that something will happen.
      5. debt e. Cut quickly and deeply.
      6. recover f. An increase in prices and fall in how much you can buy with your money.
      7. austerity g. Return to normal.

    Paragraph 2

      8. politician h. A person who was voted by other people to work for them in government.
      9. former i. All of the hard work someone does.
      10. cut j. Having been a particular thing before.
      11. victory k. Make or become less good.
      12. limit l. A reduction in the amount or size of something.
      13. worsen m. An act of beating an enemy or opponent in a battle, game, or other contest.
      14. efforts n. Stop something or someone going above or below a certain level.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. No one was surprised that Javier Milei became president of Argentina.     T / F
  2. The inflation rate in Argentina is around 140 per cent.     T / F
  3. The article says Argentina has borrowed a lot of money since 1940.     T / F
  4. Javier Milei said life in Argentina would be tough for a year.     T / F
  5. Javier Milei is a politician who is on the far left.     T / F
  6. Javier Milei took a chainsaw with him on the election campaign trail.     T / F
  7. Javier Milei likened his election victory to the fall of the Berlin Wall.     T / F
  8. Javier Milei told Argentinians they should eat more fruit.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. surprise
  2. promised
  3. cut
  4. recover
  5. previous
  6. similar
  7. victory
  8. turning point
  9. upset
  10. worsen
  1. former
  2. win
  3. vowed
  4. go downhill
  5. angered
  6. improve
  7. shock
  8. reduce
  9. crossroads
  10. like

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. He was a surprise winner of the
  2. Milei has promised to turn around
  3. He also wants to slash the public
  4. Argentina has borrowed a lot of money
  5. people would have to live in "austerity"
  6. He is a far-
  7. his election victory a turning
  8. the fall
  9. in the short term, the situation
  10. we will see the fruits
  1. point
  2. debt
  3. to help the economy
  4. will worsen
  5. in the past few decades
  6. of the Berlin Wall
  7. country's election
  8. of our efforts
  9. right politician
  10. Argentina's poor economy

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
public
recover
surprise
austerity
inflation
turn
decades
left

Argentina has a new president. His name is Javier Milei. He was a (1) _____________________ winner of the country's election in November. Mr Milei has promised to (2) _____________________ around Argentina's poor economy. In particular, he said he would cut (3) _____________________, which is currently around 140 per cent. He also wants to slash the (4) _____________________ debt. Argentina has borrowed a lot of money in the past few                  (5) _____________________. Mr Milei wants to start repaying it. In his first speech as president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment" to (6) _____________________. He said previous governments had spent too much and that "there is no money       (7) _____________________ ". He warned Argentinians that life would be tough for a few years. He said people would have to live in     "(8) _____________________ " to help the economy.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
far
fall
short
politician
fruits
cuts
campaign
rights

Javier Milei is different from any (9) _____________________ Argentina has seen before. He is a (10) _____________________ -right politician. Many people say he is similar to former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. During Milei's election (11) _____________________, he was often seen with a chainsaw. He wanted people to know he would make many spending (12) _____________________ to the economy. He called his election victory a turning point in Argentina's history, like the (13) _____________________ of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion (14) _____________________ and relax gun laws. He has also upset environmentalists because he does not believe in climate change. He said: "We know that in the (15) _____________________ term, the situation will worsen, but then we will see the (16) _____________________ of our efforts."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) He was a surprise winner of the country's ______
     a.  erection in November
     b.  deletion in November
     c.  election in November
     d.  electron in November
2)  Mr Milei has promised to turn around ______
     a.  Argentina's poor economy
     b.  Argentina's pore economy
     c.  Argentina's pour economy
     d.  Argentina spore economy
3)  He also wants to slash ______
     a.  the public debit
     b.  the public credit
     c.  the public debt
     d.  the public doubt
4)  He said previous governments had spent too much and that "there is ______"
     a.  no money rift
     b.  no money bereft
     c.  no money left
     d.  no money cleft
5)  He said people would have to ______
     a.  live in Oyster City
     b.  live in all steer a tea
     c.  live in austerity
     d.  live in austere tea

