Listening: Could Humans Live on Mars?

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B2 | Listening from video | 12 min

Could Humans Live on Mars?

Watch the whole video. You can watch more than once. Then answer the questions below. (5:56)

Choose the best answer.

1. What is the video's overall answer to the question "Could humans live on Mars?"

____ Yes, because settlements on Mars could grow into large cities within a few decades.____ Possibly, but only in small, protected settlements, and the goal itself is debated.____ No, because the cold, the distance and the thin air make any stay far too dangerous.____ Yes, because robots have already shown that crews can produce everything they need.

2. Why do many scientists see Mars as the most realistic candidate?

____ It has solid ground and a warm climate with air that people can breathe.____ It is the closest planet to Earth, so the trip takes only a few weeks.____ It has a thick atmosphere and a magnetic field, just as Earth does.____ It has solid ground, a day close to ours in length and frozen water.

3. Why could people not simply plant seeds in the red dirt of Mars?

____ Sunlight is weak and the dust has chemicals that can harm plants.____ The soil is too cold for any plant seed to survive.____ The thin air would dry out the seeds before they could grow.____ The red dirt is too hard for seeds to be planted in it.

4. What do critics say about Earth after even a terrible disaster?

____ It would be so damaged that people could no longer live there.____ It would be too dangerous for anyone to return to it.____ It would still be a far better place to live than Mars.____ It would need Mars as a lifeboat to protect humanity.

True, False or Not Given? Choose Not Given if the video does not say.

5. Radio messages between Earth and Mars arrive almost instantly.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

6. The video suggests that robots could be sent first to test conditions before people depend on them.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

7. The video says the first settlers are likely to arrive on Mars before the year 2050.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

Complete each sentence with the words you hear.

A NUMBER from the video.

8. The surface of Venus is about ____ degrees Celsius, so hot that lead would melt.

A NUMBER from the video.

9. Spacecraft sent to Mars so far have needed between seven and ____ months for a one-way trip.

ONE WORD from the video.

10. Researchers are also studying sealed, heated ____ as a way to grow crops, possibly without any soil.

Could Humans Live on Mars?

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