ENS

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

Lesson Info

Type
Article
Level
2 / A2
Published
Title
Man With 2,000 Ants
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2026-04-04-man-with-2000-ants/

Lesson Content

Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio

Understanding: Main Idea, True or False, Put Events in Order, Multiple Choice

Language: Vocab Match

Use It: Discussion Builder, Sentence Unscramble, Discussion Questions

Answers

Think Ahead: Look at the headline and image. What was the luggage ready for?

a) A flight to China.

b) A trip to Europe.

c) A visit to a pet market.

An open suitcase is packed tightly with white toilet paper rolls in a clean-line comic style. In the roll near the front, a black ant crawls out from the cardboard center, while the rest of the frame is filled almost entirely by the stacked rolls and the suitcase interior.
A hidden ant.

Ask: (1) What small animals or insects do you often see? (2) Do you like insects or not? Why?

Vocab List

arrest (v.) — To take someone because they may have broken the law.
hidden (adj.) — Kept where people cannot easily see it.
smuggle (v.) — To take something into or out of a place secretly and illegally.
check (v.) — To look at something carefully.
luggage (n.) — Bags and cases you take when you travel.
fine (n.) — Money you must pay because you broke a rule or law.
container (n.) — A box, bottle, or other thing that holds something.
black market (n. phrase) — An illegal place to buy and sell things.
Reading

A man was arrested at Nairobi airport in Kenya. Police say he tried to smuggle more than 2,000 live queen ants to China.

Zhang Kequn was stopped during an airport check. Inside his luggage, officers found live queen ants hidden in small containers and tissue paper rolls.

In total, there were 1,948 ants in the containers. Another 300 were in three tissue paper rolls. The luggage was ready for a flight to China.

Now police are checking other towns across Kenya. They think ant collecting may still be happening there.

In a similar case last year, four men got prison time or paid a fine. Police say more arrests may come soon. They also think Zhang may be the leader of this group.

These ants often go to pet markets in Europe and Asia. International buyers want the queens most. One queen can sell for about $220 on the online black market.

Man With 2,000 Ants

Level 2 Article Source: bbc.com
Warm-up → or → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

An open suitcase is packed tightly with white toilet paper rolls in a clean-line comic style. In the roll near the front, a black ant crawls out from the cardboard center, while the rest of the frame is filled almost entirely by the stacked rolls and the suitcase interior.
A hidden ant.

A man was arrested at Nairobi airport in Kenya. Police say he tried to smuggle more than 2,000 live queen ants to China.

Zhang Kequn was stopped during an airport check. Inside his luggage, officers found live queen ants hidden in small containers and tissue paper rolls.

In total, there were 1,948 ants in the containers. Another 300 were in three tissue paper rolls. The luggage was ready for a flight to China.

Now police are checking other towns across Kenya. They think ant collecting may still be happening there.

In a similar case last year, four men got prison time or paid a fine. Police say more arrests may come soon. They also think Zhang may be the leader of this group.

These ants often go to pet markets in Europe and Asia. International buyers want the queens most. One queen can sell for about $220 on the online black market.

Speaker: British Male  Duration: 1:20  YouTube

Listen Closely

Listen and Fill Gaps

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

A man was arrested at Nairobi (1) in Kenya. Police say he tried to smuggle more than 2,000 live queen ants to China.

Zhang Kequn was stopped during an airport check. Inside his (2) , officers found live queen ants hidden in small containers and tissue paper rolls.

In total, there were 1,948 ants in the containers. Another 300 were in three tissue paper rolls. The luggage was ready for a (3) to China.

Now police are checking other (4) across Kenya. They think ant collecting may still be happening there.

In a similar case last year, four men got prison time or paid a (5) . Police say more arrests may come soon. They also think Zhang may be the leader of this group.

These ants often go to pet markets in Europe and Asia. International buyers want the queens most. One queen can sell for about $220 on the online black market.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Loading listening activity...

Discussion Builder

  1. Q: Were you surprised by this story? Why or why not?

    A:

  2. Q: Do you like ants, or do you dislike them? Why?

    A:

  3. Q: Why do people want to buy queen ants?

    A:
Use It

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. Q: Were you surprised by this story? Why or why not?

    A: I was surprised by this story. I did not know queen ants could sell for so much money.

    For example, / But, / So,

    I was surprised by this story. For example, I did not know queen ants could sell for so much money.

  2. Q: Do you like ants, or do you dislike them? Why?

    A: I do not like ants, I think they are interesting to watch.

    because / but / and

    I do not like ants, but I think they are interesting to watch.

  3. Q: Why do people want to buy queen ants?

    A: Some people buy queen ants they think ants are interesting pets.

    because / so / or

    Some people buy queen ants because they think ants are interesting pets.

Sentence Unscramble

Sentence Unscramble

  1. A. to smuggle B. easy to hide. C. they are D. People usually try E. because F. small things

    People usually try to smuggle small things because they are easy to hide.

  2. A. I think B. people who smuggle things C. for it. D. a fine E. should pay

    I think people who smuggle things should pay a fine for it.

Discussion Questions
  1. Were you surprised by this story? Why or why not?
  2. Do you like ants, or do you dislike them? Why?
  3. Why do people want to buy queen ants?
  4. Have you ever seen ants inside a house or building?
  5. Do you think ants can be good pets? What about other insects?
  6. What other things do people usually try to smuggle?
  7. What should happen to people who smuggle things? What kind of punishment?
  8. Where is a good place to hide a small thing?

Discussion Questions

  1. Were you surprised by this story? Why or why not?
  2. Do you like ants, or do you dislike them? Why?
  3. Why do people want to buy queen ants?
  4. Have you ever seen ants inside a house or building?
  5. Do you think ants can be good pets? What about other insects?
  6. What other things do people usually try to smuggle?
  7. What should happen to people who smuggle things? What kind of punishment?
  8. Where is a good place to hide a small thing?

Answers Man With 2,000 Ants / Level 2

Listening: (1) airport, (2) luggage, (3) flight, (4) towns, (5) fine

Main Idea: A man in Kenya was stopped with many queen ants, and police think more people may be in the group.

True or False:

  1. True. The story says police believe he tried to smuggle more than 2,000 live queen ants to China.
  2. False. Some ants were in tissue paper rolls, but 1,948 were in small containers.
  3. True. The story says police are now checking other towns across Kenya.

Multiple Choice: a, c, b

Put Events in Order:

  1. Last year, four men were caught for a similar crime.
  2. Zhang Kequn's bag was checked at the airport.
  3. Officers found live queen ants in his luggage.
  4. Police started checking other towns across Kenya.

Vocabulary:

  1. Arrest (v): To take someone because they may have broken the law.
  2. Smuggle (v): To take something somewhere secretly and illegally.
  3. Luggage (n): Bags and cases you carry when you travel.
  1. Container (n): Something used to hold things.
  2. Fine (n): Money you must pay for breaking a rule or law.

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Example. 2) Contrast. 3) Reason.

  1. For example,
  2. but
  3. because

Sentence Unscramble:

  1. People usually try to smuggle small things because they are easy to hide.
  2. I think people who smuggle things should pay a fine for it.

eslnewsstories.com