People are worried about spices from India. Some spices might have a bad chemical that can make people sick. Countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and the USA are checking these spices. The European Union also found this bad chemical in some Indian spices. This problem could hurt India’s spice business.

Two big spice companies, MDH and Everest, are being checked. MDH has been around for a very long time and makes many kinds of spices. Everest says it is the biggest spice maker in India. The Indian government is now testing these spices to make sure they are safe. If the spices are not safe, it could be bad for India’s spice sales around the world.

Original news source: Indian spices face heat over global safety concerns (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down different spices on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Each student takes turns picking a piece of paper and acting out the spice without speaking. Their team must guess the spice within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a list of spice-related vocabulary words. One student from each pair must draw a picture of a word while the other student guesses the word. They can only communicate through drawing. After a certain amount of time, switch roles. The pair with the most correct guesses wins.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Write down spice-related keywords on the board, leaving out the vowels. Students take turns guessing letters to try and fill in the missing letters and complete the word. If a student guesses a correct letter, write it in the appropriate place. If a student guesses an incorrect letter, start drawing a hangman. The student has a certain number of guesses to complete the word. If they complete the word before the hangman is fully drawn, they win.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write down different statements related to the article on the board, such as “Spices from India are the best in the world” or “Using spices in cooking is important.” Have students vote on whether they agree or disagree with each statement by raising their hands. After each vote, ask a few students to explain their reasoning. This activity encourages students to express their opinions and practice using simple sentences.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Have each group discuss and make predictions about the future of India’s spice business based on the information in the article. They can discuss factors such as the impact of the bad chemicals, the actions of the Indian government, and the response of other countries. After the discussion, each group can share their predictions with the class. This activity encourages critical thinking and group discussion.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why are people worried about spices from India?
2. Which countries are checking the spices from India?
3. What did the European Union find in some Indian spices?
4. Why could this problem hurt India’s spice business?
5. Which two big spice companies are being checked?
6. What is the Indian government doing to make sure the spices are safe?
7. Why would it be bad for India if the spices are not safe?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

People are worried about spices from India. Some spices might have a bad chemical that can (1)______ people sick. Countries like Singapore, (2)______ Kong, and the USA are checking these (3)______s. The European (4)______ also found this bad chemical in some Indian spices. This problem could hurt India’s spice business.

Two big spice companies, MDH and Everest, are being (5)______. MDH has been around for a very long time and (6)______ many kinds of spices. Everest says it is the biggest spice maker in India. The (7)______ government is now testing these spices to make sure they are (8)______. If the spices are not safe, it could be bad for India’s spice sales around the world.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What are spices?
2. How do spices make food taste better?
3. Do you like to eat spicy food? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever tried Indian spices? How did they taste?
5. How would you feel if you got sick from eating spices?
6. What do you think the Indian government should do to make sure spices are safe?
7. Do you think this problem will affect India’s spice business a lot? Why or why not?
8. What other countries are checking spices from India?
9. Why do you think the European Union found the bad chemical in Indian spices?
10. What do you think MDH and Everest should do if their spices are not safe?
11. Do you think people will stop buying spices from India because of this problem? Why or why not?
12. How can we make sure the spices we buy are safe to eat?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. worried
2. spices
3. chemical
4. sick
5. checking
6. business
7. companies
8. testing
9. government
10. sales

Meanings:
(A) Making and selling things to earn money
(B) Seeing if something works or is safe
(C) Groups of people who work together to make or sell things
(D) A substance made by mixing different things together
(E) Feeling scared or nervous about something
(F) Things you add to food to make it taste better
(G) Not feeling well, like when you have a cold
(H) The act of selling things to people
(I) The group of people who run a country
(J) Looking at something carefully to see if it is okay
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are people worried about from India?
(a) Fruits
(b) Vegetables
(c) Clothes
(d) Spices

2. Which countries are checking the spices from India?
(a) France, Germany, and Italy
(b) Singapore, Hong Kong, and the USA
(c) China, Japan, and Australia
(d) Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico

3. Where was the bad chemical found in some Indian spices?
(a) European Union
(b) African Union
(c) Asian Union
(d) North American Union

