The Reading / Listening - Digital Cameras - Level 4

The world's biggest ever digital camera is up and running. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope camera was installed in an observatory in Chile earlier this week. Astronomers will now start testing it. They will observe the southern hemisphere skies over the next decade. The U.S. government called the camera "a triumph of science and engineering". It added: "We look forward to seeing the unprecedented images this camera will produce."

The camera is the size of a car. It weighs 2,721 kg. It has a huge 3-billion-pixel sensor. It will take time-lapse images. A researcher said: "We're going to make a colour movie of the entire Southern Hemisphere sky." He hopes the images will shed light on how galaxies formed. He will also investigate dark matter – the invisible substance that makes up a lot of the universe. In addition, he will use the camera to map our Milky Way galaxy.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Digital Cameras - Level 5 or  Digital Cameras - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.space.com/space-exploration/tech/worlds-largest-digital-camera-to-help-new-vera-rubin-observatory-make-a-time-lapse-record-of-the-universe-photos
  • https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/world-s-biggest-digital-camera-installed-in-chile-to-explore-universe/ar-AA1B5tWV
  • https://interestingengineering.com/photo-story/rubin-observatorys-3200-megapixel-lsst-camera


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. up and
  2. installed in
  3. earlier
  4. Astronomers will now
  5. observe the southern
  6. over the
  7. a triumph
  8. seeing the unprecedented
  1. next decade
  2. this week
  3. hemisphere
  4. of science
  5. running
  6. images
  7. an observatory
  8. start testing it

Paragraph 2

  1. The camera is the size
  2. It has a huge 3-billion-
  3. It will take time-
  4. the entire Southern
  5. shed light on how
  6. He will also investigate dark
  7. a lot of
  8. map our
  1. matter
  2. lapse images
  3. Milky Way galaxy
  4. galaxies formed
  5. of a car
  6. the universe
  7. pixel sensor
  8. Hemisphere

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The world's biggest ever digital camera is (1) ________________________________________________. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope camera was (2) ________________________________________________ observatory in Chile earlier this week. Astronomers will now start testing it. They (3) ________________________________________________ southern hemisphere skies over (4) ________________________________________________. The U.S. government called the camera "a (5) ________________________________________________ and engineering". It added: "We look forward to seeing (6) ________________________________________________ this camera will produce."

The camera is the size of a car. It weighs 2,721 kg. It (7) ________________________________________________ 3-billion-pixel sensor. It will take (8) ________________________________________________. A researcher said: "We're going to make a colour movie (9) ________________________________________________ Southern Hemisphere sky." He hopes the images will (10) ________________________________________________ how galaxies formed. He will also (11) ________________________________________________ – the invisible substance that makes up a lot of the universe. In addition, he will use the camera to (12) ________________________________________________ Way galaxy.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theworld'sbiggesteverdigitalcameraisupandrunning.TheLargeSyno
pticSurveyTelescopecamerawasinstalledinanobservatoryinChileear
lierthisweek.Astronomerswillnowstarttestingit.Theywillobservethe
southernhemisphereskiesoverthenextdecade.TheU.S.governmentc
alledthecamera"atriumphofscienceandengineering".Itadded:"Welo
okforwardtoseeingtheunprecedentedimagesthiscamerawillproduce
."Thecameraisthesizeofacar.Itweighs2,721kg.Ithasahuge3-billion-
pixelsensor.Itwilltaketime-lapseimages.Aresearchersaid:"We'reg
oingtomakeacolourmovieoftheentireSouthernHemispheresky."Heh
opestheimageswillshedlightonhowgalaxiesformed.Hewillalsoinvesti
gatedarkmatter–theinvisiblesubstancethatmakesupalotoftheuni
verse.Inaddition,hewillusethecameratomapourMilkyWaygalaxy.

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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