The Reading / Listening - House Dust - Level 0

House dust can make us fat. Scientists say we should keep our house clean. The scientists did research on mice. They found that house dust made the mice fatter. The dust changed the hormones in the mice and made them fatter. Even small amounts of dust made the mice fatter. We breathe in and swallow a lot of dust.

Dust has chemicals called EDCs. They are in sofas, carpets, cosmetics, food packaging and cleaners. EDCs are in most houses. They can be bad for our health. Children are at most risk. EDCs can lead to learning problems. They can also increase the risk of cancer. The researchers say we need to look at the safety of EDCs.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    House Dust - Level 1,  House Dust - Level 2   or  House Dust - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/12/household-dust-makes-people-fat-groundbreaking-research-indicates/
  • http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/obesity-may-arise-in-part-from-household-dust/81254642
  • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318379.php


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 say we should keep
  2. The scientists did
  3. house dust made the
  4. The dust changed the
  5. made them
  6. Even small
  7. breathe
  8. swallow
  1. amounts of dust
  2. a lot of dust
  3. our house clean
  4. in
  5. research on mice
  6. hormones in the mice
  7. fatter
  8. mice fatter

Paragraph 2

  1. Dust has chemicals
  2. food
  3. EDCs are
  4. They can be bad
  5. Children are at
  6. EDCs can lead to learning
  7. They can also increase the risk
  8. we need to look at the
  1. in most houses
  2. safety of EDCs
  3. packaging
  4. problems
  5. called EDCs
  6. most risk
  7. for our health
  8. of cancer

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

House dust (1) ___________________ fat. Scientists say we should (2) ___________________ clean. The scientists did (3) ___________________. They found that house dust made the mice fatter. The dust changed the (4) ___________________ the mice and made them fatter. Even (5) ___________________ dust made the mice fatter. We breathe in and (6) ___________________ dust.

Dust has chemicals called EDCs. (7) ___________________ sofas, carpets, cosmetics, food (8) ___________________ cleaners. EDCs (9) ___________________ houses. They can be bad for our health. Children (10) ___________________ risk. EDCs can lead to learning problems. They (11) ___________________ the risk of cancer. The researchers say we (12) ___________________ the safety of EDCs.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Housedustcanmakeusfat.Scientistssayweshouldkeepourhouseclea
n.Thescientistsdidresearchonmice.Theyfoundthathousedustmadet
hemicefatter.Thedustchangedthehormonesinthemiceandmadethe
mfatter.Evensmallamountsofdustmadethemicefatter.Webreathein
andswallowalotofdust.DusthaschemicalscalledEDCs.Theyareinsofa
s,carpets,cosmetics,foodpackagingandcleaners.EDCsareinmosthou
ses.Theycanbebadforourhealth.Childrenareatmostrisk.EDCscanlea
dtolearningproblems.Theycanalsoincreasetheriskofcancer.Therese
archerssayweneedtolookatthesafetyofEDCs.

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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