Level -intermediate 2nd January, 2022

Scientists create living robots that can have babies

Contents
The Article....................................................................... 2
Warm-Ups....................................................................... 3
Before Reading / Listening................................................4
Gap Fill........................................................................... 5
Listening Gap Fill.............................................................6
Comprehension Questions.................................................7
After Reading / Listening..................................................8
Spelling........................................................................... 9
Put The Text Back Together..............................................10
Put The Words In The Right Order...................................11
Homework....................................................................................................12

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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THE ARTICLE

Scientists say that a new kind of robot can reproduce - it can create

baby robots. This is an example of science fiction becoming science fact.

The scientists, from the Universities of Vermont, Tufts and Harvard,

created the world's first "living" robots. They are called "xenobots".

Scientists created them in 2020 from the stem cells of an African frog.

Its scientific name - "xenopus laevis" - gave the xenobot its name. The

xenobots are less than a millimeter wide. They can move, work together

in groups and self-heal. Although they are not what we imagine robots to

be, scientists say they are technically robots. They are a machine-animal

hybrid. The scientists say xenobots are "an entirely new life-form".

The scientists explained that the bots reproduce because of their

shape. Researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to test billions of body

shapes. The result was a C-shaped robot. It was able to find tiny stem

cells in a petri dish. It gathered the cells in its mouth. A few days later,

the cells became a new, "baby" xenobot. The xenobots are very early

technology. However, they could change science, medicine, technology

and the way we live. They could carry out tasks inside our body to repair

damage to organs. They could also help the environment by attacking

micro-plastics in our oceans, or by cleaning up oil spills. Despite the

possible benefits, some people are worried about robots that can

reproduce.

Sources: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/29/americas/xenobots-self-replicating-robots-scn/index.html
https://inews.co.uk/news/scientists-create-worlds-first-reproductive-robots-1325805
https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/11/xenobots-reproduce/

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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WARM-UPS

1. XENOBOTS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about
xenobots. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will
the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

scientists / robot / reproduce / baby / robot / science fiction / stem cell / imagine /
life shape / artificial intelligence / body shapes / cell / medicine / organs / oceans /
oil spill

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. DANGEROUS: Students A strongly believe robots that can have babies are
dangerous to humans; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again
and talk about your conversations.

4. ROBOT HELP: How can robots help us in these areas? Would you like this help?
Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

Help Me

Learning English They could be implemented in new Could implement exercise to

devices which will help to practice or improve comprehension and writing
understand the language in a more
Health Could be implemented in micro Try to implement a nutritional plan
surgeries to make these processes that helps your health and also
more accurate and safe contains a first aid kit
Transport It would be used for surveillance I would like a vehicle that is effective
systems which would make it safer or and safe to be able to go from one
in an anti-shock system place to another safely
Friendship In a wireless communication system to It would improve the interaction and
be able to play or interact remotely coexistence with friends who are at
long distances

Housework They could be implemented in They could be implemented in

machines that perform specific tasks machines that perform specific tasks

Exercise They tried to help more for the t would help me with exercise at home
nutritional part since they could and good nutrition without going to a
measure heart rate, recommend GYM
exercises and even put routines

5. BABY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with
the word "baby". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put
the words into different categories.
 Small
Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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  Milk
 Diapers
 Little boy
 Girl
 Mother
 Dad
 Walk
 Clothing
6. BENEFITS: Rank these with your partner. Put the things robots could change most
at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

 Medicine  Housework
 Food  Loneliness
 Education  Transport
 Entertainment  Learning languages

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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 1. Medicine
2. Loneliness
3. Transportation
4. Education
5. housework
6. Learning languages
7. Entertainment
8. Food
VOCABULARY MATCHING
Paragraph 1

1. reproduce a. The smallest part of a body, plant, or other

life form that can function.

2. science fiction b. Completely; totally.

3. fact c. Create / have babies.

4. cell d. Something that is true.

5. heal e. Stories about the future, time travel and life

on other planets.

6. hybrid f. Become healthy again.

7. entirely g. A thing made by joining two different

things.

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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Paragraph 2

8. artificial h. Very, very, very small.

9. tiny i. Brought together or collected.

10. gathered j. A part of an organism that has a special and

important job (like the heart, liver, eyes,
etc.).

11. medicine k. Not real; made by human beings rather

than by nature.

12. task l. A good thing to come from something.

13. organ m. One piece of work to be done.

14. benefit n. The science of finding, helping with, and

stopping disease and illness.

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a -h b e l o w are true (T) or false (F).

