The Reading / Listening - Human Teeth - Level 0

Researchers have found how humans got teeth. They say teeth came from an ancient fish 400 million years ago. They used the strongest X-ray machine in the world to study a fossil of the fish. The fish was inside rock. Researchers found that the fish's teeth were very similar to human teeth.

The fish was one of the earliest with teeth. A researcher said its jawbone is very similar to ours. He said: "When you grin at the bathroom mirror in the morning, the teeth that grin back at you can [follow] their origins right back to [that fish]." Another researcher was surprised to "find teeth so deep on the evolutionary tree".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Human Teeth - Level 1,  Human Teeth - Level 2   or  Human Teeth - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8506673/Human-teeth-evolved-400-million-years-ago-strange-armoured-fish.html
  • https://www.inverse.com/science/miniature-ancient-reptile-discovery
  • https://www.earth.com/news/the-origin-of-human-teeth-dates-back-400-million-years/


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. Researchers have found how
  2. teeth came from an
  3. 400 million
  4. They used the strongest
  5. study a
  6. The fish was inside
  7. Researchers found
  8. very similar
  1. rock
  2. years ago
  3. to human teeth
  4. humans got teeth
  5. that
  6. X-ray machine
  7. ancient fish
  8. fossil

Paragraph 2

  1. The fish was one of the
  2. its jawbone is very similar
  3. When you
  4. at the bathroom
  5. the teeth that grin
  6. Another researcher was
  7. find teeth so
  8. the evolutionary
  1. back at you
  2. mirror
  3. earliest
  4. surprised
  5. tree
  6. grin
  7. to ours
  8. deep

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Researchers (1) ___________________ humans got teeth. They (2) ___________________ from an ancient fish 400 (3) ___________________. They used the strongest X-ray machine (4) ___________________ to study a fossil of the fish. The fish (5) ___________________. Researchers found that the fish's teeth were (6) ___________________ human teeth.

The fish was one of the (7) ___________________. A researcher said its jawbone is very (8) ___________________. He said: "When (9) ___________________ the bathroom mirror in the morning, the teeth (10) ___________________ at you can [follow] their (11) ___________________ to [that fish]." Another researcher was surprised to "find teeth so (12) ___________________ evolutionary tree".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Researchershavefoundhowhumansgotteeth.Theysayteethcamefro
manancientfish400millionyearsago.TheyusedthestrongestX-rayma
chineintheworldtostudyafossilofthefish.Thefishwasinsiderock.Rese
archersfoundthatthefish'steethwereverysimilartohumanteeth.Thefi
shwasoneoftheearliestwithteeth.Aresearchersaiditsjawboneisverys
imilartoours.Hesaid:"Whenyougrinatthebathroommirrorinthemorni
ng,theteeththatgrinbackatyoucan[follow]theiroriginsrightbackto[t
hatfish]."Anotherresearcherwassurprisedto"findteethsodeeponthe
evolutionarytree".

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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