The Reading / Listening - Early Risers - Level 1

Early risers naturally wake up early because of their body clock. Most people are still in deep sleep. Researchers said early risers share DNA with Neanderthals – our ancestors from 40,000 years ago. They lived in northern Europe and Asia. They woke up earlier to gather food as the sun rose. A researcher said our body clock can change with the light of different seasons. He said a "faster" body clock makes people "more likely to rise early".

The researchers looked at genetic information to find out why some people are early birds and others are night owls. The early birds shared DNA with Neanderthals. However, the effect of the Neanderthal DNA may be weakening as time passes. Our modern lifestyles mean many of us prefer to sleep in and not get up. Nevertheless, it may still be true that the early bird catches the worm.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Early Risers - Level 0 Early Risers - Level 2   or  Early Risers - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/14/health/early-risers-neanderthal-dna-scn/index.html
  • https://gizmodo.com/neanderthal-genes-humans-morning-person-early-riser-1851098940
  • https://www.boredpanda.com/early-risers-can-have-neanderthals-dna/


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. Early risers naturally
  2. Most people are still in deep
  3. early risers share DNA
  4. our ancestors
  5. gather food as
  6. change with the light of
  7. a "faster"
  8. more likely to rise
  1. with Neanderthals
  2. early
  3. the sun rose
  4. wake up early
  5. body clock
  6. sleep
  7. different seasons
  8. from 40,000 years ago

Paragraph 2

  1. genetic
  2. find out
  3. some people are early
  4. others are night
  5. DNA may be weakening as time
  6. many of us prefer to sleep
  7. Nevertheless, it may still
  8. the early bird catches
  1. in
  2. be true
  3. owls
  4. the worm
  5. why
  6. birds
  7. information
  8. passes

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Early (1) ___________________ up early because of their body clock. Most people are still (2) ___________________. Researchers said (3) ___________________ DNA with Neanderthals – our ancestors from 40,000 years ago. They lived in northern Europe and Asia. They (4) ___________________ to gather food as the sun rose. A researcher said our body clock can change with the light (5) ___________________. He said a "faster" body clock makes people "(6) ___________________ rise early".

The researchers (7) ___________________ information to find out why some people (8) ___________________ and others are night owls. The (9) ___________________ DNA with Neanderthals. However, the (10) ___________________ Neanderthal DNA may be weakening as time passes. Our modern lifestyles mean many of (11) ___________________ sleep in and not get up. Nevertheless, it may still be true that the early bird (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Earlyrisersnaturallywakeupearlybecauseoftheirbodyclock.Mostpeo
plearestillindeepsleep.ResearcherssaidearlyrisersshareDNAwithNe
anderthals–ourancestorsfrom40,000yearsago.Theylivedinnorther
nEuropeandAsia.Theywokeupearliertogatherfoodasthesunrose.Are
searchersaidourbodyclockcanchangewiththelightofdifferentseason
s.Hesaida"faster"bodyclockmakespeople"morelikelytoriseearly".Th
eresearcherslookedatgeneticinformationtofindoutwhysomepeoplea
reearlybirdsandothersarenightowls.TheearlybirdssharedDNAwithN
eanderthals.However,theeffectoftheNeanderthalDNAmaybeweake
ningastimepasses.Ourmodernlifestylesmeanmanyofusprefertoslee
pinandnotgetup.Nevertheless,itmaystillbetruethattheearlybirdcatc
hestheworm.

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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