Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. host
    • ex. The island hosts many rare birds that cannot be found anywhere else.
  2. unexplored
    • ex. Scientists are excited to study the unexplored islands in the country.
  3. prehistoric
    • ex. We visited a cave with prehistoric paintings on the walls.
  4. a crust
    • ex. Scientists study the Earth’s crust to learn how mountains and earthquakes form.
  5. flourishing
    • ex. The small town has a flourishing market with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Article

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

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Indonesia is known to host some of the world’s earliest cave art. Scientists recently studied handprints in a largely unexplored area of Sulawesi Island. The handprints are at least 67,800 years old. They are older than any other known cave drawings, making them the oldest rock art ever found.

The handprints were made in prehistoric times. Artists placed a hand on the cave wall and added coloring around it, which helped create the shape of the hand. The coloring was a natural-colored powder, likely made from earth minerals. According to researchers, the age of the artwork was measured by studying the mineral crust that formed on top of it. This discovery suggests Sulawesi once had a flourishing artistic culture.

It is not clear who made the handprints. They may belong to early modern humans or to Denisovans, an ancient human group. Meanwhile, other cave drawings discovered on the island are much newer, created about 4,000 years ago. Scientists believe more ancient art may still be waiting to be found on nearby islands. Future studies may help scientists learn how art became an important part of early human life.

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

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Cave Art

  • Would you like to visit a cave with prehistoric paintings? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Why do you think people made handprints on cave walls thousands of years ago? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you’re creating cave art today. What kind of artwork would you do to leave a mark or show you were there? Why? Discuss.

Human Creativity

  • Do you think all humans are born with the ability to be creative? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think people today are more creative because of technology, or less creative because life is easier? Why? Discuss.
  • Besides art, how do you think people can show their creativity in everyday life or other activities? Discuss.