English 8 Handout – Semester 2

PACK YOUR BAGS

>> TALK ABOUT TRAVEL ITEMS <<

| WORK IN PAIRS | Do the tasks. You have two minutes

a. Make a list of methods of transport in the box.

Air Rail Road Sea

Plane train bike boat

b. Choose the correct preposition to complete the phrase.

Travel with / by / to plane / train / bike, etc.

c. |VOCABULARY 1| Match the verbs in the box to the correct methods of transport.
drive fly ride sail

Example: You can drive a bus, a ……

1. _______________________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________________________
| VOCABULARY 2| Read the clues and complete the crossword.
Across
1 This is a very large boat
5 This machine flies in the air but has no wings
6 This is a train that runs on tracks on the street.
7 It travels on the road. You can take it to work, but you need to buy a ticket first.
8 It has two wheels but no engine. You can ride it.
Down
2 Many people fly on one of these to go on holiday
3 You pay someone to drive you in this
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 English 8 Handout – Semester 2

4 This is a small motorbike

5 This is an animal that you can travel or race on.

1 2
S P

3
T

4
S

5
H

6
T

7 8
B B

VISITING WALES
Adopted from Lingua House

SCAN ME! to answers the questions below

| Warm up |Read the questions below and try to choose the correct answer

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1. Which country does Wales border? c. Saint Andrew

a. England 4. The Welsh language is …
b. Northern Ireland a. Spoken by a large number of people
today and taught in schools
c. Scotland
b. Spoken by only around 2.000 people
2. What is the population of Wales?
c. No longer actively used
a. over 6 million
5. The Welsh flag is …
b. over 3 million
a. Blue and white with a red dragon
c. about 1.5 million
b. Green and white with a red dragon
3. Who is the patron Saint of Wales?
c. Green and red with a gold dragon
a. Saint George
b. Saint David

| Visual Guide | Look at the pictures that show some famous Welsh landmarks

1. Great Orme Tramway 2. The Quay House 3. “58 characters”

4. Portmeirion Village 5. Harlech Castle 6. Principality Stadium

7. Blaenavon Ironworks 8. Yr wyddfa 9. Electric Cliff Railway

Now, match the names to their descriptions:

a. _______________ a 3,560 1,085-foot-high mountain (Mount Snowdon) with a café at the top!
b. _______________ a castle built in the Middle Ages; one of Wales’s UNESCO World Heritage
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c. _______________ the only cable-pulled tramway operating on UK’s public roads

d. _______________ a large village with the longest place name in Europe
e. _______________ an Italian-themed village with brightly colored architecture
f. _______________ a Victorian railway on which you can enjoy panoramic views while traveling at 4
miles per hour (in Aberystwyth)
g. _______________a venue place in the center of Cardiff which hosts Wales’s home rugby matches
h. _______________ a tiny building in Conwy measuring 1-ft x 5.9ft, making it the smallest house in
Britain
i. _______________ part of a UNESCO world site where you can learn about Wale’s industrial history

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
Descriptive text is a text which says what a person or a thing is like. Its purpose is to describe and reveal a
particular person, place, or thin

KOMODO ISLAND
Komodo is an island in Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara Timur region and part of the
Lesser Sunda Islands. The island, which spans an area of roughly 520 square
kilometers (200 square miles), is located in the Sape Strait between the islands
of Flores and Sumbawa. It has some hills, with a top height of 2,700 feet. (825
meters). There are a few hundred bamboo huts in the only village, Komodo,
which is located on a bay on the east shore. Varanus komodoensis, also known
as the Komodo dragon, lives on the island and is the island's most famous
resident.
Over 2000 people live in Komodo, dispersed across the island and in the main Komodo community. Since the 1980s,
the Komodo people, the island's original inhabitants, have vanished. The current inhabitants of the island are
descended from previous prisoners who were banished to Komodo and interbred with Sulawesi Bugis. The majority
of the populace is Muslim, but there are also congregations of Christians and Hindus.
The climate in the Komodo National Park is one of the driest in Indonesia. The national park experiences little to no
rainfall for approximately 8 months of the year and is heavily impacted by monsoonal rains. Daily temperatures
during the dry season between May to October average around 40. Due to this dry climate, the land is rough with
stony hills and plant species are limited to grass, shrubs, orchids, and trees. In contrast, the marine area has a rich
and colorful landscape. The national park falls within the Asia Pacific Coral Triangle and is full of a variety of seagrass
beds, colorful coral reefs, and dense mangrove forests.
The breathtakingly beautiful landscape on Padar Island is second to none. This island is the perfect place for a scenic
hike and spectacular photos. As you ascend one of the many grassy hills, you will be swept away by the surrounding
gorgeous green, white and blue hues. The vantage point from the tallest peak will give you a stunning view of four
crescent-shaped sparkling beaches and an abundance of photos to make your family and friends green with envy. A
hike up the main peak of this mountain will approximately take 2 to 3 hours. Be prepared and bring comfortable
shoes, clothing, water, and sunscreen as the sun can get scorching hot.
Due to the purposely undeveloped nature of this island and sparse foot traffic, Rinca Island is the perfect spot for
those looking to catch a glimpse of the exotic Komodo Dragon. Visitors will disembark on the dock of Koh Kima and
be taken to the campsite of Loh Buaya, where sometimes Komodo Dragons can already be spotted. A trek across the
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island will show dense forest give way to grassy fields and a few scattered watering holes where the Komodo
Dragons hunt for prey. If fortunate enough, visitors will be able to see other terrestrial fauna such as the wild water
buffalos, Timor deer, wild horses and various species of tropical birds.

