unit DREAMS FOR THE

4
TK

1
FUTURE
Read the predictions made by John E. Watkins in the year 1900.
Check (✔) the predictions that you think came true. Then listen
to check.
I, John E. Watkins, an American civil engineer, predict in 1900 that
in one hundred years from now, . . .

 1. Trains will travel at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour.

 2. A man in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean will be talking to
his family in Chicago. It will be like his family is sitting next
to him!
 3. People will be buying ready-cooked meals.
 4. People will be sending photographs from anywhere in
the world. Photographs of major events from another
continent will be in newspapers in an hour, and they will
have the colors of nature.
 5. People will be eating strawberries as big as apples!
Raspberries and blackberries will also be big.
 6. Americans will be taller by one to two inches.

42 Unit 4
TK

2 Look at the list as you listen to two boys

discussing their dreams for the future.
Check (✔) the topics you hear them
talking about.

DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE

UTURE
 I’ll be working in my dream job.

 I’ll be running my own business.

 I’ll be living in another country.

 I’ll be married.

 I’ll be raising a family.

 I’ll be working in the music industry.

 I’ll be taking adventurous vacations.

✔  I’ll be speaking several foreign languages, including English.

 I’ll be earning a good salary.

 I’ll be famous.

3 Imagine your life in twenty years. Look at the list in 2 and

think about each statement. Circle the ones you think you
will be doing.
TK

4 Work with a partner. Listen. Talk about the items you circled.

What will you be doing I’ll be working in the music

in twenty years? industry and earning a
pretty good salary.

Unit 4 43
 Reading Email
TK–TK

5 On futureme.org, people write to themselves in the future. MeToday has written three
emails to her future self. Listen and read.

www.futureme.org

futureme.org
TO [email protected]
CC
SUBJECT Ten years from now

Dear FutureSelf:
It’s 2014. I’m in my sixth grade English class. Ten years from
now, I will be studying at a big university. I’ll probably have
a lot of classmates from different parts of the country and
the world. I won’t be making much money yet, so I’ll be living
in a small apartment near the university to save money. But I
know I’ll be successful after I graduate.

MeToday

TO [email protected]
CC
SUBJECT Thirty years from now

Dear FutureSelf:
It’s 2014. Right now, I’m in sixth grade. In thirty years, I’ll be
living in the United States and learning to speak a foreign
language, probably Japanese. I’ll be working in a beautiful
office with a great view of Manhattan, and I’ll hopefully
be running my own business. I won’t be raising a big family
because I’ll be working hard. It’s OK. I won’t work long hours
all of my life. I really want to have kids, a dog, and a cat, too.

MeToday

44 Unit 4
 www.futureme.org

TO [email protected]
CC
SUBJECT Fifty years from now

Dear FutureSelf:
It’s 2014. I’m twelve years old this year, and I’m in sixth
grade. Wow, I’ll be sixty-two years old fifty years from now!
I’ll probably be living back home in my country. I definitely
won’t be working. I’ll be living in a small house, enjoying my
retirement. My grandchildren will be visiting me often. We’ll be
taking rides in my flying sports car!

MeToday

READING COMPREHENSION

6 Write sentences. Then compare with a partner.

1. Write two things MeToday will be doing ten years from now:

Write one thing she won’t be doing:

2. Write two things MeToday will be doing thirty years from now:

Write one thing she won’t be doing:

3. Write two things MeToday will be doing fifty years from now:

Write one thing she won’t be doing:

7 Work with a partner. Discuss.

1. Is there anything about MeToday that you admire? Explain.
2. Do you think MeToday will be successful? Why or why not?

Unit 4 45
 Language in Action
TK

8 Listen and read. Why will people be staying

at home for their vacations?

Lisa: I’ll definitely buy a nice car when I grow up.

