Yellow dust from sandstorms in China is causing problems for people in South Korea and Japan. Fine dust from the Gobi desert is brought on the wind and has led to air pollution, making it difficult for people to breathe. It is also causing health problems. People are having to wear masks and stay inside. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to avoid the yellow dust, so people are just trying to cope with it. The sandstorms are getting worse due to rising temperatures and lower rainfall in the Gobi desert. In Thailand, tourists are also experiencing problems with pollution caused by wildfires and sugarcane fields being burned. Chiang Mai is the world’s most polluted city.
Original news source: Yellow dust: Sandstorms bring misery from China to South Korea (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Finish the Sentence
Instructions: Write the sentence starter “Yellow dust from China…” on the board and have students complete the sentence with their own words, ideas or opinions. Encourage them to use new vocabulary that they learned from the article.
– Charades
Instructions: Write down some vocabulary words related to the article and put them in a hat. Have students take turns picking a word and acting it out for the class to guess. For example, “sandstorm,” “pollution,” “mask,” “wildfire,” etc.
– Word Cloud
Instructions: Write the words “Yellow Dust” in the middle of the board and ask students to come up with as many words as they can related to the article. Write each word on the board around the central words to create a word cloud. Encourage them to use new vocabulary and to explain the meaning of any unfamiliar words.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is causing air pollution in South Korea and Japan?
2. Where is the fine dust coming from?
3. Why is it difficult for people to breathe?
4. What are people having to do to protect themselves?
5. Can anything be done to avoid the yellow dust?
6. Why are the sandstorms getting worse?
7. Where are tourists experiencing problems with pollution?
8. What is the world’s most polluted city?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Yellow dust from sandstorms in China is causing problems for people in (1)_______ Korea and Japan. Fine dust from the Gobi desert is brought on the wind and has led to air (2)_________, making it difficult for people to breathe. It is also causing health problems. People are having to wear masks and stay inside. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to avoid the yellow dust, so people are just trying to (3)_______ with it. The sandstorms are getting worse due to (4)_______ temperatures and lower rainfall in the Gobi desert. In Thailand, tourists are also experiencing problems with pollution caused by wildfires and (5)________ fields being burned. Chiang Mai is the world’s most (6)________ city.
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Have you ever seen yellow dust?
2. Do you wear a mask when the air is polluted?
3. How does reading about the yellow dust make you feel?
4. Do you think the sandstorms will get better or worse?
5. Have you ever heard of the Gobi desert?
6. What do you do when you can’t breathe well?
7. Have you ever stayed inside all day because of pollution?
8. What do you think causes air pollution?
9. Do you think we should try to stop sandstorms?
10. Have you ever experienced pollution caused by wildfires?
11. What do you think can be done to make the air cleaner?
12. Do you think the weather affects air pollution?
13. Have you ever been to Thailand?
14. What is your favorite place to visit?
15. Do you think we should take care of the environment?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. dust
2. air pollution
3. masks
4. Gobi desert
5. wildfires
6. sugarcane
7. rising temperatures
8. health problems
Meanings:
A) A place in China where sandstorms come from
B) Issues caused by things in the air that make it hard to breathe
C) Something people wear to cover their face to protect them from breathing in bad air
D) Physical or mental conditions that affect the body’s normal state
E) Tiny particles of dirt that float in the air and can cause health problems
F) Large fires that spread quickly and are hard to control
G) When the weather gets hotter and hotter
H) A plant that is burned to create a crop and can cause air pollution
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Why are people in South Korea and Japan having trouble breathing?