Due to the fierce nature of the Komodo Dragon, visitors who come here must hire the service of an experienced
ranger. Prepare cool clothing and sunscreen as the climate on Rinca Island can be quite dry and very hot.

| CHECKING UNDERSTANDING | Answer the questions with the correct information.

1. What is the text about?

____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Where is the Komodo Island located?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why is Komodo also called Komodo Dragon?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How is the Komodo Island climate?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What are the other things that you can see in Komodo Island?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
| PROJECT 1 | Find out some information about a city in Indonesia that you’ve ever been there. Mark on the map
below. Then, write some information about the place that you choose.

 Where is it?
________________________________________________________________________________________
 Language that is used in the region
________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Traditional Food & drink

________________________________________________________________________________________
 Famous landmarks in that region/ tourist attractions
________________________________________________________________________________________
| PROJECT 2 | From the information above, write a descriptive paragraph about that place in 15 sentences. Use
your vocabulary from the previous lesson.
| PROJECT 3 | Make a poster about that place to promote others to visit there. You can use any application to
make the poster.

THE FUTURE OF LEARNING

| READING | 3 – option multiple choice (long text) | A news article
| 1 | Read the short text and answer the question

How many hours a week do you usually spend doing homework? In Shanghai, China, students
often get 13 hours of homework every week. Students in Finland get less than three hours per
week and they have some of the best school in the world. Homework is less important there
because many Finnish people believe that students who feel stressed do not learn well so they
should spend time doing their own activities at home.

Why don’t students in Finland have to do much homework?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
In your school, do you still have homework from your teacher? What subject is that?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
| 2 | Now look at the answers below. Is there one that is similar to your answer?
A. Schools in Finland want to stop their students from worrying.
B. Students don’t need it because school system is very good.
C. Students do less homework so they can spend more time at home.

School days around the world

Adopted from Optimise Workbook pg. 53

Recently, scientist learnt that teenagers need nine hours’ sleep every night. However, scientist believe
most teenagers are not getting enough sleep and are not able to learn very well during early morning
lessons. Because of this, some of them think secondary schools need to start at 10 or 11 a.m.
Around the world, secondary schools often star earlier. In Brazil, students often go to school in the
morning afternoon or sometimes in the evening. If they go in the morning, they usually finish at about 1
p.m., but they often start at 7 a.m.

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In Russia, schools start at around 8 a.m. and finish at 1 or 2 p.m. But there, students usually get a lot more
homework. They have longer school days in the USA, where most schools start between 8 and 8.30 a.m.
and finish between 3 and 3.30 p.m. In Spain students can sometimes be at school from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
but with a two-hour break for lunch and in the UK, pupils are usually at school from 9 a.m. to 3 or 3.30
p.m.
However, if you think your school day is long, just look at a normal day for a teenage student in South
Korea. Most start school at 8 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m., and then many parents pay for them to go to
evening school from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. After that, they do their homework before they go to bed. What a
long day!
| 3 | Match the highlighted words in the article to the definitions (1-8)
1. the studying students do after school
______________________________________________________________________________
2. periods of time you learn something at school
______________________________________________________________________________
3. when you stop work to eat or rest
______________________________________________________________________________
4. these people try to understand how the world works
______________________________________________________________________________
5. children at school
______________________________________________________________________________
6. schools you go to from the age of 11
______________________________________________________________________________
| NOTES |

WILL GOING TO

Instant decision Prior plan  The decision was made

You can use both Will before the moment of speaking
Offer and Going to for
Evidence / signs  When there are
making predictions
Promise signs that something is likely to happen
Threat

Refusal

EXAMPLES:

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| 1 | GRAMMAR 1 | Complete the sentences with the correct form of going to.
1. Stevan _______________________ ask Jhon to work on the project with him.
2. We _______________________ have lessons today because we are going on a school trip.
3. Arabella _______________________ study in the library later because she has volleyball practice.
4. _______________________ we _______________________ have a party after the exams?
5. Ramond and Gwen _______________________ get up early tomorrow because they don’t have to
go to school.
6. _______________________ you _______________________ study English before you go and live
in the USA?
7. She _______________________ take the bus to school: She’s going to walk.
8. I _______________________ finish my homework tonight because I don’t want to do it tomorrow.

| 2 | Look at the table about the students’ plans for the summer holiday. Write sentences using going to
and the prompts.
Arabella Asher Clarie
Visit relatives √ × ×
Study for the exams × × √
Work in a shop × √ ×
Go to summer camp √ × √
Go to the beach √ √ ×

1. Visit relatives
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Study for the exams
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Work in a shop
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Go to summer camp
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Go to the beach
______________________________________________________________________________

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| VOCABULARY 1 | Match to make sentences

1. I’m going to leave _______ a) pictures of animals and people
2. Anna learnt _______ b) university in this city?
3. My friends are all going to do _______ c) a course in history next term
4. He usually draws _______ d) Spanish in Chile
5. Erin’s going to take _______ e) their homework this evening
6. How many students go to _______ f) school at the end of next year
| VOCABULARY 2 | Choose the correct words.
1. I’m tired. I was at / to work until 8:00 4. Most animals learn almost everything
pm tonight. from / to their parents.
2. T here is so much to learn about / 5. I arrived to / at the station five minutes
on 21st century history. before the train left.
3. How many books did you borrow to / 6. Can you help me with / for this
from the library? question, please?
| GRAMMAR 2 | Look at the pictures and complete the sentences with the correct form of will or going to
and the verbs in brackets.
1.

Look! The train ______________________ (leave). Quick!

2.

A: Excuse me. Where is the English Lab classroom?

B: I’m going there now. I ______________________ (show) you.