September 22 is a day when humans might damage the ozone layer less than on other days. Why? It is international car free day, which is celebrated worldwide by over 100 million people in about 1,500 cities. The global event is a day for people to leave their cars at home. This means car drivers can help reduce global warming and perhaps get some exercise instead. It is also aimed at encouraging motorists into considering more environmentally friendly alternatives to cars. Many cities will close off whole roads to cars.

In Europe, the day forms part of European Mobility Week (EMW). It has the theme “clever commuting”. The EMW website* states: “European citizens will have the opportunity to enjoy a full week of events dedicated to sustainable mobility.” Clever commuting aims “to encourage alternative modes of transport…to reduce traffic congestion, transport-related greenhouse gases and improve the health and quality of life.” Participating this year is particularly important, as it is the year the Kyoto Protocol is implemented.

* http://www.mobilityweek-europe.org/index

WARM-UPS

1. MY CAR HISTORY: In pairs / groups, talk about your history with the car. Can you remember the family car when you were a child? How important is the car to you now? What happy or unhappy memories do you have in cars?

2. MODES OF TRANSPORT: In pairs / groups, talk about your feelings towards each method of transport below. From today, will you use any of them more or less to help reduce greenhouse gases? Why (not)?

car train bus street car / tram

bicycle horse skateboard feet

3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

September 22 / humans / the ozone layer / motorists / global warming / commuters / exercise / mobility / cars / traffic congestion / Kyoto protocol

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. INTERNATIONAL CAR FREE DAY: In pairs / groups, write down three reasons why International Car Free Day is an excellent idea and three reasons why you think it will not work. Change partners and tell each other your ideas. Discuss whether International Car Free Day is an excellent idea or not.

5. CARS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with cars. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

6. INTERNATIONAL DAYS: Which of the following international events would you join? Talk about them in pairs / groups.

1. International Car Free Day
2. World Nude Bicycle Ride Day
3. Leave Your Gun At Home Day
4. Smile At All Strangers Day
5. No Television Day
6. Give Lots Of Money To Charity Day
7. Exercise Day
8. Speak English All Day Day

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Many cars will be given away free to poor people on Car Free Day.	T / F
b.	Over 100 million people in about 1,500 cities will celebrate this day.	T / F
c.	The day will encourage motorists to use their cars less.	T / F
d.	Many cities will close off whole roads to cars.	T / F
e.	The day forms part of Europe’s Mobility Week.	T / F
f.	The theme in Europe this year is “Clever Computing”.	T / F
g.	Car Free Day hopes to reduce indigestion and stomach gases.	T / F
h.	The Kyoto Protocol will be implemented next year.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	humans	chance
b.	worldwide	different
c.	car drivers	entire
d.	aimed	intelligent
e.	whole	motorists
f.	clever	whole
g.	opportunity	mankind
h.	full	joining
i.	alternative	targeted
j.	participating	globally

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	damage the ozone layer less	friendly alternatives to cars
b.	celebrated worldwide by	whole roads to cars
c.	reduce global	of events
d.	more environmentally	European Mobility Week
e.	Many cities will close off	than on other days
f.	the day forms part of	congestion
g.	enjoy a full week	over 100 million people
h.	sustainable	is implemented
i.	reduce traffic	warming
j.	the year the Kyoto Protocol	mobility

WHILE READING / LISTENING

SYNONYM FILL: Place the number of the synonym group in the correct gap (It is not important to guess a correct word - any of the synonyms from each group could be put into the relevant gap).

International Car Free Day

September 22 is a day when ____ might damage the ozone layer less than on other days. Why? It is international car free day, which is celebrated ____ by over 100 million people in about 1,500 cities. The global event is a day for people to leave their cars at home. This means car drivers can help reduce global warming and perhaps get some exercise instead. It is also aimed at ____ motorists into ____ more environmentally friendly alternatives to cars. Many cities will close off whole roads to cars.

In Europe, the day forms part of European Mobility Week (EMW). It has the theme “____ commuting”. The EMW website states: “European citizens will have the opportunity to enjoy a full week of events dedicated to sustainable mobility.” Clever commuting aims “to encourage ____ modes of transport…to ____ traffic congestion, transport-related greenhouse gases and improve the health and quality of life.” Participating this year is particularly important, as it is the year the Kyoto Protocol is ____.
 

