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Reading

Task 1.
Read the article. Then choose the correct words or phrases.

Who do you think you’ll be?

What do you think you’ll be doing in the future? Are you going to travel the world or maybe
start up a business? Tell us about your goals for the future!
Thomas
I see myself finishing university and taking some time out. I’m going to travel the world. I
want to have different life experiences. I’m going to have fun!
Lucia
I’ve always wanted to travel into space, and now I think it may be a possibility in the future.
Some scientists believe we’ll be living on other planets in a decade or two.
Marcus
I’m going to start up my own business and make my first million before I’m thirty! Then I’ll
retire young and settle down and have a family. I want to enjoy life! I can’t wait!
Debbie
I’ve been thinking a lot about the future. I’ll be studying at university for three years and after
that I’d like to spend some time in India. I might do some volunteering at a school.
Julia
I’m just a student now, but I’ve got some big plans for the future. I’ve started teaching myself
to play the guitar so I can become a musician in a famous rock band. Why waste time working all
your life?

1. Thomas is going to travel before / after he has finished university.

2. He wants / doesn’t want to settle down soon.
3. Lucia thinks she will / might travel into space.
4. She says scientists think we’ll be living on other planets in a decade / year or two.
5. Marcus wants to retire before he’s thirty / when he has made a lot of money.
6. After he retires, he wants to have children / travel the world.
7. Debbie will be studying for three years / in India.
8. She wants to earn money / help people while she’s in India.
9. Julia’s learning to play the guitar / drive a car.
10. She wants to become old / famous.

Task 2.
Read the article. Then complete the sentences with information from the text. Write two
words in each sentence.

Learning: the Finnish way

So why are schools in Finland so successful?

Students in Finland don’t have to start school until the age of seven. They learn through
playing and exploring rather than having to be inside a classroom all the time. Students start school
between 9.00 and 9.45 a.m. The school day usually ends by 2.00 or 2.45 p.m. Students usually have
breaks in between classes.
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Each teacher looks after and cares for a group of fifteen to twenty students. They know the
learning styles of all their students and know how they can all succeed and reach their goals. Students
only have three to four classes a day, which means that they have time to play outside whatever the
weather. They move around outside and get some fresh air.
Teachers don’t have to follow a curriculum. They create their own exciting lessons. For
example, students learn how to sew, cook and clean. Finnish students have the least amount of
homework in the world. Students get the work done in class instead.

1. In Finland, students don’t have to start school before the ________ of ________.
2. Children ________ ________ playing and exploring.
3. Teachers ________ ________ and care for a group of fifteen to twenty students
4. Students have time to ________ ________ in any kind of weather to give them
exercise.
5. Teachers can create their own ________ ________ and don’t have to follow a
curriculum.

Task 3.
Read the article. Then answer the questions. Write complete sentences.

Fighting for change

Bibi was seventeen years old and studying in Kathmandu, Nepal, when an earthquake hit her
family home, forty miles away. Her first thought after hearing the news about the earthquake was to
travel back to her home and see her family. ‘When I came home to my village I saw how very sad
everyone was,’ she explained. ‘When I arrived, the community had been living in big tents.
Everyone was in one place, so there was a lot of noise. People were terrified of the bad weather and
the ground was shaking after the earthquake, which made them even more frightened. However, they
believed it was better to try to wait patiently for help.’
After a few days, she knew something had to happen. ‘If we didn’t move on, we would
continue to live in fear. I encouraged my family to build a proper shelter. My brother and father got
the wood. I realized that it wasn’t just my house that was important – I wanted to help my
community, too, so I started volunteering.’ Two years later, Bibi, who has kindly and generously
given up all her time, is still working to rebuild her village.
In the future, Bibi wants to help build safer homes for more families across her country.
While other young people have decided to move abroad, Bibi feels it’s important that she stays and
helps her country. ‘This is the time Nepal needs its young people the most.’

1. What happened to Bibi’s home village?

2. How did the people of the village feel?

3. How has Bibi helped others?

4. Why hasn’t Bibi left Nepal?

5. Do you think Bibi was brave? Why?