The Reading / Listening - Woolly Mammoths - Level 1

Scientists want to bring back the woolly mammoth. It died out 4,000 years ago. The idea to bring it back is like the movie Jurassic Park. Scientists will use mammoth DNA from bones to clone the giant animal. It would be the first time since the Ice Age for a mammoth to walk on the earth. The lead scientist is an expert in DNA and genes. Ben Lamm, a businessman working on the project, said: "Our goal is to have our first calves in the next…six years."

Mr Lamm created a technology company and gave $15 million for this research. He wants to bring the mammoth back to life and return it to its Arctic home. Mr Lamm thinks new ideas will come from the research. This will make our health care better. He said the project was like the Apollo missions to the moon. They led to the development of technology such as GPS. Mr Lamm believes research into genes will improve our lives.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Woolly Mammoths - Level 0 Woolly Mammoths - Level 2   or  Woolly Mammoths - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/13/firm-bring-back-woolly-mammoth-from-extinction
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/13/world/woolly-mammoth-resurrect-deextinction-scn/index.html
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/13/resurrect-woolly-mammoth-company-plans/8325439002/


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. It died out
  2. Scientists will use mammoth
  3. clone the giant
  4. It would be the first time
  5. walk
  6. The lead scientist is
  7. a businessman working
  8. in the next
  1. animal
  2. on the project
  3. DNA
  4. six years
  5. an expert
  6. since the Ice Age
  7. 4,000 years ago
  8. on the earth

Paragraph 2

  1. gave $15 million
  2. return it to its
  3. new ideas will come
  4. This will make our health
  5. the Apollo missions
  6. technology such
  7. research into
  8. improve our
  1. Arctic home
  2. as GPS
  3. lives
  4. from the research
  5. genes
  6. for this research
  7. to the moon
  8. care better

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists (1) ___________________ back the woolly mammoth. It died out 4,000 years ago. The (2) ___________________ it back is like the movie Jurassic Park. Scientists will use mammoth DNA from (3) ___________________ the giant animal. It would be the first (4) ___________________ Ice Age for a mammoth to walk on the earth. The lead scientist is an expert in DNA and genes. Ben Lamm, a businessman working (5) ___________________, said: "Our goal is to (6) ___________________ calves in the next...six years."

Mr Lamm created a technology (7) ___________________ $15 million for this research. He (8) ___________________ the mammoth back to life and return it to its Arctic home. Mr Lamm thinks new ideas will come (9) ___________________. This will make our health care better. He (10) ___________________ was like the Apollo missions (11) ___________________. They led to the development of technology such as GPS. Mr Lamm believes research into genes will (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistswanttobringbackthewoollymammoth.Itdiedout4,000year
sago.TheideatobringitbackislikethemovieJurassicPark.Scientistswill
usemammothDNAfrombonestoclonethegiantanimal.Itwouldbethefi
rsttimesincetheIceAgeforamammothtowalkontheearth.Theleadscie
ntistisanexpertinDNAandgenes.BenLamm,abusinessmanworkingo
ntheproject,said:"Ourgoalistohaveourfirstcalvesinthenext...sixyear
s."MrLammcreatedatechnologycompanyandgave$15millionforthisr
esearch.HewantstobringthemammothbacktolifeandreturnittoitsArc
tichome.MrLammthinksnewideaswillcomefromtheresearch.Thiswill
makeourhealthcarebetter.HesaidtheprojectwasliketheApollomissio
nstothemoon.TheyledtothedevelopmentoftechnologysuchasGPS.M
rLammbelievesresearchintogeneswillimproveourlives.

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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