The Reading / Listening - Forgetting - Level 2

Some people are forgetful, while others can remember everything. Scientists know a lot about how the brain remembers facts and experiences. There is little research on how the brain forgets things. A new study looked at this. Researchers from the USA studied how the brain forgets things. The researchers study the brain and how it thinks and works. Their research may help people with memory problems. It may also help people who have depression and dementia. The lead scientist said: "It may sound surprising that people can control what and how they forget."

The scientist said forgetting was important. She said it keeps the brain working smoothly. The research found how people removed information from their brain. The researchers said we can remove information from our minds. This is important to be able to focus on important tasks. Although we can control what we forget, the act of forgetting needs a lot of effort. Another researcher said that forgetting "no-longer-relevant information" is useful, "but it doesn't happen automatically". Researchers will now look at why we forget simple things like where we left our keys.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Forgetting - Level 0 Forgetting - Level 1   or  Forgetting - Level 3

Sources
  • https://neurosciencenews.com/memory-removal-22884/
  • https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-science-of-why-youre-already-forgetting-all-your-covid-memories.html
  • https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/572840


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. Some people are
  2. how the brain remembers facts
  3. There is little
  4. help people with memory
  5. help people who have depression
  6. The lead
  7. It may sound
  8. people can control what and
  1. and dementia
  2. surprising
  3. and experiences
  4. how they forget
  5. research on how
  6. problems
  7. forgetful
  8. scientist

Paragraph 2

  1. The scientist said forgetting
  2. it keeps the brain working
  3. how people removed information
  4. we can remove information
  5. be able to focus
  6. the act of forgetting needs
  7. look at why we forget
  8. where we left
  1. from their brain
  2. from our minds
  3. our keys
  4. a lot of effort
  5. simple things
  6. smoothly
  7. was important
  8. on important tasks

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Some (1) ___________________, while others can remember everything. Scientists know (2) ___________________ how the brain remembers facts and experiences. There is little research on how the brain forgets things. A new study (3) ___________________. Researchers from the USA studied how the brain forgets things. The researchers study the brain and how it (4) ___________________. Their research may help people with memory problems. It may also help people (5) ___________________ and dementia. The lead scientist said: "It may sound surprising that people (6) ___________________ and how they forget."

The (7) ___________________ was important. She said it keeps the brain working smoothly. The research found (8) ___________________ information from their brain. The researchers said we can remove information (9) ___________________. This is important to be able to focus on important tasks. Although we can control what we forget, (10) ___________________ forgetting needs a lot of effort. Another researcher said that forgetting "no-longer-relevant information" is useful, "but (11) ___________________ automatically". Researchers will now look at why we forget simple things like where we (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Somepeopleareforgetful,whileotherscanremembereverything.Scie
ntistsknowalotabouthowthebrainremembersfactsandexperiences.T
hereislittleresearchonhowthebrainforgetsthings.Anewstudylookeda
tthis.ResearchersfromtheUSAstudiedhowthebrainforgetsthings.Th
eresearchersstudythebrainandhowitthinksandworks.Theirresearch
mayhelppeoplewithmemoryproblems.Itmayalsohelppeoplewhohav
edepressionanddementia.Theleadscientistsaid:"Itmaysoundsurpris
ingthatpeoplecancontrolwhatandhowtheyforget."Thescientistsaidf
orgettingwasimportant.Shesaiditkeepsthebrainworkingsmoothly.T
heresearchfoundhowpeopleremovedinformationfromtheirbrain.The
researcherssaidwecanremoveinformationfromourminds.Thisisimpo
rtanttobeabletofocusonimportanttasks.Althoughwecancontrolwhat
weforget,theactofforgettingneedsalotofeffort.Anotherresearchersai
dthatforgetting"no-longer-relevantinformation"isuseful,"butitdoes
n'thappenautomatically".Researcherswillnowlookatwhyweforgetsi
mplethingslikewhereweleftourkeys.

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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