The Reading / Listening - Earth's Core - Level 5

We know little about the centre of Earth. Geologists believed our planet had just one core – a hot mass of molten rock and gas surrounded by a rock mantle. The mantle is a ring between the earth's crust and core. The core is 2,900 kilometres below Earth's surface. It has a radius of around 3,485 kilometres. Scientists have found that there may be a second core. Geophysicist Sunyoung Park analyzed data from a 560-km-deep earthquake. Her calculations showed the possibility of a second core. It consists of a layer of fluid rock at the bottom of the mantle.

Dr Park studied the earthquake and explained what intrigued her about Earth's core. She said: "There's still a lot we don't know about it. There's a lot more we can learn by using deep earthquakes." Park explained the importance of understanding more about the core. She said: "We want to know exactly how fast the mantle flows because that influences the evolution of the entire Earth. It affects how much heat the planet retains for how long….Our current understanding is very limited and includes a lot of assumptions."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Earth's Core - Level 4 or  Earth's Core - Level 6

Sources
  • https://scitechdaily.com/deep-earthquakes-reveal-shocking-secrets-of-the-inner-earth/
  • https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/earth-two-cores-scientists
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/after-a-20-year-search-scientists-have-finally-found-earths-true-innermost-core


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 hot mass
  2. a ring between the earth's
  3. 2,900 kilometres below
  4. It has a radius of around
  5. there may
  6. data from a 560-km-
  7. calculations showed the possibility
  8. It consists of a layer of fluid
  1. deep earthquake
  2. Earth's surface
  3. rock
  4. of molten rock
  5. of a second core
  6. crust and core
  7. be a second core
  8. 3,485 kilometres

Paragraph 2

  1. what intrigued her
  2. we can learn by
  3. the importance of
  4. know exactly how
  5. that influences the evolution
  6. how much heat
  7. Our current understanding
  8. a lot of
  1. the planet retains
  2. fast the mantle flows
  3. assumptions
  4. understanding more
  5. is very limited
  6. using deep earthquakes
  7. of the entire Earth
  8. about Earth's core

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

We know little (1) ___________________ of Earth. Geologists believed our planet had just one core – a hot (2) ___________________ rock and gas surrounded by a rock mantle. The mantle is a ring between the earth's (3) ___________________. The core is 2,900 kilometres below Earth's surface. It (4) ___________________ of around 3,485 kilometres. Scientists have found that there may be a second core. Geophysicist Sunyoung Park (5) ___________________ a 560-km-deep earthquake. Her calculations showed the possibility of a second core. It consists of a layer of (6) ___________________ the bottom of the mantle.

Dr Park studied the earthquake and explained (7) ___________________ about Earth's core. She said: "There's still a lot we don't know about it. There's a lot more we can learn (8) ___________________ earthquakes." Park explained the importance of understanding more about the core. She said: "We want to know exactly how fast (9) ___________________ because that influences the evolution (10) ___________________ Earth. It affects how much heat the planet (11) ___________________ long….Our current understanding is very limited and includes a (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

WeknowlittleaboutthecentreofEarth.Geologistsbelievedourplaneth
adjustonecore–ahotmassofmoltenrockandgassurroundedbyaroc
kmantle.Themantleisaringbetweentheearth'scrustandcore.Thecore
is2,900kilometresbelowEarth'ssurface.Ithasaradiusofaround3,485
kilometres.Scientistshavefoundthattheremaybeasecondcore.Geop
hysicistSunyoungParkanalyzeddatafroma560-km-deepearthquak
e.Hercalculationsshowedthepossibilityofasecondcore.Itconsistsofal
ayeroffluidrockatthebottomofthemantle.DrParkstudiedtheearthqua
keandexplainedwhatintriguedheraboutEarth'score.Shesaid:"There'
sstillalotwedon'tknowaboutit.There'salotmorewecanlearnbyusingd
eepearthquakes."Parkexplainedtheimportanceofunderstandingmor
eaboutthecore.Shesaid:"Wewanttoknowexactlyhowfastthemantlefl
owsbecausethatinfluencestheevolutionoftheentireEarth.Itaffectsho
wmuchheattheplanetretainsforhowlong….Ourcurrentunderstandin
gisverylimitedandincludesalotofassumptions."

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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