The Reading / Listening - Level 1

NASA scientists want to get humans to Mars. Researchers are trying to find out what plants can grow on Mars. They hope astronauts will grow their own food on the Red Planet. Getting to Mars could take two-and-a-half years. The astronauts will need a lot of food for the journey. They can never come back to Earth. This means they will need to grow their own food from seeds. This could be a problem because Mars doesn't have good soil. It just has red dust.

Humans could be on Mars in the next 15 years. NASA has been testing "Martian gardens" using a soil made of volcanic dust. It has no nutrients or organic material, so it is similar to Mars dust. The scientists grew lettuce in it and it tasted normal. The lettuce had weaker roots and took longer to grow. NASA said testing 'Martian gardens' on Earth would help to develop ways of growing food on Mars in the future.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 2   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1006/NASA-s-Martian-gardens-What-kinds-of-veggies-can-we-grow-on-Mars
  • http://www.techtimes.com/articles/181178/20161007/martian-gardens-key-to-surviving-mars-colonization-nasa.htm
  • http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/29858/20161008/survival-in-mars-nasa-scientists-developing-martian-garden.htm


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. NASA scientists want to get
  2. Researchers are trying to find
  3. plants can grow
  4. astronauts will grow
  5. Getting to Mars could take
  6. The astronauts will need
  7. They can never come
  8. Mars doesn't have good
  1. back to Earth
  2. their own food
  3. out
  4. two-and-a-half years
  5. soil
  6. humans to Mars
  7. a lot of food
  8. on Mars

Paragraph 2

  1. Humans could be on Mars
  2. NASA has been testing "Martian
  3. soil made of volcanic
  4. It has no nutrients or organic
  5. it is similar
  6. scientists grew lettuce in it and it
  7. The lettuce had weaker
  8. develop ways of
  1. tasted normal
  2. dust
  3. material
  4. roots
  5. in the next 15 years
  6. growing food on Mars
  7. gardens"
  8. to Mars dust

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

NASA scientists (1) ___________________ humans to Mars. Researchers are trying (2) ___________________ what plants can grow on Mars. They hope astronauts will (3) ___________________ food on the Red Planet. Getting to Mars could take two-and-a-half years. The astronauts (4) ___________________ of food for the journey. They can never come back to Earth. This means (5) ___________________ to grow their own food from seeds. This could be a problem because Mars doesn't have good soil. It just (6) ___________________.

Humans (7) ___________________ Mars in the next 15 years. NASA (8) ___________________ "Martian gardens" using a soil made of volcanic dust. It has no nutrients (9) ___________________ material, so it is similar to Mars dust. The scientists grew lettuce (10) ___________________ tasted normal. The lettuce had weaker roots and (11) ___________________ grow. NASA said testing 'Martian gardens' on Earth would help (12) ___________________ of growing food on Mars in the future.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

NASAscientistswanttogethumanstoMars.Researchersaretryingtofin
doutwhatplantscangrowonMars.Theyhopeastronautswillgrowtheiro
wnfoodontheRedPlanet.GettingtoMarscouldtaketwo-and-a-halfye
ars.Theastronautswillneedalotoffoodforthejourney.Theycanneverc
omebacktoEarth.Thismeanstheywillneedtogrowtheirownfoodfroms
eeds.ThiscouldbeaproblembecauseMarsdoesn'thavegoodsoil.Itjust
hasreddust.HumanscouldbeonMarsinthenext15years.NASAhasbee
ntesting"Martiangardens"usingasoilmadeofvolcanicdust.Ithasnonu
trientsororganicmaterial,soitissimilartoMarsdust.Thescientistsgrew
lettuceinitandittastednormal.Thelettucehadweakerrootsandtooklon
gertogrow.NASAsaidtesting'Martiangardens'onEarthwouldhelptode
velopwaysofgrowingfoodonMarsinthefuture.

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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