19.5 Going to

Presentation

1. a) If I were you, I wouldn’t go to England for your summer holiday — it’ll probably rain.

b) Look at those dark clouds - it’s probably going to rain.

2. a) You wait and see - she’ll leave college, and then she’ll get married and have a baby.

3. She’s going to have a baby.

When do we use going to in making predictions?

Practice

Look at the remarks below. How does the speaker know what is/isn’t going to happen ?

1. Something tells me we’re going to have sausages for lunch.

2. I don’t think we’re ever going to get served.

3. Let’s get out of here. There’s going to be trouble.

4. I think I’m going to be sick.

5. Look out. She’s going to faint.

Now look at these pictures. What do you think is going to happen ?

19.6 Will be doing & will have done

Presentation and practice

A scientist working in astrophysics at NASA has just invented a Prediction Machine which can see into the future. This is what the machine tells him about his future.

In 1989, he will still be working at NASA.

By 1989, he will have invented a ‘speed of light’ spaceship. R P

Now talk about these other dates in the same way:

In 1991... In 1997 ... In 2001... In 2007 ... In 2012 ...

By 1991 ... By 1997 ... By 2001... By 2007 ... By 2012 ...

Practice

Work in groups.

1. What do you think you and the others will be doing (or might be doing):

   1. this time next week? c) in ten years’time?

   2. next summer? d) when you’re 66?

2. What do you think you and the others will have done (or might have done):

   1. by this time next week ? c) by the year 2000 ?

   2. by next summer ? d) by the time you’re 66 ?

19.7 FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Free practice

Work in groups. Look at the pictures, which show typical features of present-day life.

To what extent do you think these features will change in the future ? For each one say:

1. how things will change

2. why these changes will take place

3. what problems these changes might cause

Writing

Choose one of the topics you have discussed and express your opinion in a paragraph.

19.8 Postscript to the future

Reading

1. What kind of book is Our Future?

2. Choose the correct answer. Dr Руке mentions margarine to make the point that:

1. technological advances are very important

2. people are very slow to adapt to new things

3. artificial things are taking the place of natural things

2. What is Dr Руке certain about when he talks about the 2030s ?

3. In general, what changes does he think we might see by the 2030s in the following fields ?

a) energy b) work and leisure c) medicine

2. Imagine you are living in the 1930s and writing a book about the 1980s. Make predictions based on lines 33-42.

3. According to Dr Руке, in what ways were the 1930s:

   1. very different from the 1980s ?

   2. not very different from the 1980s ?

4. a) Why does Dr Руке feel we don’t have to worry much about the future ?

b) ‘Plus çа change, plus c’est la тêте chose’ (line 53). How does this apply to the passage?

2. Do you think the changes mentioned in lines 12-21 will actually have taken place by the 2030s ?

3. Are you as optimistic for the future as Dr Руке is ?

Writing

Summarise the main argument of the passage in about 60 words. Talk about:

1. the 1930s and the 1980s

2. the 2030s

3. why things won’t be so different

Unit 19 Summary of language In this unit you have learnt how to: predict future actions and events talk about the probability of future events talk about particular times in the future key points Adverbs and modals expressing probability He will probably/certainly get in touch with us. They may/might/could move to a bigger house. She probably/certainly won’t come back before midnight. Other ways of expressing probability I expect he’ll go abroad. I shouldn’t think she’ll be promoted. I doubt if he’ll get into trouble. ‘If and ‘unless’ + Present Simple tense The firm may make a profit if they attract new customers. The firm certainly won’t make a profit unless they attract new customers. ‘Will’ and ‘going to’ Those plants will die unless you water them. Look at that plant -I think it’s going to die. ‘Will be doing’ and ‘will have done’ Next summer they’ll be living in Berlin. By next summer they will have moved to Berlin.

Unit 20 Objects