W22 - Int 1

Intermediate 1 – Week 22 – the Futurological Conference

I)            Reading :

1)   You are going to read about a futurological conference. (Futurology is the study of the future.) Look at the titles for the talks. Three of the titles do not come from this conference. Put a cross by these three titles.

a.   An exciting new theory of time travel

b.   Armstrong – the first man on the moon

c.    The world is growing older

d.   Life in front of the computer screen

e.   Salyut and Mir – early space stations

f.     Prisons in space

g.   Star Wars: fact or fiction?

h.   The advantages of new energy sources

i.     The end of English lessons?

j.     The invention of the laser

2)   Read about the conference talks. Match the titles a-j to the descriptions 1-7

4^th International Futurological Conference

___________________________________ 22^nd-25^th May  Des Moines, Iowa

Programme

1 _________________________________

Dr Judith Amos (author of Clean New World)

It might not be long before the sun, the wind and the sea become our main source of energy. We will live in a cleaner, healthier world. Will it be a safer one, too?

2 ____________________________________

Professor J B Gartenberg (University of London)

Research scientists will find cures for most of the world’s diseases in the next 50 years. We will live longer and, by the year 2020, there will be more than one billion people over 60 years old. How will this change our society and how will we pay for the elderly?

3 ___________________________________

Randy Oakes (journalist)

The 21^st century is the age of the internet. More and more, people are using the internet for business, education, shopping and even to make friends. This talk will explore how internet use will increase in the next 20 years.

4 ___________________________________

Duncan Hague (Institute of Sociology)

In the US and the UK, prisons are almost full and crime is increasing every day. Soon, there won’t be enough room for all our prisoners. Where will we put them? Space stations may be the answer.

5 __________________________________

Dr Mikhaïl Radvanyi (Lingua Foundation)

Learning a foreign language may soon be a thing of the past. This talk will look at new developments in automatic translation machines.

6___________________________________

Xavier M Berman (author of Light Years Away)

A hundred years ago many scientists said that space travel was impossible. Now they say that we will never be able to travel in time. But new theories of time suggest that they might be wrong.

7 __________________________________

Stella May Roche (War on War)

American military scientists are developing new laser technology that may change the world for ever. Laser guns on military satellites will be unstoppable and the future for the smaller countries of the world is extremely frightening.

3)   Complete the sentences with the following words:

cures    energy          satellites      source             technology            theory

1.   The sun is the most important ____________ of light for our planet.

2.   At the moment, most of our _____________ comes from oil.

3.   We will need to find ________________ for new diseases.

4.   Gödel’s ________________ of time travel says that we will need to travel faster than the speed of light.

5.   American military _____________ is becoming more and more advanced.

6.   _______________ in space carry many different kinds of equipment.

4)   Which of the talks at the conference would you like to go to? Why?

II)         Grammar : predictions 1 (may, might & will)

1)   We can use will/ won’t + infinitive to talk about things we are sure will happen in the future

There will be more than 1 billion people over 60 years old.

We won’t be able to travel in time

    We can use may/might +infinitive when we are less sure things will happen in the future

The world may become more dangerous

Scientists might find life on other planets

2)   Match a phrase in column A with a response in column B

A

1.   Aren’t you ready yet? Hurry up!

2.   Be careful – it’s very dangerous

3.   I wonder where they are

4.   Let’s have a drink before the film starts

5.   What’s this? I’ve never eaten that before

B

a.   I’ll be OK

b.   I won’t be long

c.    You’ll like it

d.   We’ll be late

e.   They’ll be here soon

III)       Listening: Listen to four people speaking. Match the speakers 1 – 4 to four of the topics a – j below.

The future of:

a.   Computers

b.   Crime

c.    Education

d.   Holidays

e.   Languages

f.     Medicine

g.   My country

h.   Restaurants

i.     Shops

j.     Space travel

1)   Choose a topic from the list. You must talk about the topic for thirty seconds without stopping.

IV)        Homework: correct the mistakes in the sentences

1.   I think that our teacher wills give us a test next week.

2.   I may be go to America soon.

3.   I may not to get married.

4.   I think my country might wins the next World Cup.

5.   I’ll always remembering the people in this class.

6.   I think that it will rains tomorrow.

7.   I’ll never living in another country.

8.   I won’t to become rich or famous.