Life in 2060 — will / won’t (A2)

A2 · WILL / WON’T

Life in 2060

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(you'll add this)

“Our grandchildren will look back and say we worried too much.”

will / won’t predictions · I think / I don’t think + will

Reading

Speaking

STAGE 1 · WARM-UP

30 years ago

Which of these existed 30 years ago? Tick with a partner:

( ) smartphones

( ) video calls

( ) pizza delivery

( ) electric cars

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( ) social media

( ) email

(add your own)

What everyday thing from TODAY do you think people won’t use in 30 years?

STAGE 2 · BEFORE YOU READ

What will 2060 be like?

A magazine asked three people the same question. One is very positive, one very negative, one thinks nothing much will change.

PREDICT — who is the optimist?

• Dr Amara Osei, scientist

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• Viktor, taxi driver

(add your own)

• Nadia, 12, student

Now read and check.

STAGE 3 · READING

Read once — who was the optimist?

2060: three views of the future

Dr Amara Osei, scientist: “I’m optimistic. Medicine will be completely different — doctors will find problems years before we feel ill, and people will live longer. We’ll probably work less, too: machines will do the boring jobs, and humans will do the interesting ones. Our grandchildren will look back and say we worried too much.”

Viktor, taxi driver: “I don’t share the doctor’s sunshine. Cars will drive themselves — so what will happen to drivers like me? Machines won’t just take the boring jobs; they’ll take MY job. And people won’t talk to each other at all. In 2060 it’ll be worse.”

Nadia, 12, student: “Everybody thinks the future will be so different, but I don’t think it will. My grandma says people said the same things when she was young: robot houses, flying cars, holidays on the Moon. Well, we still don’t have flying cars! In 2060 I’ll be 46. I think I’ll have a normal job and a normal house, and I’ll tell my children the future isn’t as exciting as everybody promises. But I hope we’ll fix the climate. That’s the only prediction that really matters.”

STAGE 4 · COMPREHENSION

Whose prediction is it?

Write A (Amara), V (Viktor) or N (Nadia). One prediction belongs to nobody!

____ 1 People will live longer.

____ 2 Life won’t change very much.

____ 3 Machines will take jobs people want to keep.

____ 4 People will talk to each other less and less.

____ 5 Everybody will live on the Moon.

____ 6 Humans will do the interesting work.

____ 7 Fixing the climate is the most important thing.

STAGE 5 · TALK ABOUT IT

What do you think?

Discuss with a partner.

Which of the three people do you agree with most?

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Viktor is worried about his job. Which jobs won’t exist in 2060? Which will definitely still exist?

(add your own)

STAGE 6 · GRAMMAR — NOTICE & RULE

will / won’t

Complete the chart from the article

+

People ________ live longer. In 2060 I ____ be 46.

–

Machines ________ just take the boring jobs.

?

________ everything be perfect? What ________ happen to drivers?

CIRCLE THE CORRECT RULE

TRUE OR FALSE?

a) I think it won’t change.

will / won’t is the same for all persons. ____

b) I don’t think it will change.

STAGE 7 · THE RULES

will / won’t + infinitive

all persons (I / you / he / she / it / we / they)

+

People ’ll live longer.

–

Life won’t change much.

?

Will everything be perfect?

Short answers: Yes, it will. / No, it won’t.

Predictions & opinions. Often with I think / I’m sure / probably. ’ll = will, won’t = will not (same for all persons).

Negative opinion → I don’t think + will: I don’t think it’ll rain. (not I think it won’t rain)

STAGE 7 · THE RULES

will or be going to?

be going to

will

when you can SEE the evidence now.

for opinions and guesses about the future.

Look at those clouds — it’s going to rain.

I think it’ll rain tomorrow.

STAGE 8 · PRACTICE

Predictions with ’ll or won’t

Example: people / live / longer (+) → In 2060, people’ll live longer.

1 cars / drive themselves (+)

5 everybody / speak the same language (–)

2 children / go to school in buildings (–)

6 What / people / do with free time (?)

3 we / have holidays on the Moon (–)

7 money / be completely electronic (+)

4 doctors / find illnesses earlier (+)

8 robots / cook in every kitchen (?)

STAGE 8 · PRACTICE

Rewrite the opinions

Use I think… will or I don’t think… will. Example: people won’t read paper books → I don’t think people will read paper books.

1 My opinion: the weather will get hotter.

2 My opinion: my team won’t win the league.

3 My opinion: we won’t work five days a week.

4 My opinion: my English will be excellent one day!

STAGE 9 · SPEAKING

The class prophecy

STEP 1

In groups of 4: secretly write two predictions about each person’s life in 2060 — one serious, one funny. Be kind!

STEP 2 — read them out

A: Marco, I think you’ll be a famous chef. B: No, I won’t! But I’ll definitely own a restaurant — other people will cook.

STEP 3 — choose & tell the class

One prediction you HOPE comes true, and one you’re SURE won’t.

“I hope I’ll really live by the sea. But I won’t have a dinosaur. Probably.”

TEACHER'S REFERENCE

Answer key

4 Whose prediction?

1 A 2 N 3 V 4 V 5 nobody (Moon holidays = an old prediction that didn’t come true) 6 A 7 N

Optimist: Dr Amara Osei

6a will (’ll) / ’ll / won’t / Will / will

6b b — I don’t think it will change

6c True

8a Predictions

1 Cars’ll drive themselves. 2 Children won’t go to school in buildings. 3 We won’t have holidays on the Moon. 4 Doctors’ll find illnesses earlier. 5 Not everybody will speak the same language. 6 What will people do with their free time? 7 Money’ll be completely electronic. 8 Will robots cook in every kitchen?

8b Rewrite

1 I think the weather will get hotter. 2 I don’t think my team will win the league. 3 I don’t think we’ll work five days a week. 4 I think my English will be excellent one day!