The Reading / Listening - Pig-heart Transplant - Level 1

Doctors transplanted a pig's heart into a man for the first time. The man is 57 and was very ill. The pig's heart was his only chance of staying alive. He is doing well after his operation. He spoke to doctors before the operation. He said: "It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live." The pig's heart came from a genetically-modified pig. Scientists changed the pig's genes so it would work in a human.

The transplant took seven hours. Scientists have been researching animal organ transplants for many years. There could be more transplants in the future. It could bring the world, "one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis". The man's doctor said animal organs give people, "an important new option…in the future." The man hopes his transplant will let him live longer. He said: "I look forward to getting out of bed after I recover."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pig-heart Transplant - Level 0 Pig-heart Transplant - Level 2   or  Pig-heart Transplant - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59944889
  • https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/breakthrough-pig-heart-transplant-performed-in-us-20220111-p59ncw.html
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/us-surgeons-successfully-implant-pig-heart-into-a-human-with-end-stage-heart-disease


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. for the first
  2. his only chance
  3. He spoke to doctors before
  4. It was either die or
  5. I want
  6. came from a genetically-
  7. Scientists changed the
  8. it would work
  1. do this transplant
  2. pig's genes
  3. to live
  4. in a human
  5. of staying alive
  6. the operation
  7. time
  8. modified pig

Paragraph 2

  1. The transplant took
  2. researching animal
  3. for many
  4. There could be more
  5. in the
  6. solving the organ shortage
  7. let him live
  8. I look forward to getting
  1. transplants
  2. out of bed
  3. seven hours
  4. crisis
  5. organ transplants
  6. future
  7. years
  8. longer

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Doctors transplanted a pig's heart (1) ___________________ for the first time. The man is 57 and (2) ___________________. The pig's heart was (3) ___________________ of staying alive. He is doing well after his operation. He spoke to doctors before the operation. He said: "It was (4) ___________________ do this transplant. I want to live." The pig's heart came from a (5) ___________________. Scientists changed the pig's genes so it would work (6) ___________________.

The transplant (7) ___________________. Scientists have been researching animal organ transplants (8) ___________________. There could be more transplants (9) ___________________. It could bring the world, "one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis". The (10) ___________________ animal organs give people, "an important new option...in the future." The man hopes his transplant (11) ___________________ live longer. He said: "I look forward (12) ___________________ of bed after I recover."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Doctorstransplantedapig'sheartintoamanforthefirsttime.Themanis
57andwasveryill.Thepig'sheartwashisonlychanceofstayingalive.Hei
sdoingwellafterhisoperation.Hespoketodoctorsbeforetheoperation.
Hesaid:"Itwaseitherdieordothistransplant.Iwanttolive."Thepig'shea
rtcamefromagenetically-modifiedpig.Scientistschangedthepig'sge
nessoitwouldworkinahuman.Thetransplanttooksevenhours.Scienti
stshavebeenresearchinganimalorgantransplantsformanyyears.The
recouldbemoretransplantsinthefuture.Itcouldbringtheworld,"onest
epclosertosolvingtheorganshortagecrisis".Theman'sdoctorsaidani
malorgansgivepeople,"animportantnewoption...inthefuture."Them
anhopeshistransplantwilllethimlivelonger.Hesaid:"Ilookforwardtog
ettingoutofbedafterIrecover."

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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