The Reading / Listening - Level 2

Humans may not be the only ones to use language to communicate. Scientists think dolphins also use words and sentences to speak to each other. We know that dolphins can communicate. New research suggests that this communication is similar to our conversations. Scientists say the sounds that dolphins make look like sentences. These let dolphins send messages to each other. The dolphins use their language to identify themselves, have relations, and do things together. Scientists say that we may be able to understand dolphin language and talk to dolphins in the future.

Researchers in Crimea discovered that dolphins had their own language after they recorded two bottlenose dolphins. The scientists noticed that the dolphins listened to each other and then replied. Researcher Dr Vyacheslav Ryabov said: "This…resembles a conversation between two people." He added: "This language exhibits all the…features present in the human spoken language. This indicates a high level of intelligence and consciousness in dolphins." Dr Ryabov said the dolphins' language is, "a highly developed spoken language, like the human language."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 1   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www. techtimes.com/articles/177382/20160913/dolphins-talk-just-like-humans-dolphins-speak-in-words-and-complete-sentences.htm
  • http://www. independent.co.uk/news/science/dolphins-speak-language-human-communication-scientists-a7237791.html
  • http://www. natureworldnews.com/articles/28575/20160913/sea-talk-dolphins-recorded-having-conservation-using-sentences-up-five.htm


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Humans may not be the only
  2. use language to
  3. dolphins also use words
  4. speak to
  5. similar
  6. dolphins use their language to identify
  7. do things
  8. talk to dolphins
  1. and sentences
  2. together
  3. communicate
  4. in the future
  5. ones
  6. to our conversations
  7. themselves
  8. each other

Paragraph 2

  1. Researchers in Crimea
  2. dolphins had their
  3. the dolphins listened
  4. a conversation
  5. This language exhibits all
  6. a high level
  7. highly
  8. like the human
  1. developed
  2. between two people
  3. of intelligence
  4. own language
  5. discovered that
  6. language
  7. the features
  8. to each other

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Humans may (1) ___________________ ones to use language to communicate. Scientists think dolphins also use words and sentences (2) ___________________ other. We know that dolphins can communicate. New research suggests that this communication (3) ___________________ conversations. Scientists say the sounds that dolphins (4) ___________________ sentences. These let dolphins send messages to each other. The dolphins use their language to identify themselves, (5) ___________________, and do things together. Scientists say that we may be able to understand dolphin language (6) ___________________ dolphins in the future.

Researchers in Crimea (7) ___________________ dolphins had their own language (8) ___________________ two bottlenose dolphins. The scientists noticed that the dolphins listened to each other (9) ___________________. Researcher Dr Vyacheslav Ryabov said: "(10) ___________________ conversation between two people." He added: "This language exhibits all the…features present in the human spoken language. This indicates (11) ___________________ intelligence and consciousness in dolphins." Dr Ryabov said the dolphins' language is, "(12) ___________________ spoken language, like the human language."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Humansmaynotbetheonlyonestouselanguagetocommunicate.Scien
tiststhinkdolphinsalsousewordsandsentencestospeaktoeachother.
Weknowthatdolphinscancommunicate.Newresearchsuggeststhatth
iscommunicationissimilartoourconversations.Scientistssaythesoun
dsthatdolphinsmakelooklikesentences.Theseletdolphinssendmessa
gestoeachother.Thedolphinsusetheirlanguagetoidentifythemselves
,haverelations,anddothingstogether.Scientistssaythatwemaybeabl
etounderstanddolphinlanguageandtalktodolphinsinthefuture.Resea
rchersinCrimeadiscoveredthatdolphinshadtheirownlanguageafterth
eyrecordedtwobottlenosedolphins.Thescientistsnoticedthatthedolp
hinslistenedtoeachotherandthenreplied.ResearcherDrVyacheslavR
yabovsaid:"This…resemblesaconversationbetweentwopeople."Hea
dded:"Thislanguageexhibitsallthe…featurespresentinthehumanspo
kenlanguage.Thisindicatesahighlevelofintelligenceandconsciousne
ssindolphins."DrRyabovsaidthedolphins'languageis,"ahighlydevelo
pedspokenlanguage,likethehumanlanguage."

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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