The Reading / Listening - Suntans - Level 2

Scientists have made a drug that can copy how sunlight affects our skin. It tricks our skin into making it darker so we get a suntan. The drug gets our body to make a natural pigment called melanin. A pigment is what gives our skin its colour. Plants also have pigments that give them different colours. The scientists are from a hospital in the USA. They say their drug could be good for our health. The biggest benefits could be to prevent skin cancer and slow down how old people look. Getting a suntan can give us skin cancer, make our skin look old and give us wrinkles.

The scientists said the drug could safely give us a suntan because it has no harmful UV rays. UV rays burn our skin and damage it. The rays make light-skinned people turn red. The drug gets the body to make dark melanin. This darkens our skin and makes it look tanned. Melanin is the body's natural sunblock. It protects the skin from UV radiation and cancer. A researcher said the drug could help fight skin cancer. This is the most common type of cancer. The researcher said: "Dark pigment is associated with a lower risk of all forms of skin cancer."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Suntans - Level 0 Suntans - Level 1   or  Suntans - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40260029
  • http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/could-new-compound-give-you-suntan-without-sun
  • http://www.medicaldaily.com/how-prevent-skin-cancer-drug-tans-skin-just-sun-without-risk-uv-damage-419018


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. Scientists have
  2. copy how sunlight
  3. It tricks
  4. making it darker so
  5. make a natural pigment called
  6. A pigment is what gives
  7. slow down how
  8. give us
  1. our skin
  2. melanin
  3. we get a suntan
  4. old people look
  5. made a drug
  6. wrinkles
  7. affects our skin
  8. our skin its colour

Paragraph 2

  1. the drug could safely
  2. it has no harmful
  3. UV rays burn our skin
  4. The rays make light-skinned
  5. This darkens
  6. Melanin is the body's natural
  7. the drug could help
  8. all forms of skin
  1. fight skin cancer
  2. and damage it
  3. our skin
  4. sunblock
  5. give us a suntan
  6. cancer
  7. UV rays
  8. people turn red

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists have made (1) ___________________ copy how sunlight affects our skin. It (2) ___________________ into making it darker so we get a suntan. The drug (3) ___________________ to make a natural pigment called melanin. A pigment is what gives our skin its colour. Plants also have pigments (4) ___________________ different colours. The scientists are from a hospital in the USA. They say their drug could (5) ___________________ our health. The biggest benefits could be to prevent skin cancer and slow down how old people look. Getting a suntan can give us skin cancer, make our skin look (6) ___________________ wrinkles.

The scientists said the drug could (7) ___________________ a suntan (8) ___________________ no harmful UV rays. UV rays burn our skin and damage it. The rays make light-skinned people turn red. The drug (9) ___________________ to make dark melanin. This darkens our skin and (10) ___________________ tanned. Melanin is the body's natural sunblock. It protects the skin from UV (11) ___________________. A researcher said the drug could help fight skin cancer. This is the most common type of cancer. The researcher said: "Dark pigment is associated (12) ___________________ of all forms of skin cancer."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistshavemadeadrugthatcancopyhowsunlightaffectsourskin.It
tricksourskinintomakingitdarkersowegetasuntan.Thedruggetsourb
odytomakeanaturalpigmentcalledmelanin.Apigmentiswhatgivesour
skinitscolour.Plantsalsohavepigmentsthatgivethemdifferentcolours
.ThescientistsarefromahospitalintheUSA.Theysaytheirdrugcouldbe
goodforourhealth.Thebiggestbenefitscouldbetopreventskincancera
ndslowdownhowoldpeoplelook.Gettingasuntancangiveusskincance
r,makeourskinlookoldandgiveuswrinkles.Thescientistssaidthedrugc
ouldsafelygiveusasuntanbecauseithasnoharmfulUVrays.UVraysbur
nourskinanddamageit.Theraysmakelight-skinnedpeopleturnred.Th
edruggetsthebodytomakedarkmelanin.Thisdarkensourskinandmak
esitlooktanned.Melaninisthebody'snaturalsunblock.Itprotectsthesk
infromUVradiationandcancer.Aresearchersaidthedrugcouldhelpfigh
tskincancer.Thisisthemostcommontypeofcancer.Theresearchersaid
:"Darkpigmentisassociatedwithalowerriskofallformsofskincancer."

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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