Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

1:1 Online English classes. Find out more

English Newsroom

Learn English through news articles - complete lesson plans, including articles, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

Big Cave Found on the Moon for Future Living

A newly discovered lunar cave could revolutionize human habitation on the Moon and beyond.

Try this article at a different level?

 

Scientists found a big cave on the Moon. The cave is very deep, like a tall building. This is exciting because people might live there one day. The cave can keep people safe from bad space weather. There might be more caves like this on the Moon.

Two scientists used special tools to find the cave. The cave has a hole on top and walls inside. It was made a long time ago by hot lava. The scientists think it is like caves on Earth. Maybe people can live in these Moon caves in the future.

Scientists want to learn more about the cave. They will use robots and other tools to look inside. This can help us know more about the Moon. It might also help us find caves on Mars. The scientists wrote about their discovery in a science magazine.

Original news source: Cave discovered on Moon could be home for humans (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

1scientistsPeople who study and learn about things
2caveA big hole in the ground or in a mountain
3deepGoing far down
4excitingSomething that makes you feel happy and interested
5weatherThe way the air feels outside, like sunny or rainy
6toolsThings you use to help you do a job
7lavaHot, melted rock that comes from a volcano
8futureA time that has not happened yet
9robotsMachines that can do things by themselves
10discoveryFinding something new or important

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out words or phrases related to the article (e.g., “cave,” “Moon,” “scientist,” “robot”). The other groups will guess what they are acting out. This will help them learn vocabulary in a fun way.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Ask students to come up with a catchy headline for the article. They can work in pairs to brainstorm ideas and then share their headlines with the class. This encourages creativity and helps them practice summarizing the main idea.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Choose key vocabulary words from the article (like “cave,” “lava,” “scientist,” etc.) and have students draw them on the board while their classmates guess the word. This will help reinforce vocabulary through visual learning.

– MIND MAP
Instructions: On a large piece of paper or a whiteboard, create a mind map as a class. Start with the central idea “Moon Cave” and ask students to contribute related ideas or facts from the article, such as “scientists,” “living conditions,” “Mars,” etc. This helps them organize their thoughts and understand relationships between concepts.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Pose the question, “Do you think people can live in caves on the Moon?” to the class. Have students move to different corners of the room based on their opinion (e.g., agree, disagree, unsure). Afterward, ask a few students to explain their reasons, promoting speaking practice and critical thinking.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did scientists find on the Moon?
2. Why is the cave exciting for people?
3. How deep is the cave?
4. What made the cave a long time ago?
5. What do scientists want to use to look inside the cave?
6. What can learning about the cave help us do?
7. Where else might scientists find caves?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Scientists found a big cave on the (1)______. The cave is very deep, like a (2)______ building. This is exciting because people might live there one day. The cave can keep people safe from bad space (3)______. There might be more caves like this on the Moon.

Two (4)______ used special tools to find the cave. The cave has a hole on top and walls inside. It was made a long time ago by hot lava. The scientists think it is like caves on Earth. Maybe (5)______ can (6)______ in these Moon caves in the future.

Scientists want to learn more about the cave. They will use robots and other tools to (7)______ inside. This can help us know more about the Moon. It might also help us find caves on (8)______. The scientists wrote about their discovery in a science magazine.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a cave?
2. Do you like to explore new places? Why?
3. How would you feel if you could live on the Moon?
4. Do you think there are other planets with caves? Why or why not?
5. What is your favorite place to play?
6. How would you feel if you saw a big hole on the Moon?
7. Do you like looking at the stars? Why?
8. What is a scientist?
9. Do you think it is exciting to find new things? Why?
10. How would you feel if you could go to the Moon?
11. Do you like to learn about space? Why or why not?
12. What do you think is inside a cave?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. scientists
2. cave
3. deep
4. exciting
5. weather
6. tools
7. lava
8. future
9. robots
10. discovery

Meanings:
(A) Hot, melted rock that comes from a volcano
(B) Finding something new or important
(C) The way the air feels outside, like sunny or rainy
(D) People who study and learn about things
(E) Machines that can do things by themselves
(F) A big hole in the ground or in a mountain
(G) Something that makes you feel happy and interested
(H) Going far down
(I) Things you use to help you do a job
(J) A time that has not happened yet
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did scientists find on the Moon?
(a) A big rock
(b) A big cave
(c) A big tree
(d) A big house

