Pandemic News in Context | B1–B2 Reading & Present Perfect

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A headline needs a date

Explore the story behind the tense.

B1–B2 reading · News literacy · Present perfect and past simple · 30–40 minutes

A news report can be accurate when it is written and misleading when its date disappears. Learn to put an old pandemic headline in context while practising verb tenses, passive forms and relative clauses.

Contexto: actividad histórica y lingüística sobre noticias de 2020; no es una actualización sanitaria ni una guía médica. Nivel orientativo B1–B2.

Cortesía de @mmolpor

1. Before you read

Imagine receiving a screenshot that says Cases have risen this week. What do you need to know before sharing it? Write three questions.

2. Read: A headline needs a date

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[1] During the early months of 2020, news about a new coronavirus changed rapidly.Durante los primeros meses de 2020, las noticias sobre un nuevo coronavirus cambiaban rápidamente. On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.El 30 de enero de 2020, la Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró el brote una emergencia de salud pública de importancia internacional. On 11 March 2020, it described COVID-19 as a pandemic.El 11 de marzo de 2020, describió la COVID-19 como una pandemia. These dates belong to the historical record.Estas fechas forman parte del registro histórico.

[2] Now imagine finding an undated copy of an early report.Ahora imagina que encuentras una copia sin fecha de una de las primeras noticias. It says that cases have risen and that authorities are introducing measures.Dice que los casos han aumentado y que las autoridades están introduciendo medidas. The grammar makes the events sound connected to the present, but the present of that report was the day it was written.La gramática hace que los hechos parezcan relacionados con el presente, pero el presente de esa noticia era el día en que se escribió. The words do not automatically describe the situation when you read them.Esas palabras no describen automáticamente la situación del momento en que tú las lees.

[3] Numbers need context too.Las cifras también necesitan contexto. A figure may refer to one country, one day or one reporting method.Una cifra puede referirse a un país, un día o un método de notificación. Before comparing two figures, a careful reader checks their dates, geographical scope and definitions.Antes de comparar dos cifras, un lector atento comprueba sus fechas, su ámbito geográfico y sus definiciones. A screenshot without this information can create a false impression even when it reproduces words from a real article.Una captura sin esta información puede crear una impresión equivocada aunque reproduzca palabras de un artículo real.

[4] Reading responsibly means asking who published a report, when it appeared and where the evidence can be found.Leer de manera responsable significa preguntarse quién publicó una noticia, cuándo apareció y dónde pueden encontrarse las pruebas. Historical texts can help us learn English and understand how an event was reported.Los textos históricos pueden ayudarnos a aprender inglés y a comprender cómo se informó sobre un acontecimiento. They should be clearly dated, and current questions require current, reliable sources.Deben llevar una fecha clara, y las preguntas actuales requieren fuentes actuales y fiables.

Vocabulary support · Ayuda léxica

• outbreak: a sudden occurrence of disease · brote.
• undated: without a date · sin fecha.
• measures: actions taken for a purpose · medidas.
• scope: the area or range covered · ámbito.
• figure: a number in this context · cifra.
• misleading: likely to create a wrong impression · engañoso o que induce a error.

3. Check the context

1. Which WHO announcement came first [1]?
2. Why can have risen be confusing in an undated report [2]?
3. What three details should a reader check before comparing figures [3]?
4. What is a legitimate use of an old news report [4]?

True or false? Correct the false statements.

1. The dates in paragraph [1] refer to 2020.
2. The present continuous always describes the reader’s own present.
3. Two figures can be compared safely without knowing what they measure.
4. The text recommends checking the original publisher and date.

4. Grammar: whose present?

En una noticia fechada, has risen conecta el cambio con el momento de redacción. Al contar después un hecho ocurrido en un periodo terminado, usa el pasado simple: Cases rose during that period. No basta con cambiar un tiempo verbal: también hay que identificar la fecha y el contexto.

1. Choose: WHO declared / has declared the emergency on 30 January 2020.
2. Complete this invented report written today: The local team ___ (publish) three updates so far today.
3. Rewrite as a past event: The team is checking the figures. Begin At that time, the team…
4. Change to the passive: Editors checked the figures.
5. Join with which: The report has a date. The date helps readers interpret it.
6. Ask about the date: The announcement was made on 11 March 2020.

5. Make an archive note

Writing · 80–120 words: Write a note for a school website explaining how to use an old news article responsibly. Include the publication date, the difference between historical and current information, and two checks to make before sharing it.

Speaking · 60 seconds: A friend sends you an undated screenshot. Explain what you would check. Use First, I would… / The date matters because… / Before sharing it…

Check your answers · Soluciones

Reading: 1 The emergency announcement of 30 January. 2 It connects events to the report’s original present, which may be different from the reader’s present. 3 Dates, geographical scope and definitions. 4 Learning language and understanding historical reporting.

True/false: 1 True [1]. 2 False [2]: it relates to the moment represented by the report. 3 False [3]: dates, scope and definitions matter. 4 True [4].

Grammar: 1 declared. 2 has published (the local team is treated as a singular unit here). 3 At that time, the team was checking the figures. 4 The figures were checked by editors. 5 The report has a date, which helps readers interpret it. 6 When was the announcement made?

Writing checklist: date and historical label; clear explanation; two useful checks; logical organisation; accurate tense choices; requested word count.

Historical primary sources

• WHO: timeline of the COVID-19 response.
• WHO: briefing of 11 March 2020.

Texto y ejercicios redactados para NeuroEnglish for You! Revisión: 28 de octubre de 2026. Se conserva la dirección de la entrada de octubre de 2021 y se ofrece una nueva actividad sobre el contexto de las noticias.