Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a coral reef
    • ex. I want to go snorkeling in the coral reef.
  2. a surface
    • ex. There are a lot of leaves on the surface of the water.
  3. enormous
    • ex. Wow, that dog is enormous! Is it a St. Bernard?
  4. an expedition
    • ex. My uncle is going on a three-month expedition in the jungle.
  5. map
    • ex. Scientists are trying to map the dark side of the moon in detail.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A team of Australian scientists has discovered a coral reef that is taller than the Empire State Building. The newly found coral reef is 500 meters tall, and its base is 1.5 kilometers wide. According to the scientists, its tallest point comes to about 40 meters below the surface of the ocean.

The scientists found the enormous coral reef during a 12-month expedition to explore the ocean around Australia. They made the discovery while using an underwater robot to explore the Great Barrier Reef and map the sea floor. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef and is home to about 2,000 species of fish, corals, and other animals. It became a World Heritage site in 1981.

Scientist Wendy Schmidt said that our knowledge about the ocean is limited, but new technology is helping us learn more. A number of other amazing discoveries were made in 2020. In April, scientists found the longest animal ever seen in the ocean, a 47-meter siphonophore [sai-FAH-nuh-for]. Over 30 new species were also discovered during a different deep sea expedition.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Discoveries

  • In your opinion, what percentage of species on Earth have been discovered (ex. 50%, 95%)? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think that we'll ever officially discover animals like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that we'll ever discover places like Atlantis? Why or why not? Discuss.

Expeditions

  • Do you think it's more important to explore the ocean or to explore space? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s important to spend money on expeditions to unknown places? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, why are some people willing to risk their lives to explore new places (ex. to be famous, to learn new things)? Discuss.