Venice is a very old and beautiful city with lots of water and boats. Many people come to visit, but there are too many visitors, and it’s causing problems. So, the city has made new rules. Starting in June, loud speakers are not allowed, and groups of people visiting cannot be bigger than 25. The city is small, but in one year, almost 13 million people came to see it.

The city also wants people who visit just for the day to pay money. This is because there are so many visitors that the people who live in Venice are leaving. They are also worried about the city getting hurt because there are too many visitors and the weather is changing. Big ships cannot come into the city anymore. Other cities in Europe are also making rules to help with too many visitors.

Original news source: Venice to ban large tourist groups and loudspeakers (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a slip of paper with a word related to the article (e.g. Venice, visitors, rules, boats). One person from each group will act out the word without speaking, while the others in the group guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. They should try to include key details such as the new rules in Venice and the reasons behind them. Encourage students to use their own words and keep their summaries brief.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article (e.g. “Venice should limit the number of visitors,” “Big ships should be allowed in the city”). In pairs or small groups, students discuss each statement and indicate whether they agree or disagree by raising their hand. Encourage students to share their reasons for their opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate slips of paper (e.g. visitors, rules, boats). Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team picks a slip of paper and has to draw the word without using any letters or numbers. Their team members then have to guess what the word is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: In small groups, students discuss the pros and cons of Venice’s new rules for visitors. They should consider the positive and negative effects of the rules on both tourists and residents. After the discussion, each group shares their thoughts with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is Venice like?
2. Why are there problems in Venice?
3. What are the new rules in Venice?
4. How many people came to visit Venice in one year?
5. Why does the city want people to pay money?
6. Why are the people who live in Venice leaving?
7. Are other cities in Europe making rules to help with too many visitors?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Venice is a very old and (1)______ city with lots of water and boats. Many people come to visit, but there are too many (2)______, and it’s causing problems. So, the city has made new rules. Starting in June, loud speakers are not allowed, and groups of people visiting cannot be (3)______ than 25. The city is small, but in one (4)______, almost 13 million people came to see it.

The city also wants people who visit just for the day to pay (5)______. This is because there are so many visitors that the people who live in Venice are (6)______. They are also worried about the city getting (7)______ because there are too many visitors and the weather is changing. Big ships cannot come into the city anymore. Other cities in (8)______ are also making rules to help with too many visitors.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Venice like?
2. How would you feel if you lived in Venice and there were too many visitors?
3. Do you like boats? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the new rules in Venice?
5. How would you feel if you had to pay money to visit a city for just one day?
6. Do you think it’s fair that big ships cannot come into Venice anymore? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever visited a city with lots of visitors? How did you feel?
8. What do you think about other cities in Europe making rules to help with too many visitors?
9. How would you feel if your city had too many visitors and people were leaving?
10. Do you like the idea of visiting Venice? Why or why not?
11. What do you think about the city of Venice getting hurt because of too many visitors and the changing weather?
12. Have you ever been on a loud speaker? How did it make you feel?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Venice
2. beautiful
3. visitors
4. rules
5. loud
6. groups
7. small
8. pay
9. worried
10. weather

Meanings:
(A) People who are together
(B) Give money for something
(C) Making a lot of noise
(D) Not big
(E) What it’s like outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy
(F) People who come to see a place
(G) The important things you have to follow
(H) Thinking something bad might happen
(I) A place with water and boats where people like to go
(J) Very pretty to look at
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🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is Venice known for?
(a) Mountains and forests
(b) Deserts and camels
(c) Skyscrapers and cars
(d) Water and boats

2. Why has Venice made new rules?
(a) Because there are not enough visitors
(b) Because the city is too big
(c) Because there are too many visitors causing problems
(d) Because the weather is perfect

3. What is not allowed in Venice starting in June?
(a) Cameras
(b) Loud speakers
(c) Bicycles
(d) Umbrellas

4. How many people can be in a group visiting Venice?
(a) 25
(b) 50
(c) 100
(d) 10

5. How many people visited Venice in one year?
(a) Almost 13 million
(b) Almost 1 million
(c) Almost 100,000
(d) Almost 10,000

