The Reading / Listening - Level 1

Scientists now know the secrets to one of the world's least understood fish – the seahorse. Researchers worked out the genetic map of the tiger tail seahorse. Scientists can now find out why seahorses are so different to other fish. They have no teeth. Male seahorses carry babies and give birth to them instead of females. Also, seahorses do not swim forwards and sideways like other fish; they swim vertically (up and down).

Seahorses started to get their unusual shape about 100 million years ago. They began to look like the neck and head of a horse. There are 54 different seahorses. The scientific name for a seahorse is Hippocampus. This word comes from the Ancient Greek words hippos ('horse') and kampos ('sea monster'). The word 'seahorse' can be written as two separate words (sea horse), or with a dash (sea-horse).

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 0 Level 2   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/1215/What-makes-the-seahorse-so-unusual
  • http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113416837/sequence-seahorse-genome-121516/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse


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. one of the world's least
  2. Researchers worked out the genetic
  3. find out why seahorses are
  4. They have no
  5. Male seahorses carry
  6. give
  7. swim forwards and
  8. they swim vertically
  1. map
  2. babies
  3. (up and down)
  4. teeth
  5. understood fish
  6. sideways
  7. so different
  8. birth

Paragraph 2

  1. Seahorses started to get their
  2. about 100
  3. the neck and
  4. There are 54 different
  5. The scientific name for a seahorse
  6. This word comes from the Ancient
  7. The word 'seahorse' can be written as
  8. or with a dash
  1. is Hippocampus
  2. head of a horse
  3. (sea-horse)
  4. million years ago
  5. two separate words
  6. seahorses
  7. unusual shape
  8. Greek

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists now (1) ___________________ to one of the world's (2) ___________________ fish – the seahorse. Researchers worked out the (3) ___________________ the tiger tail seahorse. Scientists can now (4) ___________________ seahorses are so different to other fish. They have no teeth. Male seahorses carry babies and (5) ___________________ them instead of females. Also, seahorses do not swim forwards and sideways like other fish; they (6) ___________________ (up and down).

Seahorses started to (7) ___________________ shape about 100 million years ago. They began (8) ___________________ the neck and (9) ___________________. There are 54 different seahorses. The (10) ___________________ for a seahorse is Hippocampus. This word (11) ___________________ Ancient Greek words hippos ('horse') and kampos ('sea monster'). The word 'seahorse' can (12) ___________________ two separate words (sea horse), or with a dash (sea-horse).

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistsnowknowthesecretstooneoftheworld'sleastunderstoodfis
h–theseahorse.Researchersworkedoutthegeneticmapofthetigertail
seahorse.Scientistscannowfindoutwhyseahorsesaresodifferenttoot
herfish.Theyhavenoteeth.Maleseahorsescarrybabiesandgivebirthto
theminsteadoffemales.Also,seahorsesdonotswimforwardsandside
wayslikeotherfish;theyswimvertically(upanddown).Seahorsesstart
edtogettheirunusualshapeabout100millionyearsago.Theybegantol
ookliketheneckandheadofahorse.Thereare54differentseahorses.Th
escientificnameforaseahorseisHippocampus.Thiswordcomesfromth
eAncientGreekwordshippos('horse')andkampos('seamonster').The
word'seahorse'canbewrittenastwoseparatewords(seahorse),orwith
adash(sea-horse).

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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