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16-year-old joins F1 team as race driver (21st August, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 3

In most countries around the world, 16-year-olds have to wait for another two years to be able to drive a car. Not so for 16-year-old Max Verstappen. He has just been signed up to drive for a Formula 1 racing team. He will become the youngest ever F1 driver when he races for the Toro Rosso team next year. He will be 17 when he takes part in his first Grand Prix, alongside drivers like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The current record for the youngest F1 driver is 19 years and 125 days. Verstappen will make his debut at the Australian Grand Prix. He told reporters: "Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true."

The Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was very enthusiastic about Max signing for his team. He said: "We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family….We consider Max to be one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully." He added: "It will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive car, which will enable him to have the best possible start to his Formula 1 career." Max is the son of the former-F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He said he owed a lot of his success to his father, saying: "First of all a big thanks to my father, who has always been by my side, day and night, year after year."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 0, Level 1 or Level 2

Sources

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115435
http://www.sportinglife.com/formula1/news/article/669/9429101/toro-rosso-sign-teenager
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/12471/9428944/max-verstappen-will-replace-jean-eric-vergne-at-toro-rosso-in-2015

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 :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. FORMULA 1: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Formula 1. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

countries / two years / racing / drivers / record / career goal / dream come true / enthusiastic / welcome / skilled / generation / maturity / challenge / success / thanks

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. 16-YEAR-OLD: How would a 16-year-old do at these jobs? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	They'd do well because…	They'd do badly because…
F1 racing driver
Police officer
Teacher
Flight attendant
Tour guide
CEO

4. YOUNGEST: Students A strongly believe 16 is too young to be a Formula 1 driver; Students B strongly believe 16 is OK to race an F1 car. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. RACING: Rank these with your partner. Put the most exciting at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• Formula 1

• marathon

• 100 metres

• horse racing

• 400 metres relay

• Tour de France

• motorbike racing

• 50-km walking race

6. RACE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "race". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	The legal driving age in most world countries is 16.	T / F
b.	Max will be 17 when he makes his Formula 1 debut.	T / F
c.	The previous record for the youngest driver was 18 years and 25 days.	T / F
d.	Max wanted to enter Formula 1 when he was seven years old.	T / F
e.	The boss of the racing team said Max is the most skilled young driver.	T / F
f.	The boss believes Max has the mental strength to race successfully.	T / F
g.	Max's father was a successful motorbike racer.	T / F
h.	Max said he owed a lot of his success to his father.	T / F

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

1.	countries	a.	head
2.	another	b.	next to
3.	alongside	c.	profession
4.	debut	d.	chance
5.	opportunity	e.	equip
6.	boss	f.	nations
7.	consider	g.	ex-
8.	provide	h.	introduction
9.	career	i.	believe
10.	former	j.	a further

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	In most countries	a.	seven years old
2.	He will be 17 when he takes	b.	year after year
3.	The current	c.	come true
4.	Ever since I was	d.	welcome Max
5.	this opportunity is truly a dream	e.	possible start
6.	We are happy to	f.	record
7.	he has the necessary maturity	g.	around the world
8.	enable him to have the best	h.	to his father
9.	he owed a lot of his success	i.	part
10.	day and night,	j.	and mental strength

GAP FILL

In most countries around the world, 16-year-olds have to (1) ____________ for another two years to be able to drive a car. Not so for 16-year-old Max Verstappen. He has just been (2) ____________ up to drive for a Formula 1 racing team. He will become the youngest (3) ____________ F1 driver when he races for the Toro Rosso team next year. He will be 17 when he takes (4) ____________ in his first Grand Prix, alongside drivers like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The (5) ____________ record for the youngest F1 driver is 19 years and 125 days. Verstappen will make his (6) ____________ at the Australian Grand Prix. He told reporters: "Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my (7) ____________ goal, so this opportunity is truly a (8) ____________ come true."

part
career
signed
dream
current
wait
ever
debut

The Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was very (9) ____________ about Max signing for his team. He said: "We are happy to (10) ____________ Max into the Toro Rosso family….We consider Max to be one of the most (11) ____________ young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental (12) ____________ to take on this challenge successfully." He added: "It will now be up to us to provide Max with a (13) ____________ car, which will enable him to have the best (14) ____________ start to his Formula 1 career." Max is the son of the former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He said he (15) ____________ a lot of his success to his father, saying: "First of all a big thanks to my father, who has always been by my (16) ____________, day and night, year after year."