1 clever intelligent smart brainy	2 implemented started carried out realized	3 humans mankind man we	4 alternative substitute other different
5 considering thinking about looking at thinking over	6 encouraging helping stimulating rallying	7 worldwide globally internationally universally	8 reduce lessen decrease cut

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘ozone’ and ‘layer’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. SYNOMYM FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the synonym fill. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “CAR FREE DAY” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about International Car Free Day.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

damage celebrated global reduce considering whole

forms clever opportunity congestion quality Kyoto

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. What did you think when you first read this headline?
2. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
3. What do you think of International Car Free Day?
4. Will you leave your car at home or choose a different way of getting to work or school?
5. Do you think these kinds of events have a big impact on the world?
6. Do you think all city centers should be closed to traffic?
7. Do you think there should be a limit of 1,000cc on engine sizes?
8. What do you think of the idea of a weekly no car day?
9. Some cities leave thousands of free bicycles for anyone to use. Do you think this is a good idea?
10. In London you have to pay about $7 to drive into the city center. Is this a good idea?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Why do you think the USA, India and China aren’t joining International Car Free Day?
4. Do you think motorists will use alternative modes of transport?
5. Would you buy a big gas-guzzler or a small, fuel-efficient car?
6. Do you think motorists will be angry by roads closed on this day?
7. Do you need to change the way you travel around every day?
8. Do cars add to your quality of life?
9. Do you think the Kyoto Protocol will save the environment?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

OZONE SAVERS: In pairs / groups, talk about the following ideas to save the ozone layer. Would you take part in all of them? Which would be difficult and why?

IDEA	TAKE PART?	DIFFICULTIES
Car Free Day
No Electricity Day
Buy Nothing Day
Plant A Tree Day
Recycle Everything Day

Change partners and share your ideas. Tell each other about the difficulties. How could you make these less difficult?

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

International Car Free Day

September 22 is a day when _______ might damage the ozone layer less than __ _______ days. Why? It is international car free day, which is celebrated worldwide by over 100 million people __ ______ 1,500 cities. The global event is a day for people to leave their cars at home. This means car drivers can help _______ global warming and perhaps get some exercise _______. It is also aimed at encouraging motorists into considering more environmentally friendly alternatives to cars. Many cities will ______ ____ whole roads to cars.

In Europe, the day forms _____ ___ European Mobility Week (EMW). It has the theme “______ commuting”. The EMW website states: “European citizens will have the opportunity to enjoy a full ______ ___ events dedicated to sustainable mobility.” Clever commuting aims “to encourage ___________ modes of transport…to reduce traffic congestion, transport-related greenhouse gases and ________ the health and ________ of life.” Participating this year is particularly important, ___ ___ ___ the year the Kyoto Protocol is implemented.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about International Car Free Day. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. OZONE LAYER: Make a poster about the ozone layer and how it is being destroyed. Include recommendations on how to protect it. Show your posters to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all have similar ideas?

4. YOUR DAY: Think of an idea for an international day of action. Outline the aims and what you want people of the world to do (or not do). Tell your ideas to your classmates in the next lesson. Who had the best idea?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. T

d. T

e. T

f. F

g. F

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	humans	mankind
b.	worldwide	globally
c.	car drivers	motorists
d.	aimed	targeted
e.	whole	entire
f.	clever	intelligent
g.	opportunity	chance
h.	full	whole
i.	alternative	different
j.	participating	joining

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	damage the ozone layer less	than on other days
b.	celebrated worldwide by	over 100 million people
c.	reduce global	warming
d.	more environmentally	friendly alternatives to cars
e.	Many cities will close off	whole roads to cars
f.	the day forms part of	European Mobility Week
g.	enjoy a full week	of events
h.	sustainable	mobility
i.	reduce traffic	congestion
j.	the year the Kyoto Protocol	is implemented

SYNONYM FILL:

International Car Free Day

September 22 is a day when ---3--- might damage the ozone layer less than on other days. Why? It is international car free day, which is celebrated ---7--- by over 100 million people in about 1,500 cities. The global event is a day for people to leave their cars at home. This means car drivers can help reduce global warming and perhaps get some exercise instead. It is also aimed at ---6--- motorists into ---5--- more environmentally friendly alternatives to cars. Many cities will close off whole roads to cars.

In Europe, the day forms part of European Mobility Week (EMW). It has the theme “---1--- commuting”. The EMW website states: “European citizens will have the opportunity to enjoy a full week of events dedicated to sustainable mobility.” Clever commuting aims “to encourage ---4--- modes of transport…to ---8--- traffic congestion, transport-related greenhouse gases and improve the health and quality of life.” Participating this year is particularly important, as it is the year the Kyoto Protocol is ---2---.

TOP