6)  Javier Milei is different from any politician Argentina has seen before. He is a ______
     a.  afar-right politician
     b.  far-right politician
     c.  fear-right politician
     d.  fair right politician
7)  He called his election victory ______
     a.  a turn in point
     b.  a tern in point
     c.  a yearning point
     d.  a turning point
8)  He has promised to limit abortion rights and ______
     a.  relax gun laws
     b.  relapse gun laws
     c.  real lax gun laws
     d.  relaxing laws
9)  He said: "We know that in ______"
     a.  the shore term
     b.  the short term
     c.  the sure term
     d.  the snort term
10)  the situation will worsen, but then we will see the fruits ______
     a.  of our effects
     b.  of our affects
     c.  of our efforts
     d.  of our affronts

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Argentina has a new president. His name is Javier Milei. He was a surprise winner of the (11) ____________________ November. Mr Milei has promised to turn around Argentina's poor economy. In particular, he said he (2) ____________________, which is currently around 140 per cent. He also wants to slash the public debt. Argentina has (3) ____________________ of money in the past few decades. Mr Milei wants to start repaying it. In his (4) ____________________ president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment" to recover. He said previous governments had spent too much and that "there is (5) ____________________". He warned Argentinians that life would be tough for a few years. He said people would have to (6) ____________________ to help the economy.

Javier Milei is different from any politician Argentina has seen before. He is a (7) ____________________. Many people say he is similar to former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. During Milei's election campaign, he was often seen (8) ____________________. He wanted people to know he would make many spending cuts to the economy. He called his election (9) ____________________ point in Argentina's history, like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion rights and (10) ____________________. He has also upset environmentalists because he does not believe in climate change. He said: "We know that in (11) ____________________, the situation will worsen, but then we will see the (12) ____________________ efforts."

Comprehension questions

  1. What did Javier Milei promise to turn around?
  2. How much is Argentina's rate of inflation?
  3. What has Argentina borrowed in the past few decades?
  4. Who did Javier Milei say had spent too much money?
  5. For how long did Javier Milei say life would be tough?
  6. What did Javier Milei often take with him on his election campaign?
  7. What did Javier Milei liken his election victory to?
  8. What did Javier Milei promise to relax?
  9. What does the article say Javier Milei does not believe in?
  10. What did Javier Milei say people would see from their efforts?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What did Javier Milei promise to turn around?
a) the presidential car
b) his party
c) the mood of the people
d) Argentina's poor economy
2) How much is Argentina's rate of inflation?
a) exactly 140%
b) around 140%
c) just under 140%
d) just over 140%
3) What has Argentina borrowed in the past few decades?
a) ideas
b) historical artefacts
c) a lot of money
d) time
4) Who did Javier Milei say had spent too much money?
a) previous governments
b) his political party
c) his opponent
d) his best friend
5) For how long did Javier Milei say life would be tough?
a) a decade
b) a year
c) a few years
d) a lifetime

6) What did Javier Milei often take with him on his election campaign?
a) a dog
b) a chainsaw
c) a camera
d) Argentine beef
7) What did Javier Milei liken his election victory to?
a) the building of the Pyramids
b) the Great Wall of China
c) the first landing on the Moon
d) the fall of the Berlin Wall
8) What did Javier Milei promise to relax?
a) gun laws
b) muscles
c) immigration laws
d) taxes
9) What does the article say Javier Milei does not believe in?
a) UFOs
b) ghosts
c) climate change
d) lying
10) What did Javier Milei say people would see from their efforts?
a) oranges and lemons
b) the fruits
c) vegetables
d) apples and pears

Role play

Role  A – President
You think a president is the best job. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jobs. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock star, astronaut or social media influencer.

Role  B – Rock Star
You think a rock star is the best job. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jobs. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): president, astronaut or social media influencer.

Role  C – Astronaut
You think an astronaut is the best job. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jobs. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock star, president or social media influencer.

