The Reading / Listening - Artificial Sun - Level 2

China set a record for the highest heat ever recorded. Scientists created a 70,000,000ºC "artificial sun". The record was for keeping the heat at a temperature five times hotter than the sun for more than 17 minutes. The heat was created in a nuclear fusion reactor. The reactor is part of a project called EAST. It reproduces the reactions that happen inside our sun. The scientists are developing the artificial sun to get a near-endless supply of clean energy. The EAST project has cost more than $950 billion. That will be over $1 trillion later this year.

Scientists have tried for decades to develop nuclear fusion. It is the best way to produce clean energy. The process needs no fossil fuels and leaves no dangerous waste. If scientists can make it work, the world will be greener and cleaner. It could also mean lower fuel bills. Nuclear fusion technology is still not advanced enough to be a global industry. However, a nuclear fusion expert says the EAST project is an important step. He said: "The recent operation lays a solid scientific and experimental foundation towards the running of a fusion reactor."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Artificial Sun - Level 0 Artificial Sun - Level 1   or  Artificial Sun - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.china.org.cn/china/2022-01/01/content_77964589.htm
  • https://news.yahoo.com/china-switches-artificial-sun-five-105253561.html
  • http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20211231/415ad5413d0f4f4880de7cb64972bbf0/c.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. China set
  2. at a temperature five times
  3. The reactor is part of a project
  4. the reactions that happen
  5. The scientists are developing the
  6. a near-endless supply
  7. cost more than
  8. That will be over $1 trillion
  1. later this year
  2. called EAST
  3. artificial sun
  4. $950 billion
  5. hotter
  6. a record
  7. of clean energy
  8. inside our sun

Paragraph 2

  1. Scientists have tried
  2. develop nuclear
  3. It is the best way to
  4. The process needs no fossil
  5. If scientists can make
  6. It could also mean lower
  7. the EAST project is an
  8. a solid scientific and experimental
  1. important step
  2. fuels
  3. foundation
  4. fusion
  5. produce clean energy
  6. it work
  7. for decades
  8. fuel bills

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

China (1) ___________________ for the highest heat ever recorded. Scientists created a 70,000,000ºC "artificial sun". The record was (2) ___________________ heat at a temperature five times hotter than the sun for more than 17 minutes. The heat (3) ___________________ a nuclear fusion reactor. The reactor is part of (4) ___________________ EAST. It reproduces the reactions that happen inside our sun. The scientists are developing the artificial (5) ___________________ a near-endless supply of clean energy. The EAST project has cost more than $950 billion. That will be over $1 trillion (6) ___________________.

Scientists have (7) ___________________ to develop nuclear fusion. It is the best way to produce clean energy. The process needs (8) ___________________ and leaves no dangerous waste. If scientists can make it work, the world will be (9) ___________________. It could also mean lower fuel bills. Nuclear fusion technology is still (10) ___________________ to be a global industry. However, a nuclear (11) ___________________ the EAST project is an important step. He said: "The recent operation lays a solid scientific and experimental foundation towards the (12) ___________________ fusion reactor."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Chinasetarecordforthehighestheateverrecorded.Scientistscreateda
70,000,000ºC"artificialsun".Therecordwasforkeepingtheheatatate
mperaturefivetimeshotterthanthesunformorethan17minutes.Theh
eatwascreatedinanuclearfusionreactor.Thereactorispartofaprojectc
alledEAST.Itreproducesthereactionsthathappeninsideoursun.Thesc
ientistsaredevelopingtheartificialsuntogetanear-endlesssupplyofcl
eanenergy.TheEASTprojecthascostmorethan$950billion.Thatwillbe
over$1trillionlaterthisyear.Scientistshavetriedfordecadestodevelop
nuclearfusion.Itisthebestwaytoproducecleanenergy.Theprocessnee
dsnofossilfuelsandleavesnodangerouswaste.Ifscientistscanmakeit
work,theworldwillbegreenerandcleaner.Itcouldalsomeanlowerfuelb
ills.Nuclearfusiontechnologyisstillnotadvancedenoughtobeaglobalin
dustry.However,anuclearfusionexpertsaystheEASTprojectisanimpo
rtantstep.Hesaid:"Therecentoperationlaysasolidscientificandexperi
mentalfoundationtowardstherunningofafusionreactor."

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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