The Reading / Listening - Level 5

Ivory Coast has changed to a new postal system. It is using addresses that contain just three words. For the first time ever, everyone in the country will be able to get mail at their house. Up until now, people used post office boxes. Poorer people found it difficult to get mail. The head of Ivory Coast's post office told the BBC: "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." He said the three-word addresses would move Ivory Coast into the digital age.

The new postal system is based on the what3words.com geo-mapping system. It divided the world into a grid of 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, each with a unique 3-word address. The software uses latitude and longitude coordinates to pinpoint a location. The 22 numbers from these coordinates are changed into three easy to remember words. These replace house numbers, street and city names and zip codes. A what3words.com spokesperson said: "Poor addressing…around the world…hampers the growth and development of nations, ultimately costing lives."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 4 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 changed
  2. It is using addresses that contain
  3. For the first
  4. be able to get mail
  5. Poorer people found it
  6. a population of
  7. a postal address is a
  8. make postal access
  1. time ever
  2. difficult to get mail
  3. at their house
  4. luxury
  5. available to everyone
  6. to a new postal system
  7. nearly 24 million
  8. just three words

Paragraph 2

  1. geo-
  2. It divided
  3. a grid of 57 trillion
  4. each with a unique
  5. The software uses latitude and longitude
  6. pinpoint a
  7. zip
  8. growth and
  1. 3m x 3m squares
  2. codes
  3. coordinates
  4. the world
  5. development
  6. 3-word address
  7. location
  8. mapping system

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ivory Coast has changed (1) ___________________ system. It is using addresses that contain just three words. For (2) ___________________, everyone in the country will be (3) ___________________ at their house. Up until now, people used post office boxes. Poorer people found it difficult to get mail. The head of Ivory Coast's post office told the BBC: "We have 150,000 PO boxes for a (4) ___________________ 24 million. That means a postal address is a luxury….We (5) ___________________ postal access available to everyone." He said the three-word addresses would move Ivory Coast (6) ___________________.

The new postal system (7) ___________________ what3words.com geo-mapping system. It divided the world (8) ___________________ 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, each with a unique 3-word address. The software uses latitude and longitude coordinates (9) ___________________ location. The 22 numbers from these coordinates are changed (10) ___________________ remember words. (11) ___________________ numbers, street and city names and zip codes. A what3words.com spokesperson said: "Poor addressing…around the world… (12) ___________________ and development of nations, ultimately costing lives."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

IvoryCoasthaschangedtoanewpostalsystem.Itisusingaddressesthat
containjustthreewords.Forthefirsttimeever,everyoneinthecountryw
illbeabletogetmailattheirhouse.Upuntilnow,peopleusedpostofficebo
xes.Poorerpeoplefounditdifficulttogetmail.TheheadofIvoryCoast'sp
ostofficetoldtheBBC:"Wehave150,000POboxesforapopulationofnea
rly24million.Thatmeansapostaladdressisaluxury….Wehavetomake
postalaccessavailabletoeveryone."Hesaidthethree-wordaddresse
swouldmoveIvoryCoastintothedigitalage.Thenewpostalsystemisba
sedonthewhat3words.comgeo-mappingsystem.Itdividedtheworld
intoagridof57trillion3mx3msquares,eachwithaunique3-wordad
dress.Thesoftwareuseslatitudeandlongitudecoordinatestopinpointa
location.The22numbersfromthesecoordinatesarechangedintothree
easytorememberwords.Thesereplacehousenumbers,streetandcity
namesandzipcodes.Awhat3words.comspokespersonsaid:"Pooraddr
essing…aroundtheworld…hampersthegrowthanddevelopmentofnati
ons,ultimatelycostinglives."

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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