The Reading / Listening - Terror Crocodiles - Level 2

Giant "terror crocodiles" as large as buses once roamed Earth. A study published this week in the "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology" described the crocodiles. Researchers who are experts in paleontology - the study of dinosaurs - studied old bones found in North America. They said the dinosaurs lived along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. The giant beasts preyed on other dinosaurs. They were up to ten metres long. The researchers found that the prehistoric crocodiles had razor-sharp teeth the size of large bananas.

A co-author of the study detailed how he thought the crocodiles lived. He said they lived around 75 million years ago. They are the ancestors of today's crocodiles. He wrote about his research on the bone parts. He said: "Until now, the complete animal was unknown. These new specimens we've examined reveal a bizarre, monstrous predator with teeth the size of bananas." He said it "must have terrorised other dinosaurs that came to the water's edge to drink." Another author described how scary it was. She wrote: "It was so enormous, almost everything in its habitat was on the menu."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Terror Crocodiles - Level 0 Terror Crocodiles - Level 1   or  Terror Crocodiles - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/11/us/deinosuchus-crocodile-scn-trnd/index.html
  • https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/tfg-nsc081020.php
  • https://phys.org/news/2020-08-power-deinosuchus-teeth-size-bananas.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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. as large
  2. Researchers who are experts
  3. the study
  4. along the Pacific and
  5. The giant beasts preyed
  6. They were up to
  7. prehistoric
  8. teeth the size
  1. of dinosaurs
  2. on other dinosaurs
  3. in paleontology
  4. of large bananas
  5. Atlantic coasts
  6. crocodiles
  7. as buses
  8. ten metres long

Paragraph 2

  1. A co-author
  2. detailed how he thought the
  3. They are the ancestors of
  4. new specimens we've
  5. a bizarre, monstrous
  6. came to the water's
  7. almost everything in
  8. on the
  1. its habitat
  2. examined
  3. of the study
  4. predator
  5. crocodiles lived
  6. menu
  7. edge to drink
  8. today's crocodiles

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Giant "terror crocodiles" (1) ___________________ buses once roamed Earth. A study (2) ___________________ in the "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology" described the crocodiles. Researchers who (3) ___________________ paleontology - the study of dinosaurs - studied old bones found in North America. They said the dinosaurs (4) ___________________ Pacific and Atlantic coasts. The giant beasts (5) ___________________ dinosaurs. They were up to ten metres long. The researchers found that the prehistoric crocodiles had (6) ___________________ the size of large bananas.

A co-author of the study (7) ___________________ thought the crocodiles lived. He said they lived around 75 million years ago. They are (8) ___________________ today's crocodiles. He wrote about his research on (9) ___________________. He said: "Until now, the complete animal was unknown. These new specimens we've examined (10) ___________________, monstrous predator with teeth the size of bananas." He said it "must have terrorised other dinosaurs that came to (11) ___________________ to drink." Another author described how scary it was. She wrote: "It was so enormous, almost everything (12) ___________________ was on the menu."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Giant"terrorcrocodiles"aslargeasbusesonceroamedEarth.Astudypu
blishedthisweekinthe"JournalofVertebratePaleontology"describedt
hecrocodiles.Researcherswhoareexpertsinpaleontology-thestud
yofdinosaurs-studiedoldbonesfoundinNorthAmerica.Theysaidthe
dinosaurslivedalongthePacificandAtlanticcoasts.Thegiantbeastspre
yedonotherdinosaurs.Theywereuptotenmetreslong.Theresearchers
foundthattheprehistoriccrocodileshadrazor-sharpteeththesizeo
flargebananas.Aco-authorofthestudydetailedhowhethoughtthecro
codileslived.Hesaidtheylivedaround75millionyearsago.Theyarethea
ncestorsoftoday'scrocodiles.Hewroteabouthisresearchonthebonep
arts.Hesaid:"Untilnow,thecompleteanimalwasunknown.Thesenews
pecimenswe'veexaminedrevealabizarre,monstrouspredatorwithtee
ththesizeofbananas."Hesaidit"musthaveterrorisedotherdinosaursth
atcametothewater'sedgetodrink."Anotherauthordescribedhowscar
yitwas.Shewrote:"Itwassoenormous,almosteverythinginitshabitat
wasonthemenu."

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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