• Reading Level 3
Science | Politics | Citizenship

Putin and Xi’s secret immortality chat

Perpetual politicians: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping show no sign of wanting to hand over leadership to younger figures.

Could eternal dictators rule the world? The Chinese and Russian premiers have been caught discussing living forever. But some think this is a pipe dream fuelled by big tech and wishful thinking.

Comprehension quiz

  1. The word immortality most nearly means:

    A: A serious illness

    B: A short period of time

    C: The ability to live forever

    D: A type of scientific experiment

     

  2. Which word is the closest synonym for decline?

    A: Improve

    B: Worsen

    C: Stop

    D: Stay the same

     

  3. Add the correct punctuation to the sentence below.

    putin has changed russian law so he can rule until at least 2036

  4. According to the article, which animal appears to live forever because it is made of stem cells that constantly divide?

    A: Jellyfish

    B: Mammoth

    C: Tortoise

    D: Hydra

     

  5. The article mentions that Donald Trump’s health has been questioned. Give one example from the text that caused these questions.

  6. According to the article, even if a leader’s body stopped ageing, what might happen to their mind that would make them unable to rule?

Answers

Tap to reveal
1. C 2. B 3. Putin has changed Russian law so he can rule until at least 2036. 4. D 5. Any one of the following: There have been photos of mysterious bruising on his hands. Rumours of his death spread after he was not seen in public for a few days. 6. The article states their mind might decline.