possible
skilled
side
enthusiastic
owed
strength
welcome
competitive

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	In most countries around the world, 16-year-olds have to wait for ______
	a. another two years b. a further two years c. an other two years d. the other two years
2)	He has just been signed up to drive for a Formula ______
	a. 1 racing teen b. 1 racing team c. 1 racing steam d. 1 racing teem
3)	He will be 17 when he takes part in his ______
	a. fast Grand Prix b. firsts Grand Prix c. first Grand Prix d. thirst Grand Prix
4)	Verstappen will make ______ the Australian Grand Prix
	a. his day view at b. his review at c. his debutant at d. his debut at
5)	Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a ______
	a. dreamy come true b. dreams come true c. dream come true d. dreamer come true
6)	The Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was ______
	a. very enthusiastically b. very enthusiastic c. very enthusiasm d. very enthuse is a stick
7)	We consider Max to be one of the most skilled young drivers of ______
	a. the newly generation b. the new generation c. the new generations d. the newly generations
8)	the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this ______
	a. challenge success fully b. challenge successfully c. challenged successfully d. challenged success fully
9)	enable him to have the best possible start to his ______
	a. Formula 1 careers b. Formula 1 car rear c. Formula 1 careering d. Formula 1 career
10)	First of all a big thanks to my father, who has always ______
	a. been by my side b. been by my sides c. been by my said d. been by my seed

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

In most countries around the world, 16-year-olds (1) __________________ another two years to be able to drive a car. Not so for 16-year-old Max Verstappen. He has just been (2) ___________________ for a Formula 1 racing team. He will become the youngest ever F1 driver when he races for the Toro Rosso team next year. He will be 17 (3) ___________________ in his first Grand Prix, alongside drivers like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The current (4) ___________________ F1 driver is 19 years and 125 days. Verstappen will (5) ___________________ the Australian Grand Prix. He told reporters: "Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this (6) ___________________ a dream come true."

The Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was (7) ___________________ Max signing for his team. He said: "We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family….We consider Max to (8) ___________________ skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this (9) ___________________." He added: "It will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive car, which will enable him to have the (10) ___________________ to his Formula 1 career." Max is the (11) ___________________ F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He said he owed a lot of his success to his father, saying: "First of all a big thanks to my father, who has always (12) ___________________, day and night, year after year."

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What is the minimum driving age in most countries around the world?
2.	What is the name of the team Max is joining?
3.	Where will Max make his debut?
4.	When did Max first want to be a racing driver?
5.	What did Max say has come true?
6.	How did the team boss feel about Max signing for the team?
7.	What does the boss feel Max has?
8.	What will the team have to give to Max?
9.	What was one of the jobs of Max's father?
10.	Where did Max say his father had always been?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	What is the minimum driving age in most countries around the world?	6.	How did the team boss feel about Max signing for the team?
	a) 20 b) 18 c) 17 d) 16		a) enthusiastic b) good c) positive d) optimistic
2.	What is the name of the team Max is joining?	7.	What does the boss feel Max has?
	a) Renault b) Mercedes c) Ferrari d) Toro Rosso		a) great eyesight b) big muscles c) mental strength d) courage
3.	Where will Max make his debut?	8.	What will the team have to give to Max?
	a) Australia b) Hungary c) Singapore d) Bahrain		a) a competitive car b) a big bonus c) a special uniform d) time for school homework
4.	When did Max first want to be a racing driver?	9.	What was one of the jobs of Max's father?
	a) three years ago b) in 2008 c) when he was 7 d) when he met Michael Schumacher		a) F1 driver b) engineer c) airplane pilot d) sports reporter
5.	What did Max say has come true?	10.	Where did Max say his father had always been?
	a) a promise b) his dream c) a prediction d) reality		a) in other countries b) at work c) in a race car d) by his side

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Formula 1

You think Formula 1 is the most exciting sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so exciting about their sport. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): the Olympic marathon, the Tour de France or horse racing.

Role B – Olympic marathon

You think the Olympic marathon is the most exciting sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so exciting about their sport. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): Formula 1, the Tour de France or horse racing.

Role C – Tour de France

You think the Tour de France is the most exciting sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so exciting about their sport. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): the Olympic marathon, Formula 1 or horse racing.

