The Reading / Listening - Sharks - Level 4

The climate crisis may be a threat to the existence of sharks. The acidification of oceans is decaying sharks' teeth. Scientists already know that increasing ocean acidity is damaging corals and sea creatures with shells. Biologists looked at whether shark teeth are at similar risk. Many sharks swim with their mouths open and are constantly exposed to seawater. The researcher concluded that even the teeth of sharks are now vulnerable to damage.

The researcher analyzed teeth from blacktip reef sharks. He put the teeth in separate water tanks for eight weeks. The salt water in one had an acidity level similar to current ocean averages. The water in the other tank was more acidic. The teeth in the more acidic water had visible damage, including cavities, root decay, and structural deterioration. Ongoing damage could impact how sharks feed. This could trigger "domino effects" across marine ecosystems.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sharks - Level 5 or  Sharks - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sharks-may-losing-bite-170000952.html
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/27/science/ocean-acidification-shark-teeth
  • https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/27/ocean-acidification-erodes-sharks-teeth-affecting-feeding


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. a threat to the existence
  2. The acidification of oceans is decaying
  3. increasing ocean acidity is damaging
  4. sea creatures
  5. shark teeth are at
  6. Many sharks swim with their
  7. constantly exposed to
  8. the teeth of sharks are now vulnerable
  1. similar risk
  2. seawater
  3. of sharks
  4. to damage
  5. corals
  6. sharks' teeth
  7. mouths open
  8. with shells

Paragraph 2

  1. teeth from blacktip reef
  2. He put the teeth in separate water
  3. an acidity level similar to current
  4. The water in the other tank was
  5. The teeth in the more acidic water had
  6. Ongoing damage could impact how
  7. This could trigger domino
  8. marine
  1. sharks feed
  2. more acidic
  3. ecosystems
  4. visible damage
  5. sharks
  6. effects
  7. ocean averages
  8. tanks

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The climate crisis may be (1) ________________________________________________ the existence of sharks. The acidification of (2) ________________________________________________ sharks' teeth. Scientists (3) ________________________________________________ increasing ocean acidity is damaging corals and sea (4) ________________________________________________. Biologists looked at whether shark teeth are (5) ________________________________________________. Many sharks swim with their mouths open and are constantly exposed to seawater. The researcher concluded that even the teeth of sharks are now (6) ________________________________________________.

The researcher (7) ________________________________________________ blacktip reef sharks. He put the teeth in separate water tanks for eight weeks. (8) ________________________________________________ in one had an acidity level similar to (9) ________________________________________________. The water in (10) ________________________________________________ was more acidic. The teeth in the more acidic water had visible damage, (11) ________________________________________________ decay, and structural deterioration. Ongoing damage could impact how sharks feed. This could (12) ________________________________________________ across marine ecosystems.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theclimatecrisismaybeathreattotheexistenceofsharks.Theacidificat
ionofoceansisdecayingsharks'teeth.Scientistsalreadyknowthatincre
asingoceanacidityisdamagingcoralsandseacreatureswithshells.Biol
ogistslookedatwhethersharkteethareatsimilarrisk.Manysharksswim
withtheirmouthsopenandareconstantlyexposedtoseawater.Therese
archerconcludedthateventheteethofsharksarenowvulnerabletodam
age.Theresearcheranalyzedteethfromblacktipreefsharks.Heputthet
eethinseparatewatertanksforeightweeks.Thesaltwaterinonehadana
ciditylevelsimilartocurrentoceanaverages.Thewaterintheothertank
wasmoreacidic.Theteethinthemoreacidicwaterhadvisibledamage,in
cludingcavities,rootdecay,andstructuraldeterioration.Ongoingdam
agecouldimpacthowsharksfeed.Thiscouldtrigger"dominoeffects"acr
ossmarineecosystems.

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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