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Level 6 - 28th April, 2021

Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave
FREE online quizzes, mp3 listening and more for this lesson here:
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2104/210428-isolation.html
Contents
The Article 2 Discussion (Student-Created Qs) 15
Warm-Ups 3 Language Work (Cloze) 16
Vocabulary 4 Spelling 17
Before Reading / Listening 5 Put The Text Back Together 18
Gap Fill 6 Put The Words In The Right Order 19
Match The Sentences And Listen 7 Circle The Correct Word 20
Listening Gap Fill 8 Insert The Vowels (a, e, i, o, u) 21
Comprehension Questions 9 Punctuate The Text And Add Capitals 22
Multiple Choice - Quiz 10 Put A Slash ( / ) Where The Spaces Are 23
Role Play 11 Free Writing 24
After Reading / Listening 12 Academic Writing 25
Student Survey 13 Homework 26
Discussion (20 Questions) 14 Answers 27
Please try Levels 4 and 5 (they are easier).
Twitter twitter.com/SeanBanville
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THE ARTICLE
From https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2104/210428-isolation.html
Could you survive for a few days without your smartphone or without
being connected to the Internet? How about living in a cave with no mod
cons for 40 days? Fifteen people did just that. They took part in a project
called Deep Time to see how they would react to and cope with being
totally disconnected from the modern world. Scientists from the Human
Adaption Institute lead the $1.9-million project. They wanted to
understand how people would adapt to drastic changes in living
conditions. They put the volunteers in a cave for nearly six weeks. There
was no sunlight and the cave dwellers had no contact with the outside
world. They had to rely on their body clock to know when to wake up, go
to sleep and eat.
Most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience of total isolation.
Two-thirds expressed a desire to remain underground a while longer in
order to finish projects they had started. Deep Time's director Christian
Clot said the experience would, "test humans' ability to adapt to the loss
of their frame of reference for time and space". He said: "Our future as
humans on this planet will evolve. We must learn to better understand
how our brains are capable of finding new solutions, whatever the
situation." One striking observation is that participants lost their sense of
time. Mr Clot said: "In our heads, we had walked into the cave 30 days
ago". One team member estimated the time underground to be 23 days.
Sources: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-25/deep-time-experiment-sees-people-spend-40-days-in-
cave/100093966
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210424-french-volunteers-leave-cave-after-40-day-
endurance-trial
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/25/deep-time-team-ends-40-days-underground-
in-french-cave
Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

More free lessons at breakingnewsenglish.com - Copyright Sean Banville 2021 2
WARM-UPS
1. ISOLATION: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about
isolation. 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?
survive / smartphone / cave / project / cope / modern world / contact / volunteers /

isolation / desire / underground / experience / loss / brain / observation / sense
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. UNPLUG: Students A strongly believe we should all unplug from the modern world
for a few days; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk
about your conversations.
4. ISOLATED: What are the good and bad things of living in these isolated places?
Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.
Good Things Bad Things
A cave
The desert
The jungle
A desert island
A mountaintop
Antarctica
5. INTERNET: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you
associate with the word "Internet". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about
them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. THINGS I'D MISS: Rank these with your partner. Put the things you'd most if
you sent time in isolation at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.
• Smartphone • Music
• TV • Shopping
• Fast food • Friends
• Tea or coffee • News

VOCABULARY MATCHING
Paragraph 1
1. mod cons a. Deal effectively with something difficult.
2. react b. A person or animal that lives in or at a

specified place.
3. cope c. The machines and devices of a well-
equipped modern house that create an
easier way of life.
4. institute d. Act in response to something; respond in a
particular way.
5. drastic e. An organization having a particular purpose,
especially for science, education, or a
specific profession.
6. dweller f. Likely to have a strong or far-reaching
effect; radical and extreme.
7. rely on g. Depend or count on someone or something.
Paragraph 2
8. expressed h. Attracting attention by reason of being

