ENS

Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.

Lesson Info

Type
Article
Level
1 / A1
Published
Title
Winter Olympics Start in Italy
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2026-02-07-winter-olympics-start-in-italy/

Lesson Content

Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio

Understanding: True or False, Put Events in Order

Language: Vocab Match

Use It: Discussion Builder, Discussion Questions

Answers

(1) Do you like watching sports on TV?

(2) What is your favorite season? Why?

The opening ceremony at the Winter Olympics in Milan. The Olympic rings are above the athletes.
The opening show at the Olympics in Milan.

Vocab List

Olympics (n.) — A big sports event for many countries.
Trick (n.) — A special move that is hard to do.
Athlete (n.) — A person who plays sports.
Mountain (n.) — A very high hill.
Famous (adj.) — Known by many people.
Snowboarding (n.) — A sport of riding a board on snow.
Reading

The 2026 Winter Olympics started in Italy. Milan and Cortina are two cities in Italy. The Games are there.

The opening show was very big. It was at the San Siro. The San Siro is a big place for sports in Milan. Athletes (sports people) from many countries walked in. People were very happy. Andrea Bocelli sang a famous Italian song. He is a famous singer from Italy. Mariah Carey sang, too. She is an American singer.

The Games have a new sport. It is called skimo. Athletes go up a mountain on skis. Then they take off the skis and walk up. Then they ski down the mountain. It is very fast and hard.

Many people like snowboarding. It is a big sport at the Winter Olympics. The snowboarders go very fast. They do big tricks in the air. Fans want to see it.

Winter Olympics Start in Italy

Level 1 Article Source: bbc.com
Warm-up → or → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

The opening ceremony at the Winter Olympics in Milan. The Olympic rings are above the athletes.
The opening show at the Olympics in Milan.

The 2026 Winter Olympics started in Italy. Milan and Cortina are two cities in Italy. The Games are there.

The opening show was very big. It was at the San Siro. The San Siro is a big place for sports in Milan. Athletes (sports people) from many countries walked in. People were very happy. Andrea Bocelli sang a famous Italian song. He is a famous singer from Italy. Mariah Carey sang, too. She is an American singer.

The Games have a new sport. It is called skimo. Athletes go up a mountain on skis. Then they take off the skis and walk up. Then they ski down the mountain. It is very fast and hard.

Many people like snowboarding. It is a big sport at the Winter Olympics. The snowboarders go very fast. They do big tricks in the air. Fans want to see it.

Speaker: American Female  Duration: 1:40  YouTube

Listen Closely

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

The 2026 Winter Olympics started in Italy. Milan and Cortina are two (1) in Italy. The Games are there.

The opening show was very big. It was at the San Siro. The San Siro is a big place for sports in Milan. Athletes (sports people) from many (2) walked in. People were very happy. Andrea Bocelli sang a famous Italian song. He is a famous singer from Italy. Mariah Carey sang, too. She is an American singer.

The Games have a new sport. It is called skimo. Athletes go up a (3) on skis. Then they take off the skis and walk up. Then they ski down the mountain. It is very fast and hard.

Many people like snowboarding. It is a big sport at the Winter Olympics. The snowboarders go very (4) . They do big tricks in the air. Fans want to see it.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Loading listening activity...

Discussion Builder

  1. Q: Do you like the Olympics? Why or why not?

    A:

  2. Q: What winter sport do you like? Why?

    A:
Use It

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. Q: Do you like the Olympics? Why or why not?

    A: I like watching the Olympics the sports are exciting.

    because / so / but

    I like watching the Olympics because the sports are exciting.

  2. Q: What winter sport do you like? Why?

    A: Skimo looks very hard I want to try it.

    and / but / because

    Skimo looks very hard but I want to try it.

Discussion Questions
  1. Do you like the Olympics? Why or why not?
  2. What winter sport do you like? Why?
  3. Do you like cold weather? Why or why not?
  4. Do you want to visit Italy? What do you want to see?
  5. Do you know any famous athletes? Who are they?
  6. Who is your favorite singer? What songs do they sing?

Discussion Questions

  1. Do you like the Olympics? Why or why not?
  2. What winter sport do you like? Why?
  3. Do you like cold weather? Why or why not?
  4. Do you want to visit Italy? What do you want to see?
  5. Do you know any famous athletes? Who are they?
  6. Who is your favorite singer? What songs do they sing?

Answers Winter Olympics Start in Italy / Level 1

Listening: (1) cities, (2) countries, (3) mountain, (4) fast

True or False:

  1. True. The article says the 2026 Winter Olympics started in Italy.
  2. False. The San Siro is a big place for sports in Milan.
  3. False. Andrea Bocelli is a famous singer from Italy, not America.
  4. True. The article says the Games have a new sport called skimo.
  5. False. Athletes go up on skis, walk up, and then ski down.

Put Events in Order:

  1. The opening show was at the San Siro.
  2. Athletes from many countries walked in.
  3. Andrea Bocelli and Mariah Carey sang.

Vocabulary:

  1. Olympics: A big sports event for many countries.
  2. Athlete: A person who plays sports.
  1. Famous: Known by many people.
  2. Trick: A special move that is hard to do.

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Reason. 2) Contrast.

  1. because
  2. but

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