The Reading / Listening - Shipwrecks - Level 1

Ocean explorers filmed the world's deepest known shipwreck for the first time. The World War II battleship, the USS Johnston, was sunk by the Japanese Navy in 1944. The shipwreck is now on the ocean floor, around 6,456 metres deep. The film crew went down to that incredible depth and darkness in a submersible that can deal with the pressure of the deep ocean. The filming took place during two eight-hour dives.

The lead explorer, Victor Vescovo, was in the US Navy and is an adventurer. He has visited hard-to-get-to places. He is the first person ever to get to the top of all the world's continents, both poles, and the bottom of all the world's oceans. His mission to film the USS Johnston was a personal one. He said: "As a US Navy officer, I'm proud to have helped bring clarity and closure to the USS Johnston."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Shipwrecks - Level 0,  Shipwrecks - Level 2   or  Shipwrecks - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/uss-johnston-worlds-deepest-shipwreck-intl-hnk/index.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/04/us-navy-ship-sunk-nearly-80-years-ago-reached-in-worlds-deepest-shipwreck-dive
  • https://www.navytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2021/04/02/wreck-of-uss-johnston-discovered-77-years-after-its-sinking-at-the-battle-of-leyte-gulf/


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. the world's deepest
  2. The World War II
  3. sunk by the
  4. The shipwreck is now on the ocean
  5. around 6,456 metres
  6. went down to that incredible
  7. the pressure of the deep
  8. filming took place during two
  1. Japanese Navy
  2. deep
  3. eight-hour dives
  4. battleship
  5. ocean
  6. known shipwreck
  7. depth
  8. floor

Paragraph 2

  1. He has visited hard-to-
  2. the first person
  3. the top of all the world's
  4. the bottom of all the
  5. His mission to film
  6. a US Navy
  7. I'm proud to have
  8. bring clarity and
  1. helped
  2. world's oceans
  3. get-to places
  4. closure
  5. officer
  6. ever
  7. continents
  8. the USS Johnston

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ocean explorers (1) ___________________ deepest known shipwreck for the first time. The World War II battleship, the USS Johnston, (2) ___________________ the Japanese Navy in 1944. The shipwreck is now on (3) ___________________, around 6,456 metres deep. The film crew went (4) ___________________ incredible depth and darkness in a submersible that (5) ___________________ the pressure of the deep ocean. The filming (6) ___________________ two eight-hour dives.

The lead explorer, Victor Vescovo, was in the US Navy and (7) ___________________. He has visited hard-to-get-to places. He is the (8) ___________________ to get to the top of all the world's continents, (9) ___________________ the bottom of all the world's oceans. His (10) ___________________ the USS Johnston was (11) ___________________. He said: "As a US Navy officer, I'm proud to have helped bring (12) ___________________ to the USS Johnston."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Oceanexplorersfilmedtheworld'sdeepestknownshipwreckforthefirst
time.TheWorldWarIIbattleship,theUSSJohnston,wassunkbytheJap
aneseNavyin1944.Theshipwreckisnowontheoceanfloor,around6,45
6metresdeep.Thefilmcrewwentdowntothatincredibledepthanddark
nessinasubmersiblethatcandealwiththepressureofthedeepocean.Th
efilmingtookplaceduringtwoeight-hourdives.Theleadexplorer,Victo
rVescovo,wasintheUSNavyandisanadventurer.Hehasvisitedhard-t
o-get-toplaces.Heisthefirstpersonevertogettothetopofalltheworl
d'scontinents,bothpoles,andthebottomofalltheworld'soceans.Hismi
ssiontofilmtheUSSJohnstonwasapersonalone.Hesaid:"AsaUSNavyo
fficer,I'mproudtohavehelpedbringclarityandclosuretotheUSSJohnst
on."

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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