Breaking News English Lesson: Diamonds

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18-km wide diamond layer on Mercury, says study (5th August 2024)

The Reading / Listening - Diamonds - Level 6

Iconic American movie star Marilyn Monroe once famously sang, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". Scientists from the University of Liege in Belgium believe they have unearthed a gargantuan amount of these precious stones. There could be an 18-km wide layer of the gems beneath the crust of the planet Mercury. Our nearest planetary neighbour could quite literally be a celestial jewel. Researchers tested how Mercury formed, approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The planet evolved from a gyrating cloud of cosmic dust and gas. Over millions of years, the dust was compressed into graphite, which is chemically identical to diamond. Both are solid forms of the element carbon. It is unlikely Mercury's diamonds could ever be mined as they are about 500 km below the surface.

Researchers used a machine called an anvil press to simulate the conditions under which Mercury was formed. The press is used to make synthetic diamonds. Researchers mixed elements inside a graphite capsule. These included silicon, magnesium and aluminium. The capsule was subjected to pressure 70,000 times greater than that on Earth. It was heated to temperatures of 2,000 degrees Celsius. The lead researcher speculated about the diamonds on Mercury. He said: "Diamonds are made of carbon only, so they should be similar to what we know on Earth…They would [resemble] pure diamonds." Scientists believe there are a quadrillion tons of diamonds beneath the Earth's surface. Experts say the value of these hidden gems is pretty much incalculable.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Diamonds - Level 4 or Diamonds - Level 5

Sources

https://boingboing.net/2024/08/01/mercury-may-have-11-mile-deep-layer-of-diamonds.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/31/science/mercury-diamond-underground-layer/index.html
https://news.sky.com/story/mercury-has-a-layer-of-diamond-up-to-10-miles-thick-scientists-suggest-13184660

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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. DIAMONDS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about diamonds. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
iconic / movie star / diamond / precious stone / Mercury / cosmic / dust / gas / carbon
machine / synthetic / capsule / silicon / pressure / temperature / Earth / a quadrillion
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. MERCURY: Students A strongly believe we should mine for diamonds on Mercury; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. MINING: What do you think of mining for these resources? How much do we need them? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

Resources	What I Think	How Much We Need Them
Diamonds
Coal
Gold
Uranium
Lithium
Iron ore

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. MOVIE STAR: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "movie star". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. JEWELS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best jewels at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

Diamonds
Rubies
Sapphires
Pearls
Emeralds
Crystals
Jade
Amethyst

Vocabulary

Paragraph 1

1.	unearthed	a.	Found something that was buried or hidden.
2.	gargantuan	b.	Moving around in circles.
3.	gem	c.	Very, very big.
4.	crust	d.	Related to the sky or space.
5.	celestial	e.	A beautiful stone used in jewellery.
6.	gyrating	f.	The hard outer layer of something, like bread or the Earth.
7.	compressed	g.	Made smaller or harder by being pressed together.

Paragraph 2

8.	anvil	h.	To look like something or someone.
9.	synthetic	i.	Thought about possible answers or ideas.
10.	graphite	j.	A heavy iron block used by blacksmiths to shape metal.
11.	speculated	k.	A number with fifteen zeros (1,000,000,000,000,000).
12.	resemble	l.	Made by people, not found in nature.
13.	quadrillion	m.	Too big to be counted or measured.
14.	incalculable	n.	A soft, black material used in pencils.

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

A movie star sang a song about diamonds being a girl's best find. T / F
Scientists believe there are diamonds 18 km below Mercury's crust. T / F
Mercury was formed 450 million years ago. T / F
Both diamonds and graphite are made of carbon. T / F
Researchers used a machine that also made synthetic diamonds. T / F
The scientists put graphite inside a silicon capsule. T / F
The scientists say the Mercury diamonds are probably pure diamonds. T / F
Scientists say the diamonds under the Earth are worth $100 quadrillion. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

unearthed
gargantuan
precious stone
crust
identical
simulate
synthetic
speculated
pure
incalculable

artificial
gem
hypothesized
indistinguishable
discovered
genuine
outer layer
replicate
indeterminable
enormous

