Australia Works to Free Man Held in Russia; Snow Levels Hit Record Low
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Australia's government is trying to help a man named Oscar Jenkins. He is being held in Russia. The Labor party is in charge of Australia's government. They are working on a plan to bring him home.
At the same time, there is big news about the weather. A company called Snowy Hydro checks snow levels every year. They said this year's snow was the lowest ever. Records started in 1954.
This means the winter season had very little snow. New South Wales, or NSW, is a state in Australia. It usually gets a lot of snow in winter.
Low snow can be a problem. Many people use the snow for skiing and other sports. Less snow can also affect water supplies. Snowy Hydro uses melting snow to make electricity.
Australian leaders are dealing with two different stories today. One is about a person's safety. The other is about the environment. Both stories are important to people in Australia.
Vocabulary5 words
- Labor
- the name of a political party in Australia
- season
- a time of year, like winter or summer
- record
- the best or worst result ever measured
- government
- the group of people who run a country
- electricity
- power used to run lights and machines
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Oscar Jenkins 2. It had record low snowfall 3. 1954
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Australia's government is trying to help a man named _____. He is being held in _____.
The _____ party is in charge of Australia's government.
A company called Snowy Hydro checks _____ levels every year.
They said this year's snow was the lowest ever. Records started in _____.
_____ is a state in Australia that usually gets a lot of snow in winter.
Snowy Hydro uses melting snow to make _____.
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