The Reading / Listening - Air Conditioning - Level 1

Engineers in the USA have made a super-thin material that can cool buildings. The amazing new material can cool things even under the hot sun. The material does not need energy or water to work. It could do the work of air conditioners, which need a lot of energy and water. The material is not like anything in nature. It is a mix of glass and plastic and is just 50 micrometers thick – about the same as the aluminium foil we use for cooking.

The engineers explained how the material works. When it is put on top of something, two things happen. First, it cools the thing under it by reflecting the sun's rays. Second, the material takes away heat from the thing underneath. An engineer said he was excited about the chance to use it "in the power industry, aerospace, agriculture and more". Just 10 square meters of the material could cool down a house in the summer.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Air Conditioning - Level 0 Air Conditioning - Level 2   or  Air Conditioning - Level 3

Sources
  • https://knowridge.com/2017/02/new-engineered-material-can-cool-roofs-structures-with-zero-energy-consumption/
  • http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/scientists-make-thin-material-that-acts-as-air-conditioner-1.3281871
  • http://www.techtimes.com/articles/196976/20170211/new-material-can-cool-structures-without-consuming-water-and-energy.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. cool things even
  2. The material does not need energy
  3. It could do the work
  4. The material is not like
  5. It is a mix of glass
  6. just 50 micrometers
  7. about the
  8. the aluminium foil
  1. thick
  2. of air conditioners
  3. under the hot Sun
  4. we use for cooking
  5. or water
  6. same
  7. and plastic
  8. anything in nature

Paragraph 2

  1. The engineers explained how
  2. it cools the thing
  3. reflecting the Sun's
  4. the material takes
  5. An engineer said he was excited
  6. use it in the power
  7. Just 10 square meters
  8. cool down a house
  1. about the chance
  2. in the summer
  3. of the material
  4. under it
  5. the material works
  6. away heat
  7. industry
  8. rays

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Engineers in the USA (1) ___________________ super-thin material that can cool buildings. The (2) ___________________ can cool things even under the hot Sun. The material does not need (3) ___________________ to work. It could do the work of air conditioners, which (4) ___________________ energy and water. The material is not like anything (5) ___________________. It is a mix of glass and plastic and is just 50 micrometers thick – about (6) ___________________ the aluminium foil we use for cooking.

The engineers (7) ___________________ material works. When it is put on top of something, (8) ___________________. First, it cools the thing under it (9) ___________________ Sun's rays. Second, the material takes (10) ___________________ the thing underneath. An engineer said he was excited about the chance to use it "in the (11) ___________________, aerospace, agriculture and more". Just 10 square (12) ___________________ material could cool down a house in the summer.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

EngineersintheUSAhavemadeasuper-thinmaterialthatcancoolbu
ildings.Theamazingnewmaterialcancoolthingsevenunderthehot.
Thematerialdoesnotneedenergyorwatertowork.Itcoulddotheworkof
airconditioners,whichneedalotofenergyandwater.Thematerialisnotli
keanythinginnature.Itisamixofglassandplasticandisjust50micromet
ersthick–aboutthesameasthealuminiumfoilweuseforcooking.Theen
gineersexplainedhowthematerialworks.Whenitisputontopofsomethi
ng,twothingshappen.First,itcoolsthethingunderitbyreflectingtheSu
n'srays.Second,thematerialtakesawayheatfromthethingunderneat
h.Anengineersaidhewasexcitedaboutthechancetouseit"inthepoweri
ndustry,aerospace,agricultureandmore".Just10squaremetersofthe
materialcouldcooldownahouseinthesummer.

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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