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

Diamonds are a girl's
they have unearthed a gargantuan amount
gems beneath the crust
The planet evolved from a gyrating cloud
compressed into graphite, which is chemically
The press is used to make
Researchers mixed elements inside
pressure 70,000 times greater than
there are a quadrillion
the value of these hidden gems is

tons of diamonds
of cosmic dust and gas
pretty much incalculable
synthetic diamonds
of these precious stones
that on Earth
of the planet
a graphite capsule
best friend
identical to diamond

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

dust
crust
mined
famously
compressed
unearthed
jewel
solid

Iconic American movie star Marilyn Monroe once (1) _____________________ sang, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". Scientists from the University of Liege in Belgium believe they have (2) _____________________ a gargantuan amount of these precious stones. There could be an 18-km wide layer of the gems beneath the (3) _____________________ of the planet Mercury. Our nearest planetary neighbour could quite literally be a celestial (4) _____________________. Researchers tested how Mercury formed, approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The planet evolved from a gyrating cloud of cosmic (5) _____________________ and gas. Over millions of years, the dust was (6) _____________________ into graphite, which is chemically identical to diamond. Both are (7) _____________________ forms of the element carbon. It is unlikely Mercury's diamonds could ever be (8) _____________________ as they are about 500 km below the surface.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

synthetic
heated
incalculable
capsule
carbon
simulate
pure
speculated

Researchers used a machine called an anvil press to (9) _____________________ the conditions under which Mercury was formed. The press is used to make (10) _____________________ diamonds. Researchers mixed elements inside a graphite (11) _____________________. These included silicon, magnesium and aluminium. The capsule was subjected to pressure 70,000 times greater than that on Earth. It was (12) _____________________ to temperatures of 2,000 degrees Celsius. The lead researcher (13) _____________________ about the diamonds on Mercury. He said: "Diamonds are made of (14) _____________________ only, so they should be similar to what we know on Earth…They would [resemble] (15) _____________________ diamonds." Scientists believe there are a quadrillion tons of diamonds beneath the Earth's surface. Experts say the value of these hidden gems is pretty much (16) _____________________.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) believe they have unearthed a gargantuan amount of _____
     a. these precious stones
     b. these precocious stones
     c. these pressured stones
     d. these pressure stones
2) Our nearest planetary neighbour could quite literally be ______
     a. a cerebral jewel
     b. a celestial jewel
     c. a celebrates jewel
     d. a celibate jewel
3) Over millions of years, the dust was ______
     a. compressed onto graphite
     b. compressed as to graphite
     c. compressed unto graphite
     d. compressed into graphite
4) chemically identical to diamond. Both are solid forms of ______
     a. the elementary carbon
     b. the filament carbon
     c. the complement carbon
     d. the element carbon
5) It is unlikely Mercury's diamonds could ever be mined as they are about 500 km ______
     a. below the surf is
     b. below the surf its
     c. below the surface
     d. below the surfeits

6) Researchers used a machine called an anvil press to ______
     a. simulate the conditioned
     b. simulate the conditioning
     c. simulate the conditionals
     d. simulate the conditions
7) The press is used to ______
     a. make empathetic diamonds
     b. make pathetic diamonds
     c. make synthetic diamonds
     d. make prosthetic diamonds
8) He said diamonds are made of carbon only, so they ______
     a. should be similarity
     b. should be similar
     c. should be simile
     d. should be familiar
9) Scientists believe there are a quadrillion tons of diamonds beneath ______
     a. an Earth's surface
     b. at Earth's surface
     c. that Earth's surface
     d. the Earth's surface
10) Experts say the value of these hidden gems is ______
     a. prettily much incalculable
     b. petty much incalculable
     c. pretty much incalculable
     d. pre-mulch incalculable

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Iconic American movie star Marilyn Monroe (1) ____________________, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". Scientists from the University of Liege in Belgium believe they have unearthed (2) ____________________ of these precious stones. There could be an 18-km wide layer of the gems beneath (3) ____________________ the planet Mercury. Our nearest planetary neighbour could (4) ____________________ a celestial jewel. Researchers tested how Mercury formed, approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The planet evolved from (5) ____________________ of cosmic dust and gas. Over millions of years, the dust was compressed into graphite, which is chemically identical to diamond. Both are solid forms of (6) ____________________. It is unlikely Mercury's diamonds could ever be mined as they are about 500 km below the surface.

