Cambridge English Empower B2
n i t
ULive well 5
1 SPEAKING
a Begin by telling the class about a place that is special
for you. In pairs, students discuss the questions. Monitor
and help with language if necessary. Take feedback as
a class and ask for two or three example answers to
the questions.
2 VOCABULARY:  Words to describe
places
a Individually, students match the words to the definitions
then check their answers in pairs. Check answers as a
class. Language note: three words have first-syllable stress:
isolated, mystical, captivating, and two words have
second-syllable stress: enclosed, enchanted.
Answers
1 c
2 d
3 a
4 e
5 b
b Put students in different pairs from those in exercise
1a. Tell them to use the adjectives to describe different
places they know. They can talk about the same place they
talked about in exercise 1a as well as other places. They
should give a reason for the adjective, for example, when
there is some mist on the hills it feels like a mystical place.
Take feedback as a class, and get one example for each
adjective from different pairs.
3 READING
a In small groups, students make a list of adjectives to
describe the picture. Quickly take feedback as a class and
get some examples.
Cambridge English Empower B2 © Cambridge University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE
READING PLUS
BETTER READING: IDENTIFYING THE WRITER’S AIM
1 Students scan the text for adjectives. Make it clear they
are only looking for words that describe things. Set a
time limit of one minute to ensure students read quickly.
Take feedback as a class, and check that students have
identified all the words in exercise 3a. Ask them what
other words they thought were adjectives in the text, but
it’s not necessary to check every single adjective in the
text – just the ones students thought of.
Answers
1 All the adjectives in exercise 2a are in the text together with
many more.
2 Students discuss the question in pairs and then check the
answer as a class. Or if your class is strong, you could elicit the
answer as a class.
Answer
b
b Before reading, you may wish to pre-teach the words
in the box below. The word longevity may already have
been taught when teaching lesson 5A of Cambridge English
Empower B2.
VOCABULARY SUPPORT
longevity (n) living for a long time. (Example: ‘A healthy
diet and regular exercise is the most likely way of
achieving longevity.’)
convenience (n) a small machine that is usually used in a
house and makes jobs like cleaning easy to do. (Example:
‘The modern convenience I like the most is my automatic
dishwasher.’)
acknowledge (v) to recognise a thing or person is there.
(Example: ‘When I entered the room, she acknowledged
me with a small nod of her head.’)
Tell students to gist read the text and set a longer time
limit of about four minutes. In pairs, students compare
their answers. Take feedback as a class and get two or
three example answers.
1

c Students work individually to answer the questions, and
then check their answers in pairs. Check answers as a
class.
Answers
1 Longevity; people say its inhabitants can live up to 130 or 140
years.
2 It’s an enclosed and isolated valley far from urban centres. It has
a magical, mystical quality.
3 The climate is mild, and the soil is rich – plants grow easily, so
everything feels fresh and healthy.
4 North American and European foreigners are retiring there. The
population is growing, and the foreigners bring a more modern
lifestyle with them.
5 It wasn’t easy. It took four days for Teresa to acknowledge
Natasha. It seems that Natasha had to prove herself by showing
she could speak Spanish and buying Teresa a cake.
6 She is perhaps shy or more likely cautious. However, she has a
sense of humour and jokes with Natasha about old age. Rather
than being worried about living for a long time, she just gets on
with her life. She comes across as being sure of herself.
Unit 5
4 SPEAKING
a If your class is in a monolingual context, elicit or
suggest a popular tourist city or town of the students’
home country. If your class is in a multilingual context,
elicit or suggest a popular tourist city or town of the
country you are in. Put students in small groups, where all
students are either A or B. Students discuss the questions
for their role together and think about what they’re going
to ask and say. Monitor and help with language.
b Put students in A and B pairs to have a conversation.
Student A begins speaking. Monitor to help and listen to
language.
c Put students in new pairs – both As and Bs together.
They discuss the questions. Take feedback as a class,
and get two or three example answers. Give feedback
on language you heard when monitoring – both good
examples and errors.

OPTIONAL LANGUAGE FOCUS:

SCANNING FOR LEXICAL PHRASES
Please note: There are no instructions on the worksheet for this
activity.
Write the following expressions on the board:
the rest of the
a sense of being
the population is made up of
I was just another
Ask students to scan the text looking for these expressions
and find what word or phrase comes after the expression.

Answers
the rest of the world, a sense of being enclosed, the population is
made up of foreigners, I was just another young tourist

Cambridge English Empower B2 © Cambridge University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE 2


Exercise 4b and 4c
role cards
✁
Student A
You’re a tourist visiting the most popular
town in the country. What do you think of the
town? Would you like to live there or stay for
a while? You are going to meet an old person
from Vilcabamba. What questions would you
like to ask them?
Student A
You’re a tourist visiting the most popular
town in the country. What do you think of the
town? Would you like to live there or stay for
a while? You are going to meet an old person
from Vilcabamba. What questions would you
like to ask them?
Student A
You’re a tourist visiting the most popular
town in the country. What do you think of the
town? Would you like to live there or stay for
a while? You are going to meet an old person
from Vilcabamba. What questions would you
like to ask them?
Cambridge English Empower B2 © Cambridge University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE
Unit 5
Student B
You’re an old person who lives in the most
popular town in your own country. How old
are you? How long would you like to live?
Have you lived there all your life? What do
you think about your town? What’s your
opinion of recent changes?
Student B
You’re an old person who lives in the most
popular town in your own country. How old
are you? How long would you like to live?
Have you lived there all your life? What do
you think about your town? What’s your
opinion of recent changes?
Student B
You’re an old person who lives in the most
popular town in your own country. How old
are you? How long would you like to live?
Have you lived there all your life? What do
you think about your town? What’s your
opinion of recent changes?
3