China's small mistake with big consequences

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: China's small mistake with big consequences

Warm-up

Have you ever made a small mistake that caused a big problem?

Vocabulary Match

sparrow •• results
pests •• bugs
consequences •• bird
famines •• seeds, crops
grain •• grasshoppers
locusts •• food shortages

Vocabulary Answers

sparrowbird
pestsbugs
consequencesresults
faminesfood shortages
grainseeds, crops
locustsgrasshoppers

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In the 1950s, China's leader Mao Zedong started a campaign called the "Four ________." One of the pests was the ________. People were told to kill sparrows because they ate too much ________. Millions of people chased the birds, banged pots, and destroyed their nests. It worked—the sparrows died.

But without sparrows, there were more insects, especially ________. These insects ate the crops. At the same time, farming rules changed, and people had to share land and tools. This caused big problems. Food ran out. Between 1959 and 1961, up to 45 million people died in what became one of the worst ________ in history. A small mistake had huge ________.

In the 1950s, China's leader Mao Zedong started a campaign called the "Four pests." One of the pests was the sparrow. People were told to kill sparrows because they ate too much grain. Millions of people chased the birds, banged pots, and destroyed their nests. It worked—the sparrows died.

But without sparrows, there were more insects, especially locusts. These insects ate the crops. At the same time, farming rules changed, and people had to share land and tools. This caused big problems. Food ran out. Between 1959 and 1961, up to 45 million people died in what became one of the worst famines in history. A small mistake had huge consequences.

Quiz

  1. What was the name of the campaign started by Mao Zedong?
  2. Why were people told to kill sparrows?
  3. What happened when there were no sparrows?
  4. How many people died between 1959 and 1961?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. The "Four Pests" campaign.
  2. Because they ate too much grain.
  3. There were more insects, especially locusts.
  4. Up to 45 million people.

True or False

  1. The campaign was about killing only sparrows. T F
  2. The campaign took place in the 1960s. T F
  3. The famine was one of the worst in history. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Hey, did you hear about the sparrow problem?
B:Yeah, they told us to get rid of them.
A:I hope this helps with the grain.
B:I'm not sure. What if it causes more issues?
A:Like what?
B:Well, without sparrows, maybe more bugs will eat the crops.

Discussion

  1. Which do you think are more annoying, birds or bugs?
  2. What would you do if you had to protect your garden from pests?
  3. Have you ever tried to grow your own food?
  4. What is your favorite type of bird and why?

Further Reading

https://therevelator.org/china-sparrow-campaign/

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