Researchers used a machine called an anvil (7) ____________________ the conditions under which Mercury was formed. The press is used to make synthetic diamonds. Researchers (8) ____________________ a graphite capsule. These included silicon, magnesium and aluminium. The capsule was (9) ____________________ 70,000 times greater than that on Earth. It was heated to temperatures of 2,000 degrees Celsius. The lead researcher (10) ____________________ diamonds on Mercury. He said: "Diamonds are made of carbon only, so they should be similar to what we know on Earth…They (11) ____________________ diamonds." Scientists believe there are a quadrillion tons of diamonds beneath the Earth's surface. Experts say the value of these hidden gems is (12) ____________________.

Comprehension questions

Who sang about diamonds being a girl's best friend?
What does the article say Mercury could be?
When was Mercury formed?
What was compressed over millions of years?
How deep are the diamonds on Mercury?
What is an anvil press used to make?
What was inside a graphite capsule besides magnesium and aluminium?
How high was a graphite capsule heated in the researchers' tests?
What are diamonds made of?
How much are the diamonds beneath the Earth worth?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Who sang about diamonds being a girl's best friend?
a) Marilyn Monru
b) Marilyn Manson
c) Matt Monroe
d) Marilyn Monroe
2) What does the article say Mercury could be?
a) a dusty planet
b) a celestial jewel
c) the red planet
d) a dwarf star
3) When was Mercury formed?
a) 45 billion years ago
b) 4.5 billion years ago
c) 4.5 trillion years ago
d) 45 trillion years ago
4) What was compressed over millions of years?
a) dust
b) rock
c) carbon
d) diamonds
5) How deep are the diamonds on Mercury?
a) 300 km
b) 400 km
c) 500 km
d) 600 km

6) What is an anvil press used to make?
a) space rocket fuel tanks
b) synthetic diamonds
c) horseshoes
d) tiaras
7) What was inside a graphite capsule besides magnesium and aluminium?
a) lithium
b) moon dust
c) gold
d) silicon
8) How high was a graphite capsule heated in the researchers' tests?
a) 2,000ºC
b) 2,200ºC
c) 2,020ºC
d) 2,002ºC
9) What are diamonds made of?
a) crystals
b) silicon
c) carbon
d) glass
10) How much are the diamonds beneath the Earth worth?
a) $100 trillion
b) It's incalculable.
c) $100 quadrillion
d) $1 quadrillion

Role play

Role A – Diamonds
You think diamonds are the best jewels. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jewels. Also, tell the others which is the least attractive of these (and why): pearls, crystals or jade.

Role B – Pearls
You think pearls are the best jewels. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jewels. Also, tell the others which is the least attractive of these (and why): pearls, crystals or jade.

Role C – Crystals
You think crystals are the best jewels. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jewels. Also, tell the others which is the least attractive of these (and why): pearls, pearls or jade.

Role D – Jade
You think jade is the best jewel. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their jewels. Also, tell the others which is the least attractive of these (and why): pearls, crystals or pearls.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'Mercury'

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

and 'diamond'.
________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.

• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

•Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

famously

amount

crust

literally

cloud

unlikely

anvil

mixed

pressure

similar

pure

hidden

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 - Diamonds

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

What did you think when you read the headline?
What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'diamond'?
What do you know about Marilyn Monroe?
Are diamonds a girl's best friend?
Why are diamonds so popular?
What uses are there for diamonds?
How did planets form?
Should we try to mine Mercury's diamonds?
What are your favourite precious stones?
What jewels do you have?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
What do you think of when you hear the word 'Mercury'?
What do you think about what you read?
What do you know about diamonds?
What do you know about Mercury?
Are synthetic diamonds as good as real ones?
What do you think is below the Earth's surface?
What do you think of the number 'one quadrillion'?
Would you rather have a diamond from Earth or from Mercury?
What questions would you like to ask the researchers?

