The Reading / Listening - Xenobots - Level 0

A new robot can create baby robots. It's like science fiction. In 2020, scientists made the world's first "living" robot. It came from stem cells of an African frog. The new "xenobots" are less than one millimetre wide. They work in groups, and repair themselves. They don't look like robots. They are a machine-animal hybrid.

Researchers created a C-shaped robot. The inside of the "C" is the xenobot's mouth. It collects cells in its mouth and these become baby xenobots. This new technology could change our lives. They could repair our body and clean up plastic in the oceans. There are many benefits, but people are worried the robots can have babies.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Xenobots - Level 1 Xenobots - Level 2   or  Xenobots - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/29/americas/xenobots-self-replicating-robots-scn/index.html
  • https://inews.co.uk/news/scientists-create-worlds-first-reproductive-robots-1325805
  • https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/11/xenobots-reproduce/


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's like science
  2. scientists made the world's first
  3. It came from stem
  4. an African
  5. less than one millimetre
  6. They work in
  7. They don't look
  8. They are a machine-
  1. groups
  2. cells
  3. animal hybrid
  4. "living" robot
  5. fiction
  6. like robots
  7. wide
  8. frog

Paragraph 2

  1. Researchers created a C-
  2. The inside
  3. It collects cells in
  4. these become baby
  5. This new technology could
  6. They could repair our
  7. clean up plastic in
  8. There are many benefits, but
  1. xenobots
  2. people are worried
  3. of the "C"
  4. body
  5. shaped robot
  6. the oceans
  7. its mouth
  8. change our lives

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A (1) ___________________ create baby robots. It's (2) ___________________. In 2020, scientists made the world's (3) ___________________. It came from stem cells of an African frog. The new "xenobots" are (4) ___________________ millimetre wide. They (5) ___________________, and repair themselves. They don't look like robots. They are a (6) ___________________.

Researchers created (7) ___________________. The inside of the "C" is (8) ___________________. It collects cells in its mouth and (9) ___________________ xenobots. This new technology could (10) ___________________. They could repair our body and (11) ___________________ in the oceans. There are many benefits, but (12) ___________________ the robots can have babies.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anewrobotcancreatebabyrobots.It'slikesciencefiction.In2020,scien
tistsmadetheworld'sfirst"living"robot.ItcamefromstemcellsofanAfri
canfrog.Thenew"xenobots"arelessthanonemillimetrewide.Theywor
kingroups,andrepairthemselves.Theydon'tlooklikerobots.Theyarea
machine-animalhybrid.ResearcherscreatedaC-shapedrobot.Theins
ideofthe"C"isthexenobot'smouth.Itcollectscellsinitsmouthandthese
becomebabyxenobots.Thisnewtechnologycouldchangeourlives.The
ycouldrepairourbodyandcleanupplasticintheoceans.Therearemany
benefits,butpeopleareworriedtherobotscanhavebabies.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You