A Monthly Newsletter for Teachers of English

April 2009

© Pearson Longman 2009 PHOTOCOPIABLE

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S

TARTING OFF

Look at the different ways of going to places below. Do you travel in this way? How often? Where to?

by car

by bus

by taxi

by bike

by plane

on foot

Do you like travelling by car, by bus, by tram or by bike best in the city? Why?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of cars? Work with a partner and try to make two lists.

B

EFORE YOU READ

Work with a partner to answer the questions below.

1. How many bicycles are there in the world?

a. 1 million

b. 10 million

c. 1 billion

2. Which country has the most bicycles?

a. China

b. Holland

c. India

3. How many years ago was the first bike made?

a. 100

b. 200

c. 300

4. What were the first bicycles made of?

a. metal

b. wood

c. plastic

5. In the Netherlands there are more bicycles than people.

True or False?

6. What is the speed record for riding a bike?

a. 30km/h

b. 80km/h

c. 130km/h

F

IRST READING

Read the text quickly and check your answers.

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2009

© Pearson Longman 2009 PHOTOCOPIABLE

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S

ECOND READING

Below are the headings for each paragraph in the text. Match them to the paragraphs 1-6:

THE FIRST BICYCLE

BICYCLE RECORDS

BIKE LOVERS

THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE MACHINE

BICYCLES TODAY

BICYCLE RACES

T

HIRD READING

Read the text again, this time more carefully, and decide if the statements below are true (T) or false (F).

1. The

first bicycles were similar to today’s bikes.

T ☐

F ☐

2. The first bikes were comfortable.

T ☐

F ☐

3. The most expensive modern bikes can be as expensive as cars.

T ☐

F ☐

4. The Tour de France is over 3000 kilometres long.

T ☐

F ☐

V

OCABULARY

1

Look at the phrases below and find them in the text. Underline them when you find them.

PARAGRAPH 1

-

‘almost certainly’

‘fair to say’

PARAGRAPH 2

-

‘later’

PARAGRAPH 3

-

‘such as’

PARAGRAPH 5

-

‘probably’

Now try to match the phrases with the explanations below.

1. when you want to give an example…

2. when you want to say what came next...

3. when you are almost definite - 99% sure...

4. when you think there is a good chance of something...

5. when it is a reasonable thing to say...

Complete the sentences below with one of the phrases.

1. Well, he was at parties all

night and spent all day sleeping! ____________________ he didn’t work hard enough

to pass the exam.

2. I want to buy a new car. Something sporty and fast, ____________________ a ferrari or a porsche. Pity I

haven’t

got any money!

3.

It’s getting colder and the sky is grey. It looks like it will ____________________ rain, I’m afraid.

4.

I’m busy all morning, sorry. ____________________ we can meet, though, if you like.

5.

Why is she so late? She ____________________ missed the train. It’s the only possible explanation.

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2009

© Pearson Longman 2009 PHOTOCOPIABLE

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V

OCABULARY

2

Work with a partner and look at the picture below. What are the names of the parts? Try to complete the diagram without

looking at the text again.

Now look back at the text again. The words you need are

highlighted

.

V

OCABULARY

3

Use one of the words in the box to complete each sentences below.

ON

OFF

UP

DOWN

1. I want to arrive by 2.00 so I will have to set __________ before 12.30.

2. OK -

everybody ready? So let’s get __________ our bikes and ride!

3.

You’re going too fast. Better slow __________.

4.

If you’re not careful you’ll fall __________.

5. I have to look in my bag, wait a moment while I get __________ the bike.

6.

When we started __________ it was dry but it’s looking like it might rain soon.

7.

Come on! We’ll be late if we don’t speed __________.

Make a list of the multi-word verbs. How would you say each in your own language?

S

PEAKING

Discuss the questions below with a partner.

What are the best ways to travel around where you live?

Is your town good for bicycles? How could it be made better?

It is often said that people use cars too much. What would make people use cars less?

Are the drivers where you live good drivers? What kinds of things do bad drivers do?

A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T

April 2009

© Pearson Longman 2009 PHOTOCOPIABLE

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“I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike,

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like”

Queen, ‘Bicycle Races’

1. ________________________

Nobody knows how many bicycles

there are in the world but is almost
certainly more than 1 billion. There
are about 500 million bicycles just in
China!

Some use their bikes for transport,

some for fun, but it is probably fair to
say that no other machine is so
popular in the world.

2. __________________________

The first bicycles were made

almost 200 years ago but they looked
very different from today’s bikes. The
first bikes were made of
wood and had no

pedals

or

chain

; the

rider pushed the bike
along with his feet.

There was no

saddle

to sit on either,

so the bikes were not very
comfortable.

Later bikes were

made which had
pedals, but the
pedals were on
the front

wheel

and

this wheel was very big.

3. _________________________

Today bicycles use a chain and

gears

- sometimes as many as thirty

gears - to make them easier to ride.
We have specialist bikes for racing,
for off-road, for commuting, for
touring and for tricks, all with different
shapes and

handlebars

. Some

modern bikes can cost as much as a
car, or even more: a specialist bike
for some stages of the Tour de
France can cost $20,000!

Modern bikes are very high-tech.

They use strong and light materials
for their

frames

such as aluminum or

carbon fibre. Some mountain bikes
even have

suspension

to make them

easier to ride off-

road. Today’s bikes

are a long way from the first bikes!

4. _________________________

The most famous bike race in the

world is, of course, the Tour de
France. It takes place each year in
the summer, always in two countries
and always finishes in Paris. The
Tour is one of the most difficult sports
events in the world, with the riders
going up and down mountains and
riding over 3,500 km.

5. _________________________

China is the country with the most

bicycles - there are 500 million just in
that one country - but it is probably
the Dutch who love bicycles the
most. In the Netherlands there are 18
million bicycles. That might not sound
like a great number compared to
China, but there are only 16.3 million
people in the Netherlands so there
are more bikes than people in that
country!

“I want to ride my bicycle…”

Almost 200 years old and still going strong: the bicycle

6. ________________________

The bicycle is the best

way for a person to travel:
it is the best way to turn
energy into movement.
Bikes can also be very
very fast.

An Olympic sprinter

such as Usain Bolt can run
around 50km/h, but on a normal
road bike most cyclists can reach
this speed. In the velodrome in
competition riders can go as fast
as 65km/h. But even this is not
the world record.

The world record for speed on

a bike was set by a Canadian,
Sam Whittingham in Nevada in
the

USA in 2002. Sam’s bike was

not a regular bike, though: it was
a recumbent, a kind of bike where
the rider lies down instead of
sitting up. Sam was also
covered by an
aerodynamic shell.
On, or in, this bike
Sam reached a top
speed of 130.36km/h
- faster than you can
go on a motorway!