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Youth
Describing chang Developing and justifying opinions
Describing locations- Writing introductions

Task 1 Describing changes

1Match the photos a—c to the comments by three people talking about the town
where they grew up.

Dave
I remember there wasn't much to do here when I was growing up. My friends
and I used to just hang around in the park, getting into trouble. These days
there's much more here for young people. For instance, the council opened the
ice rink, the leisure centre and the skate park last year. I wish I'd had things like
that to keep me entertained.

Sandra
One of the things I used to really like about this area was the peace and quiet. It
was so safe for us as kids. We could play in the streets or in the nearby woods
and fields. They built a bypass and an industrial estate a few years ago and there's
been a lot more traffic and development since. I don't feel it's safe for my
children and I'd like to move away.

Tom
Well, you can't stand in the way of change, I suppose. Yes, people look at the
town now with lots of shiny tower blocks and say it's not as pretty or peaceful
as it was in the past. Even so, there are more jobs and opportunities now than
there were when I was a teenager

2 Read the comments above again. Answer the questions below.

a For each speaker, do they think things were better or worse when they
were young? Why?
b What changes have occurred in the place you come from? Do you think
they are positive or negative changes?
c How could you express the phrases in italics in a more formal way?
d Imagine you are a young person moving to a new town Which facilities in
the list below would be important to you?

golf course • skate park • theatre • railway station • concert hall • gallery
stadium • ice rink • park • college • airport
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Youth
3 The maps below show changes that took place in Youngsville in New Zealand over a 20-year period
from 1990 to 2010. Answer the following questions:
a What is the most noticeable difference between the two maps?
b Was the town more or less residential in 2010 compared to 1990?
c Were there more or fewer trees in 2010?
d Were the changes dramatic or slight over the 20-year period?
e What were the two biggest changes north of the river?
f What happened to the houses and trees along the railway line south of the river?

4 dt 4
ILI CD
Hosptal A Hospital
(73 Park
Stadium

Marina

(71
River Alanah River Alanah
lway Railway
ERE
School
41,0114. ( station EERIB
School
station

c)(:3 4=k- QED Warehouse

crap IS
Woodlandc) Airport
Airport

El P f C)C3 . 1990 El Factories

2010

4 Complete the text below. Use one word from the following list to complete each blank space.
The first one has been done for you.
houses • experienced • noticeable • factories • developments • comparison
residential corner • facilities • construction

Technique
Themaps show the 1 deVelertentr lath took placeitttlie
Identify changes
Youngsville between lqq0 and 2010. lithe maps and
In lqq0, the town was a much greener 2 area with la number them on
number of trees and individual houses,but during the next 20 years the town the second one.
Think of some
3 a number of dramatic changes The most 4
general statements
is that all of the trees south of the River Alanah were cut down, with all the and make notes.
5 along the railway line being knocked down and replaced Remember to write
and an oyervievv.
by skyscrapers. Moreover a new industrial estate with 6
warehouses sprang up around theat and school.
Only a few trees north afthexiver remained. The woodland was cleared to
make_wayfor a parks_ a golf courseanctear parking 7 Further
developments were the 8 of a stadium near the north-east
9 of the lake and a new stretch of railway from the river running
directly north. A marina.wa_s also built at the mouth of the river
Overall, a 10 of the two maps_reve,als a change from a largely
rural to a mainly urban landscape,

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Unit 5
5 Answer the questions below about the text in exercise 4.
1 What information is given in the introductory paragraph?

2 Which sentence in paragraph two gives an overview of the changes?

3 Which part of the map does the rest of paragraph two describe?

4 Which part of the map is described in paragraph three?

5 In paragraph three does the description move west to east, or east to west?

6 Which two adjectives in the conclusion sum up the changes?

6 Transform the sentences below by changing the nouns into verbs and Technique
by using the passive. Refer to page 7 for more information on using nouns
to summarize. Do not just describe the
map or maps. Describe
Example the developments that
There were spectacular changes in the area. The area was changed took place.
spectacularly.
a There were dramatic developments in the town centre.

b There was a complete transformation of the neighbourhood.

c There was a total reconstruction of the residential area.

