ENGLISH 02

UNIT 3 – TRANSPORT

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH THEORY

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Company. © 2019 Cengage Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This presentation tool is for teaching purpose only. May not be scanned, copied or 1
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
3b. Transport around the world
Learning objectives:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

➢ Listen for general ideas and the detailed information about using animals for
transport.
➢ Use equal comparisons “as…as” and comparative modifiers correctly
➢ Acquire some transport adjectives
➢ Use learned vocabulary and grammar points to make comparisons in speaking
Learning methods:
➢ Individual work
➢ Pair work
➢ Group work
3b. Transport around the world
Listening

1. Work in pairs.
Look at the photos of the camel and the huskies. Where in the world do you think they
are? What are the advantages of using animals for transport in these parts of the world?
Example answers:
Photo 1 is probably in the far north, in Canada or Alaska.
Photo 2 is probably in the Sahara Desert in North Africa
Advantages of huskies in the Arctic: can travel long distances at speeds, are
used to the cold, are more reliable than vehicles in the cold where there are
no roads.
Advantages of using camels in the desert: can go a long time without water,
can carry heavy loads, don’t break down in the sand like vehicles do.

3b-p. 36
2. Listen to a documentary about animal transport. Why does the presenter say camels
and huskies are better than cars? Track 21

- Camels are more reliable in the sand than vehicles and better over long distances.
- Dogs are also good over long distances when the weather is bad. It’s impossible for
cars in such conditions but huskies are more reliable.
3. Listen to the documentary again. What do these numbers describe? Make notes.
Track 21
Camels Camels
50 degrees + 50 degrees = temperature in the desert
40 kilometres + 40 kilometres = distance a camel can travel in a day
3 to 5 days + 3 to 5 days = length of time a camel can go without water
160 words + 160 words = there are 160 words for camel in Arabic
Huskies Huskies
−50 degrees + –50 degrees = winter temperature in northern Alaska
6 and 8 huskies + 6 and 8 huskies = number of huskies in a sledge team
1,600 kilometres + 1,600 kilometres = length of the Iditarod – a race for huskies
3b-p. 36
Track 21 Script
When we talk about transport, most people think of buses, cars, bicycles, and so on. But in some
parts of the world, animal transport is as popular as these modern types of
transport, and sometimes more popular. Because at certain times of year, animals are the only way
to travel. Take the desert for example, with its 50-degree temperatures.
Yes, you can cross it in the right vehicles, but for long distances, modern vehicles are not as good as
camels.
A camel can travel over 40 kilometres per day and go without water for three to five days. Yes, it’s
slower, and maybe a camel isn’t as comfortable as a car. But a camel’s
big feet make it more reliable in the sand – unlike a car, it doesn’t get stuck. Camels are so
important in the desert that there are around 160 different ways of saying the word ‘camel’ in
Arabic.
In winter, northern Alaska can be as cold as the North Pole. Temperatures go down to minus 50
degrees. Your engine can freeze, and even if your car starts, snow and ice on the road can make
driving impossible. When the weather is as bad as this, the only way to travel is by sledge with a
team of between six and eight huskies. These famous dogs can pull heavy sledges for hundreds of
kilometres. There is even a race for huskies in Alaska called the Iditarod, where large teams of
huskies pull sledges over one thousand six hundred kilometres.
Grammar as … as

4. Look at the grammar box and answer these questions.

a. Which two sentences say two things are the same or equal? 1 and 2

b. Which two sentences say two things are different, and one thing is
less than the other? 3 and 4

3b-p. 36
5. Read the first sentence. Then complete the second sentence. Use as … as or not as …
as and the adjective in brackets.
1. An underground train across London costs L6 and a taxi costs L15.
n’t as expensive as a taxi. (expensive)
An underground train across London is ________________
2. A ferry from England to France takes 90 minutes. A train through the tunnel takes 35 minutes.
n’t as slow as a ferry. (slow)
A train from England to France is ________________
3. In the New York rush hour, cycling to work and going by bus takes the same amount of time.
as fast as going by bus. (fast)
In the New York rush hour, cycling to work is ____________
4. In Germany and in Finland, 9% of journeys are by bicycle.
as popular as in Finland. (popular)
Cycling in Germany is _______________
5. London Heathrow airport has 75 million passengers per year.
Atlanta airport has over 100 million passengers per year.
n’t as busy (as Atlanta) (busy)
London Heathrow airport is __________________________.
3b-p. 36
Vocabulary - transport adjectives
8. Read part of a news article about taxis in London. What does it compare?
BATTLE OF THE TAXIS
When you travel in London, the city’s famous black taxis or black ‘cabs’ are a convenient
type of transport. On any main road there are frequent cabs, and even with four or five
people they’re comfortable to ride in. But now the traditional black cab has competition
from private hire taxis such as Uber, Karhoo or Addison Lee. Using your mobile phone,
you can book a private hire taxi for a certain time and they are very punctual. Sometimes
these private taxis are also a bit cheaper and a little faster. However, in bad traffic, black-
cab drivers say their cabs are much faster. They have to learn all the roads around
London, so they don’t use sat nav, and they know the best routes around the city. They
think that private taxis are a lot less reliable in rush-hour traffic.

Answers:
It compares using traditional black cabs in London to using private hire
taxis from companies such as Uber, Karhoo or Addison Lee.
3b-p. 37
9. Find these words in the article. Then match them with the definitions (1–6).

1 It’s always on time. punctual

2 It comes often or regularly. frequent
3 It’s always been the same. traditional
4 It’s nice to sit in. comfortable
5 It’s near or easy to use. convenient
6 It does what you need it to. reliable
Grammar comparative modifiers

10. Look at the grammar box. Complete these rules with the correct modifiers.

a bit
1 To talk about a small difference, we use _________________ or
a little
_________________ before a comparative adjective.
much
2 To talk about a big difference, we use _________________ or
a lot
_________________ before a comparative adjective.

3b-p. 37
11. Work in pairs. Look at the information about transport for visitors to London.
Write sentences using these ideas and comparative modifiers.

1. A London bus is / expensive than …

A London bus is a lot less expensive than a
black cab.
2. London buses are / frequent than …
3. The river boat is / comfortable than …
4. A black cab is / convenient than …

EXAMPLE ANSWERS:
2. London buses are a lot / much more
frequent than river boats.
3. The river boat is a lot / much more comfortable than
(standing on) the bus.
4. A black cab is a bit / a little more convenient than a bus.
3b-p. 37
12. Make three more sentences with comparative modifiers using the
information about London transport in Exercise 11.
EXAMPLE ANSWERS
- The river boat is a lot more expensive than a bus.
- Taxis are much more convenient / frequent than river boats.
- The river boat is a little more comfortable than a taxi.

Speaking
13. What advice would you give a visitor who arrives in your country for the
first time? What are the best ways to get around? Tell your partner.
From the airport to the city centre, there are buses.
They’re a lot more frequent than the trains.

3b-p. 37
GOOD BYE!

13
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Company. © 2019 Cengage Learning, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This presentation tool is for teaching purpose only. May not be scanned, copied or
duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.