Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. trap
    • ex. The glass jar traps the heat inside, keeping the food warm.
  2. groundbreaking
    • ex. The doctor’s groundbreaking work saved many lives in poor countries.
  3. build on (something)
    • ex. The scientists are building on earlier research to develop a new vaccine.
  4. a shortage
    • ex. Many hospitals have a shortage of nurses, so patients need to wait longer.
  5. packaging
    • ex. Our company is trying to reduce plastic packaging to help the environment.

Article

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

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Three scientists have won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating a new material that can trap gases and collect water from desert environments. The winners are Susumu Kitagawa from Japan, Richard Robson from Australia, and Omar Yaghi from the United States. According to the Nobel Committee, their discovery is groundbreaking and could help the planet in many ways.

The scientists worked for many years, building on each other’s research. They created a material called a metal-organic framework, or MOF. The material has tiny holes that can hold gases like carbon dioxide or even water. Because of this, MOFs can help reduce air pollution and provide clean water in dry areas. Even though the material is small, it can hold a lot because its surface area is very large. In fact, just a little of it has the same surface area as a soccer field.

As a result, this discovery can help solve the shortage of clean air and water in the future. Today, MOFs are already being used in food packaging to keep fruit fresh during transport. In addition, they are being studied for new medical uses. 

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

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Scientists and Important Discoveries

  • Three scientists won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Do you think it’s important for scientists to win awards for their work? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • The scientists worked for many years and built on each other’s research. What do you think about scientists from different countries working together? Discuss.
  • Imagine you’re a scientist. What is one problem in your city or country that you would like to help solve? Discuss.

Clean Air and Water

  • Which of the two is a bigger problem in your city/country: dirty air or dirty water? Why? Discuss. 
  • Do you think it’s possible to have a shortage of clean air and water in the future? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • The MOFs developed by the scientists can help solve the shortage of clean air and water in the future. If you could develop something like the MOF, what would you do to help a lot of people? Discuss.