The Reading / Listening - Air Conditioning - Level 0

Engineers have made a thin material from glass and plastic. It can cool buildings and things even under the hot sun. It does not need energy or water to work. It could replace air conditioners, which need lots of power and water. The material is not like anything in nature. It is as thin as the aluminium foil we use for cooking.

The engineers explained how the material works. First, it cools anything under it by reflecting the sun. Second, it takes away heat from the thing under it. An engineer is excited about it. He wants to see it in the power industry, aerospace, farming and more. Just a little of the material could cool a house in the summer.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Air Conditioning - Level 1,  Air Conditioning - Level 2   or  Air Conditioning - Level 3

Sources
  • https://knowridge.com/2017/02/new-engineered-material-can-cool-roofs-structures-with-zero-energy-consumption/
  • http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/scientists-make-thin-material-that-acts-as-air-conditioner-1.3281871
  • http://www.techtimes.com/articles/196976/20170211/new-material-can-cool-structures-without-consuming-water-and-energy.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. Engineers have made a thin
  2. It can cool
  3. even under the hot
  4. It does not need energy
  5. It could replace air
  6. need lots
  7. The material is not like anything
  8. the aluminium foil
  1. in nature
  2. or water to work
  3. conditioners
  4. buildings
  5. of power
  6. material
  7. we use for cooking
  8. Sun

Paragraph 2

  1. The engineers explained
  2. it cools anything
  3. reflecting
  4. it takes away heat from
  5. An engineer is excited
  6. in the power
  7. Just a little of the
  8. cool a house
  1. about it
  2. material could
  3. in the summer
  4. under it
  5. industry
  6. the Sun
  7. the thing under it
  8. how

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Engineers have made a thin material (1) ___________________ plastic. It can cool buildings and things (2) _________________ hot Sun. It (3) ___________________ energy or water to work. It could replace air conditioners, which (4) ___________________ power and water. The material is not like (5) ___________________. It is as thin as the aluminium foil we use (6) ___________________.

The engineers explained (7) ___________________ works. First, it cools anything under it (8) ___________________ Sun. Second, it takes away heat from (9) ___________________ it. An engineer (10) ___________________ it. He wants to see it in the power industry, aerospace, (11) ___________________. Just a little of the material could cool (12) ___________________ summer.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Engineershavemadeathinmaterialfromglassandplastic.Itcancoolbui
ldingsandthingsevenunderthehotSun.Itdoesnotneedenergyorwater
towork.Itcouldreplaceairconditioners,whichneedlotsofpowerandwa
ter.Thematerialisnotlikeanythinginnature.Itisasthinasthealuminiu
mfoilweuseforcooking.Theengineersexplainedhowthematerialwork
s.First,itcoolsanythingunderitbyreflectingtheSun.Second,ittakesaw
ayheatfromthethingunderit.Anengineerisexcitedaboutit.Hewantsto
seeitinthepowerindustry,aerospace,farmingandmore.Justalittleofth
ematerialcouldcoolahouseinthesummer.

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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