The Reading / Listening - Whales and Aliens - Level 2

Scientists have had a "conversation" with a whale. This could help us talk to aliens in the future. The scientists are from three different organizations in the USA. They teamed up and spoke to a humpback whale named Twain. They spoke to her in "humpback language" for 20 minutes. The scientists sent a "contact call" into the ocean off the coast of Alaska. Twain heard the call and responded. She swam to the research boat and chatted. A researcher said it was the first ever communication between humans and humpback whales.

The conversation with Twain was like a series of greetings. Whales use contact calls so other whales know where they are. The scientists made 36 calls over a 20-minute period. Each time, Twain responded by calling back at the same intervals. A scientist told the Business Insider website that the research could make it easier to talk to aliens. She said: "There are diverse intelligences on this planet. By studying them, we can better understand what an alien intelligence might be like because they are not going to be exactly like ours."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Whales and Aliens - Level 0 Whales and Aliens - Level 1   or  Whales and Aliens - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.boredpanda.com/scientist-claim-having-20-minute-conversation-whale/
  • https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-20-minute-conversation-with-a-humpback-whale-named-twain/
  • https://www.unilad.com/film-and-tv/news/freeview-best-takeaway-for-watching-tv-556889-20231218


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. Scientists have had a conversation
  2. This could help us talk
  3. scientists are from three
  4. They teamed
  5. They spoke to her in
  6. The scientists sent
  7. off the coast
  8. Twain heard the call
  1. humpback language
  2. and responded
  3. a contact call
  4. to aliens in the future
  5. up
  6. of Alaska
  7. with a whale
  8. different organizations

Paragraph 2

  1. like a series
  2. The scientists made
  3. over a 20-minute
  4. calling back at the same
  5. make it easier
  6. There are diverse intelligences
  7. alien
  8. they are not going to be exactly
  1. intelligence
  2. intervals
  3. like ours
  4. period
  5. of greetings
  6. 36 calls
  7. on this planet
  8. to talk to aliens

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists have (1) ___________________ with a whale. This could help us talk to (2) ___________________ future. The scientists are from three different organizations in the USA. They (3) ___________________ spoke to a humpback whale named Twain. They spoke to her in "humpback language" for 20 minutes. The scientists sent (4) ___________________ into the ocean off the coast of Alaska. Twain heard the (5) ___________________. She swam to the research boat and chatted. A researcher said it was (6) ___________________ communication between humans and humpback whales.

The conversation with Twain was (7) ___________________ of greetings. Whales use contact calls so other whales know where they are. The scientists made 36 calls over a (8) ___________________. Each time, Twain responded by calling back at (9) ___________________. A scientist told the Business Insider website that the research could make it (10) ___________________ to aliens. She said: "There are diverse intelligences on this planet. (11) ___________________, we can better understand what an alien intelligence might be like because they are not going to (12) ___________________ ours."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistshavehada"conversation"withawhale.Thiscouldhelpustalkt
oaliensinthefuture.Thescientistsarefromthreedifferentorganization
sintheUSA.TheyteamedupandspoketoahumpbackwhalenamedTwai
n.Theyspoketoherin"humpbacklanguage"for20minutes.Thescientis
tssenta"contactcall"intotheoceanoffthecoastofAlaska.Twainheardth
ecallandresponded.Sheswamtotheresearchboatandchatted.Aresea
rchersaiditwasthefirstevercommunicationbetweenhumansandhum
pbackwhales.TheconversationwithTwainwaslikeaseriesofgreetings.
Whalesusecontactcallssootherwhalesknowwheretheyare.Thescient
istsmade36callsovera20-minuteperiod.Eachtime,Twainrespondedb
ycallingbackatthesameintervals.AscientisttoldtheBusinessInsiderw
ebsitethattheresearchcouldmakeiteasiertotalktoaliens.Shesaid:"Th
erearediverseintelligencesonthisplanet.Bystudyingthem,wecanbett
erunderstandwhatanalienintelligencemightbelikebecausetheyaren
otgoingtobeexactlylikeours."

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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