PREVIEW ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2019. For use only with license.

The Hyperloop Experience - Upper Intermediate

Work with a partner or group. Do the activities below together about transport.

PART I Look at the photos below of a new type of transport in development, called the
Hyperloop. Have you heard of the Hyperloop? Do you know what it is?

What do you think are some common What are a few reasons that we need new
questions people have about the Hyperloop? forms of transportation in the world?
How it works? Because we are damaging the environment.
1 1

What is the maximun speed it reaches? We can move faster to different places.
2 2

How many people can travel at the same time in Because it’s innovative. Can be safer.
3 this new type of transport? 3

PART II Discuss the questions below about Elon Musk and future / modern transportation.

1 2 3
What do you know about Elon How do you envision the Can you think of any other
Musk? Do you know anything future of transport and types of new or modern
about his accomplishments or travel? What do you think transportation technology
companies? will be different? or way of traveling today?

PART III Discuss reasons why people complain about traveling by car, public transit, or airplane.

CAR:

PUBLIC TRANSIT:

AIRPLANE:

What negative experiences have you had traveling by car, public transit, or airplane?
PREVIEW ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2019. For use only with license.
The Hyperloop Experience - Upper Intermediate

PART I Match the verbs with their definitions below the context examples.

1 The airplane encountered a lot of resistance flying into the storm.

2 The helicopter is hovering above the hospital landing area on the rooftop.
3 The shuttle bus at the airport dropped me off at my terminal.
4 My new car can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 7 seconds.
5 We should draft up the first contract for cooperation and send it to our supplier.

1 e encounter a. to transport or deliver someone / something to a location

2 d hover b. to begin to move more quickly (vehicle, object)
3 b accelerate c. to create, design, draw, or write a first version
4 a drop off d. to be above a surface without touching it
5 c draft up e. to unexpectedly experience, meet, or face a problem

PART II Write a definition / synonym for the nouns and verbs below based on the context.

1 Helicopters generally fly at a lower altitude than airplanes.

altitude measures... the height of anything above a given planetary reference plane.

2 City architects drafted up blueprints of the design for the new subway station.

blueprints are... a design plan or other technical drawing.

3 I have a powerful electric car. You can feel the thrust when you accelerate.

thrust is... push suddendly or violently in the specified direction.

4 Working from home used to be unconventional, but these days many people do it.

unconventional means... not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.

5 The MacBook Air is a really compact laptop which makes it easy to travel with.

compact means... something that uses very little space.

Bonus Phrases!
in the blink of an eye = describes something that happens really quickly

EXAMPLE I have a great auto mechanic. He fixes my car in the blink of an eye!

‘It turns out...’ = used to state a surprising or unexpected fact / result

EXAMPLE I researched how much money on average Americans spend on gas per
month. It turns out that some Americans spend more on gas than food!
THE HYPERLOOP EXPERIENCE Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2019. For use only with license.
The Hyperloop Experience - Upper Intermediate

PREVIEW DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

How do you envision high speed travel

like this changing the way we live?

What do you think will be the biggest

VIEWING ACTIVITY challenges for constructing the Hyperloop?

PART I Write short answers below according to the information from the video.

It’s a capsule inside a tube, it levitates and it

0:18 1 What is the Hyperloop? How does it work? encounters low resistance. Similiar to airplane.

Connecting cities in minutes.

0:32 2 How will the Hyperloop change the way we live?

1:27 3 What are the main challenges of the project? The design.

2:01 4 How will our bodies react to such high speeds? Thrust at the beginning and then anything.

2:33 5 What does the UCLA student show the reporter The design models.
in the ‘Hyperloop Think Tank’?
There is not human factor, everything is
3:43 6 Why will the Hyperloop be safe to travel in? managed by computer.

PART II Choose the correct answer for each sentence below.

1:02 1 The concept of traveling around in tubes has existed...

a. for a year b. for a decade c. for more than a century

2:22 2 One of the biggest problems for ‘tube travel’ will be making this style of travel...

a. realistic b. comfortable c. affordable

3:11 3 For one of the station designs, students were inspired by...

a. a professor b. airport terminals c. Grand Central Station

PART III Discuss the questions below with your teacher or a class partner.

1 Discuss your initial reaction to the 2 Imagine Hyperloops are normal.

Hyperloop. What do you think about it? Which two cities would you want
How could it change your life personally? to be connected? Why?
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2019. For use only with license.
The Hyperloop Experience - Upper Intermediate

PART I Choose the correct preposition for the spaces below. One isn’t used!

away in off about out up

1 As humans, we dream about being able to travel comfortably from place

to place in the blink of an eye.
2 In 2013, Elon Musk drafted up actual blueprints of the Hyperloop project.
3 Elon Musk put the challenge of building the Hyperloop to the engineering
community. As it turns out , there were some engineers willing to try it.
4 The student shows where you’ll be dropped off in the Hyperloop station.

