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GENERAL ENGLISH · BREAKING NEWS · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

COMPANY
DEVELOPS SPACE
JUNK SWEEPER

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1 Warm up

Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Is your hometown mostly clean or dirty?

2. Are you a tidy person in general? Do you know anybody who is very untidy?
3. Have you ever helped to clean a beach or other public area? If not, would you be interested in
doing so?
4. Do you recycle? If not, why not?
5. What kinds of problems do you think rubbish in space could cause?

2 Pre-listening task: vocabulary focus

Part A: Match the images below to the correct words.

grappling arm harpoon net street sweeper

1. 2. 3. 4.

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Part B: Match words with the correct definitions.

Group 1

1. orbit (v) a. come to rest on something or stay for some time on something

2. tackle (v) b. get rid of something that you do not want or cannot keep

3. junk (n) c. take a load of goods off a ship, train, truck, etc.

4. settle (v) d. make a determined effort to deal with a difficult problem or

solution
5. clear up (phr. v) e. make something clean and neat

6. dispose of (phr. v) f. things that are considered to have no use or value

7. offload (v) g. move in a curved path around a much larger object, especially a
planet, star, etc.

Group 2

1. cargo (n) a. a situation in which a serious accident or a disaster very nearly

happens
2. plant (n) b. become unable to move or work, or make something do this

3. satellite (n) c. a factory or place where power is produced, or an industrial

process takes place
4. jam (v) d. describing a vehicle protected by metal covers

5. armoured (adj.) e. made to be thrown away after use

6. disposable (adj.) f. an electronic device that is sent into space and moves around the
earth or another planet, used for communicating by radio,
television, etc.
7. near miss (n) g. the goods carried in a ship, an aircraft or other vehicle

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Part C: Complete the sentences with the missing words or phrases from Part A. You may need to
change the form of the word or phrase

1. In some countries, police use vehicles to protect themselves.

2. We had a when driving home last night. It was scary!

3. I try to avoid using cups, in order to protect the environment.

4. have made it possible for people to connect to the internet through their phones.

5. They’re closing my father’s down, so he has to look for a new job.

6. While we were the televisions, one fell out of its box and broke on the ground.

7. My younger sister hates her room.

8. Birds like to on our garden wall during the summer.

9. I own a lot of things that my wife considers to be .

10. We need to work together to climate change.

11. Unfortunately, some of the was lost at sea.

12. The accident was caused by a wheel that was and wouldn’t turn properly.

13. Our Moon takes just under one month to the Earth.

14. The thief the gloves he had worn during the crime in a nearby bin.

3 Listening for specific information

Listen to the report. Match the items mentioned with the things they relate to.

Adelaide Paladin Space The stomach

1. Where the business making the space "street sweeper" is based

2. The name of the company that is developing the space "street sweeper"
machine
3. The part of the "street sweeper" machine that is considered to be the most
important breakthrough

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4 Listening for comprehension

Listen to the report again. Answer the questions true (T), false (F) or not given (NG).

1. Satellites explode every year because they are hit by space debris.

2. The machine being developed will collect pieces of space junk and dispose of them either in Earth’s
atmosphere or by delivering the fragments to space recycling plants.

3. The space "street sweeper" will only be able to swallow one piece of debris in each mission.

4. There are worries that the machine may pose a threat to satellites.

5. The space "street sweeper" will use a combination of grappling arms, harpoons and nets to collect
space debris.

6. An important part of the machine is the armoured scoop, which is positioned at the front of the
"street sweeper".

7. The company hopes to use some of the metal gathered by the machine to power it, by turning it
into fuel.

8. The aim of the project is to save human lives and prevent accidents in space.

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5 Reading: general vocabulary

Part A: Match the words and phrases in bold with the correct definitions.