Gavin: A car? We’ll probably be flying around in spaceships when we’re older!
Lisa: You’re such a dreamer.
Gavin: Well, maybe in twenty or thirty years.
Lisa: So, do you think we’ll be taking a spaceship to work every day?
Gavin: Why not? I’ll be living in Tokyo and working in Mexico.
Lisa: But the world is running out of oil. If there’s no oil, how will we fly around
in spaceships?
Gavin: People will discover a new source of fuel by then so we won’t need oil.
Lisa: But if we all have spaceships, traveling won’t be exciting anymore! Where
will we go on vacation?
Gavin: Maybe we’ll be vacationing in space!

9 Practice the dialogue in 8 with a partner. Change the underlined words.

TK

10 Listen and stick. Then complete the sentences. Use words from the box.

live in
read
travel to
work on

1. In 100 years, we’ll 2. In twenty years, she’ll

. .

3. In fifteen years, he’ll 4. In forty years, they’ll

. .

46 Unit 4
 Grammar

What will you be doing ten years I’ll definitely be studying at

from now? a big university.
Where will you be living in twenty I probably won’t be living in
years? Europe.
Tip: Use the future progressive to talk about what you will be
doing in the future. For degrees of certainty (how likely something
is), use either definitely or probably.

11 What will you or won’t you be doing forty years from now?
Write complete sentences. Use the future progressive of
the verbs in parentheses and definitely or probably.
1. (live in another country)

2. (run my own business)

3. (take vacations on the moon)

4. (go on white-water rafting trips)

No. definiteIy not. I definitely won’t . . .

Yes, definitely. I definitely will . . .
Will you be running a business?
Probably not. I probably won’t . . .
Yes, probably. I probably will . . .

12 Write three Yes/No questions about the future. Exchange your questions with a
partner. Write your partner’s answers. Then answer your partner’s questions.
1.

2.

3.

Unit 4 47
 Connections Science and Technology
TK

13 Listen and read.

CONTENT WORDS
3-D image download futurist nano
upload virtual wireless technology

EXPERTS’ PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE

Futurists are people whose job it is to look ahead
and help us plan for the future. Here are a few of
their predictions for the next fifty years.

Virtual Reality
In a virtual-reality game, you, as a player,
experience an imaginary world and interact
with the game characters as though you were
part of that world. Now, imagine yourself in a
virtual-reality school of the future, where you
would be socializing and learning with virtual
people. Cool, right? In order for this to happen,
a 3-D image, linked to your brain, will make
you feel as though you were actually in the
classroom and interacting with your virtual
teacher and virtual classmates.

Nanotechnology Brain-to-Computer Communication

Nanotechnology is the science of incredibly How about this for an amazing prediction:
small things. Exactly how big is a nano? One day everyone and everything will
Nano means “billionth,” so a nanometer is be linked through wireless technology.
one billionth of a meter! When something is Nanocomputers will be in your system, so your
a nano size, it is so small, it is invisible! With brain, just like a computer, will be receiving
nanotechnology, we will have microscopic downloads and uploads. Do you want to learn
computerized robots called nanobots! a new language or how to tango? As soon
Because nanobots can be built into almost as you think the thought, your brain will be
anything—even appliances—household uploading the new language and the dance
chores will be easier. steps, and you’ll be learning them instantly!

14 Work with a partner. Discuss.

1. Talk about each of the predictions. What would be the advantages and
disadvantages of each?
2. If you could learn something by uploading it to your brain instantly,
what would you like to learn? Why?

48 Unit 4
 Around the World Connections
TK

15 Listen and read.

Kids’ Predictions for the Future

When it comes to predicting the future, look no further than your classmates!
Why? In the world of predictions for the future, kids have had some pretty amazing
ideas. In some cases, their predictions, especially about technology , have turned out
to be true, or most likely will be coming true. Here’s what some kids from around the
world have predicted for the future:

People, no matter what

People around the world will be In the future, there
their skin color, gender,
living happily. They will accept and will be more space
culture, or religion, will
help each other. Everyone will have travel. There may be
be living harmoniously
food and shelter. People will be people living on Mars
together. The environment
enjoying life because they have time. or on the moon.
will be safe to live in.

