Venice, a city in Italy, is making new rules because there are too many tourists. Loudspeakers will not be allowed starting in June because they are noisy and confusing. Also, groups of more than 25 tourists will not be allowed. The city is small but many tourists come to visit, and this is causing problems.

The city also wants tourists to pay €5 to visit for the day. Many people who live in Venice are moving away because there are too many tourists. There are more places for tourists to sleep than for people who live there. Big ships can’t go into the center of Venice anymore, and the city might be put on a list of places that are in danger.

Other cities in Europe also have too many tourists and are trying to fix this. Florence won’t let people rent out new Airbnbs in the center of the city. Rome will make tourists pay money if they do things like not wear a shirt or put locks on bridges. Portofino doesn’t want tourists to wait too long to take pictures, and Athens won’t let too many people visit an old building called the Acropolis.

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:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words.
4. After a designated amount of time, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Ask each group to discuss their opinions on the new rules in Venice.
3. Provide a list of discussion questions such as: “Do you agree with the new rules? Why or why not?” or “What other measures could Venice take to manage the tourism problem?”
4. After the discussion, have each group present their opinions to the class and facilitate a class-wide discussion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as “tourists,” “Venice,” “rules,” “problems,” etc.
2. Divide the class into pairs.
3. Give each pair a whiteboard or a piece of paper.
4. Instruct one student from each pair to choose a vocabulary word and draw a picture representing that word.
5. The other student must guess the word based on the drawing.
6. Rotate roles and continue until all the vocabulary words have been used.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions:
1. Write a list of keywords from the article on the board, such as “tourists,” “Venice,” “rules,” “problems,” etc.
2. Divide the class into pairs.
3. Instruct one student from each pair to choose a keyword from the board without telling their partner.
4. The student must describe the keyword to their partner without using the word itself or any derivatives of it.
5. The partner must guess the keyword based on the description.
6. Rotate roles and continue until all the keywords have been used.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions:
1. Ask the class the following question: “What are some potential consequences of having too many tourists in a city?”
2. Give the students a few minutes to think about their answers individually.
3. Pair up the students and ask them to share their ideas with their partner.
4. After a designated amount of time, have pairs share their ideas with the class and facilitate a class-wide discussion.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why is Venice making new rules?
2. What are two things that tourists will not be allowed to do in Venice starting in June?
3. Why are many people who live in Venice moving away?
4. What is one problem caused by the large number of tourists in Venice?
5. What are some things that other cities in Europe are doing to fix the problem of too many tourists?
6. What will happen if tourists in Rome do things like not wear a shirt or put locks on bridges?
7. What is one thing that Athens won’t let too many people do at the Acropolis?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Venice, a city in Italy, is (1)______ new rules because there are too many tourists. (2)______ will not be (3)______ starting in June because they are noisy and confusing. Also, groups of more than 25 tourists will not be allowed. The city is small but many tourists come to visit, and this is causing problems.

The city also wants tourists to pay €5 to visit for the day. Many people who (4)______ in (5)______ are moving away because there are too many tourists. There are more (6)______ for tourists to sleep than for people who live there. Big ships can’t go into the center of Venice anymore, and the city might be put on a list of places that are in danger.

Other cities in (7)______ also (8)______ too (9)______ tourists and are trying to fix this. Florence won’t let people rent out new Airbnbs in the center of the city. Rome will make tourists pay (10)______ if they do things like not wear a shirt or put locks on bridges. Portofino doesn’t want tourists to wait too long to take pictures, and Athens won’t let too many (11)______ visit an old (12)______ called the Acropolis.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Venice?
2. How would you feel if there were too many tourists in your city?
3. Do you like visiting crowded places? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the new rules in Venice?
5. How do you think the loudspeakers can be noisy and confusing?
6. Do you think it’s fair for tourists to pay €5 to visit Venice for the day? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever visited a place with too many tourists? How was it?
8. What do you think will happen if more people keep moving away from Venice?
9. Do you think other cities in Europe should also make new rules for tourists? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the city of Florence is trying to fix the problem with too many tourists?
11. Have you ever visited a place where you had to wait a long time to take pictures? How did you feel?
12. Do you think it’s important to protect old buildings like the Acropolis in Athens? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. tourists
2. loudspeakers
3. confusing
4. allowed
5. causing
6. visit
7. moving
8. danger
9. rent
10. bridges
11. locks
12. Acropolis

Meanings:
(A) Big boxes that make sounds louder
(B) Structures built to cross over rivers or roads
(C) People who travel to see different places
(D) Hard to understand
(E) A very old building in Greece that people like to see
(F) Things you use to close something so others can’t open it
(G) When something could get hurt or broken
(H) Making something happen, usually something bad
(I) To go see a place for fun
(J) Given permission to do something
(K) Going to live in a different place
(L) To let someone use something you own for money
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where is Venice located?
(a) France
(b) Spain
(c) Germany
(d) Italy

