EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• fossil: the ancient remains of an animal or plant
• organism: a living thing
• geologist: someone who studies the history and materials of the Earth
• compress: to pack something into a small space
• deposit: a layer of material in the ground
• marine life: plants or animals that live in the water
• atmosphere: the gases that surround the Earth

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they come from ancient plants and animals. The organisms that became our fossil fuels lived around 300 million years ago, a time that geologists call the Carboniferous Period. After these plants and animals died, they were slowly buried and compressed. Trees and ferns from ancient hardened into coal deposits. Oil and natural gas come from small marine life, such as algae and plankton. Fossil fuels are made up of molecules called hydrocarbons, which store energy in their chemical bonds. When humans fuels to power cars and provide , the carbon is released into the air. This causes the Earth’s atmosphere to trap heat, leading to higher global .

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The plants and animals that became today’s fossil fuels lived during the
   a. Cambrian Period
   b. Carboniferous Period
   c. Permian Period
   
2. Coal comes from
   a. trees and ferns
   b. algae and plankton
   c. dinosaurs
   
3. The molecules in fossil fuels are called
   a. hydrocarbons
   b. carbohydrates
   c. hydroxides

Discussion/essay questions

1. People use fossil fuels every day to power their cars and heat their houses. Do you think we will find a way to rely on fossil fuels less in the near future? Why or why not?

Transcript

Energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they come from ancient plants and animals. The organisms that became our fossil fuels lived around 300 million years ago, during a time that geologists call the Carboniferous Period. After these plants and animals died, they were slowly buried and compressed. Trees and ferns from ancient forests hardened into coal deposits. Oil and natural gas come from small marine life, such as algae and plankton. Fossil fuels are made up of molecules called hydrocarbons, which store energy in their chemical bonds. When humans burn fuels to power cars and provide electricity, the carbon is released into the air. This causes the Earth’s atmosphere to trap heat, leading to higher global temperatures.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2a 3a

Pre-listening vocabulary

• carbon: a common chemical element that is necessary for life
• fossil: the remains of an organism that lived a long time ago
• radioactivity: the ability of a substance to produce energy from the decay of its particles
• decay: to break down or decompose
• half-life: the amount of time it takes for half of a substance to completely decay
• estimate: to make a reasonable guess
• fossil fuels: natural fuels like oil or coal

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:28 — 1.3MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Carbon dating is a that scientists use to find out the age of a fossil. All living things consume forms of carbon throughout their lives. A type of carbon called carbon-14 is radioactive, which means that it decays over time. Living things usually absorb carbon-14 through natural carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since every radioactive substance decays at a specific rate, scientists can use a substance’s half-life to find out how long it has . Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5700 years. Scientists can estimate an age for any fossil that has enough carbon-14 left to measure. However, carbon dating may become more as humans continue to use fossil fuels. Oil and put more stable carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which affects the amount of carbon-14 that living things absorb. If a plant or an animal does not contain enough carbon-14 to measure, then finding its age will be much harder.

Comprehension questions

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Discussion/essay questions

1. Human fossil fuel use is a big issue. Carbon dioxide levels are getting higher, and climate change is going to affect the world in many ways. Are there any changes you’ve made in your life to help the environment? Are there changes you’d like to make in the future?

Transcript

Carbon dating is a process that scientists use to find out the age of a fossil. All living things consume forms of carbon throughout their lives. A rare type of carbon called carbon-14 is radioactive, which means that it decays over time. Living things usually absorb carbon-14 through natural carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since every radioactive substance decays at a specific rate, scientists can use a substance’s half-life to find out how long it has existed. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5700 years. Scientists can estimate an age for any fossil that has enough carbon-14 left to measure. However, carbon dating may become more difficult as humans continue to use fossil fuels. Oil and coal put more stable carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which affects the amount of carbon-14 that living things absorb. If a plant or an animal does not contain enough carbon-14 to measure, then finding its age will be much harder.