Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a geyser
    • ex. Tourists watched the geyser push water up like a fountain every few minutes.
  2. habitable
    • ex. The island is beautiful, but not habitable because there’s no fresh water.
  3. inhabit
    • ex. The forest is known for being inhabited by many wild animals.
  4. extraterrestrial
    • ex. The movie is about an extraterrestrial creature who comes to Earth.
  5. phenomenal
    • ex. Everyone enjoyed last night’s performance because it was phenomenal.

Article

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

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Scientists have found new organic materials in icy geysers shooting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The discovery increases the chance that this small moon might be habitable. Fabian Klenner from the University of Washington said, “Being habitable and being inhabited are two very different things. We believe Enceladus is habitable, but we do not know if life is indeed present.”

The results came from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which flew close to the small moon in 2008. The moon has a hidden ocean, and water comes out from holes near its south pole. Cassini used a tool to study the tiny bits of ice moving at very high speed. This helped scientists see what the ice was made of. Scientists found new organic materials in these small pieces of ice, along with ones seen before.

The study was published in Nature Astronomy. “Having a variety of organic compounds on an extraterrestrial water world is simply phenomenal,” said Klenner. Scientists now want new missions to study Enceladus and its ocean more closely.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.
Photo Credits: The Associated Press

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Extraterrestrial Creatures

  • Do you think there are extraterrestrial creatures on other planets? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • If scientists could discover extraterrestrial creatures, what kind would you like them to find (ex. creatures that look like humans)? Discuss.
  • Do you think humans should try to contact extraterrestrial creatures if they exist? Why or why not? Discuss.

Living Outside of Earth

  • Scientists say that Saturn’s small moon might be habitable. Would you want to be one of the first people to live there? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What challenges do you think humans would face if they lived on another planet or moon? Discuss.
  • Why do you think some people dream about living on other planets or moons? Discuss.