Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Contents summary
MODULE
1 Friends
2 Personality
3 Around Town
4 Going Places
5 History
6 Telling Stories
7 Healthy Living
WORKSHEET
Grammar game: Guess the Student
Students practise writing sentences using can, cant,
have got, havent got and a variety of verbs in the
present simple affirmative and negative.
Time: 30 minutes
Grammar game: Question Wheel
Students practise present simple yes/no questions.
Time: 20 minutes
Vocabulary game: Dictrio
An optional vocabulary game to revise known words and
teach new words using the New Opportunities Elementary
Mini-Dictionary.
Grammar game: Guess the Place Practises questions and
short answers with there is/there are.
Time: 30 minutes
Writing: Punctuation Review
An activity to revise all the punctuation students should
know.
Time: 15 minutes
Internet project: History makers
An optional research project.
Time: 20 minutes in class, plus homework or research time
in school
Speaking activity: Storytelling
A group story-telling activity which encourages cooperative group work. Students also practise speaking to an
audience.
Time: One class lesson
Grammar activity: Find out More
Practises Past Simple statements, questions and short
answers.
Time: 10 minutes
Vocabulary game: Word Search
Revises food vocabulary and spelling.
Time: 15 minutes
Grammar game: Matching
Practises countable and uncountable nouns and
determiners.
Time: 10 15 minutes
8 Sport
9 Holidays
10 Cultures
11 Image
12 Celebrities
13 Volunteers
14 Shopping
15 Computers
16 Space
MODULE 1
Example
I can play the guitar but I cant sing very well.
Ive got a computer. I havent got a pet.
I play hockey on Saturdays. I listen to classical music on
my walkman in bed.
I dont have a big breakfast. I dont watch TV.
Use verbs from this list.
collect, dance, get up, go, have, like, listen to, love, make, play, read, speak, watch
Demonstrate the activity via the example on the worksheet or by giving example
sentences about yourself:
I can play the guitar but I cant sing very well.
Ive got a computer. I havent got a pet.
I play hockey on Saturdays. I listen to classical music on
my mp3 player in bed.
I dont have a big breakfast. I dont watch TV.
Step 3: Students write their sentences. There is a list of verbs on the worksheet, or you
may wish to write some verbs on the board to give students ideas.
collect, dance, get up, go, have, like, listen to, love, make, play, read, speak, watch
Note: if your students know each other well, they should try to disguise their
handwriting!
Step 4: Students fold their worksheets or pieces of paper and mix them up. They then
take turns to take a piece of paper and read out the information. They have to guess who
the information is about.
MODULE 2
NAME: ________________________________________________ CLASS: ____
Question Wheel
Work in groups. Look at the question wheel. Start in the middle and move to the
outside. Take turns to ask questions - they can be silly or sensible! The others in the
group answer yes, no or I dont know!.
MODULE 3
DICTRIO
NAME: ________________________________________________ CLASS: ____
DO NOT USE YOUR MINI-DICTIONARY!
a yellow fruit
a group of musicians
you can get money there
.
a building with old things
. M a plant you can eat
.
classical, pop, jazz, etc
.
. N
.
a female child
a twenty-four hour period
not alive
.
. P
.
.
.
.
opposite of cold
you can pay to stay here
sixty minutes
.
. R
.
.
.
.
.
. S
.
.
.
.
.
. T
.
.
.
.
Now check your answers in the MINI-DICTIONARY and find the words you
dont know. Write them in your vocabulary book.
.
.
.
DICTRIO
This is an optional vocabulary activity to revise known words and teach new words
using the New Opportunities Elementary Mini-Dictionary.
Materials: A copy of the worksheet for each student (or one between two if youd
prefer them to work in pairs). Students also need their copies of New Opportunities
Elementary Mini-Dictionary (tucked inside the back cover of the Students Book).
Time: Thirty minutes.
Step 1: Give out the worksheets and ask students to take out the Mini-Dictionary from
the back of the Students Book. Explain the game.
Dictrio is an invented word, comprising the dic of dictionary and the word trio
meaning group of three.
Each question gives three definitions. These correspond to three words which appear
consecutively in the Mini-Dictionary of New Opportunities Elementary.
Write this example on the board for words beginning with the letter A.
1 you can get on an aeroplane here
2 a special clock to wake you up
3 a creature from another world
Concentrate on one definition that you think you know. For example, 1 is probably
airport. Ask the class to look up airport in the mini-dictionary. They can see that the
two words after it are alarm clock and alien - which correspond to the definitions '2'
and '3'.
