The Reading / Listening - Pigs - Level 0

Pigs are intelligent and can play video games. Researchers tested their gaming skills. The researchers got four pigs to play a simple game at different levels. They moved a joystick with their nose to move a cursor. If they did it, they got a treat. The lead researcher said the pigs could understand what to do.

The pigs spent many days playing the game on three different levels. The higher levels had nicer treats. A scientist said: "The pigs clearly understood the connection between their own behavior, the joystick, and what was happening on the screen." The researchers want to understand how pigs learn and understand.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pigs - Level 1,  Pigs - Level 2   or  Pigs - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pigs-can-learn-play-video-games-if-tempted-treats-180977018/
  • https://theconversation.com/pigs-can-play-video-games-scientists-discover-154993
  • https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/pig-intelligence


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. Pigs are
  2. play
  3. Researchers tested their gaming
  4. play a simple
  5. at different
  6. They moved
  7. move a
  8. understand what
  1. a joystick
  2. skills
  3. levels
  4. to do
  5. cursor
  6. intelligent
  7. video games
  8. game

Paragraph 2

  1. The pigs spent many
  2. on three different
  3. The higher levels had nicer
  4. The pigs clearly
  5. their own
  6. what was happening
  7. The researchers want
  8. how pigs learn
  1. treats
  2. to understand how
  3. behavior
  4. and understand
  5. days playing
  6. levels
  7. on the screen
  8. understood

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Pigs are intelligent (1) ___________________ video games. Researchers (2) ___________________ skills. The researchers got four (3) ___________________ a simple game at different levels. They moved a joystick (4) ___________________ to move a cursor. If they did it, they (5) __________________. The lead researcher (6) ___________________ could understand what to do.

The pigs (7) ___________________ playing the game on three different levels. The higher levels (8) ___________________. A scientist said: "(9) ___________________ understood the connection between (10) ___________________, the joystick, and what was happening (11) ___________________." The researchers want to understand (12) ___________________ and understand.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Pigsareintelligentandcanplayvideogames.Researcherstestedtheirg
amingskills.Theresearchersgotfourpigstoplayasimplegameatdiffere
ntlevels.Theymovedajoystickwiththeirnosetomoveacursor.Iftheydi
dit,theygotatreat.Theleadresearchersaidthepigscouldunderstandw
hattodo.Thepigsspentmanydaysplayingthegameonthreedifferentle
vels.Thehigherlevelshadnicertreats.Ascientistsaid:"Thepigsclearlyu
nderstoodtheconnectionbetweentheirownbehavior,thejoystick,and
whatwashappeningonthescreen."Theresearcherswanttounderstan
dhowpigslearnandunderstand.

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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