The Reading / Listening - Dolphin Senses - Level 2

Everyone knows we have five senses. Some people may have six senses. A sixth sense could be knowing something without using the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. Researchers have discovered that some dolphins have seven senses. Dolphins can sense electricity produced by the heart beats of other sea creatures. This could help dolphins to find their next meal. This seventh sense may also help them to navigate using Earth's magnetic field. Dolphins also use their eyesight and sonar to sense what is around them.

The researchers conducted a study on two dolphins. Experiments tested what kinds of electricity the dolphins could detect. They sensed two kinds – direct current and alternating current. They were better at sensing direct current. All sea creatures produce direct current electricity. Being able to detect this means dolphins can sense how near other fish are to them. Dolphins could use this to hunt, even if they cannot see or hear well, or if they cannot use their other senses. The study has been published in a biology journal.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Dolphin Senses - Level 0 Dolphin Senses - Level 1   or  Dolphin Senses - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.iflscience.com/bottlenose-dolphins-become-one-of-few-known-mammals-with-a-seventh-sense-71824
  • https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bottlenosed-dolphins-sense-electric-fields-hunt-prey
  • https://gizmodo.com/bottlenose-dolphins-can-sense-electricity-study-finds-1851062859


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. Everyone knows
  2. knowing something without
  3. hearing, smell, touch
  4. help dolphins to find
  5. help them
  6. Earth's magnetic
  7. Dolphins also use their
  8. sense what
  1. is around them
  2. and taste
  3. to navigate
  4. we have five
  5. eyesight
  6. using the five senses
  7. field
  8. their next meal

Paragraph 2

  1. researchers conducted a study
  2. what kinds of electricity the
  3. They were better at sensing
  4. sea
  5. sense how
  6. even if they cannot see or
  7. they cannot use
  8. published in a
  1. hear well
  2. creatures
  3. their other senses
  4. on two dolphins
  5. biology journal
  6. dolphins could detect
  7. near other fish are
  8. direct current

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Everyone (1) ___________________ five senses. Some people may have six senses. A sixth sense (2) ___________________ something without using the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, (3) ___________________. Researchers have discovered that some dolphins have seven senses. Dolphins (4) ___________________ produced by the heart beats of other sea creatures. This could help dolphins to find (5) ___________________. This seventh sense may also help them to navigate using Earth's magnetic field. Dolphins also use their (6) ___________________ to sense what is around them.

The researchers (7) ___________________ on two dolphins. Experiments tested what kinds of electricity the dolphins could detect. They (8) ___________________ - direct current and alternating current. They were (9) ___________________ direct current. All sea creatures produce direct current electricity. Being able to detect this means dolphins can sense how (10) ___________________ are to them. Dolphins could use this to hunt, even if they cannot (11) ___________________ well, or if they cannot use their other senses. The study has been (12) ___________________ biology journal.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Everyoneknowswehavefivesenses.Somepeoplemayhavesixsenses.
Asixthsensecouldbeknowingsomethingwithoutusingthefivesenseso
fsight,hearing,smell,touchandtaste.Researchershavediscoveredtha
tsomedolphinshavesevensenses.Dolphinscansenseelectricityprodu
cedbytheheartbeatsofotherseacreatures.Thiscouldhelpdolphinstofi
ndtheirnextmeal.Thisseventhsensemayalsohelpthemtonavigateusi
ngEarth'smagneticfield.Dolphinsalsousetheireyesightandsonartose
nsewhatisaroundthem.Theresearchersconductedastudyontwodolp
hins.Experimentstestedwhatkindsofelectricitythedolphinscoulddete
ct.Theysensedtwokinds-directcurrentandalternatingcurrent.Theyw
erebetteratsensingdirectcurrent.Allseacreaturesproducedirectcurre
ntelectricity.Beingabletodetectthismeansdolphinscansensehownea
rotherfisharetothem.Dolphinscouldusethistohunt,eveniftheycannot
seeorhearwell,oriftheycannotusetheirothersenses.Thestudyhasbee
npublishedinabiologyjournal.

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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