The Reading / Listening - Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 1

A study shows that chimpanzees love to dance. They also like clapping, nodding their head, and tapping their feet to music. Researchers say their study could explain how humans started to like music. They did tests on seven chimps and played them piano music for six days. The researchers said the chimps had a sense of rhythm and the music changed their mood. The male chimpanzees seemed to move to the songs more than the females.

Chimpanzees passed on a liking for dance to early humans around six million years ago. The researchers said the love of dancing was in the earliest humans. A researcher said: "Chimpanzees dance...in the same way as humans." She added: "Listening to music causes rhythmic movement, suggesting a close connection between the [hearing and movement] areas in the brain." She believes the research could explain why we love dancing so much.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 0 Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 2   or  Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 3

Sources
  • https://news.sky.com/story/dancing-chimps-like-to-clap-along-and-tap-their-toes-to-music-11894515
  • https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/dancing-chimpanzees-may-reveal-how-humans-started-boogie
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dancing-chimps-chimpanzees-move-to-music-rhythm-kyoto-university-a9258986.html


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. nodding their
  2. tapping their
  3. explain how humans started
  4. They did tests
  5. piano
  6. the chimps had a sense
  7. the music changed their
  8. move to the songs
  1. of rhythm
  2. to like music
  3. more
  4. feet to music
  5. mood
  6. on seven chimps
  7. head
  8. music

Paragraph 2

  1. around six
  2. in the earliest
  3. in the same way as
  4. Listening to music causes
  5. a close
  6. areas in the
  7. She believes
  8. why we love dancing
  1. the research
  2. humans
  3. so much
  4. connection
  5. humans
  6. million years ago
  7. rhythmic movement
  8. brain

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A study shows that chimpanzees (1) ___________________. They also like clapping, (2) ___________________, and tapping their feet to music. Researchers say their (3) ___________________ how humans started to like music. They did tests on seven chimps and (4) ___________________ music for six days. The researchers said the chimps had a (5) ___________________ and the music changed their mood. The male chimpanzees seemed to move to (6) ___________________ than the females.

Chimpanzees passed on a liking for dance (7) ___________________ around six million years ago. The researchers said the (8) ___________________ was in the earliest humans. A researcher said: "Chimpanzees dance...in the same (9) ___________________." She added: "Listening to music causes rhythmic movement, suggesting (10) _________________ between the (11) ___________________ areas in the brain." She believes the research could (12) ___________________ love dancing so much.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Astudyshowsthatchimpanzeeslovetodance.Theyalsolikeclapping,no
ddingtheirhead,andtappingtheirfeettomusic.Researcherssaytheirst
udycouldexplainhowhumansstartedtolikemusic.Theydidtestsonsev
enchimpsandplayedthempianomusicforsixdays.Theresearcherssaid
thechimpshadasenseofrhythmandthemusicchangedtheirmood.The
malechimpanzeesseemedtomovetothesongsmorethanthefemales.
Chimpanzeespassedonalikingfordancetoearlyhumansaroundsixmill
ionyearsago.Theresearcherssaidtheloveofdancingwasintheearliest
humans.Aresearchersaid:"Chimpanzeesdance...inthesamewayash
umans."Sheadded:"Listeningtomusiccausesrhythmicmovement,su
ggestingacloseconnectionbetweenthe[hearingandmovement]areas
inthebrain."Shebelievestheresearchcouldexplainwhywelovedancin
gsomuch.

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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