The Reading / Listening - Whales and Aliens - Level 0

Scientists had a "chat" with a humpback whale. The whale's name is Twain. They spoke in "humpback language" for 20 minutes. The scientists sent a "contact call" into the ocean. Twain heard the call, swam to the boat and "chatted". A researcher said it was the first ever chat between humans and humpback whales.

Whales use contact calls so other whales know where they are. The scientists made 36 calls in 20 minutes. Twain answered them all. A scientist said her research could make it easier to talk to aliens. She said: "We can better understand what alien intelligence might be like." It will be a different kind of intelligence.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Whales and Aliens - Level 1 Whales and Aliens - Level 2   or  Whales and Aliens - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.boredpanda.com/scientist-claim-having-20-minute-conversation-whale/
  • https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-20-minute-conversation-with-a-humpback-whale-named-twain/
  • https://www.unilad.com/film-and-tv/news/freeview-best-takeaway-for-watching-tv-556889-20231218


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. Scientists had a "chat" with
  2. The whale's name
  3. They spoke in humpback
  4. scientists sent a "contact call"
  5. Twain heard
  6. swam
  7. A researcher
  8. he first ever
  1. into the ocean
  2. language
  3. to the boat
  4. chat
  5. a humpback whale
  6. said it was
  7. is Twain
  8. the call

Paragraph 2

  1. Whales use contact
  2. other whales know where
  3. scientists made 36 calls
  4. Twain answered
  5. research could make it easier
  6. We can better
  7. alien
  8. It will be a different kind
  1. to talk to aliens
  2. intelligence
  3. they are
  4. of intelligence
  5. understand
  6. calls
  7. them all
  8. in 20 minutes

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists had (1) ___________________ a humpback whale. The whale's name is Twain. (2) ___________________ "humpback language" (3) ___________________. The scientists sent a "contact call" (4) ___________________. Twain heard the call, swam to the (5) ___________________. A researcher said it was the (6) ___________________ between humans and humpback whales.

Whales (7) ___________________ so other whales know (8) ___________________. The scientists made 36 calls in 20 minutes. Twain (9) ___________________. A scientist said her research could make it (10) ___________________ to aliens. She said: "We (11) ___________________ what alien intelligence might be like." It will be a different (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistshada"chat"withahumpbackwhale.Thewhale'snameisTwai
n.Theyspokein"humpbacklanguage"for20minutes.Thescientistssen
ta"contactcall"intotheocean.Twainheardthecall,swamtotheboatand
"chatted".Aresearchersaiditwasthefirsteverchatbetweenhumansan
dhumpbackwhales.Whalesusecontactcallssootherwhalesknowwher
etheyare.Thescientistsmade36callsin20minutes.Twainansweredth
emall.Ascientistsaidherresearchcouldmakeiteasiertotalktoaliens.S
hesaid:"Wecanbetterunderstandwhatalienintelligencemightbelike."
Itwillbeadifferentkindofintelligence.

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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