The Reading / Listening - Water Bears - Level 5

A new study shows that a microscopic water creature could live until the end of the Earth. The tiny tardigrade, also known as water bear, looks like an eight-legged caterpillar. It is one-tenth of a millimeter long but has the body to survive in any extreme conditions. It can survive without food for decades, exist in freezing temperatures of -272º Celsius and boiling temperatures of 150ºC. Water bears can also survive the pressure of deep oceans, the vacuum of outer space, nuclear war, global warming, or any other extreme event that would doom humans.

Scientists say water bears are so tough that the only thing that would wipe them out is if the Sun boils all the Earth's oceans. The study says this will happen in several billion years. The new study states that complex life is very difficult to destroy and could exist on other planets. A researcher said water bears are almost indestructible and because of that, it is possible that there are other tough creatures elsewhere in the Universe. He said there was, "a real case for looking for life on Mars and in other areas of the Solar System". He suggested there could be life "out there".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Water Bears - Level 4 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. looks like an eight-
  4. exist in freezing
  5. boiling temperatures
  6. survive the pressure
  7. the vacuum of outer
  8. any other extreme event that
  1. space
  2. temperatures
  3. of deep oceans
  4. would doom humans
  5. legged caterpillar
  6. creature
  7. of 150ºC
  8. of the Earth

Paragraph 2

  1. the only thing that would wipe
  2. if the Sun boils all
  3. this will happen in several
  4. complex life is very difficult
  5. exist on other
  6. water bears are almost
  7. in other areas
  8. there could be life
  1. of the Solar System
  2. to destroy
  3. indestructible
  4. "out there"
  5. billion years
  6. them out
  7. planets
  8. the Earth's oceans

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A new study shows that a microscopic (1) ___________________ could live until (2) ___________________ Earth. The tiny tardigrade, also known as water bear, (3) ___________________ eight-legged caterpillar. It is one-tenth of a millimeter long but (4) ___________________ survive in any extreme conditions. It can survive without food for decades, exist in freezing temperatures of -272º Celsius and boiling temperatures of 150ºC. Water bears can also survive (5) ___________________ deep oceans, the vacuum of outer space, nuclear war, global warming, (6) ___________________ extreme event that would doom humans.

Scientists say water bears (7) ___________________ the only thing that would wipe (8) ___________________ the Sun boils all the Earth's oceans. The study says this (9) ___________________ several billion years. The new study states that complex life is very difficult to destroy and could exist on other planets. A researcher said water (10) ___________________ indestructible and because of that, it is possible that there are other tough creatures elsewhere in the Universe. He said there (11) ___________________ for looking for life on Mars and in other areas of the Solar System". He suggested there could be (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anewstudyshowsthatamicroscopicwatercreaturecouldliveuntilthee
ndoftheEarth.Thetinytardigrade,alsoknownaswaterbear,lookslikea
neight-leggedcaterpillar.Itisone-tenthofamillimeterlongbuthastheb
odytosurviveinanyextremeconditions.Itcansurvivewithoutfoodford
ecades,existinfreezingtemperaturesof-272ºCelsiusandboilingtemp
eraturesof150ºC.Waterbearscanalsosurvivethepressureofdeepoce
ans,thevacuumofouterspace,nuclearwar,globalwarming,oranyothe
rextremeeventthatwoulddoomhumans.Scientistssaywaterbearsare
sotoughthattheonlythingthatwouldwipethemoutisiftheSunboilsallth
eEarth'soceans.Thestudysaysthiswillhappeninseveralbillionyears.T
henewstudystatesthatcomplexlifeisverydifficulttodestroyandcoulde
xistonotherplanets.Aresearchersaidwaterbearsarealmostindestruct
ibleandbecauseofthat,itispossiblethatthereareothertoughcreatures
elsewhereintheUniverse.Hesaidtherewas,"arealcaseforlookingforlif
eonMarsandinotherareasoftheSolarSystem".Hesuggestedtherecoul
dbelife"outthere".

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.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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