The Reading / Listening - Water Bears - Level 4

A microscopic water creature could live until the end of the Earth. The tiny water bear looks like an eight-legged caterpillar. It is one-tenth of a millimeter long and has a very tough body. It can survive without food for decades, and exist in bitterly freezing and boiling temperatures. Water bears can also survive the pressure of deep oceans, the vacuum of outer space, nuclear war, global warming, or any other extreme events that would kill humans.

Scientists say water bears are so tough that only the Sun boiling all the Earth's oceans would kill them. This will happen in several billion years. A study says complex life is very difficult to destroy and could exist on other planets. It says that because water bears are so tough, it is possible for other tough creatures to be in the Universe. It said there was, "a real case for looking for life on Mars and in other areas of the Solar System".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Water Bears - Level 5 or  Water Bears - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.sciencenews.org/article/water-bears-will-survive-end-world-we-know-it
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/these-adorable-little-animals-will-survive-nearly-any-global-apocalypse
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-05796-x


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A microscopic water
  2. live until the end
  3. The tiny water bear looks like an
  4. It is one-tenth
  5. survive the pressure
  6. the vacuum of outer
  7. global
  8. any other extreme events that
  1. eight-legged caterpillar
  2. of deep oceans
  3. would kill humans
  4. warming
  5. creature
  6. of a millimeter long
  7. of the Earth
  8. space

Paragraph 2

  1. the Sun boiling
  2. This will happen in several
  3. complex life is very difficult
  4. exist on other
  5. water bears are so
  6. it is possible for other
  7. looking for
  8. in other areas of the
  1. tough creatures
  2. all the Earth's oceans
  3. Solar System
  4. billion years
  5. life on Mars
  6. planets
  7. tough
  8. to destroy

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A microscopic water creature (1) ___________________ the end of the Earth. The tiny water bear (2) ___________________ eight-legged caterpillar. It is one-tenth of a millimeter long (3) ___________________ tough body. It can survive without food for decades, and (4) ___________________ freezing and boiling temperatures. Water bears can also survive the (5) ___________________ oceans, the vacuum of outer space, nuclear war, global warming, or any (6) ___________________ that would kill humans.

Scientists say water bears (7) ___________________ only the Sun boiling all the Earth's oceans would kill them. This (8) ___________________ several billion years. A study says (9) ___________________ very difficult to destroy and could (10) ___________________ planets. It says that because water bears are so tough, it is possible (11) ___________________ creatures to be in the Universe. It said there was, "a real case for looking for life on Mars and (12) ___________________ the Solar System".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AmicroscopicwatercreaturecouldliveuntiltheendoftheEarth.Thetiny
waterbearlookslikeaneight-leggedcaterpillar.Itisone-tenthofami
llimeterlongandhasaverytoughbody.Itcansurvivewithoutfoodfordec
ades,andexistinbitterlyfreezingandboilingtemperatures.Waterbearscan
alsosurvivethepressureofdeepoceans,thevacuumofouterspace,nucl
earwar,globalwarming,oranyotherextremeeventsthatwouldkillhum
ans.ScientistssaywaterbearsaresotoughthatonlytheSunboilingallth
eEarth'soceanswouldkillthem.Thiswillhappeninseveralbillionyears.
Astudysayscomplexlifeisverydifficulttodestroyandcouldexistonothe
rplanets.Itsaysthatbecausewaterbearsaresotough,itispossibleforot
hertoughcreaturestobeintheUniverse.Itsaidtherewas,"arealcasefo
rlookingforlifeonMarsandinotherareasoftheSolarSystem".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You