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

Iconic American movie star Marilyn Monroe once (1) ____ sang, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". Scientists from the University of Liege in Belgium believe they have unearthed a gargantuan amount of (2) ____ precious stones. There could be an 18-km wide layer of the gems beneath the (3) ____ of the planet Mercury. Our nearest planetary neighbour could quite (4) ____ be a celestial jewel. Researchers tested how Mercury formed, approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The planet (5) ____ from a gyrating cloud of cosmic dust and gas. Over millions of years, the dust was compressed into graphite, which is chemically identical to diamond. Both are solid forms of the element carbon. It is unlikely Mercury's diamonds could ever be (6) ____ as they are about 500 km below the surface.

Researchers used a machine called an anvil press to simulate the conditions (7) ____ which Mercury was formed. The press is used to make synthetic diamonds. Researchers mixed elements inside a graphite capsule. These included silicon, magnesium and aluminium. The capsule was (8) ____ to pressure 70,000 times greater than that on Earth. It was heated (9) ____ temperatures of 2,000 degrees Celsius. The lead researcher speculated about the diamonds on Mercury. He said: "Diamonds are made of carbon only, so they should be similar to what we know on Earth…They would (10) ____ pure diamonds." Scientists believe there are a (11) ____ tons of diamonds beneath the Earth's surface. Experts say the value of these hidden gems is pretty much (12) ____.

Which of these words go in the above text?

(a) famed (b) fame (c) famously (d) famous
(a) these (b) their (c) them (d) that
(a) crust (b) frost (c) blast (d) crest
(a) literally (b) literary (c) liberally (d) livery
(a) absolved (b) evolved (c) involved (d) solved
(a) mine (b) mining (c) mined (d) mined
(a) above (b) below (c) under (d) over
(a) abject (b) objected (c) rejected (d) subjected
(a) to (b) up (c) by (d) on
(a) amble (b) resemble (c) preamble (d) mumble
(a) quadrant (b) quadrillion (c) gazillion (d) quadrangle
(a) calculus (b) calculate (c) incalculable (d) inculcate

Spelling

Paragraph 1

they have unearthed a rgnagtaaun amount
cepiruos stone
a elsciteal jewel
a rgtaying cloud of cosmic dust
the dust was mpercsoesd into graphite
500 km below the rsfucae

Paragraph 2

lumaitse the conditions
make tshicyent diamonds
mixed elements inside a graphite scleuap
The lead researcher dctepulesa about the diamonds
a liqlnrouiad tons of diamonds
pretty much ibcelnlaualc

Put the text back together

(...) Mercury. He said: "Diamonds are made of carbon only, so they should be similar to what we know

(...) Researchers used a machine called an anvil press to simulate the conditions under which Mercury was formed. The press is

(...) amount of these precious stones. There could be an 18-km wide layer of the gems beneath the crust

(...) on Earth…They would [resemble] pure diamonds." Scientists believe there are a quadrillion tons

(...) of diamonds beneath the Earth's surface. Experts say the value of these hidden gems is pretty much incalculable.

(...) forms of the element carbon. It is unlikely Mercury's diamonds could ever be mined as they are about 500 km below the surface.

(...) Mercury formed, approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The planet evolved from a gyrating cloud of cosmic dust and

(...) used to make synthetic diamonds. Researchers mixed elements inside a graphite capsule. These included silicon, magnesium

(...) to temperatures of 2,000 degrees Celsius. The lead researcher speculated about the diamonds on

(...) friend". Scientists from the University of Liege in Belgium believe they have unearthed a gargantuan

(..1..) Iconic American movie star Marilyn Monroe once famously sang, "Diamonds are a girl's best

(...) gas. Over millions of years, the dust was compressed into graphite, which is chemically identical to diamond. Both are solid

(...) and aluminium. The capsule was subjected to pressure 70,000 times greater than that on Earth. It was heated

(...) of the planet Mercury. Our nearest planetary neighbour could quite literally be a celestial jewel. Researchers tested how

