The Reading / Listening - Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 0

Chimpanzees like to dance. They also like clapping, nodding their head, and tapping their feet to music. Researchers did tests on seven chimps by playing them piano music for six days. The chimps had a sense of rhythm. The music changed their mood. Male chimpanzees danced to the songs more than the females.

Chimpanzees liked dancing around six million years ago. They passed this like on to the earliest humans. A researcher said: "Chimpanzees dance...in the same way as humans." She added: "Listening to music causes rhythmic movement." She believes her research could explain why humans love dancing so much.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 1,  Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 2   or  Dancing Chimpanzees - Level 3

Sources
  • https://news.sky.com/story/dancing-chimps-like-to-clap-along-and-tap-their-toes-to-music-11894515
  • https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/dancing-chimpanzees-may-reveal-how-humans-started-boogie
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dancing-chimps-chimpanzees-move-to-music-rhythm-kyoto-university-a9258986.html


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. nodding their
  2. tapping their
  3. Researchers did
  4. piano
  5. a sense of
  6. The music changed
  7. danced
  8. more than the
  1. rhythm
  2. to the songs
  3. head
  4. females
  5. tests
  6. music
  7. feet
  8. their mood

Paragraph 2

  1. around six million
  2. They passed this like
  3. the earliest
  4. in the same way
  5. Listening to
  6. rhythmic
  7. her research could
  8. humans love dancing
  1. explain why
  2. as humans
  3. so much
  4. on
  5. movement
  6. years ago
  7. music
  8. humans

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Chimpanzees (1) ___________________. They also like clapping, nodding their head, and (2) ___________________ to music. Researchers (3) ___________________ seven chimps by playing (4) ___________________ for six days. The chimps had (5) ___________________ rhythm. The music changed their mood. Male chimpanzees danced to the (6) ___________________ the females.

Chimpanzees (1) ___________________ six million years ago. They (2) ___________________ on to the earliest humans. A researcher said: "Chimpanzees dance...in (3) _________________ as humans." She added: "Listening to (4) ___________________ movement." She (5) ___________________ could explain why humans love (6) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Chimpanzeesliketodance.Theyalsolikeclapping,noddingtheirhead,a
ndtappingtheirfeettomusic.Researchersdidtestsonsevenchimpsbyp
layingthempianomusicforsixdays.Thechimpshadasenseofrhythm.T
hemusicchangedtheirmood.Malechimpanzeesdancedtothesongsmo
rethanthefemales.Chimpanzeeslikeddancingaroundsixmillionyears
ago.Theypassedthislikeontotheearliesthumans.Aresearchersaid:"C
himpanzeesdance...inthesamewayashumans."Sheadded:"Listenin
gtomusiccausesrhythmicmovement."Shebelievesherresearchcould
explainwhyhumanslovedancingsomuch.

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.

Back to the top

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You