Quiz: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

1. Glossary

Optimistic – hopeful for the future.

Pessimistic – someone who thinks that bad things are going to happen.

2. Do the quiz to find out if you are optimistic or pessimistic about the future. Check your answers.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

1.     Renewable energy means it comes from a source that doesn’t run out. For example, the wind keeps blowing, the sun keeps shining and the Earth keeps heating underground rocks. This energy will be around for as long as the Earth is. In the future we will…

A use wind, water and solar energy.

B run out of energy.

2.     Genetic Engineering is changing the genes of something to make it different. Scientists use genetic engineering, mostly on plants. By changing or modifying the right genes, they can get the plants to grow bigger and faster and resist diseases. If there were more genetically modified (GM) foods,…

A it would stop famine in poor countries.

B it would harm our health.

3.      Global warming  is a way to say that the Earth is getting hotter. This is because almost all machines use oil, gas or coal, all of which pollute the atmosphere. As a result, temperatures are rising and the polar ice caps are melting. If we hadn’t been so careless, the planet wouldn’t have been in this state. If we don’t do something about it now,…

A we will have to move to other planets.

B we will die.

4.     Cloning means to produce a copy of another living thing. Frogs, mice, sheep and cows are among the animals that scientists have successfully cloned. In the future, scientists will use cloning to…

A save endangered species from extinction.

B help people clone themselves.

5.     Artificial intelligence is the ability of machines to think like humans and solve problems. If we don’t have this, we wouldn’t have any computer games, Internet search engines or robots. If we keep creating intelligent machines,…

A they will make our lives easier by doing all the hard work for us.

B they will take over the world and enslave us.

3. Check your answers

Mostly As: optimistic

4. Explain the words in bold (use a dictionary if necessary).

Run out – закінчуватись

Heating underground rocks –нагрівати підземне каміння

As long as – так довго, як

Solar energy – сонячна енергія

Genes – гени

Resist – протистояти

Genetically modified – генно-модифікований

Rise – підніматись

Polar ice caps – льодовики

Melt – танути

State – стан

Cloned – клонований

Search engine – пошукова система

Create intelligent – створювати розумні

5. Selective dictation. Write out all the sentences with will/be going to from the text. Explain their usage.

  This energy will be around for as long as the Earth is. (дія, яка точно відбудеться і яку ми не можемо контролювати)

6. Say and write three things you remember from the text using will/be going to.

Polar ice caps will melt and the temperatures will rise.