In Chengdu, China, a village wanted to look snowy for the Lunar New Year. But the weather was too warm, and there was no real snow. So, they used cotton and soapy water to make fake snow. People came to see the snow but were upset when they found out it wasn’t real. The village said sorry and promised to give money back to unhappy visitors.

The fake snow was made from cotton sheets and put on the ground and roofs. People on the internet joked about the “snow village without snow.” At first, the village didn’t say the snow was fake, but later they admitted it. They apologized on a website called WeChat. The village took away the fake snow after people complained.

Original news source: Snow village in China apologises for using fake snow during unusually warm weather (Sky News)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will act out the key actions from the article (like making fake snow, people visiting the village, etc.) without speaking while their classmates guess what they are doing.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Students will discuss and vote on whether they think it is okay for the village to use fake snow. After voting, they will share their opinions in small groups.

– SKETCH IT
Instructions: Students will draw a picture of the village with fake snow and the reactions of the people. After drawing, they will explain their sketches to a partner.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Students will create a catchy headline for the article. They will then share their headlines with the class and discuss the different ideas.

– MIND MAP
Instructions: Students will create a mind map in small groups about the key points of the article. They will write ‘Fake Snow in Chengdu’ in the center and add branches for main ideas like ‘fake snow’, ‘reactions’, and ‘apology’.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Where is the village that wanted to look snowy?
2. What special time of year was the village trying to celebrate?
3. What did the village use to make the fake snow?
4. How did people feel when they found out the snow was not real?
5. What did the village do to make the unhappy visitors feel better?
6. What did people on the internet say about the village?
7. What did the village do with the fake snow after people complained?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In Chengdu, China, a village wanted to look snowy for the (1)______ New Year. But the (2)______ was too warm, and there was no real snow. So, they used cotton and soapy water to make fake snow. People came to see the snow but were upset when they found out it wasn’t real. The village said sorry and promised to give (3)______ back to (4)______ visitors.

The fake (5)______ was made from cotton sheets and put on the ground and roofs. People on the (6)______ joked about the “snow village without snow.” At first, the village didn’t say the snow was fake, but later they admitted it. They (7)______ on a website called WeChat. The village took away the fake snow after (8)______ complained.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite season?
2. Do you like snow? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you saw fake snow?
4. What is a fun thing you like to do in the snow?
5. Do you think it is okay to make fake snow? Why?
6. Have you ever seen real snow? What was it like?
7. How would you feel if someone tricked you?
8. Do you like to play in the snow? What do you do?
9. What is a holiday you like to celebrate?
10. How would you feel if you went to a snow village and it was fake?
11. Do you think the village should give money back? Why?
12. What is your favorite thing about winter?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. village
2. snowy
3. weather
4. cotton
5. upset
6. promised
7. visitors
8. internet
9. joked
10. complained

Meanings:
(A) Covered with white, cold stuff that falls from the sky
(B) Said something funny to make people laugh
(C) A place where you can find lots of information on a computer
(D) Soft, fluffy material used to make clothes
(E) How hot or cold it is outside
(F) Said they would do something for sure
(G) People who come to see a place
(H) Feeling sad or angry
(I) Said they were not happy about something
(J) A small group of houses where people live
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the village in Chengdu want for the Lunar New Year?
(a) Rain
(b) Sun
(c) Snow
(d) Wind

2. What did the village use to make fake snow?
(a) Plastic
(b) Paper
(c) Cotton
(d) Leaves

3. How did people feel when they found out the snow was not real?
(a) Happy
(b) Upset
(c) Excited
(d) Confused

4. Where did the village say sorry to people?
(a) Facebook
(b) WeChat
(c) Twitter
(d) Instagram

5. What did the village do after people complained?
(a) Took away the fake snow
(b) Made more fake snow
(c) Built a snowman
(d) Closed the village

6. What did people on the internet call the village?
(a) Happy village
(b) Big village
(c) Quiet village
(d) Snow village without snow

7. What was the weather like in the village?
(a) Warm
(b) Cold
(c) Rainy
(d) Windy

8. What did the village promise to unhappy visitors?
(a) Give free food
(b) Give toys
(c) Give a tour
(d) Give money back

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The weather was too cold, so there was no real snow.
2. Some visitors were upset when they learned the snow was not real.
3. The village promised to give money back to people who were sad.
4. The village did not apologize to the unhappy visitors.
5. The village made fake snow with cotton and soapy water.
6. A village in Chengdu, China did not want to have snow for the Lunar New Year.
7. The village added more fake snow after people complained.
8. Many people came to see the fake snow.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. What did the village in Chengdu want for the Lunar New Year?
2. Why did the village use cotton to make fake snow?
3. How did people feel when they found out the snow was not real?
4. What did the village do when people were unhappy?
5. Where did the village say sorry to the visitors?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Where is the village that wanted to look snowy?
The village is in Chengdu, China.

2. What special time of year was the village trying to celebrate?
The village was trying to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

3. What did the village use to make the fake snow?
The village used cotton and soapy water to make fake snow.

4. How did people feel when they found out the snow was not real?
People felt upset when they found out the snow was not real.

5. What did the village do to make the unhappy visitors feel better?
The village said sorry and promised to give money back to unhappy visitors.

6. What did people on the internet say about the village?
People on the internet joked about the “snow village without snow.”

7. What did the village do with the fake snow after people complained?
The village took away the fake snow after people complained.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Lunar
(2) weather
(3) money
(4) unhappy
(5) snow
(6) internet
(7) apologized
(8) people
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. village
Answer: (J) A small group of houses where people live

2. snowy
Answer: (A) Covered with white, cold stuff that falls from the sky

3. weather
Answer: (E) How hot or cold it is outside

4. cotton
Answer: (D) Soft, fluffy material used to make clothes

5. upset
Answer: (H) Feeling sad or angry

6. promised
Answer: (F) Said they would do something for sure

7. visitors
Answer: (G) People who come to see a place

8. internet
Answer: (C) A place where you can find lots of information on a computer

9. joked
Answer: (B) Said something funny to make people laugh

10. complained
Answer: (I) Said they were not happy about something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the village in Chengdu want for the Lunar New Year?
Answer: (c) Snow

2. What did the village use to make fake snow?
Answer: (c) Cotton

3. How did people feel when they found out the snow was not real?
Answer: (b) Upset

4. Where did the village say sorry to people?
Answer: (b) WeChat

5. What did the village do after people complained?
Answer: (a) Took away the fake snow

6. What did people on the internet call the village?
Answer: (d) Snow village without snow

7. What was the weather like in the village?
Answer: (a) Warm

8. What did the village promise to unhappy visitors?
Answer: (d) Give money back
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The weather was too cold, so there was no real snow. (Answer: False)
2. Some visitors were upset when they learned the snow was not real. (Answer: True)
3. The village promised to give money back to people who were sad. (Answer: True)
4. The village did not apologize to the unhappy visitors. (Answer: False)
5. The village made fake snow with cotton and soapy water. (Answer: True)
6. A village in Chengdu, China did not want to have snow for the Lunar New Year. (Answer: False)
7. The village added more fake snow after people complained. (Answer: False)
8. Many people came to see the fake snow. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