Role D – Horse racing

You think horse racing is the most exciting sport. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are not so exciting about their sport. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): the Olympic marathon, the Tour de France or Formula 1.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'career' and 'goal'.

career

goal

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. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. 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. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

most
up
17
19
since
true

boss
consider
mental
possible
son
side

FORMULA 1 SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Formula 1 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.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

FORMULA 1 DISCUSSION

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

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'sixteen'?
c)	What do you think of a 16-year-old F1 driver?
d)	What is the best age for someone to start driving in a city?
e)	Do you think other F1 drivers will worry about Max?
f)	What do you think of Formula 1?
g)	How do you think Max will do in his first race?
h)	What do you think it's like to race in F1 races?
i)	What was your "career goal" when you were seven years old?
j)	Which of your dreams would you like to come true?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	What do you know about Formula 1?
c)	Why do you think the team signed someone so young?
d)	Who is your favourite F1 driver, and why?
e)	What are you skilled at?
f)	What do you think you could have been really, really good at?
g)	Who do you owe a lot to (and for what)?
h)	Who has had the biggest effect on your life?
i)	What advice would you give Max Verstappen?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Max Verstappen?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

In most countries around the world, 16-year-olds have to (1) ____ for another two years to be able to drive a car. Not so for 16-year-old Max Verstappen. He has just been signed (2) ____ to drive for a Formula 1 racing team. He will become the youngest ever F1 driver when he (3) ____ for the Toro Rosso team next year. He will be 17 when he takes part in his first Grand Prix, (4) ____ drivers like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The current record for the youngest F1 driver is 19 years and 125 days. Verstappen will make his (5) ____ at the Australian Grand Prix. He told reporters: "Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is (6) ____ a dream come true."

The Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was very enthusiastic (7) ____ Max signing for his team. He said: "We are happy to (8) ____ Max into the Toro Rosso family….We consider Max to be one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental (9) ____ to take on this challenge successfully." He added: "It will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive car, which will (10) ____ him to have the best possible start to his Formula 1 career." Max is the son of the former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He said he (11) ____ a lot of his success to his father, saying: "First of all a big thanks to my father, who has always been (12) ____ my side, day and night, year after year."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	wait	(b)	stay	(c)	stand by	(d)	expect
2.	(a)	down	(b)	in	(c)	up	(d)	as
3.	(a)	raced	(b)	racing	(c)	races	(d)	race
4.	(a)	siding	(b)	aside	(c)	nearside	(d)	alongside
5.	(a)	debut	(b)	review	(c)	rebut	(d)	debar
6.	(a)	truth	(b)	truly	(c)	true	(d)	truths
7.	(a)	as	(b)	around	(c)	after	(d)	about
8.	(a)	greet	(b)	welcome	(c)	reception	(d)	pleasure
9.	(a)	strong	(b)	powerful	(c)	strength	(d)	powered
10.	(a)	ably	(b)	ability	(c)	able	(d)	enable
11.	(a)	lend	(b)	settle	(c)	debt	(d)	owed
12.	(a)	as	(b)	by	(c)	for	(d)	with

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	eisgnd up to drive for a Formula 1 racing team
2.	the tsuoygne ever F1 driver
3.	olaesdign drivers like Fernando Alonso
4.	make his bteud
5.	Formula 1 has been my rcreea goal
6.	this ruyttoppion is truly a dream come true
Paragraph 2
7.	very itnitaushecs about Max signing
8.	We are happy to ecowmel Max
9.	the new oeingetnar
10.	the necessary yuarttim and mental strength
11.	a pvticmeoiet car
12.	he owed a lot of his ssccsue to his father

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	team. He will become the youngest ever F1 driver when he races for the Toro Rosso team next year. He will be 17
( )	car, which will enable him to have the best possible start to his Formula 1 career." Max is the son
( 1 )	In most countries around the world, 16-year-olds have to wait for another two years to be able to
( )	drive a car. Not so for 16-year-old Max Verstappen. He has just been signed up to drive for a Formula 1 racing
( )	days. Verstappen will make his debut at the Australian Grand Prix. He told reporters: "Ever since I was seven
( )	The Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was very enthusiastic about Max signing for his team. He said: "We are happy
( )	to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family….We consider Max to be one of the most skilled
( )	when he takes part in his first Grand Prix, alongside drivers like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton
( )	years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true."
( )	young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take
( )	on this challenge successfully." He added: "It will now be up to us to provide Max with a competitive
( )	of the former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He said he owed a lot of his success to his father, saying: "First
( )	of all a big thanks to my father, who has always been by my side, day and night, year after year."
( )	and Sebastian Vettel. The current record for the youngest F1 driver is 19 years and 125

