Lesson A

Communication and Cultural Awareness

Can you name the presidents from other countries? Do you recognize the woman in this picture?

Interesting People

Elizabeth II is a very famous queen. She rules the countries that form
part of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and
Wales (see the map) and some other territories in
Great Britain. They are all English-speaking
countries.
She’s from London, the capital city
of England. Her birthday is on April 21st.
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She has four children: three boys; Prince

Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward

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and one girl; Princess Anne.

These words are in the text above. Connect the words to the correct
Discuss the questions with picture.
your partner:
Is there a queen in your
country? What language do
people speak in your country?
Name as many countries as
you can that speak English.
Is the English language
exactly the same in each
country? Anne

Elizabeth
Vocabulary

queen. the wife of a king

considered a ruler or monarch. country
A female ruler or monarch
of a nation

rule. to decide, to use power, city

authority, or influence. To use
authority to control a place
and or situation
April 21st
country. the territory or land
of a nation

English-speaking countries.
Charles
nations where people speak
English

prince. the son of the king

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or queen
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princess. the daughter

of the king or queen

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 Oral Communication

Do you recognize any of these flags? What countries are they from?

Soccer Around the World

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1. Do you know what FOOTBALL is called in the United States of America?
Unscramble these letters and you will find the answer.

C E S R O C
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2. What sports, other than soccer, are popular in other countries?

3. Listen to an interview with a student at a soccer academy. Where is

he from? Audio
Listen to the dialogue.
4. What do the letters BCSS stand for?

5. Challenge! Listen again and try to mention some countries where

students from BCSS come from and find their flags in exercise 1 above.

6. Cross out the errors in the sentences below. Write in the information
to make them correct.

• BCSS has more than 82 million players worldwide.

• Students cannot live at camps at BCSS.
• The boy interviewed is from England.
• David Beckham used to play in the Premier Soccer League.

Vocabulary

• When do you use the word from? Look at the following examples flag. the symbol or emblem
and discuss with your partner. of a country or institution

- Lionel Messi is Argentinian. = He is from Argentina. worldwide. existing

or happening in all parts
- Ivan is from Colombia. = He is Colombian. of the world
- Mike is from The United States, but now he lives in Quito. camp. a place where people
participate in special activities
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• Where are you from?

Premier Soccer League.
• Do you know people and have friends from other countries?
the top group of competing
• What’s your teacher’s nationality? soccer teams in England

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Reading

What are some ways to describe members of a family?

Describing a Family
big kind happy 1. Your little brother dropped the cards to the left. Help him reorganize them
by writing the words in their corresponding space. When you finish,
compare with a partner.
shor t long
fat Physical traits: Give examples of people that have these traits.

funny young sweet

playful old grey

black Personality: What are behaviors that demonstrate these personality traits?
small noisy

thin
quiet good
Cabrera, A.

friendly hone 2. You are a good painter and your friend Rosie asks you to make a portrait
st
of her family using the information below. Before you start drawing,
circle the physical traits and underline the personality descriptions
of each member.

Rosie’s Family
Answer the following
questions: My family is not very big. I have one baby brother and no sisters.
We live with our parents, my grandma and our dog Flocky.
• How many sisters does
Rosie have? My mother is 38 years old. She is a very kind and happy woman.
She is short, a little fat, and she has long hair. She works at a supermarket.
• How old is Rosie’s My father is 42. He is a very funny and honest man. He works as
grandmother?
a mechanic with my uncle Carlos, his younger brother. My younger
• Who is Carlos? brother is sweet so I love playing with him. My grandma is only
• Describe Rosie physically. 59 years old. She’s a really good cook and her chocolate cake is the
best in the world. Her hair is grey and short. Flocky is our pet dog.
• What does Carlos do as He’s small and noisy. Finally, I am Rosie. I’m 14 years old. I’m short and thin.
a job?
I am a bit quiet, but friendly.

3. Now you’re ready to draw Rosie’s family in the picture frame.

Vocabulary

trait. characteristic

portrait. a painting,
photograph, drawing
of a person

cook. a person who prepares

and cooks food as a job or in
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a specific way

pet. a domestic animal

that lives in a house
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as company

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 Oral Communication
How can I compare two people?

Comparing People Ana

Grammar Tip
Name:
15
1. You and your sister are new in school. To know about your classmates,
Age:

Nationality: Ecuadorian
look at these two kids’ ID cards. Take turns describing them with your
• Use is + adjective to describe
partner. Use as many adjectives as you can.
someone’s personality.
Maria is friendly.

• Use have/has to describe

Name: Ana Toni
Name:
some physical features.
Age: 15 Age: 13
Nationality: Ecuadorian Nationality: Colombian Jose has short hair.

