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27 New Places to Swim in England’s Nature

The government of England has announced the largest ever expansion of wild swimming areas, but concerns remain over water cleanliness.
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England's government has added 27 new places where people can swim in nature. This is the biggest increase ever for wild swimming spots in the country. But just because a place is officially a swimming spot doesn't mean the water is clean. Two rivers on the list are already rated as "Poor" because of problems like sewage and farms.

Last year, most swimming spots in England met the basic clean water rules. However, fewer places were rated as "Excellent" and more were rated as "Poor" than before. The Environment Agency checks the water quality at these spots during the swimming season and shares the results online. If a spot is rated "Poor" for five years in a row, it loses its special status and regular checks.

People who care about clean water say progress is slow. For example, Wolvercote Mill Stream in Oxford has been rated "Poor" since it was added two years ago. But being on the list has brought more attention and promises to fix the water quality. If these places keep getting "Poor" ratings, they might lose their special status and regular checks.

Original news source: 27 new wild swimming sites for England – but are they clean? (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

πŸ“– Vocabulary:

1. officially
2. sewage
3. rated
4. progress
5. quality
6. status
7. environment
8. agency
9. promises
10. attention
11. increase
12. swimming

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will read the article and then write a summary of the main points. They should focus on the increase in wild swimming spots in England, the water quality issues, and the potential consequences for spots rated as "Poor."
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. wild swimming, clean water, sewage, farms). One person from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The team must guess the word within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will discuss the pros and cons of wild swimming. They can use the information from the article to support their arguments. After a few minutes, groups can share their thoughts with the class.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think about the following question: "What are some ways we can help improve water quality in swimming spots?" After a few minutes, students can pair up and discuss their ideas. Finally, groups can share their ideas with the class.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will imagine the future of wild swimming in England. They should discuss what they think will happen to the number of swimming spots, the water quality, and the government's actions. Each group can present their predictions to the class.

πŸ€” Comprehension Questions:

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

England's has added 27 new places where people can swim in nature. This is the increase ever for swimming spots in the country. But just because a place is officially a swimming spot doesn't mean the water is clean. Two rivers on the list are already rated as "Poor" because of problems like sewage and farms. Last year, swimming spots in met the basic clean water rules. However, fewer places were rated as "Excellent" and more were rated as "Poor" than before. The Agency checks the water at these spots during the swimming season and shares the results online. If a spot is rated "Poor" for five years in a row, it loses its special status and regular . People who care about clean water say is slow. For example, Wolvercote Mill Stream in Oxford has been rated "Poor" since it was added two years ago. But being on the list has brought more attention and promises to fix the quality. If these places keep getting "Poor" ratings, they might lose their special and checks.

πŸ’¬ Discussion Questions:

1. What is wild swimming?
2. How would you feel if you went swimming in a place with dirty water?
3. Do you like swimming in nature or in a swimming pool? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the government adding more places for people to swim in nature?
5. How do you think the government can improve the water quality in the swimming spots?
6. Have you ever been to a swimming spot in nature? How was your experience?
7. Do you think it's important to have clean water in swimming spots? Why or why not?
8. What do you think the Environment Agency should do if a spot is rated "Poor" for five years in a row?
9. How do you think adding a place to the list of swimming spots can help improve the water quality?
10. Why do you think some swimming spots have more attention and promises to fix the water quality?
11. Do you think it's fair for a swimming spot to lose its special status and regular checks if it gets a "Poor" rating for five years in a row?
12. What can you do to help keep swimming spots in nature clean?

Individual Activities

πŸ“–πŸ’­ Vocabulary Meanings:

Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.

Words

1. officially
2. sewage
3. rated
4. progress
5. quality
6. status
7. environment
8. agency
9. promises
10. attention
11. increase
12. swimming

Meanings

(A) How good or bad something is
(B) Assurances or commitments to do something
(C) Focus or notice from people
(D) Moving forward or getting better
(E) An organization or group that does a specific job
(F) Becoming larger or more in number
(G) Given a score or grade
(H) In a way that is approved by an authority
(I) Waste water and other dirty stuff that comes from homes and factories
(J) Moving through water by using your arms and legs
(K) The natural world around us
(L) The position or rank of something

πŸ”‘ Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What has the government of England done?
(a) Added 27 new places for swimming in nature
(b) Closed all swimming spots in the country
(c) Reduced the number of swimming spots in the country
(d) Increased the number of swimming pools in the country
2. What does it mean if a place is officially a swimming spot?
(a) The water is always clean
(b) The water is always dirty
(c) The water is always safe to swim in
(d) It doesn't necessarily mean the water is clean
3. Why are two rivers on the list rated as "Poor"?
(a) Because they are the cleanest rivers in the country
(b) Because they are the biggest rivers in the country
(c) Because of problems like sewage and farms
(d) Because they have the most swimming spots
4. What happened to the number of swimming spots rated as "Excellent" last year?
(a) More places were rated as "Excellent"
(b) Fewer places were rated as "Excellent"
(c) The number stayed the same
(d) There were no swimming spots rated as "Excellent"
5. Who checks the water quality at these swimming spots?
(a) The government of England
(b) The Environment Agency
(c) The swimming spot owners
(d) The local residents
6. What happens if a swimming spot is rated "Poor" for five years in a row?
(a) It becomes a popular tourist spot
(b) It gets more attention and promises to fix the water quality
(c) It loses its special status and regular checks
(d) It gets a higher rating
7. What has happened to Wolvercote Mill Stream in Oxford since it was added to the list?
(a) It has been rated "Excellent"
(b) It has been closed for swimming
(c) It has become a popular swimming spot
(d) It has been rated "Poor"
8. What might happen if places keep getting "Poor" ratings?
(a) They might lose their special status and regular checks
(b) They might become cleaner
(c) They might become more popular for swimming
(d) They might get more attention and promises to fix the water quality

πŸ•΅οΈ True or False Questions:

Last year, most swimming spots in England followed the basic clean water rules.
The Environment Agency does not check the water quality at these spots during the swimming season and does not share the results online.
The government of England has added 27 new places where people can swim in nature.
Some places on the list have been rated as "Poor" for a long time, but being on the list has brought attention and promises to improve the water quality.
However, there were more places rated as "Excellent" and fewer places rated as "Poor" than before.
If a swimming spot is rated "Excellent" for five years in a row, it will keep its special status and regular checks.
This is the biggest increase ever for wild swimming spots in the country.
None of the new swimming spots have dirty water because of problems like sewage and farms.

πŸ“ 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:

1. What is the biggest increase ever for wild swimming spots in England?
2. Does being an official swimming spot mean the water is always clean?
3. What are two problems that can make a river's water quality "Poor"?
4. Were there more swimming spots rated as "Excellent" or "Poor" last year?
5. What happens if a swimming spot is rated "Poor" for five years in a row?

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