A man and a woman from Italy made a special website because they wanted to help people find places to stay that are good for the Earth. The website shows more than 3,000 places to stay that are very careful about not hurting our planet. They use things like sun power, good food from nearby, and clean stuff that doesn’t make the Earth dirty. Lots of people are using their website to find places to stay when they go on trips. The man and the woman think that more and more people, especially young ones, want to take care of our Earth when they go on vacation.

There is also a group of hotels in a country called the Netherlands that are very careful about the Earth. They use only power from the wind and sun, have furniture that is good for the Earth, and give people food that doesn’t come from animals. The boss of these hotels says it’s important to think about how we can keep the Earth full of life and beautiful. He sees that more people want to stay at places that help the Earth. Another company helps people go on trips without flying in airplanes because that’s better for the Earth and helps towns make money.

But a teacher who knows a lot about trips and the Earth says we have to be careful. Some places might say they are good for the Earth, but they are not really. The woman from Italy says

Original news source: Tourists are rethinking their relationship with Earth’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Draw the meaning of key vocabulary words from the article on the board without writing any letters or words. The class must guess the word you’re drawing. Words can include “solar power,” “sustainable,” “furniture,” “vegetarian,” and “travel.”

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Students pair up and take turns being a news reporter and an interviewee. The reporter asks questions about the eco-friendly hotels and the interviewee responds using information from the article. Encourage the use of phrases such as “According to the article…” and “The website offers…”

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write a statement on the board, like “It is important to stay in eco-friendly hotels.” Students move to one side of the room if they agree or the other side if they disagree. Then, ask a few students from each side to explain their opinion using simple English.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: Ask the students to create a catchy headline for the article that would make others want to read it. Encourage the use of adjectives and strong action words. Discuss the headlines as a class and vote on the best one.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give students a few key terms from the article such as “eco-friendly,” “sustainable travel,” “solar power,” and “vegetarian food.” Students draw their interpretation of these terms, and then share and discuss their sketches with a partner, explaining how their drawings relate to the concepts.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the man and woman from Italy make?
2. How many places to stay are on the special website?
3. What are some things the places to stay use to not hurt the Earth?
4. Who likes to use the website to find places to stay?
5. What kind of power do the hotels in the Netherlands use?
6. What does the boss of the hotels in the Netherlands think is important?
7. What does the teacher say we need to be careful about?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man and a woman from Italy made a special website because they wanted to help people find (1)______ to stay that are good for the Earth. The website shows (2)______ than 3,000 places to stay that are very careful about not hurting our planet. They use things like sun power, good food from nearby, and clean stuff that doesn’t make the Earth dirty. Lots of people are using their website to (3)______ places to stay when they go on trips. The man and the (4)______ think that more and more people, especially young ones, want to take care of our Earth when they go on vacation.

There is also a group of hotels in a country called the Netherlands that are very careful about the Earth. They use only power from the (5)______ and sun, have furniture that is good for the Earth, and give people food that doesn’t come from animals. The boss of these hotels says it’s important to think about how we can keep the Earth full of life and beautiful. He (6)______ that more people want to stay at places that help the Earth. Another company helps (7)______ go on trips without (8)______ in airplanes because that’s better for the Earth and helps towns make money.

But a teacher who knows a lot about trips and the Earth says we have to be careful. Some places might say they are good for the Earth, but they are not really. The woman from Italy says
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a website?
2. Do you like to go on trips? Why or why not?
3. How do you feel when you see the sun in the sky?
4. What is sun power?
5. Do you think it is good to use sun power for houses? Why?
6. What is good food that comes from places near your home?
7. Do you like to eat food that doesn’t come from animals? Why or why not?
8. What is a hotel?
9. How would you feel if you stayed in a hotel that is good for the Earth?
10. Have you ever seen a big fan that makes power from the wind?
11. Do you think it’s important to take care of the Earth? Why or why not?
12. Can you think of ways to help the Earth when we go on vacation?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. website
2. Earth
3. places
4. power
5. food
6. people
7. trips
8. stay

Meanings:
(a) Humans or individuals
(b) Something we eat
(c) The planet we live on
(d) Energy or electricity
(e) Locations or spots
(f) Remaining or not leaving a place
(g) Going on a journey or vacation
(h) A special page on the computer with information
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did the man and woman from Italy make a website?
(a) To help people find places to stay that are good for the Earth
(b) To sell products online
(c) To learn about different countries
(d) To play games

2. What are some things that the places on the website do to help the Earth?
(a) Use sun power and serve good food from nearby
(b) Use only power from the wind and sun and have furniture that is good for the Earth
(c) Use clean stuff that doesn’t make the Earth dirty and give people food that doesn’t come from animals
(d) All of the above

3. Who is using the website to find places to stay?
(a) Only people from Italy
(b) Only people who like to travel by airplane
(c) Lots of people, especially young ones
(d) None of the above