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2. Now, look at Ana’s and Toni’s IDs again and read the examples given
in the chart below. Can you make other comparisons between the two
kids? Write three more comparisons on the lines below.
Name: Toni
Age: 13

someColombian
You can useNationality: adjectives + er + than to compare 2 people,
2 places, 2 animals, 2 things. Example:

Ana is taller than Toni.

You can add more + adjective + than to compare 2 people, 2 places,

2 animals, 2 things. Example:

Toni is more serious than Ana.

Irregular adjectives: Vocabulary

ID card. an identification card

good-better bad-worse far-farther/further with personal information
(name, date of birth, photo)

•
ik
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3. In small groups, each student makes his/her own ID card, describes

him/herself to the group members, and then, taking turns, compares
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two of the group members. You can use the descriptive adjectives learned
in the first reading of this lesson.

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 Oral Communication

What do you know about earthquakes in Japan?

Breaking News in Japan

1. Listen to a radio broadcast about an earthquake in Japan.
Audio
2. Complete the chart. What's happening in each place? Listen to the dialogue.

City Refuge

3. Listen to the conversation again and complete the dialogue.

a. The rescue team that there are

about a thousand injured people.

b. This the largest earthquake in Japan.

c. Rescue teams from all over the world

.

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d. The school’s principal some parents
to inform about their children.

e. The whole school community already

a plan in these cases, and everything
all right.

4. Answer these questions. Ask your partner.

a. What’s the worst part of an earthquake?

b. What advice can you give people who face an earthquake?

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Vocabulary

supplies. food and other goods

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refuge. shelter

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Reading
Science
What different types of natural disasters are there?
Value: Natural environment
conservation
Take care of the environment.
During summer, make sure
you don’t throw garbage
in green areas, especially
glass bottles. They can cause
a forest fire and are very
dangerous. If you go camping,
take your garbage with you
when you leave. It’s good for
the planet.
Grammar Tip
Superlatives
General Rules:
• One syllable: add “-est”
The longest.
• Two or more syllables: add
“most”
The most dangerous.
• Adjectives ending in “-y”:
change to i and add “-est”
The happiest.
Vocabulary
huge. extremely big
land. geographic area
Types of Natural Disasters
1. Read this article about natural disasters.
A natural disaster is an event, it’s a natural process of the Earth.
The most common are:
Floods: This natural disaster is the most common on the coasts
of the USA. The heaviest rains cause this, and as a result the cities
or villages get full of water.
Earthquakes: These have caused the a lot of damage in many
countries. It happens when the ground shakes. Japan has the highest rate
of earthquakes.
Hurricanes: It is the strongest storm with a violent wind. They are
very common in Florida, USA and the Caribbean.
Wildfires: A huge fire which destroys a great area of land, especially
in forests and green areas. In summer, it is the most dangerous disaster
for wildlife and people.
Drought: It is a long period of time when it doesn’t rain at all.
This causes people to lose their crops, and it causes hunger.
2. Match the picture and the sentences.
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a. The longest drought was in the Atacama desert in Chile.
b. The worst earthquake was in Japan in 2011.
c. The biggest flood was in the USA in 2005.
d. The most dangerous hurricane was in Mexico.
e. The most recent wildfire was in Portugal.
3. Complete the questions with one word. The first letter is there. Use
superlative adjectives.
a. What was the most d earthquake in America?
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b. When was the l drought in your city?
c. Where was the w hurricane in America?
4. Ask your partner the questions in the previous activity.
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Reading

What should you carry in your hand luggage? What are items you can not take on a plane with you?

Airport Regulations

Read the article about airport regulations: hand luggage.

This is a guide every traveler should read. When people travel

by plane, they have to take into consideration some regulations.
• You can’t pack firearms or knives in your luggage.
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• You shouldn’t have liquids or gels like shampoo,

perfume, creams or deodorants. If you want to pack these
items, make sure they are not more than 100 ml each.
It’s a good idea to buy mini toiletries. You can find them
in any supermarket.
• If you go to a rainy city, you can take a small
umbrella, but you can’t take a big one.
Answer these questions. • You can’t take a bottle of water, but don’t
Ask your partner.
worry you can ask for water on the plane.
a. In your opinion, why is • You can take medicine with a medical
there so much control prescription in some cases. Make sure you take
at an airport?
all the necessary medicine with you during
the flight.
• You can a have a hand luggage and a personal
item like a bag or backpack with you in the
airplane cabin. You should put your hand luggage
b. Research: What should in the overhead locker.
people do if they want Remember to always keep an eye on your belongings.
to travel with a pet?