unusual, extreme, or prominent.
9. desire i. Conveyed a thought or feeling in words or
by gestures and conduct.
10. adapt j. Develop gradually, especially from a simple
to a more complex form.
11. evolve k. The action or process of looking at
something or someone carefully or in order
to gain information.
12. striking l. A strong feeling of wanting to have
something or wishing for something to
happen.
13. observation m. Roughly calculated or judged the value,
number, quantity, or extent of.
14. estimated n. Make something suitable for a new use or
purpose; modify.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING
1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
a. The article says we could all survive without a smartphone. T/F

b. Forty people lived in a cave for 40 days. T/F
c. The research project cost $19 million. T/F
d. Volunteers had to rely on their body clock in the cave. T/F
e. Two-thirds of the volunteers enjoyed the cave experience. T/F
f. The research director said we needed to find solutions to situations. T/F
g. The participants in the research lost their sense of time. T/F
h. One team member left the cave after 23 days. T/F
2. SYNONYM MATCH:
Match the following synonyms. The words in bold are from the news article.
1. survive a. change
2. took part b. extreme
3. react c. depend
4. drastic d. judged
5. rely e. make it
6. enjoyed f. answers
7. adapt g. participated
8. solutions h. obvious
9. striking i. behave
10. estimated j. loved
3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)
1. survive for a few days without a. dwellers

2. see how they would b. time
3. how people would adapt c. on their body clock
4. cave d. of total isolation
5. They had to rely e. to drastic changes
6. enjoyed the experience f. for time and space
7. Two-thirds expressed a desire g. your smartphone
8. their frame of reference h. finding new solutions
9. our brains are capable of i. react to and cope
10. participants lost their sense of j. to remain underground

GAP FILL
Could you (1) _____________________ for a few days without your cope
smartphone or without being (2) _____________________ to the sunlight
Internet? How about living in a cave with no mod cons for 40
connected
days? Fifteen people did (3) _____________________ that. They took
part in a project called Deep Time to see how they would react to clock
and (4) _____________________ with being totally disconnected from just

the modern world. Scientists from the Human Adaption Institute
outside
lead the $1.9-million project. They wanted to understand how
survive
people would adapt to (5) _____________________ changes in living
conditions. They put the volunteers in a cave for nearly six weeks. drastic
There was no (6) _____________________ and the cave dwellers had no

contact with the (7) _____________________ world. They had to rely on
their body (8) _____________________ to know when to wake up, go to
sleep and eat.
Most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience of total adapt
(9) _____________________. Two-thirds expressed a
evolve
(10) _____________________ to remain underground a while longer in
estimated
order to finish projects they had started. Deep Time's director
Christian Clot said the experience would, "test humans' ability to isolation
(11) _____________________ to the loss of their (12) _____________________ situation

of reference for time and space". He said: "Our future as humans
frame
on this planet will (13) _____________________. We must learn to
sense
better understand how our brains are capable of finding new
solutions, whatever the (14) _____________________." One striking desire
observation is that participants lost their (15) _____________________

of time. Mr Clot said: "In our heads, we had walked into the cave
30 days ago". One team member (16) _____________________ the time
underground to be 23 days.

LISTENING – Guess the answers. Listen to check.
1) survive for a few days without your smartphone or ______

a. without being connect it
b. without being connected
c. without being connect shun
d. without being connection
2) How about living in a cave with ______
a. nomad cons
b. no mod cons
c. gnome odd cons
d. known odd cons
3) They took part in a project called Deep Time to see how ______
a. they would reactive
b. they would reacts
c. they would reacted
d. they would react
4) They wanted to understand how people would adapt ______
a. to drastic changes
b. to drastically changes
c. toad rustic changes
d. toed rancid changes
5) with the outside world. They had to rely on ______
a. their body cloak
b. their body clack
c. their body click
d. their body clock
6) Most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience ______
a. of totality isolation
b. of totalled isolation
c. of total isolation
d. of totals isolation
7) Two-thirds expressed a desire to ______
a. rim main underground
b. rename underground
c. ream mane underground
d. remain underground
8) Christian Clot said the experience would, "test humans' ______
a. ability to adept
b. ability to adopt
c. ability to adapt
d. ability to add opt
9) Our future as humans on this ______
a. planet will involve
b. planet will revolve
c. planet will solve
d. planet will evolve
10) One striking observation is that participants lost their ______
a. cents of time
b. sent of time
c. sense of time
d. Zen of time

