The Reading / Listening - The Big Bang - Level 5

The Earth contains mysteries that are yet to be unravelled. They focus on how Earth formed, and what is at its centre. A recent study has clues as to what shaped our planet at the beginning of the solar system. Scientists have evidence that vast amounts of a rare, primordial form of the gas helium may be trapped inside Earth. It is called helium-3. Scientists believe this helium-3 is from a giant cloud of gas and dust that gelled to create different planets. The gas has remained locked inside Earth's core for billions of years. It is occasionally released in volcanic eruptions.

The research has created great excitement among planetary geologists. They believe large amounts of helium-3 could unlock secrets of the Big Bang. The scientists are speculating that the presence of helium-3 could mean that Earth was created much more quickly than we thought. A geophysicist in the USA shed light on the possible speed of Earth's creation. He said: "There is evidence that has been interpreted to say the Earth formed very slowly, requiring 100 million years. [However], you wouldn't get much helium deep in the Earth if the Earth formed that slowly."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    The Big Bang - Level 4 or  The Big Bang - Level 6

Sources
  • https://scitechdaily.com/earths-core-may-hold-hidden-reservoirs-of-helium-scientists-discover/
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/primordial-helium-from-the-birth-of-the-solar-system-may-be-stuck-in-earths-core/ar-AA1AagXf
  • https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/centre-of-the-earth-could-hold-large-reservoir-of-iron-helium-compounds/4021097.article


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. mysteries that are yet to be
  2. clues as to what
  3. a rare, primordial form
  4. trapped inside
  5. a giant cloud of gas
  6. gelled to create different
  7. locked inside Earth's
  8. released in volcanic
  1. and dust
  2. Earth
  3. eruptions
  4. unravelled
  5. core
  6. shaped our planet
  7. planets
  8. of the gas helium

Paragraph 2

  1. The research has created great
  2. planetary
  3. large amounts
  4. unlock secrets of the
  5. Earth was created much
  6. A geophysicist in
  7. shed
  8. helium
  1. of helium-3
  2. the USA
  3. light on
  4. geologists
  5. deep in the Earth
  6. Big Bang
  7. excitement
  8. more quickly

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Earth contains mysteries that are yet (1) ________________________________________________. They focus on how Earth formed, and what is at its centre. A recent study has (2) ________________________________________________ what shaped our planet at the beginning of (3) ________________________________________________. Scientists have evidence that (4) ________________________________________________ a rare, primordial form of the gas helium may be trapped inside Earth. It is called helium-3. Scientists believe this helium-3 is from a giant cloud of (5) ________________________________________________ that gelled to create different planets. The gas has remained locked inside Earth's core for billions of years. It is occasionally released (6) ________________________________________________.

The research has created great excitement among planetary geologists. They believe (7) ________________________________________________ helium-3 could unlock secrets of the Big Bang. The scientists are speculating that (8) ________________________________________________ helium-3 could mean that Earth was created much (9) ________________________________________________ we thought. A geophysicist in the USA (10) ________________________________________________ the possible speed of Earth's creation. He said: "There is evidence that has been (11) ________________________________________________ the Earth formed very slowly, requiring 100 million years. [However], you wouldn't get much helium deep in the Earth if the Earth (12) ________________________________________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheEarthcontainsmysteriesthatareyettobeunravelled.Theyfocuson
howEarthformed,andwhatisatitscentre.Arecentstudyhascluesastow
hatshapedourplanetatthebeginningofthesolarsystem.Scientistshav
eevidencethatvastamountsofarare,primordialformofthegashelium
maybetrappedinsideEarth.Itiscalledhelium-3.Scientistsbelievethis
helium-3isfromagiantcloudofgasanddustthatgelledtocreatedifferen
tplanets.ThegashasremainedlockedinsideEarth'scoreforbillionsofye
ars.Itisoccasionallyreleasedinvolcaniceruptions.Theresearchhascre
atedgreatexcitementamongplanetarygeologists.Theybelievelargea
mountsofhelium-3couldunlocksecretsoftheBigBang.Thescientistsar
especulatingthatthepresenceofhelium-3couldmeanthatEarthwasc
reatedmuchmorequicklythanwethought.AgeophysicistintheUSAshe
dlightonthepossiblespeedofEarth'screation.Hesaid:"Thereisevidenc
ethathasbeeninterpretedtosaytheEarthformedveryslowly,requiring
100millionyears.[However],youwouldn'tgetmuchheliumdeepintheE
arthiftheEarthformedthatslowly."

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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