SESSION 25: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 25: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:

THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:

1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.

1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):

a. Scientists have debated for a long time about humans’ first use of fire.

b. Remains of ash and bones were found in an old house in South Africa.

c. Scientists have pretty much concluded lightning did not start the fires.

d. It is possible that bat droppings can catch alight spontaneously.

e. Scientists have a much clearer idea about why early humans used fire.

f. Scientists found that early humans started fires by using animal fat.

g. The researchers discovered the cave dwellers only ate raw meat.

h. Humans started using fire 300,000 years earlier than earlier thought.

1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1. argument ............... a. unmistakable
2. ancestors ............... b. threw
3. casts .................... c. proof
4. evidence ............... d. earlier
5. rare ..................... e. descendants
6. still ...................... f. pondering
7. clear .................... g. debate
8. wondering ............. h. uncommon
9. tossed .................. i. throws
10. previously ............ j. until now

1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):

1. The argument ............................. a. light on the debate
2. casts new .................................. b. the wiser
3. unlikely the fires were started ......... c. possible natural event
4. spontaneously ............................. d. bones into the fire
5. a very rare but ........................... e. previously thought
6. still none .................................. f. among scientists
7. Scientists are ............................. g. from wild animals
8. tossed the ................................ h. now wondering
9. protection ................................ i. combusting
10. years earlier than ...................... j. naturally

1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:

POSSIBILITY - UNLIKELY - PROVE - NATURAL - AMONG - MULTIPLE - CASTS - STRIKES

The argument (1) ____________ scientists about when our human ancestors first used fire is a long-running one. A new study centred on a cave in South Africa (2) ____________ new light on the debate. Prehistoric ash and the remains of burnt bones (3) ____________ early humans used fire a million years ago. Scientists working at South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave have found evidence of (4) ____________ fires deep inside the cave, some over 30 metres from the entrance. This means it is very (5) ____________ the fires were started naturally, by lightning (6) ____________ or from nearby bush fires. Scientists have also discounted the (7) ____________ that the fires were as a result of bat guano spontaneously combusting – a very rare but possible (8) ____________ event.

RAW - PREVIOUSLY - SIGNS - TWIGS - WARMTH - NONE - TOSSED - GROUND

The scientists are still (9) ____________ the wiser what our cave ancestors used fire for. They found no (10) ____________ of a place for fire preparation, like a hearth or a deep hole in the (11) ____________. It is clear, however, that they started the fires by burning leaves, grass and small (12) ____________. Scientists are now wondering about the burnt bones. Some say our ancestors could have cooked the meat, while others say they could have eaten the meat (13) ____________ and (14) ____________ the bones into the fire. Cave researcher Francesco Berna of Boston University said other possible uses could be for (15) ____________, light or protection from wild animals. The discovery means our ancestors used fire 300,000 years earlier than (16) ____________ thought.