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps
Could you survive for (1) ____________________ without your smartphone

or without being connected to the Internet? How about living in a cave with
no mod cons for 40 days? Fifteen people (2) ____________________. They

took part in a project called Deep Time to see how they
(3) ____________________ and cope with being totally disconnected from
the modern world. Scientists from the Human Adaption Institute lead the
$1.9-million project. They wanted to understand how people would adapt to

(4) ____________________ living conditions. They put the volunteers in a
cave for nearly six weeks. There was no sunlight and
(5) ____________________ had no contact with the outside world. They had
to (6) ____________________ body clock to know when to wake up, go to
sleep and eat.
Most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience
(7) ____________________. Two-thirds expressed a desire to remain

underground (8) ____________________ in order to finish projects they had
started. Deep Time's director Christian Clot said the experience would, "test
humans' ability to adapt to the loss of their (9) ____________________ for
time and space". He said: "Our future as humans on this planet will evolve.
We must learn to better understand how our brains
(10) ____________________ finding new solutions, whatever the situation."
One striking observation is that participants lost their
(11) ____________________. Mr Clot said: "In our heads, we had walked

into the cave 30 days ago". One team member (12) ____________________

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What do people in the cave have to live without for 40 days?
2. What is the name of the project in the article?
3. How much did the research project cost?
4. What did the cave dwellers have no contact with?
5. What did the cave dwellers have to rely on to know when to eat?
6. What proportion of the volunteers enjoyed the cave experience?
7. What did many participants want to finish?
8. What did the research director say humans would do?
9. What did the director say we needed to find?
10. What did the participants lose their sense of?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ
1) What do people in the cave have 6) What proportion of the volunteers

to live without for 40 days? enjoyed the cave experience?
a) fast food a) two-thirds
b) mod cons b) three-quarters
c) shopping c) two-fifths
d) You Tube d) seven-tenths
2) What is the name of the project in 7) What did many participants want
the article? to finish?
a) Deep Cave a) the cave experience
b) Cave Time b) lunch
c) Time Deep c) projects
d) Deep Time d) napping
3) How much did the research 8) What did the research director say
project cost? humans would do?
a) $1.8 million a) evolve
b) $1.7 million b) live in caves
c) $1.9 million c) die out
d) $1.6 million d) more research
4) What did the cave dwellers have 9) What did the director say we
no contact with? needed to find?
a) the outside world a) more caves
b) animals b) more time
c) researchers c) each other
d) each other d) solutions
5) What did the cave dwellers have 10) What did the participants lose
to rely on to know when to eat? their sense of?
a) their stomach a) each other
b) their body clock b) taste
c) the sound of the wind c) time
d) each other d) smell

ROLE PLAY
Role A – Smartphones
You think smartphones is the thing you'd miss most if you
spent time in isolation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell
them why their things are not so miss-able. Also, tell the
others which is the least miss-able of these (and why): fast
food, music or news.
Role B – Fast Food

You think fast food is the thing you'd miss most if you spent
time in isolation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them
why their things are not so miss-able. Also, tell the others
which is the least miss-able of these (and why): smartphones,
music or news.
Role C – Music
You think music is the thing you'd miss most if you spent time
in isolation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why
their things are not so miss-able. Also, tell the others which is
the least miss-able of these (and why): fast food, smartphones
or news.
Role D – News
You think news is the thing you'd miss most if you spent time
in isolation. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why
their things are not so miss-able. Also, tell the others which is
the least miss-able of these (and why): fast food, music or
smartphones.

