The Roadmap Report

B2 Unit 6:
1: The
Honister
personal
Minetrainer Corresponds with Lesson
1C XXXX
6A

3 Read the article again and answer the questions.

BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 Which materials were commonly mined for in the early
20th century?
1 Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1 Which countries still have a large mining industry?
2 Which two factors led to the decline of the mining
2 What different materials are mined?
industry in the UK?
2 Scan the article and choose the best summary,
(a or b). 3 What happened in 2015?
a The mining industry died out as a result of new
technologies. 4 Why has the need for mining increased again recently?
b New technologies have changed the focus of the
mining industry. 5 What materials are commonly mined for nowadays?

6 What material does Honister Mine focus on?

The mining comeback

A controversial industry that is finding a new direction 4 a You are going to watch a video about Honister Mine.
Joshua Jones | 18.08.20
What do you think the conditions were like for people
who worked there in the 19th century?

b Watch the video and check your predictions.

             
WHILE YOU WATCH

5 Watch the video again. Are the sentences true (T) or

false (F)?
1 There are no signs on the landscape that there was
once a mine here.
2 The mine is flat to make it easier to transport
materials.

F rom the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th

century, mining in the UK was extremely common,
with the UK being self-sufficient in many metals and a
3 Coal was extracted from the main cavern.
4 In the 19th century, drilling equipment was used to
extract the materials.
world-leading producer of various materials such as coal,
5 The bridge is a tourist attraction and not how the
iron and limestone. At one time, the UK mining industry
miners used to go in.
employed over 1.2 million people. However, as costs began
to rise and low-cost overseas competition grew, the UK’s 6 Hannah thinks going over the bridge would be more
mining industry became almost non-existent. In 2015, the difficult than working in the mine.
UK shut down its last deep coal mine.
6 a Work in pairs. Complete the definitions with the
However, with the development of new technologies,
words in the box.
such as electric cars and energy storage – which rely
on materials such as copper, nickel and lithium – there
cavern drill mine slate ventilation
has recently been a renewed interest in the mining
industry. Modern mines also focus on extracting natural
1 (n) a very large cave
gas and tungsten, which is used in light bulbs and X-ray
machines. In fact, thousands of smaller mines and 2 (n) a tool or machine used for making holes
quarries have been built over the last few years to address in something
these needs. 3 (n) a dark grey rock that can easily be split
However, not all of the mines have shifted their focus. into flat, thin pieces
Honister Slate Mine opened in the 17th century and is 4 (n) a deep hole or holes in the ground that
still a fully operational mine today. Honister mines for people dig so they can remove valuable materials
slate, which is commonly used on roofs, and is located 5 (n) the introduction of fresh, outdoor air
in the beautiful Cumbrian countryside – on the border to a space
between England and Scotland. This working mine
attracts over 60,000 visitors per year for tours of its b Watch the video again from 01:40–03:05 to check
mines and added attractions. your answers.

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 The Roadmap Report
B2 Unit 6:
1: The
Honister
personal
Minetrainer Corresponds with Lesson
1C XXXX
6A

7 Watch the video again from 02:05–03:20.

A
Complete the sentences with no more than three
words or a number.
1 Over 200 years ago, people used to work in the mines
for a day.
2 Children used to start working at
years old.
3 To loosen the slate, holes of
had to be drilled.
4 One person used to hold the pole, while the other
the other end.
5 They used to blast the slate loose with
.

8 Work in pairs. Look at photos A–D and answer the

questions. B
1 What is each item called?
2 Which items were used in the past?
3 Which are used today?

9 a Work in pairs. Read the extract from the video.

What do you think push themselves out of their
comfort zones means?
Hannah: The Infinity Bridge is a way for people to
experience the Lake District in a completely
different way. They get to push themselves
out of their comfort zones and take on a
unique challenge.

b Work in pairs. Have you ever pushed yourself out of

your comfort zone? How? C

             
AFTER YOU WATCH

10 Work in pairs. Discuss the questions.

1 Would you ever visit a place like this? Why/Why not?
2 Would you ever work as a miner? Why/Why not?
3 Do you have similar places in your country? Where?
4 How else could Honister Mine attract tourists?

11 a Think of a job you would hate to do. Make notes

about:
• the environment
• the working hours D
• the physical or mental work required

b Work in groups. Discuss your ideas in Exercise 11a,

then vote for the worst job.

c Present your ideas to the class, explaining which

job you chose and why.

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