2. What will be banned in Venice starting in June?
(a) Cameras
(b) Loudspeakers
(c) Bicycles
(d) Umbrellas

3. How many tourists can be in a group in Venice?
(a) 50
(b) 25
(c) 100
(d) 10

4. Why are many people moving away from Venice?
(a) High cost of living
(b) Bad weather
(c) Lack of job opportunities
(d) Too many tourists

5. How much will tourists have to pay to visit Venice for the day?
(a) €10
(b) €20
(c) €5
(d) €50

6. Which city won’t allow new Airbnbs in the center?
(a) Rome
(b) Portofino
(c) Florence
(d) Athens

7. What will Rome make tourists pay money for?
(a) Not wearing a shirt
(b) Taking pictures
(c) Eating in restaurants
(d) Riding bicycles

8. Which city won’t let too many people visit the Acropolis?
(a) Athens
(b) Florence
(c) Rome
(d) Portofino

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Other cities in Europe, like Florence, Rome, Portofino, and Athens, are also having problems with too many tourists and are trying to find solutions.
2. Venice is a city in Italy that is having problems because there are too few tourists.
3. There are more places for tourists to sleep in Venice than for people who live there.
4. Groups of more than 25 tourists will not be allowed in Venice.
5. Starting in June, loudspeakers will be allowed in Venice because they are noisy and confusing.
6. Many people who live in Venice are moving away because there are too many tourists.
7. The city wants tourists to pay €50 if they want to visit for the day.
8. Big ships are allowed to go into the center of Venice anymore.
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 is Venice making new rules for tourists?
2. What are two things that tourists will not be allowed to do in Venice starting in June?
3. Why are many people who live in Venice moving away?
4. What are some things that other cities in Europe are doing to fix the problem of too many tourists?
5. What is one thing that Athens won’t let too many people do?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why is Venice making new rules?
Venice is making new rules because there are too many tourists causing problems.

2. What are two things that tourists will not be allowed to do in Venice starting in June?
Starting in June, tourists will not be allowed to use loudspeakers and groups of more than 25 tourists will not be allowed.

3. Why are many people who live in Venice moving away?
Many people who live in Venice are moving away because there are too many tourists.

4. What is one problem caused by the large number of tourists in Venice?
One problem caused by the large number of tourists in Venice is that there are more places for tourists to sleep than for people who live there.

5. What are some things that other cities in Europe are doing to fix the problem of too many tourists?
Other cities in Europe are fixing the problem of too many tourists by not allowing new Airbnbs in the center of the city, making tourists pay money for certain actions, and limiting the number of tourists in certain places.

6. What will happen if tourists in Rome do things like not wear a shirt or put locks on bridges?
If tourists in Rome do things like not wear a shirt or put locks on bridges, they will have to pay money.

7. What is one thing that Athens won’t let too many people do at the Acropolis?
Athens won’t let too many people visit the Acropolis.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) making
(2) Loudspeakers
(3) allowed
(4) live
(5) Venice
(6) places
(7) Europe
(8) have
(9) many
(10) money
(11) people
(12) building
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. tourists
Answer: (C) People who travel to see different places

2. loudspeakers
Answer: (A) Big boxes that make sounds louder

3. confusing
Answer: (D) Hard to understand

4. allowed
Answer: (J) Given permission to do something

5. causing
Answer: (H) Making something happen, usually something bad

6. visit
Answer: (I) To go see a place for fun

7. moving
Answer: (K) Going to live in a different place

8. danger
Answer: (G) When something could get hurt or broken

9. rent
Answer: (L) To let someone use something you own for money

10. bridges
Answer: (B) Structures built to cross over rivers or roads

11. locks
Answer: (F) Things you use to close something so others can’t open it

12. Acropolis
Answer: (E) A very old building in Greece that people like to see
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where is Venice located?
Answer: (d) Italy

2. What will be banned in Venice starting in June?
Answer: (b) Loudspeakers

3. How many tourists can be in a group in Venice?
Answer: (b) 25

4. Why are many people moving away from Venice?
Answer: (d) Too many tourists

5. How much will tourists have to pay to visit Venice for the day?
Answer: (c) €5

6. Which city won’t allow new Airbnbs in the center?
Answer: (c) Florence

7. What will Rome make tourists pay money for?
Answer: (a) Not wearing a shirt

8. Which city won’t let too many people visit the Acropolis?
Answer: (a) Athens
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Other cities in Europe, like Florence, Rome, Portofino, and Athens, are also having problems with too many tourists and are trying to find solutions. (Answer: True)
2. Venice is a city in Italy that is having problems because there are too few tourists. (Answer: False)
3. There are more places for tourists to sleep in Venice than for people who live there. (Answer: True)
4. Groups of more than 25 tourists will not be allowed in Venice. (Answer: True)
5. Starting in June, loudspeakers will be allowed in Venice because they are noisy and confusing. (Answer: False)
6. Many people who live in Venice are moving away because there are too many tourists. (Answer: True)
7. The city wants tourists to pay €50 if they want to visit for the day. (Answer: False)
8. Big ships are allowed to go into the center of Venice anymore. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