©BBC News
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What things do you know about dinosaurs? Please tell me more about it.
- Could you describe your favorite dinosaur?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- embryo /EM-bree-oh/
- discovery /dih-SKUHV-uh-ree/
- stunning /STUHN-ing/
- sort /sawrt /
- suspect /suh-SPEKT/
[noun] – an animal that is developing either in its mother’s womb or in an egg, or a plant that is developing in a seed
Once an egg is fertilized by the sperm, it becomes an embryo.
[noun] – the process of finding information, a place, or an object, especially for the first time, or the thing that is found
He has made many scientific discoveries.
[adjective] – extremely beautiful or attractive
The sunset was a stunning event.
[verb] – to put a number of things in an order or to separate them into groups
I’m going to sort these old books and decide which ones should be retained and which should be discarded.
[verb] – to think or believe something to be true or probable
I suspect he cheats his exam.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Scientists in China have discovered a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo that is developing from its egg in the same way that a chicken does. The embryo, which has been named Baby Yingliang and is likely to be a toothless theropod dinosaur or oviraptorosaur, was discovered near Ganzhou, China, and is thought to be at least 66 million years old. It is “the best dinosaur embryo ever found in history,” according to researcher Dr. Fion Waisum Ma. As a result of the discovery, scientists now have a better understanding of the link between dinosaurs and modern birds. The embryo was wrapped in the fossil in a position known as “tucking,” which is a behavior seen in birds shortly before hatching.
Prof. Steve Brusatte, a member of the research team, described it as “one of the most stunning dinosaur fossils” he had ever seen, with the embryo on the verge of hatching. A newborn Yingliang that is 10.6in (27cm) long from head to tail and sleeps inside a 6.7 inch-long egg is on display at the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in China. The egg was discovered in 2000: however, it had been buried for eleven years before being discovered. Only after construction work on the museum began and old fossils were being sorted through did researchers turn their attention to the egg, which they suspected was holding an embryo within.
Prof. Steve Brusatte, a member of the research team, described it as “one of the most stunning dinosaur fossils” he had ever seen, with the embryo on the verge of hatching. A newborn Yingliang that is 10.6in (27cm) long from head to tail and sleeps inside a 6.7 inch-long egg is on display at the Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum in China. The egg was discovered in 2000: however, it had been buried for eleven years before being discovered. Only after construction work on the museum began and old fossils were being sorted through did researchers turn their attention to the egg, which they suspected was holding an embryo within.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- According to the article, what have scientists in China discovered?
- What did they name the embryo?
- Where was the embryo specifically discovered?
- According to researcher Dr. Fion Waisum Ma, what was the result of the discovery?
- How did Prof. Steve Brusatte describe the embryo?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Do you believe that dinosaurs existed? Please elaborate on your answer.
- What kind of dinosaur do you know about? Could you tell me more about it?
- If you found a dinosaur embryo, what would you do?
- Do you agree that this preserved dinosaur embryo should be studied?
- What do you think are the benefits of this discovery? Please explain your answer.