The Reading / Listening - Chicken and Egg - Level 5

One of life's greatest mysteries may have been solved. Scientists believe they have answered the age-old question of whether the chicken or the egg came first. This problem has baffled us for centuries. However, researchers in Switzerland believe they have cracked this mystery. They suggest the egg came first. The scientists studied a tiny marine organism. The single-celled species dates back over a billion years. The researchers found it can form multi-cellular structures that are similar to animal embryos. A prehistoric chicken did not need to lay an egg.

A researcher told "Nature Journal" that the organism was first discovered in 2017 in Hawaii. She said it has offered many insights into ancient life forms. She said the species "allows us to go back in time a billion years". The researcher said the genetics behind egg fertilization and embryo development were present before animal life existed. This means nature could have made eggs before chickens arrived. A more straightforward answer to the chicken and egg problem is that chickens appeared 10,000 years ago, whereas eggs have existed for millions of years.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Chicken and Egg - Level 4 or  Chicken and Egg - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.ladbible.com/news/science/which-came-first-chicken-or-egg-answer-824479-20241109
  • https://metro.co.uk/2024/11/08/scientists-crack-whether-chicken-egg-came-first-21953962/
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14059591/Which-came-chicken-egg-cracked-debate.html


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. One of life's greatest
  2. answered the age-
  3. This problem has baffled
  4. they have cracked this
  5. scientists studied a tiny
  6. dates back
  7. it can form multi-
  8. lay
  1. mystery
  2. cellular structures
  3. an egg
  4. marine organism
  5. us for centuries
  6. mysteries
  7. over a billion years
  8. old question

Paragraph 2

  1. the organism was first
  2. She said it has offered
  3. ancient life
  4. go back in
  5. egg fertilization and embryo
  6. present before animal
  7. A more straightforward
  8. eggs have existed
  1. answer
  2. time a billion years
  3. life existed
  4. for millions of years
  5. many insights
  6. development
  7. discovered in 2017
  8. forms

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

One of life's greatest mysteries may (1) _______________________________________________. Scientists believe they have answered the (2) _____________________________________________ of whether the chicken or the egg came first. This problem has (3) ________________________________________________ centuries. However, researchers in Switzerland believe they have cracked this mystery. They suggest the egg came first. The scientists studied a (4) ________________________________________________. The single-celled species dates back over a billion years. The researchers found it can (5) ________________________________________________ that are similar to animal embryos. A (6) ________________________________________________ not need to lay an egg.

A researcher told "Nature Journal" (7) ________________________________________________ was first discovered in 2017 in Hawaii. She said it has offered many (8) ________________________________________________ life forms. She said the species "(9) ________________________________________________ go back in time a billion years". The researcher said the genetics behind egg fertilization (10) ________________________________________________ were present before animal life existed. This means nature could have made eggs before chickens arrived. (11) ________________________________________________ answer to the chicken and egg problem is that chickens appeared 10,000 years ago, whereas eggs have (12) ________________________________________________ of years.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Oneoflife'sgreatestmysteriesmayhavebeensolved.Scientistsbelieve
theyhaveansweredtheage-oldquestionofwhetherthechickenorthee
ggcamefirst.Thisproblemhasbaffledusforcenturies.However,resear
chersinSwitzerlandbelievetheyhavecrackedthismystery.Theysugge
sttheeggcamefirst.Thescientistsstudiedatinymarineorganism.Thesi
ngle-celledspeciesdatesbackoverabillionyears.Theresearchersfou
nditcanformmulti-cellularstructuresthataresimilartoanimalembry
os.Aprehistoricchickendidnotneedtolayanegg.Aresearchertold"Nat
ureJournal"thattheorganismwasfirstdiscoveredin2017inHawaii.She
saidithasofferedmanyinsightsintoancientlifeforms.Shesaidthespeci
es"allowsustogobackintimeabillionyears".Theresearchersaidthegen
eticsbehindeggfertilizationandembryodevelopmentwerepresentbef
oreanimallifeexisted.Thismeansnaturecouldhavemadeeggsbeforec
hickensarrived.Amorestraightforwardanswertothechickenandeggpr
oblemisthatchickensappeared10,000yearsago,whereaseggshavee
xistedformillionsofyears.

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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