The Reading / Listening - Ants - Level 1

Ants are tiny, amazing insects. There are many things we do not know about them. Scientists just found how ants get from A to B, without getting lost. They can go in a straight line, whatever direction they are facing. The BBC said it is the same as, "trying to find your way home while walking backwards or even spinning round". Ants use the Sun, their memories, and what they can see around them. A professor said ants are like self-driving cars.

The scientists studied ants in Spain. Their report is in the journal 'Current Biology'. They said ants could travel far from their nest even when things are in their way or if they have to drag heavy food. The professor said: "Ants have a…tiny brain…yet they can [move] successfully under many difficult conditions, including going backwards." She said understanding ants will help us to build new robot systems that copy the ant's behaviour.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Ants - Level 0 Ants - Level 2   or  Ants - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38665058
  • http://www.popsci.com/ants-find-way-walk-backwards-navigation
  • http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(16)31466-X


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Ants are tiny,
  2. many things we do not
  3. how ants get
  4. go in a
  5. while walking
  6. spinning
  7. what they can see
  8. self-
  1. round
  2. around them
  3. straight line
  4. amazing insects
  5. driving cars
  6. know about them
  7. from A to B
  8. backwards

Paragraph 2

  1. The scientists studied ants
  2. travel far
  3. Their report is in the journal
  4. Ants have a tiny
  5. move
  6. many difficult
  7. help us to build new
  8. copy the ant's
  1. 'Current Biology'
  2. robot systems
  3. from their nest
  4. behaviour
  5. conditions
  6. in Spain
  7. brain
  8. successfully

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ants are (1) ___________________ insects. There are many things we do not (2) ___________________. Scientists just found how ants get from A to B, without (3) ___________________. They can go in a straight line, whatever direction they are facing. The BBC said it (4) ___________________, "trying to find your way home while walking backwards or even spinning round". Ants use the Sun, (5) ___________________, and what they can see around them. A professor (6) ___________________ self-driving cars.

The scientists (7) ___________________ Spain. Their report is in the journal 'Current Biology'. They said (8) ___________________ far from their nest even when things (9) ___________________ or if they have to drag heavy food. The professor said: "Ants have a… (10) ___________________ they can [move] successfully under many (11) ___________________, including going backwards." She said understanding ants will help us to build new robot systems (12) ___________________ ant's behaviour.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Antsaretiny,amazinginsects.Therearemanythingswedonotknowabo
utthem.ScientistsjustfoundhowantsgetfromAtoB,withoutgettinglos
t.Theycangoinastraightline,whateverdirectiontheyarefacing.TheBB
Csaiditisthesameas,"tryingtofindyourwayhomewhilewalkingbackw
ardsorevenspinninground".AntsusetheSun,theirmemories,andwha
ttheycanseearoundthem.Aprofessorsaidantsarelikeself-drivingc
ars.ThescientistsstudiedantsinSpain.Theirreportisinthejournal'Curr
entBiology'.Theysaidantscouldtravelfarfromtheirnestevenwhenthin
gsareintheirwayoriftheyhavetodragheavyfood.Theprofessorsaid:"A
ntshavea…tinybrain…yettheycan[move]successfullyundermanydiffi
cultconditions,includinggoingbackwards."Shesaidunderstandingan
tswillhelpustobuildnewrobotsystemsthatcopytheant'sbehaviour.

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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