The Reading / Listening - The Sun - Level 1

Scientists know when our Sun will die. It will be in 10 billion years. The scientists say that in about 5 billion years, the Sun will turn into a "red giant". This is the science name for a star at the end of its life. Its centre will get smaller and its outer layers will travel as far as Mars. This means Earth will burn and disappear. It will then become a bubble of gas and space dust. Humans will disappear in around one billion years from now.

The Sun is 4.6 billion years old. It is only one third into its lifespan. A professor said when a star dies, it throws gas and dust into space. This reveals the star's centre. At this point, it is running out of fuel. The star turns off and dies. The professor was happy that he could work out many things about space. He said we can work out what stars are in distant galaxies. He said: "We have even found out what the Sun will do when it dies".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    The Sun - Level 0 The Sun - Level 2   or  The Sun - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-figured-out-when-and-how-our-sun-will-die-and-it-will-be-epic
  • https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/how-and-when-will-the-sun-die-researchers-have-an-answer-3513891
  • https://www.inverse.com/science/when-will-the-sun-die


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. Scientists know when
  2. It will be in
  3. the Sun will turn into a
  4. a star at the end
  5. Its centre will
  6. travel as
  7. Earth will burn
  8. a bubble of gas and
  1. far as Mars
  2. of its life
  3. space dust
  4. 10 billion years
  5. and disappear
  6. "red giant"
  7. get smaller
  8. our Sun will die

Paragraph 2

  1. The Sun is 4.6 billion
  2. It is only one third
  3. when a star
  4. it throws gas and
  5. it is running
  6. The star turns
  7. stars are in distant
  8. We have even found out
  1. galaxies
  2. dust into space
  3. off and dies
  4. into its lifespan
  5. what the Sun will do
  6. years old
  7. out of fuel
  8. dies

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists know when our Sun will die. It (1) ___________________ 10 billion years. The scientists say that in about 5 billion years, the Sun (2) ___________________ a "red giant". This is the science name for a star (3) ___________________ of its life. Its centre will get smaller and its outer layers (4) ___________________ far as Mars. This means Earth (5) ___________________ disappear. It will then become a bubble of gas (6) ___________________. Humans will disappear in around one billion years from now.

The Sun is 4.6 billion years old. It (7) ___________________ third into its lifespan. A professor said (8) ___________________ dies, it throws gas and dust into space. This reveals the star's centre. (9) ___________________, it is running out of fuel. The star turns off and dies. The professor was happy that he could work out many (10) ___________________. He said we can work out what stars are (11) ___________________. He said: "We have even found out what the Sun (12) ___________________ it dies".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ScientistsknowwhenourSunwilldie.Itwillbein10billionyears.Thescie
ntistssaythatinabout5billionyears,theSunwillturnintoa"redgiant".T
hisisthesciencenameforastarattheendofitslife.Itscentrewillgetsmall
eranditsouterlayerswilltravelasfarasMars.ThismeansEarthwillburna
nddisappear.Itwillthenbecomeabubbleofgasandspacedust.Humans
willdisappearinaroundonebillionyearsfromnow.TheSunis4.6billiony
earsold.Itisonlyonethirdintoitslifespan.Aprofessorsaidwhenastardie
s,itthrowsgasanddustintospace.Thisrevealsthestar'scentre.Atthisp
oint,itisrunningoutoffuel.Thestarturnsoffanddies.Theprofessorwas
happythathecouldworkoutmanythingsaboutspace.Hesaidwecanwor
koutwhatstarsareindistantgalaxies.Hesaid:"Wehaveevenfoundout
whattheSunwilldowhenitdies".

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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