The Reading / Listening - Space-Baked Cookies - Level 2

Cooking has reached new heights. Astronauts on the International Space Station have made the first space-baked cookies. They said the chocolate chip cookies looked out of this world. The cookies are the very first kind of food to be baked in space from raw ingredients. Space food is usually made on Earth. It is dehydrated or pre-packaged and then heated or warmed up on the space station. Eating freshly baked food will make astronauts happy. It will be a nice reminder of home. This will be important for astronauts going to the moon or on the long journey to Mars.

Baking the cookies was not as straightforward as the astronauts thought it would be. Cookies take about 20 minutes to bake in an oven heated to 150 degrees. That was not long enough in space. The first cookie came out undercooked. It was more raw dough than cookie. The space bakers turned up the oven's temperature and baked the dough for longer. The fifth cookie they made took 130 minutes to bake. The big question is - how did they taste? No one knows yet. The space-baked cookies are in a laboratory in Texas. Scientists will test them to see if they are safe to eat.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Space-Baked Cookies - Level 0 Space-Baked Cookies - Level 1   or  Space-Baked Cookies - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/nasa-astronauts-cookies-space-iss-international-baking-a9300126.html
  • https://phys.org/news/2020-01-space-baked-cookies-hours-experimental-oven.html
  • https://www.cnet.com/news/first-chocolate-chip-cookies-baked-in-space-have-to-be-vetted-for-safety/


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. Cooking has reached new
  2. the chocolate chip cookies looked
  3. It is dehydrated
  4. heated or
  5. Eating freshly
  6. It will be a nice reminder
  7. This will be important
  8. on the long journey
  1. baked food
  2. for astronauts
  3. out of this world
  4. to Mars
  5. or pre-packaged
  6. heights
  7. of home
  8. warmed up

Paragraph 2

  1. Baking the cookies was not
  2. bake in an oven heated
  3. It was more raw dough
  4. bakers turned up the oven's
  5. baked the dough
  6. The space-baked cookies
  7. Scientists will test
  8. see if they are safe
  1. to 150 degrees
  2. to eat
  3. for longer
  4. them
  5. as straightforward
  6. than cookie
  7. temperature
  8. are in a laboratory

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Cooking has (1) ___________________. Astronauts on the International Space Station have made the first space-baked cookies. They said (2) ___________________ cookies looked out of this world. The cookies are the (3) ___________________ of food to be baked in space from raw ingredients. Space food is usually made on Earth. (4) ___________________ or pre-packaged and then heated or warmed up on the space station. Eating (5) ___________________ will make astronauts happy. It will be a nice reminder of home. This will be important for astronauts going to the moon or on (6) ___________________ to Mars.

Baking the cookies was not (7) ___________________ the astronauts thought it would be. Cookies take about 20 minutes to bake in an (8) ___________________ 150 degrees. That was not long enough in space. The first cookie (9) ___________________. It was more raw dough than cookie. The space bakers turned up the oven's temperature and (10) ___________________ for longer. The fifth cookie they made took 130 minutes to bake. (11) ___________________ is - how did they taste? No one knows yet. The space-baked cookies are in a laboratory in Texas. Scientists will test (12) ___________________ if they are safe to eat.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Cookinghasreachednewheights.AstronautsontheInternationalSpac
eStationhavemadethefirstspace-bakedcookies.Theysaidthechocol
atechipcookieslookedoutofthisworld.Thecookiesaretheveryfirstkind
offoodtobebakedinspacefromrawingredients.Spacefoodisusuallym
adeonEarth.Itisdehydratedorpre-packagedandthenheatedorwarme
duponthespacestation.Eatingfreshlybakedfoodwillmakeastronauts
happy.Itwillbeanicereminderofhome.Thiswillbeimportantforastrona
utsgoingtothemoonoronthelongjourneytoMars.Bakingthecookiesw
asnotasstraightforwardastheastronautsthoughtitwouldbe.Cookiest
akeabout20minutestobakeinanovenheatedto150degrees.Thatwas
notlongenoughinspace.Thefirstcookiecameoutundercooked.Itwas
morerawdoughthancookie.Thespacebakersturneduptheoven'stem
peratureandbakedthedoughforlonger.Thefifthcookietheymadetook
130minutestobake.Thebigquestionis-howdidtheytaste?Noonekno
wsyet.Thespace-bakedcookiesareinalaboratoryinTexas.Scientistsw
illtestthemtoseeiftheyaresafetoeat.

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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