The Reading / Listening - Space Exploration - Level 4

Astronomers predict 2021 will be great for space exploration. More organisations are investing in technology to explore space. Entrepreneurs are setting their sights on space tourism and on going to Mars. Science fiction is now becoming space fact. Many advances in technology no longer surprise us. These include things like mining for asteroids, colonising Mars, or taking weekend breaks to the Moon.

This year will start with a NASA project to help us understand the universe. A probe will study the collision of small particles in space to find out how planets formed. A NASA rover will also land on Mars to test for signs of microbial life. NASA said: "Returning samples of Mars to Earth has been a goal of planetary scientists since the early days of the space age." In October, a telescope will look at the first galaxies that formed in the universe.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Space Exploration - Level 5 or  Space Exploration - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.salon.com/2020/12/29/all-the-space-missions-to-look-forward-to-in-2021/
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/30/2021-space-events-plan/
  • https://newatlas.com/space/year-space-2020-retrospective/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Astronomers predict 2021
  2. investing in
  3. setting their sights
  4. Science
  5. advances in technology no longer
  6. These include things like mining
  7. colonising
  8. weekend breaks
  1. for asteroids
  2. fiction
  3. to the Moon
  4. technology
  5. Mars
  6. will be great
  7. surprise us
  8. on space tourism

Paragraph 2

  1. help us understand
  2. A probe will study the
  3. small particles
  4. find out how planets
  5. A NASA rover will also
  6. test for signs of microbial
  7. planetary
  8. look at the first
  1. life
  2. formed
  3. land on Mars
  4. collision
  5. scientists
  6. the universe
  7. galaxies
  8. in space

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Astronomers predict 2021 (1) ___________________ for space exploration. More organisations are investing in technology (2) ___________________. Entrepreneurs are setting their sights on space tourism (3) ___________________ to Mars. Science fiction is now becoming space fact. (4) ___________________ technology no longer surprise us. These include (5) ___________________ for asteroids, colonising Mars, or taking (6) ___________________ the Moon.

This year will start with a NASA (7) ___________________ us understand the universe. A probe will study the (8) ___________________ particles in space to find out how planets formed. A NASA rover (9) ___________________ on Mars to test for signs of microbial life. NASA said: "Returning samples of Mars to Earth has (10) ___________________ of planetary scientists since the early days of (11) ___________________." In October, a telescope will look at the first galaxies that (12) ___________________ universe.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Astronomerspredict2021willbegreatforspaceexploration.Moreorga
nisationsareinvestingintechnologytoexplorespace.Entrepreneursar
esettingtheirsightsonspacetourismandongoingtoMars.Sciencefictio
nisnowbecomingspacefact.Manyadvancesintechnologynolongersur
priseus.Theseincludethingslikeminingforasteroids,colonisingMars,o
rtakingweekendbreakstotheMoon.ThisyearwillstartwithaNASAproje
cttohelpusunderstandtheuniverse.Aprobewillstudythecollisionofsm
allparticlesinspacetofindouthowplanetsformed.ANASAroverwillalsol
andonMarstotestforsignsofmicrobiallife.NASAsaid:"Returningsampl
esofMarstoEarthhasbeenagoalofplanetaryscientistssincetheearlyda
ysofthespaceage."InOctober,atelescopewilllookatthefirstgalaxiesth
atformedintheuniverse.

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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