(a) They are exercising too much
(b) The air is too clean
(c) The yellow dust from sandstorms is causing air pollution
(d) They are eating too much
2. What is causing the sandstorms to get worse?
(a) The temperatures are rising and there is less rainfall in the Gobi desert
(b) The Gobi desert is getting more rainfall
(c) People are making too much noise
(d) There are too many trees in the Gobi desert
3. What are people in South Korea and Japan doing to cope with the yellow dust?
(a) They are going outside more
(b) They are wearing masks and staying inside
(c) They are eating more vegetables
(d) They are drinking more soda
4. Why are tourists in Thailand experiencing problems with pollution?
(a) They are not wearing the right clothes
(b) They are not eating the right food
(c) Wildfires and sugarcane fields are causing pollution
(d) The air is too clean
5. Which city is the most polluted in the world?
(a) Bangkok
(b) Chiang Mai
(c) Tokyo
(d) Seoul
6. What is the main problem with the yellow dust from sandstorms?
(a) It makes people happier
(b) It causes people to sneeze
(c) It causes air pollution and health problems
(d) It helps people breathe better
True or False Questions:
1. The yellow dust comes from sandstorms in China.
2. The dust is causing air pollution in South Korea and Japan.
3. People are able to avoid the yellow dust.
4. People are having health problems because of the dust.
5. The sandstorms are getting worse due to higher rainfall in the Gobi desert.
6. Tourists in Thailand are not experiencing any problems with pollution.
7. Chiang Mai is the world’s most polluted city.
8. People in South Korea and Japan are not wearing masks or staying inside because of the dust.
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 is causing the air pollution in South Korea and Japan?
2. What is the yellow dust from?
3. Why are people having to wear masks and stay inside?
4. Can anything be done to stop the yellow dust?
5. What is happening in Thailand that is causing pollution?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is causing air pollution in South Korea and Japan?
Answer: Yellow dust from sandstorms in China is causing air pollution in South Korea and Japan.
2. Where is the fine dust coming from?
Answer: The fine dust is coming from the Gobi desert in China.
3. Why is it difficult for people to breathe?
Answer: The air pollution caused by the yellow dust makes it difficult for people to breathe.
4. What are people having to do to protect themselves?
Answer: People are wearing masks and staying inside to protect themselves from the yellow dust.
5. Can anything be done to avoid the yellow dust?
Answer: Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to avoid the yellow dust.
6. Why are the sandstorms getting worse?
Answer: The sandstorms are getting worse due to rising temperatures and lower rainfall in the Gobi desert.
7. Where are tourists experiencing problems with pollution?
Answer: Tourists in Thailand are experiencing problems with pollution.
8. What is the world’s most polluted city?
Answer: Chiang Mai is the world’s most polluted city.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. South
2. pollution
3. cope
4. rising
5. sugarcane
6. polluted
7. Japan
8. Diverse
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. dust
Answer: E) Tiny particles of dirt that float in the air and can cause health problems
2. air pollution
Answer: B) Issues caused by things in the air that make it hard to breathe
3. masks
Answer: C) Something people wear to cover their face to protect them from breathing in bad air
4. Gobi desert
Answer: A) A place in China where sandstorms come from
5. wildfires
Answer: F) Large fires that spread quickly and are hard to control
6. sugarcane
Answer: H) A plant that is burned to create a crop and can cause air pollution
7. rising temperatures
Answer: G) When the weather gets hotter and hotter
8. health problems
Answer: D) Physical or mental conditions that affect the body’s normal state
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Why are people in South Korea and Japan having trouble breathing?
Answer: (c) The yellow dust from sandstorms is causing air pollution
2. What is causing the sandstorms to get worse?
Answer: (a) The temperatures are rising and there is less rainfall in the Gobi desert
3. What are people in South Korea and Japan doing to cope with the yellow dust?
Answer: (b) They are wearing masks and staying inside
4. Why are tourists in Thailand experiencing problems with pollution?
Answer: (c) Wildfires and sugarcane fields are causing pollution
5. Which city is the most polluted in the world?
Answer: (b) Chiang Mai
6. What is the main problem with the yellow dust from sandstorms?
Answer: (c) It causes air pollution and health problems
True or False Answers:
1. The yellow dust comes from sandstorms in China.
Answer: True
2. The dust is causing air pollution in South Korea and Japan.
Answer: True
3. People are able to avoid the yellow dust.
Answer: False
4. People are having health problems because of the dust.
Answer: True
5. The sandstorms are getting worse due to higher rainfall in the Gobi desert.
Answer: False
6. Tourists in Thailand are not experiencing any problems with pollution.
Answer: False
7. Chiang Mai is the world’s most polluted city.
Answer: True
8. People in South Korea and Japan are not wearing masks or staying inside because of the dust.
Answer: False
Go back to questions ⇧
