The Reading / Listening - Nuclear Fusion - Level 4

There has been a long search for sustainable energy sources. One source scientists want to create is nuclear fusion. Scientists have worked for decades on this. Researchers in the USA say they created it for a fraction of a second. Powerful lasers blasted a target to create a reaction that lasted just 100 trillionths of a second. It created 10 quadrillion watts of power. This is the same as 6 per cent of the Sun's energy hitting Earth at any given time.

Nuclear fusion powers the Sun. This energy source could solve our environmental challenges. It could provide endless, safe, clean and green power. A physicist spoke about the breakthrough. She said it is a "huge advance" and a big step toward generating "a net-positive amount of energy". Futurism.com said it was "an infinite supply of carbon-neutral energy without ever running the risk of a nuclear meltdown".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Nuclear Fusion - Level 5 or  Nuclear Fusion - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.cnet.com/news/get-20-off-an-entire-year-of-nordvpn-and-protect-your-online-activity-for-only-47-20/
  • https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-could-unlock-215644282.html
  • https://futurism.com/scientists-edge-fusion-power-breakthrough


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. sustainable energy
  2. One source scientists
  3. Scientists have worked for
  4. for a fraction
  5. powerful lasers
  6. 100 trillionths
  7. It created 10 quadrillion watts
  8. 6 per cent of the
  1. blasted a target
  2. of a second
  3. of power
  4. Sun's energy
  5. sources
  6. decades on this
  7. of a second
  8. want to create

Paragraph 2

  1. Nuclear fusion powers
  2. solve our environmental
  3. endless, safe, clean
  4. A physicist spoke about
  5. an infinite
  6. carbon
  7. without ever running
  8. nuclear
  1. supply
  2. the risk
  3. challenges
  4. meltdown
  5. the breakthrough
  6. the Sun
  7. and green power
  8. neutral energy

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There has been a (1) ___________________ sustainable energy sources. One (2) ___________________ to create is nuclear fusion. Scientists have worked for (3) ___________________. Researchers in the USA say they created it for a (4) ___________________ second. Powerful lasers blasted a target to create a reaction that lasted (5) ___________________ of a second. It created 10 quadrillion watts of power. This is the same as 6 per cent of the Sun's energy hitting Earth at (6) ___________________.

Nuclear fusion powers the Sun. This energy source (7) ___________________ environmental challenges. It could provide (8) ___________________ and green power. A physicist spoke about the breakthrough. She said it is (9) ___________________ and a big step toward generating "a (10) ___________________ of energy". Futurism.com said it was "(11) ___________________ of carbon-neutral energy without (12) ___________________ risk of a nuclear meltdown".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Therehasbeenalongsearchforsustainableenergysources.Onesource
scientistswanttocreateisnuclearfusion.Scientistshaveworkedfordec
adesonthis.ResearchersintheUSAsaytheycreateditforafractionofase
cond.Powerfullasersblastedatargettocreateareactionthatlastedjust
100trillionthsofasecond.Itcreated10quadrillionwattsofpower.Thisis
thesameas6percentoftheSun'senergyhittingEarthatanygiventime.
NuclearfusionpowerstheSun.Thisenergysourcecouldsolveourenviro
nmentalchallenges.Itcouldprovideendless,safe,cleanandgreenpow
er.Aphysicistspokeaboutthebreakthrough.Shesaiditisa"hugeadvan
ce"andabigsteptowardgenerating"anet-positiveamountofenergy".F
uturism.comsaiditwas"aninfinitesupplyofcarbonneutralenergywith
outeverrunningtheriskofanuclearmeltdown".

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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