AFTER READING / LISTENING
1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates,

other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'isolation' and
'cave'.
isolation cave
• 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.
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:
• survive • volunteers
• cave • underground
• project • loss
• modern world • humans
• changes • planet
• body clock • time

ISOLATION SURVEY
Write five GOOD questions about isolation in the table. Do this in pairs. Each
student must write the questions on his / her own paper.
When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.
STUDENT 1 STUDENT 2 STUDENT 3
_____________ _____________ _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.
• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found
out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

ISOLATION DISCUSSION
STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1. What did you think when you read the headline?

2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'isolation'?
3. Would you like to have taken part in this experiment?
4. What do you think of caves?
5. Could you survive for a few days without your smartphone?
6. Could you live in a dark cave for 40 days?
7. How would you cope with being disconnected from the world?
8. What does your body clock tell you?
9. What would you do in a cave for 40 days?
10. What would you miss about having no contact with the outside world?
Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

Thousands more free lessons at breakingnewsenglish.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ISOLATION DISCUSSION
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
11. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?

12. What do you think of when you hear the word 'cave'?
13. What do you think about what you read?
14. How would you deal with total isolation?
15. How might our future on this planet change?
16. How good are you at finding new solutions?
17. What happens when you lose your sense of time?
18. How sociable are you?
19. To what degree is technology isolating people?
20. What questions would you like to ask the participants?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)
STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________
Copyright © breakingnewsenglish.com 2021
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE
Could you (1) ____ for a few days without your smartphone or without being
connected to the Internet? How about living in a cave with no (2) ____ cons for 40
days? Fifteen people did just that. They took part in a project called Deep Time to
see how they would react to and cope (3) ____ being totally disconnected from the
modern world. Scientists from the Human Adaption Institute lead the $1.9-million
project. They wanted to understand how people would (4) ____ to drastic changes
in living conditions. They put the volunteers in a cave for nearly six weeks. There
was no sunlight and the cave (5) ____ had no contact with the outside world. They
had to rely on their body (6) ____ to know when to wake up, go to sleep and eat.
Most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience of (7) ____ isolation. Two-
thirds expressed a desire to remain underground a (8) ____ longer in order to finish
projects they had started. Deep Time's director Christian Clot said the experience
would, "test humans' ability to adapt to the loss of their frame (9) ____ reference
for time and space". He said: "Our future as humans on this planet will (10) ____.
We must learn to better understand how our brains are capable of finding new
solutions, whatever the situation." One striking observation is that participants lost
their (11) ____ of time. Mr Clot said: "In our heads, we had walked into the cave 30
days ago". One team member estimated the time underground to (12) ____ 23 days.
Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.
1. (a) survive (b) survivor (c) survives (d) survival
2. (a) odd (b) nod (c) mod (d) pod
3. (a) of (b) at (c) on (d) with
4. (a) adept (b) adapt (c) inept (d) crept
5. (a) cavers (b) stalactites (c) stalagmites (d) dwellers
6. (a) watch (b) timepiece (c) clock (d) clock face
7. (a) totality (b) total (c) totals (d) totally
8. (a) while (b) whilst (c) whiling (d) whiled
9. (a) of (b) to (c) at (d) up
10. (a) revolve (b) involve (c) evolve (d) solve
11. (a) era (b) clock (c) tardy (d) sense
12. (a) give (b) be (c) have (d) do

SPELLING
Paragraph 1
1. vrvseui for a few days
2. nodccntee to the Internet
3. ecart to and cope with
4. the Human pdAontia Institute
5. aisrdct changes in living conditions
6. They put the oursevnelt in a cave
Paragraph 2
7. Two-thirds drssepeex a desire to remain
8. their frame of reerfneec
9. finding new sloounsti
10. One gtikrins observation
11. rtiapnpitasc lost their sense of time
12. One team member eettasidm the time

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER
Number these lines in the correct order.
( ) called Deep Time to see how they would react to and cope with
being totally disconnected from the modern
( ) brains are capable of finding new solutions, whatever the situation."

