Reading in class

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo k, g, t, mavo
• Leerjaar 2

There is a lot of rain in Central Europe. Many areas have flood warnings.

Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic have high rivers. People are scared that the flooding will get worse. Some people die in Romania because of fast floods. Many people have to leave their homes. In Poland, people are using sandbags to keep the water out of their houses. In Austria, some places are called disaster zones.

Scientists say that this type of weather may happen more often now because of climate change. It is getting harder to know what will happen and where.

Difficult words: 

warning (information which tells people that something dangerous may happen)

sandbag (a bag full of sand which people usually use to keep something safe), disaster zone (a place where a very serious accident happens).

How many countries are affected?

This type of weather will not happen again

1. true
2. false

Australia is planning to stop children from using social media like Facebook and Instagram because of its effects on children’s mental health.

The government wants to introduce a new law by the end of the year. This law will decide the minimum age for using social media. The exact age is unclear, but it will probably be between 14 and 16 years old. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thinks social media is harmful to children and he wants children on social media to be at least 16 years old. He said children should spend more time outside with real people.

Some people agree with him, but others believe children need social media to stay in touch with their friends. These people think the government should work on making social media safer instead of banning it.

Difficult words: 

mental health (how a person is feeling and how he or she can learn things)

harmful (causing damage or hurt)

in touch (in contact or communicating).

Australia wants a minimum age for children

1. aged 12-14
2. aged 14-16

Children should spend more time outside

1. to be with real people
2. for good health
3. to improve school results
4. to enjoy

This happened in south America

1. true
2. false

there's a lot of rubble in the sinkhole.

1. true
2. false

What was the depth of the sinkhole?

1. 60 meters
2. 20 meters
3. 5 meters
4. 30 meters

Further reading practice

www.newsinlevels.com