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Grammar Tip

Modals: should / can
• Use can for a possibility.
• Use should for advice.
• TIP 1: use the verb in base form after a modal:
She can play
Vocabulary • TIP 2: use the same form of the modal for all subject pronouns:
We can play. They can play. She can play.
toiletries. articles to take care
of one’s body like shampoo, Affirmative Negative
Questions Short anwers
cream, desodorant statements statements
medical prescription. I should book I shouldn’t book Should I book
should Yes, you should.
a doctor’s note for taking online. online. online?
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medicine. She can travel She can’t travel Can she travel Yes, she can.
can
anywhere. anywhere. anywhere? No, she can’t
belongings. things that
are owned by someone,
possessions

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 Writing

What advice can you give to people who visit your city for the first time?

Let’s Travel Together

1. One of your friends wants to visit your city for the first time, but
he doesn’t live in Ecuador, and he’s traveling by plane. Give him some
advice.Look at the example below. In this case, Mark isn’t sure about
what to take in his hand luggage. This is a letter to help Mark prepare
for the trip.

Hi Mark,
I’m happy you’re visiting my country next month. I’ve never traveled
by plane before, but I think you should look for a travelers’ guide

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on the internet. I read that you can’t have a bottle of water or any
drink with you. You can ask for a drink in the airplane cabin. About
food, you can have biscuits or snacks. You can’t have cooked food
on board. Don’t worry, you can eat on the plane.
Grammar Tip
I hope to see you soon.
There are some modal verbs
Love, you can use to give advice.
• Should: for advice, but
Tomas
the person decides if
he/she takes it or not.
2. Write an email to a friend who wants to travel to Ecuador by plane with You should bring an umbrella.
his pet. Take into account that your friend has never been to an airport. It sometimes rains.
Give him advice. You may use some of the ideas from page 10. • Must: for obligation,
Greeting the person has to do that.
You must bring an umbrella
and a jacket. It’s cold here.
Introduction

Bring

Don’t bring Tip

Remember to write
Closing an introduction at the
beginning of the letter
to indicate a general idea
of what the letter is about.
3. After writing. Share your email with your partner. Make some notes
of the advice your partner gave after listening to your email.
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 Oral Communication

Can you plan ahead for emergencies? What can you do to prevent them?

Thinking Ahead

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1. Listen to the first part of the conversation between a parent and their
children. Then complete the sentences below with information from the Audio
audio. Listen to the dialogue.

a. The father/mother wants to .

b. They know how to act if someone .

2. Monica is also in the airport. Predict where is she going to travel to?
Grammar Tip
3. Read the questions. Then listen to the second part of the conversation
and circle the correct answer. Remember we use will and
going to to talk about the
a. Mónica is going to spend her vacation in future.
• Stockholm.
Use will to express promise or
• Madagascar. willingness to do something
right away.
• The Amazon.
Use going to to talk about plans
b. Monica knows the other person from
or things that someone intends
• school. to do in the future.

• work. Examples:
• travel. I'll get milk on the way home.
c. What is Monica sure about? I'm going to study economics.
• She is going to travel alone.

• She is going to spend time with the family.

• There is nothing to worry about.

d. Which of the following is Monica not going to have with her all the time?
Discuss. What type of photos
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• Binoculars. do you think Monica is going

to take? What will she find in
• Compass. the Amazon to take pictures
of?
• Camera.

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 Oral Communication

Why is it important to communicate information correctly during an emergency?

The Deadly Amazon

Home to ten percent of the known species in the world, the Amazon
rainforest has some of the rarest and most unique forms of life on the planet.
Some of the most dangerous and deadly species in the world also live there.
Therefore, nature lovers have to be careful when traveling through the
Amazon because of animals such as the jaguar, the green anaconda, the toxic
poison dart frog, the electric eel, the piranha, the giant yellow-leg centipede
and mosquitos.
Retrieved from: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-dangerous-animals-of-the-amazon-
rainforest.html

1. Monica arrived in the Amazon. What kind

of problem do you think Monica had? What
are common problems for travelers in the
Amazon? Discuss these questions with a
partner or in a small group.

2. Listen to Monica's phone call to her mother.

Audio
Listen to the dialogue.
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3. Now listen to the conversation later between Monica's parents. Put the
following phrases in order from 100% certainty to 0% certainty.

a. She must be feeling healthy now. Grammar Tip

We use modals to make

b. It might be an infection.
deductions. That is, to
c. She can't feel completely healthy yet. express conclusions from the
information we have or had
d. Monica may have a translator. available. Use can, could, may
or might to express that you
e. It could be a cold. are not certain of something.
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Use must to show that you are

almost certain and use can’t
What do you consider the greatest danger in the Amazon? Brainstorm to show that you are sure that
with a partner to discusss possible answers. something is not possible.

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