PART II Write one or two sentences about the Hyperloop using the following four words:

altitude hover encounter resistance

PART III Study the example sentence from the video below in the passive voice.

“ The students were really inspired by Grand Central Station.

1 The sentence above is in the passive voice. How do you write it in the active voice?
The Grand Central Station inspired the students.

2 Why do we use the passive voice?

a. We use the passive voice to focus on the object of the action.

b. We use the passive voice to focus on the subject that performs or does the action.
c. We use the passive voice to focus on the reason or cause for an action.

3 The passive always uses the form of the verb “ to be ” + the past participle
of the main verb (done / taken / known).

4 The verb be is always formed according to the tense. Fill in the blanks in the passive form
below according to the tense. Use the verb “design”.

PRESENT SIMPLE The Hyperloop is designed to make travel faster.

PAST SIMPLE The Hyperloop was designed by engineering students.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS The Hyperloop is being designed at UCLA right now.
FUTURE The Hyperloop will be designed by some engineering students.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2019. For use only with license.
The Hyperloop Experience - Upper Intermediate

PART I Use a verb from the box to turn the sentence to passive. Form the correct tense.

give draft know build drive design choose make

1 The Hyperloop is being designed right now by students at UCLA university.

2 The blueprint for the Hyperloop was drafted up by Elon Musk in 2013.

3 The Hyperloop will be driven by computers, not humans.

4 Students at UCLA were given the opportunity to design the Hyperloop.

5 Do you know if plans will be made to build the Hyperloop in other countries?

6 Elon Musk is known around the world.

7 I’m curious why UCLA was chosen as the location for the Hyperloop development.

8 Right now the Hyperloop is being built in California.

PART II Transform the sentences into the passive in the present continuous. Don’t use by.

1 UCLA students are doing a lot of research on how to make tube travel comfortable.
A lot of research is being done on how to make tube travel comfortable.

2 They Hyperloop team is making a lot of progress on the Hyperloop development.

A lot of progress is being made on the Hyperloop development.

3 Technicians are investigating some technical issues with the Hyperloop.

Some technical issues are being investigating with the Hyperloop.

4 TransPod is sending some high-speed tube supplies to Hyperloop Technologies in California.

High-speed tube supplies are being sent to Hyperloop Technologies in California.

5 What type of material the Hyperloop construction team is using to build the tubes?
Whay type of material is being used to build the tubes?

PART III Make sentences about transportation in the passive voice in the present continuous.

1 Self-driving cars / develop Self-driving cars are being developed.

New airport policies are being written.
2 New airport policies / write
New tunnels for the metro are being dug.
3 New tunnels for the metro / dig

4 Photos of the car / take

Photos of the car is being taken.

5 Project costs / cut

Project costs are being cut.
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2019. For use only with license.
The Hyperloop Experience - Upper Intermediate

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART I Questions. Answer the questions below about the video.

1. Explain what the Hyperloop is in your own words.

2. How will the Hyperloop change the way we live?
3. What will be the biggest challenges for creating and constructing the Hyperloop?
4. What do the reporter and the UCLA student do and talk about together?
5. Why will travel in the Hyperloop be safe?

PART II Vocabulary: Discuss what each term means. Write how it was used in the video.

1. in the blink of an eye

2. hover

3. altitude

4. encounter

5. blueprints
Grammar: Explain what the passive voice is and how it’s formed. Then write two of
PART III
your own sentences on the topic of transportation in the passive voice using the
present continuous form. See the example below:

1. The Hyperloop is being designed by students at UCLA.

2.

3.

PART IV Imagine you used the Hyperloop for the first time and you tell somebody about it. Take
one of the roles below, prepare some notes, and then speak about your experience.

STUDENT A STUDENT B

HYPERLOOP LOVER HYPERLOOP HATER

Your role: Your role:

You had a great trip and you loved the
Hyperloop experience. Tell your partner
about the trip and why it was so great and
why you loved it. Explain the trip in detail.
Where did you go? How was the Hyperloop?
How did it feel? What positive experiences
did you have?
You had a terrible trip and you hated the
Hyperloop experience. Tell your partner
about the trip and why it was so terrible and
why you hated it. Explain the trip in detail.
Where did you go? How was the Hyperloop?
How did it feel? What problems or negative
experiences did you have?