Unit 9: Cities of the future
Lesson 5: Listening: A better or worse place to live?
Untreated waste
Air pollution
Slums
Traffic jams
Water shortage
Water pollution
Which of these problems currently exist in big cities in Vietnam?
Do you think these problems will be solved in the next twenty years?
pessimistic /ˌpes.ɪˈmɪs.tɪk/ (a) bi quan
The doctors are pessimistic (= not hopeful) about his chances of recovery.
>< optimistic /ˌɒp.tɪˈmɪs.tɪk/ (a) lạc quan
She ended her speech on an optimistic note.
1. Pre-listening
overcrowded/ˌəʊ.vəˈkraʊ.dɪd/ (a) đông nghịt, chật ních
It was overcrowded over there.
overpopulation /ˌəʊ.vəˌpɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ sự đông dân quá
health care /ˈhelθˌkeər/ (n) chăm sóc sức khỏe

free of charge /ˌfriː əv ˈtʃɑːdʒ/ miễn phí
You can download the materials free of charge from our website.
pessimistic /ˌpes.ɪˈmɪs.tɪk/ (a) thinking that bad things are more likely to happen
optimistic /ˌɒp.tɪˈmɪs.tɪk/ (a) hoping or believing that good things will happen
overcrowded/ˌəʊ.vəˈkraʊ.dɪd/ (a) containing too many people
overpopulation /ˌəʊ.vəˌpɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ (n) the fact of a country, city having too many people
health care /ˈhelθˌkeər/ (n) the providing of medical services

free of charge /ˌfriː əv ˈtʃɑːdʒ/ without having to pay
VOCABULARY
Matching the words in column A with the meanings in column B
T NT
According to the pessimistic viewpoint

1.Pollution will continue to be a serious problem in the city.
(Pessimistic think that`s our cities will become more and more polluted) 

2. Global warming will slow down because of government’s efforts.
(Global warming and pollution have increased rapidly
There are no signs that this problem will be solved in the future) 

3. A lot of people will leave the city to work in the countryside.
(more and more people are leaving the countryside and moving to big 
cities to look for work)

4. Cities will be overpopulated and traffic will be heavy.
(cities will become overcrowded. This means there will be more people,
more waste and heavier traffic) 



T NT


According to the optimistic viewpoint

5. City dwellers will enjoy better health care and medical treatment.

Modern machines and well-equipped hospitals in cities will provide better, 
quicker and more effective treatment for people


6. Renewable energy sources will replace non-renewable ones.

They hope that these energy sources will step by step replace fossil fuels such as 
gas, coal and oil in the next twenty years


7. People in the city will be able to use renewable energy free of charge.

scientists will find ways to cut down the cost of renewable energy sources 
Activity 4: Listen again and complete the summaries of the two viewpoints


1. According to the pessimistic viewpoint, our future cities will not be safe and (1) .......... places to live in. Governments have no (2).......... ways to control pollution, which will continue to be a serious problem in the future. Moreover, cities will become (3).........., which means there will be more waste and (4).......... traffic.
adj
adj
adj
adj




2. According to the optimistic viewpoint, city dwellers will have a better life thanks to advances in technology and (5).......... Furthermore, the environmental problems will be solved. (6) ...........energy sources will gradually replace (7).......... fuels in the next twenty years.
noun
adj
adj
1. According to the pessimistic viewpoint, our future cities will not be safe and (1) .......... places to live in. Governments have no (2).................. ways to control pollution, which will continue to be a serious problem in the future. Moreover, cities will become (3)......................., which means there will be more waste and (4) ............. traffic.

2. According to the optimistic viewpoint, city dwellers will have a better life thanks to advances in technology and (5) ............... . Furthermore, the environmental problems will be solved. (6) ................. energy sources will gradually replace (7).......... fuels in the next twenty years.

healthy
effective
overcrowded
heavier
medicine
Renewable
fossil
Activity 5: Giving opinion
*Some suggested vocabularies:
Pessimistic
Optimistic
Overcrowded
Overpopulation
Renewable
*Sample:
I agree with some optimistic and pessimistic viewpoints. Firstly, I’m sure a lot of people will leave the city to work in the countryside because cities will be overpopulated and traffic will be heavy soon. Secondly, renewable energy sources will replace non-renewable ones. When the fossil fuels run out, people must use different alternatives like solar or wind energy, but they must pay for that, not free at all.
1. Does she/he gives any environmental problems?
2. Does she/he gives any evidence to prove people’s use of energy sources?
3. Does she/he gives any achievements in technology and medicine?
Homework

- Revise the lesson today
- Read how to write an email at home to prepare for the next lesson.