Cambridge English Empower A2
n
UTravel it 7
1 READING
a Go through the instructions for the activity and set a short
time limit of about two minutes for students to look at the
pictures and answer the questions. Put students into pairs
to compare ideas. Ask for suggestions, write notes on the
board and ask for a show of hands to see which one is
most popular.
Possible answers
It’s on the coast because there are sea animals. It’s on a large
continent because the river is big.
b Read the instructions and ask students to read the texts
quickly to see if they matched the photos and the texts.
Answers
b, c and d are in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; a and e are in
Siberia, Russia.
c Tell students to read the texts again to find words and
phrases for the things in the photos. Do the first item
together with the class, pointing out that students
should find the name (noun) and other adjectives in the
text which are part of the phrase. Monitor and help if
necessary. Ask for volunteers to give answers and see if
the class or other students agree before feeding back. Help
with pronunciation as you check answers.
Possible answers:
a the bridge over the Amur river b ugly marine iguanas
c a shark d famous giant tortoises e a lakeside village
d Direct students to read items 1–6 and check vocabulary as
necessary. Go through the example with the class before
asking students to read the blog posts again carefully and
decide if the statements are true or false. Monitor and help
as necessary before putting students into pairs to compare
their answers.
Answers
2 True
3 False. ‘The baby sea lions were so friendly – they actually come
and play with you’
4 True
5 True
6 False. ‘That’s a very long train ride … It takes seven days non-stop,
but it took me longer …’ It = the whole journey. He did ‘it’.
Cambridge English Empower A2 © Cambridge University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE
READING PLUS
BETTER READING: INFERRING
Explain to students that sometimes a writer doesn’t explicitly
state information, but leaves it to the reader to ‘read
between the lines’. Read the instructions and go through item
1 with the class, directing students to the specific parts of the
text which leads the reader to infer the relevant information.
(See possible answers below).
Ask students to continue the activity individually, before
putting them into pairs to compare. Bring the class together
to check answers: ask for volunteers to give answers and
reasons and others to say if they agree.
Possible answers
1 Javiera – No, she took the opportunity when she was in Quito
for some other reason.
Alexis – Yes, he was prepared. He knew it was possible to have a
stopover.
2 Javiera – No, the trip was an opportunity, in other words, not
something she could do any time.
Alexis – No, he could speak only ‘a little’ Russian, so he’s not
from Russia.
3 Javiera – No, she was with her brother.
Alexis – Yes, he never mentions another person going with him;
he only uses ‘I’.
4 Javiera – I don’t know. There’s nothing in the text about that.
Alexis – Yes, he talked a lot to people on the train and made
friends with people in the village.
e Explain to or remind students that they can often guess
the meaning of unknown vocabulary from the context,
that is by using other information in the text. Go through
the instructions, example and answer together with the
class to demonstrate the activity. Monitor and help as
necessary as students continue individually. Help with
pronunciation as you check answers.
Answers
goggles: glasses for protecting the eyes when seeing under water
ancient: very old
wildlife: animals, giant tortoises, marine iguanas, lizards, sea lions
stopover: stopping for a while, usually for at least one night, in the
middle of a journey
delicious: tasty (for food); ‘It was the best part of the whole trip!’
lakeside: on the side of a lake
f Put students into pairs to discuss the questions.
Encourage the students to say more than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’
and to ask follow-up questions. Ask for volunteers to tell
the class any other interesting travel ideas they discussed.
Do not over-correct for accuracy and help students get
their ideas across.
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