Since the invention of the automobile in the last
decades of the 19th century, the whole world has changed a lot - communication has increased, places have
become closer, and man has travelled farther.
In the 20th century, the automobile took an active part
in important events, such as the First and Second World Wars. It also caused deep changes in the cities. Cars
crowded the streets taking the place of the old coaches.
The 50's and the 60's represented the greatest days of
the automobile. But an oil crisis occurred during the 70's. Gasoline bacame more expensive. All large
automobile companies were worried about it and began to work on the "car of the future".
According to car experts, cars in the future will be
more economical, lighter and smaller than they are today. They will use different forms of energy:
electric, solar and many others. These new forms of energy will cause less pollution than gasoline and will be
cheaper.
The weight will be another important aspect because lighter cars save more fuel.
Finally, the car of the future will have a computer in the control panel. A micro-computer will
control the speed, stability, and will work as a continuous check-up of the mechanic, electric, and
hydraulic systems.
Processing the Knowledge
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Text
Comprehension
1) According to the first paragraph, how
has the world changed since the automobile invention?
2) What were the deep changes caused in the
cities, during the 20th century, due to the automobile?
3) Do you think the cities in the 21st
century have got a proper structure for the amount of cars that exist nowadays? Explain your
answer.
4) The text talks about the gasoline being
expensive in the 70's. We know that today, 2008, the world is passing again through another oil
crisis, but the difference is that nowadays there are many more people and cars around. How do you
see this situation? Is the increase of vehicles a good thing, considering that the resources can be
limited?
5) Think about the last paragraph and think about the cars we have today.
Do you see similarities? Which ones?
Language Structure
1) List from the text:
a) all the comparative adjectives:
"adjectives + er" or "more + adjectives"
b) all the superlative adjectives:
"adjective + est" or "most + adjective"
c) rewrite the phrases with irregular verbs
in the past tense
2) What about some free
writing?
Write a paragraph with no less than 3
lines, telling about your car: what you use it for; how old it is; color; how you like it; how often
you fill up your car with gas; how often the car is taken to the mechanic, etc... Write what you want
about your car, but remember: use the correct verb tenses, and read your paragraph (and all the other
exercises, too!) before submitting the assignment, so you can pick up eventual mistakes and correct
them.
Word Study
1) Find
the opposites
| (01) increase |
( ) less |
| (02) close |
( ) small |
| (03) active |
( ) cheap |
| (04) more |
( ) equal |
| (05) expensive |
(02) far |
| (06) large |
( ) decrease |
| (07) begin |
( ) first |
| (08) different |
( ) interrupted |
| (09) continuous |
( ) finish |
| (10) last |
( ) passive |
2) Fill in the blanks with the appropriated
words:
I. stable or
stability?
a. Ozone is a ...................
gas.
b. Weight and speed are important for the
car ................ .
II. probable or
probability?
a. We have a great
.......................... of success.
b. What's a .............................
solution for the oil crisis?
III. personal or
personality?
a. This is my ......................
opinion.
b. We admire her. She has a strong
................... .
IV. national or
nationality?
a. What's Henry Ford's
.........................?
b. Our ............. cars are smaller than
the imported cars.
V. popular or popularity?
a. Volkswagen is a very .............. car
in Brazil.
b. Alice's ..................... surprised
everybody.
VI. Now, it's your turn! You write full
sentences with these words:
a) sociability and social
b) functionality and
function
c) geniality and genial
d) cordiality and cordial
e) viability or viable
Descomplique! A solução é aprender inglês com
LEP!