The Reading / Listening - Human Teeth - Level 2

Researchers have discovered how humans got teeth. The researchers are from Sweden. They say that human teeth "first evolved 400 million years ago". They believe our teeth came from an ancient fish. They studied a fossil of the fish. It was difficult to study because the fish is inside rock. They had to use the strongest X-ray machine in the world to "digitally dissect" the fish. The researchers found that the fish's teeth were very similar to human teeth. They also said humans and 60,000 species of vertebrates with jaws living on Earth today come from this fish.

The researchers say the fish was one of the earliest jawed vertebrates with teeth. They were excited at how similar its teeth were to ours. A co-author of the study said: "These findings change our whole understanding of the origin of teeth." He said: "Their jawbones...seem to be directly ancestral to our own. When you grin at the bathroom mirror in the morning, the teeth that grin back at you can trace their origins right back to [that fish]." Another researcher said: "Nobody expected to find teeth so deep on the evolutionary tree."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Human Teeth - Level 0 Human Teeth - Level 1   or  Human Teeth - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8506673/Human-teeth-evolved-400-million-years-ago-strange-armoured-fish.html
  • https://www.inverse.com/science/miniature-ancient-reptile-discovery
  • https://www.earth.com/news/the-origin-of-human-teeth-dates-back-400-million-years/


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. discovered how humans
  2. The researchers are
  3. human teeth first evolved
  4. our teeth came from
  5. They studied a fossil
  6. It was difficult
  7. the fish's teeth were very similar
  8. 60,000 species of
  1. vertebrates
  2. an ancient fish
  3. to study
  4. to human teeth
  5. got teeth
  6. 400 million years ago
  7. of the fish
  8. from Sweden

Paragraph 2

  1. one of the earliest
  2. how similar its teeth
  3. change our whole
  4. you grin at the
  5. the teeth that grin
  6. trace their origins right back
  7. Nobody expected to find
  8. on the evolutionary
  1. to that fish
  2. understanding
  3. tree
  4. jawed vertebrates
  5. teeth so deep
  6. back at you
  7. were to ours
  8. bathroom mirror

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Researchers (1) ___________________ humans got teeth. The researchers are from Sweden. They say that human teeth "(2) ___________________ million years ago". They believe our teeth came from an ancient fish. They (3) ___________________ of the fish. It was difficult to study because the fish is inside rock. They had to use (4) ___________________ machine in the world to "digitally dissect" the fish. The researchers found that the fish's teeth were (5) ___________________ human teeth. They also said humans and (6) ___________________ vertebrates with jaws living on Earth today come from this fish.

The researchers say the fish was one (7) ___________________ jawed vertebrates with teeth. They were excited (8) ___________________ its teeth were to ours. A co-author of the study said: "These findings (9) ___________________ understanding of the (10) ___________________." He said: "Their jawbones...seem to be directly ancestral to our own. When you grin at the bathroom mirror in the morning, the teeth that grin back at you can (11) ___________________ right back to [that fish]." Another researcher said: "Nobody expected to find teeth (12) ___________________ the evolutionary tree."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Researchershavediscoveredhowhumansgotteeth.Theresearchersar
efromSweden.Theysaythathumanteeth"firstevolved400millionyear
sago".Theybelieveourteethcamefromanancientfish.Theystudiedafo
ssilofthefish.Itwasdifficulttostudybecausethefishisinsiderock.Theyh
adtousethestrongestX-raymachineintheworldto"digitallydissect"th
efish.Theresearchersfoundthatthefish'steethwereverysimilartohum
anteeth.Theyalsosaidhumansand60,000speciesofvertebrateswithj
awslivingonEarthtodaycomefromthisfish.Theresearcherssaythefish
wasoneoftheearliestjawedvertebrateswithteeth.Theywereexcitedat
howsimilaritsteethweretoours.Aco-authorofthestudysaid:"Thesefin
dingschangeourwholeunderstandingoftheoriginofteeth."Hesaid:"T
heirjawbones...seemtobedirectlyancestraltoourown.Whenyougrina
tthebathroommirrorinthemorning,theteeththatgrinbackatyoucantr
acetheiroriginsrightbackto[thatfish]."Anotherresearchersaid:"Nob
odyexpectedtofindteethsodeepontheevolutionarytree."

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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