The Reading / Listening - Nuclear Fusion - Level 5

There has been an endless search to find sustainable energy sources. One source that has thus far eluded scientists is nuclear fusion. Generations of physicists have tried for many years to copy this reaction. Scientists in the USA say they recreated the power of the Sun for a fraction of a second. Powerful lasers blasted a tiny target to create a reaction that lasted just 100 trillionths of a second. It created 10 quadrillion watts of power. The power the scientists created is the equivalent of 6 per cent of all the energy from the Sun hitting Earth at any given moment.

Nuclear fusion powers the Sun. The website cnet.com said it is "a long-sought-after panacea" for energy and environmental challenges. Nuclear fusion could provide infinite, safe, clean and green power. It could also reverse environmental damage. Physicist Dr Debbie Callahan spoke about the breakthrough. She said it is a "huge advance" and a big step toward generating "a net-positive amount of energy". Futurism.com said: "The promise is as lucrative as it has ever been – an infinite supply of carbon-neutral energy without ever running the risk of a nuclear meltdown."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Nuclear Fusion - Level 4 or  Nuclear Fusion - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.cnet.com/news/get-20-off-an-entire-year-of-nordvpn-and-protect-your-online-activity-for-only-47-20/
  • https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-could-unlock-215644282.html
  • https://futurism.com/scientists-edge-fusion-power-breakthrough


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. There has been an endless
  2. find sustainable energy
  3. One source that has thus
  4. tried for many years to
  5. for a fraction
  6. Powerful lasers blasted
  7. lasted just 100
  8. equivalent of 6 per cent of
  1. far eluded scientists
  2. all the energy
  3. a tiny target
  4. sources
  5. copy this reaction
  6. trillionths of a second
  7. search
  8. of a second

Paragraph 2

  1. Nuclear fusion powers
  2. a long-sought-
  3. energy and environmental
  4. provide infinite, safe, clean
  5. a net-positive amount
  6. an infinite
  7. without ever running
  8. a nuclear
  1. challenges
  2. supply
  3. the risk
  4. meltdown
  5. the Sun
  6. of energy
  7. after panacea
  8. and green power

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There has been (1) ___________________ to find sustainable energy sources. One source that has (2) ___________________ scientists is nuclear fusion. Generations of physicists have tried for many years to (3) ___________________. Scientists in the USA say they recreated the power of the Sun for (4) ________________ a second. Powerful lasers (5) ___________________ target to create a reaction that lasted just 100 trillionths of a second. It created 10 quadrillion watts of power. The power the scientists created is the equivalent of 6 per cent of all the energy from the Sun hitting Earth at (6) ___________________.

Nuclear (7) ___________________ Sun. The website cnet.com said it is "a long-(8) ___________________" for energy and environmental challenges. Nuclear fusion could provide infinite, safe, clean and green power. It (9) ___________________ environmental damage. Physicist Dr Debbie Callahan spoke about the breakthrough. She said it is (10) ___________________ and a big step toward generating "a net-positive amount of energy". Futurism.com said: "The promise (11) ___________________ as it has ever been - an infinite supply of carbon-neutral energy without ever (12) ___________________ of a nuclear meltdown."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Therehasbeenanendlesssearchtofindsustainableenergysources.On
esourcethathasthusfareludedscientistsisnuclearfusion.Generations
ofphysicistshavetriedformanyyearstocopythisreaction.Scientistsint
heUSAsaytheyrecreatedthepoweroftheSunforafractionofasecond.P
owerfullasersblastedatinytargettocreateareactionthatlastedjust100
trillionthsofasecond.Itcreated10quadrillionwattsofpower.Thepower
thescientistscreatedistheequivalentof6percentofalltheenergyfromt
heSunhittingEarthatanygivenmoment.NuclearfusionpowerstheSun
.Thewebsitecnet.comsaiditis"along-sought-afterpanacea"forener
gyandenvironmentalchallenges.Nuclearfusioncouldprovideinfinite,
safe,cleanandgreenpower.Itcouldalsoreverseenvironmentaldamag
e.PhysicistDrDebbieCallahanspokeaboutthebreakthrough.Shesaidi
tisa"hugeadvance"andabigsteptowardgenerating"anet-positiveam
ountofenergy".Futurism.comsaid:"Thepromiseisaslucrativeasithas
everbeen-aninfinitesupplyofcarbonneutralenergywithouteverru
nningtheriskofanuclearmeltdown."

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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