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Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises

Level 1 Elementary
1 Warmer
Answer the following questions.
a. When is someone middle aged?
b. What happens when someone has a ‘midlife crisis’?

2 Key words
a. Write the key words from the article next to the definitions below. Then find the words in the article to
read them in context. The paragraph numbers will help you.
b. Mark the stressed syllable in each word, e.g. radical.

equivalent lifestyle evidence ape radical well-being

1. new, different and extreme _________________ (para 2)


2. the type of life that you have, for example the type of job or house you have or the type of activity you like
doing _________________ (para 2)
3. facts or physical signs that help to prove something _________________ (para 3)
4. a large monkey _________________ (para 3)
5. something that has the same value, importance, or meaning as something else _________________ (para 3)
6. the feeling people have when are feel happy, healthy, and safe _________________ (para 5)

captivity questionnaires enjoyment mood sanctuaries sceptical

7. a list of questions that a lot of people are asked so that you can gett information about what people think or do
generally _________________ (para 7)
8. the way that someone is feeling, for example whether they are happy, sad, or angry _________________
(para 8)
9. pleasure and happiness that you get from something _________________ (para 8)
10. special areas where animals live in a natural way and where they are protected from people
_________________ (para 9)
11. a situation in which wild animals are kept in a place such as a park or zoo _________________ (para 10)
12. having doubts about something that other people think is true or right _________________ (para 12)
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NEWS LESSONS / Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises / Elementary
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Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises
Level 1 Elementary
Chimps and orangutans may 10 When the researchers analyzed the
experience midlife crises, questionnaires, they found that well-being
in the apes decreased in middle age and
say scientists increased again as the animals became old.
Ian Sample, science correspondent In captivity, great apes often live to 50 or
19 November, 2012 more. The animals felt the most unhappy, on
average, at 28.3 and 27.2 years old for the
1 There is a time in some men’s lives when chimpanzees, and 35.4 years old for
the days seem darker, death is more certain, the orangutans.
and the only thing they want to do is spend
all their money on a sportscar. 11 “In all three groups we find that
chimpanzees and orangutans are most
2 Radical changes in lifestyle are normal for unhappy at an age that is roughly equal to
the midlife crisis. If the midlife crisis is real, midlife in humans,” Weiss said.
then humans may not be the only animals to
get it. 12 Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary
Psychology at Oxford University, was
3 Now an international team of scientists say sceptical about the study. “It’s hard to see
they have found evidence that chimpanzees anything in an ape’s life that would give a
and orangutans are less happy in their sense of well-being over such a long time.”
middle years. This, they say, is the ape
equivalent of the midlife crisis. 13 Alexandra Freund, Professor of Psychology
at the University of Zurich, was also
4 The study says that the midlife crisis may sceptical. She said “In my opinion, there is
come from the biology humans share no evidence for the midlife crisis.”
with apes.
14 But Weiss believes the study could give us a
5 Alex Weiss, a psychologist at Edinburgh deeper understanding of the emotional crisis
University, told the Guardian that most some men may experience. “If we want to
people agree that our level of well-being find what’s going on with the midlife crisis,
reduces in middle age. we should look at what is similar in
6 He said that in the study they asked if it’s middle-aged humans, chimps and
possible that the midlife crisis is not just orangutans,” he said.
something human. © Guardian News and Media 2012

7 The team from the US, Japan, Germany First published in The Guardian, 19/11/12
and the UK asked zookeepers and others
who worked with male and female apes of
various ages to complete questionnaires on
the animals.
8 The questionnaires included questions
about each ape’s mood, the enjoyment they
got from being with other apes and people,
and their success in doing things. The final
question asked if the keepers would like to
be the ape for one week.
9 More than 500 apes were included in the
study in three separate groups. The first two
groups were chimpanzees, and the third
were orangutans from Sumatra or Borneo.
The animals came from zoos, sanctuaries
and research centres in the US, Australia,
Japan, Canada and Singapore.
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NEWS LESSONS / Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises / Elementary
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Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises
Level 1 Elementary
3 Comprehension check
Decide whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F) according to the article. Correct any that are false.
1. The study wanted to find out whether great apes suffer from a midlife crisis.
2. They did the study in Scotland.
3. The study’s authors interviewed zookeepers and others about the apes’ behaviour.
4. The study showed that apes, like humans, have a crisis when they are middle aged.
5. There were gorillas, chimpanzees and oranguntans in the study group.
6. The authors of the study chose great apes because they are very similar to us.
7. Two professors of psychology in Switzerland and in the UK are very excited about the results of the study.
8. The authors hope that the study will help us understand what happens to us when we reach middle age,
and why.

4 Comparisons
Complete these sentences from the article by choosing the correct form of the word in brackets.
(* = you need the comparative form; ** = you need the superlative form)

1. the days seem ____________________ (*dark)


2. death is ____________________ (*certain)
3. chimpanzees and orangutans are ____________________ in their middle years (*happy [negative])
4. The [orangutans] felt the ____________________, on average, … at 35.4 years old. (**unhappy)
5. the study could give us a ____________________ understanding (*deep)

5 Discussion
Complete both these sentences with your own thoughts, ideas and opinions. Then talk about them in class.
a. Studies like this are important and a good use of money because ...
b. Studies like this are a waste of time and money because ...
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NEWS LESSONS / Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises / Elementary
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Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises
Level 1 Elementary

KEY

2 Key words

a. & b.
1. radical
2. lifestyle
3. evidence
4. ape
5. equivalent
6. well-being
7. questionnaires
8. mood
9. enjoyment
10. sanctuaries
11. captivity
12. sceptical

3 Comprehension check

1. T
2. F – They did the study in the US, Australia, Japan,
Canada and Singapore.
3. F – The study’s authors asked the zookeepers to
complete a questionnaire.
4. T
5. F – There were chimpanzees and oranguntans in
the study group (not gorillas).
6. T
7. F – Two professors of psychology in Switzerland
and in the UK are very sceptical about the results
of the study.
8. T

4 Comparisons

1. darker
2. more certain
3. less happy
4. most unhappy
5. deeper
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NEWS LESSONS / Chimps and orangutans may experience midlife crises / Elementary
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