The Reading / Listening - Palm-alt Oil - Level 1

Palm oil is in half of all the food we buy. It is also in cosmetics and biofuel. However, making palm oil damages the environment. Researchers believe they have found an alternative to palm oil. They have created a plant-based oil that is better for the environment. This is because it is more sustainable. It also means less biodiversity loss. It is also healthier. It has 80 per cent less saturated fat and 30 per cent fewer calories than palm oil.

PALM-ALT could change how things are made. Trees in tropical countries have to be cut down to make palm oil. However, PALM-ALT is made from a flower and seeds. A researcher spoke about PALM-ALT. She said it was an answer scientists wanted to find. She tested it to see if people could tell the difference between PALM-ALT and traditional palm oil. They couldn't. She is hoping businesses will start using PALM-ALT instead of regular palm oil.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Palm-alt Oil - Level 0 Palm-alt Oil - Level 2   or  Palm-alt Oil - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-66842496
  • https://news.stv.tv/east-central/scottish-scientists-create-game-changing-palm-oil-alternative
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12532841/Scots-experts-develop-revolutionary-new-ingredient-replace-controversial-palm-oil-bakery-industry.html


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. Palm oil is in half of
  2. It is also in cosmetics
  3. making palm oil damages
  4. they have found an alternative
  5. They have created a
  6. This is because it is more
  7. It also means less biodiversity
  8. 80 per cent less saturated
  1. loss
  2. to palm oil
  3. and biofuel
  4. plant-based oil
  5. fat
  6. all the food we buy
  7. sustainable
  8. the environment

Paragraph 2

  1. PALM-ALT could change how
  2. tropical
  3. cut
  4. PALM-ALT is made from a flower
  5. an answer scientists wanted
  6. see if people could tell
  7. traditional
  8. businesses will start
  1. and seeds
  2. palm oil
  3. countries
  4. the difference
  5. things are made
  6. using PALM-ALT
  7. down
  8. to find

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Palm oil is (1) ___________________ all the food we buy. It is also in (2) ___________________. However, making palm oil damages the environment. Researchers believe (3) ___________________ an alternative to palm oil. They have created a (4) ___________________ that is better for the environment. This is because it is more sustainable. It also means less biodiversity loss. It (5) ___________________. It has 80 per cent less saturated fat and 30 per cent (6) ___________________ palm oil.

PALM-ALT could change how (7) ___________________. Trees in tropical countries have to (8) ___________________ to make palm oil. However, PALM-ALT is made from a (9) ___________________. A researcher spoke about PALM-ALT. She said it was an answer scientists (10) ___________________. She tested it to see if people could (11) ___________________ between PALM-ALT and traditional palm oil. They couldn't. She is hoping businesses will start using PALM-ALT (12) ___________________ palm oil.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Palmoilisinhalfofallthefoodwebuy.Itisalsoincosmeticsandbiofuel.Ho
wever,makingpalmoildamagestheenvironment.Researchersbelieve
theyhavefoundanalternativetopalmoil.Theyhavecreatedaplant-bas
edoilthatisbetterfortheenvironment.Thisisbecauseitismoresustaina
ble.Italsomeanslessbiodiversityloss.Itisalsohealthier.Ithas80perce
ntlesssaturatedfatand30percentfewercaloriesthanpalmoil.PALM-
ALTcouldchangehowthingsaremade.Treesintropicalcountrieshavet
obecutdowntomakepalmoil.However,PALM-ALTismadefromaflowe
randseeds.AresearcherspokeaboutPALM-ALT.Shesaiditwasanansw
erscientistswantedtofind.Shetestedittoseeifpeoplecouldtellthediffere
ncebetweenPALM-ALTandtraditionalpalmoil.Theycouldn't.Sheisho
pingbusinesseswillstartusingPALM-ALTinsteadofregularpalmoil.

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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