4. Which two big spice companies are being checked?
(a) ABC and XYZ
(b) 123 and 456
(c) MDH and Everest
(d) LMN and OPQ

5. How long has MDH been around?
(a) A short time
(b) A medium time
(c) A very long time
(d) A little time

6. What does Everest say about itself?
(a) It is the biggest spice maker in India
(b) It is the smallest spice maker in India
(c) It is the oldest spice maker in India
(d) It is the newest spice maker in India

7. Who is testing the spices now?
(a) The American government
(b) The Indian government
(c) The Chinese government
(d) The Australian government

8. What could happen if the spices are not safe?
(a) It could be good for India’s spice sales around the world
(b) It could be bad for India’s fruit sales around the world
(c) It could be good for India’s fruit sales around the world
(d) It could be bad for India’s spice sales around the world

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and the USA are not checking these spices to make sure they are safe.
2. Everest says it is the biggest spice maker in India.
3. This problem could benefit India’s spice business.
4. The Indian government is testing these spices to make sure they are safe.
5. Two big spice companies, MDH and Everest, are not being checked to see if their spices are safe.
6. Some spices from India might make people sick because they have a bad chemical.
7. MDH has been around for a short time and makes only a few kinds of spices.
8. The European Union also found the bad chemical in some Indian spices.
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. Why are people worried about spices from India?
2. Which countries are checking the spices from India?
3. What is the bad chemical that can make people sick?
4. Which two big spice companies are being checked?
5. Why is it important for the Indian government to test the spices?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why are people worried about spices from India?
People are worried because some spices from India might have a bad chemical that can make people sick.

2. Which countries are checking the spices from India?
Countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, the USA, and the European Union are checking the spices from India.

3. What did the European Union find in some Indian spices?
The European Union found a bad chemical in some Indian spices.

4. Why could this problem hurt India’s spice business?
This problem could hurt India’s spice business because if the spices are not safe, people might not want to buy them anymore.

5. Which two big spice companies are being checked?
MDH and Everest, two big spice companies, are being checked.

6. What is the Indian government doing to make sure the spices are safe?
The Indian government is testing the spices to make sure they are safe.

7. Why would it be bad for India if the spices are not safe?
It would be bad for India if the spices are not safe because it could make people not want to buy Indian spices anymore, which would hurt India’s spice business.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) make
(2) Hong
(3) spice
(4) Union
(5) checked
(6) makes
(7) Indian
(8) safe
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. worried
Answer: (E) Feeling scared or nervous about something

2. spices
Answer: (F) Things you add to food to make it taste better

3. chemical
Answer: (D) A substance made by mixing different things together

4. sick
Answer: (G) Not feeling well, like when you have a cold

5. checking
Answer: (J) Looking at something carefully to see if it is okay

6. business
Answer: (A) Making and selling things to earn money

7. companies
Answer: (C) Groups of people who work together to make or sell things

8. testing
Answer: (B) Seeing if something works or is safe

9. government
Answer: (I) The group of people who run a country

10. sales
Answer: (H) The act of selling things to people
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are people worried about from India?
Answer: (d) Spices

2. Which countries are checking the spices from India?
Answer: (b) Singapore, Hong Kong, and the USA

3. Where was the bad chemical found in some Indian spices?
Answer: (a) European Union

4. Which two big spice companies are being checked?
Answer: (c) MDH and Everest

5. How long has MDH been around?
Answer: (c) A very long time

6. What does Everest say about itself?
Answer: (a) It is the biggest spice maker in India

7. Who is testing the spices now?
Answer: (b) The Indian government

8. What could happen if the spices are not safe?
Answer: (d) It could be bad for India’s spice sales around the world
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and the USA are not checking these spices to make sure they are safe. (Answer: False)
2. Everest says it is the biggest spice maker in India. (Answer: True)
3. This problem could benefit India’s spice business. (Answer: False)
4. The Indian government is testing these spices to make sure they are safe. (Answer: True)
5. Two big spice companies, MDH and Everest, are not being checked to see if their spices are safe. (Answer: False)
6. Some spices from India might make people sick because they have a bad chemical. (Answer: True)
7. MDH has been around for a short time and makes only a few kinds of spices. (Answer: False)
8. The European Union also found the bad chemical in some Indian spices. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