The New Oases

• The photograph shows the Stata Center at

the Massachusetts Institutes of Technology
(MIT), a university in the US.

• This unusual building was designed to help

students and collaborate while also meeting
the needs of a modern university. The
departments include computer science,
artificial intelligence, genetics, and linguistics.
.
What public places do you
spend time in (for example:
parks, libraries, banks or
malls)?
Does your hometown have
many public places you can
walk to? What are they?
Yes, I can walk to the library, the town hall,
the park, the post office, the banks, and
some of the stores.
You are asked to look at the
photo (on pages 136 and 137)
and answer this question: Is
this public place appealing to
you?
I would love to visit this park. The sculpture is
really interesting, and it must look different
every day. People are attracted to it, so
there would always be others around.
• WHILE-READING
Now we do exercise on vocabulary
on page 139 (10 minutes).

Read the sentences.

Circle the answer that best matches the
meaning of each bold word or phrase.
1. Frank Gehry likes to create
controversy, to get people
discussing his challenging,
modern style of architecture.
a. fun
b. disagreement
c. harmony
2. College students lead a nomadic
lifestyle; every day they move
among dormitories, classroom
buildings, and libraries.
a. traveling often
b. being busy
c. working hard
3. The new building is a hydrid
space suitable for both work and
play.
a. different
b. mixed-use
c. beautiful
4. The building’s design is not
specialized, so it can easily be
adapted to different purposes.
a. made for a particular use
b. unusual
c. finished
5. City officials intentionally created
a place where people could sit and
work during their lunch hour in
order to create a sense of
community.
a. then
b. accidentally
c. deliberately
6. A good public space should be
safe, neutral, and informal.
a. brightly colored
b. open only for some people
c. open for all people
7. The city needs to spend more
money downtown because many
older buildings are in decline.
a. being offered for sale
b. getting worse
c. being used
8. A community is stronger when
people care about each other and
form bonds.
a. work together
b. play musical instruments
c. make connections
9. Customers in many coffee shops
never talk to other people there, so
they feel isolated.
a. alone
b. intelligent
c. private
10. In good public places, people
can mingle, getting to know new
people if they want.
a. sit together
b. make noise
c. mix and chat
11. If possible, architects should
design places so that visitors
encounter a welcoming
atmosphere in any public space.
a. meet with
b. hope for
c. appreciate
12. New public places pop up all the
time in growing cities.
a. get larger
b. appear suddenly
c. fail
• WHILE-READING
• Now read the article and do
exercise on main ideas on page
145 (15 minutes).
In this exercise, you are asked to complete
the outline of the main ideas in the article.
Example 1: Stata Example 2:(p 5)
Center ( p. 1,2,3) Bryant Park
..............................
A .................
hybrid space A customizable space
Used Not only a park but
for ..................................
studying, eating, also ............................
....................................... A workplace
teaching,
.......................................
researching, reading, Lines 7-22
.......................................
discussing, meeting
.....
Line 14 (p.1)
Lines 8-13
 third places
Academic term:p.6............................
Definition:
safe, neutral, informal meeting points
...............................................................
Oldenburg thought they were:(p.7)
in decline
.......................

Lines 1-2, lines5- 17

New third places were built by:(p.8)
Businesses /a big business(l.1-2)
........................../
Problem: (p.9)
technology makes these places
............................................................
isolating, not social (l.4 – 12)
........................................
Solution:(p. 10 )
create opportunities for people to
.............................................................
mingle (l.1 -6)
................
Conclusion: Third places change
cities
multifunctional
Districts become ...............................
(like the Stata Center) (l. 1-7)
• WHILE – READING
• Now we do exercise on details on
page 146 (15 minutes).
 Problem Solution
1. Classrooms Spaces were designed and
and office specialized because equipped spaces to be
building workers needed multifunctional
access to landline
phones and other
equipment
2. Bryant Park derelict, but visitors provided Internet
were trying to work access, desks, and
there chairs

3. Starbucks lost its third-place spotted a new

atmosphere opportunity and
added more facilities
for people to work in
its coffee shops
• WHILE – READING
• Part B
• You are asked to choose the correct
answers to four questions.
1. Why does the “student street” in
the Stata Center have twists and
curves?
a. only for artistic value
b. because there are no landline
telephones
c. to create controversy and something
to discuss
d. to create space that is comfortable
for different uses p.2
2. According to Oldenburg’s
definition, which is a third place?
a. a bookstore that holds free weekly
discussion groups for local residents
b. a coffee shop with Internet access
P 6 box
c. a suburban shopping mall
d. a museum that charges people to
attend public lectures
3. What can you infer from Reading 1
about people who live in the suburbs?
a. They work longer hours than other
people.
b. They don’t have much contact with other
people outside work.p.7
c. They dislike shopping in urban centers.
d. They do not have access to coffee
shops.
4. What is causing the shift to
multifunctional districts, according
to the last paragraph of Reading 1?
a. third places
b. the Internet
c. modern architecture
d. changes in lifestyle l65
• POST – READING
• You are asked to express your opinions
about the topic
1. Do you know any third places?
What features make them third
places? Describe them and
explain whether they are
appealing.
2. Do you accept the idea in
Reading 1 that technology can
have an alienating effect? Do
you like the ideas that the café
owner had to encourage people
to mingle more? Explain the
reasons for your opinion.

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3. Do you think third places differ
from country to country? What
are some examples of third
places in your country that might
not exist elsewhere?

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