The Reading / Listening - Dangerous Places - Level 4

Fossil experts found what they think is the most dangerous place in the history of Earth. It is not a crime-ridden area or a war zone. It is an area of the Sahara Desert near the Morocco-Algeria border. It was a scary place 100 million years ago. The experts said it was full of terrifying and ferocious predators, like those from Jurassic Park. They said it was the "most dangerous place in the history of planet Earth". They base this on fossils found in ancient rocks.

A professor called the research, "the most comprehensive piece of work on fossil vertebrates from the Sahara in almost a century". He said: "This place was filled with absolutely enormous fish...five times larger than today's." He said they had "fearsome" teeth. Dr Nizar Ibrahim, lead author of the report, said it was a very inhospitable place, "where a human time-traveller would not last very long". It provides "a window into Africa's age of dinosaurs".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Dangerous Places - Level 5 or  Dangerous Places - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.newsweek.com/prehistoric-sahara-ferocious-predators-dangerous-place-earth-1500389
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/palaeontologists-say-ancient-sahara-was-most-dangerous-place-in-earth-s-history
  • http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/kem-kem-predators-08367.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. Fossil
  2. It is not a crime-
  3. a war
  4. It is an area
  5. near the Morocco-
  6. ferocious
  7. in the history of
  8. fossils found
  1. zone
  2. planet Earth
  3. Algeria border
  4. in ancient rocks
  5. predators
  6. ridden area
  7. experts
  8. of the Sahara

Paragraph 2

  1. the most comprehensive
  2. filled with absolutely
  3. five times large
  4. they had "fearsome"
  5. lead
  6. it was a very inhospitable
  7. a human time-
  8. Africa's age
  1. traveller
  2. author of the report
  3. piece of work
  4. of dinosaurs
  5. than today's
  6. teeth
  7. place
  8. enormous fish

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Fossil experts found (1) ___________________ is the most dangerous place in the history of Earth. It is (2) ___________________ area or a war zone. It is (3) ___________________ the Sahara Desert near the Morocco-Algeria border. It was (4) ___________________ 100 million years ago. The (5) ___________________ was full of terrifying and ferocious predators, like those from Jurassic Park. They said it was the "most dangerous place in the history of planet Earth". They base this on fossils found (6) ___________________.

A professor (7) ___________________, "the most comprehensive piece of work on fossil vertebrates from the Sahara in (8) ___________________". He said: "This place (9) ___________________ absolutely enormous fish...five times larger than today's." He said they (10) ___________________. Dr Nizar Ibrahim, lead author of the report, said it was a (11) ___________________, "where a human time-traveller would not last very long". It provides "a window into Africa's (12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Fossilexpertsfoundwhattheythinkisthemostdangerousplaceinthehis
toryofEarth.Itisnotacrime-riddenareaorawarzone.Itisanareaofth
eSaharaDesertneartheMorocco-Algeriaborder.Itwasascaryplace10
0millionyearsago.Theexpertssaiditwasfullofterrifyingandferociousp
redators,likethosefromJurassicPark.Theysaiditwasthe"mostdanger
ousplaceinthehistoryofplanetEarth".Theybasethisonfossilsfoundina
ncientrocks.Aprofessorcalledtheresearch,"themostcomprehensive
pieceofworkonfossilvertebratesfromtheSaharainalmostacentury".H
esaid:"Thisplacewasfilledwithabsolutelyenormousfish...fivetimesla
rgethantoday's."Hesaidtheyhad"fearsome"teeth.DrNizarIbrahim,le
adauthorofthereport,saiditwasaveryinhospitableplace,"whereahum
antime-travellerwouldnotlastverylong".Itprovides"awindowintoA
frica'sageofdinosaurs".

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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