1. The article says science fact has become science fiction. T/F
2. Scientists made the first living robots in 2020. T/F
3. The xenobots got their name from an African frog. T/F
4. The xenobots are less than a hundredth of a millimetre wide. T/F
5. Scientists tested hundreds of thousands of xenobot shapes. T/F
6. The xenobots create babies by gathering cells in their mouth. T/F
7. Xenobots could increase the risk of oil spills in our oceans. T/F
8. Some people are worried about robots that can have babies. T/F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: (The words in bold are from the news article.)

1. reproduce a. collected
2. fact b. totally
3. created c. visualize
4. imagine d. fix
5. entirely e. give birth
6. shape f. do
7. gathered g. made
8. carry out h. advantages
9. repair i. reality
10. benefits j. form

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1. a new kind of robot a. intelligence

2. science b. cells
3. stem c. of their shape
4. work together d. live
5. an entirely new life e. can reproduce
6. the bots reproduce because f. organs
7. artificial g. form
8. the way we h. micro-plastics
9. repair damage to i. in groups
10. help the environment by j. fiction
attacking

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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 GAP FILL

Scientists say that a new (1) k in d of robot can reproduce - first

it can create baby robots. This is an
wide
(2) example of science fiction becoming science
fact
(3) fact. The scientists, from the Universities of Vermont, Tufts
and Harvard, created the world's entirely
(4) first "living" robots. They are called "xenobots". Scientists
kind
created them in 2020 from the (5) stem cells of an African frog.
imagine
Its scientific name - "xenopus laevis" - gave the xenobot its
name. The xenobots are less than a millimetre (6) wide. They can stem

move, work together in groups and self-heal. Although they

example
are not what we
(7) imagine robots to be, scientists say they are technically robots.
They are a machine -animal hybrid . The scientists say xenobots
are "an (8) entirely new life- form".

The scientists explained that the bots reproduce because of tiny

their (9) shape. Researchers u s e d a r t i f i c i a l intelligence (AI) to
worried
test billions of body shapes. The
(10) result was a C-shaped robot. It was able to find shape

(11) tiny stem cells in a petri dish. It gathered the cells in its early
mouth. A few days (12) later, the cells became a new, “baby"
oceans
xenobot. The xenobots are very
(13) early technology. However, they could change science, result

medicine, technology and the way we live. They could carry (14) out out
tasks inside our body to repair damage to organs. They could also
later
help the environment by attacking micro-plastics in our (15) oceans,
or by cleaning up oil spills. Despite the possible benefits, some
people are (16) worried about robots that can reproduce.

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists say that a (1) new kind of robot can reproduce - it can create

baby robots. This is (2) an example of science fiction becoming science fact.

The scientists, from the Universities of Vermont, Tufts and Harvard,

created the world's (3) first living. They are called "xenobots". Scientists

created them in 2020 from the stem cells of an African frog. (4) Its scientists

name- "xenopus laevis" - gave the xenobot its name. The xenobots are

less than a millimetre wide. They can move, work (5) together in groups and

self-heal. Although they are not what we imagine robots to be, scientists

say they are technically robots. They are a machine-animal hybrid. The

scientists say xenobots are "an entirely (6) new life-form".

The scientists explained that the bots reproduce because

(7) of their shape. Researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to test billions

of body shapes. The result was a C-shaped robot. It was able to find (8) tiny

stem cells in a petri dish. It gathered the cells in its mouth. A few days

later, the cells became a new, "baby" xenobot. The

xenobots (9) are very early technology. However, they could

change science, medicine, technology and the way we live. They could

(10) carry inside our body to repair damage to organs. They could also

help the environment by attacking micro-plastics

(11) in or oceans, or by cleaning up oil spills. Despite

(12) The possible benefits, some people are worried about robots that can

reproduce.

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1) What does the article say science 6) What allowed the bots to
fiction is becoming? reproduce?
a) dull and boring a) its shape
b) science fact b) chemicals
c) interesting c) electricity
d) difficult to understand d) medicine

2) How many universities are the 7) Where did the xenobots find tiny
researchers from? stem cells?
a) one a) in chemicals
b) four b) in the air
c) three c) in water
d) two d) in a petri dish

3) What animal does the 8) What could xenobots repair

xenobot get its name from? damage to in our body?
a) an Indian beetle a) our mental health
b) a South American lizard b) the aging process
c) an Australian snake c) organs
d) an African frog d) cuts

4) How wide are the xenobots? 9) What could xenobots clean up in

a) less than a hundredth of a our oceans?
millimetre a) chemicals
b) less than a millimetre b) shipwrecks
c) less than a micron c) dead coral
d) less than a nanometre d) oil spills

5) What kind of hybrid did a 10) What are some people worried
researcher say xenobots were? about?
a) a machine-animal hybrid a) robots taking over the world
b) a life-imagination hybrid b) robots that can reproduce
c) an electric-diesel hybrid c) how lonely the xenobots are
d) a robot-C hybrid d) naming the xenobots

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find

collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'robot'
and 'baby'.

robot baby

 Share your findings with your partners.

