The Reading / Listening - Aquariums - Level 0

An aquarium has lonely eels. The aquarium is in Tokyo. It has many garden eels. Eels are usually shy and stay in their holes in the sand. The aquarium eels were used to seeing visitors and stayed above their holes. Staff are worried the eels are getting lonely because the aquarium is closed. The eels may forget what humans look like.

The aquarium will re-open after the coronavirus emergency ends. The eels could get stressed when people visit again. The aquarium tweeted: "They aren't seeing humans so they are forgetting about us....Could you show your face to our eels from your home?" The staff want eels to know that "humans are friendly".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Aquariums - Level 1,  Aquariums - Level 2   or  Aquariums - Level 3

Sources
  • https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-tokyo-aquarium-appeals-for-people-to-video-call-the-eels-11981772
  • https://metro.co.uk/2020/05/01/eels-seek-one-one-camchats-good-times-humans-12638678/
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/01/japanese-aquarium-urges-public-to-video-chat-eels-who-are-forgetting-humans-exist


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. An aquarium has lonely
  2. The aquarium is
  3. Eels are usually
  4. stay in their holes in
  5. eels were used to seeing
  6. stayed above
  7. Staff are worried the eels
  8. the aquarium is
  1. their holes
  2. the sand
  3. visitors
  4. closed
  5. in Tokyo
  6. shy
  7. eels
  8. are getting lonely

Paragraph 2

  1. after the coronavirus emergency
  2. The eels could
  3. when people visit
  4. They aren't seeing
  5. they are forgetting
  6. show your face
  7. The staff want eels to
  8. humans are
  1. again
  2. know that
  3. humans
  4. to our eels
  5. get stressed
  6. friendly
  7. ends
  8. about us

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

An aquarium (1) ___________________. The aquarium is in Tokyo. It has (2) ___________________. Eels are usually shy and stay in their holes (3) ___________________. The aquarium eels were used to seeing visitors and stayed (4) __________________. Staff are worried the eels (5) ___________________ because the aquarium is closed. The eels may (6) ___________________ look like.

The (7) ___________________ after the coronavirus emergency ends. The eels could (8) ___________________ people visit again. The aquarium tweeted: "They aren't (9) ___________________ they are forgetting about us....Could you (10) ___________________ to our eels from your home?" The (11) __________________ to know that "(12) _________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anaquariumhaslonelyeels.TheaquariumisinTokyo.Ithasmanygarde
neels.EelsareusuallyshyandstayintheirholesinthesandTheaquarium
eelswereusedtoseeingvisitorsandstayedabovetheirholes.Staffarew
orriedtheeelsaregettinglonelybecausetheaquariumisclosed.Theeels
mayforgetwhathumanslooklike.Theaquariumwillre-openafterthec
oronavirusemergencyends.Theeelscouldgetstressedwhenpeoplevis
itagain.Theaquariumtweeted:"Theyaren'tseeinghumanssotheyaref
orgettingaboutus....Couldyoushowyourfacetooureelsfromyourhom
e?"Thestaffwanteelstoknowthat"humansarefriendly".

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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