The Reading / Listening - Level 4

A road safety organisation has made a model of the perfect body to survive a car crash. Australia's Transport Accident Commission (TAC) called the model 'Graham'. He looks human, but is a little ugly and could come from a horror movie. The BBC says: "He has a head shaped like a boulder, feet snarled like tree roots and a chest like a wrinkled battering ram." Graham was designed to highlight how easy to damage the human body is in a car crash.

TAC asked artist Patricia Piccinini to create Graham. She worked with a leading trauma surgeon and a road crash expert to get Graham's look. She gave Graham a thick skull, a wide neck, an inflatable chest, and legs that allow Graham to jump quickly. TAC explained why Graham is an educational tool. It said: "Cars have evolved a lot faster than humans and Graham helps us understand why we need to improve…our roads system to protect ourselves."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 5 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-36863324
  • http://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-have-created-this-creepy-as-hell-spokesperson-to-promote-road-safety
  • http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/meet-graham-the-graphic-warrior-whos-the-latest-weapon-against-road-deaths/news-story/b5ad267598b212dbc3551a8f9103ae21


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A road safety
  2. a model of
  3. survive a
  4. He looks human, but
  5. come from
  6. feet snarled like
  7. a chest like a wrinkled battering
  8. highlight how easy to damage
  1. car crash
  2. is a little ugly
  3. tree roots
  4. the human body is
  5. organisation
  6. ram
  7. a horror movie
  8. the perfect body

Paragraph 2

  1. TAC asked artist Patricia Piccinini
  2. She worked with a leading trauma
  3. a road crash
  4. She gave Graham a thick
  5. an inflatable
  6. an educational
  7. Cars have evolved a lot
  8. helps us understand why
  1. skull
  2. we need to improve
  3. tool
  4. surgeon
  5. faster than humans
  6. to create Graham
  7. chest
  8. expert

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A road safety organisation has (1) ___________________ the perfect body to (2) ___________________. Australia's Transport Accident Commission (TAC) called the model 'Graham'. He (3) ___________________, but is a little ugly and (4) ___________________ a horror movie. The BBC says: "He has a head shaped like a boulder, feet snarled (5) _________________ and a chest like a wrinkled battering ram." Graham was designed to highlight how (6) ___________________ the human body is in a car crash.

TAC asked artist Patricia Piccinini to create Graham. She worked with a (7) ___________________ surgeon and a road (8) ___________________ get Graham's look. She gave Graham a thick skull, a wide neck, (9) ___________________, and legs that allow Graham to jump quickly. TAC explained why Graham is (10) ___________________. It said: "Cars have evolved (11) ___________________ humans and Graham helps us understand why we (12) ___________________ …our roads system to protect ourselves."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Aroadsafetyorganisationhasmadeamodeloftheperfectbodytosurviv
eacarcrash.Australia'sTransportAccidentCommission(TAC)calledth
emodel'Graham'.Helookshuman,butisalittleuglyandcouldcomefrom
ahorrormovie.TheBBCsays:"Hehasaheadshapedlikeaboulder,feets
narledliketreerootsandachestlikeawrinkledbatteringram."Grahamw
asdesignedtohighlighthoweasytodamagethehumanbodyisinacarcra
sh.TACaskedartistPatriciaPiccininitocreateGraham.Sheworkedwith
aleadingtraumasurgeonandaroadcrashexperttogetGraham'slook.S
hegaveGrahamathickskull,awideneck,aninflatablechest,andlegstha
tallowGrahamtojumpquickly.TACexplainedwhyGrahamisaneducati
onaltool.Itsaid:"CarshaveevolvedalotfasterthanhumansandGraha
mhelpsusunderstandwhyweneedtoimprove…ourroadssystemtoprot
ectourselves."

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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