 Make questions using the words you found.
 Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down

some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
 Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
 Ask your partner / group your questions.

 The xenobots could be a danger?

 What use would you give these micro robots?
 Will robots be important for the future?

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise.

Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new,
interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups,

pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try
to recall how they were used in the text:

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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Kind Shape
Scientists say that a new kind of robot can The scientists explained that the bots reproduce
reproduce because of their shape
Fact Able
This is an example of science fiction becoming It was able to find tiny stem cells in a petri dish.
science fact Few
Stem A few days later, the cells became a new, baby
Scientistscreatedthemin2020fromthestemcellsofaxenobot
nAfricanfrog Early
Work The xenobots are very early technology
They can move, work together in groups and Help
self-heal They could also help the environment by
Animal attacking micro-plastics in our oceans, or by
They are a machine-animal hybrid cleaning up oil spills
Entirely Worried
The scientists say xenobots are an entirely new some people are worried about robots that can
life-form reproduce.

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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SPELLING

Paragraph 1

1. a new kind of robot can reproduce

2. This is an example of science fiction

3. what we imagine robots to be

4. scientists say they are technically robots

5. They are a machine-animal hybrid

6. an entirely new life-form

Paragraph 2

7. artificial intelligence (AI)

8. It gathered the cells in its mouth

9. technology and the way we live

10. repair damage to organs

11. attacking micro-plastics in our oceans

12. cleaning up oil spills

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

(7 ) technically robots. They are a machine-animal hybrid. The scientists

say xenobots are "an entirely new life-form".

(1) Scientists say that a new kind of robot can reproduce - it can create
baby robots. This is an example of science

(10 ) cells in a petri dish. It gathered the cells in its mouth. A few
days later, the cells became a new,

(5 ) name. The xenobots are less than a millimetre wide. They can
move, work together in groups and self-

(2 ) fiction becoming science fact. The scientists, from the Universities

of Vermont, Tufts and Harvard, created

(14) benefits, some people are worried about robots that can reproduce.

(6 ) heal. Although they are not what we imagine robots to be,

scientists say they are

(13 ) environment by attacking micro-plastics in our oceans, or by

cleaning up oil spills. Despite the possible

(11 ) "baby" xenobot. The xenobots are very early technology.

However, they could change science, medicine,

(9 ) intelligence (AI) to test billions of body shapes. The result was a C-

shaped robot. It was able to find tiny stem

(8 ) The scientists explained that the bots reproduce because of their

shape. Researchers used artificial

(12 ) technology and the way we live. They could carry out tasks
inside our body to repair damage to organs. They could also help
the

(3 ) the world's first "living" robots. They are called "xenobots".

Scientists created them

(4 ) in 2020 from the stem cells of an African frog. Its scientific name -
"xenopus laevis" - gave the xenobot its

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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 PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1. that say reproduce . robot Scientists a can new

Scientists say that a new kind of robot can reproduce

2. of science science fiction example fact . An becoming

science fiction fact convertase example

3. created stem in Scientists 2020 from them cells .

created stem in Scientists 2020 from them cells

4. than a less wide . The are millimetre xenobots

They are xenobots that one less millimeter wide

5. to be . what aren't imagine They robots we

they are not what we imagine robots to be

6. shapes . of AI used Researchers billions test to

to test billion soft body shapes

7. carry inside out tasks could They body . our

They could carry out tasks inside our body

8. could help the by attacking micro-plastics . environment They

they could help by attacking micro plastics environment

9. spills . up oil oceans Help our cleaning by

help clean our oceans from oil spills

10. about can robots are People reproduce . that worried

robots can reproduce, people are worried

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the

text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to
build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news
story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. XENOBOTS: Make a poster about xenobots. Show your work to your

classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. ROBOTS: Write a magazine article about introducing billions of robots into

our lives to help us. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and
against this.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new
words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next

stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the
next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on robots. Ask him/her three

questions about them. Give him/her three of your opinions on robots. Read
your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will
answer your questions.

Level 3 Scientists create living robots that can have babies – 2nd December, 2021
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