Nanobots and nanopets will There will be a time machine

be living with us. We won’t that can show us what
have to do anything. Our we’ll look like in the future.
nanobots will be doing our We can also use the time
work for us. For example, machine to show us the
they can go shopping for us. past—like what our parents
They can even entertain us. and grandparents looked like
when they were young.

16 Ask and answer with a partner.

1. Which of the kids’ predictions are already true?
2. Which ones do you think will be coming true in the future?
3. Which prediction would you like to have come true? Why?

Unit 4 49
 Writing Formal and informal emails

17 With a partner, read these two emails and decide which is formal and
which is informal. Discuss the differences with your partner.

TO [email protected] TO [email protected]
CC CC
SUBJECT Next week’s writing assignment SUBJECT This weekend

Dear Ms. Santos: Hey, Leo,

I’ll be working on next week’s writing Any plans 4 tomorrow? Wanna hang out at my
assignment this weekend because I have house? I’m staying home all day cuz I have to
play rehearsals all week, but I need more baby-sit my little sister. Wanna do homework
information about it. I have some questions: together?
• What type of essay will we be writing? Got the new video game, btw. It’s awesome!
• I’m planning to write about future technology. Just text me b4 u come over. OK? CU soon.
Is this topic OK? Mario
• What is the deadline for the essay?
Thank you for your help.
Mario Medina

18 Write two emails: one to a teacher and one to a friend.

Formal Informal

TO TO
CC CC
SUBJECT SUBJECT

Dear Ms. Hey,

50 Unit 4
 Make smart decisions. Values in Action

19 Many young people don’t think too much about the future. But they should. Read these
statements. Write your response to each one.

Why do I have to study English? I don’t plan

to live abroad, so I don’t have to learn it.

My parents own a business. I don’t need

to finish school because I’ll be running
the business when I’m old enough.

Me? Learn how to do household chores? No way! I’ll have

maids at home, so I won’t be doing any chores in the future.

PROJECT

20 Make a FutureSelf book. Write a letter

to yourself fifteen years, thirty
hirty years,
even fifty years from now! Put copies of
your letter into a class album.
ass albu
um.
u m.

Dear FutureSelf,

Today is January 4, 2014, and I am in si

sixth
ixth
grade. Fifteen years from now, I’ll be livin
living
ng
on a tropical island. I’ll be teaching schoo
choo
ol
there and living near the beach. I won’t
n’t
be married or raising children yet. I’ll be . . .

Unit 4 51
 Review Listening and Speaking

21 Work in a small group. Create a chart like the one below. Write predictions in the first
column. Complete the chart independently by putting a check (✔) in the column that
applies to you. Think about your reasons.

Definitely Probably Probably Definitely

In thirty years, I will. . .
won’t be won’t be will be will be
1. . . . be working in the ✔
fashion industry.
2.

3.

22 In yyour g
group, ask and answer questions.

Will you be working in Yeah, I probably will be.

the fashion industry I’m interested in designing
in thirty years? clothes, and I love art.

23 Create class surveys.

1. As a group, choose one of the topics from the chart in 21.
2. Choose a group leader. The group leader conducts a class survey on your topic.
Tally the results.
3. As a group, create a graph. Then present your graph to the class.

In our class, 15 out of

30 students think they
definitely won’t be working
in the fashion industry.

52 Unit 4
 Grammar and Vocabulary Review

24 Use the words in the box to complete the expressions.

a business a family a foreign language

a good salary adventurous vacations in a nice office

1. run 4. work
2. earn 5. raise
3. take 6. speak

25 Write four sentences about what four of your classmates will be doing in the future. You
can use the expressions in 24 plus probably or definitely.
1.
2.
3.
4.

26 Write answers to the questions. Use complete sentences.

1. What will you probably be doing tonight at 7:20?

2. Will you be traveling with friends ten years from now? Why
y or why not?

3. What will you definitely not be doing in the future?

4. What will you be doing forty years from now?

I Can talk about and make predictions about the future.

talk about levels of certainty.

Unit 4 53