164 Language skills Extras Explore 12 Thinking about the future Predicting the future Which group of highlighted expressions A–C expresses the most certainty? Which expresses the least certainty? Language focus Predicting the future 6 A 1 2 3 In the future, we’ll see high-definition lenses with full 3D virtual reality. You won’t need a keyboard or a mobile phone. I predict that mobile phones will become obsolete by 2020. B 4 5 6 I’d be surprised if an active skin prototype isn’t available in about five years. I can see the Sahara turning into a vast solar power station. Further into the future, we could very well have a country-wide transport system of small electric cars. C 7 8 There’s also the possibility that ‘thought recognition’ could allow you to just think the number. The next step could be uploading a brain onto a computer, then programming it into an android. Talk in groups. 1 Go through the inventions one by one: If these predictions came true, how would you feel about them? 2 Which do you think would have the most significant impact on the world? How? 3 Which predictions do you find the most and the least convincing? Why? Speaking 5 Look at the sentences in 6 again and find four time expressions. Write them down below. 1 in 2 by 3 in 4 into 5 within a few years 6 within my lifetime 7 in the short term 8 in the long term 9 in about ten years’ time 10 by the end of the century 11 before long 12 Looking ahead, … Compare ideas. Which expressions in 7a would you say are about: A the near future? B the distant future? C the future in general? Look at these pairs of sentences. Which mean the same, and which are different? 1 A Mobile phones will become obsolete in 2020. B Mobile phones will become obsolete by 2020. 2 A It will become available in about five years. B It will become available in about five years’ time. 3 A Oil will run out in a few years. B Oil will run out within a few years. Language focus Future time expressions 7 a b c Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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