The Reading / Listening - Lobsters and Pain - Level 1

Chefs may have to change how they cook seafood. They will have to stop boiling it alive. New research on animal welfare shows that sea creatures like lobsters and crabs feel pain. The research says they are "sentient beings". This means they feel things like pain, distress and joy. Researchers at the London School of Economics looked at 300 different studies. They concluded that octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, crabs, lobsters and crayfish have feelings.

A researcher of animal sentience commented on the research. He said some sea creatures experience pain more than others. He said the new law means restaurants must change the way they treat and kill sea creatures. They must stop boiling lobsters alive. He also said people need training, so they know how to kill sea creatures without hurting them. The U.K. government said it has very strong protections for animals.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Lobsters and Pain - Level 0 Lobsters and Pain - Level 2   or  Lobsters and Pain - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/can-lobsters-octopuses-feel-pain-scientists-say-yes-uk-listening-rcna6378
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/22/europe/uk-sentient-beings-crabs-octopus-and-lobsters-scn/index.html
  • https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/22/boiling-lobsters-alive-to-be-illegal-as-study-confirms-they-feel-pain-15643209/


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. Chefs may have
  2. how they cook
  3. They will have to stop boiling
  4. New research on animal
  5. sea creatures
  6. crabs feel
  7. pain, distress
  8. 300 different
  1. pain
  2. welfare
  3. to change
  4. studies
  5. it alive
  6. and joy
  7. seafood
  8. like lobsters

Paragraph 2

  1. A researcher of animal
  2. commented
  3. experience pain more
  4. change the way they treat and
  5. They must stop boiling
  6. He also said people
  7. kill sea creatures without
  8. it has very strong
  1. lobsters alive
  2. sentience
  3. need training
  4. protections
  5. kill sea creatures
  6. on the research
  7. than others
  8. hurting them

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Chefs may have (1) ___________________ they cook seafood. They will have to stop (2) ___________________. New research on animal welfare (3) ___________________ creatures like lobsters and crabs feel pain. The research says they are "sentient beings". This means (4) ___________________ like pain, distress and joy. Researchers at the London School of Economics looked at (5) ___________________. They concluded that octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, crabs, lobsters and (6) ___________________.

A researcher of animal sentience (7) ___________________ research. He (8) ___________________ creatures experience pain more than others. He said (9) ___________________ means restaurants must change the (10) ___________________ and kill sea creatures. They must stop boiling lobsters alive. He also said people need training, (11) ___________________ how to kill sea creatures without hurting them. The U.K. government said it (12) ___________________ protections for animals.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Chefsmayhavetochangehowtheycookseafood.Theywillhavetostopb
oilingitalive.Newresearchonanimalwelfareshowsthatseacreaturesli
kelobstersandcrabsfeelpain.Theresearchsaystheyare"sentientbeings".T
hismeanstheyfeelthingslikepain,distressandjoy.ResearchersattheL
ondonSchoolofEconomicslookedat300differentstudies.Theyconclud
edthatoctopuses,squid,cuttlefish,crabs,lobstersandcrayfishhavefee
lings.Aresearcherofanimalsentiencecommentedontheresearch.Hes
aidsomeseacreaturesexperiencepainmorethanothers.Hesaidthene
wlawmeansrestaurantsmustchangethewaytheytreatandkillseacrea
tures.Theymuststopboilinglobstersalive.Healsosaidpeopleneedtrai
ning,sotheyknowhowtokillseacreatureswithouthurtingthem.TheU.K
.governmentsaidithasverystrongprotectionsforanimals.

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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