Role  D – Social Media Influencer
You think a social media influencer is the best job. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jobs. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock star, astronaut or president.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'president'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'shock'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • surprise
    • turn
    • slash
    • first
    • too
    • live
    • different
    • similar
    • campaign
    • victory
    • limit
    • see

    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 - Javier Milei

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'president'?
    3. Would you like to be president?
    4. What do you know about Javier Milei?
    5. What do you think of your country's leader?
    6. Why is it important to cut inflation?
    7. What do you think of debt?
    8. What do you think of the idea of 'shock treatment' for an economy?
    9. How tough is life for you?
    10. Have you ever had to live in austerity?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'shock'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Do you think you'd be a good president?
    5. What kinds of politicians do you like?
    6. What are the differences between far-right and far-left politicians?
    7. What do you think of politicians with chainsaws?
    8. How do you think Javier Milei will do?
    9. What advice do you have for Javier Milei?
    10. What questions would you like to ask President Javier Milei?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Argentina has a (1) ____ president. His name is Javier Milei. He was a surprise winner of the country's election in November. Mr Milei has promised (2) ____ turn around Argentina's poor economy. In particular, he said he would cut inflation, which is (3) ____ around 140 per cent. He also wants to (4) ____ the public debt. Argentina has borrowed a lot of money in the past few decades. Mr Milei wants to start repaying it. In his first speech as president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment" to (5) ____. He said previous governments had spent too much and that "there is no money left". He warned Argentinians that life would be tough for a few years. He said people would have to live (6) ____ "austerity" to help the economy.

    Javier Milei is (7) ____ from any politician Argentina has seen before. He is a far-right politician. Many people say he is (8) ____ to former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. During Milei's election campaign, he was often seen with a chainsaw. He wanted people to know he would make many spending (9) ____ to the economy. He called his election victory a turning point in Argentina's history, like the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion (10) ____ and relax gun laws. He has also upset environmentalists because he does not believe (11) ____ climate change. He said: "We know that in the short term, the situation will (12) ____, but then we will see the fruits of our efforts."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    (a)     newly     (b)     new     (c)     news     (d)     newfangled    
    (a)     at     (b)     to     (c)     for     (d)     by    
    (a)     current     (b)     currant     (c)     currency     (d)     currently    
    (a)     stash     (b)     slash     (c)     splash     (d)     smash    
    (a)     recovered     (b)     recovery     (c)     recovers     (d)     recover    
    (a)     on     (b)     at     (c)     in     (d)     by    
    (a)     different     (b)     differ     (c)     differently     (d)     difference    
    (a)     similarity     (b)     simile     (c)     similar     (d)     similarly    
    (a)     dices     (b)     chops     (c)     slices     (d)     cuts    
    (a)     rights     (b)     lefts     (c)     wrongs     (d)     virtues    
    (a)     in     (b)     on     (c)     at     (d)     by    
    (a)     worsen     (b)     worsened     (c)     worsening     (d)     worsens

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. a psruseir winner
    2. he said he would cut tfnloaiin
    3. He also wants to slash the public edtb
    4. in the past few eescdad
    5. rivpseuo governments
    6. live in tuareytsi

    Paragraph 2

    1. He is a far-right ilpiicatno
    2. he is imarlsi to former US President Donald Trump
    3. election nacpaigm
    4. election cotvyri
    5. He has promised to limit riotnabo rights
    6. in the short term, the situation will nrweos

    Put the text back together

    (...)   recover. He said previous governments had spent too much and that "there is no money left". He warned
    (  1  )   Argentina has a new president. His name is Javier Milei. He was a surprise winner of the country's
    (...)   rights and relax gun laws. He has also upset environmentalists because he does not believe in climate
    (...)   Javier Milei is different from any politician Argentina has seen before. He is a far-
    (...)   repaying it. In his first speech as president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment" to
    (...)   election in November. Mr Milei has promised to turn around Argentina's poor
    (...)   chainsaw. He wanted people to know he would make many spending cuts to the economy. He called his election
    (...)   to slash the public debt. Argentina has borrowed a lot of money in the past few decades. Mr Milei wants to start
    (...)   victory a turning point in Argentina's history, like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion
    (...)   Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. During Milei's election campaign, he was often seen with a
    (...)   Argentinians that life would be tough for a few years. He said people would have to live in "austerity" to help the economy.
    (...)   right politician. Many people say he is similar to former US President Donald Trump and former
    (...)   economy. In particular, he said he would cut inflation, which is currently around 140 per cent. He also wants
    (...)   change. He said: "We know that in the short term, the situation will worsen, but then we will see the fruits of our efforts."

