The Reading / Listening - Level 4

Ivory Coast has a new postal system. It uses addresses that are just three words. For the first time, everyone in the country can get mail at their house. Before now, richer people used post office boxes. The head of Ivory Coast's post office said: "We have 150,000 PO boxes for a population of nearly 24 million. That means a postal address is a luxury….We have to make postal access available to everyone."

The new postal system uses the what3words.com geo-mapping system. It divides the world into 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, each with a unique 3-word address. The software uses coordinates to pinpoint a location. The 22 numbers from these coordinates are changed into three easy to remember words. These replace regular addresses. A what3words spokesperson said poor addressing slows down growth and development and can cost lives.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 5 or  Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38262877
  • http://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-geocoding-is-better-than-street-addresses-and-will-power-future-tech-and-services/
  • http://what3words.com/about/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Ivory Coast has a new
  2. It uses addresses that are
  3. For the first
  4. everyone
  5. get mail
  6. richer people used
  7. a population of
  8. We have to make postal access
  1. post office boxes
  2. time
  3. at their house
  4. nearly 24 million
  5. postal system
  6. available to everyone
  7. in the country
  8. just three words

Paragraph 2

  1. geo-
  2. It divides the world into 57
  3. each with a unique
  4. The software uses coordinates
  5. The 22 numbers from
  6. changed into three easy
  7. These replace regular
  8. slows down growth
  1. 3-word address
  2. addresses
  3. trillion 3m x 3m squares
  4. these coordinates
  5. to remember words
  6. mapping system
  7. and development
  8. to pinpoint a location

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ivory Coast (1) ___________________ system. It uses addresses that are just three words. For (2) ___________________, everyone in the country can get mail at their house. Before now, (3) ___________________ post office boxes. (4) ___________________ Ivory Coast's post office said: "We have 150,000 PO boxes for a population of nearly 24 million. That means a postal address (5) ___________________ ….We have to make postal access (6) ___________________."

The new postal system uses the what3words.com (7) _________________. It divides the world (8) ___________________ 3m x 3m squares, each (9) ___________________ 3-word address. The software uses coordinates to (10) ___________________. The 22 numbers from these coordinates are changed into three easy to remember words. These replace (11) ___________________. A what3words spokesperson said poor addressing slows down growth and development (12) _________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

IvoryCoasthasanewpostalsystem.Itusesaddressesthatarejustthree
words.Forthefirsttime,everyoneinthecountrycangetmailattheirhous
e.Beforenow,richerpeopleusedpostofficeboxes.TheheadofIvoryCoa
st'spostofficesaid:"Wehave150,000POboxesforapopulationofnearly
24million.Thatmeansapostaladdressisaluxury….Wehavetomakepos
talaccessavailabletoeveryone."Thenewpostalsystemusesthewhat3
words.comgeo-mappingsystem.Itdividestheworldinto57trillion3mx
3msquares,eachwithaunique3-wordaddress.Thesoftwareusescoor
dinatestopinpointalocation.The22numbersfromthesecoordinatesar
echangedintothreeeasytorememberwords.Thesereplaceregularadd
resses.Awhat3wordsspokespersonsaidpooraddressingslowsdowngr
owthanddevelopmentandcancostlives.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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