Spark Study Buddy (Explorer): China teen loses arm in home chemistry experiment gone wrong
Content provided by British Council
[1] A 15-year-old boy in China had one arm cut off and almost lost sight in one eye. His injuries were the result of a blast from a chemical experiment conducted at home. Residents living in the same building as the boy's family said that they felt the ground shake when the explosion occurred, according to the Southern Metropolis News.
[2] The teenager was immediately rushed to the hospital. The boy's father, whose surname is Huang, said his son had serious injuries in both of his eyes. He also said the skin surrounding the eyes was 'completely destroyed'.
[3] The boy is expected to undergo skin and cornea transplant surgery, his father said. As a result of the explosion, one arm had to be cut off. He will need an artificial hand in the future, Huang added. The teenager is currently a second-year secondary school student. He has not yet begun studying chemistry as the timetable introduces the subject in the third year.
[4] The boy loves science and is very curious, especially about chemistry. He often borrows chemistry books from the library and buys equipment and materials online for experiments. 'He had conducted experiments at home before. We never expected this would lead to an accident,' his father explained.
[5] It is not known which experiment he was attempting or which materials were involved. The local residential committee is still trying to find out whether the explosion affected the sturdiness of the building's structure.
[6] A donation campaign, organised by the committee, has been launched within the community to support the boy's medical treatment. The story has created a lot of attention on the mainland Chinese internet. Many users expressed sympathy for the boy. Accidents due to chemical experiments often gather attention on social media in China.
[7] In 2023, a student in eastern Jiangsu province conducted a home experiment involving alcohol. The experiment resulted in a fire that was quickly put out by his father. In 2022, another explosion occurred when a student in Beijing engaged in a chemical experiment at home, causing severe injuries to both his hands.
Source: South China Morning Post, April 17
Questions
1. What caused the explosion, according to paragraph 1?
2. In paragraph 2, the boy had … to his eyes.
A. serious injuries
B. minor cuts
C. slight bruises
D. no injuries
3. Find a word in paragraph 3 that means 'fake'.
4. Where did the teenager often get chemistry books, according to paragraph 4?
5. The teenager was very interested … chemistry because he was curious and loved science.
A. of
B. on
C. at
D. in
6. Complete the following paragraph with the correct punctuation. (5 marks)
In 2022 (i) _____ there was another explosion in Beijing when a student was doing a chemistry experiment at home, and it badly hurt both of his hands (ii) _____ In 2023 (iii) _____ a student in the eastern part of China was experimenting with alcohol at home and it caused a fire (iv) _____ Luckily, his father put it out quickly (v) _____
The Chinese boy is expected to undergo skin and cornea transplant surgery. Photo: Douyin
Answers
1. a chemical experiment
2. A
3. artificial
4. from the library
5. D
6. (i), (ii). (iii), (iv). (v).
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