1. My friend has a new iPhone. Having played around with it a little, I don’t see what all the fuss is
about. (n)

2. The winter term seems to last longer than the others. I suppose it’s because the days are darker!
(n)

3. My attitude towards alcohol changed after I started working in a wine shop. (n)

4. Our competitors are mostly medium-sized businesses from the local area. (n)

5. When commercial flights became available, tourism began to spread to every corner of the world.
(n)

6. If I could get a job working for a space agency, I would be a little bit closer to becoming an
astronaut. (n)

7. We had to abandon the car at the side of the road and look for help. (v)

8. The first settlers in this part of the country were responsible for creating the stone circles we can
still see today. (n)

a. a person or an organisation that competes against others, especially in business

b. a person who goes to live in a new country or region

c. unnecessary excitement, worry or activity

d. one of the three periods in the year during which classes are held in schools, universities, etc.

e. plane journeys that are available to the public for a price

f. leave a thing or place, especially because it is impossible or dangerous to stay

g. the way that you think and feel about something

h. a business, organisation or government department that provides a particular service

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Part B: Complete the dialogue below with the words from the above exercise. You may need to
change the tense of the word. After completing the dialogue, read it out with a partner, focusing on
pronouncing the key vocabulary correctly. In which context might this conversation take place?

Susie: Have you played that new video game yet? The one where you play as an astronaut on
Mars.
Larry: No, but I’ve heard lots of people talking about it. I don’t understand what all the
1
is about!
2
Susie: I knew you’d have a negative towards it! It’s actually a load of fun. You
should try it out!
3
Larry: Even if I wanted to, I have a lot of work this . Why are you enjoying it
so much?
4
Susie: Well, you play as this young woman, and you’re one of the first on
5
Mars. into space are becoming popular, so lots of people are expected
to move there too. Unfortunately, something attacks the base on Mars, and you have to
6
it and try to survive in the wild!
7
Larry: Wait, is this the game that several major space are using to train future
astronauts?
Susie: I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised! It does get a bit scary, though. The other
8
people on the planet are , so they’re not exactly there to help you. Still,
I’d recommend it!

Part C: Discuss these questions in pairs.

1. Do you think it’s healthy for a business to have lots of competitors? Why/why not?
2. Have commercial flights made the world more or less safe for human beings?
3. How would you describe your attitude towards space exploration? Do you think it’s important, or
a waste of money?
4. When you were at school, what was your least favourite term?
5. Do you think humans will ever have to abandon Earth?
6. Will the first people to become settlers on Mars consider themselves to be the rulers of the planet?

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6 Pre-reading task: reading for general understanding

You are going to read a text about people’s opinions on space debris. Scan the text quickly and
match the profession with the correct speaker. One profession cannot be matched to any of the
four speakers in the text and should be marked ‘Not given’.

Jacob Mei Ling Mitch Myra Not given

1. Student -

2. Business owner -

3. Computer technician -

4. Binman -

5. Astronaut -

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Not enough space?

Four people share their opinions on space junk

A. Mitch, 37

It’s just another excuse to spend money on rubbish, isn’t it? I don’t see the need for space exploration in general,
so I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Debris in space is only an issue if we keep going up there. Instead of
worrying about space junk, I think we should look into ways of sending more rubbish into space. I’m a binman,
and you wouldn’t believe what some people throw away. Landfill sites are filling up, and recycling isn’t really
working. What if we could send all of our waste into space instead? We could use another planet as a sort of giant
dump. Maybe I should start my own company. I’d call it Space Trash!

B. Myra, 29

One of the reasons I became an astronaut is because I wanted to explore places that haven’t been ruined by human
beings. Well, guess what? We’ve started to ruin space, too. Sometimes it feels like we are a virus, destroying
everything we touch in our rush to consume more and more. Okay, that’s a bit extreme – at the moment, most
of the junk up there is a result of space exploration – but I can see a future in which somebody comes up with
the bright idea of dumping all of our waste into space. If this happens, we won’t be able to go up there. We’d end
up trapped on a planet surrounded by a wall of rubbish. I suppose that would be a fitting end for human beings,
wouldn’t it? Hopefully, more companies will step forward to come up with solutions before we get to that point.

C. Mei Ling, 18

Studying environmental sciences has made me both excited and worried for our future. I’m only in my second
year, but we’re already looking into possible solutions for waste disposal. I wrote a paper on waste last term. The
title was, "What is waste?" and my lecturer really liked it! I think our relationship with waste, and our disposal
habits all come from our early years. If your parents teach you to throw things away or to recycle as a young child,
and to care for the environment, then you might have a positive attitude towards rubbish. On the other hand, I
had some friends growing up who thought it was okay to throw food wrappers on the ground or stick chewing
gum under desks. This translates to companies, too, both on Earth and in space. We should all learn how to tidy
up after ourselves!