    Put the words in the right order

    1. winner   was   the   He   surprise   election   .   of   a
    2. He   poor   to   Argentina's   promised   around   economy   .   turn
    3. wants   He   to   slash   debt   .   also   public   the
    4. treatment   to   shock   recover   .   The   needed   economy
    5. have   would   austerity   .   in   to   live   People
    6. different   from   He's   has   any   Argentina   seen   .   politician
    7. election   He   called   turning   a   victory   point   .   his
    8. promised   limit   also   to   has   abortion   rights   .   He
    9. will   situation   In   worsen   .   the   short   term   the
    10. fruits   see   will   We   of   the   efforts   .   our

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Argentina has a new / newly president. His name is Javier Milei. He was a surprise winner of the country's election in November. Mr Milei has promised to / for turn around Argentina's poverty / poor economy. In particular / particularly, he said he would cut inflation, which is currently around 140 per cent. He also wants to slash / splash the public debt. Argentina has borrowed a lot / lots of money in the past few decades. Mr Milei wants to start repaying them / it. In his first speech as president, he said the economy needed "shock treatment" to recovery / recover. He said previous governments had spent too many / much and that "there is no money left". He warned Argentinians that life would be tough for a few years. He said people would have to live in "austerity" to help the / an economy.

    Javier Milei is different / difference from any politician Argentina has seen before. He is a far-right / for-right politician. Many people say he is similarity / similar to former US President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. During Milei's election campaign, he was often seen with / withering a chainsaw. He wanted people to know he would made / make many spending cuts to the economy. He calling / called his election victory a turning point in Argentina's history, like the fall off / of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He has promised to limit abortion rights / right and relax gun laws. He has also upset environmentalists because he does not belief / believe in climate change. He said: "We know that in the short term, the situation will worsen, but then we will see the vegetables / fruits of our efforts."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    _rg_nt_n_  h_s  _  n_w  pr_s_d_nt.  H_s  n_m_  _s  J_v__r  M_l__.  H_  w_s  _  s_rpr_s_  w_nn_r  _f  th_  c__ntry's  _l_ct__n  _n  N_v_mb_r.  Mr  M_l__  h_s  pr_m_s_d  t_  t_rn  _r__nd  _rg_nt_n_'s  p__r  _c_n_my.  _n  p_rt_c_l_r,  h_  s__d  h_  w__ld  c_t  _nfl_t__n,  wh_ch  _s  c_rr_ntly  _r__nd  140  p_r  c_nt.  H_  _ls_  w_nts  t_  sl_sh  th_  p_bl_c  d_bt.  _rg_nt_n_  h_s  b_rr_w_d  _  l_t  _f  m_n_y  _n  th_  p_st  f_w  d_c_d_s.  Mr  M_l__  w_nts  t_  st_rt  r_p_y_ng  _t.  _n  h_s  f_rst  sp__ch  _s  pr_s_d_nt,  h_  s__d  th_  _c_n_my  n__d_d  "sh_ck  tr__tm_nt"  t_  r_c_v_r.  H_  s__d  pr_v___s  g_v_rnm_nts  h_d  sp_nt  t__  m_ch  _nd  th_t  "th_r_  _s  n_  m_n_y  l_ft".  H_  w_rn_d  _rg_nt_n__ns  th_t  l_f_  w__ld  b_  t__gh  f_r  _  f_w  y__rs.  H_  s__d  p__pl_  w__ld  h_v_  t_  l_v_  _n  "__st_r_ty"  t_  h_lp  th_  _c_n_my.

