V4B: Week 2: 1st class: Monday

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Imagine living in the metropolis of Mexico City, home to 22 million people.
1 How different would your life be?

2 What kind of problems would you encounter?

3 What kind of things could the city authorities do to tackle traffic pollution?

Compare the streets in Mexico City on Monday and Sunday.
What difference do you notice?

Why do you think that is?

Ga naar Magister ELO MyEnglishLab. Blauwe tegeltjes links: onderste: "audio & video resources".

Aanklikken: video unit 3: video about Mexico City.

cycling

close

the heart

one-off

smog

tackle

take

walks

a problem

down

event

enthusiast

levels

measures

of life

of a city

In an attempt to 1) ....... its traffic problems 

and reduce 2) ....... levels, 

the Mexican authorities have 3) ....... measures

to 4) ....... down several main streets 

in the 5) ....... of Mexico City on Sundays so that cyclists can have the streets to themselves. 

Mexico City now has a bike mayor, the campaigner and 6) ....... enthusiast Areli Carreón. 

This is not a 7)....... event. Every Sunday, 50,000 people enjoy the car-free centre.

Areli says that one of the things she likes best is that it doesn't matter who you are, people from all 8) ....... of life come together and enjoy car-free Sundays.

cycling

close

heart

one-off

smog

tackle

taken

walks

Make a list of all the non-polluting means of transport you can use in a city.

What does Anita Rani mean by 'progressive civic planning'?

What are the pros and cons of banning cars from main streets for one day a week?

What do you think of the idea of a 'traffic-free Sunday'?

Which of these townscape and landscape features can you find near your school?

a breathtaking view - a canal - a bridge - a canal - a fast-flowing river - a historic monument - a housing estate - a market square - a shopping centre - a waterfront restaurant - slums.

A city in Spain has banned cars from the city centre. Write down the possible advantages and disadvantages.

Pontevedra, located on the northwest coast of Spain, is a small city surrounded by rolling hills. The picturesque old town of Pontevedra comes alive at night and the vibrant atmosphere continues well into the early hours.

So far, it sounds like any Spanish city. But this one is different – I'm standing in the city centre and I can't hear any cars!

The mayor of Pontevedra was determined to preserve the historic centre of the city with its bustling squares, Gothic architecture and quaint backstreets, and limit urban development.

So he banned cars – completely! He transformed the medieval centre into a pedestrian zone. He felt that the historical centre was dead. It was a city in decline, polluted, with a lot of traffic accidents. He got rid of on-street parking and opened underground car parks on the outskirts of the city within walking distance of the centre. With pedestrianisation, the shabby city centre got a facelift: roundabouts replaced traffic lights and pavements, drainage systems, public lighting and street furniture were all renovated.

The benefits of all these changes are numerous: deaths in traffic accidents in the city centre have dropped to zero and CO2 emissions are down by 70 percent. The city centre is growing with 12,000 new inhabitants who have moved there while other cities in the region are getting smaller. By not allowing big shopping malls to be built in the centre, small businesses have flourished. Noise pollution has been replaced with the tweeting of birds and the sound of human voices.

Make a list from the text of good and bad points.

Write down a Dutch translation of the underlined collocation.
How has Ryan's changed?

red   

daily commute

Write down a Dutch translation of the underlined collocation.
According to Jack, what can a of buses replace?

red

reliable network

Write down a Dutch translation of the underlined collocation.
Where does Sarah want planners to put in ?

red 

cycle lanes

Write down a Dutch translation of the underlined collocation.
Why is Julia's very popular with tourists?

red

home town

"audio resources".

Aanklikken: audio unit 3: 2.1

1) How has Ryan's daily commute changed?

2) According to Jack, what can a reliable network of buses replace? 

3) Where does Sarah want planners to put in cycle lanes?

4) Why is Julia's home town very popular with tourists?

Think about your own local town or city. Answer the questions:

1 How doable/desirable would it be to ban all cars from the centre?

2 What changes would have to be made before the ban and in what order?

3 Write down the advantages and disadvantages of the ban.

walking distance 

the traffic lights

 the border

the coast 

the outskirts 

the roundabout 

the suburbs 

the town hall

the park

easy reach

500 metres

the city centre

at 

in

within

on

Name …

a big city located   …..  the coast.

a café   …..  walking distance of where you are.

a famous monument   …..  the city centre of your capital city.

a town located   …..  the border of your country.

a school, a shopping centre or a sports centre located  …..  the suburbs of a nearby city.

a park or play area  …..  easy reach of your house.

on

at

within

in

                                                                    A SMALL CITY WITH BIG IDEAS

Pontevedra, located on the northwest coast of Spain, is a small city surrounded by rolling hills. The picturesque old town of Pontevedra comes alive at night and the vibrant atmosphere continues well into the early hours.

So far, it sounds like any Spanish city. But this one is different – I'm standing in the city centre and I can't hear any cars!

The mayor of Pontevedra was determined to preserve the historic centre of the city with its bustling squares, Gothic architecture and quaint backstreets, and limit urban development.

So he banned cars – completely! He transformed the medieval centre into a pedestrian zone. He felt that the historical centre was dead. It was a city in decline, polluted, with a lot of traffic accidents. He got rid of on-street parking and opened underground car parks on the outskirts of the city within walking distance of the centre. With pedestrianisation, the shabby city centre got a facelift: roundabouts replaced traffic lights and pavements, drainage systems, public lighting and street furniture were all renovated.

The benefits of all these changes are numerous: deaths in traffic accidents in the city centre have dropped to zero and CO2 emissions are down by 70 percent. The city centre is growing with 12,000 new inhabitants who have moved there while other cities in the region are getting smaller. By not allowing big shopping malls to be built in the centre, small businesses have flourished. Noise pollution has been replaced with the tweeting of birds and the sound of human voices.

.....  square / market / streets

..... centre / architecture / castle

.....  old town / village / scenery

……. backstreet / town / neighbourhood

…….. atmosphere / nightlife / colours

.… city centre / building / house

…… development / area / space

quaint

vibrant

picturesque

medieval

bustling

shabby

urban

                                      

                                    Norwich – a cathedral city

Visit Norwich, one of England's most 1) beautiful cathedral cities. During the middle ages Norwich was England's second city and there are some spectacular examples of 2)12th–15th century architecture in the city. See the cathedral, of course, but don't miss the 3)nice, old-fashioned backstreets behind it. Norwich is also famed for its huge, 4)busy and noisy open-air food market as well as its 5)exciting nightlife. Less than two hours from the capital, Norwich should definitely become your next destination.

beautiful

12th–15th century

nice, old-fashioned

busy and noisy

exciting

quaint

vibrant

bustling

picturesque

medieval

Would you like to visit Norwich?

reliable

home

pedestrian

daily

underground

on-street

cycle

rolling

noise

cobbled

lanes

commuters

streets

town

  pollution

car park

hills

networks

zones

parking

Text

All …… should be replaced by smooth modern surfaces like tarmac.

 …… should be limited to residents only.

There should be more ……. to take cars off the street.

 …… should be for people on foot only. No cycling!

 

There should be a lot more ……. to encourage people to use bikes.

Anybody causing ……… should be heavily fined.

Pedestrian zones

cycle lanes

noise pollution

On-street parking

cobbled streets

underground car parks

Would such measures improve your home town?