The Reading / Listening - Army Recruits - Level 2

British, Canadian, American and New Zealand people will soon be able to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Australia is having problems getting people to join its army. The government hopes that opening up to people from other countries will solve its recruitment problem. The ADF needs around 4,400 workers. Only those who are permanent residents in Australia (who have lived there for a year) can apply. Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, said it was possible that in the future, people from more countries could join.

Mr Marles said: "The Australian Government has chosen to grow the Australian Defence Force because it is essential to meet the nation's security challenges through the next decade and beyond." The Defence Ministry said: "We're being bold in order to grow the ADF. Recruiting from a wider pool of people will help ensure [the ADF] reflects the full diversity of Australia." The opposition Foreign Minister disagreed with the policy. He said it showed the government's failure. He said: "We should be seeing more Australians with the confidence to sign up."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Army Recruits - Level 0 Army Recruits - Level 1   or  Army Recruits - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2024-06-04/adf-opens-its-ranks-non-citizens
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv22v0wg8v3o
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-04/foreign-citizen-australian-defence-force-recruitment-opened/103931146


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. having problems getting people
  2. opening up to people
  3. solve its recruitment
  4. permanent
  5. lived there
  6. Richard Marles said it was
  7. in the
  8. people from more countries
  1. future
  2. to join
  3. for a year
  4. could join
  5. from other countries
  6. problem
  7. possible
  8. residents

Paragraph 2

  1. through the next decade
  2. We're being
  3. Recruiting from a wider
  4. the full diversity
  5. disagreed with the
  6. it showed the government's
  7. We should be seeing
  8. the confidence
  1. failure
  2. pool of people
  3. more Australians
  4. and beyond
  5. to sign up
  6. bold
  7. policy
  8. of Australia

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

British, Canadian, American and New Zealand people will soon (1) ___________________ join the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Australia is (2) ___________________ people to join its army. The government hopes that (3) ___________________ people from other countries will solve its recruitment problem. The ADF needs around 4,400 workers. Only those (4) ___________________ residents in Australia (who have lived there for a (5) ___________________. Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, said it was possible that (6) ___________________, people from more countries could join.

Mr Marles said: "The Australian Government has (7) ___________________ the Australian Defence Force because it is (8) ___________________ the nation's security challenges through the next (9) ___________________." The Defence Ministry said: "We're being bold in order to grow the ADF. Recruiting from a wider pool of people (10) ___________________ [the ADF] reflects the full diversity of Australia." The opposition Foreign Minister (11) ___________________ policy. He said it showed the government's failure. He said: "We should be seeing more Australians with (12) ___________________ sign up."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

British,Canadian,AmericanandNewZealandpeoplewillsoonbeabletoj
ointheAustralianDefenceForce(ADF).Australiaishavingproblemsget
tingpeopletojoinitsarmy.Thegovernmenthopesthatopeninguptopeo
plefromothercountrieswillsolveitsrecruitmentproblem.TheADFneed
saround4,400workers.OnlythosewhoarepermanentresidentsinAust
ralia(whohavelivedthereforayear)canapply.Australia'sDefenceMinis
ter,RichardMarles,saiditwaspossiblethatinthefuture,peoplefrommo
recountriescouldjoin.MrMarlessaid:"TheAustralianGovernmenthasc
hosentogrowtheAustralianDefenceForcebecauseitisessentialtomee
tthenation'ssecuritychallengesthroughthenextdecadeandbeyond."
TheDefenceMinistrysaid:"We'rebeingboldinordertogrowtheADF.Re
cruitingfromawiderpoolofpeoplewillhelpensure[theADF]reflectsthef
ulldiversityofAustralia."TheoppositionForeignMinisterdisagreedwith
thepolicy.Hesaiditshowedthegovernment'sfailure.Hesaid:"Weshoul
dbeseeingmoreAustralianswiththeconfidencetosignup."

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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