The Reading / Listening - Mosquitoes - Level 1

Mosquitoes like some people more than others. Mosquitoes like different body smells and smells from soaps. Some soap smells could cut the number of mosquito bites we get. Researchers said mosquitoes like soap with a flowery smell. Most of the smells coming from our body are from soap. Changing our soap could stop mosquitoes biting us. Soap with no smell could make us less tasty to mosquitoes.

The researchers tested four brands of soap on mosquitoes. They put soapy smells and the smell of unwashed bodies in two different cups. They put the cups in a cage full of mosquitoes. The insects are like humans because they like flowery smells best. One researcher said coconut soap is best to keep mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes are the world's deadliest creatures. The diseases they carry kill 725,000 people a year.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Mosquitoes - Level 0 Mosquitoes - Level 2   or  Mosquitoes - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2023/06/07/why-do-mosquito-bites-itch/70268596007/
  • https://www.indiatoday.in/health/story/are-you-a-mosquito-magnet-it-could-be-your-soap-2392070-2023-06-12
  • https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/scented-soaps-can-attract-or-repel-mosquitoes-research-finds/3051062/


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. Mosquitoes like
  2. Mosquitoes like different
  3. cut the number of mosquito
  4. soap with
  5. Changing
  6. stop mosquitoes
  7. Soap with no
  8. make us less
  1. biting us
  2. tasty to mosquitoes
  3. a flowery smell
  4. body smells
  5. some people
  6. bites we get
  7. our soap
  8. smell

Paragraph 2

  1. researchers tested four
  2. the smell of unwashed
  3. in two different
  4. a cage full
  5. coconut soap is best to keep
  6. the world's deadliest
  7. The diseases they
  8. 725,000 people
  1. of mosquitoes
  2. carry
  3. a year
  4. mosquitoes away
  5. bodies
  6. brands of soap
  7. creatures
  8. cups

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Mosquitoes like some people (1) ___________________. Mosquitoes like different body smells and (2) ___________________. Some soap smells could cut the number of mosquito (3) ___________________. Researchers said mosquitoes like soap (4) ___________________ smell. Most of the smells coming from our body are from soap. Changing our soap could stop (5) ___________________. Soap with no smell could make (6) ___________________ to mosquitoes.

The researchers tested (7) ___________________ soap on mosquitoes. They put soapy smells and the (8) ___________________ bodies in two different cups. They put the cups in a (9) ___________________ mosquitoes. The insects are like humans because they like (10) ___________________. One researcher said coconut soap is (11) ___________________ mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes are the world's deadliest creatures. The diseases (12) ___________________ 725,000 people a year.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Mosquitoeslikesomepeoplemorethanothers.Mosquitoeslikedifferent
bodysmellsandsmellsfromsoaps.Somesoapsmellscouldcutthenumb
erofmosquitobitesweget.Researcherssaidmosquitoeslikesoapwitha
flowerysmell.Mostofthesmellscomingfromourbodyarefromsoap.Ch
angingoursoapcouldstopmosquitoesbitingus.Soapwithnosmellcoul
dmakeuslesstastytomosquitoes.Theresearcherstestedfourbrandsof
soaponmosquitoes.Theyputsoapysmellsandthesmellofunwashedbo
diesintwodifferentcups.Theyputthecupsinacagefullofmosquitoes.Th
einsectsarelikehumansbecausetheylikeflowerysmellsbest.Onerese
archersaidcoconutsoapisbesttokeepmosquitoesaway.Mosquitoesar
etheworld'sdeadliestcreatures.Thediseasestheycarrykill725,000pe
opleayear.

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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