One striking
( ) about living in a cave with no mod cons for 40 days? Fifteen people
did just that. They took part in a project
( ) understand how people would adapt to drastic changes in living

conditions. They put the volunteers in a cave
( ) for nearly six weeks. There was no sunlight and the cave dwellers
had no contact with
( ) observation is that participants lost their sense of time. Mr Clot

said: "In our heads, we had walked
( ) the outside world. They had to rely on their body clock to know
when to wake up, go to sleep and eat.
( ) desire to remain underground a while longer in order to finish

projects they had started. Deep Time's director Christian Clot said
the
( ) and space". He said: "Our future as humans on this planet will

evolve. We must learn to better understand how our
( ) experience would, "test humans' ability to adapt to the loss of their

frame of reference for time
( ) world. Scientists from the Human Adaption Institute lead the $1.9-
million project. They wanted to
( 1 ) Could you survive for a few days without your smartphone or

without being connected to the Internet? How
( ) into the cave 30 days ago". One team member estimated the time
( ) Most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience of total

isolation. Two-thirds expressed a

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER
1. a days for Survive without your smartphone . few
2. no mod in cave with a cons . Living
3. with being disconnected from Cope the modern world .
4. changes . to would people adapt Understand drastic how
5. had to on rely their clock . body They
6. of enjoyed total isolation . experience They the
7. desire to expressed remain a underground . Two-thirds
8. humans' to to loss . Test ability the adapt
9. how better our Learn brains . to understand
10. estimated member team time One underground . the

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)
Could you survive / survival for a few days without your smartphone or
without being connected / connecting to the Internet? How about living in a
cave with no mod cons / coins for 40 days? Fifteen people did just what /
that. They took part in a project called Deep Time to see how they would
react to and cope with being total / totally disconnected from the modern
world. Scientists from the Human Adaption Institute lead the $1.9-million
project. They wanted to understand how people would adept / adapt to
drastic changes in living conditions. They put the volunteers on / in a cave
for nearly six weeks. There was no sunlight and the cave dwellers had no
contact / contract with the outside world. They had to relay / rely on their
body clock / watch to know when to wake up, go to sleep and eat.
Most of the volunteers said they employed / enjoyed the experience of total
isolation. Two-thirds expressed a desire to remnant / remain underground a
while longer in / on order to finish projects they had started. Deep Time's
director Christian Clot said the experience would, "test humans' ability for /
to adapt to the loss of their frame of / to reference for time and space". He
said: "Our future as humans on this planet will revolve / evolve. We must
learn to better understand how our brains are capable of funding / finding
new solutions, whatever the situation." One striving / striking observation is
that participants lost their sense on / of time. Mr Clot said: "In our heads,
we had walked into the cave 30 days ago". One team member estimated the
time underground to be / been 23 days.
Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and
why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)
C__ld y__ s_rv_v_ f_r _ f_w d_ys w_th__t y__r

sm_rtph_n_ _r w_th__t b__ng c_nn_ct_d t_ th_
_nt_rn_t? H_w _b__t l_v_ng _n _ c_v_ w_th n_ m_d
c_ns f_r 40 d_ys? F_ft__n p__pl_ d_d j_st th_t. Th_y
t__k p_rt _n _ pr_j_ct c_ll_d D__p T_m_ t_ s__ h_w
th_y w__ld r__ct t_ _nd c_p_ w_th b__ng t_t_lly
d_sc_nn_ct_d fr_m th_ m_d_rn w_rld. Sc__nt_sts fr_m
th_ H_m_n _d_pt__n _nst_t_t_ l__d th_ $1.9-m_ll__n
pr_j_ct. Th_y w_nt_d t_ _nd_rst_nd h_w p__pl_ w__ld
_d_pt t_ dr_st_c ch_ng_s _n l_v_ng c_nd_t__ns. Th_y
p_t th_ v_l_nt__rs _n _ c_v_ f_r n__rly s_x w__ks.
Th_r_ w_s n_ s_nl_ght _nd th_ c_v_ dw_ll_rs h_d n_
c_nt_ct w_th th_ __ts_d_ w_rld. Th_y h_d t_ r_ly _n
th__r b_dy cl_ck t_ kn_w wh_n t_ w_k_ _p, g_ t_
sl__p _nd __t.
M_st _f th_ v_l_nt__rs s__d th_y _nj_y_d th_