There was a total redevelopment of the old factories.

There was a rebuilding of the old houses.

f There was a complete modernization of the entertainment district.

7 Look again at the sentences you wrote in exercise 6. Which could be rewritten in the active form?
8 Rewrite sentences a—h below using synonyms from the text in exercise 4.
a The maps show changes which occurred between 1990 and 2010.
b Very few trees were left.
c Over the next 25 years, all these houses were demolished.
The houses were replaced by skyscrapers.
The trees were chopped down.
f The area witnessed dramatic changes.
g The woodland gave way to a golf course.
A marina was also constructed.
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•
Youth

9 Put the verbs below into the correct form. All of the changes took place between 2005 and 2012.
Examples
The block of flats
The block of flats
a The row of old houses
Wail ttinta

Iff 41211° WrtY

b The forest was cut down

was knocked down
(turn) into a hotel. (passive)
(make way) for a hotel. (active)
(knock down) to make way for a road.
(cut down) to build a railway.
•
c The area was redeveloped(redevelop) completely.
The factory was converted (convert) into an art gallery.
The city centre underwent (undergo) a total transformation.
f The row of old terraced houses in the city was pulled down(pull down) and
replaced (replace) by a block of flats.
A sports complex was contructed(construct) in the suburbs.
took place (take place).
A number of spectacular changes
was transformed
i The whole centre of the town (transform) by new
developments. Technique
Use the past perfect
10 Which of the following cannot be used to replace the phrase Between 2005 (had done) to describe
and 2012? changes occurring
c From 2005 to 2012 before a specific time in
a Over the period
the past, e.g. By 2012,
b During the seven-year period d Over the past seven years
the block of flats had
been turned into a hotel
11 Insert By 2012 at the beginning of each sentence in exercise 9 and adjust (passive). By 2012, the
each sentence. Use the Technique box to help you. block of fiats had made
way for a hotel (active).
Describing locations

1Answer the questions a-g about the maps on page 39 using the phrases in the box.

south of the river • in the south-west of the town • north of the skyscrapers
to the south of the golf course • south west of the stadium • in the north-east of the town
just to the north of the river mouth
south-west of the stadium
a Where is the lake? It is
to the south of the golf course. Technique
b Where is the hospital? It is State locations clearly on a map.
north of the skyscrapers Sometimes we can do this by referring to
c Where is the railway station? It is
Where is the airport? It is in the south-west of the town position on the whole area shown.
their
In this case, we say in the north/south/
Where is the school? It is south of the river wesVeast of ...We can also talk about the
in the north-east of the town just to the north of the river mouth position of an item in relation to other items
f Where is the stadium? It is on the map. In this case, we say north/
in the north-east of the town just to the north of the river mouth south of with no preposition or to the
Where is the marina? It is
north/south of. Look at the examples.
Examples
The airport is in the south-west of the
town.
Only a few trees (to the) north of the river
remained.
Where is the golf course? It is (to the)
north-west of the lake.

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Unit 5
Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct prepositions of place from the alternatives.
a Several changes took place at/in/on the town of Northgate.
b North of the town, there is a lake surrounded in/of/by trees.
c A number of new houses were built beside/at/on the railway line.
There was a large industrial area located on/in/at the north.
A new railway was constructed which ran from/at/in north to south.
f Two new hotels were erected on/in/at the banks of the river.
g A large number of new villas were built beside/at/to the sea.
A yachting club was set up on/in/at the shores of the lake.
i A number of wind turbines were placed in the sea, just off/on/to the coastline.

3 Choose five prepositional phrases of place from the sentences in exercise 2 to record.
Example
in the town

Task 2 Developing and justifying opinions

1 Look at the photo and the speech bubbles. Answer the questions below.
a Which person do you agree with?
b Do you agree with the justification for each person's opinion?
c Is this situation the same all over the world?
I get better results.
I should get paid more - I should get more.
I have more experience

2 Read the following Task 2 question and then answer questions a-b.
Employers should pay young people the same salary as older colleagues doing the same job.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

a Do you have to strongly agree or disagree? Is it possible to take a neutral view?

b Rewrite the statement in your own words. Begin with Young employees ...