Put the words in the right order

gargantuan a precious these of Unearthed amount stones .
of a gyrating cloud cosmic Evolved from dust .
compressed . millions Over dust the years, was of
forms the are element Both carbon . of solid
unlikely mined . ever be diamonds Mercury's It's could
under Mercury conditions which formed . was Simulate the
make The synthetic diamonds . press to is used
on Earth . Pressure than that times greater 70,000
on what to Earth . know similar Be we
A tons the diamonds beneath Earth . of quadrillion

Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

Iconic American movie star Marilyn Monroe once / only famously sang, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". Scientists from the University of Liege in Belgium believe they have earthed / unearthed a gargantuan amount of these precious stones / stone. There could be an 18-km wide / width layer of the gems beneath the crust of the planet Mercury. Our nearest planetary neighbour could quite laterally / literally be a celestial jewel. Researchers tested how Mercury formed, appropriately / approximately 4.5 billion years ago. The planet evolved for / from a gyrating cloud of cosmic dust and gas. Over millions of years, the dust was compressed into graphite, which is chemically identical to / of diamond. Both are solid forms of the element carbon. It is unlikely Mercury's diamonds could ever be mined has / as they are about 500 km below a / the surface.

Researchers used a machine called an anvil press for / to simulate the conditions under which Mercury was formed. The press is using / used to make synthetic diamonds. Researchers mixed elements inside the / a graphite capsule. These included silicon, magnesium and aluminium. The capsule was subjected of / to pressure 70,000 times greater than that on Earth. It was heated to / for temperatures of 2,000 degrees Celsius. The lead researcher speculated / specialized about the diamonds on Mercury. He said: "Diamonds are made of carbon only, so they should be similar / similarity to what we know on Earth…They would [resemble] pure / purity diamonds." Scientists believe there are a quadrillion dons / tons of diamonds beneath the Earth's surface. Experts say the value of these hidden gems is pretty much calculable / incalculable.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

_c_n_c _m_r_c_n m_v__ st_r M_r_lyn M_nr__ _nc_ f_m__sly s_ng, "D__m_nds _r_ _ g_rl's b_st fr__nd". Sc__nt_sts fr_m th_ _n_v_rs_ty _f L__g_ _n B_lg__m b_l__v_ th_y h_v_ _n__rth_d _ g_rg_nt__n _m__nt _f th_s_ pr_c___s st_n_s. Th_r_ c__ld b_ _n 18-km w_d_ l_y_r _f th_ g_ms b_n__th th_ cr_st _f th_ pl_n_t M_rc_ry. __r n__r_st pl_n_t_ry n__ghb__r c__ld q__t_ l_t_r_lly b_ _ c_l_st__l j_w_l. R_s__rch_rs t_st_d h_w M_rc_ry f_rm_d, _ppr_x_m_t_ly 4.5 b_ll__n y__rs _g_. Th_ pl_n_t _v_lv_d fr_m _ gyr_t_ng cl__d _f c_sm_c d_st _nd g_s. _v_r m_ll__ns _f y__rs, th_ d_st w_s c_mpr_ss_d _nt_ gr_ph_t_, wh_ch _s ch_m_c_lly _d_nt_c_l t_ d__m_nd. B_th _r_ s_l_d f_rms _f th_ _l_m_nt c_rb_n. _t _s _nl_k_ly M_rc_ry's d__m_nds c__ld _v_r b_ m_n_d _s th_y _r_ _b__t 500 km b_l_w th_ s_rf_c_.