    J_v__r  M_l__  _s  d_ff_r_nt  fr_m  _ny  p_l_t_c__n  _rg_nt_n_  h_s  s__n  b_f_r_.  H_  _s  _  f_r-r_ght  p_l_t_c__n.  M_ny  p__pl_  s_y  h_  _s  s_m_l_r  t_  f_rm_r  _S  Pr_s_d_nt  D_n_ld  Tr_mp  _nd  f_rm_r  Br_z_l__n  Pr_s_d_nt  J__r  B_ls_n_r_.  D_r_ng  M_l__'s  _l_ct__n  c_mp__gn,  h_  w_s  _ft_n  s__n  w_th  _  ch__ns_w.  H_  w_nt_d  p__pl_  t_  kn_w  h_  w__ld  m_k_  m_ny  sp_nd_ng  c_ts  t_  th_  _c_n_my.  H_  c_ll_d  h_s  _l_ct__n  v_ct_ry  _  t_rn_ng  p__nt  _n  _rg_nt_n_'s  h_st_ry,  l_k_  th_  f_ll  _f  th_  B_rl_n  W_ll  _n  1989.  H_  h_s  pr_m_s_d  t_  l_m_t  _b_rt__n  r_ghts  _nd  r_l_x  g_n  l_ws.  H_  h_s  _ls_  _ps_t  _nv_r_nm_nt_l_sts  b_c__s_  h_  d__s  n_t  b_l__v_  _n  cl_m_t_  ch_ng_.  H_  s__d:  "W_  kn_w  th_t  _n  th_  sh_rt  t_rm,  th_  s_t__t__n  w_ll  w_rs_n,  b_t  th_n  w_  w_ll  s__  th_  fr__ts  _f  __r  _ff_rts."

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    argentina has a new president his name is javier milei he was a surprise winner of the countrys election in november mr milei has promised to turn around argentinas poor economy in particular he said he would cut inflation which is currently around 140 per cent he also wants to slash the public debt argentina has borrowed a lot of money in the past few decades mr milei wants to start repaying it in his first speech as president he said the economy needed shock treatment to recover he said previous governments had spent too much and that there is no money left he warned argentinians that life would be tough for a few years he said people would have to live in austerity to help the economy

    javier milei is different from any politician argentina has seen before he is a farright politician many people say he is similar to former us president donald trump and former brazilian president jair bolsonaro during mileis election campaign he was often seen with a chainsaw he wanted people to know he would make many spending cuts to the economy he called his election victory a turning point in argentinas history like the fall of the berlin wall in 1989 he has promised to limit abortion rights and relax gun laws he has also upset environmentalists because he does not believe in climate change he said we know that in the short term, the situation will worsen but then we will see the fruits of our efforts

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Argentinahasanewpresident.HisnameisJavierMilei.Hewasasurprise
    winnerofthecountry'selectioninNovember.MrMileihaspromisedtotur
    naroundArgentina'spooreconomy.Inparticular,hesaidhewouldcutinf
    lation,whichiscurrentlyaround140percent.Healsowantstoslashthep
    ublicdebt.Argentinahasborrowedalotofmoneyinthepastfewdecades.
    MrMileiwantstostartrepayingit.Inhisfirstspeechaspresident,hesaidt
    heeconomyneeded"shocktreatment"torecover.Hesaidpreviousgove
    rnmentshadspenttoomuchandthat"thereisnomoneyleft".Hewarned
    Argentiniansthatlifewouldbetoughforafewyears.Hesaidpeoplewould
    havetolivein"austerity"tohelptheeconomy.JavierMileiisdifferentfro
    manypoliticianArgentinahasseenbefore.Heisafar-rightpolitician.Ma
    nypeoplesayheissimilartoformerUSPresidentDonaldTrumpandform
    erBrazilianPresidentJairBolsonaro.DuringMilei'selectioncampaign,h
    ewasoftenseenwithachainsaw.Hewantedpeopletoknowhewouldma
    kemanyspendingcutstotheeconomy.Hecalledhiselectionvictoryatur
    ningpointinArgentina'shistory,likethefalloftheBerlinWallin1989.Heh
    aspromisedtolimitabortionrightsandrelaxgunlaws.Hehasalsoupsete
    nvironmentalistsbecausehedoesnotbelieveinclimatechange.Hesaid
    :"Weknowthatintheshortterm,thesituationwillworsen,butthenwewil
    lseethefruitsofourefforts."

    Free writing

    Write about Javier Milei for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Being president is the best job in the world. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. PRESIDENTS: Make a poster about presidents. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. AUSTERITY: Write a magazine article about all countries introducing austerity measures. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on your country's leader. Ask him/her three questions about the leader. Give him/her three of your opinions on him/her. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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