6. Why does the city want people who visit for the day to pay money?
(a) Because the city doesn’t want any visitors
(b) Because there are too many visitors and the people who live in Venice are leaving
(c) Because the city wants to give money to the visitors
(d) Because the city wants to buy more boats

7. What is the city worried about?
(a) The city getting too clean
(b) The city getting too big
(c) The city getting too quiet
(d) The city getting hurt because there are too many visitors and the weather is changing

8. What can’t come into the city anymore?
(a) Small boats
(b) Airplanes
(c) Big ships
(d) Cars

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Many people come to visit Venice, but there are too many visitors, and it’s causing problems.
2. The city of Venice wants people who visit just for the day to pay money.
3. Venice is a very old and beautiful city with lots of water and boats.
4. The people who live in Venice are staying because there are so many visitors.
5. Big ships cannot come into the city of Venice anymore.
6. Groups of people visiting Venice can be bigger than 25.
7. Starting in June, loud speakers are allowed in Venice.
8. In one year, less than 13 million people came to see Venice.
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 are the new rules in Venice for visitors?
2. Why is the city making these new rules?
3. How many people came to visit Venice in one year?
4. Why are the people who live in Venice leaving?
5. Why can’t big ships come into the city anymore?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is Venice like?
Venice is a very old and beautiful city with lots of water and boats.

2. Why are there problems in Venice?
There are problems in Venice because there are too many visitors.

3. What are the new rules in Venice?
The new rules in Venice are that loud speakers are not allowed, and groups of people visiting cannot be bigger than 25.

4. How many people came to visit Venice in one year?
Almost 13 million people came to visit Venice in one year.

5. Why does the city want people to pay money?
The city wants people to pay money because there are so many visitors that the people who live in Venice are leaving.

6. Why are the people who live in Venice leaving?
The people who live in Venice are leaving because there are too many visitors and the weather is changing.

7. Are other cities in Europe making rules to help with too many visitors?
Yes, other cities in Europe are making rules to help with too many visitors.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) beautiful
(2) visitors
(3) bigger
(4) year
(5) money
(6) leaving
(7) hurt
(8) Europe
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Venice
Answer: (I) A place with water and boats where people like to go

2. beautiful
Answer: (J) Very pretty to look at

3. visitors
Answer: (F) People who come to see a place

4. rules
Answer: (G) The important things you have to follow

5. loud
Answer: (C) Making a lot of noise

6. groups
Answer: (A) People who are together

7. small
Answer: (D) Not big

8. pay
Answer: (B) Give money for something

9. worried
Answer: (H) Thinking something bad might happen

10. weather
Answer: (E) What it’s like outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is Venice known for?
Answer: (d) Water and boats

2. Why has Venice made new rules?
Answer: (c) Because there are too many visitors causing problems

3. What is not allowed in Venice starting in June?
Answer: (b) Loud speakers

4. How many people can be in a group visiting Venice?
Answer: (a) 25

5. How many people visited Venice in one year?
Answer: (a) Almost 13 million

6. Why does the city want people who visit for the day to pay money?
Answer: (b) Because there are too many visitors and the people who live in Venice are leaving

7. What is the city worried about?
Answer: (d) The city getting hurt because there are too many visitors and the weather is changing

8. What can’t come into the city anymore?
Answer: (c) Big ships
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Many people come to visit Venice, but there are too many visitors, and it’s causing problems. (Answer: True)
2. The city of Venice wants people who visit just for the day to pay money. (Answer: True)
3. Venice is a very old and beautiful city with lots of water and boats. (Answer: True)
4. The people who live in Venice are staying because there are so many visitors. (Answer: False)
5. Big ships cannot come into the city of Venice anymore. (Answer: True)
6. Groups of people visiting Venice can be bigger than 25. (Answer: False)
7. Starting in June, loud speakers are allowed in Venice. (Answer: False)
8. In one year, less than 13 million people came to see Venice. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