Natural World Hard News Innovation Entertainment Lifestyle Culture Community

Select level:

A2 Elementary B1 Pre-intermediate B1+ Intermediate B2 Upper Intermediate C1 Advanced Levels

Cocoa snow blows over Switzerland - 31st August 2020

Residents of a town in Switzerland were surprised when it started snowing cocoa powder.

The ventilation system at a chocolate factory malfunctioned and produced the chocolate snow.

The Lindt & Spruengli company confirmed that the malfunction shot cocoa nibs into the air outside.

Cocoa nibs, the main ingredient in chocolate, are fragments of crushed cocoa beans.

The combination of the broken machinery and strong winds carried the cocoa powder into the surrounding town.

The cocoa dust was completely harmless so there was no cause for concern.

The company has offered to pay for any cleaning that might be required. However, no claims have been made yet.

Lindt & Spruengli have since repaired the malfunctioning system and restarted chocolate production.

Print transcript

Interactive Games

tried

Comprehension

Answer questions about the news report. Select the correct answer from 4 options. There are 5 questions.

Comprehension
play game
tried

What's the word you hear?

Complete the sentences. Listen and write the missing word. There are up to 10 questions.

Listening
play game
tried

Sentence muddle

Read the sentences. Put them in the same order as the news report. There are 4 sentences.

Reading
play game
tried

No spaces in text

Read the sentences. Find the spaces between the words. There are up to 5 questions.

Reading
play game
tried

Put the sentence back together

Put the sentence parts in the correct order. Each sentence is in 4 pieces. There are up to 5 questions.

Reading
play game
tried

Construct sentences

Make sentences. Select each word in the correct order. There are up to 3 questions.

Writing
play game
tried

No capital letters

Read the sentences. Find the missing capital letters. There are 5 sentences.

Writing
play game
tried

Spelling jumble

The letters of one word are in the wrong order. Read the sentence. Spell the word correctly. There are up to 10 questions.

Writing
play game
tried

Missing vowels

Complete the sentences. Select the correct vowel for each space. There are up to 5 sentences.

Writing
play game
tried

Missing words

Complete the sentences. Select the correct word. There are up to 5 questions.

Writing
play game
tried

Adjectives

Read the sentence. Select the missing word. Check your answer.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Prepositions

Complete the sentences. Select the correct preposition. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Nouns

Complete the sentences. Select the correct noun. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Verbs

Complete the sentences. Select the correct verb. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game
tried

Linking ideas

Complete the sentences. Select the correct linking word. There are up to 5 questions.

Vocabulary
play game

Study Tools

Read at 3 different speeds

Check how fast you can read this news report. Choose your speed and read each line of text. Practise to improve your reading speed.

Reading

Listen at 3 different speeds

Check how well you can understand spoken English. Choose a speed and listen to the report. Practise listening faster and slower to help you improve.

Listening

Shadowing the newsreader

Listen to the newsreader read out each line and then practise saying it. Record your own voice line by line and submit your voiceover.

Speaking