4. Where are the hotels that are very careful about the Earth located?
(a) Italy
(b) The Netherlands
(c) France
(d) Spain

5. What kind of power do the hotels in the Netherlands use?
(a) Power from the ocean
(b) Power from the moon
(c) Power from the wind and sun
(d) Power from the mountains

6. What kind of food do the hotels in the Netherlands serve?
(a) Food that comes from far away
(b) Food that doesn’t come from animals
(c) Food that is bad for the Earth
(d) Food that is only for adults

7. What does the boss of the hotels in the Netherlands think is important?
(a) Making lots of money
(b) Going on vacation without thinking about the Earth
(c) None of the above
(d) Thinking about how to keep the Earth full of life and beautiful

8. What does the teacher say we have to be careful about?
(a) Some places might say they are good for the Earth, and they really are
(b) Some places might say they are bad for the Earth, but they are not really
(c) Some places might say they are bad for the Earth, and they really are
(d) Some places might say they are good for the Earth, but they are not really

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. These places use things like sun power, good food from nearby, and clean stuff that doesn’t make the Earth dirty.
2. In the Netherlands, there is a group of hotels that are very careful about the Earth.
3. A man and a woman from Italy made a special website to help people find places to stay that are good for the Earth.
4. Another company helps people go on trips without flying in airplanes because it’s better for the Earth and helps towns make money.
5. These hotels use only renewable energy sources, have eco-friendly furniture, and serve plant-based food.
6. Only a few people are using their website to find places to stay when they go on trips.
7. The man and the woman think that fewer people, especially young ones, want to take care of the Earth when they go on vacation.
8. The website shows less than 3,000 places to stay that are careful about not hurting the planet.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What did the man and woman from Italy make?
2. What do the special places to stay use to be nice to the Earth?
3. Why do people like to stay at these special places?
4. What do the hotels in the Netherlands do to help the Earth?
5. What should we be careful about when we pick a place to stay for a trip?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the man and woman from Italy make?
They made a special website.

2. How many places to stay are on the special website?
There are more than 3,000 places.

3. What are some things the places to stay use to not hurt the Earth?
They use sun power, good food from nearby, and clean stuff.

4. Who likes to use the website to find places to stay?
Lots of people like to use the website, especially young ones.

5. What kind of power do the hotels in the Netherlands use?
They use power from the wind and sun.

6. What does the boss of the hotels in the Netherlands think is important?
He thinks it is important to keep the Earth full of life and beautiful.

7. What does the teacher say we need to be careful about?
We need to be careful about some places saying they are good for the Earth but they are not really.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) places
(2) more
(3) find
(4) woman
(5) wind
(6) sees
(7) people
(8) flying
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. website
Answer: (h) A special page on the computer with information

2. Earth
Answer: (c) The planet we live on

3. places
Answer: (e) Locations or spots

4. power
Answer: (d) Energy or electricity

5. food
Answer: (b) Something we eat

6. people
Answer: (a) Humans or individuals

7. trips
Answer: (g) Going on a journey or vacation

8. stay
Answer: (f) Remaining or not leaving a place
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did the man and woman from Italy make a website?
Answer: (a) To help people find places to stay that are good for the Earth

2. What are some things that the places on the website do to help the Earth?
Answer: (a) Use sun power and serve good food from nearby

3. Who is using the website to find places to stay?
Answer: (c) Lots of people, especially young ones

4. Where are the hotels that are very careful about the Earth located?
Answer: (b) The Netherlands

5. What kind of power do the hotels in the Netherlands use?
Answer: (c) Power from the wind and sun

6. What kind of food do the hotels in the Netherlands serve?
Answer: (b) Food that doesn’t come from animals

7. What does the boss of the hotels in the Netherlands think is important?
Answer: (d) Thinking about how to keep the Earth full of life and beautiful

8. What does the teacher say we have to be careful about?
Answer: (d) Some places might say they are good for the Earth, but they are not really
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. These places use things like sun power, good food from nearby, and clean stuff that doesn’t make the Earth dirty. (Answer: True)
2. In the Netherlands, there is a group of hotels that are very careful about the Earth. (Answer: True)
3. A man and a woman from Italy made a special website to help people find places to stay that are good for the Earth. (Answer: True)
4. Another company helps people go on trips without flying in airplanes because it’s better for the Earth and helps towns make money. (Answer: True)
5. These hotels use only renewable energy sources, have eco-friendly furniture, and serve plant-based food. (Answer: False)
6. Only a few people are using their website to find places to stay when they go on trips. (Answer: False)
7. The man and the woman think that fewer people, especially young ones, want to take care of the Earth when they go on vacation. (Answer: False)
8. The website shows less than 3,000 places to stay that are careful about not hurting the planet. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