The Reading / Listening - Stonehenge - Level 2

Scientists say they found details about who built the 5,000-year-old Stonehenge. The ancient stone monument in England is famous all over the world. How it was built has been a mystery for thousands of years. Scientists say the architects and builders of Stonehenge could have come from Wales, more than 160 kilometres away. Researchers wrote that human bones found at Stonehenge were from mountains in west Wales. The researchers said the oldest human remains found date back to about 3000 BC, which is over 5,000 years ago.

Stonehenge is a ring of giant standing stones. Each stone is four metres high and 2.1 metres wide. They each weigh 25 tons. Scientists say Stonehenge was used as a burial mound. They are not sure how ancient people moved the giant stones from Wales to Stonehenge. They believe the people they found buried at Stonehenge helped transport and put up the stones. Researcher John Pouncett said: "People from the [Welsh mountains] not only supplied the bluestones used to build the stone circle but moved with the stones and were buried there too."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Stonehenge - Level 0 Stonehenge - Level 1   or  Stonehenge - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.npr.org/2018/08/03/635363118/builders-of-stonehenge-may-have-been-from-wales-more-than-100-miles-away
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/who-built-stonehenge-ancient-druids-britons-pre-roman-a8474381.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/aug/02/revealed-stonehenge-buried-welsh


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. The ancient stone
  2. famous all
  3. a mystery for
  4. architects
  5. more than
  6. human bones found
  7. the oldest human
  8. date back
  1. 160 kilometres away
  2. remains
  3. over the world
  4. to about 3000 BC
  5. monument
  6. and builders
  7. thousands of years
  8. at Stonehenge

Paragraph 2

  1. Stonehenge is a ring of giant
  2. Each stone is
  3. They each
  4. used as a burial
  5. how ancient people
  6. transport and put
  7. build the stone
  8. buried there
  1. too
  2. weigh 25 tons
  3. circle
  4. four metres high
  5. up the stones
  6. standing stones
  7. moved the giant stones
  8. mound

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists say they found details (1) ___________________ the 5,000-year-old Stonehenge. The ancient stone monument in England (2) ___________________ over the world. How it was built has been (3) ___________________ thousands of years. Scientists say the architects and builders of Stonehenge could have come from Wales, more than 160 kilometres away. Researchers wrote that (4) ___________________ at Stonehenge were from mountains in west Wales. The researchers (5) ___________________ human remains found date back to about 3000 BC, (6) ___________________ 5,000 years ago.

Stonehenge is a (7) ___________________ standing stones. Each stone is four metres high and 2.1 metres wide. They (8) ___________________ tons. Scientists say Stonehenge was used as a burial mound. They are not sure (9) ___________________ moved the giant stones from Wales to Stonehenge. They believe the people they (10) ___________________ Stonehenge helped transport and put up the stones. Researcher John Pouncett said: "People from the [Welsh mountains] (11) ___________________ the bluestones used to build the stone circle but moved (12) ___________________ and were buried there too."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistssaytheyfounddetailsaboutwhobuiltthe5,000-year-oldS
tonehenge.TheancientstonemonumentinEnglandisfamousalloverth
eworld.Howitwasbuilthasbeenamysteryforthousandsofyears.Scient
istssaythearchitectsandbuildersofStonehengecouldhavecomefrom
Wales,morethan160kilometresaway.Researcherswrotethathuman
bonesfoundatStonehengewerefrommountainsinwestWales.Theres
earcherssaidtheoldesthumanremainsfounddatebacktoabout3000B
C,whichisover5,000yearsago.Stonehengeisaringofgiantstandingst
ones.Eachstoneisfourmetreshighand2.1metreswide.Theyeachweig
h25tons.ScientistssayStonehengewasusedasaburialmound.Theyar
enotsurehowancientpeoplemovedthegiantstonesfromWalestoSton
ehenge.TheybelievethepeopletheyfoundburiedatStonehengehelpe
dtransportandputupthestones.ResearcherJohnPouncettsaid:"Peopl
efromthe[Welshmountains]notonlysuppliedthebluestonesusedtobu
ildthestonecirclebutmovedwiththestonesandwereburiedtheretoo."

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You