Inventions vehicle go back to the middle of the 19th century, even before the invention of the internal
combustion engine.
What do you consider to be the best and worst inventions of all time? Why? Can they be
improved? How?
Why? Improvement? How?
Best inventions
Worst inventions
Read the text below
Could air be the solution to the energy crisis?
1.Gasoline is already the fuel of the past. Petroleum is running out and besides, it pollutes the
air. People find it difficult to breathe and they no longer want to pay high prices for it. Car
companies know all of this and have spent lots of time and money to find an alternative fuel.
A.____________________________________________
2.But what will this be? Ready-made fuels like petroleum are becoming more difficult to find
and car companies are turning to considerably greener energy sources like batteries. These
batteries can be charged with energy and placed in a car where that energy can be released.
However, some people think air could become an even better energy source. If we can use air
as fuel, do we need any other options? Air is everywhere. Air never runs out. Air is non
polluting. Best of all, air is free.
3.Unfortunately, air alone can't be used as fuel. First, energy has to be stored in it by
compressing the air tightly using a mechanical air compressor. Once the compressed air is
released, it expands. This expanding air can be used, for example, to power an engine. The
idea of using compressed air to power a vehicle isn't new: Early prototypes of an air-powered
B.____________________________________________
4.The laws of physics dictate that uncontained gases will fill any given space. For example,
think about when we inflate a balloon. The balloon holds the air tightly inside, but the moment
you pop the skin, the balloon explodes. Compressing a gas into a small space is a way to
store energy. When the gas expands again, that energy is released to do work. That's the
basic principle of the air car.
5.One advantage of using compressed air to power a car's engine is that a pure compressed
air vehicle produces no pollution. More specifically, the compressed air cars we're likely to see
in the near future won't pollute at all until they reach speeds that exceed 35 miles per hour.
That's when the car's internal air compressor will start working to achieve extra speed. The
motor that runs this air compressor will require fuel that'll produce a small amount of air
pollution.
6.Air cars are also designed to be lighter than conventional cars. The aluminum construction
of these vehicles will keep their weight under 907 kilograms, which is essential to making
these vehicles fuel efficient and will help them go faster for longer periods of time. Another
advantage of air cars is that the fuel would be cheap, an important consideration in a time of
high gas prices. It may take as little as $2 worth of electricity to fill the compressed air tank,
though you'll also need gasoline to power the electric motor that compresses air while driving.
C.______________________________________________
7.Distance could also become a disadvantage, depending on your travel habits. The distance
that an air car can cover without refueling is crucial because very few regular gas stations will
have compressed air pumps available initially. If you only plan to use your air car for short
commutes -- distances less than 160 kilometres --will be fine. However, waiting for the car's
built-in air compressor to compress a tank full of air could become a problem on longer trips
as this is a slow process. Early prototypes have traveled distances closer to 190 kilometres –
which is good enough for your daily trips to work, but not for longer trips.
D.________________________________________________
8.What will happen if an air car suffers damage in an accident? After all, compressed air tanks
can be dangerous. To reduce this danger, the air tanks are made of carbon fiber and are
designed to crack, rather than shatter, in a crash. This crack would allow the "fuel" to escape
into the surrounding air with minimum damage. Car designers do not want air to escape from
one end of the tank that could produce a rocket-like effect and propel the car on a jet of air. So
they have taken steps to minimize this effect.
9.Although air cars are not ready for mass production, motor company Zero Pollution in the
United States, plans to produce a vehicle known as Flow AIR in the next few years and will
cost about USD $18,000.
Complete the activities below according to the text. die.
Section 1. Headings match: Match the headings to the correct letter according to the text. Be
9. increases in size, gets bigger
careful! There is one extra heading that you will not need.
(Paragraph 3)
1. Not a new concept When you make bread, you should leave it in a warm place so it
2. Travelling far? Not for the moment! _____________. Then you put it in the oven to cook!
3. Air: the obvious choice
4. Minimizing harm 10.vital , crucial
5. Just like a balloon (Paragraph 6)
It is __________________ that you organize your schedule, so you can
A. balance your time between work and fun.
11.reduce, decrease
B.
(Paragraph 8)
C. You should __________________ the time you spend on your phone to
avoid distractions when you are studying.
D.

SECTION 4: Comprehension
SECTION 2: True/False and Paragraph. Complete the sentences with MAXIMUM TWO WORDS FROM THE TEXT. You must spell
the words correctly to get the point. DO NOT WRITE A FULL SENTENCE.
Read the statements before you read the article. The first is given as an example.

T or F Paragraph Question Answer

# 12. After the balloon _______________, the gas

expands again.
e.g. We have too much petroleum F 1
(Paragraph 4 )
6. Batteries are quite eco-friendly.
13. Air cars which____________________ a
specific speed will produce a little pollution.
7. Air cars weigh less than a regular car.
(Paragraph 5 )
8. Air cars are ready to buy now. 14. At first, not many___________________
will be equipped with compressed air pumps.

(Paragraph 7 )
SECTION 3: Vocabulary.

Fill in one word from the article that matches each definition. Time to write! Reference the text to support your response. What is your opinion of the air
car?
Definition and example Answer
Example: contaminates, poisons ___________________________________________________________________________
(Paragraph 1) pollutes ___________________________________________________________________________
Algae _________________ the water that the elephants drink and so they ___________________________________________________________________________
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