The Reading / Listening - Isolation - Level 5

An athlete has just spent a record-breaking 500 days alone in a cave. Beatriz Flamini, 50, is an extreme mountaineer. She took part in a study to examine the effects of extreme isolation and deprivation on health. She lived in solitude in a cave 70 metres deep. She started her solitary endeavour in November 2021 and emerged from her underground abode last Friday. After resurfacing, she had health check-ups from a doctor and a psychologist. Rather than have a shower, she answered reporters' questions in a press conference.

Ms Flamini was smiling as she explained that time had flown by. She was surprised when scientists told her the 500 days had ended. She was regularly monitored by psychologists, but had no contact with anyone else. She said she lost track of time after day 65 "because it was always four in the morning". She added that her success was due to "being very consistent" and getting on well with herself. She was happy that she "lived up to [her] commitment to live in a cave for 500 days". She admitted having cravings for roast chicken.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Isolation - Level 4 or  Isolation - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/14/spanish-woman-emerges-after-spending-500-days-living-alone-in-cave
  • https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/woman-emerges-cave-spending-really-140737153.html
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/14/spanish-climber-leaves-cave-after-500-days-in-isolation


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. an extreme
  2. She took part
  3. extreme isolation and
  4. She lived in
  5. She started her solitary
  6. emerged from her
  7. she had health
  8. answered reporters' questions in
  1. check-ups
  2. solitude
  3. a press conference
  4. underground abode
  5. mountaineer
  6. endeavour
  7. in a study
  8. deprivation

Paragraph 2

  1. she explained that time
  2. She was regularly monitored
  3. she lost
  4. it was always four
  5. her success was due to
  6. getting on well
  7. she "lived up
  8. She admitted having cravings
  1. by psychologists
  2. to her commitment
  3. had flown by
  4. for roast chicken
  5. in the morning
  6. being very consistent
  7. with herself
  8. track of time

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

An athlete (1) ___________________ a record-breaking 500 days alone in a cave. Beatriz Flamini, 50, (2) ___________________ mountaineer. She took part in a study to (3) ___________________ of extreme isolation and (4) ___________________. She lived in solitude in a cave 70 metres deep. She started her solitary endeavour in November 2021 and (5) ___________________ underground abode last Friday. After resurfacing, she had health check-ups from a doctor and a psychologist. (6) ___________________ a shower, she answered reporters' questions in a press conference.

Ms Flamini was smiling as she explained that time (7) ___________________. She was surprised when scientists told her the 500 days had ended. She (8) ___________________ by psychologists, but had no contact with anyone else. She said she (9) ___________________ time after day 65 "because it was always four in the morning". She added that her (10) ___________________ to "being very consistent" and getting on well with herself. She was happy that she "(11) ___________________ [her] commitment to live in a cave for 500 days". She admitted having (12) ___________________ chicken.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anathletehasjustspentarecord-breaking500daysaloneinacave.Beat
rizFlamini,50,isanextrememountaineer.Shetookpartinastudytoexa
minetheeffectsofextremeisolationanddeprivationonhealth.Shelived
insolitudeinacave70metresdeep.Shestartedhersolitaryendeavourin
November2021andemergedfromherundergroundabodelastFriday.
Afterresurfacing,shehadhealthcheck-upsfromadoctorandapsycho
logist.Ratherthanhaveashower,sheansweredreporters'questionsina
pressconference.MsFlaminiwassmilingassheexplainedthattimehadf
lownby.Shewassurprisedwhenscientiststoldherthe500dayshaden
ded.Shewasregularlymonitoredbypsychologists,buthadnocontactw
ithanyoneelse.Shesaidshelosttrackoftimeafterday65"becauseitwas
alwaysfourinthemorning".Sheaddedthathersuccesswasdueto"bein
gveryconsistent"andgettingonwellwithherself.Shewashappythatsh
e"livedupto[her]commitmenttoliveinacavefor500days".Sheadmitte
dhavingcravingsforroastchicken.

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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