The Reading / Listening - ISS - Level 2

Astronauts on the International Space Station fixed a hole in its outer wall. The ISS is a large satellite that scientists live in to do scientific experiments. It was first put into space in 1998. Last week, NASA told ISS astronauts that the station was slowly leaking air. Six astronauts started looking for the leak. Astronaut Alexander Gerst found it. He quickly used a simple and effective way of stopping the leak - he put his finger over the hole. Luckily, the hole was only two millimeters wide. It was not a major emergency, but it did need fixing.

The hole was in a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft. NASA said a small piece of space junk or a small meteorite may have hit it. The ISS travels at around 28,000 kph, so a tiny object hitting it can cause a lot of damage. Flight controllers in the USA and Russia worked with the crew to fix the hole. Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev used a "space repair kit" to do the job - some "space tape" and a special glue. A NASA official said the crew on the ISS are safe after the repair. He said: "The crew are healthy and safe with weeks of air left in the International Space Station reserves."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    ISS - Level 0 ISS - Level 1   or  ISS - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/blogs/astronaut-uses-finger-plug-hole-space-station
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/space-station-alert-crew-forced-073544223.html
  • https://www.rt.com/news/437382-iss-oxygen-leak-toothbrush/


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. fixed a hole in
  2. The ISS is
  3. do scientific
  4. It was first put
  5. the station was slowly
  6. Six astronauts started looking
  7. He quickly used a simple
  8. It was not a major
  1. for the leak
  2. into space in 1998
  3. emergency
  4. a large satellite
  5. and effective way
  6. its outer wall
  7. leaking air
  8. experiments

Paragraph 2

  1. a small piece of space
  2. a small meteorite may
  3. The ISS travels at
  4. cause a lot of
  5. worked with the crew to
  6. a space repair
  7. the crew on the ISS are
  8. weeks of air
  1. around 28,000 kph
  2. left
  3. fix the hole
  4. have hit it
  5. safe
  6. junk
  7. damage
  8. kit

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Astronauts on the International Space Station (1) ___________________ in its outer wall. The ISS is a large satellite that scientists (2) ___________________ do scientific experiments. It was first (3) ___________________ in 1998. Last week, NASA told ISS astronauts that the station was slowly leaking air. Six astronauts (4) ___________________ the leak. Astronaut Alexander Gerst found it. He quickly used a simple and effective way of stopping the leak - he (5) ___________________ over the hole. Luckily, the hole was only two millimeters wide. It was not a major emergency, (6) ___________________ need fixing.

The (7) ___________________ a Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft. NASA said a small piece of space junk or a small meteorite (8) ___________________ it. The ISS travels at around 28,000 kph, so a tiny object hitting (9) ___________________ a lot of damage. Flight controllers in the USA and Russia worked with the crew to fix the hole. Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev used a "space repair kit" to (10) ___________________ - some "space tape" and a special glue. A NASA official said the crew on the ISS are safe (11) ___________________. He said: "The crew are healthy and safe with (12) ___________________ left in the International Space Station reserves."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AstronautsontheInternationalSpaceStationfixedaholeinitsouterwall
.TheISSisalargesatellitethatscientistsliveintodoscientificexperimen
ts.Itwasfirstputintospacein1998.Lastweek,NASAtoldISSastronauts
thatthestationwasslowlyleakingair.Sixastronautsstartedlookingfort
heleak.AstronautAlexanderGerstfoundit.Hequicklyusedasimpleand
effectivewayofstoppingtheleak-heputhisfingeroverthehole.Luckily,
theholewasonlytwomillimeterswide.Itwasnotamajoremergency,but
itdidneedfixing.TheholewasinaSoyuzMS-09spacecraft.NASAsaidas
mallpieceofspacejunkorasmallmeteoritemayhavehitit.TheISStravel
sataround28,000kph,soatinyobjecthittingitcancausealotofdamage.
FlightcontrollersintheUSAandRussiaworkedwiththecrewtofixthehol
e.CosmonautSergeyProkopyevuseda"spacerepairkit"todothejob-s
ome"spacetape"andaspecialglue.ANASAofficialsaidthecrewontheIS
Saresafeaftertherepair.Hesaid:"Thecrewarehealthyandsafewithwe
eksofairleftintheInternationalSpaceStationreserves."

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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