Step 2: Ask the students to put their Mini-Dictionaries away this is important!
Step 3: Ask the students to look at the worksheet and fill in all the answers they think
they know. Set a time limit for this (ten minutes?).
Step 4: After the set time, ask students how many words they think they got right.
Step 5: Tell students they can now use their Mini-Dictionaries to check their answers
and also to fill in the answers to words they didnt know. Encourage them to write all or
some of the words they didnt know in their vocabulary books.
Option: For homework, students could write their own dictrio of three definitions. In
the next lesson they can read out their definitions to the class or their group for the other
students to guess the words.
The authors would like to thank Steve Owen, a teacher at the British Council in Madrid, for the idea of
the dictrio game.
MODULE 3
railway station
zoo
club
cinema
Step 1
Divide the class into groups of four or five. Ask each group to sit in a circle. Put the
slips with names of places upside down in the middle of the group.
Step 2
One student in each group draws a slip. The others ask him/her questions with there
is/are to find out what place this is. The student gives short answers.
Example:
Are there desks in this place?
No, there aren't.
Are there tables there?
Yes, there are.
Is there music?
Yes, there is.
Is it a club?
Yes, it is.
Step 3
Students take turns to draw new slips and answer other students' questions. The game is
over when they have run out of places to guess.
MODULE 4
NAME: ______________________________________________ CLASS: _____
PUNCTUATION
Rewrite these sentences with correct punctuation.
1 roberts penfriend is from brazil he writes in english but robert wants to learn
portuguese
___________________________________________________________________
2 we went to london in october we saw buckingham palace but we didnt go in
___________________________________________________________________
3 my birthdays on 31st march whens yours
___________________________________________________________________
4 my grandparents flat is really small but theyre happy there
___________________________________________________________________
5 im looking after susans cat its lovely its eyes are bright green
___________________________________________________________________
6 whats the capital of denmark
___________________________________________________________________
7 the new parks great theres a special childrens area
___________________________________________________________________
8 we cant take our mobiles to school theyre not allowed
___________________________________________________________________
9 our neighbours garden is nice theyve got three apple trees
___________________________________________________________________
10 i think jamess trainers are great i dont like andys much
___________________________________________________________________
PUNCTUATION
This activity revises all the punctuation students should know (capital letters for
names; full stops; question marks; apostrophes for contractions; apostrophes for
possession). You can do the activity after New Opportunities Elementary Lesson 10 (In
the Countryside).
Materials: One copy of the worksheet per student.
Time: 15 minutes
Step 1: Give out the worksheet and ask the students to rewrite the sentences with the
correct punctuation.
Step 2: Either collect the worksheets to correct yourself, or correct the sentences in
class. Ask students to exchange worksheets so they are not correcting their own. You
could ask students to come and write their answers on the board.
Answers
(You can also put a comma before but in items 1, 2 and 4)
1 Roberts penfriend is from Brazil. He writes in English but Robert wants to learn
Portuguese.
2 We went to London in October. We saw Buckingham Palace but we didnt go in.
3 My birthdays on 31st March. Whens yours?
4 My grandparents flat is really small but theyre happy there.
5 Im looking after Susans cat. Its lovely. Its eyes are bright green.
6 Whats the capital of Denmark?
7 The new parks great. Theres a special childrens area.
8 We cant take our mobiles to school. Theyre not allowed.
9 Our neighbours garden is nice. Theyve got three apple trees.
10 I think Jamess trainers are great. I dont like Andys much.
MODULE 5
NAME: _________________________________________________ CLASS: ____
HISTORY MAKERS
Your teacher will give you the name of a famous person.
Write the name of the famous person here: .
Find out about your famous person from the Internet, a library or any reference
books you have. Make notes and then write about him/her in your own words.
1 Date and place of birth.
3 Personal life.
References
Write the website addresses or titles of books that you used.
HISTORY MAKERS
This is an optional research project which students can do after Module 5.
Materials: One worksheet per student. Students will need to use reference materials
such as the Internet, encyclopaedias and CD ROMs, either in school or at home.
Time: Twenty minutes of preparation time in class, plus homework or research time in
school.
Preparation: Make a list of some famous people in history. There should be one name
for each student in the class. Here is a suggested list. You may wish to add to it or write
your own.