_xp_r__nc_ _f t_t_l _s_l_t__n. Tw_-th_rds _xpr_ss_d _
d_s_r_ t_ r_m__n _nd_rgr__nd _ wh_l_ l_ng_r _n _rd_r
t_ f_n_sh pr_j_cts th_y h_d st_rt_d. D__p T_m_'s
d_r_ct_r Chr_st__n Cl_t s__d th_ _xp_r__nc_ w__ld,
"t_st h_m_ns' _b_l_ty t_ _d_pt t_ th_ l_ss _f th__r
fr_m_ _f r_f_r_nc_ f_r t_m_ _nd sp_c_". H_ s__d:
"__r f_t_r_ _s h_m_ns _n th_s pl_n_t w_ll _v_lv_. W_
m_st l__rn t_ b_tt_r _nd_rst_nd h_w __r br__ns _r_
c_p_bl_ _f f_nd_ng n_w s_l_t__ns, wh_t_v_r th_
s_t__t__n." _n_ str_k_ng _bs_rv_t__n _s th_t
p_rt_c_p_nts l_st th__r s_ns_ _f t_m_. Mr Cl_t s__d:
"_n __r h__ds, w_ h_d w_lk_d _nt_ th_ c_v_ 30 d_ys
_g_". _n_ t__m m_mb_r _st_m_t_d th_ t_m_
_nd_rgr__nd t_ b_ 23 d_ys.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS
could you survive for a few days without your smartphone or without being
connected to the internet how about living in a cave with no mod cons for 40
days fifteen people did just that they took part in a project called deep time
to see how they would react to and cope with being totally disconnected
from the modern world scientists from the human adaption institute lead the
19million project they wanted to understand how people would adapt to
drastic changes in living conditions they put the volunteers in a cave for
nearly six weeks there was no sunlight and the cave dwellers had no contact
with the outside world they had to rely on their body clock to know when to
wake up go to sleep and eat
most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience of total isolation
twothirds expressed a desire to remain underground a while longer in order
to finish projects they had started deep times director christian clot said the
experience would test humans ability to adapt to the loss of their frame of
reference for time and space he said our future as humans on this planet will
evolve we must learn to better understand how our brains are capable of
finding new solutions whatever the situation one striking observation is that
participants lost their sense of time mr clot said in our heads we had walked
into the cave 30 days ago one team member estimated the time

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE
Couldyousurviveforafewdayswithoutyoursmartphoneorwithoutbein
gconnectedtotheInternet?Howaboutlivinginacavewithnomodconsfo
r40days?Fifteenpeopledidjustthat.TheytookpartinaprojectcalledDe
epTimetoseehowtheywouldreacttoandcopewithbeingtotallydisconn
ectedfromthemodernworld.ScientistsfromtheHumanAdaptionInstit
uteleadthe$1.9-millionproject.Theywantedtounderstandhowpe
oplewouldadapttodrasticchangesinlivingconditions.Theyputthevolu
nteersinacavefornearlysixweeks.Therewasnosunlightandthecaved
wellershadnocontactwiththeoutsideworld.Theyhadtorelyontheirbod
yclocktoknowwhentowakeup,gotosleepandeat.Mostofthevolunteer
ssaidtheyenjoyedtheexperienceoftotalisolation.Two-thirdsexpres
sedadesiretoremainundergroundawhilelongerinordertofinishprojec
tstheyhadstarted.DeepTime'sdirectorChristianClotsaidtheexperien
cewould,"testhumans'abilitytoadapttothelossoftheirframeofreferen
cefortimeandspace".Hesaid:"Ourfutureashumansonthisplanetwille
volve.Wemustlearntobetterunderstandhowourbrainsarecapableoffi
ndingnewsolutions,whateverthesituation."Onestrikingobservationi
sthatparticipantslosttheirsenseoftime.MrClotsaid:"Inourheads,weh
adwalkedintothecave30daysago".Oneteammemberestimatedtheti
meundergroundtobe23days.

