1. Unit 5: An eye to the future
Reading: Nobody listens to us

2. Discussion In your country, what do …
old people think of young people?
young people think of old people?
parents think of teenagers?
teenagers think of their parents?
people think of students?

3. Vocabulary (text 1)
to govern /’gʌvə n/ to control and direct the public business of a country, city, group of people, etc
conscientious/,kɒntʃi’entʃəs/adjective putting a lot of effort into your work
disillusion /,dɪsɪ’luʒ ə n/ verb [ T ] to disappoint someone
disillusionment (n)

4. trendy /’trendy/ adjective informal modern and influenced by the most recent fashions or ideas
intriguing/ɪn’tri:gɪŋ/ adjective very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious
alienate sb from sth /’eɪliəneɪt/ to make someone feel that they are different and do not belong to a group
prospects the possibility of being successful, especially at work

5. Vocabulary (text 2)
pay sth off phrasal verb [ M ] to pay back money that you owe
adequate /’ædəkwət/ adjective enough or satisfactory for a particular purpose
optimistic /,ɒptɪ’mɪstɪk/ adjective hopeful; believing that good things will happen in the future
She is optimistic about her chances of winning a gold medal.

6. pressure /’preʃə r / noun [ U ] the force you produce when you press something
the rat race noun [ S ] a way of life in modern society, in which people compete with each other for power and money
bloke /bləʊk/ /bloʊk/ noun [ C ] UK informal a man, often one who is considered to be ordinary

7. bleat /blit/ verb [ I ] informal to complain in an annoying way
decent /di’sənt/ adjective socially acceptable or good
end up phrasal verb to finally be in a particular place or situation
boost /bust/ verb [ T ] to improve or increase something

8. dead-end job /ded.end’dʒɒb/ noun [C] a job in which there is no chance of being raised to a better, more important job
work sth off phrasal verb [ M ] If you work off an unpleasant feeling, you get rid of it by doing something energetic
motto /’mɒtəʊ/ noun [ C ] plural mottos or mottoes a short sentence or phrase that expresses a belief or purpose

9. Guiding questions
Look at the heading and sub-heading of the newspaper article. Answer these questions
What are the contrasting ideas in the sub-heading?
What is the complaint of these people?
Can you guess what these texts are about?

10. True or False This story is about people who usually listen to others.
They believe that they are supposed to vote for the next general election.
They are satisfied with how politics and political leaders behave.
They don’t want to save money.
They have clear plans for the future. F T F F T

11. Gap-filling (no more than 3 words)
Two thirds claim that “the main parties are so much similar to each other that it doesn’t _________________who is in power”.
__________think that their parents generation doesn’t know what it is like to be a young adult nowadays.
_________ think their grandparents are oblivious of what it is to be young in the 21st century.
make much difference
Almost half
Two thirds

12. Gap-filling
These people spend most of their time __________, then purchasing and listening to CDs and going to clubs, bars and pubs.
____________ and _______ and concerts come bottom of the list of activities these people do in their leisure time.
buying clothes
Sporting events
gigs

13. Who might have said …? I’m going to work and work.
I’m thinking of being self-employed.
This time next year I’ll be living abroad.
I hope I’ll have paid off my debts by the time I’m 31.
I certainly won’t be working here forever.
I’ll be able to buy my own place.
I’m seeing my bank manager this afternoon to talk about getting a montage.

14. Comprehension Questions
What does Amber want to do? What is her worry?
What is Ellie going to do? Is she pessimistic about her future?
Does Peter think that these days youngsters feel relaxed about the future? What really worries him?
Does Bob think it is still important to vote? What is he going to do after being accepted for the new job?

15. Complete the charts by the adjectives and nouns from the text:
popular
popularity
awareness
disillusioned
political
(2)
criminal
intrigue
alienation
responsible
different
powerful
aware (of)
disillusionment
politics, politician
crime
intriguing
alienated (from)
responsibility
difference
power

16. Spoken English thing
The word thing is used a lot in English! In pairs, ask and answer the questions about you.
How are things with you at the moment?
What’s the thing you like best about your best friend?
Do you like doing your own thing?
Is horse racing your kind of thing?
If your friend keeps you waiting, do you make a big thing of it?

17. Group work
In group of four, ask and answer these questions within 7m. Then report your group’s idea back to the whole class
What do you plan to do after graduating from high school/ university?
Are you preoccupied with financial problems?
Are the frustrations and aspirations mentioned in the text similar to those of young people in your country?
What are your aspirations in the future?

18. Homework
Write a short paragragh of about 60 words to talk about your plan for the future.
What are you going to do after graduating from highschool/ university?
How will you realize your ambition?
What difficulties you may have?
How do you plan to overcome them?