A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.
Date: 2026/07/03
Difficulty: Intermediate B1
PDF: Talking to birds: A future possibility
| scientist • | • expert |
| finches • | • gadgets |
| discovered • | • birds |
| situations • | • events |
| recognise • | • found |
| technology • | • identify |
| scientist | expert |
| finches | birds |
| discovered | found |
| situations | events |
| recognise | identify |
| technology | gadgets |
Could people talk to birds one day? A scientist in America thinks it may become possible in the future. Dr Julie Elie spent more than ten years studying zebra finches, small birds from Australia. She listened to thousands of bird calls and discovered that the birds use different sounds for different situations.
For example, some calls warn other birds about danger, while others help birds find their friends. The birds can even recognise each other by voice. Dr Elie won a $100,000 prize for her research. Now, some scientists believe AI could help humans understand animals better. Perhaps one day, people may even "chat" with birds using technology.
| A: | Wow, Dr Elie, you've been studying birds for over ten years? |
| B: | Yes, those little zebra finches are quite fascinating! |
| A: | Can they really recognise each other by voice? |
| B: | Absolutely, they're like little singers with unique tunes. |
| A: | So, do you think we'll be chatting with birds soon? |
| B: | Maybe! Just imagine asking a bird how its day was! |