FREE WRITING
Write about isolation for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.
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ACADEMIC WRITING
We should all switch off from the modern world from time to time. Discuss.
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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. ISOLATION: Make a poster about isolation. Show your work to your

classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. UNPLUG: Write a magazine article about everyone unplugging from the

modern world for a few days a week. 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 isolation. Ask him/her three

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

ANSWERS
VOCABULARY (p.4)
1. c 2. d 3. a 4. e 5. f 6. b 7. g
8. i 9. l 10. n 11. j 12. h 13. k 14. m
TRUE / FALSE (p.5)

a F b F c F d T e T f F g T h F
SYNONYM MATCH (p.5)
1. e 2. g 3. i 4. b 5. c
6. j 7. a 8. f 9. h 10. d
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.9) WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER (p.19)
1. Mod cons 1. Survive for a few days without your smartphone.

2. Deep Time 2. Living in a cave with no mod cons.
3. $1.9 million 3. Cope with being disconnected from the modern
world.
4. The outside world 4. Understand how people would adapt to drastic
changes.
5. Their body clock 5. They had to rely on their body clock.
6. Two-thirds 6. They enjoyed the experience of total isolation.
7. Projects 7. Two-thirds expressed a desire to remain
underground.
8. Evolve 8. Test humans' ability to adapt to the loss.
9. Solutions 9. Learn to better understand how our brains.
10. Time 10. One team member estimated the time
underground.
MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.10)

1. b 2. d 3. c 4. a 5. b 6. a 7. c 8. a 9. d 10. c
ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)


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“1,000 IDEAS & ACTIVITIES Thousands more free lessons

Level 6 - 28th April, 2021

Please try Levels 4 and 5 (they are easier).

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

survive / smartphone / cave / project / cope / modern world / contact / volunteers /

Good Things Bad Things

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

1. mod cons a. Deal effectively with something difficult.

2. react b. A person or animal that lives in or at a

8. expressed h. Attracting attention by reason of being

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

a. The article says we could all survive without a smartphone. T/F

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

1. survive for a few days without a. dwellers

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

and (4) _____________________ with being totally disconnected from just

There was no (6) _____________________ and the cave dwellers had no

(11) _____________________ to the loss of their (12) _____________________ situation

observation is that participants lost their (15) _____________________

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

1) survive for a few days without your smartphone or ______

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

Could you survive for (1) ____________________ without your smartphone

no mod cons for 40 days? Fifteen people (2) ____________________. They

$1.9-million project. They wanted to understand how people would adapt to

Most of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience

(7) ____________________. Two-thirds expressed a desire to remain

humans' ability to adapt to the loss of their (9) ____________________ for

(11) ____________________. Mr Clot said: "In our heads, we had walked

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

1. What do people in the cave have to live without for 40 days?

2. What is the name of the project in the article?

3. How much did the research project cost?

4. What did the cave dwellers have no contact with?

6. What proportion of the volunteers enjoyed the cave experience?

7. What did many participants want to finish?

8. What did the research director say humans would do?

9. What did the director say we needed to find?

10. What did the participants lose their sense of?

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

1) What do people in the cave have 6) What proportion of the volunteers

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

Role B – Fast Food

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

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

• Share your findings with your partners.

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

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

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

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

STUDENT 1 STUDENT 2 STUDENT 3

_____________ _____________ _____________

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

1. What did you think when you read the headline?

Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

11. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?

Level 6 Volunteers experience 40 days of isolation in a cave – 28th April, 2021

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

(11) _ to the loss of their (12) _ situation

_______ _ _______

Cld y s_rv_v_ f_r _ f_w d_ys w_tht yr

M_st _f th_ v_l_ntrs sd th_y _nj_y_d th_