Muhammad Ali (boxer); Roald Amundsen (explorer); Ludwig van Beethoven
(composer); Simon Bolivar (soldier and statesman); Maria Callas (opera singer);
Charlie Chaplin (actor); James Dean (actor); Charles Dickens (writer); Thomas Edison
(inventor); Albert Einstein (scientist); Alexander Fleming (scientist); Mahatma Gandhi
(political and religious leader); Jimi Hendrix (musician); Harry Houdini (escapologist);
Amy Johnson (aviator); Martin Luther King (civil rights leader); John Lennon
(musician); Abraham Lincoln (statesman); Marilyn Monroe (actress); Martina
Navratilova (tennis player); Florence Nightingale (nurse and reformer); Jesse Owens
(athlete); Niccolo Paganini (musician); Pele (footballer); Pablo Picasso (artist); Bertrand
Russell (philosopher); John Steinbeck (novelist); Valentina Tereshkova (cosmonaut);
Vincent Van Gogh (artist); Virginia Woolf (writer).
Make sufficient photocopies of the worksheet. Book a school library or computer room
period in advance if you want your class to research information there.
Step 1: Give out the worksheets and give each student the name of one of the famous
people from your list. Students write the name on their worksheet.
Step 2: Explain the task. Students have to find out information about the person you
have given them. Go through the required information on the worksheet. Explain they
can use the worksheet to write notes. Students can get information from library books,
encyclopaedias, CD ROMs or the Internet (in their own language if they like). They
then have to write the information in English, in full sentences, in their notebooks.
Remind students to be careful with past tenses and linking words.
Step 3: Students make notes on the worksheet. You may wish to take them to the school
library or computer room if this is possible; otherwise, set the task as homework, giving
them a reasonable time to do it.
Step 4: Collect the mini-biographies. Assess them for accurate use of the past simple
tense and for use of linking words and task achievement.
Option: You may wish to ask some or all of the students to copy their mini-biographies
onto paper with an illustration or photo for display in the classroom.
STORYTELLING
This is a group speaking activity which you can do after New Opportunities
Elementary Module 6 (Telling Stories). It encourages co-operative group work and
students practise speaking to an audience
Materials: A box or bag of words and phrases (see Preparation below).
Time: One class lesson.
Preparation: Write words and phrases on small pieces of paper and put them in a box
or bag or large envelope. The words should include a variety of nouns, adjectives, verbs
(past simple tense) and narrative linking words from the module. You need at least as
many items as there are pupils in the class. Below are some words and phrases you
might like to photocopy and cut out, or you can prepare your own.
when
ran
big house
green eyes
gave
very
nervous
dangerous
black cat
old woman
really
frightened
suddenly
heard
ghost
old castle
found
monster
in the end
opened
escaped
loud music
bridge
strange
noise
water
saw
bright light
phoned
the next
day
dark room
Step 1: Divide the class into groups of four students. Walk round with the box or bag of
words and phrases. Each student chooses a piece of paper from the box or bag without
looking to see what it is.
Step 2: Explain that each group now has to look at all the words and phrases they have
picked. They then have to pool their ideas and make up a coherent story incorporating
all the words and phrases. Explain they will later tell their story to the class, with each
student telling one part of the story. Give them ten or fifteen minutes to do this. Don't
allow any writing.
Step 3: The groups take turns to tell their stories to the class. When a pupil says the
word or phrase they picked out, he/she holds it up. During the storytelling, other pupils
should listen and remember which stories they liked best. They could give each story a
score out of ten. As you listen, you can make a note of good sentences and important
errors which you can point out later.
MODULE 6
____________________________________ yesterday.
____________________________________ on Sunday.
____________________________________ during the holidays.
____________________________________ this morning.
____________________________________ yesterday.
____________________________________ on Sunday.
____________________________________ during the holidays.
____________________________________ this morning.
Step 2
Divide the class into groups of four. In groups, students in turn read out one of their
sentences. The other students ask one question each to find out more about what
happened.
Example
S1: I watched a football game yesterday.
S2: Did you watch it on TV?
S1: Yes, I did.
S3: Who played?
S1: Barcelona played Bayern.
S4: What was the final score?
S1: 2:1 to Barcelona.
Step 3
After the student has answered the questions from all group members, the next student
reads out a sentence and the rest ask him/her their questions. The game is over when all
the statements have been read out.
MODULE 7
NAME: ________________________________________________ CLASS: ____
WORD SEARCH
Find fifteen items of food in the game below. The words can go , , or .
