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Listen&Learn: Dark energy

Posted by: Jaksyn Peacock
Learn about the force that is accelerating the expansion of the universe.

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • force: something that can affect the movement of an object
  • expand: to grow larger
  • gravity: a force that causes all objects to be attracted to each other
  • astronomer: a scientist who studies space
  • conclusion: a belief that is formed after making observations
  • accelerate: to begin to move faster

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

Dark energy is a force that exists throughout the universe. It is believed to make up about 68% of everything that exists, and it affects the way the universe is expanding. have known about the expansion of the universe since 1929. But for many years, most believed that the force of gravity would eventually slow down this expansion. However, in the 1990s, a team of astronomers that the universe was actually expanding than it had been years before. They came to the conclusion that there was another force, called dark energy, that was causing the expansion to accelerate. Dark energy is even than gravity, and scientists still don’t know much about it. It has often been called the universe’s greatest mystery.

Comprehension questions

1. Scientists learned about the expansion of the universe in

Correct! Wrong!

Scientists learned about the expansion of the universe in 1929.

2. In the 1990s, astronomers observed that

Correct! Wrong!

In the 1990s, astronomers observed that the universe was expanding faster than it had been years ago.

3. The force that is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate is

Correct! Wrong!

The force that is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate is dark energy.

Discussion/essay questions

  1. There is a lot to learn about the universe. If you could ask an astronomer any question, what would you ask?

Transcript

Dark energy is a mysterious force that exists throughout the universe. It is believed to make up about 68% of everything that exists, and it affects the way the universe is expanding. Scientists have known about the expansion of the universe since 1929. But for many years, most believed that the force of gravity would eventually slow down this expansion. However, in the 1990s, a team of astronomers observed that the universe was actually expanding faster than it had been years before. They came to the conclusion that there was another force, called dark energy, that was causing the expansion to accelerate. Dark energy is even stronger than gravity, and scientists still don’t know much about it. It has often been called the universe’s greatest mystery.

Written and recorded by Jaksyn Peacock for EnglishClub
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