The Reading / Listening - Right-handedness - Level 0

Around 90 per cent of people are right-handed. This is because of human evolution. When we first walked on two legs, our hands did more things. Our large brain thought of many things to do with our hands. If most people used the same hand, it was easier to do things like hunt, cook, and use tools.

Scientists wondered why humans, but not monkeys, are largely right-handed. Researchers compared human behaviour with monkey behaviour. A researcher said that by looking at monkeys, we can understand why many of us use our right hands. We started using our right hands millions of years ago.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Right-handedness - Level 1 Right-handedness - Level 2   or  Right-handedness - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.popsci.com/science/human-right-handed-leg-evolution/
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260517211429.htm
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/why-is-almost-everyone-right-handed-the-answer-may-lie-in-how-we-learned-to-walk/ar-AA23iiAz


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. Around 90 per cent
  2. This is because of human
  3. When we first walked
  4. our hands did more
  5. our large
  6. many things to do with
  7. it was easier to
  8. hunt, cook, and
  1. on two legs
  2. of people
  3. do things
  4. our hands
  5. evolution
  6. use tools
  7. things
  8. brain

Paragraph 2

  1. Scientists wondered
  2. largely
  3. human
  4. a researcher said
  5. by looking
  6. many of us
  7. We started using
  8. millions
  1. our right hands
  2. that
  3. use our right hands
  4. why
  5. of years ago
  6. right-handed
  7. behaviour
  8. at monkeys

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Around 90 per cent (1) _________________________________________________ right-handed. This is because (2) _________________________________________________. When we first walked on two legs, our hands (3) _________________________________________________. Our large (4) _________________________________________________ many things to do with our hands. If most people (5) _________________________________________________ hand, it was easier to do things (6) _________________________________________________, and use tools.

(7) _________________________________________________ humans, but not monkeys, are (8) _________________________________________________. Researchers compared human (9) _________________________________________________ behaviour. A researcher said that by looking at monkeys, (10) _________________________________________________ why many (11) _________________________________________________ our right hands. We started using our right hands millions (12) _________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Around90percentofpeopleareright-handed.Thisisbecauseofhuman
evolution.Whenwefirstwalkedontwolegs,ourhandsdidmorethings.O
urlargebrainthoughtofmanythingstodowithourhands.Ifmostpeople
usedthesamehand,itwaseasiertodothingslikehunt,cook,anduset
ools.Scientistswonderedwhyhumans,butnotmonkeys,arelargelyrig
ht-handed.Researcherscomparedhumanbehaviourwithmonkeybeh
aviour.Aresearchersaidthatbylookingatmonkeys,wecanunderstand
whymanyofususeourrighthands.Westartedusingourrighthandsmilli
onsofyearsago.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You