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	another drive be two Wait a able years for car to to.
2.	He ever will F1 become driver the youngest.
3.	be Grand takes will first he He his when in 17 Prix part.
4.	is driver F1 youngest the for record current The years 19.
5.	opportunity come is true truly a This dream.
6.	for his team Tost was very enthusiastic about Max signing.
7.	drivers most one Max skilled of to We young the be consider.
8.	the skilled of generation most drivers new The young.
9.	car Up to us to provide Max with a competitive.
10.	his his a said father success lot he to of owed He.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

In most / mostly countries around the world, 16-year-olds have to wait for another / the other two years to be ability / able to drive a car. Not so for 16-year-old Max Verstappen. He has just been signed down / up to drive for a Formula 1 racing team. He will become the youngest ever / even F1 driver when he races for the Toro Rosso team next year. He will be 17 when he takes part / party in his first Grand Prix, alongside drivers like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. The currant / current record for the youngest F1 driver is 19 years and 125 days. Verstappen will make his debut / rebut at the Australian Grand Prix. He told reporters: "Every / Ever since I was seven years old, Formula 1 has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly / truth a dream come true."

The Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost was very enthusiasm / enthusiastic about Max signing / singing for his team. He said: "We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family….We consider / considerate Max to be one of the most skilled / skill young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary mature / maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully." He added: "It will now be on / up to us to provide Max with a compete / competitive car, which will enable him to have the best possible / possibly start to his Formula 1 career." Max is the son of the former F1 driver Jos Verstappen. He said he owing / owed a lot of his success to his father, saying: "First of all a big thanks to my father, who has always been by / next my side, day and night, year after year."

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

_n m_st c__ntr__s _r__nd th_ w_rld, 16-y__r-_lds h_v_ t_ w__t f_r _n_th_r tw_ y__rs t_ b_ _bl_ t_ dr_v_ _ c_r. N_t s_ f_r 16-y__r-_ld M_x V_rst_pp_n. H_ h_s j_st b__n s_gn_d _p t_ dr_v_ f_r _ F_rm_l_ 1 r_c_ng t__m. H_ w_ll b_c_m_ th_ y__ng_st _v_r F1 dr_v_r wh_n h_ r_c_s f_r th_ T_r_ R_ss_ t__m n_xt y__r. H_ w_ll b_ 17 wh_n h_ t_k_s p_rt _n h_s f_rst Gr_nd Pr_x, _l_ngs_d_ dr_v_rs l_k_ F_rn_nd_ _l_ns_, L_w_s H_m_lt_n _nd S_b_st__n V_tt_l. Th_ c_rr_nt r_c_rd f_r th_ y__ng_st F1 dr_v_r _s 19 y__rs _nd 125 d_ys. V_rst_pp_n w_ll m_k_ h_s d_b_t _t th_ __str_l__n Gr_nd Pr_x. H_ t_ld r_p_rt_rs: "_v_r s_nc_ _ w_s s_v_n y__rs _ld, F_rm_l_ 1 h_s b__n my c_r__r g__l, s_ th_s _pp_rt_n_ty _s tr_ly _ dr__m c_m_ tr__."

Th_ T_r_ R_ss_ t__m b_ss Fr_nz T_st w_s v_ry _nth_s__st_c _b__t M_x s_gn_ng f_r h_s t__m. H_ s__d: "W_ _r_ h_ppy t_ w_lc_m_ M_x _nt_ th_ T_r_ R_ss_ f_m_ly….W_ c_ns_d_r M_x t_ b_ _n_ _f th_ m_st sk_ll_d y__ng dr_v_rs _f th_ n_w g_n_r_t__n _nd w_ b_l__v_ h_ h_s th_ n_c_ss_ry m_t_r_ty _nd m_nt_l str_ngth t_ t_k_ _n th_s ch_ll_ng_ s_cc_ssf_lly." H_ _dd_d: "_t w_ll n_w b_ _p t_ _s t_ pr_v_d_ M_x w_th _ c_mp_t_t_v_ c_r, wh_ch w_ll _n_bl_ h_m t_ h_v_ th_ b_st p_ss_bl_ st_rt t_ h_s F_rm_l_ 1 c_r__r." M_x _s th_ s_n _f th_ f_rm_r F1 dr_v_r J_s V_rst_pp_n. H_ s__d h_ _w_d _ l_t _f h_s s_cc_ss t_ h_s f_th_r, s_y_ng: "F_rst _f _ll _ b_g th_nks t_ my f_th_r, wh_ h_s _lw_ys b__n by my s_d_, d_y _nd n_ght, y__r _ft_r y__r."

