Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. cryopreserve
    • ex. The lab needs a special -80°C freezer to cryopreserve plant and animal samples.
  2. distinct
    • ex. You can easily find the building because of its distinct design.
  3. extinct
    • ex. Dinosaurs became extinct millions of years ago.
  4. breeding
    • ex. Turtles lay eggs on the beach during breeding season.
  5. revive
    • ex. I revived the dying plant by watering it every day.

Article

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San Diego Zoo Global has successfully cloned a Przewalski’s [shuh-VAHL-skeez] horse, an endangered type of wild horse. The animal was cloned using the DNA of a Przewalski’s horse that was cryopreserved in 1980. The newborn horse was named Kurt in honor of Dr. Kurt Benirschke [be-NEERSH-kuh], one of the creators of San Diego Zoo Global’s animal conservation program.

Przewalski’s horses are originally from Mongolia. They have distinct muscular bodies, and they’re usually a beige or reddish-brown color. Przewalski’s horses are considered endangered and were once extinct in the wild, but breeding programs are helping to revive the species. Now, over 350 Przewalski’s horses run free in Mongolia.

San Diego Zoo Global partnered with a wildlife conservation group and a cloning company for the project. According to Ryan Phelan, director of the cloning company, Kurt’s birth is an important step for the conservation of Przewalski’s horses. Phelan’s company is also trying to revive other endangered or extinct animals, including the woolly mammoth.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Endangered and Extinct Animals

  • Should scientists try to revive extinct animals like the woolly mammoth? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think it's possible to revive all endangered species? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Should everyone know and care about endangered animals? Why or why not? Discuss.

Cryopreservation

  • Do you think that cryopreservation is a good way to revive endangered species? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that humans should also be cryopreserved? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that cryopreservation will become more common in the future? Why or why not? Discuss.