Modern Day Frankenstein – English Effective Communication. English ESL Worksheets to improve reading and develop strong language and Speaking skills.
Modern Day Frankenstein – English Effective Communication
Modern Day Frankenstein – English Effective Communication
Procedure
Divide the class into pairs. Give each student a copy of either the A or B reading sheets. The students read the short articles silently by themselves and use a dictionary or consult the teacher if they don’t understand a word or phrase. After the students have read and understood the articles, the teacher takes the articles away. Then student A will communicate what was in A’s article to student B, and student B will communicate what was in B’s article to A. Then all of the students take a test to see how much information they were able to communicate.
| Franken Monkeys Science is progressing at a rapid pace. We have learned more in the last 50 years than in the previous 500. But don’t you think science goes too far sometimes? For example, research on primates sometimes seems to cross the boundary of ethical and unethical. Doctor Robert White, from Cleveland Ohio, transplanted a monkey’s head onto another monkey’s body. Amazingly, the monkey survived after the operation! Doctor White claims that he may be able to do human body transplants in the future. This could be used to help paralyzed people who have diseased bodies but healthy brains. But many critics claim that this was just ‘grotesque’ and are worried about people creating Frankenstein monsters in the future. In another experiment on monkeys by different researchers, computer chips were implanted into the brains of monkeys. These chips were able to send signals by remote control. After some time, the monkeys were able to play computer games using only their minds. But some animal rights groups feel that this is cruel and inhumane treatment. They call this research unethical and want it banned. | Franken Fish Some scientists argue that genetically modified organisms can be a great benefit for humans: These scientists claim GM foods can help feed starving countries. But how about GM pets? Isn’t that going too far? One company from Taiwan wants to market glow-in-the-dark fish. To make their fish glow in the dark, the company transplanted a jellyfish fish gene into a zebra fish. The fish shine a yellow-green color. In spite of criticism, the company claims that there is no need to worry. The fish are sterile so they cannot have babies and escape into the environment. As well, the gene is naturally occurring in jellyfish and it is harmless. But one American state has already banned them. In 2003, California prohibited the sale of ornamental genetically modified fish. Californians are worried about the environmental impact of the fish if some of them escape into California waters. They are also concerned about the health impacts if some of these fish are consumed by children or pets. Other people worry about the precedent these fish are setting. Glow-in-the-dark fish may be OK, but what’s next. People worry there will be a flood of ‘grotesque’ new pets if the fish are allowed to be sold. |
| Franken Monkeys What is the title of the article? How fast is science progressing? What did Dr. Robert White do? What happened to the monkey after the operation? What does Dr. White say he can do with humans? Why does Dr. White say it could help humans? What do some people call his experiments? What was implanted into monkeys’ brains? What were the chips able to do? What did the monkeys learn to do? What do animal rights groups think? What do they want to happen to this research? | Franken Fish Why do some scientists argue that GM organisms can help us? What does one company from Taiwan want to sell? How did they make the fish glow in the dark? What color is the fish? Why does the company say that the fish are safe?(a) (b) What did California do? Why did California prohibit the sale of GM fish?(a) (b) What do other people worry about? |
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