Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a worm
    • ex. My father uses worms to catch fish.
  2. invade
    • ex. The movie is about aliens that invade New Zealand.
  3. via
    • ex. The announcement was sent to customers via e-mail.
  4. spread
    • ex. Information can spread quickly on social media.
  5. a hornet
    • ex. Be careful! There are hornets in that tree.

Article

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

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A species of worm called jumping snake worms is invading US forests. The worms are originally from Asia, but scientists say that they probably came to the US about 100 years ago via imported plants. Jumping snake worms cause damage to the forest floor, which hurts native insects, lizards, and birds.

Although the worms entered the US about 100 years ago, they’ve started to spread much faster over the past 15 years. In addition to the South and Mid-Atlantic, the jumping snake worms are now in some parts of the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and West as well. Scientists say that climate change may be the cause. As winters become warmer, the worms are moving into areas that used to be too cold for them.

The Asian giant hornet, another foreign insect species, started to invade the US last year. The hornets are killing native honeybees and can be deadly for humans as well. In Japan, they kill around 30 to 40 people every year. To stop the hornets from spreading in the US, scientists have been hunting for their nests and destroying them.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Foreign Species

  • Do you think it's okay for scientists to hunt and destroy the nests of foreign species? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, which foreign species should the US focus on more, the jumping snake worms or the Asian giant hornets? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think it's possible for countries to 100% block foreign species from entering them? Why or why not? Discuss.

Insects

  • Some insect species like honeybees are disappearing. Do you think that humans should care about that? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • If people find insects in their home, what should they do (ex. put them outside, kill them)? Why? Discuss.
  • Why do you think that some people are afraid of insects (ex. they're ugly, they're dangerous)? Discuss.