2. What is special about the cave?
(a) It is very deep
(b) It is very small
(c) It is very cold
(d) It is very bright

3. Why is the cave exciting?
(a) It is very old
(b) It is very noisy
(c) It is very dark
(d) People might live there one day

4. How did the scientists find the cave?
(a) They used a map
(b) They used a flashlight
(c) They used special tools
(d) They used a car

5. What made the cave a long time ago?
(a) Cold ice
(b) Strong wind
(c) Big rain
(d) Hot lava

6. What do scientists want to do with the cave?
(a) Learn more about it
(b) Close it up
(c) Paint it
(d) Make it bigger

7. What will scientists use to look inside the cave?
(a) Books and paper
(b) Food and water
(c) Robots and tools
(d) Toys and games

8. Where might scientists find more caves?
(a) In the ocean
(b) On Mars
(c) In the sky
(d) In the desert

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The cave is very deep, like a tall building.
2. People will never live in the cave one day.
3. Two scientists used ordinary tools to find the cave.
4. The scientists wrote about their discovery in a science magazine.
5. Scientists want to learn more about the cave.
6. The cave can keep people safe from bad space weather.
7. The cave was made recently by hot lava.
8. Scientists found a small cave on the Moon.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.




Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Where did scientists find a big cave?
2. Why is the cave exciting for people?
3. What did the scientists use to find the cave?
4. What was the cave made by a long time ago?
5. What do scientists want to learn about the cave?

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did scientists find on the Moon?
Scientists found a big cave.

2. Why is the cave exciting for people?
The cave is exciting because people might live there one day.

3. How deep is the cave?
The cave is very deep, like a tall building.

4. What made the cave a long time ago?
Hot lava made the cave a long time ago.

5. What do scientists want to use to look inside the cave?
Scientists want to use robots and other tools to look inside the cave.

6. What can learning about the cave help us do?
Learning about the cave can help us know more about the Moon.

7. Where else might scientists find caves?
Scientists might find caves on Mars.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Moon
(2) tall
(3) weather
(4) scientists
(5) people
(6) live
(7) look
(8) Mars
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. scientists
Answer: (D) People who study and learn about things

2. cave
Answer: (F) A big hole in the ground or in a mountain

3. deep
Answer: (H) Going far down

4. exciting
Answer: (G) Something that makes you feel happy and interested

5. weather
Answer: (C) The way the air feels outside, like sunny or rainy

6. tools
Answer: (I) Things you use to help you do a job

7. lava
Answer: (A) Hot, melted rock that comes from a volcano

8. future
Answer: (J) A time that has not happened yet

9. robots
Answer: (E) Machines that can do things by themselves

10. discovery
Answer: (B) Finding something new or important
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did scientists find on the Moon?
Answer: (b) A big cave

2. What is special about the cave?
Answer: (a) It is very deep

3. Why is the cave exciting?
Answer: (d) People might live there one day

4. How did the scientists find the cave?
Answer: (c) They used special tools

5. What made the cave a long time ago?
Answer: (d) Hot lava

6. What do scientists want to do with the cave?
Answer: (a) Learn more about it

7. What will scientists use to look inside the cave?
Answer: (c) Robots and tools

8. Where might scientists find more caves?
Answer: (b) On Mars
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The cave is very deep, like a tall building. (Answer: True)
2. People will never live in the cave one day. (Answer: False)
3. Two scientists used ordinary tools to find the cave. (Answer: False)
4. The scientists wrote about their discovery in a science magazine. (Answer: True)
5. Scientists want to learn more about the cave. (Answer: True)
6. The cave can keep people safe from bad space weather. (Answer: True)
7. The cave was made recently by hot lava. (Answer: False)
8. Scientists found a small cave on the Moon. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

How about these other Level 1 articles?

🎉 Coming Soon ⏳

🧑‍💻 1 to 1 Online English Classes 👩🏻‍💻

Practice English through Zoom with me, Paul, or one of the teachers I have chosen for you. Suitable for all ages and levels.

Choose the teacher and time you want. 🧑🏻‍🏫👩‍🏫⌚️

You can learn:
– English writing skills (essays, emails, etc.) 
– English conversation practice 
– English pronunciation practice
– Textbook classes
Anything you want

Introductory prices:
60 minute class with native speaker (e.g. Paul): US$34.99 US$24.99
60 minute class with non-native speaker (e.g. Philippines, Indonesia): US$9.99 US$7.99

Interested? Please fill in the form and I will contact you soon!

Feedback