C
A
R
R
O
T
S
I
F
A
A
G
C
A
T
O
H
S
I
F
B
A
H
P
A
M
O
T
S
E
B
R
E
A
D
A
R
A
C
S
A
U
E
P
O
T
A
T
O
C
G
E
S
N
I
O
N
S
C
O
E
T
E
P
S
U
G
A
R
N
Fruit
L
A
E
R
E
C
E
P
A
I
N
E
K
C
I
H
C
E
R
O
O
M
E
L
R
L
E
M
O
N
Meat
Vegetables
WORD SEARCH
This is a popular vocabulary game to revise vocabulary and spelling. It can be done
after New Opportunities Elementary Lesson 19 (Food for Thought).
Materials: One photocopy of the worksheet per student.
Time: 15 minutes.
Step 1: Give out the worksheets and, if necessary, explain that the students have to find
fifteen items of food in the grid. The words can go horizontally or vertically and in
reverse, but not diagonally.
Step 2: After the set time (or shorter or longer if you wish), go through the answers.
Answers:
: cabbage; cheese; tomato; onion; orange
: meat, pasta
: bread; carrot; lemon; potato; sugar
: fish; cereal; chicken
C A B B A G
A
R
R C H E E S
R
A P
O
D O
T O M A T O
H O R A N
S
A T S
I
O
F
O
E L N
T A E
E E K
R C
S E I
U C H
G E C
A P
R
N I O
L
E
M
O
N
MODULE 7
MATCHING
Notes for the teacher
This competitive grammar game aims at practising countable and uncountable nouns
and determiners that can be used with them. You can do it after finishing Module 7 of
Opportunities Elementary.
Materials
- Four cue cards with: some, any, a/an and a lot of.
SOME
ANY
A/AN
A LOT OF
- A chart with twenty five words, numbered.
1 bottle
2 bread
3 sandwich
4 jam
5 steak
6 potato
7 vegetable
8 meat
9 sugar
10 pizza
11 orange
12 money
13 cup
14 pasta
15 onion
16 apple
17 biscuit
18 butter
19 banana
20 milk
21 tea
22 orange
juice
23 yoghurt
24 can
25 cereal
Time
10 to 15 minutes
Step 1
Draw a chart like this on the board. Divide the students into groups. There shouldn't be
more than five students in a group.
1
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Step 2
Each group in turn choose a number from 1 to 25. Cross the number out and say the
word the number corresponds to in your master chart. Then show the group one of the
four cue cards (SOME, ANY A/AN, A LOT OF), randomly selected. The students
make a sentence with their word and the cue they've got.
Example:
bottle
SOME
Student: I bought some bottles of mineral water yesterday.
If it is not possible to match the cue with the word (e.g. money +
should say that one can't make a correct sentence.
Step 3
Give one point for each correct sentence. If a group makes an incorrect sentence, elicit
the correction from the class. The game is over when you've run out of the words. The
winner is the group that scored most points.
PICTIONARY
This is a vocabulary game that revises sport vocabulary. You can play the game during
or after New Opportunities Elementary Module 8 (Sport).
Materials: A set of Word Cards (see photocopiable sheet below).
Time: Anything from five to fifteen minutes. You can use it as a warmer at the
beginning of the lesson or as a filler at the end of a lesson.
Preparation: Photocopy the sheet of words and cut it up into word cards. You may
wish to enlarge the copy so the words are bigger. You can add more word cards if you
wish.
Step 1: Demonstrate the game yourself. Put the word cards face down on your desk.
Explain that on each card is a word it may be the name of a sport or a word connected
to sport. Choose one, illustrate it on the board (this can be amusing!) and the students
have to guess what the word is.
Step 2: Students take turns to come to your desk and choose a word card. They are not
allowed to look at them first. They do a drawing on the board to represent the word.
They are not allowed to speak or write any words. The others guess the word.
Option: You can play the game with two teams. Players from each team take turns to
do drawings. The opposing team must stay silent. If the team playing doesnt guess the
word within a fixed time (thirty seconds?), the opposing team can have a guess.
Note: The game can be played with any level and any lexical set. With higher levels, of
course, the words should be more abstract and could include phrasal verbs or even
idiomatic phrases.
goal
diving
boots
tennis racket
golf
baseball bat
hang gliding
mask
flippers
horse riding
hockey stick
skateboard
ice hockey
rugby
ice skating
judo
motor racing
skiing
referee
crowd
water skiing
whistle
shorts
javelin
boxing
swimming
windsurfing
boxing gloves
track suit
weightlifting
cycling
MODULE 8
DUTIES
Use the words from the table to make FOUR true sentences about yourself.
I can
I can't
I have to
I don't have to
1.
2.
3.