R_s__rch_rs _s_d _ m_ch_n_ c_ll_d _n _nv_l pr_ss t_ s_m_l_t_ th_ c_nd_t__ns _nd_r wh_ch M_rc_ry w_s f_rm_d. Th_ pr_ss _s _s_d t_ m_k_ synth_t_c d__m_nds. R_s__rch_rs m_x_d _l_m_nts _ns_d_ _ gr_ph_t_ c_ps_l_. Th_s_ _ncl_d_d s_l_c_n, m_gn_s__m _nd _l_m_n__m. Th_ c_ps_l_ w_s s_bj_ct_d t_ pr_ss_r_ 70,000 t_m_s gr__t_r th_n th_t _n __rth. _t w_s h__t_d t_ t_mp_r_t_r_s _f 2,000 d_gr__s C_ls__s. Th_ l__d r_s__rch_r sp_c_l_t_d _b__t th_ d__m_nds _n M_rc_ry. H_ s__d: "D__m_nds _r_ m_d_ _f c_rb_n _nly, s_ th_y sh__ld b_ s_m_l_r t_ wh_t w_ kn_w _n __rth…Th_y w__ld [r_s_mbl_] p_r_ d__m_nds." Sc__nt_sts b_l__v_ th_r_ _r_ _ q__dr_ll__n t_ns _f d__m_nds b_n__th th_ __rth's s_rf_c_. _xp_rts s_y th_ v_l__ _f th_s_ h_dd_n g_ms _s pr_tty m_ch _nc_lc_l_bl_.

Punctuate the text and add capitals

iconic american movie star marilyn monroe once famously sang diamonds are a girls best friend scientists from the university of liege in belgium believe they have unearthed a gargantuan amount of these precious stones there could be an 18km wide layer of the gems beneath the crust of the planet mercury our nearest planetary neighbour could quite literally be a celestial jewel researchers tested how mercury formed approximately 45 billion years ago the planet evolved from a gyrating cloud of cosmic dust and gas over millions of years the dust was compressed into graphite which is chemically identical to diamond both are solid forms of the element carbon it is unlikely mercurys diamonds could ever be mined as they are about 500 km below the surface

researchers used a machine called an anvil press to simulate the conditions under which mercury was formed the press is used to make synthetic diamonds researchers mixed elements inside a graphite capsule these included silicon magnesium and aluminium the capsule was subjected to pressure 70000 times greater than that on earth it was heated to temperatures of 2000 degrees celsius the lead researcher speculated about the diamonds on mercury he said diamonds are made of carbon only so they should be similar to what we know on earth they would resemble pure diamonds scientists believe there are a quadrillion tons of diamonds beneath the earths surface experts say the value of these hidden gems is pretty much incalculable

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

IconicAmericanmoviestarMarilynMonroeoncefamouslysang,"Diamo
ndsareagirl'sbestfriend".ScientistsfromtheUniversityofLiegeinBelgi
umbelievetheyhaveunearthedagargantuanamountoftheseprecious
stones.Therecouldbean18-kmwidelayerofthegemsbeneaththecrus
toftheplanetMercury.Ournearestplanetaryneighbourcouldquiteliter
allybeacelestialjewel.ResearcherstestedhowMercuryformed,approx
imately4.5billionyearsago.Theplanetevolvedfromagyratingcloudofc
osmicdustandgas.Overmillionsofyears,thedustwascompressedinto
graphite,whichischemicallyidenticaltodiamond.Botharesolidformso
ftheelementcarbon.ItisunlikelyMercury'sdiamondscouldeverbemin
edastheyareabout500kmbelowthesurface.Researchersusedamachi
necalledananvilpresstosimulatetheconditionsunderwhichMercuryw
asformed.Thepressisusedtomakesyntheticdiamonds.Researchersm
ixedelementsinsideagraphitecapsule.Theseincludedsilicon,magnesi
umandaluminium.Thecapsulewassubjectedtopressure70,000times
greaterthanthatonEarth.Itwasheatedtotemperaturesof2,000degre
esCelsius.TheleadresearcherspeculatedaboutthediamondsonMercu
ry.Hesaid:"Diamondsaremadeofcarbononly,sotheyshouldbesimilar
towhatweknowonEarth…Theywould[resemble]purediamonds."Scie
ntistsbelievethereareaquadrilliontonsofdiamondsbeneaththeEarth'
ssurface.Expertssaythevalueofthesehiddengemsisprettymuchincal
culable.

Free writing

Write about Mercury diamonds for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Academic writing

We should go to Mercury to mine for diamonds. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Homework

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. DIAMONDS: Make a poster about diamonds. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. MINING: Write a magazine article about ending the mining of precious stones. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on diamonds. Ask him/her three questions about them. Give him/her three of your ideas on mining for diamonds. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

$US 9.99

Answers

(Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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Breaking News English Lesson: Diamonds

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