The Reading / Listening - Level 5

Eating habits and food processing skills from two million years ago helped us to evolve and develop language. Researchers say that learning to cut up meat and use stone tools to process food were crucial steps in our evolution. The fact that we cut food up meant we used less time for chewing. This gave us more time to develop language and communicate. The researchers estimate that cutting up food saved early humans as many as 2.5 million chews per year. In contrast, chimpanzees spend half the day chewing, which means they have less time to communicate.

Researchers also say the shape of our face changed because we needed to chew less. Our jaws and teeth became smaller. Professor Daniel Lieberman said: "We went from having…big teeth and large chewing muscles to having smaller teeth [and] smaller chewing muscles. Those changes…allowed for the selection for speech and other shifts in the head, like bigger brains." Dr Lieberman chewed raw meat to test his theory. He said: "You chew and you chew and you chew and you chew, and nothing happens." He said that slicing meat before chewing, "is the simplest technology of all".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 4 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/12189080/Table-manners-how-learning-to-cut-up-food-was-crucial-to-human-evolution.html
  • http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-raw-meat-stone-tools-evolution-20160309-story.html
  • http://www.livescience.com/53994-paleo-diet-helped-humans-evolve-speech.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.

food

a.

tools

2.

two million

b.

per year

3.

stone

c.

language

4.

crucial steps in our

d.

processing

5.

more time to develop

e.

the day chewing

6.

2.5 million chews

f.

years ago

7.

chimpanzees spend half

g.

communicate

8.

they have less time to

h.

evolution



MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.

the shape of our face

a.

his theory

2.

Our jaws and teeth

b.

muscles

3.

large chewing

c.

brains

4.

bigger

d.

meat

5.

Lieberman chewed raw meat to test

e.

changed

6.

you chew and you chew, and

f.

of all

7.

slicing

g.

became smaller

8.

the simplest technology

h.

nothing happens

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

Eating habits and food processing skills from two (1) __________________ helped us to evolve and develop language. Researchers say that learning to cut up meat and (2) ___________________ to process food were crucial steps in our evolution. The fact that we cut food (3) ___________________ less time for chewing. This gave (4) ___________________ develop language and communicate. The researchers estimate that cutting up food (5) ___________________ as many as 2.5 million chews per year. In contrast, chimpanzees spend half the day chewing,(6) ___________________ have less time to communicate.

Researchers also say the (7) ___________________ changed because we needed to chew less. Our (8) ___________________ became smaller. Professor Daniel Lieberman said: "We went from having…big teeth (9) ___________________ muscles to having smaller teeth [and] smaller chewing muscles. Those changes…allowed (10) ___________________ for speech and other shifts in the head, like bigger brains." Dr Lieberman chewed (11) ___________________ his theory. He said: "You chew and you chew and you chew and you chew, and nothing happens." He said that slicing meat before chewing, "(12) ___________________ technology of all".

HUMAN EVOLUTION SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about human evolution 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.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Student B: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)

________________________________________________________

b)

________________________________________________________

c)

________________________________________________________

d)

________________________________________________________

e)

________________________________________________________

f)

________________________________________________________

g)

________________________________________________________

h)

________________________________________________________

FREE WRITING

Write about human evolution 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