4.
wash up
go cycling
learn
sleep long
take a shower
go cycling
watch TV
go to the cinema
play computer games
think about school
every day.
at the weekend.
in the morning.
all the time.
at night.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Walk around the class and find out about four other students. Fill in the table.
HAVE TO
learn all the time
Pat, Lisa
DON'T HAVE TO
CAN
CAN'T
DUTIES
This writing and speaking grammar activity is aimed at practising modal verbs of
obligation, permission, prohibition and exemption. You can do it after finishing Module
8 of Opportunities Elementary.
Materials
A tasksheet for each student.
Time
15 minutes
Step 1
Distribute the task sheets and ask the students to write four sentences about themselves
using the expressions from the table. They can use any modal verb as many times as
they like.
Step 2
Students walk around the class, read their sentences out to other students and collect
information about four of them. Explain how they can make notes in their table.
Example
HAVE TO
learn all the time
Pat, Lisa
DON'T HAVE TO
wash up every day Pat
CAN
CAN'T
Step 3
Students report on their findings to the class. They don't have to talk about everybody,
they can select the most interesting information.
Example:
Pat and Lisa have to learn all the time.
Mary can watch TV all the time.
Step 4
Ask the students to look at their tables again to see in which column they've got most
information. You can comment on the answers, e.g.:
HAVE TO answers prevail the students may be too preoccupied with their duties and
see life in terms of obligations
CAN'T answers prevail many students are frustrated by thinking too much about
what is forbidden or impossible
CAN answers prevail a very healthy attitude where people concentrate on what is
possible and not on what is compulsory or forbidden
MODULE 9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PICTURE B
Picture B
Through the tent entrance you can see
it is not raining outside.
The blond boy is holding a can of
orange.
The dark boy isnt listening to his
Mp3; the headphones are round his
neck.
Both boys are wearing boots.
The dark boy isnt wearing a hat.
The blond boy is looking at a text
message on his mobile phone.
There isnt a lamp in the tent.
Both boys are in jeans.
Option: If you dont want the class divided into pairs, you can give all the students
Picture A and yourself a copy of Picture B. Students take turns to say a sentence about
their picture and you tell them if your picture is the same or different.
MODULE 10
NAME: ________________________________________________ CLASS: ____
SUPERSTITIONS
Do these actions bring good or bad luck? Write G (good) or B (bad) in the
boxes.
Now match the actions on the left (7-14) with what they mean on the right (ah).
a) a visitor is coming
sleep
smoke
snow
have a good
time
think about
work
grammar
play a game
stand
speak English
wear trousers
eat a sandwich
listen to music
rain
Step 2
Divide the class into three or four groups. Explain that the task is to get from the bottom
to the top of the pyramid as quickly as possible. You can move up or sideways (but only
to neighbouring 'stones'). In order to move, the group has to select the 'stone' and make
two correct sentences about the people in the class, one in the Present Simple and one in
the Present Continuous, using the expression on their stone.
Example:
learn to ski
Maria isn't learning to ski because she can ski very well.
We learn to ski every winter.
The same stone can be 'stepped on' by many groups, provided they make a completely
new pair of sentences (which is sometimes difficult).
Step 3
The groups in turn select their 'stones' and make sentences. If they fail to produce a
correct pair of sentences, they have to stay where they are. In the next round, they have
to choose a different stone.
The winner is the group that gets to the top first.
MODULE 11
NAME: ________________________________________________ CLASS: _____
What is the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? Tell the class what
you think. Then read the text to find out.
Examples
Reebok trainers are more popular than Nike.
Annas hair is darker than mine.
MODULE 12
Play the game with another student. Take turns to choose a box and make a
sentence using the superlative form of the adjective. If the sentence is correct,
you get your O or X in the square.
boring
funny
cold
hot
exciting
short
trendy
cheap
nasty
Play another game. First take turns to choose words from this list to put in the
squares:
fashionable
good
comfortable
long
useful
wide
Step 2: Demonstrate the game. Divide the class into two teams called 0s (noughts) and
Xs (crosses). Students from each team take turns to choose a square. They have to say a
sentence using a superlative structure. If the sentence is grammatically correct (and the
sentence makes sense!), put a nought or a cross in the appropriate square. If it is
incorrect or doesnt make sense, put nothing in the square and another player can
choose that adjective/square again if they want. The aim of the game is to get three
noughts or crosses in a straight line (vertically, diagonally or horizontally) before the
other team does.
Example answers for the above grid might be:
My shirt is brightest in the class.