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

in most countries around the world 16-year-olds have to wait for another two years to be able to drive a car not so for 16-year-old max verstappen he has just been signed up to drive for a formula 1 racing team he will become the youngest ever f1 driver when he races for the toro rosso team next year he will be 17 when he takes part in his first grand prix alongside drivers like fernando alonso lewis hamilton and sebastian vettel the current record for the youngest f1 driver is 19 years and 125 days verstappen will make his debut at the australian grand prix he told reporters "ever since i was seven years old formula 1 has been my career goal so this opportunity is truly a dream come true"

the toro rosso team boss franz tost was very enthusiastic about max signing for his team he said "we are happy to welcome max into the toro rosso family…we consider max to be one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully" he added "it will now be up to us to provide max with a competitive car which will enable him to have the best possible start to his formula 1 career" max is the son of the former f1 driver jos verstappen he said he owed a lot of his success to his father saying "first of all a big thanks to my father who has always been by my side day and night year after year"

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

Inmostcountriesaroundtheworld,16-year-oldshavetowaitf
oranothertwoyearstobeabletodriveacar.Notsofor16-year-
oldMaxVerstappen.HehasjustbeensigneduptodriveforaFormula1
racingteam.HewillbecometheyoungesteverF1driverwhenherace
sfortheToroRossoteamnextyear.Hewillbe17whenhetakespartinh
isfirstGrandPrix,alongsidedriverslikeFernandoAlonso,LewisHami
ltonandSebastianVettel.ThecurrentrecordfortheyoungestF1driv
eris19yearsand125days.VerstappenwillmakehisdebutattheAust
ralianGrandPrix.Hetoldreporters:"EversinceIwassevenyearsold,
Formula1hasbeenmycareergoal,sothisopportunityistrulyadream
cometrue."TheToroRossoteambossFranzTostwasveryenthusiast
icaboutMaxsigningforhisteam.Hesaid:"WearehappytowelcomeM
axintotheToroRossofamily….WeconsiderMaxtobeoneofthemosts
killedyoungdriversofthenewgenerationandwebelievehehasthene
cessarymaturityandmentalstrengthtotakeonthischallengesucce
ssfully."Headded:"ItwillnowbeuptoustoprovideMaxwithacompet
itivecar,whichwillenablehimtohavethebestpossiblestarttohisFor
mula1career."Maxisthesonoftheformer-F1driverJosVersta
ppen.Hesaidheowedalotofhissuccesstohisfather,saying:"Firstofa
llabigthankstomyfather,whohasalwaysbeenbymyside,dayandni
ght,yearafteryear."

FREE WRITING

Write about Formula 1 for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Formula 1 is too dangerous for a 16-year-old. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 out more about Max Verstappen. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. FORMULA 1: Make a poster about Formula 1. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. SIXTEEN: Write a magazine article about the new 16-year-old Formula 1 driver. Include imaginary interviews with people who think 16 is too young to race F1, and people who think 16 is a good age to start.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on Formula 1. Ask him/her three questions about Formula 1. Give him/her three of your opinions on Max Verstappen racing in F1. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

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ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

T

c

F

d

T

e

F

f

T

g

F

h

T

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	countries	a.	nations
2.	another	b.	a further
3.	alongside	c.	next to
4.	debut	d.	introduction
5.	opportunity	e.	chance
6.	boss	f.	head
7.	consider	g.	believe
8.	provide	h.	equip
9.	career	i.	profession
10.	former	j.	ex-

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	18
2.	Toro Rosso
3.	Australia
4.	When he was 7
5.	His dream
6.	Enthusiastic
7.	Maturity and mental strength
8.	A competitive car
9.	An F1 driver
10.	By his side

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

b

2.

d

3.

a

4.

c

5.

b

6.

a

7.

c

8.

a

9.

a

10.

d

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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16-year-old joins F1 team as race driver (21st August, 2014)

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