The Reading / Listening - Astronomy - Level 1

A French photographer won a photo contest - the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. This is run by the UK's Royal Observatory. Nicolas Lefaudeux won $17,000 for his photo of our closest galaxy - Andromeda. This is two million light years from Earth. He used a special technique to take his photo. It makes Andromeda look really close to us. In the photo, we can clearly see the bright galaxy in the darkness of space, surrounded by other stars.

Mr Lefaudeux is a famous photographer. His photo is titled "Andromeda Galaxy at Arm's Length". It beat thousands of other photos. Lefaudeux was very surprised at winning the top prize. He said: "I was really not expecting to be the overall winner. I had some hopes for being placed in the galaxy category." He joked that he was "over the Moon" when he got the news. Reporters said he could now "reach for the stars".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Astronomy - Level 0,  Astronomy - Level 2   or  Astronomy - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.livescience.com/astronomy-photography-contest-greenwich-winners.html
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/09/10/stunning-photograph-of-a-socially-distanced-andromeda-galaxy-scoops-13000-prize/
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8722329/Stunning-image-Andromeda-galaxy-takes-prize-astronomy-photographer-year-2020.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A French photographer won
  2. his photo of our closest
  3. two million light
  4. He used a special technique
  5. It makes Andromeda look
  6. we can clearly see the
  7. in the darkness
  8. surrounded by
  1. bright galaxy
  2. of space
  3. a photo contest
  4. other stars
  5. to take his photo
  6. galaxy
  7. really close to us
  8. years from Earth

Paragraph 2

  1. Mr Lefaudeux is a famous
  2. His photo
  3. It beat thousands
  4. surprised at winning
  5. be the overall
  6. He joked that he was over the
  7. when he got the
  8. reach for
  1. the stars
  2. of other photos
  3. winner
  4. news
  5. photographer
  6. is titled
  7. Moon
  8. the top prize

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A French photographer won (1) ___________________ - the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. This (2) ___________________ the UK's Royal Observatory. Nicolas Lefaudeux won $17,000 for his photo of (3) ___________________ - Andromeda. This is two million light years from Earth. He used (4) ___________________ to take his photo. It makes Andromeda look (5) ___________________ us. In the photo, we can clearly see the bright galaxy in the darkness of space, surrounded (6) ___________________.

Mr Lefaudeux (7) ___________________ photographer. His photo is titled "Andromeda Galaxy at Arm's Length". (8) ___________________ of other photos. Lefaudeux was very surprised (9) ___________________ top prize. He said: "I was really not expecting to be (10) ___________________. I had some hopes for being (11) ___________________ galaxy category." He joked that he was "over the Moon" when he got the news. Reporters said he could now "(12) ___________________ stars".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AFrenchphotographerwonaphotocontest-theAstronomyPhotograp
heroftheYearcompetition.ThisisrunbytheUK'sRoyalObservatory.Nic
olasLefaudeuxwon$17,000forhisphotoofourclosestgalaxy-Andro
meda.ThisistwomillionlightyearsfromEarth.Heusedaspecialtechniq
uetotakehisphoto.ItmakesAndromedalookreallyclosetous.Inthepho
to,wecanclearlyseethebrightgalaxyinthedarknessofspace,surround
edbyotherstars.MrLefaudeuxisafamousphotographer.Hisphotoistitl
ed"AndromedaGalaxyatArm'sLength".Itbeatthousandsofotherphot
os.Lefaudeuxwasverysurprisedatwinningthetopprize.Hesaid:"Iwas
reallynotexpectingtobetheoverallwinner.Ihadsomehopesforbeingpl
acedinthegalaxycategory."Hejokedthathewas"overtheMoon"whenh
egotthenews.Reporterssaidhecouldnow"reachforthestars".

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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