SGK Tiếng Anh 12 - Unit 8: LIFE IN THE FUTRE
. LIFE IN THE FUTURE • Work in pairs. Discuss the following questions. Do you think life will be better in the future? Why/Why not? List three things that might happen in the future. Read the text and do the tasks that follow. What will life be like in the future? Different people have different answers to this question; some are pessimistic while others optimistic. Things will be much worse than they are nowadays, pessimists say. The whole world will experience a period of economic depression. Many large corporations will be wiped out and millions of jobs will be lost. The security of the earth will be threatened by terrorism as terrorist groups will become more powerful and more dangerous. On the contrary, optimists believe that life will be far better than it is today. We will be living in a much cleaner environment, breathing fresher air and eating healthier foods. We will also be better looked after by a more modem medical system. Domestic chores will no longer be a burden thanks to the inventions of labour-saving devices. For better or worse, it is certain that in the future some things will be very different. Developments in micro technology - computers and telecommunication are bound to have a huge influence on various aspects of our lives. Take work, for instance. Robots will do most of the work in factories, so they will be cleaner places for fewer people to work in them. Offices, too, will go electronic with the result that paper will almost completely disappear. More people will work from home on computers linked to a head office. As for travel, it is likely that space-shuttle technology will be used in normal air travel achieving speeds of up to 15,000 kph. Cars will still be with US, but, instead of petrol, they will run on anything from electricity to methane gas. They will also be fitted with computers to tell US how efficiently we are driving and if there is anything wrong on the road ahead. Whatever we expect from the future, remember that progress has never moved in straight lines, and history is full of unexpected developments. However, we are confident that the future is in our hands, and it is our responsibility to contribute to bettering our own lives. dr Task 1. Find words or phrases in the passage which have the following meanings. People who always expect bad things to happen People who always expect good things to happen A period when there’s little economic activity and many people are poor or without jobs The use of violent action in order to achieve political aims or to force a government to act Be destroyed or removed completely Spacecraft designed to be used for travelling between the earth and a space station dr Task 2. Answer the following questions. •1. What will happen in an economic depression? Why, according to pessimists, will the security of the earth be threatened? What will life be like in the future, according to optimists? What are the most important factors that will bring about dramatic changes in different aspects of our lives? dr Task 3. Complete the notes about how technology will influence our life in the future. work: travel: After you read Work in groups. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of robots. B. SPEAKING Kễ3 Task Ỉ Look at the newspaper cuttings from the future, and say what will have happened by the end of the 21st century. CHINESE ASTRONAUTS LAND ON MARS 25th October, 2099 NEW MOON CITY OPENED * I The third city on the moon was declared open yesterday. The new city has a population of over 200,000 people. 16th May, 2089 THE COLD WAR ENDS 150th BIRTHDAY PARTY! Scientists have found a Oldest world citizen celebrated cure for the common cold her 150th birthday yesterday. 4th September, 2099 2nd July, 2087 HOLIDAY RESORT ON JUPITER CAR ON SEA WATER Vietnam tourism welcomes the At last, the first car running on fiftieth holiday-maker back from sea water was finished Jupiter. yesterday. 12th April, 2098 9th August, 2087 Example: - By the end of the 21st century, Chinese astronauts will have landed on Mars. Work in pairs. Which of these predictions are likely/unlikely to happen? Give at least two reasons for each. Example: - I think it’s very unlikely that by the end of the 21st century Chinese astronauts will have landed on Mars, because it is too far from the earth. - - . Likely Unlikely Reasons developments in science and technology living standards improved cures for fatal diseases found too far no water thin atmosphere too costly •‘too cold/hot more diseases just impossible Work in groups. Make some more predictions about what life will be like one hundred years from now. c. LISTENING Before you listen • Work in pairs. Discuss the question: Which of the following factors do you think might help people have a long and healthy life? eating healthy food • doing exercise laughing a lot • going to bed early drinking a lot • eating a lot of meat life expectancy eternal life • Listen and repeat. incredible centenarian fatal eradicated While you listen Listen to the interview about people s life expectancy in the future and do the tasks that follow. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Nobody can predict how long we will be able to live in the 21st century. People’s general health will improve because they eat a lot of mushrooms. Nowadays, if people look after themselves, they can live to be 90. Within 30 years, 80% of cancers will be curable. Eternal life isn’t impossible. Listen again and answer the questions about the interview. What are the factors that help people have longer life expectancy according to Dr. Davis? Which factor is the most important one? Why? What will we have been able to do about AIDS in ten years’ time? After you listen Work in pairs. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having a very long life. D. WRITING Describing the world in which you would like to live in the year 2020. Your school organises a competition for students to write about The world in which I would like to live in the year 2020. Below is an essay by one of the students. Work in pairs. Read and answer the questions about it. My ideal world would be a peaceful one. There are no wars or conflicts between nations. People won’t have to'live under the threat of terrorism but all live together in harmony. Everyone has a job to do, and there is a good healthy standard of living for all. I would also wish to live in a clean healthy environment with less noise and less pollution. There are more and larger parks where children can play and wildlife can be protected. But my main desire is to see people less materialistic, less selfish, less violent and more loving than they are now. What are the student’s concerns about: world peace? employment? the environment? the people? Are your concerns similar to those? Do you have other concerns? What are they? Task 2. Write about the ideal world in which you would like to live in the year 2020, using the ideas you have discussed in Task 1. E. LANGUAGE FOCUS Pronunciation: Contracted forms of auxiliaries (continued) Grammar: Prepositions and articles Pronunciation • Read the following phrases. Pay attention to how the full and contracted forms of the auxiliaries are pronounced. Full forms Contracted forms Full forms Contracted forms I have I’ve I have not I haven’t you have you’ve you have not you haven’t he has he’s he has not he hasn’t she has she’s she has not she hasn’t it has it’s it has not it hasn’t • Practise reading these sentences. I’ve got something for you. You’ve got something for me? We’ve failed and they’ve passed. I haven’t always lived in this cottage, you know. Haven’t you? You’ve not been here long, of course. I haven’t. But I’ve grown to love it already. He’s left, and she’s gone to work, too. Hasn’t the doctor come yet? No. The doctor hasn’t been called. Grammar Exercise 1. Choose the appropriate prepositions. Luckily, you are in/on time for the meeting. Many people are dying of/by various types of cancer. I will not be here next week. I am going to be on/in business in Mexico. At/In the end of the book, they get married and live happily ever after. Thank you for everything you’ve done. You are a true friend ợ//tơ me. I can’t believe in/to you. You always let me down. I have warned you on/about the difficulties you have to face when applying for the job. Britney Spears is famous by/for her beautiful face and sweet voice. The bookshop is among/between the chemist’s and the butcher's and across/opposite the library. Next year, I am going to get married to/with John and we are going to move to Bristol. Exercise 2. Put a/an. the or Ộ in each space to complete the following sentences. We went by train to the west of England. people who live in Scotland are called _____ Scots. Columbus was one of first people to cross Atlantic. Davis learned to play violin when he was at university. Did you read book I lent you last week? Is that present Bill gave you for Christmas? computer has already changed our lives dramatically. There was accident yesterday at comer of street. I need time to think about offer you gave me. little knowledge is