Nike trainers are the most fashionable trainers.
Sues hair is the longest in the class.
My sister is the most helpful person I know.
Arsenal are the best team in Europe.
I think mobile phones are one of the most useful inventions.
Nicole Kidman is the most talented actress in Hollywood.
This is the most comfortable chair in the house.
These are the widest trousers in the shop.
Step 2: When you have played the demonstration game with the class, divide the class
into pairs. Either give out the worksheets or ask each pair to copy an empty grid on to a
piece of rough paper. They put adjectives into each square, choosing from this list on
the
worksheet.
Step 3: Students play their own games in pairs. If there is any disagreement about
whether a sentence is valid, they should consult you. If they finish quickly they can start
another game with different adjectives.
MODULE 14
BOARD GAME
1
2
SING A
SONG!
Next
Weekend
10
Music
Pets
A Good Book
21
19
14
A Celebrity
I Admire
Next Summer
Holiday
23
PULL A
FUNNY
FACE!
6
My Hobby
TELL A
JOKE!
18
22
My House and
Neighbours
13
DO A
DANCE!
5
My Holiday
Last Summer
12
GIVE
SOMEONE
A BIG
KISS!
4
A Good
Film
My Birthday
When I
leave school
...
20
2050
My Best
Friend
My Family
11
17
Britain
15
The BEST or
WORST Day
of my Life
16
Weekends
24
Things To Do
In My Town
25
My Favourite
Place
MODULE 15
NAME: ___________________________________________ CLASS: _____
CALCULATOR TALK
Do these calculations on your calculator and then turn it upside down to find
the words in the sentences!
MODULE 15
UNIQUE
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
This grammar game can be used to practise the Present Perfect to talk about
experiences. You can do it after finishing Module 15 of Opportunities Elementary.
Materials
None
Time
10 minutes
Step 1
Ask the students to think of the most unusual achievements or things they have done.
Each student writes three sentences saying what they have done in their lives.
Encourage them to write about things that other people in class haven't done. Use your
own experience to give examples.
Example
I've eaten shark meat.
I've been to Machu Picchu.
I've been to a Michael Jackson concert.
Step 2
Students take turns to read out their sentences and the other students say if they have
done the same thing or not.. The student scores one point for each thing nobody else in
the class has done. The winner is the student who has had most unique experiences.
MODULE 16
NAME: __________________________________________________ CLASS: ____
FLYING SAUCERS
Many people say they have seen UFOs. However, many people also admit
that they have played tricks to make people think that UFOs exist. Clare
Robson investigates.
In 1967, two students in the UK made six flying saucers, each with a
diameter of 15 metres. They made beeping noises and the students left
them in some fields near their university. Some people reported the alien
spaceships and the police came and took them away. When scientists saw
them, they knew immediately that it was a trick.
This is just one example of the many tricks people have played. I spoke to
some people who have played tricks and also to some of their victims.
First, a victim, Julie Sweeney from California, USA: I was a victim of a
UFO trick. I was in my car at night and I saw a group of lights moving
around in a circle above some trees. It was like a flying saucer going round
and round. I drove closer and then could see it was a trick. There was a big
balloon with lights hanging from it. Two teenagers were standing below,
turning it round! A silly joke, really, but quite effective.
Tony Marr, a student from Derby in England, has also played UFO tricks:
A few months ago, a friend and I made a crop circle in a field of corn
near my house. Weve done this before, but this one was really good and it
was in the newspapers. He told me how to make a crop circle. First you
find a field with vehicle tracks in it. Next, you walk along the tracks to the
centre of the field. One of you stands in the centre holding a ball of string
while the other walks away holding the end of the string. Then the second
person walks around, holding the string tight, to make a circle. Finally, you
both press the corn down flat with a stick we use big brushes. And there
you are a crop circle, obviously made by a UFO! Its funny when you
see experts giving their opinions about it!
There have been thousands of reports of UFOs. However, there is no
evidence that they exist. What do you think?
1 Are these statements true or false, according to the text? Write T or F in the
boxes.
In 1967, two students made some flying saucers and then phoned the police.
It was dark when Julie Sweeney saw some lights above some trees.
The two teenagers in California were in a tree.
Tony Marr describes the first time he played a UFO trick.
There are no photos of real UFOs.
2 What do the words in italics refer to?
a) They made beeping noises
b) the police came and took them away
c) When scientists saw them
d) they knew immediately that it was a trick
3 Draw three diagrams or pictures to show how to make a crop circle.
Enter the field, like this: