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Politics144 words1 min read

Iceland Votes on Reopening EU Talks

a green field with a mountain in the background
Photo by Jorge Fernández Salas on Unsplash

People in Iceland voted today. They voted about the European Union.

The European Union is a group of countries in Europe. It is often called the EU.

Iceland wants to know if it should talk to the EU again. This is called a referendum. A referendum is a vote about one big question.

Many people went to vote. They went to polling stations. A polling station is a place where you vote.

The vote was about starting negotiations with the EU. Negotiations means talking to make a deal.

The polling stations are now closed. People are waiting for the result.

The vote is very close. This is called a neck-and-neck race. It means both sides have almost the same number of votes.

One side says yes. The other side says no.

People will soon know who won the vote.

Vocabulary8 words

European Union
a group of European countries that work together
EU
short name for the European Union
referendum
a vote where people answer one big question
polling stations
places where people go to vote
negotiations
talks to make a deal or agreement
neck-and-neck
when two sides are almost equal in a race or vote
yes
a word to agree with something
no
a word to disagree with something

Quiz

1. What did Iceland vote about?
2. What does 'referendum' mean?
3. How close was the vote?

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

People in Iceland voted today. They voted about the _____ Union.

Iceland wants to know if it should talk to the EU again. This is called a _____.

Many people went to vote. They went to polling _____.

The vote was about starting _____ with the EU.

The polling stations are now _____.

The vote is very close. This is called a _____ race.

One side says yes. The other side says _____.

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