The Reading / Listening - Artificial Sun - Level 1

China set a record for the hottest heat ever. Scientists created a 70,000,000ºC "artificial sun". It was five times hotter than the sun for over 17 minutes. Scientists made the heat in a nuclear fusion reactor called EAST. This reproduces what happens inside our sun. The scientists are making the artificial sun to get lots of clean energy. EAST has cost more than $950 billion. That will be over $1 trillion this year.

Scientists tried for decades to develop nuclear fusion. It is a great way to make clean energy. It needs no fossil fuels and has no dangerous waste. It will make the world greener and cleaner. It could also lower fuel bills. The technology is still not advanced enough for us to use. A nuclear fusion expert says EAST is an important step. He said it "lays a solid scientific and experimental foundation towards the running of a fusion reactor".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Artificial Sun - Level 0 Artificial Sun - Level 2   or  Artificial Sun - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.china.org.cn/china/2022-01/01/content_77964589.htm
  • https://news.yahoo.com/china-switches-artificial-sun-five-105253561.html
  • http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20211231/415ad5413d0f4f4880de7cb64972bbf0/c.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. China set
  2. the hottest heat
  3. It was five times
  4. a nuclear fusion
  5. This reproduces what happens
  6. get lots of
  7. cost more than
  8. That will be over $1
  1. hotter
  2. $950 billion
  3. inside our sun
  4. trillion this year
  5. ever
  6. a record
  7. reactor
  8. clean energy

Paragraph 2

  1. Scientists tried for
  2. It is a great way to
  3. It needs no fossil
  4. no dangerous
  5. It will make the world greener
  6. It could also lower fuel
  7. still not advanced enough
  8. a fusion
  1. fuels
  2. bills
  3. reactor
  4. for us to use
  5. waste
  6. decades
  7. and cleaner
  8. make clean energy

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

China set (1) ___________________ the hottest heat ever. Scientists created a 70,000,000ºC "artificial sun". It was five times hotter than (2) ___________________ over 17 minutes. Scientists made (3) ___________________ a nuclear fusion reactor called EAST. This reproduces what happens inside our sun. The scientists (4) ___________________ artificial sun to get lots (5) ___________________. EAST has cost more than $950 billion. That will be over $(6) ___________________.

Scientists (7) ___________________ to develop nuclear fusion. It is a great way (8) ___________________ energy. It needs no fossil fuels and has no dangerous waste. It will make the world greener and cleaner. It could (9) ___________________ bills. The technology is still not advanced enough (10) __________________ use. A nuclear fusion expert says EAST is an important step. He said it "(11) ___________________ scientific and experimental foundation towards the (12) ___________________ fusion reactor".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Chinasetarecordforthehottestheatever.Scientistscreateda70,000,0
00ºC"artificialsun".Itwasfivetimeshotterthanthesunforover17minut
es.ScientistsmadetheheatinanuclearfusionreactorcalledEAST.Thisr
eproduceswhathappensinsideoursun.Thescientistsaremakingtheart
ificialsuntogetlotsofcleanenergy.EASThascostmorethan$950billion.
Thatwillbeover$1trillionthisyear.Scientiststriedfordecadestodevelo
pnuclearfusion.Itisagreatwaytomakecleanenergy.Itneedsnofossilfu
elsandhasnodangerouswaste.Itwillmaketheworldgreenerandcleane
r.Itcouldalsolowerfuelbills.Thetechnologyisstillnotadvancedenough
forustouse.AnuclearfusionexpertsaysEASTisanimportantstep.Hesai
dit"laysasolidscientificandexperimentalfoundationtowardstherunni
ngofafusionreactor".

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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