D. Jacob, 58

I suppose I won’t get to go into space, not at my age. I do have hopes for my son, though, and that’s why I set
up the company. We’re looking into new ways of gathering space debris using a machine that we’re developing
ourselves. I can’t go into many details, of course, as our competitors might be reading this! I have to say that I’m
excited – we’ve already been approached by two governments and an independent space agency, and the money
they’re offering – should we be successful – would be enough to send my children to space when commercial
flights become available. That’s what this is all about, really. We’re focused on the future. A time may come when
we have to abandon our planet and look for a new one. Our children and our grandchildren could be the first
settlers on Mars or beyond. In order for that to happen, though, we need to clean up our act.

Sources: BBC, Cosmos Magazine, The Guardian

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7 Reading comprehension
For each question, choose the answer you believe best suits the speaker.

1. What is Mitch’s solution to the waste problem that our planet is experiencing?

a. He believes we should invent a new way to recycle rubbish.

b. He thinks we should send all of our rubbish into space.

c. He thinks that binmen should be paid more.

2. Which reason does Myra give for choosing her profession?

a. She says that her parents encouraged her to choose that particular profession.

b. She wanted to see other planets.

c. She says that she wanted to explore places that haven’t been ruined by other people.

3. Who does Mei Ling think is responsible for our attitude towards waste?

a. Our friends. b. The government. c. Our parents.

4. Why did Jacob decide to set up his company?

a. He hopes that his son will be able to go into space one day and wants to make sure it is safe
for him.
b. He saw an opportunity to make a lot of money.

c. He wants to pass the company onto his son.

8 Post-reading: waste vocabulary

Read through the short paragraph. Based on context, match the definitions to the words in bold.

My husband and I often argue about wastedisposal. He thinks we should just take all of our
rubbish to the dump, but I’d rather recycle as much as possible. Chocolate wrappers, for
example, can be reused if they are washed. I think that there are far too many landfillsites in
the world already, and I don’t see how we can keep putting our waste underground!

1. rubbish a. things that you throw away because you no longer want or need
them
2. wrapper b. a piece of paper, plastic, etc. that is placed around food, etc.
when you buy it in order to protect it and keep it clean
3. dump c. an area of land where large amounts of waste material are buried
under the earth
4. landfill site d. a place where waste or rubbish is taken and left

5. waste disposal e. the process of getting rid of unwanted materials

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9 Reading: expressions

Part A: Using the text above for reference, complete the definitions of the expressions below by filling
in the gaps with the correct words from the list.

behaving completely create help particular produce research

1. step forward: offer to somebody or give information

2. fill up: become full

3. come up with: find or an answer, an amount of money, etc.

4. get to that point: reach a time or stage of development

5. clean up our act: start in a moral or responsible way

6. set (something) up: something or start it

7. look into something: examine or something

Part B: Complete the sentences with the correct expressions from Part A. You may need to change
the form of the expression.

1. The government is replacing all of our cars with electric ones.

2. If you can’t a solution, we’ll be stuck here in the desert!

3. Humans may one day travel to other stars, but in order to , we will need to learn
how to work together despite our differences.

4. My parents said that if I don’t , I’ll have to find somewhere else to live.

5. If you’re planning to a business, it’s a good idea to do lots of research before

spending any money.

6. I managed to get a seat on the train before it .

7. Luckily, a kind man and offered to help us find a new home.

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10 Talking Point

In pairs or small groups, discuss the following questions.

1. Do you think it would be a good or bad idea to deliberately send our rubbish into space?
2. Why do you think that people create so much rubbish?
3. If commercial flights into space become available in the future, would you like to go on one?
Why/why not?
4. Should companies be responsible for cleaning up their own space junk? Should they be punished
if they fail to do so?
5. Do you think that humans are bad, in general, at planning for the future? If so, why?
6. Should we spend more or less money on space exploration?
7. Should food packaging that cannot be recycled be banned?

11 Extended activity/writing homework

Write an opinion essay on the topic below. Your essay should agree with or disagree with the statement
and should be between 240 – 280 words.

Space exploration is a good idea, but we shouldn’t focus on it at the moment. Our own planet
needs help first.

Alternative extended activity:

In pairs or small groups, create your own space rubbish company. Think of a way of collecting space
debris. What kind of machines would you use? How expensive would it be to run? What would you
do with the rubbish afterwards? Present your company and ideas to the rest of the class.

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