Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

Did a civilisation exist on Earth before humans? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

BBC Learning English

129K views 7 months ago

Warm-up Questions

What do you think the video will say about a civilisation existing on Earth before humans?
When you hear “6 Minute English”, what kind of learning content do you expect (news, science, vocabulary, discussion)?
Do you think it’s possible to find evidence of very old civilisations? Why or why not?

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Did a civilisation exist on Earth before humans? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Introducing the idea: the Silurian hypothesis (00:00 – 02:23)

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1. What does the Silurian hypothesis propose?

Humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs
Earth is much younger than scientists think
A past civilisation could have existed but might have vanished without leaving traces we can find
A past civilisation existed and we can easily find its remains

2. What is the main topic of the episode?

How to travel to other planets
Why fossils are easy to find
Whether a technologically advanced civilisation could have existed on Earth before humans
How dinosaurs became extinct

3. Which answer does Phil choose for the age of the Earth (before the correct answer is revealed)?

3.5 billion years
5.5 billion years
4.5 billion years
55 billion years

Did a civilisation exist on Earth before humans? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Evidence and fossils: why proof is difficult (02:23 – 03:42)

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1. What are fossils described as in the programme?

Prehistoric remains preserved in rock for a long time
Traces left by modern technology on the Moon
New materials like plastic and concrete
Ideas that cannot be tested

2. According to Adam Frank, why might fossils not help prove the Silurian hypothesis?

Fossils only exist for plants, not animals
Fossils are always destroyed by weather
Most things are not fossilised, so evidence could be missing
Fossils can only form in the ocean

3. What does the idiom “a blink of the eye” mean in this context?

A time when nothing changes
A very long time
A sudden physical shock
A very short period of time

Did a civilisation exist on Earth before humans? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Objections, scientific method, and the final answers (03:42 – 06:15)

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1. What objection is mentioned against Adam Frank’s idea?

Our civilisation leaves long-lasting materials in the Earth’s crust, so earlier ones should have too
Modern humans cannot make fossils
Dinosaurs were more advanced than humans
NASA has already found traces of an ancient city

2. How does Adam describe the way scientists reach a conclusion?

They stop researching once they have a hypothesis
They decide based on one person’s opinion
They build evidence across many papers until there is a consensus
They avoid disagreement to stay polite

3. What age of the Earth does the programme give as correct?

4.5 billion years
450 million years
3.5 billion years
5.5 billion years

Did a civilisation exist on Earth before humans? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Transcript will load here…

1. Why might it be hard to find traces of a civilisation that existed hundreds of millions of years ago?

Because scientists refuse to look for evidence
Because evidence may not fossilise and may not last in geological time
Because the Earth has no rocks from that period
Because fossils only form from metal objects

2. In the programme, what is a key feature of a hypothesis?

It cannot be tested
It is always true once proposed
It must be popular
It is an idea that can be tested to check if it is correct

3. What does “consensus” mean in science as described here?

A rule that no one can challenge
A personal belief with no evidence
A general agreement after lots of research and discussion
A quick vote after reading one article

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Did a civilisation exist on Earth before humans? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Do you think it’s reasonable to keep an open mind about prehistoric civilisations? Why or why not?
What kinds of evidence do you think an advanced civilisation might leave behind (materials, chemicals, changes in the environment)?
Is “no evidence” the same as “evidence of no”? How does this idea connect to the Silurian hypothesis?
How do you decide whether to trust a scientific claim: what role should peer review, debate, and consensus play?