The Reading / Listening - Eating Bugs - Level 5

Bugs have become a familiar sight on dinner tables. They are a great source of protein. People are worried about the damage traditional livestock farming does to the environment, as it is generally unsustainable. Insect farming is more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of insect protein needs about 10 per cent of the resources used to produce the same amount of beef. We may have to eat insects in the future. This is because of the increasing world population. By 2050 this is expected to be 9.8 billion, up from the current 7.7 billion.

The insect farming industry is growing, with hundreds of companies creating meals made from bugs. Supermarkets around the world now stock food made from insects. There are vending machines in Japan where you can buy a can of insect snacks, such as dried tarantula and scorpions. However, not everyone is excited by the idea of insects as food. An Israeli insect farmer says there is a "yuck factor" to this. He said people will get used to the idea and will find insects tasty. He said: "I am convinced it will soon be widely accepted, just like eating raw fish in sushi was embraced."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Eating Bugs - Level 4 or  Eating Bugs - Level 6

Sources
    https://theconversation.com/more-people-are-eating-bugs-but-is-it-ethical-to-farm-insects-for-food-167248 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58636969 https://sunlive.co.nz/news/277465-study-finds-kiwis-keen-on-eating-insects.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 familiar sight
  2. They are a great source
  3. People are worried
  4. traditional livestock
  5. it is generally
  6. more environmentally
  7. produce the same amount
  8. the increasing world
  1. of beef
  2. about the damage
  3. friendly
  4. population
  5. of protein
  6. farming
  7. unsustainable
  8. on dinner tables

Paragraph 2

  1. The insect farming
  2. stock food
  3. vending
  4. you can buy a can
  5. excited by the idea
  6. there is a yuck
  7. I am convinced it will soon be widely
  8. just like eating raw
  1. fish in sushi
  2. of insect snacks
  3. factor to this
  4. accepted
  5. made from insects
  6. of insects as food
  7. industry is growing
  8. machines

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Bugs have become (1) ___________________ on dinner tables. They are a (2) ___________________ protein. People are worried about the damage traditional livestock farming does to the environment, as it (3) ___________________. Insect farming is more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of (4) ___________________ about 10 per cent of the resources used to produce the same (5) ___________________. We may have to eat insects in the future. This is because of the increasing world population. By 2050 this is expected to be 9.8 billion, up (6) ___________________ 7.7 billion.

The insect farming (7) ___________________, with hundreds of companies creating meals made from bugs. Supermarkets around the world now (8) ___________________ from insects. There are vending machines in Japan where you can buy a can of insect snacks, (9) ___________________ tarantula and scorpions. However, not everyone is excited by the idea of insects as food. An Israeli insect farmer says there is (10) ___________________ to this. He said people will get used to the idea and will find insects tasty. He said: "(11) ___________________ it will soon be widely accepted, just like eating raw fish in (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Bugshavebecomeafamiliarsightondinnertables.Theyareagreatsourc
eofprotein.Peopleareworriedaboutthedamagetraditionallivestockfa
rmingdoestotheenvironment,asitisgenerallyunsustainable.Insectfa
rmingismoreenvironmentallyfriendly.Onekilogramofinsectproteinn
eedsabout10percentoftheresourcesusedtoproducethesameamount
ofbeef.Wemayhavetoeatinsectsinthefuture.Thisisbecauseoftheincr
easingworldpopulation.By2050thisisexpectedtobe9.8billion,upfrom
thecurrent7.7billion.Theinsectfarmingindustryisgrowing,withhundr
edsofcompaniescreatingmealsmadefrombugs.Supermarketsaroun
dtheworldnowstockfoodmadefrominsects.Therearevendingmachin
esinJapanwhereyoucanbuyacanofinsectsnacks,suchasdriedtarantul
aandscorpions.However,noteveryoneisexcitedbytheideaofinsectsa
sfood.AnIsraeliinsectfarmersaysthereisa"yuckfactor"tothis.Hesaidp
eoplewillgetusedtotheideaandwillfindinsectstasty.Hesaid:"Iamconv
inceditwillsoonbewidelyaccepted,justlikeeatingrawfishinsushiwase
mbraced."

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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