The Reading / Listening - Microplastics - Level 4

Many of us know that plastic harms the environment. Fewer people know about the threat from the microplastics. Researchers have found microplastics in the human heart. Scientists in China collected tissue samples from heart surgery patients. There were tiny pieces of plastic in the tissue. They included a plastic commonly used in an alternative to glass, a polythene used in clothing and food containers, and a material used in building.

The scientists found thousands of microplastic pieces in the heart tissue. Chemicals from these are released into the body, which can lead to allergic reactions, cancer, and other problems. The average person consumes around 52,000 pieces a year. Microplastics make up 39 per cent of dust particles in our homes. They are almost impossible to remove from the body. It is critical to limit the amount of plastic we ingest.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Microplastics - Level 5 or  Microplastics - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12384881/Microplastics-discovered-human-HEART.html
  • https://people.com/microplastics-discovered-human-heart-tissue-first-time-7642489
  • https://www.iflscience.com/thousands-of-microplastics-discovered-in-human-heart-tissue-for-first-time-70199


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. plastic harms
  2. Fewer people know
  3. tissue samples from
  4. tiny pieces of
  5. an alternative
  6. a polythene
  7. food
  8. material used
  1. used in clothing
  2. to glass
  3. about the threat
  4. heart surgery
  5. in building
  6. the environment
  7. plastic in the tissue
  8. containers

Paragraph 2

  1. The scientists found thousands
  2. heart
  3. Chemicals from these are released
  4. allergic
  5. The average
  6. dust
  7. almost impossible to remove
  8. limit the amount of plastic
  1. from the body
  2. reactions
  3. we ingest
  4. person
  5. of microplastic pieces
  6. tissue
  7. particles
  8. into the body

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Many of us know (1) ___________________ the environment. Fewer people know about (2) ___________________ the microplastics. Researchers have found microplastics in (3) ___________________. Scientists in China collected (4) ___________________ heart surgery patients. There were tiny pieces of plastic in the tissue. They included a plastic commonly used (5) ___________________ to glass, a polythene used in clothing and food containers, and (6) ___________________ in building.

The scientists found thousands of microplastic pieces in (7) ___________________. Chemicals from these are released into the body, which can (8) ___________________ reactions, cancer, and other problems. The average (9) ___________________ 52,000 pieces a year. Microplastics make up 39 per cent (10) ___________________ in our homes. They are almost impossible (11) ___________________ the body. It is critical to (12) ___________________ of plastic we ingest.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Manyofusknowthatplasticharmstheenvironment.Fewerpeopleknow
aboutthethreatfromthemicroplastics.Researchershavefoundmicrop
lasticsinthehumanheart.ScientistsinChinacollectedtissuesamplesfr
omheartsurgerypatients.Thereweretinypiecesofplasticinthetissue.T
heyincludedaplasticcommonlyusedinanalternativetoglass,apolythe
neusedinclothingandfoodcontainers,andamaterialusedinbuilding.T
hescientistsfoundthousandsofmicroplasticpiecesinthehearttissue.C
hemicalsfromthesearereleasedintothebody,whichcanleadtoallergic
reactions,cancer,andotherproblems.Theaveragepersonconsumesa
round52,000piecesayear.Microplasticsmakeup39percentofdustpart
iclesinourhomes.Theyarealmostimpossibletoremovefromthebody.I
tiscriticaltolimittheamountofplasticweingest.

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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