reading p - oxford university press · groups, limp bizkit in concert, and i go out a lot to the...

MasterMODULE A

© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE

Extension • Units 1–4MODULE 1

8 New Horizons • Resource material

Reading P 1 Read the magazine article written in 1960, which makes predictions about life in 2000.

Which of these modern inventions are mentioned in the text?

mobiles microwave ovens electric cars

video conferencing solar power miniature computers

digital cameras video phones personal stereos

2 Read the statements below and decide if they are correct or incorrect. Tick 4 YES (Correct) or NO (Incorrect).

YES NO 1 According to the article, students won’t need teachers in 2000.

2 The article predicts the use of atomic energy in 2000.

3 The article suggests that people won’t use petrol-driven cars and buses in 2000.

4 The article predicts commercial space travel in 2000.

5 The article’s predictions about public transport were accurate.

6 The predictions about business communications were accurate.

How will we live in the year 2000? Well, imagine a typical family, the Fletchers, in a typical small town in the USA.

Mrs Fletcher will have an easy life at home as robots will do all her housework for her. And she won’t need to go to the supermarket – she’ll be able to order everything she needs through their interactive television.

Mr Fletcher will go to the office every day in his personal electrically-powered helicopter – no waiting for crowded buses in 2000! And when he is out of the office, Bob will be able to talk to his business colleagues using his portable pocket video phone.

The Fletchers will only have one son, Tony. Technological improvements will mean that there will be fewer jobs, so the population will decrease. Tony won’t go to school – he’ll do all his lessons at home using a virtual reality headset instead of an exercise book. The television will be connected to the telephone, so he’ll be able to communicate with his teacher by video-link.

The Fletchers’ town, Ellisburg, will be clean and quiet. It will be illegal to burn coal or use petrol, which cause pollution. Alternative energy will be used where possible, but there will be no atomic power stations. Most families will use solar or wind power to provide energy for heating, cooking and private transportation.The Fletchers will still go on holiday, but not to any location on Earth. No, they’ll go and spend a month or two at one of the seaside holiday domes on the Moon, where there will be perfect weather every day.

How will we live in 2000?

Master MODULE B


Extension • Units 1–4 MODULE 1

New Horizons • Resource material 9

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1 Read the two texts quickly. Whose life do you think is easier? Why?

Reading

2 Complete the table with the information from the two texts.

Advantages Disadvantages

Living in the city 1 1

2 2

3 3

4

5

Living in the country 1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

Rachel Walker, 16I live in a flat in Birmingham. From my bedroom I can see the back of another house, because where I live the houses are very close to each other. The reason I like living in the city is because there are lots of different things to do here. For example, last weekend I went to see one of my favourite groups, Limp Bizkit in concert, and I go out a lot to the cinema, which is about 15 minutes from my house. I also go to karate lessons once a week, and I’m in a squash club. Oh, and of course, the shops are fantastic in Birmingham! My friends all live close by, so it’s easy to meet up. Obviously there are some bad things too. Life’s quite expensive in the city – if you want a good night out, it will cost you £50 or more. It’s quite polluted here because of the traffic. The city centre’s really crowded and public transport costs a lot. The other problem is crime. I never go out alone in the evening because it can be dangerous. But I reckon the advantages are better than the disadvantages!

Jon Holmes, 15I live on a farm in the Peak District in Derbyshire, which is about 80 km north-east of Birmingham. It’s a really beautiful area with amazing countryside – lots of fields, hills and trees. It’s very quiet, so no noise pollution! One of the nicest things about living in the country is that it’s a small community, so everyone knows each other and it’s very friendly. That means there isn’t much crime, which is good. The worst thing about living here is that there aren’t a lot of facilities. There aren’t many buses either, and the nearest cinemas are in Nottingham, which is almost 40 km away, so I don’t go very often. Our house is quite isolated – most of my neighbours are sheep, so it can be a bit lonely at times. This means that my parents have to take me in the car to friends’ houses to meet up, so it’s a bit difficult to organise.

The City . . .. . . orthecountry?

MasterMODULE A




1 Read the letter below from a TeenAge reader who is writing about the environment. Write a similar letter to TeenAge. Include this information:

• theenvironmentalproblemsinmodernsociety•whatyoudonowtoimprovetheenvironment• thespecificproblemsinyourtownorarea •whatyouwilldointhefuture

Writing P T

Hi there, TeenAge readers!

I’m writing to say that I’m really worried about what’s happening in the world

today. I mean, there are just so many environmental problems! Our politicians

don’t seem to care about what we are doing to the environment. Cars and

lorries constantly pollute the atmosphere with exhaust fumes, the public

transport system isn’t very good and it’s too expensive. There aren’t very good

facilities for recycling rubbish, and our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted.

And these politicians just don’t listen to what we, the public, want.

Take my town, Richmond, for example. The centre is always full of private cars

and so the air isn’t clean. There aren’t enough bus lanes, so even if you want

to use public transport, you get fed up waiting for the buses! The council only

collects paper, glass and cans for recycling. You have to take everything else

to recycling centres which can be quite a long way from your house. And, of

course, there’s the noise and air pollution from aeroplanes. Aeroplanes which

are landing at Heathrow Airport fly over Richmond every 45 seconds from five

o’clock in the morning until eleven o’clock at night!

Personally, I’m trying to do my best to change my own habits. I always walk

or use public transport when I can, or I use my bicycle. I also try to recycle as

much rubbish as I can.

In the future I think I’ll probably join an environmental action group, like

Greenpeace, and I’ll campaign for better laws for rubbish recycling to control

pollution.

Thanks for listening to me! I’d love to know what other TeenAge readers think

about this.

Write and tell the magazine.

Hal

TeenA

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Let

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rs

Master MODULE B




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1 TeenAgeisdoingasurveytofindoutwhatteenagersthinkaboutlifeinthecountryorinthecity.Complete the questionnaire.

Writing

City and Country Questionnaire

TeenAge

Where do you live?

What can you see from your bedroom window?

What facilities are there near your house?

What are the people like in your area?

What do you usually do when you go out with your friends?

Is it dangerous to go out in the evening in your area?

What are the good things about living where you do?

What are the disadvantages?

Would you rather live in the city or in the country? Why?

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MasterMODULE A




1 In pairs. Ask and answer the questions. Complete the questionnaire with your classmate’s answers.

Speaking T

1

Have you got a computer at home? Yes No

2

Have you got an Internet connection? Yes No

3

Do you use a computer at school? Yes No

4

Do you go to an Internet café to use

a computer? Yes No

5

How often do you use a computer?

6

What do you use a computer for?

7

What do you use the Internet for?

8

What’s your favourite website?

9

How much time do you spend surfing the Internet every week?

10

Do you use email? Yes No

11

If so, how many messages do you send and receive every week?

12

Have you ever bought anything over the Internet? Yes No

13

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Internet shopping?

Questio

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Computer

Master MODULE B




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Speaking P

1 In pairs. Student A: describe your photo to Student B. Student B: describe your photo to Student A.

2 In pairs. Use the City and Country Questionnaire on page 11 to help you. Student A: defend the point of view that life in the city is better. Student B: defend the point of view that life in the country is better.

Photo A

Photo B

• Non dimenticare che per descrivere una foto in inglese, segui queste indicazioni:

• Rispondi a queste domande: Dov’è?, Che cosa vedi?

• Usa queste espressioni: I think it is… because… There is/are… On the left/right…/In the middle In the foreground/background…

• Usa il Present continuous per indicare le azioni in corso. Per esempio: The people are talking.

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reading p - oxford university press · groups, limp bizkit in concert, and i go out a lot to the...

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