AROUND THE WORLD A SCAN Read the questions and two people’s answers. Who mentions the following, Barbara (B) or Omar (O)? 1 In your country, what are the main problems associated with traffic? 2 Cars looking for parking cause congestion and a lot of pollution. What can we do about this? 1 noise B / O 2 accidents B / O 3 roadworks B / O 4 park-and-ride B / O 5 apps B / O 6 sharing rides B / O 7 cycling B / O 8 buses B / O
C SPEAK Complete the Speaking skills box with words from Barbara and Omar’s answers. Speaking skills Language for suggesting solutions to problems One 1 is (to) … Another 2 is (to) ... It would be a good 3 to … We 4 (to) … We should … We should/need to 5 (people to) … D SPEAK Work in pairs. Talk about how you think we can help solve the problems with parking from the video. Use the phrases in Speaking skills to help you. One solution is to increase the price of parking so that people use public transport more. MY WORLD A PLAN Think about how you can reduce the amount of traffic where you live. Make notes about some or all
Barbara , Italy
I’d say the main traffic problem in Italy is congestion in cities, particularly when people are going to and coming back from work. We also often have long delays on motorways due to roadworks. In the north,
many lorries travel between Austria and Italy, which causes a lot of harm to the environment, such as air pollution. One solution to the parking problem is to build more parking spaces near busy areas or on city outskirts. And also to have park-and-ride zones, where you can park your car and then get a bus into the centre. We also need smarter parking systems, like signs and apps, to help people find free parking spots. And to improve public transport, so that fewer people drive. We should encourage more walking or cycling for short trips.
of the following. • Charging more for parking • Creating car-free zones • Charging people to drive in the city
• Improving public transport • Providing alternatives such as bikes and scooters • Making roads one-way
B SPEAK Work in groups. Take turns to explain your ideas. The other people give their opinions on your ideas. Use the phrases in Speaking skills and the language below: • I agree with … • I think … is a good / sensible idea. • I’m not sure about … • I’m not sure … is practical.
Omar, Egypt
Global Schools
In my country, the main traffic problems in the cities are overcrowded roads, pollution and accidents. There’s a lot of poor traffic planning and management – the road systems and one-way streets
B Read the Critical thinking box. Do Barbara and Omar express practical solutions? Have they used clear language to express their ideas? And parking is also a big problem. There are not enough car parks, so many people just park on the roads and this adds to the congestion. It would be a good idea to build more car parks, but there’s no space to build them. Another option is to encourage people to share rides, so that fewer parking spaces are needed. sometimes mean you have to drive a long way just to get a short distance. Noise from traffic is also a problem – people use their horns all the time.
C PRESENT In your group, decide on the best solution. Then present your idea to the class. Which group’s idea do you like the most?
Critical thinking Finding creative solutions
It is important to consider many alternatives when solving problems. First, understand the problem well. Think about the causes and the people involved. Then, make a list of possible solutions. Next, check the solutions to see how practical they are. Finally, choose the best solution. Considering different alternatives helps us find better answers.
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